Well, I'm off to Disneyland in 10 weeks, and to get me in the mood, I decided to start an ambitious Disney Retrospective by viewing all of the original animated features from Snow White to the end. I will probably also take in some of the sequels (probably out of order) along the way as there are a few I have that I haven't got around to yet. As well as the Pixar movies and a few of the live actions, like Mary Poppins, Bedknobs, Pete's Dragon and Pirates. But I intend to watch all the main animated features in their correct order - a tall order, as there will be some periods I'm not as keen on, but some of these films I've only watched on initial purchase, so it will get me in the mood for Disneyland, as well as give me a chance to re-evaluate these classic films.
So this might be the start of quite an ambitious thread over the next couple of months (or it might be doomed to failure), but I invite everyone to come along on the journey with me, and reminisce about the classic Disney movies, and share their thoughts and feelings.
One other point is that just before Christmas I bought myself a new LCD TV, and then connected my DVD player to it with component cables which has really been eye opening, films are shining as never before, and I'm really enjoying getting back into watching movies after a few months of hard studying.
So, on to Snow White. I've just sat and watched Snow White for the first time for a good while. It's never been my favourite of the Princess movies, as I've always considered it to be very dated, and like many, I find the voice of Snow White to be very annoying. I have to say though, I've never seen the movie look so good as it does on my new screen. The colours are vivid, and bright, and the image is almost always sharp. There were a couple of spots during Whistle While You Work where the colours appeared to be a bit smudged, and I don't know if that's the results of the restoration, or if it always looked this way. Animation wise, you can see why the film is regarded as such a watermark, the animation is incredible, even after all this time, and still stands up well with many modern films. The animation of Snow White in particular is beautiful, and I always loved Snow White's outfit, even though the vocalisation of the character irritates me - although I actually got used to that, and didn't mind too much at all. It's really a great place to start with a nostalgic trip through the Disney archives, and although it will never be one of my favourite Disney movies - this is the most I've enjoyed it in a long time.
I finished off with a viewing of the Making of special and Disney Through the Decades. I absolutely loved the concept of Disney Through the Decades, and I would love to see an updated overview one day of the Disney story, perhaps in a little more depth. I can really say that viewing these programs this afternoon has really started to get me more excited (although I already am pretty excited, as anyone following my postings of pics from last March on the Theme Parks forum will realise).
I hope I'll be able to keep up with this run through of the Disney movies. Time permitting, I'll be looking at Pinocchio tomorrow, which always appealed to me when I was younger, though to be honest, I always seem to have a difficult time sitting through it these days.
Feel free to post your comments on the various movies as I post over the next few weeks, and hey, why not join in the fun and watch them again yourselves. It seems the perfect way to start the year by reliving the Disney magic.
Disney Retrospective - Countdown to Disneyland
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darth_deetoo
Well I've just watched Pinocchio. What probably strikes me the most about Pinocchio, are two things, the music, and the special effects. The film, like Snow White is once again filled with memorable songs, like When You Wish Upon A Star (which of course has become the Disney theme), and other catchy tunes like Give A Little Whistle and Actors Life For Me. It's easy to forget with the full on musicals that were produced in the 90's like Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King, that while maybe not quite as sophisticated, Disney films were always musicals, and these early films hold an innocent charm that in some ways the newer stuff will never have. I was also struck by the quality of some of the imagery, and it's easy to forget just how difficult it must have been to realise some of these things before we had computer. A couple of things which impressed were Stromboli's caravan travelling through the streets in the middle of a storm, the translucency of the Blue Fairy and of course the underwater scenes.
Next up, tomorrow is Fantasia. A film which I think has some stunning sequences, but the lack of an ongoing narrative, and it's length, always makes it a bit difficult for me to sit through. We'll see how we get on with it tomorrow.
Next up, tomorrow is Fantasia. A film which I think has some stunning sequences, but the lack of an ongoing narrative, and it's length, always makes it a bit difficult for me to sit through. We'll see how we get on with it tomorrow.
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darth_deetoo
Decided to go ahead with Fantasia tonight, instead of waiting for tomorrow. It's been a long time since I've seen Fantasia all the way through. Surprising how appropriate it was really for New Year's Eve, with several segments actually dealing with the passage of time or death and rebirth, such as The Nutcracker Suite, Rite of Spring, Pastoral Symphony, Dance of the Hours and Night on Bald Mountain / Ave Maria.
It's always been a fairly difficult film for me to sit through in it's entirety. I think there are several sequences that seem to go on just a bit too long, and the lack of a narrative makes the film less appealing than many of the other Disney classics. Having said that, I can appreciate the importance of Fantasia in the Disney pantheon, and I can see why it's considered a great work of art.
All that said, you can understand why the film didn't go down well with audiences. Watching the documentary, it seems the film's origins were firmly placed in giving Mickey Mouse a new starring role in a short, to help bolster his popularity against his new rival Donald Duck. After Walt brought Leopold Stokowsky on board, it seems that their imaginations got away from them and it evolved into Fantasia - or The Concert Feature.
It's surprising that we don't actually get into the animation in Fantasia until about 7 minutes into the film, and then we're presented with some very abstract work for Toccata and Fugue. You can imagine audiences being bemused when presented with this, which can't have been helped when presented with fairies and dancing flowers. A problem I always have with the Nutcracker Suite, is part of the music was used when I grew up on British TV to advertise a well known chocolate bar, and I can't get the song used out of my head whenever I hear this music. It's a bit frustrating when such a crass interpretation has been made of a wonderful piece of classical music, which sticks in your mind throughout your life. I know this has been a criticism of Disney's Fantasia at times, that some felt an irreverent interpretation of the music was being made of such classical themes. But that's another discussion.
Sorceror's Apprentice is of course a favourite of everyone, and this is the part of Fantasia I'm most familiar with. There's not much to say, it's well animated, Mickey at his best, and always entertains.
Rite of Spring, is a surprisingly dark and realistic piece of animation and a wonderful rendering of dinosaurs. It's a little dated now, after having been treated to fast moving T-Rex's in the Jurassic Park franchise, the lumbering T-Rex of Fantasia seems a bit at odds.
One thing that strikes me about Fantasia is how brave some of the imagery is, for the time it was produced. In the Pastoral Suite, we're shown several images of topless centaurettes and later, on Bald Mountain we see topless harpies, and even see bare breasts. It's very surprising that such things were shown back then, and I doubt we'd ever see anything like that in a Disney film these days. I was also struck by how similar some of the designs, like the Pegasus and Zeus, were very similar to that of Hercules so many years later.
Dance of the Hours is probably the most irreverent interpretation of the music in there, and actually one of the most famous too. Again, an excellent piece of animation.
Night on Bald Mountain is probably the darkest piece of animation Disney has ever done, and really stands apart from the tone of the rest of the film. Very daring, and Ave Maria provides a perfect counterpoint to end the film on.
