Silly Old Bear - Winnie the Pooh

51 – Winnie the Pooh

The 2011 film Winnie the Pooh is essentially a sequel to 1977's The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. This means it has the difficult task of being both a worthy sequel while also trying to make sure it's accessible enough for it to find a new audience. In 34 years, surprisingly little has changed so this review is going to be fairly short and I don't want to be reiterating too much so please read my review on the first movie. The story is adapted from 3 different stories but the basic idea is that Christopher Robin has left a mysterious note which causes the inhabitants of the Hundred Acre Wood to think that he's been captured by a horrible monster called the Backson.

Of course, the story isn't nearly as important as the characters, in this case. All the characters are exactly as you'd expect them to be. There are no big surprises or anything if you're familiar with the characters of the Winnie the Pooh stories. Winnie the Pooh himself is as single minded as ever in his eternal quest for honey, though he does learn a valuable lesson by the end. The rest of the cast is there as well with Piglet, as meek as ever, Rabbit, as bossy as ever, the perpetually depressed Eeyore and the know-it-all Owl. Kanga and Roo also make an appearance and who could forget the excitable Tigger? Like I mentioned in my first review, the characters are very simple but exactly the kinds of imaginary friends a child would come up with.

Being an updated version of the original, everything feels very familiar but with a really nice new coat of paint. The music is incredible and really well done. There were more songs that I expected which made this into a sort of musical, but it really worked well. The animation is excellent as usual and they continued a lot of things I loved from the first movie. They really make it feel like a storybook's illustrations coming to life with these amazing backgrounds and the words on the pages and narrator actually interacting with the characters. I really love the idea of the characters interacting with the pages of the book but I do think they overused the idea a bit this time. It felt too much like they were flaunting the idea, whereas in the 1977 movie they just let it be a reality of the world they lived in.

The humor is incredible again, with the exact sort of word play jokes and misunderstandings you'd expect from Winnie the Pooh. Other than that, the movie is filled with a really great feeling of nostalgia. It does lack a bit of the poignancy of the first movie but it's funny and very true to the original. I do have to make a special note of the end credits, which are just incredible. Christopher Robin's stuffed animals are all presented in the real world positioned as though a child was playing with them, acting out the scenes we just saw in the movie. This really ties in what I think the whole theme of Winnie the Pooh is – that it all comes from a child's imagination.

Just like the 1977 movie, I wasn't expecting anything incredibly deep or thoughtful. It needs something that is, arguably, more difficult to capture. The idea of whimsy and playfulness with no absolutely no cynicism. The idea that a child could come up with all of this and that it all springs from imagination. In that case, I think this movie succeeds. It might not succeed as much as the first movie, but it definitely captures those feeling and ideas in a way that modern kid's movies really don't anymore. Not that that's a bad thing. These stories have a really important place for a lot of people but I think kid's movies have evolved in a different direction since the original Winnie the Pooh was written by A.A.Milne. In any case, if you loved the original, or for that matter if you've ever loved Winnie the Pooh in any form at all, you'll love this movie.

51 down. 2 to go.

At Last I See The Light - Tangled

50 – Tangled

The 50^th feature of Disney's animated classics is 2010's Tangled. This is one Disney movie I'm very familiar with and really enjoyed before I started these reviews so I wondered how I would like it after watching all these Disney movies. The story is a retelling of the fairy tale of Rapunzel with quite a few modern changes. It begins when a girl, Rapunzel, is born when her mother is saved by a magic flower. An old woman, Gothel, had been using that magic flower to keep herself alive so she kidnaps Rapunzel when she sees that her hair now holds that same power. She locks Rapunzel away in a tower and raises her while she uses Rapnuzel's magic hair to keep her young forever. Rapunzel yearns to leave the tower and see these “floating lights” she sees every year on her birthday. She finally gets her chance one day, when she meets Flynn Rider.

Rapunzel and Flynn are two really great lead characters. Rapunzel is extremely sheltered but shows herself to be quite persistent and brave when she needs to be. She tries to see good in people and is fascinated by the outside world. Flynn, on the other hand, is a thief who seems to only want riches and to be alone. Flynn, reluctantly, agrees to take her to see the “floating lights” which turn out to be lanterns that are released every year for the lost princess. Their relationship is really interesting too since it evolves in such a natural way. They start with very different goals and slowly open up to each other as the story goes on. Their relationship lets Flynn be who he really is and see what he really wants from life. Rapunzel literally has a whole world open up before her when she meets Flynn.

Mother Gothel is the old woman who kidnaps Rapunzel and seals her away in the tower. She's obviously the villain but she has an interesting way of doing what she does. She actually acts like Rapunzel's mother and seems to take reasonably good care of her. She tries to warn Rapunzel of the dangers of the outside world to make sure Rapunzel never leaves, but Rapunzel is too curious. She may not be as scary or have quite as malicious goals as some other Disney villains but it almost makes what she does worse. She is totally selfish and only wants Rapunzel to keep herself young. She's willing to do anything to get that too.

Rapunzel and Flynn definitely aren't alone, however. Pascal is Rapunzel's chameleon best friend. He appears every now and then and is mostly comic relief but he's funny and doesn't really detract from the movie. Maximus, however, is a way more interesting character to me. He's a horse that is part of a group of soldiers that are hunting Flynn down for something he stole. Despite being a horse, he acts more like a dog and has an intense sense of justice. He and Flynn have a great back and forth through the whole movie until Rapunzel finally has them make a truce for one day on her birthday. From there, you really see how Max starts to see who Flynn really is and they soften up to each other. There are also a great group of “ruffians” that Rapunzel finds all have dreams of their own and support Rapunzel.

This movie has a really great “classic” style about it. It feels like they really nailed the fairy tale setting but filled it with more modern ideas and characters. The music by Alan Menken is fantastic as usual. As a Disney musical, the music really works and none of it feels out of place. Some of the humor doesn't really work very well but I wonder if that's mostly because I've seen this movie so many times. More times than not, however, the humor is fantastic, especially scenes with Flynn or Max.

They really kept the themes in this movie simple too. The big idea is the classic idea of following your dreams. Rapunzel has a simple dream of seeing the floating lanterns while Flynn begins with a very selfish dream. As Rapunzel chases after her dream, Flynn realizes that may not be what he wants after all. It's interesting too because The Princess and the Frog had a theme very similar to this where Tiana realizes that she wants love as much as she wants to fulfill her dreams but didn't get it across well at all. The themes here are presented way better and there's no confusion as to what they're going after.

