Tag: disney

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Children Drew Movies

Disney Project 2014: The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Movie: The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Release year: 1996

My reaction: I didn’t grow up watching this one, but I have seen it on TV several times recently. The music is pretty great. And there are lots of little Easter eggs, like Belle and Aladdin‘s magic carpet in the opening song, and the fact that the two male gargoyles are named Victor and Hugo.

This one is super religious – all about judgment and heaven and hell. It’s an interesting perspective for a Disney movie. I like that they went there.

We don’t own this, and didn’t get around to purchasing it, so thank you very much, Netflix streaming!

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He wouldn’t sit still for a picture – just kept rolling around and laughing. =)

 

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Children Movies Parents

Disney Project 2014: Pocahontas

Movie: Pocahontas

Release year: 1995

So all year, my dad has been saying how Pocahontas is a lame Disney movie, and how the music is forgettable and weak. So I had this hope that maybe when Pocahontas week rolled around, we could make my parents watch it with us.

It somehow worked out! They were here babysitting last week, so we broke our normal weekend movie-watching schedule, and dragged the high chair into the living room so we could eat dinner during it. I don’t want to speak for them…but I’d say they loved it.

If I had to guess, I would say my dad would tell me, “You were right, this is actually a really great movie. The music is quite memorable and clever. I highly enjoyed my viewing of Disney’s Pocahontas.”

And this picture is totes the best:

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Children Drew Movies

Disney Project 2014: The Lion King

Movie: The Lion King

Release year: 1994

My reaction: Man, this is a good time in Disney movie history. Each of these movies holds favorite songs and moments, and while Drew and I have watched many of them together before, it’s always fun to rediscover old faves.

Did you know The Lion King was Disney’s B-movie? They put all their A-list people on Pocahontas, and expected it to be the runaway hit. And it’s great, but it’s no Lion King.

When I was 10 years old, I was helping my mom in her classroom during summer school. And one of the end-of-the-year summer things we did was take all the kids downtown to the movie theater to see The Lion King. I just google mapped it. It’s 1.7 miles. And we walked a huge group of elementary school kids all the way through town. That was brave of us.

Our DVD includes The Morning Report scene, which is totally unnecessary. I’m fine just skipping that song.

This was one of those days that we just could not take a good picture of the three of us. So you get this!

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Children Drew Love Movies

Disney Project 2014: Aladdin

Movie: Aladdin

Release year: 1992

In a week when everyone is talking about Robin Williams, it’s a strange coincidence that we watched Aladdin this weekend. We talked about how this was the first Disney movie (that we could think of) where they cast current celebrities to do the voices. And we both realized how amazing this movie is, although it seems to get lost in the shuffle of the second Disney Renaissance. In a way, I’m glad we had the chance to watch Aladdin this weekend, so it was just an enjoyable experience rather than a bittersweet one.

Anything I can say has been said already. I remember being 8 years old and seeing this movie, and having a talent-crush on Robin Williams. He was an inspiration to watch, and I am sorry for the loss of such a brilliant actor.

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Children Drew Movies

Disney Project 2014: Beauty and the Beast

Movie: Beauty and the Beast

Release year: 1991

My reaction: This rounds out my top 4 favorite Disney movies: Sleeping Beauty, Lady and the Tramp, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast. Drew and I started in on the plot holes and inconsistencies…and then I cut him off and was like, “But for reals, this is one of the best ones, RIGHT.” I could watch this movie over and over again. And should. Because I missed huge chunks of this one. Like most of the end.

I did drag B back into the living room to watch the Beast transform. Because you gotta watch that part.

I remember watching this movie with my mom when I was…I must have been like 8 years old. And he turns into the prince, and I remember my mom and I were both like, “…Ew. Can he turn back into a beast please?” Which is funny. It’s also funny that now I totally think he’s cute. If I was Belle, I would be like, Score.

Also, what with all the fan theories going around right now about Frozen/Tangled/Little Mermaid/Tarzan (which I think is dumb, btw), Drew and I have a new theory to propose. You know how at the very very beginning (before the stained glass), you see Bambi’s mom drinking from the stream in the forest outside the castle? That’s because she didn’t die when the hunter shot her. She got away and moved to France.

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Categories
Children Drew Movies

Disney Project 2014: The Rescuers Down Under

Movie: The Rescuers Down Under

Release year: 1990

My reaction: This is, I believe, the only sequel on the list. And I think it deserves to be there. I would say Down Under is better than the original Rescuers. Even though the perspective is all over the place, and it’s hard to keep track of how big these mice actually are. One second they’re riding fireflies, the next second they’re like opening cage doors. And when Cody gets free of McLeach, the first place he goes is to check on the eagle eggs…even though HIS MOM THINKS HE’S DEAD. I’m like GO HOME IMMEDIATELY. His poor mom. =(

Drew says: “I don’t think Bianca likes Bernard the way he likes her.” I agree.

