Feature Animation Marathon

[BrandonH]

The 3D effects used for Meet the Robinsons' theatrical release are some of the best I've seen, along with those of Chicken Little. The sense of dimension to everything is the true strength of the format, and I felt like I was in the rain or zipping through a futuristic city when I saw it in the theater. It is my hope that one day the technology will allow us to enjoy these movies in 3D in our homes.

Meet the Robinsons definitely benefits from multiple viewings. This was my fourth time seeing it, and I still saw things I hadn't seen before. The movie achieves this by having different layers to the action, comedy, and storytelling. Everything makes enough sense on first viewing to be enjoyable, but a second pass with knowledge of the movie's events reveals even more depth. This is most evident in the connections between past, present, and future. Actually, I still don't know all the interrelationships of the Robinson family, or everyone we've met in the past, but I get a little more each time. If somebody's made a chart or something, I'd be interested in seeing it.

More good points:

-Goob/Bowler Hat Guy. All of the characters have distinctiveness and charm, but both versions of his character are extremely well-written, voiced, and animated.
-The unicorn notebook
-Wilbur's fast-talking, fast-moving style. The bit where he tells Lewis to stay in the garage with words and then just a look is awesome.
-The entire look of the future, with its round shapes, bright colors, and inventions I'd like to have
-Tiny
-All of the R's sprinkled throughout the future city like hidden Mickeys
-The new logos, which made their first appearance in an animated feature here

The audio commentary on the DVD has some good information. The concept of BHG hacking into the feed is good, but some of the execution fell flat, and I would rather have heard more from the director. "Inventing the Robinsons" is pretty standard EPK fluff, but I do like seeing some of the creative talent involved. The most satisfying bonus features are the deleted scenes. All three are entertaining on their own merits, although the final film has the superior versions, thankfully.

Next up: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

For those of you keeping score, this trip back in time means that I am up to the four and a half star category. There's not too much that separates them from the five star group. Mostly, it's just a few minor quibbles or something that rubs me the wrong way that is insignificant compared to the greatness in the rest of the movie. From this point on, I would highly recommend these movies to anyone.

[pap64]

To me, Meet the Robinsons is a criminally underrated Disney film. Its the movie that got pretty damn close to achieving Disney magic in my eyes (and hopefully, The Princess and the Frog achieves it). Sure it wasn't perfect, but the story was really fun, memorable and touching, the characters were amazing and the visual style was unique.

It was a MUCH better film than Chicken Little and a much tighter movie than Bolt in my honest opinion.

I gotta see this movie again. Its been a while.

[nomad2010]

To me, Meet the Robinsons is a criminally underrated Disney film. Its the movie that got pretty damn close to achieving Disney magic in my eyes (and hopefully, The Princess and the Frog achieves it). Sure it wasn't perfect, but the story was really fun, memorable and touching, the characters were amazing and the visual style was unique.

It was a MUCH better film than Chicken Little and a much tighter movie than Bolt in my honest opinion.

I gotta see this movie again. Its been a while.

personally i think it would be completely respected as a Disney jewel if it were done in 2D. It's a great story and a great movie.. i just think that everyone underrates the 3D movies Disney has done so far. honestly though i think it could have easily also benefited from 2D animation.

[Disney Duster]

You should be applauded for making warm, positive, magical posts about the core of Disney, what started all their magic, the films (yea it all strated with a mouse but I'm talking about the magic, it's debatable, but let me say what I want). You're reviews are very fair, they say how you feel about them without coming off as opinionated or critical (in the bad sense).

At first I only read parts of your reviews, not wanting to read the parts I had forgotten (and want to be surprised by when I watch the films again), but when I read what you said about my favorite film Cinderella, I decided to read all of the reviews, except not the bonus features (I read a little, but I don't know much about the bonuses, and I care more about what you think of the films).

I am so happy with what you said about Cinderella. It's part of the four star films, right? That's really good, and sounds fair.

Thanks for pointing out the mean Luke review (I kid, Luke! I'm glad you were trying to be honest), LOL, but saying you felt the film was so much better..

I never really thought much about identification with the title character, but thanks for saying that. Walt Disney said he identified with her (most out of all his heroines), and I'm glad that boys and girls can all relate to the character and her story to be enjoyed by all.

I think just about everything you said I agree with or liked or sounded very fair or true and probably right.