I remember the first time I saw Fantasia. It was coming towards the end of it's time on VHS. I'd just been introduced to Disney movies by someone at work who'd loaned me Beauty and the Beast on VHS. I hadn't seen a Disney movie for years, and I was spellbound and enchanted by Beauty and the Beast. I was only vaguely aware of the Disney vault at this time, having discovered I couldn't find The Little Mermaid anywhere. I decided to start collecting Disney movies on VHS, and I managed to find copies of Cinderella and Fantasia in a store before they disappeared. I thought Fantasia was a Mickey Mouse film. My Dad had had a Sega Megadrive console with a Fantasia game, featuring Mickey working his way through each piece of music, and so I'd always assumed that it was a complete story featuring Mickey. So I was quite taken aback when I discovered what it was, and I have to say, quite disappointed.
All these years later, I can appreciate it for what it was. It's never going to be one of my favourite Disney movies, and it's one I'll rarely watch, however, there are bits of Fantasia which I love. It would have been so easy for Walt to have gone the safe route, and followed his previous 2 European musical fairytales with a third one - but it was a brave attempt to do something different. It's interesting to note that his next movies would be as different again, and so I'll continue my journey through the Disney archives tomorrow with the story of Dumbo the flying elephant!
It's always been a fairly difficult film for me to sit through in it's entirety. I think there are several sequences that seem to go on just a bit too long, and the lack of a narrative makes the film less appealing than many of the other Disney classics. Having said that, I can appreciate the importance of Fantasia in the Disney pantheon, and I can see why it's considered a great work of art.
All that said, you can understand why the film didn't go down well with audiences. Watching the documentary, it seems the film's origins were firmly placed in giving Mickey Mouse a new starring role in a short, to help bolster his popularity against his new rival Donald Duck. After Walt brought Leopold Stokowsky on board, it seems that their imaginations got away from them and it evolved into Fantasia - or The Concert Feature.
It's surprising that we don't actually get into the animation in Fantasia until about 7 minutes into the film, and then we're presented with some very abstract work for Toccata and Fugue. You can imagine audiences being bemused when presented with this, which can't have been helped when presented with fairies and dancing flowers. A problem I always have with the Nutcracker Suite, is part of the music was used when I grew up on British TV to advertise a well known chocolate bar, and I can't get the song used out of my head whenever I hear this music. It's a bit frustrating when such a crass interpretation has been made of a wonderful piece of classical music, which sticks in your mind throughout your life. I know this has been a criticism of Disney's Fantasia at times, that some felt an irreverent interpretation of the music was being made of such classical themes. But that's another discussion.
Sorceror's Apprentice is of course a favourite of everyone, and this is the part of Fantasia I'm most familiar with. There's not much to say, it's well animated, Mickey at his best, and always entertains.
Rite of Spring, is a surprisingly dark and realistic piece of animation and a wonderful rendering of dinosaurs. It's a little dated now, after having been treated to fast moving T-Rex's in the Jurassic Park franchise, the lumbering T-Rex of Fantasia seems a bit at odds.
One thing that strikes me about Fantasia is how brave some of the imagery is, for the time it was produced. In the Pastoral Suite, we're shown several images of topless centaurettes and later, on Bald Mountain we see topless harpies, and even see bare breasts. It's very surprising that such things were shown back then, and I doubt we'd ever see anything like that in a Disney film these days. I was also struck by how similar some of the designs, like the Pegasus and Zeus, were very similar to that of Hercules so many years later.
Dance of the Hours is probably the most irreverent interpretation of the music in there, and actually one of the most famous too. Again, an excellent piece of animation.
Night on Bald Mountain is probably the darkest piece of animation Disney has ever done, and really stands apart from the tone of the rest of the film. Very daring, and Ave Maria provides a perfect counterpoint to end the film on.
I remember the first time I saw Fantasia. It was coming towards the end of it's time on VHS. I'd just been introduced to Disney movies by someone at work who'd loaned me Beauty and the Beast on VHS. I hadn't seen a Disney movie for years, and I was spellbound and enchanted by Beauty and the Beast. I was only vaguely aware of the Disney vault at this time, having discovered I couldn't find The Little Mermaid anywhere. I decided to start collecting Disney movies on VHS, and I managed to find copies of Cinderella and Fantasia in a store before they disappeared. I thought Fantasia was a Mickey Mouse film. My Dad had had a Sega Megadrive console with a Fantasia game, featuring Mickey working his way through each piece of music, and so I'd always assumed that it was a complete story featuring Mickey. So I was quite taken aback when I discovered what it was, and I have to say, quite disappointed.
All these years later, I can appreciate it for what it was. It's never going to be one of my favourite Disney movies, and it's one I'll rarely watch, however, there are bits of Fantasia which I love. It would have been so easy for Walt to have gone the safe route, and followed his previous 2 European musical fairytales with a third one - but it was a brave attempt to do something different. It's interesting to note that his next movies would be as different again, and so I'll continue my journey through the Disney archives tomorrow with the story of Dumbo the flying elephant!
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darth_deetoo
Dumbo today, which marks the first proper animal film from Disney, a back to basics approach after the commercial failure of Fantasia, but a departure from the first two fairy tales which established the animated classics.
I think Dumbo owes much more to the style of the Silly Symphonies really than it's predecessors, it's brash, full of music, has a more simplistic style of animation and is quite short with a running time barely over an hour.
A traditional underdog story of a young misfit shunned by his peers who eventually overcomes adversity and achieves fame and success, told with the Disney magic.
Standout moments for me are Casey Jr, Pink Elephants on Parade and the Crow Song.
There's not much more you can say about Dumbo, it's short and sweet and always entertaining.
I think Dumbo owes much more to the style of the Silly Symphonies really than it's predecessors, it's brash, full of music, has a more simplistic style of animation and is quite short with a running time barely over an hour.
A traditional underdog story of a young misfit shunned by his peers who eventually overcomes adversity and achieves fame and success, told with the Disney magic.
Standout moments for me are Casey Jr, Pink Elephants on Parade and the Crow Song.
There's not much more you can say about Dumbo, it's short and sweet and always entertaining.
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myr_heille
- Gold Classic Collection
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- Joined: Mon Sep 18, 2006 7:14 am
- Location: Sweet Canadaland
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darth_deetoo
I stopped posting because I wasn't getting any responses to the thread. I was hoping for this to turn into a bit of a discussion thread on the movies as I went along.
I actually carried on with the viewings on Friday night with Bambi.
I started to feel that there were definite era's with the movies, with the first 5 - Snow White to Bambi making up the first era. This being a very experimental period for Disney, but surprisingly, many of the films sharing similar themes. Birth and rebirth and cycles of life seem to pop up with regularity in these early Disney movies.
I think it's a very experimental period in terms of animation, with the exception of Dumbo, which had a much simpler style - all the films make quite significant steps in animation.
Bambi in particular really establishes the feel of Disney's animals, from the more cartoony approach used in Snow White, we see an evolution to the kind of art which would continue throughout movies like Lady and the Tramp, The Aristocats, 101 Dalmatians, Jungle Book etc.
