Sleeping Beauty

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Of all the ‘classic’ Princess films covered so far, this one is by far the best. I implied in my Lady and the Tramp review that Philip and Aurora are incredibly dull and to be honest they are- but the film more than makes up for it with great protagonists (I’ll get to that point in a minute), one of the greatest villains in the entire canon, a lovely use of classical music and animation so good it almost sank the studio, as its $6 million budget was essentially too high for it to ever make much money back.

That is the first thing to talk about- from an artistic perspective, this film is wonderful. It has a unique and beautiful art style unlike anything seen previously and this combined with the music based on the famous ballet gives it the lovely classical feel of Cinderella tenfold.

Maleficent is also one of the greatest Disney villains of all time- there is just something in her design combined with Eleanor Audley’s cold yet powerful vocal performance that makes her fantastic to watch.

I mentioned this before, but Aroura herself is one of the weakest Disney Princesses, as this was really a time before they had personalities, with the possible exception of Cinderella. She does have more dialogue than people give her credit for, but none of it is really worth much- just the stereotypical ‘someday my prince will come’ stuff that I have ironically spent a lot of time claiming is over exaggerated by many people, as a Disney fan. I seriously can’t wait to get to Ariel.  

Prince Phillip isn’t much better, so they don’t really have much chemistry in the two scenes they share.

But now, let’s talk about the real lead characters, the three fairies- in terms of the narrative, they are truly the protagonists, as they feature most prominently in the story as the ‘good guys’. And they all have unique personalities and are very funny throughout. And others have also pointed out that the fact that much of the plot is primarily driven by strong women does more than make up for Aroura’s lack of agency.    

Overall, Sleeping Beauty is a stunning film, which is the greatest masterpiece of the Silver Age.

Rating

Good guys: Aroura and Phillip don’t do much, but the three fairies are great characters, so that characters get 7/10

Bad guys: As I said, one of the best Disney Villains of all time, Maleficent gets 10/10

Animation: Beautiful and unique, the animation gets 10/10

Music: The use of classical music really adds to the classic fairy tale feel, so the music gets 8/10

Plot: Another great adaptation of a classic fairy tale, but with additional scenes that actually feel relevant to the plot, the story gets 7/10  

Overall Rating: 42/50

Next review: 101 Dalmatians 

Lady and the Tramp

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.

On paper, Lady and the Tramp is not a film that should be as good as it is- it just sounds like a cute love story, but nothing particularly special. So what makes it such a classic?

Truly, it’s the characters and their development, particularly the two leads. Their contrasting personalities and backgrounds lead to some really great chemistry, which really does make you root for them throughout, more so than some of the blander Princes and Princesses, in spite of their species. I actually care more about Lady and the Tramp than I do, for example, Philip and Aurora in Sleeping Beauty, but that’s for the next review- I’m getting off track. The point is, the two leads carry the film really well. The smaller details added to their world are also very clever. For example, I love the fact that everything is from the dog’s perspective, at low angles- I also love the detail that Lady thinks her owners are actually called Jim Dear and Darling, because that’s what they call each other. 

The progression of the conflict, within the story in general and between the two leads, also feels very natural- none of it feels forced or added in for the sake of a plot, which also helps the story to develop well.

Both the animation and the music are beautiful. Well, one song is beautiful, but I’ll get to that in a minute. The film has that classic Silver Age look you will notice if you watch any other films from this era, including lots of artsy backgrounds and that solid look to the colours and the lines that I am personally a big fan of. As a said, there is some great music here too- Bella Notte is obviously as stunning as the iconic scene it is played over and He’s a Tramp is a lot of fun.

Overall, Lady and the Tramp took a very simple story and turned it into something beautiful and one of the best films of Disney’s Silver Age.

Rating

Good guys: Lady and Tramp are great characters with good chemistry. There are also two tiers of side characters, with the main ones, Jock and Trusty, being great together and as individual characters, whilst the characters in the pound scene are actually very bland, as well as being made up of various stereotypes, which does not help. Overall, the good guys get an 8/10

Bad guys: The rat has a scary design and is suitably sinister. However, I didn’t bring this up in the review itself, but the racist stereotypes portrayed in the cats make for some very uncomfortable viewing in 2017 and as characters they are actually really dull, so the movie gets 5/10 for Bad Guys.  