Overall, I still love this movie. It definitely has its flaws. It's not overly ambitious but it does what I think Disney does best, take classic fairy tales and make great movies out of them. It keeps things simple and makes sure to put the characters in front of the message because if you don't like the characters you won't care about the message. I think it is the perfect movie to represent their 50^th feature.

50 down. 3 to go.

The Princess and the Lost Potential - The Princess and the Frog

49 – The Princess and the Frog

It's finally time for Disney's return to traditional animation, 2009's The Princess and the Frog. The story is about a young waitress named Tiana who lives in New Orleans and dreams of fulfilling a dream of her's and her father, opening a restaurant. Her rich friend, Charlotte, has always wanted to marry a prince and live happily ever after, which she might when Prince Naveen comes to New Orleans. Before she can get her chance, however, a voodoo witch doctor named Doctor Facilier turns him into a frog and gives Naveen's servant, Lawrence, a chance to pose as the prince. Knowing the story of “The Frog Prince,” Prince Naveen attempts to get Tiana to kiss him because he thinks she's a princess. This ends up turning her into a frog as well which means they now have to find a way to turn back into humans and stop Doctor Facilier.

Tiana is a ridiculously hard working girl who is trying to save money to fulfill her dream of opening a big restaurant in New Orleans, like her father wanted to before her. She's a bit more cynical and serious than most other Disney Princesses and doesn't really believe in the whole “wishing upon a star” thing. She's a very driven character and makes many sacrifices to fulfill her dream. Naveen, on the other hand, is very laid back and spoiled. He has spent so much of his parent's money that they have cut him off so he is trying to find a rich girl to marry. Both of the characters grow during the movie, especially Naveen. While Tiana grows and changes in the movie as well, her changes are a bit more confusing, which I'll get to later. Of course, they also fall in love during the movie, and I thought they handled it pretty well. It doesn't seem unrealistic, they spent just enough time on it, and I think they work together well.

Tiana and Naveen are helped in their quest by quite a few people. Louis is an alligator who loves playing jazz trumpet. He wants to be human and helps Tiana and Naveen try to find Mama Odie, another witch doctor. There's also Ray, a firefly who is in love with a star who he thinks is a firefly named Evangeline. He helps when he realizes that Louis is bad with directions and is taking them the wrong way. Honestly, I felt like Ray was a bit superfluous and unneeded, but he wasn't in the movie so much that I thought he took much away from it. Mama Odie is basically just there to bring up one of the themes, which is whether or not the characters are going after what they really need. Charlotte also helps them a bit. She's a very shallow girl who fully believes in wishing on stars but doesn't realize the hard work that comes with it. I'm really glad they didn't turn her into another villain as she's still a good friend to Tiana. It does make you wonder why Tiana didn't just ask to borrow the money to open her restaurant from her in the first place but then there wouldn't be a movie.

Doctor Facilier is a really fantastic villain. He's dark and scary and practices some pretty powerful voodoo magic. He has a really cool unique style and there are great little touches like his shadow moving independently of him. In addition to his powers, he can also spot anyone's weaknesses and desires and exploit them, which is how he gets the support of Lawrence, Naveen's servant. Lawrence was sick of being treated badly so Facilier gives him the chance to take Naveen's place. It's definitely interesting to see a “stick in the mud” character like him turn out to be a villain. That usually doesn't happen. It's almost like if Cogsworth turned on Lumiere or The Beast from Beauty and the Beast.

This movie really nails the visual and musical style of New Orleans. Everything is vibrant and gorgeous, with really great jazz music. It also let them play with that setting with great Mardi Gras style parties, dark swamps, and voodoo magic. They really set up the style well in the beginning though they don't utilize it was well as they can as the story moves on. At some point, the story just gets really muddled and the message is lost. The third act, in particular, is very weak though it did have a great scene where Tiana is tempted by Facilier with her restaurant.

Where I really had problems with this movie was it's themes. I feel like they didn't really deliver on what they presented at the beginning. The movie starts off really great with the idea that Tiana has these dreams that she knows she needs to work hard for. It's really great that they're trying to build on these old Disney ideas and give them a realistic approach. It's not so great that they sort of dismiss “wishing upon a star” because it just feels like they're trying to distance themselves from past works. It's certainly not a bad thing to wish for things so long as you're willing to put in the effort to attain them. If they had just stuck with that idea, that would be great but they added the wrinkle of whether or not Tiana was really fighting for what she should be fighting for. They basically imply that her dream of opening a restaurant isn't what she really wants and she seems to be perfectly happy giving it up in favor of being with Naveen. That's just garbage. She should have fought for both but she just gives up on the restaurant, happens to turn into a human and get it anyway.

This movie starts off so well and just bleeds style throughout the whole thing. I really liked it but it started coming apart at the seams. If they had just focused, pared down on the themes and cleared them up, it could have been so much better. I'm glad Disney is trying to evolve and change but they need to remember to keep things simple too and remember what's really important. Which is ironic, since that was basically the theme of this movie.

49 down. 4 to go.

You Don't Know The Power of Styrofoam! - Bolt

48 – Bolt

The past few movies haven't been awful, with Meet the Robinsons actually being really good, so I was really wondering how 2008's Bolt would fare. The story is about a TV star dog, Bolt, and his TV star owner, Penny, who star on a show about how Bolt needs to protect Penny with his super powers. With ratings slipping, the producers decide to have an episode where Bolt fails to protect her and she gets kidnapped. Now, this normally wouldn't be a problem, but Bolt actually believes everything on the show is real and that he actually has super powers. Thinking this, he sets off on a cross country journey to “rescue” his owner.

Bolt, our main character, is an extremely loyal dog who just can't tell fiction from reality. He's incredibly protective of Penny and you really feel bad for him seeing how he is constantly on edge from having to protect her every day. He lives in a world where Penny is in constant danger and can't lower his guard for a moment. Penny wishes she could give Bolt a normal life, even for a day, but can't because it would break the illusion the show's creators have created to get a believable performance from him. While Bolt gets a ton of character development, Penny is left out to dry a bit. While Bolt is on his crazy adventure, kidnapping a cat, eventually finding out who he really is and trying to become a regular dog, Penny just pops up every now and then to remind us that she misses him. I like that she really cares about him but we don't get to know her very well.

