Aladdin (1992)
It's hard to objectively review Aladdin; I was as obsessed with this film as I was The Great Mouse Detective (1986) in my youth, and I've even starred in a musical theater version of it as the Sultan. I have a lot of history with this movie, so reviewing it like I would most other movies is nearly impossible. But here goes.
Set in Agrabah 1,000s of years ago, Aladdin introduces us to Aladdin the Street Rat and his pet monkey Abu, who steal bread and evade capture by the palace guards, until one day he meets Princess Jasmine. He becomes the unwitting pawn in the Royal Vizier Jafar's plan to usurp the Sultan, and acquires a magical lamp with a Genie who will help him win the Princess' heart.
This whole movie is driven by the manic, over-the-top performance given by Robin Williams as the Genie, whose wide and varied impressions are right at home in the animated world (Williams would be called upon to voice several more animated characters in similar fashion). Once again our Prince and Princess have to work out their relationship, as she only wants to be free to explore the world. Of course Aladdin will use his Magic Carpet to grant this wish, and make her fall for him. Jafar is a fantastic villain, though this movie fielded criticism from those who felt that he was the only Arab-like character in the film, with the rest leaning to a more caucasian look. I would say Jafar doesn't look Arab at all and those people are secretly racist.
Howard Ashman and Alan Menken again supply the music, which is still pretty good (Friend Like Me, Prince Ali, and A Whole New World are the highlights), but unfortunately Ashman was HIV positive and died in March of 1991, before Beauty and the Beast could be released. Tim Rice took his place, and though he is a skilled lyricist, overall the songs do not, as a whole, match up with Ashman & Menken's two previous films. The only songs written by Ashman are Arabian Nights, Friend Like Me, and Prince Ali. Howard Ashman is too often forgotten when remembering the great Disney legacy, but he supplied a unique voice to the movies he touched, and was key to crafting some of the greatest songs Disney ever produced.
The Lion King (1994)
Disney's Renaissance run arguably ends here. Though the films that follow are not bad, they do not come close to the quality of the four films that make up Disney's second strongest run since the early 40s. And the Lion King is Disney's most financially successful film to date, raking in $312 million in its initial run. Lion King is so beloved that when it was re-released in 2011 in a 3D conversion, it was no. 1 at the box office two weeks in a row, prompting theaters to extend the initial two-week run much longer. Lion King's lifetime gross (which includes an IMAX re-release in 2002) now stands at $422 million. Not too shabby.
The film is about a lion cub named Simba who is told by his father, Mufasa, that he will someday rule the land. Unfortunately his evil uncle Scar has other plans, and when Mufasa is killed in an "accident" Simba is convinced he is to blame, and flees in shame. In exile, he meets two unlikely allies and learns the meaning of Hakuna Matata, to put the past behind him. That's easier said then done, especially when the past comes back to find you.
I've made the songs a point of interest now, and Lion King's are again some of the strongest Disney has to offer. Elton John and Tim Rice collaborated to produce Circle of Life, Be Prepared, and Hakuna Matata, all great songs in their own right. There's also Can You Feel the Love Tonight, but I don't care for it too much, except when Elton sings it over the end credits. This is the last collection of consistently great songs in the Disney catalog we've seen, and while there's one exception for me personally, the rest of the films to follow are lucky if they have one memorable song.
Lion King itself is a mixed bag. While still a very good film, I feel it has some pacing issues. The first half develops at a nice pace, but when Simba grows up the film suddenly throws the plot into high gear so we can get him back to Pride Rock (his home) to face off against Scar and keep the film under 90 minutes. There are a plethora of great supporting characters including Timon (Nathan Lane), Pumbaa (Ernie Sabella) and Zazu (Rowan Atkinson). Jeremy Irons is also effectively menacing as the villain, his silky smooth deep voice shaping one of Disney's more twisted villains. The boldest stroke comes in Mufasa's death, in which Simba actually finds the fresh corpse and, crying, curls up into it. It's pretty dark for Disney, who usually deal with parental deaths in backstory (if at all), so I have to give the movie major props for addressing this issue head on. Overall, Lion King is still a strong entry into the Disney stable, and one I enjoy viewing over and over again.
Pocahontas (1995)
While Disney's "B" team was working on Lion King, the "A" team was working on Pocahontas because they thought it would be the better movie. Unfortunately taking liberties with history (especially American history) proved to be a bigger knock against Disney then the liberties they take with fairy tales. While I don't mind too much if history isn't accurately represented, I know there are those who do because they believe the rest of us are dumb enough to take it as straight fact.
The movie is about the first settlers to come to America, in search of Gold and land to settle a new English empire. Unfortunately they clash with the local natives, and they come close to the brink of war until the love of Pocahontas and John Smith save the day. So, Romeo and Juliet, accept they live (though one main character does exit the film injured).
