For The Walt Disney Company's big centennial, leading up to the release of Wish, I've decided to do something special; I'm going to sit down and watch all 61 films in the Disney Animated Canon in order, whenever I'm able to. I don't know how long this will take, but we'll just have fun with it and see how it goes. I'll be chronicling my thoughts and a bit of my own personal history with each film. Some of these I've never seen before, mostly because of their restricted availability on home video before the advent of Disney+, so this'll be a fun journey with new and old experiences for me.
And without further ado, here's everything I've gone through so far:
The Golden Age (1937 - 1942)
The classics. The ones that built Disney's reputation in the early days and basically pioneered cinematic animation as we know it. Day 1 - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
- Some day, my prince will come...
The one that started it all.
It's definitely aged in some aspects; the story is very basic, the human characters are obviously rotoscoped, and at times it feels more like a feature-length cartoon short than an animated feature film. But you obviously can't fault them for any of that, after all, this was the first time anyone had ever done something like this, and as a whole it's still a remarkably charming movie. The animation still holds up over 80 years later. Even the rotoscoping isn't really that bad on Snow White and the Queen (the Prince, however, just looks weird whenever he moves, which even the animators at the time realized, which is why he's only present in two scenes). Honestly, it's still pretty mindblowing to see this animation and think that this was made in 1937.
I think this may have actually been my first time sitting down to watch the entire movie; I've seen it before in bits and pieces in places like kindergarten or the waiting room at the pediatrician's as a kid, and I think through that I did see the entire thing eventually, but I never actually owned it on DVD growing up, so I didn't watch it as much as the other Disney classics.
Day 2 - Pinocchio (1940)
- When you wish upon a star...
Makes no difference who you are...
The one where a puppet becomes a real boy.
Right away, you can tell the studio took what they learned doing Snow White and improved upon it. All of the humans are stylized so that they can look good and move fluidly next to everything else. The Blue Fairy is the exception, and oddly, she looks a bit weirder than Snow White. Still, the animation as a whole blends cartoony and realistic movements a lot better. The backgrounds are also a nice step up from Snow White's rather simple ones. Pinocchio also feels closer to a traditional feature film narrative than Snow White, though there's still a little bit of "extended cartoon short" in its DNA. It does make a bit of sense though, given the book is a bit of a Random Events Plot itself. The story's also not quite as sanitized as I remember it being; sure it's not as dark as say, del Toro's version or anything, but the Pleasure Island scenes are still legit unnerving. Those donkey children gave me nightmares as a kid, and still freaked me as an adult, though more for the unsettling implications of what they're going to do to them going forward than the general creepiness of it.
One thing I haven't noticed before is that this is where Disney's tradition of Parental Bonuses began; Jiminy Cricket is much hornier than I remember as a kid!
I owned this one on DVD as a kid, and watched it regularly when I was very young, though as I got older I tended to gravitate more towards the Renaissance and Experimental Era films. As an adult, it's easier to appreciate this one as a pioneering work of animation. It's a very beautiful-looking film and a good version of the story.
Day 3 - Fantasia (1940)
May 3
Walt Disney's Masterpiece of Sight and Sound
As a kid, my dad tried showing me Fantasia when I was probably too young to appreciate it. I remember liking "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" because that was the part with Mickey, and the dinosaur battle in "The Rite of Spring" because dinosaurs are awesome. The rest of it I was just bored. Fantasia is really the kind of film that plays much better to an adult than to a kid, as I grew to appreciate it later in life for the gorgeous masterpiece this really is. In my opinion, this wasn't just Disney Growing the Beard, this was animation as an art form Growing the Beard, showing that what was once being used for entertaining short cartoons and two films that were really just extended versions of those cartoons, could be used in so many creative ways to express beauty and emotion through movement. There's really not that much to say, Fantasia is a masterpiece, plain and simple.
Walt Disney's Masterpiece of Sight and Sound
As a kid, my dad tried showing me Fantasia when I was probably too young to appreciate it. I remember liking "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" because that was the part with Mickey, and the dinosaur battle in "The Rite of Spring" because dinosaurs are awesome. The rest of it I was just bored. Fantasia is really the kind of film that plays much better to an adult than to a kid, as I grew to appreciate it later in life for the gorgeous masterpiece this really is. In my opinion, this wasn't just Disney Growing the Beard, this was animation as an art form Growing the Beard, showing that what was once being used for entertaining short cartoons and two films that were really just extended versions of those cartoons, could be used in so many creative ways to express beauty and emotion through movement. There's really not that much to say, Fantasia is a masterpiece, plain and simple.
Day 4 - Dumbo (1941)
- Well I'd be done seen just 'bout ev'rything,
When I see an elephant fly!
The one where an elephant flies... at the end of the movie. Which is only an hour long.
I've come to the realization that all of the Golden Age films are basically a series of cartoon vignettes strung together by a thin string of story. That's actually not a complaint, more just an observation. I guess it was just the medium of animated films slowly pushing at its boundaries and learning where it could go. Dumbo, granted, does have less of a solid story than Snow White and Pinocchio, but it's just so dang cute it's hard to hold that against it. It's also only an hour and four minutes, which helps so that it doesn't overstay its welcome with that. Though of course, there's some casual 1940s attitudes that date it more than the other films. The casual bullying of a literal infant, for starters. It's a bit upsetting that his name is the result of a bunch of catty bitches insulting his appearance at birth. And of course there's the racial stereotypes. The crows actually aren't quite as bad as their reputation suggests; they're helpful and friendly enough and their actors were, to my knowledge, at least actually African-American, though of course they still act very stereotypical, and calling one of them Jim Crow (yes, really) was not going to age well. There's also the faceless creepy black workers in The Song of the Roustabouts and a couple of Arab stereotypes on camels, but they're not super prominent. And of course there's the scene where a baby gets blackout drunk, though it does lead to a gloriously trippy Disney Acid Sequence. In the end, Dumbo is merely an inoffen- okay, I can't really say that, obviously, but it's largely a cute little film.
I didn't watch this one much as a kid, but I remember liking it okay. I distinctly remember watching it in kindergarten one day when I drank some Sprite thinking it was water and subsequently developed a lifelong distaste for the drink. So there's that memory associated with it.
Day 5 - Bambi (1942)
- Love is a song that never ends...
The one where that asshole kills a mom and scars generations of kids.
For having a reputation for being the stereotypical cutesy kids' flick, Bambi is still an impressive film in its own merits. The backgrounds are very impressive for the time; not only are they beautifully drawn, but for the first time they've actually managed to give them the illusion of depth, which is a big step up from the previous films. The character animations are the perfect mix of realistic and cartoony movements, leaning a bit more towards realism. You can tell they studied actual animals for it.
Like the other Golden Age films, there's not too tight of a narrative, but it still does a good job of telling the story of a deer's life from infancy to adulthood. The scenes with Bambi as a child are indeed cute, but it seems nobody talks about the parts where they're grown up. It is a bit weird to hear Thumper and Flower suddenly start talking with deep adult voices when they don't actually look all that different, but Bambi's grown a lot.
Bambi is a simple film, especially compared to modern films, but a charming one. I watched it plenty as a small child but it held less interest to me as I got older.
The Package Era (1942 - 1949)
When WWII came around and things weren't looking too hot financially for Disney, so ol' Uncle Walt just went "screw it, let's just package a bunch of shorts together and sell it as a movie". Day 6 - Saludos Amigos (1942)
- Saludos, amigos! A fond greeting to you!
The one where Walt and his crew film their vacation and throw a few cartoons in there.
So I should probably start by saying I have seen none of the Package Era films before this watchthrough. I have seen a few of the shorts repackaged as part of other DVD collections or occasionally playing at the theme parks or whatnot, but I haven't ever watched the actual compilation films themselves. Of course, these are probably the most obscure part of the Canon by far, and Disney hasn't rereleased or promoted them that often, so it's only natural that these would be new to most people.
Saludos Amigos came about as a part of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's "Good Neigbor" Policy
, as a way of establishing peaceful ties with Latin American countries so they'd join up with the Allies in WWII. As such, Disney was commissioned to make a series of cartoons based around Latin American cultures, and they decided, after most of the Golden Age films not really making money for them at the time and the war putting a strain on spending, to package the shorts together as a feature film, accompanied by footage of the crew traveling the South American continent and showing a bit of the creative process behind them.What surprised me about this one is that the movie (which has a total runtime of 42 minutes) is essentially an educational film about South America with some cartoon segments worked in, all connected via the same narrator. It was all quite interesting actually, and the places they showed looked very nice.
The four cartoon segments involve Donald Duck as a tourist at Lake Titicaca (stop snickering), and of course being met with plenty of slapstick misfortune; a young cargo plane named Pedro being tasked to deliver the mail between Chile and Mendoza in place of his sick father; Goofy learning the ropes of being a gaucho and, naturally, being inept at it; and a final segment built around samba music, which begins with a watercolor painting being created and then brought to life in rhythm with a song, then Donald Duck appears and is introduced to Ensemble Dark Horse José Carioca, who takes him on a tour of the city of Rio de Janeiro.
All in all, it was a decent 40 minutes, not too much to say about it. I suspect that might hold true for the rest of this era, as there's probably not too much I can dive into with complilations like this.
Day 7 - The Three Caballeros (1945)
- We're three caballeros, three gay cabelleros
They say we are birds of a feather!
The one where Donald Duck has a very trippy birthday party.
Disney's first sequel, apparently Saludos Amigos was successful enough to spawn a direct followup as the studio's next film. In it, Donald receives a series of birthday presents from his friends in Latin America (they also directly establish that Donald's birthday is Friday the 13th, which explains a lot). The first present is a filmstrip about the birds of South America, including a penguin who hates the Antarctic cold and journeys to the Galapagos Islands to live in the tropical sun, and the tale of a young gaucho and his winged donkey (I might be splitting hairs here, but I don't think that's an actual South American bird). Then Donald discovers his old friend José Carioca in a popup book, who brings him to Brazil to party with some live-action humans (the integration of live-action and animation in this film flips between decent for the time to really bad blue-screening, but I suppose it isn't fair to expect Roger Rabbit-level quality from the technology of the 40s). Then the two of them open the final present, containing a Mexican rooster named Panchito, who gives them a deep dive on Mexican history and culture for a bit before taking them on a psychedelic magic carpet ride through more live-action footage.
It's... certainly a lot more creative in the animation than Saludos Amigos, and definitely feels a little more like an actual film, as most of it does actually revolve around Donald rather than just using him as a framing device for unrelated shorts. I enjoyed it.
Day 8 - Make Mine Music (1946)
- Make mine music, and my heart will sing
Make mine music, and it's always spring
The one that's not on Disney+.
Yeah, that was a bit of a complication when I decided to do all this. I didn't realize this wasn't on the service when I started, but luckily I realized it quickly enough to eBay a DVD which arrived on time after I finished Three Caballeros... only to find that the disc did not work. I tried again with another DVD... which got lost in shipping. After that, I discovered it was on the Internet so I just watched it there because I didn't want to delay the watchthrough for such a long period.
This is a complilation in the most literal sense; unlike the previous two entries there's no framing device, it's literally just one short presented after another. Because of that, I decided it's probably better to give my thoughts on each of the segments individually rather than judging this as a whole movie.
- The Martins and the Coys: A country ballad about two feuding hillbilly families that end up massacring each other save for two survivors who fall in love. Surprising dark and violent, and apparently the reason this one doesn't ever get rereleased anymore... though apparently the DVD cuts it out. As I am not a fan of country music in general, this was not my favorite part.
- Blue Bayou: A stork flying alone in a swamp at night. Pretty animation, but not much happens, and the music isn't as well-integrated as in something like Fantasia, which apparently this was meant to be part of.
- All the Cats Join In: A nice jazzy little sequence where a bunch of teens meet up at the malt shop to party. The animation is very lively and matches well to the rhythm. I loved the gimmick of the pencil actively drawing everything as it shows up.
- Without You: A song about a lost love set to abstract imagery. Tell you the truth, I just finished the movie and I don't really remember anything from the segment at all. It was just really uninteresting.
- Casey at the Bat: A nice little animated take on the classic poem. Probably the strongest part of the movie individually. I honestly feel like it probably could've stood as its own short.
- Two Silhouettes: Exactly What It Says on the Tin. Two people in silhouette dance ballet on an animated background. Not much to this one.
- Peter and the Wolf: An animated version of the classic Russian composition narrated by Sterling Holloway. And honestly, the narration is pretty unnecessary and kind of annoying at times. I feel like this would've been better done with just the music and the animation.
- After You're Gone: A wacky sequence involving a bunch of instruments that dance to their own music. Probably my favorite bit of the movie for the creative animation of the instruments' movements.
- Johnnie Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet: A love story of two hats in a hat shop that end up being purchased by different people and go on a journey to find each other again. It's rather cute, almost WALL-E-esque, to a nice song.
- The Whale Who Wanted To Sing At The Met: A whale named Willie who's good at singing opera is hunted down for the singer he is assumed to have swallowed to gain the ability. The animation for such a large creature is quite unique and fun to watch. The ending is quite the gutpunch.
All in all, this is an okay series of shorts. As a movie, however, it's lacking, especially compared to the Caballeros films. You can definitely tell this was a budget release throwing together unrelated material for an easy payday.
Day 9 - Fun and Fancy Free (1947)
- Full of fun and fancy free
That's the way I wanna be
I don't let my troubles trouble me
This one's a double feature of two planned feature films that were condensed into shorts due to the budget concerns that brought about this era. They're connected by a framing device involving Jiminy Cricket, who's exploring somebody's house when he comes across a record of 40s music star Dinah Shore telling the story of a circus bear named Bongo who escapes to the wilderness and falls in love with a bear named Lulubelle, and must fight a bigger bear for her. Then Jiminy heads next door to a birthday party hosted by famed ventriloquist Edgar Bergen (this guy was one of Jim Henson's big inspirations, his last project was even a cameo in The Muppet Movie, and you can kinda see from watching Bergen the genesis of the Muppet style of humor, though obviously Jim took it in a much more wacky and chaotic direction), who tells a little girl the story of Jack and the Beanstalk starring Mickey, Donald and Goofy as they recover a magical singing harp the giant stole from their valley, causing a massive famine.
This movie is... okay. Both shorts are fine but nothing particularly special. Bongo is probably the better of the two in my opinion, largely thanks to the final fight, which is full of some pretty good, almost Looney Tunes-level slapstick. Mickey and the Beanstalk is mainly just another version of the fairy tale with the main hook being the Disney characters and some of the comical interjections in the narration from Bergen's puppet characters. I had actually seen both of the shorts before, collected separately on some old DVDs without any of the framing stuff (Mickey and the Beanstalk was given a separate narration from Ludwig von Drake, I recall), so it was interesting to see them in their original context, but apart from that, there's not too much to say about this one.
Day 10 - Melody Time (1948)
- It's time to swing along
To a happy land of song
Another full-on anthology in the vein of Make Mine Music, again I'm going to judge each short individually:
- Once Upon a Wintertime: A couple goes out for a ride in the winter, and eventually gets into a spat on the ice rink about... something. It, uh... isn't really clear why they start fighting. Best I can figure is he blows some snow onto her when he brakes, but, like, that's perfectly normal and not really anything to get angry over. Anyway, she falls through the thin ice and he has to save her from the roaring rapids that suddenly appeared on this small inland lake(?), and then they make up and go home. Is it just me, or did the animation on this one feel... cheaper? I know these package films were made on a budget, obviously, but the animation quality has been fairly consistent with the regular standalone shorts for the most part, but something about this segment in particular feels lacking for some reason. I can't quite put my finger on it.
- Bumble Boogie: Another scrapped Fantasia segment, and one that I feel would've served well among the others. A jazzy rendition of "Flight of the Bumblebee" set to animation of a bee flying and dodging the music and the orchestra itself. Fun stuff.
- The Legend of Johnny Appleseed: One of the few segments from the package films I had actually seen before in a different context; namely, it was shown to me at some point in elementary school when we were discussing American folktales. Watching it got me somewhat nostalgic, and it's a good short on its own. Weirdly, it does feel a bit out of place with the whole musical theme of the compilation; yes, there are songs in it, but they feel like regular Disney songs and are interspersed with regular dialogue, unlike the genre compositions that accompany the rest of the shorts.
- Little Toot: Starts off as a typical cutesy Disney cartoon about a little tugboat who wants to prove he can work on the big ships... until he crashes an ocean liner into a city, gets shunned, arrested and banished with his father doomed to hauling trash barges, and then caught in a storm that's animated like God Himself is angry at this kid. Damn, that took a turn. He makes up for it all in the end, but damn.
- Trees: A musical rendition of a poem set to some rather pretty painted visuals. I like it.
- Blame It On the Samba: Donald and José are back and looking glum until the Arucan bird from Three Caballeros cheers them up with a lively samba number. Nice throwback to the Caballeros films.
- Pecos Bill: Another short I've watched, probably in the same class as the Johnny Appleseed one (can't really remember, but it sounds right), a good ol' Western ballad about the legendary cowpoke who forged the West with his own bare hands, doing all kinds of awesome things like plowing rivers and lassoing tornadoes. (But, uh, not the shooting at random Native Americans. That part's not so cool.) Eventually he falls in love with a cowgirl almost as crazy as he is, and then his horse Widowmaker (no relation) gets jealous...
This one is much like the previous two films in that it's merely an okay collection, nothing too special, but on the whole I think I enjoyed the segments overall more than the ones in Make Mine Music.
Day 11 - The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)
May 15
The one where Disney made the steps to start making full movies again.
Another double feature, and the final film of the package era, featuring two iconic stories from both sides of the Pond. These two segments are much more memorable and entertaining than the ones in Fun and Fancy Free, which I just found to be okay, to the point that I'm going to judge them separately like the musical compilations:
The one where Disney made the steps to start making full movies again.
Another double feature, and the final film of the package era, featuring two iconic stories from both sides of the Pond. These two segments are much more memorable and entertaining than the ones in Fun and Fancy Free, which I just found to be okay, to the point that I'm going to judge them separately like the musical compilations:
- The Wind in the Willows: The delightfully British tale, narrated by Basil Rathbone, of an eccentric Toad whose sudden fascinations get him in frequent trouble, and his friends who try in vain to keep him out of it, especially when he's allegedly caught trying to steal a priceless motorcar. This is an enjoyable little romp, with some nicely dry British humor and fun characters. Both segments here were initially planned as full features, and I think this one could've worked well as one, especially with the extra time to explore a few things. I hadn't seen this half of the movie before, nor have I read the original book. My only experience with the story was the Disneyland ride, which is memorable for the fact that the ride sends you to actual Hell at one point, a detail I was actually kind of disappointed wasn't in the film.
- The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: Washington Irving's classic tale of a schoolmaster and his spooky encounter with the Headless Horseman, narrated by Bing Crosby. This is the one I was more familiar with, having seen it first in middle school English after we had read the original story, and then occasionally seeing it played around Halloween in certain places. Crosby's narration is quite nice, and of course he sings a few tunes that are nice and catchy. The slapstick between Ichabod and Brom is nicely animated, and the atmosphere of the midnight ride, even before the Horseman shows up, is nice and haunting. This is a very good version of the story, especially given there's surprisingly little sugarcoating; aspects like the more unsavory personality traits of Crane, the ambiguity of the Horseman's existence, and the lack of any answer as to what really happened to Crane is quite unexpected from a Disney production. I think the story actually works better as a short than as a feature film; they managed to fit in all the most important aspects of the story quite well in the runtime.
The Silver Age (1949 - 1967)
The studio's big rebound after the postwar period settled down and they could focus on making actual movies again. It came to an end when Walt died and everyone was like "crap, now what do we do?" Day 12 - Cinderella (1950)
- A dream is a wish your heart makes
When you're fast asleep
The one where Disney tried doing a princess story again... that probably won't go anywhere significant though
Ah, Cinderella. The timeless tale of a passive waif who just sits around and has things happen to her... say people who haven't actually seen the movie or paid attention to it that well.
Yeah, Cinderella's gotten a bit of an unfair reputation that doesn't really apply to her or the film. The movie is of course a classic, but certain discourse around it has gotten some things wrong.
But before I get carried away with that, like I said, this is indeed a timeless classic. Walt and his crew clearly took great care taking what they learned doing Snow White and sanded off the rougher edges. Cinderella and the Prince are realistic humans that look and move in a way that much more naturally fits in with their environment and surrounding characters than Snow White and her Prince. The story is much more substantial this time around, as you'll recall the Golden Age films often felt more like a collection of scenes loosely strung together, while Cinderella has a more tightly-woven narrative overall, something that they'd continue to get better at as the artform of animated films developed.
Now onto what I was saying earlier: Cinderella as a character is far more nuanced than pop culture would have you believe. Yes, she lives under the thumb of her stepfamily, but it's not a simple "do your chores" type thing; her home situation is a rather chilling depiction of abuse, warping her self-confidence enough for Lady Tremaine to hold sway over her. Despite this, she's not passively serene about it, she has a definite attitude and enough of a rebellious spirit to snark about it and do what she can to assert herself, even if it's not much at first. Honestly, her kindness and optimism in a situation like that is something to be admired.
Lady Tremaine is an excellent villain, possibly the first truly great Disney Villain, nasty and terrifying in a more mundane fashion than others, but no less effective than them. Her every animation is full of evil expression; you can see the gear's turning in her head to figure out the best tactics to make this poor girl's life miserable. The subtle way she directs the stepsisters' attention to the dress so that they'll ruin it without Lady Tremaine herself having to directly lift a finger is an underrated moment. This woman's an abusive monster, but damn you can't help but admire how good she is at it.
Of course, the story is still a simple fairy tale (heck, the Prince despite the large role he plays in it has like 30 seconds of screentime in total), but simplicity works for some stories, and this one does it wonderfully.
Day 13 - Alice in Wonderland (1951)
- I give myself very good advice
Though I only seldom follow it
Happy Unbirthday, everyone!
As I understand it, Walt was never really proud of this movie, and it took quite awhile to be considered a classic. Stoner culture helped with that. I myself enjoyed it a lot, and while watching I actually realized that this was probably my first time watching it. I thought I had seen it before, but looking back, I'm probably just remembering the characters' appearances in crossovers like House of Mouse or Kingdom Hearts and some books I had as a kid.
The art direction for Wonderland itself is, well... wonderful. It's very much unlike any other Disney film, and I like how much both the environment and the characters contrast visually with Alice and her world. The story is quite simple and a bit of a Random Events Plot, though of course the world it's set in kind of enforces that and it works well. The animation is nicely fluid and chaotic, and the wacky wordplay and Insane Troll Logic make for an amusingly bizarre experience. Alice is a great protagonist, a bit odd in her own right but her general reactions and growing frustration to the insanity around her are just delightful. The other characters are all great and memorable in their own right; the Mad Hatter, the Queen of Hearts, the Cheshire Cat, Tweedledee and Tweedledum; all of them have their own unique style of strangeness that makes them so fun to watch. Alice isn't the kind of film that will challenge your understanding of the universe or anything, but it's an entertaining experience the whole way through.
Day 14 - Peter Pan (1953)
- When there's a smile in your heart
There's no better time to start
Think of all the joy you'll find
When you leave the world behind
And wave your fears goodbye!
You can fly!
You can fly!
You can fly!
Second star to the right, and straight on 'till morning...
The timeless tale of the boy who never grew up and his adventures in Never Land. Peter Pan is one of the movies I watched countless times growing up, and it's still a fun movie even today.
Peter himself tends to be a bit of a Base-Breaking Character these days for his bratty attitude, but I find it okay, personally. He's very much a Fun Personified Jerk with a Heart of Gold, which tracks with him being an immortal kid. He's still a good guy in the end, even if he's a little brash and immature. Wendy is arguably the true protagonist of the story though, as it's her who goes through a character arc of accepting that she will eventually have to grow up and shoulder responsibility, and it's done nicely throughout the film. Captain Hook is a great villain, a combination Butt-Monkey and Magnificent Bastard with a number of excellent moments.
Of course, there's a big elephant in the room regarding this movie: the, uh... "Indians". Yeah, that part has not aged well at all. To their credit, they are at least depicted as competent good guys, and Tiger Lily at least looks like a normal person, but the designs, the broken English, and especially the song are super uncomfortable. Other than that, though, Peter Pan is a fun, adventurous movie with plenty of heart.
Day 15 - Lady and the Tramp (1955)
- This is the night, it's a beautiful night
And they call it Bella Notte
Aunt Sarah is a bitch and can go to hell.
As a dog lover, Lady and the Tramp is a movie that hits the right buttons for me. So much of the characters' behavior reminds me of the dogs I've had in my life. I'm just lucky my current dog was asleep in another room while I watched this; he hates seeing other animals on TV. Yes, even cartoon animals, he can recognize them and will bark his head off.
Aside from all that, the movie is just adorable. It's no fairytale epic, but the simpler, down-to-earth nature of it is so charming and stands out among Disney's other classics. The songs aren't the most memorable in Disney history IMO, but they're still good. Well, there's the highly uncomfortable Siamese cat song, but let's just forget about that one, shall we?
Day 16 - Sleeping Beauty (1959)
- I know you, I waltzed with you once upon a dream
The thing I've never noticed about Sleeping Beauty is how unique its artstyle is among the Canon. I don't really know how to describe it actually... I guess... it looks like a painting in a storybook is the best way to put it into words? Whatever it is, it's gorgeous.
I like that, this time, the prince gets to be an actual character who does stuff instead of just showing up at the end to marry the princess. Heck, he's the one to defeat the villain this time around. And speaking of the villain... yeah, Maleficent is considered one of the greatest Disney villains for a reason. Sure, she's a bit of a one-note evil sorceress, but she's charismatic and entertaining. Ironically, trying to give her a clear motive actually made her less interesting. Some villains just work better as an intimidating presence. Aurora is, in my opinion, one of the less interesting Disney Princesses, not bad in any way, but she doesn't have as much of a character as the others. Even Snow White and Cinderella were more fleshed-out than her. The story is really more about the fairies and the prince than it is about her.
Sleeping Beauty is a bit like Snow White in that I don't think I've ever seen it in full before now, merely in bits and pieces throughout my life, but I knew the story through books I had as a kid and stuff like Kingdom Hearts. I'm glad I've seen the whole thing now, though, it's a good film.
Day 17 - 101 Dalmatians (1961)
- Cruella de Vil...
Cruella de Vil...
If she doesn't scare you,
No evil thing will...
May 29
Another movie about dogs, how could I not love it?!
This was the first movie Disney used xeroxing to animate for cheaper after Sleeping Beauty ended up costing way too much to produce, resulting in a sketchier artstyle that persisted in their films up until the 80s. The style has its detractors but personally, I'm a fan of it. I feel it has plenty of character and still looks nice, even if it's not as traditionally gorgeous as the fully hand-drawn stuff.
The puppies are absolutely adorable and Pongo and Perdita are nice protagonists, but of course the real star of the show is the nasty lady herself, Cruella de Vil. She's just such a delightfully camp and entertaining villain that makes the most of her every scene. She's an evil, puppy-killing bitch, but goddamn it she's so fun to watch! Jasper and Horace are fun, too; they're pretty much the quintessential bumbling evil henchmen.
I never read the book (apparently it has aliens in it or something? Weird) or saw the live-action films (including the recent Cruella movie with Emma Stone), I did watch some of the One Saturday Morning TV show some when I was really young, but I don't remember much of it, but this is one of the Disney classics that I owned as a kid and watched plenty of. It's not among my absolute favorites, but it's a fun and adorable little movie.
Day 18 - The Sword in the Stone (1963)
- A legend is sung of when England was young,
And Knights were brave and bold.
The good King had died, and no one could decide
Who was rightful heir to the Throne.
The one where that version of Merlin that appears in all the Disney crossovers comes from.
Definitely the most obscure non-package film from Walt's era. Unlike Snow White, Alice and Sleeping Beauty, which I had seen in bits and pieces before watching them in full here; I hadn't seen a single minute of The Sword in the Stone before now. It's... alright. We go back to the Random Events Plot format of the Golden Age films as Merlin teaches young Wart, later to be known as King Arthur, various lessons about the strength of wisdom and intelligence over brute force. The character animation is quite good, and Merlin is quite an entertaining character; I can see why Disney likes bringing him back for stuff like Kingdom Hearts or Dreamlight Valley despite not acknowledging the film that much otherwise. Wart is a fairly generic kid protagonist, though not a bad one. He very clearly is voiced by three different kids throughout the movie; one of them clearly went through puberty during production and I guess they didn't have the budget to redo his lines, so they got two other kids who sounded nothing like him. Madame Mim is a fun and memorable villain for her single scene. All in all, this is a decent film, but it's no surprise this one gets ignored a lot.
Day 19 - The Jungle Book (1967)
- Look for the bare necessities
The simple bear necessities,
Forget about your worries and your strife...
Walt Disney's final film.
The Jungle Book is actually fairly similar to The Sword in the Stone in terms of its structure, but in my opinion manages to do it much better. It's still a bit of a Random Events Plot, but there is an actual main plot revolving getting Mowgli to the man-village, and the characters and situations he encounters along the way are much more memorable and entertaining; and with catchy songs, to boot. Baloo, Kaa, the elephants, King Louie, the Beatle vultures (growing up, I always assumed they were voiced by the actual Beatles. They're not.), Shere Kahn; all of them are interesting to watch compared to Sword in the Stone mostly just being "Merlin and Wart encounter different animals". It's fairly easy to tell this one was made in the sixties from the music, some of Baloo and Louie's slang, the aforementioned Beatle vultures, it's a neat little time capsule, and on the whole a good movie, though it's the one film in the Canon where I'd say the live-action remake is an overall improvement.
The Bronze Age (1967 - 1988)
The period where the studio was trying to figure out what to do without Walt, which led to greatly reduced critical and financial performance, though plenty of these movies have developed healthy followings over the years. Day 20 - The Aristocats (1970)
- Everybody wants to be a cat
Because a cat's the only cat who knows where it's at...
The last film Walt greenlit.
This movie is, like The Sword in the Stone, not bad but not exactly all that memorable.
An aging actress in Paris decides to leave her cats her entire fortune in her will, which drives her butler to abandon them in the countryside to get it instead. After being lost, they come across a charming alley cat named Thomas O'Malley who promises to help them get home.
The movie has kind of a sluggish pace to it, there are multiple scenes that just seem to go on forever without much happening in them, like the scene where Edgar retrieves his hat from the dogs which goes on way longer than it needs to. The animation has also taken a bit of a hit; not in the actual movement, but the sketchy look of the xerox animation is noticeably a lot messier, especially on the human characters. The characters overall aren't very interesting either, O'Malley's fine enough but Duchess and her kittens are rather bland, and a lot of the side characters like the geese are rather forgettable. The songs are probably the standout element of the film, some nicely catchy jazz numbers (uncomfortably stereotypical Asian cat involvement notwithstanding). It's very clear to see the studio was kind of lost and figuring out how to carry on without Walt, but at the very least it probably could've been worse.
Day 21 - Robin Hood (1973)
- Robin Hood and Little John, walking through the forest,
Laughin' back and forth at what the other one has to say.
Remimicin', this-n-thatn', havin' such a good time,
Oo-de-lally, oo-de-lally, golly what a day!
The tales of the hero who robbed from the rich and gave to the poor.
I had this one on DVD growing up, but I don't think I actually watched it that much. I don't know why, though; I certainly liked it enough back then, and even today I still enjoy it. While it is a bit derivative of other works in the Canon (to the point of recycling a lot of animation from previous entries), it makes up for it with sheer charm. It's overall a good version of the classic legends, and the characters are all portrayed quite entertainingly. The decision to make them all Funny Animals adds a lot of character, and the choices made for which animal each character gets to be are really fitting. Robin Hood the sly fox, Little John the Big Fun bear (wonderfully voiced by Phil Harris aka Baloo), Prince John as a massively entertaining Sissy Villain of a lion, the Sheriff as a corrupt Southern cop-flavored wolf, everybody's fun to watch here. Robin Hood and Maid Marian are probably one of Disney's most nicely wholesome (if not particularly deep) romances. The movie may not be among Disney's all-time greats, but it's definitely a good time.
Day 22 - The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)
- Deep in the Hundred Acre Wood
Where Christopher Robin plays
You'll find the enchanted neighborhood
Of Christopher's childhood days
In Which We Are Introduced To A Silly Old Bear And His Friends
Winnie the Pooh is a franchise that's essentially impossible not to love. These characters are the timeless embodiment of pure childhood innocence and fun. Watching them always puts a big smile on my face no matter what. While most of my experience with the series during childhood was with the books, the Disneytoon Studios films, and the TV shows, the original film still holds plenty of fond memories for me.
For something made from three preexisting shorts, the film works rather well as a single movie, largely thanks to the significant effort made to bridge the stories together with new material. If you didn't know beforehand that this was a collection of existing material, you probably wouldn't be able to tell all that much just by watching it.
