If the 1940's Disney classics did one thing well, it was presenting us with a varied host of segments. The wide range included latin themed segments, ones based on poems, romance, live action interacting, music, folklore and fairy tales. So one thing for sure is that we can easily put together a Top 10 list of them. Here are my top 10 favourite segments from the package films:
10) Cold Blood Penguin (3 Caballeros)
9) Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met (Make Mine Music)
8) All the Cats Join In (Make Mine Music)
7) Once Upon A Wintertime (Melody Time)
6) Peter and the Wolf (Make Mine Music)
5) Johnny Appleseed (Melody Time)
4) Bongo (Fun and Fancy Free)
3) Wind in the Willows (Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad)
2) Mickey and the Beanstalk (Fun and Fancy Free)
1) Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad)
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Top 5 Villains and Top 5 Heroes: Package Years
There will be no review today. Instead I will do a double countdown post to catch us up on things. The first post will list the Top 5 Heroes and Top 5 Villains for the package years, while the second will be the first "Top 10" and countdown the best segments of the package films. Tomorrow reviews shall continue with our next era in Disney and proceed as usual.
Here are the Top 5 Heroes of the 1940's Package features:
5) Peter (Peter and the Wolf; Make Mine Music)
4) Jose Carioca (Saludos Amigos and 3 Caballeros)
3) Bongo (Bongo; Fun and Fancy Free)
2) Panchito (3 Caballeros)
1) Johnny Appleseed (Johnny Appleseed; Melody Time)
And here are our Top 5 Villains:
5) The Wolf (Peter and the Wolf; Make Mine Music)
4) Mr. Winky (Wind in the Willows; Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad)
3) Lumpjaw (Bongo; Fun and Fancy Free)
2) Willie the Giant (Mickey and the Beanstalk; Fun and Fancy Free)
1) Headless Horseman (Sleepy Hollow; Adventures of Ichabo and Mr. Toad)
Here are the Top 5 Heroes of the 1940's Package features:
5) Peter (Peter and the Wolf; Make Mine Music)
4) Jose Carioca (Saludos Amigos and 3 Caballeros)
3) Bongo (Bongo; Fun and Fancy Free)
2) Panchito (3 Caballeros)
1) Johnny Appleseed (Johnny Appleseed; Melody Time)
And here are our Top 5 Villains:
5) The Wolf (Peter and the Wolf; Make Mine Music)
4) Mr. Winky (Wind in the Willows; Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad)
3) Lumpjaw (Bongo; Fun and Fancy Free)
2) Willie the Giant (Mickey and the Beanstalk; Fun and Fancy Free)
1) Headless Horseman (Sleepy Hollow; Adventures of Ichabo and Mr. Toad)
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Top 5 Villains and Top 5 Songs For 2000 to 2011
Our final Top 5's for the 2000's era. Today we will cover the 5 best Villains (even if we had slim pickings), and the top 5 Songs (also slim pickings it felt like). Without much further ado, here we go!
Top 5 Songs:
5) I'm Still Here (Treasure Planet)
4) Almost There (Princess and the Frog)
3) I See the Light (Tangle)
2) Mother Knows Best/ Mother Knows Best Reprise (Tangled)
1) I've Got Friend on the Other Side (Princess and the Frog)
Top 5 Villains:
5) Rourke (Atlantis)
4) John Silver (Treasure Planet)
3) Dr. Facilier (Princess and the Frog)
2) Mother Gothel (Tangled)
1) Yzma (Emperor's New Groove)
Top 5 Songs:
5) I'm Still Here (Treasure Planet)
4) Almost There (Princess and the Frog)
3) I See the Light (Tangle)
2) Mother Knows Best/ Mother Knows Best Reprise (Tangled)
1) I've Got Friend on the Other Side (Princess and the Frog)
Top 5 Villains:
5) Rourke (Atlantis)
4) John Silver (Treasure Planet)
3) Dr. Facilier (Princess and the Frog)
2) Mother Gothel (Tangled)
1) Yzma (Emperor's New Groove)
Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
We have finally reached the last of the 1940's package films! Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad ends this era on a good note, and returns to the format of telling two separate stories instead of half a dozen. This greatly helps things and is what makes this film enjoyable, being able to just take your time to meet the characters and enjoy the world they inhabit instead of rushing through in a few minutes.
The first segment we are treated to is a retelling of the Wind in the Willows, which does seem to be pretty faithful to the original, though it has been quite some time since I've read the book. So I could be a tad wrong. The story follows the adventures of Mole, Rat and MacBadger as they try to help their friend, Mr. Toad, clear his name after a run-in with the law and some rather shifty weasels. A curious thing about this short is that the animals and humans all inhabit the same world, at their proper sizes. During scenes where a human is with one of our animal heroes, the size difference is very noticeable and slightly odd. It's not so much a hamper to the film, but it can be a little distracting sometimes. The one thing that does hamper the segment, for me at least, is the character of Mr. Toad. For me, I find him so unlikable that I often wonder why his friends even put up with him. He does not show any remorse for putting his friends through so much trouble, and is constantly being a destructive force. A tad puzzling, though it does seem to fit with the segment that follows....
Much like in Wind and the Willows, Sleepy Hollow also features a rather unlikable hero. While most people are saying "Chern! It's Ichabod Crane, what are you talking about!?" Well, what I mean is that Ichabod isn't exactly the nicest guy around. While he wants to woo Katrina, in one scene we see that he's actually far more interested in filling his stomach and inheriting her father's wealth with very little mention for actually having feelings for Katrina beyond using her. Furthering things, we also have Katrina Van Tassel who happily pits Ichabod and Brom Bones against each other, while Brom Bones himself is little more than the village bully. Certainly a curious way to present the main character. The true highlight of Sleepy Hollow however, is entire ending half where we see Ichabod at the Halloween party, and his terrifying ride through the forest as the Headless Horseman gives chase. At first we get a slow build up, giving a bit of tension, until finally the Horseman appears.
The animation in these two segments is the best we've seen during this decade, aside from the big five that started the company, and is full of great songs and moments. While both of these could have been made into feature length films, it does feel like adding more in might have been a hamper, and instead the shorter running time is what helps make these such solid entries into the Disney canon.
All in all, Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad is a lot of fun, and certainly the best the package features has to offer.
3 1/2 /5
The first segment we are treated to is a retelling of the Wind in the Willows, which does seem to be pretty faithful to the original, though it has been quite some time since I've read the book. So I could be a tad wrong. The story follows the adventures of Mole, Rat and MacBadger as they try to help their friend, Mr. Toad, clear his name after a run-in with the law and some rather shifty weasels. A curious thing about this short is that the animals and humans all inhabit the same world, at their proper sizes. During scenes where a human is with one of our animal heroes, the size difference is very noticeable and slightly odd. It's not so much a hamper to the film, but it can be a little distracting sometimes. The one thing that does hamper the segment, for me at least, is the character of Mr. Toad. For me, I find him so unlikable that I often wonder why his friends even put up with him. He does not show any remorse for putting his friends through so much trouble, and is constantly being a destructive force. A tad puzzling, though it does seem to fit with the segment that follows....
Much like in Wind and the Willows, Sleepy Hollow also features a rather unlikable hero. While most people are saying "Chern! It's Ichabod Crane, what are you talking about!?" Well, what I mean is that Ichabod isn't exactly the nicest guy around. While he wants to woo Katrina, in one scene we see that he's actually far more interested in filling his stomach and inheriting her father's wealth with very little mention for actually having feelings for Katrina beyond using her. Furthering things, we also have Katrina Van Tassel who happily pits Ichabod and Brom Bones against each other, while Brom Bones himself is little more than the village bully. Certainly a curious way to present the main character. The true highlight of Sleepy Hollow however, is entire ending half where we see Ichabod at the Halloween party, and his terrifying ride through the forest as the Headless Horseman gives chase. At first we get a slow build up, giving a bit of tension, until finally the Horseman appears.
The animation in these two segments is the best we've seen during this decade, aside from the big five that started the company, and is full of great songs and moments. While both of these could have been made into feature length films, it does feel like adding more in might have been a hamper, and instead the shorter running time is what helps make these such solid entries into the Disney canon.
All in all, Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad is a lot of fun, and certainly the best the package features has to offer.
3 1/2 /5
Monday, May 28, 2012
Top 5 Heroes and Top 5 Heroines: 2000 to 2011
A film is only as good as the heroes in which we follow. After all, if the main leads aren't interesting, why should we invest ourselves into caring about what happens to them? So, with that said here are the Top 5 Heroes, and the Top 5 Heroines. Not heroins, cause drugs are bad y'all and lead to things like this happening...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=944cPciN-kw
Or this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLnADKgurvc
Anyways. Drugs PSA aside, here's the Top 5 Heroes!
5) Naveen (Princess and the Frog)
4) Kuzco (Emperor's New Groove)
3) Flynn (Tangled)
2) Stitch (Lilo and Stitch)
1) Kenai (Brother Bear)
And here are our Top 5 Heroines:
5) Kida (Atlantis)
4) Captain Amelia (Treasure Planet)
3) Lilo (Lilo and Stitch)
2) Rapunzel (Tangled)
1) Tiana (Princess and the Frog)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=944cPciN-kw
Or this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLnADKgurvc
Anyways. Drugs PSA aside, here's the Top 5 Heroes!
