The End of an Era - Tarzan

37 – Tarzan

So here we are at the final film of the Disney Renaissance Era with 1999's Tarzan. The story is about a baby who becomes orphaned and raised by apes. He grows up and tries to prove that he is a good ape, despite his appearance, to the alpha male in his group. He then meets a group of humans that are there to study apes. He has to decide if he is going to stay with his ape family, or go with his own kind.

Tarzan is the young boy who grows up with the Gorillas. He feels very different from his family and begins the story as a bit of an outcast. He is, however, very eager to show that he's just as good as his peers which gets him into some trouble. After some struggling, he finally proves that he belongs to everyone but the alpha male of the group, Kerchak. This really hurts him and makes him feel like he really doesn't belong with the group. His adoptive mother, Kala, tries to convince him otherwise which makes Tarzan try to prove himself to Kerchak for years. When he is a bit older, he finally meets some other humans that are there to study apes. There are some really fantastic scenes where he learns from them by imitating what they say and how they act. He finally feels like he might belong somewhere but is still so different from the other humans he still doesn't fully belong. He finds himself in a very difficult situation where he has to choose whether he will stay loyal to his group or go with the humans.

One of these humans, Jane, is the daughter of Professor Porter who is there to study the gorillas. She is very kind and fascinated by the jungle. She meets Tarzan when he saves her from a baboon attack. She is much less of an action girl like some of the other heroines in the Disney Renaissance. She really grows to like Tarzan and starts struggling with her feelings. She doesn't know if she should stay with Tarzan or go back to where she thinks she belongs, England. Jane isn't the greatest heroine of the Disney Renaissance but you really see how she grows and comes to care about Tarzan. Their relationship definitely feels less shoehorned than Mulan and Shang's. The relationship ends up being central to the story because it adds conflict in whether Tarzan should leave with them or if Jane should stay with Tarzan. Clayton even uses his knowledge of Tarzan's feelings to take advantage of him to get him to show where the gorillas are by saying Jane will stay if Tarzan does.

Clayton is an impatient hunter who is hired by the Professor to protect them on their journey in the jungle. He later reveals that his real plan was to capture the gorillas and take them back to England to sell. He is very violent and quick to shoot his gun at anything that might pop out at them. I don't think he was a fantastic villain but his reasons for capturing the gorillas was good enough for me. It still would have been nice to get more backstory about him since he just ends up being yet another angry hunter villain in the long line of angry Disney hunter villains. Sabor is a leopard and minor villain that kills Tarzan's real parents as well as Kala and Kerchak's son. He pops up every now and then and Tarzan really proves himself capable when he gets in a fight with Sabor, protecting his group and defeating her.

Kerchak and Kala lose their son early on to Sabor. Kala later finds Tarzan in the treehouse his family made shortly after they were killed by Sabor. Kala then protects Tarzan from Sabor and brings him back to the group to be her son. Kerchak can't accept him and thinks that Kala is just trying to fill a hole left by the death of their son. Kala is a really great mother to Tarzan and tries to reassure him that even if they look different, they are still the same and still a family. They really get some great scenes together. The standout being when Kala sings a lullaby to the baby Tarzan. You really see how much she worries about him when he meets the human group. She's simultaneously worried that he'll get hurt and also worried that he'll leave her. Kerchak, on the other hand, doesn't even accept Tarzan as an ape, much less a son. He cared very deeply for his child and it's clear that he isn't treating Tarzan like that just because he's a jerk. He just has a much harder time seeing past Tarzan's appearance.

Terk and Tantor are Tarzan's friends. Terk is a fellow gorilla and doesn't like Tarzan very much at first. When Tarzan tries to tag along he challenges him to try to get an elephant hair, knowing that it's incredibly dangerous and only a crazy person would try it. Tarzan, eager to prove himself, does so and almost gets killed in the process. This ends up getting Tarzan accepted by his peers for his bravery and also where he meets Tantor, a young elephant. From then on, Terk, Tantor and Tarzan are friends and are almost always together. Terk and Tantor provide mostly comic relief but have some really great serious scenes too. Terk is definitely not able to articulate her feelings very well and gets angry at Tarzan for abandoning them. Tantor is very paranoid and timid but cares a lot about Tarzan and Terk. He later has a great scene where he slaps some sense into Terk when Tarzan is in trouble and Terk still feels hurt about being abandoned so she won't do anything about it. They were really great characters and they definitely didn't take anything away from the movie.

The movie overall has a serious tone similar to Mulan. The animation really takes a step up again, however. They really use some great lighting and the jungle just looks amazing. There are some fantastic exciting, sometimes funny, action scenes. The music, by Phil Collins, is really great and he just did a fantastic job capturing the emotions of the characters. It doesn't feel as musical as some of the other movies, especially because the characters are almost never the ones singing, but I thought it was a good choice for this movie. The score is also really fantastic with clear, and very cool, African influences. The music, overall, is just way more consistently great compared to Mulan.