The stories themselves are rather faithfully adapted from the books in this one, right down to some word-for-word replication of the original narration. The framing device of the stories taking place within the actual book was a creative way to incorporate that, as well and lending itself to some nice gags using the format. Later Pooh media would begin to go in their own direction more and more, and most of them don't utilize the book framing, which is fine, but it's something that stands out as unique about Many Adventures and the 2011 film. In the end, this movie, like most of the franchise, is the very embodiment of Sweet Dreams Fuel, and it makes perfect sense why it started a huge franchise still going strong today.
Day 23 - The Rescuers (1977)
- R-E-S-C-U-E
Rescue Aid Society!
Heads held high
Touch the sky
You mean everything to me!
The one that was successful enough to convince Disney to keep going during the Dark Age, and the directorial debut of the legendary Don Bluth.
The Rescuers is notable for laying the seeds that would eventually blossom into the Disney Renaissance; for one, advances in technology allowed for the xeroxed animation to look less sketchy than before, and the darker yet still family-friendly tone is something they'd keep experimenting with leading up to The Little Mermaid. And as a movie by itself, it's a rather fun adventure with some good animation. Bernard and Bianca are both likable protagonists, and the Mouse World society the film sets up is nicely imaginative, heck, it led to the eventual creation of Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers, which started life as a Rescuers series until Disney decided to greenlight a film sequel instead. Madame Medusa is very much a discount Cruella de Vil (in fact, she was initially meant to actually be her), but she's still entertaining. The overall atmosphere of Devil's Bayou is nicely grimy and creepy, again in a kid-friendly fashion, with some excellent painted backgrounds. It reminds me a lot of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, actually. The general vibe is definitely the precursor to the stuff Don Bluth would later experiment on in his later solo films to great effect. All in all, a good movie, but I can't help but wonder what's next for Bernard and Bianca...
Also, an animator snuck a shot of a topless lady into the movie and Disney didn't notice until the VHS release. That's just funny.
Day 24 - The Fox and the Hound (1981)
- "Goodbye" may seem forever,
"Farewell" is like the end.
But in my heart is a memory
And there you'll always be.
*sniff* *sniff* Wha-? No, I'm not crying! I'm sweating through my eyes!
Yeah, Fox and the Hound is a real Tear Jerker of a film. The covers and trailers promise you a cute "unlikely animal friendship" flick and then they hit you hard in the feels. The story of two innocent childhood friends torn apart by the conventions of nature had my eyes damp for a good portion of the runtime. I had this one on DVD as a kid but I don't think I watched it all that much. I guess it made me too sad or something, but I don't really remember.
The animation has definitely left the scratchy xeroxed look by now, it was already less prominent in The Rescuers but here every line is as smooth as the Gold and Silver Age films. The bear especially is a fantastic bit of animation work, it looks and moves like a demon from Hell, contrasting hard with the other animals. I was surprised by the number of future big names in animation I recognized in the credits; Tim Burton, Brad Bird, John Lassetter, John Musker, Ron Clemments... it's a veritable who's who of the coming Renaissance Age of Animation! ...And apparently none of them look back on this film fondly for one reason or another. Brad Bird actually got fired for voicing his misgivings over the production to management. A bit harsh, but I guess that eventually led to The Iron Giant, so it worked out okay. Not to mention his eventual Pixar work, of course. And on the acting side, we've got Mickey Rooney as Tod and one of the first big roles for Kurt Russell as an adult in Copper. Actually, this movie came out the same day as Escape from New York!
If there's one complaint I have about the movie, it's that Chief really should have died on the train tracks. It would add a lot more emotional weight to the breakup of Todd and Copper; as it is him surviving feels like a bit of a copout. But it doesn't make the movie any less of an emotional rollercoaster, a real hidden gem among the Canon if I do say so myself.
Day 25 - The Black Cauldron (1985)
June 20
The one where Disney tries to do a Dark 80s Fantasy.
The Black Cauldron is a movie with great animation, a cool villain, a nicely dark atmosphere... and that's about it. Yeah, not that big a fan of this one. The plot is meandering, the characters are either uninteresting (Taran, Eilonwynote ), pointless (the bard guy whose name I forgot; the yellow fairy that joins them, disappears, and then for some reason gets the movie's final line), or annoying (Gurgi), and it feels like two vastly different movies fighting for dominance: a classic dark 80s fantasy in the vein of Willow or The Dark Crystal, and a cartoonish Disney flick in the vein of The Sword in the Stone. Honestly, the dark fantasy stuff, when it's not being interrupted, is legitimately pretty good, and John Hurt as the Horned King is very scary and intimidating, even if in the end he goes down relatively easily. I can see potential in this setup, and apparently it was based on a well-regarded series of novels, so maybe this is a place where Disney's remake fever could actually do some good? In any case, this one didn't do it for me.
The one where Disney tries to do a Dark 80s Fantasy.
The Black Cauldron is a movie with great animation, a cool villain, a nicely dark atmosphere... and that's about it. Yeah, not that big a fan of this one. The plot is meandering, the characters are either uninteresting (Taran, Eilonwynote ), pointless (the bard guy whose name I forgot; the yellow fairy that joins them, disappears, and then for some reason gets the movie's final line), or annoying (Gurgi), and it feels like two vastly different movies fighting for dominance: a classic dark 80s fantasy in the vein of Willow or The Dark Crystal, and a cartoonish Disney flick in the vein of The Sword in the Stone. Honestly, the dark fantasy stuff, when it's not being interrupted, is legitimately pretty good, and John Hurt as the Horned King is very scary and intimidating, even if in the end he goes down relatively easily. I can see potential in this setup, and apparently it was based on a well-regarded series of novels, so maybe this is a place where Disney's remake fever could actually do some good? In any case, this one didn't do it for me.
Day 26 - The Great Mouse Detective (1986)
To Ratigan!
To Ratigan!
The world's greatest criminal mind!
June 22To Ratigan!
The world's greatest criminal mind!
Disney does their take on The Great Detective. (No, not that one. Actually, come to think of it...)
The movie that saved Disney's animation department. No, really, after the generally underwhelming box office and critical reception of their past few animated films, Disney was genuinely considering shutting down the animation department entirely. Then this movie, which achieved moderate success at the box office and received favorable reviews, made them ultimately change their mind... and lay the seeds for what became the Disney Renaissance. And it's easy to see why: this is a very good movie, there's a solid reason it's become a beloved Cult Classic.
I'd say the best entry to compare this one to is Robin Hood: both transplant a legendary character of English origin into a comical but generally faithful Funny Animal setting, and both run on sheer charm the whole way through. Basil has all of the famous character traits of Sherlock himself: the unparalleled, lightning-fast wit and insight, the distant but charming personality, the completely justified assurance that he is indeed the greatest at what he does, the mastery of disguises and combat, the cocaine addiction... okay, he doesn't have all of Sherlock's quirks. Ratigan is one of the most underrated Disney Villains. After all, what's not to love about a delightfully hammy, muscle-bound rat version of Moriarty voiced by Vincent Price? And despite two Awesome Egos sharing the film, it's rather impressive how neither completely dominates the other, as both are given so many great chances to shine.
I didn't know until... well, today, actually, that this movie was actually based on a book series and not just Disney putting their own original spin on Holmes, but I got this movie a few times from the library as a kid, and I enjoyed it each time. I hadn't seen it in years, so revisiting it here was a pleasant experience, especially given I have actually read the Sherlock Holmes stories now and can better appreciate the parallels.
Day 27 - Oliver and Company (1988)
- Why should I worry?
Why should I care?
This is a REALLY 80s movie... and I like it!
I've never seen this one before, and I don't think I'd ever heard of it until recently. But as the last film of the "Dark Age", it's a pretty fun time. I've never read Oliver Twist, so I'm not sure how well the movie follows the original story, but the story they told here is well-done enough. I'm curious how a deadly-serious loan shark became the villain of a Disney movie, but Sykes is a cool antagonist for his limited screentime. The music is pretty great, probably the best part of the film overall. You get what you pay for when you hire The Piano Man himself. The overall atmosphere is, as I said, very 1980s, from the fashions to the grimy streets, and it's a great and unique vibe for a Disney film. It was a nice surprise to hear Dom De Luise in this; for all his prominence in voice acting of the 80s and 90s, I'm a bit surprised this was his only role in the Canon. I was also surprised to see that the screenplay was partly written by James Mangold, of all people. Yes, the director of Logan, Ford V Ferrari, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and the upcoming Swamp Thing movie started out writing a Broze Age Disney film, apparently.
Anyway, with the Bronze Age complete, we're heading into the period I was the most excited to get to...
The Renaissance Age (1989 - 1999)
The period where Disney got back on their feet and pumped out classic after classic after classic again! However, a certain CGI studio from Emeryville started to gain prominence in this era, which would lead to a bit of a rivalry down the road... Day 28 - The Little Mermaid (1989)
- The seaweed is always greener
In somebody else's lake
You dream about going up there
But that is a big mistake
The Renaissance begins with a mermaid who wishes to be part of our world.
And here, we begin my personal favorite period of Disney history: the Renaissance, when the studio finally found their footing again and began producing bona fide masterpieces against. And it all starts with this classic undersea fairytale.
Ariel is definitely a departure from the previous generation of Princesses. While Snow White and Cinderella were entertaining characters, and Aurora was serviceable in her role in the story, they weren't particularly dynamic personalities by themselves. Ariel, however, is feisty, rebellious, adventurous, curious, and quite a bit careless at times. She's an excellent, well-rounded character, and it's a real testament to the animators that she remains full of character even after losing her voice. (Ursula wasn't kidding about the importance of body language!) Eric is also a welcome improvement on the previous princes. While Florian and Charming were nothingburgers with almost zero screentime, and Phillip was slightly better but only so much as he was the one who took out Maleficent, Eric has enough lines and screentime to build him up as a perfect match for Ariel. Side note: I never realized till now that Eric was voiced by Christopher Daniel Barnes, aka 90s Animated Spidey.
Ursula is, naturally, one of Disney's all-time great villains, a deliciously nasty old witch dealing in Faustian bargains while cackling in glee like there's no tomorrow. Her plan to make things go her way when it looks like Ariel might come out on top in their deal is a rather proactive and creative move, and she puts up an epic fight in the climax. Triton is a nicely-done version of the Fantasy-Forbidding Father; sure, he distrusts humans and loses his temper at points, but he's also self-reflective enough to question his decisions. It makes for a nice little character arc thoughout the film. And Sebastian is one of the great Disney sidekicks, a stern, full-of-himself but ultimately compassionate crab with great singing chops and some hilarious lines.
The animation is absolutely gorgeous, and is definitely the first step in an evolution of the artform that really took off in the 90s. While it's the next film that actually started Disney using digital cells for their animation, looking at this movie you'd almost think it started here. The way everything moves subtly underwater is magnificent and the characters, even the ones in the background, are all well-designed and expressive. The story is a classic fairytale, and done excellently. The fact that Ariel and Eric have to get to know each other for a few days is a refreshing spin on the cliche "love at first sight" romance, while leaving just enough of it present to maintain the traditional fairytale whimsy, laying the groundwork for plenty more Princess/Prince interactions to come. The music is wonderful, and of course catapulted Disney fully into developing so many more classic musicals whose songs have lasted all this time.
I haven't seen the remake yet, I hear it's alright but I'm probably just gonna wait till it hits streaming, but the original film is definitely a classic and a great way to kick off an iconic period in animation history.
Day 29 - The Rescuers Down Under (1990)
June 28
Disney's first TRUE sequel, and the first to be animated digitally.
Down Under is a bit of an outlier among the Renaissance; for one thing, obviously, it's a sequel, long before Disney started doing that regularly (and even then, it'd take 11 more years after this for Disney Animation Studios to do it themselves), one to a Bronze Age film; it wasn't a big performer at the box office, and most tend to forget about it in comparison to the huge hits that make up the rest of the era. Despite this; it's a pretty good sequel to the original film. Bernard and Bianca's dynamic is as nice as ever to watch, and the animation is breathtaking in how it depicts the Australian Outback. Percival Mac Leech is an underrated Disney Villain: one nasty piece of work willing to kill a child to get to an endangered eagle, and with plenty of funny moments and a great performance by George C. Scott. Wilbur is a much bigger presence in the movie than Orville was, and that's definitely a good thing: you don't want to hire comedy great John Candy and underutilize him. There are points where it's clear he did some improv, and not only is it entertaining, but it clearly paved the way for a certain other legendary comedian to shine two films later. Cody I found to be a better kid protagonist than Penny; not that Penny was bad by any means, but she didn't have too much going for her personality-wise beyond "innocent kid". Cody, on the other hand, is an adventurous Friend to All Living Things, and he gets to showcase some impressive feats during the movie. The downside to him is that he doesn't actually interact with Bernard and Bianca all that much, thus not really establishing as strong a bond with them as they did with Penny. Overall, Down Under is a good movie and a good followup. I'm not actually sure which of the two I prefer, but I enjoyed them both.
Disney's first TRUE sequel, and the first to be animated digitally.
Down Under is a bit of an outlier among the Renaissance; for one thing, obviously, it's a sequel, long before Disney started doing that regularly (and even then, it'd take 11 more years after this for Disney Animation Studios to do it themselves), one to a Bronze Age film; it wasn't a big performer at the box office, and most tend to forget about it in comparison to the huge hits that make up the rest of the era. Despite this; it's a pretty good sequel to the original film. Bernard and Bianca's dynamic is as nice as ever to watch, and the animation is breathtaking in how it depicts the Australian Outback. Percival Mac Leech is an underrated Disney Villain: one nasty piece of work willing to kill a child to get to an endangered eagle, and with plenty of funny moments and a great performance by George C. Scott. Wilbur is a much bigger presence in the movie than Orville was, and that's definitely a good thing: you don't want to hire comedy great John Candy and underutilize him. There are points where it's clear he did some improv, and not only is it entertaining, but it clearly paved the way for a certain other legendary comedian to shine two films later. Cody I found to be a better kid protagonist than Penny; not that Penny was bad by any means, but she didn't have too much going for her personality-wise beyond "innocent kid". Cody, on the other hand, is an adventurous Friend to All Living Things, and he gets to showcase some impressive feats during the movie. The downside to him is that he doesn't actually interact with Bernard and Bianca all that much, thus not really establishing as strong a bond with them as they did with Penny. Overall, Down Under is a good movie and a good followup. I'm not actually sure which of the two I prefer, but I enjoyed them both.
Day 30 - Beauty and the Beast (1991)
- Ma cheré mademoiselle
It is with deepest pride, and greatest pleasure, that we welcome you tonight
Now, we invite you to relax,
Let us pull up a chair,
As the dining room proudly presents...
Your dinner.
The tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme.
Beauty and the Beast is one of Disney's all-time greatest masterpieces, plain and simple. Everything is done to perfection; the animation, the music, the characters, the story; it's no wonder it was nominated for Best Picture. Not Best Animated Feature, that didn't exist yet, Best Picture. In fact, this movie is probably the reason Best Animated Feature exists at all (albeit probably less because it proved to the Academy that animation was a viable art form and more because they didn't want another animated film competing with "real" movies, but that's beside the point. Besides, that did not end up working).
The relationship between Belle and the Beast is obviously the core of the movie, and it is probably one of the best romances ever on film. The way they gain each other's respect and trust gradually from rocky beginnings is beautifully depicted, especially through the "Something There" montage. The way Beast visually defrosts deserves special mention. He's probably one of the most expressive characters Disney... heck, probably anybody in animation, has ever done. The way he's drawn at the beginning compared to how he is later in the film almost looks like he's a different character. It perfectly conveys the personality of a lonely, angry man with hidden depths of compassion and kindness gradually coming to the surface through Belle's positive influence. Belle is great on her own as well; a headstrong, intelligent young woman who doesn't care that her village sees her as strange, makes a selfless sacrifice to save her father's life, and breaks through the Beast's hard exterior. She's my mom's favorite Disney character, so much so that she named my childhood dog after her, and she's one of my favorites as well.
The animation, as Disney's first traditional musical fairytale to be digitally animated, is absolutely phenomenal. I already gushed about Beast, but there's so much else to appreciate. The servant objects are an obvious one to highlight, all of them, even the non-main ones without faces, are brimming with personality and creativity in how they move. The humans all look and move with a spectacular mix of realism and exaggeration, something The Little Mermaid also did but something about this one is just so much more beautiful, I can't really pinpoint how. The songs are again, all fantastic, especially accompanied by the animation. "Be Our Guest"'s showstopping choreography, "Beauty and the Beast"'s orbiting camera movements, "The Mob Song"'s dark reflections of the townsfolk on every surface they pass, it all looks astonishing.
I basically have nothing to complain about with this movie. Like I said, it's an absolute masterpiece. The remake tried so hard to find ways to improve upon it, but all they did was overecplain things that we really didn't need answers to or create plot holes with the stuff they added. The original film is exactly what it needs to be, and it's remained beloved for over 30 years for a damn good reason.
Day 31 - Aladdin (1992)
- I can show you the world...
Shining, shimmering, splendid...
Tell me, Princess, now when did you
Last let your heart decide...
The ever impressive... often imitated, but NEVER duplicated... Aladdin!
Yeah, another masterwork of this era, no surprise there. Aladdin stands out as one of my personal favorites in the Canon for its perfect mixture of heartfelt fairytale epic and hilarious comedy.
The bulk of the humor, of course, spawns from Robin Williams's legendary performance as the Genie. His rapidfire improv combined with the fluid, dynamic shapeshifting animation is a work of perfection in providing one of Disney's absolute greatest characters. His celebrity impressions and pop culture references are done in a way that's able to make them funny even if you don't know what he's referencing, something many attempts at duplicating him, like some of the lesser DreamWorks or Illumination films, fail to accomplish. But the rest of the cast is great, too. Aladdin, the cocky yet insecure roguish hero, Jasmine the defiant and rebellious princess, Jafar the shadowy, manipulative vizier, the jolly Manchild Sultan, the temperamental and loud Iago (who manages to stand out as an equally strong comedic presence as Genie, thanks to the late great Gilbert Gottfried), the whole film is full of lovable, memorable characters. Special mention goes to the Carpet, who manages to be a fun character full of personality without a voice or even a face, with some very creative animation making it feel genuinely alive.
The depiction of Agrabah as a somewhat stereotypical melting pot of Middle Eastern cultures is definitely not something people would attempt to do today, but thankfully it's not too egregious and ages better than something like the Indians in Peter Pan. This depiction was clearly done in an earnest attempt at showcasing an Arabian tale in its proper environment (heck, in some ways it's actually more proper here, did you know the original Aladdin tale is set in China, of all places? No, really), so it's definitely Fair for Its Day.
The music, of course, is another home run from Alan Menkin and Howard Ashman; the dramatic intro of "Arabian Nights", the energetic Establishing Character Moment of "One Jump Ahead", the bombastic showstopper of "Friend Like Me", the other bombastic showstopper of "Prince Ali", the epic romantic ballad of "A Whole New World", all of it is magnificent.
Aladdin is also privy to one of the few remakes that I personally see as standing almost on par with the original; it's overall well-done, and Will Smith is a fantastic Genie wisely doing his own thing rather than attempting to imitate Robin Williams, but the original remains the better movie and one of the all-time greats.
Day 32 - The Lion King (1994)
NAAAAANTS INGONYAAAAAAMA BAGITHI BABA
Sithi uhm ingonyama...
Ingonyama...
Sithi uhm ingonyama...
Ingonyama...
Disney's Shakespearean Epic
We've got another masterpiece here, folks! Everything about The Lion King is the very definition of awe-inspiring. This is without a doubt Disney's finest claim to being a true Epic Movie. The animation is breathtakingly spectacular. The soundtrack is Disney's absolute best of all time, mighty and powerful. The plot is quite literally Shakespearan, being a loose adaption of Hamlet. Almost every line from the script is memorable and iconic, the characters equally so, especially with an amazing cast all giving great performances.
The movie was definitely not afraid to take risks to deliver such a powerful experience. Mufasa's death not being a Disney Death was no doubt quite a shock for 1994 audiences, heck, I distinctly remember the first time I saw this movie as a very young child being legitimately shocked by it. But it works and proves that Disney can contextualize and explore dark subject matter for kids like grief, guilt, and revenge while not sugarcoating any of it. It definitely laid the path for other Disney films, hell, animated films in general, later on to explore darker, more complex themes. Not that this was the first movie to do it, obviously, but it's the one where it's most at the forefront.
The movie also has the unique distinction of having more than one actually good Direct to Video followups, which definitely counts for something. There's also the Timon & Pumbaa animated series, which I absolutely loved as a kid, and The Lion Guard, which I haven't personally seen but I hear is great. Oh, and also a pretty-looking but essentially pointless and soulless "live-action" remake.
Day 33 - Pocahontas (1995)
- You think you own whatever land you land on
The Earth is just a dead thing you can claim
But I know every rock and tree and creature
Has a life, has a spirit, has a name
This message of tolerance brought to you by Mel Gibson.
This movie's got a bit of a complex reputation, for several reasons. The biggest one of course being the rampant historical inaccuracy (except the magic talking tree, we can all agree that one's cold hard fact right there), and the uncomfortable sanitation of colonialism, which... is kind of a thing? Like, the British coming uninvited to dig for gold and "civilize" the natives isn't framed as a good thing, but at the same time the ending does try to resolve the conflict by saying the two sides just needed to understand each other, which while clearly well-intentioned is an obviously naive reading of history.
Still, if we just take the film on its own merits, it's an alright film in my opinion. The animation and music is really the highlight, both are just as fantastic as the rest of the Renaissance, and I like the unique, more angular artstyle. The characters for the most part are decent, Pocahontas is another good heroine cut from the same cloth as Ariel and Belle, and John Smith, regardless of the real one being a pompous braggart who in all likelihood made this whole story up, is a likable character who goes through a legitimate arc to curb the worst of his narrowminded views. Meeko I actually liked as a funny animal sidekick, his rivalry with Percy feeling nicely Looney Tunes-esque. The story isn't really that strong overall, but I give it credit for having the guts to take a few risks like killing Kocoum and especially the Bittersweet Ending. Governor Ratcliffe is a rather boring bad guy, propped up by a fun enough vocal performance by David Ogden Stiers. The songs are great, though the Chief's singing voice during "Savages" is a very jarring transition from his speaking actor to the recognizable voice of Jim Cummings (contrast when Cummings replaced Jeremy Irons halfway through "Be Prepared" because Irons's voice gave out, and it's a rather seamless transition). All in all, this isn't an awful film, but it's definitely the weak point of such a strong period. This is another one I've only seen in bits and pieces before in my youth, but I recall sitting through the whole movie at least once before now.
Day 34 - The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
- "Up there, high, high in the dark belltower, lives the mysterious bellringer. Who is this creature? Who? What is he? What? How did he come to be there? How? Hush, Owww... and Clopin will tell you. It is a tale, a tale of a man... and a monster..."
Why the hell did this win a Razzie?!
Hunchback is a dark and powerful epic that feels like it's everything Black Cauldron wanted to be done right, and then some. I've never actually read Victor Hugo's novel, so I can't comment on how well the movie represents it (I do know the ending is, uh... very different), but the Disney version is able to stand as an amazing film.
The core of the movie, in my opinion, isn't really the titular hunchback, but Frollo: hands down the most vile and detestable villain in the entire Canon. He's the one that actually drives the plot with every action he takes; murdering Quasimodo's mother, only sparing him, at the archdeacon's insistence, not out of any remorse or pity, but a selfish fear for his own soul; mistreating the populace out of his own contempt for the common people and especially his bigotry towards the Romani, imprisoning and psychologically abusing Quasimodo for twenty years, burning down Paris in his own demented/lustful obsession with Esmerelda, he's basically the absolute worst you can get while heavily skirting that G rating. And with a magnificent performance from Tony Jay, it's no wonder he's the best-remembered part of the film.
Not to say that the rest of the movie is lacking, oh no, there's so much more to love about it. The other characters are pretty great as well. Quasimodo is a great and tragic protagonist beaten down his whole life into thinking of himself as a monster, but letting his inner kindness shine through regardless. Esmerelda and Phoebus are excellent supporting heroes as well, and the dynamic between all three of them is very well-written. The creators having the guts to not go the expected route romantically is definitely something to be admired, and Quasi's reaction to it is beautifully heartbreaking. I know a lot of people don't like the gargoyles, but I've got to admit, I actually do. They're a nice provider of levity in such a dark story, and the animation on them really paying attention to how they're made of stone I found rather creative. The animation as a whole, even by Disney standards, is absolutely beautiful, especially the depiction of the city and its buildings. Everything looks so large and awe-inspiring as if you were really standing there gazing up at them. The usage of CG to fill out the crowd scenes, while it may be showing its age a little bit, is definitely impressive for 1996. The music is definitely among Disney's best, every single bit of it is epic and operatic. "The Bells of Notre Dame" is one of the best openings to any movie ever, "Out There" and "Heaven's Light" are beautiful ballads of a tortured soul yearning to be loved and accepted, "Hellfire" as a nightmarish exploration of a twisted man's deepest urges, "Topsy-Turvy" as a fun and boisterous celebration of wackiness and nonconformity, it's all excellent. All in all, Hunchback of Notre Dame is definitely a masterpiece on par with many of Disney's more iconic offerings, and I'm glad that as time has passed it's gathered much more appreciation that it didn't initially receive upon release.
Day 35 - Hercules (1997)
- Narrator: Long ago, in the faraway land of ancient Greece, there was a golden age of powerful gods and extraordinary heroes. And the greatest and strongest of all these heroes was the mighty Hercules. But what is the measure of a true hero? Ah, that is what our story is...
Thalia: Will you listen to him? He's makin' the story sound like some Greek tragedy.
Terpsichore: Lighten up, dude.
Calliope: We'll take it from here, darling.
Narrator: ...You go, girls.
The one that's ALWAYS in Kingdom Hearts.
Another personal favorite of mine, Hercules is a wonderfully hilarious, irreverent take on one of my favorite subjects, Greek Mythology (which I can thank both this film and Rick Riordan for sparking my interest in at a young age). Is it particularly accurate to the myths? Not really, but it's honestly hard to hold that against the movie when it runs on pure Rule of Fun (plus it would be super awkward to have a lot of that stuff in a Disney movie, especially when it comes to Zeus, that wacky old rapist). It's definitely a welcome dose of levity after the pure darkness of Hunchback.
Like Ron Musker and John Clemments's previous Disney outing, the core of the film that sets it apart is its great sense of humor. From the many quite literal Mythology Gags to the Anachronism Stew visual jokes that I'm almost certain were a big inspiration for Shrek, the whole thing is a wonderfully funny time. And a lot of those laughs come from one of Disney's most excellent villains; Hades is widely beloved by fans for his great performance by James Woods as a fast-talking sleezeball with a Hair-Trigger Temper. He steals the show in every scene he's in, and it's no wonder Woods has reprised his role in almost every spinoff material involving the character. He may be a not-so-excellent person in real life, but Hades has taken on such a life of his own so it's easy to push that aside and just enjoy the experience. Meg is also a great provider of laughs with her apathetic snarky attitude, a nice distinction from other Disney love interests, with a good backstory and character arc to tie it together. Our Wonderboy himself is a fun protagonist, an earnest and confident hero taking many pages right out of Superman's book for both his charm and his backstory (no less than Grant Morrison has even called this the perfect Superman movie). Phil is a delightfully cranky mentor figure with a great performance by The Trash Man himself. The artstyle is a nice take on Greek vase art, colorful and vibrant to befit the tone of the movie. The songs are just as fun and upbeat, each one incredibly catchy and well-performed. Hercules may not be the most complex and ambitious film of the Renaissance, but it's definitely one heck of a fun time.
Day 36 - Mulan (1998)
- Let's get down to business
To defeat the Huns!
Did they send me daughters
When I asked for sons?
You're the saddest bunch I've ever met
But you can bet before we're through
Somehow I'll make a man out of you.
The one with my favorite Princess... uh, how is she one again?
Mulan is one badass movie, and one of my personal favorites. The story is phenomenally epic and mature, especially by Disney standards. I appreciate that while the training portions are very comedic, the war itself is treated with the proper gravitas, and Mulan's entire character arc is one of Disney's finest, helped by a magnificent performance by future Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D./The Mandalorian badass Ming-Na Wen. That whole sequence of her suiting up alone is one of the finest moments in all of animation, and of course the main training sequence is one of the best in all of film, set to one of Disney's most supremely awesome songs. It's not all grand seriousness though, this movie is another one with a great sense of humor, with a lot of it coming from, naturally, Eddie Murphy as Mushu, who I consider to be up there with Genie as far as comic relief sidekicks go. It's no wonder a lot of his lines have become memes in recent years. Shan Yu is not a particularly complex villain, but he is still a pretty good one. He's a good intimidating presence and rather terrifying in his actions as a Blood Knight Proud Warrior Race Guy (the guy commits a freaking massacre in a Disney movie for crying out loud!), and there is the subtle nuance to him in that when Mulan reveals herself, he doesn't care that she's a woman and actually affords her some Villain Respect. It's not Frollo's complexity or anything, but not every villain needs that. Shang is also great as the stern but fair commanding officer, and Ling, Yao and Chien Po are amusing and nicely loyal comrades. The Emperor, for his brief screentime, is also rather awesome in how he doesn't back down when captured and recognizes Mulan as a hero despite her breaking all of the rules. I never actually realized until now that he was voiced by Pat Morita, aka Mr. Miyagi himself, so that's cool.
The songs, as per usual for this period, are very good, especially "I'll Make a Man Out of You", but what I like best about them is the subtle way the film structures the musical numbers: as soon as "A Girl Worth Fighting For" is interrupted by the village massacre, the musical numbers stop, which is an excellent and hard-hitting use of Mood Whiplash. Mulan definitely brings plenty of honor to the Disney Renaissance.
Day 37 - Tarzan (1999)
- I wanna know
Can you show me?
I wanna know more
About these strangers like me...
The one that CAN'T be in Kingdom Hearts anymore.
Tarzan good film. End of Renaissance era. Not among best in Canon, but solid entry... okay I'll stop with that now.
The biggest thing about whether people do or don't like this movie is the Phil Collins soundtrack. As I understand it, by 1999 he was suffering quite a bit of Hype Backlash, so an entire Disney movie scored by him was divisive. Of course, the general attitude towards his music has long since calmed down, and as a kid of the 2000s who watched this movie not knowing who he was, I really liked the music, and still do.
The animation is, of course, amazing like the rest of the Renaissance films, but the first thing that really stands out are the environments: lush, lovingly rendered jungle landscapes popping with life, brought to life via a remarkable blending of 2D backdrops and CGI elements. This of course wasn't anything new by the time Tarzan came out, but in my opinion this movie is where the blending was perfected. Not to the detriment of stuff like Big Ben's gears in Great Mouse Detective or Beast's ballroom, but to a modern eye it's pretty easy to tell it was CGI. With Tarzan however, everything managed to blend perfectly in with the 2D elements so that it's barely noticeable at all, which is quite the achievement. The other animation standout is Tarzan himself, easily a crowning achievement for animated humans. The way he moves like a real gorilla, the way each muscle in his body is individually rendered and moves so realistically on its own, the sheer fluidity of his movements, he's such a marvel to look at even among Disney's already impressive resume.
The plot and characters are all relatively simple, but serviceable. I guess another reason for the movie's initial tepid response came from it coming right off of Disney's absolute strongest period ever when it came to story and characterization, so something with much less complexity was going to stand out. This isn't a bad thing by any means, though, like I said with Shan Yu, an uncomplicated character can still work with the right framing and presence, and Tarzan's cast all have the right amount of heart to work perfectly fine. Tarzan's journey of self-discovery, Clayton's obsession with gorillas leading to easily the most nightmarish Disney villain death ever, Kerchak coming to respect Tarzan and eventually see him as his son; it's all told very well. If the Renaissance had to end,Tarzan isn't a bad note to leave on.
The Experimental Era (1999 - 2007)
After it became clear the Renaissance period was over, and with Pixar and DreamWorks on the rise creating competition, Disney began to start experimenting to figure out if traditional animation had a future, and what kind of new directions they could take. Home to many a Cult Classic. Day 38 - Fantasia 2000 (1999)
July 25
The Renaissance is over, so let's get experimental! ... By doing the thing we already did 60 years ago.
I kid, of course. Walt always wanted to do more with the Fantasia concept, and the idea of utilizing it with modern (well, late-90s) animation technology definitely has merit. Like the Package Era films, I'll go through each segment on its own (I should really go back and rewrite my review of the first one to do that):
The Renaissance is over, so let's get experimental! ... By doing the thing we already did 60 years ago.
I kid, of course. Walt always wanted to do more with the Fantasia concept, and the idea of utilizing it with modern (well, late-90s) animation technology definitely has merit. Like the Package Era films, I'll go through each segment on its own (I should really go back and rewrite my review of the first one to do that):
- Symphony No. 5 by Ludwig van Beethoven: Like the original, we begin with an abstract sequence to ease us in. It's good, but the butterfly things take away from the abstraction angle a little bit, as opposed to the original which just kept it to colors.
