Cinderella

DISCLAIMER: This blog is not for profit. I do not claim ownership of this material- all images and footage used are property of their respective companies unless stated otherwise.

                                                    

In terms of its wider impact, this is obviously an adaptation of one of the most iconic stories of all time. Along with Snow White, it defines the way in which many perceive animated Disney films. After a slump during the Second World War and several financial issues before that, this was the mega hit that saved Disney Animation and started the Second Golden Age more commonly known as the Silver Age. But does it live up to its monumental reputation?

In terms of atmosphere, you could not find a Disney film with a more classical feel than Cinderella. A lot of the songs sound very orchestral, with a lot of violins and tunes that sound slow and pretty in a classic way. A prime example of this is the iconic ‘A Dream is A Wish Your Heart Makes’- it’s a nice ballad that makes use of several instruments and sounds almost dream-like. My personal favourite, however, is the exception to this atmospheric rule, Bibbity-Bobbity-Boo, which has a really fun tune that makes it very enjoyable to listen to.   

This then matches up very well with the also pretty, if not slightly bland at times, animation. There are a lot of pastel colours, such as several light pink and blue tones, and overall it is very nice to look at. Cinderella herself is the same in a way- pretty, if not a little dull. Like most Disney Princesses of her era, she doesn’t have too much of a personality, but to be fair she is a better role model than many would give her credit for, always staying kind and optimistic no matter what she has to endure. The Mice also make for fairly entertaining side characters, although in terms of story there is way too much focus given to their hijinks with the cat.   

But by far one of the best characters Cinderella are the three villains, Lady Tremaine and the Ugly Stepsisters. The Ugly Stepsisters are really funny with great designs to match and Lady Tremaine is the best villain in the Canon so far. Something about the great Eleanor Audley’s chilling performance combined with her often cruel looking character design makes her a force to be reckoned with.

Overall, Cinderella is a very pleasant and enjoyable film to watch, with some pretty animation, good songs and really great villains.   

Rating

Good guys: Cinderella is a bit bland, but the mice and the Fairy Godmother are entertaining enough to bring the character score up to a 6/10                                                                                               Bad Guys: All three of the villains are fantastic, so they get a score of 8/10                                                                                                                                          Animation: Pretty to look at, if not a little bland at times, the animation gets a 7/10                                                                                                                                                 Music: All very pleasant to listen to, with some classics in amongst the score, the music gets an 8/10 Plot: Obviously, it is an iconic story, but there is also a lot of filler with the mice, which can get tedious, so the plot gets 7/10                                                                                                                    Overall score: 36/50

Next review: Alice in Wonderland

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr Toad

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This film is the last of the Package Era films and falls slap bang into the middle of the ones that I have been able to review here in terms of quality.

I really enjoy both of the classic stories that the two halves of this movie tell- and strangely enough, they do seem to go together really well. They are linked as they are both based on classic literature, but at the same time the more light-hearted nature of the Wind in the Willows balances out the darker storyline of Ichabod Crane.

I also really like the music, especially the Headless Horseman song. It just has a really fun tune- but the other songs range from ok (the songs in Ichabod Crane) to a bit irritating (We’re Merrily on Our Way to Nowhere). The animation is also generally decent- but the Headless Horseman sequence at the end of the Ichabod Crane section particularly stands out. Something about the background and the way in which the animation builds up the atmosphere is effectively eerie, making for a really tense scene overall.

The Headless Horseman is a great villain generally, even with his short amount of screen time- he has a great design and it works really well with the atmosphere of the scene, allowing him to be scary without even uttering a single line of dialogue.

As you can probably tell from this rather unbalanced review, the Ichabod Crane segment is the better of the two. The Wind in the Willows story is perfectly entertaining, but the Disney version doesn’t do anything particularly notable or special with it.

Generally, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr Toad is an enjoyable film that is a good end to this era of Disney Animation.