But for all it's technical qualities, I've always found Bambi to be a bit lacking. Storywise it's very simplistic, and with a running time of little over an hour, it just doesn't seem to have the punch for me that many of Disney's other movies have.
I decided to continue over the weekend with the package films, and throughout Saturday and Sunday ran through all 6 package films. I feel these 6 films represent the second era for the Disney studio.
To be honest, these are probably the Disney movies I've watched the least throughout the years, with many of them only having been seen once, although often there have been segments that have had more viewings, such as Mickey and the Beanstalk, Peter and the Wolf and Willie the Whale.
I find it surprising that the public responded to these films, and they were able to keep the studio alive throughout the lean years. With most of them lacking any strong narrative, and frankly, being all over the place in terms of style, I would have thought they would have been a commercial failure like Fantasia. But they appeared to have allowed the studio to recoup after a string of less commercial hits (which nonetheless did make their money back over time).
I'm not going to go into great detail on any of the package films. Just quick thoughts on each one.
Saludos Amigos, seemed a bit of a bizarre idea to actually include footage of the Disney artists on their trip. Obviously the trip also served as inspiration for The Three Caballeros too. Favourite segments are Donald's adventures with the llama and Gaucho Goofy. But it's all a bit of an inconsequential film with a running time of barely over 40 minutes.
The Three Caballeros on the other hand has a decent running time, it's loud, brash and a lot of fun. Probably my favourite package feature, which probably has a lot to do with Donald being one of my favourite characters. I love the shorter segments featuring Pablo the penguin and the little gaucho boy with the flying donkey. And the movie turns into a fun song and dance number at the end with the arrival of Joe and Pancho. Still lacking a strong narrative flow, but great fun nonetheless. I don't know if this was the first attempt to mix live action and animation, but it must be one of the early attempts, so I suppose it's a bit of a technical milestone too.
Make Mine Music is one of those films I was referring to where the style seems to be all over the place, and I can't really see the public responding well to it. It has some great segments, but is a bit unsatisfying as an overall package. Although I've always loved Peter and the Wolf (but had seen this recently in Your Host, Walt Disney), and Willie the Whale.
Continued on Sunday with Fun and Fancy Free. Probably my second favourite package feature. A starring vehicle for Mickey, Donald and Goofy, and a delightful segment featuring Bongo the Bear. I'm surprised Bongo and Lulu Belle didn't become bigger stars actually. It would have been nice if they'd carried on the idea of this being a sequel of sorts to Dumbo, and featured some of the other characters, particularly Casey Jones. Mickey and the Beanstalk is great fun, though I dislike the narration of Edgar Bergen. I don't know what people thought of Bergen in the day, but I've always found him to be somewhat lacking in talent. A ventriloquist who moves his mouth every time his dummy 'speaks', seems to be a bit of a waste of time to me. I would have much preferred the movie to be presented in the same manner as Bongo, with Jiminy Cricket serving as sole host for both tales.
Melody Time, I feel much the same as with Make Mine Music. To be honest, it might have been a bad decision to cram all the package features into one weekend as my attention was flagging when I got to Melody Time. Particularly like Johnny Appleseed and Pecos Bill. I'm struck by how childish some of the shorts are in these films though, like Johnny Fedora, Little Toot and Pedro. Also interested to note how similar the chipmunks were in Fun and Fancy Free and Melody Time (Bongo and Johnny Appleseed) to Chip N' Dale. Surely this must have been the early evolution of their characters.
Finally, Ichabod and Mr. Toad. Seems a very unlikely pairing as the two subjects have very little in common. Both are very entertaining shorts. Neither really breaks any new ground though, and again, it's a wonder that the studio actually made any kind of money with these subjects.
Of course, everything was to change with Disney's next animated classic, a return to a full length storyline, which would continue (with the exception of Pooh) throughout the rest of the animated features. And of course, the next movie is one of the most beloved and treasured of all Disney fairytales. I'm looking forward to the next week when I'll be reviewing Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp and Sleeping Beauty.
I actually carried on with the viewings on Friday night with Bambi.
I started to feel that there were definite era's with the movies, with the first 5 - Snow White to Bambi making up the first era. This being a very experimental period for Disney, but surprisingly, many of the films sharing similar themes. Birth and rebirth and cycles of life seem to pop up with regularity in these early Disney movies.
I think it's a very experimental period in terms of animation, with the exception of Dumbo, which had a much simpler style - all the films make quite significant steps in animation.
Bambi in particular really establishes the feel of Disney's animals, from the more cartoony approach used in Snow White, we see an evolution to the kind of art which would continue throughout movies like Lady and the Tramp, The Aristocats, 101 Dalmatians, Jungle Book etc.
But for all it's technical qualities, I've always found Bambi to be a bit lacking. Storywise it's very simplistic, and with a running time of little over an hour, it just doesn't seem to have the punch for me that many of Disney's other movies have.
I decided to continue over the weekend with the package films, and throughout Saturday and Sunday ran through all 6 package films. I feel these 6 films represent the second era for the Disney studio.
To be honest, these are probably the Disney movies I've watched the least throughout the years, with many of them only having been seen once, although often there have been segments that have had more viewings, such as Mickey and the Beanstalk, Peter and the Wolf and Willie the Whale.
I find it surprising that the public responded to these films, and they were able to keep the studio alive throughout the lean years. With most of them lacking any strong narrative, and frankly, being all over the place in terms of style, I would have thought they would have been a commercial failure like Fantasia. But they appeared to have allowed the studio to recoup after a string of less commercial hits (which nonetheless did make their money back over time).
I'm not going to go into great detail on any of the package films. Just quick thoughts on each one.
Saludos Amigos, seemed a bit of a bizarre idea to actually include footage of the Disney artists on their trip. Obviously the trip also served as inspiration for The Three Caballeros too. Favourite segments are Donald's adventures with the llama and Gaucho Goofy. But it's all a bit of an inconsequential film with a running time of barely over 40 minutes.
The Three Caballeros on the other hand has a decent running time, it's loud, brash and a lot of fun. Probably my favourite package feature, which probably has a lot to do with Donald being one of my favourite characters. I love the shorter segments featuring Pablo the penguin and the little gaucho boy with the flying donkey. And the movie turns into a fun song and dance number at the end with the arrival of Joe and Pancho. Still lacking a strong narrative flow, but great fun nonetheless. I don't know if this was the first attempt to mix live action and animation, but it must be one of the early attempts, so I suppose it's a bit of a technical milestone too.
Make Mine Music is one of those films I was referring to where the style seems to be all over the place, and I can't really see the public responding well to it. It has some great segments, but is a bit unsatisfying as an overall package. Although I've always loved Peter and the Wolf (but had seen this recently in Your Host, Walt Disney), and Willie the Whale.
