Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Disney Retrospective: The 90's

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If this post looks a little different to you, that’s because I decided to update it. Back in November 2013, I covered all of the films that made up Disney Animation’s ‘Renaissance’ period in preparation for the release of the then-newest Disney animated film, Frozen. As a result, this became the first of Rhode Island Movie Corner’s ‘Disney Retrospective’ series, though obviously it wouldn’t be until this year when I finally continued to make them. Well, actually, when it comes to that first Retrospective, it wasn’t really a complete look at the ‘Renaissance’ era because I didn’t include the one film that’s considered to be the one that started the whole era to begin with, 1989’s The Little Mermaid. Simply put, this is because I didn’t have the means to watch it at the time. This is before I had purchased the film on Blu-Ray that year, which was actually a Christmas Gift for my mom as it’s one of her favorites. So even though I did initially title the post as a ‘Disney Renaissance’ retrospective, recently I retitled it so that it would have a much more fitting title as it was only covering the films of the 90’s. However, I decided to work on this old post a little more as, looking back, I wasn’t exactly satisfied with how it turned out. Heck, some of the ‘reviews’ weren’t even a paragraph long. So as a result, I wanted to give these films much more proper reviews that are more in line with the reviews that I’ve done for the other Disney animated films. So today, join me as I review the Disney animated films of the 90’s, a decade which saw the studio rebound after the rather tumultuous decade for them that was the 80’s to produce some of their most beloved efforts in recent years, effectively re-establishing them as one of the best animation studios working today.

THE RESCUERS DOWN UNDER (1990)

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Interestingly enough, in between two of the Renaissance’s biggest hits, The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, there was a first for Disney Animation; a theatrically-released sequel. Specifically, the film in question was The Rescuers Down Under, the sequel to 1977’s The Rescuers. As part of my original preparation for this post back when I first made it in 2013, I had watched the original Rescuers first before watching Down Under and as previously stated in my 60’s/70’s Disney Retrospective, I felt that the original Rescuers was an ‘okay’ entry in the Disney canon that benefitted from likable leads but was a bit too sluggishly paced. That’s definitely not the case with Down Under, a film that trades in the gloomy Bayou setting of the original film for the bright and gorgeous landscapes of Australia. This film is much better paced compared to its predecessor and features some incredible animation for the time, which is especially showcased during the scenes that involve a rare giant eagle. Bob Newhart and Eva Gabor reprise their roles of Bernard and Miss Bianca, respectively, and they are both excellent once again in regards to making them an incredibly likable duo. The film also has its fair share of memorable side characters, including Wilbur, the albatross brother of the character Orville from Rescuers and voiced by the late John Candy, and the main villain McLeach voiced by George C. Scott. With all of this in mind, The Rescuers Down Under is not only one of the best animated sequels ever made, it’s also one of the studio’s most underrated efforts. As the result of a lackluster opening weekend, the film’s marketing was pulled, resulting in this becoming a Renaissance film that completely went under the radar, which is a shame because it’s a really good animated film.

Rating: 4.5/5

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (1991)

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This is one Disney Renaissance film that needs little to no introduction. It was so well-received upon its initial release in 1991 that it ended up becoming the first animated film to ever be nominated for Best Picture, an accomplishment that, since then, has only been accomplished by 2009’s Up and 2010’s Toy Story 3, both made by Pixar and released under the Disney banner. And rightfully so as Beauty and the Beast really is one of Disney Animation’s finest efforts. To quote the classic Disney film Mary Poppins, it’s ‘practically perfect in every way’. It has great animation and great music courtesy of Disney’s go-to songwriter Alan Menken, from ‘Be Our Guest’ to ‘Gaston’ to the title song. Belle is easily one of the best Disney princesses and the romance that forms between her and the Beast is really well-handled. The film takes its time to establish a connection between them instead of just immediately having them fall in love, as was admittedly the case with some previous Disney romances. There’s also plenty of memorable side characters as well, including the Beast’s servants, all of whom have been turned into household appliances due to the curse that an enchantress put on the castle that turned the Beast into the creature he is today, and the film’s main villain Gaston. As many other people have pointed out, Gaston is a character who, in any other film, would’ve easily been the hero of it all. And yet that’s not where this film goes with his character, instead portraying him more as a selfish and egotistical ‘town hero’ who tries to woo Belle. All of this makes him a really entertaining baddie. And as a result, the film as a whole is pretty much an animated masterpiece. It’s easy to see why this film ended up becoming the first animated film to be nominated for the highest honor at the Academy Awards.

