Why Haven't You Seen Many Live-Action Disney Movies?

[AwallaceUNC]

It's no secret that a lot of Disney fans -- even those who consider themselves wholly dedicated -- haven't seen a good number of the live-action Disney titles. They often go unmentioned, seldom discussed, and rarely included in things like UD Countdowns. Save a for a few beloved classics (<i>Mary Poppins</i>) and newer hits (<i>Pirates of the Caribbean</i>), live-action Disney seems to get lost in the midst of theme parks and animation. I dare say most members here have seen only a minority of the studio's non-animated titles.

So my question to all of you is why? Are there too many of them? You didn't grow up on them? They're harder to get ahold of? Don't have the time? Or maybe you just aren't interested?

Personally, it's a mix of the first four. I definitely have interest and have probably seen more than most (I think somewhere around 75 or 80), but there's still a good chunk of the live-action catalog that I haven't gotten around to seeing. I'm working on it, but the list is huge (just look: http://www.ultimatedisney.com/oldliveaction.htm * http://www.ultimatedisney.com/liveaction.htm) and will therefore take some time.

I'm just curious as to why the studio's largest category of films turns out to be its most neglected. Feel free to weigh in!

And for those who have seen a lot of live-action Disney, do you generally enjoy them? More or less than animation? Are there decades you prefer over others?

I've definitely enjoyed most of what I've seen, especially getting a kick out of the '70s and '90s stuff, though I really need to catch up on the '60s titles.

-Aaron

[akhenaten]

MY REASONS.

1)LACK OF AVAILABILITY ON DVDS AND ON TV FOR INTERNATIONAL MARKET.

2)SOME R CORNY AND DOWNRIGHT SILLY (THE WALT DISNEY PRODUCTIONS OUTPUT)

[Disney Duster]

Well, for me, I think it mostly comes down to the animation. Ever since I was a little I liked drawing, and was probably more drawn (pun intended) to the animated movies. I remember being little and hearing some kids say they prefered movies with "real people" than cartoon movies, and I remember feeling a little sad and embarassed because I prefered animated movies.

But it probably also has a lot to do with the subjects of the movies. I'm mostly into Disney's fairy tale movies, and there's very few live-action fairy tales by Disney. Sure, there's the multi-cultural Roger's and Hammerstein's Cinderella, and the upcoming Enchanted, but that's about it. In general, I love movies about magic and fantasy, so Bedknobs and Broomsticks speaks to me a little, but nothing like the fairy tale films, almost all of which are animated.

So it's probably a combination, my love of drawing and animation, and my love of magic and fantasy. Also, maybe this will sound weird and be hard to explain, but the animated films don't have the baggage of actors being...actors. The animated characters are true characters seperate from their real life inspirers. Also, everyone, the director, the animators, the background artists, the sound makers, the voice artists, work on an animated film, and they choose what they want to be in there. They have much more control over what they want to happen, and maybe I like how evrything's decided on, so it's really theirs, there's not much in there they don't truly want. And in animation, the actor's have less control, which is kind of good because then it's more like they are really new characters and can't sneak in more of themselves...making any sense?

Also, what really draws me to a film is my desire to see the special effects. I'm Disney Duster, I love those sparkly explosions and swirling lights. And in animation, special effects are much more easily controlled and blend in better than pyrotechnics or computer-generated fire in live-action films. Of course, as technology gets better and more advanced, special effects can look more and more real, but until they belnd in perfectly with live-action, the special effects of animated films will always be tops, because they are drawn just like everything else in the films.

[Disney-Fan]

Well, I guess since Disney puts all their efforts in their animation department, there just isn't much excitement left for other projects (for the company, anyway). I mean, sure, back then there were some quality classics that I've only missed due to lack of availability, but nowadays most of Disney's non-animation outings are utter crap. Most movies are pretty cliche tripes that show nothing new, ground-breaking or important, and Disney hides behind the excuse that this is done in the name of family. Playing it safe for the PG rating as it were. So yeah, a combination of answers for me; Lack of availability regarding the classics, and zero interest in new endavours.