- Pines of Rome: A sequence set under the aurora borealis (not localized within Principal Skinner's kitchen) showing a pod of whales as they explore their environment. Oh, and also these whales can fly. This is a showcase of blending CGI characters with a 2D environment, in contrast to most of the Renaissance films doing it the other way around, and it... doesn't really work the other way around. At least, not with 90s CGI. The whales all look incredibly plastic and dated and stick out from everything else. I do like the way their eyes were traditionally animated onto the CG models, however.
- Rhapsody in Blue: A nicely stylized look at 1930s New York, showing a collection of people living their lives and achieving their dreams in the style of cartoonist Al Hirschfeld. This is a great segment, and why it was a good idea to do another Fantasia: with the evolution of animation as a medium, they're now able to experiment with vastly different styles and flavors than what could be done in 1940.
- Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Minor: Another segment involving CGI characters in a 2D environment, but this one actually works much better. A retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's The Steadfast Tin Soldier, the CGI characters are, of course, toys, which, like Pixar had rationalized a few years before, makes the plasticy quality of 90s CG come across better (although the humans in this segment are traditionally animated as opposed to the humans in Toy Story 1 looking absolutely freaky by today's standards). It's a nice little fairy-tale, the style actually feels a bit like a precursor to the Painted CGI style that's become popular recently with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Klaus, and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.
- The Carnival of the Animals: A comical segment about a flamingo with a yo-yo annoying his flockmates. Nicely animated, but a little short.
- The Sorcerer's Apprentice: Literally the same segment from 1940. Still an amazing sequence, but they could've done something new in this slot instead. I do like the way it transitions to the next segment, though: to highlight the evolution of technology, Mickey goes right from greeting Stockowski in silhouette (which is the only way they could do that in 1940), to running over to James Levine in full color Roger Rabbit Effect. Nice touch.
- Pomp and Circumstance: The story of Noah's Ark... featuring Donald Duck. So naturally, pain and humiliation ensues for our feathered friend as he tries to keep the animals all in order while he and Daisy both thinks the other died in the flood. It's, well... a Donald Duck cartoon, so you get what you expect from it. Some pretty great gags in here, like the dragon, unicorn and phoenix laughing at everyone else boarding the ark, Donald incurring the literal wrath of God by laughing at Noah, and reacting in befuddlement at a pair of completely normal ducks.
- The Firebird Suite: Probably the segment that best feels like it could've fit in the original Fantasia (apart from the one that was recycled from it, obviously). A forest spirit brings life to a barren forest, encounters a firebird that erupts a volcano and burns it all down, and then the sprite using the ash to rebuild the forest even stronger than before. Absolutely beautiful animation, with the sprite being visualized as a sort of living tidal wave while the firebird is a rush of magma.
Each segment is opened for us by a rotating cast of celebrity guests, and they're... fine, honestly. I feel like just having one would've been enough, but I can't say they're particularly bad in any way.
Overall, this is definitely an ambitious followup to a landmark in animation history, but it doesn't quite top the original in scope and wonder. I wouldn't be opposed to seeing a third attempt at the concept someday.
Day 39 - Dinosaur (2000)
July 26
The Canon's first film in the 21st Century.
This is a unique film for a multitude of reasons; the first, obviously, being the visual style: CGI characters integrated into live-action scenery. The other being its actual status in the Canon: as the film wasn't made by Walt Disney Animation Studios, it wasn't initially counted as part of it. It only became so retroactively in 2010 just so that Tangled would end up as #50. And even then, it's only in America that it was counted; in Europe, they did this with The Wild, aka that one time Disney ripped off DreamWorks rather than the other way around, instead, but as I am a red-blooded, beer-chuggin', gun-totin' 'Murican, I'm doing Dinosaur and not The Wild for this. And with all this said, does this uniqueness make Dinosaur stand out? Well, I guess so... but not exactly in a good way.
Yeah, this is a rather mediocre film held aloft by its visuals. The cinematography for the live-action environments is overall pretty great, a few of the action scenes are well-structured, and the animation of the characters when it comes to their movements is rather good for this era of CGI. That said, the models and textures for the most part look like they came right out of Beast Wars. And unlike Beast Wars, the writing and characters are not good enough to look past that. The characters are all rather generic and uninteresting, and the plot is a simple migration story that drags on a lot. The writing overall is not very good, with plenty of painfully flat jokes and lines that are obviously meant to sound epic and profound but come across as hackneyed, cliché, and often don't even make sense in the context they're spoken. Put all that together, and it's really no wonder that this movie's biggest legacy is its Animal Kingdom ride (which to be fair is quite fun, and honestly barely connected to the movie at all).
The Canon's first film in the 21st Century.
This is a unique film for a multitude of reasons; the first, obviously, being the visual style: CGI characters integrated into live-action scenery. The other being its actual status in the Canon: as the film wasn't made by Walt Disney Animation Studios, it wasn't initially counted as part of it. It only became so retroactively in 2010 just so that Tangled would end up as #50. And even then, it's only in America that it was counted; in Europe, they did this with The Wild, aka that one time Disney ripped off DreamWorks rather than the other way around, instead, but as I am a red-blooded, beer-chuggin', gun-totin' 'Murican, I'm doing Dinosaur and not The Wild for this. And with all this said, does this uniqueness make Dinosaur stand out? Well, I guess so... but not exactly in a good way.
Yeah, this is a rather mediocre film held aloft by its visuals. The cinematography for the live-action environments is overall pretty great, a few of the action scenes are well-structured, and the animation of the characters when it comes to their movements is rather good for this era of CGI. That said, the models and textures for the most part look like they came right out of Beast Wars. And unlike Beast Wars, the writing and characters are not good enough to look past that. The characters are all rather generic and uninteresting, and the plot is a simple migration story that drags on a lot. The writing overall is not very good, with plenty of painfully flat jokes and lines that are obviously meant to sound epic and profound but come across as hackneyed, cliché, and often don't even make sense in the context they're spoken. Put all that together, and it's really no wonder that this movie's biggest legacy is its Animal Kingdom ride (which to be fair is quite fun, and honestly barely connected to the movie at all).
Day 40 - The Emperor's New Groove (2000)
- He's the sovereign lord of the nation!
He's the hippest cat in creation!
He's the alpha, the omega, A to Z!
And his perfect world is built
Around the every little whim
of this miracle of life that we all know!
What's his name?
KUZCO!!!
HAH! BOOM BABY!
Beginning development during the Renaissance as Kingdom of the Sun, a traditional musical fairytale based on The Prince and the Pauper. However, development stalled until people had begun to grow tired of the traditional Disney formula. Disney, realizing this, fired the original director and retooled the film as a wacky screwball comedy parodying traditional Disney films. The whole affair is detailed in the documentary The Sweatbox, and it sounds like a recipe for disaster, right? Well, in my opinion... Disney actually made the right choice here. Not only was it simply more aligned with audience tastes at the time, but the movie is absolutely hilarious and so memorable in a way that it probably wouldn't have been in its original form. Everything we've seen about Kingdom of the Sun made it seem fairly cookie-cutter and generic, and production wasn't exactly going well even before the retool. Emperor's New Groove stands out as easily the most hilarious film in the Canon, with excellent comedic writing, timing and performances. The whole thing feels like a top-notch Looney Tunes cartoon in execution. Kuzco is performed hysterically by David Spade as a stark contrast to a traditional Disney protagonist in the form of a completely self-centered asshole who literally cannot fathom that there's more to the world than his wanton desires. Accompanied by an excellent Straight Man in John Goodman's Pacha, he manages to change for the better while being no less funny for it. And of course, the show is stolen by the two villains, Yzma (Eartha Kitt), an exceptionally vain and nasty old bag who's... how would you say it? Ah, scary beyond all reason, and Kronk, the dimwitted yet unexpectedly multitalented henchman voiced the always-hilarious Patrick Warburton. These two probably have the best villain/henchman dynamic since Jafar and Iago. The writing is top-notch, producing so many memorable jokes and scenes. This movie basically did what Shrek did a year later, and just as wonderfully as that film. While it was a modest hit at the time compared to Shrek becoming a mega-blockbuster spawning an entire franchise, Emperor's New Groove is still a great movie and one of my personal favorites.
Day 41 - Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
- They'll try to change your mind
They'll try to change your heart
But they will never understand
Who you are
And you'll still believe
And you know, you must go...
Aquaman doesn't appear once in this movie. 0/10, too much water.
Disney's attempt at a serious action-adventure film... which didn't work out well for them financially. But definitely not in terms of quality, though. Sure, audiences at the time weren't very receptive to the idea, but Atlantis is a fun and cool sci-fi adventure movie with a very unique feel and look for a Disney movie, the look in no small part due to being designed by Mike Mignola, creator of Hellboy. The effort put into stuff like the Atlantean language, architecture, wildlife, technology, etc. is all nicely creative and wonderful to look at. The characters are all quite memorable and fun, impressive for such a large cast. The retrofuturist look of the submarine and the rest of the crew's equipment was also very impressive-looking (my brother, who watched with me and hadn't seen the movie before, especially liked that aspect, he says he loves that kind of aesthetic). The action scenes are all exciting and well-paced and choreographed, and the epic moments all hit exactly as hard as they're meant to. The voice acting is great, especially from Cree Summer as Kida; Michael J. Fox as Milo and Leonard Nimoy as the King of Atlantis are great, too. The twist of the crew being there to plunder the Heart of Atlantis is actually handled much better than most of the Revival-era twist villains, as Rourke is still very much the same character before and after the reveal. I also liked the subversion of Screw the Money, I Have Rules!. Most Disney films would've had the crew give up on the reward for morality's sake, but here? They still want it, and their desires aren't greedy or anything, they just have morals and won't get it through leaving a civilization to die, and properly earn the reward through their heroism. My only real complaint is that the parts where they're actually searching for Atlantis are really cool, and I wish there was more of it. Apparently Michael Eisner made them cut it down because he thought people would want to spend more time in Atlantis itself, which I kinda get, but it is a bit of a missed opportunity. Atlantis is a great film that definitely doesn't get the attention it deserves; perhaps this is one of those times a remake might actually be justified? I heard a rumor awhile back about Guillermo del Toro being interested in doing one; and while I don't know if it was true or not, it would definitely be awesome.
Day 42 - Lilo and Stitch (2002)
- There is no place I'd rather be
Than on a surfboard out at sea
Lingering in the ocean blue
And if I had one wish come true
I'd surf till the sun sets beyond the horizon
'Ä€wikiwiki, mai lohilohi
Lawe mai i ko papa he'e nalu
Flying by on a Hawaiian roller coaster ride
Ohana means family. And family means no one gets left behind, or forgotten.
Lilo and Stitch is without a doubt the biggest mainstream success of this era; while Disney is usually reluctant to acknowledge most of the movies from this era, Stitch has become one of their most iconic characters ever and regularly gets spotlighted alongside characters like Mickey, Buzz Lightyear, and the Princesses. And it's easy to see why, as the movie is a beautiful, heartfelt and hilarious story of misfits finding family and belonging. In many ways, this movie feels like it could've fit in well with the Renaissance. The animation and art direction are amazing and pretty unique, being helmed by the duo of Chris Sanders (who also directs and voices Stitch) and Dean De Blois, who would later go on to helm the How to Train Your Dragon franchise. The two were mostly left alone by the studio heads to create something unique that brought Sanders' drawing style to life, and it translates beautifully into motion. Stitch is, as I said, one of Disney's most iconic characters, and it makes sense that an adorable, indestructible little blue chaos gremlin who develops a heart of gold would be so beloved. Lilo is a nicely unique kid character, especially for Disney; she's offbeat, weird, a little bratty, prone to intense emotions... in other words, just like a real kid. Nani is an excellent tritagonist just trying to hold her broken family together the best she can on her own, prone to frustrated outbursts but never mean or unsympathetic. Jumba and Pleakley are a nicely Team Rocket-esque duo out to capture Stitch while undergoing a little character growth of their own, and Cobra Bubbles is an intimidating but Reasonable Authority Figure who could've easily been a bog-standard kid's movie obstacle character, but he's portrayed very well as a concerned and sympathetic person just doing the job that needs to be done. Also he looks and sounds really cool.
My first real engagement with the franchise actually wasn't the movie, but the TV show, which I loved as a kid. I knew about the movie but I hadn't really seen it before I started to watch the show, but I eventually did. Unfortunately, my mom ended up banning all things Stitch from the house for a time when we went on the Stitch's Great Escape! ride at Disney World, which frightened me, my brother, and her. My love of the character actually wasn't all that affected by the experience, but my mom grew to hate the character because of it, and to this day she hasn't actually seen the movie and refuses to. I've tried telling her she's missing out, but she's remained firm on that. Oh well. Actually, watching the movie made me wanna revisit the show, which really is great. It and the Direct to Video followups to the movie are probably Disney's best work on expanding one of their films into a franchise. I haven't seen any of the anime shows, I hear mixed things about them. I don't think they're even on Disney+, so I don't know how I'd even go about watching them.
Day 43 - Treasure Planet (2002)
- And how can they say I never change?
They're the ones that stay the same
I'm the one now 'cause I'm still here
The one that's Treasure Island... IN SPACE.
Yep, Disney's subsequent attempt at interstellar science fiction brings us a genre re-imagining of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic tale of pirate adventure. A long-gestating passion project for Disney veterans John Musker and Ron Clemments, who previously directed The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and Hercules, this movie was sadly, like Atlantis, a bit too ambitious for its time and was a financial flop, eating into all the profits Lilo and Stitch had earned them that same year and essentially dooming theatrical 2D animation, at Disney and elsewhere (the next two Canon entries being too far along in development to cancel or retool). It's a shame, because again, this is a very good movie. The story is, of course, one of the all-time classic stories, but reimagined in a spectacular fashion that's not just a mere setting swap. The visuals are amazing, with such unique and interesting designs for both the aliens and the technology; a blending of wooden ships and Zeerust spaceships that also functions as a mix of the two. I love that they aren't just "spaceships that look like boats" or anything like that, it's set up so that it for the most part genuinely works like an 18th-century sailing vessel with certain spaceship flourishes. The decks are actually made of wood, the whole thing is controlled by a wheel and a rudder (in addition to rockets), the sails are some level of technological but are still attached with rope, the deck is completely open, with no dome or anything so oxygen appparently isn't an issue, but they do have artificial gravity that needs to be turned on; it's all a fascinating amalgamation of technological eras. The overall aesthetic meshes CGI with traditional animation greatly; sure, some stuff is pretty obviously computer-generated, but it still manages to fit in the environment very well. Silver's cybernetic parts are the best integration by far, it blends into the rest of him perfectly. B.E.N. is another standout as a fully CGI character that, while you can tell he's CG, doesn't really look all that out of place next to anybody else.
The other main thing that sets the movie apart is the relationship between Jim and Silver; unlike the book where the whole thing was explicitly an act and Silver was merely using Jim to further his plans, Treasure Planet decides to go in the other direction and make it implicitly start out that way, but go on to show it becoming completely genuine, to the point that Silver even undergoes a full Heel–Face Turn at the end. Some of this is probably due to Disneyfication, but it works so well in the movie's favor that it's hard to consider it a negative. The moments of Jim and Silver bonding and showing care and respect for each other are incredibly heartfelt and wonderful to watch, even as Silver goes through with the mutiny feeling he's gone too far to not see his goal to the end. Their dynamic is just wonderful to watch beginning to end. Captain Amelia is great, too; a confident Action Catgirl starship captain voiced by Emma Thompson, what's not to love? B.E.N. is a comedy sidekick that, like Donkey from Shrek, manages to straddle the line between annoying and funny without tipping over to the "annoying" side too much. I suppose it helps that he's only in the last third of the movie, so he doesn't get overexposed... and being voiced by Martin Short doesn't hurt either. I gotta say; for a period often considered Disney's second Dark Age, it's nice that we've actually had four really good movies in a row now... but unfortunately we're heading into the real dark territory now...
Day 44 - Brother Bear (2003)
- Tell everybody, I'm on my way
New friends and new places to see
With blue skies ahead, yes
I'm on my way
And there's nowhere else that I'd rather be
Okay, I'll admit, my assertion last time that we were entering a true Dark Age for the canon may have been a bit presumptuous. I'd never actually seen Brother Bear until now, my entire experience with the movie is that I had a Happy Meal toy of the Rick Moranis moose as a kid, I know a dog named Koda, and I kept hearing about how it's one of Disney's weakest films. Having now seen it, do I disagree? ...No, not really. It's not terrible but not really anything particularly good either. There's clearly effort put into it; the animation is great and the first act is pretty good, but as soon as Kenai is turned into a bear it becomes a bog-standard run-of-the-mill kid's movie. Phil Collins is back, and unfortunately none of the songs here are really as memorable as the ones in Tarzan. They all just kinda come and go without leaving an impact. The biggest impact they do leave, however, is the baffling decision to drown out Kenai's confession that he killed Koda's mother with one when it should have been the emotional highlight of the movie. The bits we do hear are well-acted by Joaquin Phoenix, but the framing doesn't allow any of it to take effect the way it should. Apparently the confession was fully recorded and animated, so why they decided to do this is beyond me. The twist itself is very telegraphed; I didn't go into the movie knowing it but I quickly figured it out before any of the characters did, and I can't tell if it was meant that way or not. The characters are, for the most part, servicable, but all of them can get somewhat annoying at times. Kenai's arc to be less of a headstrong jerk feels a bit rushed and uneven; he basically feels like he starts one scene being annoyed by Koda and then suddenly by the end of the scene he's treating him like a brother with very little indication of what changed his view of the kid. The humor falls flat for the most part, but I did get a few legitimate laughs now and then ("QUIT TELLING EVERYONE I'M DEAD!"), which is a heck of a lot more than I can say about Dinosaur. On the whole, while Brother Bear wasn't as unbearable as its reputation suggests, it's still not very good.
Day 45 - Home on the Range (2005)
- Out in the land where the men are tough as cactus,
Out in the land where the wild, wild west was won,
Out in the land of the desperado,
If yer as soft as an avocado,
Yee-ha! Yer quacamole, son!
UUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH....
Home on the Range is not a good movie. The characters are cliche and annoying. The plot is wafer-thin. The jokes are childish and unfunny. It's easily the absolute worst film in the Canon, and a huge reason traditional animation has disappeared from theaters nowadays. Roseanne Barr as the lead cow is particularly obnoxious and unlikable, even without taking the comedian's current real-life reputation into account. Dame Judi Freaking Dench of all people is wasted in this movie as a naggy stick-in-the-mud. The overall tone is way too kiddy and juvenile to really hold the interest of anybody over 10 years old. The only redeeming aspects are a few minor jokes that got a chuckle out of me and most of the stuff involving the villains, who were actually fairly entertaining, especially Steve Buscemi for as little screentime as he had. Aside from that, though, this movie was a slog to get through, and rightfully forgotten by history.
Day 46 - Chicken Little (2005)
- It was a recipe for disaster
A four-course meal of no siree
It seemed that happily ever after
Was happy everyone was after me
It was a cup of good intentions
A tablespoon of one big mess
A dash of overreaction
And I assume you know the rest
One little slip
One little slip
It was a fusion of confusion
With a few confounding things
Disney's first fully CGI film without Pixar's involvement (as you'll recall, Dinosaur was a) not made by the main studio and b) a live-action hybrid).
Now this will probably be my first truly controversial opinion; up till now my views on each movie have been mostly aligned with the general consensus, but this one... I don't consider it a bad movie (le gasp)!
Now, I will fully admit that nostalgia probably plays a part in this. This was probably the first movie in the Canon I saw in theaters (I was only 5 when it came out, so my memory might be a bit cloudy, but I do remember the experience at least somewhat), and afterwards I watched it all the time on DVD, and also had the GBA game. But even now, I still rather enjoyed the movie. Is it perfect? No. Is it as funny as I found it as a kid? No. Are there genuine criticisms to be made about it? Yes, and I can see where plenty of the most common criticisms come from; they just didn't bother me as much as other people. The humor is a big sticking point; yes, some of the jokes are random, bizarre or nonsensical, and obviously Disney was chasing the snarky, pop-cultural style of humor that DreamWorks was doing, but I did get quite a few laughs the movie, far more than Brother Bear or Home on the Range combined. Some were just a slight chuckle at the randomness, but there are some legitimately good jokes in this (the mayor having to be told everything he does with cue cards, the news reporter dog voiced by Harry Shearer essentially just doing Kent Brockman again, the crop circle, the entire fake movie at the end starring Adam West, etc.). The main characters are entertaining enough personalities, which is better than the last two movies mostly being boring and forgettable with their leads. Even Buck Cluck, as maligned as he tends to be on the Internet, isn't really that bad. His reputation as an awful parent tends to be over-exaggerated, yes, he's not exactly a great dad, but the movie never tries to imply that he is; he's very much a struggling single parent trying hard to understand his son without his wife, who he admits was far better than him at this. The townsfolk... yeah, they are pretty nasty towards Chicken Little, I will not deny that, but like most other things, it just didn't personally bother me that much; I would personally view it as something like Invader Zim or South Park where the dumb, panicky civilians are a regular staple for humor. The visual design of the movie is actually fairly nice, I like the cartoony aesthetic of the buildings as vehicles, and the alien tech is a neat-looking dark contrast to it. I liked the interpretation of "the sky is falling" from the original fable as being a piece of an alien spaceship.
So... yeah. Like I said, I admit that nostalgia probably plays a part in this, but I personally feel the movie is a bit overhated. It's by no means perfect, heck, I wouldn't really call it great or anything, but I'd say it's probably worth a watch to decide for yourself.
Day 47 - Meet the Robinsons (2007)
- The future has arrived!
The future has arrived today!
Meet the family of the future! (Not that one).
The placement of this one is a bit debatable. It's the first movie in the Canon to involve John Lasseter as Executive Producer, but he only came in midway through production. Because of that, some do consider it the start of the Revival, but officially, Disney seems to consider it the end of the Experimental Era instead. I suppose it functions as a bridge between two eras, just like Great Mouse Detective. And also like Great Mouse Detective, this is an underrated gem in Disney's library.
The whole thing is an entertaining romp that perfectly embodies Walt Disney's ideals for his vision of the future, even using a motto of his, "Keep Moving Forward", as Arc Words. The visual design is nice and... I guess "bubbly" is the right word to use. The tone is wonderfully optimistic and heartwarming in its wackiness. The Robinson family all manage to stand out and be memorable with their various quirks, including Adam West for the second time in a row (Holy Double Casting!) as an intergalactic pizza delivery superhero, and Nicole Sullivan as the mom in a very un-Shego-like role (and Jessie Flower aka Toph voices her younger self!). The Bowler Hat Guy is a fun villain, he almost comes across as a prototype for Dr. Doofenschmirtz, who would debut a few months later, as a petty, Laughably Evil Harmless Villain (they even both have pointy heads!)... and DOR-15 is great as his opposite, a Hypercompetent Sidekick who becomes a nightmarish Knight of Cerebus in the climax. The jokes mostly land the way they were intended, a big step up from two boring films and one where a lot of the humor was from the absurdity of the setup. This movie was definitely the right step forward in fixing the problems people had with this era, which lead to...
The Disney Revival (2008 - present)
The current period, where traditional and computer animation stand side-by-side as equals!... for a few years until they just stopped. The period where Disney has been generally proving that they still got it under the direction of Pixar chief John Lasseter... until certain ugly revelations came around and then things got a bit changed up. It remains to see how long the Revival will last, or if we're even in the Revival anymore after the management shakeup (that's been a bit of a point of contention, but nobody's really decided for sure yet, so...) Day 48 - Bolt (2008)
- I thought I lost you when I ran away to try to find you
I thought I'd never see your sweet face again...
"Bolt... SPEAK."
Bolt is an adorable movie that doesn't get talked about often. For being the beginning of the Revival Era, it seems to be rather obscure compared to the other movies made since then. I guess it's because the rest of the lineup was so popular and well-received that Bolt just couldn't keep up with so many large, industry-shaking hits, but it's definitely a solid time. This is the second movie in the Canon I saw in theaters and the first one where I have actual concrete memories of the experience. I had it on DVD and watched it plenty as a kid but I hadn't rewatched it in years until now (guess I'm part of the problem, lol), so this was another nostalgic experience for me. The plot is a basic Homeward Bound/road trip-type story with the added hook of a TV dog who thinks his superpowers are real, but it does that well. John Travolta gives a funny and heartfelt performance as Bolt, matched with Mittens as the Straight Man and Rhino the hilariously melodramatic hamster. They're a solid trio to follow on this kind of plot. Chloë Moretz apparently voiced Penny until she got Other Marty'd by Miley Cyrus, and for an obvious push by the studio to promote their big Disney Channel star at the time, she actually does pretty good. Malcolm McDowell as the TV show's bad guy Dr. Calico is wonderful for a small role, it's kind of a shame he never gets a scene out of character, that would've been neat to see. The agent is also hilarious in how much of a cheerfully sleazy jerkbag he is. The heartwarming moments between Penny and Bolt hit me hard as a dog owner myself (he sat by me during the viewing and didn't bark at the TV animals once! Good boy.). All the stuff we see of the TV show itself is delightfully cheesy, to the point that if it were real it's probably something I'd legitimately watch. The movie may not be on quite the same level as the following Revival films, but it definitely deserves more attention than it gets.
Day 49 - The Princess and the Frog (2009)
- The evening star is shining bright
So make a wish and hold it tight
There's magic in the air tonight
And anything can happen...
Disney's grand return to 2D animation! ...for two more movies before they give up.
Princess and the Frog is a great film, showcasing that 2D animation can still astound audiences and achieve spectacular things in an era of CGI... kinda. It's in a bit of a weird middle ground between "mainstream hit" and "underappreciated Cult Classic" in that it was critically and financially successful on release, and Disney still widely promotes and acknowledges it... but at the same time it wasn't a megahit like they wanted it to be, and when the next film on the list did become a huge blockbuster and the next 2D film flopped, they decided to give up on traditional animation altogether (though the current creative head of Walt Disney Animation has said she's open to trying again in the future, so there's hope!).
Still, beyond all that, like I said, the movie is an excellent return to form for Disney. Meet the Robinsons and Bolt were both good movies, but they were mainly just a step up from the disappointing output of the late 2000s. Princess and the Frog is a full-on leap in quality to Renaissance-level filmmaking, making this, in my opinion, where the Revival truly started, which was cemented with the next film (but we're not there yet). The animation is absolutely amazing, a true testament to the power of 2D and what it can do with modern film technology to help it along. Everything is gorgeous, and it makes me really sad that the film's experiment to keep the format alive in theatrical form didn't end up working. Imagine what it could've become given even more time! *Sigh* The music is top-notch, exactly as amazing as you'd want a Disney musical set in the Jazz Age to be (thanks Randy Newman!), and the visuals compliment each song perfectly. The characters are great and all so memorable. Tiana is a really good protagonist, a kindhearted, hardworking person with so much drive to accomplish her dreams, even if she does have to learn the film's aesop of "work smarter, not harder", itself a great lesson conveyed very competently for a family film. Naveen is like a nicer Kuzco, in a way, a spoiled prince with a hilarious ego, though he's more flighty and irresponsible and just wants to shirk his responsibilities and have fun, rather than bulldoze a village to build a waterpark. Louis and Ray are fine sidekicks, and Ray's death is one of the most genuinely shocking moments in a Disney film. Charlotte is also hilarious and lovable, what little screentime she gets she makes the absolute most of with her boundless energy and childlike enthusiasm. Dr. Facilier is a fantastic villain for so many reasons: the exaggerated way he's always moving, the frequent creative uses of magic (that freaking shadow has no right stealing every scene it's in), the bombastic performance by Keith David, what is probably the single greatest Villain Song ever, he's just an absolute treat. The story is a very well-paced fairytale with a great and unique setting for one, even if, being a family film they have to tiptoe around the racism a little bit, though what they are able to convey of it is handled rather well in my opinion. Perhaps had this been released later they could've done more (especially given how far Zootopia went with it, though granted through metaphors which probably helped), but for 2009 it's a good effort. All in all, Princess and the Frog is just a great movie that both does and doesn't get the appreciation it deserves (hey, they're retheming Splash Mountain to it and making a Disney+ series, that's pretty good for a quote-unquote "failure", right?).
Day 50 - Tangled (2010)
- And at last I see the light
And it's like the fog has lifted
And it's warm and real and bright
And it's like the sky is new...
Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine...
Tangled is the second part of the one-two punch that showed the world that Disney was truly back, baby. As the 50th film in the Canon, they went all-out on delivering an amazing film that calls back to the epic fairytale adventures of old, puts a delightfully modern spin on it, and manages to create something with its own remarkable identity.
Rapunzel is actually my second-favorite Princess, after Mulan; she's just an absolute delight to watch. She's an Adorkable Genki Girl with creative passions, a strong will, a great performance by the patron saint of Snowflake Day herself, Mandy Moore, and she's probably the funniest of the Princesses. Of course, the whole movie has a great sense of humor balanced perfectly with action and heart, so it makes sense the lead would embody that. Flynn Rider/Eugene is an excellent co-lead who's just as funny, if not more, with a hilarious and surprisingly heartfelt performance by Zachary Levi. Maximus steals every scene he's in with his hardcore Inspector Javert attitude and doglike mannerisms, and Pascal is a cute and funny Silent Snarker. Mother Gothel is an excellent villain, obviously the beginning of Disney's pattern of more "realistic" villains, but she avoids a lot of the pitfalls of those by still having the theatrically entertaining presence of the classic villains mixed with a darker, almost Frollo-like abusive personality hidden beneath a superficially charming veneer.
Alan Menkin is back to do the songs, and they all feel just as great as the Renaissance era music. The humor I already mentioned is great, but the action sequences are also amazing, hair-raising (hah) adventurous escapades that are depicted wonderfully via the top-notch animation. The visual style, while it's become the standard for Disney since the film's release, deserves special attention as a perfect incorporation of Disney's overall visual style into a 3D format, rather than just aping Pixar or DreamWorks styles like the previous CG films. I've only watched a little of the TV show, but I did enjoy it a lot, the artstyle of it is beautiful. Tangled, along with Princess and the Frog, is the perfect comeback movie for Disney, paving the way for a new golden era that's lasted quite a while.
Day 51 - Winnie the Pooh (2011)
- Bum, bum, bum, bum
Come one, come two, come all
Everyone heed the call
There's a very important thing to do!
In Which We Return to the Hundred Acre Wood, and We Say Goodbye To Traditional Animation
John Lasseter's original plan when he came onboard as the head of Walt Disney Animation was to regularly alternate film releases between 2D and 3D animation. The Princess and the Frog was the first test to whether this would work, and it was a modest hit, but Tangled was a genuine blockbuster that got Disney its biggest box office since The Lion King. So it made sense to see whether keeping traditional animation around was worth it with the next film, and to use familiar characters to help sell it... and then the movie bombed largely due to being released the same day as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, so they quietly shelved any and all further plans. Oh, bother.
The film itself is good. Not anything especially groundbreaking, it's fairly traditional Pooh fare, adapting some of the book stories Disney hadn't touched yet, but of course, it's Winnie the Pooh. It's really hard to do something bad with these characters, their charm always shines through and makes things enjoyable. It's very short, only seventy minutes long, and very low-stakes and lighthearted compared to the more epic and emotional movies of the franchise like Pooh's Grand Adventure or The Tigger Movie, so for the gang's grand return to the Canon it might seem underwhelming for some, but it's overall an enjoyable time. The songs are nice, very much in the style of the Sherman Brothers, the animation is good, the humor is good, the characters are on-point, there's really not much to complain about here. The voice cast outside of Jim Cummings as Pooh and Tigger and Travis Oates as Piglet is all new for the film, though thankfully they didn't go for celebrity voices or anything (aside from John Cleese as the narrator and Zooey Deschanel singing a few of the songs), and they're mostly fine. Tom Kenny as Rabbit stands out as particularly great casting. Pixar veteran Bud Luckey as Eeyore does feel a bit gravelly for my tastes, though; I honestly prefer Peter Cullen's regular voice for him (yes, Optimus Prime voices Eeyore normally), or Brad Garrett when he does him on occasion. But it's really a nitpick. As Disney's (for now) final traditionally-animated film... well, it's a better note to go out on than Home on the Range at least.
Day 52 - Wreck-It Ralph (2012)
- It's been fun but now I've got to go
Life is way too short to take it slow
But before I go and hit the road
I wanna know,
When can I see you again?
"I'm bad, and that's good. I will never be good, and that's not bad. There's no one I'd rather be... than me."
