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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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.
