I'm all nostalgic about old Disney films at the mo. So far I've watched The Sword in the Stone from 1963 and Robin Hood from a decade later, both really really great. I laughed out loud!
I adore that early Disney style. Do you?
It's what I remember as a kid. Beautiful washes of colour with cute comical characters and gorgeous music. What's not to like? I bet there's tons of collectables, more than anyone person can collect!
Alas, a complete creature of the Sixties, I can't abide modern Disney films. The old style canned in favour of, what is it, an anime look?
Ah well, I am officially a Disney fossil. My granddaughter LOVES Frozen above all other things anywhere! Let it go Grandad!
Interestingly I read that Robin Hood was criticised for recycling some scenes from earlier films. I definitely recognised the Jungle Book King Louie dance in there! Ha ha.
Have a look if you've time.
Jungle Book https://youtu.be/fwTClRr1x6g?feature=shared
Robin Hood https://youtu.be/JMXTVJmO8C4?feature=shared
The older films were the best. Robin Hood was very good. Revell actually did two kits of the main characters from the film, but they were not big sellers. They were aimed at very young children, who did not usually buy kits, but did not appeal to modellers. So there was no market for them.
ReplyDeleteWow, kits from Robin Hood. Amazing Paul!
DeleteNever a big Disney fan. As a child I had a strong dislike of many things that I perceived to be aimed at children!
ReplyDeleteYou were ahead of your time Kev! Ha ha
DeleteIts a bit sad when you go on Disney Plus and before you can watch films like Jungle Book, or Snow white, there is a disclaimer which you have to read detailing how these films are the product of an other era and are guilty of cultural or social misrepresentation, or contain themes or concepts which may be regarded as offensive today! Up until the likes of the Black Cauldron, all animation was hand drawn and the care and artistry shows. After that, computer generated art began to appear and a universal style began to creep in to Disney films. There is a kind of hyper-exaggeration to form and expression, in place of nuance and gesture and the story writing began to become more vapid and empty, as they looked for ne ideas which weren't based on existing well-known stories - such as the 'Emperors New Groove'. The House of Mouse went through many changes in the next few decades and eventually became so powerful that it was able to swallow up major companies, such as 20th Century Fox and later, Marvel thereby acquiring major licences such as the superhero films and Star Wars. The acquisition of Pixar brought the fabulous story skills of John Lasseter and the writers behind Toy Story. Although Pixar managed to retain its name as Disney Pixar, the films tend to be considered as all products of the Mouse, although Pixar films are head and shoulders more entertaining than any Disney produced fodder. Take the latest opus 'Strange World' which bends over backwards to cover all the inclusivity and transgender/ethnicity/sexuality themes it can possibly include in a film which is primarily intended for children. When did the nature of children's animation change so radically? Bill
ReplyDeleteAgree with you on all points. Like so many brands, Disney was taken over by dark forces circa 1980, and has gone downhill ever since. Luckily, we can still enjoy the "golden age" films in various venues. I even like the pre-1980 live-action films, but the animated films are truly awesome. I mean, Snow White!!!
DeleteIt's not easy being a modern mouse by the sounds of it. I'm happy the old films are on Disney+. We watched the original 101 Dalmatians today. Wunderbar!
DeleteThe worst thing about Disney is how big they have got. They are struggling with the hedge funds to provide those all important positive quarterly returns, rather than actually producing decent product. One of their latest cost cutting measures is deciding to eliminate DVD releases in Australia. This means having missed out on Indy 5 at the cinema, I will now have to settle on an Import disc with Region 1 coding instead of Region 4. Worse still, Disney now also controls 20th Century Fox content, so this is going to have a pretty big knock on effect on how I choose to view my media.
ReplyDeleteIt's all got rather complicated hasn't it Looey! Bring back VHS!
DeleteWell, as a cartoonist, I have to say that Disney's drawn artwork has always been top notch. I'm sure I learn a lot, when I study how they draw their characters. Even my wife, who's a much better artist than I admires the sweep and curve of their artwork. (At least the drawn animation anyway.)
ReplyDeleteI do have to say, that I thought Disney was doing a good Job up into the 1996s, but their quality and indoctrinations began slipping around then.
And different parts of Disney got woke as it Metastatized.
At some point, I just stopped liking the messages that the stories carried, and that the needed to find a new ethnicity for every princess that came along.
An Arab Princess, a Native American Princess, a Chinese Princess, a Black Princess...
The focus seems to be less on telling a good story, than it is finding a new ethnic group to tell a story about, and it just feels forced.
Occasionally, you get a good story. Moana, the Hawaiian Princess was a good movie.
But, it was a good story to start with. It wasn't like they had to say, "Find me a story about an LGBTQ Eskimo or South American Pygmy." Hawaiians have good stories.
We love in a complicated world for sure Scott. I'll be watching the Aristocrats next!
DeleteEven the fantastic Fantasia - a beautiful artistic extravaganza - mostly without central characterisation, comes with a major warning - simply because the iconic mushroom dance from the Nutcracker sequence is apparently considered offensive as it parodies chinese dancers...
ReplyDeleteMy biggest gripe is the utter rubbish Encanto which is built around a childs request to have a powerless, ordinary 'princess' (with glasses) as the heroine of a story. Fantasy needs to be fantastic, not quotidian and staid. Bill