#Disney Bambi retelling

[jknerd]

Albrénean the Great Prince

Full Name: Albrénean Álvaldur

Aliases: His Majesty, The Light Elf King, Dowager Elf King

Gender: Male

Age: Immortal (Early 50s in human ages)

Species: Light Elf

Affiliations: United Regions of Forrest; Alfheim, Álvaldur family, Jordottir family (through marriage)

Occupation: Elf Great Prince of United Regions of Forrest Kingdom

Family: Frida (wife), Bambi (son), Faline (eventual daughter-in-law), Geno (grandson), Gurri (graddaughter), Nello (adoptive grandson), Mambo (adoptive grandson), Ferto (youngest grandson)

Relationships: Friar Owl (close friend), Mena (acquaintance), Ena (acquaintance)

Likes: Safety of his realm, watching his wife and son’s daily routine

Dislikes: Threats coming to his son, human slave captors, potential conflict between regions

Powers/Abilities: Speed, strength, wisdom, magic, willpower

Bambi the Elf Prince AU:

Albrénean Álvaldur is the Great Prince of Alfheim, one of the rulers of United Regions of Forrest, husband of Frida and father of Bambi the young prince. Among the royal light elf Álvaldur’s, no one has lived half so long as him. Most predecessors have died from warfare or murdered by humans, but Albrénean approached politics in peaceful manner, able to united regions into one realm.

It is mentioned that ever since the death of his parents, Albrénean had become an heir as elven council were substituting the great prince’s position until he came of age. Disliking the idea of conflict with other magical beings, Albrénean decided to take matters in his own way; spreading the petitions of Regions unification. Although, his ideas were rebuffed initially by the rulers of respective species, citizens were too tired to fight and started to sign the petition. At one point, he was injured from training and was resting in the secluded glade, but encountered Frida who didn’t recognize him as a prince and tended his wounds. Soon, the pair grew close and would spend their time in the same location practicing archery, magic and even cordially chatting. Not much later, in coming of age ceremony, it was the same day he was crowned as the Great Prince of elves. With all petitions of regions unification submitted, he was pressured with finding a wife. While he encountered many beautiful elven ladies from good family, Albrénean chose Frida. However, that means he needed to fight elven men who also asks for her hand. Fortunately, he bested them all and successfully married Frida, united both Álvaldur and Jordottir family as ruling families of Alfheim.

With the magical regions uniting into one realm, he and the founding members named it “United Regions of Forrest”, occasionally having a summit with founding rulers of respective species. At one point, he was informed that Frida was pregnant and decided to hire Ena as head maid and Mena as a nanny to the future heir. After duties, Albrénean was seen with his old friend Friar Owl observing his pregnant wife’s daily routines. Whenever Frida shown the craving of certain foods, he would soundlessly get them for her. Whenever Frida feels the physical stress and pain, he would discreetly replace her attires into comfortable ones. When Bambi was born, Albrénean was concerned of how small his son was, but relieved to hear there was no health issues. During the ceremony celebrating the birth of little prince, he watches as citizens coos and fawns over little Bambi. It was a tradition that once little prince learns to walk and talk, he needed to live separately from both parents. But, concerned over his welfare due to fragile and small height of his son, Albrénean agreed to let Frida raise their son, with Mena’s help as well.

As Bambi was a child, it has been several years since Albrénean seen his son in person; Bambi was curious of the summit meeting after playing with Faline, decided to look. When Albrénean made an appearance, all rulers and servants stood still in reverence as he walked to the court, then stopped to see his son. Seeing Bambi able to walk, speak and looking very healthy, the relieved Great Prince walked off to the royal court with other rulers for the summit meeting as Bambi asked his mother about his father. Later, at evening, Albrénean watched from the palace balcony as Friar Owl informed him of the situation in human realm; mages were hunted down (referring to Witch Hunt/Witch Trial) and religious wars leading to disease, famine and death. Albrénean expressed concern with potential human threats approaching the realm.

A tragedy struck at mid-Winter; he and his troops were alarmed by the gunshot and went to the borders, witnessing dying Frida and the human who was about to take her. He ordered his troops to surround the human, forcing the attempt captor to leave in fear. After having elven soldiers taking his wife’s body for proper burial, Albrénean looked for his son who was crying for his mother. With heavy heart, he informed his son that his mother cannot be with them anymore and led heartbroken Bambi back to palace where the funeral of his late wife took place. Feared for his son’s life after the death of Frida, Albrénean often send the guards to accompany Bambi whenever he would leave palace, even rotating the guards’ shift to protect the young prince’s quarter when he’s inside. When Bambi asked to join his father on his court affairs, Albrénean agreed to do so and took his son to the court, deciding that it would be best for the heir to learn the court duties. While impressed with Bambi’s quick adapt into new learning in fields than from books, he is seen concerned after tiring day where Bambi would sleep by himself in the young prince quarter, wishing to stay with his son but his duties prevented him from doing so. Over the time, he and his son grew very close to the point he tells Bambi stories of how he met his mother Frida. 

With Bambi growing up as beautiful prince resembling his late wife Frida, Albrénean contemplates on his son’s marital matters. He was occasionally informed by Friar Owls that Bambi is courting Faline, Ena’s daughter. Conversing with Karus’ parents the Alvida’s and Ronno’s mother Nimue, he was perceptive enough to know that Karus and Ronno weren’t actually being hostile to Bambi over Faline, but decided to believe in Bambi’s decisions once asked what he was going to do as he replied “If the boy is like me, he would know what he is doing”. When Bambi decided to spare Ronno and Karus after defeating them, Albrénean didn’t oppose to his son’ choice.

When Bambi’s coming of age ceremony took place, it was interrupted once the human lord and his troops approached their realm. Dispatching the army as Gobo was killed, Albrénean recognized the human lord was the same one who killed Frida, and was alarmed that human lord demands for Bambi. Noticing the smoke from his gun, the Great Prince knew the man has injured his son and chose to fight him. Just as Bambi spotted them after leading his people to escape, Albrénean’s spear was broken and was cornered, but before the human lord would kill the elf ruler, the Great Prince witnessed the arrow hit the corrupt man through his eye and saw Bambi stood from far up the hill holding the bow. With the human lord’s fate left in hands of his own consequences, Bambi and his friends helped Albrénean to leave the area, watching the fall of human troops and surrendered to his son.

With Bambi assisting him in restoring the United Regions of Forrest, Albrénean the Great Prince was finally able to entrust his son into court affairs more. With his heir’s leg recovered fully and returning from Frida’s grave, it was one of few moments Albrénean had shown fatherly side silently opened his arms to his son, who, in relieved tears to see his father healthy, rushed into his comforting embrace. According to Friar Owl, it was first time he had ever seen the Great Prince shed tears.

Spin-Off “Perri and Annerle” AU:

Albrénean appears in the coronation of Bambi, crowning his son as next Great Prince of Elves. The former Great Prince was labeled as Dowager Great Prince, enjoying his role as grandfather to Bambi and Faline’s children. He watched with smile whenever Geno and Gurri was well-fed and playing with Thumper’s daughters or Flower’s son Bambi II. 

When Perri took her human friend Annerle to the palace in Alfheim, Albrénean was surprised to see the young human girl who is able to understand the elven languages, but find no threat from her and willing to let her stay or visit the realm as long as she kept its existence as secret. When Bambi asked Annerle about her world’s conception with love and marriage, Albrénean watched with mild amusement when his question flummoxed Karus, Ronno, Perri and Porro, knowing the intention of his son’s inquiry.

Much later, noticing forlorn and grieving Annerle being comforted by Bambi, Albrénean smiled fondly and in nostalgia of how his son reminds him of his late wife Frida, due to Bambi’s perceptive yet nurturing nature. After Perri’s marriage with Porro, Albrénean was approached by his son and daughter-in-law Faline. Both wondered if he would be thinking of remarriage as they were concerned of the Dowager Great Prince’s life without new spouse. Albrénean simply replied that love may come and go, but for now, he is happy to be a grandfather of sweet grandchildren.

[nikkywrites]

The Fawn — Bambi Retelling

Summary: When Bambi’s mother dies, it’s not his father he runs into.

Prompt: “a fawn stumbles around the forest on perpetually new legs. It has several rows of needle sharp teeth, and it is always starving” by @deepwaterwritingprompts aka this post.

Warnings: Canonical Disney mom death (not described), implied body horror.

So… I don’t know where this came from, but. Here it is.

———

It is winter, when his mother becomes lost to him. Winter, when he flees from the loud crack of Man. Winter when he is left alone.

He is destined to starve.

Bambi is still a fawn. Still incapable of finding food in the snow, of surviving alone, of fending for himself. He is still a fawn when he’s running, terrified and fueled by his mother’s “hurry!”, by the echo of Man’s work. Blinded, too, by it all, his fear and all the snow. And in the panic, he wanders to a place he should not be.

There is a part of the forest where the trees grow thicker, where the highest branches are braided so close together that the sun struggles to shine through, even on the brightest days.

There is a part of the forest where magic grows.

That is where Bambi flees to, unknowing, in the blindness of his fear. Darkness clouds over him, as he bounds deeper in, the snow here thinner than everywhere else, until he stops.

In another life, he is told to listen to the forest by his father, the Great Prince. In that life, he never hears words, never holds a conversation with the place that is his home, instead learns the figurative meaning of it. In that life, he learns to be the next Great Prince of the forest.

In this life, the forest speaks.

Lost little fawn, it sighs, branches rustling with wind that doesn’t touch him. All alone in the world.

Bambi jumps, looking around, his legs shaking furiously beneath him. “Mother?” he asks, whimpering, even though the voice sounds little like her, even though it is coming from a place too high to be her, even though it only vaguely sounds like a voice at all.

You have no mother now, the forest says, Man took her.

A tremble sweeps through Bambi, his legs hardly able to keep him upright with the force of it. This is something he knows, distantly. When she tries, she is faster than he is. He remembers her warnings of Man, about how they are dangerous, how they will take him. He was told to fear them.

He was told to fear this part of the forest, too.

He backs up, bumps into a raised tree root that makes him fall into the snow. He curls up, shivering, cold. His mother is dead and he has nowhere to go.

Do not fear, little fawn. The forest lowers a branch from the tree above him, still covered with bark, offering it as either food or shelter. I can help.

“Help?”

Yes. Don’t you want Man to pay?

Bambi lowers his head to the ground, ears flicking back and forth, eyes large and fixed on the branch.

I can help you. I can make you strong, so Man never takes a deer again.

“I’m hungry,” Bambi says, soft. His stomach is heavy in him, but empty. He was just beginning to eat breakfast with his mother when— when— he hasn’t eaten his fill. He’s been hungry all winter, more so the longer it drags on.

The branch breaks, moving closer. Then eat.

Bambi shifts to his hooves.

He bites cautiously at the bark. It crumbles in his mouth, warms his belly, lingers on his tongue.

He doesn’t remember is mother’s warning to never eat anything of magic. “It takes more than it gives, little one,” she had said, curled around him in the dark. “You must never eat anything, no matter how hungry you are. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” he had agreed, even as the words went over his head. What could be so awful about food, aside from a bad taste? He nuzzled his head against her neck. “I understand, mother.”

Yet here he was.

The branch is nearly stripped bare before the effects begin to materialize.

It is pain.

He’s never felt it before, not like this — burning heat, an itch, a stabbing sensation in his mouth and an internal rolling and twisting of his stomach. “Mother!” he calls, legs giving out from under him, the only feeling beside the hurt a bone-deep sick.

It lasts too long, another fragmented cry of “mother!” before it pulls him into blackness, into something that is like sleep but far worse because he can still feel the pain.

Things are different when he wakes.

He is different. The first thing he notes — only for the bone-shaking hollowing howl of it — is that he is still hungry. Once he realizes that, he can’t think of anything else. He needs to eat.

He is starving.

———

Taglist: @super-writer-gal @mr-writes

Thanks to Sleepy for telling me to post (sorry for the delay, tumblr didn’t notify me, I swear). Also kudos to past-me for writing an actually short thing.

[quotes121sworld]

Women Talking director Sarah Polley is in talks to direct Disney's live-action Bambi film

Women Talking director Sarah Polley is in talks to direct the live-action Bambi for Disney, 81 years after the animated classic debuted

By Eve Buckland for Dailymail.Com Published: 4:11 PM EDT, Jun 13, 2023 | Updated: 4:15pm EDT, June 13, 2023 --> --> --> Women Talking director Sarah Polley is in talks to helm a live-action remake of Bambi for Disney.The 44-year-old filmmaker, who won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay earlier this year for the Rooney Mara-directed flick, is said to be directing the feature film, which is in "very early development." meeting.The intention to adapt the 1942 classic was first announced in 2020. Depth of Field Production, created by Chris and Paul Weitz, would direct the film, with Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Lindsey Beer writing. However, the current writers and production team are unknown, and the launch date for the project is also up in the air. The original 1928 Disney children's classic and book told the story of the love, life and loss of young fawn Bambi. The film's most heartbreaking moment came when Bambi's mother was shot dead by hunters.