Rating: 5/5!

ALADDIN (1992)

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Me and my friend Matt Goudreau (writer for ‘The Young Folks’ and ‘Nerd Stash’) have always described this film as ‘a Disney film for boys’. With its emphasis on adventure, swordplay, and fantasy, Aladdin is yet another classic from Disney Animation. In fact, I can safely say that it’s pretty much one of my personal favorites. Those aforementioned elements of adventure stories are handled perfectly here and are backed by terrific animation, a great story, and a terrific cast of characters. Aladdin is a very likable protagonist as is his romantic other, Princess Jasmine. The two of them form a really sweet romance and have terrific chemistry with each other. Of course there’s also the film’s terrific villain in the form of the devious Royal Vizier Jafar, the sinister sorcerer who has many tricks up his sleeves which he uses in his attempt to take over the city of Agrabah. Speaking of genies, however, obviously the most notable character in the whole film is the Genie. Simply put, Robin Williams gave us not only one of Disney’s best characters but one of the best characters in film period with the lovable and pop-culture referencing Genie, who has ‘phenomenal cosmic power’ but ‘itty-bitty living space’. Obviously his pop-culture references are very much anachronistic but they still provide us with plenty of great humor. It was most certainly one of Williams’ greatest performances. And thanks to him, as well as everything else I’ve gone over here, Aladdin is a terrific entry in the Disney canon. It’s easily in my Top 10 when it comes to Disney’s animated films. As for my personal favorite, though…

Rating: 5/5!

THE LION KING (1994)

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When it comes to my personal favorite Disney animated film, that honor currently goes to 1994’s The Lion King. This is a Disney film that I legitimately watch at least once every year. I love pretty much every single aspect of this film. I love the epic scale and scope of the story and the animation very much matches that, capturing the majestic plains of Africa perfectly. I love the film’s soundtrack. This includes both the film’s collection of songs courtesy of Elton John and Tim Rice and the film’s epic score by Hans Zimmer. The latter is quite arguably the most famous musical score of any Disney film and is very much capable of giving one goosebumps. Elton John and Tim Rice’s songs are also great as well. In fact, this may be my favorite Disney soundtrack as I do love all of the songs, from the epic opening tune that is ‘Circle of Life’ to the laid-back anthem that is ‘Hakuna Matata’. I love this film’s cast of characters. Simba, voiced excellently by Jonathan Taylor Thomas as a youth and Matthew Broderick as an adult, is a terrific lead, he has a terrific foil in the film’s main villain, his uncle Scar, voiced phenomenally by Jeremy Irons, and James Earl Jones’ Mufasa is just a total badass. Simple as that. And the big scene involving him? Man, talk about an emotional gut-punch. Of course there’s also the film’s great cast of side characters, including the unforgettable duo that is Timon and Pumbaa. I could go on and on but I think you folks understand where I’m getting at here. Now do I think it’s the absolute ‘best’ Disney film? Eh… I’m not really sure if I can go that far but it’s most certainly my personal favorite. It’s just an epic masterpiece from beginning to end.

Rating: 5/5!

