Treasure Planet

Hello!  This week's Disney film takes on a classic tale with a futuristic adaptation.  It's Treasure Planet.

The film premiered in 2002 and sports a voice cast of Emma Thompson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, David Hyde Pierce, and Martin Short.  The film's plot is based on Robert Louis Stevenson's classic published in 1883, Treasure Island.  And so here is Disney's take on one of the world's most famous pirate adventure stories. 

As the film opens, we meet Jim Hawkins (a young man who's taste for adventure oftentimes finds him on the wrong side of following the rules) and his mother (who runs an inn).  A mysterious (badly injured) stranger arrives at the inn and gives Jim a map (before his untimely demise).  Soon after the inn is set upon by pirates and the entire place is burned to the ground.  Jim and his mother escape with their friend Dr. Doppler - and soon Jim and Dr. Doppler find themselves on the adventure of a lifetime.

If the title didn't give it away, you should know that this film is set in the future.  In outer space.  With aliens and cyborgs and black holes and... other very not-classical pirate things.  It's a science fiction adaptation of the traditional pirate story.  There's still pirates and captains and cannons and villainy and general swash-buckling, but it's decidedly low on sea monsters, sand, and... humans.

Nevertheless, it is still the tale of a lonely youth set out on adventure to find a lost treasure only to find himself betrayed and in a race to save his friends, find the treasure, and beat a nasty group of scallywags.

I ended up somewhat enjoying this film.  I had never seen it before, and I was interested to see Disney's version of this classic tale.  It did not delight me as much as it had the potential to.  The first 30 minutes of the film left me entirely nonplussed.  However, at the 30-minute mark, we have a musical montage sequence of Jim learning and finding his place on board the ship and bonding with the ship's cook, John Silver, interspersed with scenes from Jim's childhood.  I'm fairly certain this musical montage saved the film for me. 

Treasure Planet does have an interesting array of characters, some credible humor, and a classic plot, but it does not have the Disney magic like the films from Disney's Golden Age a decade earlier.  Also, I should probably confess that my frame of reference for the classic "Treasure Island" tale is Muppet Treasure Island.  I have actually never seen a pure film production or read the novel.  I will say that I enjoy the Muppets' version very much.  :)  However, I am still at a bit of a loss to a few parts of this story.  For example, whatever happened to Jim's father?  And how does the tale end for Silver?  I'm thinking the Muppet's ending and the Treasure Planet ending might not be the most accurate...

Feel free to draw your own conclusions regarding this film.  As per my above confession, I'm not exactly an expert on the subject...  But I will leave you with words of wisdom from an expert on entertainment (Walt Disney):

There is more treasure in books than in all the pirates' loot on Treasure Island and best of all, you can enjoy these riches every day of your life.

Coming Up Next: Brother Bear

Lilo & Stitch

Aloha!  This week's Disney film takes us to Hawaii!  It's Lilo & Stitch.

The film premiered in 2002 and introduces us to what would turn out to be one of Disney's most beloved characters, a little blue alien with generally bad manners and (as it turns out) a heart of gold.

The film opens in the distant reaches of space at a trial for a mad scientist who has created Experiment 626 - a being created with great strength and the instincts to destroy everything (particularly large cities).  In the process of trying to exile this creature, Experiment 626 escapes and finds himself marooned on an island in the Pacific Ocean.  Aloha!

Meanwhile, Lilo (a little Hawaiian girl) is having trouble adjusting to life with her big sister (after their parents passed away), making friends, and just staying out of mischief.  The mad scientist (Jumba) and the alien "Earth" expert (Pleakley) are dispatched to Hawaii to retrieve Experiment 626, where as luck would have it, Lilo has adopted Experiment 626 from the pound and heads home with her new "dog" named Stitch.