Mittens is a cat that runs a sort of Mafia-like operation in New York City, bribing pigeons to bring her food. Bolt meets her when some of those pigeons get him to think that Mittens works for the villain that captured Penny. He takes her hostage so that she can show him where they took Penny while Mittens tries to escape, unsuccessfully. She's much more street smart than Bolt and more of a jaded character than I've seen in Disney movies so far. She really doesn't believe in people because she was a house cat that was abandoned by her owners. She finally starts to warm up to Bolt and helps teach him how to be a dog when he finds out who he really is. Rhino is a hamster and Bolt's biggest fan. He rolls around in a plastic ball and would follow Bolt to the ends of the Earth. He also believes Bolt to be a real super hero and is mostly comic relief. He does, however, have some great moments where his undying loyalty to Bolt actually inspires Bolt and Mittens.

The beginning of the movie begins with a real long scene of the actual TV show they star in. It really sets up the world they live in, or at least the world Bolt thinks he lives in. We get to see how they actually make the show and fool Bolt later on. I really liked this introduction since it feels like it could have been the basis for a ridiculous movie that, thankfully, never got made. The movie, overall, is much less silly than Meet the Robinsons, which worked for this kind of story. That's not to say that this movie didn't have funny moments. The pigeons that appear are actually really funny when they send Bolt after Mittens and can't, for some reason, remember who he is despite all the billboards and advertisements for his show that surround them. There are also some cats that also work on the show that like to mess with Bolt since they know he thinks it's all real. They appear a bit in the beginning, though I would have liked to see them more. While there are no real villains in this story, there was the super sleazy agent that manipulates anything he can about Penny to further his own goals. As far as the music goes, it works really well, although it doesn't leave as much of a lasting impression as Danny Elfman's score of Meet the Robinsons. The one music sequence the movie has works really well and shows Bolt and Mittens bonding while Mittens teaches him how to be a regular dog.

This movie is a bit light on deep themes but it did have some really great ideas. The theme of loyalty is the one that stands out to me the most with Bolt being the biggest and most obvious example. His loyalty to Penny drives him, even after he finds out that his life is all fake, just with the hope that his relationship with Penny was real. Of course, Mittens also gains a bit of loyalty to Bolt, even though he essentially kidnapped her. Rhino is so loyal to Bolt that he actively inspires both Bolt and Mittens to keep fighting for what they want.

So this movie continues off from Meet the Robinsons as a story that really works and I really enjoyed. While I thought the themes were a bit weaker, it was still a really great ride with some really great characters. They focused on the important things with this movie, like making sure that Bolt and Mitten's relationship was well developed, and not sticking in an unnecessary villain or romance. I just hope that tomorrow's story can keep it up.

48 down. 5 to go.

Keep Moving Forward - Meet the Robinsons

47 – Meet the Robinsons

The first thing I thought when I started watching 2007's Meet the Robinsons was “oh great. This is just going to be another movie with a dumb story and bloated with too many side characters.” I was, honestly, pleasantly surprised. The story is about a young orphan kid (I know, I know. Not terribly original.) named Lewis who continuously scares off potential parents with his crazy inventions. He decides to build an invention to look into his memories to find memories of his mother so that he can find his real parents. On the day of the science fair, he decides to test this invention when he meets a mysterious boy named Wilbur who warns Lewis to watch out for a guy in a bowler hat. It turns out that Wilbur is from the future and is trying to prevent something horrible from happening to Lewis. The bowler hat guy, as they refer to him, sabotages Lewis' invention and steals it. From there, the movie takes us on a crazy adventure where Lewis gets to go to the future and meet the crazy Robinson family where he thinks he might finally have a family. Unfortunately, the situation is a bit more complex than that.

Lewis is shown immediately as a kid with a really great mind and great goals. He wants to change with world with his inventions but he just can't seem to get them to work correctly. He's really hurt when he keeps screwing up his chances at being adopted and resolves to find his real mother instead by searching his memory. He really puts his heart and soul into building the memory machine, which unfortunately keeps his roommate, Mike Yagoobian, up all night. Lewis' failure at the science fair really gets to him and he feels like a complete failure and almost gives up on his inventions. The idea of the inventive kid is definitely not new and sometimes overplayed but Lewis is really different. You feel bad for him, sure, but he's a really good kid who just keeps getting knocked down by life.

Our villain turns out to be part of a duo. The bowler hat guy is assisted by a high tech bowler hat called Doris. Bowler hat guy can be pretty stupid and silly sometimes but he gets a ton of funny scenes. It's great seeing that Doris is actually much smarter than him and he seems to get in the way more than help. Doris is the real brains of the operation and it shows that Doris might be the real villain of the story. They're both from the future and they're trying, for reasons I won't spoil, to steal Lewis' memory machine and sell it to an invention company to alter time.

The Robinsons themselves turned out to be some pretty fantastic characters. Wilbur is a boy from the future family who stole his father's time machine to chase down the bowler hat guy who stole the only other time machine they had. He's a very weird kid and they make sure to show that he doesn't really fit in to modern time. I do kind of wish that they had defined his character a bit better. He just doesn't get the attention that Lewis does with Lewis' clear goals and dreams. The rest of the family is way too big to mention. Unlike most side characters, I really didn't mind them. They really helped show how different and crazy the future world is and were also the perfect example of the kind of family that Lewis wants. They're all supportive and care about Lewis, even though they just met him.

The computer animation in this movie looks way better here than Chicken Little. This movie really benefited from it with the crazy futuristic sci fi ideas. That crazy future, by the way, is really well designed and looks really unique. I love the reference to Disney World's Tomorrow Land and the design of the future city really borrows from those ideas as well. The music in this movie really works well, which includes the songs which are legitimately good. The tone of the movie was really spot on too, with some really funny scenes that reminded me of The Emperor's New Groove. The jokes were actually intelligent too, not just someone getting bonked on the head. I also really liked that the story kept hinting at, but never quite giving away, why Lewis is so important to the future.

The themes in this movie were really great too. Way better than the past few movies. Letting go of the past is a big one, with Lewis and the bowler hat guy both being unable to. Lewis also has to learn that failing is ok, as long as you learn from it. The biggest theme comes from a phrase that gets repeated a ton. “Keep moving forward.” The idea that, no matter what, you have to keep striving to look to the future, no matter what speed bumps you hit along the way. Even though they state that phrase a ton, I don't think they did it because they thought the audience wouldn't understand. They used is as more of an overarching theme that hints at deeper meaning in the story. I really love that this movie doesn't talk down to its audience and explores some really great themes.