Wreck-It Ralph is my favorite movie in the Disney Animated Canon. I will admit, a big part of that is because of how much I love video games, obviously, but the rest of it is just so good that it elevates the whole thing. It's just a very well-made, funny, heartfelt love letter to gaming that truly understands the medium and everything that makes it great. The various cameos from famous game characters are the biggest indicator of that, obviously, but it would be so easy to just throw a bunch of characters together at random for shallow fanservice, like with Pixels or (as much as I personally liked it), Space Jam: A New Legacy, but the sheer amount of effort put into faithfully replicating the characters so it genuinely feels like they're a part of the movie rather than just generic set-dressing with a familiar face slapped on it is truly commendable. Everything from the original sound effects and gameplay animations to minor personality quirks makes it in (Nintendo literally walked the animators through the simple animation of Bowser stirring a cup of coffee to make sure it was done authentically), and some characters even have lines from their official voice actors, like Roger Craig Smith as Sonic! Even minor stuff like using actual gaming terms, background or dialogue references to other games shows a ton of love for gaming as a medium. (Here's a fun game: watch the movie and look at the graffiti in Game Central Station. Every single tag is a Shout-Out, from "Aerith Lives!" to "All Your Base Are Belong To Us" to "Leeroy Jenkins!")
But like I said, the references are simply a part of what makes the movie great. The original cast is wonderful, each of the four leads being well-acted and characterized. Ralph is a great lead, a "villain" who's actually a nice, laid-back guy who just wants a little respect and recognition for his job. Vanellope is a hilariously obnoxious, bratty kid who's looked down upon for being a glitch and not a "real" part of the game, and the two misfits share a heartwarming bond over their situations. Felix and Calhoun are a ton of fun as the protagonists of the B-plot, a squeaky-clean good guy Mario expy being paired up with a tough-as-nails First-Person Shooter sargeant is a great dynamic representing both retro and modern gaming... and they share a rather hilarious and yet genuinely sweet romance. King Candy is probably the best of Disney's 2010s "twist villains", though largely thanks to a good execution of it; the twist isn't that he is the villain, but rather his history and motivations for being the villain, which gets properly foreshadowed early on and actually adds to the character we've been watching rather than forcing us to accept a sudden 180 in personality. It also helps that he has a fun, theatrical presence even before The Reveal thanks to Alan Tudyk, who after this movie would become to Walt Disney Animation what John Ratzenberger is to Pixar.
The humor is absolutely great, the director and a few of the writers had worked on some of the greatest episodes of The Simpsons and Futurama, and their efforts here are no less outstanding. The worldbuilding is a greatly unique factor for a Disney film; unlike similar kinds of "things come alive when humans are gone" films like Toy Story, which intentionally keeps its rules rather simple, the arcade world has a ton of thought put into how it functions and how each game is able to interact with each other. Stuff like the Hero's Duty player character being a robot with a two-way screen for a head, to the game currencies being exchangable with each other, to the various visual effects that have slightly different appearances from game to game (Fix-It Felix has pixelated textures on everything, smoke in Sugar Rush takes on a cartoonish rounded look while it's realistic in Hero's Duty, etc.)
So, yeah, I freaking love this movie and always love an excuse to watch it again. And I suppose it's fitting that I got to this one shortly after Charles Martinet announced his retirement from the role of Mario. I salute you, Mr. Martinet. Let's-a go into the future.
Day 53 - Frozen (2013)
- Let it go,
Let it go,
Can't hold it back anymore
Let it go,
Let it go,
Turn away and slam the door
Here I stand, in the light of day
Let the storm rage on!
The cold never bothered me anyway.
The inescapable pop-culture phenomenon that spawned a thousand YouTube videos... both the song covers and the weird Spider-Man stuff.
I have a... complicated relationship with this movie. I missed it in theaters, but when I first saw it afterwards on DVD, I liked it. That's it; I didn't quite get the hype over people considering it the greatest thing Disney's ever made, but I thought it was a good movie. Then, over time, the Hype Backlash got to me hard and I began to despise the movie. I suppose what cemented it was a trip to Walt Disney World where it was literally everywhere you turned, often at the expense of other properties (I distinctly remember getting mad that a lot of the Phineas and Ferb stuff at the park got replaced). Me entering my angsty teenage years at the time probably played a part in that somewhat, though I never went through a full-on "cartoons are dumb and for babies" phase. Over time, I began to mellow out (perhaps not coincidentally, around the time Disney began to ease up a bit), and now I'm pretty much back to where I started: I think this is a good movie. Still a tad bit overrated, but definitely good, and I might even appreciate it more than I did initially with age and emotional maturity to properly contextualize my feelings towards the movie.
Let's start with the big positives: the animation and art direction for the movie is outstanding. The way they make environments almost entirely out of shades of blue and white and manage to make them not only look beautiful but actually varied is very commendable. The music is amazing, every song is incredibly memorable, well-sung, well-composed, and greatly integrated into the story. The story itself is well-written, though a little simple, and most of the characters play their parts in it well. Anna and Elsa are both fully-realized, well-acted, three-dimensional characters with opposite yet endearing personalities. Kristoff is fine, a bit less interesting than other prince characters like Aladdin or Flynn, but he's a solid presence with plenty of funny moments. Olaf... is a great comic relief character. Even when I was at odds with the rest of the movie, I still genuinely liked Olaf. His earnest, no-filter Cloudcuckoolander personality is just hilarious and he has so many good lines and physical gags.
There is one character that drags things down quite a bit, though... and I'm sure you're not surprised here, as even the movie's biggest fans don't really like him: Hans. He starts off as, quite honestly, a rather boring and generic character who feels rather superfluous to the narrative. The only purpose to him seems to be so the filmmakers can say "we had the courage to deconstruct Love at First Sight, that common Disney Princess cliché!"... ignoring that that hasn't really been a thing in the Princess movies since 1989 at the latest. It feels like a reactionary response to complaints about the princesses from the Gold and Silver Ages that a) isn't a thing anymore, and b) Enchanted already deconstructed years earlier, and with much more substance. And of course, the infamous twist of him being the movie's villain... despite the fact that it's a complete 180 for his character and gratuitously shoves a villain into a story that honestly didn't need one; at least the unnaturally quick engagement plays a genuine part in Anna's character arc of desperately trying to find companionship and freedom where she was denied it for so long, but the core conflict of the movie is the sisters' relationship, so having there be No Antagonist would genuinely be better for the story as opposed to having the boring Romantic False Lead suddenly become an equally-boring bad guy out of nowhere. It's not a good aspect of the movie, and led to an overused, widely-maligned wave of more twist villains down the line.
Still, despite all that, Frozen is a good movie. Is it as amazing and groundbreaking as so many others find it? Not in my opinion; I already talked about how, despite pretending otherwise, this isn't Disney's first time examining their own tropes, and the angle of being more about familial love over romantic love also isn't new ("Ohana means family", anyone?) It's definitely a well-made movie... but I personally enjoyed the sequel better.
Day 54 - Big Hero 6 (2014)
- We could be immortals
Immortals
Just not for long, for long
And live with me forever now
Mmm, pull the blackout curtains down
Just not for long, for long...
The Marvel property that isn't one anymore.
Yeah, for those who don't know, Big Hero 6 was, in fact, a Marvel comic book by Man of Action, the writing quartet also famous for creating the Ben 10 franchise, before being adapted by Disney. It's pretty understandable if you didn't know this, though; the comic is so obscure that I, a hardcore Marvel Comics fanboy, had no idea it existed until the announcement of the movie (for reference, I already knew who the Guardians of the Galaxy were before the film. But Big Hero 6? Nope!). Not only that, but the film is very different from the comic; outside of the divorcement of the setting from the regular Marvel Universe (the original series featured X-Men characters Sunfire and Silver Samurai as major players), outside of, obviously, Stan the Man himself in The Stinger, there's stuff like Baymax being a dragon robot built by Hiro to hold the personality of his dead father (Tadashi didn't exist), Fred being a mutant who could actually transform into a kaiju (one wonders if Ike Perlmutter tried convincing Disney to turn him into an Inhuman), Gogo being a hardened criminal forced onto the team, Suicide Squad style; basically Disney did a completely overhaul of the premise. It doesn't help that after the film launched, Marvel decided to officially relinquish the property fully to Disney, never using the original version of the team in new stories ever again or ever reprinting the old ones. Their last appearance in the Earth-616 continuity was in the Spider-Man storyline Ends of the Earth in 2012.
It's all worth it, though, because Big Hero 6 is a phenomenal film. The story and its themes of dealing with loss and grief are wonderfully written. This movie happened to come out the same year I lost my dad, and seeing it legitimately helped me a lot. The characters are each so likable and dynamic in their personalities and tech; especially Baymax, that big lovable balloon him. The tech itself is a nice mix of realistically modern, cutting-edge experimental stuff mixed with an exaggerated comicbook flavoring. The action is beautifully animated and tightly paced. The setting of San Fransokyo is nicely imaginative in its blending of Western and Eastern design philosophies. I watched the TV show for its first two seasons and quite liked it (it's done by the guys behind Kim Possible and The Penguins of Madagascar, of course it was gonna be good!), though I hear it went downhill in the third season, apparently it shifted to a quarter-hour comedy series to compete with Teen Titans Go! or something, shame. Still, all in all, the movie is excellent. I am satisfied with my care.
Day 55 - Zootopia (2016)
- I won't give up, no I won't give in
Till I've reached the end, I'm gonna start again
I'm not going to leave, I want to try everything
I'm going to try even though I could fail
Zootopia is a brilliant movie, and one of my favorites in the Canon. I'll fully admit, I was skeptical when I saw the initial trailers and stuff; I mean, the premise of a society of talking animals was definitely not something new for Disney, so I wasn't sure what the actual hook was... then I saw the movie and realized they deliberately hid what the actual hook was: a surprisingly deep and insightful commentary on prejudice, societal expectations, childhood trauma, cynicism vs optimism, and so many other issues that I was shocked not only to see delved into in a Disney film, but was even more shocked to see just how well-done it all was. This isn't a simple "racism is bad" story like it easily could've been, it genuinely takes time to really examine and explore the concept of prejudice through the metaphor of herbivores and carnivores (and it's not like any one species is a one-to-one parallel with any specific groups, it's not like foxes are African-American or tigers are gay people or anything like that, which is a good idea, that's something that could've definitely gone wrong in quite a few ways), and how certain unscrupulous people can weaponize fear of those who are different for their own ends, or how even fundamentally good people can be burdened by their own implicit biases, and should have the self-reflection to realize that and better themselves. The whole thing is astoundingly conveyed through a well-written mystery with two very likable protagonists. The setting of Zootopia is incredibly creative; I love how all the animals aren't completely anthropomorphized, they're all sized true to their real-life counterparts and still retain their individual biological quirks, and the architecture and technology of the city reflects that in so many unique ways. The humor is excellent, to be expected from the same writers and directors as Wreck-It Ralph; the background gags are numerous and very creative, the animal puns are legitimately well-thought out, the dialogue and situational comedy is just as great (the sloth DMV is five incredibly side-splitting minutes of fun), again, you can tell these writers worked on Golden Age Simpsons. While there is a twist villain like the last few movies, I'll actually defend this one a little; after all, as a detective story, it kind of needs to have a surprise villain, and unlike Hans the foreshadowing for their identity is genuinely there and makes sense upon a rewatch. If this movie hadn't released in the middle of an entire phase of twist villains, I think they'd honestly be better-recieved. Are they as great as the Renaissance-style villains? No, but this isn't really a story that needed that, so I'm okay with it.
All in all, I love this movie, it's among my favorites. A sequel was announced recently, and I'm genuinely excited to see what they can do with it. Obviously, the conversation about the police and race is in a much different place now than it was in early 2016, there's a ton of avenues they could explore with that.
Day 56 - Moana (2016)
- See the line where the sky meets the sea
It calls me
And no one knows
How far it goes...
Another great film from Disney veterans John Musker and Ron Clements... so what can they say except "you're welcome"?
Moana is very beautifully animated even by Disney standards. Water is one of the hardest things to render in CGI, so to make an entire ocean-voyaging adventure with it is a tremendous effort that pays off spectacularly. The tropical and oceanic environments just ooze with realism and personality. Moana is a great addition to the Princess lineup, confident and adventurous while still having a few things to learn, and, actually rare for a Princess movie, actually gets a focus on her own leadership abilities and how she's going to use them to guide her people once she takes over. Maui is a Big Fun Personified with surprising depth by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, accompanied by his traditionally-animated living tattoos, which is nice to see and blends well with everything else, it's great to see 2D animation at least somewhat being kept alive. Heihei... is one of the worst sidekicks ever. Seriously, that dumbass chicken seems to only exist as a perpetual hinderance that puts a dent in an otherwise great movie. Pua is cute, why doesn't he get to go on the voyage? He's on all the posters and merchandise, and probably could've done a Percy/Meeko type thing with Heihei to make him less annoying, so why didn't they? Weird. Tamatoa is a very entertaining presence, exuding the same level of charm as all the classic Disney villains, complete with a hilariously catchy song... so it's a shame he's a One-Scene Wonder. The real villain, Te Ka, is alright as a force-of-nature type antagonist, but she's mainly just a roaring monster. The twist with her (hey, sounds familiar) is... honestly alright, but this was the last form of twist villain Disney's done so far, they clearly listened to the complaints about its overuse... though the overall villain problem has still remained until now in some way or another. The music is wonderful, epic and awe-inspiring like the classics before it, emotionally punctuating the high points of Moana's journey. The two Triumphant Reprise moments in the climax always give me chills when I watch them, they alone are some of my favorite Disney moments. Lin-Manuel Miranda did great with that part, hey, we should bring him back for another one...
Day 57 - Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)
- Hello, hello
Let me tell you what it's like to be a zero, zero
Let me show you what it's like to always feel, feel
Like I'm empty and there's nothing really real, real
I'm looking for a way out
Ralph Breaks the Internet is a rather Contested Sequel. I personally like it quite a bit. Is it as good as the first one? No, I already told you the first one is my absolute favorite, but I will defend this movie as a very good followup. I do get where some of the complaints come from, in fact there's a rather good video essay
collecting most of them, but I can make arguments for them.First off though, let's start with the unambiguous positives: the art direction for this movie's depiction of the Internet is amazing. The way each website is contextualized within the digital world so the characters can interact with it is super creative and fun, and the overall futuristic cityscape connecting everything is gorgeous to look at. (I wonder what TV Tropes is like in this universe? Probably a prison or something.) The humor is still rather on-point, though maybe a bit of a step down from the first one. I guess it's the difference between, to use the director's previous work, the original Fox run of Futurama to some of the better episodes of the Comedy Central run. The Disney fanservice takes the place of the videogame cameos this time around (though there's still some game characters at the beginning and end when they're still in the arcade, including Sonic once again having his cameo be plot-relevant), and it's just fun to see all these characters together in one movie, especially Vanellope's interactions with the Princesses, all reprised by their (living) actors! Like I said in my review of the first one, I like this kind of crossover stuff a lot, and consider Space Jam: A New Legacy a Guilty Pleasure for it, so it's not a turnoff to me like it may be to some other people.
Which brings me to the complaints people have made about the movie, and my personal rebuttals. The first one being how the message of the film is supposedly contradictory to the first one, with Vanellope, feeling bored doing the same thing over and over again and wanting to try something new, eventually deciding to leave Sugar Rush for Slaughter Race. Some say that goes against the entire point of the first movie, where Ralph learns to make the best of a bad situation, but I look at it this way: Ralph's main problem there wasn't his job, but the fact that nobody treated him with any kindness or respect for his important contributions to the game. The conflict is resolved once the Nicelanders start appreciating him more, and he finds joy in his purpose again. In this one, Vanellope does appreciate her role in her game, but the repetitiveness of her life has made her bored and hungry for something more stimulating, and when the perfect opportunity arrives for her, she has to wrestle with whether it's worth it or not to move on to better things. I would say that both Ralph and Vanellope's situations are equally applicable to real life, I've had moments like these myself personally, so it's not really "contradictory" in the way people tend to label it. And no, Vanellope moving games isn't her going Turbo, that's for forcibly invading another game and causing problems. Another critique is the amount of Product Placement in the movie, which, granted, does exist... but it's definitely not as bad as something like The Emoji Movie, where the plot would repeatedly stop to shill an app or service. Most of the real-world websites are just background elements to flavor the world of the Internet, the plot-relevant stuff, aside from ebay, is all original, and the stuff that is real is actually handled in an entertaining fashion that understands what it's talking about and doesn't feel like Totally Radical pandering to smartphone-addicted kids. The closest thing to plot-important product shilling would be the Disney stuff, which some have labeled as a cynical attempt by Disney to show off their IP collection, but this was actually the filmmakers' idea: it began as a brief, single-scene tribute to Disney Infinity that they realized would be much cooler as an extended sequence than a one-off joke like they were going to do. Felix and Calhoun getting Demoted to Extra, while I definitely agree is disappointing, was probably necessary; after all, the final movie is two hours long (though thankfully, is rather well-paced and doesn't feel that long), with a lot of stuff happening; unfortunately, that means the original plan of having their struggles with raising the Sugar Rush kids be the B-plot ultimately wasn't feasible. Sad, but it happens. The last thing I'll address is Ralph's clingy behavior, which tends to get maligned as if it were bad writing rather than the intentional character flaw it's supposed to be. This isn't Character Derailment, in my opinion it's a rather natural evolution of Ralph's personality from the first movie, the guy who just wanted respect and friendship and is afraid of having to let go, but ultimately, with a little help and self-reflection, is able to get over it and grow as a person.
So, yeah, I like this movie. It's not quite as good as the first, but it's a fun, imaginative romp through the Internet with familiar characters and the same amount of heart put into it.
Day 58 - Frozen II (2019)
- I can hear you...
But I won't.
Some look for trouble...
While others don't
There's a thousand reasons I should go about my day
And ignore your whispers, which I wish would go away...
Where the north wind meets the sea, flows a river full of memories...
Like I said, I actually consider Frozen II to be an Even Better Sequel to the first movie. I've noticed that, while like Ralph Breaks the Internet this is a Contested Sequel: there's more of a pattern to Frozen II's reception: those who absolutely loved the first movie tend to dislike it while those who either disliked the first one or just thought it was okay (yo) tend to hold it in higher regard. I just like the way this took the things that worked about the first movie: the amazing music and animation, the sisters' dynamic with each other, Olaf's humor; and built on them while sanding off the rougher edges to create a grander, more epic and emotional experience. The story is more complex than the first movie, and feels like more of a grand adventure with dramatic stakes, while the first movie was more "hike up the mountain to get Elsa to stop the winter AND THEN SUDDENLY OUT OF PLACE BAD GUY". Here, the conflict is a lot more nuanced, and the closest thing we have to a villain is already long dead; the goal is not to stop a villain from doing evil, but to fix the mistakes of the past while ensuring the best future for everybody else. I like how it expands the lore of this world, providing a new culture, new forms of magic, a tragic personal history of the Arendelle Royal Family, and explains a ton of questions and issues I had about the plot of the first movie, like the reasons behind why the king and queen were so insistent on locking Elsa away and then just leaving her (and sadly, no, they didn't sink their ship into Atlantica and become Tarzan's parents on the way to Rapunzel's wedding). The animation is absolutely breathtaking. If the first movie was all about showing the beauty of winter, then this movie was all about autumn. Such lush, warm colors, nearly photorealistic textures, more creative uses of Elsa's powers, the movie is a visual feast that, even if you don't personally care for the story, you can't help but admire. The music is just as great as before, heck, I actually prefer "Into the Unknown" to "Let it Go" (helps that it isn't nearly as overplayed). I appreciated Anna and Elsa having relatively equal screentime as the protagonists this time around. While they did both have their own personal arcs in the first movie, it was weighted mostly on Anna's side, but here Elsa is actually around and onscreen for more of the movie. Kristoff doesn't get as much to do here, to the point he has an 80s rock ballad all about how he doesn't have much to do, which might be disappointing to his fans, but I just found him okay last time so I'm not as bothered. Olaf is still very funny, with a new "child attempting to appear more mature than he currently is" mentality, which helps to make his comedy not feel like too much of a retread, and he even gets some genuinely great emotional moments near the end. If there's one complaint I have, it's that the original proposed ending of Arendelle being washed away by the flood and rebuilt better with the help of the spirits and Northuldra would definitely have been better.
So, yeah, I like this movie more than the first one. Is it among my favorites? I don't think so, but it definitely helped me to cool my opinions on the franchise and appreciate it for its merits.
Day 59 - Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)
- There's an energy in the water
There is magic deep in our heart
There's a legacy that we honor
When we bring the light to the dark
Whatever brings us together
Can never tear us apart
We become stronger than ever
Raya and the Last Dragon is definitely a mixed bag of a movie. There's plenty of things to like about it, but so much of it is presented in a rather messy fashion or lost in the stuff surrounding it that doesn't work. Overall, I liked the movie okay, but I can definitely see why plenty of people don't.
The first big thing to mention is that a lot of this movie clearly draws inspiration from Avatar: The Last Airbender: a Constructed World inspired by a melding of multiple Asian cultures, a main group of heroes consisting of representatives from each of the world's nations, an antagonist with a conflicted relationship with the main hero, the gathering of new powers and abilities for one hero across the journey, etc. I wouldn't say it's a ripoff or anything, they take the basics of Avatar and do their own thing with them, and hey, if you're going to take inspiration from something, you might as well do it from one of the greatest animated series of all time. The issue is that Raya tends to fall flat on a lot of what Avatar did so strongly. The main cast is likable enough, Raya and Sisu are good protagonists and while the secondary cast is okay (Benedict Wong's character is entertaining and I liked the baby and the monkeys, they gave me kind of a The Penguins of Madagascar feel), the movie is too stuffed to develop them all that much. Namaari isn't a bad character, per se, but she's not developed very well, lacking a lot of Zuko's moral complexity. The animation and visuals are excellent as expected from Disney, and the action scenes are very well-done, including actual, choreographed fight scenes. The overall worldbuilding is nice, but again, we don't get so see much of it for long because of the story's pacing. The message about trust is... super messy. I don't even know what exactly they were trying to do with it, I think it was something like "trust comes from both sides" or something like that? Problem is, the movie spends so much time proving that plenty of people simply cannot be trusted, especially Namaari who backstabs the heroes every time they give her any leverage for not very good reasons. Again comparing to Zuko, whenever he betrayed the Gaang, it involved an intense moral struggle with himself about regaining his honor and standing amongst his family vs heeding Iroh's advice about what was best for him as a person. Here, Namaari isn't an outcast from her kingdom and has nothing to gain personally from opposing Raya and her group, and her mother's wish to keep the Gem separated is well-intentioned but incredibly stupid given the world-destroying consequences of keeping it separated, as opposed to Firelord Ozai who was a megalomaniacal sociopath who wanted to conquer everything. I'm not saying they should have copied Zuko's arc one-for-one, but there were definitely better ways of doing it. Given how stuffed the movie is, I actually wonder whether the story would've been better served as a long-form TV series instead of a movie. Sure, that probably could've riled up many more comparisons to Avatar, but as it is the plot feels like it's rushed so it doesn't leave the impact it should have.
So, yeah, this definitely doesn't measure up to the rest of the Revival films, but I'd be lying if the stuff in it that works wasn't worth watching it at least once.
Day 60 - Encanto (2021)
- This is our home
We've got every generation
So full of music
A rhythm of its own design
This is my family
A perfect constellation
So many stars and everybody gets to shine...
We don't talk about Bruno, no, no, no...
After three somewhat divisive films, Encanto is a stellar return to form; a heartwarming and creative story about family and self-discovery. The songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda are all excellent and woven so naturally into the story, combined with amazing visuals to make them pop even more. The animation is obviously excellent as usual, but special mention should go to Casita. It takes real talent to give so much character and personality to a house without anthropomorphizing it all that much. The story is beautifully told, with each character being given so much depth in their own personal struggles (well, except Camillo, who's... just kinda there? I expect he had some story focus that got cut for time, after all, the movie's almost two hours long, it's like Felix and Calhoun in Ralph Breaks the Internet, you can't fit in everything), and the film makes some rather excellent use of Foreshadowing and Chekhov's Gun, heck, I'd even go as far as to compare it to Back to the Future in that regard. Upon my first viewing, I was able to take the clues the film provided and deduce where a lot of the story was about to go on my own without it being too obvious, and with the stuff that did slip by me, I was able to look back and go "oh, so that's why XYZ". Mirabel is a wonderful lead, not only was it a treat to hear a lead actress from one of my favorite shows in a Disney filmnote , but I like how non-traditional she is as a Disney female lead. She's an awkward, klutzy kid who's more cute than conventionally gorgeous, and solves the problem not by going on a grand epic adventure, but by talking to her family, getting to know them better, and helping them to understand what they truly need for themselves. There's no true villain in the story, and the closest thing we have to one is genuinely understandable and sympathetic in her actions. The buildup around Bruno is great, too: we spend so much time discussing the mysterious seer who supposedly brought so much dark misfortune to the village... and he turns out to be a harmless, well-meaning dweeb voiced by John Leguizamo. Encanto is just a great movie all around. I find it interesting how, despite technically bombing at the box office due to lingering Covid concerns, it was such a big hit on streaming that Disney doesn't consider it a failure. I was actually one of the few to see it in theaters, and it genuinely looked great on the big screen, it's just a shame more people weren't able to experience it that way.
Day 61 - Strange World (2022)
- They're the Clades!
They're the Clades!
Cue the band and start the the grand parades!
Ever bold, hearts of gold
Over sea and sky and land
Bound together hand in hand,
They're the Clades!
Strange World is... an okay movie. The visuals are fun and creative, and the story of the relationship between the Clade family is good enough, but everything surrounding it is plainly average. The characters outside of Searcher, Jeager and Ethan are rather generic and uninteresting, and there's not too much to the plot outside of the family drama and exploring the titular Strange World, the twist surrounding it being... rather predictable, all things considered. I figured it out very early on. The general pulp sci-fi action tone is commendable for at least trying to be a departure from the traditional Disney formula, and throwing back to Experimental stuff like Atlantis: The Lost Empire, but it doesn't quite reach the creativity, heart, engaging plot and worldbuilding, and the wide interesting cast of Atlantis. The gay representation is... actually pretty good all things considered. It's not super in-depth, Ethan only gets a few moments discussing it and his love interest doesn't appear for more than I think a minute of screentime overall, but it's definitely more substantial than the ambiguous throwaway lines all of Disney's other "first gay characters" got. Overall, this isn't the worst film in the Canon, but I'd say it's really not a big priority to watch unless you really feel like watching every film in the Canon... which I've now done! It's definitely been a fun experience and a great way to celebrate the studio's 100th anniversary. Thanks for sticking with me this far! ...Is what I'd say if we were done. Yep, the DAC may be finished, but Disney's legacy is a lot more than that. Even just in terms of their unmatched animation empire, they didn't get there totally on their own. Tune in next time as we begin Disney's other big animation legacy: one that all started not with a mouse... but a lamp.
Pixar (1995 - present)note
Yeah, we ain't done yet. Disney's other big animation arm from Emeryville, CA, spun off from a Lucasfilm computer graphics division by Steve Jobs to eventually partner with the Mouse House and create so many computer-animated classics, inventing and constantly perfecting the art of CG-animated movies to this very day. It would've been a crime to celebrate Disney's 100th anniversary and not spotlight these films.And hey, I've thought of something we could do for this part of the marathon: Pixar is well-known for the Easter Eggs they put in each of their films, so I'm going to point out the big four they do once per movie:
- A113: The number for the animation classroom at CalArts, where most of Disney and Pixar learned their trade. This isn't strictly a Pixar-exclusive easter egg, but they're the most well-known for it.
- Pizza Planet Truck: As a way of paying tribute to their first film, Pixar hides the Pizza Planet Truck from Toy Story in each of their movies... except one. But we'll talk about that when we get there.
- John Ratzenberger: The actor of Cliff the mailman from Cheers is considered Pixar's "good-luck charm" and has had a role in each of their movies until recently (I assume his age now has made it harder).
- Production Foreshadowing: Every Pixar release since Monsters, Inc. contains a hidden nod to the next project in line, often in a way where you don't realize what it is until after that next movie has been released.
Day 62 - Toy Story (1995)
- You've got a friend in me...
You've got a friend in me...
When the road looks rough ahead
And you're miles and miles from your nice warm bed
You just remember what your old pal said
Cause you've got a friend in me!
Yeehaw! Let's get this wagon train a-movin'!
The Snow White of a new artform and a new generation, Toy Story is still a magnificent film... despite the fact that it definitely shows its age. Give it credit, though: with how 90s CGI tends to age the fact that this movie is still watchable today is a testament to how much effort they put into it. The fact that the writing, plot and characters are genuinely great definitely helps with that. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen are a perfect comic duo to bring Woody and Buzz to life, each of them managing to be hilarious and dramatic when the scene calls for it. The overall concept of Living Toys is introduced to us perfectly without even having to explain much of it. The supporting cast is good here but really gets to shine later on in the sequels. The human characters... well, they're probably the part of the movie that's aged the worst. Granted, even at the time they realized that the technology to depict humans correctly just wasn't there yet, which is why they decided to use main characters made of plastic and not focus on the humans too much to avoid the Uncanny Valley... except for Sid, who honestly feels kind of enhanced by it. He's a really fun antagonist, just a bratty, destructive kid going nuts on his toys. In fact, the filmmakers have pretty much admitted that they, and most kids, were probably more like Sid than Andy... though to be fair, I think these movies have probably created multiple generations of Andys that treat their toys nicely, just in case they are alive. I fully admit I was one such kid. The animation overall looks okay, in places the movements get a bit janky, you can see some instances of clipping (which, to be fair, is probably more noticeable when watching in HD or 4K than it would back then), and the textures are overall rather flat and plasticity, even on the stuff that isn't supposed to be plastic. I already mentioned the humans, but it's also plenty noticeable on objects like beds, houses, cars... the arcade machines in Pizza Planet have coin slots that look like they were made in MS Paint and plopped onto the models. Scud the dog is especially bad in this regard; the fur textures on him basically amount to a series of black lines painted onto his model, and he never moves realistically. Still, the movie's heart manages to shine through the imperfections and deliver something that truly went to infinity... though of course the sequels would be what took it beyond.
Easter Eggs
- A113: The license plate number on Andy's mom's car.
- Pizza Planet Truck: Obviously, the origin point of this easter egg. Woody and Buzz hitch a ride on it at the gas station to get to the restaurant.
- John Ratzenberger: Hamm the piggy bank
Day 63 - A Bug's Life (1998)
- It's the time of your life, so live it well
It's the time of your life, so live it well
We may only go 'round one time
As far as I can tell
It's the time of your life
It's the time of your life
It's the time of your life, so live it well
A Bug's Life stands out for two main reasons: its legendary duel with DreamWorks Animation's Antz, sparking a rivalry between the two studios that has lasted, in one form or another, to this very day. The other reason being its distinction as the only film from Pixar's first decade to never get a sequel, or really any form of franchise expansion beyond the 3D show at Animal Kingdom. This is probably because, while the movie is good, it's not really anything all that special. The story is a rather basic The Magnificent Seven Samurai/Liar Revealed plot, but the execution of it works. The characters are alright, but none of them manage to be as memorable as Pixar's other casts. Hopper is a major exception, though, he's a pretty good villain, a sadistic yet pragmatic bully who has a bunch of very intimidating moments, and the "one grain of seed" speech is not only a great display of intelligence and power, but one that's very applicable to many real-world situations, such as the MeToo movement (appropriate given who voices him), or even the current Hollywood strikes. The animation quality has improved since Toy Story, the bug exoskeletons, rocks, leaves, and dirt are well-textured and the movements are a lot more polished, I didn't even notice any shortcuts like clipping that Toy Story used. In many ways, this does indeed feel like the transition in visual quality from Snow White to Pinocchio: we're not quite to the level of quality that made the studio famous, but we're clearly getting there as they figure out these things that have never been done before. As a second film, A Bug's Life is alright, but it's easy to see why it's gotten overshadowed by everything else Pixar has done.
Easter Eggs
- A113: Written on the side of a box right as Flik walks into Bug City.
- Pizza Planet Truck: Parked next to the dingy trailer with the bug zapper the city is built next to.
- John Ratzenberger: P.T. Flea
Day 64 - Toy Story 2 (1999)
- When somebody loved me
Everything was beautiful
Every hour we spent together
Lives within my heart...
The toys are back in town
This, in my opinion, is Pixar's official Growing the Beard moment. By this point they were familiar with the technology and were able to squeeze more out of it, and had nicely settled into a good storytelling groove and moved past their general growing pains. Which is rather impressive considering the movie had such a chaotic production: it started as just a Direct to Video cashin (unsurprising given the period), until the story treatment ended up impressing the Disney heads enough to secure the funding for a full theatrical-quality release... and a very thin deadline they refused to budge on. The movie was made in essentially half the time it normally takes to make an animated film, and at one point they almost lost the whole thing by accident, had it not been for an employee making copies of the files to take home on her maternity leave. And somehow with all that, they managed to make one of the textbook examples of an Even Better Sequel... narrowly beaten out, of course, by its own sequel eleven years later, but we're not there yet.
