Peter Pan (1953) - 77 minutes

We are thrilled to have our first guest blogger today, the incomparable Jeff!  He joins us for Peter Pan, the classic tale of the boy who won't grow up, his crocodile-phobic nemesis Captain Hook, and of course Wendy Darling, who isn't quite ready to be anyone's mother yet.


Jeff

Rating: 9/10

Reaction: It being one of my very favorite movies from childhood, I just couldn't resist accepting the invitation to join the party for Peter Pan. We all know the story, so I won't go into details, but what a fun trip back in time to watch this movie again after many years. The innocence of childhood, the power of imagination, the good old-fashioned racism...pure bliss! I will always be more a fan of that era of Disney classics than any other. I love the picture quality, the occasional inconsistencies from frame to frame, and the very basic abandon with which social issues are addressed (or, more commonly, skirted), and I miss the time when truly professional voice actors were used, rather than just celebrities of the day. Not to say that all celebrity voice work is sub-par, but in the era when radio was still so common an entertainment medium, we got more thorough and imaginative performances, rather than just voices we recognize and can put a face to. For example, in Peter Pan, Hans Conried, a veteran radio performer who then also had an extensive film and television career, delivers what might be my all-time favorite voice performance as Captain Hook and Mr. Darling. What I wouldn't give to have been in the studio when he was recording that character. Long story short, I just love this movie and it will always hold a very special place in my heart.


Eli

Rating: 9/10

Reaction: Ah, this is another of the Disney classics that I would watch over and over as a youngster. It seems to hold up pretty well for me still, except for the kind of terrible Indian scene and song. But it was made in a time when these things weren't as politically incorrect as they are now a-days. Peter is one of the coolest Disney characters. He's charming, fun, can fly, and will never grow up! Imagine! How fun. I mean, he does have to battle the occasional pirate, but that can be overlooked for the wonderful things he does do. I mean, who wouldn't want to be fawned over by a bunch of girl-drowning mermaids? Now, if they were mermen...that might be even better. But one must make do with what one has on Neverland. I'd just be excited to fly. The tale of adventure that the Darling family goes on is one that is so fun. I wouldn't want to return. And they almost don't. But Wendy, being the sensible older child she is (and realizing that she isn't gonna have as much fun as the boys in the island) convinces them to go home. And all is well.


Regan

Rating: 9/10

Reaction: Second star on the right and straight on 'til morning!  How many of us wished growing up that we could think happy thoughts and fly, or that we could have a dog nanny to pick up after us?  Nana was probably my favorite part, but overall this is such an effective presentation of the Peter Pan story.  Hook and his crocodile nemesis are terrific, especially all the scenes of the crocodile eagerly waiting for Hook to fall into its jaws.  The scenes with the Indians are fun, the prissy mermaids and wicked little Tinkerbell are amusing, and the Lost Boys and Peter are delightfully brash and raucous.  Wendy is a great character, although her decision that she's ready to grow up seems a little at odds with the wonderful adventure she's just had.  Overall this movie is a great romp from start to finish, with fun songs and a generally carefree feeling that leaves you smiling at the end.

Alice in Wonderland (1951) - 75 minutes

Who can help but love that sleeping/high little girl with her vivid, crazy hallucinations?  Lewis Caroll's classic story comes to life in this charming film.

Eli

Rating: 10/10

Reaction: I must say that this is one of (if not) my favorite Disney movies! It is completely brilliant. All of the songs are lovely, and have some of the smartest lyrics in any movie. "All In A Golden Afternoon" is one of my favorite songs, and I want to learn the chorus part of it. So as ridiculous as this film seems to be, everything just works. All the characters sometimes act as villains, and yet they are quite likable. The Queen of Hearts is one of the most fabulous villains, even though she doesn't appear until the last 20 minutes of the film. Alice has to encounter other trials and tribulations before then. I always wonder how she is able to have such an extensive dream while her sister just sits there, reading her boring history book (with no pictures). Anyway - there isn't much I can think of right now to say about this movie except that it's amazing. Everyone should go out and watch it now. I'm serious. Go. I'm not kidding. Umm.....go.


Regan

Rating: 10/10

Reaction:  Here's another one I haven't seen in forever, and what a crazy, fun ride it was!  Alice is such a fun little girl to follow on her adventures as she blithely goes from one weird situation to the next.  I think my favorite is the Cheshire Cat (voiced by Winnie the Pooh), but the hookah-smoking caterpillar is priceless as well.  And of course we can't forget the Queen of Hearts and her delicious heart-covered petticoats?  I loved the songs in this one, especially the one sung by the flowers (who then immediately expel Alice when they conclude she must be a weed).  I also loved the awesome birds and the random walrus and carpenter segment (which is quite tragic for the mother oyster!).  Overall it's a fun romp through imagination with no slow moments.  No complaints!