The themes in this movie are really great too although they aren't really anything we haven't seen before. A really big idea is the idea of family and how it goes much deeper than blood. Tarzan loves Kala but never quite feels like he belongs. Kala would do anything for Tarzan and it doesn't matter at all that he isn't actually an ape. The characters also really struggle with finding where they belong in the world. Tarzan is the most obvious example of this since he isn't an ape but tries so hard to act like one. When he meets humans, he finds that he doesn't quite fit in with them either. Jane also struggles because she falls in love with Tarzan and wants to stay with him but can't seem to get over the fact that she thinks she belongs in England. She doesn't even really state any clear reasons for it other than she just thinks she belongs there.

This movie was a really great end to this era. I really didn't have any major problems with it and I think it stands up to the earlier movies in this era like Aladdin and The Lion King. Having seen all the movies in this era now, I have to say that my favorite is still Beauty and the Beast. It'll be interesting moving on from here since I'll be seeing movies that I'm less familiar with again.

37 down. 16 to go.

Let's Get Down To Business - Mulan

36 – Mulan

Today's movie takes us somewhere we've technically been before, at least for a few minutes in Aladdin. 1998's Mulan, set in China, is about a young girl who disguises herself as a man to join the Chinese army so her father doesn't have to. The story takes her through a journey to save China from the invading Huns and find out who she really is.

Before I talk about Mulan, the story really begins with her proud father who is a bit ashamed of his daughter because she can't seem to get the hang of being able to act like their idea of a proper woman. He still cares very deeply about her but holds his family's honor very high. When he gets called to war, he doesn't hesitate, which is unfortunate because his age and frailty from fighting in another war would surely get him killed. This brings Mulan in who is a very strong and smart character but just can't seem to fit in. I know, “a character who doesn't fit in”, Disney hasn't ever used that trope before or anything but Mulan actually finds herself in an interesting situation. She's stuck because she can't just choose a new path in life because her only choice is to try to fit into the role that society needs her to but she can't. Her choice to disguise herself to go to war for her father is really interesting. It seems, at first, like a really selfless thing to do that couldn't possibly help her situation out but she later admits that she took the challenge partially to prove herself capable of doing anything right. I really got behind her because she seems to really want to make her family happy but struggles so much to find a way to do that while still being happy with herself.

Of course, Mulan doesn't save China all by herself. Her family's spirits try to get the dragon Mushu to wake a guardian but when he fails, he decides to take up the call himself. Although he's not technically a guardian anymore for his past failures, he still wants to prove himself and become a guardian again. He provides most of the comedy in the movie as he seems to get Mulan in trouble any time he tries to help. When he finally fesses up to Mulan that he's not really a guardian, he becomes way more useful. He starts to let her take the lead a bit and proves that he can actually be useful and supportive. He has some pretty awesome moments but I feel like he could have used a bit more character development. I wanted to see that he really cared about Mulan by showing that he wasn't as selfish about his situation anymore.

Mulan is lead by Captain Li Shang, the son of the General of China's forces. He is very strong and strict and whips the recruits into shape. He, like Mulan, respects his father greatly and tries to live up to his reputation. He really doesn't tolerate failure which makes Mulan push even harder to prove herself. His role is to really inspire Mulan to get better and give her something to work toward. Otherwise, he's kind of boring. The best parts with him are when he breaks his character a bit and loosens up. You see him change throughout the movie which is really great because he has such a military vibe. It's good to know he does have a heart. Of course, he also becomes Mulan's love interest, but I'll talk more about that later.

Shan Yu is the villain of the story. He is the leader of the Huns and has a badass pet falcon named Hayabusa. He is very cruel and confident of his power. He never really loses his cool and seems to revel in how powerless China's forces are to stopping him. He isn't afraid of China or doing horrible things like burning down entire villages. I do wish we had seen some more motivation for his actions. It feels a bit cartoony when you see a villain who can do such horrible things but they don't make his reasoning for doing so very clear. I get that he wants to kill the emperor and conquer China but I wanted to see something a bit more personal out of him. Gaston was a jealous jerk. Scar was power hungry and sick of his brother and nephew taking all the spotlight. It would have been good to get a bit more personality like that from Shan Yu.

This movie also has it's fair share of side characters but I don't think any of them really got on my nerves. There's this great little cricket character who has some legitimately funny scenes. He never pops in to ruin the mood or anything. There are Ling, Yao and Chien-Po who really do a bunch of stuff. They are the main examples Mulan gets for what “men” are like. You get to see how they change and grow by the end, even following Mulan's orders and dressing in drag. The Emperor is a very wise and proud man. He doesn't get too much screen time but he does his job. Chi-fu is the Emperor's big douche adviser who is incredibly sexist and a huge stick in the mud. He was so antagonistic that he felt a bit like a Pre Disney Renaissance villain. His presence, however, didn't really hurt to me because it just made Mulan's victory better for having to face even more adversity.

The animation in this movie is really good, though it still lacks that grandeur from The Hunchback of Notre Dame and before. There are some really great moments when they use a style similar to Chinese art, but it doesn't happen nearly enough. It only really happens in one music sequence. The music, speaking of which, is pretty middle of the road for me. The score is great and mixes Chinese instruments and ideas. Sometimes it doesn't mesh really well but it makes for an interesting style. The songs all work but the lyrics are a bit literal sometimes and definitely not as great as some of the classics from before. The sequences are fun, however, and definitely give you a good idea of what's going on. The pacing of the movie was really great. They used emotions really well like showing a fun singing scene that transitions right into them stumbling upon a village that was burned down by the Huns.

