Disney Movie Marathon Challenge

[TheStarscream759]

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!

The pleasure's all mine, Brian. I managed to catch up with this thread and now here I am.

 

[RSandRS]

Toy Story 2 (1999)

Pixar’s third movie is already it’s first sequel - it took Disney over 50 years to bring out a sequel but Pixar pretty much starts as they mean to go on. Of course this isn’t really a criticism, as anyone could see there was still life in the brilliant idea of toys coming to life. Whether there still is, after two sequels and who knows how many shorts, remains to be seen - definitely a conversation for the future!

Toy Story 2 comes near the top of a lot of people’s list of favourite Pixars, including mine. It’s one of my many second or third favourites! It’s a pure joy from start to finish and probably my favourite Toy Story of the three we currently have.

The computer animation technology seems to be pretty much there by this point - in fact I barely noticed the improvements in the animation (though it definitely looks better than the first Toy Story). This means they can just settle in and focus on story, theme and, in particular, character for their second outing.

One thing you notice is that the characters are all a bit nicer to each other since the first movie. This makes sense character-wise, as the events of the first movie would probably have taught them not to be so judgey. It also makes them much easier to like and support as characters. This is very true of Woody and Buzz (and let me just take a second to say how completely wonderful Tom Hanks and Tim Allen are in these roles again) but also of the supporting toys such as Hamm and Potato Head. You now see them as a team and don’t want to the team to fail, rather than just wanting individual characters to make it.

The new characters, in particular Jessie, are also fantastic. We loved the way whenever Jessie says something she says it with her whole body. She almost makes Woody look shy and reserved in contrast!

The main human character, Al, is also really fantastic. The voice actor gives a really great performance, creating one of those characters you just love to hate. And the animated character looks just like the actor in real life, which is hilarious!

In fact this is definitely the funniest Pixar movie so far and probably one of their funniest overall - maybe only surpassed by The Incredibles. I seem to remember this is was one of my first experiences of watching a Disney film with more of an adult mindset (for the first time, I mean) as I was probably about thirteen when I first saw it, and naturally thought myself too old for cartoons. However, being slightly older I suddenly got all the jokes that were meant for adults and found myself enjoying the movie much more than I had expected. The ‘outtakes’ at the end of the film are really fantastic. They took possibly the only funny bit of A Bug’s Life and made it work a thousand times better for this movie.

Nowadays I’m pretty much giggling all the way through the film, apart, of course, from during ‘When She Loved Me’, when I am bawling like a small child. That sequence would have been gorgeous without the song, but add in the song and I...just...can’t…

One of the most masterful things about the three Toy Story films is the way they develop the main themes from film to film. When you look at the Cars movies, they might as well be three separate films, as the second one in particular doesn’t really have much to do with the themes that were introduced in the first. With Toy Story, however, the central theme of the toys’ powerlessness and the need to accept life’s limitations is developed beautifully from film to film. In this movie we begin to see how the passage of time and Andy’s growing up is going to affect the toys, and how powerless they are to stop it, but that as long as they are with the people they love, it will all be worthwhile. This theme, of course, culminates at the end of Toy Story 3 when the toys knowingly accept their fate in the incinerator and join hands to ‘die’ together.

Accepting your limitations and striving to be happy and reach your potential anyway is a theme that Pixar films return to often - think of Dory, Mike, Remy, Carl etc. It’s quite an adult theme, and about as different from Wish Upon A Star And Your Dreams Will Come True as a philosophy could be, but I think it’s nonetheless a positive and important one for people of all ages to hear.

 

[RSandRS]

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 like the Adventureland vibe too! Never watched any of the sequels. I wonder if they come up on this list. I think this film is only really represented in California? Is that right? They need an extension of a family-friendly coaster (take the pressure off mine train!) in which you experience what its like to be Tarzan swinging through the trees!

 

[BrianL]

I like the Adventureland vibe too! Never watched any of the sequels. I wonder if they come up on this list. I think this film is only really represented in California? Is that right? They need an extension of a family-friendly coaster (take the pressure off mine train!) in which you experience what its like to be Tarzan swinging through the trees!

They only have Tarzan's Treehouse in DL, which is just a retheme of the Swiss Family Robinson treehouse, or as I like to call it, "Stairs: The Ride."

The sequels to Tarzan were all driect-to-video- and there were a couple seasons of a TV series, so I don't think they would hit your list. This one wasn't bad though if you grade it along with TV animation.

 

[TheStarscream759]

Toy Story 2, what can you say about it? Beautifully crafted, memorable characters and one of my absolute favourites and something I watched endlessly on VHS repeatedly when I was younger. Toy Story in general just goes with the idea of toys accepting their lot in life and just seamlessly just develop it over the course of the movies and still be regarded as a brilliant message for children.

Fun fact: Wayne Knight who play Al in the movie who I also know from Jurassic Park and Space Jam, actually voiced Zurg in the animated series Buzz Lightyear of Star Command.

Highly recommend Toy Story 2 for those who haven't seen it.

 

[BrianL]

Toy Story 2 (1999)

Pixar’s third movie is already it’s first sequel - it took Disney over 50 years to bring out a sequel but Pixar pretty much starts as they mean to go on. Of course this isn’t really a criticism, as anyone could see there was still life in the brilliant idea of toys coming to life. Whether there still is, after two sequels and who knows how many shorts, remains to be seen - definitely a conversation for the future!