Everything is improved on from the first movie, especially the visuals; there is an astonishing jump in quality in the textures, modeling, animations, lighting... for a four-year difference in tech and especially the rushed production, it still looks absolutely great even today. The story is much more epic and adventurous in scope, and the personal drama has much more depth too. While the first movie established the Living Toys premise great, this movie set the tone for every subsequent work in the franchise in asking all the tough questions that came with it. Yeah, we saw toys getting mistreated and blown up, but what about the toys who get abandoned, locked in storage, put on display to be appreciated but not loved? Jessie's whole character arc is wonderfully written and tearjerking, which along with her endearingly enthusiastic attitude cemented her as a great tertiary protagonist for the series. Buzz is very interesting to watch after his own character growth from last time, acting as a responsible leader in Woody's absence, and the inclusion of Rex, Hamm, Slinky and Potato Head on the rescue mission gives them more time to shine. Woody's self-discovery and questioning of his purpose, only to realize that Andy growing up is something he doesn't want to miss, is remarkably well-written and a perfect extension to his original arc. Al is a fun antagonist, just a greedy collector unaware of what's going on beneath his attempts to sell everything to the museum. Stinky Pete is a genuinely well-done twist villain a decade before it became cool. Zurg, for as little as he has to do with the plot, is very fun for his limited screentime. This movie is just great all around, and from here Pixar kept on trucking.
Easter Eggs
- A113: Spoken, not written this time: if you listen closely at the airport, you hear it being called over the loudspeaker, it's Al's flight number.
- Pizza Planet Truck: Obviously not hidden here: the gang hijacks it to chase Al to the airport.
- John Ratzenberger: Hamm again.
Day 65 - Monsters, Inc. (2001)
- If I were a rich man,
With a million or two...
I'd live in a penthouse,
In a room with a view...
We Scare Because We Care
The premise for this movie is just genius: the monster in your closet isn't malevolent or really even all that scary: he's just doing his job and is more afraid of you than you are of him. The movie is a hilarious and heartwarming buddy comedy/corporate conspiracy thriller with a creatively-designed world. John Goodman and Billy Crystal are another perfectly-cast duo to lead the film, Mike and Sulley are just so lovable to follow. Boo is adorable, even more so when you know she was voiced by the writer's young daughter who they just followed with a microphone as she played around the studio. Randall is joyfully sleazy as expected from a Steve Buscemi character, and Waternoose is another genuinely great twist villain. The setting of Monstropolis is, like I said, incredibly creative in its design, with a perfect mix of cartoony fantasy and mundane cityscape. The way everything is designed around the monsters that use it, like Sulley's chair having a hole for his tail, or the doors having two openings for different-sized monsters is just a joy to look at. The climax in the door warehouse is one of the greatest Disney third acts ever in my opinion. The comedy is all great, especially as an adult when you can appreciate the extra layers to the more corporate humor. The animation has aged pretty well for the most part, Sulley's complex rigging with each hair of his fur rendered individually is super impressive for the time, but there are a few moments where he looks a bit off. Everything else is mostly fine, though. Mike's textures always had me thinking as a kid that he was a green apple. I can't remember if this movie helped me not be afraid of monsters, but I definitely remember thinking closet monsters specifically weren't anything to worry about.
Easter Eggs
- A113: This is a tough one: Pete Docter insists it's in the movie but nobody has ever conclusively found it. Best I can figure, it's either printed on a kid's file somewhere or on a support beam for like a split second.
- Pizza Planet Truck: The trailer Randall is banished to is the same one from A Bug's Life, so the truck is still parked next to it.
- John Ratzenberger: The
AdorableAgreeableAbominable Snowman - Production Foreshadowing: The first Pixar film to explicitly do it, since they'd now established a successful pattern and had the assurance they'd be able to continue. When Boo is handing Sulley a bunch of her toys at the end, among them is a clownfish. (Also Jessie).
Day 66 - Finding Nemo (2003)
- Somewhere...
Beyond the sea...
Somewhere...
Waiting for me...
My lover stands on golden sands,
And watches the ships that go sailing...
...And remember: "Fish Are Friends, Not Food"!
Finding Nemo. This beautiful, amazing emotional masterpiece. No matter how many times I've seen it in my life (and that's a lot of times), it just always hits right. This is definitely one of Pixar's absolute greatest movies. Everything about it works perfectly: the animation is outstanding, especially for a now twenty-year-old movie. The water effects are so realistic and the environments are perfectly designed. The score is beautiful, almost ethereal, perfectly highlighting the beauty of the ocean and the epic nature of Marlin and Dory's quest. The cast is expansive and oh so memorable, strong protagonists and quirky side characters blended together to tell an epic, heartwarming story. Marlin's growth from an overly-protective, fearful wreck to a brave adventurer who's learned to be a better father is a wonderful arc. Dory is hilarious and lovable, while still providing plenty of emotional depth herself, it's no wonder she got the sequel all to herself. The side characters, like I said, are all super entertaining and memorable: Bruce the (trying to be) friendly shark, Crush the Surfer Dude turtle, Nigel the helpful acrobatic pelican, they all help ensure not one bit of the movie goes by without something exciting happening. Nemo and the Tank Gang are a great B-plot, a fishtank version of a prison escape movie is a wonderfully funny premise. So... yeah. This movie continues to be amazing twenty years later.
Easter Eggs
- A113: Printed on the camera P. Sherman's scuba buddy takes a picture of Marlin with.
- Pizza Planet Truck: During Gill's visualization of the plan, as the fish roll across the road in plastic bags, the truck races by the camera.
- John Ratzenberger: The school of impressionist moonfish that point Marlin and Dory to the trench.
- Production Foreshadowing: When Nigel flies into the dentist's office and attacks him to get to Nemo, look at the kid watching from the waiting room. He's reading a comic book with a certain musclebound Super on it...
Day 67 - The Incredibles (2004)
- No lyrical songs to transcribe this time... but be honest, this is playing in your head right now, isn't it?
The Incredibles is my favorite Pixar movie. I am also a big superhero fan. Coincidence? I THINK NOT!
Brad Bird delivers a, well... incredible movie from top to bottom. The animators have managed to figure out CGI humans by now, and the whole thing looks great. The action sequences are badass, helped along by Michael Giacchino's amazing soundtrack (I think this was his big breakthrough hit as a composer actually). The characters are excellent, the family dynamic is super (hah) fun to watch and the individual members are all unique and interesting. The plot is very well written and rather mature in its subject matter, mid-life crises, dealing with bureaucracy, genocide, marital issues... all stuff handled very well for a family film. This movie was definitely a PG back when that rating actually meant something and wasn't just "we added a few minor jokes to inflate the rating so nobody thinks it's a baby movie". As for the non-Incredible cast, well, they aren't non-incredible: Frozone is cool, Edna is hilarious, and Syndrome is an amazing villain, a psychopathic ex-fanboy with a genius intellect, tons of really cool technology, no moral compass, and a rather well-thought-out evil plan all things considered... it's just that his tech skills may have been too good. Mirage is a neat Dragon Femme Fatale as well. The overall atmosphere is a comic book brought to life, a perfect love letter to the superhero genre, mocking some of the cliches but in a loving fashion while putting a brand-new spin on them. So, yeah, this is another Pixar masterwork. If I'm lying, then may my cape get snagged on a rocket. It'd be my fault anyway for not listening to a genius, dahling.
Easter Eggs
- A113: We've got a twofer this time: one is spoken like in Toy Story 2: it's the conference room Mirage tells Mr. Incredible to meet Syndrome in. The other is more hidden: when Elastigirl infiltrates Syndrome's base to find Bob, she sees on a display that he's being held on Floor A1, in Cell Block 13. Extra trivia: I believe Brad Bird was one of the first to use this Easter Egg, it was in a few Simpsons episodes he worked on.
- Pizza Planet Truck: ...Actually, it's not in this one! Yeah. Brad Bird claims he doesn't remember why, but thinks they probably just forgot to put it in.
- John Ratzenberger: BEHOLD, THE UNDERMINER!!!
- Production Foreshadowing: During the final battle with the Omnidroid, one of the cars parked on the street is a Hudson Hornet.
Day 68 - Cars (2006)
- Slow down, you're gonna crash
Baby, you're a-screaming, it's a blast, blast, blast
Well, look out babe, you've got your blinders on
Everybody's lookin' for a way to get real gone
Real gone!
KA-CHOW!!!
Cars is the Pixar franchise that really depends on how old you were when it came out. Kids loved it, older fans didn't really take to it. Me... well, this is one of the very first movies I can definitively remember seeing in the theater.So, yeah, I loved it, I watched the DVD over and over, had all the toys, my first real video game was Cars on the DS (which my little brother's friend stole and then moved away with), everything. Today? I still love this movie. Yes, the plot is a bit cliche, but the execution is genuinely charming enough to make up for it. The world is another creative setting by Pixar, the kind that's really fun to ponder the ins and outs of (what does happen in car bathrooms? There are kids shown, so how do they reproduce? How'd they build their society without hands? If Sarge is a WWII veteran, does that mean there was a Car Hitler? Or a Car Holocaust?!) Like I said, the plot of the hotshot sports star learning there's more to life than winning... well, that's pretty much every sports movie ever made, but it works. Lightning McQueen is another Kuzco-like protagonist who's an entertaining jerk that becomes a much better person over time thanks to a positive experience interacting with other people on an equal level. The population of Radiator Springs are all endearing in their own ways, especially Mater, that lovable hick. He's another bit of contention that largely boils down to how you feel in regards to Larry the Cable Guy... or, again, how old you were when the movie came out. This was my introduction to him and I'm generally ambivalent towards him as a comedian, I haven't seen much of his act outside of the Cars franchise but what I have seen was entertaining, and I just like Mater's earnestly oblivious personality. Doc is a particularly strong character, voiced by the legendary Paul Newman in his last role, and he perfectly embodies the bitter old master who was forced out of the game in his prime but grows along with his youthful student. The animation this time around is focused on metal, dirt and dust, both of which look fantastic. The general anthropomorphism of the cars is pretty good character design, the subtle ways in which they move with a combination of realistic car movements and humanlike body language manages to make them feel alive without looking too cartoony. The racing is all very well-paced and exciting to watch, and the heartwarming moments may not hit as hard as other Pixar movies, but they're definitely still great. So, yeah, I like Cars, despite the hangups plenty have about it... and certain other entries of the franchise, but we aren't there yet...
Easter Eggs
- A113: Mater's license plate, and also on the nose of the train that almost hits Lightning when he gets lost.
- Pizza Planet Truck: Appears at the final race in LA behind the commentators. Naturally, he's alive. According to the toyline, his name is Todd.
- John Ratzenberger: Mack... and briefly reprising Hamm, the Abominable Snowman and P.T. Flea for a meta-joke about this very Easter Egg in the credits.
- Production Foreshadowing: Lightning's room in the Cozy Cone Motel has a framed picture of the Paris skyline.
Day 69 - Ratatouille (2007)
- Les rĂŞves des amoureux sont comme le bon vin
Ils donnent de la joie ou bien du chagrin
Affaibli par la faim, je suis malheureux
Volant en chemin tout ce que je peux
Car rien n'est gratuit dans la vie
"Anyone can cook - but only the fearless can be great."
Ratatouille is an excellent film about the joys of creation, the ability of genius to come from anywhere, and the pitfalls of leaning too deeply into cynicism. I'm not a major foodie (in fact I mostly eat breakfast cereal, peanut butter sandwiches and whatever's easy to heat up from the fridge), but I can definitely appreciate the artistry of cooking and how amazingly the movie portrays it. The way the food is textured and how the movements of the chefs are animated make the whole thing incredible and mouthwatering to watch. The sheer attention paid to every little detail that I'd have to assume is accurate beyond the whole "rat controls person with hair-pulling" bit is very commendable. The plot honestly can come across as a metaphor for Disney itself: a renowned artist flourishes his craft until an untimely death, and without him his business flounders for awhile, including some low-effort attempts to cash in on his name, until somebody with the proper passion and talent comes along to bring it to its former glory. I do wonder if that was the intention (to my knowledge, nobody involved with the film has commented on it), but it's an interesting reading of it. The visual depiction of Paris is also very great, makes me want to visit the place someday. The ending with Ego is definitely one of Pixar's most profound and memorable moments by far, the way they're able to wring that kind of emotion out of a character we've barely met that has been presented as not much more than a typical shadowy nasty bad guy is a testament to how good they are at what they do.
Easter Eggs
- A113: The muscular rat has it on the tag on his ear.
- Pizza Planet Truck: Seen crossing the bridge as Skinner chases Remy with Gusteau's will.
- John Ratzenberger: Mustafa the Waiter... a bit hard to recognize under a French accent, though.
- Production Foreshadowing: I didn't see it, but apparently WALL-E's pet cockroach appears somewhere in the filmupdate. Uniquely though, the film also foreshadows the film after next. As Remy runs through the walls of the apartment building, a dog barks at him. Does his shadow look familiar? It should! After all, he has just met you, and he loves y- SQUIRREL!
Day 70 - WALL•E (2008)
- Put on your Sunday clothes
There's lots of world out there
Get out the brillantine and dime cigars
We're gonna find adventure in the evening air
Girls in white, in a perfumed night
Where the lights are bright as the stars...
SPONSORED BY THE BUY-N-LARGE CORPORATION
WALL•E is probably the first movie I actively hyped myself up for the release of. I saw the trailer online when it was first released and from then on I just could not get enough from visiting the Disney website every day to see what was new on there. I followed every trailer, character bio, plot summary, filmmaker interview, absolutely everything before seeing the movie in theaters... and being the very first movie I ever saw multiple times in the theater. So yeah, all that plus the genuine masterpiece the movie is in general has reserved this one a very special place in my heart. This adorable love story and awe-inspiring epic space adventure is just so beautifully crafted from every angle. The story is wonderful, and masterfully told without much actual dialogue. This movie's use of visual storytelling is unrivaled by any other film, animated or otherwise. In fact, I think this is the movie that taught me how to use context about something to figure things out for myself (well, with help from my dad, who loved the movie as much as I did and was, looking back, genuinely excited to see me figuring out rationalization like that). WALL-E and EVE are just so adorable together, you can't help but love everything about them and get very strong feelings about how their story goes. The overall narrative about humanity overcoming their own decadence to fend for themselves and genuinely live their lives is awesome, too. The overall visuals are beautiful in two starkly different ways: the sleek, futuristic beauty of the Axiom in a traditional sci-fi sense... and weirdly, the garbage-filled Earth is beautiful in how realistically polluted and overrun it is. The integration of live-action for depicting humans in the past is excellently incorporated to showcase the gradual degradation of humanity over the centuries while still being believably part of the same setting, which I guess speaks more towards Pixar's overall animation quality. I also just think it's funny how Disney has an entire movie blasting corporate consumerism. By and large, WALL•E is another Pixar masterwork, and one of my personal favorites.
Easter Eggs
- A113: ...I mean, I don't think I have to point this one out, right? It's an actual part of the plot, kinda impossible to miss.
- Pizza Planet Truck: EVE scans its engine on Earth looking for plant life.
- John Ratzenberger: John, The first human WALL-E awakens.
- Production Foreshadowing: WALL-E has Carl Fredrickson's walker in his collection. Also in the collection are Rex the dinosaur, a couple of Mickey Mouse memorabilia and some garden gnomes taken from, of all things, Half-Life 2.
Day 71 - Up (2009)
- Like The Incredibles, no lyrical songs, but it wouldn't be Up without this track, would it?
"Adventure is out there!"
Up is definitely one of Pixar's most rawly emotional films. And from a concept that sounds utterly ridiculous were it to come from any other studio: a grieving old man flies his house to South America with thousands of balloons, accompanied by a Cub Scout and a talking dog? I feel like nobody else could've made this work... and they made it work. The entire subject matter of the movie is living proof that Pixar makes a serious effort to prove that animation is a viable art form for everybody, not just kids. It's no wonder this movie managed to be the first animated film since Beauty and the Beast to get a nomination for Best Picture (WALL•E definitely could've and should've gotten nominated the previous year, though, along with The Dark Knight, but the Academy really does seem to hate animation and superheroes most of the time). The first ten minutes of the film are legendary for pulling at your hearsrtrings and not letting go for the next solid hour and twenty minutes. Not to say it's all heavy and depressing, though, there's enough fun adventure and good comedy to help us through that, especially when it comes to the dynamic between Carl (a masterful performance by Ed Asner, by the way, and solid proof that the Oscars should allow for voice performances in the acting categories) and Russell, and also anything that comes out of Dug's... well, not mouth... collar? Yeah, collar. Dug is not only a good boy, he is the best boy, the pure embodiment of every loving dog in the world with their thoughts flawlessly translated to words, you just look at him and you know the filmmakers had ample-
SQUIRREL!
...ample experience with dogs. Charles Muntz is great, too, yet another example of how to do a twist villain right. Helps that he manages to be incredibly menacing for a 92-year-old man, which can be chalked up to the awesomeness that is Christopher Plummer. The beautiful animation of the expansive skies and the lush jungle environments is an icing on the cake of this beautiful journey.
Easter Eggs
- A113: The courtroom for Carl's assault trial.
- Pizza Planet Truck: Parked behind the ice cream shop at the end.
- John Ratzenberger: The friendly construction worker that tries to convince Carl to sell his house.
- Production Foreshadowing: The little girl who watches the house take off from her bedroom window has a certain pink teddy bear under her bed that we will all soon come to know and hate...
Day 72 - Toy Story 3 (2010)
- We belong together
We belong together
You know, it's true
It's gonna stay this way, forever
Me and you
So long... partner...
Remember how I said The Incredibles was my favorite Pixar film? What I didn't say was that it's actually a tie between that and this film. I legitimately cannot choose between them, they're both just so great. Toy Story 3 in particular is a rare example of an Even Better Sequel to and Even Better Sequel. Everything about it is so, so perfect. I genuinely could not suggest anything about it to change even if I had to. While Toy Story 2 started asking the tough questions about the premise of the series, 3 is all about answering those tough questions without holding anything back. The entire main cast gets a chance to shine at one point or another, everybody is important and no one feels extraneous to the plot. The new characters of Barbie and Ken are a great addition, and coincidentally enough share a bit of a similar arc to a certain recent blockbuster, though obviously with a much different ending and overall themes. The setting of Sunnyside Daycare is an exemplary Crapsaccharine World, ruled by probably the most absolutely vile and detestable Disney villain since Frollo. Last time on the forums we got into a bit of a debate whether Charles Muntz actually counted as a twist villain like I labeled him, since his villainy is revealed quite quickly after his re-introduction. Lotso got brought up in this discussion, though, and it was agreed that he definitely counts as a twist villain done right. His introduction as a friendly, fair leader of the daycare toys is actually very convincing, and even after the horrors of the Caterpillar Room are made apparent, there's enough deniability that he wasn't malicious in putting them there... until he shows his true colors as a monstrous tyrant, early enough in the movie that we actually get to see and enjoy his villainy, unlike the likes of Hans or Bellwhether. Even learning his tragic backstory doesn't detract from the fact that he is a spiteful, selfish control freak, and his trick with the stop button at the dump is an amazing moment certifying that he is completely irredeemable. And speaking of the dump... yeah, while the overall Sunnyside plot is great, the entire third act is, without a doubt, Pixar's finest work ever in my opinion. From the false redemption of Lotso I already mentioned, to the harrowing incinerator scene, the absolute triumph you feel when they're saved by The Claaaaaaw, and the passing of the toys from Andy to Bonnie in one final playtime... it's genuinely one of the greatest third acts in any movie ever. I don't cry easily at movies, I can get misty-eyed but actual crying is rare. Toy Story 3 is one of the few movies that will always get me to shed some tears whenever I see it. This is just an absolutely perfect movie, through and through. It's also got one of the greatest movie tie-in games ever made, which spawned a spinoff franchise lasting three whole years of figure collecting. This was a perfect ending to a perfect trilogy... and honestly, even when more did come along, it still is.
Easter Eggs
- A113: A repeat of the first movie's usage: it's Andy's mom's license plate, though it's on a different car this time. I think it's also on one of The Monkey's security camera feeds, but I could be wrong.
- Pizza Planet Truck: Surprisingly enough, it's actually hidden in a Toy Story movie: in Lotso's backstory, he, Chuckles and Big Baby ride on its bumper after being abandoned and fall off in front of Sunnyside to begin Lotso's reign of terror.
- John Ratzenberger: Hamm, yet again.
- Production Foreshadowing: Look at the poster above Andy's bed. That car looks pretty cool. Almost like it could belong to a British spy... or be one...
Day 73 - Cars 2 (2011)
- At the first sign of morning light, Ol' Glory's in the sky
Across the pond, it's afternoon, and the Union Jack flies high
We're on our first cup of coffee
We're on our third cup of tea
And we can't pretend to live on different planets, you and me...
Cars 2... widely considered to be Pixar's worst film ever. I... do not agree with this. In fact, I actually, dare I say it... genuinely enjoy this movie. Yes, it's not the studio's most complex, emotional or introspective film, but we just had two highly intense tearjerkers in a row, a Breather Episode in the form of a fun spy action movie isn't the worst idea in the world. Yes, doing it with Cars is a bit of an odd departure from the first one, but as someone who likes Cars and grew up with the franchise, I don't mind it.
I guess one of the biggest sticking points for people who don't like this one is the fact that Mater is the protagonist. Like I said last time, some people like Mater and some don't, so an entire movie about him isn't going to appeal to the latter crowd. But again, I like him and think the expansion of him to a Fish out of Water caught up in a Cars version of The Man Who Knew Too Little is a fun premise. The further exploration of the Cars world is also neat to see, even if, naturally, it raises more questions about the setting (there's a Popemobile, making you wonder how Car Jesus was crucified; we see a Car TSA that requires vehicles to take off their tires, forcing us to accept that there was a Car 9/11; there's car versions of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William, which means his mom was a car which is rife with... certain implications, etc. Also, why is Lewis Hamilton the only celebrity who doesn't get a car pun in his name?). The Darker and Edgier tone and level of violence honestly makes me wonder how this didn't get a PG rating, especially given it came out around the time family films actively began to enforce Avoid the Dreaded G Rating, but the overall action and spy stuff is actually really fun to watch, especially in the creative ways they car-ify various spy and action movie tropes. The World Grand Prix is just as exciting to watch as the racing in the first movie. The new characters are fun, especially Michael Caine as an Aston Martin (what other car could be a British spy in this world?), and John Turturro as hilariously showboating racing rival Francesco Bernoulli. And the movie automatically gets 100 extra awesomeness points for having Bruce Campbell in a minor role! The fact that the plot essentially boils down to a conspiracy by Big Oil to discredit the idea of alternative fuels, as well as a cabal of lemon cars out for revenge for their crappy builds is a pretty clever idea that fits with the setting of the franchise. All in all, I think this movie gets a bit of a bad rap, and I've seen a gradual increase in people online who watched it as kids and enjoyed it becoming old enough to voice their opinions on it, which makes me glad. Besides, Pixar has done stuff way worse than this movie since it came out...
Easter Eggs
- A113: Mater's license plate again, but it's also printed on the tail of Siddley the spy plane.
- Pizza Planet Truck: Todd is back, and actually appears twice: once at the beginning of the movie on the TV at the Wheel Well, and at the end watching the final WGP race in Radiator Springs.
- John Ratzenberger: Mack again, obviously.
- Production Foreshadowing: The British pub that Acer and Grem are thrown into has a tapestry of Princess Merida and her family as cars.
Day 74 - Brave (2012)
- When the cold wind is a-calling
And the sky is clear and bright
Misty mountains sing and beckon
Lead me out into the light
I will ride, I will fly
Chase the wind and touch the sky
"AH TURNED ME MUM INTO A BEHAR!!!"
Brave definitely isn't among the strongest of Pixar's filmography, but it's definitely not a bad movie either. I suppose plenty of that comes from the fact that this genuinely feels a lot more like a traditional Disney film than a Pixar one. Obviously, there's the fact that it's the first and currently only Pixar film to be part of the Disney Princess franchise, but the plot follows a lot of similar threads to those common in the Animated Canon: animal transformations, ancient curses, mischievous comic relief sidekicks, etc. Still, though, there is enough to stand out about this one. For one thing, Merida herself, who's definitely the strongest part of the movie. She's a very different kind of Princess, even among her fellow strong-willed peers from the Revival era. She's not only headstrong and adventurous, but also rather crass and significantly un-ladylike. It's probably the Scot in her. She also not only doesn't have a love interest, but actively rejects the idea and doesn't end up with anybody by the end, beating Elsa to the punch by a whole year, which was definitely a turning point in how the Princesses were written. The fact that she has two living parents, and the plot revolving around the relationship between her and her mother is also unique, and it's a good anchor for the story overall. Some people have said that the bear stuff kind of lost them, but I was fine with it. I especially liked how Bear!Elinor couldn't talk, unlike, say, Kuzco or Kenai, so she has to rely on visual communication for most of the film. On the downside I guess that does mean we hear less of Emma Thompson, but she's good for the time she does have. The whole cast is really good, too, full of talented Scottish actors giving their all, especially Billy Connolly as the dad. Fergus was just so lovable in his role as a genuinely caring father who nonetheless is a bit of a Manchild. The triplets I didn't find to be especially strong as comic relief characters, but at the very least they weren't annoying or anything. Mor'du has an intimidating presence and design but doesn't feel too connected to the overall plot in a good way and is hampered by a lack of screentime and characterization beyond "demon bear who was once a prince"; I feel like a bit more time devoted to fleshing him out as a Shadow Archetype to Merida and her arc would've served the movie well. This is definitely a mid-tier film by Pixar standards, but still definitely a good movie.
Easter Eggs
- A113: Given the medieval setting, they had to get creative with the Easter Eggs, and as such they're much harder to spot than usual. In this case, the number is written on the doorframe of the Witch's cottage... in Roman Numerals: ACXIII.
- Pizza Planet Truck: It's a carving in the Witch's shop... though it's well-hidden underneath all the bear stuff. I genuinely had to rewind multiple times to try and spot it.
- John Ratzenberger: He plays one of the castle guards, the one without the mustache that gets cut by the triplets. Like in Ratatouille, he's pretty unrecognizable under the accent.
- Production Foreshadowing: On the Witch's fireplace is a Celtic-style carving of a familiar furry monster. Not exactly a bear, more like a... kitty?
Day 75 - Monsters University (2013)
- Monsters University
We give our heart to you
We want you to be proud of us
Whatever we may do
Wherever children are dreaming
We'll bring them nightmares too
From Monsters University
Alma Mater, we love you
Monsters University may not reach the heights of its classic predecessor, but it's still a rather good movie. The comedy is still pretty good overall, the monster world is still creatively designed, and Mike and Sulley remain their lovable selves, though with an extra layer of depth added to them through the exploration of their past. Honestly, the best part of the movie is in seeing the way the iconic friendship began and their gradual growth into a one-of-a-kind team. The basic dynamic between them of Technician Versus Performer is well-explored and helps to prove how one can't work without the other, and the Hard Truth Aesop around Mike's character arc is rather unconventional for a family film, but I genuinely appreciate them exploring it: no matter how hard you try and how much you know, there are some things you just can't do... and that's okay. What matters is that you figure out your own personal strengths, play to them, and be able to find fulfillment it what that will allow you to do. As somebody who, personally, has had some chronic struggles with pursuing the college experience, I find I can appreciate that lesson more than ever right now. The plot is a rather basic "80s college movie" template, just pushed into the Monstropolis setting, but it's not done badly, and like I said the exploration of Mike and Sulley's relationship is able to carry it. The other characters are good, too: the Oozma Kappas are a likable and funny supporting cast, Dean Hardscrabble has an absolutely killer design, an intensely commanding performance from Helen Mirren, and a surprisingly heartfelt resolution to the main conflict between her and the protagonists at the end, and Randall's Start of Darkness, while not a major focus, was also interesting to see. Johnny Worthington is a very basic upper-class rival frat leader archetype, though like Governer Rattcliffe he's able to be held aloft by a hilariously sleazy performance by Nathan Fillion. The third act at the camp is also incredible and elevates the rest of the basic but enjoyable plot. MU isn't quite up to Pixar's regular output, but by no means is it a failure.
Easter Eggs
- A113: Exactly where you'd put it in a school setting: on a classroom door, just like the origin of the number. To be more specific, it's on the door to Professor Knight (the orange Alfred Molina monster)'s classroom, as can be seen during Sulley' entrance into the film.
- Pizza Planet Truck: Parked on the lawn in front of the RΩR frathouse.
- John Ratzenberger: The Abominable Snowman again, in a last-second cameo where we learn he was apparently banished for mail fraud.
- Production Foreshadowing: ...I actually don't know. This is a difficult one: you see, after the movie was met with a "good but not great" reception, combined with the similar reception to Brave and the overtly negative one to Cars 2, Pixar reshuffled their release schedule to try and bring their next two productions up to more satisfactory levels. The Good Dinosaur was originally meant to be the next film, in 2014, which means it would've been next in the pipeline to be teased in MU... but that movie's Troubled Production led it to releasing after Inside Out... and try as I did, I couldn't find a clear nod to either film in Monsters U. Best I can figure is that Art's notebook has a rainbow and a unicorn on it, which could be an Inside Out tease... but it seems like a rather generic unicorn rather than anything specific to that movie, and, again, the movie would've been produced and released under the assumption that Good Dinosaur was next, so I just don't know...
Day 76 - Inside Out (2015)
- Who's your friend who likes to play?
Bing Bong! Bing Bong!
His rocket makes you yell "Hooray!"
Bing Bong! Bing Bong!
Take her to the moon for me... okay?
Like I mentioned last time, Pixar saw they were teetering at the edge of an Audience-Alienating Era, and even though the overall reception of their films hadn't fallen all that much yet, they weren't taking any chances and delayed their next two projects to finetune them as much as they possibly could. Inside Out is proof that the effort was not in vain. This movie is my second favorite film of theirs (or third, I guess, given first place is tied), it's yet another emotional masterpiece with a highly creative setting, exceptional writing, interesting characters, a beautiful soundtrack, an exploration of complex themes, basically, the perfect comeback after their brief little stumble.
The story is an incredible and highly emotional exploration of, well... emotion itself. The way the brain functions are interpreted in various forms is beyond genius and very interesting to watch. The core conflict between Joy and Sadness is handled very maturely and wisely doesn't attempt to shove an outside villain into the story (*cough*Frozen*cough*). The fact that Joy, while well-meaning, isn't entirely in the right in how she's managing Riley's complex new feelings is very good characterization, and the ways the emotions all have to figure out how to deal with the hardships of growing up is highly compelling. The shockingly accurate depiction of depression and how it can come into being and be dealt with healthily is some of the best writing in... honestly, any animated film out there. The colorful atmosphere and bouncy design of the environments are a joy (heh) to look at. The dark moments are all unflinchingly depicted in the best way they can, and the humor is excellent, helped by a great main cast of acclaimed comedians (the performance of Disgust almost makes me wanna forgive Mindy Kaling for the terrible Velma show. Almost.) A sequel was announced recently, to be released sometime next year, and I'm very glad that's happening, I feel like they've only scratched the surface of what this premise can do.
Easter Eggs
- A113: Written on a wall under some scaffolding as Riley runs away.
- Pizza Planet Truck: It's hidden multiple times within memory orbs, often using footage from other Pixar films. Other Pixar moments can be glimpsed in the orbs as well if you look hard enough.
- John Ratzenberger: He's the Mind Worker that installs the new control panel at the end of the film.
- Production Foreshadowing: The roadside dinosaurs Riley brings up that they encountered on the way to San Francisco are both from... hoo boy, I just realized I have to watch that one next... *sigh*
Day 77 - The Good Dinosaur (2015)
October 9
Whenever it's not Cars 2, if you ask anybody what Pixar's weakest film is, The Good Dinosaur will be their answer. And this time... yeah, this time I agree. Like Disney's other animated dinosaur movie, there's great environmental visuals and not much else: a weak story, mostly forgettable characters, sluggish pacing that makes the hour-thirty runtime feel way longer than it is, you get the picture. The dinosaur designs also feel way too cartoony and clash heavily with the gorgeously realistic environment. There are some good individual scenes, like Arlo and Spot nonverbally connecting over their lost loved ones, or everything with the T-rexes (and seriously, a rugged, cattle-driving Tyrannosaurus voiced by Sam Elliott? The whole movie should've been about him), but they're few and far between in a movie of incredibly boring and unmemorable setpieces. Arlo isn't a very compelling protagonist, which is a problem when most of the time he's the only character in a scene, and Spot is... off. I can't really tell how sapient he's meant to be, it feels like he ping-pongs from scene to scene, and the way the movie ends, after spending time establishing a bond with Arlo... is to just run off with some random strangers we've never seen before. It feels unearned. I also feel like the premise of "what if the dinosaurs never went extinct" barely has anything to do with the movie itself: as it is, this story (such as it is) could've happened regardless of that element. Yes, there's the humans, but pop culture already loves to pretend that's how it went. I mean, the movie begins by showing the K-T event being avoided, a "One Million Years Later" card, and... they've figured out basic agriculture. That's it? Even if they didn't go full-on "Dino Zootopia" or something, they could've at least made the differences more substantial somehow. Like, at least do a reverse-Flintstones type of thing, go crazy worldbuilding, Pixar's usually great at that. At the very least, this still feels like a genuine effort hampered by a Troubled Production, as opposed to Disney Animation's worst film, which carries a purveying sense of "screw it, we don't care, let's just get it over with". This wasn't as bad as I remember it being, but still not something I'd watch again.