So Dear to My Heart and others cover

Cinderella (1950) - 74 minutes

Cinderelly, Cinderelly, night and day it's Cinderelly! Finally, we have returned to some classic Disney faire. This is a favorite of many young girls (yes, and boys) around the world. The story of a petite-footed scullery girl who dreams big, and with the help of magic and determination, snags a prince and a life of Happily-Ever-After!

Eli

Rating: 9/10

Reaction: While growing up, my mother always told me that this was her favorite movie. I can see why. It has everything that one remembers from the Classic Disney formula - a Princess, a Prince, some magic, some animal sidekicks, and a villianess so evil she should head the Hall of Fame. There are so lovely songs, like "Sing Sweet Nightingale" where her stepsisters start the song terribly, and then Cinderella sings in 4-part harmony with her bubbly reflection. And who can forget the song that the critters sing while making Cinderella's pink dress? "Leave the sewin' to the women! You go get the trimmin'!" This movie still makes me laugh, even though I know the story backwords and forwards. It also makes me wish I had a fairy godmother. There isn't much else to say about this movie except for the fact that it's one of the best Disney films, everyone should love it, and if you don't, you'll be turned back into a horse or dog at the stroke of midnight.


Regan

Rating: 8/10

Reaction:  I haven't seen this one in ages, and boy was I glad to rewatch it!  Cinderella is by far the favorite of my fairytale princess stories.  There are so many great adaptations of the story--the musical with Julie Andrews and Ever After being prime among them.  This one shouldn't be overlooked though.  Cinderella's gown is truly stunning and her animal friends are far more interesting than the ones in Snow White.  Who can forget GusGus (Gus is, naturally, short for Octavius) and Jaq and their misadventures in their good-natured attempts to help Cinderella?  The evil stepmother is terrifying, the prince is gorgeous (if completely lacking in character).  It's such a pleasure to finally reach the full-length films, and this one is a great starting point.  You feel for Cinderella's plight throughout.  The songs are great, too.  Usually squeaky voices like the mice's annoy me, but they're absolutely charming in this movie.  Ultimately I don't know that this is really a love story, even though that's what it pretends to be--hence the 8 instead of 10 rating--but it is a story about perseverance and friendship overcoming all obstacles, and that is more than enough to make a great movie.

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949) - 68 minutes

Here we have two short films, both narrated by Bing Crosby.  The first is the tale of Mr. Toad, a rich toad whose obsession with shiny vehicles leads him and his friends into a great deal of trouble.  The second is the tale of Ichabod Crane, which leaves the viewer with two mysteries: 1) what happened to Ichabod, and 2) more importantly, how does he manage to eat so much yet stay so darn thin?!


Eli

Rating: 7/10

Reaction: So these two stories, while not Disney classics, are still pretty fun to watch. The first of the bunch is "The Adventures of Mr. Toad", who's story was the basis of the Disneyland (and old Disney World) ride! At least we can enjoy it in California. Although, in the ride, Mr. Toad is killed by a train and goes to Hell with a bunch of demons and stuff running around. Scary. This however does not happen in the film. All ends well, and he regains Toad Hall (and an airplane) for his pleasure. It reminds me a bit of Real Housewives of Toad Hall, with Mr. Toad being one of the wealthy ladies who just runs around in a dress spending money and doing ridiculous things. I mean, he was able to run really fast in heels. And has a nice butt. (Wait...that was his ball and chain.)
Nextly (a new word) we have The Adventures of Ichabod. This is scary. He's a kinda-fugly school teacher who arrives at a new town, and is immediately wooed by the sexy rich girl of town (who may work at the bakery?) Anyway, Gaston - eh, I mean, Brom - doesn't like this much, so tells the tale of the headless horseman. Scary! And then Ichabod meets him. I felt bad for the fat girl in green, cause nobody wanted to dance with her at the party. I was afraid she may pull a Carrie on everyone. But all in all, these two stories were pretty fun to watch.


Regan

Rating: 6/10

Reaction: Both of these were enjoyable, I guess, but the writing wasn't very good (despite being based on two classic stories).  The main problem was that because the tales were entirely narrated, with the narrator also voicing the various characters, the characters themselves were not very distinctive and weren't all that likeable.  Mr. Toad's insanity leaves you wondering why anyone would care if he wound up behind bars--that would probably be safer for the world.  I did like the evil Mr. Winky, though, whose hair and mustache were identical.  The Ichabod segment was very reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast--there was a Gaston figure, a wild flight through a forest at night atop a less than reliable horse, a "bonjour bonjour bonjour!" moment (practically), and the evil asylum owner from Beauty and the Beast actually made an appearance as a ghost figure!  They're both strange stories with protagonists who are so farfetched it's impossible to care much what happens to them.