Hey, when you said

This was the first time I've noticed that the slipper coming off is foreshadowed by a similar event as Cinderella is delivering breakfast. Maybe it's a good thing that she gave the other slipper to the Duke to try on because shoes don't stay on her other foot too well!

glad you noticed, but what did you mean? Could you write it in a different, clearer way? Like, why her other foot? And did you really think that Cinderella gave her slipper to the Duke?

Becuase I was wondering for a while if Cinderella knew the Duke could use the slipper to find her and give her permanency as princess. Walt said Cinderella "went out and got" the Prince. I wonder if he intended Cinderella to secretly know. But she really didn't look like she knew the Prince was, well, the Prince, so, I want to know your thoughts.

I'm also glad you noticed Cinderella's exasperation with her family, instead of what people say, that Cinderella always did everything with a smile and never complained or hesitated, or some crap like that.

Also, by reversals of fortune did you mean the stepfamily's positions reversed with Cinderella's? I don't feel they became servants, maybe a little more explanation would help me.

I kind of wish you would post how many stars you give the film right at the start of the review, to make it easier for those not reading or remembering all posts before, or in order. But you would have to go back and edit the posts.

Thank you, I keep on reading your reviews. This is a very good idea, and a very nice thread to visit. It really makes this forum great, better.

[BelleGirl]

To me, Meet the Robinsons is a criminally underrated Disney film. Its the movie that got pretty damn close to achieving Disney magic in my eyes (and hopefully, The Princess and the Frog achieves it). Sure it wasn't perfect, but the story was really fun, memorable and touching, the characters were amazing and the visual style was unique.

It was a MUCH better film than Chicken Little and a much tighter movie than Bolt in my honest opinion.

I gotta see this movie again. Its been a while.

I've never seen Meet the Robinsons except for a trailer. The reviews I've read of this movie (not many) weren't too good. But perhaps I should just rent the DVD, who knows I may like it!

[Jules]

I've never seen Meet the Robinsons except for a trailer. The reviews I've read of this movie (not many) weren't too good. But perhaps I should just rent the DVD, who knows I may like it!

It actually has a solid 65% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which is good - seeing as a good number of movies struggle to make 50%.

[pap64]

To me, Meet the Robinsons is a criminally underrated Disney film. Its the movie that got pretty damn close to achieving Disney magic in my eyes (and hopefully, The Princess and the Frog achieves it). Sure it wasn't perfect, but the story was really fun, memorable and touching, the characters were amazing and the visual style was unique.

It was a MUCH better film than Chicken Little and a much tighter movie than Bolt in my honest opinion.

I gotta see this movie again. Its been a while.

I've never seen Meet the Robinsons except for a trailer. The reviews I've read of this movie (not many) weren't too good. But perhaps I should just rent the DVD, who knows I may like it!

To be honest, Bolt received better reviews, but I think MTR is a much more fun and interesting film.

The only issue the film has is that when its time to show the family the movie becomes a sight gag fest and the story slows down. But the beginning and ending scenes are really, really good with some surprising character development and emotional scenes.

[BrandonH]

Hey, when you said

This was the first time I've noticed that the slipper coming off is foreshadowed by a similar event as Cinderella is delivering breakfast. Maybe it's a good thing that she gave the other slipper to the Duke to try on because shoes don't stay on her other foot too well!

glad you noticed, but what did you mean? Could you write it in a different, clearer way? Like, why her other foot? And did you really think that Cinderella gave her slipper to the Duke?

Becuase I was wondering for a while if Cinderella knew the Duke could use the slipper to find her and give her permanency as princess. Walt said Cinderella "went out and got" the Prince. I wonder if he intended Cinderella to secretly know. But she really didn't look like she knew the Prince was, well, the Prince, so, I want to know your thoughts.

Since Cinderella loses her shoe three times, it seems that one foot is smaller than the other. If Cinderella had tried on the shoe that she lost at the ball, then it might have looked too loose to the Duke, and he might have gone to the next house. Thankfully, the loose shoe broke, and Cinderella could pull out the other glass slipper to try on for the Duke, which was a perfect fit.

Also, by reversals of fortune did you mean the stepfamily's positions reversed with Cinderella's? I don't feel they became servants, maybe a little more explanation would help me.

I'll give a couple examples. When the mice are taking the key to Cinderella at the end, and Lucifer traps Gus under the cup, that is a reversal of fortune. Things were going well, and then they took a turn for the worse. An example of it going the other way is Cinderella thinking that she cannot go to the ball and then discovering that the mice have created a fancy dress for her to wear.