Rating

Good guys: I wouldn’t really call Ichabod Crane a good guy, but Toad is a great protagonist in any film he’s in, so overall the good guys get 6/10

Bad Guys: The Headless Horseman is a very effective antagonist, so the bad guys get 7/10

Animation: With the exception of the Headless Horseman scene, none of the animation is particularly special, so it gets a 5/10

Music: The songs are pretty mixed on the whole, but the Headless Horseman song brings the film’s music up to a 5/10

Plot: Both storylines are classics and as a result the plot gets a 6/10

Overall score: 29/50

Next review: Cinderella

Melody Time

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Like Make Mine Music, Melody Time is made of several entertaining stories, all of which make for an ok film overall. In addition, for the most part, all of the shorts are very well animated. However, the way in which some shorts attempt to blend animation with live action can feel very odd and out of place in this particular film.

On the other hand, there are some creative choices that pay off with the animation. For example, there are some interesting uses of colours in the first short, Once Upon A Wintertime and I enjoyed the surrealism of Bumble Boogie and Blame it On the Samba. But some of the shorts do go on for a bit too long. For example, the aforementioned Once Upon A Wintertime feels like it just keeps going and going and going, with the drama levels going out of control, to a level that is at odds with the rest of the short’s atmosphere.

The music is fairly enjoyable- obviously, the tunes are not amazing, but they are ok. This assessment is also accurate for the characters- for the most part, the protagonists of each short are pretty bland, but they are at least bearable to watch.

And that pretty much sums up Melody Time. It’s sort of generic, but still vaguely enjoyable and with some pretty good music. 

Rating

Good guys: Somewhat likeable, but not particularly memorable, the good guys get a 4/10

Bad guys: The film doesn’t really have any bad guys, with the possible exception of a certain animal in Pecos Bill, so the score for Bad Guys is 5/10

Animation: There are some nice colours and interesting creative choices presented, so the animation gets a 5/10

Music: There are some good tunes in there, although there is nothing incredible, so the music gets a 6/10

Plot: Each of the shorts has a pretty decent story to it, although certain shorts do go on for a bit too long, so on the whole the plot gets a 5/10

Overall rating: 25/50

Next review: The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr Toad

Make Mine Music

DISCLAIMER: This blog is not for profit. I do not claim ownership of this material- all images and footage used are property of their respective companies unless stated otherwise.

                                              

This film feels very very bitty and for a good reason. It’s the first on my list that fits into the ‘package era’, where the Second World War brought lower budgets and a smaller animation team. As a result of this, the Disney ‘movies’ released at the time were actually a collection of shorts ‘packaged’ as one feature.

Overall, each of the shorts is enjoyable in it’s own way. For example, the shorts ‘Blue Bayou’ and ‘Two Silhouettes’ have some lovely animation, although the latter’s use of Rotoscoping does look a bit odd at times. On the whole, the animation for the rest of the shorts is pretty decent, with some nice colours and great character designs. This is especially true in the more comedic shorts, such as the baseball themed ‘Casey at the Bat’. But there is nothing too special happening animation wise in any of the others, especially considering that this is a studio that had already produced Bambi and Pinocchio, albeit with a much larger budget and within a different context.

The best short in the set is probably ‘The Whale Who Wanted To Sing At The Met’. Without spoiling anything, this is a beautiful, beautiful story told in just the right way. Most of the other shorts also have fairly entertaining plotlines.

The music is pretty fun and tells the stories of each short effectively. It really shines the most when it is more narrative based, as opposed to just being background music.  

Overall, all of the shorts are well animated and entertaining on their own and make for a pretty decent whole.

Rating

Good guys: Most of the shorts have likable characters, with Willie the Whale being particularly sweet, so the movie gets 5/10 for good guys.     

