Fantasia 2000

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

                                               

Whilst Fantasia 2000 is certainly not a masterpiece on the level of it’s predecessor, it still has enough good music and animation to make it a solid film overall.

Part of what made the original Fantasia so good was the abstract nature of the animation and the way that that visuals perfectly matched the music – unfortunately, the sequel seems to have missed that point, so this film is more of a series of shorts. To be fair, all of the shorts are very well done, using a variety of different animation styles to tell some very entertaining stories. There is also some stunning animation and of course the classical music used is once again fantastic. By far the most spectacular sequences in the film are Pines of Rome (the one with the Whales) and the Firebird Suite, both of which have some absolutely stunning visuals. As I said, all of the other sequences in the film are very entertaining, with the more comedic Carnival of the Animals (the one with the Flamingo and the Yo Yo) and Pomp and Circumstance (Donald Duck on Noah’s Ark), being some of the most entertaining shorts in the film.

Unfortunately, this film had some big shoes to fill and it couldn’t quite make it to the level of the original Fantasia, as the aforementioned fact that it’s more like a combination of shorts make it feel more like a package-era film, but clearly with a spectacular  level of quality.

Ratings

Good guys: All of these shorts have some very likable protagonists, so the good guys get 6/10

Bad guys: The only concrete real villain is the Jack-in-the-box from The Steadfast Tin Soldier and he’s threatening enough considering the screen-time he gets, so the bad guys get 6/10

Animation: Some really spectacular animation gets 10/10        

Music: There’s some really great classical music in here, which gets 9/10

Plot: The shorts are entertaining enough, but Fantasia really should feel like more than just a collection of shorts, so the plot gets 5/10

Overall score: 36/50

Next review: The Emperor's New Groove

Tarzan

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

                                                    

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’m definitely not ashamed to admit that Tarzan is a personal favourite of mine. It boasts fantastic animation, as well as some very likable characters and a real sense of atmosphere throughout, but it seems to be criminally underrated by most people, which is a real shame.

The animation style of this film combines CGI and hand drawn animation in a unique way and as a result, it has the beauty of traditional work, in addition to the depth that Computer Generated animation can admittedly provide. By far the most impressive scenes in the film are of course the action sequences, which look still look spectacular in spite of the film’s age. The sense of setting throughout the film is also very impressive and is well established through both the aforementioned backgrounds, as well as Phil Collin’s soundtrack, which matches the atmosphere very well.

The fact that the characters’ emotions are expressed through the songs lyrics without the characters themselves singing also helps to make the story feel more dramatic and grounded than previous Disney films. Additionally, most of the characters are very funny and likable and Minnie Driver especially does a fantastic job voicing Jane.

There are a few points where Tarzan does admittedly fall flat are the villain and some aspects of the plot. Clayton is fine, but he’s just very one note, especially considering his predecessors included some of the greatest Disney villains of all time. The comic relief characters Terk and Tantor are also pretty forgettable, but they are at least funny and link into the plot. The story also falls into typical Disney Renaissance clichés, especially near the beginning where Tarzan spends much of the run time wondering where he belongs. It fits the story of course, but something within that particular thread was wearing really thin for Disney at the time, especially considering the way it was done here.

But all of that doesn’t stop it from being a fantastic film overall and one that you should definitely try to see if you haven’t already.

Ratings

Good guys: Some very likable protagonists get the good guys 7/10

Bad guys: The bland but passable villain gets 5/10

Animation: Some spectacular work gets 10/10

Music: Phil Collins’ soundtrack creates a real sense of atmosphere, so it gets 8/10

Plot: Although it’s a little clichéd, it does have a pretty good plot, so the story gets 6/10

Overall score: 37/50

Next review: Fantasia 2000

Mulan

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

                                                                     

Disney once again took a bit of a turn for the dramatic with ‘Mulan’. Although it’s of course not nearly as dark as Hunchback, it does manage to balance out its light-hearted and serious moments in a much more effective manner. This combined with an epic soundtrack and great characters make this one of the better films of the late Renaissance era.

It has epic war sequences and a genuinely high stakes plot, but it’s also really funny at the same time, mostly thanks to Eddie Murphy’s outstanding performance as Mushu and the rather witty script.  

Something else that stands out about the film is that Mulan herself isn’t just a bland stereotype of a strong female character we’ve seen a million times – she genuinely feels like a real person with a real personality. Her misfit status could have come across as cliched, but there is something in the character that really makes it feel organic. And although there’s nothing to make him particularly memorable, Shan Yu is a passable villain, especially considering his relative lack of screen-time compared to many other Disney bad guys.

I’ve not even been able to mention the soundtrack yet, but there are some really good musical numbers in this film, with the stand out song of course being ‘I’ll Make A Man Out of You’. The epic music I referenced in my introduction primarily refers to that song and the fantastic score. By far the weakest song is ‘A Girl Worth Fighting For’. It’s fun and the tension it sets up in the next scene is fantastic, but overall it just feels a bit irrelevant to the plot and it goes on for just a bit too long.

One final note is that the film has some really nice animation, with the most impressive sequence by far being the battle against the Huns in the snow.

Overall, Mulan is a great film with fantastic characters, music and humour – it was definitely a high point of the Disney Renaissance. 

Ratings

Good guys: An impressively dynamic protagonist and great comic relief mean that the good guys get 8/10

Bad guys: Shan Yu makes for an appropriately threatening villain, meaning that the bad guys get 6/10

Animation: Some really great animation means that this category gets 7/10

Music: One of the coolest songs in Disney history and a truly epic score mean that the music gets 8/10

Plot: A stellar story gets 7/10

Overall score: 36/40

Next review: Tarzan

Hercules

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

                                

Compared to Hunchback the year before, this was certainly a sillier film, but for the most part Hercules’ fun zany atmosphere works really well in spite of its cliché riddled plot.

One of its greatest assets is of course its villain ­­– there is no doubt that James Woods is hilarious as Hades, but he manages to be a credible threat at the same time. The eponymous protagonist seems pretty bland by comparison, but at least Meg follows in Esmerelda’s footsteps as a fun and fierce female lead. The music is also very enjoyable, as the whole soundtrack has a fun feel good atmosphere to it, which lifts the whole film up overall. Another thing that lifts it up is its humour, as even outside of Hades’ parts, it’s a really funny movie. One final positive note – this film’s unique and more cartoonish style really works, as it knits the whole atmosphere together.

Hercules' only downfall is that the story is very by the numbers, which is the last thing Disney needed when its classic Renaissance formula started to run dry. It has tons of plot points we’ve all seen a million times before. The underdog who doesn’t fit in, the person whose lies are revealed at the climax, the person who ‘becomes the mask’, (as TV Tropes would say), the ending where the hero has to stay true to his heart (and now I’m thinking of Mulan next week and getting excited). It’s not bad, there just isn’t a lot of creativity to it.

Overall, Hercules is a really fun and enjoyable film, even if the story isn’t one of the best in the canon.

Ratings

Good guys: Although Hercules is a fairly bland protagonist, Meg is awesome enough to get the good guys a 6/10

Bad guys: Hades is tied with Yzma for the funniest villain in the canon, so he gets 8/10

Animation: The fun animation style of this movie gets 7/10

Music: The solid soundtrack gets 8/10

Plot: Although it’s not really awful, the story is its only downfall, so it gets 5/10

Overall score: 34/50

Next review: Mulan