Now all that's left to do is convince Mr. Cobra Bubbles (the social worker) that Nani (Lilo's big sister) is an adequate caretaker (and find her a job); teach Stitch to stop destroying everything (and some manners); oh, and prevent the other aliens from capturing Stitch and blowing up Hawaii.  Sounds like a recipe for some Disney magic!

So going into this film, I did not consider myself a fan of Stitch.  Bad manners and general bad behavior are two things that I have no patience for - and they pretty much define Stitch.  HOWEVER, Stitch is a dynamic character which means by the end of the film, he managed to etch a small piece of territory in my heart.  He learns that his actions have consequences (even if they are unintended) and that the most important thing is family and the people you love. 

Lilo & Stitch has so many of the ingredients that make a Disney film great.  It has great humor (Example: the aliens consider Earth a protected planet because it is a natural habitat for the "universally-endangered" mosquito. Ha!)  It has a good story and plot.  You end up rooting for Lilo and Stitch to get their happy ending.  It has good music.  Not as great as say The Lion King or Aladdin, but significant nonetheless.  I mean, musically, the film has Elvis and "Hawaiian Rollercoaster Ride."  Decidedly significant.

But as usual, the most important factor in the definition of the Disney great film is that it has heart.  And this ingredient, Lilo & Stitch delivers in spades (aka a large amount).  Because at the root of the film, it's really all about family - even if your family looks a bit unconventional.  As they say in the film: Ohana means family and family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.  And so we've made it to another film that made me cry.  Twice.  It was not as bad as this tearjerker, but it definitely hit me in the feels.

Lilo & Stitch is a must-watch on this Disney journey.  Preferably with family (and a box of tissues).

I think Stitch, himself, sums up the film the best, and so I'll end this post with a quote from a little blue alien:



This is my family.  I found it all on my own.  It's little and broken, but still good.  Yeah, still good.

Coming Up Next: Treasure Planet

Atlantis: The Lost Empire

Hello again blogging world!  I apologize for my long absence.  I put aside blogging in the fall to spend more time making memories with friends and family around the holidays. But, now I'm back and ready to finish this year with Walt!  (Disclaimer: I recognize that it's more than a year with Walt, but is that really such a bad thing?)  The plan is to finish up this journey by Easter (April 5th).  We have thirteen movies to go (after this one) including Big Hero 6 which will be our grand finale.  :)

The movie we find ourselves at is Atlantis: The Lost Empire.  It is the 41st movie on this journey through Walt's animated features and premiered in 2001.

Atlantis tells the tale of Milo Thatch (voiced by Michael J. Fox), a young, bumbling professor who's life's dedication is to find the lost city of Atlantis.  The year is 1914.  And to put it nicely, Milo's theories and hypotheses regarding the lost city are not received well by the rest of the academic community...  Thankfully there are eccentric (and wealthy) expedition/explorer funders in the world.  Enter Preston Whitmore (good friends with Milo's grandfather, who also happened to be an explorer...) and Milo finds himself on the expedition of a lifetime!

The supporting cast is one of the best features of the movie.  They add the warmth and humor that is so prevalent in the Disney franchise.  You've got Vinny (he likes to blow stuff up), Mole (he likes dirt. A. LOT.), Dr. Sweet (the crew's doc), Mrs. Packard (she likes to talk and she's the radio operator), Audrey (the mechanic - she can fix just about anything with a motor), and Commander Rourke (the leader of the pack, voiced by James Garner).  Oh.  And there's Cookie, the cook (though I'm not sure you'd want to eat anything he cooks up...)  This crew definitely makes for one interesting journey.

After many perils, the crew does indeed find themselves in Atlantis.  Milo soon finds himself trying to save the city, rescue the princess, fight some unscrupulous crew members, and all around just save the day.  (Anybody else thinking of another explorer/teacher?  Dr. Henry ("Indiana") Jones?)

This film was far more enjoyable to me than it's predecessor.  It had a good story, good characters, and good humor.  And really, who doesn't enjoy a good adventure story?

