Frozen

Frozen (PG)

Grade: B+

• Directed by: Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee
• Produced by: Peter Del Vecho
• Screenplay by: Jennifer Lee.  Based on "The Snow Queen" by Hans Christian Andersen
• Starring: Kristen Bell (Anna), Idina Menzel (Elsa), Jonathan Groff (Kristoff), Josh Gad (Olaf), Santino Fontana (Hans), Alan Tudyk (Duke of Weselton), Ciarán Hinds (Grand Pappie The Troll King), Chris Williams (Oaken), Maurice LaMarche (King of Arendelle)
• Music by: Christophe Beck
• Studio: Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Animation Studios
• Distributed by: Walt Disney Studio Motion Pictures
• Released: November 27, 2013
• Running Time: 108 minutes/1 hour and 48 minutes
• Language: English

"Why do you shut me out?  Why do you shut THE WORLD out?  What are you so AFRAID of?"

-Anna

Everyone feels or says what's above at least once in their lives.  If we didn't, then we wouldn't be human.  The same applies to the characters in "Frozen" as well, the newest film from Disney, that is perfect for the Winter season.  I saw this film recently with no expectations and knowing nothing about the plot.  And besides a few things I personally disliked, I think this is one of the strongest Disney films in quite a long time.

Seeing the film in the theater made it a sight to behold and kept me warm, but that changed instantly once the film started.  The film opens with two young sisters named Elsa and Anna (Elsa is older, while Anna is younger).  One day, while playing late at night, tragedy strikes when Elsa accidentally does something to Anna.  It causes great distress for their parents, who seek help to fix the problem.  The solution is not one Elsa approves of, but she has no choice but to accept it for the good of her family.  By accepting it though, her close relationship with her sister changes.  They don't see or talk to each other anymore, and they especially don't play in the snow, which they used to love to do.  Flash forward to a few years in the film, when both sisters are older.  It's a special day in both their lives because Elsa is having her coronation, and the castle gates will be open for the first time in years.  But by doing so, both of their lives are put in danger in ways they don't see coming.

Now, when I said that there were a few things I disliked about this film personally, I mean things that probably didn't bother others, but bothered me.  For instance, the music in the film film was below average to me.  Some critics say that this has been Disney's best musical film since the Disney Renaissance era, and while I agree with that sentiment, that's not saying much, since Disney hasn't tried putting memorable songs in their films for years.  And when they have, they've either been in Pixar films, or songs by other artists, like in "Wreck-It-Ralph", where you know the music wasn't solely made for the film.  "Frozen" has some of the same problems.  I enjoyed a few of the songs, but others were badly placed, and sounded too much like pop music on the radio.  Also, some plot events moved too fast and were never fully explained or referenced again.  This is nothing new for Disney, but it would help to give more depth to the characters, which I feel many Disney films often lack.  Lastly, I feel as though "Frozen" suffered from what some people call the "Full Metal Jacket" effect, where one half of the film is good, but the other half stinks.  The first half of this film wasn't that great to me, but the second half blew me away, which really made it spectacular.

While the negatives of "Frozen" seem like a lot, they do not outweigh the positives I saw from the film.  Like I mentioned earlier, the second half of the film really surprised me because its plot twist, that changed the film in a way that I didn't expect at all.  I thought I could predict what was going to happen since I've done it before in so many other films, but I couldn't predict anything at all this time.  The interaction between characters, the humor, how the film ended; it was fantastic.  The cast also deserves credit.  Only one actress was known, yet they all did a good job, regardless of whether they had a major role or not.  The main reason I think the film appealed to me though, was because of the theme's that I thought it instilled.  The theme's that you should really get to know a person before making a decision with them, or that there's more than one way to show love to somebody.  They're things that we all know or believe, but to see how it was portrayed on screen was fascinating.

The animation of the film was something I marveled at, like I always do when I see how animation is done now.  It's changed so much for me, like it has for everyone who grew up with hand-drawn Disney films.  Whenever I see new HD animation for TV shows, I hate it because I think it takes away from the show and makes it look worse, but for films, such as this one from Disney, I think the new technology works since it does it gradually, and it's more consistent and realistic compared to some films and shows.  I'm surprised my stance on animation has changed, since usually when it comes to films, I'm pretty stubborn, but it's time to accept technology and what it can now accomplish.  Personally, I don't think I'll ever be used to it, but it's amazing to think it can make animation look that realistic, making me wonder what's in store for the future...