So Dear to My Heart (1948) - 82 minutes

The story of a little boy who raises an ugly black lamb rejected by its mother and brings it to a local fair where it wins a prize for being "special."

Eli

Rating: 5/10

Reaction: For this film, I must say, I did not care about any of the characters. Too much praising Jesus, too many ugly farm animals, too many annoying girls. (Okay - there was only one annoying girl, and only one ugly farm animal. But it felt like many...) This little boy gets a black lamb, and wants to make him a champion. Um. Okay. His granny is kinda awful. She's always like "believe in God, follow him, blah blah blah." Then there's a storm. And they go into a swamp for bee honey. Um. Okay. Then they want to go to the fair. A pretty typical "then this happened, then this, then this" story. The animated segments were pretty cute though. They had the lamb and owl going in and out of a pop-up book, and we got a history lesson. There was a song called "Stick-To-It-Ivity" which was pretty ridiculous and took us half the song to figure out what they were saying. Um. Okay. All in all, I probably wouldn't watch this again. I think we added it because it included live action and animation. I don't think it was ever in the theaters. Go  figure.

Regan:

Rating: 6/10

Reaction: I'm definitely looking forward to starting on the more well-known Disney films.  While this was a nice change of pace because it's a feature length film, it wasn't nearly as well done as all of the other books/movies in genres like this (Where the Red Fern Grows, Old Yeller, The Yearling, Babe, Anne of Green Gables...).  I never cared about that black lamb (it was cute when it was born, then grew up and got ugly), and the two kids were really annoying.  There were some cute songs.  I really kept waiting for someone to die, partly because that always happens in other similar movies, and the fact that no one did definitely left me with a feeling of "who cares?" at the end.  At the end of the year I doubt I'll remember much of anything about this movie, and that will be just fine.  As a side note, this is the last of the Disney movies on our list with live action appearances from Bobby Driscoll and Luana Patten, Disney's first contract actor children.  Apparently Luana retired for ten years after this, while Bobby would eventually hit puberty, get horrible acne, and die at the age of 31 (though not before being the voice of Peter Pan).

Melody Time (1948) - 72 Minutes

Melody Time is our (hopefully) last installment of the musical-clip-by-clip Disney film. It involves several shorter songs/stories of various themes. We begin with "Once Upon a Wintertime", followed by "Bumble Boogies", "Johnny Appleseed", "Trees", "Little Toot", "Blame it on the Samba", and finally "Pecos Bill".

Eli

Rating: 5/10

Reaction: Well here we go again. Another Fantasia-esq Disney film. I'm glad we've had a bit of a break between our last post and now (wow, a whole month!) or I may have gouged my eyes out and stuffed cotton in my ears. Not that this was a terrible film - but seeing the same sort of genre over and over again can get tedious. (Wait...are we the ones watching all the Disney films? Ha.) Anyway - you know what I mean. There were some cute sketches in this Melody Time. My favorites were probably the Winter Wonderland one, and also Little Toot. (Haha...toot...) Winter Wonderland was about a couple who go ice skating - but they are apparently miles up on top of a river with a waterfall. Stupid skaters. The woman almost dies - but doesn't, thanks to the forest critters. Then they happily ride home in their sleigh. Little Toot was cute, and made a lot of mischeif. He even destroyed half of NYC by having a cruise ship crash into a ton of buildings. We're talking 1000s of casualties here, people!!! No wonder he got exiled to the middle of the ocean. But then he saves the day. Duh. It's Disney.

Other clips included a cute bumble bee one, one boring one about trees, and a Pecos Bill story. We skipped Johnny Appleseed as we had watched it. And the intro involved these scary lips and masks that had no eyes and reminded me of Sleep No More. Yikes! Oh yeah - and I forgot our return to The Three Caballeros. I must say that the 10 or so minute clip involved in this movie was much better than those other 2 combined. Yikes. Those were some boring movies. But oh well, this was cute. Probably not one I'd re-watch time and again - but it was cute. And who doesn't love the Andrews Sisters? Nobody, that's who.


Regan

Rating: 5/10

Reaction: Gotta admit, I felt like they really phoned this one in.  Most of the songs were fine, but the attached cartoons left something to be desired.  What was going on in the winter wonderland?  First they go ice skating on some raging, godforsaken river with a mile-long plunge at the end, then when the girls fall in they have to be rescued, not by the boys or themselves, but by random forest animals.  Not cool.  The one with the fly being chased by instrument-themed...plants?...was just weird.

We also saw the reappearance of two of the three caballeros, Donald and random Amazon parrot, plus an impressively talented organist-slash-samba-dancer.  The cutest was probably Little Toot, the tugboat who massacred half of New York by directing the Titanic into it.  Still, anything sung by the Andrews Sisters has a leg up.  I also enjoyed the Roy Rogers Wild West segment at the end, although those Indians' war paint flying off was pretty horrific(ly hilariously un-PC).  Overall, not a very good or coherent series of clips.

