ROBIN HOOD
Film: This film was the last classic story that Disney did for quite some time. Unlike any feature length story they had done before, all the parts are played by animals in people’s clothing. Even when Disney portrayed a fox and cat in clothes in Pinocchio, it was still a world populated by humans. They had depicted worlds inhabited soley by animals before, but only as short subjects (e.g. “Mickey and the Beanstalk”, “The Wind in the Willows”).
This was the third straight feature with Phil Harris.
Plot: A fox and a bear steal some shit from a gay lion and his snake lover. There’s some romantic confusion between the only fox in town and the only vixen in town. They don’t realize how much the other loves them. But then there’s a big party. Some taxes are levied. Then a rescue. Then a deus ex machina.
Nature of Villain’s Death: No death. Just workin’ on the rock pile.
Nature of Songs: Roger Miller sings the songs as Alan A-Dale. It’s mostly a constant strumming. Very country/folk – which is right in line with many of the live action films of the time. There’s a little too much music back to back.
And yet, there’s a little seventies jive in the score. And then there’s “Love Goes On and On.” A seventies light rock love anthem that plays as the characters stroll through the woods at night. Bah.
My Favorite Moment: Robin Hood’s stunt-tastic escape from the castle. I saw this movie quite a bit as a kid since it played on the Disney Channel all the time. That climax with the burning castle was awesome. Watching it now, it’s kind of dull. Still, it’s a little less dull than the rest of the movie.
Most Cringe-Inducing Moment: There’s some shitty plotting that revolves around how Robin Hood and Maid Marion both love each other but don’t think the other cares – leading to a parade of pep talks.
I got pretty mad at the movie when a church mouse gives his last farthing to church. WHY? And then Friar Tuck takes it! This guy’s last farthing! Jesus Christ!
Political Agenda: It’s Robin Hood, which is all about robbing the rich to feed the poor. This movie marks a deliberate shift in attention to class. The protagonists are no longer idle rich. They are struggling poor. There is an anti-taxing slant in general, but it focuses on overtaxing the poor. Although, any taxes in general seem to make it rain.
Competition at the time: Fantastic Planet, Snoopy Come Home.
How Has Disney Raped the Legacy of this Movie: They’ve mostly left it alone. They have a tendency to do that with the movies that lend themselves best to an onging story.
Verdict: Peter Ustinov is excellent. The style is very much like what Don Bluth will be doing a decade later. For example, characters laugh with such ferocity, they have to grab their belly.
The cutesy kids are a drag. And the suspense is pathetic. Does anyone believe Robin is dead at the end?
The worst part is the ongoing trend of an unrelated Deus ex Machina at the end. PARDONED. “King Richard returned, and well . . . he just straightened everything out.” Seriously? What the hell was all that for if everything was just going to be straightened out in the end? Bah!
THE RESCUERS
Film: This movie marked the passing of the guard from one generation of Disney animators to the next. It was financially successful and less ambitious than many of their earlier movies.
Plot: A little girl is trapped in a swamp with a creepy fat man and some crocodiles. Rodents seek her out. They accompany her as she robs graves. A fat woman screams a lot. The little girl gets adopted and in a fit of insanity declares that rodents can talk.
Nature of Villain’s Death: She is left high on tree with crocodiles snapping at her feet. So she’s not dead just yet.
Nature of Songs: 70’s soft rock. All about love and flying and dshit like that. Prepare to be inspired!
My Favorite Moment: Penny sitting alone in the orphanage – sad that a couple chose the little red head girl instead of her. Awwwwwww. I also enjoyed Bob Newhart’s dry reading of Orville’s rules.
Most Cringe-Inducing Moment: Bianca doesn’t buckle up because it will wrinkle her dress. Seriously? The late seventies and we’re still depicting chicks like this?
But really, the songs are designed to torture me with their flaccid sounds and casual optimism. Bah! I should also mention the animals to the rescue scene. CHARGE!
Political Agenda: There’s some vague religious nonsense. A prayer made to the sound of a tinkling piano. “Faith makes things turn out right.” God and rodents. That’s all you need to make thing right.
Once again, Disney made a story that revolved around poor people. While happiness does not necessarily mean coming into money or getting married, it does mean getting adopted.
Competition at the time: The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.