POCAHONTAS (1995)

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Interestingly enough, apparently Pocahontas was intended to be Disney Animation’s ‘bigger’ film compared to The Lion King, which was apparently being handled by their ‘B-Team’. Well at the end of the day that ‘lesser’ film ended up becoming one of the biggest animated films of all-time whereas Pocahontas… Eh. This may or may not be a controversial opinion depending on who you ask but unfortunately I feel that Pocahontas is the weakest of the ‘Renaissance’ era. The main reason for this is simple; the film as a whole is rather dull. And I’m not just saying this as a result of my most recent re-watch of it. If I recall, I even found this film to be rather boring as a kid. Both the main characters, Pocahontas and John Smith, are rather bland, even when the latter is voiced by Mel Gibson. The same can be said for the film’s main villain, Governor Ratcliffe. Basically, he’s just a ‘greed’ villain and nothing else. The best characters in the film are the cast of animal characters, who initially were to be able to talk but that changed when John Candy, who was set to voice a turkey character named Redfeather that ended up getting cut from the film, passed away. Aside from the animals, at the very least there are some redeeming qualities to this film. For one thing, the animation is, as expected, quite nice. Not only that but the film’s soundtrack, once again done by Alan Menken, is pretty solid, which includes ‘Just Around the Riverbend’ and the film’s Oscar-winning song ‘Colors of the Wind’. Unfortunately, though, that’s not really enough to save this film from being one of the weaker installments in the Disney canon. I’m not going to go in any detail about how much this film reflects actual Native American history, which quite frankly based on what I’ve heard it doesn’t, but at the very least it’s not Disney’s worst. But at the same time, it’s not really one that I can easily recommend either.

Rating: 2.5/5

THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (1996)

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The Hunchback of Notre Dame is easily one of Disney’s darkest outings. In fact, it’s kind of amazing that this film managed to squeak by with a G rating despite its dark imagery, frequent mentions of hell and eternal damnation, and the lustful nature of the main villain towards the female lead. And that’s even after all of the changes that had to be made from the source material to even get that rating in the first place. But this actually kind of ends up being the reason why Hunchback is a very entertaining entry in the Disney canon. It’s quite cool to see a Disney film that has the guts to tackle some darker material and it does result in some nice atmosphere through the animation. Though with that said, the film does try and make an effort to maintain the usual family-friendly tone of a Disney film. In this case, it’s done through Quasimodo’s gargoyle friends; Victor, Hugo, and Laverne. I don’t dislike this trio but admittedly they do kind of give the film a rather uneven tone at times. But the film does make up for its tonal shifts with the usual great animation, a likable cast of main characters, and an enjoyable array of songs courtesy of, you guessed it, Alan Menken. But easily the best part of the film is its villain; Judge Claude Frollo. Frollo is simply one of the most enjoyably vile villains that Disney’s ever created and also a very fascinating one. For all of the terrible things that he does in this film, from murdering Quasimodo’s mother to lusting after the beautiful gypsy Esmerelda, he always keeps asserting that it’s the right thing to do as a man of the Christian faith. Simply put, Frollo’s a terrific villain and as a result, Hunchback of Notre Dame is most certainly a highly memorable Disney flick. Admittedly this is obviously a rather hard one to recommend to younger audiences due to its darker material but it’s still a very unique entry in the Disney canon regardless.

Rating: 4/5

HERCULES (1997)

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While Disney’s Hercules obviously takes its inspiration from Greek mythology, suffice it to say this film doesn’t really adhere much to the actual legend of the divine hero of whom the film is named after. Plus, the film admittedly could prove to be a bit much for people as a result of its style. Said style is basically a very flashy Broadway/Vegas look, with the animation being directly inspired by the work of famous English cartoonist Gerald Scarfe. However, even with all of that said, this is actually another personal favorite of mine when it comes to Disney films. I like the film’s cast of characters, from Hercules to his love interest Megara to his trainer Phil, voiced by Danny DeVito. Obviously though the big standout of the bunch is the villain, Hades. Voiced excellently by James Woods, Hades is definitely one of Disney’s funniest villains, acting very much like a fast-talking sports agent. As for the film’s soundtrack… I love it. ‘Zero to Hero’ is always a pretty darn fun tune but for me the best song of the soundtrack is Hercules’ solo ‘Go the Distance’. Simply put, it’s one of the most inspiring Disney songs of all-time and it perfectly encapsulates Hercules’ journey in this film to realize who he’s really meant to be. So yes, while it’s certainly not perfect, Hercules is still a really fun entry in the Disney canon. Just don’t go into it expecting a completely accurate adaptation of the story of Hercules.