Toy Story 2 comes near the top of a lot of people’s list of favourite Pixars, including mine. It’s one of my many second or third favourites! It’s a pure joy from start to finish and probably my favourite Toy Story of the three we currently have.

The computer animation technology seems to be pretty much there by this point - in fact I barely noticed the improvements in the animation (though it definitely looks better than the first Toy Story). This means they can just settle in and focus on story, theme and, in particular, character for their second outing.

One thing you notice is that the characters are all a bit nicer to each other since the first movie. This makes sense character-wise, as the events of the first movie would probably have taught them not to be so judgey. It also makes them much easier to like and support as characters. This is very true of Woody and Buzz (and let me just take a second to say how completely wonderful Tom Hanks and Tim Allen are in these roles again) but also of the supporting toys such as Hamm and Potato Head. You now see them as a team and don’t want to the team to fail, rather than just wanting individual characters to make it.

The new characters, in particular Jessie, are also fantastic. We loved the way whenever Jessie says something she says it with her whole body. She almost makes Woody look shy and reserved in contrast!

The main human character, Al, is also really fantastic. The voice actor gives a really great performance, creating one of those characters you just love to hate. And the animated character looks just like the actor in real life, which is hilarious!

In fact this is definitely the funniest Pixar movie so far and probably one of their funniest overall - maybe only surpassed by The Incredibles. I seem to remember this is was one of my first experiences of watching a Disney film with more of an adult mindset (for the first time, I mean) as I was probably about thirteen when I first saw it, and naturally thought myself too old for cartoons. However, being slightly older I suddenly got all the jokes that were meant for adults and found myself enjoying the movie much more than I had expected. The ‘outtakes’ at the end of the film are really fantastic. They took possibly the only funny bit of A Bug’s Life and made it work a thousand times better for this movie.

Nowadays I’m pretty much giggling all the way through the film, apart, of course, from during ‘When She Loved Me’, when I am bawling like a small child. That sequence would have been gorgeous without the song, but add in the song and I...just...can’t…

One of the most masterful things about the three Toy Story films is the way they develop the main themes from film to film. When you look at the Cars movies, they might as well be three separate films, as the second one in particular doesn’t really have much to do with the themes that were introduced in the first. With Toy Story, however, the central theme of the toys’ powerlessness and the need to accept life’s limitations is developed beautifully from film to film. In this movie we begin to see how the passage of time and Andy’s growing up is going to affect the toys, and how powerless they are to stop it, but that as long as they are with the people they love, it will all be worthwhile. This theme, of course, culminates at the end of Toy Story 3 when the toys knowingly accept their fate in the incinerator and join hands to ‘die’ together.

Accepting your limitations and striving to be happy and reach your potential anyway is a theme that Pixar films return to often - think of Dory, Mike, Remy, Carl etc. It’s quite an adult theme, and about as different from Wish Upon A Star And Your Dreams Will Come True as a philosophy could be, but I think it’s nonetheless a positive and important one for people of all ages to hear.

I had never seen Toy Story 2 until fairly recently as I was trying to fill in a lot of gaps. For me, Toy Story wasn't one that grabbed me despite it obviously being great. They're just not my favorite Pixar franchise. That said, Toy Story 2 is my favorite of the bunch, which I know is a less popular opinion. I really loved the concept, being that I have been know to collect toys. One of my biggest rules is to always open them! There is no point in keeping them in plastic forever. The toy collector in this movie is like my opposite, though it hits close to home (nerds! ) I also love Spanish Language Buzz and the whole Zurg thing. Maybe this one is a little silly, but I like it!

 

[BrianL]

Wayne Knight who play Al in the movie who I also know from Jurassic Park and Space Jam...

Not from Seinfeld?

NEWMAN!

 

[TheStarscream759]

Not from Seinfeld?

NEWMAN!

The same.

 

[BrianL]

The same.

Yeah, I guess I jsut think of Newman as his most famous role. He's always great in anything though.

 

[RSandRS]

They only have Tarzan's Treehouse in DL, which is just a retheme of the Swiss Family Robinson treehouse, or as I like to call it, "Stairs: The Ride."

The sequels to Tarzan were all driect-to-video- and there were a couple seasons of a TV series, so I don't think they would hit your list. This one wasn't bad though if you grade it along with TV animation.

Right from no on this will have to be "Stairs: The Ride". I had not actually been up one of the Stairs Rides in years till our last Halloween trip to DLP and was suitably impressed with the number of stairs!

 

[RSandRS]

Fantasia 2000 (2000)


Fun fact, this movie was actually released on 1 January 2000, which is quite a nice thought.

This was my first time watching Fantasia 2000 all the way through and basically it’s OK. It’s not a must-watch in itself, but I’m glad I’ve watched it for the purposes of my Disney education.

Fantasia 2000 was apparently Roy (the son) Disney’s pet project, and it is a very nice idea. It was never going to be hugely successful (Fantasia wasn’t either) as a film for kids, but unfortunately it probably fails to reach Fantasia’s artistic heights too

My sisters favourite sequence was the Rhapsody in Blue one. She liked the animation style and it’s one of the best pieces of music they use as well. My favourite was the flying whales. This bit was very pretty and the music matches well too. It’s a very nice idea, but they were definitely going more for spectacle than for story.

