The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

This is a classic.  I was a huge Winnie-the-Pooh lover as a kid, so this really brings back the memories.  I remember absolutely adoring this movie and all of the other movies, games, and whatever else existed in the franchise.  The first video game I ever remember playing was a Winnie-the-Pooh game on our Macintosh computer.

While in some ways I do think that Winnie-the-Pooh is timeless and something that can be loved by everyone, I think it definitely has more of an appeal for kids.  Unlike some of the other animated Disney movies, which might deal with serious topics and hardships, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is just a rather go-lucky series of stories that has very little real strife.

My favorite out of these mini stories is the one where Pooh eats too much honey and gets stuck in the door of Rabbit's house.  I remember loving the part where Rabbit decides to make Pooh's butt part of the decor and starts painting it.  When I was younger my favorite characters were Pooh and Piglet, but now that I'm older I can kind of sympathize with Rabbit somewhat.  Of course, they're all great characters - Tigger, Eeyore, Kanga, Roo, and Owl.  Owl was much funnier now than when I watched him as a kid, because there were a lot of things I didn't get then.

There are many more Pooh stories than the ones contained here, and some of them have been made into shorts and other movies by Disney.  In addition, there is a new Pooh movie coming out this summer.

Jason's thoughts:  "It was good, but it's more for kids."

The Music
Lots of songs in this one, and they fit the style of the movie well.  They aren't show stopping numbers, but fun songs that really appeal to kids, such as "The Wonderful Thing about Tiggers," "Winnie the Pooh" and "Heffalumps and Woozles."

The Villain
The characters are all so sweet and lovable in this one that there really isn't a villain.  Sometimes they get on each others' nerves, but in the end they are all just friends.  If anything the unknown Heffalumps and Woozles are the villains, but we don't really see them in this film other than a dream.

The WDW Connection
Pooh and his friends are quite popular in Disney World.  There is a ride in the Magic Kingdom named after this movie, called The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.  There is also a restaurant there called the Crystal Palace, which is a character meal.  When you eat there you can meet Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, and Tigger.  The characters can also be found many places throughout the parks - I've run into Pooh in the UK pavilion in Epcot a few times.

Becky's rating:  7.5 out of 10
Jason's rating:  7 out of 10

Monsters, Inc.

For some reason, I had never seen this Pixar movie when it came out.  The first time I watched it was a few years ago, when Jason and I first started dating.  Now I have to say that I think it is one of my favorite Pixar movies - and Pixar does some good stuff!  The only ones that might top it for me would probably be Toy Story and Finding Nemo.  Maybe Up.  Yeah, it's really hard to pick a best Pixar movie!

I love the unique concept behind this movie.  It's all about monsters just trying to make a living by scaring children.  Of course, most of these "monsters" turn out to be pretty nice guys, and we're rooting for them.  And it's hilarious.  I laughed so much at this movie.  Especially the part where someone walks in and asks what they're doing, and Mike makes up the excuse that they're rehearsing for a musical - and then at the end they actually show you the play performed!  Not only is it funny, there's lots of excitement and adventure.

The characters are great.  I love Mike Wazowski.  He's so funny, and there's just something so likable about him.  And how could you not love Sulley?  Though he's the "scariest" monster, he's clearly got a huge heart, as he basically adopts Boo and cares for her, even though she is a human child.  They are an awesome pair of characters.  I'm excited to hear that they are going to create a prequel called "Monsters University," which discusses how Mike and Sulley first met while at school, and initially didn't like each other.

I also really like the ending of this movie.  I won't spoil it if you haven't seen it, but I thought the discovery of how to fix the energy crisis was clever and original.

The Music
It wasn't all that memorable to me, but then again soundtracks usually are not.  On the other hand, I won't soon forget the "musical" played during the ending credits and performed by Mike!

The Villain
Randall is a jerk, but doesn't really come off as the most evil of villains.  A bad guy, definitely, but basically just a slime ball.  Though that machine that he builds seems pretty evil, especially when he's willing to use it on a little child.  I also don't like all the advantages he gets by being the type of monster that he is.  He can move around really easily since he can climb walls and stuff, but the worst part is that he can turn invisible.  It's hard to deal with a monster like that!

The WDW Connection
There is an attraction in the Magic Kingdom called the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, which is basically a comedy show that includes interaction with the audience.  The last time I was in Disney the show was in beta mode, and they were testing it out.  We got to go and watch it, and found it hilarious!  At that point in my life I had never even seen the movie, and I still loved it.  The person I was with filled me in on some of the background so I would understand the characters and all.

