D52 - Atlantis: The Lost Empire

Disney’s first attempt at capturing a more mature and male-skewing market than they had become known for  since the early ‘90s was 2001’s Atlantis: The Lost Empire. It didn’t feature any songs outside of the closing credits, had more action and violence than was typical of Disney fare, and had a substantial number of onscreen deaths. The hope was that this could be used to capture the one market segment in which Disney was lacking: boys and young men. Unfortunately, it was not a success at the box office, and Disney has continued to struggle to reach this audience to this day, most recently betting on the purchase of Marvel and Lucasfilm to finally bring males back to the Mouse.

The film’s failure to perform financially shouldn’t be read as a creative failing of the film itself. The film is well directed and the plot is engaging and unique. The voice acting is strong, particularly from Michael J Fox in the lead role. The most stunning element, however, is the art. Set in the early 1900s, it is Jules Verne by way of Mike Mignola and is absolutely gorgeous, creating a world completely different from anything else Disney had attempted.

Though it did garner a direct to video sequel, Atlantis has been all but forgotten by the public at large, which really is a shame. It’s too intense for the youngest viewers, but it can serve as an excellent introduction to the worlds of science fiction and fantasy for those slightly older. With strong male and female characters, shades of morality, and plenty of excitement, there’s a lot here for adults to enjoy as well. Though it might be a little difficult to track down, it is definitely worth seeing.

Origianl theatrical trailer

Up next: Lilo and Stitch (2002)

D52–The Emperor’s New Groove

Releasing at the end of 2000, The Emperor’s New Groove was a large stylistic departure for Disney. Originally developed as a more straightforward and serious take on Incan history titled Kingdom of the Sun, the existing work was scrapped late in the production schedule and transformed into the film which was eventually released to the public. It takes the bombastic humour of Aladdin and Hercules and makes it even more outrageous, and it is the first Disney animated film to break the fourth wall.

Despite it’s vastly shortened production schedule, nearly everything about this film just works. The jokes come at a breakneck pace and are consistently funny. The performances of the voice cast are perfectly suited to the material. Visually, it manages to be highly stylized, lush and detailed all at once. The direction keeps the plot moving at just the right pace. Though the story is sparse and ridiculous, the audience never feels cheated because the world is so fully realized and filled with immensely likable characters.

From the first time I watched it, I thoroughly enjoyed The Emperor’s New Groove. Twelve years later, it hasn’t lost any of its charm, mainly due to the fact that it is so different not only from other Disney films but also from mainstream animation in general. Young viewers will love the bright visuals and the various sight gags and physical humour, while adults will get a lot out of the smart dialogue and performance driven humour. It remains one of the better known late catalogue Disney films, and deservedly so.

Original thearical trailer

Up next: Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)

It Could Happen Like This, But It Might Not

February has rolled around once again, bringing along with it that most important day. No, not the one with the chocolate and flowers and guilt, the one with the little golden statues that somehow are always surprisingly heavy. Seriously, after all these years, how can anyone get up on that stage and not expect their new little bald man to have some heft?

Regardless, Oscar night is fast approaching, which means that I need to join the masses of online commentators pretending to know what will happen on Sunday and offer forth my predictions. Fortunately for all of us, this year’s crop of films is no where near as dismal as 2011, meaning not only are more deserving films going to be honoured, but it’s also easier to come up with semi-accurate predictions for the winners of each category. As per usual, I will highlight my predicted winners in each category in red, as well as highlighting which nominee I think deserves to win in blue for those categories where the two are not the same. Let’s dive in.

Best Picture:

"Beasts of the Southern Wild"

"Silver Linings Playbook"

"Zero Dark Thirty"

"Lincoln"

"Les Miserables"

"Life of Pi"

"Amour"

"Django Unchained"

"Argo"

Best Supporting Actor:

Christoph Waltz, "Django Unchained"

Philip Seymour Hoffman, "The Master"

Robert De Niro, "Silver Linings Playbook"

Alan Arkin, "Argo"

Tommy Lee Jones, "Lincoln"

Best Supporting Actress:

Sally Field, "Lincoln"

Anne Hathaway, "Les Miserables"

Jacki Weaver, "Silver Linings Playbook"

Helen Hunt, "The Sessions"

Amy Adams, "The Master"

Best Director:

David O. Russell, "Silver Linings Playbook"

Ang Lee, "Life of Pi"

Steven Spielberg, "Lincoln"

Michael Haneke, "Amour"

Benh Zeitlin, "Beasts of the Southern Wild"

Best Actor:

Daniel Day Lewis, "Lincoln"

Denzel Washington, "Flight"

Hugh Jackman, "Les Miserables"

Bradley Cooper, "Silver Linings Playbook"

Joaquin Phoenix, "The Master"

Best Actress:

Naomi Watts, "The Impossible"

Jessica Chastain, "Zero Dark Thirty"

