I went though a recent rash of Disney films so I thought I’d write… something. This is a product of two things: 1) Owing the video store money and, 2) Watched my grown up movies too many times. Over a two week period I watched the following….
Cinderella
The Fox & the Hound
Hercules
The Lion King
Robin Hood
The Sword in the Stone
Finding Nemo
Aladdin
Finding Nemo is something I can watch without considering it a children’s film. The animation is fantastic and while many of the lines and characters are distinctly childish, much of the film plays to older audiences. This sort of segues into the sort of films children are offered today. Bright, obnoxious, CGI films riddled with nonsensical popculture references. The sort of references children would not get but are put into the film to get parents in the seats with their kids. Watching these older kids movies was a lovely experience. While they are made for children, they don’t cater to them. The stories are simple don’t insult ones intelligence. Case in point: Robin Hood and The Sword in the Stone. Both these films fit the criteria mentioned above. Simple films that tell a simple story without a lot of fluff. Both the Lion King and The Fox & The Hound adhere to this as well. Aladdin, slightly less so being fast paced, colourful. It’s characters, as well, are mostly cardboard cutouts which is unfortunate. The film makes up for it though with good songs and beautiful animation. Hercules is much the same but doesn’t have that same, classic, Disney feel.
What I really wanted to mention was Cinderella. I found it strangely dull. The characters really are cut outs, the story is bleh, the songs are meh at best, the mice are annoying and, Prince Charming? Far from Cinderella’s saviour, a faceless dream. The simplicity I discussed before is there but to a great fault. The film is overly simplistic, even for children. Children should not be catered to any more than adults should and are as much entitled to good films as their older counterparts.
Interesting thoughts, and I agree with most of them, although I prefer Hercules to Aladdin. I honestly watch Finding Nemo all the time, I guess a lot of it because when my parent’s friends come with their kids that’s all they want to watch. I still enjoy it. I’m happy you mention the overruse of pop culture references, I hate that in any film. It immediately ages it, and isusually just unfunny… I hate how they do that to kid’s films. Bastardizes the whole thing. Robin Hood is awesome. I LOVE the music so much.
Cinderella is boring :p