Bad guys: The only real villain in the film is the Wolf in ‘Peter and the Wolf’- he is somewhat threatening, but I feel like something about his design could have been a bit scarier, so the Bad Guys get another 5/10

Animation: Pretty in some shorts and decent in others, but nothing too special on the whole, the animation gets a 5/10

Music: The music tells the narratives of several shorts very well, in spite of being somewhat forgettable at times, so the music gets a 6/10

Plot: Most of the stories are interesting enough and Willie the Whale’s story is enough to bring the score for Plot up to 7/10

Overall rating: 28/50

Next review: Melody Time

Bambi

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The first and most noticeable thing about Bambi is that it is a beautiful film. There is just something about the textures and the fluidity of the animation- it looks incredible.

In the first half of the film the characters are also adorably designed, which is a credit to both the animation and the story itself. However, overall the characters are actually pretty generic, with the exception of Thumper. The songs are also not really up to much, but the score is nice.

The overall plot doesn’t really have a set structure, but it doesn’t really need one- it is simply about nature and a young deer growing up within it. The scenes shown range from adorable (Bambi skating) to heart-breaking (do I even need to say which scene this applies to?). But they are all effective in conjuring the correct emotions from the audience and they are all entertaining to watch on some level.  

What makes the part with Bambi’s mother so effective is the way in which it is set up. It starts off with a happy atmosphere and the score seems light. But then the camera pans out. The music grows more ominous. The previously relaxed atmosphere gives way to an intense chase scene, eventually culminating its infamous ending. Both the jarring set up and the way in which Bambi calls out optimistically for his mother, thinking that they both survived, are heart wrenching to watch.

Overall, Bambi is a wonderfully animated and sweet film. It is well deserving of its status as a Disney classic.

Rating

Good guys: They are pretty generic, but with cute designs as children, so the characters get a 5/10

Bad guys: Man is made into a very intimidating villain, without even appearing, so the villains get an 8/10

Animation: Some of the best animation so far in the canon, the animation gets a 10/10

Music: It has a nice score, but nothing about the music is particularly memorable, so it only gets a 4/10

Plot: Even without a set structure, the film still manages to be entertaining, so the plot gets a 7/10

Overall rating: 34/50

Next review: Make Mine Music

Dumbo

DISCLAIMER: This blog is not for profit. I do not claim ownership of this material- all images and footage used are property of their respective companies unless stated otherwise.

                                                   

The best way to describe Dumbo is… cute. Not amazing. Not outstanding. But cute.

Its adorable main character is definitely its greatest asset. His design is fantastic - he makes for a great protagonist, even if he doesn’t actually speak. This also helps with the plot as a whole, as it really makes you root for and sympathise with him. It really makes you care, which is important, because this film can get seriously depressing.

Most of the plot is just bad stuff happening to Dumbo, until he learns to fly in the last 10 minutes and becomes a superstar. This could get really tiring after a while, but it actually works because like I said, Dumbo’s adorable design means you really care. Timothy Mouse is also a pretty likable character, but his similarity to Jiminy Cricket makes him a little forgettable. Ok, it makes him very forgettable.

The quality of the animation is also not the best. It is certainly not up to the standards of Snow White, Pinocchio or Fantasia. But it is cute, colourful and fits the film’s Circus theme well. Many of Disney’s animators were striking at the time and it was made on a rather cheap budget due to the financial losses of Pinocchio and Fantasia, which were both very expensive to make, so there is a good reason for the drop in quality. But it is still rather noticeable.

As for the songs, most of them are pretty forgettable, with the exception of Pink Elephants on Parade. Even then, that scene really works due to the brilliantly inventive animation, rather than the actual song itself. Baby Mine is sweet, but a bit bland. And unfortunately the most memorable song in the film is sung by one of Disney’s most infamously racist sets of characters (the Crows). So yeah. That's more than a little bit uncomfortable to watch, let alone listen to. 

Overall, Dumbo is sweet, but not outstanding. Its good entertainment- just don’t expect to be wowed by it.