I didn’t really like the Pomp and Circumstance bit as I’m not a big Elgar fan and nothing about it seemed very creative to me. That having been said it’s nice to see Donald Duck not skeeving on human women and actually being a productive member of society for once. Regular readers will know my feelings about Donald.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice is just copied and pasted straight from Fantasia! Why?? They couldn’t have done a different story with Mickey and Yen Sid? Or developed the themes from the first movie in some other way? It’s obviously the best sequence in the film, but I’m not sure it counts.

We both agreed the worst bit was the bit with the flamingos - in fact we chatted through the whole thing and when we looked up it was finished. It made zero impression and didn’t seem to fit with the rest of movie at all. If they had to have a ‘comic interlude’ they could have at least made it a bit more subtle and less jarring in tone.

The interludes where famous people introduced the different pieces of music were, in my opinion, a failure. They looked like the actors who have to read out the categories at the Baftas or Oscars, who are obviously seeing the text for the first time. You can see their eyes moving and there’s that awkward joviality, with jokes that just make everyone feel uncomfortable. They also seem to have picked the people they got to do it totally at random - which made it look like it was just whoever they could get at short notice!

Overall I think the reason I don’t like this one as much as Fantasia (despite the fact that the animation is often lovely and there’s some beautiful pieces of music) is that it felt safe and a bit saccharine. Comparing the Rite of Spring from Fantasia with The Firebird (same composer) from Fantasia 2000 demonstrates what I mean. With The Rite of Spring you get a viceral, grimey look at earth’s beginnings and the fight for survival, while with The Firebird you get an airy-fairy story with a kawaii-looking main character that is altogether too nice. Fantasia was Walt’s third film and he was willing to risk it all to do something truly innovative. In wartime! But the Disney of the year 2000 (and the year 2018 I’m sure) wasn’t willing to risk a penny of their billions.

Which all sounds as if I didn’t like Fantasia 2000, which isn’t true. I did like it. It was OK. I was whatever is between underwhelmed and overwhelmed. I was whelmed. But Disney, I know you can do so much better!

 

[BrianL]

Fantasia 2000 (2000)


Fun fact, this movie was actually released on 1 January 2000, which is quite a nice thought.

This was my first time watching Fantasia 2000 all the way through and basically it’s OK. It’s not a must-watch in itself, but I’m glad I’ve watched it for the purposes of my Disney education.

Fantasia 2000 was apparently Roy (the son) Disney’s pet project, and it is a very nice idea. It was never going to be hugely successful (Fantasia wasn’t either) as a film for kids, but unfortunately it probably fails to reach Fantasia’s artistic heights too

My sisters favourite sequence was the Rhapsody in Blue one. She liked the animation style and it’s one of the best pieces of music they use as well. My favourite was the flying whales. This bit was very pretty and the music matches well too. It’s a very nice idea, but they were definitely going more for spectacle than for story.

I didn’t really like the Pomp and Circumstance bit as I’m not a big Elgar fan and nothing about it seemed very creative to me. That having been said it’s nice to see Donald Duck not skeeving on human women and actually being a productive member of society for once. Regular readers will know my feelings about Donald.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice is just copied and pasted straight from Fantasia! Why?? They couldn’t have done a different story with Mickey and Yen Sid? Or developed the themes from the first movie in some other way? It’s obviously the best sequence in the film, but I’m not sure it counts.

We both agreed the worst bit was the bit with the flamingos - in fact we chatted through the whole thing and when we looked up it was finished. It made zero impression and didn’t seem to fit with the rest of movie at all. If they had to have a ‘comic interlude’ they could have at least made it a bit more subtle and less jarring in tone.

The interludes where famous people introduced the different pieces of music were, in my opinion, a failure. They looked like the actors who have to read out the categories at the Baftas or Oscars, who are obviously seeing the text for the first time. You can see their eyes moving and there’s that awkward joviality, with jokes that just make everyone feel uncomfortable. They also seem to have picked the people they got to do it totally at random - which made it look like it was just whoever they could get at short notice!

Overall I think the reason I don’t like this one as much as Fantasia (despite the fact that the animation is often lovely and there’s some beautiful pieces of music) is that it felt safe and a bit saccharine. Comparing the Rite of Spring from Fantasia with The Firebird (same composer) from Fantasia 2000 demonstrates what I mean. With The Rite of Spring you get a viceral, grimey look at earth’s beginnings and the fight for survival, while with The Firebird you get an airy-fairy story with a kawaii-looking main character that is altogether too nice. Fantasia was Walt’s third film and he was willing to risk it all to do something truly innovative. In wartime! But the Disney of the year 2000 (and the year 2018 I’m sure) wasn’t willing to risk a penny of their billions.

Which all sounds as if I didn’t like Fantasia 2000, which isn’t true. I did like it. It was OK. I was whatever is between underwhelmed and overwhelmed. I was whelmed. But Disney, I know you can do so much better!

I have actually never seen this. The original Fantasia has some great parts, but works better in small doses. I just never got around to this one. I have heard about the infamous Flamingo's scene. As for the Sorcerer's Apprentice, it was a change to see that again on the big screen. If they had done an original segment, would it even have been as good?

