What Disney movie did you just watch?

[TheSequelOfDisney]

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - I had to watch it for my Animation: History and Analysis class (which I thoroughly enjoy); the one that started it all really isn't my favorite, but it truly is a groundbreaking film, and I appreciate it for what it is and how it shaped animation in the 20th century.

[Atlantica]

The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning.

Though I throughly enjoyed this film when it was released years ago...had to really re-evaluate my opinions seeing it on bluray. It has it's moments...but on the whole it is slightly embarrassing and I never saw that before...only now, a few years later.

[adamw92]

The Little Mermaid... for the 3rd time in the last 4 days. The blu-ray of it is just amazing, despite any mistakes made on it, I think the film looks wonderful and the errors didn't stop me enjoying it as much as I always have.

[Musical Master]

Tangled I really loved how Disney got better at their CG films but the only downside to this wonderful movie is that the songs, while better than TPATF songs, are not Alan's best though Slaters lyrics are what hurts them (except for Mother Know's Best and it's reprise and I See The Light).

[thedisneyspirit]

Since August I'm doing a Disney Marathon of only the animated canon (so no stuff like A Goofy Movie or the live actions)...Right now in Chicken Little...It's so bad.

[Dr Frankenollie]

Fantasia.

Firstly, although it's almost unnecessary, but I want to make it clear that I agree with the general consensus: it is a masterpiece. Far from Walt's greatest achievement (even when you just limit it to the films of 1937-42), but still a bold, unique and fascinating experience. It is a film of pure atmosphere, and thus feels much more cinematic and mesmerising than several other Walt-era animated classics. Fantasia inhabits an abstract, surrealist plane of its own within the timeline of animation history, and although it cannot be considered a success or incredibly influential, it nonetheless deserves a number of accolades.

Firstly, it is a representation of how general audiences are not always the best judges, especially when it comes to unconventional art. Fantasia takes the cartoon and elevates it to something even greater than Snow White: whereas Snow White demonstrated animation's ability to convey terror, suspense, sympathy and emotion, and effectively displayed how well-suited the cartoon is to feature-length productions, Fantasia shows how animation is a new kind of art, almost akin to the modern version of painting. Admittedly, it only has one particular style of artwork, the distinct and lovable Disney style, but this can be overlooked when regarding how each segment attempts to work on different emotional levels. In this sense, it is quite similar to what Walt was already doing. You can look at Pinocchio and break it down into sets of scenes based on the emotions it's trying to provoke: there are the bits that are meant to frighten you, and here are the bits that are meant to amuse you, and so forth. Instead of telling one single narrative, Fantasia is a set of a number of different cartoons. Where it begins to move away from the classic formula - which, by 1940, had already become clearer after just two features - is in the versatility of emotions, and in the use of classical music.

As aforementioned, surrealism is a key part of Fantasia. Other features attempt to provoke simple emotions with simple storylines, but Fantasia tries to experiment. The Rite of Spring is especially unusual in its strange indifference to the dinosaurs. Audiences do not know how to respond to it. It has a whiff of Kubrick about it. Spread across the other segments are sections which do not exactly attempt to scare or entrance, but seemingly do both, a la the Pink Elephants. Thus, what Walt does with Fantasia is subvert expectation entirely, on virtually all levels and in all segments. Here's a Mickey Mouse cartoon...oh no it isn't, it's weird hellish madness. Now we have the Devil being defeated...but it's solemn, and it's subdued, and it's not glorious or uplifting, but thought-provoking and striking. It's this unexpectedness in its themes, emotions and direction, and its sheer creativity, that make Fantasia a glorious piece of film-making. The imaginative reinterpretations of music such as Beethoven's develop and unify all sorts of bold imagery. For example, Disney could easily have simply told the story of the Nutcracker when playing Tchaikovsky, but they go for something much more unusual and original, yet something that still retains the Disney magic. The combination of the Pastoral Symphony and Greek mythology is also inspired.

Secondly, Fantasia is an achievement in terms of skill and craftsmanship. The designs, colours, use of shadows and movement of animation are all improvements upon the film's predecessors; the brilliance of Snow White and Pinocchio has caused the propensity of people not recognising how Fantasia is an improvement, yet it truly is. The animators outdo themselves. One thing that never ceases to impress me is their ability to make certain musical notes work perfectly with the action on screen, while frequently also telling a progressive and linear story.

Each segment has its own delights and treats to offer, but if I was pressed to rank them best to worst, it would go something like this:
1. The Sorcerer's Apprentice
2. The Nutcracker Suite
3. The Rite of Spring
4. The Dance of the Hours
5. Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria
6. Toccata and Fugue in D Minor
7. The Pastoral Symphony

It pains me a little to put the Pastoral Symphony last, because it receives a lot of hate, and I derive great pleasure from it. Yes, it's corny, overtly cutesy, a little bland and a little silly, but if you're going to take issue with these qualities for this segment, you might as well start criticising the overwhelming majority of all Disney features. Besides, I think Bacchus and some of the other gods redeem most of the poor aspects.

[Mooky]

Since August I'm doing a Disney Marathon of only the animated canon (so no stuff like A Goofy Movie or the live actions)...Right now in Chicken Little...It's so bad.

Lol, I too watched Chicken Little last night -- probably around the same time you posted this. I haven't seen it in full since its theatrical release, because every time I tried to watch it I ended up turning it off. Well, last night I did manage to watch it until the end, which actually caught me by surprise. Now I know it's because someone else was watching it at the same time, thus sharing / evenly spreading out the misery.