How Has Disney Raped the Legacy of this Movie: A proper sequel. Other than Fantasia, this is the only Disney animated movie to have a sequel that is also considered part of the cannon.
Verdict: Unlike anything Disney had done in almost two decades, this movie has the plot and momentum of a genre film. He entire film is one long rescue.
As far as the style of animation goes, this movie is less sketchy than the previous few films. There are some clever suspense set pieces such as the crocodiles playing the organ. It is a little jarring to see a Disney villain actually shooting a gun, but it’s a major indication that Disney was trying to be more modern. Finally, the romance is nicely handled in that it comes naturally. It's not just instant love at first sight.
THE MANY ADVENTURES OF WINNIE THE POOH
Film: A consolidation of the three Winnie the Pooh shorts – one of which had already won an Oscar.
Plot: Episodic. Winnie the Pooh and his friends wander around aimlessly misunderstanding things.
Nature of Villain’s Death: N/A
Nature of Songs: Childish wordplay and sing-song melodies. In particular, the Heffalumps and Woozels number is very Seuss-like. It takes the trippiness of Dumbo’s Pinks Elephants on Parade to the next level.
My Favorite Moment: There are quite a few. Rabbit trying to paint a smiley moose on Pooh’s ass – causing Pooh to laugh and mess up the smile.
Most of my favorite moments come from the middle section: “Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day.” After destroying Eeyore’s house, “Thanks for noticing me.”
“Pooh, did you do that?”
“I don’t think so.”
I also love Pigglet’s note. “Help P-P-Piglet (me).” It is complete nonsense, yet the character’s logic and speech is so confidently done that it makes perfect sense.
Most Cringe-Inducing Moment: The buffer scene added to make the transition from Blustery Day to Tigger, Too. It sticks out like a sore thumb. And then there’s the continuity of Pigglet being back in his house after giving it to Owl in the previous installment. That didn’t really make me cringe as much as it just reminded me of the nature of the movie.
The wink at he end is a particularly embarrassing bit of corn.
Political Agenda: Forgiveness.
Competition at the time: Wizards, Watership Down, The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Raggedy Ann and Andy. Animation grew darker during this period.
How Has Disney Raped the Legacy of this Movie: They made one last short – with a style that’s looser and more spastic. Animated by a different studio – though released under the Disney name. And then there three television series – one of which was half-way decent. And finally ten –count ‘em – ten sequels.
Verdict: The movie is not quite as charming as I remember it, but it is very sweet. It’s ll about friendship and characters going out of their way to help each other - until the last part when Rabbit attempt to leave Tigger in the woods – only to have it backfire. There’s not much conflict and the sweetness does not sustain the movie for its entire length, but the tacked on final scene is sweet - though not as profound as the books’ ending.
Film: The first movie to exclusively rely on the new generation of Disney filmmakers. It was financial success.
Plot: Two boys meet in the woods. They go skinny dipping and fall in love. One is trained to kill, kill, kill. The other scurries a way often. They meet the next spring and shit goes down. They still kinda love each other, though.
Nature of Villain’s Death: The Grizzly causes himself to fall to his own death.
Nature of Songs: They’re all about friendship. At this point, most songs in Disney movies feel more and more superfluous.
My Favorite Moment: The old woman setting Tod free in the game preserve. Her rhyming voice-over is heart-breaking.
I also appreciate the well-plotted climatic fight with the Grizzly. It really is a clever reversal and choreography of characters fighting and interacting.
Most Cringe-Inducing Moment: Big Mama Owl’s initial song is easy listening, obvious crap. It reeks of synthesized eighties sounds. Also, the nonsense about chasing the caterpillar is pretty awful filler.
But mostly, the love-at-first-sight shit rears its nasty head again. The entire love story is lame and forced. Worse of all is when Vixey decides how many kids they should have after hanging out for ten minutes. What a fucking nut.
Political Agenda: Friends can be different. Thematically, this may be Disney’s richest movie up to this point. Depicts the older paternal generation as intolerant and overly confident (It is young Copper who initially catches Tod’s scent.). Clearly, it’s a take on racial relations. The relationship between the fox and the hound is not one that comes naturally in the film. It is one that is forced on them by the old man who owns Copper. The older generation forces it on the younger – insisting that this is the way it is. It suggests that the conflict between foxes and hounds are not natural – as much as they’re instilled. “That’s the way it is.” But man made it that way. That being said, when Big Mama waves good-bye to a butterfly, I can’t help but wonder what the hell she actually eats.
