Okay I feel like I need to give this a bit of context. I was three years old when this shit came out, and I think I watched it a bit later maybe in 2001, 2002 or something. I just remember I was really young when I got this movie and I was watching it like the good girl I am and I didn't detest it, but when that fucking evil dinosaur appeared I cried like I never had before in my tiny, tiny life and couldn't sleep for a week, so yeah I fucking hate it.
That poster gets more horrifying every time I see it bloody hell. The Good Dinosaur was a good film for sure, it's just unfortunate that it came so soon off the back of Inside Out (if anyone dares say a bad word about that film I will hunt you down and explain in excruciating detail why you're objectively wrong). It definitely paled in comparison.
If you spent all that money on making "the dumber version of The Land Before Time" (I like that movie, for the record)... you done fucked up. Genuinely, nothing about it works. Anyway... doin' this again! The Sword in the Stone: Like @Animalia said. The narrative is disjointed, sure, but it's worth a watch for the wizard's duel alone, and the animation is much improved from One Hundred and One Dalmatians. Probably the best that xerography ever looked. Robin Hood: Blehhh. It's a trashy kiddie flick with not the slightest thing to entertain an adult audience, the songs suck, and everything about it smells of cheap. I'm not having you saying it looks gorgeous though! It looks stiff and often just badly-done, and can we talk about how much stock footage there is? (Watch this and see how much recycled movement you can spot!) The Black Cauldron: You knew I was going to appreciate it just for being a dark, moody, sword-and-sorcery Disney movie, weren't you? Yeah, aside from the Horned King and the amazing gloomy landscapes there's not a great deal going for it, but it's at least a noble, ambitious failure, and I can always respect that. C'mon Disney, acknowledge it exists, dammit! The Great Mouse Detective: The "basic bop" of Disney movies, if you see what I'm saying. Still looks a bit cheap, still feels kinda juvenile, but it's at least an entertaining romp with likeable characters, good pacing and solid gags. I like it. Ratigan's quite underappreciated as a villain, too. Oliver and Company: Nah, keep it. Looks sketchy and ugly in a way that the previous two films didn't, the celebrity stunt-casting and attempts at being contemporary fall flat on their ass, the characters and plot are shallow (I mean, you could make some attempt at Dickensian class-commentary themes, at least - Hunchback didn't have much to do with Hugo either, but it at least felt thematically in the same ballpark, in a kid-friendly way), and Sykes is another useless villain. The Rescuers Down Under: Not as good as the first, but it pretty much works in the same ways. A bit disposable, but light-hearted, fun and good-natured, with some nifty action sequences to boot... too bad it takes too long to properly get going. Also, George C. Scott is obviously having the time of his life.
Inside Out is a masterpiece that shot straight to my Top 3 Pixar movies (being welcomed by Wall-E and The Incredibles) upon first watch and I'd join you, pitchfork in hand, in giving a lesson in genius to any naysayers.
The Black Cauldron is upsetting. I did wonder about giving it a mercy #5 but couldn't bring myself to boot anything out. But I'm glad its ambition and willingness to be dark and foreboding is being recognised.
Honestly? My Pixar Top 3 is always a mess because I regard those three I mentioned, Finding Nemo, Up and Toy Story 3 on the same level, so there's always a battle royale between them in my brain whenever I'm trying to write a list down. Today, my hype for The Incredibles 2 won out.
Sad Robin Hood is out. I really liked the main character. I also enjoy Oliver & Sword in the Stone. I though Black Cauldron would have picked up a vote. It seems to have a cult following to it.
