Tag: disneyproject

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Children Drew Movies

Disney Project 2014: Atlantis: The Lost Empire

Atlantis_-_The_Lost_Empire_Movie: Atlantis: The Lost Empire

Release year: 2001

Does this sound familiar to you? Or are you wondering what the heck I’m talking about? Because we are very definitely into that era of Disney that my generation was starting to miss out on.

It’s not a musical, and it has a different look to it than the animation of the “princess movies.” This one looks more like Hercules, but with a touch of 101 Dalmatians thrown in – I gather they were going for a “comic book” look which explains all the distinct angles, like Milo’s triangular fingernails.

Atlantis stars Michael J. Fox (then 40, but he definitely is voice-passing for 25) as Milo Thatch, a linguist and wannabe explorer, like his beloved late grandfather. He gets roped in to a mission to try to discover the lost empire of Atlantis, fulfilling his grandfather’s dream.

Imagine the team’s surprise when they actually reach Atlantis, but instead of crumbling ruins deep underneath the sea, they find a city still populated with people who are thousands of years old…and slowly dying. Milo wants to help them, but the captain of their team has different and more devious ideas about robbing the city of their power source in order to turn a profit aboveground.

It’s just occurred to me that I’m not sure how they were going to get back home (Washington, DC?). I thought their submarine was destroyed in a fight with a mechanical Leviathan. I must have missed something.

Don’t you want to watch this movie?! It’s filled with the early-2000s humor that I loved in The Emperor’s New Groove, and I’m a big Michael J. Fox fan anyway. Like when Milo is being seasick over the edge of the ship at the beginning, and he says, “Carrots, why does it always taste like carrots? I didn’t even eat carrots.” That’s bathroom humor at its best.

All in all, I’m a big fan of this one. This was a good weekend for catching up on Disney movies, so stay tuned. (And check out Atlantis: The Lost Empire!)

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(I don’t know what Drew is so shocked about here, unless it’s just the fact that we inexplicably own the 2-disc collector’s edition…)

 

Categories
Children Drew Movies

Disney Project 2014: The Emperor’s New Groove

Movie: The Emperor’s New Groove

Release year: 2000

I don’t think that many people are familiar with this movie – so let me just say, it is actually really funny and a lot of fun. A great buddy story. In fact, I know someone who calls this is favorite Disney movie of all time – and I don’t think he’s crazy for saying so. (Fun fact: He just told me it’s the first DVD he ever purchased himself, and it cost $40. So that’s a fun glimpse into life 10 years ago.)

Just in case you have no idea what I’m talking about, The Emperor’s New Groove takes place in South America (Peru?). David Spade (remember him??) plays an incredibly self-centered 18-year-old emperor, who is turned into a llama by his scheming advisor (Eartha Kitt). He winds up in a small village outside of his kingdom, and with the help of a kind and charming villager (played by John Goodman, who I love), he has to find his way back to the castle to take back his empire and make himself human again.

Side note: My Emperor’s New Groove-fanatic friend just told me this is officially the first Disney movie to feature a pregnant character – the villager’s wife. She is a great character and that is another great fun fact!

Drew hadn’t seen this before, so I tried to get him to sit and watch it as much as possible, while I did the chasing portion of our movie-a-la-toddler-viewing. He said he liked it. I look forward to sitting down one day and watching it all the way through again!

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I took 40 pictures, this was the best I could do.

The Emperor’s New Groove is #40 on our list! For funsies, here’s what we have coming up:

Atlantis: The Lost Empire
Lilo & Stitch
Treasure Planet
Brother Bear
Home on the Range
Chicken Little
Meet the Robinsons
Bolt
The Princess and the Frog
Tangled
Winnie the Pooh (2011)
Wreck-It Ralph
Frozen

What have you seen? What have you never heard of?

Categories
Children Movies

Disney Project 2014: Dinosaur

Movie: Dinosaur

Release year: 2000

Let me answer your two questions right now: Yes, it’s been awhile since we fell off the Disney-movie-watching-train. But we were tracking down Dinosaur, which neither of us has ever seen, and which we finally got at the library (thank you, library!). And your second question: Dinosaur is a movie about a young iguanadon named Alador, raised by lemurs (I think?), who has to travel to the Great Valley Nesting Grounds when an asteroid destroys the island they live on.

It feels much like Disney’s answer to The Land Before Time. Except everyone saw and loved The Land Before Time.

Also, why do all of the dinosaur movies have to be about them combating asteroids and devastation and trying to cross deserts and volcanoes in search of water and green food? Because even if they find the Great Valley Nesting Grounds at the end, you know that this is really just a brief reprieve before they are extinct anyway.

Maybe that could be applied to any romantic comedy, in the grand scheme of things?

The animation is pretty impressive – it’s not what you see now, 14 years later, but it’s definitely a step in that direction. There are some amazing sweeping vistas, although according to wikipedia, many of the backgrounds were actually shot on location. But the dinosaurs are also very well-done.

Also, this is a pretty good ride at Disney World.

So that’s Dinosaur.