What's really unfortunate about this film is that the characters are all pretty bland, save the raccoon, hummingbird, and dog. Those guys are awesome. But John Smith and his crew (including the absurdly villainous Ratcliffe) and Pocahontas and her people are all boring. Pocahontas doesn't want to marry the warrior even though she must because daddy said so (didn't we just see this exact storyline two movies ago?), and wants to be free, liberated and independent. Ok, so I may sound like a hypocrite, but now that Disney has ditched the bland princess angle and tried to add depth to them, they need to add MORE depth instead of just the same inherit desire over and over again. It was interesting at first with Ariel; Belle varied in a quiet and unusual way; and Jasmine had her own spunk. But Pocahontas has no personality, and just wants to be free to run around. Disney wouldn't push the envelope with its female characters until 2009, but lets not get ahead of ourselves.
There's only one fantastic song here in Colors of the Wind, which is beautiful to listen to and look at. The other songs are all forgettable, though, but one great song is nothing to scoff at (its better then most movies accomplish). Overall, Pocahontas is fairly forgettable, which is a shame considering the A team was working on this.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
Now here is one of Disney's underrated classics, a film that slips under most people's radars or is simply forgotten because, lets face it, this was probably one of the last books you would have expected Disney to adapt. There are very few animated films that appeal to both adults and children, and unfortunately a lot of recent animators think that means throwing jokes in that kids won't understand but adults will. What it means to me is presenting interesting themes that the kids won't pick up on, but the adults sure will. Hunchback achieves this magnificently.
Quasimodo lives in the cathedral of Notre Dame, ringing the bells and staying hidden from the rest of society because he is led to believe they will treat him like a monster. One day he ventures down and meets a gypsy named Esmerelda, who teaches him the world is not such a cruel place. Unfortunately his mentor and master, Frollo, wants to kill all the gypsies, and when Quasimodo provides refuge for Esmeralda, Frollo begins torching Paris, and one wonders where the King of France went during all this.
Frollo is one of Disney's best villains. He is motivated by greed and anger, but underneath he is also driven by a sexual repression forced upon him by his faith that begins to erupt in the presence of Esmeralda. In one of Disney's ballsiest songs Hellfire, Frollo confesses his feelings to a fireplace and wrestles with his lust as he determines he will kill Esmeralda or spare her if she accepts him. As a child I never understood what the song was about, but as an adult I have a new appreciation and understanding of it, and it makes me love the film even more.
This is coupled with another daring move on Disney's part: Quasimodo does not end up with Esmeralda, who instead chooses the handsome Captain of the Guards, Phoebus. Disney sets up the possibility of a romance between Quasimodo and Esmeralda, and there are two musical numbers about Quasi's desire for her, but alas, she chooses another, and its heartbreaking stuff. In fact, if Quasi and Esmeralda had gotten together it might have ruined the movie a little.
While I wouldn't argue that the songs are the best in Disney's catalog, I will admit to loving most of them anyway. The opening number The Bells of Notre Dame is one of my favorites, and Hellfire is one of the greatest villain songs of all time. For me, this ranks as a personal favorite, and one that you might not remember much, but when you revisit it you will have a whole new appreciation for what Disney can do.
Hercules (1997)
Leaving no stone unturned, the duo of John Musker and Roger Clements (who also directed Aladdin) turned their sights to Greek Mythology, and it's safe to say going in the less you know about Greek Mythology, the more you'll enjoy this movie. Many purists may have a hard time accepting the "bastardization" of several greek stories, but I say you know what, you only get one Disney greek mythology movie, might as well cram as many as you can in there.
Hercules opens with the birth of baby Herc to papa Zeus and Hera...yes, yes I know he isn't actually a God and is actually Zeus' son through one of the many women Zeus propagated with. And Hades is the bad guy because he's the lord of the underworld and obviously he must be the devil, though in actuality Greek Mythology had no heaven and everyone went to the underworld. But hey, someone's got to do it. Sorry, I'm getting away from the plot. Anyways, Hades is jealous because he hates ruling the Underworld, and plans to have little Herc assassinated because a prophecy says his rise to power will be thwarted by the little guy. Herc is almost turned into a total mortal but retains some God powers, and the movie follows the Superman storyline as he grows up. Danny DeVito plays a satyr named Phil who trains Herc, Pegasus shows up as Herc's horse, and he meets a spunky young lady named Meg.
Overall Hercules is one of those films thats better then you remember. There's nothing remarkable about it (the music is fairly forgettable), but its still entertaining and Hades is a fairly charismatic villain. The Meg character is also a nice twist on the damsel in distress, as her sass and armor masks her true identity. But this movie follows a Disney tradition of making actors who shouldn't sing, sing, and here we get Danny DeVito "belting" out a showstopper (he plays Phil). Disney also convinced Mel Gibson to sing (in Pocahontas) and Kirk Douglas (in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea). Robin Williams can get away with it, but not everyone else can. Sorry Disney.
We're now entering another rough patch of Disney films, as they begin to decline in quality. I will say some of the upcoming features surprised me in ways I was not expecting, but most of these films are fairly unremarkable and were a bit of a slog. Still, we're almost there. 17 films to go.
Part 8 will cover:
Mulan (1998)
Tarzan (1999)
Fantasia 2000 (1999)
Dinosaur (2000)
The Emperor's New Groove (2000)
No comments:
Post a Comment