The movie also plays loosely with sexuality. Early on, Tod rolls into Copper’s arms. Copper leans over him as Tod nibbles on Copper’s ear. A very suggestive moment between two male characters.
Gender roles are in full effect here. Men hunt. Women sew.
As with the last few Disney animated films, this one is a far cry from watching rich people dream and dance. These people live in shacks. Their vehicles are run down. And for the first time, there’s no rich epilogue.
There is even a bit of an anti-gun message: “You trigger happy, lunatic. Give me that gun!” There is real shift in politics happening here.
Competition at the time: The Secret of NIMH. Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (And Don’t Come Back), Heavy Metal, The Last Unicorn. Still, animation continued to grow darker and darker while Disney remained relatively light.
How Has Disney Raped the Legacy of this Movie: A “midquel.
Verdict: From the striking opening (a slow, ominous pan through the forest with no music initially) to the uncharacteristically melancholy ending, this animated movie is worlds different than what had come before. It has a very eighties in its music and look. The style isn’t too different from the made-for-TV Bunnicula adaptation, but the difference is in the story. It gives so much more to chew on and discuss and does it all without being preachy. A very impressive bit of writing.
I have a few quibbles, though. Enough with the owls. And Sandy Duncan is obnoxious as fuck.
Regardless, the ending is not all trumped up emotional uplift. It’s bittersweet. Copper and Tod have acknowledged their love for each other, but must learn to live apart. A wise movie that’s says something without imposing its values. Despite the obnoxious filler in places, one of the better Disney films I’ve encountered so far.
THE BLACK CAULDRON
Film: The first PG-rated cartoon from Disney. There were many stylistic differences what Disney had done before. It was hugely expensive and contained no musical numbers. The tone was much, much darker than previous films. As a result for Disney’s experimentation, the movie turned out to be a box office bomb.
Plot: A boy’s pig is taken by a dragon. Boy goes to a castle full of creeps and gets thrown in a dungeon. There he meets a chick and a dude with a magic lyre. He robs a grave. He meets some magic people who point him towards other magic people. Bad guys show up again. Inexplicable magic goes down.
Nature of Villain’s Death: His flesh is sucked off by the Black Cauldron – until he bursts into a ball of flames. Kind of awesome.
Nature of Songs: None.
My Favorite Moment: The introduction of the Horned King is very, very creepy. For a cartoon, it really amazed me at how eerie it was to see the back of his head slowly turn. I also loved the Cauldron Born scene. Disney can be really good at being creepy.
Most Cringe-Inducing Moment: The ending. Ugh! The witches go back on their assertion that whoever crawls into the cauldron will never crawl out alive. Inexplicably, that is exactly what DOES happen. Such a crock. Wasn’t there supposed to be a consequence to self-sacrifice? And then Gurgi pushes the two attractive young people’s lips together. Gross.
Political Agenda: There’s a fairly limp anti-war slant. In the beginning, Taran worries that the war (what war is he talking about?) will end before he gets to fight in it. When one character offers the magic sword, “A magnificent sword for a warrior.” Taran laments, “What would I do with a sword?”
And yet, when Taran is quick to sacrifice himself to the Cauldron to stop the Horned King. Ultimately Gurgi sacrifices himself, but he comes back to life. Apparently there IS glory in death and sacrifice. And then you get to live to bask in it.
Yet again, Disney focuses on poor people.
Competition at the time: The Care Bears Movie. It’s a darker movie thatn you would believe.
How Has Disney Raped the Legacy of this Movie: Other than a video game, they mostly ignored it.
Verdict: This is a shining milestone of Disney’s dark period – which included the live-action movies Return to Oz and Something Wicked This Way Comes. The animation is beautiful. Much of the style is very typical of the animated fantasy films of the time, but with the attention to detail that only Disney could provide. They use many different techniques, and it goes together well – although not seamlessly. I love the darkness of this movie, but it lacks cohesiveness and a real commitment to its darkness. The tacked on / out of nowhere happy ending marrs it badly.
Stray observation: One character calls another a “Hairy little thief.” This phrase will come up again in Aladdin.
