The Wonderful World of Disney

I recently made another trip to the Disneyland Resort with my mother and have now been inspired to undertake a new mission, something to keep my blog alive: I want to revisit (or see for the first time) all of the Official Disney Animated Feature Films. Of course, not all are good and some like kind of painful. Disney's first features are spectacular, and then meander before some more classics from the 50s and 60s. While its disputable, their work from the Aristocats through Oliver & Company is probably their longest dry spell. I wouldn't call all the films bad, but none of them are really all that great either.

Another reason to do this is because it is officially Snow White's 75th Anniversary, the original feature film that started it all (actually it started with a mouse). I've tried in the past to do these review series, and I know my commitment may wane when I get to Saludos Amigos and the Three Caballeros. But damnit I'll keep going.

But the real reason is because Disneyland conjures memories of all these films through their various extravagant spectacle shows, whether it be World of Color, Fantasmic, or the Remember...Dreams Come True Fireworks show. Anyone who has had a history with Disney films will get bitten by nostalgia and be moved by some of the most iconic moments in film history. I want to revisit all the films I haven't seen in years, and see the ones I never got to.

A note: Pixar films unfortunately don't qualify as they are Pixar films. I am only viewing and reviewing films that were produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation. Yes there are many more animated films and then there are the live action/animation blends (Pete's Dragon, Mary Poppins, etc.). But I'm only focusing on what are recognized as their official animated films.

1. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

2. Pinocchio (1940)

3. Fantasia (1940)

4. Dumbo (1941)

5. Bambi (1942)

6. Saludos Amigos (1942)

7. The Three Caballeros (1944)

8. Make Mine Music (1946)

9. Fun and Fancy Free (1947)

10. Melody Time (1948)

11. The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)

12. Cinderella (1950)

13. Alice in Wonderland (1951)

14. Peter Pan (1953)

15. Lady and the Tramp (1955)

16. Sleeping Beauty (1959)

17. 101 Dalmatians (1961)

18. The Sword in the Stone (1963)

19. The Jungle Book (1967)

20. The Aristocats (1970)

21. Robin Hood (1973)

22. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)

23. The Rescuers (1977)

24. The Fox and the Hound (1981)

25. The Black Cauldron (1985)

26. The Great Mouse Detective (1986)

27. Oliver & Company (1988)

28. The Little Mermaid (1989)

29. The Rescuers Down Under (1990)

30. Beauty and the Beast (1991)

31. Aladdin (1992)

32. The Lion King (1994)

33. Pocahontas (1995)

34. The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)

35. Hercules (1997)

36. Mulan (1998)

37. Tarzan (1999)

38. Fantasia 2000 (1999)

39. Dinosaur (2000)

40. The Emperor's New Groove (2000)

41. Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)

42. Lilo & Stitch (2002)

43. Treasure Planet (2002)

44. Brother Bear (2003)

45. Home on the Range (2004)

46. Chicken Little (2005)

47. Meet the Robinsons (2007)

48. Bolt (2008)

49. The Princess and the Frog (2009)

50. Tangled (2010)

51. Winnie the Pooh (2011)

Upcoming:

52. Wreck-It Ralph (2012)

53. Frozen (2013)

21 Jump Street (2012)

I'm operating under a new theory now: I used to meticulously study each and every film that was about to come out. I would watch all the new trailers released on Apple Trailers, I would rewatch them the day the films came out to remind myself what was out there, and I would look up the Meta Critic and Rotten Tomatoes reviews to find out if any of the films were worth going to. Believe me, if I film I was highly anticipating got universally bad reviews (like The Golden Compass nearly 5 years ago), I changed my mind about seeing it.

I'll still look to the critics to tell me what is good and bad, and dodge those films that get reviled. That will never change. But what I'm trying to do is go into films with as little knowledge about them as possible. To not watch trailers or read reviews (which is where Rotten Tomatoes and Meta Critic come in handy, since you don't need to read reviews). I'll never avoid trailers fully: I still love seeing them before a film in the theater, and there are some great trailers out there that spoil little and are almost works of art in their own right (see The Social Network trailer). But having no expectations, going into a film knowing nothing, can radically alter how you enjoy something.

For instance, I didn't know anything about 21 Jump Street. Not that it was a TV show in the late 80s that gave Johnny Depp his career start, nor what any of the jokes are. Ignorance is bliss, they say, and with this film thats especially true. Which is why I'm going to sum it up for you now. If you haven't see the film, I'll tell you this: go see it, then come back and read my review. I'm not spoiling anything, but gosh would be hypocritical of me to not tell you up front what you want to know and instead make you learn about the film.

Jonah Hill (slimmed down and looking like Slim Shady in the prologue) and Channing Tatum play opposite ends of the High School spectrum, and you can probably figure out where they fit. Fast forward seven years and they are best pals, united in Police Academy because Hill had the brains and Tatum had the brawns. After they flub their first arrest by forgetting to recite the Miranda Rights (you know, the one that starts out with You have the right to remain silent, you have the right to be an attorney), they are reassigned to what their captain aptly describes as, "A revised program from the 80s, which is what the people in charge do when they run out of ideas." If you find that line funny, you're in for the rest of the movie.