This week, I'll leave you with some wisdom from Milo's grandfather:

It's been my experience, when you hit bottom, the only place left to go is up.

Coming Up Next: Lilo & Stitch

The Emperor's New Groove

Oh Disney.  This weeks film puts a particular dent in my groove.  It's The Emperor's New Groove.

Do you recall how in my last review I hoped that some of these post Disney Renaissance films would surprise us with unexpected greatness?  The Emperor's New Groove is not that film.  It holds no great surprises or greatness at all.  Harsh.  But true.  It is the first film on this journey that I've desperately wanted to turn off after only 5 minutes.  And it didn't get better.  The film premiered in 2000 and was not a flop.  Shock of shocks.  I guess people found it funny.  It is branded as a "buddy-comedy."  I didn't laugh once.  And the only grin I wore was a grimace.  I think this film was even more painful than Saludos Amigos.  And that is saying something.  Well let's get down to business...

The Emperor's New Groove is the story of Kuzco (a young, narcissistic, selfish, unlikable emperor) and his transformation to a llama.  (I wish I was making this up!)  It turns out that Kuzco should not have fired Yzma (his advisor, and one of the creepiest-looking Disney villains ever.  I mean I guess the evil queen as the hag in Snow White may have her beat, but Yzma just looks terrible. All. The. Time.)  Yzma also has some creepy magical powers, hence how Kuzco becomes a llama.  (Though it should be noted that Yzma actually intends to kill Kuzco.)  The llama bit is a mistake by perhaps the funniest character in the film: Kronk (Yzma's brawn over brain henchman).

Kuzco finds himself lost in the jungle (as a talking llama) with not a soul or friend to turn to for help.  Enter Pancho.  Pancho had seen Kuzco earlier that day when Kuzco had announced plans to destroy Pancho's entire village to make a water park for himself.  (I'm still not making this stuff up.  This is legitimate Disney plot right here.  Oy vey.)  Pancho's heart, however, is bigger than Kronk's biceps and so he helps poor Kuzco out and they begin their oft treacherous, never really heart-warming travels back to Kuzco's palace.

Have I mentioned that I really didn't like this movie?  I think my number one problem was that I didn't like any of the characters.  For me to enjoy any film, I have got to like the characters - and this film offered me no one to enjoy, root for, or care about.  I guess Pancho is noble in his own way, but the film isn't really about him...  It's filled with this annoying llama!  (Sorry.  I shall try to stop ranting.)  This film was distinctly lacking the warmth, heart, and great story that defines Disney movie greatness.

And I think I'm just going to call it a day on this film review...  If you find this film funny, good for you.  If you don't, I absolutely commiserate.  (And it's ok to turn it off.  You won't miss a thing.)

This week let's end with some words of wisdom from the man himself, Mr. Walt Disney:

I always like to look on the optimistic side of life, but I am realistic enough to know that life is a complex matter.

Coming Up Next: Atlantis: The Lost Empire

Dinosaur

This week’s Disney film is Dinosaur. 

 

The film premiered in 2000 and was a financial success.  I was not one of the multitude of movie viewers to see this film 14 years ago, and thus I in no way helped to make it a financial success.  This movie was decidedly off my radar.  I never saw it.  I don't even remember hearing much about it.  At the time though I'm fairly certain that I was not interested in dinosaurs.  At all. 

 

Not to say that I'm hugely in to them now...  But they definitely pique my curiosity.  It may be that I finally beheld the wonder of Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park.  (Love that movie!  Don't know why!  But I do!)  So much so that I even read Michael Crichton's novel on which the movie is based.  The book is even better than the movie!  Still can't explain why I enjoy it so much...

 

So with this new openness to the mysterious beings of dastardly extinction... I was still not excited to see this Disney film.  I honestly had no prior concept of the plot, characters or general theme of this film: Dinosaur.  I wish I could say that I was pleasantly surprised and that this film owns up to all that is Disney greatness, but I can't.

