Fantasia

It's a bit difficult to review Fantasia in comparison to other Disney movies, because it's so different.  I like that it's unique, and really special in its own way.  I was actually surprised at how long the movie went - it was over two hours.  I figured that a movie like that would be shorter.  They do have an intermission in the middle, which Jason and I took advantage of so we could take a nap.  Overall I will say that I liked experiencing Fantasia, and I think it's a beautiful work, but it's not something that I could sit down and watch again and again.

As much as I don't want to sound ignorant, I'm not really a huge fan of just listening to classical music.  So having the animations helped me really appreciate the music more.  My favorites were the Sorcerer's Apprentice (a classic) and Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony, which was given a storyline involving Greek mythology.  The animators did an excellent job, as did the musicians.  The ending of the movie, with Ave Maria, is particularly touching and beautiful.

I will say that the opening number, which took an abstract approach, was not one of my favorites.  The Rite of Spring also didn't do too much for me, with all of the flowers dancing around.  A sequel was released to this film called Fantasia 2000, which we also plan on watching.

The Music
Obviously the music in this one is the absolute main focus of the movie.  It was different from the other Disney movies because it's all classical music.  Like I said, very beautiful, but not something that I would personally listen to over and over again.

The Villain
Since we have a series of mini-stories, there is no real villain here.  Maybe mini-villains in some of the individual stories, but nothing particularly memorable.

The WDW Connection
Fantasia appears quite a bit in the parks, though the majority of references are to the Sorcerer's Apprentice.  The main symbol of Disney's Hollywood Studios is Mickey's sorcerer's hat, and you're greeted by it when you enter the park.  Also, the show there, Fantasmic! begins with Mickey and references to the Sorcerer's Apprentice.  Mickey's Philharmagic at the Magic Kingdom also begins with a bit of a Fantasia feel, including playing the Fantasia soundtrack in the queue.  Finally, Disney has a mini golf course called Fantasia Gardens that is themed like the movie, and plays the music while you golf.

Becky's rating:  6 out of 10
Jason's rating:  6.5 out of 10

Cinderella

When you think classic Disney, chances are you think of Cinderella.  She is the ultimate Princess, and overall it's a great film.  This is probably where Jason and I have the biggest disagreement.  For the most part we've agreed on the Disney movies that we've watched - but this is one that I rated substantially higher than he did.

We'll start with Jason's issues with the film, which is mainly that "nothing happens."  As he says, it's just a bunch of mice running around for the majority of the movie... which is somewhat true.  The actual events really concerning Cinderella and the ball and all of that take place relatively quickly, and if you cut out all of the fuss with the mice and the cat and the dog and whatnot, the movie would probably only be about half an hour.  But they're cute little mice!  And they wear clothes!

I just like it because it makes me happy.  There is some action and some suspense (will she get locked up in her room after the ball or will the mice be able to free her?).  But ultimately it's all about the cheesy romance, and good overcoming evil.  People now may complain that Cinderella is a softie, and a bad role model for females because she always does what she is told.  But I'm not sure I completely agree.  I like the fact that kindness and good heartedness is rewarded, rather than rebelliousness (though that has its own place too).  Plus, you do have to remember that the film is a product of the times, and however advanced we might be now, that was over 60 years ago.

The Music
There are some great songs in this one.  You have the extremely beautiful "So This is Love" (which, by the way, Jason and I are probably doing to use during our wedding ceremony as our unity candle song).  Then there's the fun and memorable "Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo".  "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" is also a great one.  The others are a bit less memorable, but they are cutesy and fit in well with the movie.

The Villain
Cinderella's step mother is detestable because she treats her like a servant and locks her up in her room when she might actually have some good fortune come her way.  But as bad as she is, you can't help but compare her to poor Snow White's step mother, who was quite a bit more evil and nasty.  I mean, she tried to kill Snow White, so that's a bit more villainous.  An interesting thing is that we don't really get a very clear view of why Cinderella's step mother is so mean to her, other than jealousy that she's pretty and nice.

The WDW Connection
Of course Cinderella is all over Walt Disney World.  The most well known icon of the Magic Kingdom is Cinderella's Castle, which also houses a restaurant called Cinderella's Royal Table.  Prince Charming also has his own carousel in the Magic Kingdom.  Both of them are all over the parks, especially Cinderella, to meet and get autographs.  If you eat at the restaurant in Magic Kingdom you will get to meet Cinderella.  If you want to meet the whole gang, including Lady Tremaine and the stepsisters, go to dinner at 1900 Park Fare, at the Grand Floridian resort.

Becky's rating:  8.5 out of 10
Jason's rating:  6 out of 10

Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland is a cute, sweet movie that is a Disney classic.  While it was enjoyable to watch I do feel that it is probably one of those movies that is more enjoyable for kids than for adults.  While many of the other Disney movies can easily appeal to both, Alice in Wonderland is very much grounded in the silliness that is most appealing to kids.  Of course, those of us adults that are still very childlike can appreciate it :)

One of the neat things about this movie is that almost all of the voices are recognizable from other Disney films.  Having watched a bunch so far, Jason and I were constantly identifying them throughout the movie.  For instance, Alice is the same voice as Wendy from Peter Pan, the Queen of Hearts is the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella and one of the fairies in Sleeping Beauty, the Cheshire Cat is Kaa in The Jungle Book and Winnie the Pooh, the White Rabbit is Smee from Peter Pan, etc.  There are actually a bunch more, it's pretty cool.

Alice goes through a series of nonsensical adventures which are cute and captivating, but eventually just get frustrating to her.  Sometimes you want to yell at Alice about what the heck she is thinking, but ultimately she learns her lesson... not everything should be complete nonsense, and sometimes we actually want some amount of logic and for things to make sense.

The Music
There are a lot of songs in this movie, but most of them are almost "mini" songs.  They are super short or else just not that interesting.  But with so many mini songs that are so well known, I'm quite surprised that nothing from Alice in Wonderland appears on my set of Disney's Greatest Hits CDs.  You have "The Unbirthday Song," "I'm Late," which are the most memorable, but you also have Alice singing "In a World of My Own," "The Walrus and the Carpenter," and the flowers singing "All in a Golden Afternoon."  Lots of different songs throughout the whole movie - basically every time Alice goes somewhere else or meets someone else, they sing a song.

The Villain
For the majority of the movie Alice does not have a particular villain, just certain obstacles that get in her way.  The biggest villain of all could be seen as the Queen of Hearts, a tyrant who enjoys chopping people's heads off.  She's certainly a frightening figure, and if she was there throughout the movie she could be pretty high up on the villain list.  But she doesn't even get mentioned until the last half hour of the movie.

The Disney World Connection
The infamous "Mad Tea Party" tea cup ride in Fantasyland is themed after the mad tea party in Alice in Wonderland.  There are also plenty of characters walking around, including Alice, the Mad Hatter, the Queen of Hearts, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, and others.  They also pop up in a number of the parades and shows.

Becky's rating:  7 out of 10
Jason's rating:  6.5 out of 10