New Project: Women Talking director Sarah Polley is in talks to helm a live-action remake of Bambi for Disney

1942 classic: The 44-year-old filmmaker, who won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay earlier this year for the Rooney Mara-directed flick, is set to direct the feature film, which is in very "early development," reports Deadline Fans can expect the "same photorealistic CGI" used in previous remakes - such as Disney and director Jon Favreau's The Lion King - to tell the story of everyone's favorite fawn.The film's arc revolves around some heavy themes, such as dealing with losses and questioning the morality of the hunt.Seeing the loss of Bambi's mother in overly lifelike CGI form may be unsettling to some viewers, but it probably won't be a deterrent. It was announced back in November that the director behind 'Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey' is planning a horror version of Bambi with a new film called 'Bambi: The Reckoning'.The independent horror film about the beloved storybook characters of the Hundred Acre Wood who go on a killing spree delighted fans - and director Rhys Frake-Waterfield hoped a "Bambi Against Rabies" version of the classic tale would resonate equally .However, viewers familiar with the doe-eyed Bambi are in for a shock, as director Scott Jeffrey, who will be working with executive producer Frake-Waterfield, said the deer will portray the antler-human body hybrid featured in Netflix's " The Ritual” can be seen.He said DreadCentral: "The film will be an incredibly dark retelling of the 1928 story we all know and love." Inspired by the design of the Netflix series "The Ritual," Bambi becomes a vicious killing machine that lurks in the wilderness. Prepare for Bambi against rabies!”The announcement comes on the heels of another horror remake - Frake-Waterfield revealed he's planning a new film, Neverland Nightmare, about sane character Peter Pan.Peter Pan, the iconic free-spirited boy who can fly and never grows up, has been portrayed many times on screen, but this will be only his second appearance as a horror character after Robbie Kay's vicious portrayal in Once Upon a Time.

Heavy Issues: The film deals directly with loss as Bambi loses his mother in the first few minutes of the film

Critically acclaimed: Women Talking - starring Rooney Mara (pictured).

All too real: Disney turned The Lion King into a live-action film in 2019 Share or comment on this article: Read the full article

[literalgrill]

The Animated History of Treasure Island: Shin Takarajima - 1965

I have been on a journey to watch every animated adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. (I pick cool hyperfixations right?) I wanted to share my thoughts and research on them as they were compiled before hopefully making a long video about the entire topic.

So today I want to share a bit about Osamu Tezuka, "the father of manga," and his own history with the classic sailing tale — Shin Takarajima. If that catches your interest, read on!

It would take an entirely different essay to list Osamu Tezuka's works, influences on animation across the world, and other achievements. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step; in Tezuka's case, that was Shin Takarajima. It was his first manga published way back in 1947. New Treasure Island as it's known in English-speaking markets has little in common with the similarly named classic novel from 1883. Minus a young boy, a pirate, and an island full of treasure, the two share nothing else in common.

Osamu Tezuka famously adored Disney, not only supposedly watching Bambi over eighty times but even drawing his own manga version of the story. Looking to make his own version of the anthology series that would come to be known as The Wonderful World of Disney, he set out to create Mushi Pro World.

He would go on to create Japan's first-ever sixty-minute animated television program, confusingly titled Shin Takarajima. It had nothing to do with his previous work, instead retelling Robert Louis Stevenson's story with his own unique anthropomorphic twist. Sadly, this would be the first and only episode of Mushi Pro World as none of the others ever materialized. Thankfully, that one episode is one of the strongest animated adaptations Treasure Island would ever receive.

Part of this is because of what Tezuka decided to do with the anthropomorphic animal cast. It was just as common then as it is today to simply slap some talking animals onto a story for kids simply because, well, kids love talking animals. Tezuka not only gave us adorable bunny Jim Hawkins but also ran with the kind of story that we'd see fifty years later in Beastars. Dr. Livesy walked so that Louis could run.

No seriously, that joke has quite a bit of truth to it. Sure, it's a children's film so there's plenty of slapstick (some of which I'd argue is on par with early Looney Tunes) but it also manages to get a lot of smaller details of the original story down to the letter. The most important part of the movie is where it decides to stray from the original narrative.

When looking at the pirates and brigands aboard the Hispaniola, it's easy to see just how many carnivores are among them vs the herbivore "good guys" on the side of Jim Hawkins. This is a classic trope within anthropomorphic stories. What punches it up a notch is how whenever they are particularly rowdy, they start to literally lose some of their human features and become full animals. Especially when they get horribly obsessed with the treasure, even some of the "good guy" herbivores join in, losing their clothes and running on all fours, with their hands turning into paws and hooves.

The idea of literally losing one's humanity in pursuit of riches is an extremely powerful theme, masterfully executed in a way simple enough for children to pick up on and the adults in the room to be able to latch onto strongly. The only one to resist is the best of them all — Jim Hawkins.

This movie also decided to make Jim and Long John Silver's relationship much stronger than it was in the books. For those without extensive knowledge of the original book, Jim wasn't exactly mad when Long John left the crew. As the book says, "I think we were all pleased to be so cheaply quit of him."

In this case however, they find the "wild dog" that Flint is described as the entire time was also a bit literal as his treasure is just tons of different kinds of bones from all over the world, no real money of any kind. It's a strong moral lesson, not only did those who tossed away humanity not actually get anything from it, but it shows that people should strive to find what is truly valuable to them instead.

In the end, Long John completely gives up on hunting for treasure ever again and even denounces those who would continue to seek it. He instead chooses to leave Jim with a collection of shells that the buccaneer had collected over all his travels, something Jim had noticed and appreciated earlier in the film. Long John is not only trying to make up for not being able to actually split what he assumed was a massive haul with the young boy, but making sure Jim is truly rewarded for being the only one to keep their sights on what was most important for the entire journey.

Also, the movie has a sexy pin-up bee girl in it, which is probably the most important thing here so ignore the rest of that sappy stuff about the theme or whatever I just was going off about.

All kidding aside, this idea of animals losing their humanity is something we can obviously see used in huge successful animations today, everything from Zootopia to the aforementioned Beastars. The idea of the inner animalistic nature of people would be something Tezuka himself continued exploring in works like Vampires for years to come.

While it's now considered a literary classic, it's impossible to deny that Treasure Island is a story that comes with plenty of flaws. Still, Tezuka did a lot to try and patch up some of its issues by adding an even deeper theme than that of a boy just trying to be good and learning how to be courageous on a formative adventure away from home. Sadly, not all of the animated adaptations of the story would get remotely close to matching this achievement. Speaking of, if you enjoyed this, stay tuned for when I discuss the first-ever animated adaptation of Treasure Island from Mel-O-Toons back in 1960. Or if you've been bitten by the Treasure Island bug as bad as I've been, why not go learn about an adaptation with way more historical significance than you might imagine — Mr. Magoo's Treasure Island.

[katcadecascade]

ORV DND Episode 2

The GM tells us five PC that Main Scenario #2 has begun right as the bus we’re in breaks down in the middle of the road. 

It’s called The Guide where we have to meet some guide, meaning that now things are going to divert from canon Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint. My GM friend already warned me not to expect the scenarios to be the same but I’m still paranoid to what’s to come because then this sub scenario pops up.

Sub Scenario: Survive Mental Prison. 

A fog cloaks our surroundings and we must roll a constitution check. Two PC use their attribute skills to be immune to the fog, while the rest of us roll our dice. I succeed but the other two PC fail and thus describe their selves in a state of panic. 

It takes a while for us to drag those two out of the bus as we run to the safety of an abandoned convenient store. Along the way we had to discard half our of equipment to speed up our progress. It took a lot of our braincells to remember that our suitcases can weigh us down. 

Anyway we escape the fog and rest in the store. We eat some food, rest up, have our PCs interact and name a cat Sprinkles. 

Okay so I forgot to mention this in the last episode post, there was a cat that I thought about killing for the first scenario but in the end I choose to kill a person. As for the cat, well it killed a rat and survived. Does this cat have a constellation sponsor? I don’t know. 

We’re still deciding what to do at this point. Our only leads are from an email that brought us all to that bus that was supposed to take us to Disneyland. Our best guess is that Disneyland is where our guide for the second scenario is. 

And then busting out of the employee only door is a bunch of hooded people. These new NPCs are clearly in a well organized group, they have gas masks and bags full of food. The NPC with a sword interrogates us, asking how we survived the first scenario. The PCs who only killed insects or a plant are open about it but me and last PC reluctantly share that we killed people. 

From an insight roll, the NPCs were not expecting that. My guess was that they also killed people and to hear that there was another way pass that to survive was tough to realize. 

The sword NPC then tells us that there are people sheltered in a mall nearby. Their group has it barricaded and their leader sent them out to get more food supply. We get to talking a bit more and with some high charisma rolls we learn something important.

The NPCs shared that they were from different Scenario #1 groups and that their Scenario #2 are also different. 

As a reader of ORV, I did not see that coming. Lowkey, I did expect the GM to directly use canon scenarios but the idea of people getting different scenarios and advancing at different paces did not form in my brain. 

One PC raises the question of what if these NPCs has a scenario to kill us. 

Another PC suggests we have the cat do a vibe check. 

Sprinkles the cat looks at the NPCs and meows in approval. 

So we go with them. They give us their extra gas masks and we go through the fog and reach a mall. If you’ve ever seen Netflix’ Daybreak, the mall is like that, the shuttered pulled down and barricaded. Inside we meet the leader of all these hoods. 

I quickly realize this is like a thuggish version of Inho Cheon and Geumho Station. This leader NPC believes in survival of the fittest and gathers other strong people to follow his lead. The mall has the same division of power, people who have low stats and have to pay a coin fee to the leader’s group of high stat people. 

This leader NPC is also okay for any of us to leave the mall, he expects us to die but still, we have the option to leave. Problem is that the Mental Prison fog is still out there so we hatch a plan to steal some gas masks before we bail this place.

Meanwhile, we get a tour of the place. Again it’s kind of like Geumho Station where the scavenger group gets access to the food supply but also the mattresses store, and running water while the large group of low stats people gets none of that. Classic power imbalance, yah know.

But then my entire being stops when the NPC casually points at the movie theater and says, “That’s the theater dungeon.”

The other PCs get confused and poke fun at the dungeon part, thinking this NPC made a sex dungeon until they get the explanation that the theater itself really is a dungeon and people with low stats died in there while his strong group survived. 

As for me, out of character I tell my friends, “I’m going into the theater dungeon no matter what.”

“All we do is give our characters pain,” a PC comments.

Anyway, we wander off to talk about how to steal or buy off the gas masks because one, our Scenario #2 is probably not here and two, this place is sketchy as fuck. Sprinkles has been hissing at the leader and we all agree with this cat. 

This is where I turn to the GM and ask to roll for my personal skill to predict the future.

So this is how the GM and I hatched out this skill. My PC is not a true prophet like Anna Croft cause that’ll be too overpowered. We decided on using percentile dice and make my skill into an accuracy reading on what routes I pick. If you know about the fortune teller from the Danganronpa series, its like that. 

So I ask questions on what would happen if we stay here and if we can leave safely. I roll sort of high and the GM messages me this.

There will be a bloody fight in the future, innocents will die, you may not leave. 

Again, the GM reminds me that this is only like a seventy percent accurate. Nonetheless, me and my PC are shocked and scared. I retell my accursed knowledge to the other PCs and things are looking grim. 

That’s when a kid NPC approaches us, asking if we’re strong. This kid tells us his friend went into the theater dungeon and hasn’t came out yet. 

Before a PC could say ‘you’re friend is probably dead’ a sub scenario pops up.

It’s basically a rescue quest to save the kid’s friend. From the two hour time limit, the friend is still probably alive we guess. What really catches out attention is the reward of having this NPC use a skill to increase our bond or power with our constellation sponsors. We take up the the quest and head off to the theater.

There the sword NPC from earlier is guarding the entrance and warns us that we might die but the rewards are pretty good. Then she asks if we’re really taking our cat with us. 

Sprinkles has chosen only one PC to be his designated human so that PC tries to hand off Sprinkles to the care of the NPC. 

“Wait just a second,” our GM announces and we hear the roll of a dice. 

Sprinkles decides no, jumps out of the arms of the NPC and runs into the theater dungeon. 

Things are going great.

We head into the theater, its just the main lobby and two hallways. We see Sprinkles head to the left hallway but we try to investigate the lobby first. We get some clues about the NPC we’re supposed to rescue but not enough to know where he is. Eventually we decide to go left and trust the cat is leading us in the right direction.

