|
DISNEY....
No, that's not a desert peak, that's the Matterhorn, at Disneyland, the Happiest Place on Earth! Or at least one of the most crowded places on earth. This is a place to talk Disney; the parks, the movies, merchandise, television, the Disney Cruise Lines, and of course, the characters! NEW: CLICK HERE FOR MY 'CAN'T MISS' ATTRACTIONS at DisneyWorld, Disneyland, Universal Studios Florida and Sea World of Orlando! Stuff you can do here:
21st Century Disney News
and Notes
On the Internet..... Here's a link to the official Disney web page. Get information on Disney movies from the Internet Movie Database My favorite Disney movies: 2. Finding Nemo 3. The Lion King 4. Monsters, Inc. 5. Toy Story 2 6. Toy Story 7. Lilo & Stitch 8. Aladdin 9. The Incredibles 10. Muppet Treasure Island , The Black Cauldron Here's a list of Disney's Full Length Animated Motion Pictures, and some of my impressions of each! 1. Snow White and the
Seven Dwarfs 12/21/37 2. Pinocchio 2/7/40 Beloved Disney classic, Pinocchio holds up well over time, has a great message for children, and the typical happy ending. A great film. Nothing sugar-coated about some of those boys becoming donkeys for good... 3. Fantasia 11/13/40 The other Disney film to be preserved by the MPAA. Some of this film is spectacular. The rest of it is awfully long (over 2 hours) and hard for young viewers to follow. Fantasia 2000 looks TERRIFIC though from what I've seen, and it's much shorter. 4. Dumbo 10/23/41 One of the shortest Disney classics, and one of the first available on video. A great one for very young viewers, not the best film to hold an older viewer's attention though. 5. Bambi 8/13/42 The ultimate box-of-Kleenex movie. Not too many boys named Bambi around these days, are there? :) Great movie. One of Disney's best. 6. Saludos Amigos (compilation) 2/6/43 Never seen this one. It's available as 1/2 of a 2 disc laserdisc set that includes The Three Caballeros. it's hard to imagine Disney releasing this 47 minute movie to video on its own, though. 7. The Three Caballeros 2/3/45 I really enjoyed the Penguin, Burro and Airplane segments of this feature. Live action woven into the film really detracts from the overall quality, though. 8. Make Mine Music (compilation) 8/15/46 This film will probably make its debut on video in 2000, as Disney strives to get ALL of their animated features to home video despite their overall quality. Along with Tarzan, this is the only animated feature that hasn't made it to video in some form yet. Make Mine Music has some good segments though, especially Willie the Operatic Whale. 9. Fun and Fancy Free (Mickey and the Beanstalk, Bongo) 9/27/47 Two great 30-odd minute cartoons woven into one feature, much like Disney's 1949 release below. Enjoyed both cartoons immensely. Whether it's Ludwig Von Drake or Jiminy Cricket (with Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy) narrating these stories, it's still very entertaining. 10. Melody Time (compilation) 5/27/48 Many short cartoons woven into one feature, much like "Make Mine Music". Available on video. Not much I can say about this feature. 11. The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad 10/5/49 The Headless Horseman remains the most fearsome Disney villain in history. I had nightmares about him for weeks after seeing that film the first time. I didn't go out in my own BACKYARD alone for months :). Mr. Toad's segment is, like his attraction at Disneyland, a "wild ride". 12. Cinderella 2/15/50 Hooray, Disney returns to fairy tales and storybook classics! Cinderella is a brilliant success. She's likeable from start to finish. 13. Alice in Wonderland 7/28/51 Why the Disney parks treat this film like gold, I will never know. It wasn't successful when it came out, it's not a great film, it's hard to follow, and rather boring. This is one of the few I have trouble sitting through, along with The Aristocats and Fantasia. 14. Peter Pan 2/5/53 Disney bounces back with a great film...and the ride at the Disney parks is one of the most romantic attractions in all of Disney's domain. Too bad there are so many borderline racist stabs at Native Americans. You have to remember it was 1953, so I'm willing to overlook a red face or two, but at times it does get offensive. 15. Lady and the Tramp 6/22/55 The first of two absolute classics from Walt Disney pictures. One great love story. The spaghetti scene has to be Disney's signature romantic animated scene. 16. Sleeping Beauty 1/29/59 A beautiful, artistic film with a GREAT villain. An underrated soundtrack as well. 17. 