Lilo and Stitch

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 was once again a step in a different direction for Disney, but to say that it paid off is an understatement. Lilo and Stitch has a beautiful story, is wonderfully animated has lovable characters and a soundtrack from one of most iconic musicians of all time – it really is one of Disney’s crowning achievements, especially considering the often-muddled era of films it came from.

The plot of a lonely little girl and an alien experiment built to destroy coming together could have been incredibly cheesy, or even bizarre, but instead it is incredibly heart-warming. It works because much of the earlier parts of the story are grounded in a realism not seen in many Disney films. You really feel for Nani and Lilo and you understand how serious their situation is, so it makes the fluffier moments of the film seem less sugary – Stitch’s malicious side, shown throughout much of the film, also helps with this. Additionally, the relationships between all of the characters is built up beautifully and they are all fleshed out enough to make the whole thing seem believable.

Lilo’s strangeness makes her seem like a real kid, Nani’s struggles make her seem real too and Stitch… well Stitch is just cute, there’s not much else to add really. It’s also worth noting that the film is really funny and because the comic relief characters are so heavily involved in the main plot, they don’t feel tacked on the way certain other characters do. The only problem is that the villain is slightly weak due to a lack of screen time, but that doesn’t really affect the film overall.

It is also framed by some fantastic animation and of course a great soundtrack. There is just something so cosy in the rounded shapes and bright colours on display here, which hadn’t been seen from Disney in a while at this point. Lilo’s obsession with Elvis is another way to make her seem slightly odd in a lovable way, whilst also providing the refreshing and energetic soundtrack the film needs – the original songs written for the film also keep up this energy.

There’s not much else to say really – it’s one of the best experiments Disney ever tried.

Ratings

Good guys: All of the main characters are really fleshed out, so the good guys get 8/10

Bad guys: Gantu is the only aspect of the film that falls a little flat, so the bad guys get 5/10

Animation: This film has a fantastic art style, so the animation gets 10/10

Music: This fun and high energy soundtrack gets 8/10

Plot: A heart-warming and at times heart-breaking tale gets 10/10

Overall score: 41/50

Next review: Treasure Planet

Atlantis: The Lost Empire

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.

                                                             

Atlantis: The Lost Empire is a visually beautiful film… and that’s pretty much all that’s truly great about it. It has a passable plot, with some interesting elements but most of the characters are forgettable and there isn’t really enough character development to make it interesting overall.

In the film young adventurer named Milo Thatch goes to discover Atlantis with a group of explorers – much of the story is cliched, with the ‘surprise’ villain being very easy to spot and essentially being the typical greedy guy who only cares about becoming rich at the cost of the environment around him. Other than becoming a bit more confident in himself, Milo doesn’t really have much of a story arc, or any character development for that matter– he ends the story the same person he started it as, which isn’t very interesting considering he’s supposed to be the protagonist.

The side characters who make up the rest of the crew going to Atlantis at least have a bit of development, but they’re only mildly interesting as characters and much of the humour involving them falls flat.

Luckily the film does look really good, with animation that could easily slot in with the films of the Renaissance – in particular, the scenes where the characters are underwater look fantastic. Additionally, the way in which the film constructs the culture of Atlantis in such detail is great and the story of the culture of Atlantis dying is the most interesting part of the film, although it is dropped a bit towards the end which is a shame.

Atlantis has some good potential for a great movie, but the lack of development of its greater aspects unfortunately causes it to sink in the end.

Ratings

Good guys: The flat characters are one of the film’s biggest weaknesses, so they gets 4/10

Bad guys: The villain is very generic, so he only gets 3/10

Animation: There’s some really great animation here, so that gets 8/10

Music: It has a nice score, so the music gets 6/10

Plot: In spite of some interesting story threads, the plot is pretty thin overall so it gets 5/10

Overall score: 26/50

Next review: Lilo and Stitch

The Emperor's New Groove

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 Hercules, the Emperor’s New Groove was certainly one of Disney’s zanier efforts – and, much like Hercules, it really works due to both its comedy and the strength of its villains.

It of course tells the story of an egotistical Emperor who learns to change his selfish ways when an assassination attempt gone wrong turns him into a Llama.  Whilst the story is sweet, it’s certainly not great. The lessons the characters will eventually learn is very obvious from the start and there’s just nothing particularly original to really make the plot stand out. The animation is also pretty average, especially considering that the characters spend so much time in vast landscapes, which Disney usually does such a spectacular job on.

Where the Emperor’s New Groove really shines is in its comedy. Much of the film is genuinely hilarious, especially any scene involving the villain Yzma and her sidekick Kronk. Eartha Kitt and Patrick Warburton do a fantastic job of voicing these two characters, helped by the fact that they have some of the best lines in the film.

Overall, the Emperor’s New Groove is a sweet but fairly average film, which becomes great on the strength of both its villains and it’s overall comedy.

Ratings

Good guys: Kuzco and Pacha make for entertaining protagonists, so the bad guys get 6/10

Bad guys: Yzma and Kronk are up there with Hades as some of the funniest villains in the canon, so the bad guys get 8/10

Animation: The animation is pretty average overall, so it gets 5/10

Music: It occasionally has a catchy soundtrack, so the music gets 5/10

Plot: Not Disney’s best story, but certainly not their worst, the plot gets 5/10

Overall rating: 29/50

Next review: Atlantis: The Lost Empire