Becky's rating:  9.5 out of 10
Jason's rating:  9 out of 10

Lilo and Stitch

So I started out watching this movie already having a bit of a prejudice against Stitch.  Here's why: there's a ride in Disney called Stitch's Great Escape.  It used to be Alien Encounter, and was super scary.  I would never have gone on it in a million years.  But everyone said with Stitch it wasn't scary at all, in fact it was kind of lame, so I reluctantly gave it a try.  Well let me tell you, I'm just a big old wuss because that ride scared the heck out of me.  I don't like being in a pitch black room feeling things running over my head and burping in my face, and whatever else went on during that ride.  Yeah, I may have been in tears a little bit cause that freaked me out.  So needless to say, I haven't been a huge Stitch fan since then.

As it turns out, though, the movie is pretty cute.  I mean, I do have a few issues with it.  Lilo does not come off as a likable character in the beginning for me - but that may be because I'm sick of dealing with annoying young children after spending a year subbing in elementary schools.  And even though Stitch comes around in the end, I never would have let that monster terrorize my house!  No matter how cute he turned out to be!

But on to the good stuff.  The plot was fun, and the movie was never slow.  They definitely kept it interesting. And the characters were unique, especially compared to other Disney movies.  It wasn't the same type of predictable story line (for the most part) that we see with children's movies.  There were also some good characters, especially the government social worker, who seems so scary at first but then turns out to be hilarious.

One other fun thing with this movie: the trailers were awesome.  There were a few of them, and they started with a typical scene from a Disney movie, such as Beauty and the Beast or Aladdin.  But then Stitch comes crashing in to wreak havoc.  It's really cute.  You can see them on the DVD or watch them on youtube.

Jason says:  "I like the dynamic of the characters.  I was intrigued by who the bad guys were in that movie, and how it wasn't always clear."

The Music
The soundtrack for this movie fits it very well.  There is a good amount of Hawaiian music, which makes sense.  Elvis also has a very large presence, and it works.  I don't normally pay too much attention to soundtracks when the songs aren't sung by the characters and really incorporated into the movie, but this one was really good.

The Villain
Jason hinted at this above, but the movie kind of tricks you in terms of determining who the villain is.  At first it would seem to be Jumba or Stitch, because they have endangered their race due to Stitch's destructive existence.  In Hawaii, Cobra Bubbles, the social worker, at first seems to be the bad guy.  But once we realize that Stitch is actually quite lovable, it's Gantu and the intergalactic federation that are the bad guys by trying to take him away!  BUT - when the federation realizes that he's harmless, they allow him to remain there!  So really, everyone seems like a bad guy but then turns out to be pretty okay in the end.  Except for Gantu, so I guess he would be the "real" villain in all of this.  A very interesting way of treating the "evil" in the film, and more realistic than the typical wicked witch.

The WDW Connection
People must like Stitch a lot, because he's certainly got a presence in WDW.  For one, there is that ride I mentioned earlier, Stitch's Great Escape.  At the Polynesian resort there is a restaurant called Ohana, which serves Hawaiian food family style, themed around the idea of Ohana and family in Lilo and Stitch.  In addition, if you do breakfast there you can meet Lilo and Stitch.

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

Mary Poppins

So first of all, this isn't an animated Disney movie (as you probably realized).  However, we decided to review it because, like Song of the South, it has some animation in it, and it also has a fairly large presence in Disney World.

Overall, Mary Poppins was crazier than I remembered!  I am not quite sure why, but I guess I forgot that she was really so... magical.  I wish I could clean my room the way those kids did.  As for her character, she is actually somewhat vain and a little bit of a kill-joy sometimes, not exactly the lovable nanny that you expect.  But she's still good at heart and it's clear that she really loves the kids.

The movie is basically just a series of mini-adventures.  Some of these are fun and interesting, but a few times they just seemed a little boring or out of place.  The film was pretty long and it did drag in certain spots.  However, there are some fun highlights, like when they go into the chalk painting and dance with penguins, and of course the chimney sweep scene.

The ending was a little bit ridiculous, but then I suppose the movie overall was pretty ridiculous.  Like everyone would really immediately withdraw their money just because of something a little boy said at the bank... I mean come on, this is 1910!  These people didn't have twitter in order to be able to spread news that quickly!  I did like the scenes with the old man, and am glad the father finally gave them what they deserved.

Jason says: "Some of the songs are a little boring, but for the most part it's a good movie.  Like the bird woman - why is she even in it?"