So if you can't tell, I really liked this one a lot. This is still a short review but not at all because it was a bad movie. It's short simply because I don't want to spoil anything. There are some really great revelations and twists at the end. It's fantastic to see Disney striving for deeper stories and creating interesting characters.

47 down. 6 to go.

The Sky Is Falling - Chicken Little

46 – Chicken Little

The very first fully 3D computer animated movie from Disney is 2005's Chicken Little. The story is about a young, tiny, Chicken named Chicken Little who sends his town into a panic when he thinks that the sky is falling. They quickly find that he doesn't have any proof and, basically, mock him for a year. This even ostracizes Chicken Little and disappoints his father. He really wants to make his father proud after his screw up so he tries to by joining the baseball team. This is against the advice of his friend, Abby Mallard, who tells him he should simply talk to his father. After finally making his father proud of him, the “sky” falls on him again, but it turns out to be a piece of an alien spaceship. Chicken Little and his friends, Abby, Runt, and Fish, go to investigate and find that the aliens are apparently planning an invasion of Earth. Chicken Little has to save the Earth and prove to his father that he isn't crazy and repair their relationship.

Chicken Little is a very small chicken who embarrasses himself when he announces that the sky is falling and can't prove it. He really wants to make his father proud but his father isn't exactly supportive. He is very clever and I liked his inventiveness that he uses to get over his short size. Overall, he isn't the best character in the world but he is at least likeable. He is so desperate to impress his father that he, unfortunately, doesn't really listen to his friends very much. His father seems like just a jerk at first. He is ashamed of Chicken Little and doesn't know how to support him at all.. You see, later on, that he really does care about him and wishes that he could be a better father. Their relationship is actually fairly well done and you can see how they care about each other.

Abby is Chicken Little's best friend. She's an “ugly ducking” who gives Chicken Little the advice of talking to his father instead of trying to live up to his expectations. Runt is a pig that likes to sing and is very jumpy and cowardly. He's comic relief and, while I didn't hate him, I think he was ultimately unnecessary. Fish out of water is also comic relief but he was a surprisingly funny character. He never really talks but he's shown to basically be fearless and very curious about the world. They use him for some stupid gags but he gets some great moments. Foxy Loxy is one of their schoolmates who is the standard bully type character. Finally, Kirby is a young alien they meet who got left behind by his parents and Chicken Little has to return him to save the Earth.

Being the first CGI movie, I wasn't expecting too much but it looks really good. The result is, unfortunately, a bit less stylized than previous movies so it loses a bit of that quality. I also don't really see why this movie was the one they chose to be computer generated when it would have worked just as well traditionally animated. A lot of the scenes felt too much like they were just put in to capitalize on the new technology. There's just a bunch of weird humor and stupid jokes that are unnecessary. That really screws up the pacing of the movie. The music, on the other hand, works better here than Home on the Range or Brother Bear.

The father and son theme actually worked pretty well but they were definitely not as subtle about it as they could have been. This movie still talks down to it's audience. I feel like the characters are always vocalizing about the feeling they're feeling so there's no confusion for the audience. The characters themselves are also really one dimensional and the story just isn't that interesting. They, once again, stuffed in another needless romance between Chicken Little and Abby. If they really wanted to do that they should have actually given them some more time together but I don't know if that would have taken away from the movie, ultimately. The final result of all of this is a movie that just feels a bi soulless.

So this movie is definitely not great. It's really shallow and just a vehicle to show off their new techniques. The relationship better Chicken Little and his father was good, but not a very deep insight into a father and son relationship. Disney really needs to realize that their audience isn't stupid and you can make movies that kids enjoy that are still nuanced and intelligent. The beginning of the movie really promises that it's going to be different than usual Disney fare but if this is their idea of different and better, I'm really worried.

46 down. 7 to go.

The Skies Are Cloudy All Day - Home on the Range

45 – Home on the Range

Today's movie is 2004's Home on the Range. I'm not gonna lie, this movie feels like yet another part of a desperate attempt by Disney to make themselves relevant again. The story is about three cows, Maggie, Mrs. Calloway and Grace, that have to work together to save their farm from foreclosure. They decide to hunt down a criminal, Alameda Slim, for bounty. Alameda has been stealing cattle from farms which end up bankrupting them. Maggie has a personal vendetta, as the farm she came from was closed because of his actions.

Maggie is one of the main cows of the story. She is a show off, really cocky and just all around unlikeable. Her personal problems with Alameda really make me think she's just selfish. Mrs. Calloway is a cow that is much more serious, prim and proper. She likes to be a leader and doesn't like Maggie's attitude. She's just as bad since she clearly only cares about being the leader and doesn't like the outgoing Maggie. Grace is their ditzy friend that is much more calm and peaceful. She is probably the most likeable of the group but she doesn't do anything but keep the peace between Maggie and Mrs. Calloway.

Aside from them, there's Buck, a horse who is very eager to prove himself and wants to go on adventures. Alameda Slim is a really bizarre villain. He isn't scary at all but I really don't know if making a really scary villain would fit for this sort of lighthearted movie. He likes to yodel so I suppose that's something new. Rico is a bounty hunter that everyone loves but is actually revealed to be employed by Slim. There are a bunch of other random characters too but none of them really do anything that needs mentioning.

This movie is just the most cookie cutter plot I've ever seen. It's just another “we gotta save the farm from foreclosure!” movie with a ridiculous idea of how to get the money. It presents itself as a lighthearted movie but the humor is so awful and dumb. This movie, like Brother Bear, talks down to its audience. The characters are really boring and one dimensional. Alameda's whole reason for being a villain is ridiculous, even for a comedy. He's upset that he got fired from a farm for yodeling. Even the animation is a notch below the rest of their work with just really terrible backgrounds and uninspired visuals. The score is ok, nothing special. The music sequences are stupid but, thankfully, there are few.

So again, this isn't a long review like most of my others. There really isn't that much to say. I would just be repeating myself over and over if I analyzed the movie more deeply. They clearly didn't even try to make something that was smart and worthwhile. They just wanted to make something that could turn a profit for them. It's just not genuine and it feels like they've just rolled over and died. This movie and Brother Bear just feel like they took ideas for shorts from the old package movies and just blew them up to fill time. It's a shame too since this is the last traditionally animated film quite a while. It definitely doesn't live up to the legacy Disney created.