 

[TheStarscream759]

Before I say anything about Fantasia 2000 let me say this about the original first. It's such a masterpiece the way how every piece of music goes seamlessly with the animation in the segments and how it beautifully paints pictures in our minds when we listen to these classical pieces. My favourite segments from Fantasia are The Sorcerers Apprentice and Night on Bald Mountain and overall its one of my favourites when it comes to the classic era of Disney. Now that I've got that out the way I can talk about the sequel....which is not as good as the first one.

It's not by any means a bad film, I liked it but I do agree it's a little too light hearted and it's a bit of a far cry from what the original was serious whilst being entertaining at the same time. I'll basically summarise each segment in order to tell you what I'd liked and what I didn't like.

First of Symphony No 5: It's pretty much the Tocatta in D Fugue segment if this movie but with butterflies. Not much to say other than its not as memorable as the other segments and it's pretty much there to start the film off.

The Pines of Rome segment on the other hand was just breathtaking, its an unusual of flying whales but for some reason it works and its one of the best segments this sequel has to offer. So okay things are looking good so far.

Rhapsody in Blue another one of my favourites, love the animation in this, its very jazzy and stylish and there's a lot of things going on and such a visual delight.

Piano Concerto No 2 in F Major, okay its adapting the steadfast tin soldier only it's got a happy ending. Good not as enjoyable as the previous two segments but good. Like how they adapted another Hans Christian Anderson story again otherwise a bit slow but definitely worth seeing once.

Annnnnd the tone changes from serious to light hearted in the blink of an eye and gives me time to talk about the celebrities they brought to host the segments. Why is Penn and Teller here? What's the voice of Darth Vader doing in a Fantasia movie? Steve Martin? Bette Milder? Why are they all here? It just baffles me that Disney chose them specifically to do this film I honestly wish they didn't include and I would've been happy to just have the Composer hosting the segments like Leopold Stowoski in the original which is all you really need.

Anyways next segment...dear lord...it's Carnival of Animals. Do I even need to say anything about this segment? It's about a flamingo playing with a yo-yo....that's it. It's easily the worst segment mainly because it comes out of nowhere, its over the top and so slapstick ridden that almost belongs in a cartoon show rather a sequel to Fantasia and the music just doesn't fit the overly cartoony segment. No...just no.

Thank god after that we get a better segment in the form of The Sorcerer's Apprentice which is always good to see, I've already said what I need to say about this segment, it's fantastic and one of my favourites and it's one of Mickey Mouse's biggest highlights of his career.

Pomp and Circumstance it's okay as a segment its basically Donald Duck in a retelling of Noah's Ark. It's bearable than Carnival of Animals in terms of its lighter tone but I still don't know why they decided to include two contrasting segments that feel really out of place here. There's too much of: "Where's Daisy, where's Daisy?" and it feels again like a cartoon that would be aired in a TV show. If I were given a choice between seeing Carnival of Animals or this segment again I'd probably go with the latter because at least it has Donald and Daisy in there.

Last but not least is The Firebird Suite, it's a very underrated segment and not many people praise this one. Like Pines of Rome it's beautifully animated, the spring sprite looks very cute and I will not lie I did jump when the Firebird awoke and started swooping at the Spring Sprite was genuinely threatening.

All in all, its a good film but again not as good as the original. And it's not really something I'll come back to but it was worth seeing at the very least.

 

[RSandRS]

Agree-Not really worth a second go, but good to have seen it! I would say ppl should see it once...Its certainly by no means bad...not like the next one on the list!

 

[RSandRS]

The Tigger Movie (2000)

Wow this one was utterly TERRIBLE. It’s currently tied for worst we’ve seen with The Black Cauldron. In fact, if I had to choose to watch one of them again I’d probably choose Black Cauldron. That’s how bad this movie was.

Now I know what you're thinking, you're clearly not the target audience for this movie’ and you’re right, but that didn't stop us being charmed by The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and on some level nearly every film to date. We didn’t have high expectations, we just didn’t expect to actually hate the thing.

We were in separate cities while we watched The Tigger Movie and reading back over our WhatsApp convo to get ideas for the review it struck me that just copy-pasting the whole thing in here would be the best demonstration of how we felt about this film. Its also undeserving of a proper, considered review .- so here it is, as a special Day 50 (Day 50! (actually, its been far more days than that timewise!) treat, for your amusement!


B: We can chat through it…starting now!

R: Ok go.

B: I realize the problem with this already…Tigger is always annoying.

R: Wow it’s long!

B: It's only been going for 2 minutes!

R: I know but check out how long it is…It’s like over an hour.

B: Tigger said ‘Ta Ta For now’

R: What's wrong with that?

B: Just feels wrong time period wise???

R: Haven’t people been saying that for decades?

B: Probably…oh he (Tigger) sings! Arghhh!

R: I can’t sympathize with Tigger. There is a guy like Tigger in my office and I basically loathe him…. (In reference to the fact that Tigger over enthusiastic and always wants someone to bounce with) - Why can’t he bounce with the kangaroos? They’re pretty bouncy.

B: B/c he is a nine.

R: What? I’d say he was more like a 2 if we are rating Tigger on looks.

B: Wrong word, I meant he is a numpty.

R: Oh

B: He is def the sorest character in hundred acre wood.

R: Sorest? Use normal words.

B: Argh wrong word again…worst. He is the worst character!

R: This does not have the charm of The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.

B: In that film Pooh is silly, but cute and so is his singing…I maintain even very small children would not like this movie.