Poor Unfortunate Films = 35th cont. 0 Points | 0 Voters Winnie The Pooh (2011) Now that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you do a movie poster. Simple, effective, incredible. The stark whiteness contrasting with the viscous, syrupy golden hue evoking the feeling of abandonment and the perilous journey ahead of them and can you tell I'm over-compensating for the deeply disturbing fact that I haven't seen this film? I'M SORRY I KNOW I'M A FLOP IMPOSTER OF A HOST. It's been on my list for the longest time but I keep forgetting and/or when I think too much about it I remember Zooey Deschanel covered the main theme for it and all my excitement suddenly vanishes in a cloud of offensively white tumblr hipster nonsense and all I'm left with is the lingering scent of pumpkin spice latte on the wind. I have it on good faith that there's a really fantastic film waiting for me on the other side of that obstacle though. Maybe I'll make it there one day. One day. Tarzan (1999) Well, well, well - how's that for a shock exit? A real, bonafide Renaissance classic not even earning a single point from anyone. I love Tarzan, I really do, but I can see why it's suffered this unfortunate fate; I think it has one of the stronger base plots of the era, but it just lacks that air of magic that really propels its sibling films into the stratosphere. It's a very real film, dealing with important issues in a pretty serious way at some points, but it does so at the cost of the whimsy and wonder you might expect from a Disney classic. Props to Tarzan for having the confidence to bare his ass on the poster like that though. More power to ya sis. Snow White & the Seven Dwarves (1937) Well, here we are celebrating the 80th anniversary of Disney's undying legacy and the impact it's had on the world, and not one of us deigned to throw the film that started it all a single point. This is where it all began; the film that would birth an entity so great, so spectacular, so uniquely special that a group of gays on a pop music forum would still be dedicating over a hundred pages of discussion to it eight whole decades later. Sure, the film itself maybe hasn't stood the test of time particularly well, but I struggle to stand up for a few hours at a time most days so who am I to judge? You go, Snow White; take these zero points, ride off into the sunset with your Prince Charming and pave the way for countless more Disney Classics that we will continue to prove are better than you. You gave us that privilege. Thank you. ~ And there we go, our 22 Poor Its. I'll chuck up a list of the lucky 34 that managed to earn at least one point in the next post, then I'll get some sleep so we can keep on keepin' on tomorrow!
After the Renaissance Tarzan was where the magic ended for me, so I'm fine with that. Snow White though.. it's so interesting to me how much cheaper and less timeless movies like Robin Hood & the Aristocats looked. I guess they had a smaller budget? Like many older movies Snow White is one of those 'love every still/trailer/shot, not that keen on watching the entire thing anymore' ones. But still it's one hell of a classic. Disney definitely pulled of their 'let's do a full length animation movie!' that had everyone calling them crazy.
The Lucky 34 Pinocchio Fantasia Dumbo Bambi Cinderella Alice In Wonderland Peter Pan Lady & The Tramp Sleeping Beauty One Hundred And One Dalmatians The Jungle Book The Aristocats The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh The Rescuers The Fox & The Hound The Little Mermaid Beauty & The Beast Aladdin The Lion King Pocahontas The Hunchback of Notre Dame Hercules Mulan Fantasia 2000 The Emperor's New Groove Atlantis: The Lost Empire Lilo & Stitch The Princess & The Frog Tangled Wreck-It Ralph Frozen Big Hero 6 Zootopia Moana What an incredible selection of films though. ~
As for Winnie The Pooh.. a good reboot, maybe it was my age, but it hadn't quite the charm of the original. Still miles better than all the straight to video versions in between.
Aw shit, three I really like. That stings, man. Winnie the Pooh is a beautiful little beacon of hope in the rancid cesspool of modern children's entertainment. It's a sweet, gorgeous and completely appropriate successor to the original that knows exactly why it worked, and that dares to respect children. I took my then-4-year-old cousin to see it but it was really just a cover for me wanting to see it myself, and I'm glad I did. Tarzan is not perhaps the greatest film of the Renaissance, but this is to say little. For one thing, it might have some of the best visuals of any of them (DEEP CANVAS!!!!), and yeah, it's dead simple, but no less of a delight for it. Disney movies talk about "family" a lot, but this one (and Lilo and Stitch) really get to the heart of what family means, and it's quite beautiful. As for Snow White... I don't seem to see the same things a lot here do. A lot of people call it dated. But I call it timeless. Visually, there's no better representative of "fairy tale" that I can think of, the dwarves are a delight, and it's a true beauty - for this was the time when Walt Disney really pushed to make Art with a capital A, that would come to a head in Fantasia. And as one of the only films ever that could be called a true original for its day... it may not be my favourite thing ever, no, but I hold it in absolute reverence.
The character design (apart from ever bland princes) especially on the dwarfs was impeccable! God I love Dopey! And even all the animals are memorable in their design!