The Music
There's a ton of songs in this movie, and a seemingly endless amount of good ones.  Classic after classic is in this movie.  There are so many: "Spoonful of Sugar," "Chim-Chim-Cheree," "Let's Go Fly a Kite," and of course, "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious."  Another song, "Feed the Birds," is also lovely in its own way, though a bit slow and boring at times.  And then there are a few tunes that are kind of duds such as "I Love to Laugh" and "Sister Sufferagette", but it's excusable given how many other great songs are here.

The Villain
There is no real "evil" villain here, but a few characters that play somewhat villainous roles.  The dad is kind of the antagonist in some cases, because he's the one that's laying down the law and making life hard for the children.  But the old man at the bank is probably even more of a villain, because we don't have any sort of relationship to him and don't see any redeeming qualities.  So the idea of a villain isn't really very prevalent in this movie.

The WDW Connection
Some of the characters in Mary Poppins, such as Mary and Burt, can be found around the parks.  I've come across Mary Poppins in the UK in Epcot.  Also, the Grand Floridian resort has a restaurant called 1900 Park Fare, where I think she makes appearances at some of the character meals (at least, she did the last time I was there).  I wouldn't be surprised if she popped up more often now due to the fact that they have a Broadway musical out now based on the movie.  Mary's most common, but Burt and the peguins make appearances as well.

Becky's rating:  8.5 out of 10
Jason's rating:  8 out of 10

The Aristocats

The Aristocats was an extremely sweet movie.  It's fun, it's cute, and it's got a decent plot line.  It's lasted fairly well throughout the years, and while it's not necessarily one of the biggest smash hits that Disney has ever created, it's certainly still appreciated by many people.

I think one of the reasons for this is that the movie is just so likable.  Take Duchess, our main character.  She is extremely easy going and always happy.  She doesn't really get super upset about things, and finds amusement in other characters that you might think would annoy her.  Although she's clearly spent her whole life being rich and spoiled, she's not stuck up about it at all.  And the kittens.  They are soooo cute, how could you not love them?  They really do make the movie.  Tom O'Malley is fun as well, and while he might be a little rough around the edges it's definitely clear that he has a good heart.

Another thing that was interesting about this movie, and could be seen as either good or bad, was that aside from the ending, they never really seemed to be in any real danger.  Sure, they're left in the rain, but they're quickly found by Tom.  And then they really just head on home.  They encounter some adventures, such as the geese and the alley cats, but none of them are particularly dangerous in any way.  The worst that they face is probably when they come home and Edgar puts them in the oven - I thought for a moment he was going to cook them!  But of course it's clear they're going to get rescued.

  

The one thing that was a bit odd was the plot line with the two dogs.  It seemed to be a little bit out of place.  It almost seemed like it was more of a time killer in order to add something a bit more to the movie, but we didn't really feel like it did much for the film.

The Music

There are definitely a few good songs in this one.  In particular, there is one outstanding tune, which is, of course, "Everybody Wants To Be a Cat."  It's jazzy, fun, everyone knows it, and the animation that goes along with it is great.  The only other song that was memorable for me was the cute "Scales and Arpeggios."  There were a few other songs, such as Tom's song and the intro song of "The Aristocats," but nothing too noteworthy.

The Villain

In this movie, Edgar is a really surprising villain.  We first see him as the faithful butler, and he seems like a decent guy.  He laughs a little at the kittens and from what they say about him it's clear that he's doted on them in the past.  However, once he hears that the will leaves everything to the cats, he just snaps.  Anyone who would try to get rid of cute, adorable kittens like that is clearly a bad person.  It's awful the things that money can do to people.  While Edgar is clearly a villain, he's not very good at it.  At least he gets shipped off to Timbuktu.

The WDW Connection

It seems that occasionally you might be able to see Marie around Disney, most likely in France in Epcot.  There used to be a restaurant at the Port Orleans resort named after a character in this movie, but it's no longer open.

Becky's rating:  8 out of 10

Jason's rating:  7.5 out of 10

The Emperor's New Groove

I don't remember being particularly fond of this one, thinking it a little silly back when I first saw it.  However, Jason said it was one that he really liked, so I added it to the "must watch" list, even though it doesn't have much of a presence in Disney World.  I am glad we decided to watch it again.  I did like it better this time around, though I still wouldn't say it's one of my favorites.

The plot was very interesting.  In some ways it was typical and predictable (at least the basic plot), but I kind of like that about a Disney film.  And not all of it is predictable.  There were a few times where you really thought Kuzco was going to turn around and change, and then he didn't.  There are also a lot of other good characters in this film - Pacha, who is amazingly good, Chicha, his fun and feisty wife, and Kronk, who is hilariously stupid.

