The Jungle Book (1967) - 78 minutes

A little boy is raised in the wilds of India by some friendly forest creatures.  But when Sher Khan comes to eat the boy, it looks like the only option is for him to return to a village of men.


Eli

Rating: 7/10

Reaction: So this wasn't exactly my favorite Disney movie growing up, but thanks to the Disney Sing-A-Long videos (remember that crazy owl zooming all around during the intro?) I will never forget the song Bare Necessities. The music in this film is totally great, and I even heard some new tunes that I don't remember from watching this as a kid, for instance the song where the girl is fetching the water: "I must fetch the water until I am grown."

The story is pretty simple. A boy is raised by wolves (literally) and he doesn't want to go back to the Man Village. But his animal friends know that eventually, he is going to have to go. But he has a few adventures with a herd of elephants, a bear (are there bears in the Indian jungles?) and a panther who help him on his way. And lest we forget the fearsome Shear Khan, whom we don't even see until the last few minutes of the film. He is the dreaded tiger that everyone fears, but when we finally meet our villain, he's an effeminate deep-voiced slip-of-a-thing, so I'd be more afraid that he'd ask me to a bake-off or crocheting party than to eat me. It was also fun to hear familiar voice actors in this movie. Winnie-The-Pooh's signature voices makes an appearance as the slithery Kaa the snake, sinister and somewhat simple here. Also Baloo seems to be a voice we will hear again in the upcoming Robin Hood, again, playing a bear, this time Little John. All in all, this is a quick and enjoyable Disney film, with many likeable characters and some clever music.


Regan

Rating: 7/10

Reaction: I really loved this movie growing up, and watching it again it's not hard to see why.  My favorite character is definitely Baloo, the kind-hearted, singing bear who takes Mowgli under his wing and decides to raise him as his own cub.  His song "The Bare Necessities" is one of those fun, catchy tunes you can't help but love.

Plot-wise, this isn't the most focused story--the threat of Sher Khan hangs over Mowgli's head the whole movie, but mostly we just follow his random adventures with various creatures before he finally defeats Sher Khan with the help of some friendly vultures (what a nice change of pace!) and ultimately decides to go back to the human village because he meets a cute chick.  I enjoyed the encounter with the monkeys, but it didn't really add much to the story (although the king orangutan's song is extremely catchy).

On a random note, I think the animals that Disney has most consistently done well are elephants--every time they pop up in a Disney animation, whether short or long, the elephants are lovable and fascinating, probably because the baby elephants are always so much smaller than the big ones.

Evil Poppins Background

Mary Poppins (1964) - 139 minutes

A freaky mystical nanny enters some children's lives just long enough to magically fix everything, probably by putting everyone on weird drugs that make them hallucinate dancing penguins.  Once again, Debra and Jeff join us as guest bloggers.


Jeff

Rating: 8/10

Reaction: As a film, Mary Poppins is almost perfect, albeit clearly dated in the special effects category. Almost. As a movie for children, it is a wonderful advocate for the importance of a healthy imagination and the ability to know when to use it and when to turn it off; however, it is also a little confusing, mostly plotless where a child would be concerned, and runs a bit long for the average young attention span today. As a movie for adults, it is a wonderful advocate for the importance not only keeping our imaginations alive as we age, but also remembering to allow children to be children while they still can; however, it is also a little confusing, mostly plotless if you overlook the character arc of Mr. Banks, and still feels a tiny bit long due to its episodic nature. Upon this viewing (again, one among very many over the years), I took more notice in the idea that rather than using "magic," Mary Poppins was instead simply urging the children's use of their imagination. I hadn't really paid attention before to the fact that after all these fantastical adventures, Mary Poppins denies that they ever happened, perhaps trying to teach the kids that imagination is wonderful, but it is not real, and trying to show them that difference without crushing their dreams. I like that. The musical numbers are whimsical and beautiful, some exciting and playful ("Step In Time," "Supercali..."), and some somber and simple ("Stay Awake," "Feed the Birds"). Julie Andrews is just exquisite, and Dick van Dyke's physical comedy is to die for. And let's not forget that those children were very talented for being so very young. But what a fantastic movie - again, imperfect, but fantastic.