 

Dinosaur tells the story of Aladar, an iguanodon (rather large herbivore, but much smaller than a brontosaurus) raised by lemurs.  I kid you not.  Lemurs.  Small monkey-like, leaping mammals.  Oh Disney.  Who came up with this plot?!  Alas, the island where Aladar and his lemur family lives is destroyed by asteroids or meteors or... something like that.  He and 4 lemurs survive the destruction of the island and swim to the "mainland?"  There they meet up with a multi-species herd of dinosaurs who are all traveling to the nesting grounds in hopes that the area is still thriving.  Aladar quickly befriends the oddballs of the group (the old and slow), butts heads with the leader of the herd (Kron), and starts crushing on a lovely lady iguanodon (Neera).  Oh.  And two ravenous, carnivorous Carnotauruses (like a T. Rex, but not a T. Rex) are hot on the trail of the migrating herbivore pack. 

 

I'm not really sure what to say about this film.  It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be?  Though that hardly seems like praise.  I was discussing this film with a friend and she mentioned that it showed Disney's creativity and innovation.  Which it does.  The film is a mix of computer-generated characters set against actual live footage of real settings.  To me it just made the dinosaurs look all the more fake, but at the time and even now it still shows a certain ingenuity.  I will say that the movie poster is cool. But in terms of the whole movie... 

 

I didn't really fall in love with any of the characters.  Aladar is a decent hero, but there's nothing about him or the story that tugs at my heartstrings.  Also, I didn't find anything in the film particularly funny.  And there's no music.  So to sum up, we have zero Disney great characters, zero Disney music, zero Disney humor, and zero Disney heart.  Like I said earlier, I think the best thing I can say is that the film wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. 

 

These post Disney Renaissance films are going to be an interesting part of this film journey.  It's pretty impossible to compete with the Disney greatness of the nineties, but we shall see.  Hopefully there will be some good surprises along the way.  Dinosaur does not happen to be one of them.

 

On that note, I'll leave you with a Disneyland-reference Jurassic Park quote:

 

John Hammond: All major theme parks have delays.  When they opened Disneyland in 1955, nothing worked!

Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but, John, if The Pirates of the Caribbean breaks down, the pirates don't eat the tourists.

 

 

Coming Up Next: The Emperor's New Groove

Fantasia 2000

Nearly 60 years after the premiere of Fantasia, Walt Disney studios brings you Fantasia 2000.

 

 

The film has much the same premise as the original – a series of animated shorts set to classical and iconic musical pieces.  The only dialogue in the film happens between segments when a celebrity or musician introduces the music and story of the upcoming piece in the film.  My favorite part of Fantasia 2000 was that it was only half as long as Fantasia.  I much prefer for my entertainment to be diverting as opposed to grandly artistic.  And the Fantasia films are all about the artistry of animation and musical compositions.  In essence, they are not my cup of tea.  But I set out this year to watch and review every animated Disney film in the Disney canon, so here are my thoughts on Fantasia 2000.

 

Fantasia 2000 is composed of 8 segments or compositions or pieces.  As with the original Fantasia, some of the pieces seem to tell a story while some are purely artistic and abstract.  Similarly to the first film, I enjoyed some of the segments but could really do without others.  Fantasia 2000 did feature a repeat of Mickey's "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" segment.  This was the only segment to be repeated from the original film.

 

The artistic pieces (that I could really have done with out) include the abstract triangle butterfly opening number...

 

The flying humpback whale ballet... (I know.  I thought I would have liked that one too.)

 

The New York City "Rhapsody in Blue" number... (I also thought I would have enjoyed this more, but I just didn't jive with the artistic direction it took.)

 

And the ending number involving a stag and the spirit of spring?  It was weird...

 

The two numbers that I thought were ok were the flamingo piece (featuring a yoyo)...