In the end, despite a frigid first half to the film, "Frozen" is a great film from Disney.  I don't know if it's better than "Wreck-It-Ralph" was (which had similar animation), but since it's about issues that relate to people, I think it was a bit more memorable and stronger.  Regardless of how I feel though, if you enjoy animated films, you'll like this film.  And if you love Disney like I do, I don't think you'll be disappointed.  Yes, some things are poorly tied together, and some songs sound like Carly Rae Jepsen, but it's great to see Disney go back to their roots, and do a film based off a fairy tale so well (even if it is loosely done).  "Frozen" isn't up their with some of the best from the Disney Renaissance, but it's safe to say it has stood out from the pack of recent Disney films.

The Lion King

The Lion King (G)

Grade: A-

• Directed by: Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff
• Produced by: Don Hahn
• Screenplay by: Irene Mecchi, Johnathan Roberts, and Linda Woolverton.  Based on "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare
• Starring: Matthew Broderick (Adult Simba), James Earl Jones (Mufasa), Jeremy Irons (Scar), Johnathan Taylor Thomas (Young Simba), Moira Kelly (Nala), Nathan Lane (Timon), Ernie Sabella (Pumba), Robert Guillaume (Rafiki), Rowan Atkinson (Zazu), Madge Sinclair (Sarabi), Whoopi Goldberg (Sehnzi), Cheech Marin (Banzai), Jim Cummings (Ed)
• Music by: Hans Zimmer
• Studio: Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Feature Animation
• Distributed by: Buena Vista Pictures
• Released: June 15, 1994
• Running Time: 88 minutes/1 hour and 28 minutes
• Language: English

"You must take your place in the circle of life."

-Mufasa

Father's give advice to their children all the time, but when Mufasa speaks, that's when you stop and listen because he isn't just some regular lion; he's the king of the jungle, brother of Scar, and father of Simba in "The Lion King".  "The Lion King" is arguably one of the most acclaimed and well-known Disney films of all-time, up there with Snow White, Dumbo, Beauty and the Beast, etc.  But for the Disney Renaissance era, there's no doubt it's the top film on most people's list.  I used to feel the same way about it as a child, watching it endlessly and crying and laughing at the same parts, but as I got older, my taste shifted.  And while I appreciated "The Lion King", I wanted to make my own decisions on what I liked.  Not just like it because the majority did, which they did when it came to "The Lion King".  Because of that, I hadn't watched it in years and watched other Disney films in the meantime, but recently, after at least 6 years, I've watched it again and enjoyed it so much, it's like nothing ever changed.

Because "The Lion King" is based off of William Shakespeare's "Hamlet", the plot should be very well known.  Hell, even if you've never read the play, I've never met one person on Earth who has never seen the film.  But I'll still sum it up.  The film starts off with a majestic shot of Pride Rock where Mufasa and his wife Sarabi have given birth to their first son Simba.  As he grows into his youth, he is adventurous and energetic.  Typical for anyone his age, but his uncle Scar on the other hand is miserable.  His life is boring and he despises Mufasa, dreaming of taking his throne for himself.  These are all impractical thoughts by Scar, until one day he plots the ultimate plan with the hyenas, staging a wildebeest stampede to try and kill Mufasa and Simba at once.  He is only half successful though, and Simba runs away to a new life, eventually meeting some new friends along the way.  He's happy where he is, but realizes he must go back and take his place in the circle of life as king like Mufasa said.

"The Lion King" has many highlights as a film overall.  The animation is the first thing I notice because of the drawing of the animals and the environment (which I think is always difficult to achieve).  Plus, researching a little about the film, the animators animated the characters to match their voice actors, which I thought was pretty cool as well.  Credit has to go to the voice cast though.  Animated films always want to get a good cast for publicity, but this film cast roles that fit their character perfectly.  James Earl Jones had the commanding, magnificent, thunderous voice as Mufasa, Matthew Broderick had the innocence he had in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" as Adult Simba, and Johnathan Taylor Thomas had the same youth he had from TV as Young Simba.  Everything worked as a whole.  While, I love James Earl Jones though, I loved Jeremy Irons voice as Scar.  His accent was so diabolical which made his character so cunning, memorable, and twisted.

This film's popularity makes it seem as though it has no flaw's, but it does.  The songs everyone loves such as "Hakuna Matata", "Circle of Life" and others are very entertaining, but they don't touch me the way some other Disney songs do such as "Part of Your World".  No fault of it's own, but that's just my personal taste.  I like funny and whimsical songs, but the memorable, touching songs are ones I enjoy, which I don't think this film has much of.  Also, the characters change, but their action's don't seem too believable because of the pace of the film.  It's too fast, which I expect from a Disney film, but I wish it was longer (like I wish most Disney films were), so we could see more depth to the characters and plot, such as what really happened to Simba when he was with Timon and Pumba.  And lastly, I know the film shouldn't be taken seriously too seriously at times because it's Disney, but I have a hard time believing that all the animals live in harmony when they all eat each other.