Debra

Rating: 6/10

Reaction: Well, I have to say, I love the musical numbers (in particular, Step in Time!) but was not crazy about the movie as a whole. I feel like it was two movies smushed into one. Don't get me wrong, the acting was superb but I wanted to watch just the musical numbers and then have a separate movie with the heart warming story of the Banks family. I found myself waiting for the musical numbers during the scenes and waiting for the scenes during the musical numbers. It is still a classic and for good reason, the cast is amazing and their performances stellar, I just felt something was missing.


Eli

Rating: 6/10

Reaction: Well, we practically had to hold Regan down to watch this movie, but we finally got through Mary Poppins. A whimsical fantasy about a super-nanny who comes and helps two children (and ultimately their father) become better Londoners and people. One of my favorite parts of this movie is the animated sequence, where Mary, Bert and the two children frolic through a chalk-painted wonderland full of carousels, foxes, singing farm-animals, and penguins. Penguins? Hm. There's also the scene where the Mad Hatter invites all parties to laugh and have a merry tea time on the ceiling of his flat. It's a wonderful time had by all, and though this movie can seem a bit long at times (all the scenes in the bank can drag quite a bit), it's still a fun time and you still end up liking Mary in the end, even though she hasn't been all that nice in the first place. I find it strange that the children have to beg her to do all the crazy things they end up doing, and she finally gives in. Please. Mary wanted to do them all in the first place anyway. I will say my favorite character is Mrs. Banks signing her Sister Suffragette number and parading around for women's votes. You go girl!


Regan

Rating: 3/10

Reaction: I have never, ever liked this movie.  I didn't like it when I watched it as a kid, I didn't like it when I tried it again three years ago, and I don't like it now.  I find the music insipid, the main character more terrifying (and not in a good way) than lovable, and the plot--wait, what plot?  At two hours and twenty minutes, this is by far the longest of the Disney movies we've watched so far, yet the only reason it's so tediously long is because there are so many unnecessary musical interludes that do nothing to advance the plot, although they do a nice job of getting stuck in your head and making you want to take a hammer to your cranium to get them out.

There are good parts, I will confess.  "Feed the Birds" is a great song.  I love the Admiral and his habit of firing his cannon like clockwork every day.  I like Bert and Mr. Banks okay (and really, Bert is far more the main character than Mary Poppins).  But I think Mary Poppins is a truly terrible character who seems to have multiple personality disorder and whose powers are used in mystifying (again, not in a good way) ways that mostly seem to revolve around improbably, unending dance numbers, some of which are with animated characters, and most of which are set to repetitive, insipid songs.

Oh, well.  At least I survived it.  Now back to the good stuff!

The Sword In The Stone (1963) - 79 Minutes

 This is the timeless tale of a little boy named Wart - uh, Arthur - who travels around with his wizard pal Merlin, transforming into many different animals, and ultimately pulling a sword from out of a stone. Today, we were lucky enough to have TWO guest bloggers, Jeff and Debra. Here is what they thought of the film as well.


Jeff

Rating: 8/10

Reaction: The Sword in the Stone is another of my very favorites from childhood (you may remember the last time I made an appearance here, with Peter Pan, perhaps my very favorite). For as long as I can remember, I've had a fantasy about being Arthur, in many of the different interpretations and times of his life, and have always related to him; I owe much of that to this film. Also, the nearly constant "physical comedy" in it mark one of Disney's funniest films, in my opinion. I will say that on this viewing I noticed for the first time how abruptly the ending comes about, but I can't say it really matters to me or changes my opinion of the movie, knowing the rest of the story and how giving us any more to see would be digging into far too much to put into a children's cartoon, much less one of a reasonable length. Mad Madam Mim is definitely one of my favorite villains, the scene with the squirrels is hilarious, and the voice acting is all around just fantastic (aside from the noticeably different actors used in a few different scenes for Wart's character). I love this movie, and will always feel nostalgia for it.


Debra

Rating: 9/10

Reaction: Although this is not a Disney musical, it is one of my all time favorite Disney films! Between the wolf looking for a good meal, the barracuda in the moat and mad Madame Mim, these are my favorite villains EVER! (When it comes to Broadway, I am soooo Madame Mim!) My favorite scene in the movie however, is the sequence with the squirrels. I roared at the antics of the older female and even got a little teary eyed when the young squirrel lost her love.
The only reason this movie didn't get a 10 from me is because of the ending. I understand why they ended it the way they did, but I still would have liked a more cohesive closing.