Fun and Fancy Free (1947) - 73 Minutes

Fun and Fancy Free is two short animated films (with some live action and ventriloquism tossed in).  The first is the story of Bongo, the magnificent circus bear (who can juggle large items on a high wire and then leap down to land safely on a sponge), and his foray into the wilderness, where he meets the love of his life and learns that bears express their love for each other by slapping each other.  The second is the story of Jack and the Beanstalk, with Mickey as Jack.

Eli

Rating: 8/10

Reaction: I remember watching this film in preschool when I lived in California. Well, at least the Bongo part. As I re-watched it, I could see how fun and clever it was (well, the animated parts anyway.) I don't really understand why they included Jiminy Cricket, but hey, maybe they needed to make the film a bit longer. Bongo is a really great film, and the music is so catchy. Forgive me ahead of time for this fragmented review: I've had a few mimosas this morning. Anyway, I really like the song about the bears slapping each other meaning they're in love. It's like a message that it's a-o-k for spouses to hit each other, because it just means they're showing affection. And the bad bear was so mean. I do love Bongo and his girlfriend falling in love and entering what I call "loveland", a heavenly-cloudy place with waterfalls and unicorns flying. (Lies. There were no unicorns. Only in Fantasia.)

Then we have Mickey and the Beanstalk which is - gasp - Jack and the Beanstalk, but with Mickey Mouse (and Donald and Goofy...but they aren't important enough to mention in the title.) The harp sings some fabulous songs, and her first song reminds me of the Wizard of OZ when they sing: "You're out of the woods, you're out of the dark, you're out of the night." Marvelous! And the animation is cute. Anything where they involve water (in both shorts) was fantastic. I could've done without the dummys and all that live-action stuff, but oh well. That's why I haven't rated it higher. Let's just be glad that we don't live on bread that's so thinly sliced that one can see through it! Right?

Regan

Rating: 7/10

Reaction: These stories were cute and had some really catchy songs in them.  "Bears say it with a slap *slap slap*" was weirdly fun although these days I imagine audiences would think it was okaying spousal abuse... The harp's opening song to the Jack and the Beanstalk segment was really fun as well.  I would actually listen to that on my iPod if I had it, I think.  These two were a nice change of pace from some of the recent movies because they had clear story lines and characters that were interesting and likeable.  It's impossible not to root for Mickey to find a way to outsmart the giant.  Bongo's tribulations in the wilderness were similarly fun, if a bit too easily resolved (circus bear can get along just fine in the wild if he finds a hot chick bear to do the hunting for him was the message, I guess). 

Here's our last cover

Song of the South (1946) - 94 Minutes

Song of the South. How many folks out there have seen this delightful feature? Not many, I'd assume. This is a film that Disney refuses to release again for reasons of it being overtly racist and they are afraid it'll tarnish their kid-friendly, do-no-harm reputation. It's the story of Uncle Remus who spins tales of old Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox and Brer Bear. The little boy Johnny learns from these stories, and has adventures of his own.


Eli

Rating: 8/10

Reaction: Though I've only seen this once before, it is still highly entertaining. This movie was the basis for my favorite ride at the Disney parks: Splash Mountain! So I knew all the songs and it was fantastic to recognize images in the movie that I'm familiar with in the ride (Brer Bear tied up, scaring off the crows is one example.) Maybe I'm just naive (and maybe I love Splash Mountain so much) but I really don't see how terrible this film is. It's a piece of Disney history, and I'm sad future generations won't get to experience it. I love how Hattie McDaniel is in this film, and Uncle Remus is a treasure. They adventures that Brer Rabbit goes on are cute, though I would hate to encounter someone who wants to punch you in the face just because you won't say hello to them. (Hello, NYC homeless...) But who can not love the song Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah! It always puts a smile on my face, and yes, everything truly is satisfactual in this film!


Regan

Rating: 7/10

Reaction: So I can totally see where the people who say this movie is racist are coming from.  Despite that, I found myself enjoying it.  The animations and live action scenes balanced each other nicely.  My favorite parts were the Brer Rabbit parts--although it's hard to have much empathy for that feisty rabbit.  It's sweet to see Uncle Remus try to lift a young boy's spirits through his stories, and satisfying when Johnny takes Uncle Remus's stories as an example and uses Brer Rabbit's tricks on some bullies.  Also that puppy was adorable!  The ending was pretty cheesey, with Johnny's mother sending Uncle Remus away and Johnny getting trampled by a bull (distinctly not Ferdinand the Bull) when he cuts across the pasture to stop him.  Of course a few stories from Uncle Remus were all Johnny needed to get out of bed and on his feet again!  I was pretty delighted by the ending, with the three children, the dog, and an astonished Uncle Remus frolicking with Brer Rabbit and singing "Zipp-a-Dee-Doo-Dah".