But while that may seem unrealistic, one thing that's real is the emotion Simba feels.  He feels sadness when tragedy strikes with his father, anger towards Scar, and friendship with Timon and Pumba who teach him a life with no worries is a wonderful thing.  To me, he might not change that much in the film, and pales in comparison to his dad as a king, but he's so relating as a character, which makes us understand what he's feeling.  Depending on taste, "The Lion King" may or may not be your favorite Disney film, but there's no doubt it changed Disney forever critically and financially the way "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Little Mermaid" did before it.  And as time has gone on, it has become a timed classic, quoted and beloved by all.  Even though it isn't my favorite film, there's no doubt it's the king of the Disney Renaissance era.  Long Live the King!   

The Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid (G)

Grade: A-

• Directed by: Ron Clements and John Musker
• Produced by: John Musker and Howard Ashman
• Screenplay by: Ron Clements and John Musker.  Based on the novel, "The Little Mermaid" by Hans Christian Andersen
• Starring: Jodi Benson (Ariel), Christopher Daniel Barnes (Prince Eric), Pat Carroll (Ursula), Samuel E. Wright (Sebastian), Jason Marin (Flounder), Kenneth Mars (King Triton), Buddy Hackett (Scuttle), Rene Auberjonois (Louis, The Chef)
• Music: Alan Menken
• Studio: Walt Disney Pictures, Silver Screen Partners IV
• Distributed by: Buena Vista Pictures
• Released: November 14, 1989
• Running Time: 82 minutes/1 hour and 22 minutes
• Language: English, French 

"If only I could make him understand.  I just don't see things the way he does.  I just don't see how a world that makes such beautiful things could be bad."

-Ariel

Renaissance is a word that doesn't resonate much when I first hear it.  Hearing it, I think of art or the Harlem Renaissance, but when I hear Disney Renaissance, it's hard not to think of something because they're the films I grew up on (the way the original Disney films were for the adults before me). The Disney Renaissance, for those of you who don't know, is a time period from the late 1980s to early 2000s when Disney films returned to success by basing films on well-know stories, restoring interest in the genre.  Everyone I know has their own favorite film from this era, but no matter which one we think is our favorite, we all have to agree that "The Little Mermaid" started it all.  As a child, I couldn't stand the film because I hated Ariel, and it seemed too girly, but after revisiting it, I have to say the film pretty much delivers on all accounts if you're a Disney fan.

Like I said before about the Disney Renaissance, they're based on stories we've all heard before.  Even though that's the case, I'll still describe the "The Little Mermaid", which is about a 16 year old girl named Ariel.  She's the princess of King Triton and can have everything she wants, but is dissatisfied with underwater life, and wants to explore the human world.  She goes with her friend Flounder to the surface daily, but when the king and his adviser Sebastian find out, chaos ensues and he has a fit.  After that, Ariel has had enough of her father's rule, so she makes a deal with the Ursula, the sea witch, to become human for 3 days to win the love of a neighboring prince.  But the deal comes at a terrible price for Ariel, and if she doesn't succeed, she stands to lose what everyone loves about her most.

"The Little Mermaid" came out in 1989 so many years ago, but seems so fresh now.  The animation is fresh and vivid, even compared by today's Disney standards, and the characters come to life off the screen.  I liked the Sebastian character because he seemed to have a voice of reason, even though he was indecisive.  But the real star of the film is Jodi Benson, of course, who plays Ariel.  Usually when Disney casts a person to do the voice of a main character, they just do the main voice, and not the singing voice, but I loved the fact Benson got to do both because it helps the audience connect with her more.  Her voice has all of Ariel's desire and innocence in it, which is why "Part Of You World" is one of my favorite Disney songs.

With this film, comes a few flaws I have.  One being no fault of it's own, which is that it's too short.  I wouldn't mind that usually, but since I was so invested in the film, I wish it had been a little longer.  Another thing I couldn't stand was the villain Ursula (a complaint I have with many Disney films).  She's a worthy adversary to Ariel, and tries so hard to get what she wants from her, yet when she is eventually beaten, the way it's done is so quick and unsatisfying.  She's a sea witch, but goes down that easily?!  C'mon!  It seems very hard to believe.  Also, even though I love "Part Of Your World", I didn't really like any other songs from this film.

All in all, "The Little Mermaid" is quality entertainment if you're a Disney fan or just a fan of good films.  That may seem hard to believe for some, but even adults like it (It was on Gene Siskel's Top 10 for 1989).  Like a lot of Disney films, you'll like this film depending on your taste, but I think this film is worth seeing for the sole fact that it accurately represents a way we've all felt before in real life; that desire to grow up and be accepted in the world, which isn't easy, yet "The Little Mermaid" shows these things effortlessly.  It's not my favorite Disney film, but after watching this, it's not hard to see why this is one of the the film's that helped jump-start Disney in the 1990s.