101 Dalmatians 1/25/61 Is there a such thing as a "Dalmatian Plantation"? An excellent film with some real suspense. Cruella is another classic villain. 18. The Sword in the Stone 12/25/63 ----only Xmas release Not Disney at its best, but a movie with a lot of lessons to teach. One of Disney's most intellectual films. 19. The Jungle Book 10/18/67----last animated feature Walt worked on Coincidentally, the last Disney classic film until 1989. Absolutely excellent soundtrack as well. Women will probably take offense to the song "My Own Home", sung by the Indian girl at the end of the film, and for good reason. Again, remember, this was 32 years ago... 20. The Aristocats 12/24/70 There's a line in this film that goes, "If ya can't say somethin' nice about someone, don't say nothin' at all". Onward. 21. Robin Hood 11/8/73 Maid Marian....what a fox! Ok, so she really IS a fox. It wasn't the last film to feature animals playing human roles (Oliver & Co. reassigns most of its human roles to dogs and cats). 22. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh 3/11/77 Not exactly a "movie classic" like most of these films, but the three cartoons that make up this 'feature' are absolutely EXCELLENT. Disney made a genius move in acquiring the rights to the Pooh characters in the late 60's. 23. The Rescuers 6/22/77 A small film with small characters and little new features... Still, entertaining enough to draw interest in the 1990 sequel. 24. The Fox and the Hound 7/10/81 The first Disney animated film to feature a not-so-happy ending! (Pocahontas is the other). Good choice of actors to voice Tod and Copper, and the movie works well. 25. The Black Cauldron 7/24/85 ---- only animated Disney feature rated PG This movie has taken a beating from the critics. Billed as a breakthrough in Disney animation, it had the hopes of the company riding on it, and it made about $25 million; a major letdown for the Disney execs. The story had to be extracted from three of Lloyd Alexander's popular Chronicles of Prydain books, and squeezed into 80 minutes. As a result, it feels like there are important segments missing, but the movie is still very entertaining. All in all a good adventure story, I enjoyed it. 26. The Great Mouse Detective 7/2/86 Vincent Price mad such a good villain rat. He elevated an otherwise average Disney film to a successful status that marked the beginning of the rise of Disney animation. 27. Oliver and Company 11/18/88 I sold blood plasma during college to afford to see Oliver & Company (among other things). It's not one of Disney's best, and sometimes it looks like a giant product billboard (never have I seen a Disney movie with so many products advertised in it, especially USA Today and Coca Cola), it's still very enjoyable. If you're a Billy Joel fan, it's a must-see, and "Why Should I Worry" should have been a top 40 single. 28. The Little Mermaid 11/17/89 The beginning of Disney's domination in animation. A real masterpiece! The first classic since The Jungle Book, and the first based on a fairy tale since Sleeping Beauty. I don't agree with a 16 year old girl getting married, or being in love with a guy she's never even met, but otherwise, this is a terrific film! 29. The Rescuers Down Under 11/10/90 ---- released with Mickey's cartoon, Prince and the Pauper The first animated sequel, and the only Disney sequel good enough to be shown in theatres. Disney rode the tidal wave of Australia's movie popularity into 1990 to do this film, and it's as good as the original. 30. Beauty and the Beast 11/22/91 My absolute favorite Disney movie of all time, and probably my favorite movie, period. Beauty and the Beast was also the first animated feature to be nominated for Best Picture Oscar, and rightfully so. The Broadway production is equally spectactular. 31. Aladdin 11/21/92 The funniest Disney film ever made. Audiences full of adults were rocking with laughter throughout this film. Robin Williams should have been nominated for Best Actor for his Genie role. 32. The Lion King 7/94 Another wonderful film. One of my favorites. Again, hammering messages home to children and older viewers alike. Ed the Hyena was a riot. 33. Pocahontas 6/22/95 Disney will never admit it publicly, but they were never happy with the box office receipts from this film, or its video release stats. A lot of political correctness and stretching of the truth, musket shots and blows from tomahawks with no blood loss, and a typical Barbie-shaped heroine, but a watchable film nonetheless. 