The hallway has posters with slash marks, later explained to be done by the sword girl NPC accompanying us. She’s just here for the cat. Sword NPC explains how this dungeon works and like canon, we would get sucked into the movie according to its poster. We make jokes about avoiding Avengers: Infinity War. 

Anyway we spy Sprinkles at the end of the hallway in front of a movie poster that has not been slashed out. 

GM has us roll perception. Four of us roll low and only get a look at some woodland picture. We all make guesses like Pet Cemetery, Blair Witch, Cabin in the Woods. 

The PC who rolled high gets messaged the movie name. 

“Guys,” the PC is almost choked up in shock but exclaims, “It’s Bambi!”

We all go ‘oh no’ and think it can’t be that bad right? We go approach the poster and get sucked in.

We appear in cottage in winter, dressed in hunting gear and the GM tells us that we are freezing and starved. Oh and we all have shotguns. 

Outside we explore and see a bunch of animals, two of which are deers. 

Yeah, we’re in Bambi alright. 

Somewhere along the way, we think the way to get out of here is to shoot every other animal but the deers. It takes a while cause some of us rolled low, argued about the ethics of this, pull the trigger, and we make it out with the shotguns as our rewards. 

We head off to the other hallway, similarly enough there’s only one unslashed poster for us. 

Again we do a perception roll and again only one of us rolls high to be messaged by the GM.

“Wait, is this the reboot or original?”

“Original.”

“Guys, it’s Dumbo.”

At this point, we’re convinced all this Disney stuff really is a clue for us to go to Disneyland. Like, that’s why we were all on the bus right when the first scenario started. It’s all. an elaborate. conspiracy.

So we enter the movie and appear backstage of a circus tent. The ringmaster yells at us to prepare for our acts. We split up into pairs. The clowns are up first.

“Why did the chicken cross the road?” PC says rather dully, evident in their frowny face clown makeup. 

I honestly don’t remember the end of that joke because immediately it was a low performance roll and everyone, including us PCs, booed. 

Smiley face PC holds up a large peanut bag and asks, “Want some of deetz nutz?” 

That gets the crowd roaring with laughter except for the mysterious cloaked figure in the audience. 

The clown PCs notice this and tries to do a fire extinguisher prank to hose the NPC out. It doesn’t work that well as they got other audience members and the ringmaster kicks the clowns backstage. They warn the rest of us about the cloaked figure right as me and my PC partner are suddenly up high for our trapeze act. 

PC partner unfortunately rolls low for acrobatics and is falling. I roll high to swing on a rope and catch them and we basically recreate the Rewrite the Stars song. During that we notice the cloaked figure is leaving the audience. We both get the brilliant idea of me throwing my partner at the cloak figure.

Yeah, um, PC ends up pile diving on the audience. Nonetheless that PC chases after the cloaked figure as the third act begins. Basically its the fifth PC and the NPC riding horses through rings of fire. They do really well. 

Back with the mysterious cloaked figure, PC confronts them but the only response is this NPC throwing smoke bombs into the tent and running away. 

Pink smoke spreads out through the circus tent and the GM tells us to roll for a constitution saving throw. The entire audience and half of the party suddenly become drunk and a PC explains in horror that this is the pink elephant scene from Dumbo. 

I do not remember much from the movie so my friend explains that this infamous scene is about Dumbo getting drunk on champagne. Wow. 

Anyway me and another PC have to watch over our drunk party members. It does not help that they still have the shotguns and they want to shoot at the birds they see in their drunken state. 

Meanwhile, the last sober PC runs out to find the mysterious cloaked figure who caused this but no. Instead the GM gives that PC a bunch of angst and describes how this stressing situation is enough to give the PC a panic attack. It’s all about character development, gotta give them conflict in nature to their backstory. 

Backstage, I’m trying to pry away the shotguns from another PC. It does not go well and my PC gets fed up, decides fine, shoot the birds. 

Low and behold, shooting the birds that’s only seen in this state is what gets us out of the movie. As we’re all relieved that we made it out, the GM points out that the mysterious cloaked NPC has also made it out with us. 

We chase after him to the lobby and we manage to tackle him down. The hood is now off and we see that this NPC is the kid we’re supposed to rescue in the first place. But there’s obvious something off, his eyes are glowing. 

Classic signs of mind control. 

The NPC struggles out of hold and suddenly the lobby starts to slip apart before our very eyes. Our allied sword NPC tells us that this should not be happening, that this is not normal as the theater lobby shifts to become a battle ring. 

Next to the mind controlled NPC, two caricatured figures appear, also with glowing eyes. A PC manages to perceive the nametags they’re wearing, one is labeled ‘Dumb.’

We all immediately guess we’re somehow in Wonderland without a movie poster. Right as we’re doing that, the GM rolls a die and the mind controlled NPC shapeshifts to look like one of us PC.

We roll for initiate. 

Okay not really, that’s where we called it a night. You all have no idea how excited I was when I learned that the theater dungeon is here. Like I was grinning so much. So what I got so far is that GM is pulling plot devices from canon as resources but yah know, twisting it into their own direction. 

Thanks for reading!

[disney-rapunzel-merida-vanellope]

I will admit that I might be interested in a live action Bambi if, rather than being just a retelling of the original movie, it was a more faithful adaptation of the book?

Thats fair

Disney isn’t gonna stop doing it anyway so the least they could do is try to adapt the book instead of the movie

As long as new generations keep talking and getting to know the classics i guess ill have to deal with it. It’s just cause that movie is so special 😭

[everydisneymovie]

Review #13: Fun and Fancy Free

Post #15

4/2/2020

Next up is 1947′s Fun and Fancy Free

Enjoyment : [3]

I think this is the first Disney movie I did not enjoy a single moment of. Even some of the really bad ones I have seen so far had some laughs or interesting moments. This one is very boring and comes across as lazy. I can’t get invested in anything happening on screen because of how pedestrian and lackluster it is. I will get into more detail WHY I found it boring in the other categories. The best things I can say for it was some moments were entertaining through nothing but shock value or the confusion I felt. I can’t give it too low a score though because this movie doesn’t feel overly malicious.

Quality : [3]

The animation is very basic. Some scenes clearly had effort but the art direction is flat and it is still TV quality. The curse of these Anthology films is how UN-movie like they end up feeling. It is like I am watching a really long commercial and not a finished product. Other than the scene with the beanstalk growing there is no interesting use of setting or color theory. The music is rather enjoyable but only because of the singers voice, not the lyrics. This movie feels phoned in, but even more so than Make Mine Music.

Hold up : [3]

While there is nothing offensive about this movie, I don’t think it holds up well. There is no real positive messaging for children, with Jiminy acting like a horny Incel and the “slapping each other is just how bears say I love you!” coming across very icky. I think the way this movie depicts love is very surface level and the clearly misunderstood giant is just straight up murdered by Mickey. I couldn’t shake the weird vibes this movie gave me.

Risk : [3]

I can forgive a bit of the quality drop due to the war and the money issues Disney was facing... but I am really sick of how lazy these anthology films are. Even on a low budget you can be creative and innovative, but these movies are boring in how safe they play it. The best microcosm of this issue is in the “Bongo the Bear” short where he longs to be free and enjoys his first day, only to see the downsides of freedom when night falls. In a normal movie they would show him making a mistake or having an assumption proved wrong, but literally all they can think of is “bugs being loud and lighting striking him.” which tie into the story in no way what so ever. Come on Walt put some effort into these things I beg of you.

Extra Credit : [2]

The singing was alright. The singer had a very pretty voice and the ventriloquist was SLIGHTLY funny. A big point in my notes was how happy it made me to only have 2 shorts this time. It felt like 2 tv episodes and was at least slightly closer to a real ass movie this time. Still it utterly failed everywhere else so... uhg.

Final thoughts:

This movie was dull and uninteresting. It didn’t even have the weird dated charm these old movies are dripping with. The character designs are closer to their more modern styles so there wasn’t even the crunchy retro-ness that I usually vibe with. I am sick of these animation tests Disney keeps trying to pass off as real movies. I am literally dying for any sort of structured narrative that has set up and payoff. One particularly weird aspect was how they went through the trouble of retelling Jack and the Beanstalk with Disney characters and then added basically no pizzazz or personal flair to it. Mickey is a bit of a trickster, Goofy is a bit of a dork and Donald is a LITTLE homicidal. When the muppets retell a classic tale they put their own spin on it, this was just boring. I really felt like this was the first Disney movie to insult their audiences intelligence. Remember when Bambi talked about death and loss in a way children could understand? Yeah me too...

Total Score: 14/50

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[agentsokka]

The thing that bothers me most about tlk animation (also a criticism I had of the jungle book) is that the animals don't even look realistic. Then on top of that it, there's no emotion. So for me, the "real lions don't make that face" argument isn't even valid. It already looks like a fake lion, give it some life!

Honestly, exactly. Like that post has gotten nearly 15k notes worth of folks either agreeing or criticizing and I’m just. Tired. Of arguments like that.

The thing about Lion King is that it’s a very human story told with animals – which makes sense, lots of stories have done popular retellings of classic stories with animals. But with such a human story and human emotions at work, you need to relate them on your characters, like how Disney’s B-Team fabulously accomplished in 1994. You can’t tell a human story without humanizing the animal characters just a bit.

Take Bambi as a counterexample of what would be a GOOD film to remake in this style. When you get down to it, it’s basically a story about animals in nature. You don’t need too many expressions, you don’t need any dialogue whatsoever. It’d be ballsy and hard to execute, but Bambi would be such a better adaptation in this realistic style because it basically is a story about animals being animals. People already anthropomorphize animals in situations – you could get an audience balling because we the audience understands a Human just killed Bambi’s mom and you see this confused little fawn just, looking around, alone, lost. Simple, basic emotions are all you need to convey what the animal’s thinking without dialogue in this kind of setting. The human imagination can do the rest to fill in what would basically be a nature documentary.

Lion King, on the other hand, is telling an epic story of a jealous brother usurping the king and wreaking chaos throughout the kingdom – which IS a kingdom where all animals defer to their ruler, the lions – and the son needing to accept responsibility and come back to fight his uncle. You don’t get stories like that in nature. The Great Prince is a Thing in Bambi, but it’s more of a title than anything substantial, and you could get everything across without needing to explicitly state that beyond maybe some limited, basic narration. Lion King features too complex and established a narrative to really Work well this way.

It doesn’t help that the movie itself appears to be relying on the audience’s memory of the original film to convey emotion. The trailer is literally scene-for-scene reenactments of pivotal moments in the OG film – and of course, that’s not always a bad thing, it’s to pique your interest. But when it’s directly comparing itself to the original film on purpose, the audience can’t help but remember the stark contrast. I’m going to be making a gifset soon that just shows the clips side-by-side and let it speak for itself.

I think the most frustrating thing I find about this situation is people is saying I’m degrading the animators’ work and like, no, my beef has always been with the Disney execs who think realism is the hottest way to make $$$. You don’t get to be an animator of that caliber without knowing about character animation. The CGI is gorgeous, but that’s it – it’s realistic animals sans character animations to convey human emotion. I don’t believe they did that without direction – I believe Disney forced them to comply as employees. They believe realism is IN, they believe nostalgia is PROFITABLE, and that THAT’S the way to make the most bucks. 

The current Disney CEO is Bob Iger, for god’s sake, and you know who is mentor was? Michael Eisner, who famously penned: 

“The pursuit of making money is the only reason to make movies. We have no obligation to make history. We have no obligation to make art. We have no obligation to make a statement. Our obligation is to make money, and to make money, it may be important to make history. To make money, it may be important to make art, or some significant statement. To make money, it may be important to win the Academy Award, for it might mean another ten million dollars at the box office. Our only objective may be to make money, but in order to make money, we must always make entertaining movies. And if we make entertaining movies, at times we will make history, art, a statement, or all three.”

A good analytical video towards these remakes. Iger understands how to profitably repackage popular animated films, giving just enough change (often addressing criticisms lobbed at OG films) and keeping just enough the same – even if they’re soulless adaptations that can’t hold a candle to the original spirit. 

The most valid complaints I’ve seen of this trailer are FROM actual artists and animators who understand what it means to animate characters and convey these emotions. They’re the ones most frustrated because they have the industry knowledge to recognize the problem. This isn’t people who don’t understand what they’re talking about, they recognize that animators are being directed to limit character animation in favor of realism.

Listen, man. I only complain because I love Lion King. If this were Aladdin I would not give a rat’s ass – I haven’t been shitting on Will Smith genie because I cannot bring myself to care about it, even if it’s objectively ridiculous. I wanted to like this remake, because it’s literally the ONLY Disney remake I’ve shown limited interest in whatsoever. I don’t mind changes to the film – by all means, go ahead, there’s so much you can play around with. But something as integral as character animation is a little bad to miss out on.