R: Yeah Tigger’s singing in this is not good and does not fit. It feels like a movie made out of a picture book.

B: Yep

R: It's one of those repetitive picture books where the main character keeps going ‘will you be my friend’? or something to loads of characters one after another and it's all very charming but you are ready for it to be over in five minutes.

B: It’s no Bye Bye Baby (excellent children's book!).

R: Why are we now getting a bee subplot? (Pooh attempts to get honey from some bees while singing a song. The whole thing is copy pasted from The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh) It has nothing to do with anything. Did they think we forgot that Pooh’s likes honey?

B: I have no idea.

R: It couldn’t be that they had a song left over from The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and just thought they would chuck it in because the movie wasn’t long enough, COULD IT???

B: They got chased by bees last time too! I call BS!

R: Another waste of John Hurt. What does Disney have against John Hurt that they keep sticking him in their worst movies?

B: Is Tigger older than Roo? Cos he certainly doesn't act it.

R: It's hard to say.

B: Argh Tigger as Marilyn Monroe during ‘the skirt moment’. This movie took a turn for the adult. Who is this for?

R: Not only do I hate this song but it completely takes you out of the Pooh literary/cinematic universe into an alternative 1950s.

B: With synchronized swimming!

R: And Marilyn Tigger. What is the message of this movie?

B: Never watch this movie again? We’ve left the renaissance far behind?

R: Not to mention the immortal prose of AA Milne. Who wrote these songs? How can there still be so much of this movie to go?

B: It’s tough - This is Black Cauldron bad but in a totally different way. I could not say what would be worse to sit through again.

R: I think this…but that’s because I am sitting through it right now.

B: Wow Tigger is a ..(term for not a nice gentleman)

R: I’m never watching either of them again…Now this movie is depressing too.

B: I feel for Roo….I maintain Tigger is a… (term for a not nice gentleman)

R: Yeah, ingrate.Take a hint moron, Tiggers are not a thing.

B: Push him off a cliff! Push him off a cliff!…

R: Push him off a cliff!..Uh oh!

B: Oh haha the cliff took my advice (in reference to an avalanche that fells Tigger and co)…That’s hilarious!

R: One of the most unlikeable characters we have encountered. The Hundred Acre Wood lot do not need this…And now they nearly all died and it’s Tigger’s fault. I. HATE. THIS. MOVIE. They also haven’t earned any of these emotional moments

B: AWFUL, AWFULLY AWFUL.

R: DREADFULLY DREADFUL…The Shermans wrote those awful song’s??!!

 

[BrianL]

The Tigger Movie (2000)

Wow this one was utterly TERRIBLE. It’s currently tied for worst we’ve seen with The Black Cauldron. In fact, if I had to choose to watch one of them again I’d probably choose Black Cauldron. That’s how bad this movie was.

Now I know what you're thinking, you're clearly not the target audience for this movie’ and you’re right, but that didn't stop us being charmed by The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and on some level nearly every film to date. We didn’t have high expectations, we just didn’t expect to actually hate the thing.

We were in separate cities while we watched The Tigger Movie and reading back over our WhatsApp convo to get ideas for the review it struck me that just copy-pasting the whole thing in here would be the best demonstration of how we felt about this film. Its also undeserving of a proper, considered review .- so here it is, as a special Day 50 (Day 50! (actually, its been far more days than that timewise!) treat, for your amusement!


B: We can chat through it…starting now!

R: Ok go.

B: I realize the problem with this already…Tigger is always annoying.

R: Wow it’s long!

B: It's only been going for 2 minutes!

R: I know but check out how long it is…It’s like over an hour.

B: Tigger said ‘Ta Ta For now’

R: What's wrong with that?

B: Just feels wrong time period wise???

R: Haven’t people been saying that for decades?

B: Probably…oh he (Tigger) sings! Arghhh!

R: I can’t sympathize with Tigger. There is a guy like Tigger in my office and I basically loathe him…. (In reference to the fact that Tigger over enthusiastic and always wants someone to bounce with) - Why can’t he bounce with the kangaroos? They’re pretty bouncy.

B: B/c he is a nine.

R: What? I’d say he was more like a 2 if we are rating Tigger on looks.

B: Wrong word, I meant he is a numpty.

R: Oh

B: He is def the sorest character in hundred acre wood.

R: Sorest? Use normal words.

B: Argh wrong word again…worst. He is the worst character!

R: This does not have the charm of The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.

B: In that film Pooh is silly, but cute and so is his singing…I maintain even very small children would not like this movie.

R: Yeah Tigger’s singing in this is not good and does not fit. It feels like a movie made out of a picture book.

B: Yep

R: It's one of those repetitive picture books where the main character keeps going ‘will you be my friend’? or something to loads of characters one after another and it's all very charming but you are ready for it to be over in five minutes.

B: It’s no Bye Bye Baby (excellent children's book!).

R: Why are we now getting a bee subplot? (Pooh attempts to get honey from some bees while singing a song. The whole thing is copy pasted from The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh) It has nothing to do with anything. Did they think we forgot that Pooh’s likes honey?

B: I have no idea.

R: It couldn’t be that they had a song left over from The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and just thought they would chuck it in because the movie wasn’t long enough, COULD IT???

B: They got chased by bees last time too! I call BS!

R: Another waste of John Hurt. What does Disney have against John Hurt that they keep sticking him in their worst movies?