5) Naveen (Princess and the Frog)
4) Kuzco (Emperor's New Groove)
3) Flynn (Tangled)
2) Stitch (Lilo and Stitch)
1) Kenai (Brother Bear)
And here are our Top 5 Heroines:
5) Kida (Atlantis)
4) Captain Amelia (Treasure Planet)
3) Lilo (Lilo and Stitch)
2) Rapunzel (Tangled)
1) Tiana (Princess and the Frog)
Melody Time
Yet again we come across a package film where certain segments might be better known outside of the actual film itself. The three segments which I am referring to are "Once Upon A Wintertime," "Johnny Appleseed," and "Pecos Bill." It is quite possible that other segments have been seen outside of Melody Time, but these three are ones that I have personally seen first hand in other sources.
Once Upon A Wintertime is our first segment, and for some reason we have returned to the hodgepodge style of film. That however does not hamper this short. While I have heard some people don't overly care for it for various reasons, I myself love it. It's simple and charming, and a wonderful addition to my Christmas viewing every year with it's winter theme. It's just light, fluffy fun and it's done with rather interesting visuals as well.
Bumblebee Boogie is quick, fun, but ultimately not very memorable. The abstract visuals are probably the most interesting aspect of this short.
Johnny Appleseed is the second longest short in this film, and is certainly one of the best pieces in all of the package features. The visuals in this short are by far the best we have seen yet, and is constantly pleasing to watch. One of my favourite bits of the visuals is how the apple blossoms slowly go up into the sky and look like the clouds at the end. The ending, much like 'The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met', does have a slightly downer ending even if it does try to end it on a more happy note. It's also a rare time where we see the more religious aspects, including a bible on screen.
Little Toot is up next and is a rather generic story about a playful tugboat who causes trouble and learns a lesson. It's nothing we haven't seen before, and strongly resembles the story of Pedro the Plane from Saludos Amigos.
Trees follows the poem of the same name being sung to some very pretty visuals, though like Bumblebee Boogie is rather forgettable compared to the other sequences.
Blame It On the Samba is a very fun and energetic segment which reunites the 3 Caballeros and quite likely is also the last appearance for Jose Carioca in film. It mainly involves nothing but latin dancing.
The final segment is Pecos Bill, which is the longest. Roy Rogers, Bobby Driscoll and Luana Patten all appear at the beginning for the live action sequence which introduces us to the story of a cowboy raised in the wild. The biggest note here is actually regarding what Disney has done to edit Pecos Bill. In certain shots, our hero is supposed to be smoking a cigarette but instead Disney has gone and removed the 'offending' item completely. It's rather curious as to why this happened and is certainly not the first time Disney has done this. In Saludos Amigos, Goofy also has a cigar removed from his segment.
This film is certainly worth a look for the three shorts I have mentioned in the opening ramble, and earns a 3/5
Once Upon A Wintertime is our first segment, and for some reason we have returned to the hodgepodge style of film. That however does not hamper this short. While I have heard some people don't overly care for it for various reasons, I myself love it. It's simple and charming, and a wonderful addition to my Christmas viewing every year with it's winter theme. It's just light, fluffy fun and it's done with rather interesting visuals as well.
Bumblebee Boogie is quick, fun, but ultimately not very memorable. The abstract visuals are probably the most interesting aspect of this short.
Johnny Appleseed is the second longest short in this film, and is certainly one of the best pieces in all of the package features. The visuals in this short are by far the best we have seen yet, and is constantly pleasing to watch. One of my favourite bits of the visuals is how the apple blossoms slowly go up into the sky and look like the clouds at the end. The ending, much like 'The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met', does have a slightly downer ending even if it does try to end it on a more happy note. It's also a rare time where we see the more religious aspects, including a bible on screen.
Little Toot is up next and is a rather generic story about a playful tugboat who causes trouble and learns a lesson. It's nothing we haven't seen before, and strongly resembles the story of Pedro the Plane from Saludos Amigos.
Trees follows the poem of the same name being sung to some very pretty visuals, though like Bumblebee Boogie is rather forgettable compared to the other sequences.
Blame It On the Samba is a very fun and energetic segment which reunites the 3 Caballeros and quite likely is also the last appearance for Jose Carioca in film. It mainly involves nothing but latin dancing.
The final segment is Pecos Bill, which is the longest. Roy Rogers, Bobby Driscoll and Luana Patten all appear at the beginning for the live action sequence which introduces us to the story of a cowboy raised in the wild. The biggest note here is actually regarding what Disney has done to edit Pecos Bill. In certain shots, our hero is supposed to be smoking a cigarette but instead Disney has gone and removed the 'offending' item completely. It's rather curious as to why this happened and is certainly not the first time Disney has done this. In Saludos Amigos, Goofy also has a cigar removed from his segment.
This film is certainly worth a look for the three shorts I have mentioned in the opening ramble, and earns a 3/5
Fun and Fancy Free
Much like the rest of the package films, Fun and Fancy Free contains a lot of sections that many people might recognize from other sources, yet may not realize that those parts are actually from a film. This film, much like Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, focuses on two stories and feels much more smooth than the other package features.
The first half of the film tells the story of a circus bear named Bongo who longs to be free. He soon gets his wish and manages to escape the dreary circus life and is soon wild and free in the outdoors. This is when Bongo soon learns it's not all fun and games as a thunderstorm rolls in at night, startling the poor bear. Of course this is soon forgotten as he winds up falling in love with a female bear, though must outwit a rival suitor for her affection. As a whole this short is actually rather charming, and it does feel like it could have been a full length film if they expanded upon the first half of the sequence. One fun piece is the love song, it's visually entertaining and the little cupid bears are rather adorable.
Our second half of the film is likely the much more familiar story of Mickey and the Beanstalk. This story is your basic retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk, though given the usual Disney twist. In addition to Mickey, we also have Donald and Goofy joining him much like how they teamed up during some of the various shorts over the years. The entire short is a lot of fun, especially with the addition of Willie the Giant who would later appear again in the retelling of "A Christmas Carol." There are actually two different versions of this sequence floating about. On the dvd we get the Edgar Bergen version, where the famous ventriloquist entertains Luana Patten with his puppets, Charlie and Mortimer. The second version is animated and makes use of Ludwig Von Drake and a small bug named Herman.
Fun and Fancy Free is a lot more entertaining than the previous package films largely because there is a much larger storyline feeling instead of a hodgepodge of shorts put together. Both segments are a lot of fun to watch, though the filler with Edgar Bergen does give it a dated feeling, yet on the plus side can be a source of nostalgia for others.
As a small bonus, here is a link to part one of Mickey and the Beanstalk with the Ludwig filler.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Zfwku9OgEM
3/5
The first half of the film tells the story of a circus bear named Bongo who longs to be free. He soon gets his wish and manages to escape the dreary circus life and is soon wild and free in the outdoors. This is when Bongo soon learns it's not all fun and games as a thunderstorm rolls in at night, startling the poor bear. Of course this is soon forgotten as he winds up falling in love with a female bear, though must outwit a rival suitor for her affection. As a whole this short is actually rather charming, and it does feel like it could have been a full length film if they expanded upon the first half of the sequence. One fun piece is the love song, it's visually entertaining and the little cupid bears are rather adorable.
Our second half of the film is likely the much more familiar story of Mickey and the Beanstalk. This story is your basic retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk, though given the usual Disney twist. In addition to Mickey, we also have Donald and Goofy joining him much like how they teamed up during some of the various shorts over the years. The entire short is a lot of fun, especially with the addition of Willie the Giant who would later appear again in the retelling of "A Christmas Carol." There are actually two different versions of this sequence floating about. On the dvd we get the Edgar Bergen version, where the famous ventriloquist entertains Luana Patten with his puppets, Charlie and Mortimer. The second version is animated and makes use of Ludwig Von Drake and a small bug named Herman.
Fun and Fancy Free is a lot more entertaining than the previous package films largely because there is a much larger storyline feeling instead of a hodgepodge of shorts put together. Both segments are a lot of fun to watch, though the filler with Edgar Bergen does give it a dated feeling, yet on the plus side can be a source of nostalgia for others.
As a small bonus, here is a link to part one of Mickey and the Beanstalk with the Ludwig filler.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Zfwku9OgEM
3/5
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Top Five Best and Worst Sidekicks for 2000 - 2011
The first in a series of countdowns for the Disney classics. After each 'chunk' or 'era' of film I'll be counting down the Heroes, Heroines, Villains, and Sidekicks at the very least. With that said here are the 5 Best and the 5 Worst Sidekicks that I've come across between 2000 and 2012 for Disney.
Top 5 Worst:
5) Zini (Dinosaur)
4) Runt of the Litter (Chicken Little)
3) BEN (Treasure Planet)
2) Louis (Princess and the Frog)
1) Buck (Home on the Range
Top 5 Best:
5) Maximus (Tangled)
4) Pascal (Tangled)
3) Ray (Princess and the Frog)
2) Fish Out of Water (Chicken Little)
1) Kronk (Emperors New Groove)
Top 5 Worst:
5) Zini (Dinosaur)
4) Runt of the Litter (Chicken Little)
3) BEN (Treasure Planet)
2) Louis (Princess and the Frog)
1) Buck (Home on the Range
Top 5 Best:
5) Maximus (Tangled)
4) Pascal (Tangled)
3) Ray (Princess and the Frog)
2) Fish Out of Water (Chicken Little)
1) Kronk (Emperors New Groove)
Make Mine Music
Continuing our Package Features time period, next on the list is Make Mine Music. This is where things start to get better. Like the two films before it, this is largely a bunch of cartoon short length sequences strung together for easier production during the war years.
The first short, Blue Bayou is one of the prettiest we've seen so far. While it does look nice, it's rather slow paced and not a whole lot really happens. The same can be said for similar sequences in this film such as "A Ballad In Blue," "Two Silhouettes," and "After You've Gone." It seems that for every short sequence, it would be followed by a more lively one.
