Disney Movie Marathon Challenge

Herc isn't bad, there are a few truly funny moments in the movie. I own the movie and have seen it quite a few times but I can't say I have any recollection of the songs.
 
Mulan (1998)

On to Mulan...First things first, I do like this film. I don’t think it is one of Disney’s ‘greats’, but the fantastic heroine definitely makes for a memorable film.

A background in Chinese history, means I am more familiar with some of the aesthetic choices and source material in this instance than I am with some of Disney's other tales (remember my lack of knowledge of Ichabod?). While I think the way they have approached the look of 'China' in the movie (China did not actually exist as a concept at the time the movie is set), is a bit confused, it does give us an idea of some of the iconic landscapes and some of the architectural styles. I certainly don't think its a problem for Disney to take license with this kind of thing, I just know I notice it more in this case. There are some stunning and memorable visual moments, e.g. when Mulan is preparing to leave, and we see her face half in shadow. These are instances though, rather than the norm.

The key strength of the movie is undoubtedly the heroine herself. She is very a multi-dimensional character and both extremely likeable and relatable, and her attempts to 'behave like a man' make for the most comedic moments in the movie. I also really like Mulan's relationship with her parents.

The other characters in the movie are a lot less memorable, although I reckon Li Shang probably wins for the Disney's most attractive male hero (after Robin Hood-if we count actual foxes!). He is a bit poe-faced though. The villain is entirely forgettable - what even is his name? I’m just kidding, but seriously, I know Hades is a tough act to follow and maybe they were trying something different but...nah.

We had a discussion the other day about sidekicks you could ditch from Disney movies without impacting the plot, Meeko and Flit being high up on that list. When you think about it, while the Princess sidekicks are great merchandising devices in most cases they are not strictly necessary to the plot. Mushu, however, is essential. While he is certainly looking out for himself, he is a driver in the narrative, and his interactions with Mulan are necessary so we can get a sense of what she feels as she strives to be a soldier. Also, he is genuinely funny in places (no Genie though!).

The movie’s pacing is also slightly off. By the end of the first half (essentially, the end of ‘Man Out of You’) Mulan has reached her potential and embraced the person that she’s been holding herself back from being from the beginning. And since as viewers we’ve been so caught up in that part of story, we’re not really interested in the rest of it. What needs to happen at that point is for the villain to be defeated (and he’s not in the least bit interesting so we don’t care about that) and for Mulan and Shang to get together. And it’s been made pretty clear to us that she doesn’t need him to complete her story, in the way that Ariel or Belle need their man to complete their story. Basically what I’m saying is that the first half is much stronger than the second half.

The score is ok. The section when Mulan prepares to leave home has an incredible soundtrack but also doesn’t really fit in with the rest of the movie’s soundtrack. It does raise goosebumps though, which is what you want. Most of the soundtrack is pretty meh. The other key strength of the movie is 'Man Out of You' - that song is so awesome. Most of the songs, like the score, are pretty forgettable, but this song and its accompanying visuals are the BEST TRAINING MONTAGE IN ANY MOVIE EVER!

So to conclude, I like Mulan. It is never going to be a favourite, but it is a fun watch, mainly for the heroine herself and the few moments of excellence. This is one of the very few (alongside Sword in the Stone) which I can see possibly benefitting from a live-action remake. Although China itself has loads of versions which in this instance could be imported instead :).
 
Mulan is a favorite of mine, and a movie that I just love! It has an intensity to it. "Bow to me!" "No matter how the wind howls, the mountain must never bow to it." Mr. Miyagi is one tough emperor! I do also love the music in this movie with, of course, "Make a Man Out of You" being the standout. I do like "Girl Worth Fighting For" and it's abrupt and chilling end. Again, intensity. I do think what makes the second half a little less memorable is that the songs kind of stop at about that point, though I get that it is probably on purpose to show how serious Shan Yu is. Shang does make for one of the tougher love interests for a "Disney Princess" though maybe not quite up to Prince Phillip levels.