B: Is Tigger older than Roo? Cos he certainly doesn't act it.

R: It's hard to say.

B: Argh Tigger as Marilyn Monroe during ‘the skirt moment’. This movie took a turn for the adult. Who is this for?

R: Not only do I hate this song but it completely takes you out of the Pooh literary/cinematic universe into an alternative 1950s.

B: With synchronized swimming!

R: And Marilyn Tigger. What is the message of this movie?

B: Never watch this movie again? We’ve left the renaissance far behind?

R: Not to mention the immortal prose of AA Milne. Who wrote these songs? How can there still be so much of this movie to go?

B: It’s tough - This is Black Cauldron bad but in a totally different way. I could not say what would be worse to sit through again.

R: I think this…but that’s because I am sitting through it right now.

B: Wow Tigger is a ..(term for not a nice gentleman)

R: I’m never watching either of them again…Now this movie is depressing too.

B: I feel for Roo….I maintain Tigger is a… (term for a not nice gentleman)

R: Yeah, ingrate.Take a hint moron, Tiggers are not a thing.

B: Push him off a cliff! Push him off a cliff!…

R: Push him off a cliff!..Uh oh!

B: Oh haha the cliff took my advice (in reference to an avalanche that fells Tigger and co)…That’s hilarious!

R: One of the most unlikeable characters we have encountered. The Hundred Acre Wood lot do not need this…And now they nearly all died and it’s Tigger’s fault. I. HATE. THIS. MOVIE. They also haven’t earned any of these emotional moments

B: AWFUL, AWFULLY AWFUL.

R: DREADFULLY DREADFUL…The Shermans wrote those awful song’s??!!

Wow, another left field one. Just so you are aware this movie was not produced at Walt Disney Animation Studios, but rather the Television Animation arm and the aforementioned DisneyToon Studios. This does not count as a part of the "Disney Renaissance" or as an indicator of it's end, as that only applies to Walt Disney Animation Studios (then called Walt Disney Feature Animation). This would have been direct-to-video but was changed to release theatrically because of the songs by The Sherman Brothers. I have not seen the movie and cannot attest to their quality, but, hey, Sherman Brothers!

Apparently this movie was fairly well received, even without a theatrical budget. I am not the biggest Winnie the Pooh fan, so I never was too interested. I am a little surprised at how much you hate it. Be warned if you are doing every theatrical movie, this had two follow-ups, Piglet's Big Movie, and Pooh's Hefalump Movie, both by the same production group.

 

[RSandRS]

Dinosaur (2000)

Here’s something that surprised me this week: Dinosaur is really good! I’m sure I watched this movie many many moons ago and was firmly of the opinion that it was ‘one of the rubbish turn of the century ones’, so I’ve never even tried to watch it again. Big mistake! It’s actually really great and I will definitely be watching it again.


I decided to call it ‘the find of the 90-00s’, in the way Roger Rabbit was the find of the 80s for us. It’s not quite Roger Rabbit, but it’s a good solid Disney movie with lots to enjoy. And it’s not boring, safe or saccharine, which makes it a win in my book!


The opening of the film is fantastic, with really beautiful animation and all built around the innovative idea of seeing it all through the eyes of an unborn baby. Yes, it’s not very realistic, but it’s fun and a great way of getting us to like the character before he’s even spoken a word. They make use of dramatic scenery and music to give a sense of the world the story is happening in. It’s almost a Lion-Kingesque opening.


The animation as a whole is really innovative and great. They made the interesting choice to have the backgrounds as live action and then to superimpose animated characters into them. This is a brilliant idea and one I’ve never seen before. The backgrounds are of course shown off to their best advantage in the opening with all that lush scenery and waterfalls and things, but they also manage to get lots of drama out of the dry wastelands that make up most of the rest of the movie (a meteor shower has a fairly dramatic impact on the landscape).


The character animation is also very good. Not quite Pixar now, but at least as good as Pixar at the time. It’s quite a difficult challenge to make dinosaurs that are realistic and can show human emotions on their faces but they manage it.


The characters themselves are a nice group. Aladar and his family are especially cute, with Aladar being a genuinely nice guy and someone you can root for throughout. The two old lady dinosaurs are possibly my favourite characters - it’s nice to have older characters as central to the story for once, and both of them are relatable and funny.


The villain character is OK. He’s interesting because at first you sort of think ‘Well he’s got a hard job and someone’s got to do it - all the dinos will die if he doesn’t keep on at them to keep moving’, but then he takes it too far and just becomes a bully. You start to realise his ethos isn’t ‘Only the strong are going to survive this’ but ‘I’m going to make sure it’s only the strong that survive this’, which is interesting in the context of the film’s themes.


Those themes are good and are communicated clearly. It’s also a nice message for a film: survival of the fittest is a fact of life, but working together is better for everyone. The movie is actually quite brutal in some ways, with quite a few characters dying, but it’s also life-affirming.


Side note: The movie needed a better title though - ‘Dinosaur’ does it no favours.


For such a little-known film it’s actually reasonably well represented in the parks. Seeing the movie gives the Animal Kingdom ride a bit of context (like why they have a carnotaur at the end rather than a t-rex like any self-respecting dinosaur attraction) - though really the two have almost nothing to do with one another. The earnest, ‘family is everything’ message of the film is certainly not carried through to the ride, which is quite tongue-in-cheek, so it really could be any film about dinosaurs that inspired the ride. I can’t criticise it though as Dinosaur is one of my favourite rides in all of Disney World. I think we rode it about four times in a row on our last visit!