Continued on Sunday with Fun and Fancy Free. Probably my second favourite package feature. A starring vehicle for Mickey, Donald and Goofy, and a delightful segment featuring Bongo the Bear. I'm surprised Bongo and Lulu Belle didn't become bigger stars actually. It would have been nice if they'd carried on the idea of this being a sequel of sorts to Dumbo, and featured some of the other characters, particularly Casey Jones. Mickey and the Beanstalk is great fun, though I dislike the narration of Edgar Bergen. I don't know what people thought of Bergen in the day, but I've always found him to be somewhat lacking in talent. A ventriloquist who moves his mouth every time his dummy 'speaks', seems to be a bit of a waste of time to me. I would have much preferred the movie to be presented in the same manner as Bongo, with Jiminy Cricket serving as sole host for both tales.
Melody Time, I feel much the same as with Make Mine Music. To be honest, it might have been a bad decision to cram all the package features into one weekend as my attention was flagging when I got to Melody Time. Particularly like Johnny Appleseed and Pecos Bill. I'm struck by how childish some of the shorts are in these films though, like Johnny Fedora, Little Toot and Pedro. Also interested to note how similar the chipmunks were in Fun and Fancy Free and Melody Time (Bongo and Johnny Appleseed) to Chip N' Dale. Surely this must have been the early evolution of their characters.
Finally, Ichabod and Mr. Toad. Seems a very unlikely pairing as the two subjects have very little in common. Both are very entertaining shorts. Neither really breaks any new ground though, and again, it's a wonder that the studio actually made any kind of money with these subjects.
Of course, everything was to change with Disney's next animated classic, a return to a full length storyline, which would continue (with the exception of Pooh) throughout the rest of the animated features. And of course, the next movie is one of the most beloved and treasured of all Disney fairytales. I'm looking forward to the next week when I'll be reviewing Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp and Sleeping Beauty.
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Chernabog_Rocks
- Collector's Edition
- Posts: 2213
- Joined: Thu Mar 30, 2006 2:00 am
- Location: New West, BC
Hey Darth_Deeto sorry that your topic isn't getting lots of attention. I think it's a great idea to watch all the movies in a row, especially since as you go along you notice different things that you may have forgotten were there. I'm going to start watching the movies as well, when I get around to it.
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dalmation134
- Gold Classic Collection
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- Joined: Fri Dec 29, 2006 8:22 pm
- Location: Sunny California
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darth_deetoo
Well I'll keep posting thoughts as long as people are reading and are interested.
I don't have chance to watch the films on a daily basis, so there are periods when I take a few days break.
I watched Cinderella last night, but haven't really got time to comment this morning, and want to do the film justice rather than post some quick thoughts.
I don't have chance to watch the films on a daily basis, so there are periods when I take a few days break.
I watched Cinderella last night, but haven't really got time to comment this morning, and want to do the film justice rather than post some quick thoughts.
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darth_deetoo
As I posted this morning, I watched Cinders last night.
Cinderella was one of the first Disney films I ever owned. I was hooked on Disney films when someone loaned me a VHS tape of Beauty and the Beast. Shortly afterwards, I bought my own copy, and then started collecting the other films. I wasn't really aware of the moratoriums at that point, but quickly realised that there were many films that just weren't available. The biggest disappointment was The Little Mermaid, and although I got a pirate VHS, it was many years before I finally got the chance to get an official release of it.
The first two I got after BATB were Cinderella and Fantasia, both of which were on the verge of going into the vault I think. I've already mentioned my views of Fantasia above. I think initially I was a bit underwhelmed by these releases. I'd really fallen in love with BATB, and I found many of the other films to be very dated in terms of design, animation, story and theme compared to that.
I remember reading an old comic adaptation of Cinderella when I was little, which was serialised over several weeks in a Disney weekly - probably Mickey Mouse comic. This would have been the early 70's.
I'd probably also seen the odd sequence on Disneytime TV shows too. These used to be anthology shows put on around the holidays on BBC TV, which would have a celebrity of the time, presenting a selection of clips from classic Disney movies. These actually ran for a lot of years.
But there were very few of the Disney movies I'd seen fully through. I'd seen a few in the cinema in the early 70's (I was born in 1970), but remember this was before VHS's were in homes.
So Cinderella was fairly new to me in the early 90's when I did see it, but failed to make a massive impression.
It's probably still one of my least favourite's of the princess movies, although it seems to have a massive appeal with young kids.
It does have some catchy tunes, although nothing I'd really consider showstopping, and that's probably my biggest problem with it.
Having said that, the transformation scene is breathtaking.
Watching it last night, I do kind of get a bit more appreciation these days with it on DVD. I hadn't realised before the documentary on this that so much of it was filmed in live action, and then 'traced over' by the animators. However it has to be said the animation is very smooth and lifelike, particularly on Cinderella who is beautifully done.
I know it's had a lot of flack for the restoration, but aside from, perhaps looking a bit too clean in some places, I think the film looks very good. In fact, it perhaps look's so clean that you could almost think it was a newly animated piece in some areas. I'd always thought from the clips I'd seen of Cinderella III that it seemed a bit lacking in detail on the animation, but having watched this last night, it might actually blend in very well. I know people have complained about the colours of Cinders dress, but I really didn't notice an issue.
I think all told, it's never going to be one of my favourites, but I do think it's right up there with Snow White and is one of the true classics.
Cinderella was one of the first Disney films I ever owned. I was hooked on Disney films when someone loaned me a VHS tape of Beauty and the Beast. Shortly afterwards, I bought my own copy, and then started collecting the other films. I wasn't really aware of the moratoriums at that point, but quickly realised that there were many films that just weren't available. The biggest disappointment was The Little Mermaid, and although I got a pirate VHS, it was many years before I finally got the chance to get an official release of it.
The first two I got after BATB were Cinderella and Fantasia, both of which were on the verge of going into the vault I think. I've already mentioned my views of Fantasia above. I think initially I was a bit underwhelmed by these releases. I'd really fallen in love with BATB, and I found many of the other films to be very dated in terms of design, animation, story and theme compared to that.
I remember reading an old comic adaptation of Cinderella when I was little, which was serialised over several weeks in a Disney weekly - probably Mickey Mouse comic. This would have been the early 70's.
I'd probably also seen the odd sequence on Disneytime TV shows too. These used to be anthology shows put on around the holidays on BBC TV, which would have a celebrity of the time, presenting a selection of clips from classic Disney movies. These actually ran for a lot of years.
But there were very few of the Disney movies I'd seen fully through. I'd seen a few in the cinema in the early 70's (I was born in 1970), but remember this was before VHS's were in homes.
So Cinderella was fairly new to me in the early 90's when I did see it, but failed to make a massive impression.
It's probably still one of my least favourite's of the princess movies, although it seems to have a massive appeal with young kids.
It does have some catchy tunes, although nothing I'd really consider showstopping, and that's probably my biggest problem with it.
Having said that, the transformation scene is breathtaking.