45 down. 8 to go.

Half Assed Review For A Half Assed Movie - Brother Bear

44 – Brother Bear

The 44^th Disney Classic I'll be reviewing is 2003's Brother Bear. The story is about a bratty kis named Kenai who basically ends up getting his older brother, Sitka, killed. Kenai decides to take revenge against a bear that vaguely had to do with those events instead of reflecting that this whole mess was his fault to begin with. His other older brother, Denahi, warns him that doing so would just upset the spirits. Kenai ignores him and goes to kill the bear anyway which, lo and behold, makes the spirits turn him into a bear to teach him a lesson. Denahi finds bear-Kenai and thinks he killed him so he decides to chase him down and get revenge, just like how he told Kenai not to earlier. Kenai meets a young bear cub named Koda and they have to escape Denahi and find a way to turn back into a human.

Kenai, our annoying main character, spends more than half the movie being a stubborn and unlikeable douche. He hates bears and is basically every other cock Disney hero but with absolutely none of the redeeming qualities. He finally learns his lesson after a touching, no wait, really forced montage. I really didn't but it. His older brother Sitka was very wise and kind and basically the standard wise older character we've seen before. I did like that he was willing to sacrifice his life for his brothers but he isn't around long enough for us to get to know him. Dehani is just there for plot and gives Kenai a ton of crap. When he finally shows that he's wise too, he immediately forgets that wisdom and goes after bear-Kenai.

Koda is a young cub who is separated from his mother early on. He wants to get to the Salmon Run which happens to be right by the mountain that Kenai needs to get to. They bond and he, eventually, helps Kenai learn the error of his ways. Also, the bear Kenai killed earlier was his mother but it's ok, he gets over it. Rutt and Tuke are just two really annoying moose comic relief characters. Tanana is a shaman that is basically there just to tell Kenai that Act 3 is gonna be at some mountain and serves no other purpose.

So it's pretty clear already that I did not like this movie, but there were some good things. The animation is great as usual. They had a cool idea in switching aspect ratios and color style from realistic to colorful when Kenai becomes a bear. The idea isn't really that well done but at least it was a good idea. The score of the movie is perfectly serviceable and Phil Collins music was ok, if misplaced.

As for things I didn't like, I'll try to keep this short. This movie feels so absurdly manufactured it's crazy. Every scene is so blatantly obvious about what they're trying to say that it doesn't tell the story in an interesting way. It's downright condescending when they think they have to spell out every single message they're trying to make because they think their audience won't understand. “Funny” scenes are scattered methodically to make sure the kids don't get bored. There are some downright horrendous music with equally idiotic montages. The relationship between Kenai and Koda is central to the movie but Kenai is so absurdly unlikeable that his transformation just feels forced and unrealistic. This all adds up to a movie that feels fake and heartless.

So I really didn't like this one. It sucks too because Disney has dealt with themes like seeing life from another perspective already and they've done it more gracefully and with more heart. They really half assed this movie, plain and simple. It just feels like a desperate attempt to recapture what they had during the renaissance.

44 down. 9 to go.

Didn't Your Pap Ever Teach You To Pick Your Fights A Bit More Carefully? - Treasure Planet

43 – Treasure Planet

Today's story is yet another story based off a famous novel. 2002's Treasure Planet, based on “Treasure Island” by Robert Louis Stevenson, is a story about a young rebellious boy named Jim Hawkins who finds a treasure map that leads to the fabled Treasure Planet. This planet contains all the treasures plundered by the famous Captain Flint. He decides to make up to his mother for his rebellious actions by venturing off to find the treasure so he can rebuild their Inn that was destroyed by pirates trying to find the treasure map. The journey is funded by Dr. Delbert Doppler, their friend. On the ship they meet Captain Amelia and her first mate Mr. Arrow. Also on the ship are the rest of the crew and John Silver, the cook, who may have some hidden intentions. Silver is actually planning a mutiny and wants the treasure for himself. He gets close to Jim to find the map but finds himself actually starting to care about him. Jim has to find the treasure while Silver struggles with his lifelong goal of finding the treasure and his new found friendship with Jim.

Jim comes off as a bit of a brat at first. He is very adventurous and rebellious and gets in trouble a lot. This all stems from when his father left their family when he was young. I really didn't like him at all at first. His mother tries very hard to raise him correctly but can't seem to control him or figure out how to help him. When Jim gets the opportunity to set things right, he decides to take it. He really goes through a ton of change on the journey. He learns to be more willing to take orders from people and follow directions. This all comes from his complex relationship with Silver, who he really sees as a father type figure. He starts off very hopeless about his future but Silver helps him change his mind and see that he can make his own future.

Delbert is a dog like alien who is very geeky and clumsy. He starts off as basic comic relief but gets better as the story moves on. He clearly cares about Jim and Sarah but wants to go on the adventure too. Captain Amelia is very serious and brave. She is a good leader and has a good relationship with her first mate, Mr. Arrow. Mr. Arrow is very good at his job but is sabotages partway through and ends up dying. Arrow and Amelia don't really get much development and they end up being kind of boring. They also shoehorn a stupid romance between Amelia and Delbert which just doesn't work at all.

Silver is a very complex villain. His lifelong goal is to find Flint's treasure. He gets close to Jim but finds that he is actually starting to care about him, which really worries him because he knows it might interfere with his goals. They really become a bit like father and son and he teaches and supports Jim. Their relationship is tested many times when Silver has to choose between his own motivations and Jim. The crew that follows him are more of the standard minion type characters we've seen in Disney movies. None of them are of real note except possibly Scroop, an insect like alien, who is more prominent and cuts Arrows lifeline, sending him into space. Silver's character design could have been better. He just looks a bit too much like a standard Disney Villain.

Morph is a gelatinous character who serves as Silver's pet. He can morph, hence his name, into almost anything and provides mostly comic relief. I thought he was kind of dumb at first but he has some funny moments and he grew on me. B.E.N. On the other hand is a robot that they find at Treasure Planet halfway through the movie. He was there when Flint left the treasure so he knows some information about it. Otherwise he is just a really awful, dumb character. All he does are stupid things that get the other characters into trouble and is just loud and annoying. He comes from that awful breed of bad comic relief characters that fall close to Jar Jar territory.

