The Aristocats (1970) - 78 minutes

Wow. Hard to believe it's been more than TWO YEARS since we've done an update on this blog. It saddens me that time can fly by so quick.y. So much has changed. I (Eli) no longer live in NYC, Regan no longer has a terrace, and neither of us have jobs at the moment. Ha. So I figured, what a great time to take in some Disney movies. 

Eli

Rating: 4/10

This movie is really strange. It's about an old lady who has some cats. She decides to make her will, and instead of leaving the money to her butler, she leaves it to her cats. So the butler gets pissed and decides to get rid of the cats. Pretty simple. Sadly, I kind of felt bad for the butler. You know he's worked his butt off for this lady forever, and yet she's gonna leave her entire fortune to a group of felines!? I'd be mad too. 

This movie had a few cute bits a long the way, but I often felt my mind wandering throughout. First of all - who knew cats could play better piano that I? Sheesh, they had some good tunes they were working on. I really liked the little character of Roquefort, the mouse, voiced by the same guy as Winnie the Pooh. He (and O'Malley's voice actor) seem to pop up in all these Disney movies around this era. The two geese that O'Malley meets are also quite cute, and then they run into drunk Uncle Waldo. There's so much alcohol in Disney movies - no wonder I drink! 

I felt myself thinking about Homeward Bound and wanting to watch that movie instead. I just didn't really care about any of the characters in this film. The old lady Madam reminded me of the Grand Duchess from Anastasia, which was interesting as the films were almost 30 years apart. Perhaps they stole the idea from this movie, who knows? Suffice it to say, this movie doesn't have a whole lot to offer, and it was never one I grew up watching as a kid, so I didn't enjoy it too much. 

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!

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). 

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