Watching it last night, I do kind of get a bit more appreciation these days with it on DVD. I hadn't realised before the documentary on this that so much of it was filmed in live action, and then 'traced over' by the animators. However it has to be said the animation is very smooth and lifelike, particularly on Cinderella who is beautifully done.
I know it's had a lot of flack for the restoration, but aside from, perhaps looking a bit too clean in some places, I think the film looks very good. In fact, it perhaps look's so clean that you could almost think it was a newly animated piece in some areas. I'd always thought from the clips I'd seen of Cinderella III that it seemed a bit lacking in detail on the animation, but having watched this last night, it might actually blend in very well. I know people have complained about the colours of Cinders dress, but I really didn't notice an issue.
I think all told, it's never going to be one of my favourites, but I do think it's right up there with Snow White and is one of the true classics.
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Caballero Girl
- Gold Classic Collection
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- Joined: Fri Nov 03, 2006 10:19 am
- Location: the Twilight Zone
I urge you to keep going with this, darth_deetoo, and not to feel discouraged because things haven't really taken off yet - there is still a long way to go, of course. I'm finding your comments a very interesting read.
I agree that the first five films, the pre-War ones, made up a very distinctive period in Disney history, and if I had to pick my favourite era of the company's film-making, I would go for this one. Once WWII was over, and Disney were able to return to making regular feature films (as opposed to package ones), they never quite managed to capture that same feeling of freeform and understatement which made its initial movies so unique in tone. Bambi is actually my favourite Disney film, and the specimen in which I see this feeling as being most evident. I really admire how, along with Fantasia and (to a lesser extent) Dumbo before it, it trusts the the score, the animation and the atmosphere they generate to tell the story more than the dialogue.
In a respectful challenge to your comment that the storyline is "simplistic", I believe that Bambi actually tells the greatest form of story ever told, and that is the story of the trials of life. Our protagonist learns how to survive and to cope with the various challenges of nature, and in many ways the basic story is akin to what you might find in a nature documentary. A lot of people believe that the unseen huntsman who kills Bambi's mother is the film's real villian, but given that he is never established as a character (after all, who is he, really? And no, I don't mean Judge Doom...
) and only his presence is ever felt, I believe that he is a force more than anything else. The winter, which initially seems so delightful to Bambi, captures the rougher, darker side to Nature. If the story does have one distinctive "villain", then I'd say its challenges, provided by threats from both Man and Nature, which Bambi must learn to overcome. As with any nature docu, emphasis is given to Bambi's genetic survival too, and having attracted his mate, he must fight a rival male to keep her too. Having overcome all of life's obstacles, fathering a couple of fawns of his own is his ultimate victory. Passing on his genes into the next generation kinda represents his mother's victory too. Though she dies, her legacy continues through her genes, which are very much alive.
I think Dumbo before it followed a similar stance as far as the villians go. There are lots of unfriendly characters, but no figure who can be pinned down as particularly despicable or as an especially prominent threat to Dumbo (some Disney sources give the Ringmaster that honour, but as far as I can see his only crime is ignorance). Other than Mrs. Jumbo, Timothy Mouse and Mr. Stork (though he disappears before the action really begins) all the characters treat Dumbo with some unkindness or hostility, even if they are later sorry for it. So, is it fair to say that the "villain" is the rest of the world who, through its prejudice and ignorance, wouldn't accept Dumbo's abnormality? Pinocchio, though a lot of characters are outwardly nasty enough to be worthy of a villainous title, is another film where most of the characters our protagonist encounters in the outside world appear to be evil or detrimental in some way. Who emerges as the most dangerous villain of all in the end? Really, there are lots of candidates. Pinocchio's small world with Geppetto and his pets emerges as the purity and innocence which, with guidence from Jiminy Cricket and the Blue Fairy, must be maintained. Some viewers find it disturbing that, by the end of this film, the many villains seem to have gone unpunished, but I think it would defeat the purpose of those final moments if they had. What I find so powerful about the ending is that this small, self-contained purity and innocence still manages to survive against what is essentially a very dark and depraved backdrop. And that's one of the things I love so much about these early Disney films. Each had a different tone and approach to doing so but, they all told beautiful and understated stories of survival in a world which seems almost inherently hostile. Snow White and Fantasia don't conform to this particular theme of course - the first being a fairy tale in which all the threat can be distilled into a single, extremely evil figure, and Fantasia being a different kettle of fish altogether - but I still love those films (the latter especially) upon their own terms.
That's all just my own two-cents, of course, but I wanted to contribute to the reviewing in some way, and as you can see, I have some very strong feelings about the pre-War features which I wanted to share. Sorry for rambling.
I agree that the first five films, the pre-War ones, made up a very distinctive period in Disney history, and if I had to pick my favourite era of the company's film-making, I would go for this one. Once WWII was over, and Disney were able to return to making regular feature films (as opposed to package ones), they never quite managed to capture that same feeling of freeform and understatement which made its initial movies so unique in tone. Bambi is actually my favourite Disney film, and the specimen in which I see this feeling as being most evident. I really admire how, along with Fantasia and (to a lesser extent) Dumbo before it, it trusts the the score, the animation and the atmosphere they generate to tell the story more than the dialogue.
In a respectful challenge to your comment that the storyline is "simplistic", I believe that Bambi actually tells the greatest form of story ever told, and that is the story of the trials of life. Our protagonist learns how to survive and to cope with the various challenges of nature, and in many ways the basic story is akin to what you might find in a nature documentary. A lot of people believe that the unseen huntsman who kills Bambi's mother is the film's real villian, but given that he is never established as a character (after all, who is he, really? And no, I don't mean Judge Doom...
) and only his presence is ever felt, I believe that he is a force more than anything else. The winter, which initially seems so delightful to Bambi, captures the rougher, darker side to Nature. If the story does have one distinctive "villain", then I'd say its challenges, provided by threats from both Man and Nature, which Bambi must learn to overcome. As with any nature docu, emphasis is given to Bambi's genetic survival too, and having attracted his mate, he must fight a rival male to keep her too. Having overcome all of life's obstacles, fathering a couple of fawns of his own is his ultimate victory. Passing on his genes into the next generation kinda represents his mother's victory too. Though she dies, her legacy continues through her genes, which are very much alive.I think Dumbo before it followed a similar stance as far as the villians go. There are lots of unfriendly characters, but no figure who can be pinned down as particularly despicable or as an especially prominent threat to Dumbo (some Disney sources give the Ringmaster that honour, but as far as I can see his only crime is ignorance). Other than Mrs. Jumbo, Timothy Mouse and Mr. Stork (though he disappears before the action really begins) all the characters treat Dumbo with some unkindness or hostility, even if they are later sorry for it. So, is it fair to say that the "villain" is the rest of the world who, through its prejudice and ignorance, wouldn't accept Dumbo's abnormality? Pinocchio, though a lot of characters are outwardly nasty enough to be worthy of a villainous title, is another film where most of the characters our protagonist encounters in the outside world appear to be evil or detrimental in some way. Who emerges as the most dangerous villain of all in the end? Really, there are lots of candidates. Pinocchio's small world with Geppetto and his pets emerges as the purity and innocence which, with guidence from Jiminy Cricket and the Blue Fairy, must be maintained. Some viewers find it disturbing that, by the end of this film, the many villains seem to have gone unpunished, but I think it would defeat the purpose of those final moments if they had. What I find so powerful about the ending is that this small, self-contained purity and innocence still manages to survive against what is essentially a very dark and depraved backdrop. And that's one of the things I love so much about these early Disney films. Each had a different tone and approach to doing so but, they all told beautiful and understated stories of survival in a world which seems almost inherently hostile. Snow White and Fantasia don't conform to this particular theme of course - the first being a fairy tale in which all the threat can be distilled into a single, extremely evil figure, and Fantasia being a different kettle of fish altogether - but I still love those films (the latter especially) upon their own terms.