In terms of the other Disney park I’ve been too, Dinosaur is there too! There are still lots of posters up for Dinosaur in the Studios at DLP, which must have been there when it opened. Wow that park needs some updating.

 

[RSandRS]

The Emperor’s New Groove (2000)

This one split us! While we can sometimes disagree about individual bits of the films, we usually agree overall, so this is highly unusual. Basically my sis really really enjoyed it and was giggling throughout, but I felt it did not have quite enough heart.

The plot to this film is paper-thin - there is really nothing to it. Basically man is selfish; gets turned into llama; continues to be selfish; is a bit more selfish; is selfish and then finally becomes basically OK human being. It’s very simple, but that’s OK.

It’s joke after joke after joke and there’s pretty much something for everybody. If you didn’t really laugh at the first joke, don’t worry there’ll be another one along in about 30 seconds. Some of the jokes in fact are delivered completely without context (e.g. the trampoline that catches Yzma the cat) but that kind of works. You are constantly surprised!

My favourite bit was the bit in the diner with Kronk taking orders and all the farcical opening and closing of doors by Yzma and Cuzco. This is not the type of comedy you usually see in a Disney. Also Kronk’s angel and devil are hilarious. Admittedly not the most original comedic idea, but it really worked! Basically, Yzma and Kronk make this film. They are funny and have loads of quotable lines.

Pacha and his family are also delightful and hilarious. Pacha is the heart of the film and probably would come off as pathetic if played by anybody other than John Goodman. But luckily he just seems sweet and dryly funny. The weak point is Kuzco (though even he has some good moments) because he is just so awful, almost until the very end. This is one of the main reasons I don’t warm to the movie that much. Since it’s Kuzco’s story, I feel we should be able to root for him a bit more/

The animation is almost unnecessarily good. For a paper-thin comedy it’s a surprise to see such high-quality animation with such a cool and stylish look. It’s interesting though that they decided to set the movie in South America and really lean into that when it came to the visuals, but then not address it even a little bit in the story. The story could have happened anywhere - just swap out a llama for a similarly amusing local animal. This is very unlike the approach they took in some of the movies leading up to this, e.g. Pocahontas, Mulan and is probably a symptom of the fact that they were trying to make an entirely different film at first and had to do a 180 in the middle of making it.

The music is nothing special. The bits that Tom Jones sings he, of course, sings brilliantly, and they are mildly amusing, but the rest of the music is highly forgettable.

My sis really loves a movie that can make her laugh out loud and so naturally loved this movie. I tend to need a bit more heart and soul, so couldn’t really warm to it. Zootopia for me has the perfect balance of both! I’d be interested to hear everyone’s thoughts on it!

Incidentally, we found the banned documentary about the making of this film on youtube (Sweatbox). I cannot recommend this highly enough for an insight rarely seen into the Disney creative process and it explains a lot why the movie ended up the way it did!

 

[Micca]

Somehow I've fallen behind, I'll hurry to catch up:
Toy Story 2--It's my favorite of the 3. I can relate to the collector mentality, the restoration of a rare item, and selling it for big bucks in Japan.

Fantasia 2000--Fun for eye-candy. Actually saw this at an Imax theater, can't recall where--maybe Vegas?

The Tigger Movie--Never saw it, looked bad. I was actually a kid when Disney co-opted the Pooh brand. I remember they used it extensively(and exclusively) to market infant and toddler merch through Sears stores. I know Pooh & friends are beloved by some folks, I was just too old for it by the time Disney came along.

Dinosaur--Never saw it. I don't like reptiles, big scaly things, etc. Not for me. Honestly this is why I struggle with Avatar. Blue lizard people?

Emperor's New Groove--Love it! It's very funny, there are some classic moments in this movie. I'll call this one underrated. The voice work is strong and Patrick Warburton just makes me laugh every time I hear his voice. (Hey--another Seinfeld connection too.)

Incidentally, we found the banned documentary about the making of this film on youtube (Sweatbox). I cannot recommend this highly enough for an insight rarely seen into the Disney creative process and it explains a lot why the movie ended up the way it did!

This is the story of Sting writing the music and then Disney revised the story so much that they dumped his material? It's a shame, I like Sting...a lot more than Tom Jones.

 

[BrianL]

Dinosaur (2000)

Here’s something that surprised me this week: Dinosaur is really good! I’m sure I watched this movie many many moons ago and was firmly of the opinion that it was ‘one of the rubbish turn of the century ones’, so I’ve never even tried to watch it again. Big mistake! It’s actually really great and I will definitely be watching it again.


I decided to call it ‘the find of the 90-00s’, in the way Roger Rabbit was the find of the 80s for us. It’s not quite Roger Rabbit, but it’s a good solid Disney movie with lots to enjoy. And it’s not boring, safe or saccharine, which makes it a win in my book!


The opening of the film is fantastic, with really beautiful animation and all built around the innovative idea of seeing it all through the eyes of an unborn baby. Yes, it’s not very realistic, but it’s fun and a great way of getting us to like the character before he’s even spoken a word. They make use of dramatic scenery and music to give a sense of the world the story is happening in. It’s almost a Lion-Kingesque opening.


