Feature Animation Marathon

[BelleGirl]

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.

I love Snow White I can watch it over and over.
Pocahontas I still like: it may be a mess (but in what sense???), but still a pretty-looking and well-souding mess! And with a strong leading character.

[BrandonH]

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.

I accept that the Queen is pretty only because the movie tells us so. I don't like that her costume covers up her hair, and her face is not that attractively drawn. Still, she has a commanding presence that draws eyes to her.

I'm not sure the Queen was that bright in pursuing her quest to be the fairest of them all. For one thing, there are ways to remove Snow White from that post without killing her. Also, if she could (presumably) transform herself back from the peddler form to her Queen form, why could she not use magic to beautify herself at the start?

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

This sentence makes it sound like I haven't seen the movie and don't know what I'm in for. I have watched all of the movies before, so I know I like Mulan. In fact, I watched it last night and loved it again, but I'm still making my way through the bonus features.

[BrandonH]

Rudy Matt, I gave both Fantasia and Pocahontas four stars. It's true that I would rank Pocahontas a little bit higher, but they both produce about the same positive reaction in me.

Mulan: 4.5 stars

I recall that I really liked seeing Cri-Kee playing the drums at the end when I saw Mulan in the theater, and I definitely left happy. I've also got good memories associated with getting a Mushu plush on a band trip to Florida and seeing the video with some college friends.

Mulan is a great movie in just about every respect. The high points:

-"Reflection": all the versions can send chills down my spine
-The other three songs and Goldsmith's score are also commendable
-The battle in the mountains and escape from the avalanche
-Mulan disguising herself and leaving to join the army
-Mushu's introduction to Mulan (with help from Cri-Kee)
-Grandma
-The sound the chickens make (and later the barbequed falcon)
-The women's wordless response as Shang asks if Mulan lives there

The Special Edition DVD is one of the last non-Platinum sets that Disney has done really well. The most surprising extra for being good is the DisneyPedia. The Mushu sound-alike does a great job, and the use of humor makes the basic facts more bearable for adult viewers. The deleted scenes, audio commentary, Mulan's Fun Facts, and three of the music videos are all worth watching on Disc One. On Disc Two, "Developing Mulan," "Finding Mulan," "Art Design," "Character Design," "Ballad of Color," "The Hun Charge," "Digital Dim Sum," Music, and "Mulan's International Journey" combine to form an adequate substitute for a documentary.

Next up: Tarzan

[Disney Duster]

Thanks for putting the stars in front now!

I would like to say that in Snow White, those scenes with the dwarfs you mentioned are really character building, without them we would know them less and getting to know them really is one of the best things of the movie. Maybe they could be shorter, or some kind of other plot-related thing happen, but I don't know what. The cottage cleaning is a necessary plot point, so it must stay, but maybe it couldve been just a little shorter.

The Queen would not want to magically beautify herself because the glory comes from being beautiful as yourself.

Goliath, I find it very hard to say Down Under is bland and boring when it has so much grander location and visuals at least, not to mention more epic adventure.

[Disney's Divinity]

This sentence makes it sound like I haven't seen the movie and don't know what I'm in for. I have watched all of the movies before, so I know I like Mulan. In fact, I watched it last night and loved it again, but I'm still making my way through the bonus features.

I know--sorry it came off that way. I just meant that hopefully you'd find it as good as the other times you saw it and it didn't seem worse than before.

And I agree with Disney Duster on The Rescuers Down Under. To me, that film far exceeds the original in almost every way.

[BrandonH]

Tarzan: 4 stars

This film dropped just slightly from the last time I saw it. I feel like Kerchak gets the short end of the stick in Tarzan. It's hard for me to believe that so much antagonism still exists between him and Tarzan after a 20-year span. If it were not for the deathbed acknowledgement of Tarzan as his son, Kerchak would have almost zero positive traits.

So, what makes the movie so good even after 10 years has passed?

-Tarzan himself is a cool, multifaceted character who stands in stark contrast to some of the other Disney protagonists.
-Jane's voice is very appealing, and her character plays off of everyone else very well.
-Tantor is one of the best sidekick characters at both ages.
-"You'll Be In My Heart" is a moving song (I'm a sucker for the ballads).
-Really, all of the Phil Collins and Mark Mancina music is top-notch.
-The "Son of Man" montage is very economical, showing the passage of time and high/low points in Tarzan's early life while giving us great humor and music.
-The scene in which Kala consoles a young Tarzan is simple, sincere, and effective.
-Tarzan's first real yell after he kills Sabor is epic.
-Some of the shots do look a little like CG tests, but most of the scenes that use the Deep Canvas process add immeasurably to the excitement, immersion, and majesty of the jungle. The baboon chase is one of the best of these.
-Tarzan's little eye-roll as he is separated from Jane and has to go back for her is a nice touch.