Make Mine Music (1946) - 75 Minutes

Make Mine Music is a Fantasia-like film that is composed of a bunch of different shorts set to music. What sets this apart from Fantasia is there is more narrative, including narration through several of the pieces, and there is no orchestra or announcer. They are just little shorts with music.

Eli

Rating: 6/10

Reaction: This movie started out S-L-O-W slow! The first few segments were nothing but boring, and I was worried that this would be the longest one yet to sit through. (Not time-wise, but just in feeling long.) However, in the middle, things turned around quite nicely! Peter and the Wolf was a glorious segment, with each instrument representing a character in the piece. It was fun and frightening. There was also an awesome clarinet who led a group of instruments on a jazzy ride. A pair of lovebird hats were separated, and reunited, making this one a sad but hopeful clip. It was also narrated by the singing Andrews Sisters! Fantastic! And the final short about an opera-singing whale was quite nice, and takes literally the saying "dream big." He could barely fit in the Met. All in all, if the whole film was just those last few shorts, it would've gotten a much higher rating. But since it started out so awful, I couldn't give it what it deserved.

Regan

Rating: 5/10

Reaction: One word: boring.  This movie--again a collection of sketches--comes across very much like Fantasia-lite.  To be fair, the second half got significantly better, but the early sketches were just flat out dull, with unmemorable music and animations that had me yawning.  Things improved with Peter and the Wolf, the hat song (don't remember its real name, but I loved the song about a fedora and a blue bonnet in love in a department store window), and the opera singing whale (although that was a bit too depressing!).  This one just never caught my attention despite all that and I wasn't sad when it was over.

The Three Caballeros (1945) - 71 Minutes

This is the movie about how Donald Duck spent his birthday ogling and attempting to grope chicks in bathing suits.


Eli

Rating: 3/10

Reaction: This one is SOOO boring. I literally fell asleep at the end (thought whether that was the movie or the 3 beers I drank this morning is anyone's guess.) Nothing really happens, and the animation sequences just didn't pique my interest. There's a penguin who wants to get warm, but his ice boat would've melted MILES before he reached the equator. Also, a flying donkey? I mean, really? And then you have long segments of us touring Brazil and Mexico with Donald and his two bird pals. Boy, are they horny creatures, oggling at the babes on the beach and the dancing flower lady. (Don't know what I'm talking about? Watch this movie.) On second thought, don't watch this movie - you aren't really missing anything, except maybe a nice nap.


Regan

Rating: 7/10

Reaction: I don't really picture myself watching this ever again, and it was completely absurd, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.  This was another semi-educational movie (although with a lot more potentially drug-induced hallucinations), in which Donald Duck explored the cultures of Brazil and Mexico on his birthday by interacting with two other birds (his fellow "caballeros").  Donald and the others are total pervs, which is half the fun.  Most of the movie consists of them running around having rather incomprehensible adventures and bursting into occasional song.  This movie also started with a cute video about a penguin making a boat out of an iceberg so it could float to the Galapagos Islands, which, okay, six of these points are because there was a penguin.

Saludos Amigos (1943) - 42 Minutes

Saludos Amigos (and the next one we will watch, The Three Caballeros) was produced as part of the U.S. government's Good Neighbor Policy during WWII. They were made to create pro-American feelings (and combat Nazi sympathies) in Latin America. What we get reads kind of like a history lesson of Latin America.


Eli

Rating: 4/10

Reaction: This one doesn't hold my interest at all very much. It's quite boring. It's along the lines of an education video about South America, and frankly, I don't care to learn about South America (in the 40's). The animated sequences are fun, my favorite being the last one called Aquarela do Brazil which involves an artist hand-painting frames while Donald and some cigar-smoking parrot traipse about. It's beautiful to look at, but that's about it. Oh, the music is catchy too. But this is hardly one I would recommend watching if a friend said "What Disney film should we watch today!?" I would most-likely say, "Eh, not this one."


Regan

Rating: 6/10

Reaction: Okay, I know I said that Bambi was like a school nature video...well, Saludos Amigos really was intended to be an educational video.  For what it was I suppose it's well done, with Goofy and Donald Duck standing in as a South American cowboy and as a tourist to South America, respectively.  There's a lot of educational narration and footage of old-time South America.  Not a particularly interesting experience, although I was delighted to see a picture of an orange-winged Amazon parrot who looked just like Gus!

Bambi (1942) - 70 Minutes

Bambi. This is the movie for nature lovers and preservationists alike. It's the daring tale of a young faun who explores his new home in the forest and meets some lovely and cute characters in the meanwhile. Stephen King also says that this is the scariest movie he has ever seen. Go figure.

