Bambi

Bambi is a good movie.  It's a bit old fashioned, but in many ways I think it's actually a beautiful work of art.  The animation is extremely good for its time. However,though it's a good movie, I'm not sure I can say it's an extremely entertaining movie.  I liked it, but I probably wouldn't want to watch it again.  On the other hand, I'm sure there are kids out there that can watch it over and over again, so there must be something about it that draws some people in.  If anyone has any experience from their own childhood or others with loving this movie and has a guess as to why, I'd be very curious to know.

I think the reason why it's not as entertaining as other movies is because it's very slow.  There isn't a lot that happens; in fact, there's really no strong plot.  It's really just "a year in the life of Bambi."  You keep watching, waiting for that big moment that starts the story, and after about 25 minutes you realize that this is it.

But it's definitely cute.  I love all the little animals as babies, like Thumper and Flower.  And then when they grow up and start to fall in love, that's a great scene too.  It's also extremely moving, especially when Bambi's mother dies.  And when the entire forest is lit on fire, it really sort of speaks to you.  Basically, this movie made me hate humans.  And that's probably part of the message they were trying to get across - respect for nature and all.  Overall I think they do a decent job.

The Music
It's not exactly a big song and dance movie - the music is mostly underscore and subtle.  The most memorable song is "Little April Showers," which is one of the best scenes in the movie.  It's very beautiful just watching the rain falling and the seasons changing.  None of the other songs really stood out to me though.

The Villain
The only villain we really have here is humans - or, more specifically, the man that shoots Bambi's mother.  We know almost nothing about him, but he's a bad guy for killing her.  However, there are tons of people that do hunt for both food and for fun.  Personally, I can't fathom how anyone would find pleasure in shooting innocent animals.  But there are many people that do, people who are often very good people.  So the villain is very ambiguous here, especially if you start to think about it.

The WDW Connection
Bambi is almost non-existent in Disney World.  It's somewhat surprising, considering that it has become a Disney classic.  There are no rides, restaurants, or anything really.  Rumor has it that Thumper has occasionally been seen around the parks, and there's a Bambi topiary at Epcot during the May/June Flower and Garden Festival, but otherwise not much.

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

The Princess and the Frog

When The Princess and the Frog came out in 2009, word was that it was going to be very reminiscent of the Disney renaissance period - all of those good movies like Aladdin, The Lion King, and The Little Mermaid.  Considering that (aside from Pixar) the Disney movies that had come out were along the lines of Brother Bear, Home on the Range, and Bolt, I was dying for a good Disney movie.  Going back to Disney's roots in fairy tales was a brilliant idea.

I absolutely fell in love with this movie.  It only came out in late 2009/early 2010, and I've probably watched it five or six times already.  To start with, this movie has an awesome princess who can almost rival Belle.  She's smart, hardworking, dedicated, and won't let anyone stand in her way.  Disney's come a long way since the portrayal of princesses in Snow White or Cinderella.  Tiana doesn't start out as a princess; in fact, she's almost the opposite.  I love the fact that she's a strong character while still being likable.

It also hits all of the right emotions.  There's happiness, comedy, and sadness.  There are lots of really great, funny lines in this movie, and hilarious characters, like Raymond and Louis.  We watched it with Jason's brothers and I was a little worried that they would think it was stupid, but they were laughing a lot, so I think that's a good sign.  Ray's song to Evangeline is both touching and sad at the same time.  And the ending really holds a tragedy in it - I cry every time we watch it.  However, there's still a happy ending.  To me, that's the perfect movie: there's some sad things that happen which make it realistic, but ultimately it ends happily.

The story itself is fun, and I never felt like the pace was lagging or I was checking my watch.  They go through a series of adventures, and Tiana and Prince Naveen start out disliking each other because they are so different.  But it's fun to watch the romance grow between them as they both start to realize the other one actually is caring and a good person.  It was definitely not love at first sight for these two!

The Music
I loved the music from this movie, so much so that I bought the soundtrack (the only other Disney movie I have the entire soundtrack to is The Lion King).  Since the story takes place in New Orleans, it features a lot of jazz music, which I love.  I really don't think there's a bad song in the bunch.  My favorites would be "Almost There," Tiana's big solo song, and "Dig A Little Deeper," the song that Mama Odie sings.  However, "Evangeline" is also beautiful in its own way.  The only thing noticeably missing is a duet between the two lovers.  Even a light-hearted, fun one would have been appropriate, but they don't really sing together.  The closest thing to a love song from the movie is "Evangeline."

The Villain
Dr. Facilier, more commonly known as "the Shadow Man," is a pretty evil villain.  He's a bit reminiscent of Jafar - out for power, and with the ability to control evil magic.  However, the Shadow Man is super creepy because he's actually in cahoots with the devil - his "friends from the other side."

The WDW Connection
Unfortunately, as of right now there aren't really any attractions, shows, or restaurants themed around The Princess and the Frog.  When the movie first came out they did a bit more, such as adding in a show and re-theming the Liberty Belle riverboat, but that's all gone now.  I would love to see more from this movie in the future.  I believe you can still meet Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen around the parks.