There are some really great themes in this movie too. Honor is a huge part of the movie with Li Shang wanting to live up to his father's reputation, Mushu looking for redemption after losing his guardian position and, of course, Mulan trying to bring honor to her family. They really have an interesting take on identity and gender roles too. Mulan really doesn't know who she is at the beginning of the movie except that she isn't the perfect woman she thinks she should be. She really struggles to prove herself and finds that she's better when she's not trying to be something she's not. Mushu also finds that he isn't really great at being a guardian while he's lying about it but he definitely gets better when he tells the truth and steps back a bit.

I definitely had some problems with this movie. The music definitely isn't as strong as some of the classics, like I mentioned before. The romance subplot they stuck in felt a bit weak too. Shang thought Mulan was a guy for half the movie, so they didn't exactly have a chance for any romance before then. It just felt a bit shoehorned in. It was good to see a different side of Shang but I don't think it was very necessary. They also don't spend a ridiculous amount of time on it, so that could be why it didn't feel as developed. It's better than the alternative though, spending way too much time on a romance no one cares about. Overall, I really liked this movie. I feel like the quality is starting to take a dip compared to Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King, but I still really care about the characters they create.

36 down. 17 to go.

Go The Distance - Hercules

35 – Hercules

After the ridiculously dark Hunchback of Notre Dame, it's almost jarring watching the lighthearted 1997 movie Hercules. The story is about a young boy who feels like he doesn't belong anywhere. Also he has superhuman strength. He finds out that he is actually a son of Zeus but was taken away from Mount Olympus and made a mortal (that's A mortal, not immortal). To take his rightful place in Mount Olympus he needs to prove that he is a true hero which will make him a full god again.

The young boy, Hercules, is outcast by his society and decides to find out who he really is and where he belongs. When Zeus tells him his goal, it's really great to see him actually work for it and change from a scrawny and clumsy guy to a real hero, who is also clumsy sometimes. He is really determined and a bit naïve but it really reflects his simplistic idea of heroism and his, almost single-minded, attempts to become a hero. He really reminds me of Superman in a lot of ways (which I'm sure is a comparison that has never been made before). Superman isn't a hero because he has powers but because he would be willing to help people even if he didn't have those powers.

The person, or satyr, that Hercules gets to help him is Philoctetes, or Phil. Phil very reluctantly takes Hercules as a student since he has put his faith in too many heroes that let him down. He has a pretty serious and gruff personality but does his best to teach Hercules as best he can. He gave up on his dreams because of those failures and Hercules is his last chance to make a true hero. It's really clear that he grows to care about Hercules beyond that and really wants to look out for him.

Megara, or Meg, appears as a woman that Hercules saves and falls for. She actually turns out to be a woman who sold her soul to Hades, God of the Underworld, to bring back her lover from the dead only for him to run off with another woman. This leads her to become pretty guarded about who she trusts. She's also very independent and likes to take care of herself. Hades then uses her to get close to Hercules to spy on him and find out if he has any weaknesses. Needless to say, this hurts Hercules a lot when he finds out. It's interesting to see a Disney heroine not only not look for love but actively avoiding falling in love. It's interesting and it makes it better when she does finally admit that she loves Hercules.

Hades is very different from his Greek legend origins but they needed a villain and he's the most logical choice. His big plan revolves around releasing the Titans that Zeus defeated to take back Olympus. He gets a prophecy from the three Fates that he will succeed unless Hercules manages to stop him. This causes him to kidnap Hercules as a baby and make him a mortal so that his minions, Pain and Panic, can kill him. They fail and Hercules ends up getting adopted by two mortal humans. When he finds out that Hercules is still alive he throws everything he possibly can at him but gets defeated at every turn. He finally finds out that Hercules' biggest weakness is Meg herself so he offers him her freedom for Hercules to be powerless for 24 hours. He's a really interesting take on a villain. He talks very fast and is actually quite cowardly but he has tons of resources and is very smart. James Woods did a really good job making Hades feel almost more sleazy than villainous at times, which really works for this character. He does, however, have these moments of extreme anger that definitely push him more to villainous.

On top of these characters there is Zeus, God of Mount Olympus. He's basically the one that gives Hercules his mission to become a true hero and thus become a god. He also made Pegasus, Hercules' best friend who helps him out on his adventure. Pegasus was mostly there for comic relief but I didn't mind him because he helped so much and the jokes actually fit the tone of the movie. Hades' minions Pain and Panic were definitely more annoying but I didn't mind them that much either since they were really involved with the story. The Muses are the narrators of the story and they are fantastic. They sing all of their narration in these great Gospel/Soul inspired music that is so different from what you'd expect in a movie about ancient Greece.