Eli

Rating: 6/10

Reaction: As cute as this movie is, sometimes it can drag along. There isn't much of a story per se, but mainly a series of events that happen in the forest (seasons changing, fires, men) that Bambi must deal with. There's also not a lot of dialogue, and this film apparently has the least amount of it in any Disney film. (Besides, perhaps, WALL-E) There's no doubt that there are some cute characters. Thumper the rabbit is by far my favorite, and has the cutest voice in the beginning of the movie, reciting all his father's rules. There's Flower, the skunk, who doesn't do too much, but I guess he's cute too. And Bambi is pretty cute as he's learning how to walk. He reminds me of my first time in heels.

For all the people who say this movie is sad, I think it's more terrifying than sad. Yes, Bambi's mother dies, but it's the lead up and aftermath that make it all the more frightening. The music is almost Jaws-like, adding an extra note to the famous duh-duh. Then there is what I like to call The Frantic Pheasant, who just can't take the approaching hunters and therefore flies away, only to be shot dead. This leads to a massacre of forest folk, a truly horrifying and upsetting scene. (Children's movie - - - yeah right!) But it is enjoyable the first few times. I cannot however imagine watching this over and over again, and when asked to describe it, all I can say is: it's cute. And scary. Like me.

Regan

Rating: 7/10

Reaction: So the message here is pretty clear.  Nature = good.  Men = evil.  I don't think any of us will ever forget the horror of Bambi's mother being offed by a ruthless hunter.  It's interesting to see how a lot of these early Disney movies feel almost like educational videos as much as entertainment.  Fantasia, for example, felt like a movie intended to be showed in schools, especially with the monologues interspersed.  Bambi, similarly, feels like a nature video in the way it leisurely follows Bambi's life from birth until he has children of his own (you can see how the idea for The Lion King might have sprung from Bambi).  The line, "You can call me a flower if you want to", spoken by the skunk, has been a favorite in my family for a long time.

Despite its charm, and the fact that it's barely more than an hour long, Bambi does drag at times.  I found myself wanting a bit more of the plot that the later Disney movies offer.

This was our first background for the site. We will update it about every 6 films or so. I thought it would be nice to have it saved here for posterity's sake.

Dumbo (1941) - 64 Minutes

Casey Junior's comin' down the track! Here is our fourth installment in A Fabulous Year of Disney: Dumbo! You know, big ears, circus clowns, a friendly mouse, and a magic feather. There's no denying that this movie has a good message - you may be different, but honey, you are fabulous!

Eli

Rating: 9/10

Reaction: Dumbo is a movie I could watch over and over again. There is so much going on in this film, and I love almost every moment of it. Who can forget those bitchy elephants that constantly make fun of Dumbo? They are so nasty. Such gossips! And might I add dumb. But oh well, they must be jealous of the all the fame Dumbo is going to get. Then there are the clowns. Now, I don't know why being a clown is the lowest of the low when it comes to the circus. I would've thought shoveling elephant shit (yes, you mean lady elephants, I'm talking about you!) would be the worst. But clowns get a bad reputation in this movie. Sure, they may put a poor baby elephant in a burning building and make him jump into a shallow pool of some frothy substance, but they are kind of really funny throughout the movie, and they like to drink.

Speaking of drinking, I think I am one of the only people in the world who really loves Pink Elephants on Parade! It's so catchy and delightfully whacky, and the animation is really fun to watch. Most of my friends think it's terrifying, but they need to grow a pair and get a grip. They're just elephants who happen to be pink, jeez! I will say that every time I watch the Baby Mine segment where Mrs. Jumbo rocks baby Dumbo in her drunk while she's in prison, I cry a bit. There are actually quite a few tears shed by the characters in this movie. I didn't count them, cause that would be silly and time consuming, but I could guesstimate that there were about 40 tears in all. Holy moly! Good thing I haven't included my own in that figure, or it may have been double.


Regan

Rating: 9/10

Reaction: This was one of the Disney movies I haven't seen in ages, but I've always remembered loving that adorable big-eared elephant.  This movie starts by tugging on your heart strings (with storks delivering babies to all of the various circus animals) and never stops.  Dumbo's mother (Mrs. Jumbo, Jr.) is a tragic, sweet character as she strives to protect her son from all threats, be they bitchy lady elephants or gawking little boys, despite her own general impotence, until she finds herself locked in solitary confinement (with a sign on her cell saying "Mad Elephant").  Fortunately for Dumbo, a kind-hearted mouse decides to step in as father figure/mentor, scheming up ways to save Mrs. Jumbo and show the world that Dumbo's ears just make him special.  They encounter various hurdles along the way--most of them clown-related and heart breaking, since Dumbo's really good at looking extremely sad--until they discover, with the help of some Jim Crow-esque crows, that Dumbo can fly.  He shows off a little and they live happily ever after.