[jknerd]

Ronno the Dark Elf

Full Name: Ronno Vanryth 

Aliases: Dark elf Prince

Gender: Male

Age: Immortal (20+ in human age)

Species: Dark Elf

Affiliations: United Regions of Forrest; Alfheim, Vanryth family

Occupation: Dark Elf Chieftess’ heir, combatant, Young Prince’s favourite

Family: Nimue (mother), Rolla (cousin), Boso (nephew), Lana (niece)

Relationships: Faline (childhood crush), Bambi (childhood frenemy-> love rival/enemy->???), Karus (enemy->love rival->political rival/enemy), Mirro (servant)

Likes: Combating tournaments, victory, being praised for his appearance and abilities, the idea of tormenting/killing humans, Faline, bickering or teasing Bambi

Dislikes: Being looked down on, being on second place, humiliation, Faline and Bambi being close, anyone else picking on Bambi, Karus being “favored” by Bambi, humans, losing

Powers/Abilities: Strength, archery, swordsmanship, political scheming, dark charm/charisma, deer transformation

Bambi the Elf Prince AU:

Ronno Vanryth is a son of Nimue the chieftess of dark elf and an heir of Vanryth family, the clan known for their war strategies and brute strength. Since younger years, Ronno has already shown pride of his brute strength and his appearance surpassing the standard of dark elf’s beauty as his distaste towards humans were already developing. He was taught by the surrounding that strongest is the one to be the most beautiful or obtain what they want the most, and he took those words in his life.

Unbeknownst to others, Ronno actually saw Bambi prior to Frida’s death. Initially, Ronno mistook Bambi as a beautiful elf girl and was enthralled. Although, he learned that Bambi was a little elf prince, it didn’t deterred the dark elf boy from wanting to befriend the innocent prince. Time passed as when Bambi was still recovering from his mother Frida’s death, he met Ronno who sneered and pointed out the flaw of season prediction the ground troll made. Although he genuinely wanted to befriend Bambi and his friends, his boastful and arrogant persona has left a less than pleasant impression. Ironically, he had given a rather helpful information to beware of humans; humans possess the tools that could trick elves into their traps outside the borders. After that similar incident Bambi nearly suffered but saved by his father, Ronno was approached by the young prince who thanked him for the information. While Ronno claimed he would lead his own kind and have Faline as his future wife, he didn’t entirely antagonized Bambi. But, Ronno was much hostile to Karus the Wood Elf Prince, feeling jealous and often thinks Bambi “favors” him. 

At one occasion, Ronno took form as a deer fawn and went to human borders with fellow dark elves to observe for any threat. When one of the dark elves (in form of deers) go caught in a trap alerting the mortal captors and hunting dogs. As Ronno freed the captive dark elf, he was caught and dragged by human captor, soon to be carried away to be sold as a slave. Angered that dark elves left him behind like cowards, Ronno revealed his true form as dark elf and brutally fought back by killing the dogs and injured the captors, ripping the ear-tag off of his right side of ear, leaving the notch as he returned to the realm. The council of dark elves blamed Ronno for unable to detect danger, due to him being “soften up” to Bambi and claimed him as a disgrace, enraging and scratched the dark elf heir’s pride. Since then, Ronno occasionally berated Bambi’s “unnecessary” compassion, labeling it as weakness when he refused to retort at the elven peers who bullied him, straining their friendship as Ronno stopped visiting the palace. In reality—with his own mother’s support—Ronno was harshly training himself to get back at the council and the cowards, and the humans for humiliating him. When he learned that Karus betrayed Bambi by leaving the court and helped by his parents to be Faline’s suitor, Ronno wasn’t upset that he had another “love rival” for Faline, but was more upset with Karus’ spineless decision.

Ronno’s emotions gotten much conflicted by the time he saw Bambi courting Faline. Decided to confront and see for himself what he himself wanted, he challenged Bambi who had recently defeated Karus days prior. Unlike childhood years, Ronno has proven to be a tougher and stronger opponent than Karus. Yet, during the battle when injuring Bambi in process, the dark elf was hesitant to give a serious or fatal blow. Seeing through his hesitance, Bambi yelled he wants Ronno to take him seriously at battle, provoking him further by asking if he’s afraid. Eventually, Ronno was knocked down, defeated after an intense fight. Despite the Alfheim having a law of executing the defeated for challenging the royal elves’, Bambi spared his life a same manner he did to Karus, adding that he had already forgiven Ronno knowing that he didn’t challenge out of spite. Feeling that he had felt acknowledged and approved, Ronno returned to his domain in content. Shortly, the dark elf heir received a letter sent from the palace, appointing him as the young prince’s favourite (the royal’s close companion/confidant). Even though he knew it means he have to give up his title as heir of Vanryth clan, Ronno didn’t hesitate to leave as he accepted the offer. While dismayed that Karus was also chosen as Bambi’s favourite, Ronno was confident that since Karus and his clan turned their back on Bambi and his father once—causing their political power weakened—he would have a chance to prove his worth. Thumper half-jokingly remarked if Bambi was born a woman, Ronno would have already plot the murder on Karus long ago. 

When Faline’s foster brother Gobo was revealed to be alive and returned, Ronno was seen with disapproval when Gobo explained how he survived; he was rescued and cared by humans that lived in a local village just outside of their realm. When the half-human half-elf suggested there should be a peace between their realms and humans’, Ronno rebuffed that idea as not only that would break the peace within their realm, it would also expose themselves to the humans who would not hesitate to use or harm them for their selfish gain, adding that if all humans are good, the one responsible for Bambi’s mother’s dead should have grovel and atone for what he did, conflicting Bambi whether he should trust humans or not. During Bambi’s coming of age ceremony, it was revealed that Ronno’s position as young prince’s favorite had made all dark elves fear/respect him as proper future leader of their kind. However, the ceremony was interrupted when the human landlord and his troops trespassed their realm. When Bambi has given his full permission to dispatch all armies of their realms to defend, Ronno eagerly ordered the dark elves to “erase” the entire threat, killing or severely injuring human soldiers with his strength. When one human soldier abducted and attempted to rape his cousin Rolla, Ronno beheaded the soldier before getting her to safety. He was later seen with Karus when Bambi stopped the human lord from killing his father Albrénean and assisted him away. 

While the United Regions of Forrest was restoring, Ronno’s strained relationship with Vanryth clan was recovering; Rolla no longer fears her older cousin as they became close enough to share their secrets and private thoughts they never told others before. Although his prideful persona and distaste for humans remain the same, he and Bambi’s friends are tolerant with one another. Eventually, his mother Nimue is considering of abdicating her chief status to Ronno who had already prove himself as what the Dark Elves must be.

Spin-Off “Perri and Annerle” AU:

In the spin-off, Ronno was seen with Karus in Bambi’s crowning ceremony as new Great Prince. He also has his fairy servant Mirro who has unrequited love for Perri, the fairy girl who later works for Bambi. Ronno’s cousin Rolla became a mother of two children; Boso and Lana. According to Bambi, Rolla’s husband was unfaithful man and as for his punishment in adultery, Ronno personally executed him. Even though many elven women desires to wed him, he rejected them all and continued becoming the new Great Prince’s favourite and help his cousin raising her children. He was seen amused when his nephew Boso developing a crush on Gurri, Bambi’ and Faline’s daughter. Much to his further amusement, his niece Lana harbors a crush on Bambi and Faline’s son Geno. 

In Annerle’s adventures at the realm with Perri’s assistance, the human girl stayed in Bambi’s palace, much to Ronno’s distaste. Annerle ventures the lifestyle of palace while working as Bambi’s servant alongside Perri, learned that Karus and Ronno are the highest-rank of council members, thanks to their status as the new Great Prince’s favourites. When Annerle asked what “favourite” is, Perri and Porro explained in concise details that they are Bambi’s close companions in politics and social affairs. Being a smart and perceptive girl, when Annerle encounters Ronno who was upset with Karus upstaging him at the court, she qualms his anger by saying she have heard of past between him, Karus and Bambi; adding that she prefers Ronno to be Bambi’s sole favourite instead of Karus who “betrayed” the prince big time. Satisfied with her supportive words, Ronno’s previous distaste for the human girl washed away and became relaxed around her. Mirro proudly pointed out that Ronno is a perfect model as what the dark elf should be; proud, strong and mighty, downgrading Karus for letting his trivial emotions to break the vow to support Bambi over Faline during their youth. 

At one point, Bambi and his friends watch Annerle’s drawings of her home, town, school, family and friends, realizing it has been centuries since the last time humans trespassed their realm. When Bambi curiously asked Annerle how does her time of humans find love, Karus and Ronno were flummoxed and turned their face away. Although, they were fascinated how human societies nowadays no longer have “conditions” or “limitations” in relationship. Ronno’s mother Nimue amusingly reminisced that when he was little, he mistook Bambi as a girl and wanted to know the family she came from so he’d ask for her hand officially, embarrassing Ronno as Perri and Annerle were seen giggling at the image of young Ronno’s antics, understanding his jealous tendencies around Karus. Later, when Faline asked Annerle how she thought of elven acquaintances, she analyzed that Karus is trying to redeem the years of betrayal and his brain is helpful in diplomacy, while Ronno is much ambitious and could be dangerous, but can be in great advantages when he uses for the good of the realm and safety of Bambi. When Annerle added that Bambi might be aware of these points, Faline confirmed that he does.

However, Ronno could be proven to be much composed than his younger years, especially when it comes to scheming. When he saw angry Mirro expressing hate towards Porro, Ronno knew his servant was upset Porro is courting Perri, the fairy girl he harbored unrequited love towards. Ronno comforted, saying that while he failed his own love life somehow, he chose to be the favourite and climb the way to gain more trust as he is now. When asked by Mirror what he meant, Ronno grinned and revealed Lukas Grassi who was revealed to be alive as werewolf; discovering the dying Lukas who was to be killed by his abusive stepfather, Ronno knocked the older man unconscious and healed Lukas, full aware of the werewolf boy and Annerle’s love. The dark elf remarked Lukas that he saved his life and need to give him something in exchange; Lukas will stay in Alfheim as appointed painter. Witnessing the reunion between Annerle and Lukas, Ronno was grinning as his “selfless” actions granted him more recognition from the new Great Prince. When Karus confronted him about having Lukas Grassi permanently living in their realm, Ronno points out the boy is no longer a human, granting him a right to reside and work as palace painter. Then, he warned Karus to know his place as he may have been in the court by help of his “royal mummy and daddy”, but he himself worked on his own as the favourite. As Karus left fuming, Ronno gave Lukas a discreet nod, a reminder of the deal, musing the life of mortals come and go, but elves’ are forever, implying the expansion of Ronno’s role as possible villain.

[spaceorphan18]

Fun and Fancy Free

Let’s Beeeee.... fun and fancy freeeeee

They’re going to say it at least a dozen more times.  There’s a war going on, but let’s make sure the kids are happy.  

Introduction: 

So, instead of jamming ten cartoons into one film, we get only two -- and my sources tell me that both of the following were kicked around to be feature films, but, you know, war and all that stopped these from going that far.  Which, to be honest, is fine.  

Jiminy Cricket is back to introduce into the story -- cause we’re still in the age that apparently needs introductions for things.  While he definitely isn’t as irritating as before, I’m not entirely sure why the pretense?  Was that the thing in the day? Anyway, the best part of this bit is the newspaper with all the world ending headlines -- the best one stating that the ocean is going to swallow all the land.  Well, Disney, you were ahead of your time predicting global warming and climate change, even if your animators put it in as a joke.  

Bongo: 

**Heavy Sigh** Okay.  First of all, this was originally supposed to be a sequel to Dumbo, and you can pretty much tell -- there’s the whole animal cruelty circus back again to make Bongo do all sorts of things against his will.  Luckily, Bongo escapes into the forest and meets a pretty girl bear and they fall in love.  It’s like Dumbo meets Bambi without any kind of artistic animation going on.  It’s also dreadfully boring.  Dinah Shore has a lovely singing voice, but these songs are so dull, and Bongo’s not cute enough to be endearing, that I kept getting by distracted. 

However - that’s the first 2/3rds of the story.  The last 1/3 is, well, the worst really.  Some big bear comes along and kidnaps lady bear, and so Bongo goes off thinking, eh, she seems totally scared of the big bear, but my heart is the one that’s breaking, so I’m gonna go wallow in how she doesn’t love me because she’s with him.  Eventually, he wises up and realizes she does love him, so he takes on the big bear, and of course his circus training helping him, he wins the lady bear back.  

Okay, fine.  As much as I HATE this old kind of woman locked in a tower waiting for a man to save her trope (especially when this lady bear is absolutely terrified of the big bear, omg), it’s not the worst part.  The worst part is a song about how if you really love someone you slap them.  Yup.

Imagine today if there’s a cartoon that encourages young children to slap people they supposedly like.  My god. 