This movie's greatest asset is it's style. The character designs are really interesting and different from other Disney movies, being inspired by Greek art. The Music, as I mentioned before, is really great. Every sequence moved the story forward and really kept the tone of the movie going. I never felt like they played a sequence just for laughs. There are tons of pop culture references and modern day comparisons like the City of Thebes being similar to modern day New York City. Those little references were fun and just added to the really cool anachronistic style the movie has. The whole movie is just way more lighthearted than The Hunchback of Notre Dame which really benefits it. This movie could have been really boring if they played it like a normal Greek Tragedy. If there was any problem, it's that there really wasn't a ton of action. The movie isn't really as visually spectacular in that way like Hunchback or Aladdin.

I also wish that Hercules' adoptive parents could have shown up more. They really seemed like they were important to each other but they sort of dropped off the face of the earth after Hercules leaves to become a hero. They also kind of took the easy way out choosing Hades as the villain. The third act of the movie is also pretty weak. Hercules loses his power only to get it back pretty quickly and defeats the Titans with basically no problem. The whole final act just feels a bit disjointed. I wish they could have tied Meg getting hurt for Hercules, Hercules fighting the Titans and Hercules saving Meg from the underworld to become a God a bit better. Compared to Hunchback, however, they tied the love story of Meg and Hercules together way better. It actually matters in the context of the story that they love each other since it creates a weakness for Hades to exploit. They really explored the concept of being a hero well too. The whole story is Hercules trying to become a hero but he only really becomes one when he's not thinking about that and sacrifices himself for the sake of someone he loves.

Overall, the movie is super stylish while being a creative and refreshing take on ancient Greek stories. It's in no way accurate to those stories but it's a fun movie that tries to figure out what being a hero really is. It's not as ambitious as The Hunchback of Notre Dame but they definitely tried to make Hercules have a unique voice. It might be more style than substance, sure, but I think this movie really feels like it has more heart (and definitely more soul) than Hunchback.

35 down. 18 to go.

This is an unholy demon. I'm sending it back to hell, where it belongs. - The Hunchback of Notre Dame

34 – The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Today's movie is 1996's The Hunchback of Notre Dame which, like Pocahontas, has a bit of a reputation. It seems to have been better received than Pocahontas overall by reviewers when it came out but I don't think I've ever heard anyone say anything kind about this movie in person. Obviously, I don't know every person in the world so it's hardly scientific but I did wonder why this movie either never got mentioned or got so much hate when I asked people. After watching the movie, and reading some of those reviews, I have a theory as to why it was so well received at first.

The story is based on Victor Hugo's novel of the same name. At least, it's loosely based since it's a Victor Hugo novel, which means that nearly everyone dies by the end. It begins with a deformed baby whose mother was killed by the Judge Claude Frollo. He then goes to kill the baby for being an “unholy demon” but is convinced by the Archdeacon to atone for his sin of killing an innocent woman by taking it and raising it himself. He does, however he does it while convincing the poor boy that he is a monster who should never leave the Notre Dame bell tower or he will face all the evil people in the world. Twenty years later, the young man, Quasimodo, dreams of leaving the bell tower but is afraid of disobeying his master. One day, he finally decides to leave to join a festival but ends up getting humiliated by the people. He is saved by a kind gypsy named Esmerelda and falls in love with her. He then has to help her escape Frollo, who has also developed a bit of an obsession with her. Basically, just your average feel good Disney romp for the family...

Quasimodo has to have the saddest story I've ever heard of for a Disney protagonist. His mother is killed by Frollo for being a gypsy and is then almost killed by Frollo only to have him adopt him and raise him thinking that he's a monster who would never be accepted by society. You really feel bad for him because despite his awful upbringing he has developed into a really great person. It's also really hard to know what he should do since his only attempt to join society ends up ridiculously badly for him. You still want him to be successful but it's hard to see how he'll accomplish that. Unfortunately, the story doesn't focus on his journey nearly enough. It keeps jumping between him, Frollo being a dick, the boring romance between Esmerelda and Captain Phoebus, and these idiot gargoyles that Quasimodo is friends with.

Frollo, who I think I mentioned is a dick, is the most evil Disney villain I've ever seen. On top of all the horrible crap he does to Quasimodo, he's incredibly prejudiced against gypsies and he's absurdly cruel. He kills people and burns down houses with absolutely no problem. He gets a weird attraction to Esmerelda but he kind of hates himself for it because he hates gypsies so much. I appreciate dark villains but this guy was just so evil that he sort of crosses into ridiculous sometimes. This happens mostly because of misplaced humor but I'll get to that later. He is very scary and commands a ton of power. This is very different from Ratcliffe from Pocahontas. That's great because when Quasimodo does finally triumph over him, it really feels like it was a tough battle.

Esmerelda is a very kind gypsy who offers help to Quasimodo when he gets humiliated by the villagers. Later, she finds that she needs help from him to escape Notre Dame and Frollo. She tries to convince Quasimodo that he isn't a monster and their friendship is a highlight of the story. Or at least it would be if they spent more than five minutes on it. She ends up getting a really weird and out of place romance with one of Frollo's soldiers, Captain Phoebus. Why would they take focus away from her relationship with Quasimodo? They needed to make their theme clear, that what's inside a person is much more important than what's outside.