He animation in this movie is good, as usual, but the CGI didn't mesh as well with the traditional animation as it usually does. The Sci-Fi- elements are pretty hit or miss with some just feeling totally unnecessary, like a locket that holds a hologram instead of a picture. A lot of it was just too gimmicky, though some was pretty cool like the treasure map opening up and showing projections of all the planets. The humor is similarly hit or miss, though it leans towards miss more often. There's a fart alien. I don't think I need to say any more. The score worked fine but the songs just didn't really mesh for me. John Rzeznik's rock songs just didn't fit with the world they were trying to create. It also bugs me that they fast forwarded through Jim and Silver bonding with a montage. The action scenes are really good, however, especially the final action scene. It has all the makings of a great, tense action scene with a timer ticking down, explosions all around them, and the heroes making a last ditch escape.

The themes in this movie aren't handled as well as Lilo & Stitch but some of it was pretty good. Jim and Silver's relationship was really handed well. Jim starts off feeling very hopeless about his future but Silver helps him realize that he needs to keep fighting for it. Meanwhile, Silver is struggling because he's starting to think that the goal he's been fighting for his whole like might not be what he really needs. I really like the scenes where Silver has to wrestle with his desire for fulfilling his dream and his relationship with Jim. Jim also goes through a great change and you really feel like he has learned something. There is a bit of a loose thread with Jim's father and I wish they had done something with that. The only thing that really didn't work for me was Amelia and Delbert's relationship.

The movie definitely wasn't terrible. It made sense, had great action scenes and had a really interesting and complex villain. The relationship between Jim and Silver was definitely the highlight. Seeing them change and grow was really well done. There were, however, also a ton of unneeded things. Some of the Sci-Fi elements were a bit forced. B.E.N. Was just awful. The Shoehorned romance really didn't work at all. Overall, it merged the classic ideas of “Treasure Island” and classic pirates really well with the futuristic stuff and would be a good way to introduce people to a great story

43 down. 10 to go.

Flyin By On The Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride - Lilo & Stitch

42 – Lilo & Stitch

It's really interesting to see Disney go back to themes they've tried before. It could definitely get annoying if they try to do those themes the same way each time but it's fine as long as they try to do them different ways. 2002's Lilo & Stitch explores themes we've seen before in Tarzan and Dinosaur but present them in a different way. The story is about a lonely young Hawaiian girl, Lilo, who meets an escaped alien, Stitch. Stitch almost destroys her and her sister's life but learns about the idea of family along the way. Meanwhile, Stitch's creator, Dr. Jumba Jookiba, tries to hunt him down and capture him while a watchful social worker, Cobra Bubbles, scrutinizes Lilo and her sister's life to make sure Lilo is being raised in a good environment.

Lilo is a very strange little girl which alienates her from other girls her age. On top of that, her mother and father have recently passed away and she feels distant from her sister, Nani. She has a very deep loneliness that she covers up by acting out. Nani is her much older sister who is struggling to step into a more motherly role to raise Lilo. They still fight like sisters and Nani has to find a way to control Lilo while helping her overcome her loneliness. They have a much more complex relationship than many characters I've seen before in a Disney feature. They really feel unique and you see that they really care about each other. You also feel really bad for Lilo as they've never handled the idea of being an outcast and being lonely in such a realistic way before. Similarly, Nani has to overcome the very real problem of trying to relate to her sister and help her with her problems while juggling her own life.

Lilo connects immediately to the dog-like creature she names Stitch. In reality, he is a new species of alien created by Dr. Jumba Jookiba and is made to basically be a destructive weapon. His only motivation in life is to seek things out to destroy and is drawn to large cities to wreak havoc. He is very powerful and intelligent and escapes when Jumba is put in jail for his creation. When he lands on Earth, Jumba has been hired to hunt down and capture him so Stitch gets adopted by Lilo to escape Jumba. He quickly finds that he can't escape the island and there are no large cities for him to destroy. He almost ruins Lilo and Nani's life by causing trouble, which leads Cobra Bubbles to threaten to take Lilo from Nani. Slowly and gradually he starts to want more than just destruction and finds that he wants a family after he learns of the idea from Lilo. As they bond, he slowly realizes that Lilo and Nani could be the family he wants. I really loved the changes this character goes through. He starts as something truly horrible and slowly morphs into one of the most likeable characters I've seen so far.

Cobra Bubbles is a really interesting character that feels a bit like a villain at first but definitely isn't quite what he seems. He has a very mysterious past and really pushes Nani to try to find stability in her life for Lilo's sake. Despite threatening to take Lilo away from Nani, he is definitely not a villain. He is introduced as very cold and serious but you see that he really does care about Lilo and only wants what's best for her. I'm really glad they decided to go this way, instead of the obvious which would be to make him another generic villain. David is another character that pops up from time to time. He likes Nani and wants to date her but she has trouble managing her life so she can't commit. He's otherwise a really great guy that stands by Nani and Lilo and would clearly do anything for them. He helps show Stitch that his actions aren't really helping Nani and Lilo.

There are quite a few characters, other than Cobra Bubbles, that could be considered villains in this story but they really aren't at all like past villains. Jumba is a standard evil scientist that creates Stitch for destruction. He doesn't seem to have any real evil motivation, however, and just seems to get enjoyment from creating dangerous things. Agent Pleakley is an “expert” on Earth that is sent to help and keep an eye on Jumba after Jumba is forced to go capture Stitch in exchange for his freedom. He is much more timid than Jumba and tries to keep him from needlessly destroying Earth. There's a really funny subplot that involves Pleakley starting off loving the Earth and then slowly gowing to hate it more and more as he stays on the planet. Captain Gantu is the most obvious of “villains” in this story but his motivations are not evil at all. He is sent in after Jumba and Pleakley fail and is kind of a space cop kind of character. He is ruthless and would do whatever it takes to capture the dangerous Stitch. While he doesn't care that Lilo also gets captured, he has no real reason to care about what he considers an unintelligent species. Despite that, he isn't really a villain. In fact, none of the characters here are real villains. They all have reasons to capture Stitch and none of them are doing it for selfish or nefarious purposes. Jumba wants freedom, of course, but he is so quick to change his mind about it that he can't possibly be considered a bad guy. I really like that about this movie. It never feels any less tense because the characters still have clear motivations and they really emphasize how this little girl can change people.