 I don’t know if there’s some weird bear mating ritual I’m not privy to, if there’s something from the source material I’m missing, or if this was just fun and silliness to a pair of 40s eyes, but it has not aged well, and everything about this turn of events in this last portion of the story pissed me off.  Nope, Disney, you get your predicting climate change worries points revoked.  

Mickey and the Beanstalk 

The second of the two shorts is a retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk.  It’s kind of standard issue, and nothing thrilling in terms of animation or story, but there are some interesting things to note in this one. 

As an aside, though, I think I have seen this before, because I distinctly remember Donald eating bread so thin it’s transparent.  Weird.  Anyway. 

For one - there’s a live action element, where Jiminy Cricket ends up in a young girl’s birthday party (the girl is live action, and I have many questions, including where are her parents, let alone other children), and is being told a story by famous ventriloquist of the time, Edgar Bergan.  If you’re thinking who the f* is that, I did some digging, and found out he’s the father to Candice Bergan! And there’s a story there about how Edgar Bergan seemed to prefer his dummys over his own children.  However, there are probably a ton of you reading this right now who haven’t even heard of Murphy Brown, so you still probably don’t know what I’m talking about.  

Anyway -- I don’t find Bergen convincing as a ventriloquist, but apparently he became popular on the radio.  And, despite the bizarrely weird context of the storytelling (seriously - why is he giving this 8yo a private show?), he’s actually kind of entertaining as a narrator, and for the first time in, maybe, all of these films, there were a few times I did laugh out loud.  

Secondly, this is the last time Mickey, Donald, and Goofy would be together while they still had the original voice actors.  And while I don’t think this would have been great as a feature length film (it feels overly long as just thirty minutes), there are some cute bits between the three of them.  Notably - the part where Donald goes kinda crazy from hunger and tries to kill everything with an ax.  Yeah.  Disney missed his calling telling stories about a crazed, murdering duck.  

On the downside, we again have the only female-esque person in the film be a female harp, who gets kidnapped.  Oh, and she’s responsible for the happiness of the entire valley Mickey comes from.  There’s nothing terribly offensive or anything going on here.  I’m just kinda tired of women being literal props in all the media since the beginning of time.  Sexism is tiring, yo. :P 

Final thoughts: Is it really fun and fancy free? No.  Bongo sucked.  But I think Mickey and the Beanstalk is the most entertaining thing out of any of these anthologies so far.  I’m beginning to really understand why Disney Studios like to jump from Bambi to Cinderella.  So much of this stuff is better off not being remembered.  Only two more to go! :P 

[disney-rapunzel-merida-vanellope]

Disney remakes are weird cause they are totally not all serving the same purpose

Lion king was supposed to be the same exact movie but with real life looking animals

While maleficent was supposed to be a retelling from a different pov

While cruella was supposed to be an origin story in an alternate universe

If y’all still think in 2021 that the remakes have any canon connection to the animated movies then idk what to tell you. They don’t.

Disney is literally using their iconic character because 1) nostalgia brings money 2) to keep those iconic characters alive (you’d be surprised by how much children don’t even know about Bambi or early disney classics)

Disney is literally just trying to get people to watch something new while also something familiar. It’s not their fault people give em 1B dollars on the box office for it

Also love how “they gave her a sob story so we could sympathize with a problematic character” ok, they did the same for elphaba. Or you think dogs lives matter more than a little girl? Also, cruella is known as a pop culture character for wanting to kill dogs for fur coats, but that’s not her personality so idk why y’all act like this one can’t be cruella. Did y’all actually wanted her to kill dogs???

Cruella is not a stupid movie just cause you didn’t like it. Its over the top camp and that’s not your genre it’s fine. Don’t watch it. Anyone who watched the trailers knew what they were getting in. Did it needed to exist? Maybe not, but why not?

The internet loves picking celebrities to fancast their live action disney movies but then disney does it and it makes money and it’s Disney’s fault?????

Anyway criticize all you want just don’t be hypocritical cause many villains before have been redeemed for the sake of new stories so movies can have them as protagonists, doesn’t change the fact that it’s fanfiction.

So I’ve seen that scene where Cruella’s mother gets pushed off of a cliff by a dalmation, and it is literally the funniest fucking thing I’ve ever seen. It’s actually fucking hilarious and makes no sense.

And you can go on all you like about how “she doesn’t hate dogs in this version” and “she doesn’t skin puppies”, but that doesn’t make this dumpster-fire any better.

Making Cruella de Vil a misunderstood, tragic villain, and sanitizing the more unsavory parts of her character, is missing the entire point. If you have to take away everything that makes that character who they are in order to make them sympathetic, then it should probably occur to you that the movie you’re making is a terrible idea from the get-go.

[takaraphoenix]

Best Animated Movies Through the Years

After I threw some shade at Disney with the sequel-thing I did earlier, I figured I’d do a list of what I consider the best animated movies. Not just including Disney. And since I’m shit at picking favorites and properly ranking stuff, we’ll go through them by years, in chronological order. All personal picks, obviously.

Basically, this is just self-indulgent because I want to ramble about my favorite animated movies.

Also, this is going to be really long so I’ll shorten it by making you click “keep reading” below!

And by “really long”, I mean this is literally a list of 65 animated movies through the years - yeah, that is the narrowed-down version because it’s only 65 out of the 282 animated movies I have on my overall “timeline of animated movies”.

I think the way this list makes most sense is... for scrolling through to see titles you might have never heard of before and getting a recommendation for a great animated movie that isn’t necessarily just your average Disney masterpiece (though those are of course also on the list).

1937 - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Disney

It might not be the best story-telling wise and Snow might not be the most fleshed-out Disney princess, but you can not talk about the best animated movies without respecting the first. This paved the way and this is what set the course for Disney. The animation is beautiful, even eighty years later it still looks stunning. And while not a genius in character-development, it is still a very faithful - by Disney-standards anyway - retelling of the fairy tale.

1942 - Bambi, Disney

Thumper will forever be one of my favorite Disney characters. Who watched this movie and didn’t love Bambi and Thumper and Flower is a lying liar who lies. It is beautiful, it is emotional and it’s the start of a wonerful tradition of talking animal movies.

1950 - Cinderella, Disney

I know I said in the sequel-thing that this movie is flat. But you got to keep in mind the time-period from which it is. And for that, it still stands strong. Many shame Cinderella as just being a girl after a boy and that’s it; same for Snow White by the way. All those “new age” Disney fans who think only the princesses from 2000+ are real heroines. That both Snow White and Cinderella were abused half their lives and that literally the only escape from that kind of abuse in that kind of time would be to get married and move out, is forgotten way too often. This girl has been treated as a house-slave all her life and all she wants is one night to feel like a princess - she never even really just wishes for a prince, she just wants to go to the ball - and she fights for it. It’s more a movie about overcoming abuse and issues of self-worth, of friendship and escapism than it is just a bland “That girl wants a boyfriend” movie and it deserves respect for that.

1951 - Alice in Wonderland, Disney

As a very big fan of the books, I hold a special kind of love for this movie because it’s actually a rather faithful adaptation. Of course it leaves out a lot and changes some things, but I think it stands very true to the source material and keeps a wonderful mixture of beautiful fairy tale land and creepy LSD trip in a great balance.

1959 - Sleeping Beauty, Disney

Aurora is my favorite Disney princess so I can not skip her movie. This movie wins on character design alone. Aurora gets a lot of shade thrown at her for being asleep half her movie, but you gotta try to look past that. We have a green-skinned, horned villainess who turns into a freaking dragon and spits fire. Maleficent’s design alone is amazing, but add to that the three quirky fairies and Aurora, as well as Prince Philipp who gets to not just kiss the girl as the princes before him did but to literally slay a dragon and save the kingdom for his princess and you got a real fairy tale masterpiece right there.

1967 - The Jungle Book, Disney

If I had to pick only one Disney movie, out of an artistic point of view, it would be this. Just as an artist alone, I marvel at this movie and the love for detail that went into animating the animals. The way they walk and move was done so incredibly well, you can see the effort that went into making this movie. The drawings are so beautiful. Bagheera will forever be one of my favorite Disney characters. Shere Khan is one of the three best Disney villains in existence - also, vastly misunderstood considering he really should have just eaten the brat and be done with this, I mean come on, like a pack of wolves or a panther wouldn’t have eaten the tiny snack and I still think this movie would have been improved by 100% if they had eaten Mowgli in the beginning because the brat is the only flaw this movie has.

1970 - Aristocats, Disney

This is such a beautiful story of family and love. I feel like it nearly doesn’t even need words to describe it because it’s a given that this movie should be on this list. The humor, the heart, the music, the animation, the characters. It’s adorable, and I’m saying that as a not-cat-person.

1973 - Robin Hood, Disney

It’s impressive if you just consider the fact that it was made with so much rehashed material (they reused a lot of old animation here). But it has a beautiful story, it’s innovative in the sense that it essentially introduces anthro characters and it’s just ridiculously cute.

1976 - The Twelve Tasks of Asterix | Les Douze Travaux d’Astérix, Goscinny & Uderzo

As a German, I can not do this list without including this movie. It is maybe one of the funniest animated movies in history. No one in Germany doesn’t know what a Passierschein A38 is. Growing up with the Asterix comics and other Franco-Belgian comics in the way the stereotypical nerds in American TV grew up with Marvel and DC comics, Asterix was literally the hero of my childhood and among all his movies, this one is definitely the best and the most fun to watch.

1981 - The Fox and the Hound, Disney

This is easily one of the most heartbreaking Disney movies and the only one where the love-interest is the real villain for coming between the main characters? Like? No. This movie would be perfect if not for Vixie. I love foxes, I love baby animals (when they’re animated; real ones creep me out) and I love a good story about friendship. This is really not a happy movie, which sets it apart from other Disney movies, but it’s still beautiful.

1986 - An American Tail, Don Bluth

For me, as a German kid, this was so weird to watch because the concept of immigrants and other continents aside from Europe being A Thing That Exists, it was totally alien and following Feivel and his family on that journey was a great way of being introduced into this literal New World of America. Feivel is such an endearing character, this movie is so heartfelt and has a pure focus on family and friendship that is simply beautiful to watch.

1986 - Fluppy Dogs, Disney

I know this one is a bit of a stretch because technically it’s not a movie but the pilot to a failed cartoon series, but this might easily be my favorite Disney movie of them all? The characters are so amazing, the concept of parallel worlds will forever be one of my favorite things and I was first introduced to it in this movie, the focus of friendship and overcoming differences is great and I’m sorry but this is a movie about rainbow-colored fluffy puppies that can talk and travel between universes, how is that not amazing?!

1988 - The Land Before Time, Don Bluth

Others cried when Bambi’s mom was shot, but to me this one was way worse. The pain and fear of isolation that Little Foot went through, this scary dark world around him. Those diverse, quirky and amazing characters that you met and fell in love with within this really short one hour movie - really, you have one hour and you have five main characters and yet it’s enough to make you fall for each and every one of them. How this ragtag team of dinosaurs finds together and how they become friends. It’s maybe the purest friendship-story among animated movies and I love it. Also, it’s literally the best dinosaur movie ever made and you can fight me on that.

1989 - All Dogs Go to Heaven, Don Bluth

This is so refreshing, because we don’t have this shining, pure golden boy of a protagonist. We have the first anti-hero in animated history, really. Charlie is a selfish dog and he has an amazing redemption arc. The guts to do such a thing, a redemption movie on an animated dog, I marvel at that, considering the time and that it had never been done before. You learn to love Charlie and you feel for him throughout the journey and you also feel for the little girl.

1989 - The Little Mermaid, Disney

Ariel is a brat. Ariel is maybe the only Disney princess that is mainly relatable if you yourself are a child and rebelling against your parents. As a kid, this was the best princess movie for me, I worshiped Ariel, she was so cool. As an adult, I mainly admire Triton and his patience and love for his daughter. This movie, for me, is what shows you if you’re grown up. If you still side with Ariel, you’re probably not as grown up as you like to think, and if you came around to feel for Triton, I got some bad news for you because you are officially an adult now. But even that aside, it has one of the most endearing sidekicks in Flounder, it has one of the most compelling villains in Ursula and it has some of the most beautiful musical numbers. Not to mention, the animation is gorgeously drawn.

1990 - The Rescuers Down Under, Disney

This movie is literally the only sequel in the history of sequel-making that outdoes the first movie. Its animation is beautiful, its story-telling amazing, its characters get proper arcs and are well-rounded and cute, it’s a stunning masterpiece of an animated movie (and I wasn’t even aware that there was a first one until my late teens, so it’s also amazingly done as a stand-alone movie).