The animation as a whole is really innovative and great. They made the interesting choice to have the backgrounds as live action and then to superimpose animated characters into them. This is a brilliant idea and one I’ve never seen before. The backgrounds are of course shown off to their best advantage in the opening with all that lush scenery and waterfalls and things, but they also manage to get lots of drama out of the dry wastelands that make up most of the rest of the movie (a meteor shower has a fairly dramatic impact on the landscape).


The character animation is also very good. Not quite Pixar now, but at least as good as Pixar at the time. It’s quite a difficult challenge to make dinosaurs that are realistic and can show human emotions on their faces but they manage it.


The characters themselves are a nice group. Aladar and his family are especially cute, with Aladar being a genuinely nice guy and someone you can root for throughout. The two old lady dinosaurs are possibly my favourite characters - it’s nice to have older characters as central to the story for once, and both of them are relatable and funny.


The villain character is OK. He’s interesting because at first you sort of think ‘Well he’s got a hard job and someone’s got to do it - all the dinos will die if he doesn’t keep on at them to keep moving’, but then he takes it too far and just becomes a bully. You start to realise his ethos isn’t ‘Only the strong are going to survive this’ but ‘I’m going to make sure it’s only the strong that survive this’, which is interesting in the context of the film’s themes.


Those themes are good and are communicated clearly. It’s also a nice message for a film: survival of the fittest is a fact of life, but working together is better for everyone. The movie is actually quite brutal in some ways, with quite a few characters dying, but it’s also life-affirming.


Side note: The movie needed a better title though - ‘Dinosaur’ does it no favours.


For such a little-known film it’s actually reasonably well represented in the parks. Seeing the movie gives the Animal Kingdom ride a bit of context (like why they have a carnotaur at the end rather than a t-rex like any self-respecting dinosaur attraction) - though really the two have almost nothing to do with one another. The earnest, ‘family is everything’ message of the film is certainly not carried through to the ride, which is quite tongue-in-cheek, so it really could be any film about dinosaurs that inspired the ride. I can’t criticise it though as Dinosaur is one of my favourite rides in all of Disney World. I think we rode it about four times in a row on our last visit!


In terms of the other Disney park I’ve been too, Dinosaur is there too! There are still lots of posters up for Dinosaur in the Studios at DLP, which must have been there when it opened. Wow that park needs some updating.

I have only seen Dinosaur once (on my flight to Tokyo Disney). I had never seen it. I too thought it was better than its reputation. I didn't love it, but it is pretty good, and the backgrounds look really nice. I can't say much else, but I did enjoy it.

The Emperor’s New Groove (2000)

This one split us! While we can sometimes disagree about individual bits of the films, we usually agree overall, so this is highly unusual. Basically my sis really really enjoyed it and was giggling throughout, but I felt it did not have quite enough heart.

The plot to this film is paper-thin - there is really nothing to it. Basically man is selfish; gets turned into llama; continues to be selfish; is a bit more selfish; is selfish and then finally becomes basically OK human being. It’s very simple, but that’s OK.

It’s joke after joke after joke and there’s pretty much something for everybody. If you didn’t really laugh at the first joke, don’t worry there’ll be another one along in about 30 seconds. Some of the jokes in fact are delivered completely without context (e.g. the trampoline that catches Yzma the cat) but that kind of works. You are constantly surprised!

My favourite bit was the bit in the diner with Kronk taking orders and all the farcical opening and closing of doors by Yzma and Cuzco. This is not the type of comedy you usually see in a Disney. Also Kronk’s angel and devil are hilarious. Admittedly not the most original comedic idea, but it really worked! Basically, Yzma and Kronk make this film. They are funny and have loads of quotable lines.

Pacha and his family are also delightful and hilarious. Pacha is the heart of the film and probably would come off as pathetic if played by anybody other than John Goodman. But luckily he just seems sweet and dryly funny. The weak point is Kuzco (though even he has some good moments) because he is just so awful, almost until the very end. This is one of the main reasons I don’t warm to the movie that much. Since it’s Kuzco’s story, I feel we should be able to root for him a bit more/

The animation is almost unnecessarily good. For a paper-thin comedy it’s a surprise to see such high-quality animation with such a cool and stylish look. It’s interesting though that they decided to set the movie in South America and really lean into that when it came to the visuals, but then not address it even a little bit in the story. The story could have happened anywhere - just swap out a llama for a similarly amusing local animal. This is very unlike the approach they took in some of the movies leading up to this, e.g. Pocahontas, Mulan and is probably a symptom of the fact that they were trying to make an entirely different film at first and had to do a 180 in the middle of making it.

The music is nothing special. The bits that Tom Jones sings he, of course, sings brilliantly, and they are mildly amusing, but the rest of the music is highly forgettable.

My sis really loves a movie that can make her laugh out loud and so naturally loved this movie. I tend to need a bit more heart and soul, so couldn’t really warm to it. Zootopia for me has the perfect balance of both! I’d be interested to hear everyone’s thoughts on it!

Incidentally, we found the banned documentary about the making of this film on youtube (Sweatbox). I cannot recommend this highly enough for an insight rarely seen into the Disney creative process and it explains a lot why the movie ended up the way it did!

I think New Groove is pretty good, if not great. There are some fun songs, but the story is a little weird. I always kinda like that South American style though so I lean toward liking it. I do agree that it is very stylish.