The first lively sequence we come across is one of my favourites, "All the Cats Join In." This sequence is one that I've grown up with through other sources such as the Sing Along VHS tapes. This short helps get things going after the slower start with Blue Bayou.
Two other interesting shorts include "Johnny Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet" which is about two hats who fall in love but become separated. The second short that is interesting is "Casey At Bat" which follows a baseball player, though a lot of time is spent focused on other characters to build him up. This second short would later get a sequel revolving around his daughters.
The two other stand out sequences, my favourite aside, are "Peter and the Wolf" and "The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met." Both of these sequences are great and there's not really anything bad that I can say about them. The latter short does have an interesting, and rather rare ending for Disney, in which the heroe dies, which makes it worth watching. Peter and the Wolf is probably one of the more familiar shorts from this film, and like "All the Cats Join In" is one of the shorts seen and used in other sources over the years.
All in all this an improvement over the previous two films. 3/5
The first short, Blue Bayou is one of the prettiest we've seen so far. While it does look nice, it's rather slow paced and not a whole lot really happens. The same can be said for similar sequences in this film such as "A Ballad In Blue," "Two Silhouettes," and "After You've Gone." It seems that for every short sequence, it would be followed by a more lively one.
The first lively sequence we come across is one of my favourites, "All the Cats Join In." This sequence is one that I've grown up with through other sources such as the Sing Along VHS tapes. This short helps get things going after the slower start with Blue Bayou.
Two other interesting shorts include "Johnny Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet" which is about two hats who fall in love but become separated. The second short that is interesting is "Casey At Bat" which follows a baseball player, though a lot of time is spent focused on other characters to build him up. This second short would later get a sequel revolving around his daughters.
The two other stand out sequences, my favourite aside, are "Peter and the Wolf" and "The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met." Both of these sequences are great and there's not really anything bad that I can say about them. The latter short does have an interesting, and rather rare ending for Disney, in which the heroe dies, which makes it worth watching. Peter and the Wolf is probably one of the more familiar shorts from this film, and like "All the Cats Join In" is one of the shorts seen and used in other sources over the years.
All in all this an improvement over the previous two films. 3/5
3 Caballeros
The second of the two Latin America films during the 1940's, 3 Caballeros is a bit of an improvement over the previous film, and yet still not as good as the other package features to come. An oddity in this film is that despite the title, the films trio of Donald, Jose and Panchito aren't on screen together until near the very end.
The basic story for this film to tie together all the segments is that it is Donald's birthday and all his friends down in South America have sent him some birthday gifts. While most of it is still rather standard cartoon short ideas, one of the more enjoyable ones for myself was the first segment in which we follow a penguin who wants to live where it is warmer. Perhaps I can relate given my own location. The ending of the film where all three of our caballeros are together is a tad long and a bit psychedelic, almost like a too long Pink Elephants on Parade or Heffalump and Woozles segment. One of the nicest things about this film is the blend of live action with the animation.
Despite having some improvements, this film is still rather odd to me and not one I'm as quick to rewatch.
2 1/2 / 5
The basic story for this film to tie together all the segments is that it is Donald's birthday and all his friends down in South America have sent him some birthday gifts. While most of it is still rather standard cartoon short ideas, one of the more enjoyable ones for myself was the first segment in which we follow a penguin who wants to live where it is warmer. Perhaps I can relate given my own location. The ending of the film where all three of our caballeros are together is a tad long and a bit psychedelic, almost like a too long Pink Elephants on Parade or Heffalump and Woozles segment. One of the nicest things about this film is the blend of live action with the animation.
Despite having some improvements, this film is still rather odd to me and not one I'm as quick to rewatch.
2 1/2 / 5
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Saludos Amigos
Saludos Amigos is the first of two things. During the 1940's, with the war starting up, Disney lost a lot of it's European market. This caused the production of fully animated features to slow down, and instead a series of quickly made package films were created. Saludos Amigos is the first of such features, and is also the first of two Latin American films made.
Being the first, it's actually far from being the best. A lot of this film feels like a bunch of random Latin American themed shorts being put together with a loose filler to tie them together. It's a very slow paced film, or so it feels to me.
The only two things I really want to point out as highlights for this film are two things. First is the introduction of the character Jose Carioca who first appeared in this film, and would return in 3 Caballeros. The second highlight of this film is the Aquarela Do Brasil short, which by far is the most interesting of the piece in the visual presentation we are given.
While Donald Duck and Goofy do make appearances in this film, it's nothing we haven't really seen before for either of them and it doesn't feel like them being at their best.
Sadly this film earns a 2/5
Being the first, it's actually far from being the best. A lot of this film feels like a bunch of random Latin American themed shorts being put together with a loose filler to tie them together. It's a very slow paced film, or so it feels to me.
The only two things I really want to point out as highlights for this film are two things. First is the introduction of the character Jose Carioca who first appeared in this film, and would return in 3 Caballeros. The second highlight of this film is the Aquarela Do Brasil short, which by far is the most interesting of the piece in the visual presentation we are given.
While Donald Duck and Goofy do make appearances in this film, it's nothing we haven't really seen before for either of them and it doesn't feel like them being at their best.
Sadly this film earns a 2/5
Princess and the Frog
Princess and the Frog is the final film, of the 2000 to 2012 span of years for the Disney animated classics, that we will be visiting. It's one of the first hand-drawn films that Disney made since Home on the Range, and as usual was a princess film.
Firstly, the animation here is really great. The backgrounds are lush and in a few cases really beautiful to watch. The characters are all well animated and rather interesting design wise. On the side, there's one song in particular which really stood out visually, this being "Friends on the Other Side" and has some of the best visuals, in my opinion, in the whole film. The little voodoo dolls and spirits are great to watch in action, and have a nice colour scheme.
The story itself is something that I'm only going to comment on briefly. It revolves around Tiana, a hard working girl who is trying to open her own restaurant just like her father wanted to do. While working for her friend at a ball, she is abruptly turned into a frog by a visiting prince, who has been swindled by the villain. From here the two set out to try and get themselves turned back into humans, and learn a thing or two on the way about each other and about their own lives.
Tiana and Naveen play off of each other rather well in this film, Tiana being the hard working 'princess' who doesn't just wish on a star for things to come true, while Naveen is much more laid back and carefree. In a way they keep each other balanced as Tiana grounds Naveen from going too far to his extreme, while Naveen helps Tiana grow and loosen up. Dr. Facilier is by far one of the best villains for this time period at the very least. He has an awesome voice actor, a great song and has one of the creepiest death scenes thus far.
As usual, for this decade, it's the sidekicks where things start to waver. For me, Louis the crocodile is one of the more annoying characters and he really hampers this film. Every scene where he comes blundering through often makes me cringe or just shake my head instead of laugh, which gives the impression that Disney was trying too hard with this character. On the other hand we also have Ray, a cajun firefly, who is a mixed bag. While I really don't care for his first song, or his design at all, he does have at least one good part in the film at the end. The final character I wanted to comment upon was Charlotte. While a lot of people might be turned off by the "Rich, spoiled girl" aspect, it's really fitting. She is the exact opposite of Tiana, and yet shows that they can still be friends. Despite being rich and from a different walk of life, she still cares for Tiana as we see in the ball scenes and is willing to help her friend in the end. This character easily could have been a lot more jealous of Tiana and Naveen, and yet wasn't. One could argue that this latter bit is because the story required it, but that's also a rather...meta reason?
All in all, Princess and the Frog earns a solid 4/5
Firstly, the animation here is really great. The backgrounds are lush and in a few cases really beautiful to watch. The characters are all well animated and rather interesting design wise. On the side, there's one song in particular which really stood out visually, this being "Friends on the Other Side" and has some of the best visuals, in my opinion, in the whole film. The little voodoo dolls and spirits are great to watch in action, and have a nice colour scheme.
The story itself is something that I'm only going to comment on briefly. It revolves around Tiana, a hard working girl who is trying to open her own restaurant just like her father wanted to do. While working for her friend at a ball, she is abruptly turned into a frog by a visiting prince, who has been swindled by the villain. From here the two set out to try and get themselves turned back into humans, and learn a thing or two on the way about each other and about their own lives.
Tiana and Naveen play off of each other rather well in this film, Tiana being the hard working 'princess' who doesn't just wish on a star for things to come true, while Naveen is much more laid back and carefree. In a way they keep each other balanced as Tiana grounds Naveen from going too far to his extreme, while Naveen helps Tiana grow and loosen up. Dr. Facilier is by far one of the best villains for this time period at the very least. He has an awesome voice actor, a great song and has one of the creepiest death scenes thus far.
As usual, for this decade, it's the sidekicks where things start to waver. For me, Louis the crocodile is one of the more annoying characters and he really hampers this film. Every scene where he comes blundering through often makes me cringe or just shake my head instead of laugh, which gives the impression that Disney was trying too hard with this character. On the other hand we also have Ray, a cajun firefly, who is a mixed bag. While I really don't care for his first song, or his design at all, he does have at least one good part in the film at the end. The final character I wanted to comment upon was Charlotte. While a lot of people might be turned off by the "Rich, spoiled girl" aspect, it's really fitting. She is the exact opposite of Tiana, and yet shows that they can still be friends. Despite being rich and from a different walk of life, she still cares for Tiana as we see in the ball scenes and is willing to help her friend in the end. This character easily could have been a lot more jealous of Tiana and Naveen, and yet wasn't. One could argue that this latter bit is because the story required it, but that's also a rather...meta reason?
All in all, Princess and the Frog earns a solid 4/5
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Emperor's New Groove
Since I don't have a theme song guy to introduce us to today's post, let's just jump right in!