My Favorite Disney Songs

Like a lot of people in the world, I grew up with Disney films, so talking about them is always a special for me.  I love talking about the quality of the films themselves, but I also love talking about and listening to the songs from the films.  This thought came into my mind yesterday when I was in a car with my friend's talking about what my favorite Disney songs were.  At first, I thought that would be easy to figure out, but as I thought about it, I found that it wasn't.  There were a lot of memorable songs, but only a few I liked enough to listen to again, or had powerful lyrics that related to their characters, as well as me.  I admit, my list is biased since all the songs are from the Disney Renaissance era, but most people will agree, that's one of, if not the best era for Disney music.  Anyways, here are my top 6 songs because is my lucky number...

6. "I Won't Say (I'm In Love)" from Hercules by Susan Egan: A song that Meg sings when she's describing how she feels about Hercules.  I love the song because I love love, and because it's described how I've felt a few times.  Plus, it's a damn good song. 

5. "Go The Distance" from Hercules by Roger Bart: To most people, this song isn't as popular as "I Won't Say (I'm In Love)", but it's something relate-able, and a great song despite having few lyrics.  I mostly like this song because it inspires the need to never give up and follow your dreams.

4. "I'll Make A Man Out Of You" from Mulan by Donny Osmond: A catchy song that guys and women love.  Even as a feminist, I can't help but sing along to this song because it's lyrics are so awesome, and Donny Osmond does a great job as well.  On a side note, the Jackie Chan version is good too.  When a song from a film is equally as good in two languages, that's when you've got something special.

3. "Part Of Your World" by Jodi Benson: One of the most subtle Disney songs, but it ranks high on my list because of Jodi Benson, and because the song represents Ariel and myself perfectly; the desire to be part of a world we don't fit into.  It's also one of the Disney songs I listen to most frequently, besides my number 1 song.

2. "A Whole New World" from Aladdin by Brad Kane and Lea Salonga: I don't listen to this song much because I don't have a great version of it on my Ipod, but I watch it on Youtube and on film all the time.  This song has great lyrics like all the Disney songs, but I love it because as soon as it appears, it makes me fantasize what I'd want to do with a woman.  Just take her on a magic carpet ride, and show her the world.  Maybe it's silly, and I'm lame, but I can dream as a romantic.

1. "Out There" from The Hunchback Of Notre Dame by Tom Hulce: An underrated song from an underrated Disney film.  The Hunchback of Notre Dame wasn't as acclaimed as it's predecessors, but I love it.  This song sung by Tom Hulce as Quasimodo is beautiful.  The artwork is stunning, and it relates to an individual's need to break out, which I think is something we can all relate to.

One Saturday Morning

As a child, Saturday was always the best day of the week for one reason, and one reason only: cartoons and TV shows.  Despite everyone having that unity of thought though, everyone had different preferences of what they watched.  If you had cable with Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon, you were basically set, but I didn't have cable back then, so I was stuck with normal channels, which wasn't a bad thing.  WB had Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh, Fox had Digimon, etc.  But one of the most underrated networks with cartoons and shows for me was ABC's One Saturday Morning.

Now, I'm not sure how many people know about One Saturday Morning, because like I said, everyone had their own preference, but One Saturday Morning was great!  They had real people hosting the slot time, but then basically aired cartoons and shows like Recess, The Weekenders, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, Pepper Ann, Fillmore, etc.  They were aimed to be educational, always saying "Illuminated Television", but their shows had plot, and dealt with real life issues children went through, which looking back on, was wonderful, especially considering how Saturday morning cartoons are now, and what Disney has unfortunately become (Disney Channel).

Because of everything I just said, today is a throwback to the old days.  I won't post up episodes of all the cartoons and shows since that would take forever, and you can find most of them on Youtube (like I have).  One thing I will do though, is post the intro to One Saturday Morning, which was catchy, and a reminder of better Saturdays.

Disney vs. Miyizaki

Whether or not you pay attention to movies, I think it's a safe bet to say that everyone has seen at least one Disney film in their lives.  The first one I saw was the Lion King, but now that I'm older, my taste has changed.  I won't say what my favorite Disney film is; I just wanted to know what people thought of Disney films compared to Miyizaki films, the animated films from Japan.  I don't know a whole lot about Miyizaki to be perfectly honest, but his films such as Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro are considered masterpieces by critics.  I own a few of his films and agree that they are very well done, but how do they stack up against Disney films?  I grew up with Disney, so I admit that there's a bias towards it, but anyone  who watches a Miyizaki film can't tell me it's not more intellectual or thrilling for the senses.  So that's why I want to know, do people like Disney films more than Miyizaki films?  And how do they compare, if at all?  I know this isn't a competition, but it's something I've always been fascinated in as a fan of animation and movies.