[blackcauldron85]

I grew up with the Disney animated films & the live-action-with-some-animation films. I grew up with "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids", too, but that's the only non-animated live action film I can think of that I had on tape growing up. If a Disney live action film was on TV, I would watch it when I was little. I've been interested in Disney at a young age, so I knew about the live action films, but my parents kind of chose what I could get (for example, my mom and I went shopping as a birthday present to me when I was probably about 8 or 9 years old- I saw "So Dear to My Heart" on the shelf, and I wanted it, but my mom had probably never heard of it, so she said no...she ended up buying me "The Fox and the Hound" and "Alice in Wonderland").

Now that I'm older and have more money, I've started buying the live action films on DVD. I love corny movies- I'm easily amused & entertained, so I know that I'll like most, if not all, of the live action comedies, so that's what I'm focusing on now, as well as the teenage girl movies {"The Princess Diaries", "Ice Princess", etc.) and the musicals.

[Princessmarlo]

As a child I of course grew up with animated Disney movies but I also saw a vast majority of the live action. I realized the importance of animation and the tradition 2-d drawings but I also realize the importance of live action films as not everyone is drawn to animated movies.

I think a lot of the live action films have decent or better then decent stories. I remember watching The Mighty Ducks and my Uncle took my sister and me to see it and I was like I hate sports but ended up loving the movie. I also remember watching The Big Green, Hocus Pocus, Return to Oz, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Blank Check, First Kid, Angels in the Outfield, Santa Clause and Man of the House many more. So as you can see I was exposed to all sorts of Disney Movies.

I think for the people that haven't watched them you should give them a chance. Yes there are some that are less desireable then others but there are some great classics!

Read the reviews on them that are posted on UD!

[Flanger-Hanger]

For me the three issues are:

1. Most Stores don't cary allot of them

2. Most are not in their original aspect ratio and I feel watching a movie in pan and scan is almost as bad as not seeing it.

3. Allot have not even been put on DVD

I have made a larger effort to see more of the old live action titles, buying a couple dozen a renting a bunch but there are so many (Disney's Live action movie count must be in the 100s by now).

[Wonderlicious]

I think there's a number of factors why many people (myself included) have seen relatively few live-action Disney films. I think that part of the reason is due to Disney management viewing the live-action medium as less iconic for Disney (whose animation and theme parks set it aside from other big Hollywood studios), hence it being glanced over. Some of the most famous and most publicised live-action Disney films have links to the more iconic aspects of the Mouse, being part-animated (Mary Poppins, Bedknobs and Broomsticks etc) or being based on theme park attractions (the Pirates of the Caribbean series).

As akhenaten also noted, many of the live-action films aren't made widely available overseas after their original release in cinemas (if they were released; things like Ice Princess didn't get a theatrical release in the UK). The DVD would come out, but it wouldn't be advertised to the extent an animated classic would, even if it was having its fiftieth reissue. It would get screened on terrestrial TV with little fan-fair, and would have been in the DVD bargain bin three months after its release. A lot of the older films aren't also given much exposure. Scarce daytime TV screenings are given to the likes of Island at the Top of the World and Summer Magic and due to most not knowing their studio origins like they do with the animated films, they get labeled as "the afternoon movie". Even Pollyanna and The Parent Trap weren't available on home-video in the UK from sometime during the late 80s until the DVD release in 2004/5 (which had little if any bonus features, unlike the Vault Disney releases in the US).

Also, in my opinion, a lot of the live-action films aren't particularly timeless. The bigger budget films (aka classic literary adaptations, part-animated films, musicals, costume dramas) don't really fall foul to this, but a lot of the films featuring contemporary settings do. This isn't so much due to the time period, but mainly as lots of Disney's live-action films with contemporary settings appear to lack a sense of timelessness in terms of story like the animated films do. Things like Freaky Friday and The Parent Trap have timeless themes, so can work well today, but a lot of the comedies feel more like random diversions with wacky scenarios. They seem more like modest pieces to provide income which could be used for greater things as opposed to big productions used to dazzle and bring glory and great wealth to the Disney name.

Fortunately, it seems like Disney is in a phase of making good live-action films that like 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Mary Poppins did, have a true sense of Disney magic and should hopefully live on for a good few years to come as opposed to plop like Snow Dogs. The Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe are indications of this, and hopefully Enchanted, the upcoming "Narnia" installments and any Prince of Persia films will be timeless classics.