Captain Phoebus is just a cookie cutter hero that you can see in countless other Disney movies. He falls for Esmerelda immediately and disapproves of Frollo killing innocent people. I will give him credit in that I never felt like he was only disobeying Frollo for Esmerelda's sake. Otherwise he's kind of a boring hero at best and at worst he takes focus away from the real hero, Quasimodo. I really feel like they just needed a good looking hero to make the movie more palatable.

This movie goes back to an old tradition of Disney I haven't seen for awhile; horrible side characters. Victor, Hugo (HAHA, get it??) and Laverne are three gargoyle friends of Quasimodo who help convince him to join the Festival of Fools in the beginning of the movie. They are otherwise totally pointless and only pop up to spout off some inappropriate jokes. They're there to lighten the mood because the story is so dark but it just feels awkward when they pop up and start complaining about pigeons when people are DYING. They had some humor between Quasimodo and Phoebus that I think worked really well and they could have had more of that, rather than waste time with these guys. Clopin is the narrator of the story and leader of the gypsies. He sings a bunch of songs and is actually fairly interesting but they don't do much with him. Djali is Esmerelda's completely pointless pet goat. Finally, the archdeacon is the one who saves Quasimodo as a baby and tries to uphold justice against Frollo. He grants Esmerelda sanctuary in the church from Frollo and tells her to pray for help.

If one thing is undeniably great about this movie, it's the animation. The shots of Notre Dame and Paris are just beautiful. The music really isn't bad either but the story was so weak, the music suffered. When Esmerelda sing-prays to God it just feels out of place and strange. That religious angle definitely comes from the source material but it feels so random and out of place in this version. The songs are mostly, and fittingly, dark except one really pointless one by the gargoyles. I can't really say much more. The music isn't terrible but they really didn't know what they wanted to say.

The major theme of this movie was that a person can't be judged on their appearance. Quasimodo was the biggest example of that but Esmerelda fit as well since she was a kindhearted gypsy which didn't fit with the way most people thought of gypsies. Frollo also fits since he was supposed to be a Judge but isn't exactly fair about who he punishes. Phoebus even fits since he's supposed to be a Captain that only follows orders but goes against them for justice. They then tried to fit in that awkward romance between Esmerelda and Phoebus. They made this weird internal battle for Frollo about being attracted to Esmerelda. I don't think that Quasimodo and Esmerelda needed to end up together but they really needed to explore their friendship more. On top of that, the random humor just feels so out of place. It doesn't mix well like they mixed the darkness and humor of Beauty and the Beast. I get it, it's hard to adapt a super dark story like this and make it kid friendly too. The result they got was just bi-polar and it feels like it doesn't commit one way or the other.

So why was it well received if it is such a mess of a movie? Well, I could be wrong. If I'm not, however, I think that the themes it deals with were just brand new to people for a kid's movie. You can forgive it's shortcomings if it, at least, tries to say something new that we haven't heard before. I think it's just a weak story that doesn't deal with the issues it chose very well. The problem isn't that the movie is dark, for me, the problem is that the movie doesn't feel sincere. I feel like a group of people just sat around with a copy of Victor Hugo's novel, added a bunch of characters to make the movie more kid friendly, wrote the story, then stuck a bunch of “funny” scenes in between to make it less depressing. The movie should have focused on Quasimodo and his struggle to prove that he is a good person. I think it did that, to an extent, but got filled in with needless gargoyles, a half baked romance and a borderline cartoonish villain.

34 down. 19 to go.

Can you paint with all the colors of the wind? - Pocahontas

33 – Pocahontas

Pocahontas is the 33^rd movie in the Disney Animated Classics series. It was made in 1995 and it's considered a part of the Disney Renaissance era. The movie is about a young Native American woman named Pocahontas who meets an Englishman named John Smith in 1607. She then has to teach John about her world and try to prevent an imminent war from breaking out between her people and his.

Pocahontas is introduced as adventurous and playful while she struggles to find her own path in life. When she meets John Smith, she becomes fascinated with him and tries to learn about his life while teaching him about hers. When the threat of violence starts creeping up on them, she wants to find a way to stop it at all costs. She kind of loses that quality of playfulness she has when she's introduced which is a big shame. This would have set her apart from the other Disney princesses in the Disney Renaissance. It's still good that she's not a weak character and has strong beliefs but I feel like she isn't as unique as the other heroines that there have been other than her culture. She is, by no means, a bad character but I would have liked to see her keep that playful quality as it would have made her more interesting and her relationship with John more interesting.

John Smith is very brave and goes looking for adventure which is very different from his English allies. They came looking for fortune but he is only interested in being challenged by the wilderness and danger. He starts off with the same preconceived notions about Native Americans, however, calling them “savages.” He doesn't change his ways completely until he meets Pocahontas and takes an immediate liking to her. He also doesn't want fighting to start and tries to convince the evil Governor Ratcliffe not to start one. When Ratcliffe refuses, he goes against his orders and sees Pocahontas to warn her. The story really focuses on his trying to understand Native American people but I really didn't feel like he changes a lot. He still retains a clear sarcastic attitude and I wish he could have displayed how much he changed more. I'm glad he retained his personality but I would have liked to see him more connected to nature. I wish they had shown that he really understands, rather than just letting Pocahontas lead him to the answers.