Eli

Rating: 7/10

Reaction: This isn't one of Disney's musical masterpieces, but it's definitely a charming little film that still makes me smile and laugh to this day. The characters are ridiculous, and anyone who says that Mad Madam Mim isn't one of the best Disney villain in the history of Disney villainhood needs to have their head examined. I mean, she sings a whole ditty about how being evil and doing black magic is her favorite thing in the world. She cheats, lies, and is just all around fun. And that pig face she does frightens me still to this day.

I wasn't a huge fan of the ending because I felt that it ends quite abruptly. It was almost as if Disney was hoping to plan a sequel. However if we found out everything about the King Arthur story, then this movie would be five hours long, and in the words of Sweet Brown, "Ain't nobody got time for dat." I would still recommend this movie to everyone, so go watch it. Huzzah!


Regan

Rating: 8/10

Reaction: Strangely, the part of this movie I remembered the most vividly was the poor wolf who despite his best efforts to have a good meal (boy, squirrel...) never manages to get anything but bruised and beaten.  This is a darling movie, although I'm not sure Merlin's lessons are quite as on point as one would hope ("who cares if it's your job to do the washing--they won't know who did it, let's go have fun!").  That was a terrifying barracuda that chased fish!Wart through the moat.  The girl squirrel who falls in love with squirrel!Wart was a tragic figure--her heart really got broken.  I'm holding out hope that ultimately Merlin changed her into a human and her name was Guinevere.

The best part of the movie is probably Merlin's duel with mad old Mim, which demonstrates some real creativity on both parts.  Merlin's victory through becoming a germ is genius--and good punishment for Mim, who now must suffer through wholesome sunlight.  I also loved the bit later on when Merlin turned himself into a rocket and jetted off to 20th-century Bermuda.

The ending of the movie was extremely abrupt.  This is definitely a prequel movie, but leaving off with an eleven year old boy on the throne of England and just telling us he's going to be awesome is a bit of a stretch. 

Lies!

Buzzfeed conveniently posted this article today, which is highly relevant to our blog.  However, I would argue that 1-4 are lies!  Did they even watch those movies?  Snooze fests!

Last Header

Here is the header for our last three films. On to the next three!

One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) - 79 minutes

In which humans are dogs' pets and Pongo the dalmatian is an excellent matchmaker and adventurer, leading to two humans having, you guessed it, one hundred and one dalmatians.

Eli

Rating: 8/10

Reaction: I liked this movie a lot more than I remember liking it as a kid. Perhaps I was able to see all the clever little tidbits that were thrown in - the Lady & the Tramp cameos, the puns, the fabulousness of Cruella De Vil ("Anita, daaaaarling!"). They were all wonderful traits of this movie that I had forgotten (or never had noticed) as a kid. With that said, the plot is kind of silly at times - why didn't Roger and Anita just have the police search Cruella's mansion (I mean, it is her father's old estate after all... where else would she be keeping the puppies?) But oh well, I can over look that. I was also kind of disappointed that Cruella never got her comeuppance. All she does is crash her fancy car at the end - we never find out if she's going to attempt to steal the puppies again, or if they throw her in the London tower for her crimes. However, if the puppies escaped, I guess they wouldn't be able to prove that she was the one who stole them in the first place.

But this is a cute movie. It was never one of my favorites, but for some reason, I really enjoyed watching it this evening. Maybe it's because I needed something light and fun in order to cheer me up. Who knows. All I know is now I'm going to watch this one more often because of all the cute animal characters and their pets.

Regan

Rating: 9/10

Reaction:  Two dog movies practically in a row--what a treat!  I enjoyed this from start to finish.  Cruella De Vil isn't a particularly terrifying villain but she is horrific--from her jutting cheekbones to her devil phone to her remarkable snow-defying car.  And of course you can't get much worse than to want to kill and skin 99 puppies.  Pongo and Perdy are a sterling example of parents, effortlessly managing their 15 children (and 99 at the end), and battling the weather and two very Home Alone-ish goons to rescue them.

It was fun seeing a number of the Lady and the Tramp dogs reappear as members of the Twilight Bark in this movie.  The animation was interesting in that there was a lot more noticeable use of pencil than in any of the previous movies.  I'm not sure how I felt about it but I think I wasn't a huge fan.  Overall I loved this movie.  I would definitely watch it again in the not too distant future.

