Ratatouille

For some reason or another, I've really liked Ratatouille since the first time that I saw it.  It has a lot of charm.  I've also recently become a bit of a foodie, what with watching the Food Network all the time and sampling some of the delicious cuisine on the cruise.  Plus, who doesn't like a film about someone (or a somerat) who pursues their dreams despite the obstacles?

It's a bit silly, but that's why it's an animated children's movie.  Completely unrealistic, of course - I mean, if you can accept the talking rats and one with cooking talent, that's fine, but the craziest thing is that Remy can control Linguini by pulling his hair.  Of course, this makes the film quite funny as well.  The short little chef, Skinner, while a jerk, is fun to watch.  This is especially true because Linguini succeeds in tricking everyone else but Skinner actually figures out the truth, though the way things play out it seems like he's crazy for thinking it.

I really like the twist, about how Linguini turns out to be a Gusteau's son.  The best part about that is that it's not the typical situation - Linguini himself, despite being descended from a great chef, is actually an awful cook himself!  There's also a romantic plot line between Linguini and Colette, which is okay.  I'm not really sure what she sees in him, but it's pretty cute anyway.

The Music
Like most of the Pixar movies, this one isn't a musical.  It does have a nice score though, with a lot of French tunes.  There is one song in particular that stands out in my memory as being very catchy, as I can still hear it playing in my head, but I'm not sure which one it is.  I think it's the one that plays toward the end though.

The Villain
The bad guy here is Skinner.  He not only finds out about Linguini's secret and tries to out him the whole time, he is also ruining Gusteau's name by creating a line of frozen food products with his face on them.  He is also manipulative and underhanded, finding any way to keep the restaurant out of Linguini's hands, even though he is the rightful owner, and not telling the boy about his parentage.  However, he is much more of a comic villain than a purely evil one.

The WDW Connection
It's not surprising that the place where Ratatouille shows up is in Epcot, in the French pavilion.  Though not themed after the movie, there are two French restaurants there.  Les Chefs de France has a small "show" in which Remy comes out, and you can sometimes catch Remy around the parks (most likely in France).  Jason and I have reservations at Les Chefs de France, but since we are going for lunch I don't think we'll see Remy.

Becky's rating:  9 out of 10
Jason's rating:  8.5 out of 10

Lady and the Tramp

On to one that I haven't watched in a super long time, and I had to get it from the library, which means we didn't own it.  So I know that I must not have watched it all that much when I was young, so my memory of it is pretty small.  The older Disney movies have been pretty hit or miss with me - sometimes I love them and they are classics, and sometimes I just don't care for them.  This one was actually really cute, and I enjoyed it a lot.

When it comes down to it, it's another love story.  It has one of the most famous romantic scenes ever... I'd say not just from a Disney movie, but from any movie: the spaghetti scene.  Their relationship is the typical bad boy/good girl relationship.  I guess the main criticism of this movie, at least Jason's main issue with it, was that she fell in love with him almost instantly.  I tried to point out that that happens in almost every movie, but he said he still doesn't like it.  And it's true, their love doesn't necessarily make sense, but maybe that's why it's good :)

The two neighborhood dogs that Lady associates with are pretty funny, too.  I was actually not expecting one of them to get almost killed, and for a moment I definitely thought that he was a goner.  We really only get a glimpse into the lives of these dogs, so there isn't much time for the relationships to really pan out or be explored.  We just take a lot for granted, like the friendship between these three and the relationship between Lady and the Tramp.

The Music
There are actually a few pretty decent songs from this movie, though none have really gone down in Disney legend like some of th major tunes.  "Bella Notte" is probably the most famous one, sung by the Italian restaurant men.  I really enjoy the jazzy feel of "He's a Tramp," a fun song sung by the super talented Peggy Lee.  She does the voice for a number of characters in this film, including Peg.  The other song worth mentioning is "The Siamese Cat" song - while not a fantastic song, for some reason or another it's fairly well known, though I actually didn't remember that it was from this movie.

The Villain
The Siamese cats are definitely the biggest villains in this one.  I'm definitely a cat person, but they made me angry.  They are complete jerks for no reason, and frame Lady and get her into all sorts of trouble.  Apparently in earlier versions of the movie they showed some remorse and helped out at the end, but that didn't happen this time.  Also, even though Aunt Sarah is supposed to just make some mistakes because of circumstances, she actually turned out to really make me mad.  Who watches their sister's house and puts a muzzle on the dog while she's gone?

The WDW Connection
The only real connection here is a restaurant located in the Magic Kingdom.  It's called Tony's Town Square, and it's an Italian restaurant that is supposed to be modeled after the restaurant in the movie.  I've heard that there are several tributes to our favorite dogs inside the restaurant.  Jason and I have reservations there while we're in Disney, so I guess we'll find out!

Becky's rating:  8.5 out of 10
Jason's rating:  7.5 out of 10

Fantasia 2000

We had watched Fantasia, and it was okay, even though I fell asleep at "intermission."  However, Jason insisted that I would like Fantasia 2000 better.  As it turned out, he was right.  They did make it more modern, and more friendly to the average person.  It's shorter, more of the music is familiar, the sketches are less abstract and tell more concrete stories, and there are more Disney characters involved.  In addition, there are famous and familiar celebrities introducing each of the pieces.