I kind of wish you would post how many stars you give the film right at the start of the review, to make it easier for those not reading or remembering all posts before, or in order. But you would have to go back and edit the posts.

That is a good idea, and I will start doing so for the rest of them. In addition, in my final reflection post, I will include a ranking of all the animated features that also tells how many stars I gave each picture. Thanks for the feedback!

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Three Stars

Obviously, my thoughts have changed since I last saw this movie. It has dropped 1.5 stars. I suspect that last time, I was rating it based on absence of bad material rather than inclusion of good material. The only truly annoying part of the movie is part of Snow White's vocal performance. She sounds fine when she first meets the dwarfs, but other times she does earn the nickname of "The Shrill." For all the talk on the DVD of Walt being a ruthless editor, the middle of the film does drag. The cleanup of the cottage, washing before supper, and "The Silly Song" are all examples of scenes that are great on their own but don't add a whole lot to the overall plot. There's a good Dumbo-length story hidden in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, but the excess material makes it harder to enjoy it as a cohesive film. I respect Snow White immensely, and it provided a good template for the films that followed, but I can't call it anything better than decent. Since I don't like to be a Donny Downer, let me focus on the aspects I did enjoy.

-The Queen/Peddler is one of the all-time best villains in terms of screen presence. Every time she is onscreen, the movie is elevated.
-The vultures circling in the mist provide a beautiful closure to the Queen's story.
-Snow White's flight through the forest
-"The Silly Song"
-Happy, Doc, Grumpy, Bashful, and Dopey all have great personalities, and it's fun to watch them interact with each other and with Snow White.

One other note of interest to Disney fans is that there is a vault used by the Dwarfs. Could this be the inspiration for the Disney Vault that hoards their movies for seven-year intervals?

The Platinum Edition DVD succeeds in making the navigation more of an experience. Since we have the option to skip the lengthy intros and transitions, I'd call the menu design quite marvelous. On Disc One, the audio commentary with Walt Disney is well worth a listen, and "Still the Fairest of Them All" is a fascinating documentary. To list all of the worthwhile bonus features on Disc Two would be a ponderous chore, so I will just say a little bit. All of Disc Two's features have some value, and there are only a couple that are repetitious. I love the layout and audio clips in the image galleries. Something like that goes a long way toward making the whole product feel more special. I also think that the booklet inside the package is one of the best Disney has produced.

Next up: Alice in Wonderland

[Goliath]

I'd put "The Black Cauldron," "Chicken Little," and "The Rescuers" on the list of the worse DAC WAY before I'd list "Robin Hood."

Not 'The Rescuers'!!! That film is in my top 10!

[tlc38tlc38]

I'd put "The Black Cauldron," "Chicken Little," and "The Rescuers" on the list of the worse DAC WAY before I'd list "Robin Hood."

Not 'The Rescuers'!!! That film is in my top 10!

It's in my top 10 also, I love Medusa!

Here's my top 10 DACs. The list may be different tomorrow, lol!

1. Dumbo
2. The Little Mermaid
3. Lilo & Stitch
4. The Fox and the Hound
5. Beauty and the Beast
6. 101 Dalmatians
7. The Hunchback of Notre Dame
8. Pocahontas
9. The Rescuers
10. Robin Hood

[Goliath]

Not 'The Rescuers'!!! That film is in my top 10!

It's in my top 10 also, I love Medusa!

It strikes me as odd that one would give The Rescuers a low rating, yet give praise to the bland, boring sequel Down Under.

[tlc38tlc38]

It's in my top 10 also, I love Medusa!

It strikes me as odd that one would give The Rescuers a low rating, yet give praise to the bland, boring sequel Down Under.

"Down Under" isn't on my top 10 list. Where did you see that? lol

[BrandonH]

Goliath, if you're referring to my opinions on the two Rescuers films, then all I can say is that I obviously did not find the sequel to be bland or boring. As the saying goes, there is no accounting for taste. We can look at the same movie and get different things out of it, and neither one of us is wrong.