Cinderella Etc. Header

Sleeping Beauty (1959) - 75 minutes

Sleeping Beauty - the tale of Love, Loss, Excessive Magic, and Naptime. This is one of Disney's last Princess Films for a while, and one of the last to be based on classic fairy tales. Princess Aurora is born, and when the evil witch Maleficent isn't invited to the shindig, she curses Aurora. As in most Disney films, love and goodness win out in the end, and all ends happily ever after.

Eli

Rating: 8/10

Reaction: This movie is cute, short, clever, and actually gives some depth to the character of the Prince, which is very rare in Disney films. (In most cases, the Princesses are the ones who the story focuses on, while in this I'd say the Prince is just as rad.) However, it's the 3 good fairies that steal the show. Whether they're granting wishes, baking cakes and making dresses, or even using their magic to change the color of Aurora's dress, they are always entertaining and seem to be at the center of every even. (They save Aurora's life, they cause Maleficent to find the princess, they help Prince Philip, etc.) They are the essential plot point - and thank goodness, because they are amazing.

I was never really big on this movie growing up. I think it was considered too much of a girl movie, and god forbid I like girly things. (Wait...didn't my mother get me a dollhouse when I was 10 for Christmas? Anyway.) I never owned this title on VHS, and though I had seen it a few times, it has never been a film that I've watched over and over again. I'm glad, because it is still fun to watch now, and not knowing all the little tidbits that happen in the film make it even more enjoyable (whereas in Aladdin, say, I can quote the whole damn movie.) So I would (and will) watch this movie again, and it could totally be a drinking game. Every time Merriweather turns the dress blue, boys take a shot. Every time Flora turns it to pink, girls take a shot. See who is drunkest by the end of the movie! Yay!


Regan

Rating: 7/10

Reaction: This movie is curious in that the main character is not the eponymous Sleeping Beauty, nor is it even Prince Phillip (who is much, much more interesting and likeable than the princes in Snow White and Cinderella)--instead it's the three witches, who in their general silliness are rather reminiscent of Cinderella's animal friends (Merriweather in particular resembles GusGus, albeit a more intelligent version).  It's a fun story, but may be the fairytale princess movie most lacking in plot (which is really saying something).  There's no particular reason for Maleficent to have cursed Aurora or to expend so much energy trying to kill her (the reason that's given is sheer evilness, which is always a bit boring--now if she'd been a step mother it would have made absolute sense!).  Still, I really enjoyed the scenes of the three fairies trying to prepare for Aurora's birthday, and especially the blue/pink battle (blue, of course!), even if that's what gave away their location to Maleficent's evil crow.  The big battle between Phillip and Maleficent was appropriately terrifying, if ended a bit too easily--one would think a sword, no matter how shiny, would bounce off of a dragon's scales!

Lady and the Tramp (1955) - 76 minutes

This is a movie about two dogs who fall in love and have adorable puppies.  Also cats are evil.

Eli

Rating: 5/10

Reaction: This is a film that I didn't watch much growing up, and I think that's partly the reason I find it kind of slow and uninteresting. I mean, I love dogs, but I just didn't really care about what happened to them. The film seems to be made up of short vignettes about the various adventures Lady and her Tramp get into: the pound, the rat, Aunt Sarah, etc. I mean, I do so love the part where the Peggy Lee Pooch sings "He's A Tramp", and the Siamese Cat song is quite deliciously evil, but other than that, this movie is quite forgetful to me. And don't get me started on how lame Jim Dear and Darling are. Yawn. But I guess that was with the times. I guess all in all, I would only watch this movie with folk who maybe had never seen it before. Not one of my Disney favorites, but not an awful film.


Regan

Rating: 9/10

Reaction: As if I needed any more reason to want a dog!  Lady and the Tramp are the adorable couple who first made me believe that animals are people too (except for cats, which are just evil demons sent to torment us--the movie espoused that theory as well!).  It's impossible not to love a character who's a puppy when you meet her, and Lady's ridiculous ears just add to her general adorableness.  The Tramp is exactly the kind of Steve McQueen-ish rascal designed to win us over by being a charming ne'er-do-well, and he succeeds at that marvelously.  The two older dogs--and their attempted proposal--are fun characters as well.

Not much need be said about the plot.  This is just a love story about a girl who falls in love with a guy from the wrong side of the tracks (also cats are evil).  Their adventures are enjoyable, nothing special, although that dog pound is a chilling and terrifying place.  Here's hoping all dogs find the Italian restaurant with a kind-hearted chef willing to prepare a delicious meal for them and their dates!