1991 - Beauty and the Beast, Disney

Since I included all the other princess movies, I feel obligated to also include this. And it does have beautiful music and animation - outstanding animation, really - and it has endearing sidekicks, but I’m just not really a fan of the story itself. The whole violent, vicious beast kidnaps girl and girl completely changes everything about him and they fall in love with each other but somehow she never even bothers to ask him for his name and continues to call him Beast even though they’re already in love, not to mention this was kick-started because a 10 year old boy was rude to a stranger, what the heck Enchantress way to be overly dramatic... Yeah. That. But aside from that, as an animated movie, beyond just as a movie, it’s really beautiful.

1991 - FernGully: The Last Rainforest, 20th Century Fox

Not the English dub though. This is my third most favorite movie of all time, but I never got over the first 10 minutes of the English original because holy shit, that voice “actor” who plays the part of the male lead has never done voice acting, or any form of acting, before in his life and it’s just painful to listen to. But the movie itself is beautiful. Basically, it’s one half of Avatar, but in good (the other half being Pocahontas, of course). The message of saving our planet is done is such a beautiful, child-friendly way, the fairies and nature and the characters are so amazingly done and Hexor is like one of the best non-Disney-animated-movie-villains.

1992 - Aladdin, Disney

The weird part where it’s all about the hero, but in the end she’s the Disney princess and wins the fame and fortune contest, even though let’s be real, her plot in this is kinda weird. “Oh no, my life is too good”, yeah that’s such a relatable complaint especially for kids, and sicking your tiger onto a political ally is really great, princess, because even if you don’t want to get married, maybe try not to start a war, mh? And Aladdin’s approach of lying to get the girl is not the best either. What really wins wthis movie is, hands down, the Genie. Also the Sultan, who is one of my favorite Disney dads. The character dynamis and the growth of them throughout are also big plus-points.

1994 - The Lion King, Disney

This is one of the Disney movies that just hits the ball out of the park and it’s probably my third favorite Disney movie. The adorable animation. The mind-blowing songs. The compelling, eccentric villain, the emotions as you sob over Mufasa like a little child even when you’re over 20, the character design and the animals themselves, as well as the beautiful set-art. This movie is really very amazing.

1994 - The Swan Princess, Rich Animation

I mentioned once before that Toy Story is a perfect trilogy. So are this movie and its sequels. Yes, the first one is superior to its sequels and thus only it will find its way onto this list but the second and third are definite must-see movies too the others do not exist though and they should not exist. Odette is the original princess who didn’t just fall into the hero’s arms and had a love-at-first-sight romance. Disney gets props for Anna in Frozen like that’s the first time that happened, but if you look past Disney, it happened as early as 19994. Odette and Derek grow up not liking each other and when she’s pretty as a teen, he suddenly wants to marry her and she asks him why - and he answers because she’s pretty. And she flat-out rejects him. He has to fight for her heart and he falls in love with her on the way, really in love, and he makes her fall in love with him. It’s a beautiful love-story, with quirky animal sidekicks, endearing characters and beautiful animations. In many ways, this is superior to most Disney princess movies, really.

1995 - Pocahontas, Disney

I have always and will always love this movie, albeit I have to admit it’s... problematic. For children outside the US, who are only taught about US history in their teens, those “romanticized history” movies are a bit of a danger because we can easily fall to believe them to be true... er than they actually are (that there were no talking trees and that he didn’t learn the native tongue via singing, that much was obvious, thank you very much). But when you’re 14 and learn that her life was nothing like in the movie, that's kind of devastating. I feel like history is not the thing that should be romanticized like that. Still, it’s beautiful and great story-telling and characters and art and songs - even though singing them now makes you feel vaguely racist so that’s also a bit problematic?

1995 - Toy Story, Disney Pixar

I didn’t like this movie as a child. Mainly due to it being computer animated and fuck computer animation, gimme my 2D back. Yeah, I still have that mindset but by now I have learned to also appreciate animated movies. Not to mention, I think that for me as a kid the themes of betrayal and darkness (Sid’s house) were just too much as a child wheras I can very much appreciate them and see the complexity of the movie now as an adult. It’s great story-telling and if you consider that the animation is from 1995, it really holds up great (especially if you compare that with the animation from 2005′s Chicken Little, which might just be the worst animation-quality in all of Disney’s history, really).

1995 - Balto, Amblin Entertainment

Steele is one of the greatest non-Disney villains. This movie is beautifully complex because you get to follow this outcast on his journey of becoming part of society and rising to become a hero. It also got a beautiful arc of self-discovery, what with Balto’s status as a half-blood being what makes him an outcast to begin with. Not dog, but also not wolf. Yet in the end, he has to learn that he’s not neither, but rather both and that both sides are part of him and make him who he is. It’s a beautiful story about acceptance of one’s self.

1996 - The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Disney

Speaking of a story about accepting one’s self. This is really daring for a Disney movie, considering the lead is... deformed, whereas all Disney movies so far only include perfect people (unless villain). Also, the main character doesn’t get the girl in a semi-surprise twist. Not to mention, it brings us the first canonically gay Disney character in Hugo. Yes, he’s a gargoyle and yes, his male love-interest is a goat and yes he is not the representation you may want, but he’s the representation you’ll get, at least for now (and stop over-analyzing ridiculous shit like “Oh, two women are at the zoo with one child in Finding Dory. They must be the first lesbians *gasp*”... that is not representation, that is cheap and a throw-away). Not to mention, this movie has the best soundtrack out of all the Disney movies.

1997 - Hercules, Disney

We have a very complicated relationship, this movie and I. I love it to bits and pieces and it’s one of my favorite Disney movies, but at the same time I’ve learned to hate what an inaccurate adaptation of the Greek myths it is and particularly Hades’ misrepresentation makes me angry in a deeply seated way but on the other hand Hades is literally the most compelling and amazing Disney villain in existence. It confuses me. I love it so much, but deep down at its essence, part of me wants to hate it for what it did to my favorite god. But at the same time, I love that character in particular for being such a great villain.

1997 - Anastasia, Don Bluth

This is it. This is the best animated movie ever made. This is my favorite movie of all times. I’ve seen it at least 50 times by now - my guess, I stopped counting roughly ten years ago and I was at 27 back then. Just like Odette in Swan Princess, Anastasia actually falls in love with her love-interest. No love at first sight nonsense. They start off antagonizing each other, but learn to work together and ultimately fall in love. We have friendship, we have a great journey and also a great journey of self-discovery - but not just on Anastasia’s part, because her love interest is not just The Love Interest, he also gets his own arc of self-discovery. We have an intensely scary villain and we have beautiful, beautiful songs. Not to mention, Anastasia kicks major butt. She doesn’t need a man to save her, she saves the man and she literally kicks the villain’s ass. This movie is a masterpiece and a gem.

1998 - The Quest for Camelot, Warner Brothers

The movie is not as good as you remember it, believe me because I experienced the let-down, but it has one very major thing going for it: It includes a disabled character as a lead. Before Toph Beifong, this movie had a kick-ass blind character in it and that’s huge because it still barely happens and that’s a real shame. For that alone, it gets major props. Not to mention, it is kind of quite the unique take on the Arthurian legend and it’s a fun movie. But as a movie itself, it’s not overly outstanding, if you rewatch it now.

1998 - Mulan, Disney

While I said earlier that Fluppy Dogs is my favorite Disney movie, I’m aware that’s a lot of nostalgia talking and I know it’s not the best Disney movie. This right here is, though. The story-telling, the love-story and character development, the stakes of this movie are amazing, the emotions are intense. People cry when Mufasa or Bambi’s mom die, but I think the single most gut-wrenching moment of Disney history is when the most joyful song in the movie stops dead in its tracks and we see this destroyed village and we know that they’re all dead down there. The movie also has the single greatest moment, when all of China kneels before this one girl and acknowledges that yes, she is the one who saved China. She did this. Mulan is a heroine, but she doesn’t start out as that. She just starts out as a girl who wants to protect her father and she actually has to learn to be a hero. It’s amazing and emotional and yet still through it all funny and that is really mostly due to Mushu, who coincidentally was also the first time of me really liking Otto Waalkes (Mushu’s German voice and a very famous German comedian).

1998 - The Last Unicorn, Rankin/Bass Productions

This movie is so artistically beautiful and keeps such an amazing mystical vibe to it throughout. It’s very weird and scarily creepy at times that are maybe too much for a kid and a major downside of its German dub is that the songs are kept in English - I only realized a few years ago that the music actually tells a story, and that’s kind of disappointing to learn so late. But it’s just... breathtakingly beautiful and tragically sad.

1998 - The Prince of Egypt, DreamWorks

I really loathed this movie as a child. Mainly due to its Christan themes and I just got enough of that in class where they shoved it down our throats, not to mention among all the religions, Christian myths are like the most miserable, dark and scary ones, in my opinion. That movie was so not child-friendly. It was so dark and scary and brutal and miserable. Now, as an adult, I can totally appreciate those tones and I marvel at the amazing story-telling, but as a child? I was scared of this movie and I did not like it. But the animation, story-telling and the music are amazing and it really blew my mind when I rewatched it as a late teen.

1999 - The Iron Giant, Warner Brothers

I watched this movie for the first time this year, because my favorite YouTube nerds keep bringing it up during Movie Fights, so I figured I’d check it out considering I never heard of it before. I guess it must have slipped through the cracks. So I saw it for the first time, 20 years after its release. And you just don’t notice that. The animation, the story-telling, the movie - it completely holds up. It’s such a sweet but also sad story about friendship. It’s really great.

2000 - The Road to El Dorado, DreamWorks

I did not like this movie as a child. Don’t even really know why, to be honest. But when I rewatched it as a teen, I really loved it a lot. Miguel and Tulio are such great, complex characters and their journey together is amazing. Not to mention, I will never stop being upset about the fact that DreamWorks chickened out of making them the first canonically gay couple in an animated movie - which yes, was the first draft for this movie. It’d have been amazing if they had pulled through with it, really. I think that is why I hate Chel so much - and my hatred for her might be the root for why I disliked this movie as a kid. Because Chel was literally just created to get between Miguel and Tulio. But other than her, this movie is rock-solid.

2001 - Shrek, DreamWorks

Definitely not the best, but a fun movie and innovative in its parodic nature. Also has fun characters and an original story and I appreciate the way they inverted the original Disney tropes.

2001 - Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Disney

Again, one of those movies that didn’t work for me as a kid but ever since I’ve been a late teen, I watched it probably ten times because it’s amazing. It’s complex, has great character developing and story-telling and it has such a diverse cast and an original idea. I’m really sad that, most likely due to its complexity, it kinda flopped and fell flat. But, if there is one movie that does deserve the Disney live-action remake treatment, it’d be this because this movie deserves the attention and I think that in today’s time, it would do so much better.

2001 - Monsters, Inc., Disney Pixar

This was actually the first Pixar movie that I liked right away. It had cute and fun characters, a fascinating concept behind its story and it was both funny and emotional.

2002 - Ice Age, Blue Sky

They’re completely driving this franchise into the ground, but the first one was really good. I have a weakness for those “ragtag team of misfits needs to band together” kind of stories, if you haven’t noticed. And this movie does it in such a fresh, new setting. It was really enjoyable.

2002 - Lilo & Stitch, Disney

After Mulan, the best Disney movie there is. This movie is so incredibly deep and emotinonal that it never ceases to blow my mind. The sibling-love, this way they deal with the emotions and with Lilo and Stitch and both their arcs of self-discovery is just singular. There is no other movie like this.

2002 - Treasure Planet, Disney

A vastly underrated Disney movie, really. It’s spectacularly done and has such a great story-arc and development and emotional scale, not to mention the imagery that it offers. So beautiful and so much fun.

2003 - Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, DreamWorks

After rewatching and falling for The Prince of Egypt and The Road of El Dorado, I decided to rewatch all the movies I disliked as a child to see if I would actually end up liking them - and this one is another one of those. It has such an epic scale and does the one thing I missed about Hercules; it gives us the monsters and gods in mindblowing sizes and scenes. Eris, also, the greatest DreamWorks villain of all time, while still keeping her mythologically in character.

2005 - Hoodwinked, Kanbar Animation

The animation of this movie does not hold up. It looks outdated, yes. But the story-telling is superb. The parody-twist to the tale of Red Riding Hood, added with how it’s perceived by the different characters, as well as the humor of it. I remember in 2006, after it was released, I was really sick that one week and I literally watched it 32 times in a row. It was just so innovative in the way it was told and I really enjoyed how clever it was. Also, I was really out of my mind with that cold or otherwise I might have also wathced another movie or two...

2006 - Over the Hedge, DreamWorks

This is such a fun movie. I enjoy a good redemption story of an anti-hero who realizes that scamming the good guys ain’t the way to go. The fact that said anti-hero is a racoon only makes it all the better.

2007 - Ratatouille, Disney Pixar

It’s such a cute story and such an interesting take on story-telling that makes me like this movie, even though it’s not very deep and doesn’t have the most fleshed-out characters.