Rating

Good Guys: Dumbo is adorable and Timothy is watchable, so the good guys get a 6/10

Bad Guys: There aren’t any particularly strong villains in the film-  the other Elephants are really mean to one of the cutest characters in the canon, but they lack the entertainment value that the best Disney villains have, so the Bad Guys get a 5/10

Animation: Pretty patchy overall, but it works well for this particular story and the Pink Elephants scene alone brings the animation up to a 7/10

Music: Most of the songs are pretty forgettable, so the music gets a 4/10

Plot: It’s a classic ‘Zero to Hero’ story, with a good emotional core, so the plot gets a 7/10

Overall Rating: 29/50

Next up: Bambi

 

Fantasia

DISCLAIMER: This blog is not for profit . I do not claim ownership of this material- all images and footage used are property of their respective companies unless stated otherwise.

I’ll admit I had been dreading this one a bit. It’s just so unique, that it is actually quite challenging to review- it doesn’t play by regular movie rules. But there are still some things to be said about both the good (and not so good) parts of Fantasia.

First of all, it should be praised for taking such a different concept and actually pulling it off. Overall, it is able to balance both its more abstract and narrative based scenes and it pulls both off very well.  

Obviously, the music is spectacular, with the soundtrack being made up of various iconic composers. 

The music and the animation also correlate nicely. The scenes depicted in each segment match the mood of each piece extraordinarily well. Certain specific moments also match up perfectly to the music, which is very satisfying to watch. The best way to put it is ‘well-choreographed’.

Now for the animation. Much of the film looks beautiful, particularly the Nutcracker, Night on Bald Mountain and Ave Maria segments. They all look wonderful, but there is nothing spectacular is done with the animation in any of the other segments-they look nice, but that is about it.

In terms of characters, there isn’t really much to say- many of the segments don’t really have defined characters, as there is more of a focus on the animation and the music. The only two characters who really stand out are Chernabog in Night on Bald Mountain, who manages to be one of the best Disney villains in the canon through his character design alone and obviously Mickey Mouse in the Sorcerer’s Apprentice.

Overall, Fantasia should be admired simply for the fact that is able to pull off such a bold idea and as a film it does work pretty well.

Rating

Good Guys: Obviously, Mickey Mouse is an iconic and very likeable character, but there are no other interesting good guys thrown into the mix, resulting in a score of 7/10

Bad Guys: Chernabog has a really cool design and is very intimidating despite not really doing much, giving the villain score an 8/10

Animation: Whilst the three segments I mentioned are wonderful in terms of animation, there is not really much to the rest of it, putting the animation score at a 6/10

Music: The music is obviously amazing and matches up to the animation very well, meaning that it gets a 10/10

Plot: Whilst there isn’t really a plot to the film, there are some interesting narratives within each segment and overall the structure works very well, giving the plot an 8/10

Overall Score: 39/50

Next up: Dumbo

Pinocchio

DISCLAIMER: This blog is not for profit.I do not claim ownership of this material- 
- all images and footage used are property of their respective companies unless stated otherwise.

Much like my current opinion on Snow White, my view on Pinocchio had previously been mixed. When I had watched it in the past, I had somewhat enjoyed the film, but had found the story too episodic in its structure. To be fair, this is mostly due to the fact that the original story of Pinocchio was told in a serial form. Generally, I am still personally not a big fan of that type of storytelling. But I feel as if  I have gained a greater appreciation for Pinocchio over the years, for several reasons.

First of all, the animation looks beautiful, especially when compared to Snow White, which came out just a few years earlier. In addition to the much of it looking lovely and moving wonderfully, there are incredible advances in animation present here. Examples of this include the types of shots used and effects during the underwater scenes, so it should be respected for that. 

The music is also great- obviously, When You Wish Upon a Star is iconic and with good reason. Give a Little Whistle and I’ve Got No Strings are also a lot of fun and An Actor’s Life for Me has a pretty catchy tune.