That's all just my own two-cents, of course, but I wanted to contribute to the reviewing in some way, and as you can see, I have some very strong feelings about the pre-War features which I wanted to share. Sorry for rambling.
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darth_deetoo
Don't apologise at all for rambling, I was hoping to get some discussion going as I went through this, and I've particularly tried to keep my own comments fairly short initially because I thought there would be further discussion - so I was feeling a bit downcast that people hadn't jumped in.
I think there are definite era's throughout the decades with the animated films, or if not era's, certain periods have their own very distinctive style. You can easily pick out the style in the early films, for example, compared to those of the 50's.
I do appreciate the early films, but I personally find the storyline's a bit simplistic for my own tastes in many of them. Of course I can accept that there are deeper idea's and themes in some of them, and can see where you're coming from with your comments about Bambi.
I'm 12 films in now, and I think probably the one's I've enjoyed the most to date are:-
Snow White
The Three Caballeros
Fun and Fancy Free
Cinderella
Next up is Alice in Wonderland which I always seem to enjoy.
I think there are definite era's throughout the decades with the animated films, or if not era's, certain periods have their own very distinctive style. You can easily pick out the style in the early films, for example, compared to those of the 50's.
I do appreciate the early films, but I personally find the storyline's a bit simplistic for my own tastes in many of them. Of course I can accept that there are deeper idea's and themes in some of them, and can see where you're coming from with your comments about Bambi.
I'm 12 films in now, and I think probably the one's I've enjoyed the most to date are:-
Snow White
The Three Caballeros
Fun and Fancy Free
Cinderella
Next up is Alice in Wonderland which I always seem to enjoy.
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Bill Freiberger
- Member
- Posts: 19
- Joined: Thu Nov 30, 2006 1:05 pm
darth_deetoo wrote:Continued on Sunday with Fun and Fancy Free. Probably my second favourite package feature. A starring vehicle for Mickey, Donald and Goofy, and a delightful segment featuring Bongo the Bear. I'm surprised Bongo and Lulu Belle didn't become bigger stars actually. It would have been nice if they'd carried on the idea of this being a sequel of sorts to Dumbo, and featured some of the other characters, particularly Casey Jones. Mickey and the Beanstalk is great fun, though I dislike the narration of Edgar Bergen. I don't know what people thought of Bergen in the day, but I've always found him to be somewhat lacking in talent. A ventriloquist who moves his mouth every time his dummy 'speaks', seems to be a bit of a waste of time to me. I would have much preferred the movie to be presented in the same manner as Bongo, with Jiminy Cricket serving as sole host for both tales.
I believe that over the years there have been several different versions of these two stories (in terms of narration). The original movie featured Dinah Shore narrating "Bongo" and Edgar Bergen narrating "Mickey and the Beanstalk." When they aired the the two sements on the Disney Anthology show (on two different dates) Dinah Shore's narration was replaced with Jiminy Cricket and Edgar Bergen's was replaced with Ludwig Von Drake. I believe that the home video versions that are (or have been) available have used the different versions at different times.
I don't know which versions I prefer more. I like the original because, well, because it's the original. The way it was originally intended to be seen. I don't feel, however, that the live action sequences are particularly interesting or dynamic. Also, the versions with the cartoon narrators tend to be sold individually, so you don't have to watch both in one sitting, which I think is a plus (although, you really don't have to do that anyway, I guess). And it's probably not a problem for you to watch the entire film seeing as how you watched all six package films in one weekend.
As far as Edgar Bergen is concerned, it's impossible to imagine today how huge a star he was. It's true that he wasn't the best ventriloquist in the world, but his real strength was in the great characterizations of his puppets and in his high quality writing.
Bill
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darth_deetoo
Both versions of Mickey and the Beanstalk I have (Fun and Fancy Free and Walt Disney Treasures) have the Bergen narration. I believe it is also available on DVD on it's own disc, but I don't know if that uses the same version.
Continued the Disney Marathon tonight with Alice in Wonderland. I've always thought Alice in Wonderland is a marvellous, whimsical piece, with excellent animation. When looked at in the context of Cinderella, where so much was done with live action references, Alice in Wonderland must have been a godsend for the animators with it's wacky characters. It's a shame really that the Masterpiece DVD doesn't have a definitive documentary on it, instead presenting vintage materials as extra's, as I'd have been interested to see the movie put in it's historical context. I've also been watching many of the documentary items on discs as I've gone along. It is nice to see Song of the South segments on 'One Hour in Wonderland' though, and it's always nice to see vintage footage of Walt Disney.
I think for me, some of my favourite bits from Alice are probably the Walrus and the Carpenter, the segment where Alice gets lost in the woods and confronts all manner of strange creatures, including the Cheshire Cat, and the finale with the Queen of Hearts. Also love the Painting the Roses Red song.
I just think the storyline, the songs and the characters are just so full of whimsical weirdness, it's a very colourful and entertaining film, and I'm surprised it's not a bit more highly regarded really. Maybe it just appeals a bit more to the English sense of humour.
Next I'm off to Neverland with Peter Pan. Wouldn't normally watch a film with a rerelease coming so soon, but I'm keen to run through all the animated classics in the correct order. The new 2 disc set is still 2 months off anyway, and actually comes out when I'm in Disneyland, so I might not get to see it straightaway.
Nice to see people starting to contribute their comments.
Continued the Disney Marathon tonight with Alice in Wonderland. I've always thought Alice in Wonderland is a marvellous, whimsical piece, with excellent animation. When looked at in the context of Cinderella, where so much was done with live action references, Alice in Wonderland must have been a godsend for the animators with it's wacky characters. It's a shame really that the Masterpiece DVD doesn't have a definitive documentary on it, instead presenting vintage materials as extra's, as I'd have been interested to see the movie put in it's historical context. I've also been watching many of the documentary items on discs as I've gone along. It is nice to see Song of the South segments on 'One Hour in Wonderland' though, and it's always nice to see vintage footage of Walt Disney.