This is a compact and touching story from start to finish.  I got teary-eyed a couple of times, especially when Dumbo visited his mom in "jail."  The only reason I docked it a point was the pink elephant drunk dream sequence, which went on a bit too long for me.

The Reluctant Dragon (1941) - 62 Minutes

The Reluctant Dragon is actually a series of short films: The Reluctant Dragon, Ferdinand the Bull, Goliath II, and Johnny Appleseed.  The first is the tale of a gay poetry-writing very gay dragon who very much does not want to fight a gay poetry-writing super gay knight, to a young boy's disappointment.  The second is the story of Ferdinand, a gay bull who likes to smell flowers rather than fight.  Third is the story of Goliath II, the mouse-sized elephant who only wishes to live up to his elephant-sized father's expectations.  And finally there's the legend of Johnny Appleseed, the gay Republican uber-Christian, apple-planting pioneer.

Eli

Rating: 8/10

Reaction: Before I begin, you must realize that this isn't the actual version of The Reluctant Dragon that was released in 1941. That version had a studio tour with some guy, and involved him pitching the idea of this film to studio folks and finally Walt Disney. Suffice it to say, this is not that film - but a collection of four very-gay shorts. It's fun though. I don't think anyone can be more flamboyant than this dragon is. He is Fab-U-Lous! The other three shorts are pretty good, my favorite being Goliath II. What a cute little elephant he is, and I'm pretty sure some of the animation is put directly into Peter Pan (I'm talking about the crocodile part.) And boy, is that mouse a real jerk! So mean. The other two animated shorts were cute, but not my favorites. I mean, come on - I almost cried when Johnny Appleseed died at the end of the last one. How sad! He planet all those trees, and we NEVER actually saw him enjoying the food he provided the apples for. Poor guy. He must've died from starvation. Oh well, at least we know the clouds are totally made of apple blossom tree. Let's see if these hurricane clouds surrounding NYC will give us some apple pie!


Regan

Rating: 7/10

Reaction: I really enjoyed most of these shorts!  They were whacky and silly, of course, but also great fun.  The dragon segment was the most absurd, with the dragon flouncing around throwing tea parties.  I loved Ferdinand, which I think I actually used to watch on television as it felt very familiar.  The bull who simply likes to smell flowers is adorable and endearing, and nothing terrible befalls anyone involved.  Goliath II was similarly cute, with the itsy-bitsy elephant trying so hard to get by.  (Also, the narrator was the voice of Winnie the Pooh!)  The story of Johnny Appleseed didn't hesitate to bash us over the head with the Bible, so it was probably the most annoying of the lot.  Overall the four were clever, with fun characters and jaunty songs tossed in.

Fantasia (1941) - 125 Minutes

Ahhh, Fantasia. Who can forget Mickey on that mountain, conjuring magic and being the mischievous mouse that he is? This film is one of short mini-films set entirely to music. There are some beautiful works in this movie, and it is the third Disney film in our experiment.

Eli

Rating: 5/10

Reaction: As thrilling and entertaining as I'm sure this movie was upon its release, for me, it's just a bit boring. But that doesn't mean there aren't some fabulous parts! Like the little Asian mushrooms dancing, the fairies being useful and changing the seasons, or even the way Mickey flounces while creating a magic broom to carry out his chores. (Lazy Mickey!) I didn't enjoy the first pieces, which was basically a bunch of abstract lines and shapes set to music. My attention span needs something more. And I never really enjoyed the dinosaur segment. Not only does it make me hungry, but it's wicked sad when the stegosaurus gets killed by the t-rex. (At least he gets his comeuppance and dies in the drought with all the other dinosaurs. Wait. Is that satisfying since they all die? Oh well.)

But there are parts I enjoyed. I love that the only ladies in the orchestra play the harp. And they have fabulous hats. I also really enjoy the Greek mythology segment, with the topless centaurs (Disney? Really?) and the naked cherubs (again, Disney? Really?) Bacchus likes to have fun, but Zeus is kind of a dick and ruins the party with his lightning. Jerk. And the Demon mountain guy is ALWAYS scary. But my favorite part has got to be the part with the ballet-dancing animals, which includes ostriches, hippos, elephants and alligators. It's the best segment I think of the whole film, and makes me want to take some ballet. I mean, if hippos can, then WHY NOT ME?!?!?

