Thoughts on animation, Disney and WALL-E. Sort of.

[lotusflower85]

As much as I miss travelling, I do appreciate being back near the beach again.  There's just something about the sand and the sea and the salt that I really missed, and am so happy to be near again.  There was a dolphin swimming not far from us today - it was a beautiful sight, quite amazing really that it came so close to the shore and didn't mind

Comments

[angel_gidget]

My personal favorite has always been The Little Mermaid, but I see what you mean. Wall-E was a return to a level of quality we haven't seen in a while. I haven't felt such "wow" from a Disney film since Treasure Planet. I greatly enjoyed The Incredibles, but I think I was viewing it more as a superhero film than an animated film.

I'm really excited about The Frog Princess because the return to a 2D animations style gives me hope. I keep waiting for the day that Disney will return to some semblance of its former glory.

Semi-related note to self: Get around to watching Ratatoulle.

[lotusflower85]

Ferngully FTW :D

I'll admit I haven't seen Treasure Planet - I'll have to check it out! And I like the sound of The Frog Princess as well - especially the mentioned return to a more 'Broadway-style' musical and the beautiful-looking 2D animation.

I didn't like Ratatouille, myself - but perhaps that was more to do with my personal aversion to rats/mice - I couldn't get over the rat touching the food, it freaked me out too much!

[valkyriesword]

I definitely agree about Wall-E. I thought it was amazing!! Who knew a character that barely spoke English could be such a wonderful, viable character that everyone would love so much? Plus, I loved the overall message. :) I also adored Finding Nemo and Toy Story, though, so I'm torn on the CGI issue. I wish that Disney and Pixar would stick with hand drawn animation because it was so much of my childhood and I think it's more of...an art, I guess, but I'll admit there are things one can do better with CGI.

My favorites:
The Lion King
Mulan
Balto
Treasure Planet
Atlantis
The Rescuers Down Under
Aladdin

[lotusflower85]

I liked the mesage of Wall-E as well - in that (imo) it wasn't overstated and there were several themes running through it.

I agree that hand-drawn just looks so much more artful that CGI - some of the scenes in Lion King/Little Mermaid/Beauty and the Beast etc could have been paintings, they were so beautiful.

The Rescuers Down Under! Forgot about that one - big favourite from my childhood but haven't seen it in years.

[lolilie]

[lotusflower85]

Of course, the music (which I can't believe I forgot to mention, because the songs are one of my favourite aspects of those films!) The songs are so timeless, so memorable, because they did what good songs in musicals do: move the plot/characterisation forward, and sound beautiful. It wasn't 'now it's time for a song' - they were integrated seemlessly. Which, going back to Wall-e - I think it also achieved - "Put On Your Sunday Clothes" and "It Only Takes a Moment" became so wonderfully incorporated into the story and really set a mood.

Good point about CGI being used sparingly (of course the ballroom scene in BatB, and what would Lion King be without the wilderbeast stampede? Or Aladdin without the flying carpet?) It seems it has followed the trend in filmaking to use CGI just because it is easy *cough* Star Wars prequels *cough* even when it doesn't look right. Sometimes I see films and just want to yell "God! Built a set!"

Sleeping Beauty is such a classic - and of course I love Robin Hood! It only just missed out on my

[jadepilot]

I loooooooooooooooved Wall-e. I even got it for a Christmas present. ME. Not my son.

Some of my favorite Disney movies:

The Little Mermaid

Finding Nemo

Aladdin

Mulan

As a matter of fact...I own all of these!

[lotusflower85]

Wall-e really struck me as a film that can be enjoyed by everyone - not just a film for kids that adults might enjoy to. I've been making everyone I know watch it with me :D

I'm in the process of upgrading all my old Disney VHS tapes to dvd - those are essential to the collection! I love Mulan so much - really different, great message, wonderful animation.

[takemeto_utopia]

i watched wall-e again recently and it's so wonderful. he is so gorgeous i actually cried, which makes no sense at all. oh, and the history of art at the end is awesome. <3

i think you are so right about shrek - it was fresh and exciting at the time, but now every movie you see is the same. actually i recently read a really interesting article in Time, which relates:

"Shrek consciously rebelled against the sentimental Disney hegemony of fairy-tale movies. But today the outlaw is king: parodying fairy tales has become the default mode of telling them. 2005's Hoodwinked! reimagined Little Red Riding Hood as a crime Rashomon, while this year's Happily N'Ever After sent up Cinderella. Broadway smash Wicked posits that the Wicked Witch of the West was misunderstood. This fall Disney (et tu, Mickey?) releases Enchanted, in which a princess (Amy Adams) is magically banished by an evil queen to modern New York City, where she must fend for herself, parodying her princess foremothers as she goes. (Snow White's Whistle While You Work scene is

[lotusflower85]

That was an interesting article - and I agree with your points about Wicked and Ever After, and even when he mentions The Princess Bride which I always thought celebrated traditional fairy-tales and much as mocked them. but he makes an interesting point about kids being exposed to the parody without perhaps ever knowing the original, although I don't think its a doom-and-gloom thing, having grown up on The Simpsons and only later watching the parodied film/book/tv show and been all 'so that's where that's from!'. Although I would also look to Aladdin for this - how many of us understood all of the Genie's various incarnations and jokes when we first saw it as kids? And it didn't alter the enjoyment.

But I agree that it is always better to have the base of classic fairy tales - I know I would want kids to watch Cinderella, Snow White, et all as well as all the recent Disney efforts.

I adore Stardust. A nod and a wink to modern conventions but all in all a classic tale.

[takemeto_utopia]

i always viewed the princess bride as a celebration of the fairytale tradition as well, despite the humourous elements - isn't the point that the grandfather is trying to convince the little boy (who is so gorgeous! <3) that there is more to fairytales than a princess and a kiss?

yes, i thought his point about exposure to the parody over the original was valid - he cited Puss in Boots in shrek, which is fair enough - i admit that i've never read the original folk tale. i think it does add to the experience to know the origins - e.g. wild child adapts that amazing "i am spartacus" scene from the kirk douglas spartacus (seen it? if you haven't, you should, if only for that incredible scene), and while wild child's version is great, it meant more to know the original reference. and you are right about aladdin's genie - not knowing every single reference didn't really subtract his appeal.

[lotusflower85]

Much more :D

I actually had a beautiful book with all the original Brothers Grimm versions of fairy tales when I was younger, and also loved the film version of Puss in Boots with...Christopher Walken (?) - so the spin on Puss in Shrek was delightful for me.

I haven't actually seen Spartacus (on my must-watch-someday list) although I am aware of the scene. I think that is in some ways the beauty and also the pratfall of pop culture - "I am Spartacus" is so ingrained within many people's minds because of all the parodies and invocations of it, but far fewer people have seen it in its original form.

Post-modernity is great, I think, and I embrace it, but I do agree that when you create something solely by invoking earlier works, there is the danger of the house being built on sand, in a way. I think there is a difference between textual intervention, parody, and just being lazy.