What's Your Favorite Live Action Film with Animation?

[Margos]

Okay, so, continuing the recent poll-trend.... Here's one that I thought belongs here, and wanted to add. What's your favorite of Disney's "mixed media" films?

Here's my list:

1. Who Framed Roger Rabbit
2. Mary Poppins
3. Enchanted
4. Bedknobs and Broomsticks
5. Song of the South
6. The Reluctant Dragon
7. So Dear to my Heart
8. Victory Through Air Power

Who Framed Roger Rabbit is one of those instant-classic sort of films. It was a great concept, that was executed brilliantly. Also, it gets extra points for Jessica Rabbit, one of the best heroines Disney has. Oh, and for using obscure Disney characters, like Danny and the Reluctant Dragon. There really isn't much else to say.

Mary Poppins is absolutely timeless. It's got great music, and I love how Mary uses mind tricks and psychology to turn Mr. and Mrs. Banks from completely disengaged into the perfect parents! Why isn't this my number one? I just don't think it's as original as Roger Rabbit, and some of the scenes tend to drag just a little bit. So it's a close second, but second nonetheless.

Enchanted was a great idea for a whole new kind of princess movie. I love all of the Disney references, and how Giselle and Robert kind of complete each other. And even Edward gets Nancy in the end! It's great, and delightfully romantic! I don't think it's quite as good as the other two, but it's just so wonderful.

Bedknobs and Broomsticks was one of my favorite Disney movies when I was younger. I still love it dearly, but it has slipped somewhat on my list. It has so much in common with Mary Poppins, without being quite as clever, and without as many catchy songs. And, I think some of the sideplots could have been better developed, especially with the preacher that wants Eglantine's house. Still, it's really very good.

Song of the South is very, very good. James Baskett actually perfected the "eye line" technique that allowed some of the other films in this list to even exist. To this day, I don't believe any actor has pulled it off as well, except Bob Hoskins. The animated segments are charming, and so is the main plot. I do think some scenes tend to drag, a bit though. Not as many catchy songs as Bedknobs, even.

The Reluctant Dragon is amusing, and I was pleasantly surprised by how delightful the frame story was. And all of the shorts were great, too. I just don't think it holds up as well as the others. And, even with the frame story being so cute, it's still basically a package film. Nothing against package films, mind you, but the whole episodic thing is definitely a factor in its placement on my list. The title sequence is a highlight, definitely!

So Dear to my Heart was a charming film, with sort of a similar tone to Song of the South, but I don't think it was quite as well done. I love that little black lamb, though, and Burl Ives is a delight! But I was disappointed at the very small amount of animation in this film. And the "Stick-to-it-ivity" song, aside from being obnoxiously catchy, almost feels like just an excuse to tack some more animation in there.

Victory Through Air Power is last on my list, with good reason. It's a fascinating look into the military strategy of WWII, and actually manages to be rather exciting on occasion, with the "History of Aviation" segment and the finale being highlights. But I just can't watch this movie when I'm sleepy, or I will not be awake for most of it. I'm so glad it's only an hour long, really. Any longer, and I think it could be considered "dull." As it stands, it is pretty interesting, but it's not really a story, or something you can really get into. So it's nowhere near as much fun for me as anything else on this list.

[Siren]

Roger Rabbit all the way. The story, acting, characters, art, seamless way the animation matched the live action is still cool to watch today. Especially when the animated and live action characters physically touch each other. The whole Jessica Rabbit scene with her grabbing his tie and everything, it was done so perfectly. Not to mention the story itself was just great!

IMO, Roger Rabbit is one the last really original movies. How they tied so much together and made it work. Now I need to watch it again

Though you did forget Pete's Dragon One of my fav movies too

[tlc38tlc38]

Here's my list:


1. Mary Poppins
2. Bedknobs and Broomsticks
3. Enchanted
4. Who Framed Roger Rabbit
5. Pete's Dragon (forgot to add to poll)
6. So Dear To My Heart
7. Song of the South
8. The Reluctant Dragon
9. Victory Through Air Power

[UmbrellaFish]

That's a toughie...