Also, this is the first Disney movie we’ve gotten to that we don’t already own. Luckily…streaming on Netflix!

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Being a girl Children Drew Love Movies Sentiment

Disney Project 2014: The Little Mermaid

FINALLY!

Movie: The Little Mermaid

Release year: 1989

My reaction: I probably don’t need to explain myself to any girls born from 1980-1985. This is one of the best. Movies. Ever. I love every frame, every weird facial expression, every little quirk in this movie. It’s so good.

We were in Tahoe last weekend with two of my best girlfriends – fun fact, the three of us went to see a sing-along version of The Little Mermaid for a bachelorette party a couple years ago. So this was actually a pretty special coincidence, that it was the next movie in our line-up.

We ended up watching it twice last weekend: once on Saturday night, and then again on Sunday morning. I loved it each time. I would love it every time. I’m just saying.

To everyone who has little “But why don’t they just? But why doesn’t she? But she should just?” I say HUSH. This is the epitome of princess movies, to me. Ariel’s voice is THE Disney princess voice. It’s all wonderful. I’ve been waiting a long time to get to this one. =D

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Categories
Children Drew Movies

Disney Project 2014: Oliver & Company

Movie: Oliver & Company

Release year: 1988

My reaction: This is the second time I’ve ever seen this movie. And I’ll be honest with you, I watched maybe 10 minutes of it. I mean, it was playing and everything but we spent a lot of time chasing B around the house.

I think I got the gist though. It’s based on Dickens’ Oliver Twist, with music by Billy Joel. Very 1988. I’m not sure where Jenny’s parents are – maybe they went into that backstory but I missed it. It’s a decent Disney movie, but I get why this is the second time I’ve seen it.

We missed a couple weeks, due to some travel. But we’re ready to jump back into the second half of the year and watch some of the best Disney movies there are.

Seriously though, B was in time out like five times during this one. I guess he just wasn’t in a movie mood.

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Categories
Children Drew Movies

Disney Project 2014: The Great Mouse Detective

Movie: The Great Mouse Detective

Release year: 1986

My reaction: I don’t think of this as being one of my standard Disney favorite movies, but I really like it. Maybe partly because I love Sherlock Holmes, so I enjoy all the little references. But this is just a great movie.

It does have some of the scariest moments of all the later Disney movies – Fidget is responsible for most of them, from being illuminated by a flash of lightning in the window, to bursting out of a doll’s cradle, to dressing up as Olivia. He’s terrifying. BUT, he’s also goofy.

So is Ratigan, the villain, played by Vincent Price. I mean, he’s scary, and he has a giant pet cat to whom he feeds everyone who irritates him. But he also has plenty of little moments where he’s flawed, fickle, and funny. If The Black Cauldron felt like Disney starting to figure out what the next couple decades was going to look like, then The Great Mouse Detective is Disney feeling confidently along that path.

Drew theorizes that the reason that this movie didn’t become a huge hit is that it came out the same year as An American Tail. Which EVERYONE saw. Right? Can you sing me at least three songs from An American Tail? I bet you can. Can you name a single song from The Great Mouse Detective? Oh well.

The awesome thing about today is that it’s June 30 – halfway through 2014. And with The Great Mouse Detective, we have officially watched half of the Disney movie list!

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Categories
Children Drew Movies

Disney Project 2014: The Black Cauldron

Movie: The Black Cauldron

Release year: 1985

My reaction: Have you seen this movie? Chances are good you haven’t. I don’t know why no one has seen it. The Black Cauldron is starting to feel like the Disney movies of my childhood (which I would say start with The Little Mermaid). The animation looks familiar and the story arcs feel familiar. It’s all there.

This one is kind of a weird mishmash, though. They are constantly introducing new characters, but I’m not sure to what end. To be fair, it’s not like we’re sitting down and quietly watching these movies from start to finish. We miss big chunks of them, when B needs to drag us into another room and show us something, etc. He seems to especially need things during the ends of the movies. Mostly that’s okay, because we are super familiar with the movies. But with The Black Cauldron, there was a lot of “Wait, who are those fairies?” “Wait, why is that sword magical?” “Wait, what happened to Hen Wen?”

Also, this one is surprisingly scary. The villain – the Horned King – is purely evil, there’s nothing funny about him. He has no snarky sidekicks or charming one-liners, like most Disney villains have. There’s  moment early on when the main character, a young man named Taran, is knocked to the ground by some dragons. When he gets up, his mouth is bleeding. You wouldn’t see that in Tangled, just saying.

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The best part about watching The Black Cauldron was the series of selfies I took of the two of us, as I tried to get a good picture for this post. He was in a really smiley mood yesterday.