Anyway, this is definitely a good one, especially as we slide out of the Renaissance era. There's still some good ones peppered in, but some will be pretty rough for a bit as we head into the 21st century.
 
I like Mulan more than I thought I would. When it was in the preview stage I didn't think it would appeal to me but it's well done and enjoyable. I'll second Brian's acknowledgement of a couple great song (Man Out Of You and Worth Fighting For.) I remember seeing some use of the tech developed for TLK used again in Mulan. The technique for the wildebeest stampede was used to illustrate soldiers coming over a hill. I like Mushu quite a bit as the sidekick, Eddie Murphy was a good choice for the character. I believe some of the work for Mulan was done at WDW at Studios.
 


A Bug’s Life (1998)

When you look at a list of Pixar movies it’s such a string of classics that it’s sometimes easy to forget that there are any bad Pixar movies, but unfortunately this is one of the few. Pixar’s second movie does not reach the heights of its first.

The movie was released on vhs around the time I was for a period growing out of Disney, so unless the movie was exceptional I tended not to hear about it - and I didn’t hear much about this one. I remember watching part of it at a friend’s house, not really following it and then forgetting all about it. Disgracefully, for a Disney film, A Bug’s Life is boring!

Let’s talk about the good first. Computer animation has taken a big step forward since Toy Story as the backgrounds are now as good as the characters. They were also working with much more challenging environments, as it’s all outdoors and involves lots of plantlife, plus fire and water. The bird in particular is pretty spectacular. The way it moves is suitably terrifying and the fact that old-school computer animation sometimes has that ‘uncanny valley’ look to it really works for the bird.

Overall it looks really good, although something about the slightly plasticky-looking ants is not as convincing as the characters in Toy Story. Understandable, since they are toys and therefore the plasticky look is entirely appropriate.

The plot is a bit of a weird mix between predictable and inexplicable. Flik is the unappreciated genius/hero who is sent away to later return and rescue the family who didn’t believe in him - this is a familiar trope, but the twist here is that he is genuinely annoying and I would have sent him away too. The circus troupe are the really inexplicable bit as they take up a lot of the runtime and have almost no real impact on the plot. Throw in the royal family’s tribulations, a one-dimensional villain and the fact that nearly all the characters (including the goodies) are quite mean and constantly trying to undermine one another and you’re left with a bit of a mess.

The main problem with the movie is that its characters are all uninteresting or annoying. There are way too many characters too, with all of the members of the circus troupe fighting for recognition and none of them really managing it, apart from the fat caterpillar. Then there’s the four main ants, the main villain and a few secondary villains and load and loads of side characters. A lot of these characters should have been combined in order to give them a fighting chance.

You don't really root for the main character, Flik. Most of the mistakes he makes are just mistakes, but they happen just a few times too often and you start to find him as irritating as his potential love interest, Princess Atta, does. She’s not really a nice character either; her lack of confidence in herself seems to make her a bit petty and she really doesn’t want Flik to succeed. This is understandable as he is quite annoying and I found myself not really wanting him to succeed either, but it does make the fact that Princess Atta eventually falls for him a bit unconvincing.

The villain is just a bully. A lot of Disney villains are bullies of course, but there’s usually another aspect to their characters which makes them fun to watch, whether that’s humour, charisma or an interesting back story. Hopper is just unpleasant. He shouts a lot and threatens people without really following through enough to be truly frightening.

Pixar seem to have felt that they hit the sweet spot in Toy Story when it came to the humour, and they lean into the ‘jokes for adults, slapstick for the kids’ thing here even more. Unfortunately the jokes aren't really funny and often come from a slightly mean place. Others rely on kids knowing about things like old-fashioned circus tropes, which I just don’t think 90s kids would have done really. I certainly didn’t. Perhaps the Pixar guys were making a movie for themselves, where they could experiment with computer animation and include lots of things they found hilarious, rather than making it for kids.

