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

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