David Spade is an evil man-child. I just want to get that out of the way quickly since I really don't care for the actor at all, yet it doesn't hamper how I see Kuzco (his character). In a way the actor actually fits the character really well since initially Kuzco isn't a likeable person. So...yay for that? Since I'm on the topic of the actors, hands down Eartha Kitt and Patrick Warburton, as Yzma and Kronk, are by far the highlight of not just the cast but the characters as well. They work so well together and do such a great job. Oh and John Goodman is here as Pacha. I...don't really have a lot to say about him.
Now for a brief pause. This film has some really nice animation, everything is interesting to look at and looks great constantly. In particular the characters are really fun to watch, I found myself oddly enjoying Kuzco's human form especially his facial expressions at the end when he's talking to Pacha in the palace.
Songs....what songs? If there were any they were rather forgettable, even if the theme song guy's song was catchy enough as it is. It really is a shame that Eartha Kitt's song was cut out, having heard it via other sources I can say that it's inclusion would have been a welcome one.
The story is a large spin on the story of the Emperor's New Clothes, though instead he becomes turned into a llama. Or a demon llama if you're Pacha. This occurs because Kuzco's scheming advisor, Yzma, wishes to become empress (don't they all?) and gets her blundering assistant to poison him. However, a vial mishap results in Kuzco transforming into a llama. Along the way, Kuzco becomes lost and has to enlist Pacha's help, though the two are at odds since the selfish emperor wants to demolish Pacha's home and build a summer home in it's place. Along the way the two overcome their differences and become good friends.
Perhaps my biggest issue with the film, David Spade aside, is how there's numerous fourth wall jokes that interrupt the story an at times feel like they just slow things down instead. I personally didn't find them funny so much as a patience tester. One notable thing about this film however is that, to memory, Pacha's wife is the first pregnant woman seen in Disney animation. Given my memory though I could be wrong, but since there's still a lot of ground to cover we will see!
Now in the end, the big thing I love about this film, and can't praise enough, is Yzma and Kronk. If you haven't seen the film watch it for them at least.
4/5
David Spade is an evil man-child. I just want to get that out of the way quickly since I really don't care for the actor at all, yet it doesn't hamper how I see Kuzco (his character). In a way the actor actually fits the character really well since initially Kuzco isn't a likeable person. So...yay for that? Since I'm on the topic of the actors, hands down Eartha Kitt and Patrick Warburton, as Yzma and Kronk, are by far the highlight of not just the cast but the characters as well. They work so well together and do such a great job. Oh and John Goodman is here as Pacha. I...don't really have a lot to say about him.
Now for a brief pause. This film has some really nice animation, everything is interesting to look at and looks great constantly. In particular the characters are really fun to watch, I found myself oddly enjoying Kuzco's human form especially his facial expressions at the end when he's talking to Pacha in the palace.
Songs....what songs? If there were any they were rather forgettable, even if the theme song guy's song was catchy enough as it is. It really is a shame that Eartha Kitt's song was cut out, having heard it via other sources I can say that it's inclusion would have been a welcome one.
The story is a large spin on the story of the Emperor's New Clothes, though instead he becomes turned into a llama. Or a demon llama if you're Pacha. This occurs because Kuzco's scheming advisor, Yzma, wishes to become empress (don't they all?) and gets her blundering assistant to poison him. However, a vial mishap results in Kuzco transforming into a llama. Along the way, Kuzco becomes lost and has to enlist Pacha's help, though the two are at odds since the selfish emperor wants to demolish Pacha's home and build a summer home in it's place. Along the way the two overcome their differences and become good friends.
Perhaps my biggest issue with the film, David Spade aside, is how there's numerous fourth wall jokes that interrupt the story an at times feel like they just slow things down instead. I personally didn't find them funny so much as a patience tester. One notable thing about this film however is that, to memory, Pacha's wife is the first pregnant woman seen in Disney animation. Given my memory though I could be wrong, but since there's still a lot of ground to cover we will see!
Now in the end, the big thing I love about this film, and can't praise enough, is Yzma and Kronk. If you haven't seen the film watch it for them at least.
4/5
Monday, May 21, 2012
Lilo and Stitch
Ok! Super quick review.
Lilo and Stich is a rather interesting film. With it's rather quirky characters, and great backgrounds it looks and sounds like a lot of fun. Sound great, right? Well....yes. At the same time, however, Lilo and Stitch is also surprisingly mature in the content it provides. We see orphans, the importance of healthy socializing, and the issues that come with a broken home. These rather heavy issues are wrapped up with the bright, fun, backgrounds and softened by a certain fuzzy, little terror named Stitch.
Stitch, who starts out fully evil, is banished for being evil and yet manages to use his superior intelligence to escape to Hawaii. This is where he meets Lilo, and a young orphan who lives with her older sister. We juggle back and forth a bit between Stitch being hunted down by his creator and an alien officer, and Lilo's story involving her and her sister having to prove to a social worker that they can make things work despite having lost their parents.
Once again all of the songs are played over in the background, save for one short lullaby that Lilo's sister, Nani, sings. This lullaby scene is rather sweet and one of the best moments in the film. The 'villain' of the film takes a rather different role as Stitch's pursuers jeopardize Nani's efforts to make things work out with the social worker. While the aliens who are trying to capture stitch would be classified as evil, only one of them really fits the bill while the other is simply a guy trying to do his job.
This film was a large hit, spawning two more direct to video films, and two t.v series before the Stitch-mania started to fade out. Even then, the fuzzy alien is still a rather popular character if not more popular than his film.
3 1/2 / 5
Lilo and Stich is a rather interesting film. With it's rather quirky characters, and great backgrounds it looks and sounds like a lot of fun. Sound great, right? Well....yes. At the same time, however, Lilo and Stitch is also surprisingly mature in the content it provides. We see orphans, the importance of healthy socializing, and the issues that come with a broken home. These rather heavy issues are wrapped up with the bright, fun, backgrounds and softened by a certain fuzzy, little terror named Stitch.
Stitch, who starts out fully evil, is banished for being evil and yet manages to use his superior intelligence to escape to Hawaii. This is where he meets Lilo, and a young orphan who lives with her older sister. We juggle back and forth a bit between Stitch being hunted down by his creator and an alien officer, and Lilo's story involving her and her sister having to prove to a social worker that they can make things work despite having lost their parents.
Once again all of the songs are played over in the background, save for one short lullaby that Lilo's sister, Nani, sings. This lullaby scene is rather sweet and one of the best moments in the film. The 'villain' of the film takes a rather different role as Stitch's pursuers jeopardize Nani's efforts to make things work out with the social worker. While the aliens who are trying to capture stitch would be classified as evil, only one of them really fits the bill while the other is simply a guy trying to do his job.
This film was a large hit, spawning two more direct to video films, and two t.v series before the Stitch-mania started to fade out. Even then, the fuzzy alien is still a rather popular character if not more popular than his film.
3 1/2 / 5
Treasure Planet
Alrighty. Treasure Planet! Today will be the last double-post since I will now have caught up on the missed days. Today's reviews will also be rather short, which might be a slight trend for the next batch of movies.
Treasure Planet is a rather odd mix of CGI, Hand-Drawn, Sci-Fi and old-fashioned time periods. While the overall film isn't all that bad, there are just a lot of things present on screen that could be a bit distracting. Such as, why are old-fashioned sailing ships still used if the technology is advanced enough to fly? Why do the characters dress the way they do? Not a whole lot is given for answers, so it could be written off as 'Steampunk' rather loosely (depending on how much you personally classify it as this.).
This film continues the trend of our main characters not singing their songs and instead has them playing in the background, or at least...the whole single song we get during the film. The animation looks pretty good, both hand-drawn and CGI. The biggest nitpick I can find in the humour department is a flatulence joke which once again aims more toward the younger kids.
The characters provide a rather wide range. We get some great characters such as Jim and John Silver, who are helped by their father/son relationship arc, then we reach characters like BEN. Oh BEN.....he is probably right up there with Buck in terms of sheer annoyance. The only reason this rather annoying robot is more tolerable is because he does not show up until the last portion of the film.
Enjoyable, perhaps a little under rated, but at the same time we have so many bigger and greater films out there which tend to cast large shadows on the films from the 2000's onwards.
3/5
Treasure Planet is a rather odd mix of CGI, Hand-Drawn, Sci-Fi and old-fashioned time periods. While the overall film isn't all that bad, there are just a lot of things present on screen that could be a bit distracting. Such as, why are old-fashioned sailing ships still used if the technology is advanced enough to fly? Why do the characters dress the way they do? Not a whole lot is given for answers, so it could be written off as 'Steampunk' rather loosely (depending on how much you personally classify it as this.).
This film continues the trend of our main characters not singing their songs and instead has them playing in the background, or at least...the whole single song we get during the film. The animation looks pretty good, both hand-drawn and CGI. The biggest nitpick I can find in the humour department is a flatulence joke which once again aims more toward the younger kids.
The characters provide a rather wide range. We get some great characters such as Jim and John Silver, who are helped by their father/son relationship arc, then we reach characters like BEN. Oh BEN.....he is probably right up there with Buck in terms of sheer annoyance. The only reason this rather annoying robot is more tolerable is because he does not show up until the last portion of the film.
Enjoyable, perhaps a little under rated, but at the same time we have so many bigger and greater films out there which tend to cast large shadows on the films from the 2000's onwards.
3/5
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Brother Bear
Now...compared to my previous review, this is a film that would have been a better end note for hand drawn films. Brother Bear is one of those films that is often overlooked, and I feel is a tad under rated. While it does have flaws, they aren't as rampant as other films.