34. The Hunchback of Notre Dame 6/21/96 Hunchback is an underrated film and one of my absolute favorite Disney films. It nearly got a PG rating and probably should have carried one. Look for cameos by Belle and Pumbaa in this film. Great use of computer generated crowds, at the end of the film. 35. Hercules 6/97 A hilarious film at times, flat at others. At some points the animation seems cheesy. 36. MULAN 6/98 Another great film, and a triumph for films striving to offer a female role model to children and younger viewers. Eddie Murphy is a riot as Mu-Shu. 37. TARZAN 6/99 A great Disney film that really makes the marriage of CGI Animation and the actual drawn stuff work :). The scenery is incredible, the story flows well, and it deals with some tough issues, especially losing a parent or a child. Phil Collins turns in a stellar soundtrack that really drives the movie. I think it makes the story very powerful. 38. FANTASIA 2000 12/21/99 Fantasia 2000 was released ONLY to 75 IMAX theatres around the world, though it'll likely get a facelift for a future video release. See the mini-review above. I loved the animation in the whale segment, the Donald & Daisy segment was great, and the Sorceror's Apprentice segment, while it looks (obviously) like it's a much older segment, was a great addition to this movie...really joins the two features well. I'm not sure if I cared for the interludes presented by Steve Martin, Bette Midler, Itszak Perlman and James Earl Jones among others, but it does feature some cool use of the IMAX sound system using Mickey's voice. 39. The Emperor's New Groove - Summer 2000 Not a bad little film, though vastly inferior to Disney's monster early 90's hits. This one seems to be made with little effort, packaged neatly to appeal to adults and kids, and it did keep me laughing. David Spade isn't as funny without Chris Farley... :( Still, have I mentioned originality yet? Nice to see Disney doing something new. 40. Atlantis - The Lost Empire - Summer 2001 Speaking of something new, Disney has brought us its first PG-rated animated film in 16 years, and only its second with that rating ever. Atlantis is a story for older kids, with some dark elements, some implied mass destruction and death, and some pretty cool vehicles and weapons (I'm paraphrasing from my kid). I'm glad Michael J Fox lent his voice to this film; I hope he stays strong. Parkinsons is just awful. 41. Lilo and Stitch - Summer 2002 I loved the previews :). Not just cuz I'm a fan of Belle and Ariel. Stitch looks cute, but it's nice to see some ORIGINALITY out of Disney! It lived up to the hype Disney heaped on it pretty well. The film itself was quite funny, I thought - good use of Elvis, too! Interesting to see Disney deal with a 'broken' family so intimately. 42. 'Treasure Planet' - December 2002 Possibly one of the worst ideas to come out of Disney since making sequels to EVERY animated film. Ok, in the pursuit of originality, Disney did score a few points. But the idea of sailing ships with masts flying through space, and people standing outside exposed to the vacuum - something is a little off about that. Even if you put all that aside, I didn't see where this movie appealed to children, teenagers, or even adults. The jokes were almost all over children's heads, and not funny enough to get the adults laughing. Martin Short is his usual boring self, and there's really nothing about this film that stands out. Third Disney film in a row with ostensibly no songs. Interesting trend. 43. 'Brother Bear', November, 2003 A movie that I went into with low expectations, I found myself actually pleased to see cute talking animals again, after seeing Treasure Planet, Atlantis, Emperor's New Groove, etc.. I was a little surprised with the ending.... it's not easy adapting to a new life but it can be done successfully. 44. "Home on the Range", 2004 I haven't yet seen this movie, and to be honest, I have no desire to. That's a first!! Films I won't see on principle: Cinderella 2, Cinderella 3, The Jungle Book 2, Peter Pan 2 - Return to Neverland, 101 Dalmatians 2, Lady and the Tramp 2, Bambi 2, The Hunchback of Notre Dame 2, Pocahontas 2, Tarzan and Jane, and the Hercules 'prequel'. See a TREND here?? This kind of thing makes me really angry. Ok, I will admit, the sequels made to The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin (King of Thieves, not Return of Jafar), and The Lion King were pretty good, but let's be honest. These are also the four best animated films ever to come out of the Disney library (other than Snow White, and a sequel to that would be unthinkable - right?), so the sequels have to snare a little of the essence of the original films. From Disneyland's Annual Christmas Parade!