Alice in Wonderland: 4.5 stars

Why am I entertained by Alice's kooky dream? It's hard to articulate, but the eccentric characters, their actions, and the fanciful setting all combine to make this trip through the imagination a fun one. The highlights:

-Mad Tea Party
-The croquet scene
-The Walrus and the Carpenter
-The Cheshire Cat
-The doorknob

The Masterpiece Edition DVD could have used some more retrospective features or behind-the-scenes material, but we do get some interesting extras. The best feature on the set is easily "One Hour in Wonderland." Not only does it have historical significance to the company, the guest stars deliver quality entertainment, and the clips provide a grab bag of good Disney scenes from that time period. I also like "I'm Odd," the trailers, Walt Disney's introductions, "Operation Wonderland," and "From Wonderland to Neverland: Evolution of a Song."

Next up: Mulan

[Rudy Matt]

Pocahontas....over Fantasia...to each his or her own, I guess, but I think Pocahontas is a fairly bad film that would have been forgotten already were it not a Disney animated feature, while Fantasia is a groundbreaking, revolutionary wonder that is a perennial joy and is a film for the ages.

[Barbossa]

Alice in Wonderland: 4.5 stars

Why am I entertained by Alice's kooky dream? It's hard to articulate, but the eccentric characters, their actions, and the fanciful setting all combine to make this trip through the imagination a fun one.

Always liked Alice because of its bizarreness. It just makes it fun to watch and is a great adventure story. I wonder how Tim Burton's version will be.

[Disney's Divinity]

-Mad Tea Party
-The croquet scene
-The Walrus and the Carpenter
-The Cheshire Cat
-The doorknob

Next up: Mulan

Yeah, I thought the Cheshire Cat was easily the best thing about the film. I also enjoyed the Queen of Hearts, myself. She was such a strange character, one minute being polite, the next being comically small-minded, and also randomly feminine and flirtatious.

Also, I agree with you completely on Snow White, although for some reason I've always been less impressed with The Evil Queen than most people are. She definitely shines in SW, but it wouldn't be hard for a villain to do so in that film. But her design as the Queen goes off and on for me (to me she looks different in the scenes where she sees Snow White and the Prince and when she discovers the pig's heart and casts her spell, as compared to when she is commanding the Huntsman to kill Snow White--the second look is superior to me, because she is attractive and dangerous simultaneously, where she is neither in the other scenes to me). The Old Peddler Woman is an improvement, though the design is a bit exaggerated at times. And the voice is better suited, as well. When Snow White is biting into the apple, the Peddler Woman's face sends chills down my back. I suppose her cackling over the fulfillment of simple vanity displays a lot of evil.

And I hope you enjoy Mulan--it's always been one of my favorites, though it does have flaws.

[Goliath]

"Down Under" isn't on my top 10 list. Where did you see that? lol

I was referring to BrandonH's list. I noticed you rank The Rescuers in your top 10. But BrandonH was praising the sequel. That's what I commented upon.

Goliath, if you're referring to my opinions on the two Rescuers films, then all I can say is that I obviously did not find the sequel to be bland or boring. As the saying goes, there is no accounting for taste. We can look at the same movie and get different things out of it, and neither one of us is wrong.

That's true (although I would say there are certain standards to which you can hold a movie). But since you said the thread didn't have to be a one-man show, I figured I'd join in.

[Barbossa]

And I hope you enjoy Mulan--it's always been one of my favorites, though it does have flaws.

And that flaw would be Eddie Murphy, and unfortunately that flaw will stick with the movie for Evers and Evers.

[BelleGirl]

And I hope you enjoy Mulan--it's always been one of my favorites, though it does have flaws.

And that flaw would be Eddie Murphy, and unfortunately that flaw will stick with the movie for Evers and Evers.

You mean the flaw is the presence of the character Mushu or just that Eddie Murphy voices him?

Curious for BrandonH's review of Mulan

Rudy Matt:
I've always shied away from making a top 10 of Disney animated features, but Fantasia would sure be on it. Robin Hood will never make it there, I would choose Pocahontas over that movie. Artistically the latter movie far outshines Robin Hood.
But yes, a matter of taste and to each his own.

[Rudy Matt]

I am in total agreement. Robin Hood is pretty much the bottom of the barrel, Pocahontas is a mess, and Fantasia a cinema wonder and a milestone in animated expression.

By the way, I strongly disagree with the notion that Snow White drags. Snow White is constructed in a series of emotional narrative beats, and the movie swings from one emotion to the other, all building to the final catharsis of the ending. Like Jaws, like Psycho, Snow White is pure cinema, pure emotion, and remove one sequence, and the structure falls apart. Other Disney films made after Walt would attempt the emotional balancing act of Snow White and wind up in a realm of contrivance or forced and awkward banality. Snow White is a wonder.