I have seen a number of the rarer Disney live-action films and have enjoyed some, yet the number is pretty small. There have also been some live-actions (classics and forgotten titles) that I haven't seen in so long that I can hardly remember them at all (Babes in Toyland and Swiss Family Robinson spring to mind).

[AwallaceUNC]

2. Most are not in their original aspect ratio and I feel watching a movie in pan and scan is almost as bad as not seeing it.

Yes, good point, this should have been mentioned in my original post. This factor alone has kept me from purchasing several titles. I might cave one day, but not until I've purchased and seen all those that are available in OAR. I'm a little more forgiving if it's just a library rental or TV airing, since that doesn't cost me anything.

(Disney's Live action movie count must be in the 100s by now).

I think it's something like 240, not counting TV movies, documentaries, etc. Not sure what the count of live-action titles available on DVD is (I'll have to go through and count from Luke's lists at some point).

-Aaron

[Chernabog_Rocks]

For me it's mostly because of two reasons

1) Stores don't carry them, or don't bring enough copies in

2) Lack of knowledge about them

I only know about a few live actions (POTC, Mary Poppins, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Roger Rabbit) and anytime I see something Disney related it's always revolving around the animated characters/movies. If I knew more about the live-actions, like movie names, story/plot and where to find them then I would more than likely check out as many as I could.

[Princessmarlo]

Most of these dvd's that aren't available in store are usually on there websites. You can check disneyshopping.com walmart target circuit city or best buy's website. And sometimes Best Buy has them onsale. I would also just check all the site for prices because some sites are more and some are less it depends. Also Deepdiscountdvd.com has usually the best prices and great sales you can sign up for emails. And if you pay five dollars more for shipping they are usually shipped to you super fast!!! It is also free shipping on most purchases but if you have the five bucks or so extra it is worth it.

[Chernabog]

For me it has not been any problem to see and own all the Disneyfilms. I began to collect the films on video in the 80´s and change to DVD when that media was presented. Some of the old films are of course not availible on DVDs but then I still have them on video cassette.
I continue to collect all new films from the company (also Touchstone and Hollywood Pictures) on DVD. There is over 600 now, because I consider the coproductions (that Disney sometimes not count to their list) to be included in my collection.

In fact some of my favorites are liveaction Disney films

[PixarFan2006]

The only reason I would watch a live action disney movie is the plot. The plot has to keep my interest. Actors and Actresses are another factor. They have to make the story believeable.

I own only four live action Disney movies (Pirates of the Caribbean 1 and 2, The Santa Clause, and Old yeller.

[Mouseketodd]

Thanks, Aaron, for this discussion thread! I am a huge fan of Disney live-action movies. And, yes, in the past, I've been really bummed-out at the results of UD countdowns including top-heavy amounts of animated characters.

True, "...it all started with a mouse," but Disney is so much more than cartoons. Disney is animation, live-action, music, and theme parks: if you ignore one aspect, why not avoid another, too?

Yes, I enjoy the animated classics very much -- I'm an artist, so cartoons are certainly an interest to me. We own Cinderella, Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, The Incredibles, Finding Nemo, all of the Walt Disney Treasure volumes, and more.

I was born in 1968, smack dab in the middle of the Disney timeline. So much came before, so much came after. Let's take a look at what that means....

BEFORE ME:
Mickey Mouse, the Silly Symphonies, "Snow White," "Song of the South," "Treasure Island," Davy Crockett, The Mickey Mouse Club...

MY CHILDHOOD:
Episodes of "The Wonderful World of Disney," "Freaky Friday," "Robin Hood," "The North Avenue Irregulars," "Treasure of Matecumbe," "The Black Hole," "The Rocketeer," The Disney Channel...

MY ADULT LIFE:
"Mulan," "Toy Story," "Lizzie McGuire," Monsters, Inc.," "Princess Diaries," Treasure Planet," Even Stevens, Hannah Montana, "High School the Musical," "National Treasure," "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe"...

My enjoyment of all-things Disney stems from nostalgia of my own childhood movie/TV/theme park experiences, plus the sheer enjoyment, love, and enthusiasm of the Disney product.