[disneyprincess11]

Finding Nemo

[BelleGirl]

The Incredibles, if that counts.

On 12 September I visited the exhibition '25 years of Pixar animation" at Amsterdam Expo with my friend, which we thoroughly enjoyed. Seeing the images of " The Incredibles" and "Up" my friend realized these were the two pixar movies he hadn't seen yet, so the following weekend he wanted to watch "The Incredibles" with me, and so we did.

[dvdjunkie]

The Great Locomotive Chase (1956) DVD

One of the most accurately historic movies to come out of Hollywood in the 50's, and probably one of the best of the Disney Live Action movies, save "Old Yeller" and "Swiss Family Robinson".

Starring Fess Parker as James Andrews as a rebel leader who is asked to lead a small group of men behind the enemy lines and disrupt the supply lines by destroying their railroad. Unfortunately Andrews runs into a conductor (William Fuller portrayed by Jeffrey Hunter) who protects his train like he is married to it, and gives chase, thus the title of the film.

It took a long time for Disney to release this in an anamorphic widescreen edition, but they did, and I am proud to be the owner of it. I would love to see this film given a High Definition treatment, but that is probably out of the question.

If you want to see a very good action film, that is also very educational, see "The Great Locomotive Chase".

[RyGuy]

BRAVE while I was in the hospital and parts of Wreck It Ralph and Tangled, but I kept falling asleep.

Those pain killers are no bueno.

[Walter]

Currently going through a Disney movie marathon, sticking with the ones in the canon. I started last week (Jan 19), and just finished watching "The Rescuers".

I'm surprised how far I have gotten within 8 days, and were able to watch all of the Walt's films within the first 7. My goal is to finish by February 3, and still catch "Frozen" in theaters.

Going to watch the next one, which I think, is the saddest Disney film of all.

[BelleGirl]

It was a couple of weeks ago I saw a Disney movie: Frozen in the movie-theatre, 3D, with my fiancee.
Really liked it.
Unfortunately I have no time for a Disney-marathon, but maybe I will get to it one day.

[MeerkatKombat]

Beauty and the Beast - one my favorites.
It does look beautiful on blu even if the colours are overly bright migraine inducing.

I played around with the settings on my TV and compared it to some VHS screenshots and its surprising how close you can get it.

[moviefan12]

Just watched Aladdin again in what felt like ages since I'd last seen it and man, does it hold up. Yeah, Genie's jokes can distract a little but he's still my favorite character in the film and it is just a fun ride all around and also, the final climax, I swear feels like something out of a video game with how many different forms Jafar takes. Okay, so it's only two but still. I don't have many complaints about this film, I just love it and I loved it watching this a lot as a kid and this was a great reminder why and this film is making me think that Jafar may be the best Disney villain. Do wish that he got to sing Why Me? or Humiliate The Boy, though because while the reprise of Prince Ali is one of my favorite villain songs, those are great villain songs. Ah well, at least Johnthan Freeman will get to sing Why Me in the stage production of Aladdin. Just a fun time all around with this film.

[Musical Master]

Finished watching Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey. It is one of the best animal movies around, with great characters that are developed, consistant tone, a very well made screenplay (by Caroline Thompson, Linda Woolverton, and an uncredited Jonathan Roberts), and a lovely score.

I wish Disney released/restored this movie for Blu-ray.

[MovieMan995]

Watched my Blu-ray copy of Wreck-It Ralph the other night.

I love all the pure imagination that went into these environment designs and character animation, and Ralph makes for a sympathetic lead character with a terrifically written and developed relationship with Vanellope (who, as voiced by Sarah Silverman, was far more tolerable than I feared). The finale is loaded with a variety of dazzling spectacle and I'm tempted to say that it's one of the best produced Disney climaxes of all time.

For all that this one does right, there were some significant problems. The plot itself has a rather filmsy setup which made it difficult for me to be fully engaged with Ralph's adventures initially, and I found the toilet humor laid on too much for my tastes. I also wish they could of figured out a way to better utilize the Hero's Duty environment because it was one of the most beautifully realized sequences in the entire film and we only get to experience it for roughly five minutes. The pop interludes (Shut Up and Drive? Seriously?) were kind of a distraction too.

[dvdjunkie]

As a family - daughter and son-in-law, grandson (9), grand daughter (6), grandma and grandpa - we went to see "Frozen" for the sixth time at the Warren Theaters. This movie has really got all of us hooked on just how good Disney can be when they make an effort to make a very good family picture.

Shows are still selling out on the weekends, and they only show to showings of the 3-D on weekdays and three showings of the 2-D on weekdays and weekends.

We went this past Sunday (Jan. 26) and then we came home and after dinner we watched "Old Yeller" with Fess Parker and Dorothy McGuire. This movie never fails to bring tears to my eyes at the end.

[Walter]

Yesterday, I watched 6 of the films, 4 of them in one sitting. It was my day off work, so I had a lot of time on my hands. I watched from "The Fox and the Hound" to "The Rescuers Down Under".

And now, going through one of the greatest periods in Disney history, the Renaissance. About to watch "The Beauty and the Beast".

[Patrick]

I watched Beauty and the Beast last night. I went to Disney World recently with my cousin and it seems like BatB music followed us EVERYWHERE. So I figured I might as well watch it. I never disliked the movie but it's definitely grown very much on me.