Regan

Rating: 6/10

Reaction: Fantasia has always been something of a mixed bag for me.  I haven't seen it since I was a small child and I remember being thoroughly bored by it then.  At the same time, I never forgot the image of Mickey trying to reel in all those brooms, or the hippo in a tutu!  All these years later and it turns out my reaction is much the same, though I found myself enjoying some of the sketches that I had completely forgotten existed.  Like Eli, I wasn't a fan of the opening sequence, and the droning monologues between each piece (which were not included, I think, in the original tape) were a chore to get through.  My favorite parts were still the Sorcerer's Apprentice and the ballet with the hippo crushing the alligator.  I was also surprised by how much I enjoyed the dinosaur segment (although the animators obviously had never seen Jurassic Park--those velociraptors didn't look at all as if they could open doors!).  On the other hand, the demon segment, which I'd forgotten, I found bizarre and boring.  Perhaps the icing on the cake was the intermission, which really felt like a charming relic from a different time.

Pinocchio (1940) - 88 Minutes

Our second film of the marathon is of course Pinocchio (which is quite difficult to spell.) It's the story of a wooden puppet brought to life who just wants to be a real boy.

Eli

Rating: 7/10

Reaction: Pinocchio was never one of my ultimate favorite movies growing up. I remember, I enjoyed watching it, but it was never one I needed to watch upon repeat. That doesn't mean it isn't good. One of my favorite musical sequences is in this movie. It's the one where Pinocchio sings "I've Got No Strings" and you've got dancing Russians, can-can girls, and Dutch ladies in clogs. Fabulous! And, let's be real, besides the fighting and destruction, Pleasure Island looks like a friggin' awesome time! Rollercoasters and rides, a fun house, hopefully some mozzarella sticks. I'd go. But - oh yeah - don't get turned into a jackass. That's why I wouldn't break anything or be nasty. Maybe then, if I had nice fun, I wouldn't get turned.

But that damn whale Monstro will never cease to be frightening. The animation in that scene is super fantastic, and I never want to be in the middle of the sea on a raft with a puppet, cricket, cat and goldfish. It would be an unpleasant experience. But I do enjoy this film, and I think it has some good lessons. Don't follow strangers or you'll end up in a cage. Don't smoke cigars or drink beer, or you'll turn into a donkey. Oh yeah, and don't become an actor.



Regan

Rating: 7/10

Reaction: This one has really withstood the test of time nicely, I think.  I remember being pretty disturbed by the scenes of the boys turning into donkeys when I watched this as a kid, and it's no less freaky now (especially since the turning-boys-into-donkeys-and-using-them-as-slaves storyline is never brought up again once Pinocchio escapes...).  The movie really feels like three short stories tacked one after the other and doesn't really make sense as a cohesive piece, but the animation (especially on the whale scenes) is so good it's hard to worry about that too much.  Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket are almost as idiotic as Snow White and the dwarves, but their foolishness is less irritating since they're a kid and a cricket.  "When You Wish Upon a Star" is a great song.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1938) - 84 Minutes

It's day one of our amazing Disney marathon and we've just finished watching Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.  We're so glad to have started our year-long marathon and can't wait to see what the rest of the year has in store.

Eli

Rating: 8/10

Reaction: This is one of my favorite Disney animated movies, and of course you can tell why if you know me! I am all for camp - and Snow White is one of the dimmest, ditziest Princesses out there. She's pretty much good-for-nothing except cleaning and cooking, plus she prays and is totally fake-nice to everyone. (I don't believe her for a second.) I think she's really just a Republican. The Evil Queen is fabulous, but really, she needs to get over her obsession with beauty. There seems to be no one else in her castle - maybe even her kingdom - save the Huntsman, so who the heck is she going to impress by being the fairest of them all? Certainly not me. I mean, we can't even see her weave under that headdress.

I love the way Snow White prances from scene to scene. She's so flighty (literally and figuratively) that it's exciting to watch. She even wears heels all through the forest! Can you imagine running through the woods in those puppies? Jeez, Snow. Your feet must be killing you. And yet, the first thing you want to do is illegally enter a stranger's cottage and tidy it up? Please - I'd be like "Bitch, where's the bed?!" Oh well. She's dumb. But I still love the movie because of it!


Regan

Rating: 5/10

Reaction:  I know this is an old movie, but I still find Snow White's lack of character and utter stupidity a little painful to watch (not to mention that her voice is gratingly high-pitched).  I mean, even the forest animals are smarter than she is!  Don't talk to creepy old women, how hard is that?  It was also a pretty interesting choice to spend half an hour on the dwarfs meeting Snow White and then to switch to narration to explain Prince Charming's harrowing search for his comatose true love, which had the potential to be the most interesting part of the story.  Instead, Prince Charming barely counts as a character at all.

There were some truly terrifying scenes, though, which I enjoyed--the Queen in her dungeon and Snow White's flight through the forest at night were pretty memorable.  It was pretty fascinating seeing how the early animation was done--Snow White seemed almost drawn by crayon, while the other characters didn't look all that different from the style of the 90s Disney movies.