One thing that this film does really well is how it uses its main character.  Kuzco is extremely unlikeable from the beginning, and when that's true of your main character it can be difficult to get people to like the movie.  However, the movie itself is still entertaining, and it actually gets you to like and appreciate Kuzco by the end.  They portrayed his change as a person pretty well, in a fairly believable way.

One of the only negatives I would really have about this film is that the character of Pacha is maybe a little too good to be true.  He really sees the good in everyone, to the point of being so selfless it is almost unbelievable.  On the other hand, it's hopeful to think that maybe there really are people like that in the world! It's also not amazingly new or novel in any way, so it's not like it's doing something amazing.  But it's a good, entertaining movie.

Jason says:  this is a silly movie.  Watch it when you're in a silly mood.

The Music
Oh, this made me think that it was going to be a musical when it started things off with a guy singing.  But that was really the only song.  It seemed like a film that really could have lent itself well to the musical style, but it chose not to.  Again, perhaps that's why it isn't as loved as some of the other Disney films have been.

The Villain
Yzma is a pretty interesting villain.  She is certainly frightening looking, and has that evil villain vibe to her.  She's got magical powers, and she devises a plan to kill Kuzco.  Of course, it backfires and turns him into a llama instead, but the malicious intent was still there.  However, she often comes off as more comical than scary or evil.  She doesn't quite meet a deserving end, as all that happens to her is that she gets turned into a cat.  Given the life of my cat, I'm not so sure that's really a bad fate!

The WDW Connection
Again, really nothing that I know of here.

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

Oliver and Company

So many reasons why I enjoy this Disney movie.  It's based (very loosely) on one of my favorite Charles Dickens novels, and I also have a love for the musical Oliver!, which obviously involves similar characters and plot lines.  It came out in 1988, the year of my birth.  It's got Billy Joel.  And there's an adorable kitten in it.  What's not to love?

Okay, well, I'll admit that there were a few things that bring this movie down a little - after all, it never quite reached the popularity of some of the films that came right after it.  The first thing that is just a bit odd is that the animation just doesn't look like it's "Disney."  I don't really know how to describe it other than that.  For the longest time I didn't even think this was a Disney movie!  Also, there are a lot of different characters with a lot of personalities, but we don't really get to know any of them all that well.

The whole Georgette and Tito relationship is pretty funny.  The ending of this movie was pretty ridiculous, but in a good way.  Totally not believable, but fun and entertaining. I was actually surprised that none of the good characters got killed or extremely injured.  I was expecting Dodger to save everyone at the last minute but in doing so fall to his death or something, but then have it turn out that he actually lived.  But I guess that most of the earlier movies avoided death in the actual movie, at least until The Lion King.

The Music
There is one really excellent song in this movie, and it's Billy Joel singing "Why Should I Worry?"  The only other one that stands out is the simple and sweet "Good Company," sung by Jenny as she is practicing piano.  Georgette has a song as well, though that one is pretty over the top.  Overall there is one really good song from this movie, and a few others that are okay.

The Villain
Sykes is the main bad guy here, and he's a pretty stereotypical villain.  He's dark and shady, conducting some sort of evil business in a creepy place.  He doesn't have much of a unique personality though, making him less interesting than some other Disney villains.  We also don't see too much of him throughout the movie until the end, which means that although evil is a presence throughout the film, it's not neccesarily related back to him all that well.

The WDW Connection
There are really no connections to Oliver and Company in Disney World that I know of.  Let me know if you find any!

Becky's rating:  8 out of 10
Jason's rating:  7.5 out of 10

Tarzan

I actually think that I had never seen this movie before.  Ever.  It came out in 1999, towards the end of Disney's "renaissance" period.  It followed Hercules and Mulan, and since I wasn't a huge fan of those at the time I guess I passed on Tarzan.  I was also at an age where watching Disney movies was probably seen as childish.  As a kid you can love them, and as a teenager and up you can embrace Disney as a form of nostalgia, but I was 11 at the time, so maybe it wasn't "cool."  I don't know.  But from watching it for the first time now, I did enjoy the movie.

The story is sweet, and the characters are pretty good.  It's rather funny when Jane and her father show up, and there's no shortage of action.  I found the ending sequence, with Clayton coming back to try and capture/kill the gorillas, to be particularly exciting and thrilling.  They did a good job putting it together.  Other highlights and things that we enjoyed about the film were the pacing, some of the voice acting, and of course the soundtrack.