Did you get to see the special Christmas remodeling of "It's a Small World" last holiday season (pic below) ? If not, don't fret, they'll be back again this year, right after Thanksgiving! Instead of the usual song, Disney has the dolls singing a medley of "Jingle Bells" and "It's a Small World After All" in umpteen different languages. Very nicely done! The dolls also sing "Deck the Halls" .
At the Parks... MY QUICK REVIEW OF DISNEYLAND'S NEW TOMORROWLAND Ok, I'm somewhat of a Disney nut, but the new Tomorrowland is to me, a real disappointment. I was pretty impressed the first time I saw it, but looking at the area as a whole, you have to feel like there's something missing. Another mountain, perhaps, or another great thrill ride (like the Indiana Jones Adventure). I rode the new Rocket Jets a couple of times - I suggest riding this at night, when the view is much more interesting to look at. Tomorrowland's answer to the Dumbo ride in Fantasyland, this isn't a ride I'd spend more than 15 minutes waiting to ride. It's the token "kid ride" in Tomorrowland. The Rocket Rods are under renovation again, to improve the excitement level of the ride. Apparently many people were complaining that the ride was too much like a fast version of the PeopleMover. Well, to be honest, it is :). At least with the PeopleMover you could enjoy the view, and you didn't have to wait 90 minutes to get on it! Its Special Effects are apparently getting spruced up. On a better note, the new "Honey I Shrunk the Audience" show is brilliant! Soooooo much better than Captain EO, I can't even compare em. A total sensory experience! Be prepared to get squeamish! A near-duplicate of its original counterpart at EPCOT. Also, there is a new fountain complex out in front of the entrance to Space Mountain. It's one of those dancing water fountains, where kids can run along in and out and try not to get splashed. My take on this fountain is....it's very nice looking, a nice addition to the park....but....Disneyland has always had a problem with having way too many teenagers and local kids just hanging out and loitering in the park, and I think this will only add to the problem. Oh well. Couple that with the renovations Space Mountain is undergoing, which will keep it closed for ALL of 2004... Finally, the new Innoventions! What fun! I stayed there 3 hours!! Free videogames, Disney trivia games, huge displays and workshop areas on the human body, electricity, the latest in home conveniences, a futuristic car, and a mother sized tree that sits in the middle of it all. Despite the fact that I think the new Tomorrowland could be a whole lot better....(i.e. revamp the Undersea Voyage and add the Buzz Lightyear attraction from Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom in Florida)...I still am planning to purchase annual passes....looking forward to going again soon!!! Merchandise DISNEY BEAN BAG ANIMALS Disney made a mint with their line of Beanie animals, from their various movies, until the Ty Corporation managed to ruin the 'Beanie' craze. Those who collect Beanie Babies should be aware that Disney's toys are separate from the TY line of Beanie Babies, and though they're not as collectible, they are VERY affordable and make great inexpensive gifts at the parks and at the Disney Store. In fact, many of the styles of the dolls have dropped in price from $6 to $3, even the ones sold at the parks. Although the design of the animals sold at the parks and those sold in the Disney Store is exactly the same, the tags are different (i.e. Disney Store, Disneyland, Walt Disney World), thus creating many variations of the same collectible animal. Disney has gone a little overboard lately in my opinion, making bean bags out of everything from humans (boy, are they ugly!!) to Herbie the Love Bug. The hardest to find Disney beanies include the retired Flubber and Pegasus, and a specially issued Winnie the Pooh, available only one day to the public - November 26, 1998. |