Animation: Visually, the film is very pretty, so the animation gets a 7/10  

Music: As I said in the review, Bella Notte is iconic and He’s a Tramp is a lot of fun, so the music gets 7/10

Plot: Whilst very simplistic on paper, the plot develops on a more complex level than many of its predecessors due to great characters and the natural nature of the conflict, so the plot gets a 7/10

Overall Rating: 34/50

  
Next review: Sleeping Beauty

Peter Pan

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.

                                             
                                                      

Overall, this film is…nice. It’s not extraordinary or ground breaking, it is certainly not the best of the Silver Age, but it’s nice (well, apart from the incredibly disgusting and racist portrayal of Native Americans). This story is a classic for a reason- there is just a sense of magic surrounding the world of Neverland which is present in all good Peter Pan adaptations and it can certainly be found here. 

The animation is mostly pleasant, with the best scenes being various shots of London, particularly during the ‘You Can Fly’ sequence. The backgrounds are beautifully done- the character designs mostly follow the rather generic Disney House Style of the time, but they are nice enough to look at.

The music, particularly the score, is also beautiful, aside from ‘What Made the Red Man Red’ and parts of ‘Following the Leader’ for obvious reasons mentioned in brackets above. The best song by far is the aforementioned ‘You Can Fly’, with its sweeping melody and catchy tune.

Much like Wonderland, the best characters in Peter Pan are from the world that the film explores, in this case Neverland. None of the Darling children have much personality, but the film more than makes up for it with iconic good guys like Peter Pan and Tinkerbell, who are both a lot of fun and the equally iconic bad guys Captain Hook and Mr Smee, who are very funny in all of their scenes.

Speaking of great sequences, the fight scenes between Hook and Pan towards the end are by far some of the best scenes in the film and are also refreshingly different to the films that came before it.

Generally, this film doesn’t break many boundaries, but it is fun to watch for the most part and definitely deserving of its status as a Disney classic. 

Rating

Good guys: Although the Darling children are pretty bland, the Lost Boys, Tinkerbell and Peter Pan are a lot of fun, so the good guys get a 6/10

Bad guys: Mr Smee and Hook have some very funny scenes, so the Bad guys get a 6/10

Animation: Some very nice backgrounds and ok character designs mean that the animation also gets 6/10

Music: You Can Fly is great and most of the other music is passable so it gets a 7/10

Plot: A classic story told well- the movie gets 8/10 for the plot

Overall score: 33/50

Next review: Lady and the Tramp

Alice in Wonderland

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Compared to the classic feel of its predecessor Cinderella, and many of the other Disney films from this era, Alice in Wonderland feels far more adventurous, in terms of both animation and overall style. To be fair, this is due to the stranger nature of the story, but it is a jump nonetheless.  

Its two greatest assets are the ones that make it stand out most- its animation and its supporting characters. The backgrounds are beautiful to look at, translating the iconic style of Mary Blair perfectly and the character designs are also great on most of the people and animals in Wonderland. Alice’s design fits the typical Disney house style of the era, so she’s not particularly interesting, but the Mad Hatter, March Hare and the Cheshire Cat are among the best drawn (and most fun to watch) characters in the film.  It also has a very entertaining villain in the Queen of Hearts, so that’s a plus.And ultimately, this film is about the world that the protagonist finds herself in, rather than the protagonist herself, so the fact that Alice is less interesting than what is happening around her is actually not too much of a problem. 

As for minuses? Well, there aren’t many, but the music is weak. Other than the unbelievably catchy Unbirthday song, all of the other songs feel a bit… meandering. There is just something in the tunes of In a World of My Own and All in the Golden Afternoon, amongst others that just don’t really stick in any way. They are good for communicating information in the story- but that’s about all they are good for to be honest.    

I have stated previously that I am not a big fan of films with more episodic plots, but it works very well here. In this case the plot and characters are less important than the world they show, so a story made up of lots of smaller parts actually works very well.

Overall, this film is a fun and unique ride, with some great animation and fun characters.

Rating

Good guys: Alice isn’t awful, but she’s not particularly interesting, especially when compared to the characters in Wonderland- the real leads are actually the supporting characters, all of whom are iconic for a good reason, so overall the good guys get 6/10

Bad Guys: The Queen of Hearts is a fun villain, although there are far better ones to come, so the Bad Guys get 6/10

Animation: The animation in this film is stunning, some of the best until Sleeping Beauty so it gets a 8/10  

Music: Other than the Unbirthday song, the music in this film is pretty weak, so it gets a 4/10

Plot: The episodic nature of the plot actually works very well here, so the plot gets 6/10

Overall score: 30/50

Next review: Peter Pan

Cinderella

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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

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.

                                                     

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