So. Let's hit up all the great stuff first. The transformation sequence in the end of the first act is really pretty. Speaking of which, the first act is actually rather good, save for a spit joke which isn't even funny in the slightest. The only other weak point I can find in this first act is the opening number being sung by Tina Turner, it gives a slight 'Circle of Life' feeling to things but doesn't have that same 'wow' factor.
The middle act is a lot of fun as we see our two main characters Kenai and Koda as they bond and grow closer slowly. The whole story generally follows Kenai as he is transformed into a bear and must travel to the place where the lights touch the mountain. Along the way he meets Koda, a young bear cub who can't find his mother. They encounter various interesting characters along the way, including a pair of moose. Initially I did not care for the two moose, but this time around they are more tolerable for the large part.
Our third act is just as strong as the first, if not a bit stronger. When our main characters reach a salmon run, they stop and have fun with the other bears, giving us a brief lull between a previous action sequence at the end of the middle act, and the climax of the film. For the most part the entire journey feels like a lot of fun. Eventually though all of the other bears start to share stories, which leads to a really great pair of scenes that set in motion the ending of the film. The only real hamper to this, is that between these two scenes and the height of the climax is the two moose arrive again and act like a speed bump in the tone. While it's understandable why Disney might have put them there at that moment, it does irk me since we were doing so great, only for that one little bit.
All in all, Brother Bear earns it's 4/5 rating.
So. Let's hit up all the great stuff first. The transformation sequence in the end of the first act is really pretty. Speaking of which, the first act is actually rather good, save for a spit joke which isn't even funny in the slightest. The only other weak point I can find in this first act is the opening number being sung by Tina Turner, it gives a slight 'Circle of Life' feeling to things but doesn't have that same 'wow' factor.
The middle act is a lot of fun as we see our two main characters Kenai and Koda as they bond and grow closer slowly. The whole story generally follows Kenai as he is transformed into a bear and must travel to the place where the lights touch the mountain. Along the way he meets Koda, a young bear cub who can't find his mother. They encounter various interesting characters along the way, including a pair of moose. Initially I did not care for the two moose, but this time around they are more tolerable for the large part.
Our third act is just as strong as the first, if not a bit stronger. When our main characters reach a salmon run, they stop and have fun with the other bears, giving us a brief lull between a previous action sequence at the end of the middle act, and the climax of the film. For the most part the entire journey feels like a lot of fun. Eventually though all of the other bears start to share stories, which leads to a really great pair of scenes that set in motion the ending of the film. The only real hamper to this, is that between these two scenes and the height of the climax is the two moose arrive again and act like a speed bump in the tone. While it's understandable why Disney might have put them there at that moment, it does irk me since we were doing so great, only for that one little bit.
All in all, Brother Bear earns it's 4/5 rating.
Home on the Range
Home on the Range was Disney's final hand-drawn film, or at least it felt like it was going to be he final one. Thankfully this was not the case, because this is one terrible way to end decades of great films.
If you're scratching your head trying to figure out what this film is about, that's ok, it was largely forgettable. The basic story revolves around three cows who are going to try capturing an evil man who is stealing herds of cows so that he can buy all the land. Also their farm is in danger of being next, which is what actually prompts them to go on the long journey to bring about not only justice, but cash in on the reward to save their farm.
This...will be a very short review. It's quite likely one of my least favourite animated classics and is rather hard to actually talk about. The animation isn't terrible, but it's not great. We have a very annoying scene where Roseanne's character arrives on the little farm and disrupts it's peace. Also this film has Buck who is quite possibly one of the most annoying sidekicks I have ever seen.
Is there anything that actually saves the film? The voice cast is well chosen, and seeing the three cows bonding is nice but there is just so much that falls flat.
2 1/2 / 5
If you're scratching your head trying to figure out what this film is about, that's ok, it was largely forgettable. The basic story revolves around three cows who are going to try capturing an evil man who is stealing herds of cows so that he can buy all the land. Also their farm is in danger of being next, which is what actually prompts them to go on the long journey to bring about not only justice, but cash in on the reward to save their farm.
This...will be a very short review. It's quite likely one of my least favourite animated classics and is rather hard to actually talk about. The animation isn't terrible, but it's not great. We have a very annoying scene where Roseanne's character arrives on the little farm and disrupts it's peace. Also this film has Buck who is quite possibly one of the most annoying sidekicks I have ever seen.
Is there anything that actually saves the film? The voice cast is well chosen, and seeing the three cows bonding is nice but there is just so much that falls flat.
2 1/2 / 5
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Winnie the Pooh (2011)
Think...think think...... Oh yes. I was going to review a certain silly old bear's second Animated Classic outing. Right off the bat I want to just say that this film is the closest that Winnie the Pooh has been to his Disney origins than he has been in a long time. A lot of elements of 'Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh' can be found here which only makes this film so much more fun. We have our characters interacting with the Narrator, it is set in a storybook, the characters interact with the words of the book and even our opening showing Christopher Robin's room. Interestingly Gopher does seem to be left out, and yet it's not something I even noticed upon the first viewing.
So, with that large chunk of an opening out of the way, this sounds like a great film. Well, yes and no. While it is highly enjoyable the story is the usual Winnie the Pooh fare and we in fact have two stories going on at once. The initial story that we start with is that Eeyore has lost his tail and everyone is trying to help him find a new one. Eventually this takes a slight back seat when a note from Christopher Robin is misunderstood and provides us with the larger portion of the story. Our fluffy bear and his friends believe that Christopher has been taken by a 'Bakson' or in reality his note simply says "Back Soon." This note, coupled with Owl's song on what a 'Backson' is prompts the characters to set a trap so they can save their friend.
While the story is pretty simple, it does feel fitting for this world. Winnie the Pooh always has been about simplicity when it comes to his stories. It may not make for an amazing story, but it does create a certain charm as it explores childhood and how things were so much simpler during that time. The film is a tad short, but we do get at least two parts of the film that made me giggle quite a bit. Though I do believe that this is the first film that has actually made me laugh or giggle out loud.
The animation is really well done, the entire time we get a storybook feeling from the backgrounds. A hallucination sequence is actually among my favourite bit of the film as we see Pooh swimming around in hunny. This is probably one of the better hand-drawn films as far as visual appearances go, or at the very least is more pleasing to me than Home on the Range was.
Now for a couple quick notes on songs. All of them are rather fun, the Backson song has a slight Heffalumps and Woozles vibe as it's depicted largely to chalk drawings coming to life. The other note I wanted to cover is that the opening song has appropriately added in Tigger who was never included in the original.
3 1/2 / 5
So, with that large chunk of an opening out of the way, this sounds like a great film. Well, yes and no. While it is highly enjoyable the story is the usual Winnie the Pooh fare and we in fact have two stories going on at once. The initial story that we start with is that Eeyore has lost his tail and everyone is trying to help him find a new one. Eventually this takes a slight back seat when a note from Christopher Robin is misunderstood and provides us with the larger portion of the story. Our fluffy bear and his friends believe that Christopher has been taken by a 'Bakson' or in reality his note simply says "Back Soon." This note, coupled with Owl's song on what a 'Backson' is prompts the characters to set a trap so they can save their friend.
While the story is pretty simple, it does feel fitting for this world. Winnie the Pooh always has been about simplicity when it comes to his stories. It may not make for an amazing story, but it does create a certain charm as it explores childhood and how things were so much simpler during that time. The film is a tad short, but we do get at least two parts of the film that made me giggle quite a bit. Though I do believe that this is the first film that has actually made me laugh or giggle out loud.
The animation is really well done, the entire time we get a storybook feeling from the backgrounds. A hallucination sequence is actually among my favourite bit of the film as we see Pooh swimming around in hunny. This is probably one of the better hand-drawn films as far as visual appearances go, or at the very least is more pleasing to me than Home on the Range was.
Now for a couple quick notes on songs. All of them are rather fun, the Backson song has a slight Heffalumps and Woozles vibe as it's depicted largely to chalk drawings coming to life. The other note I wanted to cover is that the opening song has appropriately added in Tigger who was never included in the original.
3 1/2 / 5
Tangled
This is the review of how I gave Tangled a 5/5..... Well. Not really. Thus we almost get off on the wrong foot for Tangled. It's rather hard to go into the third act without any real tension. Now I know what you're saying, "It's Disney! It always has a happy ending!" Well, true as that may be that doesn't mean there aren't scenes of tension, especially closer to/during the climax. What Flynn's opening narration does is say "Hey I almost died but it's ok I'm better now!" and sort of hinders the ending a bit. Of course for some people they might not agree, so Your Mileage May Vary.
Moving on from that the rest of the film is actually a pretty solid film, and the best CGI one Disney has done to date. With their newest film 'Frozen' on the way we will see how long that holds up though. The story is great and has the usual Disney twist, changing Flynn from a prince to a thief among other various bits. There isn't really a whole lot to say about the story aside from the fact that it does seem to have been made with boys in mind. We get a lot more action in this one compared to the original three Princess films, and the film went through a name change that made it sound less Princess-ey.
Ok. Enough with the rambles. Characters. We get great characters here, Rapunzel and Flynn are probably among the best, if not the best, leading heroes from the last 12 years. Though for those of us who are more technical, they are the best, and only, main heroes of this current decade. Mother Gothel is a great villain, and one I will return to in a later post in more full detail. For now though I will say that she is a huge highlight of this film and is also one of the better villains we've had in a while. Our sidekicks are fun, though I do question if maybe Disney didn't get it quite right with Maximus and Pascal. The two seem to be slight opposites, Pascal is much quieter and honestly a tad forgettable when he isn't directly on screen doing something. Maximus on the other hand is much more over the top and it's really hard to forget about him. Perhaps if they had given Pascal a bit more of that energy, and taken away a bit from Maximus things could have evened out just a bit.