Governor Ratcliffe was not the greatest villain I've seen in the Disney Renaissance so far. He is very self centered, two faced, and wants to try to find gold in the new world. He has been disgraced in the past so this is his last chance to make a name for himself. He becomes obsessed with his goal and when he finds that there is no gold where they settled, he becomes convinced that the Native Americans have it all. Rather than scheming, he is more of an opportunist who uses the events of whats going on to lie and further his plans. By the end, you really get the sense that he isn't much of a threat. He doesn't command the respect of his troops and just ends up being a sad, desperate man.

Pocahontas is joined by a ton of side characters. Her friends are Meeko, the raccoon, and Flit, the hummingbird. Flit doesn't like strangers but grows to like John by the end. Meeko likes to hang around Pocahontas and John and loves food. This causes him to have a bit of an antagonistic relationship with Percy, Ratcliffe's spoiled dog, as Meeko likes to steal Percy's food. They're all really there for comic relief but I wish they hadn't spent so much time on them. I'm glad they at least tie Meeko and Percy into the story later as examples that people who are fighting can't look past their differences until they stop. Pocahontas also frequently goes to a weeping willow tree name Grandmother Willow for advice. She was a pretty cool character who provided some funny moments but also guided Pocahontas into finding her own answers.

Pocahontas' father is the Chief of their tribe, Chief Powhatan. He clearly cares deeply for Pocahontas but gives up a bit too easily when he learns they might need to fight the Englishmen. He shows that even the Native Americans have preconceived notions about the Englishmen and is not willing to give them a chance at first. He finally does by the end when Pocahontas pleads with him. Kocoum is a warrior from Pocahontas' tribe that asks her father for Pocahontas' hand in marriage. He is very serious, which Pocahontas doesn't really like. He meets a sad fate when he gets jealous over Pocahontas and John's relationship. Otherwise, he doesn't really get much of a personality. He ends up being killed by Thomas, one of the British Settlers who has a family back home. He is saved by John early on and seems like he doesn't quite fit in with the rest of the group. He gets bullied by the Governor frequently and tries to prove himself. Later on, he finally steps forward and opposes the Governor. I really liked his development in the story but they really didn't spend enough time with him.

I really enjoyed the music in this movie. It was clearly inspired by Native American sounds, though it lacks the distinct style of Aladdin and The Lion King music. I could hear the inspiration at times but sometimes it got lost. I would have liked to hear more contrast between the Native American's themes and the British Settler's themes. The lyrics could get a bit literal and heavy handed about their message too. The score is still fantastic and really heightens all the drama in the movie. The animation sequences are all beautiful and the characters look really good. This movie is interesting in how it's so colorful compared to some of the past Disney movies.

As far as themes go, I really appreciate that they tried to tackle a pretty difficult subject. I feel like the conflict just wasn't there at times. It was a bit too easy for Pocahontas to stop her father and Governor Ratcliffe was just too much of a pushover. I also didn't really like that they emphasized that Pocahontas and John could only be together when the fighting stopped. They should realize that there are way more important things going on than their romance. At the end of the movie, I think they do know that but it just confuses the message when they make that such an important part of the movie. The movie also kind of loses it's fun partway through but they still put these weird, out of place humorous moments. The movie fizzles out near the end when Pocahontas stops the big confrontation. Though that was the point of the movie, I feel like it was just a bit too easy for her and there needed to be something more.

Despite my complaints, I liked this movie more than I thought I would. I never really loved this movie and I know it has a bit of a reputation for being one of the weaker Disney Renaissance movies but it impressed me overall. I don't think it stands up with Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin or The Lion King, but it is a way better effort than their pre-renaissance works. 

33 down. 20 to go.

 

Hakuna Matata - The Lion King

32 – The Lion King

When I was a kid, 1994's The Lion King was one of my all time favorites. This is one of the first movies that I ever saw in theaters, though I can't remember what I thought then. This whole time I've been reviewing these movies, this one has been on the back of my mind. Beauty and the Beast proved to be way better than I remembered it so I wondered how this one would go.

A young lion, Simba, is born to the King of the Pride Lands, Mufasa. His uncle, Scar, is jealous of Simba and plans to usurp the throne for himself. Scar lures Simba into a gorge and has his hyena allies create a stampede of wildebeest that almost kill Simba. Before they can, Mufasa manages to rescue Simba but is dropped into the gorge by Scar. Simba, having not seen Scar kill Mufasa, believes he is the reason that his father died and is told by Scar to run away. Simba escapes death from the hyenas and meets Timon and Pumbaa, a meerkat and warthog, who teach Simba a new life philosophy. While he grows up with this new philosophy of “no worries,” the Pride Lands fall into drought and famine under Scar's rule. Simba's childhood friend, Nala, happens to find him while she is looking for a solution to the problem. Simba then has to face his past and remember who he is to confront Scar and take his rightful place as king.

