DVDizzy Forum

I never saw Newsies I heard it was a great movie, but I will rent it very soon.

I seem to dislike some Live Action Disney films.

This is an interesting thread, not to mention long-lived. I'm glad to see so many Newsies fans writing. In my opinion it's one of the better live action Disneys in recent years.
One thing about the credibility of Musical Comedy, though. I've heard lots of people say the same thing 2099net mentions in his (excellent) review: That it isn't logical for people to suddenly break out in song and dance from one moment to the next.
Well, to be honest, the thing that's puzzled ME ever since I was a kid is why people hardly ever do just that in real life! It's their NOT doing it that seems strange to me!
Er... Anyone else feel this way? (Nope, didn't think so. Sorry.)

banjoboy wrote: Well, to be honest, the thing that's puzzled ME ever since I was a kid is why people hardly ever do just that in real life! It's their NOT doing it that seems strange to me!

I feel exactly the same way. I wish more people would sing out loud in public, but that's just my type of perfect world and not many people appreciate that.

Anyway, Newsies.....good songs....haven't watched it since it was on the disney channel oh so many years ago. I remember it having bad dancing, especially for a group of boys....less cheerleadery maybe. Or i might just be remembering it wrong.

I love musicals. I'll have to check this one out. I agree, though, that the musical numbers must have some value to the film and remain true to it... random songs don't make much sense. I like most of the musicals I've seen, though, and wish they would make a comeback (granted, they are in live-action films, to a degree... maybe they will in Disney films as well). Then there are more 'contemporary' musicals, I guess you could call them, like the Sister Acts or maybe even Hocus Pocus.

-Aaron

I love Newsies... the amazingly memorable music... the uplifting underdog-triumphs story... the very likeable actors/characters... everything! I don't have a problem with the dancing/staging. I guess I never really analyzed the choreography because I enjoy the movie as a whole, so much.

I've always been a big fan of musicals and have no problem suspending my disbelief about the whole bursting-into-song-and-dance-in-public thing. As long as I like the cast and find the story and songs well-written, I get lost in the movie, and taken out of my Critical Mode. (Strangely the musicals that most annoy me, that I just can't get into... are some of the most famous/popular ones... like Grease and Hello Dolly - but that's off-topic so I won't get into why, here)

Anyway, I just wanted to add my voice to the chorus of Newsies recommendations.

"Open your wallets and Seize the DVD!"

no, i hate that movie

woody8713 wrote:no, i hate that movie

Welcome to the forum. I think you'll find people will value your opinion a bit more if you try to go beyond 5-word replies. For instance, why do you 'hate that movie'?

It makes discussion all the more rewarding and engaging if you put a bit more thought into your posts.

I think the choeograhpy in Newsies is great. They give a flawless performance in my opinion. I also think that people should sing in public more often. I do it all the time, and people look at me strange. What a place the world is! Oh well. I do love Newsies, and I do wish musicals would come back in style.

So I've been really into <i>Newsies</i> (1992) lately. I've noticed, though, that it often gets overlooked. I was wondering how many of you guys have seen the film, and like it.
Personally, I saw it in the theatres when it came out, but mostly forgot about it until recently when I bought the DVD and the CD soundtrack for my wife. Definitely my favorite aspect of the movie is the soundtrack- if you love Alan Menken's work in <i>The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, </i>and <i>Aladdin</i>, you would really love the <i>Newsies</i> soundtrack. The quality of the songwriting and performances is just as good and exhilarating as the music in those films. Highlights are "Carrying the Banner", "Santa Fe", "The World Will Know", "Seize the Day", and "King of New York".
I will be the first to admit, however, that the movie has it's flaws. It's chock-full of cliches (the wise-guy, the cripple, the little boy, the fearless leader, etc etc), but somehow it's easy to overlook those and enjoy the movie regardless. I appreciate that it's done in the style of Hollywood golden-era movie musicals (<i>West Side Story, Singin' in the Rain,</i> etc). It certainly succeeds in that respect.
So, any other opinions?

(Note: click here for a good Newsies fan <a href="http://homepage.mac.com/jmar/newsies/">website</a>.

Snowbot, I completely agree. Newsies is a great musical. I never saw it when it first came out and, in fact, was completely unaware of it until a few years ago. I found a description of it (through a search for "Disney" at Amazon, I do a lot of those...) wich was intrigueing enough for me to order the DVD unseen. By now, I must have watched it 4-5 times and will most likely watch it again soon. It's a very solid film, good story, FANTASTIC score and excellent perfomances by Christian Bale, Bill Pullman and the always magnificent Robert Duvall.
I can only urge those of you who haven't seen Newsies to do so. If I remember correctly, this oft-overlooked movie placed surprisingly high on the UD Live Action Countdown (yes, I checked, it was #29), which is just another proof that it makes a strong and favourable impression on the fortunate few who have discovered it.

Interesting that you'd start this today, I just listened to the soundtrack on the way home last night...

I just saw Newsies for the first time this summer and was absolutely blown away. It's amazing, and instantly ranked among my favorite musicals. I've always been interested in both journalism and history and the mixture of these in the story was great. As snobot says, there may be a few flaws in the story, but overall it's very interesting and has an epic feel about it.