The 2-disc Collector's Edition is packed with good stuff. I could list all of the features except the trivia game, but that would bore you and me both. I wish some of the featurettes were a little longer, but I guess that's better than the reverse situation. It's obvious that a lot of care went into both the movie and DVD, and I still highly recommend both to just about anyone.

Next up: Atlantis: The Lost Empire

[BrandonH]

Atlantis: The Lost Empire: 4.5 stars

I never realized until I watched the credits last night how many links to popular sci-fi franchises the creative team has. They've got Star Wars (Rydstrom), Star Trek (Nimoy), Babylon 5 (Christian), Back to the Future (Fox), Firefly (Whedon), and Milo shares many similarities with Daniel Jackson of Stargate. That's just from memory. I'm sure IMDB would yield more links.

Let's move on to the highlights.

-Milo's hero's journey from nerd to prince is a pleasant reversal of the story of so many Disney princesses.
-All of the characters are distinctive in some way and fun to spend time with. The camping scene went a long way in building a bond with them and revealing their backstories.
-The reawakening of Atlantis and the final shot are pure Disney magic.
-The look of the blue crystal technology is stunning.
-The action scenes, particularly the final battle, are very well done.
-The altered Disney logos are a cool feature that I wish more movies in general would use.
-The characters all make good entrances into a scene. Watch and see for yourself.

The 2-Disc Collector's Edition is top grade in its bonus features. Again, I could list everything as being worthy of attention. Hahn, Trousdale, and Wise are all entertaining speakers who inject a lot of good humor into their presentation of behind-the-secnes material. I love their little jab at the continuity-obsessed fans out there in the commentary. Speaking of the commentary, I wish more studios would use the visual commentary method instead of the "Follow the White Rabbit" type presentation of video content. Besides Atlantis, Finding Nemo and Treasure Planet are the only other Disney movies to use it that I know of.

Next up: Treasure Planet

[Rudy Matt]

I can see where this is going, so you might as well get used to the refrain...

Atlantis, Pocahontas, and all the Katzenberg movies...over Pinocchio, Snow White and Fantasia?

My brain hurts even entertaining your nonsense.

[Escapay]

Different strokes for different folks, Rudy Matt.

albert

[BrandonH]

Rudy et al:

I'm not trying to keep anyone in suspense here. For the curious, I've got Wall*E and Bolt on deck in the 4.5 star group, and the other 22 Disney and Pixar flicks not yet mentioned will be in the 5 star group.

I was born in 1983, so it's not terribly surprising that I have a greater attachment to those movies made while I was growing up than I do to the ones that are 40 years older than I am. That said, I don't consider a movie's age when I evaluate it. A movie does not deserve more or less consideration just because it is old.

I enjoy and greatly respect the first five Walt films. Bambi is one of the finest creations in all of animation, and they all blazed trails for generations of audiences and storytellers. However, I also think some of the later films are better. They took what worked in the early films and "plussed" them, to use an old Disney term.

In the end, it is all subjective. Different things appeal to different people because of their preferences, life history, and who knows what else. I'm just trying to give you a sense of where I'm coming from.

Out of curiosity, are any of the good points I mentioned about Snow White, Pinocchio, and Fantasia also things that you liked about the movie? On the flip side, do we agree on any of the merits of Pocahontas or Atlantis? I'd like to think there is common ground, even if the final ordering of our preferences is different.[/b]

[Rudy Matt]

I enjoy and greatly respect the first five Walt films. Bambi is one of the finest creations in all of animation, and they all blazed trails for generations of audiences and storytellers. However, I also think some of the later films are better.

That's where we would sharply disagree. The quality of animation in Bambi, Pinocchio, and Fantasia is beyond your eventual ranking winners, Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King. I wasn't born in the 40's, I grew up with the Katzenberg films, too. But the quality of drawn acting, of ambition, of maturity, of writing, and of art direction in the "1st Five" are beyond (in some instances, embarassingly so) the work in the "Katzenberg Five". In fact, of the Katzenberg five, the one film that seems to have a complete sense of itself is The Rescuers Down Under, and even that has a few issues.