So. Songs! This is the first, and so far only, CGI film where the characters actually sing the songs. Which, as an Old-School Disney Snob, I approve of. While a couple songs are sung more in the background, such as our opening number, you at least have the benefit of those songs actually being sung by the voice actors and not just any band filling in. Probably my favourite of the songs is, of course, the villain song both the main "Mother Knows Best" as well as the reprise of it later in the film.
All in all this film has certainly earned it's 4/5 rating.
Moving on from that the rest of the film is actually a pretty solid film, and the best CGI one Disney has done to date. With their newest film 'Frozen' on the way we will see how long that holds up though. The story is great and has the usual Disney twist, changing Flynn from a prince to a thief among other various bits. There isn't really a whole lot to say about the story aside from the fact that it does seem to have been made with boys in mind. We get a lot more action in this one compared to the original three Princess films, and the film went through a name change that made it sound less Princess-ey.
Ok. Enough with the rambles. Characters. We get great characters here, Rapunzel and Flynn are probably among the best, if not the best, leading heroes from the last 12 years. Though for those of us who are more technical, they are the best, and only, main heroes of this current decade. Mother Gothel is a great villain, and one I will return to in a later post in more full detail. For now though I will say that she is a huge highlight of this film and is also one of the better villains we've had in a while. Our sidekicks are fun, though I do question if maybe Disney didn't get it quite right with Maximus and Pascal. The two seem to be slight opposites, Pascal is much quieter and honestly a tad forgettable when he isn't directly on screen doing something. Maximus on the other hand is much more over the top and it's really hard to forget about him. Perhaps if they had given Pascal a bit more of that energy, and taken away a bit from Maximus things could have evened out just a bit.
So. Songs! This is the first, and so far only, CGI film where the characters actually sing the songs. Which, as an Old-School Disney Snob, I approve of. While a couple songs are sung more in the background, such as our opening number, you at least have the benefit of those songs actually being sung by the voice actors and not just any band filling in. Probably my favourite of the songs is, of course, the villain song both the main "Mother Knows Best" as well as the reprise of it later in the film.
All in all this film has certainly earned it's 4/5 rating.
Friday, May 18, 2012
Meet the Robinsons
Meet the Robinsons is an interesting film. Now...I'm going to say this upfront, Time Travel confuses me. A lot. So we're going to avoid that whole sticky mess in this review and in future reviews where Time Travel is featured. Unless you want 10 paragraphs of me rambling and trying to figure things out. No? OK! On with the review.
This film can easily be divided up into three main parts. The first part, which is easily the best, helps to set up our story and main character. We get to spend some time with Louis, learn who he is and what motivates him. It also helps to set up the world around him, and lays the ground work for the rest of the film. From this solid first act we then move into the second.
This middle portion when Louis arrives in the future is....where things go downhill. From start to finish it feels very hectic, the entire sequence at the Robinson's home feels like a constant onslaught of gags that sometimes just fall flat. We barely get any time to really know who these people are, especially because there is so many of them. The one thing we do learn is that they are a close knit group who love and support each other. Once we do see this support in action though we begin to shift into our final act.
From here the film starts to get it's steam back. Things go downhill for our hero and he has to start making things right again, culminating in a showdown with our villain. Once he has accomplished that, there is still time to wrap up all the things started from the first act, and hinted at in the middle.
So. The animation is really great here, the backgrounds are fun and pleasing to the eye. While there is a huge cast of characters, the ones we do get to spend more time with are pretty well developed or at least enough to play their part in the story. Two of my favourites include the time lost T-Rex, and the female scientist who acts as a judge at the science fair.
Meet the Robinsons managed to reign in the pop culture aspect which was a bit rampant in Chicken Little. It also continued the trend of having background songs not being sung by our main characters, which would continue until Tangled. One of Disney's better CGI films for sure.
3 1/2 / 5
*EDIT* I did notice I missed out on a semi-important note for this review. At the end of the film we get a quote from Walt Disney which slowly fades until only a portion of his message is left behind 'Keep Moving Forward.' This message was constantly used in the film. This film was still being made during a time when a lot of Disney fans were still wanting hand-drawn, and Disney was still wanting to put out CGI. So in a small way having this quote be used does feel like Disney trying to justify things with a portion of a Walt quote. Now, I don't want to start repeating my CGI vs Hand-Drawn ramble but I don't think Disney needed to justify anything and certainly not in this manner. Personally it came off heavy handed that they had to put it in there and fade out everything but what they wanted to say when leaving the whole quote up would have worked just fine.
This film can easily be divided up into three main parts. The first part, which is easily the best, helps to set up our story and main character. We get to spend some time with Louis, learn who he is and what motivates him. It also helps to set up the world around him, and lays the ground work for the rest of the film. From this solid first act we then move into the second.
This middle portion when Louis arrives in the future is....where things go downhill. From start to finish it feels very hectic, the entire sequence at the Robinson's home feels like a constant onslaught of gags that sometimes just fall flat. We barely get any time to really know who these people are, especially because there is so many of them. The one thing we do learn is that they are a close knit group who love and support each other. Once we do see this support in action though we begin to shift into our final act.
From here the film starts to get it's steam back. Things go downhill for our hero and he has to start making things right again, culminating in a showdown with our villain. Once he has accomplished that, there is still time to wrap up all the things started from the first act, and hinted at in the middle.
So. The animation is really great here, the backgrounds are fun and pleasing to the eye. While there is a huge cast of characters, the ones we do get to spend more time with are pretty well developed or at least enough to play their part in the story. Two of my favourites include the time lost T-Rex, and the female scientist who acts as a judge at the science fair.
Meet the Robinsons managed to reign in the pop culture aspect which was a bit rampant in Chicken Little. It also continued the trend of having background songs not being sung by our main characters, which would continue until Tangled. One of Disney's better CGI films for sure.
3 1/2 / 5
*EDIT* I did notice I missed out on a semi-important note for this review. At the end of the film we get a quote from Walt Disney which slowly fades until only a portion of his message is left behind 'Keep Moving Forward.' This message was constantly used in the film. This film was still being made during a time when a lot of Disney fans were still wanting hand-drawn, and Disney was still wanting to put out CGI. So in a small way having this quote be used does feel like Disney trying to justify things with a portion of a Walt quote. Now, I don't want to start repeating my CGI vs Hand-Drawn ramble but I don't think Disney needed to justify anything and certainly not in this manner. Personally it came off heavy handed that they had to put it in there and fade out everything but what they wanted to say when leaving the whole quote up would have worked just fine.
Chicken Little (film)
Chicken Little was the studio's first attempt at actually doing a full CGI story for the sake of actually telling a story, unlike Dinosaur which was more of an experiment in technology. With that said, there was a lot riding on Chicken Little given how hand-drawn films were not being as successful lately. Obviously, since a handful of films came since then, Chicken Little was successful enough to keep the animated classics lineup going.
But is it any good? Well.....sort of.
The story was actually pretty standard for the Disney formula. Take a fairytale, fable or other story and give it their own unique way of retelling it. One of the main problems though is that this film does try a bit too hard at times to be hip and modern. This makes the film feel less like Disney and more like a Dreamworks film, especially upon adding in a burp joke. At the very end we get a slight karaoke styled ending song during the credits in which all of the characters take part, only adding to the Dreamworks feeling given how it slightly copies the ending for Shrek.
To move along though, on a related note, the song choices also tend to be a bit odd in the film. There seems to just be a mix and match of pop songs thrown in where they felt it appropriate, though the Spice Girls song does feel extremely out of place regardless. Yet again this only adds to the Dreamworks feeling for me.
So. Is there anything good about the film? Chicken Little's world is rather unique and slightly fun to explore, especially during the roll call for the students. In Chicken Little we actually get a good side-kick in the form of Fish Out of Water. Our love-interest/ sidekick of Abby Mallard isn't too bad, though her voice-actress is a tad odd. Runt of the Litter rounds out Chicken Little's friends and is probably my least favourite of the group. However, your mileage may vary with the cast.
To continue on the films good points, the animation is rather well done, though since then it's quite likely that Tangled has only improved upon things. In the end, Chicken Little is a fun film that's work a watch.
3/5
*Side Note: Today will be a double-post day as I try to catch up a bit.*
But is it any good? Well.....sort of.
The story was actually pretty standard for the Disney formula. Take a fairytale, fable or other story and give it their own unique way of retelling it. One of the main problems though is that this film does try a bit too hard at times to be hip and modern. This makes the film feel less like Disney and more like a Dreamworks film, especially upon adding in a burp joke. At the very end we get a slight karaoke styled ending song during the credits in which all of the characters take part, only adding to the Dreamworks feeling given how it slightly copies the ending for Shrek.
To move along though, on a related note, the song choices also tend to be a bit odd in the film. There seems to just be a mix and match of pop songs thrown in where they felt it appropriate, though the Spice Girls song does feel extremely out of place regardless. Yet again this only adds to the Dreamworks feeling for me.
So. Is there anything good about the film? Chicken Little's world is rather unique and slightly fun to explore, especially during the roll call for the students. In Chicken Little we actually get a good side-kick in the form of Fish Out of Water. Our love-interest/ sidekick of Abby Mallard isn't too bad, though her voice-actress is a tad odd. Runt of the Litter rounds out Chicken Little's friends and is probably my least favourite of the group. However, your mileage may vary with the cast.
To continue on the films good points, the animation is rather well done, though since then it's quite likely that Tangled has only improved upon things. In the end, Chicken Little is a fun film that's work a watch.