Sure, there are Disney shows that are corny in part or in whole; sure, there are Disney shows that I choose not to watch because of personal values; sure, I can spot the same Disney backlot courthouse in various movies; sure, there are Disney shows that I don't watch because I'm not interested it them (read: Disney collective princess direct-to-DVD products); and sure, my wife isn't a Disney geek like me!

But above all these things, I find enjoyment in, and appreciation for, the total package that Walt and his staff produced and thereafter.

People can laugh at classical music or make fun of a book series. Why? Because they haven't been exposed to a particular genre. Once a person learns about something, it doesn't mean a new fan has been born, but it's at least likely that appreciation for such will have taken place.

Have I known about the total Disney library all my life? No, in fact in the the last few years, I've watched a number of shows for the first time, like:

So Dear to My Heart (now a personal favorite)
The Happiest Millionaire (a favorite)
The One and Only Original Family Band
Third Man on the Mountain
Kidnapped
Summer Magic
Zorro (various)
Davy Crockett
Darby O'Gill and the Little People
Johnny Shiloh
Mosby's Marauders
The Moon-Spinners
Never a Dull Moment
Those Calloways!
Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates
Savage Sam
Bon Voyage!
The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
and more... (Attention, Disney Company: Nearly all of these movies, most of which I hadn't heard of until recent years, I now own.)

And, I'm not stuck in the past, either. I'm sure we will be purchasing "Bridge to Teribithia," "Meet the Robinsons," more Zach and Cody, more Hannah Montana....

Won't you please give the whole Wonderful World of Disney a fair sampling? Search your library and/or neighborhood video store for titles you 1) don't want to invest in just yet; 2) can't find in stores. Also consider used bookstores, garage sales, and online stores as no/low-investment sources of Disney VHS tapes and DVDs.

[Disneykid]

Even though I've seen quite a bit of Disney's live-action films and grew up on many of them, the reason I'm more selective about them than I am towards feature animation is because Disney's live films tend to be rather hit or miss. Even my least favorite animated classics are better than average, and mainly suffer due to being grouped in the same genre as true classics. With live-action films, the quality varies wildly from excellent to good to horrible. While I'll see an animated classic even if the trailers don't interest me, I treat Disney's live films like I do live films from any other studio: I'll only watch them if they look like something I'd enjoy or if word-of-mouth is very high.

[jeremy88]

Well lets see, I can't say that I've watched a lot of Live-Action Disney movies. But I have seen some and I do enjoy them like Mary Poppins of Course, Freaky Friday(both), The Parent Trap(both), The Rocketeer, Bed Knobs and Broom Sticks, Babes in Toy Land, The Cat from Outer Space, Escape to Witch Mountain, Short Circuit(this one cracks me up!), That Darned Cat(was this a Disney one?) and probably more that I can't think of right now.

I do watch and enjoy the newer ones like Pirates of the Carribean and Bridge to Terabithia.

But besides the point I think I'm more interested in Disney Animation because I grew up in the early 90's, so as a kid I saw movies like Beauty and the Beast up til like The Emperors New Groove, so I think I have more of an attatchment to Walt Disney Feature Animation, but nonetheless Disney Live Action films are awesome too!

[Chernabog]

Short Circuit(this one cracks me up!), That Darned Cat(was this a Disney one?)

That Darn Cat is Disney but Short Circuit is NOT!

[jennydumas]

Yeaa Short Circuit wasn't, but god do I love that movie!

[Poppins#1]

...but my parents kind of chose what I could get (for example, my mom and I went shopping as a birthday present to me when I was probably about 8 or 9 years old- I saw "So Dear to My Heart" on the shelf, and I wanted it, but my mom had probably never heard of it, so she said no...she ended up buying me "The Fox and the Hound" and "Alice in Wonderland").

Oh, that breaks my heart that you had an Old-Movie-Phobic mother

...I was born in 1968...MY CHILDHOOD:..."The Rocketeer,"

Wow! You still considered yourself a child at 23!

[Lars Vermundsberget]

There are a lot of movies (overall) that I've never seen, of course. And most of Disney's live-action movies don't seem particularly interesting to me just because they're from Disney.