Rating: 4/5

MULAN (1998)

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Mulan is definitely one of the more underrated films of the Disney Renaissance. For one thing, it features a badass female lead in the form of Mulan. Excellently voiced by Ming-Na Wen, Mulan serves as an excellent role model for young girls, nobly taking her father’s place in the Chinese army in order to protect him when it becomes clear that his warring days are over. It’s also really fun to watch her try and fit in with the rest of the soldiers while posing as a man, resulting in plenty of great humorous moments. The film also has its fair share of memorable side characters, from Mulan’s loyal dragon sidekick Mushu (voiced by Eddie Murphy) to some of her fellow soldiers, namely the trio of Yao, Ling, and Chien-Po. Admittedly, though, the main villain, Hun leader Shan-Yu, is the weak link of the film. Simply put, he’s basically just a straight-forward ‘silent warrior’. But even with the weak villain, the film really does shine, which of course is primarily thanks to its main heroine. It has a really great soundtrack highlighted by Mulan’s beautiful solo ‘Reflection’ and the fun training montage song ‘I’ll Make a Man Out of You’. The animation is quite nice as well, with perhaps the best scene in the film being the scene where the Huns attack the Chinese Army on the snowy mountainside. Said scene required the creation of new animation software in order to create the massive Hun army and the result really is quite spectacular. I also feel that the animation does a nice job in capturing the beauty of China. In short, like I said before, I think this film is pretty underrated. I say that because when it comes to the Disney Renaissance, admittedly you do hear more about the first few films of the 90’s than you do the ones that came out during the second half of the decade. But when it comes to those latter films, Mulan is definitely the best of the bunch.

Rating: 4.5/5

TARZAN (1999)

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Controversial opinion in three, two, one… I really love Phil Collins’ soundtrack for this film. I say ‘controversial’ because in recent years I’ve found that not many people are fans of the soundtrack. From what I can gather, the main reason why is that instead of having the film’s characters sing the songs, they’re almost entirely sung by Collins save for a few exceptions. But I’m actually not too bothered by that because I think his songs are quite excellent. I love pretty much all of them; ‘Two Worlds’, ‘Son of Man’, and of course the film’s Oscar-winning tune ‘You’ll Be in My Heart’. I think they work fine in the film but I understand if people don’t exactly agree. However, I do think they’re phenomenal songs on their own. Anyway, as for the film itself, it’s another really entertaining entry in the Disney canon. The animation is excellent, especially when it comes to scenes in which Tarzan swings through the jungle like a skateboarder. Tarzan himself is a likable lead as is Jane, who manages to overcome her character’s usual status as the ‘damsel in distress’. Admittedly, though, the main villain, Clayton, is probably the weakest part of the film. He’s another one of those villains who’s only really motivated by greed. However, at the very least, out of all of the Disney villains who were basically just ‘greedy’ villains, I will say that Clayton’s probably my favorite of the bunch. And sure that’s not exactly saying much in the long run but hey, at least it’s something. All in all, Tarzan is a very enjoyable entry in the Disney canon. It served as the final film of the ‘Renaissance’ era and in that regard, I think it ended the era on a pretty darn solid note.

Rating: 4/5


And that’s the end of this Disney Retrospective on the Disney animated films released during the 90’s, the era known as ‘the Disney Renaissance’. Thanks for following along with me on this updated series of reviews. As always, what are your thoughts on the Disney films discussed here? Be sure to sound off in the comments below. And be sure to also check out the other Disney Retrospectives that I’ve done since this post was first published all the way back in November 2013. The links to them will be provided below.

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