3/5
*Side Note: Today will be a double-post day as I try to catch up a bit.*
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Bolt
This film will be slightly hard to review mainly because I have only seen it for the first time rather recently. With that said I was able to go into it with a fairly open mind.
Let's get the big thing out of the way. Miley Cyrus makes this film harder to watch when her voice pops up. It's distracting and takes me out of the movie when her face pops up in my mind. While this can happen with other famous celebs, Cyrus is much more....cringe worthy. So. Moving on!
Bolt has some pretty great visuals, though the film (like the other CGI ones) does give me a stronger 'Pixar' or 'Dreamworks' feeling than it does a 'Disney' one. A lot of this is because Disney had spent a good number of decades working on producing amazing hand-drawn films and they managed to make it their own. However when they moved into CGI films they weren't as familiar with this territory and it really feels like they didn't know what they were doing and relied more on what other companies have done. By the time Tangled hit this does seem to have lessened a great deal.
Any ways. Back on track!
This film does more than give an 'off' feeling for just the visuals. The story, while a good one, does feel like I've seen it before. If anything this film strongly reminded me of Homeward Bound in having three animal friends, who talk when humans aren't around, going on a journey together. There was even a scene where they were caught by humans and had to escape. The other familiar bit was with two of the characters. Bolt really resembles Buzz Lightyear in the sense that both believe they are someone they are not. With Buzz he thinks he's really a space ranger, and with Bolt he believes he has super powers. The second character to give off a familiar feeling is that of Mittens. She feels much like a mix of Woody and Jessie (also from Toy Story) in the sense that she has the tragic back story and also serves to remind our hero that he isn't who he thinks he is.
Also. The three pigeons in New York are almost an interesting nod towards the Good Pigeons from Animaniacs.
With all this being said, I really did enjoy the film. Yes there were bits and pieces I didn't overly care for, but that's pretty normal for a lot of films. One thing I really liked was the character of Mittens, and I also enjoyed Rhino from time to time. These two 'sidekick' characters are a large improvement over the sidekicks that we will soon be coming across.
3/5
Let's get the big thing out of the way. Miley Cyrus makes this film harder to watch when her voice pops up. It's distracting and takes me out of the movie when her face pops up in my mind. While this can happen with other famous celebs, Cyrus is much more....cringe worthy. So. Moving on!
Bolt has some pretty great visuals, though the film (like the other CGI ones) does give me a stronger 'Pixar' or 'Dreamworks' feeling than it does a 'Disney' one. A lot of this is because Disney had spent a good number of decades working on producing amazing hand-drawn films and they managed to make it their own. However when they moved into CGI films they weren't as familiar with this territory and it really feels like they didn't know what they were doing and relied more on what other companies have done. By the time Tangled hit this does seem to have lessened a great deal.
Any ways. Back on track!
This film does more than give an 'off' feeling for just the visuals. The story, while a good one, does feel like I've seen it before. If anything this film strongly reminded me of Homeward Bound in having three animal friends, who talk when humans aren't around, going on a journey together. There was even a scene where they were caught by humans and had to escape. The other familiar bit was with two of the characters. Bolt really resembles Buzz Lightyear in the sense that both believe they are someone they are not. With Buzz he thinks he's really a space ranger, and with Bolt he believes he has super powers. The second character to give off a familiar feeling is that of Mittens. She feels much like a mix of Woody and Jessie (also from Toy Story) in the sense that she has the tragic back story and also serves to remind our hero that he isn't who he thinks he is.
Also. The three pigeons in New York are almost an interesting nod towards the Good Pigeons from Animaniacs.
With all this being said, I really did enjoy the film. Yes there were bits and pieces I didn't overly care for, but that's pretty normal for a lot of films. One thing I really liked was the character of Mittens, and I also enjoyed Rhino from time to time. These two 'sidekick' characters are a large improvement over the sidekicks that we will soon be coming across.
3/5
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Dinosaur
Dinosaur is similar to Fantasia in the way that it's driven more by technology and the visuals than it is by the story and characters. Sounds like a good thing right? Well... not so much. The fact that this film is used to explore the technology and medium means that it's going to forsake it's characters and story, thus hampering things greatly.
So. Let's start with the visuals, easily the best thing about this film. Dinosaur looks amazing. It has a blend of CGI and live action which creates a very beautiful world to look at as our story unfolds. The opening scene has no speaking at all and shows the daily routine of the creatures before it is disrupted by a Carnotaur attack. From there we watch the journey of our hero, still in his egg, as he travels from his nest to an island of lemurs.
From this point forward it is where our characters begin to speak, and from the arrival on the island up to the end of it's destruction we are given a very visual treat. We meet our main characters and watch the lemurs as they engage in a mating ritual and silly antics, before under a pink sunset the meteors arrive. At first falling in the distance, the characters are awed by them, but soon the meteors start to land closer in the water and horror sets in. These falling rocks act more like missiles, complete with one giving off what resembles a nuclear explosion.
Easily this first portion of the film is the strongest, mating ritual aside, as we are given a lush world to enjoy. From this point forward however, the story and characters progressively become much more boring. The story unfolds as almost a rip off of Land Before Time, our heroes must travel together while avoiding the Carnotuar all in order to reach the nesting grounds. Compare this to Little Foot and his friends who must travel to the Great Valley and avoid the Sharptooth. Earlier moments in this film play out much like scenes from Land Before Time, and the final destination of the nesting grounds is in a valley that is lush and untouched by the cataclysm that ruined the world.
This is what makes Dinosaur harder to watch. While some tension was attempted by having the herd, who our heroes travel with, being followed by Carnotaurs it just isn't enough. So with a weak story there's surely a strong lead character to root for, right? Not so much. Aladar is rather one-dimensional and quickly becomes pretty boring, so we don't even have that to invest in.
One last note on this film I wish to cover is the script. While there is nothing wrong with having our characters talk, the problem lies more with what they say. Instead of getting a solid script, our characters talk in a more hip and modern manner so that they can appeal to the current generation watching this.
All in all, this film is worth checking out if you want to turn off your brain and just enjoy the visuals. 3/5
So. Let's start with the visuals, easily the best thing about this film. Dinosaur looks amazing. It has a blend of CGI and live action which creates a very beautiful world to look at as our story unfolds. The opening scene has no speaking at all and shows the daily routine of the creatures before it is disrupted by a Carnotaur attack. From there we watch the journey of our hero, still in his egg, as he travels from his nest to an island of lemurs.
From this point forward it is where our characters begin to speak, and from the arrival on the island up to the end of it's destruction we are given a very visual treat. We meet our main characters and watch the lemurs as they engage in a mating ritual and silly antics, before under a pink sunset the meteors arrive. At first falling in the distance, the characters are awed by them, but soon the meteors start to land closer in the water and horror sets in. These falling rocks act more like missiles, complete with one giving off what resembles a nuclear explosion.
Easily this first portion of the film is the strongest, mating ritual aside, as we are given a lush world to enjoy. From this point forward however, the story and characters progressively become much more boring. The story unfolds as almost a rip off of Land Before Time, our heroes must travel together while avoiding the Carnotuar all in order to reach the nesting grounds. Compare this to Little Foot and his friends who must travel to the Great Valley and avoid the Sharptooth. Earlier moments in this film play out much like scenes from Land Before Time, and the final destination of the nesting grounds is in a valley that is lush and untouched by the cataclysm that ruined the world.
This is what makes Dinosaur harder to watch. While some tension was attempted by having the herd, who our heroes travel with, being followed by Carnotaurs it just isn't enough. So with a weak story there's surely a strong lead character to root for, right? Not so much. Aladar is rather one-dimensional and quickly becomes pretty boring, so we don't even have that to invest in.
One last note on this film I wish to cover is the script. While there is nothing wrong with having our characters talk, the problem lies more with what they say. Instead of getting a solid script, our characters talk in a more hip and modern manner so that they can appeal to the current generation watching this.
All in all, this film is worth checking out if you want to turn off your brain and just enjoy the visuals. 3/5
Friday, May 11, 2012
CGI vs Hand-Drawn Animation (In Disney)
First things first. This is -not- going to be a post where I trash CGI at all because I actually do enjoy films that are animated in this manner. The point of this post is to help clarify and explain why I might make certain comments about the next 5 Disney classics I will be reviewing.
Now then. In the Disney fanbase there have been quite a few people who were vocal about how CGI is "Not Disney" or "It's now what Walt would do" or just about any other variation of those two things. The latter comment is where I want to start. Firstly it is -very- silly to say such a thing because none of us have no way of ever knowing what Walt would or would not do, say or want. However. Walt Disney was always an innovative man, and I believe that if he had lived long enough, he would have been at the helm of ushering in CGI. He was always looking for new ways and techniques to improve upon things and CGI was/is the next logical step in doing so.
One would only need to look at his previous track record to see this. Starting with early 'Silent' black and white cartoon shorts, Walt eventually progressed into color and shorts where the characters speak. From there he went further into full animated films, to live action and even mixing the two mediums as early as the 1920's with his Alice Comedies.
With that history ramble out of the way I want to quickly focus on the former comment. Is it Disney? Well, that often falls to personal opinion and can never be a fact. For me I do lean towards having a Hand-Drawn preference. A lot of this is because I have a stronger nostalgia to the early films, and to the films of the 90's which I grew up with. This does not mean I don't like the CGI films at all. Each film has it's own strengths and weaknesses but very rarely (if ever) is that weakness the medium in which it's animated.
Now. I do admit that having also grown up with Pixar, the CGI films -do- tend to feel more like a Pixar film to me as far as visuals go. Again, this doesn't mean it's bad, if anything it's almost a compliment given how high of a standard Pixar animation is held to and how amazing those films look.