It’s worth mentioning that the music in A Bug’s Life is pretty spectacular. It’s got quite an epic fairytale feel and lovely melodies. Unfortunately, it doesn't really go with the story that’s being told at all. The characters aren’t brave or heroic, so the music really doesn’t work.

All in all a rare misstep for the mighty Pixar; it’s not a mystery why this movie has disappeared into obscurity a bit. I still think there’s great things to come for them though!
 
A Bug’s Life (1998)

I only recently actually sat down and watch this movie. I had seen it in bits and pieces before, but never really took it in as a whole. The idea never grabbed me too much, but int he interest of seeing all of the Pixar movies I gave it a watch. I didn't think it was that bad, but it certainly isn't at Toy Story levels. I think the voice cast was pretty strong. I really like Dave Foley though, so I can see a lot of him in Flik, so I don't think that he's that annoying to me. What is annoying is how the others dismiss him constantly. Honestly, He should've just left a long time ago. His colony is pretty mean, except for Dot and the little scout troop. Anyway, the movie is just fine though unremarkable. The plastic look, which worked for Toy Story, does not work as well here, but some of the character designs are cool, Hopper in particular.

Anyway, this is definitely on the lower end of the Pixar oeuvre, but, hey, it could've been worse. It' could've been Antz!
 
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I think ABL is underrated, agree with Brian that the voice cast is very good--Jonathan Harris & Phyllis Diller? Not to mention Kevin Spacey, Madeline Kahn, Ratzenberger, Julia Louis Dreyfus, the list goes on! That's a superstar lineup of voice talent! OK it's not Toy Story but that's a very high bar. They took something a lot of people are repulsed by (insects) and made them into empathetic characters. That's quite an achievement.:)

ETA: Watched the movie again this afternoon and really enjoyed it. I thought about the plastic-like characters and I see what you mean. OTOH, I don't know what bugs look like magnified by that much, nor do I want to. Plastic-y is fine. Also I enjoy the scenery from the perspective of the tiny insects.

Do you guys enjoy the ITTAB attraction at AK? I like it but it's doesn't really hold up to repeated viewings. Except the part at the...let's just say "end.":rolleyes1
 
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[Do you guys enjoy the ITTAB attraction at AK? I like it but it's doesn't really hold up to repeated viewings. Except the part at the...let's just say "end.":rolleyes1[/QUOTE]

I actually really love that attraction :) but I have learnt to half stand up early :)
 
I only recently actually sat down and watch this movie. I had seen it in bits and pieces before, but never really took it in as a whole. The idea never grabbed me too much, but int he interest of seeing all of the Pixar movies I gave it a watch. I didn't think it was that bad, but it certainly isn't at Toy Story levels. I think the voice cast was pretty strong. I really like Dave Foley though, so I can see a lot of him in Flik, so I don't think that he's that annoying to me. What is annoying is how the others dismiss him constantly. Honestly, He should've just left a long time ago. His colony is pretty mean, except for Dot and the little scout troop. Anyway, the movie is just fine though unremarkable. The plastic look, which worked for Toy Story, does not work as well here, but some of the character designs are cool, Hopper in particular.

Anyway, this is definitely on the lower end of the Pixar oeuvre, but, hey, it could've been worse. It' could've been Antz!

Actually never watched Antz all the way through! It has to be said A Bugs Life is not my least favour Pixar. Although I have only watched The Good Dinosaur once, so may be I will change my mind on the rewatch and I will find it to be wonderful :)

I do love Dot and her gang!
 
Do you guys enjoy the ITTAB attraction at AK? I like it but it's doesn't really hold up to repeated viewings. Except the part at the...let's just say "end.":rolleyes1

I like the attraction too. As with many cases, I like the attraction more than the movie. I think it holds up fine for as often as I actually get to see it. I skip it sometimes.
 
I quite like A Bugs Life, it's not the best of Pixar's library of films yes but I must say it was something I watched a lot of when I was younger owing a lot to me playing the PS1/PC game and even quoting the film a lot. The animation is nice and crisp, and hearing John Ratzenburger as PT Flea is always a delight. Not usually a film I would always go for but it's defintely worth watching at least once.
 