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Categories
Children Movies

Disney Project: Fantasia 2000

Movie: Fantasia 2000

Release year: 1999

Well, my prediction came true. I watched about 3 minutes of this – 2 minutes of the first piece, and then about a minute of the “Rhapsody in Blue” piece. This is (sort of) the second time I’ve watched this – the first time was when we first got it, as part of a 2-disc set with Fantasia, but that was years ago, and while I like the pieces, it doesn’t have the same classic feel as original Fantasia. But then, nothing does, especially not when it was made in 1999.

B did sit down and watch some with us, so maybe it’s just a matter of making it clear that we’re going to be in the living room watching this, not chasing him around the apartment. But that only worked for so long.

If you’ve seen Fantasia 2000, let me know how it was. Did you like it? What was your favorite piece?

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Categories
Children Drew Movies

Disney Project 2014: Tarzan

Movie: Tarzan

Release year: 1999

I actually really like Tarzan. I like the Phil Collins music. I like the way the animators based Tarzan on a teenager with a skateboard. (It’s true!) I like the Tarzan/Jane relationship. I like the ending. I just really like this movie.

…From what I remember. Because I did not really watch it when it was playing at our house this weekend.

B just doesn’t want to have anything to do with any Disney movie that isn’t Frozen. It’s going to make the rest of this project difficult. Because we’re going to get into the movies that neither Drew nor I have seen (Home on the Range, Meet the Robinsons, etc), and I’m just not even going to be able to talk about them, because out of a 90-minute movie, I will have seen 8 minutes. Oh well.

I might have to rewatch this one, because I do really like it. Also, if you haven’t seen it, or haven’t seen it lately, Clayton has one of the creepier Disney villain deaths. Very well done, Disney animators.

Also, the less he’ll sit still for a movie, the blurrier our pictures are. This is literally the best picture we got.

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Categories
Children Drew Humor Movies

Disney Project 2014: Mulan (sort of)

Movie: Frozen Mulan

Release year: 1998

You may be asking, “Why did it take you 3 weeks to watch Mulan?” I’ll tell you why. This is why:

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B watches Frozen at day care, and he enjoys watching the YouTube videos of “Let It Go” and “Love Is an Open Door” (and all the rest). So we thought maybe we’d skip ahead a bit and get him the DVD of Frozen to have at home.

That movie is basically on repeat in our house now.

I literally just have to take him outside when I want to stop watching it. He adores it. He holds the DVD case up to the TV when he wants to watch it. He knows how to open and close the DVD player, plus turn on the TV using the remote. He has gestures and words he says/imitates at different parts of the movie. He is so into it.

It’s adorable.

I’ve been trying to be really vigilant about the TV watching though…because I’m not exaggerating, he would like it to be running on a 24/7 loop. So it’s been an effort to make sure that’s not the case. But it’s really, really cute.

What does this mean for Mulan? It means, sorry, Mulan. It means we tried to watch it. We turned it on. And we watched B run out of the room. Then he came back, grabbed my hand, and pulled me into the bedroom. He would rather read Dr. Seuss’s ABC than watch Mulan.

I tried to watch at least my favorite parts (Hello, “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” and a capella final verse). But it was just like the old days. We were basically watching the movie in 5-second increments while we chased him back and forth through the living room.

But turn on Frozen? He’s stretched out on the couch, blanket in one hand, Mickey Mouse in the other, practically singing along to the opening choral notes.

I kind of like that he’s so into this thing that is world-wide phenomenon. It’s really cute. I can see how parents get sick of certain movies though. Drew and I have seen Frozen so many times over the last month. We are constantly pointing out facial expressions we like on background characters, picking at loose plot threads, making jokes about certain inflections…which is a cool experience for all three of us to be sharing.

I just wish that we could watch a different Disney movie once in awhile.

We’re also still a couple movies behind at this point. But at least I know when we get to the 53rd movie on the list, B will definitely sit still and enjoy it.

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Categories
Children Memoir Movies

Disney Project 2014: Hercules

Movie: Hercules

Release year: 1997

Man, we are catching up to the present-day. We have 18 weekends left in 2014, and 18 movies to go.

I remember when Hercules came out, my bff and I watched it constantly. I remember spending the night at her house and watching this and Mulan back to back. These are great movies. We quoted almost every single line that Meg says. She was such a break from the typical Disney princess, who, although getting stronger and more independent, hadn’t quite yet attained that level of sass and sarcasm.

And WHY isn’t this a Broadway show yet?? It’s perfect for one. It would open with a scrim down, with a Grecian vase painted on it, and the opening lines would begin. When the muses “come alive,” they’d be behind the scrim and then it would rise up and they’d take over. It would be so great. Act I would close with Hercules defeating the Hydra – Act II opens with Zero to Hero. COME ON PEOPLE. MAKE IT HAPPEN.

The best song, hands down, is I Won’t Say I’m In Love.

Did you know LaChanze (the original Ti Moune in Once on This Island) is one of the muses? She’s the second-shortest one. With the kinda spiky hair. Love her!

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Categories
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. =)

 

Categories
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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Categories
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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