Whenever it's not Cars 2, if you ask anybody what Pixar's weakest film is, The Good Dinosaur will be their answer. And this time... yeah, this time I agree. Like Disney's other animated dinosaur movie, there's great environmental visuals and not much else: a weak story, mostly forgettable characters, sluggish pacing that makes the hour-thirty runtime feel way longer than it is, you get the picture. The dinosaur designs also feel way too cartoony and clash heavily with the gorgeously realistic environment. There are some good individual scenes, like Arlo and Spot nonverbally connecting over their lost loved ones, or everything with the T-rexes (and seriously, a rugged, cattle-driving Tyrannosaurus voiced by Sam Elliott? The whole movie should've been about him), but they're few and far between in a movie of incredibly boring and unmemorable setpieces. Arlo isn't a very compelling protagonist, which is a problem when most of the time he's the only character in a scene, and Spot is... off. I can't really tell how sapient he's meant to be, it feels like he ping-pongs from scene to scene, and the way the movie ends, after spending time establishing a bond with Arlo... is to just run off with some random strangers we've never seen before. It feels unearned. I also feel like the premise of "what if the dinosaurs never went extinct" barely has anything to do with the movie itself: as it is, this story (such as it is) could've happened regardless of that element. Yes, there's the humans, but pop culture already loves to pretend that's how it went. I mean, the movie begins by showing the K-T event being avoided, a "One Million Years Later" card, and... they've figured out basic agriculture. That's it? Even if they didn't go full-on "Dino Zootopia" or something, they could've at least made the differences more substantial somehow. Like, at least do a reverse-Flintstones type of thing, go crazy worldbuilding, Pixar's usually great at that. At the very least, this still feels like a genuine effort hampered by a Troubled Production, as opposed to Disney Animation's worst film, which carries a purveying sense of "screw it, we don't care, let's just get it over with". This wasn't as bad as I remember it being, but still not something I'd watch again.
Easter Eggs
- A113: Like Brave, the setting meant getting creative with the Easter Eggs: A113 is spelled out with sticks in front of the chicken coop.
- Pizza Planet Truck: One of the asteroids in the very beginning of the film is shaped like it... allegedly. I looked hard and couldn't figure out which one exactly it was meant to be, there were multiple ones it could have been but none of them stood out over any of the others.
- John Ratzenberger: Earl the Velociraptor, in what's the hardest to recognize he's ever been: a singular line delivered in a guttural growl. This is around the time his roles started becoming more cameo-ish, likely another reason it was eventually retired as I guess they were running out of ideas for him.
- Production Foreshadowing: When Arlo learns to swim, there's a red seven-legged octopus at the bottom of the lake.
Day 78 - Finding Dory (2016)
- Unforgettable
That's what you are
Unforgettable
Though near or far
Just keep swimming, just keep swimming...
Finding Dory is a fantastic sequel that's genuinely able to stand up to the legacy of the original, being just as much of an emotional powerhouse as before. The way the focus shifts to the previous comic relief sidekick as the main protagonist while not making the story Denser and Wackier, but actually exploring her as a character in a genuine fashion was a really inspired choice. In many ways, this movie actually manages to pull off what Solo was widely derided for: taking a side character and exploring every single hint about their past from the original movie. But unlike Solo which kinda just shoved all those references together for shallow fanservice, Dory's past is actually delved into and shows us how it shaped her as a per- um, fish, providing a proper emotional context for her eccentricities in the first movie that adds layers of depth to how you watch her in it. The way her memory is treated here is also excellent: while it's still used for funny moments, we get to explore how hard the condition has made her life, and how she has to work every day to live with her disability in a realistic manner. It's a really mature treatment of something that used to be just a funny character quirk (well, okay, the original still played it for drama a little, mostly at the end, but this went much farther). This is just the best possible example of how to shift the protagonist role in a sequel. The rest of the cast is good, too, especially Hank. His gruff personality is a good contrast to Dory's... well, everything, and the animation on him is nothing short of spectacular. He's also just a creative way to solve the problem of "how do we have the fish protagonists move through a building?" Destiny and Bailey are fun side characters (having Dee Reynolds in a family movie is... certainly a choice. Surprised she didn't play Becky). Marlin and Nemo aren't givien all that much to do, but it's nice to still have them there, and they have some good moments in their sideplot. The environment of the aquarium is also a nice one to differentiate the adventure from being a rehash of the first movie. Finding Dory is just a great... Hmmm... what were we talking about?
Easter Eggs
- A113: Appears twice, actually! The first one is clever: the two tags on the sea lions read "A1" and "13". The other is on the license plate of the aquarium truck: "CALA113", which doubles as a reference to CalArts where the A113 animation classroom is located.
- Pizza Planet Truck: Naturally, it's visible during the final truck chase. Specifically, it's circling in the roundabout.
- John Ratzenberger: He's hidden under a squeaky vocal filter as the male trimmer crab that tells Dory that all the blue tangs were sent to Quarantine.
- Production Foreshadowing: The truck driver has a red band-aid with an orange lighting bolt and a 95 on it. Seems like she's a fan of a certain racer who's getting past his prime... (Also, her buddy in the passenger seat? He's voiced by Alexander Gould, aka the original voice of Nemo. Neat!)
Day 79 - Cars 3 (2017)
- We gotta run that race
We gotta run that race
I do it on my pace
As long as we get to run that race again
Speed. I am Speed.
After a highly controversial first sequel, Cars 3 is definitely seen as an improvement, and at the very least seen to work better as a proper sequel to the first film. Even as somebody who liked 2, that part definitely is true, and I'd even go as far as to say this is the strongest film in the series. The story of Lightning coming to terms with the fact that a new generation of racers is coming to surpass him, and making sure he's able to go out on his own terms is a great one, especially in how he looks to Doc's past to figure out how to not let him suffer the same fate is a great one with a nicely mature tone to it, and the subtle way Lightning and Cruz gradually shift their trainer-trainee relationship through the course of the movie and ultimately end up learning so much from each other as well as Doc's legacy is something I loved. The racing setpieces are as great as ever, and the various training exercises they go through are creative and fun, especially the demolition derby. The focus on Lighting and Cruz does mean less focus on the rest of the Radiator Springs gang, especially Mater who has a lot less scenes in this one (which I feel may have been a bit of an overcorrection to his divisive role as the protagonist last time) but the scenes he does have are good, especially the heart-to-heart he and Lightning have after the derby. Jackson Storm is good as an antagonistic presence throughout the movie with Lightning's determination to best him, but as a character he's pretty underdeveloped thanks to a lack of actual screentime. Chick's minor role as a self-centered sportscaster whose entire show seems to revolve around bragging about his one win and insulting Lightning was hilarious. As Lightning McQueen's (presumably) final go round the track, it's definitely a good note to end on.
Easter Eggs
- A113: Mater's license plate once again, but also the number on Sterling's office door. Hard to miss this one, though, since it's the direct focus of a shot.
- Pizza Planet Truck: Todd is back! This time, he's a participant in the demolition derby. You can easily notice when the rocket on his roof flies off and is caught by an audience member.
- John Ratzenberger: Mack, yet again.
- Production Foreshadowing: The homesick racer at the training center is motivated by Cruz showing him a picture of his home, a certain village in Mexico... car-ified, of course. I think there's even a statue of Car Ernesto de la Cruz visible in it.
Day 80 - Coco (2017)
- Remember Me
Though I have to say goodbye
Remember Me
Don't let it make you cry
For even when I'm far away, I hold you in my heart
I sing a special song to you each night we are apart...
The one hidden behind a 20-minute Frozen "short".
Coco is a film with a not too original plot. You've seen this movie before; the talented kid whose family hates the thing he loves, journeying to another world to discover himself, a twist villain, a Liar Revealed subplot, it's undeniably a Cliché Storm... so the fact that they managed to make it work so well is a testament to the art and passion put behind it, and a shining example of how a movie can still be excellent even if the ground is well-trodden. In a way, I find that aspect more fascinating than if they had made a more "original" plot: it's a good reminder that not everything has to be earthshaking and original to matter, and that there's room for all kinds of art out there.
But of course, the movie itself is still the kind of fantastic emotional journey Pixar excels at, and it's their first proper musical as well, and they knocked that aspect out of the park. Not only is the music itself phenomenal, but I personally think the best kind of musicals are ones genuinely built around the idea of music, why we love it, and the effect it has on us, and that's one of the big prevailing themes of the film. I was in my high school marching band for years and was playing music even before that, so I'm very familiar with musical theory even though I haven't played that all much these past few years, and the movie definitely knows what it's talking about in that aspect. Heck, even the finger movements on the instruments is fully and accurately animated, which not a lot of productions bother to show that level of detail, which is definitely a great touch. The themes of death, family and memory are also woven perfectly into the narrative, and the Footloose type stuff with the Riveras and music is given a genuine depth and nuance a lot of these kinds of stories fall flat on if they even try to introduce it. The plot building up to The Reveal of de la Cruz's treachery is... honestly, it is rather easy to pick up on, but the way the actual reveal is told to us and Ernesto's genuine charisma before and after we learn he was the Bob Kane to HĂ©ctor's Bill Finger makes the whole thing work... and makes for a timely unintended Reality Subtext about the revelations of John Lasseter's bad behavior happening around the film's release. Heh heh. The animation of the Land of the Dead is some of Pixar's most gorgeous work, especially the many creative ways the skeletons are animated. And I already mentioned the extra effort going towards the instruments. The whole film is also lovingly drenched in Mexican culture, making for a fascinating experience. Coco is yet another beautiful masterpiece from Pixar.
Easter Eggs
- A113: Written on the door of the Department of Family Grievances.
- Pizza Planet Truck: Passes by the Rivera house at the beginning of the movie, to which Abuelita yells at it for playing music on the radio.
- John Ratzenberger: Juan Ortidontico, the dentist skeleton passing through the gate. Like The Good Dinosaur, it's essentially just a one-line cameo.
- Production Foreshadowing: On their way to the musical competition, Miguel and HĂ©ctor pass by a poster featuring skeletonized versions of a certain Super family 14 years overdue for their return...
Day 81 - Incredibles 2 (2018)
- Here comes Elastigirl!
Stretching her arms, Elastigirl!
No one's beyond her reach!
The Supers are BACK!
Incredibles 2 is a great, and long-overdue, followup that may not quite reach the heights of the original, but definitely delivers on a good time. The joint plots of Helen working as a Super advocate against the Screenslaver and Bob having to deal with the kids, especially Jack-Jack, are both very good, with each character's arc continuing rather naturally from the ones they had in the original: Helen getting back into heroing, Bob having to continue his efforts to adjust to civilian life, Violet having already come out of her shell but now having to deal with the difficulties of superhero life intruding on her personal life, Dash... learning "New Math" (okay, there wasn't much they could do with the competitiveness having already been resolved pretty thoroughly last time, but they probably could've come up with something). Bob's plotline especially is handled well: this could've easily been his previous arc all over again, but the movie makes it clear he has internalized his lesson and is just trying to prove that he can handle it, which is accompanied by some great comedy as he tries to juggle it. The Sequel Gap definitely benefited the movie in the visual department: the artstyle manages to be much smoother and more colorful thanks to the technology leap, and the action is just as phenomenal as before. Screenslaver... is complicated. Obviously, topping Syndrome was always going to be a tall order, and the core gimmick of the hypnotic technology is cool, but... well, it's kind of like the twist of Iron Man 3, where the fake villain is much more interesting than the real one. The false Screenslaver has a cool design and an interesting proposed motive about humanity focusing on shallow entertainment, but of course it's a misdirect. Evelyn's motive about the problems with Holding Out for a Hero also has merit, but the rest of her is rather underwhelming, though not completely without some appeal thanks to the vocal performance. Her brother is really fun, though, mostly thanks to Bob Odenkirk (do Supers know that they're have rights? Well, he's going to make sure they do!) The new Supers have some neat designs and powers, and it's just nice to actually see some alive and flavoring the world. It's just nice to see these characters again, even this many years after the movie coming out (remember when The Force Awakens came out and people said even just seeing the opening crawl again was a magical moment? That was me hearing the Incredibles theme start out the movie back in 2018).
Easter Eggs
- A113: On the theater marquee at the end of the movie.
- Pizza Planet Truck: Appears with a brand-new retro redesign as Elastigirl tackles the fake Screenslaver out the window of the apartment building.
- John Ratzenberger: THE UNDERMINER!!! ...who gets away in the opening. Some hated that, but I found it hilarious.
- Production Foreshadowing: Jack-Jack's playpen has a Duke Caboom action figure laying in it.
Day 82 - Toy Story 4 (2019)
- I was a lonesome cowboy
Lonesome as I could be
You came along, changed my life
And fixed what was broken in me
The best movie that never needed to exist.
The announcement of this movie was definitely contentious, as Toy Story 3 was near-universally considered a perfect ending, and while various shorts and TV specials were made afterwards to generally positive reception, an entire new movie was seen as too much, even by me. There was no way they would be able to top the amazing experience that 3 was, right? Well... they didn't... this didn't top 3, but it's still a Toy Story film through and through, one that managed to buck the odds and stand on par with 1 and 2. Personally, if I were to rank the movies, it'd go 3-2-4-1.
Like I said, this didn't top the third film in terms of scope or anything, but in fairness it never seems like it's trying to do that, being a smaller-scale, more personal story about Woody specifically rather than a grand adventure about him and the rest of the gang. It almost feels like a Toy Story answer to Logan in that way (though obviously not as dark, bloody and depressing). His storyline is definitely an interesting direction to take; while the development that Bonnie eventually lost interest in him is divisive, and I won't deny I have my own conflicted feelings about it, the exploration of how it affects Woody, who is now not only not the favorite like he feared would happen all the way back when Buzz showed up, but outright forgotten by a kid he's still trying to be loyal to is a fascinating plot. And unlike his 1995 self, instead of being consumed by jealousy, he's instead trying the best he can to keep Bonnie happy regardless while questioning what his new place in the world is. It's a great showing of his character growth and a logical progression of his story, especially since it's clear he isn't completely over Andy. The ending of his arc is definitely the most contested aspect of the movie, and while I'll admit it doesn't have quite the same impact as Andy's goodbye, I still found it a powerful moment, and while 3 was a perfect ending, this felt like a very good epilogue to Woody's story. I get the issues some have with it, but I think overall it was a good execution.
It was also definitely a risk having a side cast as beloved as Andy's other toys be Demoted to Extra in favor of new characters, but the new faces manage to be incredibly entertaining enough to almost make up for it. Forky, Duke, Ducky & Bunny, all very funny and likable characters with great voicework, they managed to carry the movie enough that the lesser presence of Jessie, Hamm, Rex, Slinky, Potato Head, and the others didn't sting as much as it could have. Heck, we could technically count Bo as a new character considering how much she's changed, and it's honestly for the better; while I never disliked her in the older films she was never as interesting as the others, but this movie managed to give her a more engaging personality, some greater emotional depth, and some neat action scenes, which adds up to making her a solid Deuteragonist. And while Buzz isn't given all that much added depth like her and Woody, it's good to still have him as a main character. Gabby Gabby is a nice, and rather unique antagonist for the series, unlike the Obliviously Evil Sid, the Well-Intentioned Extremist of The Prospector, or the Complete Monster that was Lotso, she's a Tragic Villain who I really wouldn't even consider a villain, just a lonely toy desperate to be loved, and I'd say her overall arc is rather satisfying. The new environments of a carnival and an antique store also lead to some fun setpieces to explore.
So, yeah, while fears that this would be a soulless cashgrab were definitely understandable, the final product, whether you like it or not, was definitely a genuine effort that makes Pixar's insistence that the sequel was not forced on them, but an idea they genuinely wanted to do, actually believable. It didn't need to exist... but in the end, I'm glad it did. But this was definitely pushing it, don't get me wrong, continuing even more would definitely be a bad idea WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY GREENLIT A FIFTH ONE
Easter Eggs
- A113: On a sign in the antique shop, next to a painting of Charles Muntz and his dogs playing poker, and the barracuda that killed Nemo's mom stuffed and mounted (GOOD!)
- Pizza Planet Truck: Surprisingly enough for the franchise that it originates from, it doesn't physically appear: it's tattooed on the leg of the carny running the shooting booth.
- John Ratzenberger: Hamm, obviously.
- Production Foreshadowing: One of the carnival bounce houses is decorated with the same designs as Barley Lightfoot's van.
Day 83 - Onward (2020)
- Yeah, you carried me with you
From the highest of the peaks
To the darkness of the blue
I was just too blind to see
Like a lighthouse in a storm
You were always guiding me
Yeah, it's true
You carried me with you
Onward was sadly overshadowed by coming out right as COVID began to shut everything down, and as such disappeared from theaters very quickly and was put up on streaming right away, but unfortunately that didn't seem to help it much, as most people don't talk about it that much and it seems to have been largely overshadowed by the rest of Pixar's 2020s output. It's a shame, too, because this is a great film. I've always been fascinated by the idea of what would happen when a fantasy world reaches the modern era, as in, what would a 21st-century version of Middle-Earth, Hyrule or Westeros look like? Well, this is essentially Pixar's take on what the world of Dungeons & Dragons would look like in that scenario, and it's a lot of fun. The warriors' tavern is now a kitschy family diner, ancient relics are being dug up next to schools, toll booths accept riddles as payment, unicorns are garbage pests, it's yet another great example of Pixar worldbuilding. The heart of the movie, though, is defined the relationship between the Lightfoot brothers. Their bond is truly wonderful to watch and their acting is fantastic. While Ian is definitely a rare example of Pixar taking a page from DreamWorks's book and feels very much like he was designed up-front to be a Tom Holland character, that's not a bad thing by any means. And Barley is the complete opposite: he feels like a character designed for someone other than Chris Pratt (he's so cool!), but he gives a great performance that proves he can genuinely disappear into a character beyond simply playing his usual archetype (incidentally, this movie is why I personally didn't immediately dismiss him as the voice of Mario, an opinion that was vindicated when that movie came out. What? I'm not bragging!). The plot about them going on a quest to see their dad one last time, without getting too personal, hit me close to home in a lot of ways. The way it ends is another great example of Pixar maturely handling a serious subject in a way that bucks archetypical storytelling trends, and I loved it. The way their journey gradually starts bringing magic back to the world is some great buildup too. Onward is definitely a movie that deserves more attention than it gets, almost like it's Pixar's equivalent to Treasure Planet, at least in my eyes.
Easter Eggs
- A113: Hidden verbally for the first time since The Incredibles: Bronco's police dispatch radio at the end of the movie goes "we've got a one-one-three".
- Pizza Planet Truck: In the line at the toll booth on the way to the Manticore's Tavern.
- John Ratzenberger: In his last vocal performance so far for Pixar, he's one of the construction workers tearing down the old well near the high school.
- Production Foreshadowing: Ian has a Dorothea Williams record on the shelf in his bedroom.
Day 84 - Soul (2020)
- Now everybody clap your hands
Give yourself a chance
Cause you've got soul (lemme say it again)
You've got soul
You've got soul, and everybody knows
That it's all right
"The question is... what are you going to do with your life?"
Soul is another Pixar masterpiece, taking the basic ideas of Inside Out and applying them to a more abstract approach: what makes you... you? What determines your personality, your passions, your purpose? The movie takes these and explores what it means to just... live. The Oscar-winning score by Nine Inch Nails is absolutely wonderful, beautifully atmospheric and ethereal, combined with great piano work by Jon Batiste. The visuals are gorgeous in two different ways: the photorealistic depiction of New York and the cartoony, abstract look of the Great Before. The use of 2D line-art for... whatever Terri and the Jerris are is wonderful to look at and blends perfectly with the rest of the world. The dynamic between Joe and 22 is great, the older guy whose life has been in a rut for years and is desperate to go back to the gig he thinks will change his life, learning that he had it a lot better than he thought along the way, and the snarky, childish soul who stubbornly refuses to find her own self and become a person until she truly gets to experience what life is for the first time. The entire thing is just a powerful, introspective experience exploring the nature of life itself. This movie inspires me to... I dunno, go out and try... something. Anything! It just fills me full of... I honestly can't really describe it. It's just that kind of movie, you know? The one that you can't truly fit into words no matter how hard you try. I'm genuinely struggling how to describe how I feel about the movie beyond what I've already said. It's just so great, the whole thing.
Easter Eggs
- A113: On a street sign in the Hall of Everything.
- Pizza Planet Truck: Also in the Hall of Everything, specifically the initial establishing shot.
- John Ratzenberger: While he doesn't provide voicework for the movie, his likeness is animated as a recurring background character.
- Production Foreshadowing: In the background of the jazz club, there's a poster advertised travel to the Italian town of Portorosso.
Day 85 - Luca (2021)
October 21
Silencio, Bruno!
Luca isn't among Pixar's most ambitious fare, but it's a nice little Slice of Life Coming of Age story in the beautiful Italian countryside... with sea monsters. The visual style is unusual for Pixar, but nice; a bit of Studio Ghibli and a bit of Aardman Animations mixed together to create something cute and expressive. The friendship between Luca, Alberto, and Gulia is very sweet and heartwarming, and the bully is a rather hilarious Large Ham. The story is very simple, just the three kids spending a summer together and training to enter a race to earn money for a Vespa while Luca and Alberto try not to get exposed as sea monsters, but it works, and the characters are charming enough to carry it. The town, countryside, and ocean are all beautifully rendered with a rustic charm to them. There... really isn't too much to say about the movie otherwise: it's simple, but good, and sometimes that's all a movie needs to be.
Silencio, Bruno!
Luca isn't among Pixar's most ambitious fare, but it's a nice little Slice of Life Coming of Age story in the beautiful Italian countryside... with sea monsters. The visual style is unusual for Pixar, but nice; a bit of Studio Ghibli and a bit of Aardman Animations mixed together to create something cute and expressive. The friendship between Luca, Alberto, and Gulia is very sweet and heartwarming, and the bully is a rather hilarious Large Ham. The story is very simple, just the three kids spending a summer together and training to enter a race to earn money for a Vespa while Luca and Alberto try not to get exposed as sea monsters, but it works, and the characters are charming enough to carry it. The town, countryside, and ocean are all beautifully rendered with a rustic charm to them. There... really isn't too much to say about the movie otherwise: it's simple, but good, and sometimes that's all a movie needs to be.
Easter Eggs
- A113: Printed on Luca's train ticket at the end.
- Pizza Planet Truck: Redesigned as a small three-wheeler to fit the setting, it's parked on the street side during the final bicycle race.
- Production Foreshadowing: Gulia has a record in her bedroom labeled "4*Vilaggi"... "Vilaggi" being Italian for "Town".
Day 86 - Turning Red (2022)
- I've never met nobody like you
Had friends, and I've had buddies, it's true
But they don't turn my tummy the way you do
I've never met nobody like you
You're never not on my mind, oh my, oh my
I'm never not by your side, your side, your side
I'm never gon' let you cry, oh, cry, don't cry
I'll never not be your ride or die, alright
Why doesn't the kids movie set in Canada mention 9/11? 0/10, can't relate.
Turning Red is a funny, heartwarming Coming of Age story that is so unapologetically... itself. Like Luca, there's less focus on a grand adventure and more focus on kids having fun and discovering themselves, but with the added angle of the struggle between the duties of family and self. Mei and her friends are absolutely delightful characters to watch. They're so lovably cringy in all the right ways, feeling like real teenagers, amd let's face it, we can all relate to being awkward kids like this at some point. Mei's journey from a kid who's a little overly submissive despite her outgoing personality to growing independent and showing more of her true self is a fantastic arc, one that, again, feels kind of like a universal message regardless of age, race or gender. The depiction of Ming as a well-meaning but somewhat overbearing parent works very well as a sympathetic antagonist who's nonetheless very funny in the extremes she goes to. The Toronto setting is a nice change of pace for this kind of story, having been there myself once it's rather faithfully replicated. Our neighbors to the north need some representation, eh? The 2000s era is also a great and unique part of the setting, this was when I was a kid, so it's cool that we're starting to see pop culture catch up to that era of nostalgia like the 80s and 90s before it. The soft color palette and smooth, rounded character models makes the movie look like a 90s shoujo anime rendered in 3D, and it's incredible. The whole movie is, really. It may not be for everyone (my brother saw it and couldn't get behind it), but it's something unique that definitely came from a place of passion.
Easter Eggs
- A113: On the cart Jin uses to draw the ritual circle in the climax.
- Pizza Planet Truck: Parked on the side of the street as Mei races to the concert.
- Production Foreshadowing: Miriam's skateboard has stickers of the Star Command logo and Sox.
Day 87 - Lightyear (2022)
Buzz Lightyear Mission Log: Stardate One-Zero-Two-Eight
To Infinity, and... not quite reaching beyond. But close!
Lightyear is a film with a promising concept, and I'd say overall it's a good movie... but it's got some significant flaws that get in the way of the execution. The idea of making the original source material for Buzz Lightyear that Andy loved so much as a real product isn't a new idea, of course, in the early 2000s, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command premiered on the Disney Channel as a lighthearted, adventurous Saturday-Morning Cartoon take on Buzz, fleshing out his universe and just having fun with the idea. I loved the show as a kid, as did plenty of others while it was on the air, but apparently Pixar themselves were never that fond of it, even actively burying the show so it hasn't seen a rerelease in years, even on Disney+, despite being involved in making a wraparound segment of the Pilot Movie featuring the toys watching it, one directed by this movie's director, in fact. And to his credit, he's made it clear via Word of God that he still sees Star Command as the origin of Toy Buzz, as an In-Universe Recycled: The Series of the movie, which is nice. But ultimately, the movie doesn't quite reach the level of fun that the cartoon did. The best parts of the movie are the stuff focused around Buzz himself; Chris Evans does a great job embodying the character in a way that's not completely trying to copy Tim Allen but still feels true to the character while taking him more seriously. The parts where he actually gets to be Buzz Lightyear are definitely worth watching the movie for, especially the beginning of the film with his determination to achieve warpspeed travel at the expense of skipping through his best friend's entire life. Sox the robo-cat is great, managing to be completely adorable and funny, and being a nice companion to Buzz. The other main characters... aren't particularly great, though, unfortunately. Izzy's fine for the most part, but the other two aren't particularly funny or memorable, which sucks given one of them is played by Taika Waititi. Zurg... is a mixed bag. He's cool and intimidating whenever he's in the suit, and the big twist I will admit is not all that bad in a vacuum, would probably work well in any other movie, and genuinely works to serve the movie's themes and Buzz's character arc... but the idea that this is who the original Zurg was is a bit of a weird pill to swallow, especially given the movie implies that there's a real Evil Emperor Zurg out there that this technology came from... but in that case, why not just use him? The idea that he's not Buzz's father like was humorously stated in Toy Story 2 honestly didn't bother me, they say they didn't do that because it would've been a reveal everybody already knew going in, which they didn't want, and I can sorta get the idea behind that, but making it so that he's not even apparently the real Zurg is... a weird choice, to say the least. I dunno, I feel like there was a better way to do this. The overall setting is okay, the idea of going in a "hard" sci-fi direction is pretty unique for an animated film and I guess serves to separate it from the cartoon, but it feels too modern for something supposedly released in 1995. I feel like maybe they should've tweaked the overall aesthetic to make it feel more genuinely like a 90s Genre Throwback, as it is, this feels like it's a modern reboot of whatever Andy saw as a kid, not the actual thing. But still, the animation is great, the action scenes are great, Buzz is reinterpreted well; this feels like a nice launch pad for a franchise to further explore the stuff that worked and finetune the stuff that didn't in sequels... which we probably won't ever get since the movie bombed, unfortunately. Apparently the idea of a Defictionalized Show Within a Show was something general audiences couldn't wrap their heads around, which seems weird to me. It's not like it's a particularly hard concept to grasp and it's been done before for stuff like Grindhouse, so I don't get all the confusion about it. Oh, well.
To Infinity, and... not quite reaching beyond. But close!
Lightyear is a film with a promising concept, and I'd say overall it's a good movie... but it's got some significant flaws that get in the way of the execution. The idea of making the original source material for Buzz Lightyear that Andy loved so much as a real product isn't a new idea, of course, in the early 2000s, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command premiered on the Disney Channel as a lighthearted, adventurous Saturday-Morning Cartoon take on Buzz, fleshing out his universe and just having fun with the idea. I loved the show as a kid, as did plenty of others while it was on the air, but apparently Pixar themselves were never that fond of it, even actively burying the show so it hasn't seen a rerelease in years, even on Disney+, despite being involved in making a wraparound segment of the Pilot Movie featuring the toys watching it, one directed by this movie's director, in fact. And to his credit, he's made it clear via Word of God that he still sees Star Command as the origin of Toy Buzz, as an In-Universe Recycled: The Series of the movie, which is nice. But ultimately, the movie doesn't quite reach the level of fun that the cartoon did. The best parts of the movie are the stuff focused around Buzz himself; Chris Evans does a great job embodying the character in a way that's not completely trying to copy Tim Allen but still feels true to the character while taking him more seriously. The parts where he actually gets to be Buzz Lightyear are definitely worth watching the movie for, especially the beginning of the film with his determination to achieve warpspeed travel at the expense of skipping through his best friend's entire life. Sox the robo-cat is great, managing to be completely adorable and funny, and being a nice companion to Buzz. The other main characters... aren't particularly great, though, unfortunately. Izzy's fine for the most part, but the other two aren't particularly funny or memorable, which sucks given one of them is played by Taika Waititi. Zurg... is a mixed bag. He's cool and intimidating whenever he's in the suit, and the big twist I will admit is not all that bad in a vacuum, would probably work well in any other movie, and genuinely works to serve the movie's themes and Buzz's character arc... but the idea that this is who the original Zurg was is a bit of a weird pill to swallow, especially given the movie implies that there's a real Evil Emperor Zurg out there that this technology came from... but in that case, why not just use him? The idea that he's not Buzz's father like was humorously stated in Toy Story 2 honestly didn't bother me, they say they didn't do that because it would've been a reveal everybody already knew going in, which they didn't want, and I can sorta get the idea behind that, but making it so that he's not even apparently the real Zurg is... a weird choice, to say the least. I dunno, I feel like there was a better way to do this. The overall setting is okay, the idea of going in a "hard" sci-fi direction is pretty unique for an animated film and I guess serves to separate it from the cartoon, but it feels too modern for something supposedly released in 1995. I feel like maybe they should've tweaked the overall aesthetic to make it feel more genuinely like a 90s Genre Throwback, as it is, this feels like it's a modern reboot of whatever Andy saw as a kid, not the actual thing. But still, the animation is great, the action scenes are great, Buzz is reinterpreted well; this feels like a nice launch pad for a franchise to further explore the stuff that worked and finetune the stuff that didn't in sequels... which we probably won't ever get since the movie bombed, unfortunately. Apparently the idea of a Defictionalized Show Within a Show was something general audiences couldn't wrap their heads around, which seems weird to me. It's not like it's a particularly hard concept to grasp and it's been done before for stuff like Grindhouse, so I don't get all the confusion about it. Oh, well.
Easter Eggs
- A113: Can be seen on Alicia's office window.
- Pizza Planet Truck: In what is probably In-Universe Product Placement, it's parked in a garage that can be seen during the montage whenever Buzz and Alicia drive to the launch pad.
- Production Foreshadowing: At the old mining facility, the vending machine includes a product labeled "Wade Water".
Day 88 - Elemental (2023)
October 30
Water. Earth. Air. Long ago, the three nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the fire nation... moved in.
Huh, first time reviewing something that came out while I was doing this series. Neat.
Elemental is a beautifully-animated, emotionally touching love story, as well as a great exploration of the immigrant experience and the conflict of culture and family versus self. Like Coco, the story is a bit more simple and conventional than usual for Pixar, but no less effective for it. Of course, the real star of the show, in my opinion, is the wonderfully fluid and creative character animation. They really go all-out in what you can do with characters made out of fire, water and air, and every frame of it is beautiful to look at. The environment of Element City is also great, a Zootopia-like melding of a modern city with all kinds of creative deviations to fit the needs of the population. I saw the movie in 3D when it was in theaters (not really intentionally, it just kinda happened that way), and I'm glad I did, because it genuinely added to the experience; you could see stuff like visible heat radiating off of the fire characters or the depth inside the water and air characters that's not really noticeable in 2D. That's not to say our leads themselves aren't interesting, though; both Ember and Wade are super likable and well-realized characters that are just plain adorable around each other. Ember's story of learning to be honest with herself and overcome her crippling fear of not honoring her parents well enough for all they've done for her is great. Elemental is just a good movie with a very personal-feeling story.
Water. Earth. Air. Long ago, the three nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the fire nation... moved in.
Huh, first time reviewing something that came out while I was doing this series. Neat.