2008 - Kung Fu Panda, DreamWorks

The first one ought to be on this list, because it was fresh, it was funny and it was cute. The way the different characters played out and played with each other was really nice. Also, great action, for a kid’s animated movie anyway.

2008 - Wall-E, Disney Pixar

This is an amazing movie. With its message and story-telling, the way it connects to the viewer even though there’s basically no dialogue in it for most of the movie. I think as a kid I would have so not enjoyed it because of the lack of dialogue and its heavier tones regarding the overall message, but when I watched it when it came out -  and I was 16 back then - I really enjoyed it.

2008 - Bolt, Disney

I adore Bolt. I mean, I feel totally cheated because the trailer was cut to make it look like we were actually getting the Bolt series from within the movie as the actual movie and the idea of a super-dog was really cool, but even as it stood, it was a great movie and Mittens’ arc was particularly amazing in it.

2009 - Up, Disney Pixar

Honestly, doesn’t really deserve to be on the list if you see it as an overall movie. Most people get hung up on the first ten minutes of it - and those ten minutes alone are a masterpiece and would totally win as a short-movie. But there is a lot more to this movie. And it ain’t that amazing, really. It’s funny and quirky, sure, but definitely not outstanding. It’s quite ridiculous, even for an animated movie. But for the first ten minutes alone, this movie deserves to be on this list.

2009 - The Princess and the Frog, Disney

Again, doesn’t quite deserve to be on this list in my opinion, because I hate how it completely disregards the original fairy tale - starting a startlingly concerning trend for Disney here - and the blatant plotholes. It gets plus-points for being 2D again and for introducing the first black princess, but personally I think the first black princess would have deserved better than this. I understand why this movie flopped, really. Even if it’s still a cute and nice movie, it is far below average by Disney standards.

2010 - How to Train Your Dragon, DreamWorks

Oh, this movie is glorious. I have to admit, this movie is actually why I went and rewatched all those other DreamWorks movies that I used to hate as a kid, because this movie was the first time DreamWorks became an actual household name, to me. Before that, DreamWorks was just another one of those “non Disney companies” and that was it. With this movie, for the first time, they earned themselves their own name and category in my mind and made me rediscover a lot of actually great movies. The story-telling in this movie is just so great and it gets extra credit for its adorable dragon characters that are so lovable and individual. Not to mention, this movie spawned an amazing animated cartoon series.

2010 - Despicable Me, Illumination

The first one is actually a really great and beautiful movie about family and self-discovery. And then the Minions took over and this franchise sank faster than the Titantic.

2010 - Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole, DreamWorks

This might be the most beautifully animated movie in history. It is simply gorgeous and even if you just watch it for the aesthetics, you have to see it. Though it also has a very compelling story. I just think it’s a bit too dark and too realistically animated to resonate with children, which might just be why it flopped too. But when I watched it when it came out, I really enjoyed it because it is more for an older teen audience.

2010 - Megamind, DreamWorks

Such a great, vastly underrated movie. It’s so much fun, it’s so fresh and new while playing with old and overused tropes and the characters are really refreshingly quirky.

2010 - Tangled, Disney

Mixed feelings for that one. Hate how much they altered the original tale, but still enjoy this movie as it stands. It’s so cute and sweet and how they actually take the time to fall in love is just as beautiful. Not to mention, Flynn Rider is definitely the most compelling male Disney hero/prince there is, right after Hercules.

2012 - Brave, Disney Pixar

It’s so nice to have a princess who actually stays single. Though, honestly, with the options offered to her... not a surprise. At least one of them could have been at the very least handsome, to show that it takes more than just good looks to love someone. But that all options presented were also... not nice to look at was just so typically superficial of Disney that it was a bit disappointing.

2012 - Hotel Transylvania, Sony Pictures

This is just so funny and cute. The monsters as dorky characters, the fun of it all. This movie is just a good time, whether you’re a kid or not. And I have to say, after I did mention in many of these entries that they only really connected with me as an adult, I want to include a movie that’s a bit more... simple and just real fun, because those animated movies should be fun for kids too.

2012 - Wreck-It Ralph, Disney

I think this would have been so much cooler with more casual gaming cameos - and I’m saying this as a non-gamer, but seeing characters like Link or Mario or someone recognizable there would have been real cool and I’m hoping for that in the second one. Still, the way the princess trope and the villain trope were handled here was just brilliant and it’s such a sweet story that that alone makes it a must-watch.

2012 - Rise of the Guardians, DreamWorks

And we’ve reached it. The best computer animated movie of all times, my second favorite movie of all times (after Anastasia, the number one spot for 2D animated movie). This is a true masterpiece. I marvel at its animation - the frost in particular is just so beautiful simply to look at, but also the dream-sand and the characters. The story-telling is so gorgeous to watch, the characters are so sweet and amazing - and it gets special bonus-points for not forcing an unnecessariy love-story into this as so many other movies do even though it’s not really a good fit for the overall movie. Also, I just adore Jack Frost as a character. If there is only one movie from this list that you’re going to watch, then please make it this one, even above Anastasia.

2013 - The House of Magic, Touchstone Pictures

This is a smaller scale movie, but it’s very sweet. This story of finding your place in the world, finding acceptance and a family is just one that will never get old. And if it’s told through talking animals and a cute stray little kitten, that’s a simple hook right there, really.

2014 - The Nut Job, Open Roads Film

I have been told that this movie is not as good as I think it is and I don’t care. It’s a heist movie with a purple squirrel in the lead role as an anti-hero with a redemption arc and it doesn't have any unnecessary love-story forced into it; it is as great as I think it is.

2014 - Big Hero 6, Disney

If you haven’t cried like a baby in this movie, you’re dead inside. This, also, a movie I would not have enjoyed that much as a kid because it’s so dark, so much death. Killing off the brother of a boy who already is an orphan and then having that ending, it's just brutal for a kids’ movie. But it’s also beautiful and amazing and the team-dynamics and fun are great as well as the action and it actually deals with the process of grieving and doesn’t just throw it away carelessly as most others tended to do in the past.

2014 - Mune: Guardian of the Moon | Mune, le gardien de la lune, On Animation Studios

This is such an artistically beautiful movie that I would have probably never found if not for a reader of mine who recommended it to me. It’s gorgeous and the mythology created in this movie, about the guardians of the sun and moon, is so rich and amazing. It’s so cute and compelling and I really think more people should know that it exists.

2015 - Inside Out, Disney

Again, not a movie I’d have liked much as a kid. Way too deep and meta, really. This whole psychological aspect and the depth of it are what make it so compelling and amazing, but also why I wouldn’t have liked it as a child. It’s kind of fun, but mostly it’s really deep. Also, a bit questionable in its choices of “emotions in charge of literally EVERY being”... they should have skipped the tagged on credit scene where we see that literally everyone has those very same emotions in charge. How does Disgust beat out feelings like Hatred, Love, Friendship... and also reduces some of those into islands instead of actual emotions? Yeah, a bit problematic there. But overall a great movie.

2016 - Leap! | Ballerina, L'Atelier Animation

It’s such a cute story about friendship, family and finding your own way in life. It’s also really compelling to see a character with a passion about something, but zero natural talent. The way she has to work hard to learn and become a great ballerina is half the fun of this movie.

2016 - Zootopia, Disney

I’ve been salty with Disney since Frozen and though Big Hero 6 and Inside Out were good, this was the one that restored my faith in Disney again after that huge ass disappointment. This is such a great story about friendship and redemption - even if it’s just the redemption in one’s own eyes. Not to mention; a fox and a bunny. Literally two of my three most favorite animals. It’s so good. So much fun. I mean, they totally overdid it when they faked Judy’s death because the kids around me in the theater strated crying and wailing because that was just a little too close to looking real for a child to understand that it’s not. Keep your audience in mind, Disney.

2016 - Moana, Disney

Ah, the last entry for this. The newest Disney princess. I really enjoyed this movie a lot. It was beautifully made, it was a lot of fun, had good musical numbers, was a very interesting story with an amazing pseudo-plot-twist there at the end (I mean, come on, it was really very obvious literally right from the start, but still brilliantly executed and very emotional). Also, again, princess who not just stays single but where finding a husband doesn’t even have to be mentioned. Very refreshing.

[tragicbeauty1991]

The Trouble With Disney Sequels: Garbage or Grown-Up Fairytales?

The Walt Disney Company is widely recognized as the originator of the animated film and remains one of the best storytellers in the industry. The company's retellings of traditional folk stories and fairytales are perhaps the first version of the story many of us are ever exposed to and are unquestionably the most popular. From classics such as Snow White to the more recent original films like Moana, Disney has given generations of moviegoers beloved characters and Broadway-style musical numbers which the vast majority of us recall with nostalgic fondness and joy. The sequels created by Disney, however, are quite a different story. While original Disney films are typically showered with critical praise and awards, the sequels often fall flat in comparison. Frequently made for direct to video/DVD release sometimes decades after the original, they receive much less attention than their predecessors and (necessarily) feature different voice actors and animation styles that seem to many adults who grew up on the originals to indicate that they are cheaply made and unworthy of the label "Disney" at all. Children, of course, don't notice such things, yet while they are the primary audience, in many cases, the sequels don't seem to appeal as much to them, either.  One could argue that the sequels receive less attention simply because they are not as heavily advertised and because the parents are the ones purchasing (or NOT purchasing) the DVDs; however, while that is certainly a major factor in their popularity, I believe there is more to it than that. Let's be honest...some Disney sequels are just flat-out bad. When compared to their original films the sequels for movies such as The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Brother Bear, Fox and the Hound, and Mulan (seriously, guys, WHAT ON EARTH were you thinking with the Mulan sequel?!) would probably have Walt Disney shaking his head at the very least and rolling in his grave at the worst. They lack the depth of character and emotion that the first films possessed and really do feel like nothing more than just a money-making scheme to squeeze as much revenue from the well-recognized Disney icons as possible. On the other hand, though, there are several sequels which I think Walt would still be proud of yet consumers have largely ignored. Yet the question remains: If they are of good quality, why aren't they more popular? The answer, I believe, is that the storytelling and the characters themselves have grown up along with the fans of the original films, and while we ourselves have grown up, we don't always appreciate seeing the realistic side of things in what is supposed to be an escapist world of happily ever afters. For the remainder of this post, I am going to focus on some of the sequels which I think deserve a second chance. (NOTE: The following are merely a few examples of the Disney sequels which I personally think are underrated. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list.)

1. Bambi II This is one of those rare situations where the sequel is actually better than the original. While the original Bambi has beautiful animation, it's one of those Disney classics that was made in a time when animation itself was such an innovative concept that a complex plot and well-rounded characters weren't necessary to capture the audience's attention. As a result, the characters are rather flat and we don't get to know the characters well enough to form any deep emotional attachments. When Bambi loses his mother, it is a sad moment, to be sure, but we don't feel it as deeply as, say, Mufasa's death in The Lion King because we don't really know anything about Bambi's mother, her "husband" The Great Prince, or Bambi himself, for that matter. The sequel remedies this nicely by fleshing out the father/son relationship that begins to form after Bambi's mother's death and realistically shows how such a tragic event affects both of them emotionally. Bambi, who has never really known his father, is suddenly forced into a world where he is totally dependent on the stoic old buck for survival, and it's quite obvious from the start that while The Great Prince may be good at doing his job as protector of the forest, he has absolutely no idea how to be a father. There are moments when things get ugly--The Great Prince puts his duty as protector over his duty as a father and Bambi calls him out on his betrayal, wishing his father had been the one to die instead of his mother. OUCH! And it takes Bambi almost dying for The Great Prince to finally admit how much his son means to him. By the end of it, of course, their shared grief allows for a bonding moment and we can see that they have both learned from each other--The Great Prince has begun to loosen up and let his emotions show and Bambi has begun to become a responsible young buck ready to take on the role of herd leadership someday. But the real, raw, emotion in this film has a genuineness to it that you don't usually see in such extremes in a children's movie. It shows a darker, sadder side to things than what we would expect from most Disney films--especially a sequel--but there is no denying its incredibly powerful and touching message of hope for a broken family.