Jennifer Lawrence, "Silver Linings Playbook"

Emmanuelle Riva, "Amour"

Quvenzhané Wallis, "Beasts of the Southern Wild"

Best Original Screenplay:

"Zero Dark Thirty"

"Django Unchained"

"Moonrise Kingdom"

"Amour"

"Flight"

Best Adapted Screenplay:

"Lincoln"

"Silver Linings Playbook"

"Argo"

"Life of Pi"

"Beasts of the Southern Wild"

Best Animated Feature:

"Frankenweenie"

"The Pirates! Band of Misfits"

"Wreck-It Ralph"

"Paranorman"

"Brave"

Best Foreign Feature:

"Amour"

"A Royal Affair"

"Kon-Tiki"

"No"

"War Witch"

Best Visual Effects:

"Life of Pi"

"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"

"The Avengers"

"Prometheus"

"Snow White and the Huntsman"

Best Cinematography:

"Skyfall"

"Anna Karenina"

"Django Unchained"

"Life of Pi"

"Lincoln"

Best Costume Design:

"Anna Karenina"

"Les Miserables"

"Lincoln"

"Mirror Mirror"

"Snow White and the Huntsman"

Best Documentary Feature:

"Searching for Sugar Man"

"How to Survive a Plague"

"The Gatekeepers"

"5 Broken Cameras"

"The Invisible War"

Best Documentary Short:

"Open Heart"

"Inocente"

"Redemption"

"Kings Point"

"Mondays at Racine"

"Snow White and the Huntsman"

Best Film Editing:

"Lincoln"

"Silver Linings Playbook"

"Life of Pi"

"Argo"

"Zero Dark Thirty"

Best Makeup and Hairstyling:

"Hitchcock"

"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"

"Les Miserables"

Best Music (Original Score):

"Anna Karenina"

"Argo"

"Life of Pi"

"Lincoln"

"Skyfall"

Best Music (Original Song):

"Before My Time" from "Chasing Ice"

"Everybody Needs A Best Friend" from "Ted"

"Pi's Lullaby" from "Life of Pi"

"Skyfall" from "Skyfall"

"Suddenly" from "Les Misérables"

Best Production Design:

"Anna Karenina"

"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"

"Les Misérables"

"Life of Pi"

"Lincoln"

Best Short Film, Animated:

"Adam and Dog"

"Fresh Guacamole"

"Head over Heels"

"Maggie Simpson in 'The Longest Daycare'"

"Paperman"

Best Short Film, Live Action:

"Asad"

"Buzkashi Boys"

"Curfew"

"Death of a Shadow (Dood van een Schaduw)"

"Henry"

Best Sound Editing:

"Argo"

"Django Unchained"

"Life of Pi"

"Skyfall"

"Zero Dark Thirty"

Best Sound Mixing:

"Argo"

"Les Misérables"

"Life of Pi"

"Lincoln"

"Skyfall"

And that wraps up this year’s nominations. There are quite a few categories this year that will be very close, so it should make Sunday an interesting night. We’ll have to wait and see how well my predictions stand up.

The Oscars air on Sunday, February 24th starting at 4:00 PM Pacific on ABC.

D52–Fantasia 2000

The original Fantasia was intended to be a continual work in progress, constantly adding in new segments to replace old ones, a never ending concert. Unfortunately, it audiences didn’t flock to see it upon its initial release, leading to those plans being scrapped. At the end of the 1990s, though, Roy E. Disney, Walt’s nephew, spearheaded an effort to create a new version of Fantasia with all new elements, and the result was 2000’s Fantasia 2000.

Like the original, each segment of Fantasia 2000 features a different art style and a different musical style. Also like the original, each of the segments is masterfully directed and choreographed. The two most impressive are the Rhapsody in Blue and the Firebird Suite, and they couldn’t be more different, ranging from Firebird’s ultra-realism to Rhapsody’s Hirschfeld-esque design.

Whether Fantasia 2000 is as much of a masterpiece as the original may be up for debate and is likely a matter of taste, but the fact remains that it is in itself a masterpiece. The youngest viewers may find their attention wandering due to the somewhat abstract nature of the stories, but for everyone else this is a film which must be seen.

Original theatrical trailer

Up next: Dinosaur (2000)

D52 - Tarzan

After featuring lesser known, at least among North American children, stories for several years, Disney returned to a character which, thanks to countless film and television adaptations, every child was familiar with and could easily imitate with 1999’s Tarzan. It sought to follow the Lion King formula by mixing heavy doses of action and comedy, set to music written by a pop artist, in this case Phil Collins. The film was relatively successful, making more than other recent releases, but still nowhere near the early ‘90s levels.