Just like with most other Disney features, this movie has fantastic animation. There are some really great designs for the sci-fi elements like the aliens and spaceships. This creates a cool contrast when they switch to the tropical Hawaii. The music also fits the tone of the movie really well. There are a bunch of references to Elvis and his music which really work too. The biggest thing I noticed about this movie was their attention to detail. Little things I kept noticing which really added emotion to the scenes they were showing. In one scene, Nani is scolding Lilo where we can see tears starting to well up in Lilo's eyes. She tries to hide it and acts rebellious but we can see that she is really hurt by the situation.

The biggest theme in this movie is family and boy do they say it a lot. Despite seeing a similar theme in other Disney movies, they really go about it in a different way. We see family through how Lilo and Nani act as sisters. We see how Lilo and Stitch become friends and how Stitch learns about the idea of family. They really handled this theme the most realistically I've seen, despite the strange creatures and sci-fi story. You feel an actual sympathy for the lonely Lilo and desperate Nani. Even Stitch, who begins as such a terrible character, learns and changes through the power of family. You really understand how he realizes that he is lonely too and you're happy when he finally changes.

This movie was really great. I feel like it doesn't really get talked about enough. There are some really great heart breaking and equally heart warming moments that elevate the movie to more than just a story about an alien. Even with the heavy themes, there are some really funny moments with a great style that follows through the whole movie. On top of that, it's not nearly as overcomplicated as Atlantis. When Disney hits the right themes and finds the right pacing, they can really tell some fantastic stories.

42 down. 11 to go.

Two For Flinching - Atlantis: The Lost Empire

41 – Atlantis: The Lost Empire

Today's movie is the 41^st feature in the Disney Classics series, 2001's Atlantis: The Lost Empire. The story is about a young man, Milo Thatch, that wants to find the lost city of Atlantis. He ends up meeting a man named Whitmore who funds Milo's tripe because of a promise he made to Milo's grandfather. Milo, along with a crew led by Commander Rourke, all get on a very crazy futuristic submarine to find the lost city. When they do find it, after some trouble, they discover that there are still people that live there. It seems they use a special power to stay alive. The commander then reveals that their goal is really to find treasure and wants to take this power source from the people of Atlantis. Milo then has to stop him with help from one of the Atlantis inhabitants, Kida.

Milo is introduced as a pretty geeky and clumsy guy with a big obsession with Atlantis. He is poor and tries to convince the museum that he works at to fund his adventure. He looks up to his grandfather who was also an adventurer obsessed with Atlantis. He isn't taken seriously by the museum and almost gives up hope when Whitmore meets him. He becomes the Atlantis expert on the trip and uses his linguist and cartographer skills to decipher the “Shepherd’s Journal” which has a ton of information about Atlantis. He cares deeply about knowledge and opposes Rourke's goal of finding treasure at the expense of Atlantis and it's people. It's really admirable that he is so determined to go on the journey and that he values knowledge. Michael J. Fox did a good job with him and I think the filmmakers really focused on making his growth from geeky to a hero feel natural.

Whitmore was friends with Milo's grandfather and made a bet with him that if Milo's grandfather found proof of Atlantis, Whitmore would fund the whole trip. Milo's grandfather sadly died before he got a chance so Whitmore finds Milo to go in his stead. Whitmore is really eccentric and interesting but they didn't really use him very much. The filmmakers did do something I thought was cool. The characters constantly bring up Milo's grandfather and talk about him which really makes it feel like he was incredibly important. I wish they had done a bit more with that but I'm also glad they didn't take the obvious route of having him show up at Atlantis later on.

Milo is helped, and eventually betrayed, by a pretty big crew. Doctor Joshua Strongbear Sweet is a part African American, part Native American, doctor who is very kind but a bit overzealous. Vinny Sontorini is their demolitions expert who really loves blowing things up but has a very laid back attitude. Audrey Ramirez is their young teenage engineer who is very feisty and doesn't really act her age. Wilhelmina Berta Packard is their radio operator who is very lax and moves at her own pace. Cookie is their old cook, though he's not a very good one. Finally, there's Mole, a crazy french guy with an obsession with dirt and digging. Some of these guys actually get some pretty nice back stories that make you really feel like they're actual good characters. Some of them, however, don't and don't really get any development whatsoever. Mole is really only there for humor and, while he does have some funny moments, I feel like he was unnecessary when you have Wilhelmina and Cookie that serve similar roles. The characters all get some legitimately funny moments and it's really great when they decide to defy Rourke and join Milo.

Kida is a girl who meets Milo in Atlantis. She is the daughter of the King of Atlantis and was alive when Atlantis fell. Her mother was taken by a strange power as Atlantis fell into the ocean. She is very forceful and inquisitive and hopes that the people from the surface can help their people. The king, on the other hand, is very wary of the surface dwellers and is very protective of her. He doesn't want her taken like her mother was. While Kida has an interesting back story, she really doesn't get a ton of screen time. She only shows up halfway through the movie and then gets taken by the power shortly after that. I don't think we got a real clear idea of who she is. Most of the time she's there they focus on her bonding with Milo. I don't think they had fantastic chemistry but the romance didn't feel too forced either.

Commander Rourke actually comes off as a good guy before. It seemed he cared about the crew and respected Milo's grandfather but he later reveals that he just did it all for the money. He really just ended up being a standard villain when they could have done something more interesting. He had better reasons for wanting to take everything. They started with 200 people and almost all of them died, it would make sense that he would want to finish the mission for those people. Instead, they made him another generic villain with an obsession with money. His lieutenant Helga was even worse. They made a point to have her bring up that they didn't know people would be down there, but she doesn't do anything about it. She got no character development at all.

This movie really went back to the kind of epic scenery and gorgeous visuals of other Disney movies. The whole thing has a kind of Star Wars vibe, not with it's story but just it's tone. It feels like a big adventure, they use the iconic Star Wars wipes to transition between scenes and even Rourke's soldiers have a Storm Trooper idea to them. On top of that, Milo even goes through a Luke Sywalker-esque transformation from geeky linguist to Atlantian warrior. The score really worked for this movie as well and the choice to avoid the musical style again worked for this movie. They really could have kept the big submarine they leave on the adventure from, instead of having it get destroyed almost immediately. That scene could have been really great if they had had some more adventures with it. The world they created is really interesting but they fill it with so much complication that it just gets bogged down. Things just seem to happen because it's pretty but you rarely actually know what's happening.