Mary Poppins!

Actually, I can't rank them after no. 1. I can't do that with any of the DACs either (which is why I've stayed out of these poll threads). I suppose my favorites after Poppins would be (in no order) Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, Enchanted, and Bedknobs and Broomsticks.

[jpanimation]

What, no The Three Caballeros?

Oh, well. I have to go with Roger Rabbit. The effects work is great in the whole movie (except when Eddie's being thrown out of the club, looks terrible), and the animation is top notch. Besides Back to the Future, the only Zemekis movie a frequently turn to. Also, the whole movie is Live Action/Animation combo while the others are only partially.

Mary Poppins and Enchanted are pretty good, and I like them equally so. Song of the South, as much as I want it released, is not that great a movie. The animation is fantastic and James Baskett creates an endearing character as Uncle Remus but the live action story is only so-so.

Doesn't Pete's Dragon and Fun and Fancy Free have some Live Action/Animation combo work?

[DisneyJedi]

Seriously? I can only choose ONE favorite from the poll?!

Well...... I think I'd have to go with Enchanted, because it reminds me of the classic Disney we came to know and love. Granted, I also love Mary Poppins and Bedknobs & Broomsticks.

[niamh_nimrod]

Mary Poppins for me. I would put Enchanted in second, and I don't have any strong enough feelings about the rest to put them in order.

[Scarred4life]

Mary Poppins, Enchanted, Bedknobs and Broomsticks.

[tsom]

Mary Poppins and Enchanted are a tie for me. If I had to pick one, it would be Mary Poppins because it came first and Julie Andrews of course (even though Julie Andrews is in the latter too)!

[Disneykid]

Bedknobs and Broomsticks for me. It has more plot and character development than Mary Poppins (though I'll admit Poppins has the better soundtrack). Here's how I rank them:

Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Mary Poppins
Enchanted
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Song of the South
The Reluctant Dragon

I've never seen Victory Through Airpower or So Dear to My Heart, so I can't rank those.

[Margos]

Though you did forget Pete's Dragon One of my fav movies too

I don't know how I did that! I was just listening to the soundtrack about 10 minutes ago!!! Gosh! Well... for me, I would sandwich that between Song of the South and The Reluctant Dragon on my list.....

1. Who Framed Roger Rabbit
2. Mary Poppins
3. Enchanted
4. Bedknobs and Broomsticks
5. Song of the South
6. Pete's Dragon
7. The Reluctant Dragon
8. So Dear to my Heart
9. Victory Through Air Power

I knew that list seemed shorter than usual for some reason!

[milojthatch]

1. Enchanted
2. Mary Poppins
3. Song of the South
4. Who Framed Roger Rabbit
5. The Reluctant Dragon
6. So Dear to my Heart
7. Bedknobs and Broomsticks
8. Victory Through Air Power

[Stats87]

"Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" is in my Top 5 movies of all time, so you guess which movie I voted for.

1. Who Framed Roger Rabbit
2. Enchanted
3. Mary Poppins
4. Pete's Dragon (not much animation though)
5. Bedknobs and Broomsticks
6. Song of the South
7. Victory Through Air Power
8. The Reluctant Dragon

Never seen "So Dear To My Heart"

[Stats87]

Bedknobs and Broomsticks for me. It has more plot and character development than Mary Poppins (though I'll admit Poppins has the better soundtrack). Here's how I rank them:

Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Mary Poppins
Enchanted
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Song of the South
The Reluctant Dragon

I've never seen Victory Through Airpower or So Dear to My Heart, so I can't rank those.

I didn't see Bedknobs for the first time until a few months ago with my girlfriend who owns. I thought it was kinda boring and took too long to get going. It turned out I was watched the unedited version. So I watched the original edited version a week later...much better.