Visually, the film is stunning, with excellent animation throughout. Especially gorgeous are the scenes of Tarzan swinging and surfing through the tree tops, where Disney’s new “Deep Canvas” technology really shines. The music, too, was strong caught on quickly with audiences. Directors Chris Buck and Kevin Lima do a very good job with the script they are working from, keeping the action moving and never giving the audience the opportunity to get bored. It is only once the film has concluded that the viewer realizes that there simply isn’t much to it. The entire plot could be effectively summarized in a couple sentences without leaving anything out.

I believe that it is this thinness of the plot that leaves me indifferent to the film. In the moment, it is a lot of fun, with some great lines, fantastic animation, and thrilling action. Once it’s over, however, I realize that I never really connected with any of the characters, I merely watched them go through their paces. That doesn’t make this a poor film, it’s certainly one worth watching and that can be enjoyed by both young and old, but it does likely explain its status as a second class Disney film.

Original theatrical trailer

Up next: Fantasia: 2000 (2000)

D52–Mulan

Though it was extremely well known in its native China, the story of Mulan was virtually unheard of in North America before 1998, making Disney’s Mulan something of a risk. Though there had been a few notable exceptions, such as The Lion King, Disney had always had the most success when adapting stories that the audience was already familiar with, even if those stories were heavily modified to fit the Disney mold. The story of Mulan had all of the classic Disney elements, though, so it was a good fit for the company, especially as they were trying to branch out from the European fairytales they had become so deeply associated with.

From a directorial standpoint, Mulan succeeds. It balances action, comedy, and drama without falling too heavily into any one genre. The pacing varies appropriately from slow and serine to fast paced and hectic, without feeling disjointed. The music, on the other hand, is a bit of a disappointment, delivering easily the weakest soundtrack in ten years. Though it was well received by critics, like Hercules and The Hunchback of Notre Dame before it, the audiences just didn’t show up in the same numbers as they had at the beginning of the decade.

Mulan was never high on my list when I was young. I liked the character of Mushu and the avalanche scene, but beyond that it just didn’t hold my interest. Revisiting it now, I found I enjoyed it more. It’s still not one of my favorites, but I did find a lot more that I could connect with. While it may be too sedate for the youngest viewers, it is still a solid film that is enjoyable for adults and slightly older children.

Original 1998 theatrical trailer

Up next: Tarzan (1999)

D52–Hercules

Hercules, released in 1997, attempted to follow on the success of Aladdin. It featured zany humour,ample pop culture references, and even a similar rounded art style, though here it was influenced more by traditional Greek than Aramaic designs. Unfortunately, it didn’t resonate with audiences as hoped. This may have been due to a combination of audiences being let down by the previous two Disney films, as well as a feeling that a Disney film simply should try to be “hip”, an accusation frequently leveled at Hercules. Whatever the reason, the film was again labeled as a financial disappointment.

On a technical level, Hercules shines. It once again features fantastic animation, both 2D and increasingly complex 3D, and an art style that makes it instantly recognizable. The music is sung by a gospel choir, making it instantly recognizable, its upbeat and catchy nature the perfect fit for the film. The direction is also strong, keeping the plot moving at a comfortable pace and allowing the injection of some creepy elements without becoming too intense for younger viewers.

This remains a very fun film. Even though it is not quite at the level of the films of the early ‘90s, it is well put together and entertaining throughout. Like Aladdin, even it’s pop culture references have managed to avoid becoming dated, a decidedly tricky feat to pull off. There is plenty here to enjoy for both kids and adults. Despite not being considered a part of the second golden age of Disney Animation, it is a film which is well worth seeing.

Original 1997 theatrical trailer

Up next: Mulan (1998)

D52–The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Released in 1996, The Hunchback of Notre Dame was something of a departure for Disney. Though it still retained it’s musical elements and some kid friendly characters in the form of the gargoyles, it was a decidedly darker affair than most of the studio’s other work. Adapted from Victor Hugo’s even darker novel, it was only the studio’s second PG rated animated feature, the first being The Black Cauldron, which was released a decade earlier.

Though the general public may not consider this to be one of the “classics”, this is easily one of Disney’s best animated films. The script is extremely strong, adapting Hugo’s at times tedious work to a pace which is fast enough to keep the interest of the shortest attention spans while still allowing the characters room to breathe and play out quiet moments. The art direction is simply stunning. It is one of Disney’s best looking films, and the last to use a realistic art style before the studio returned to more stylized work. The music too stands out amongst the Disney canon, with a lot of choral work and a distinctive hymn quality. Unfortunately, all of these risks, combined with the more mature, dark story, came together to form a film that didn’t resonate with the general public.

Hunchback was always one of my favorite films. Even though I was too young to really parse why, I knew that it was different from all of the others and that immediately drew me to it. I loved the slightly menacing tone, the fact that the bad guy wasn’t strictly evil, and I couldn’t get enough of the music. All of those things remain true today. This is a great film that, though it will be too intense for younger viewers, is absolutely a must see for everyone else.

1996 theatrical trailer

Up next: Hercules (1997)