They took what worked in the early films and "plussed" them, to use an old Disney term.

Sitcom dialog is not a "plus". Wildly off model animation scene to scene is not a plus. There is a distinction between wit and puns, between charm and bombast.

In the end, it is all subjective. Different things appeal to different people because of their preferences, life history, and who knows what else. I'm just trying to give you a sense of where I'm coming from.

Okay. I enjoy the Katzenberg films for what they are. The music is generally wonderful. I just find almost all of them to be deeply compromised by writing that panders to toddlers, budgets that don't fully support the creative needs of the production, and a loosey-goosey approach to character animation that is oft times more similar to Max Fleischer and Richard Williams than Walt Disney.

[BrandonH]

Treasure Planet: 4.5 stars

It's kind of fitting that this comes right after Atlantis on the schedule. Both are adventure films in fantastic settings aimed more toward males. Stevenson's story is a great one regardless of where it takes place or what the actors look like. My list of pleasures is a little lengthy this time, so I will use a more bullet-point style than usual.

-Morph
-Lookout's voice
-Doppler/Amelia relationship
-Doppler's speech patterns like deplorable/adorable (sort of like Doc)
-Hawkins/Silver relationship (father/son, rivals, enemies within moments)
-Hawkins vs. Scroop on the Legacy
-Toddler Jim reading under the covers
-B.E.N.
-Look of the spaceships/cosmological phenomena
-The idea that the planet is one big machine that creates portals to other worlds and hides the treasure at its core
-"By T'under!"

I like most of the bonus features on the DVD. However, I take issue with the menu design/presentation of them. It's a little confusing when the featurettes within the visual commentary are duplicated in the other menus on the disc. I'd rather have the index under the visual commentary and the trailers/stills/tours (the noncommentary features) elsewhere. Next time, I will watch the commentary, fast forward through the video clips, and watch the other bonus features from the menu so I know I've seen them all. I'm also a little disappointed with the treasure hunt game. The game is all blind luck, so getting to the prize at the end takes a long time. They should have asked some trivia to make it skill-based or just had the deleted scene available from the menu.

Next up: Wall*E

[BrandonH]

WALL*E: 4.5 stars

There are so many visual gags and little moments that I like in WALL*E that it would be impossible to list them all. Here is a sampling of what makes WALL*E such a great movie:

-WALL*E using the trash can lid to simulate a hat in the dance routine
-WALL*E trying to classify the spork
-EVE watching the footage of WALL*E looking after her when she was dormant
-The defective robots
-Clips from Hello Dolly!
-The characters of the captain and M-O
-The dance in space between WALL*E and EVE
-The way WALL*E's eyes provide insight into what he's feeling and give us a connection to him while still behaving like machinery
-The sheer visual appeal present in every environment

The special edition DVD has quite a bit of great material for fans of the movie. The audio commentary is another rare good one from a solo participant. Andrew Stanton has a lot to say, and he shares it in entertaining ways. The BnL Shorts provide both backstory for the movie and a bit of satire aimed at current corporations and the consumer culture. The Pixar Story is a great cable-style documentary, but its inclusion would have made more sense on Ratatouille, since WALL*E is not mentioned or seen in clips. The other decent bonus features are BURN*E, Animation Sound Design, both Deleted Scenes sections, WALL*E's Treasures & Trinkets, and the entire Behind the Scenes section.

Next up: Bolt

FYI, I'm studying for a professional exam that takes place on the 9th, so expect the look at Bolt to be my last post in this thread before that date. Like I said in the initial post, real life has to take precedence. Anyway, I can look forward to the best Disney/Pixar movies as my reward for studying hard.

[ajmrowland]

The Treasure Hunt game isn't luck at all. You basically look for the map that is partially visible and is peeking out from some spot on-screen. IT's fairly easy. You just have to use the arrow keys all over the place until you find the spot.

[BrandonH]

Bolt: 4.5 stars

Rhino may steal the show, but all three animal leads are strong, lovable characters that form the nucleus of a very entertaining movie. Some highlights:

-Rhino's pep talk to Bolt
-Bolt talking about how styrofoam weakens him (thankfully, with no dialogue references to kryptonite)
-Bolt learning how to be a regular dog
-The cat in training on the Bolt stage
-"That meat lover's pizza isn't loving me back at all."
-Mittens acting like a Corleone in New York
-The pigeons around the country
-Bolt learning to beg for food in the trailer park
-The friendly jabs at the entertainment industry, especially the slimy agent

The regular DVD just has Super Rhino as a bonus feature. Lucky for us, it's got a lot of humor and action in those few minutes, and it makes a fitting epilogue or coda to the film.