However, I was not in love with the way that the movie ended.  This is my personal opinion, and Jason thought it was fine.  It's obvious that you're either going to bring Tarzan back to England so he can be with Jane, or Jane will stay with Tarzan in the jungle.  The way the movie ended was having Jane and her father stay in the jungle.  If you ask me, that's a little ridiculous.  I mean, I know they liked nature and studying it and all, but they were both clearly completely incompetent at surviving, partly because neither of them have any common sense.  They only lived through the movie because Tarzan kept saving them.  Plus, well... humans don't really belong in the jungle.  And Tarzan is a human, after all.  He belongs in the world of humans.  Very similar to Mowgli and The Jungle Book... except that one ended in a way that made sense.

I'm one of those people that always wants to know the differences between the movie and the original source (in this case, the book), so I went onto the wikipedia page to read about the Tarzan novels.  The first one is somewhat similar to the movie, and the influences are clear.  However, if you're bored and looking for something entertaining, read about the sequels.  Apparently the Tarzan franchise went a little crazy, and Tarzan ends up fighting in both WWI and WWII, traveling to the lost city of Atlantis, discovers a Jurassic park and fights dinosaurs, and travels to the earth's core, among other things.  Forget about being raised by monkeys - this guy had a crazy life after that!

The Music
The soundtrack is really good.  Phil Collins does some very nice songs for this one.  They aren't really integrated into the movies with the characters singing, like so many other Disney films, but provide background music.  Two of the songs were pretty big hits: "Strangers Like Me" and "You'll Be in My Heart."

The Villain
Clayton was a pretty evil villain.  It's obvious from the beginning that he's the bad guy, but he really takes things to the extreme.  He not only wants to kill/capture the gorillas to sell their pelts, he's also willing to kill any of the humans that get in his way.  And this is after Tarzan has show him kindness, led him to the gorillas, and attempted to save his life.  However, Clayton gets what he deserves in a big way, as he not only dies, but in a pretty gruesome way.  Accidentally hanging himself as a result of his own actions is a pretty fitting death for an awful Disney villain.

The WDW Connection
Tarzan got some attractions/attention when the movie first came out, and again when the Broadway musical opened, but most of those attractions have since been replaced by other, more popular films.  There was a show called Tarzan Rocks in the Animal Kingdom, but it was replaced by Finding Nemo: The Musical.  To my knowledge, there isn't much left of Tarzan in Disney World.

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

Dumbo

This movie is just a classic that has lots of charm.  It's got the precious relationship between a mother and her child, some funny bits, some weird parts, and it is ultimately the story of the underdog triumphing.  It also takes place in the circus, so if you're one of those people that hates clowns, some parts might be a little creepy - even if they are animated!  I do not like Dumbo forced into clown make-up. :(

The strangest part is definitely when Dumbo accidentally drinks alcohol - which seems to have the effect of a hallucinogenic drug.  The whole pink elephants scene is really trippy - both for Dumbo and for those of us watching!  I'm not sure what purpose it serves in the film and I probably could have done without it, but it's certainly become one of the most iconic scenes in Disney animation history.

I love that it's a happy ending, and it works nicely.  Even though Dumbo and his mother go through a lot, everything turns out all right in the end.  They are reunited, and Dumbo is famous for being able to fly.  Speaking of which, I bet this movie is a lot more suspenseful and exciting if you didn't know that Dumbo learns how to fly. However, I feel like that's the big tagline of this movie and even if you hadn't seen it before you probably already knew that piece of information.  And if you didn't, well... sorry I just ruined it for you!

The Music
There are a few classics in terms of music, and a few more forgettable pieces.  The big ones that everyone remembers are "Pink Elephants on Parade" and "When I See an Elephant Fly."  In my personal opinion, the best number is definitely "When I See an Elephant Fly."  There are a few others, such as "Look out for Mr. Stork," which fit in well with the time period but don't have too much lasting value.

The Villain
There's no main villain here, but a few smaller characters that contribute to the problem.  The other elephants are just mean, making fun of Dumbo because he's different.  They are probably the worst, though the clowns and the circus owner are a bit cruel in their own ways.  And the crows also make fun of Dumbo, but no one is particularly villainous.

The WDW Connection
The Dumbo ride is one of the most popular and well known children's rides in all of Disney World.  In addition, it's recently got a makeover as part of the new Fantasyland expansion.  They added a second set of flying elephants, as well as a Big Top and an interactive queue area.  The Casey Jr. train gets some love as well with a splash area created for children.

Becky's rating:  7.5 out of 10
Jason's rating:  8 out of 10