Elemental is a beautifully-animated, emotionally touching love story, as well as a great exploration of the immigrant experience and the conflict of culture and family versus self. Like Coco, the story is a bit more simple and conventional than usual for Pixar, but no less effective for it. Of course, the real star of the show, in my opinion, is the wonderfully fluid and creative character animation. They really go all-out in what you can do with characters made out of fire, water and air, and every frame of it is beautiful to look at. The environment of Element City is also great, a Zootopia-like melding of a modern city with all kinds of creative deviations to fit the needs of the population. I saw the movie in 3D when it was in theaters (not really intentionally, it just kinda happened that way), and I'm glad I did, because it genuinely added to the experience; you could see stuff like visible heat radiating off of the fire characters or the depth inside the water and air characters that's not really noticeable in 2D. That's not to say our leads themselves aren't interesting, though; both Ember and Wade are super likable and well-realized characters that are just plain adorable around each other. Ember's story of learning to be honest with herself and overcome her crippling fear of not honoring her parents well enough for all they've done for her is great. Elemental is just a good movie with a very personal-feeling story.
Easter Eggs
- A113: It's on the stoic Earth clerks door at the city hall.
- Pizza Planet Truck: Parked outside Wade's apartment building.
- Production Foreshadowing: During Wade's flashback to getting stuck in a sponge in elementary school, there's a poster reading "Join the space club!" with a picture of a planet from the upcoming Elio... which might end up becoming The Artifact, as Elio just got delayed to 2025 due to the Hollywood strikes, while Inside Out 2 has yet to move, so that one might end up being next depending on how things play out.
And with that, we're done with Pixar! And I believe I've mentioned this before, but I'm not stopping here, either. There's more to celebrate, and I'll be going till the end of the year with everything that doesn't fall under the DAC or Pixar. Or at least, the stuff I feel like watching. And hey, tomorrow's Halloween, so boys and girls of every age, would you like to see something strange...?
Everything Else
We're going till the end of the year with everything that's not under the two main labels. Live-action stuff, miscellaneous animated films, maybe some Disney Channel stuff, you name it. I won't be doing anything from Marvel or Lucasfilm because those are very much their own things (this might change depending on how I feel later). However, as 20th Century Fox has been essentially absorbed by Disney and doesn't have a separate "brand" like those two or even Pixar, I'll do some of those, but within boundaries: it has to be family-friendly and available to stream on Disney+, so nothing like Alien or Die Hard. Exceptions can be made if something isn't on Disney+ at the moment but its sequels are, or a sequel that's not currently on there but the original is (there's a few of each). This also won't be in any kind of order like the others, just whatever I feel like watching whenever. Day 89: Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
- What's this?
What's this?
There's color everywhere...
What's this?
There's white stuff in the air...
What's this?
I can't believe my eyes, I must be dreaming, wake up Jack, this isn't fair,
What's this?
This is Halloween, this is Halloween, pumpkins scream in the dead of night!
It's All Hallows Eve, so let's celebrate with the timeless tale of the Pumpkin King! Tim Burton and Henry Selick's stop-motion classic is an absolute delight, and a film I always make sure to watch twice every year. Yeah, that's right, in the eternal "Halloween movie vs. Christmas movie" debate, my stance is, "Stuff can be two things". It just works well for both holidays, the creepy stuff for Halloween and the heartfelt stuff for Christmas. The story and characters are rather simple, but in an endearing, fairytale sense, backed up by great animation, delightfully macabre yet whimsical art direction, and Danny Elfman's absolutely stellar musical contributions. I love the way the denizens of Halloween Town interpret Christmas customs according to their own bizarre spooky logic, and are genuinely interested in providing a good experience for the kids not understanding what they're doing wrong about it. I actually watched the film via the theatrical rerelease for this one, and it was a great way of experiencing something I've already seen countless times. You really notice a lot more details on a bigger screen; for instance, that flat white spot on Jack's torso? I always assumed that was his jacket opened up to his chest, but here I noticed it wasn't made of clay or plastic like his head and hands; instead I noticed that it's made from cloth. Yeah, that's apparently supposed to be an undershirt. Who knew! Oogie Boogie's also a pretty fun villain, for as little as he actually appears and doesn't have too much impact on the plot. The concept of multiple different holiday worlds is neat, and definitely feels worth exploring in some form. Like, what does Thanksgiving Town or St. Patrick's Day Town look like?
Anyway, while Halloween may have come and gone, we can keep the fun going a little bit longer, because next time I'll put a spell on you... and now you're gone!
Day 90 - Hocus Pocus (1993)
- I put a spell on you
And now you're mine
You can't stop the things I do
I ain't lyin'
It's been three hundred years
Right down to the day
Now the witch is back
And there's hell to pay
I put a spell on you
And now you're mine!
A little bit of Halloween spillovernote brings us to Disney's other Halloween-themed 1993 release... which released in July, for some reason. A definite Cult Classic that's delightfully campy and ridiculous in perfect 90s kids movie fashion. It's not exactly the smartest or most well-written film out there, but the incredibly hammy performances of the Sanderson Sisters are just so fun to watch, amd the atmosphere in general is peak Halloween goodness; this is a very good "spirit of the season" kind of movie. The plot is very much a Cliché Storm, but never pretends to be anything more than a fun spooky romp, which I can admire it for. The main characters aren't particularly interesting, per se, but they aren't bad, just regular 90s kid protagonists overshadowed by incredibly entertaining villains. There's plenty of awkward moments throughout the movie, like the whole "virgin" thing or the class at the beginning taking Halloween way too seriously, but I guess the movie just isn't going for subtlety at all, even with the "regular" people. Whatever, Hocus Pocus is just good Halloween fun. But of course, Halloween is over, so it's time to move on to other adventure... and next time we have our heading. Savvy?
Day 91 - Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
- Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me
We pillage and plunder, we rifle and loot
Drink up me hearties, yo ho
We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot
Drink up me hearties, yo ho
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me!
"When you left me on that God-forsaken island to die, you forgot one thing, mate: I'm Captain Jack Sparrow."
The odd gamble that launched a billion-dollar franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean probably, by all accounts, shouldn't have worked as well as it did. In fact, it was released alongside two other films based on theme park rides, both of which massively flopped. But Pirates put in the damn effort to be a kickass, stylish, hilarious swashbuckling adventure, with memorable characters, amazing action, endlessly quotable dialogue, witty humor, and a uniquely dark tone for a mainline Disney film. The meat of the movie, of course, revolves around Johnny Depp's legendary performance as Jack Sparrow, who, after the single greatest Establishing Character Moment ever put to film, spends the rest of the movie going all out in the best way possible, working so well that he's pretty much done the same character in everything he's been in ever since. But he's not able to steal every scene, as Geoffrey Rush has just as much presence as Barbossa. The clashing of these two dynamic personalities, the Crazy Is Cool Cloudcuckoolander and the pragmatic, deceptively cultured scumbag, with the likable moral anchors of Will and Elizabeth to keep things just grounded enough, combined with a highly engaging plot, make for an excellently fun time. The action scenes are spectacularly choreographed, and incredibly creative in their settings, something the sequels would take even farther... for better and for worse. The effects are great, especially the skeleton pirates, who are some really good CGI for a movie that's... damn, this movie turned 20 years old this year. Huh. The humor is excellently handled in a way that's not too distracting, both the witty dialogue and the well-performed physical comedy, providing levity for a very dark and scary movie by Disney standards. I'll probably be doing some of the sequels at some point, with what worked and didn't in regards to them, but the one that started it all is still such a great and fun movie after all this time. Next up, however, we've had three rather dark films in a row, how about something lighter? Say, have you ever wondered why there are so many songs about rainbows, and what's on the other side...?
Day 92 - The Muppet Movie (1979)
- Why are there so many songs about rainbows, and what's on the other side?
Rainbows are visions, and only illusions, and rainbows have nothing to hide
That's what we're told and some choose to believe it
I know they're wrong, wait and see...
Someday we'll find it,
The Rainbow Connection
The lovers, the dreamers, and me!
Sort of approximately the true story of how the Muppets got started.
Jim Henson's beloved cast of wacky misfits make their inaugural jump from the small screen to the big screen in this charming, (mostly) timeless classic. Certainly an ambitious project for its time; while it may seem like just a simple but charming family film today, this was actually a rather huge undertaking for Henson and crew. First off, this was their first project filmed entirely on location instead of a soundstage, so this was essentially the first time anybody ever saw the Muppets interacting with the "real world", so to speak. Not only that, but the bigger budget and production schedule meant that they were free to experiment and have the characters do all kinds of things that never would've been possible on The Muppet Show. Kermit on the log in the water and later him riding a bike, Gonzo floating with balloons, Fozzie driving, characters who usually shared a performer (like Kermit and Rowlf, or Fozzie and Piggy) having substantial interactions with each other, it's quite fascinating to watch even after all the later Muppet projects where this became the norm. As for the cast, well... it's the Muppets. We all know these guys and adore them, they've been icons for generations and it's almost impossible to not enjoy something they're in because they're such great characters. Though it is worth mentioning that this film differs from a lot of the later ones in that, for most of the movie, the Muppets themselves actually get to be the main characters, where most of the later films have the cast revolve around, or at least share significant screentime with, a central human protagonist, like Michael Caine's Ebeneezer Scrooge. It's a unique aspect that helps set it apart from the others, especially given this was the first big movie project to do this kind of thing. The humor is great in the traditional Muppet fashion, some genuinely great gags, memorable celebrity cameos (like Steve Martin, Mel Brooks, Richard Pryor, Orson Welles, and a certain large yellow avian hoping to break into public television), a blatant disregard for the fourth wall, and jokes that are intentionally so lame you can't help but love them (the "drinks on the house" gag should not be as funny as it is, but nobody else could've made it work). Add in some heartwarming character moments and amazing songs, and you get a showcase of everything that makes the Muppets so great.
I'll be watching more of the Muppet films for this, though not necessarily in chronological order (after all, it's not like there's continuity between most of them), but next time we'll be jumping from one classic special effects showcase to another... End of Line.
Day 93 - TRON (1982)
November 6
Greetings, programs.
The iconic pioneer of CGI effects in film, a movie that initially flopped due to audiences not really knowing what to make of it, with the Academy Awards even denying it a Best Visual Effects nomination because they considered the use of computers to be "cheating", but became a legendary Cult Classic among computer enthusiasts and sci-fi nerds that eventually got the recognition it deserved. And yeah, it's a good flick. Obviously, the effects are not something that has aged particularly well, but there's a kind of charm to all of it, and the uniquely 80s-tastic art direction still helps make it interesting to look at. The way the individual functions of a computer network are personified are pretty neat, and the way User/Program interactions are characterized as a religious allegory is a fun idea, and not a topic you'd typically expect from Disney. The plot and characters aren't particularly complex, but they're fun; the focus is really around exploring the world of the computer, and the acting is committed enough from everybody to make the cheesiness of it all work. The pacing can get quite slow at many points, especially by the end, but it still managed to hold my attention for the most part. I remember upon me and my brother first seeing the movie as kids, most of the computer terminology completely went over our heads, but I still enjoyed it overall (my brother didn't). Still, we both preferred the sequel. But before we get there, next time we'll be taking a visit to Toontown for yet another groundbreaking special effects showcase.
Greetings, programs.
The iconic pioneer of CGI effects in film, a movie that initially flopped due to audiences not really knowing what to make of it, with the Academy Awards even denying it a Best Visual Effects nomination because they considered the use of computers to be "cheating", but became a legendary Cult Classic among computer enthusiasts and sci-fi nerds that eventually got the recognition it deserved. And yeah, it's a good flick. Obviously, the effects are not something that has aged particularly well, but there's a kind of charm to all of it, and the uniquely 80s-tastic art direction still helps make it interesting to look at. The way the individual functions of a computer network are personified are pretty neat, and the way User/Program interactions are characterized as a religious allegory is a fun idea, and not a topic you'd typically expect from Disney. The plot and characters aren't particularly complex, but they're fun; the focus is really around exploring the world of the computer, and the acting is committed enough from everybody to make the cheesiness of it all work. The pacing can get quite slow at many points, especially by the end, but it still managed to hold my attention for the most part. I remember upon me and my brother first seeing the movie as kids, most of the computer terminology completely went over our heads, but I still enjoyed it overall (my brother didn't). Still, we both preferred the sequel. But before we get there, next time we'll be taking a visit to Toontown for yet another groundbreaking special effects showcase.
Day 94 - Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
November 8
"If you don't got a sense of humor... you're better off dead!"
Half Film Noir, half Zany Cartoon, Roger Rabbit is a perfect love letter to both with a revolutionary approach to blending animation with live-action; we don't call it the Roger Rabbit Effect here for nothing!
The actual mystery itself is fairly straightforward and obvious, but that's obviously part of the fun here, and the dynamic between Eddie and Roger definitely carries a lot of it. Bob Hoskins is perfect not only as the hardboiled gumshoe slowly rediscovering his sense of humor, but manages to pull that off while interacting with thin air for a good chunk of the movie. The animation is perfectly shaded to blend in with the realistic environments in a way few other later films like this have managed to pull off as well. Not only that, but the level of attention paid to how the Toons interact with the world around them is incredible; making sure every object they touch moves like it's actually being touched ("bumping the lamp" as the filmmakers called it). The sheer amount of love on display for all the classic cartoons and their stars is palpable, especially when those stars actually appear, including the still-mindblowing crossovers of Disney and Warner Bros. characters in a way we'll probably never see again, but seeing Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny onscreen together will never stop being awesome. Even mostly-forgotten characters like Betty Boop and Droopy get time to shine alongside the big names. The wackiness of the cartoon world and the grittiness of the detective world meld together shockingly well tone-wise, especially in regards to the villain. Judge Doom is not at all subtle about being the bad guy, but he's so entertaining as performed by Christopher Lloyd, and like King Candy the bigger twist around him more than makes up for the lack of a proper mystery. The way he behaves in the climax manages to make the classic cartoon gags downright frightening, especially his eyes. Jessica Rabbit, famously the sexiest thing since sex, also works great as a surprisingly complex and nuanced character, and her and Roger's relationship is bizarrely wholesome in a way only a Toon marriage could be. What else can I say? This is an all-time classic and a milestone in animation history. Next time, we'll be heading from the 80s to the 90s to get a little goofy, but until then... That's All, Folks!
"If you don't got a sense of humor... you're better off dead!"
Half Film Noir, half Zany Cartoon, Roger Rabbit is a perfect love letter to both with a revolutionary approach to blending animation with live-action; we don't call it the Roger Rabbit Effect here for nothing!
The actual mystery itself is fairly straightforward and obvious, but that's obviously part of the fun here, and the dynamic between Eddie and Roger definitely carries a lot of it. Bob Hoskins is perfect not only as the hardboiled gumshoe slowly rediscovering his sense of humor, but manages to pull that off while interacting with thin air for a good chunk of the movie. The animation is perfectly shaded to blend in with the realistic environments in a way few other later films like this have managed to pull off as well. Not only that, but the level of attention paid to how the Toons interact with the world around them is incredible; making sure every object they touch moves like it's actually being touched ("bumping the lamp" as the filmmakers called it). The sheer amount of love on display for all the classic cartoons and their stars is palpable, especially when those stars actually appear, including the still-mindblowing crossovers of Disney and Warner Bros. characters in a way we'll probably never see again, but seeing Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny onscreen together will never stop being awesome. Even mostly-forgotten characters like Betty Boop and Droopy get time to shine alongside the big names. The wackiness of the cartoon world and the grittiness of the detective world meld together shockingly well tone-wise, especially in regards to the villain. Judge Doom is not at all subtle about being the bad guy, but he's so entertaining as performed by Christopher Lloyd, and like King Candy the bigger twist around him more than makes up for the lack of a proper mystery. The way he behaves in the climax manages to make the classic cartoon gags downright frightening, especially his eyes. Jessica Rabbit, famously the sexiest thing since sex, also works great as a surprisingly complex and nuanced character, and her and Roger's relationship is bizarrely wholesome in a way only a Toon marriage could be. What else can I say? This is an all-time classic and a milestone in animation history. Next time, we'll be heading from the 80s to the 90s to get a little goofy, but until then... That's All, Folks!
Day 95 - A Goofy Movie (1995)
- If we listen to each other's hearts
We'll find we're never too far apart
And maybe love is the reason why
For the first time ever we're seeing it eye to eye...
A-HYUCK!
A Goofy Movie is both the most aggressively 90s movie ever made and a funny, heartwarming story about parenthood. Goofy is probably the last character you'd ever expect to get effective dramatic pathos out of, but his earnest desire to bond with Max and understand him better makes for some great emotional moments, mixed in with the traditional Goofy slapstick. What I especially like is the nuance of the relationship, both Goofy and Max have legitimate reasons for concern about each other but aren't entirely in the right themselves, and they solve the problem by genuinely talking through it and coming to a better understanding of each other. It's just a nice relationship to watch. Max and Roxanne are super adorable together for as little screentime as they share together, despite Disney's apparent refusal to acknowledge her in anything else that Max is in (outside of a House of Mouse episode and a photograph in DuckTales (2017)). I also like the more... sinister interpretation of Pete in this movie. Sure, he gets to be his regular amusing self for quite a bit, but the deeper examination of his parenting methods and his attempts to make Goofy a harsher disciplinarian makes for an interesting exploration of him as a character... especially given the conspicuously ominous absence of Peg and Pistol in this movie. All in all, this is just a fun movie about a classic character. Next time, we're again jumping forward a decade; this time to deconstruct the idea of a Disney Princess...
Day 96 - Enchanted (2007)
November 12
I've been dreaming of a true love's kiss...
A hilarious Decon-Recon Switch of the Disney Princess archetype, Enchanted was actually fairly instrumental in helping Disney out of their slump in the 2000s. Without its revitalization of the classic Disney animated tropes, stuff like Tangled and Frozen may have had more of an uphill battle for their widespread popularity. The fact that the Revival officially started the following year with Bolt further solidified the transition from the difficulties of the Eisner era. But apart from all that, this is just a fun movie. The whole cast is great, but especially Amy Adams and James Marsden hamming it up as live-action cartoon characters in a grungy New York setting. I like the overall theme of a balance of healthy cynicism with hopeful optimism in your outlook on life; Giselle never loses her Princess Classic personality but merely adapts it to be more realistic, and the people she interacts with are touched by her idealism and rediscover their own sense of happiness. It's a nice sentiment, definitely, like I said, paving the way for later updates to the classic fairytale formula. The climax is definitely the weakest part; the dragon CGI is horrible and Susan Sarandon suddenly flips from an entertaining classical Disney villain to overdosing on the meta-commentary a bit too much; all of her dialogue is basically "This Is the Part Where..." and it's a bit too much even for a movie like this. Still, the rest of the movie is a well-made love letter to the classic Princess movies with a ton of great humor mixed in. Next time, we return to the digital frontier...
I've been dreaming of a true love's kiss...
A hilarious Decon-Recon Switch of the Disney Princess archetype, Enchanted was actually fairly instrumental in helping Disney out of their slump in the 2000s. Without its revitalization of the classic Disney animated tropes, stuff like Tangled and Frozen may have had more of an uphill battle for their widespread popularity. The fact that the Revival officially started the following year with Bolt further solidified the transition from the difficulties of the Eisner era. But apart from all that, this is just a fun movie. The whole cast is great, but especially Amy Adams and James Marsden hamming it up as live-action cartoon characters in a grungy New York setting. I like the overall theme of a balance of healthy cynicism with hopeful optimism in your outlook on life; Giselle never loses her Princess Classic personality but merely adapts it to be more realistic, and the people she interacts with are touched by her idealism and rediscover their own sense of happiness. It's a nice sentiment, definitely, like I said, paving the way for later updates to the classic fairytale formula. The climax is definitely the weakest part; the dragon CGI is horrible and Susan Sarandon suddenly flips from an entertaining classical Disney villain to overdosing on the meta-commentary a bit too much; all of her dialogue is basically "This Is the Part Where..." and it's a bit too much even for a movie like this. Still, the rest of the movie is a well-made love letter to the classic Princess movies with a ton of great humor mixed in. Next time, we return to the digital frontier...
Day 97 - Tron: Legacy (2010)
November 15
"The Grid. A digital frontier. I tried to picture clusters of information as they moved through the computer: what did they look like? Ships? Motorcycles? Were the circuits like freeways? I kept dreaming of a world I thought I'd never see. Then... one day... I got in."
While the first TRON was ambitious and is still a good movie, it is absolutely a product of the 80s. It's super cheesy, the effects are primitive, the pacing is slow, and the acting is a bit off. The sequel, 22 years later, however, is an amazing followup that truly updates it as a genuinely great sci-fi film, one that holds up better than its predecessor after 13 years. The environment of the Grid now feels... solid. The animation and texturing of the CGI makes it all look real, but still fantastical. The updated character designs look significantly less goofy than the cardboard frisbees and foam helmets of 1982, and the color palette of mostly black makes the colorful Tron Lines really pop out beautifully. The cinematography is great, too, lots of really cool, very well-composited shots. The one thing that doesn't really work is the Digital De-Aging of Jeff Bridges. Obviously, this was one of the first big attempts to do something like this, but it has not aged well compared to how Marvel and Lucasfilm have been able to do it. The skin is weird and plasticy and the animations of his face are just subtly off enough to reach the Uncanny Valley. Granted, CLU being both a program and the villain probably makes it a bit justified, but the opening with young Flynn in the real world definitely looks off, though to the movie's credit he's either facing away from the camera or in shadow for most of the scene, so I guess they realized it themselves. The story is definitely more cerebral than the first, which was a pretty basic "escape the evil programs in the computer world" plot with some slight religious allegory, but here the dystopia and the religious parallels are toned up and explored more deeply, revolving around Flynn's attempts at perfection and how that ended up going wrong. The worldbuilding is also a big step up from the first, we get to see a lot of what programs actually do when they're not competing in death games and stuff like that. But, like the original, the story is just a bonus to showcase the visuals... and they are stunning, even now, helped along by the absolutely badass Daft Punk soundtrack. I love this movie, and was super bummed when Disney cancelled the sequel because Tomorrowland bombed (never seen that one, don't know if I'll get to it for this series), but good news, they're making it again (hooray!) ...with Jared Leto (dammit!). Next time, another sequel, as we voyage back to the adventurous waters of the Caribbean.
"The Grid. A digital frontier. I tried to picture clusters of information as they moved through the computer: what did they look like? Ships? Motorcycles? Were the circuits like freeways? I kept dreaming of a world I thought I'd never see. Then... one day... I got in."
While the first TRON was ambitious and is still a good movie, it is absolutely a product of the 80s. It's super cheesy, the effects are primitive, the pacing is slow, and the acting is a bit off. The sequel, 22 years later, however, is an amazing followup that truly updates it as a genuinely great sci-fi film, one that holds up better than its predecessor after 13 years. The environment of the Grid now feels... solid. The animation and texturing of the CGI makes it all look real, but still fantastical. The updated character designs look significantly less goofy than the cardboard frisbees and foam helmets of 1982, and the color palette of mostly black makes the colorful Tron Lines really pop out beautifully. The cinematography is great, too, lots of really cool, very well-composited shots. The one thing that doesn't really work is the Digital De-Aging of Jeff Bridges. Obviously, this was one of the first big attempts to do something like this, but it has not aged well compared to how Marvel and Lucasfilm have been able to do it. The skin is weird and plasticy and the animations of his face are just subtly off enough to reach the Uncanny Valley. Granted, CLU being both a program and the villain probably makes it a bit justified, but the opening with young Flynn in the real world definitely looks off, though to the movie's credit he's either facing away from the camera or in shadow for most of the scene, so I guess they realized it themselves. The story is definitely more cerebral than the first, which was a pretty basic "escape the evil programs in the computer world" plot with some slight religious allegory, but here the dystopia and the religious parallels are toned up and explored more deeply, revolving around Flynn's attempts at perfection and how that ended up going wrong. The worldbuilding is also a big step up from the first, we get to see a lot of what programs actually do when they're not competing in death games and stuff like that. But, like the original, the story is just a bonus to showcase the visuals... and they are stunning, even now, helped along by the absolutely badass Daft Punk soundtrack. I love this movie, and was super bummed when Disney cancelled the sequel because Tomorrowland bombed (never seen that one, don't know if I'll get to it for this series), but good news, they're making it again (hooray!) ...with Jared Leto (dammit!). Next time, another sequel, as we voyage back to the adventurous waters of the Caribbean.
Day 98 - Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
November 18
"Do you fear... death? Do you fear that dark abyss? All your deeds laid bare, all your sins punished?"
The second of the adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow is, truthfully, a bit of a mixed bag, but overall still a fun journey. The biggest knock against it is its long running time at two and a half hours, and the pacing can get a bit slow at multiple points, making it feel even longer; certain scenes go on for awhile without much payoff, most notably the twenty minutes we spend with the cannibals. But the stuff that works really does work: the action scenes are just as fun and exciting as the first, especially the famous waterwheel fight. The crew of the Flying Dutchman are an absolutely stellar achievement in motion-capture CGI, especially Davy Jones himself, with his killer design, amazing animation, and a powerhouse performance by Bill Nighy. Jack, of course, is as great as ever, and Will, in my opinion, is at his finest in this movie; not quite the NaĂŻve Newcomer he was last time, taking his own kind of active role in the plot without overshadowing everybody else like in the next film. The scenes of him reconnecting with his father are really good as both emotional moments and setup for his character arc going forward. Cuttler Beckett isn't a particularly interesting bad guy, but at least he's not too prominent in this one screentime-wise... again, something that the next movie would suffer from. But on its own, Dead Man's Chest, whe not quite as fresh and focused as Curse of the Black Pearl, is still a good film, and the ways it sets up the second part of this Two-Part Trilogy are quite great... so next time we'll be continuing on that path.
"Do you fear... death? Do you fear that dark abyss? All your deeds laid bare, all your sins punished?"
The second of the adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow is, truthfully, a bit of a mixed bag, but overall still a fun journey. The biggest knock against it is its long running time at two and a half hours, and the pacing can get a bit slow at multiple points, making it feel even longer; certain scenes go on for awhile without much payoff, most notably the twenty minutes we spend with the cannibals. But the stuff that works really does work: the action scenes are just as fun and exciting as the first, especially the famous waterwheel fight. The crew of the Flying Dutchman are an absolutely stellar achievement in motion-capture CGI, especially Davy Jones himself, with his killer design, amazing animation, and a powerhouse performance by Bill Nighy. Jack, of course, is as great as ever, and Will, in my opinion, is at his finest in this movie; not quite the NaĂŻve Newcomer he was last time, taking his own kind of active role in the plot without overshadowing everybody else like in the next film. The scenes of him reconnecting with his father are really good as both emotional moments and setup for his character arc going forward. Cuttler Beckett isn't a particularly interesting bad guy, but at least he's not too prominent in this one screentime-wise... again, something that the next movie would suffer from. But on its own, Dead Man's Chest, whe not quite as fresh and focused as Curse of the Black Pearl, is still a good film, and the ways it sets up the second part of this Two-Part Trilogy are quite great... so next time we'll be continuing on that path.
Day 99 - Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)
- Yo ho, all hands, hoist the colours high
Heave ho, thieves and beggars, never shall we die!
Yo ho, haul together, hoist the colours high
Heave ho, thieves and beggars, never shall we die!
"The world used to be a bigger place." "World's still the same. There's just less in it."
Part three of the trilogy... honestly, I like it better now than when I first saw it. As a kid I remembered liking it fine, but taking issue with stuff like the three-hour length and the fact that Jack takes a long while to show up and has to share screentime with Will and Elizabeth's story, as I mentioned last time. Now, as an adult, though? Neither of these bothered me as much. I know that sounds weird considering I knocked Dead Man's Chest for being two and a half hours, but that movie had a lot of filler and pacing issues. At World's End is full of story, and most scenes actually makes sense belonging to the overall narrative, so I found that less of an issue. Will and Elizabeth, despite my earlier feelings, don't overtake the story like I previously saw it, but genuinely manage to share their part in it with Jack, something easier to realize without the shorter attention span of a kid. And bringing back Barbossa as one of the good guys makes for even more great scenes with him. One thing that does still hold up as an issue for me is Beckett; he's still not an interesting bad guy but this time takes up much more of the plot and has Davy Jones Demoted to Dragon despite being an infinitely more interesting character, both with the added backstory and the general creepy coolness he exuded last time. At the very least he still gets a good showing in the climax. In fact, the entire last hour is an epic final battle, even if the other Pirate Lords get sidelined and don't actually participate for some reason after spending the whole movie trying to get them together. Jack's constant hallucinations are also just really weird and I don't exactly know how I feel about them. It just seemed a bit much, even for such an already odd character. But still, the movie does also have some genuinely great character moments, like the exchange between Jack and Barbossa I highlighted in the quote above, and overall this is a great end to the original trilogy. Will I be covering the other two Pirates movies? ...No. I have other stuff I want to watch and I'm not wasting my time on those; I've seen them both before and barely remember anything about them. I read on the wiki just recently that Paul McCartney has a cameo in the fifth one, and you'd think that would be something I'd remember but somehow I don't at all, which I don't think bodes well if I decided to watch them again. Next time, we've reached the big number 100, and I wasn't exactly planning on this, but it just so happened to line up right... so let's make a Wish.
Day 100 - Wish (2023) (NO SPOILERS)
- So I look up at the stars to guide me
And throw caution to every warning sign
If knowing what it could be is what drives me
Then let me be the first to stand in line
So I make this wish
To have something more for us than this
So I make this wish
To have something more for us than this
So, we've finally made it... 100 days of movies, just so happening to fall on the release day for Disney's own centennial celebration film. I didn't exactly plan for this, but it's a happy coincidence nonetheless. As for the movie itself, it is indeed good. I guess the best way to describe it is that it's very much a Genre Throwback to the classical Walt-era films with a few Renaissance/Revival-style touches, but for the most part it feels like something that could've come out in the Gold or Silver Ages, just in CGI. The plot and characters are rather simplistic compared to something like Beauty and the Beast or Frozen, but there's a definite charm to the style of simplicity they're going for. It's basically an original fairytale, and it works for what it's trying to do. The visual style is a great marriage of the Revival-era style used for stuff like Tangled and Frozen mixed with a Painted CGI effect, most visible for stuff like backgrounds and magical effects. The songs are good, although a few times I could plainly make out an autotune effect, and the lyrics, again throwing back to the classic films, are more simplistic than a lot of the more modern Disney songs, this doesn't have, say, Encanto's clever, multilayered songwriting or anything, but again, it's not trying to do that, and there's a charm to it. King Magnifico, advertised as the big return to classic-style Disney Villains, definitely delivers on that promise, though in a way that's a bit more nuanced at the beginning, which I liked. I feel like if Disney's going back to out-and-out villain villains for the Canon, the sparks of humanity shown with Magnifico is a good springboard for the evolution of that kind of villain. Chris Pine was obviously having a blast with his most outwardly evil moments, I can tell you that. The frequent Disney references throughout are fun, and not usually too on-the-nose, most of them felt like Pixar-style Easter Eggs, or occasional dialogue nods, but some get pretty obvious. Like, there's a background character who's essentially just Peter Pan. Not literally him, he's an adult, but he's dressed in the costume, is called Peter, and his wish is to fly. Subtle. The movie, despite some expectations, doesn't go into full-on Canon Welding, the references are just that: references. There's also something very special done with the credits that I won't spoil, but it's a very neat way of topping off the big celebration. All in all, Wish isn't a big, gamechanging shakeup for Disney, but a very loving tribute to the studio's history. Next time, for day 101... well, okay, why not? Let's take a look at Disney's very first live-action remake.
Day 101 Dalmatians (1996)
November 25
Yeah, obviously I had to do this. Not only because of the number, but because this was the first of Disney's live-action remakes of their animated films, twenty years before they really started going at it. And having not seen this one before... it's a decent time. The obvious big draw is Glenn Close having the time of her life as Cruella, perfectly embodying the classic villainess while somehow acting more cartoonish than the actual animated character. The remake also manages to set itself apart from the original by not having the dogs talk, which at first sounds less fun but the animal actors in this movie are genuinely quite good, and there's definitely a charm to the different approach that probably wouldn't have worked if they were talking CGI dogs. There is some CGI for stuff that would be dangerous or hard for the dogs to do, and it's all rather terrible, but most of the time it's real animals onscreen. I was surprised to see than none other than John Hughes wrote this, and after watching it you can definitely see the Home Alone influences in the third act, down to Jasper and Horace (played rather unexpectedly by Hugh Laurie and Arthur Weasley, respectively) basically being British Harry and Marv. Still, on the whole this is an okay film, and a neat experiment on how to remake an animated film in live-action in a way that stands out. Next time, we'll be doing the film I was going to do for Day 100, so let's all take a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down...