Next up: Bambi

[ajmrowland]

To your review, I'll add how the deluyxe DVD/ blu-ray has some nice featurettes. Among the topics tackled is the casting(John Travolta started as a Voice-actor), deleted scenes("Wonder Dog", anyone?), and the painterly style used for the film's stunning visuals(the fact that tests included CG props against 2D BGs is nice).

[BrandonH]

In this particular case, I felt that getting the single disc set was sending a message that I liked the movie but not the Digital Copy or the idea that a few featurettes make an edition "deluxe." I'm sure the featurettes are good, but there's no reason that they should have been left off of the regular edition in the first place. I really hope Disney changes their policy on The Princess and the Frog and Rapunzel.

[David S.]

Good point Brandon! The way they handled this title on DVD was a travesty, IMO, and insulting to consumers, which is a shame because Bolt was my favorite movie of 2008! (and my favorite DAC of the computer-animated releases)

Having a 2-disc set where the ONLY feature on Disc 2 is the stupid digital copy is really LAME. As you said, EVERY bonus feature on Disc 1 of the 2-Disc could and should have been on the single disc edition. And if they were going to make a 2-Disc edition with extra content, there is no reason why the BD-exclusive Art Gallery should have been left off of DVD. I'm a big fan of DVD Art Galleries.

I prefer 2-Disc sets over 1-Disc, but that's if they put some actual Bonus Features on Disc 2! (Hopefully BVHE Rep is reading this.)

As for the film itself, I agree with the highlights you mentioned. I also really like where Bolt saves Penny, the way the slimy "Put a pin in it" agent gets fired, and the warm, happy ending scene with the 3 animals living together with Penny and her mom, living happily ever after as a family.

PS. Good luck on your exam!

[Neal]

Hey, BrandonH, could you affix to the bottom of your posts a list of all of the movies you've reviewed so far and the number of stars next to them in rank order? I'd like to see it all side-by-side. But apparently, you like the modern films the best - giving Atlantis, Treasure, and BOLT such high scores!

[BrandonH]

Hey, BrandonH, could you affix to the bottom of your posts a list of all of the movies you've reviewed so far and the number of stars next to them in rank order? I'd like to see it all side-by-side. But apparently, you like the modern films the best - giving Atlantis, Treasure, and BOLT such high scores!

I will be creating a ranked list at the end of the journey. Here is a list of the movies so far by ratings and release date:

4.5 Stars:
Alice in Wonderland - 7/28/1951
Mulan - 6/19/1998
Atlantis: The Lost Empire - 6/15/2001
Treasure Planet - 11/27/2002
Wall*E - 6/27/2008
Bolt - 11/21/2008

4 Stars:
Pinocchio - 2/9/1940
Fantasia - 11/13/1940
Make Mine Music - 8/15/1946
Fun and Fancy Free - 9/27/1947
Cinderella - 2/15/1950
Peter Pan - 2/5/1953
101 Dalmatians - 1/25/1961
The Sword in the Stone - 12/25/1963
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh - 3/3/1977
The Black Cauldron - 7/24/1985
The Rescuers Down Under - 11/16/1990
Pocahontas - 6/23/1995
Tarzan - 6/18/1999
Brother Bear - 11/1/2003
Meet the Robinsons - 3/30/2007
Up - 5/29/2009

3.5 Stars:
Dumbo - 10/23/1941
Saludos Amigos - 2/6/1943
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad - 10/5/1949
Robin Hood - 11/8/1973
Hercules - 6/27/1997
Chicken Little - 11/4/2005

3 Stars:
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - 12/21/1937
Lady and the Tramp - 6/22/1955
Dinosaur - 5/19/2000

2.5 Stars:
Melody Time - 5/27/1948

2 Stars:
The Three Caballeros - 2/3/1945
The Rescuers - 6/22/1977
The Fox and the Hound - 7/10/1981

1 Star:
Lilo & Stitch - 6/21/2002

Looking at the distributions for each level, I would disagree with the assessment that I like the modern films the best. The 4.5 star plateau is an anomaly. The 4 and 5 star films are much more spread out chronologically. Still, I make no apology for loving the three films you mentioned. In addition to being a Disney animation fan, I am also a big sci-fi/adventure/action movie fan.