While we are waiting to continue with the animated films, have you ever seen The Black Hole? I DVR'd this on TCM's "Disney Treasures" night and holy schmoly it sucks. This movie was released a couple of years after Star Wars and how anyone would think this was a good idea is beyond me.
 
While we are waiting to continue with the animated films, have you ever seen The Black Hole? I DVR'd this on TCM's "Disney Treasures" night and holy schmoly it sucks. This movie was released a couple of years after Star Wars and how anyone would think this was a good idea is beyond me.
I personally haven't seen it so I couldn't say if it was good or bad.
 
While we are waiting to continue with the animated films, have you ever seen The Black Hole? I DVR'd this on TCM's "Disney Treasures" night and holy schmoly it sucks. This movie was released a couple of years after Star Wars and how anyone would think this was a good idea is beyond me.

Aww, come on now, The Black Hole is pretty good. It has the dubious distinction of being pre-Star Wars sci-fi in a post-Star Wars world, but I still enjoy it. It does have a weird ending though. Still, the ships and the space station are beautiful, and Maximillian Schnell as Reinhardt is perfect. It's cheesy, but fun!
 
Tarzan (1999)

So so sorry for the lateness again, chums. Work. Has. Been. Crazy! Thankfully term finishes in a few weeks (I work at a University) and things should quieten down!


Tarzan was one we looked forward to watching a lot when it first came out on home video (we never got to see these movies at the cinema). I remember us all grouping together on my parents’ bed to watch the movie and then quoting Tantor at each other for weeks afterwards. I also remember a really good Tarzan show at DLP which involved lots of trampolinists dressed as gorillas! Over the years I definitely haven’t watched Tarzan as often as some of the others however, and found when I watched it the other day that I’d forgotten quite a lot of it. It’s certainly not a bad film, but we’re certainly getting into the dodgy territory of turn of the century Disney.


There’s some good solid animation here, including nice use of computer animation for the swinging through the trees bits. This works very well for Tarzan and makes him look suitably impressive and the environments look rich and almost 3D in places. This is miles better than the computer animation in Hercules (the hydra) or Mulan (the Hun army) which were only a few years prior to this. It also holds up pretty well I think and is still better than some of the live-action computer generated effects that you see, if that Tarzan movie from a few years ago is anything to go by.

The characters are fine, if a bit forgettable. The highlight is definitely Jane who is genuinely funny. I know I’ve been saying that a lot about the Disney heroines recently (with Meg and Mulan being prime examples), but it’s so nice to see them being given some good comedy lines over the last few films, as they can be a bit poe-faced sometimes. Also Jane’s reactions to the situations she finds herself in are extremely English (“Yes, yes, good wildman. You stay there. Very nice.”) and probably similar to what my reactions would be, which makes me warm to her.

Tarzan is quite a good character, though it seems like more thought went into the look of him than the writing. He looks spectacular, all of his movements are great and he also has a very expressive face. This is obviously more important for the character of Tarzan than the writing so we’ll chalk that one up as a win.They also manage to pull off having their main character be more than half-naked throughout the whole movie without it getting weird.

Tarzan’s sidekicks are pretty good when they’re children (especially Tantor, that bit about piranhas and the water being ‘questionable’ is one of my favourite bits of the movie) if slightly less so when they’re older. Still, Rosie O’Donnell’s character Terk is an unusual Disney character, being an extroverted tomboy, and she has bags of personality so is always fun to watch. The trashing the camp bit is brilliant.

The movie does suffer for want of a decent villain though, as it doesn't really take the time to develop the ones that it introduces. The villain for the first 20 minutes or so is the leopard, who is presented as just a leopard (like he’s not an evil leopard, he’s just doing what nature dictates) so you can't really blame him for anything he does.