Simba, as a cub, starts the story pretty arrogant and impatient. His big goal is to finally become king so he doesn't have to listen to people like Zazu, Mufasa's hornbill majordomo. He really wants to prove that he's brave like his father but he does so by disobeying his father's orders. He ends up going to an elephant graveyard where he, Nala and Zazu are almost killed by hyenas. Luckily, he is saved by his father. He changes completely once he thinks that he is responsible for his father's death. He is racked by guilt even after he learns about Hakuna Matata, the philosophy of no worries, from Timon and Pumbaa. He totally gives up the responsibility that he was so desperate for before. He decides that running away is better than facing his past but it's clear that he still feels a deep guilt that is stopping him from taking responsibility. He has a really interesting story in how he starts the story so overconfident, then loses it all only to have to regain it by the end.

Mufasa is Simba's wise a strong father. He is loved dearly by the kingdom and is a great king. He tries to guide Simba and give him advice to becoming a better king and person (lion?). His death affects Simba greatly although he makes sure to let Simba know that he will always watch over him, even when he's gone. Simba feels so much guilt from his death that he seems to think that Mufasa wouldn't want to watch over him. He later appears as a vision to Simba to remind him to remember who Simba really is. While he's alive, he has a really great relationship for Simba. They get along really well and can play around and Mufasa protects Simba intensely. This really makes it heartbreaking when he does die, especially after the frantic and tense scene that precedes it.

Scar is Mufasa's younger brother and Simba's uncle. While Scar isn't as strong physically as Mufasa, his mind makes up for it. His greatest weapon is his silver tongue. He's interesting compared to other Disney villains as he gets everything he wants simply by talking. The only problem comes later when he needs more than words to get what he needs done. He makes allies with the hyenas, led by Shenzi, Banzai and Ed, and promises that if they help him become king, they won't ever go hungry again. It was interesting seeing their strange relationship as it changed throughout the movie. They start as allies but the hyenas start to doubt him when he can't come through with his promise to keep them fed. They turn to downright hating him when he throws them under the bus and blames them for the Pride Lands problems.

Simba left behind many friends when he ran from home. One of these was Zazu, who tries to look out for Simba under Mufasa's orders. He does what he can to keep the headstrong lion in check but can't control him. Later on, he doesn't appear too much and while I think he's a great character, he didn't get to do much. Nala, Simba's childhood friend, later becomes his love interest and tries to convince him to come back and take his rightful place as king. She really illustrates how things are changing from when they began as friends who would never consider being together to growing up and finding romance with each other. Rafiki is a really weird mandrill character who is actually a very wise shaman who tries to direct Simba toward finding the right answers in his life. It's really great that he lets Simba find the answers for himself rather than spelling it out clearly for Simba. It's much more valuable that Simba comes to a conclusion on his own.

After Simba runs away he meets Timon and Pumbaa. They teach Simba their philosophy of Hakuna Matata, or “no worries.” They help him escape his past life and become best friends over the time they spend together. They are sad when Simba decides he needs to leave to become king but still support his decision and go to fight for him. Otherwise, they mostly provide comic relief. I really liked these guys but I wish they could have used them for a few more heartfelt scenes. I feel a bit like we didn't quite get to know them enough in the movie. We know they like Hakuna Matata but I never really understand why. Genie from Aladdin serves a similar role but I feel like I really understood his motivations. They still serve their role in the story well and it's clear that they do care about Simba a lot.

The music in this story has a really great African style. It's a more unique sound compared to past Disney soundtracks. I think the songs themselves are a bit weaker compared to Aladdin or Beauty and the Beast but the sequences themselves still work really well. They are beautiful to look at and always move the story. I didn't feel like any of them were useless at all. The score of the film is really great. Every scene really had more emotion from the music. The animation is really great, as usual. The characters move really well and there's a great energy in all the sequences. The backgrounds and scenery are especially awesome. They really capture the feel of the setting well and use color expertly to really give you a sense of the emotion they're trying to portray. The best example is how much the Pride Lands change from beautiful under Mufasa's rule to dark and gray during Scar's.

The themes in this movie really blew me away too. Simba has to deal with his father's death which is made even worse because he thinks he is responsible for it. He runs away from who he really is and hides. Responsibility is a huge theme as well. Simba has to remember who he is to take the responsibility to being king and going back to face Scar. Scar wants to rule and wants the responsibility of being king but ends up not being able to deliver. This ends up with him losing the trust of his hyena allies. The themes in this movie are incredibly dark, especially for a kids movie, but they handled them really well.

Overall, the story is just fantastic. The story is so dense, in fact, that I think some of the characters don't get the attention they deserve. I still liked every character, I just wish they could have had their motivations made a bit clearer, especially in the case of Timon and Pumbaa. The music is also really great, if a bit weaker than some of their other works. The themes in this movie are just incredible. It's really nice to see them step away from romance as a major theme. It's good to see them expand a bit and try other kinds of stories. Tomorrow, we go across the ocean to a new world.

32 down. 21 to go.