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

Song of the South

I was super excited about seeing this movie for two reasons: one, because it has actually never been released in the US on DVD or video, so I'd never seen it, and two, because my favorite ride in all of Disney World is based on this movie.  Since many of you may not be familiar with the movie, here's what happens: a young boy named Johnny goes with his mom to live with his grandmother, though they never explain why exactly the father is leaving them.  Johnny is very upset about dad being gone, and only really finds solace in Uncle Remus's stories about Brer Rabbit.  Unfortunately, due to some misunderstandings, Johnny's mother forbids him to visit Uncle Remus anymore.

*Ending spoiler*  Uncle Remus decides to leave because he can no longer tell stories to Johnny.  When Johnny sees him packing up and leaving, he tries to chase after his wagon.  He can't catch up, so Johnny tries to take a short cut through the meadow where he isn't supposed to go, and ends up basically being gored by a bull.  Okay, not gored because they don't really show anything, but injured enough so that he is between life and death.  Uncle Remus comes back, and when dad hears he comes back, and Johnny lives and everyone is happy and reunited.

First off, here are my thoughts on the fact that this movie is not made available: it's stupid.  There is nothing offensive about it, unless you count that everyone is too darn happy when they're slaves.  I don't think it's a bad thing to make a movie - even a kid's movie - that acknowledges that the Civil War era and slavery once existed. It certainly doesn't go into details, and you can hardly tell that they're slaves.  It's a bit old fashioned, but no different than a movie like, say, Gone with the Wind, where there are slaves involved in the story.  It's just a lot of hype over nothing.

The Brer Rabbit stories are definitely the best part.  The rest of the movie was all right, but nothing really special.  A bit predictable at times (though I did not see him getting gored by a bull) and old fashioned, but I thought it was a really cute movie overall.  There are three Brer Rabbit stories in the whole thing, but they could make a movie just of that and it would be really good.  The stories are about him outsmarting Brer Bear and Brer Fox, who are trying to catch him, and they actually come out of folklore so they're not Disney original and you can look them up and read these three ("The Tar Baby," "Brer Rabbit Runs Away," and "Brer Rabbit's Laughing Place) plus many more.

After all the hype around this movie in the Disney community, it was kind of a let down only because it wasn't amazingly spectacular and it also wasn't really horrible.  It was just a pretty good movie.

The Music
There are some really catchy tunes in this one, including the famous "Zip-a-dee-do-dah."  Another fun one that you'll know if you've been on Splash Mountain is "How Do You Do?"  Be careful, because this one can get stuck in your head for awhile!  Those are the highlights, though there are a few other songs, including "Song of the South" and "Everybody's Got a Laughing Place."

The Villain
Within the Brer Rabbit stories, the "villains" are Brer Bear and Brer Fox.  Brer Bear is your typical dumb sidekick, who instantly calls for all of Brer Rabbit's tricks.  Brer Fox is a bit smarter but not by much, and if often frustrated by what Brer Bear does.  They're much more comical than evil.  Within the frame story there is no real villain per se, just obstacles to overcome.  And that darn bull.

The WDW Connection
My all time favorite ride ever is themed after this movie, and that's Splash Mountain.  You start the ride by going through and seeing various animatronics of the Brer Rabbit stories throughout the movie.  And then, when Brer Rabbit tricks them into throwing him into the Briar Patch, you go down a log flume of 52 feet.  Wee!

Becky's rating:  7.5 out of 10
Jason's rating:  6.5 out of 10

The Three Caballeros

This one was new to me, and I knew it was one of the older ones.  Different in style from Snow White or Dumbo, this has more of a feeling of the early Disney shorts than the full length animated features.   It really consists of three segments or shorts that are grouped together by a fairly weak storyline.  First there is a tale of a penguin that wants to live where it's warm, then a story about a flying donkey, and finally we have the adventures of the three caballeros.

I actually really enjoyed the first two segments.  They were short, sweet, and funny.  Everything that you'd expect from a Disney short.  However, I didn't really love the second half of the movie, which was the main focus.  Basically, Jose and Panchito take Donald Duck on a tour of Latin America, stopping in various cities and learning a few tidbits.  It's really about the music - and if you had to pick a storyline there, you could say it's about Donald's quest to find a woman.  Really, Donald Duck came off as quite... horny, really.  He was chasing down women left and right, desperate for a kiss, didn't really matter from who.

And once he gets his kiss the movie turns really freaky.  I mean, it had a storyline and for the most part made sense up until then, but all of the sudden things just go psychedelic.  Basically Donald is high from the kiss that he received, and sees singing women in flowers, in the sky, and starts dancing with some cacti.  Basically the whole time I was sitting there wondering, "What the heck is going on?"

There were two bonus shorts at the end, which I really enjoyed.  The first one was about Donald finding the fountain of use, and it was hilarious.  The other was about Pluto and it was pretty good.

The Music
It was okay.  The goal was to make it ethnic, which they did, but it's just a very old fashioned feel.  Not surprising, since it's from the 1940's, but it's not timeless like the songs from Snow White either.

The Villain
Not really applicable to this film.

The WDW Connection
The Three Caballeros have a much greater presence in Walt Disney World these days, now that the Mexican boat ride in Epcot has been rethemed as the Gran Fiesta Tour starring the Three Caballeros. The three can also be seen for meet and greets in the Mexican pavilion at times.  There is also topiaries of them at the Coronado Springs Resort, and a Fountain of the trio at the All Star Music Resort pool.

Becky's rating:  5.5 out of 10
Jason's rating:  6 out of 10

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