I think for me, some of my favourite bits from Alice are probably the Walrus and the Carpenter, the segment where Alice gets lost in the woods and confronts all manner of strange creatures, including the Cheshire Cat, and the finale with the Queen of Hearts. Also love the Painting the Roses Red song.
I just think the storyline, the songs and the characters are just so full of whimsical weirdness, it's a very colourful and entertaining film, and I'm surprised it's not a bit more highly regarded really. Maybe it just appeals a bit more to the English sense of humour.
Next I'm off to Neverland with Peter Pan. Wouldn't normally watch a film with a rerelease coming so soon, but I'm keen to run through all the animated classics in the correct order. The new 2 disc set is still 2 months off anyway, and actually comes out when I'm in Disneyland, so I might not get to see it straightaway.
Nice to see people starting to contribute their comments.
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dalmation134
- Gold Classic Collection
- Posts: 103
- Joined: Fri Dec 29, 2006 8:22 pm
- Location: Sunny California
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darth_deetoo
Continued today with Peter Pan.
I remember my mum taking me to see Peter Pan at the cinema when I was about 5 or 6. This must have been a reissue in the early / mid-70's.
I'm not sure if it was the first Disney movie I saw, I also have vague memories of The Aristocats and Robin Hood.
I've always liked Peter Pan, and I think it's one of the movies which is consistently good throughout. I suppose favourite excerpts are probably the 'Think of a Wonderful Thought / We Can Fly / Off to Neverland' sequence, and the hilarious 'Following the Leader'.
I think the first sequence mentioned, perfectly captures the sense of wonder and fun in the film, which continues as we visit Mermaid Lagoon, the Lost Boys, the Indians and meet the Pirates.
There's some very Looney Tunesque moments too with Captain Hook and Tick Tock.
Interesting to note the amount of live action footage once again used when looking at the making of featurette. I suspect a lot of people never realised just how much the Disney artists relied upon this sort of thing.
It's a film you never really get tired of, and while I didn't pay too much attention today - the 2 Disc Platinum is on the way after all - it's always a pleasant hour or so of entertainment.
Next up, Lady and the Tramp.
I remember my mum taking me to see Peter Pan at the cinema when I was about 5 or 6. This must have been a reissue in the early / mid-70's.
I'm not sure if it was the first Disney movie I saw, I also have vague memories of The Aristocats and Robin Hood.
I've always liked Peter Pan, and I think it's one of the movies which is consistently good throughout. I suppose favourite excerpts are probably the 'Think of a Wonderful Thought / We Can Fly / Off to Neverland' sequence, and the hilarious 'Following the Leader'.
I think the first sequence mentioned, perfectly captures the sense of wonder and fun in the film, which continues as we visit Mermaid Lagoon, the Lost Boys, the Indians and meet the Pirates.
There's some very Looney Tunesque moments too with Captain Hook and Tick Tock.
Interesting to note the amount of live action footage once again used when looking at the making of featurette. I suspect a lot of people never realised just how much the Disney artists relied upon this sort of thing.
It's a film you never really get tired of, and while I didn't pay too much attention today - the 2 Disc Platinum is on the way after all - it's always a pleasant hour or so of entertainment.
Next up, Lady and the Tramp.
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darth_deetoo
Lady and the Tramp has never really been one of my favourite Disney movies. In fact, truth be told, the 'animal' features - with the exception of The Lion King and The Jungle Book - don't really do it for me. I don't know why, because I love animals, and actually spend a lot of free time visiting zoo's. I guess I just find it easier to relate to human characters, and so for me, the princess movies often tend to be my favourite Disney movies.
That said, I do appreciate the art and craft of movies like Bambi and Lady and the Tramp. The animation in Lady and the Tramp is absolutely wonderful, and the backgrounds are lush and gorgeous. I was particularly impressed with the scene at the railroad where we first meet Tramp, and indeed, the animation in that scene is brilliant too.
Another thing which strikes me about the film is just how musical it actually is. I think it's easy to forget just how many songs there are in this film.
But I'm afraid my attention did wander towards the end of the film again, while technically I think the film is probably just about as perfect as it could be - and it certainly doesn't appear dated either - there's just something missing for me. It's certainly my least favourite of the 50's films to date, but I can appreciate why it's regarded as a classic and is up there in the platinum range.
I've been recounting the odd childhood Disney memories too as I've been going through these movies. Lady and the Tramp is one of those films I never saw as a child. The famous 'He's a Tramp' musical number was often shown on Disneyland specials, and the only other real memory was of a series of novelisations of Disney movies we had in our home when I was little. I don't remember exactly what films we had in these novelisations, I think we had a few, and I do seem to remember Pinocchio, The Three Caballeros (bit of a strange choice to novelise), and Lady and the Tramp. These books are going back to the early to mid-70's and I only vaguely remember them. I'm not sure who published them, but they were a standard prose book with a number of black and white line illustrations in them.
My actual first viewing of Lady and the Tramp came with the VHS release in the 90's (not sure if this was it's first release or a re-issue), and I seem to recall it being quite late on in the day with many other films being released prior to it. Maybe that's why it's never really clicked with me, because so many other films were seen before it and made more of an impression.
But, tomorrow, I'll be looking at a personal favourite of mine - Sleeping Beauty.
That said, I do appreciate the art and craft of movies like Bambi and Lady and the Tramp. The animation in Lady and the Tramp is absolutely wonderful, and the backgrounds are lush and gorgeous. I was particularly impressed with the scene at the railroad where we first meet Tramp, and indeed, the animation in that scene is brilliant too.
Another thing which strikes me about the film is just how musical it actually is. I think it's easy to forget just how many songs there are in this film.
But I'm afraid my attention did wander towards the end of the film again, while technically I think the film is probably just about as perfect as it could be - and it certainly doesn't appear dated either - there's just something missing for me. It's certainly my least favourite of the 50's films to date, but I can appreciate why it's regarded as a classic and is up there in the platinum range.
I've been recounting the odd childhood Disney memories too as I've been going through these movies. Lady and the Tramp is one of those films I never saw as a child. The famous 'He's a Tramp' musical number was often shown on Disneyland specials, and the only other real memory was of a series of novelisations of Disney movies we had in our home when I was little. I don't remember exactly what films we had in these novelisations, I think we had a few, and I do seem to remember Pinocchio, The Three Caballeros (bit of a strange choice to novelise), and Lady and the Tramp. These books are going back to the early to mid-70's and I only vaguely remember them. I'm not sure who published them, but they were a standard prose book with a number of black and white line illustrations in them.
My actual first viewing of Lady and the Tramp came with the VHS release in the 90's (not sure if this was it's first release or a re-issue), and I seem to recall it being quite late on in the day with many other films being released prior to it. Maybe that's why it's never really clicked with me, because so many other films were seen before it and made more of an impression.
But, tomorrow, I'll be looking at a personal favourite of mine - Sleeping Beauty.
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darth_deetoo
Well I'm going to gush a bit about Sleeping Beauty now, I really think this movie is a masterpiece, and I'm always a bit perplexed as to why it isn't so highly regarded.