[a-net-fan]

1. MARY POPPINS!!!! (One of my all time favorite movies)
2. So Dear to My Heart (....because it is)
3 Enchanted (.....because its enchanting...and pretty amazing as well)
4 Bedknobs and Broomsticks
5 Song of the South
6 The Reluctant Dragon
7 Petes Dragon
8 Roger Rabbit

[Prince Edward]

I love Enchanted! And Mary Poppins is good. Here in Norway Disney haven't released to many live action movies from the 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's. Mary Poppins is the only movie that gets promotion when Disney releases it, either it's on VHS or DVD. The public here mostly don't know about those other movies that is mentioned in the poll. I am a huge Disney-fan who collects all of Disney's animated films and all of the new live action movies (Pirates, Narnia, Enchanted, Alice, Prince of Persia, Tron etc), but I have only seen Enchanted and Mary Poppins among the films in this poll.

[Goliath]

Finally a poll that's not tough at all for me! Mary Poppins all the way!

I think everything that can be said about this film has already been said much better by so many other people, so I'll just say that this film, for me, encompasses everything Walt Disney wanted to achieve with his movies: high-quality entertainment for children and adults alike, and a film an adult can watch and feel like a kid all over again.

Margos, could you edit the poll and edit Pete's Dragon and The Three Caballero's? There seem to be some people who want to vote for those films. I don't think 'Victory through airpower' belongs on the list. It was a war-time instruction film for the US military, not meant to be released to the public.

Second on my list would have to be Who framed Roger Rabbit?. I have seen Bedknobs and broomsticks many years ago and was not impressed at all. Song of the South is, save for the animated parts, a downright boring film. I don't know the others.

[Margos]

Goliath, I don't know how to do that, I've never started a poll before. And "The Three Caballeros" doesn't really count, since it's a DAC. So, by Disney at least, it's been acknowledged as an "animated feature," and therefore not mainly live-action. And I would say that it has a greater percentage of animation than any of the ones on the list.
But if a moderator would be capable of adding Pete's Dragon to the poll, I would be so grateful!

[Wonderlicious]

On an unrelated note (as far as the poll is concerned), I'd just like to say that the sheer idea of 2D animated characters mixing with live actors always gets me giddy. Anyway, on to the actual polling...

1. Mary Poppins/Who Framed Roger Rabbit
This was a toughie, and although I voted for the former in the poll, I'd also say that Who Framed Roger Rabbit is pretty much level. They both are nostalgic favourites (probably the former more than the latter in that regard), and their individual attributes work well. Mary Poppins has some of the best songs ever written, and despite its sugary nature is not. Who Framed Roger Rabbit is Admittedly, I prefer The Sound of Music a tiny bit to Mary Poppins, and the whole Uncle Albert scene, upon my last screening on BBC1 a week or two ago, seems a bit needless; and Roger Rabbit, even though it gets very high marks, does rely on its technical attributes a lot. But still, it's all excellent.

2. Enchanted
This just closely follows the others. It's a delightful romantic comedy, it's a delightful musical and it's a delightful fantasy film. So, yes, I love it.

3. Bedknobs and Broomsticks
An underrated little film. I'll reveal a childhood secret that I wished that I had a bed (or a sofa) that could transport me anywhere. It works a lot better in the extended version, though the shorter version has a place in my heart as the version of the film that I grew up with.

4. Song of the South
[insert clichéd comment on the lack of availability and how it needs to come out]

5. The Reluctant Dragon
Cheesy yet loveable film, more akin to the package films than the rest of these, though.

6. So Dear to My Heart
Decent enough film, though I can't help but think that the animated segments seem a bit forced-in.

7. Victory Through Air Power
Pretty boring, though given its status as WW2 propaganda and not much more, it's acceptable enough.

[Margos]

I don't think 'Victory through airpower' belongs on the list. It was a war-time instruction film for the US military, not meant to be released to the public.

Oh, and I sort of didn't notice this before. Goliath, I do belive that Victory Through Air Power actually was released to the public. It wasn't an instructional film so much as spreading awareness that airplanes could be a valuable asset during war time. Actually, I think I heard about how little Roy and Diane teamed up to throw paper airplanes out of a hotel window when their parents weren't around, with the time and place of the premier written on them, to try to "advertise" the film! After the War, though, the company was planning to bury it in the vault for all time, deeming it no longer relevant. It's back out now, though, which is nice, because it really is a little piece of history.