THE GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE
Film: Disney went small again with this children’s story of a mouse detective that fancies himself Sherlock Holmes.
Plot: A dude is kidnapped. His daughter hires some old men to find him. Disguises, robots, and silliness ensue.
Nature of Villain’s Death: A fall caused by Big Ben.
Nature of Songs: Only two. A Vincent Price song that feels too show-tuney for the rest of the movie. A villain song about how villainous he is. And a second song sung by random show girl.
My Favorite Moment: The little girl creeps up on a toy bassinet, and the bat leaps out. The circumstances are inexplicable, but the moment feels like something from a horror movie.
Stray observation: The climax on Big Ben that’s reminiscent of Sherlock’s death at Reichenbach Falls.
Most Cringe-Inducing Moment: Basil’s escape from the uber trap. It never felt especially dangerous, And the makeshift Rube Goldberg trap is not that clever.
Political Agenda: Amazingly void of any political allusions - save a slavish allegiance to authority and the status quo. Basil never expresses any political thoughts, but must save the Queen regardless.
There is a moment when Ratigan threatens to tax the elderly and children, aka “Parasites and sponges.”
The movie also depicts waterfront tavern regulars as thugs and bullies.
Competition at the time: An American Tail, Transformers: The Movie, My Little Pony: The Movie, When the Wind Blows.
How Has Disney Raped the Legacy of this Movie: It seems that Disney has a tendency to ignore those movies that would most benefit from a sequel or series. This is one of those that they ignored. Completely.
Verdict: I love Sherlock Holmes shit, but this movie is strictly children’s fare. From the very beginning, amore action-oriented and comical tone is established. Like most of the animated films of the last decade, this one is very plot-centered. The voices feel too recognizable and out of place. Especially Vincent Price. Main character seems more interested in showing off than solving the mystery. The animation is less stiff. More bouncy. And the voice over at the end lacks much punch. All in all, not too impressive, but inoffensive in its flaccidness.
OLIVER & COMPANY
Film: With this movie, Disney tried to take a classic story (Oliver Twist) and create something modern and light easy on the kids.
Plot: A little orphan boy is abused by the system. Thrown on the streets, sold into slavery, seduced into a life of crime. Eventually he is adopted by a loving (and rich) family, but his ties to the underworld are strong and he betrays the rich, loving family. Murder and rape ensue. Except that this story is about kitties and puppies and nobody gets raped.
Nature of Villain’s Death: Hit by a train.
Nature of Songs: Pure eighties montage. Most songs are excuses for eighties choreography about being poor and friendship. Being poor is fun. Especially if you have friends! One of the songs is even about the joys of stealing. It’s not quite “You’ve Got to Pick a Pocket or Two” . . . it’s not even close.
My Favorite Moment: The fight on the Cadillac on the train tracks was fun. And that’s reaching.
Most Cringe-Inducing Moment: Anything involving Cheech Marin. I get it. The Chihuahua is Mexican, but does he have to be so misogynistic and ignorant and repulsive?
I also hate how everyone is living together at the end. Dancing and eating cake. One big bullshit make-shift family.
Political Agenda: The rich are especially idle and shallow in this. Yet, the ending implies that to be rich makes for a happy ending. Oliver rejects his poor friends and chooses to spend his life with his rich friends.
Competition at the time: The Land Before Time. It opened on the same day. Don Bluth, for a moment, proved himself a strong competitor.
How Has Disney Raped the Legacy of this Movie: They’ve ignored it.
Verdict: The entire movie is an embarrassment. It is trying too hard to be of the eighties. Dogs wearing sunglasses. Ghetto blasters. High fives. Billy Joel. Ruth Pointer. Bette Midler. Clearly, this movie was not meant to stand the test of time. It was designed to make some fast money, which it did. It is difficult not to compare this movie with 1968's Oliver!, which is vastly superior. I also believe Oliver! would ultimately serve as a template for the next ten years of Dinsey animated musicals as they would borrow so much from it. The darkness, the violent confrontational climaxes, the Broadway-inspired musical numbers. Sadly, none of that is here.
Lastly, animals rescuing a little girls. I think we’ve been here before. Disney had fallen into a bad rut and seemingly settled in for lazy stories designed to vaguely distract only those under twelve.
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