Then there’s Kerchak, Tarzan’s adopted father (sort of) who isn't really a villain, but is an antagonist for Tarzan due to him being unnecessarily harsh to the poor kid. This adds a level of complication that the plot doesn't really need. Tarzan spends his childhood trying not to be eaten by the leopard and earn the intractable Kerchak’s approval, which he is still trying to do when the main villain, Clayton, turns up. Then Clayton is introduced, but is a bit underdeveloped. He’s not a terrible villain, but he doesn’t have enough personality to stand out among other Disney villains. He does get one of the grizzliest endings for a Disney villain though - that one stuck with me when I was kid! In general the plot moves along at quite a pace (with a lot of really awesome montages), not giving one conflict time to resolved before the next thing pops up.

The music is the most obvious highlight of the film; Phil Collins crushed it! The songs and instrumental sections merge together very effectively, which creates one ‘sound’ for the whole piece rather than the songs sounding distinctly different from the incidental music as they do in some Disneys. I listen to this soundtrack all the time, including during my morning swim! It’s more pop-y and less experimental than the really incredible Disney soundtracks (such as the Lion King and some of the Pixars) but it’s still pretty darn good.

For me, Tarzan is not as good as Hercules or Mulan. I don’t think it’s a less well made film, but it’s just less my thing. It’s saved from being forgettable by a truly brilliant soundtrack. However, something tells me we have some lean years ahead of us as far as Disney Animation Studios goes, so maybe I should savour Tarzan while I have the chance :)
 
While we are waiting to continue with the animated films, have you ever seen The Black Hole? I DVR'd this on TCM's "Disney Treasures" night and holy schmoly it sucks. This movie was released a couple of years after Star Wars and how anyone would think this was a good idea is beyond me.

Never heard of This Black Hole! I shall have to check it out!
 
Tarzan (1999)

So so sorry for the lateness again, chums. Work. Has. Been. Crazy! Thankfully term finishes in a few weeks (I work at a University) and things should quieten down!


Tarzan was one we looked forward to watching a lot when it first came out on home video (we never got to see these movies at the cinema). I remember us all grouping together on my parents’ bed to watch the movie and then quoting Tantor at each other for weeks afterwards. I also remember a really good Tarzan show at DLP which involved lots of trampolinists dressed as gorillas! Over the years I definitely haven’t watched Tarzan as often as some of the others however, and found when I watched it the other day that I’d forgotten quite a lot of it. It’s certainly not a bad film, but we’re certainly getting into the dodgy territory of turn of the century Disney.


There’s some good solid animation here, including nice use of computer animation for the swinging through the trees bits. This works very well for Tarzan and makes him look suitably impressive and the environments look rich and almost 3D in places. This is miles better than the computer animation in Hercules (the hydra) or Mulan (the Hun army) which were only a few years prior to this. It also holds up pretty well I think and is still better than some of the live-action computer generated effects that you see, if that Tarzan movie from a few years ago is anything to go by.

The characters are fine, if a bit forgettable. The highlight is definitely Jane who is genuinely funny. I know I’ve been saying that a lot about the Disney heroines recently (with Meg and Mulan being prime examples), but it’s so nice to see them being given some good comedy lines over the last few films, as they can be a bit poe-faced sometimes. Also Jane’s reactions to the situations she finds herself in are extremely English (“Yes, yes, good wildman. You stay there. Very nice.”) and probably similar to what my reactions would be, which makes me warm to her.

Tarzan is quite a good character, though it seems like more thought went into the look of him than the writing. He looks spectacular, all of his movements are great and he also has a very expressive face. This is obviously more important for the character of Tarzan than the writing so we’ll chalk that one up as a win.They also manage to pull off having their main character be more than half-naked throughout the whole movie without it getting weird.

Tarzan’s sidekicks are pretty good when they’re children (especially Tantor, that bit about piranhas and the water being ‘questionable’ is one of my favourite bits of the movie) if slightly less so when they’re older. Still, Rosie O’Donnell’s character Terk is an unusual Disney character, being an extroverted tomboy, and she has bags of personality so is always fun to watch. The trashing the camp bit is brilliant.