Talk to anyone about the Disney Princesses, and when you get to Aurora, the response you get so often is 'Who's Aurora?'
I don't know why Sleeping Beauty has become Disney's forgotten masterpiece, because it's technically flawless, the music is fantastic, the animation is amazing and above all, it was different. It stands apart from all the other movies of the 50's in it's style and appearance, yet it's so often maligned. I've heard criticism of the story, and yes, it is a simplistic story, but I don't think it's anymore so than any of the other Princess movies.
The highlight of the whole movie has to be 'I Wonder / Once Upon a Dream' - that whole sequence is magical, and Briar Rose is beautifully animated, and beautifully voiced by Mary Costa. The other major sequence of note is Philips battle with the Dragon. Again, mastefully animated, this is one of the most powerful finale's of any Disney movie.
While watching the movie, I was struck by the inspiration that Disney Imagineers have drawn from this movie for Sleeping Beauty's castle at Disneyland Paris, and the surrounding area to the castle - the centrepiece of the Paris resort. I can't wait to visit the castle again.
This has definitely been the movie I've enjoyed the most so far in my Disney retrospective. This definitely ranks up there amongst my top 10 Disney movies. My top 3 are generally unchanged as Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid and The Lion King, but the lineup below that often changes slightly depending on my mood - well, right now, as of today, Sleeping Beauty is definitely at no. 4.
And of course you can't forget the debt that Beauty and the Beast owes to Sleeping Beauty, 'borrowing' the final animation of the happy couple dancing.
I just really wish this movie would get the recognition it deserves, instead of being a forgotten masterpiece. It struck me while watching how impressive the music of Tchaikovsky was woven into the film, and personally, I feel this is a far more successful marriage of classical music and animation than Fantasia could ever hope to be.
Talk to anyone about the Disney Princesses, and when you get to Aurora, the response you get so often is 'Who's Aurora?'
I don't know why Sleeping Beauty has become Disney's forgotten masterpiece, because it's technically flawless, the music is fantastic, the animation is amazing and above all, it was different. It stands apart from all the other movies of the 50's in it's style and appearance, yet it's so often maligned. I've heard criticism of the story, and yes, it is a simplistic story, but I don't think it's anymore so than any of the other Princess movies.
The highlight of the whole movie has to be 'I Wonder / Once Upon a Dream' - that whole sequence is magical, and Briar Rose is beautifully animated, and beautifully voiced by Mary Costa. The other major sequence of note is Philips battle with the Dragon. Again, mastefully animated, this is one of the most powerful finale's of any Disney movie.
While watching the movie, I was struck by the inspiration that Disney Imagineers have drawn from this movie for Sleeping Beauty's castle at Disneyland Paris, and the surrounding area to the castle - the centrepiece of the Paris resort. I can't wait to visit the castle again.
This has definitely been the movie I've enjoyed the most so far in my Disney retrospective. This definitely ranks up there amongst my top 10 Disney movies. My top 3 are generally unchanged as Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid and The Lion King, but the lineup below that often changes slightly depending on my mood - well, right now, as of today, Sleeping Beauty is definitely at no. 4.
And of course you can't forget the debt that Beauty and the Beast owes to Sleeping Beauty, 'borrowing' the final animation of the happy couple dancing.
I just really wish this movie would get the recognition it deserves, instead of being a forgotten masterpiece. It struck me while watching how impressive the music of Tchaikovsky was woven into the film, and personally, I feel this is a far more successful marriage of classical music and animation than Fantasia could ever hope to be.
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darth_deetoo
Well after almost a week's break I've resumed my trip through the Disney archives this weekend with 101 Dalmatians.
It's a film I've always been a bit indifferent to quite honestly. I've said before that aside from 1 or 2 exceptions, the animal movies don't really do much for me. It's been quite some time since I last watched 101 Dalmatians, and so it was quite a fresh experience watching it again.
While it's never going to be a favourite, I have to say that I actually enjoyed it a lot more this time. Inital thoughts when I first started was that the animation wasn't that impressive, but I quickly started to appreciate the style of the film until at the end I've got a new found respect for this movie. One particular thing which struck me was the quality of animation with the three dimensional vehicles at the end of the movie. At a time when computer animation didn't exist, and all of this had to be done by hand, this easily compares with modern films where we see similar vehicles which have been rendered in a computer. I was very impressed with this.
I'd also forgotten the amount of time the film spends out in the countryside with various animals joining in the attempt to rescue the pups. This section of the film has some great characterisations of different animals. It was also interesting also to see cameo's of several of the dogs from Lady and the Tramp in the London scenes.
I still can't really see why this movie was included in the initial 10 platinum releases (even though it's yet to make it's showing!), but I have gained a newfound respect and admiration for the film. It will never be a favourite for me, but nevertheless, it is a good solid piece of Disney animation.
It's a film I've always been a bit indifferent to quite honestly. I've said before that aside from 1 or 2 exceptions, the animal movies don't really do much for me. It's been quite some time since I last watched 101 Dalmatians, and so it was quite a fresh experience watching it again.
While it's never going to be a favourite, I have to say that I actually enjoyed it a lot more this time. Inital thoughts when I first started was that the animation wasn't that impressive, but I quickly started to appreciate the style of the film until at the end I've got a new found respect for this movie. One particular thing which struck me was the quality of animation with the three dimensional vehicles at the end of the movie. At a time when computer animation didn't exist, and all of this had to be done by hand, this easily compares with modern films where we see similar vehicles which have been rendered in a computer. I was very impressed with this.
I'd also forgotten the amount of time the film spends out in the countryside with various animals joining in the attempt to rescue the pups. This section of the film has some great characterisations of different animals. It was also interesting also to see cameo's of several of the dogs from Lady and the Tramp in the London scenes.
I still can't really see why this movie was included in the initial 10 platinum releases (even though it's yet to make it's showing!), but I have gained a newfound respect and admiration for the film. It will never be a favourite for me, but nevertheless, it is a good solid piece of Disney animation.
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darth_deetoo
It's with a heavy heart that I've decided to pack in with this thread. I'm still going to keep going with my own personal viewing, but I'm afraid the thread simply hasn't taken off. I've had a few people urging me to carry on and keep posting, but it's continually sinking down the board, and disappearing off the edge whenever I have a few days break.
I'd hoped to get some real discussion flowing as I worked my way through the films, but people seem more interested in discussing Roy Disney's divorce than the merits of the Disney classics over the years.
I don't think it's possible to carry a thread on your own, and keep it fresh and interesting without the input of other people, so I'll simply go back to making the odd comment on other threads.
I'd hoped to get some real discussion flowing as I worked my way through the films, but people seem more interested in discussing Roy Disney's divorce than the merits of the Disney classics over the years.
I don't think it's possible to carry a thread on your own, and keep it fresh and interesting without the input of other people, so I'll simply go back to making the odd comment on other threads.