 

And the "Pomp and Circumstance" number featuring Donald Duck and Noah's Ark  (also a bit odd, but at least there was plot)

 

My favorite segment by far was "The Steadfast Tin Soldier" number, though in truth I think this would have been a wonderful story to see executed as a full-length movie.  Still it was my favorite story from Fantasia 2000.

 

When Walt originally came up with the concept for Fantasia, the idea was that it would be a continually evolving piece.  It would feature some of the favored classic pieces, but it would also continue to introduce new segments of animation and musical compositions.  I will not hesitate to admit that I am not sad (at all) that this particular project of Walt’s did not come to fruition.  I also freely admit that this concept and style of film is decidedly not my cup of tea, but kudos to all that do enjoy it.

 

With that, it seems like an excellent week to end with an inspiring quote for Walt himself:

 

“Why worry?  If you’ve done the very best you can, worrying won’t make it any better.”

 

 

Coming Up Next: Dinosaur

Tarzan

This week's film takes us on a journey to the jungles of Africa.  It's Disney's Tarzan.

Tarzan premiered in 1999 and is considered the last film of the 10 movie Disney Renaissance.  Before watching this movie for this year-long project, I had only seen the film once.  And that was 15 years ago at a Drive-In in New Hampshire. (The other film we saw that night was Inspector Gadget.)  This summer I did, however, see a wonderful community production of the musical Tarzan which is based on the movie, so watching this movie again was not as "new" as the 15 year lapse between viewings would appear to make it.

Tarzan tells the story of a boy who is raised by gorillas in the African jungle after he and his parents are shipwrecked and he is left an orphan.  Tarzan never truly feels like he fits in with his new family, but he works hard to be the best gorilla he can be.  A new world is opened to him, however, with the arrival of the Porters and Clayton (their guide).  Jane Porter and her father are in Africa to observe and catalog the diverse flora and fauna (Nope. Not that Flora and Fauna.) with the real hopes of observing gorillas in their native habitat.  Clayton (one of the film's villains) is actually there to capture the gorillas so he can take them back to England and sell them.  Tarzan meets/rescues Jane and suddenly he doesn't feel so different anymore...

There are three main things that stood out to me in this film: Jane Porter, the violence, and the music.

Jane Porter rocks.  I enjoyed her character so much!  She is a proper young lady from England but embraces the jungle "culture" so to speak and is willing to let her hair down.  She also always has something to say.  (I may be able to relate to that a bit...)  And she is kind and curious and willing to laugh.  And she handles strange jungle situations remarkably well.  Jane is definitely me favorite character from this film.

I'm not sure why, but the violence in this movie really stood out to me.  I was hyper aware of the presence of guns.  Then there is the real life jungle violence of macho gorillas and sly cheetahs.  The first scenes involving the cheetah scared me significantly when I saw the movie at the drive-in 15 years ago, and to be quite honest, I covered my eyes for parts of them this time around. (I DO NOT do suspense well. At all.)  This film certainly does not shy away from violence - whether of nature or man.

Surprisingly, (Ok. Really not surprising at all.) my favorite part of this film is the MUSIC!  Phil Collins composed and performed the majority of songs in the film, and they are wonderful!  I tend to prefer the music of films when it is sung by the actual characters on film, but Phil Collins' soundtrack for this film was so good I didn't even mind that the characters weren't singing themselves.  I really enjoy the ENTIRE soundtrack of Tarzan, but I guess if I had to pick my favorite tracks I would go with "Two Worlds" and "You'll Be In My Heart."

Tarzan has many elements of a great Disney film including gorgeous animation.  It may not be one of my all time favorites, but it's still quite good and a very enjoyable film to watch.

With that, I'll leave you with Jane Porter's depiction of her first interaction with our hero:

"I was saved!  I was saved by a flying wild man in a loincloth."



Yep. That pretty much sums things up.

Coming Up Next Week: Fantasia 2000