Yeah, obviously I had to do this. Not only because of the number, but because this was the first of Disney's live-action remakes of their animated films, twenty years before they really started going at it. And having not seen this one before... it's a decent time. The obvious big draw is Glenn Close having the time of her life as Cruella, perfectly embodying the classic villainess while somehow acting more cartoonish than the actual animated character. The remake also manages to set itself apart from the original by not having the dogs talk, which at first sounds less fun but the animal actors in this movie are genuinely quite good, and there's definitely a charm to the different approach that probably wouldn't have worked if they were talking CGI dogs. There is some CGI for stuff that would be dangerous or hard for the dogs to do, and it's all rather terrible, but most of the time it's real animals onscreen. I was surprised to see than none other than John Hughes wrote this, and after watching it you can definitely see the Home Alone influences in the third act, down to Jasper and Horace (played rather unexpectedly by Hugh Laurie and Arthur Weasley, respectively) basically being British Harry and Marv. Still, on the whole this is an okay film, and a neat experiment on how to remake an animated film in live-action in a way that stands out. Next time, we'll be doing the film I was going to do for Day 100, so let's all take a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down...
Day 102 - Mary Poppins (1964)
- Let's go fly a kite!
Up to the highest height!
Let's go fly a kite
And send it soaring!
Up through the atmosphere!
Up where the air is clear!
Oh, let's go fly a kite!
"First of all, I'd like to make one thing quite clear: I never explain anything."
Ah, Mary Poppins. A timeless family classic, one of Walt Disney's proudest achievements, and a film that, well, there's no other way to describe it... it's practically perfect in every way. Everything about this movie is delightful. The songs are probably the Sherman Brothers' finest work. You know how I've spotlighted some lyrics from a song from each movie that has one in these? For this movie it was genuinely hard to choose which one, they're all fantastic and iconic. The characters are all incredibly charming to watch and magnificently acted, from the awesomeness of the nanny herself brought to life via Julie Andrews' Sugar-and-Ice Personality. Dick Van Dyke's lovably energetic Bert, man of a thousand careers and possesor of a charmingly fake Cockney accent. Mr. Banks, the stern but caring authority figure whose character arc is the emotional core of the story. Even minor characters like the Bird Lady, laughter aficionado Uncle Albert, the delightfully stuffy bankers, the friendly tapdancing chimneysweeps, and excitable suffragette Mrs. Banks all leave a lasting impression. The effects are for the most part spectacular for a 1964 film, especially the animated sequence, which while obviously falling short of the likes of Roger Rabbit in the technical department, is still incredible to watch. I fully believe that Dick Van Dyke is dancing with those penguins. While the author may not have liked it that much (well, initially. I've heard that, much like Stephen King with The Shining, she eventually came around to appreciating it as a film while still feeling it wasn't a good adaptation of the book), to the point of there being a whole movie about how many problems she had with the production, there's no denying that this movie has touched multiple generations, and will probably continue to do so for even more. There's a reason I was going to do this movie for number 100 before Wish just happened to release at the right time. Next time, we'll reunite with some old friends, because it's time to play the music, and it's time to light the lights...
Day 103 - The Muppets (2011)
- Everything is great,
Everything is grand,
I've got the whole wide world in the palm of my hand!
Everything is perfect,
It's falling into place,
I can't seem to wipe this smile off my face!
Life's a happy song,
When there's someone by my side to sing along!
"I always dreamed we'd be back here!" "Dreams? Those were nightmares!" "DO-HOHOHOHO!!!"
The Muppets' big, bold comeback... kinda. Yeah, despite what this movie's narrative says, the Muppets have never truly gone away for any significant period, but there was definitely a time in the 2000s where the franchise wasn't exactly in a great place overall, with the characters mostly being relegated to so-so TV specials and YouTube videos. But still, that doesn't take away from the film being an incredibly heartfelt love letter to The Muppet Show and its characters, one that openly proclaims that there is still room for these characters in today's pop culture, and showcasing the absolute best of what they have to offer. There's very clear affection for the Muppets from everyone involved in the movie and it shows. The classic characters are all on-point, the jokes are great even when they're not supposed to be (wocka wocka wocka!), the songs are all fantastic, the celebrity cameos are numerous and fun, everything you absolutely need to see in a Muppet movie is here. Walter is a great addition to the main cast, and I've been glad to see him coming back in the more recent stuff. Chris Cooper's evil oil baron is an absolutely hilarious villain; he's so incapable of laughter he can't even do a proper Evil Laugh, he has an out-of-nowhere rap number about how rich and greedy he is, his deranged actions in the climax are attributed to his random downing of a dozen Red Bulls, he's just great. Jason Segel and Amy Adams as the main human couple actually pair quite nicely with the Muppets while not taking too much screentime from them, and their characters are both likable on their own. I'd say they're up there with James Marsden in the Sonic movies for how to do a Human-Focused Adaptation-type movie right. This is my personal favorite Muppet movie, it's just a great time all around and a wonderful way to revitalize a classic franchise. Next time I'll have been doing this for one hundred and four days. Huh, wonder what else lasts that long...?
Day 104 - Phineas and Ferb: Across the Second Dimension (2011)
- Kick it up a notch!
You know it's our debut!
Kick it up a notch!
Take it up a level or two!
Kick it up a notch!
Yeah, I know where we're gonna go!
Cause everybody knows summer rocks,
But now we're ready to roll!
Aren't I a little old to be loving this movie? Why yes, yes I am!
The Big Damn Movie for the classic television series that has Strictly Formula down to a fine art. The movie is basically a perfect extension to everything great about the show: the top-notch comedic writing, the excellent songs, the lovable characters, the plentiful Running Gags, all topped off with a more epic and dramatic story that breaks one of the cardinal rules of the show; shattering the boundaries between the two major plotlines and having the boys' summer fun collide directly with their platypus's neverending battle against the world's most lovably pathetic supervillain. The tension milked out of Phineas's shock that Perry might not truly consider them his family, and Perry's worries that he'll have to leave them now the secret is out but being unable to tell them, is great character stuff that adds a ton of depth, and the way certain characters that never interacted on the show before are now able to makes for some great comedic rapport. Alternate Doofenschmirtz is a great villain: nicely straddling the line between a genuine Knight of Cerebus, mixed with frequent reminders that, beneath his greater levels of intelligence, competence, and malice... he's still Doofenschmirtz at the end of the day. The jokes in the movie are some of the best in the whole series; heck, this was actually the debut of two brand-new running gags that continued into the show: "MY WATERMELON!" and the OWCA sign. The action scenes are great for a movie based on such a dialogue-comedy-heavy show, especially the climax: a grand Continuity Cavalcade of every invention in the show's history up to that point being used to defend the city, and the rather clever way that, in true Phineas and Ferb fashion, the Reset Button gets pushed after such an upheaval of the status quo. I feel like the movie is basically a "Greatest Hits" showcase of what makes the show so great, for both fans and newcomers alike. And hey, Ferb, I know what we're going to do tomorrow. We're gonna steal the Declaration of Independence! ...Hey, where's Nic Cage?
Day 105 - National Treasure (2004)
December 11
"I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna steal the Declaration of Independence."
Just a fun action-adventure flick all around, National Treasure is great. As a history buff myself, this kinda thing is right up my alley, and unlike Dan Brown the crew actually did their research for the most part, so there's plenty of educational value to it as well outside of the obvious Artistic License about treasure maps and secret conspiracies for the sake of a fun movie. Nicolas Cage is in top form in this; his performance is surprisingly serious for a premise like this and, well... him being Nic Cage. He plays the entire thing with total conviction in what he's saying, and displays a genuine charismatic reverence for every historical aspect that comes up. His supporting cast is pretty great as well, Riley's an endearing comic relief played by who I'm only now realizing is the fourth guy from The Hangover, Harvey Keitel as the FBI director, and Sean Bean as the bad guy in what is, surprisingly, one of the few roles where he doesn't die. The action scenes are pretty good for a PG-rated film, sure that means nobody actually gets hit and I think there's one scene of one of the bad guys grabbing a knife that he never uses, making it clear something was cut for the rating, but they're still exciting to watch. I remember in school multiple history and social studies teachers would show us the movie as a treat, though I first saw it as a Netflix DVD rental. The sequel is good, too, though I'm not sure if I'll get to it. Next time, though, we're going to have to WATCH OUT FOR THAT- {thud}.
"I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna steal the Declaration of Independence."
Just a fun action-adventure flick all around, National Treasure is great. As a history buff myself, this kinda thing is right up my alley, and unlike Dan Brown the crew actually did their research for the most part, so there's plenty of educational value to it as well outside of the obvious Artistic License about treasure maps and secret conspiracies for the sake of a fun movie. Nicolas Cage is in top form in this; his performance is surprisingly serious for a premise like this and, well... him being Nic Cage. He plays the entire thing with total conviction in what he's saying, and displays a genuine charismatic reverence for every historical aspect that comes up. His supporting cast is pretty great as well, Riley's an endearing comic relief played by who I'm only now realizing is the fourth guy from The Hangover, Harvey Keitel as the FBI director, and Sean Bean as the bad guy in what is, surprisingly, one of the few roles where he doesn't die. The action scenes are pretty good for a PG-rated film, sure that means nobody actually gets hit and I think there's one scene of one of the bad guys grabbing a knife that he never uses, making it clear something was cut for the rating, but they're still exciting to watch. I remember in school multiple history and social studies teachers would show us the movie as a treat, though I first saw it as a Netflix DVD rental. The sequel is good, too, though I'm not sure if I'll get to it. Next time, though, we're going to have to WATCH OUT FOR THAT- {thud}.
Day 106 - George of the Jungle (1997)
- George, George, George of the Jungle,
Friend to you and me!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
George, George, George of the Jungle,
Lives a life that's free!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
WATCH OUT FOR THAT {oof!} ...TREE!
George of the Jungle is just the kind of fun, stupid comedy you need to take in every now and then. The whole thing is a fine example of a Live-Action Cartoon, taking absolutely nothing seriously in the best way possible. So many great gags throughout, from the constant Lampshade Hanging, the Lemony Narrator, the exaggerated slapstick, it's all hilarious. Brendan Fraser really goes all-out as the lovable dumbass jungle king and a perfect Fish out of Water for the New York portion of the movie. Thomas Haden Church is also hysterical as the whiny entitled Disposable Fiancé with some excellent back-and-forth between him and the tour guides. The special effects are... mixed, with some excellent Jim Henson-made suits for the gorillas but rather poor CGI on a lot of the other animals, and George's vine swinging looks very much like he's hanging from a crane, but then again I guess this isn't the kind of movie where total immersion is a priority. I've never actually seen the original cartoon, but I do known enough about Jay Ward's work in general to know that this is a rather good representation of it. It's not a particularly deep or intelligent movie, but does it really need to be when it's so damn funny? Next time... heck with it, let's put on a jetpack and fight Nazis.
Day 107 - The Rocketeer (1991)
December 13
The Rocketeer is a fun, nicely pulp-styled adventure flick from the guy that would go on to do Captain America: The First Avenger. This was my first time watching it, and it's a good movie. The Art Deco style is something I always like seeing in movies like this, pleasantly reminding me of Batman (1989), and it's got everything you'd want to see in a pulp throwback: a glitzy Golden Age Hollywood setting, jazz tunes, mobsters, biplanes, Nazi-punchin', Howard Hughes, you name it. Timothy Dalton is great as the villain, and the scene where the mobsters turn on him after finding out he's a Nazi spy was a neat twist. The James Horner score is excellent, nicely lifting up each action scene, which are all shot fantastically, these are some great effects (save for some wonky blue-screening now and then). It's just overall a neat little Cult Classic. Apparently this got a sequel show on Disney Junior, which... seems weird, how many little kids were going to have heard of this movie, let alone watched it? Next time, we return to the Disney Channel to get our head in the game.
The Rocketeer is a fun, nicely pulp-styled adventure flick from the guy that would go on to do Captain America: The First Avenger. This was my first time watching it, and it's a good movie. The Art Deco style is something I always like seeing in movies like this, pleasantly reminding me of Batman (1989), and it's got everything you'd want to see in a pulp throwback: a glitzy Golden Age Hollywood setting, jazz tunes, mobsters, biplanes, Nazi-punchin', Howard Hughes, you name it. Timothy Dalton is great as the villain, and the scene where the mobsters turn on him after finding out he's a Nazi spy was a neat twist. The James Horner score is excellent, nicely lifting up each action scene, which are all shot fantastically, these are some great effects (save for some wonky blue-screening now and then). It's just overall a neat little Cult Classic. Apparently this got a sequel show on Disney Junior, which... seems weird, how many little kids were going to have heard of this movie, let alone watched it? Next time, we return to the Disney Channel to get our head in the game.
Day 108 - High School Musical (2006)
December 19
The unexpected cultural phenomenon for 2000s kids everywhere... that, despite being one myself, I had never actually seen until now. Yeah, I just never got into the Disney Channel tween stuff, I was always more into their cartoon output. So not having any nostalgic connection to this movie, was I able to enjoy it as an adult? ...Actually, yeah! It's nothing mindblowing on an artistic level or anything, but it's a reasonably fun kid-friendly TV movie. It's super cheesy, but in that earnest and somewhat self-aware sense like Batman (1966) or Power Rangers. The plot being about the takedown of traditional high school cliques in a setting where people actively enforce them was pretty fun, and I like the nuance where in most of these kinds of stories, the athlete who wants to do something non-traditional but his dad is pressuring him to do sports, but with this one Troy actually does like basketball and still wants to do it, he just wants to give theatre a try and be a more well-rounded person, and I found that pretty neat. (Though South Park doing that exact plotline, but in reverse, for their parody was pretty hilarious) Zac Efron is known now to be an actually pretty good actor, and you can even see that here where he plays Troy with a surprising amount of likability and depth that makes the character more engaging than your typical Disney Channel protagonist. Vanessa Hudgens is pretty good in that regard also, and she's a great singer (Efron is very clearly dubbed over with somebody else's voice when singing). The other characters are also pretty interesting, especially the over-the-top drama teacher and Sharpay, who's quite the delightful Alpha Bitch. I knew that Ashley Tisdale was in these movies but I'll be honest, to me she'll always be Candace Flynn. The choreography is great, it feels like something out of a stage performance than a traditional movie musical, with stuff like asides framed with the right kind of spotlighting or the placements of the extras, if this was an intentional stylistic approach then I dig it. So, yeah, this is, to my surprise, actually a pretty good flick. Next time... well, Christmas is fast approaching, so let's start getting in the spirit of the season.
The unexpected cultural phenomenon for 2000s kids everywhere... that, despite being one myself, I had never actually seen until now. Yeah, I just never got into the Disney Channel tween stuff, I was always more into their cartoon output. So not having any nostalgic connection to this movie, was I able to enjoy it as an adult? ...Actually, yeah! It's nothing mindblowing on an artistic level or anything, but it's a reasonably fun kid-friendly TV movie. It's super cheesy, but in that earnest and somewhat self-aware sense like Batman (1966) or Power Rangers. The plot being about the takedown of traditional high school cliques in a setting where people actively enforce them was pretty fun, and I like the nuance where in most of these kinds of stories, the athlete who wants to do something non-traditional but his dad is pressuring him to do sports, but with this one Troy actually does like basketball and still wants to do it, he just wants to give theatre a try and be a more well-rounded person, and I found that pretty neat. (Though South Park doing that exact plotline, but in reverse, for their parody was pretty hilarious) Zac Efron is known now to be an actually pretty good actor, and you can even see that here where he plays Troy with a surprising amount of likability and depth that makes the character more engaging than your typical Disney Channel protagonist. Vanessa Hudgens is pretty good in that regard also, and she's a great singer (Efron is very clearly dubbed over with somebody else's voice when singing). The other characters are also pretty interesting, especially the over-the-top drama teacher and Sharpay, who's quite the delightful Alpha Bitch. I knew that Ashley Tisdale was in these movies but I'll be honest, to me she'll always be Candace Flynn. The choreography is great, it feels like something out of a stage performance than a traditional movie musical, with stuff like asides framed with the right kind of spotlighting or the placements of the extras, if this was an intentional stylistic approach then I dig it. So, yeah, this is, to my surprise, actually a pretty good flick. Next time... well, Christmas is fast approaching, so let's start getting in the spirit of the season.
Day 109 - Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
December 21
Just an all-around heartwarming, feel-good kinda movie. And our first 20th Century Studios movie... by accident. Yeah, I misremembered this being a native Disney movie, but oh well. Anyway, this was my first time watching Miracle on 34th Street, and I loved it, the entire movie just feels so rightly Christmasy, carried by a delightful performance by Edmund Gwenn as a man who may or may not be the real Santa Claus. And honestly, I'm inclined to believe the former, because he spends the entire movie as a good-natured, understanding Friend to All Children in such a way that, like was successfully argued in court, even if he's not literally the mythical figure of Santa Claus, then he represents the idea of Santa so well that he may as well be. I especially love how his genuine enthusiasm for "playing" Santa even affects a few of the cynical, business-minded adults around him, even the big company heads, while still profiting, are encouraged to help each other out by recommending customers looking for something their store didn't have (a practice that, apparently, was popularized by the movie and lasted quite a long while until online shopping started to dominate). I was especially surprised to see that one of the major characters was a sympathetically portrayed working single mother... in 1947 (le gasp, how scandalous. Next she'll be showing her ankles or something, I bet). At a few points, whenever a document or something is shown onscreen, I would pause to read it... only to feel stupid when I unpaused and the camera still held on it for a long time, as obviously the concept of a Freeze-Frame Bonus was probably a foreign idea to 1940s audiences well before the invention of home video. And this happened no less than three times, which shows how weird my attention span can get. I suppose the one complaint I had with this movie was the same one shared by one Jerry Smith: there isn't six more hours of a guy rambling about street names. Next time, we take a look at a very different kind of Santa... one who killed a man to get his job.
Just an all-around heartwarming, feel-good kinda movie. And our first 20th Century Studios movie... by accident. Yeah, I misremembered this being a native Disney movie, but oh well. Anyway, this was my first time watching Miracle on 34th Street, and I loved it, the entire movie just feels so rightly Christmasy, carried by a delightful performance by Edmund Gwenn as a man who may or may not be the real Santa Claus. And honestly, I'm inclined to believe the former, because he spends the entire movie as a good-natured, understanding Friend to All Children in such a way that, like was successfully argued in court, even if he's not literally the mythical figure of Santa Claus, then he represents the idea of Santa so well that he may as well be. I especially love how his genuine enthusiasm for "playing" Santa even affects a few of the cynical, business-minded adults around him, even the big company heads, while still profiting, are encouraged to help each other out by recommending customers looking for something their store didn't have (a practice that, apparently, was popularized by the movie and lasted quite a long while until online shopping started to dominate). I was especially surprised to see that one of the major characters was a sympathetically portrayed working single mother... in 1947 (le gasp, how scandalous. Next she'll be showing her ankles or something, I bet). At a few points, whenever a document or something is shown onscreen, I would pause to read it... only to feel stupid when I unpaused and the camera still held on it for a long time, as obviously the concept of a Freeze-Frame Bonus was probably a foreign idea to 1940s audiences well before the invention of home video. And this happened no less than three times, which shows how weird my attention span can get. I suppose the one complaint I had with this movie was the same one shared by one Jerry Smith: there isn't six more hours of a guy rambling about street names. Next time, we take a look at a very different kind of Santa... one who killed a man to get his job.
Day 110 - The Santa Clause (1994)
December 22
Another holiday classic, one I've watched every year since I was very young. It's a delightful, funny, heartwarming interpretation of the Santa Claus legend, carried by a very charming performance by Tim Allen, who not only makes use of his regular comedic talents but has a genuinely heartfelt air to him as he becomes the new Santa and whenever he interacts with his son. The gradual physical transformation into Santa is very impressive, too, it's incredible to see him slowly and truly becoming Santa Claus and unrecognizable as Tim Allen. A little fun fact: this movie is what indirectly introduced me to the concept of voice acting, as young me was confused seeing this real human person speak in Buzz Lightyear's voice. The special effects are... hit and miss. Aside from the Santa transformation, the animatronic reindeer and the set design of the North Pole look really nice, but stuff like the chimneys expanding or the elves flying do not. While a lot of the humor is great, plenty of stuff with the elves kind of falls flat with some bad acting and cringey puns. Not that all the kid actors are bad; Charlie's actor I actually find pretty good, if not Hayley Joel Osment-level or anything. The conflict with the ex-wife and her husband being so dead-set on convincing Charlie there's no such thing as Santa feels a bit over the top for me personally, but there's still some relatability to it all (as from an outsider perspective, it would be a bit worrying to see all the stuff happening with Scott), and hey, it's a family movie, so it's not a huge deal. Next time, we have a bit of a double feature, looking at two adaptations of a certain literary classic starring familiar characters.
Another holiday classic, one I've watched every year since I was very young. It's a delightful, funny, heartwarming interpretation of the Santa Claus legend, carried by a very charming performance by Tim Allen, who not only makes use of his regular comedic talents but has a genuinely heartfelt air to him as he becomes the new Santa and whenever he interacts with his son. The gradual physical transformation into Santa is very impressive, too, it's incredible to see him slowly and truly becoming Santa Claus and unrecognizable as Tim Allen. A little fun fact: this movie is what indirectly introduced me to the concept of voice acting, as young me was confused seeing this real human person speak in Buzz Lightyear's voice. The special effects are... hit and miss. Aside from the Santa transformation, the animatronic reindeer and the set design of the North Pole look really nice, but stuff like the chimneys expanding or the elves flying do not. While a lot of the humor is great, plenty of stuff with the elves kind of falls flat with some bad acting and cringey puns. Not that all the kid actors are bad; Charlie's actor I actually find pretty good, if not Hayley Joel Osment-level or anything. The conflict with the ex-wife and her husband being so dead-set on convincing Charlie there's no such thing as Santa feels a bit over the top for me personally, but there's still some relatability to it all (as from an outsider perspective, it would be a bit worrying to see all the stuff happening with Scott), and hey, it's a family movie, so it's not a huge deal. Next time, we have a bit of a double feature, looking at two adaptations of a certain literary classic starring familiar characters.
Day 111 - Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983) & The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
December 24
Charles Dickens's timeless story has, of course, been retold countless times, with countless iconic characters taking on the roles in the story. But these two are considered to be among the strongest of these adaptations: Mickey's Christmas Carol and The Muppet Christmas Carol. Both of these have some notable distinctions as a part of their production: the former being the first project to star Mickey and pals in quite some time during Disney's Dark Age, as well as being the first animated appearance for Scrooge McDuck outside of an obscure educational short. Its success, therefore, is directly responsible for the development of DuckTales (1987), and by extension the Disney Afternoon and Disney Television Animation as a whole. The lattter was the first major Muppet project after the deaths of Jim Henson and Richard Hunt, and its success was proof that the rest of the crew were up to the task of keeping the Muppet legacy alive. And it's also the first Muppet movie to be produced and distributed under Disney, prior to their acquisition of the property outright in 2004.
The casting of each character for both versions is great, if a bit unorthodox for some of them. Bob Cratchit is played by who's normally the "main" character of the setting, which at first might seem strange but makes sense when you think about it; after all, it would be hard to imagine Mickey or Kermit in the role of a greedy, miserable miser. Bob's earnest optimism fits both of them perfectly, and makes the scenes of Tiny Tim's death much more heartbreaking to watch. That applies for Mrs. Cratchit as well; while Minnie's version doesn't have any lines, her animation says it all, and it's downright harrowing to see Miss Piggy of all people crying. A lot of the background characters in the Mickey version are from the Classic Disney Shorts, but plenty are even borrowed from Robin Hood and the Wind in the Willows section of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. The Ghosts are perfectly cast in Mickey's version, too: Jiminy Cricket isn't exactly a typical Christmas Past, but there's just something right about it. Willie the Giant as Christmas Present is rather fitting, and Pete makes an unexpectedly nightmarish Christmas Future. The Muppets, of course, fill the roles in their movie, and rather creatively. While not all of the main Muppets get an actual Dickensian role (in particular, Electric Mayhem and Swedish Chef are kind of just there to be there, and Scooter is completely absent, appearing because he was supposed to play Christmas Present before they decided to use original Muppets for the Ghosts), Sam the Eagle has a very memorable part as Scrooge's old schoolmaster ("You will love BUSINESS. It is the American way! I mean the British way!") and Mr. Fozziwig, because the pun was too good to resist. As mentioned, the Muppet Ghosts are original creations, all of which are great depictions of the book's versions brought to life through amazing puppetry. Yet To Come in particular stands out; he looks like something more out of The Lord of the Rings than the Muppets, yet his body language adds an extra dimension to him, as he seems much more outwardly sympathetic towards Scrooge than most other versions, all without saying a word. Unique to this version is the addition of Charles Dickens himself as a character, played by Gonzo, which not only allows for the use of the book's own narration, but allows for some great jokes from Rizzo's chiming in and Gonzo, well... being Gonzo. The role of Jacob Marley is the role with the most curious choices: Goofy and Statler and Waldorf. While the grumpy old hecklers make a bit of sense for somebody who was so nasty in life, the sight of the lovable old coots being chained up and Dragged Off to Hell is quite harrowing, and Goofy is incredibly hard to see as somebody like that, but somehow he manages to make it work (while slipping on everything, because he's still Goofy).
But of course, I've saved the best for last; the greedy old miser himself, Ebeneezer Scrooge. Played in the Mickey version by, naturally, Scrooge McDuck, he's definitely a lighter take on the character (for example, he uses Insane Troll Logic to confuse the charity collectors away rather than the "surplus population" line), but an effective one, and he's the first time Alan Young provided his voice for the duck who's tougher than the toughies and smarter than the smarties. Meanwhile, Sir Michael Caine in the Muppet version is rightfully considered to be one of the best Scrooges period, performing the role every bit as seriously as if it were a "proper" adaptation, in his own words treating the Muppet cast like they were the Royal Shakespeare Company, which is definitely the ideal mindset for working with them. His entire performance brings out every complex facet of Scrooge's character, from his greed to his heartbreak to his hidden kindness. In particular, he's one of the few Scrooges that actually figures out who the dead man in the future scenes actually is right away, and his acting as he desperately delays having to look at the grave to confirm it is Oscar-worthy.
Both versions play the darker elements of the original book surprisingly straight and are all the better for it, showing off a genuine understanding of the story. They're both incredible, and I try to watch them every year. Next time, we get left behind on vacation in my personal favorite Christmas movie.
Charles Dickens's timeless story has, of course, been retold countless times, with countless iconic characters taking on the roles in the story. But these two are considered to be among the strongest of these adaptations: Mickey's Christmas Carol and The Muppet Christmas Carol. Both of these have some notable distinctions as a part of their production: the former being the first project to star Mickey and pals in quite some time during Disney's Dark Age, as well as being the first animated appearance for Scrooge McDuck outside of an obscure educational short. Its success, therefore, is directly responsible for the development of DuckTales (1987), and by extension the Disney Afternoon and Disney Television Animation as a whole. The lattter was the first major Muppet project after the deaths of Jim Henson and Richard Hunt, and its success was proof that the rest of the crew were up to the task of keeping the Muppet legacy alive. And it's also the first Muppet movie to be produced and distributed under Disney, prior to their acquisition of the property outright in 2004.
The casting of each character for both versions is great, if a bit unorthodox for some of them. Bob Cratchit is played by who's normally the "main" character of the setting, which at first might seem strange but makes sense when you think about it; after all, it would be hard to imagine Mickey or Kermit in the role of a greedy, miserable miser. Bob's earnest optimism fits both of them perfectly, and makes the scenes of Tiny Tim's death much more heartbreaking to watch. That applies for Mrs. Cratchit as well; while Minnie's version doesn't have any lines, her animation says it all, and it's downright harrowing to see Miss Piggy of all people crying. A lot of the background characters in the Mickey version are from the Classic Disney Shorts, but plenty are even borrowed from Robin Hood and the Wind in the Willows section of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. The Ghosts are perfectly cast in Mickey's version, too: Jiminy Cricket isn't exactly a typical Christmas Past, but there's just something right about it. Willie the Giant as Christmas Present is rather fitting, and Pete makes an unexpectedly nightmarish Christmas Future. The Muppets, of course, fill the roles in their movie, and rather creatively. While not all of the main Muppets get an actual Dickensian role (in particular, Electric Mayhem and Swedish Chef are kind of just there to be there, and Scooter is completely absent, appearing because he was supposed to play Christmas Present before they decided to use original Muppets for the Ghosts), Sam the Eagle has a very memorable part as Scrooge's old schoolmaster ("You will love BUSINESS. It is the American way! I mean the British way!") and Mr. Fozziwig, because the pun was too good to resist. As mentioned, the Muppet Ghosts are original creations, all of which are great depictions of the book's versions brought to life through amazing puppetry. Yet To Come in particular stands out; he looks like something more out of The Lord of the Rings than the Muppets, yet his body language adds an extra dimension to him, as he seems much more outwardly sympathetic towards Scrooge than most other versions, all without saying a word. Unique to this version is the addition of Charles Dickens himself as a character, played by Gonzo, which not only allows for the use of the book's own narration, but allows for some great jokes from Rizzo's chiming in and Gonzo, well... being Gonzo. The role of Jacob Marley is the role with the most curious choices: Goofy and Statler and Waldorf. While the grumpy old hecklers make a bit of sense for somebody who was so nasty in life, the sight of the lovable old coots being chained up and Dragged Off to Hell is quite harrowing, and Goofy is incredibly hard to see as somebody like that, but somehow he manages to make it work (while slipping on everything, because he's still Goofy).
But of course, I've saved the best for last; the greedy old miser himself, Ebeneezer Scrooge. Played in the Mickey version by, naturally, Scrooge McDuck, he's definitely a lighter take on the character (for example, he uses Insane Troll Logic to confuse the charity collectors away rather than the "surplus population" line), but an effective one, and he's the first time Alan Young provided his voice for the duck who's tougher than the toughies and smarter than the smarties. Meanwhile, Sir Michael Caine in the Muppet version is rightfully considered to be one of the best Scrooges period, performing the role every bit as seriously as if it were a "proper" adaptation, in his own words treating the Muppet cast like they were the Royal Shakespeare Company, which is definitely the ideal mindset for working with them. His entire performance brings out every complex facet of Scrooge's character, from his greed to his heartbreak to his hidden kindness. In particular, he's one of the few Scrooges that actually figures out who the dead man in the future scenes actually is right away, and his acting as he desperately delays having to look at the grave to confirm it is Oscar-worthy.
Both versions play the darker elements of the original book surprisingly straight and are all the better for it, showing off a genuine understanding of the story. They're both incredible, and I try to watch them every year. Next time, we get left behind on vacation in my personal favorite Christmas movie.
Day 112 - Home Alone (1990)
December 25
Merry Christmas, ya filthy animals.
Home Alone is an all-time classic, and my personal favorite holiday film. It's in all likelihood one of the greatest family films ever made, too, it just works well on so many levels. The premise is charming in a rather empowering way, after all, what kid hasn't seen this movie and imagined themselves in Kevin's scenario? The feelings it evokes are perfectly universal, with the overlying theme of how no matter how many disagreements you have with the people you love, it would be very hard to spend the holidays without them. Kevin is a great, very realistically-written kid protagonist, with all the Age-Appropriate Angst you'd expect from somebody his age and a wonderfully smarmy yet childishly innocent performance from Macaulay Culkin. Harry and Marv are the perfect family movie villains, just enough menace in their actions while being downright hilarious in their personalities and, of course, their well-deserved suffering. The climax of the house full of traps is legendary for a good reason, with its impeccable slapstick and comedic timing, it's no wonder it quickly became a trope all its own. Catherine O'Hara is perfect as a flawed yet relatable mom desperately trying to get home to her son, and both she and Kevin encounter all sorts of memorable side characters along the way, from the misunderstood Old Man Marley's heartwarming story, to the put-upon mall Santa, to John Candy as the kindly musician that offers Kate a ride home (though I must disagree with him on an important front: there is only one Polka King). I love, love, love this movie, and always make sure to watch it every single year. Along with its sequel...
Merry Christmas, ya filthy animals.
Home Alone is an all-time classic, and my personal favorite holiday film. It's in all likelihood one of the greatest family films ever made, too, it just works well on so many levels. The premise is charming in a rather empowering way, after all, what kid hasn't seen this movie and imagined themselves in Kevin's scenario? The feelings it evokes are perfectly universal, with the overlying theme of how no matter how many disagreements you have with the people you love, it would be very hard to spend the holidays without them. Kevin is a great, very realistically-written kid protagonist, with all the Age-Appropriate Angst you'd expect from somebody his age and a wonderfully smarmy yet childishly innocent performance from Macaulay Culkin. Harry and Marv are the perfect family movie villains, just enough menace in their actions while being downright hilarious in their personalities and, of course, their well-deserved suffering. The climax of the house full of traps is legendary for a good reason, with its impeccable slapstick and comedic timing, it's no wonder it quickly became a trope all its own. Catherine O'Hara is perfect as a flawed yet relatable mom desperately trying to get home to her son, and both she and Kevin encounter all sorts of memorable side characters along the way, from the misunderstood Old Man Marley's heartwarming story, to the put-upon mall Santa, to John Candy as the kindly musician that offers Kate a ride home (though I must disagree with him on an important front: there is only one Polka King). I love, love, love this movie, and always make sure to watch it every single year. Along with its sequel...