The movie also deserves props for daring to be one of the darkest films in the canon. Seriously, that whole thing with the Donkeys is messed up. This is also made worse by the fact that none of the villains get their comeuppance, but that just reflects reality. In real life, the bad guys are not always caught and this film is simply a rare example that demonstrates that. In addition, the Villains are all in equal parts enjoyable and terrifying, just as they should be.

In terms of the main characters, I enjoy Jiminy Cricket’s character immensely, even if he does feel a bit dated. As for the protagonist, on the one hand Pinocchio is quite a frustrating to watch at times. He is naïve enough to make the same mistakes over and over and over again, which can began to feel quite repetitive. In fact, it is quite funny towards the end of the film when Gepetto speaks of the (missing) puppet saying : “He was such a good boy”. No he wasn’t- he literally spent the entire running time doing the exact opposite of what he should be doing, which is how you got in this mess in the first place!. ‘This mess’ being the whole ‘swallowed by a whale’ thing.

On the other hand, he is also naïve enough to remain very likable throughout all of this, as he comes across as well meaning, even if he does continuously mess up.  

Overall, Pinocchio is an entertaining film with brilliant animation, iconic songs and fairly likable characters, even if the story structure may not be for everybody.

Rating

Good Guys: Pinocchio is well meaning but frustrating to watch and Jiminy is a great sidekick, even if his personality does feel a little too Forties. I also like the side characters of Cleo, Figaro and Geppetto, so the characters get a 7/10

Bad Guys: As I previously said, the film’s various Villains have perfect amounts of entertainment value and scare factor, so they get a 9/10

Animation: As beautiful as it is technically impressive, the animation gets this blog’s first 10/10

Music: Some iconic songs put together with some catchy tunes give the music a 8/10

Plot: The plot can be a little too episodic at times, but the individual segments are still entertaining, so the plot gets a 6/10

Overall Rating: 40/50

Next up: Fantasia

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

DISCLAIMER: This blog is not for profit.I do not claim ownership of this material- 
- all images and footage used are property of their respective companies unless stated otherwise.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. On the one hand, it should be respected as a seminal piece of cinema history. Many elements of it are fantastic, especially considering how old it is and the fact that this was Disney’s first animated film. On the other hand, some aspects of it are pretty blah, especially considering what Disney was able to do in the following decades. 

Both the lead characters are as flat as the paper they were drawn on by modern standards. When it comes to Disney Princesses, Snow White is the blandest of them all and the Prince started a long tradition of Disney Princes who have no personality whatsoever.

On the other hand, the other characters in the film are wonderfully done. In fact, the Evil Queen is one of the most menacing villains in the canon. The Dwarves are also a lot of fun, as they have great character designs and very entertaining personalities.

Something else commendable about the film is the sheer artistry behind it. As most of you will know, this was the first fully animated feature length film made in colour, so it must have seemed incredible at the time. It also looks great nowadays, as the colours are very pretty and many of the backgrounds look beautiful.

As for the music, the film has some timeless classics (Someday My Prince Will Come, Heigh Ho, Whistle While You Work), some songs that are ok and slightly remembered (I’m Wishing) and some that are very dated (The Washing Song). In addition, as not much new is added to the story, a lot of scenes are simply filler- sometimes it works. But sometimes scenes such as the aforementioned Washing Song just feel like a waste of time.  

Overall, Snow White is a fairly entertaining film even outside of its significance to cinema history and even if it is a little dated. 

Rating

Good Guys: As I said, Snow White and the Prince are very bland, but the Dwarves bring this up to an 6/10

Bad Guys: I love the Evil Queen’s character design in both her forms and overall she is very menacing, so I am giving her an 8/10

Animation: It would have seemed incredible at the time and still looks nice today, so the animation gets an 7/10

Music: Most of the songs are classics, with a few very dated exceptions, so the music gets an 7/10

Plot: It’s the classic fairy tale we all know and love, but with some filler thrown in there too- it gets 7/10

Overall Rating: 35/50

Next up: Pinocchio