The big struggle in this movie is when Milo wants to study Atlantis but Rourke is only interested in money. Milo brings up the question to the crew earlier and sees that he seems to be the only one that is on the adventure for the adventure and knowledge. It's a really great moment when the crew changes their minds and decide to help Milo. Unfortunately, this immediately gets ruined by the people of Atlantis giving them the riches they wanted. It just ruins the message. They also spend too much time setting up red herrings that Rourke isn't a bad guy. It doesn't make sense when Milo is so shocked by Rourke revealing his plan since that was the plan from the beginning. Some of the opening lines are spoken b Milo saying he wants to find the power source and bring it to the surface. They had no reason to think there would be people in Atlantis but Milo should have realized Rourke's plan and tried to convince him not to go through with it.

So this movie wasn't horrible. I liked the characters and how some of them changed but the cast was just way too big. The story itself was just a mess. There is way too much going on and it gets super overcomplicated. Way too much happens without a clear idea of what's going on just because it would make for a pretty scene. They also take too long to get to the actual story with the discovery of Atlantis happening when the movie is halfway over. It just sucks because this movie did have so much potential. They created a really cool world with some interesting characters but they got way too wrapped up in the details and made a story that is way too complicated.

41 down. 12 to go.

I'm sorry, but you've thrown off the Emperor's groove - The Emperor's New Groove

40 – The Emperor's New Groove

Originally titled Kingdom of the Sun, 2000's The Emperor's New Groove went through a very troubled development process. It ended up being very different than any of the other Disney Classics I've reviewed so far. The story is about a very self centered and spoiled Emperor named Kuzco who wants to destroy a village to build a big summer home. He is then turned into a Llama by his, recently fired, advisor Yzma. Yzma's partner, Kronk, fails to dispose of Kuzco properly and ends up being found by Pacha, the leader of the village Kuzco wants to build his summer home on. With Pacha's reluctant help, Kuzco has to return to the kingdom and let everyone know he is still alive and turn back into a human.

Kuzco gets turned into a llama early on in the story but we get a really good idea of who he is before that. We see that he is incredibly self centered and spoiled. He has a pretty big mean side too as he punishes an old man by throwing him out the palace window because the old man ruined his “groove.” On top of that, he has absolutely no problem destroying a whole village just for his summer home. He calls Pacha in just to ask him what angle the hilltop village gets the best light in. As a llama, he really needs Pacha's help to get back to the palace. He does anything he can to try to get Pacha to help him and resists changing his self centered ways. Despite that, he bonds a lot with Pacha during the story and does, in fact, change but I'll talk more about that later.

Pacha is very kind and the direct opposite of Kuzco. They use a really clever storytelling device to show that by having him help the old man that Kuzco throws out the palace window. He is quite poor but very satisfied with his life. As he is leaving the palace, Kuzco ends up on his cart when Kronk loses him. When he finds him at the village, Kuzco asks for his help. Pacha sees the opportunity to make a deal with Kuzco so he doesn't destroy his village. Even though Kuzco refuses, Pacha can't help how kind he is and goes to save Kuzco from a bunch of panthers. He really believes everyone has good in them and tries to see that in Kuzco, though Kuzco makes it very difficult for him at times. He bonds with Kuzco on the journey and teaches Kuzco a lot about being a good person.

Yzma and Kronk are just a fantastic duo who chase Kuzco and Pacha trying to kill Kuzco before he reveals that he is still alive. Yzma is shown to be quite power hungry in the beginning, getting caught by Kuzco sitting in his chair doing his job. She gets fired for this and swears vengeance. With Kronk, she invites Kuzco to dinner and tries to poison him. Kronk accidentally slips him a potion that doesn't kill Kuzco but turns him into a llama. The two characters are really funny together. Yzma is very silly and plays up her evil scientist role and it's great. Kronk is a total idiot but he's super lovable and has some of the funniest scenes in the movie. He isn't really a villain and keeps getting stopped by his conscience which literally appear as an angel and demon on his shoulder. Despite being constantly berated by Yzma, he stands by her and does her bidding, even though he can't quite bring himself to kill the defenseless Kuzco when he has the chance. Kronk is a real stand out character with some really funny moments and an array of ridiculous hobbies (like cooking, bird watching and talking to squirrels) that really elevate him to be more interesting than most of the comic relief characters of the past.

Pacha's family also plays a part in the movie. Chicha is Pacha's kind and strong wife. She is a really great character and has no problem handling Yzma when Pacha needs help. She is a great mother to Chaca and Tipo, her daughter and son, who are very cute and inquisitive. They have some really great scenes when they play with Kronk while Yzma is pretending to be a distant relative of Pacha's. These characters really serve to show how nice Pacha's life is and how it would suck if Kuzco took that away from them. It also helps you like Pacha more, not that that was very necessary since they do such a good job setting up his character. I really like that they took the effort to make these characters great, even though they only appear for such a little amount of time.

This movie is definitely the funniest Disney movie I've seen so far. It's very fast paced and the jokes never let up. Despite that, it still has some legitimately emotional moments. The movie definitely has heart. You care about Pacha and the trouble he's facing with Kuzco and you even come to care about Kuzco when he starts getting his act together. Even the villains are fun. I definitely never felt bored watching this one. The animation isn't quite as ambitious as past movies but it's still really great and the characters move really well. The music fits the mood of this movie perfectly too.

A really interesting thing about this movie is that it doesn't really feel very much like a Disney movie. It actively rejects a lot of Disney tropes and movie tropes in general. There isn't a shoehorned romance, it's just a story about two guys who grow to become great friends. They make fun of some things like map scenes leaving dotted lines and when the heroes go down a massive waterfall and live. The biggest theme in this movie is definitely the idea of friendship. Kuzco is super self centered at first but changes gradually as he starts to care more about Pacha. Pacha doesn't give up on Kuzco and his friendship really changes Kuzco. The way they bond throughout the movie is really fantastic too when they are forced to work together and triumph together. The end is really great when they call back to those moments.

This movie really benefits from the small cast. It feels so much more focused and dense than a lot of other Disney movies. There's a lot going on. It's funny from beginning to end and the style is just great. With all the style, it still remembers to give you characters you can care about and still has a ton of heart. I love myself a traditionally animated Disney Classic but I'm so glad this movie ended up so different than the standard Disney movie. It's a great change of pace and it worked so well.

40 down. 13 to go.