The music is fantastic and the lyrics are great, too. My favorite line is "How 'bout a crooked politician? Hey stupid, that ain't news no more." Alan Menken is a genius. This soundtrack reminds me in many ways of his The Little Shop of Horrors soundtrack, which is also fantastic.

I don't, unfortunately, have the DVD, as I'm saving it for my Christmas list, though I can't tell you how many times I've had it in my hands in the store and had to talk myself out of buying it. I'll definitely have it by the end of the year, though!

Great thread!

-Aaron

I have oft been quoted saying thus about Newsies:

"It's a really good movie, but not so much."

Or something like that. Maybe somebody else could help me out ...

Yes, I too have heard that description applied to <i>Newsies</i> and it fits somewhat well. For me, it's a kind of movie where when I'm watching it, its flaws stand out, and it flirts with being kind of cheesy. (I'm thinking of 14-year-old girls quoting something like "Have no fear, Brooklyn is here" online really.)

As with any musical, you have the problem of making song-and-dance fit in with the rest of the narrative, without feeling like they're coming from left field and breaking up the flow. In that regard, I think <i>Newsies</i> fares pretty well. Yes, there's always the "breaking out in song" moment that feels unnatural, but it gets away with it, blending its earnest underdog drama with elaborately choreographed dance scenes of adolescent boys.

The music is very good, maybe even better than the film. The songs are quick to catch on, and the rhythms do stick with you, even if the lyrics aren't always the most awe-inspiring.

Christian Bale's strong lead performance goes a long way in making the film easy to like. A more smug or less charismatic turn and it would have been apt to disengage viewers and sympathy for the newspapers.

I also like Bill Pullman (yes, Pullman, not Paxton) whose Denton character is appealing and well-defined. Robert Duvall is wasted in a pretty one-note villain role.

Overall, the film is far from the disaster that many labeled it in 1992. I don't consider it Disney's masterpiece as some more enthusiastic fans do, but it's definitely a very good effort and one of the studio's better live action films.

Now...when will it come to Broadway? I'm sure Max Casella can still play 17!

I have always said that Newsies was a great movie that was about 20 years behind its time. If this had been released in the fifties or sixties we would probably be talking about what a movie classic this is instead of an overlooked gem.

My mom was always into musicals so I watched a ton of them when I was a kid and most of them bored me to tears (I still shudder when I hear the word Oklahoma). However Newsies was one that I loved since the first time I saw it. Sure there are cliche charecters but It fits the tone of the movie so well that I think it was a stylistic choice instead of a lazy writing one. (remember cliches are cliches for a reason. Done right they work very well. and there always is a small bit of truth in every cliche no matter how outlandish)

This is a top notch movie all the way.

Speaking of "Newsies," Music Theatre International, the licensing agent that handles the Disney stage musicals for the regional and community theatre market, has announced that Disney and Alan Menken are currently working on a stage version of "Newsies" to be available for production in schools and community theatres. The material is not targeted for Broadway at this time. They've not announced a target date, but I would expect it to be within the next couple of years. I think it would make a very enjoyable stage production. They have just released "Beauty and the Beast" and "Aida" to the community market.
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<P> One post closer to the return of my Avatar...

Well while I would love a broadway adaptation, this is certainly good news too. I hope to see some community theaters tackled all three of these in the near to semi-near future!

-Aaron

During the commentary track on the Newsies DVD, the director (Kenny Ortega) and the writers were talking about how ever since they made the film, they've had dreams of it going to Broadway. He even made a sort of public "plug" for the idea- like, if anyone is listening that can do this, call us! That was recorded in 2002, so its good to see they've made some progress getting their work to the stage.

Couldn't find one, so I thought I'd start one.

Anyone else love/enjoy/have seen the musical Newsies? The first full-blown Live-Action Disney musical since Pete's Dragon, and quite possibly the last (not featuring Muppets).

My favorite song is "King of New York", though I think my favorite dance number is "Carrying the Banner".

Escapay

Escapay wrote:Anyone else love/enjoy/have seen the musical Newsies?

Definitely the last two. It's not perfect, but it is a film which sticks with you and improves over time, as you think about it. The songs are catchy, and I'm glad it's been able to find an audience on home video after a flop box office run. Has there been a live action Disney film from the '90s or even the '80s and '70s treated as well on DVD? Not really, which is why it is extremely easy for me to <a href="http://www.ultimatedisney.com/newsies.h ... commend</a>. But as usual, anyone objecting to characters randomly bursting into song might be deterred. "King of New York" and "Carrying the Banner" are definitely my two favorite songs. But, I'm curious, Escapay, by designating a favorite dance sequence - are you compelled to dance around to "Carrying the Banner" while watch the newsboys action?

Newsies is awesome. My favorite song was Carrying the Banner (heck I used to be a paper carrier myself) and most of the songs are catchy. I was surprised that such a film could be a flop, but this might have been because live action musicals were not "in" at the time. Its almost an allegory to how big business could hurt the more common worker.