A diamond in the rough? - Aladdin

31 – Aladdin

As these movies get newer and newer, I'm starting to find that the ideas in them are also getting more and more modern. With the past few, I really feel like we've gotten to real modern ideas about society and movie making in general. 1992's Aladdin definitely continues that trend.

The story begins with the Grand Vizier of Agrabah, Jafar, trying to find someone to enter the Cave of Wonders to obtain a magic lamp. This person, he finds, is a poor boy named Aladdin who steals to try to get by in life. Aladdin dreams of a better life and wants to become rich so he doesn't have to resort to stealing for food. He ends up meeting the Princess, Jasmine, who also wishes to escape her life. In her case, she is constantly being controlled and is even being forced to choose a Prince to marry. Jafar manages to capture and use Aladdin to find the lamp which contains a magic Genie. Aladdin gets trapped in the Cave but keeps the lamp and is granted 3 wishes by the Genie. His first wish, after he tricks Genie into freeing them from the cave, is to become a prince so he can marry Jasmine. Meanwhile, Jafar hatches a plan to force Jasmine into marriage so he can become the Sultan.

Aladdin is a poor “street rat” who does whatever he can to get by in life. This usually leads to stealing but it's the only way he can continue living. He uses very clever tricks like when he rescues Jasmine from a merchant by acting like she's his crazy sister. He is also very kind offering to free the trapped Genie with his final of three wishes. He is, however, also very insecure once he finds out who Jasmine really is. He is totally convinced that she could never be with a person like him. Once he becomes a prince, he continues to lie to her because he thinks she won't be able to stay with him. Of course, this makes him feel really guilty. He's interesting compared to other Disney heroes as a poor thief. It's almost like he was made as an anti-prince. He even gets compared directly to other princes in the story and comes out on top because it's more important that he is a good person.

Jasmine also feels trapped in her life. She hates being controlled and acts rebellious, rejecting any suitor her father finds for her. She isn't interested in self obsessed princes and wants to fall in love with someone who is actually a good person. Her only friend in the world is her pet Tiger Rajah. Like Ariel and Belle before her, she continues the trend of a heroine that acts for herself instead of simply reacting to situations. It's great that she got sick of her life and tried to run away, even though it ends up getting her in some trouble. Her father, the Sultan, is a really weird character. He likes to play with animal toys and is a bit weak willed and silly. Despite this, he only really wants the best for Jasmine and only wants her to marry so she is taken care of.

Aladdin is definitely not alone in his quest for a better life. Abu is Aladdin's monkey/elephant best friend who is a bit greedy but has a good heart. He makes a few mistakes in the story but tries to make up for it. They find a magic carpet in the Cave of Wonders who bonds with Aladdin immediately and wants to help him. Finally, they also find Genie who is trapped in a lamp and forced to serve his masters until one of them uses one of their precious wishes to free him. Despite his sad story, he's a very fun character. He steals the show every time he's on the screen with his crazy fast talking and modern pop culture references. Some of the references got to be a bit too much but it gives the story an interesting quality because Aladdin couldn't possibly know what those references are.

Jafar is the main villain of the story. He is obsessed with power and tries to obtain the lamp but doesn't give up when he loses it. His parrot, Iago, gives him the idea to force Jasmine to marry him so he can become the Sultan. I wondered for awhile why he would even keep the fairly annoying Iago around but they do have an interesting relationship and Iago has some good ideas every now and then. Jafar himself is very calm and collected most of the time but gets overconfident when he has the upper hand. His desire for power is dangerous, as well as being his biggest weakness. Iago provides some good comic relief for the mostly serious Jafar.

The setting of the story is definitely interesting. It's something we haven't seen in a Disney movie yet. The imagery of the sand and castles is very different from the western fantasy stuff in past movies. The tone of the story is less dark than Beauty and the Beast with much more humor. Despite that, the humor never detracts from the excitement or emotion of what they're trying to convey. Personally, I liked the style of Beauty and the Beast more, but I think that's just my personal preference. The animation is still fantastic with the romantic carpet ride scene and the escape from the Cave of Wonders really standing out. The music is still fantastic. There seems to be a bit less than Beauty and the Beast but they still keep the story moving and making the characters more interesting. The action in the movie is also really great. They really stack the odds against Aladdin at the end and it gets really tense.

I really appreciated the themes they chose for this movie too. It really helped make this movie feel a bit more modern than the ones before it. Aladdin, Jasmine and Genie all feel trapped in their lives and wish for more. Aladdin keeps trying to be someone he's not so he can be with Jasmine. Jasmine, however, doesn't want what he's become. She wants the person he really is and he finds that he needs to tell the truth, even if it might mean they can't be together. The best thing about this movie is that the movie isn't even really about Aladdin and Jasmine falling in love. At least, it's not so much of a “will they or won't they?” type story like we've seen before. The story is more about Aladdin accepting who he really is.

The movie overall was just fantastic. Beauty and the Beast edges it out for me, personally but I really liked the humor and all the characters. I really feel like the Disney Renaissance is starting to get off the ground now after the fumble with The Rescuers Down Under.

31 down. 22 to go.