While I liked Fantasia, my main problem with it was probably just that it was too long.  This one, however, is only about an hour and half, a perfect length.  Apparently the original concept behind Fantasia would be that it would come out every year, with a few new songs added in and some of the old ones taken out.  That never actually happened, but Fantasia 2000 follows the format in a way by having the old Sorcerer's Apprentice appear in this movie as well.

Some of the pieces I really enjoyed.  One was Rhapsody in Blue, a fun jazz number that tells the story of a few different characters living in NYC during the Great Depression.  There was also a number that tells the story of The Steadfast Tin Soldier - but true to being Disney, the ending of the story is changed so that it all ends happily, and I at least like that better.  We also get a fun piece set to the tune of Pomp and Circumstance and telling the story of Noah's Ark, with Donald Duck as the star.  The Pines of Rome, with flying whales, was also a graphically interesting one.

The Music
Again, the music is the main focus here.  We have a lot of similar tunes to the original, with a majority set to classical pieces.  However, we also get some jazz thrown in.

The Villain
Once again, no real villain, since it's really just a bunch of mini stories.  But that Jack in the Box during the Steadfast Tin Soldier is one creepy dude.  He definitely wins worst villain award out of these stories.

The WDW Connection
See the entry for Fantasia.

Becky's rating:  7 out of 10
Jason's rating:  8.5 out of 10

Toy Story 3

Apparently plans for the third Toy Story movie have been in the works since 2004.  The original plot line had to do with Buzz Lightyear toys being recalled, the other toys going on a mission to find him and bring him back.  I'm sure that would have made a cute movie, but the plot line they went with for Toy Story 3 was absolutely perfect for the series and worked so well, so I'm really glad that it ended up as what it did.

And this movie works so well because it has a little bit of everything.  In some ways these toys are timeless - they still have the same personalities and fun adventures, even if Andy is all grown up.  But it's also about moving on to a new stage in life.  And because of that, it appeal to everyone.  Kids love it because it's Toy Story, adults can relate to it if they have or have had kids, and teens and young adults relate to the the growing up part.  In 1995, when Toy Story first came out, I was 7 years old - about the age of Andy and other kids that played with toys all the time.  In 2010, when the third film came out, I was in my last year of college and ready to move on with a new part of my life.  Seeing this time tie all of that together for me was extremely emotional.

It's still got the same old good humor, though, and some fun new characters.  Barbie returns, but this time she is also joined by Ken.  This duo is one of the best aspects of the movie - very hilarious!  There's also Lotso, our new villain, a supposedly lovable bear.  Woody is as tough as ever, determined to stay with Andy and be loyal to him no matter what kind of life it might mean for him.  The others, however, are ready to move on.  Their great escape from Sunnyside at the end shows that they really do all want to work together and be together in the end, though.  Oh, and Buzz's Spanish mode is pretty funny too.

The emotional part is the ending - well, actually, two parts of the ending.  If you haven't seen the movie you should probably stop reading, because I'm going to give some details.  When the toys are in the junkyard and it looks like they're headed for a fiery death, it's full of excitement and suspense, but then it seems like there really is no way out.  I definitely thought the movie was just going to kill them all off, and the toys think so too as they join hands and prepare for death.  Just thinking about it makes me tear up.  Seeing that resolve to just stick together and not struggle any longer is very powerful.  Amazingly, they do get saved.  Then, the ultimate ending is very sad, but happy at the same time.  Andy gives his toys away to a little girl that will love them and play with them.  Seeing Andy part with his toys that he has loved for so long is a very hard thing to deal with.  We've known these toys as Andy's toys for fifteen years.  It's easy to relate our own childhoods to this moment.  But in the end it's right, and it couldn't have ended more perfectly.

Bottom line: definitely the best Pixar movie to date, and one of the best Disney movies as well.

The Music
Kind of a recap of songs heard in the other Toy Story movies, including "You've Got A Friend in Me."  And the Spanish version of that song, making for a cute ending moment.

The Villain
Our bad guy this time is Lotso, a strawberry scented bear that has grown sour and evil after being abandoned by his kid.  He takes it out on the other toys at Sunnyside by pretending to be extremely kind and welcoming, but sending them to basically be tortured instead.  In some ways he's kind of similar to Stinky Pete: he seems nice but turns out to be bad.  Lotso runs everything, and isn't afraid to destroy the toys that want to leave.  The worst part is the end, though.  Woody absolutely saves Lotso's life in the junkyard, and Lotso repays them by basically sending them to their deaths.  It just goes to show you should never pity the bad guys.  Did he get what he deserved?  Eh.  He has to ride around the front of a garbage truck all day.  It could be a lot worse, and there's plenty of potential for him to escape, though let's not think about that.  Something a little bit more might have been fitting though.

The WDW Connection
See Toy Story.

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