The movie does suffer for want of a decent villain though, as it doesn't really take the time to develop the ones that it introduces. The villain for the first 20 minutes or so is the leopard, who is presented as just a leopard (like he’s not an evil leopard, he’s just doing what nature dictates) so you can't really blame him for anything he does.

Then there’s Kerchak, Tarzan’s adopted father (sort of) who isn't really a villain, but is an antagonist for Tarzan due to him being unnecessarily harsh to the poor kid. This adds a level of complication that the plot doesn't really need. Tarzan spends his childhood trying not to be eaten by the leopard and earn the intractable Kerchak’s approval, which he is still trying to do when the main villain, Clayton, turns up. Then Clayton is introduced, but is a bit underdeveloped. He’s not a terrible villain, but he doesn’t have enough personality to stand out among other Disney villains. He does get one of the grizzliest endings for a Disney villain though - that one stuck with me when I was kid! In general the plot moves along at quite a pace (with a lot of really awesome montages), not giving one conflict time to resolved before the next thing pops up.

The music is the most obvious highlight of the film; Phil Collins crushed it! The songs and instrumental sections merge together very effectively, which creates one ‘sound’ for the whole piece rather than the songs sounding distinctly different from the incidental music as they do in some Disneys. I listen to this soundtrack all the time, including during my morning swim! It’s more pop-y and less experimental than the really incredible Disney soundtracks (such as the Lion King and some of the Pixars) but it’s still pretty darn good.

For me, Tarzan is not as good as Hercules or Mulan. I don’t think it’s a less well made film, but it’s just less my thing. It’s saved from being forgettable by a truly brilliant soundtrack. However, something tells me we have some lean years ahead of us as far as Disney Animation Studios goes, so maybe I should savour Tarzan while I have the chance :)

First of all, you are right, the music is the biggest win for this movie. Phil Collins did a tremendous job with the songs and the overall sound of the film. It does indeed mesh very well. The soundtrack is probably stronger than the movie, though that's not to say that the movie is bad. Its pretty good, with quite beautiful animation. I love the way the sun shines through the trees and creates shadows. That really adds to the look of the film. The story is a bit all over the place, but it's still fun. I also really like Jane. I love the line, "Daddy, they took my boot!" Good stuff. What I really appreciate is the Adventureland vibe that the world has going on. Fun Fact: I actually watched one of the follow-up movies to this, which I think is just some episodes of the TV show thrown together, but in it they have a trading post/port and it is pretty much The Jungle Cruise, with boats right out of the ride (or right out of The African Queen, but whatever). How fun!
 
I loved the old Tarzan movies when I was a kid. They were already outdated by the time I was watching them, they are pretty much unwatchable now. The Disney Tarzan doesn't do much for me. It is well-made for the time and I agree Phil Collins did nice work with the music (although Phil really wore out his welcome with me between the Disney and the pop/rock stuff.) The movie just doesn't move me, I have the original DVD set but it's not a movie that I watch any more.
 
Ah Tarzan, one of the last films of the renaissance era and one I have seen in the cinema when I was younger. Phil Collins definetly was on top form with the music in this, while Clayton isn't the strongest Disney villain and it's not something I always go back but it's still a pretty good film, stellar animation, the scene with Jane first meeting Tarzan is pretty iconic and I would be lying if I didn't say that this was a part of my childhood. Plus Terk and Tantor are pretty funny themselves.
 
Ah Tarzan, one of the last films of the renaissance era and one I have seen in the cinema when I was younger. Phil Collins definetly was on top form with the music in this, while Clayton isn't the strongest Disney villain and it's not something I always go back but it's still a pretty good film, stellar animation, the scene with Jane first meeting Tarzan is pretty iconic and I would be lying if I didn't say that this was a part of my childhood. Plus Terk and Tantor are pretty funny themselves.

Glad to see you on this thread Starscream. It needs more attention! RSandRS set the pace as they are watching every Disney animated film in order of release, including Pixar and the occasional one-off if it had a theatrical release. That's dedication!
 

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