Their base of operations is at 21 Jump Street, where Ice Cube plays a foul-mouthed, angry police Captain who cannot believe how dumb his charges are. The purpose of the program? To send young-looking officers undercover to High Schools to bust drug rings ("You some Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus-looking motherfuckers," Ice Cube helpfully explains). The movie then takes the opportunity to lampoon Hollywood High School films, where all the stars are usually in their late 20s.

I could go on and on about the drug that is infecting the High School, how Tatum and Hill wonderfully play off of each other and end up in role reversals (Tatum suddenly the nerd, Hill in the cool crowd). But what it really comes down to is did I laugh? Was this movie funny? And the answer is a resounding yes. The movie is wall to wall with jokes that don't always make sense, which is explained by the presence of co-writer Michael Bacall (who wrote Scott Pilgrim, also wall-to-wall with jokes). These movies can seem a bit exhausting, and while 21 Jump Street could have lost five or ten minutes it still breezes by, only being stilted by boring action chases (which still provide some laughs).

The film also looks at High School cliques with an almost fresh perspective. So many High School films see it as a division of Cheerleaders and Jocks and Nerds. But its so much more complex then that. There are people who cross the lines, who shade in the areas. In this film, the cool kids care about the environment and don't bully people. Hell, one of them happens to be gay, but its not made into an issue. This perplexes Tatum and Hill, who came from the High School Hollywood feeds us, and though the nerds are still seen as little more then sad virgins, at least the film made an effort to shake up one department.

So see this film already! Sure the story may be slight, and the jokes may not always make sense (Korean Jesus), but it keeps laughing, and somehow makes you care for the characters. Its sad that something like this is rare for Hollywood to put out.

A Thousand Words (2012)

I thought I was being unfair to A Thousand Words, the new Eddie Murphy comedy that's not so new because it was filmed back in 2008 and supposed to be released in 2009. I went to a secret screening of a film that we didn't know the title of. It could be anything! I was lead to believe by the online survey I filled out to attend the film that it would be The Dictator (what else am I to think when I'm asked if I saw and enjoyed either Borat or Bruno). Well, I got an exclusive look at the new Dictator trailer, which as of this writing is still not released (you learn more about the film's story). But the movie I ended up seeing was A Thousand Words, and I had the privilege of being a member of the first audience to see it.

How exciting for me. I had no idea what this film was about, so despite my disappointment that all I got from the Dictator was a new trailer (a funny one, I might add), I was interested in how I would react to this film. After all, I had not seen a trailer, I had no idea who was in it, and I had no idea what it was about. It was one of those rare moments we as movie goers don't get anymore, especially those of us heavily focused on whats coming out next. I was seeing the film with no bias at all (apart from the fact that Eddie Murphy was in it, who unfortunately inspires dread nowadays).

The films premise is a fun one: Eddie Murphy plays literary agent Jack McCall, a fast talking, lying piece of work that will do anything to get what he wants. In an early scene, he dodges a Starbucks coffee line by convincing everyone that his wife was in labor, and having twins (thereby earning him a free cup of joe). But when he grabs the rights to an exclusive book written by a hot new self-help guru, he somehow becomes cursed by a Bodhi tree which springs up in his backyard and sheds leaves at his every word. They determine, somehow, that if the tree loses its leaves, he will die.

This film is by no means completely awful, but its not really all that good either. There are funny moments involving Murphy desperately pantomiming a coffee order or using various speaking toys around his office to close a deal with a publisher. And Clark Duke, as his assistant, adds the funniest bits to the movie (as he often does). The film also somehow manages to star Allison Janney as his boss and Ruby Dee as his mother.

But the film falls apart when the main character realizes that he needs to better himself, and the film gets rather somber in the later half. Few directors can handle a tonal shift like this, and Brian Robbins (whose other credits include Norbit and Meet Dave) is not up to snuff. The film reminded me of Groundhog Day in a way, as Bill Murray transitions from condescending asshole to an all around talented and awesome guy. Yet Groundhog Day somehow handled its dramatic scenes (Murray's multiple suicides) in a way that doesn't feel heavy-handed and schmaltzy.

Kerry Washington is also underserved as Murphy's wife, who just wants to move from his Bachelor Pad atop the Hollywood Hills to a nice home that's child safe (they have a son). Apparently his unwillingness to do this puts a real thorn in her side, and when Murphy stops talking, she takes this as him being mad at her. Of course she decides to maybe make it up to him by putting out, which leads to an incredibly miscalculated scene where she invites Murphy to a hotel room and says, "All I need is for you to talk dirty to me." Well really, movie, of course this scene would exist when he can't talk.

But what really infuriated me about the whole film was that the climax rested on an internal conflict Murphy has with his Dad which is established with no less then one line of dialogue in the first ten minutes of the movie. Yes, his Alzheimer's mother keeps thinking he is his dad, but I took this as more of a bad joke then something that was really hurting the character. This also leads to some very odd sequences where Murphy chases himself as a kid through golden wheat fields.

So maybe the movie is pretty bad. The intentions are good, but the execution is designed to try and ring a tear from your eye in the most manipulative feel good way possible. Clearly if I felt more sympathy for the characters IN the film I might have cared. But as it is, this film is a poorly made mess. There's a reason its been shelved for nearly four years, and the saddest part is it was only now just released to take advantage of Eddie Murphy's recent Oscar hosting stint. Because that happened.