So that's my 'quick' ramble. Hopefully that clears things up when we get into my CGI film reviews, starting tomorrow with 'Dinosaur' :)
Now then. In the Disney fanbase there have been quite a few people who were vocal about how CGI is "Not Disney" or "It's now what Walt would do" or just about any other variation of those two things. The latter comment is where I want to start. Firstly it is -very- silly to say such a thing because none of us have no way of ever knowing what Walt would or would not do, say or want. However. Walt Disney was always an innovative man, and I believe that if he had lived long enough, he would have been at the helm of ushering in CGI. He was always looking for new ways and techniques to improve upon things and CGI was/is the next logical step in doing so.
One would only need to look at his previous track record to see this. Starting with early 'Silent' black and white cartoon shorts, Walt eventually progressed into color and shorts where the characters speak. From there he went further into full animated films, to live action and even mixing the two mediums as early as the 1920's with his Alice Comedies.
With that history ramble out of the way I want to quickly focus on the former comment. Is it Disney? Well, that often falls to personal opinion and can never be a fact. For me I do lean towards having a Hand-Drawn preference. A lot of this is because I have a stronger nostalgia to the early films, and to the films of the 90's which I grew up with. This does not mean I don't like the CGI films at all. Each film has it's own strengths and weaknesses but very rarely (if ever) is that weakness the medium in which it's animated.
Now. I do admit that having also grown up with Pixar, the CGI films -do- tend to feel more like a Pixar film to me as far as visuals go. Again, this doesn't mean it's bad, if anything it's almost a compliment given how high of a standard Pixar animation is held to and how amazing those films look.
So that's my 'quick' ramble. Hopefully that clears things up when we get into my CGI film reviews, starting tomorrow with 'Dinosaur' :)
Fantasia 2000
The phrase "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" oddly enough fits this film, since Fantasia 2000 is very much a marriage of classical music to animation much like the original film was.
Fantasia 2000 oddly enough has a pretty nice introduction. I really enjoyed seeing clips of the older film passing by as the narrator discussed Fantasia. The very first piece we are introduced to is "Symphony Number 5" and features abstract butterflies and bats who explore a world of light and darkness. This piece has several visually pleasing bits to it, including two butterflies playing with water, as well as the bats. It makes for a nice introduction to the movie, though the best is yet to come.
After the first sequence concludes we are introduced to Steve Martin who, sadly, is the first of our celebrity narrators. This constant shift of narrators is rather jarring, even more so when a number of them are simply obnoxious or feel like they aren't being used very well. Often the camera will pan away mid-speech, which only adds to the annoyance, after all why have these people here if we aren't going to focus on them for their whole piece?
With that out of the way we then move into our second sequence, Pines of Rome. This one is rather iffy for me. While it does look great visually, it does hit a lull in the middle when the young whale becomes lost in an iceberg. The visual appearance does help to keep the interest as we are treated to pleasing backgrounds, but it does slow things down until the climax - which is the part I enjoyed most.
The Steadfast Soldier, much like the preceding shorts, is enjoyable enough. This one does have a more 'Disney' feel to it, taking a well known story and giving it a twist for a happy ending. Much like the bats from Symphony Number 5, the rats here were rather neat visually.
Rhapsody in Blue follows the lives of several New Yorkers, their stories interweaving with each other. Their melancholy lives are easy to relate to, which only makes the resolution at the end rather satisfying as each story wraps up.
What happens when you give a flock of flamingos a yo-yo? Well we find out in this rather brisk feeling sequence. The watercolor animation is enjoyable and helps to give the short it's own identity.
Pomp and Circumstance is where the animation really felt great for me. Seeing the opening bit with all the animals looked great, and it stayed consistent at that level through the sequence. There were a couple of gags that actually made me giggle, such as the two ducks staring at Donald Duck and watching a ton of rabbits pour out of the Ark at the end.
Now we reach the final short of the new batch. The Firebird Suite is nothing short of awesome for me and it works as a great finale to the film as a whole. It's... rather hard to fully put things into words for this short. There's a ton of great pieces in it including the cherry blossoms and the expressions upon both the Elk and the Sprite. For now I will leave it simply as "Gorgeous and a great ending"
So that concludes Fantasia 2000. The entire film does have the perk of each sequence having it's own unique identity from the different styles of animation used. Ultimately though.... a number of the sequences just aren't "Wow" worthy and the jarring transitions can be quite tiresome.
3/5 Stars.
Fantasia 2000 oddly enough has a pretty nice introduction. I really enjoyed seeing clips of the older film passing by as the narrator discussed Fantasia. The very first piece we are introduced to is "Symphony Number 5" and features abstract butterflies and bats who explore a world of light and darkness. This piece has several visually pleasing bits to it, including two butterflies playing with water, as well as the bats. It makes for a nice introduction to the movie, though the best is yet to come.
After the first sequence concludes we are introduced to Steve Martin who, sadly, is the first of our celebrity narrators. This constant shift of narrators is rather jarring, even more so when a number of them are simply obnoxious or feel like they aren't being used very well. Often the camera will pan away mid-speech, which only adds to the annoyance, after all why have these people here if we aren't going to focus on them for their whole piece?
With that out of the way we then move into our second sequence, Pines of Rome. This one is rather iffy for me. While it does look great visually, it does hit a lull in the middle when the young whale becomes lost in an iceberg. The visual appearance does help to keep the interest as we are treated to pleasing backgrounds, but it does slow things down until the climax - which is the part I enjoyed most.
The Steadfast Soldier, much like the preceding shorts, is enjoyable enough. This one does have a more 'Disney' feel to it, taking a well known story and giving it a twist for a happy ending. Much like the bats from Symphony Number 5, the rats here were rather neat visually.
Rhapsody in Blue follows the lives of several New Yorkers, their stories interweaving with each other. Their melancholy lives are easy to relate to, which only makes the resolution at the end rather satisfying as each story wraps up.
What happens when you give a flock of flamingos a yo-yo? Well we find out in this rather brisk feeling sequence. The watercolor animation is enjoyable and helps to give the short it's own identity.
Pomp and Circumstance is where the animation really felt great for me. Seeing the opening bit with all the animals looked great, and it stayed consistent at that level through the sequence. There were a couple of gags that actually made me giggle, such as the two ducks staring at Donald Duck and watching a ton of rabbits pour out of the Ark at the end.
Now we reach the final short of the new batch. The Firebird Suite is nothing short of awesome for me and it works as a great finale to the film as a whole. It's... rather hard to fully put things into words for this short. There's a ton of great pieces in it including the cherry blossoms and the expressions upon both the Elk and the Sprite. For now I will leave it simply as "Gorgeous and a great ending"
So that concludes Fantasia 2000. The entire film does have the perk of each sequence having it's own unique identity from the different styles of animation used. Ultimately though.... a number of the sequences just aren't "Wow" worthy and the jarring transitions can be quite tiresome.
3/5 Stars.
Obligatory Intro Post
Before things get rolling with the first review, I felt it best to just say "Hallo" and get a few things out of the way. :) Also a quick note, a BIG thanks to Garethil for coming up with the blog title <3
What can you expect from this blog? Movie reviews that may or may not be short, it really depends on if brevity and I are friends at the time. Also, you can expect to see t.v shows and cartoon shorts to pop up here and there, the latter of which are likely to be the shortest reviews given their running time.
Will there be spoilers? Yes. There will be spoilers for all the reviews, but given how I'm not going to touch anything brand-spanking new to theaters it may not be an issue for you readers. :) However, if for some reason I think it's needed, I will try to put spoilers in White text to hide it with the words "SPOILERS START/END HERE" just to help out.
Can I request a review? That is a hesitant 'Yes' simply because I do not have access to Netflix etc. So if you request a movie/t.v show that I do not A) Own, B) Have access to via family, or C) Have the ability to find on Youtube, then I will not be able to review it. :( But do feel free to make a request in the comments section of the latest blog post, or whatnot.
Will there be anything else aside from reviews? Yes and no. There might be the odd Countdown here and there, and a few other non-review posts where I ramble my thoughts on other things movie/t.v related. One post that will pop up eventually will be regarding "CGI vs Hand-Drawn Animation in Disney" simply to clear up my thoughts on that matter ahead of time.
With that said, prepare for a whirlwind of nostalgia, rambles and (hopefully) fun times! Feel free to leave your own thoughts in the comments section. :D
What can you expect from this blog? Movie reviews that may or may not be short, it really depends on if brevity and I are friends at the time. Also, you can expect to see t.v shows and cartoon shorts to pop up here and there, the latter of which are likely to be the shortest reviews given their running time.
Will there be spoilers? Yes. There will be spoilers for all the reviews, but given how I'm not going to touch anything brand-spanking new to theaters it may not be an issue for you readers. :) However, if for some reason I think it's needed, I will try to put spoilers in White text to hide it with the words "SPOILERS START/END HERE" just to help out.
Can I request a review? That is a hesitant 'Yes' simply because I do not have access to Netflix etc. So if you request a movie/t.v show that I do not A) Own, B) Have access to via family, or C) Have the ability to find on Youtube, then I will not be able to review it. :( But do feel free to make a request in the comments section of the latest blog post, or whatnot.
Will there be anything else aside from reviews? Yes and no. There might be the odd Countdown here and there, and a few other non-review posts where I ramble my thoughts on other things movie/t.v related. One post that will pop up eventually will be regarding "CGI vs Hand-Drawn Animation in Disney" simply to clear up my thoughts on that matter ahead of time.
With that said, prepare for a whirlwind of nostalgia, rambles and (hopefully) fun times! Feel free to leave your own thoughts in the comments section. :D
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