2. The Lion King II: Simba's Pride

As one of Disney's biggest hits, the original film The Lion King raised the bar for animated storytelling and, consequently, makes any sort of retelling, sequel, or spinoff automatically seem inferior at first glance. With rather dark themes like the death of Mufasa interspersed with moments of lighthearted humor and sweet romance, The Lion King manages to keep all of these elements perfectly balanced for a story that appeals as much to adults as it does to children. The sequel, while not nearly as well-known, does a pretty good job of maintaining that balance and even takes it a step further by increasing the complexity of its characters. In the original film, the line between heroes and villains is pretty straightforward. On the side of good, we have Mufasa, the benevolent and wise ruler of the Pridelands, and his family (minus a certain brother) and friends, including innocent young Simba who is cast out into the world to survive on his own after his father's death. On the side of evil, we have Scar, the jealous and power-hungry brother who kills Mufasa and sends his rather idiotic but loyal hyena henchmen after Simba so that he can take over as king. In the sequel, however, things are much less black and white. Simba, now grown up and with a daughter of his own, is portrayed as a well-meaning but ultimately overprotective parent who has allowed his hatred of Scar to blind him to his own prejudice against the lions of the Outlands with connections to his late uncle, including innocent cubs born into a situation which they could not possibly control. On the other hand, we have Zira, Scar's grieving widow who hates Simba and his pride so much that she literally ends up choosing death over accepting help from them--and dies with an eerie smile on her face, no less! We also have Nuka and Vitani, Scar's two biological cubs who are raised in the shadow of Kovu--the adopted son and obvious family favorite whom Scar chose as a successor. Like his parents before him, Scar's choice to show obvious favoritism really messes up his kids. Nuka is probably one of the most sympathetic villains in Disney history, apologizing to his mother with his dying breath on-screen for not living up to her standards and failing to kill Simba. Meanwhile, Vitani is forced to make the very difficult choice of doing what is right and going against her own mother in battle, and Kovu--who has been raised his whole life to believe that Simba and his family are evil--comes to realize m that the lion who he saw as a father was actually the evil one and questions whether that means the darkness that was in Scar is also within his own soul. (Though honestly, the whole concept of Kovu being adopted also begs the question...was there some goodness in Scar after all if he was capable of taking pity on an orphaned cub?) Seriously, Scar's selfishness really did a number on his kids...and Simba, for that matter. In short, while the original film is already quite complex and occasionally dark for children's movie, the sequel takes it up a notch and also keeps some great musical numbers which, while maybe not quite on par with the first film, are definitely catchy and as good as many other Disney tunes and I think deserves more praise than it receives.

3. Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World

Okay, I know I'm gonna get a lot of pushback on this one, but hear me out.... I love John Smith and Pocahontas together as much as anyone else. Heck, as a kid I had a poster of the two of them with the quote, "No matter what happens, I will always be with you, forever," on it. But realistically, even at the end of the first film there is little chance of them ending up together permanently. When Pocahontas chooses to stay behind with her people as an injured John Smith returns to England, it's just about as bittersweet of an ending as we've ever gotten in a Disney film. This very grown-up ending in which the leading lady chooses duty and responsibility over love (even though it breaks her heart to do so) is so atypical for a children's story that it should come as little surprise that the sequel is also very grown-up. Yet for some reason, the sequel is despised while the first film is considered one of the great Disney classics. Why the difference? The ending of Pocahontas, while somewhat sad, still leaves us with the tiniest spark of hope that they will one day be together again. It's an open-ended farewell that shows the couple still very clearly has feelings for each other even if they cannot be together in the immediate future. However, while chances are slim, we are still left with the possibility that John COULD come back from England someday after healing and they MIGHT still end up in each others' arms, whether it's historically accurate or not. (Historical accuracy? Pfft. What's that? This is a Disney film, not a documentary. But I digress...) The problem many people have with the sequel is that it totally cuts off any possibility of this ever happening. But it does so in a way which I think is not only realistic but also respectful of the characters. After years of being physically separated from John Smith by an entire ocean and believing him to be dead, it's only natural that Pocahontas would be ready to move on, so when John Rolfe enters the picture and develops first a friendship and then romantic feelings for her (over what we can assume is likely several months at sea and in England), it's understandable that she falls for him. He is a good man who respects her, defends her, and ultimately ends up leaving his own homeland to be with her, and he really doesn't deserve all the hate he gets in the fandom. By the time Pocahontas realizes that John Smith is still alive, she is already in love with Rolfe. Her heart has moved on, and so, apparently, has Smith's. While they both recall their time together fondly, they have very different goals and priorities in life which would not make for a happy marriage. They realize that realistically they make better friends than a couple, and they part on good terms, wishing each other all the best in their own pursuits. Too often people complain that Disney's portrayal of romantic relationships is unrealistic with the too perfect Prince Charming opposite an often villainous and vain competitor for the leading lady's love. Yet when a very healthy, realistic love triangle is shown in which both men are portrayed as flawed but good people who are grown-up enough to set aside their own desires and feelings of jealousy for her best interest, people still complain. John Smith is undoubtedly a good man and a good friend to Pocahontas...but he isn't a good match for her romantically. And his character isn't vilified for it. Maybe it's just because I have been through a similar situation myself in real life so I can see where Pocahontas is coming from, but I really respect Disney for how they handled this love triangle, and I think the sequel deserves more love than it gets. The music is good, the message is good, and it wraps everything up nicely, giving us the closure the end of the first film lacks.

4. Peter Pan: Return to Neverland 

Last but not least, as huge Peter Pan fan, my list would be incomplete if I didn't mention Return to Neverland. The original Disney film is such an iconic work that even now, over sixty years after its debut, the characters are still wildly popular, showing up in spin-offs like the Tinkerbell movie franchise, TV series like Jake and the Neverland Pirates, and on pretty much every Disney product that features the classic villains (Hook) or the Disney castle logo (Tink). Its popularity, due largely to the appeal of magic and adventure that Neverland presents to children and the feelings of nostalgia the film evokes in adults, has not quite extended to the sequel, however. Everyone knows the story of Wendy, Michael, and John, but Jane's tale remains relatively unpopular by comparison. Part of the reason for this is quite simply that the original Peter Pan was a big hit long before Disney and has been retold so many times in so many different mediums that it is impossible NOT to recognize the characters while Jane's story is strictly limited to Disney...and a direct-to-video sequel, at that...but it is also a good bit more complex and darker/sadder than the first Disney film. However, it is one of the elite few that, in my opinion, maintains the appeal of a Disney original.

As with The Lion King, the first film presents most of its heroes and villains as pretty straightforward in their intentions and fairly black-and-white (which is not true of the characters in the novel, but I'm getting off topic). Peter is mischievous and somewhat irresponsible but generally good and kind while Hook is somewhat sympathetic and justified in his vendetta compared to other Disney baddies but still very much a villain whose first on-screen moments show him shooting a member of his own crew without hesitation or remorse. The only really morally ambiguous character here is Tinkerbell, who, though she comes around in the end, tries to kill Wendy at one point and later willingly helps Hook in his plans to kidnap the girl so that she may have Peter to herself. Wendy herself, though she is less well-developed than some later Disney ladies, shows that beneath the sweet, soft exterior she is surprisingly brave and outspoken for her time, standing up to both Peter and Hook (a reaction which neither one of them is used to) when they push her buttons, even when she faces the frightening possibility of death by drowning/crocodile. After facing such real danger in Neverland from Hook and his crew, growing up hardly seems scary to her anymore. After all, the world she is used to, despite all of its grown-up troubles and worries, is relatively safe. Thus, her trip to Neverland--a realm where she might never grow up--actually ends up helping her transition into adulthood without the fear she had prior to her visit. Peter Pan is not the story of a boy who would NOT grow up but rather of a girl who DID grow up--a coming of age story just like many other Disney films.

Return to Neverland, on the other hand, flips this traditional narrative on its head and instead shows us the story of a very grown-up girl who has forgotten how to be a child. While Pan and Hook retain their characteristics from the first film as hero and villain, the sequel is more complex in the sense that their relationships to the heroine are somewhat reversed and unusual. In the original, Peter comes to take Wendy away to Neverland with the intention of rescuing her from the grown-up world only to thrust her into the much more dangerous position of dealing with threats like vindictive pirates and hungry wild animals, leading her to eventually realize that growing up isn't so terrible a fate as she might have once imagined. In the sequel, Hook comes to kidnap Jane (believing her to be Wendy) with the intention of using her as bait to kill Pan and unintentionally ends up giving her a much needed escape from the dangers of the "real world" which have forced her to grow up too quickly. In fact, you could almost argue that the war is the main villain while Hook is only secondary. Hook was the first real danger Wendy ever faced, and she did so with incredible courage, but to Jane, who has had to live with the daily fear of her father coming home in a coffin and being blown to bits by bombs falling out of the sky, Hook is nothing in comparison. Wendy bravely faces Hook IN SPITE OF her fear of death due to her protective maternal instinct; Jane faces Hook WITHOUT much fear because the possibility of death is so familiar to her that she has become numb to it...which is incredibly sad when you think about it. 

Wendy and Jane are also fundamentally different in which side of Neverland they identify with. Wendy identifies primarily with the carefree Peter and has no trouble believing in magic and fairies and flying while Jane--a natural skeptic after all she has witnessed with the war--originally identifies more with Hook, finding Peter and the boys far too silly for her taste. I always wondered why Jane was willing to make a deal with Hook even after hearing all of her mother's tales and being kidnapped by him, but I now realize that it is because, despite all this, Hook is the most comfortable and familiar face in Neverland because he is a reflection of the person she will become if she remains as bitter about life as she is at the start of the film. Additionally, Jane is used to a world where things are not always black and white and grown-ups sometimes do terrible things for the sake of the greater good. In her world, men with guns--men who have killed other men in combat out of necessity--are seen as protectors and heroes and may bring to mind thoughts of her own father, so it's understandable why she might trust Hook more easily than her mother did. Jane doesn't realize all this, but Hook does, and he takes full advantage of it by playing up their similar situations and earning her sympathy. And it takes Peter's capture and Tink's "death" for her to see that her attempt to avoid all childish things has caused her to become much too much like Hook for her own liking. Thus, in the end, whereas Wendy learned to embrace adulthood, Jane learns to hang on to a bit of the innocence of childhood--a lesson which perhaps resonates more with an adult audience than with children but a valuable lesson nonetheless.

But perhaps the biggest grown-up moment of this film happens right near the very end when we get to see a heartfelt reunion between Peter and an adult Wendy who is still young enough at heart to lift up off the floor with a pinch of Tinkerbell's pixie dust. It is an incredibly bittersweet moment to watch them say goodbye one last time, and though the children watching may not think much of it, I can guarantee you every grown-up who loved the original as a kid probably tears up at this part. As with the Pocahontas sequel, it's not quite the happy ending we have come to expect of Disney, but it's a very powerful and moving way to give us closure for the original. 

XXXX

Well, that pretty much wraps up my list for underrated Disney sequels. What do you guys think? Which Disney sequels are your favorites? Least favorites?

[abrajadex-blog]

Remixing, re creating or copying?

Remixing is the art of taking someone’s original idea and transforming it into something original by changing or embellishing enough elements to call it original.

A perfect example of remixing would be any of the older “Disney princess” stories.

Disney was founded October 16, 1923 in LA California. Walt Disney came to California armed with a sketch series titled “Alice’s Wonderland”. Walt and his brother Roy were contracted to distribute the Alice comedies on Oct. 16th, 1923 by a New York distributer, M.J. Winkler. Walt and his brother formed what is now known as the Walt Disney studio.

www.d23.com

Walt Disney made many original animated characters (Mickey Mouse anyone) however, he found the greatest success with his animated feature film “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”. Snow White debuted on December 21, 1937 and became the highest-grossing film of all time. It held this record until the release of Gone with the Wind.

Now, anyone familiar with Disney history know that many of Disney’s princess films are based on other stories. The original “Snow White” is a 19th-century German fairy tale.

The Brothers Grimm published Snow White in 1812. Snow White was featured in the first edition of their collection Grimm’s Fairy Tales.

  Now, the original story of Snow White is a little more gruesome than Walt Disney’s version, however he retained the basic story in his animated retelling. The original story sees Snow White’s mother prick herself with a needle and wish for a child that is “As white as snow, as red as blood, and as black as the wood in (the window) frame”. Snow White’s mother then gives birth – dying in the process. Disney decided against placing this in their version of the film. Disney leaves out a lot of the darker more depressing elements of the story. Both stories have the same basic elements – an evil stepmother hellbent on being the “fairest in the land”, a magic mirror, Snow White needing to flee her home after a failed murder attempt, 7 dwarfs, Snow Whites iconic death by apple, and a Prince to come and rescue her.

Disney did a great job remixing this story. They kept the basic premise of the story but changed enough details to make it original. Disney made original names for the dwarfs and gave them a personality to add to the film, making the dwarfs almost as iconic as Snow White herself. The ending is also different from the original. The Grimm’s story saw Snow White placed in the iconic glass coffin, however unlike the Disney version there was no “true loves kiss” to awaken her. In an almost anti-climatic ending Snow White was awoken by her coffin being dropped on the ground and the poisoned apple being dislodged from her throat. This scene would have been a lot less dramatic than Disney’s version, as who doesn’t want to believe in true love?

Pretty much all of Disney’s princesses are based on other Fairy tales (www.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_Of_Disney_animated_films_based_on_fairy_tales). Cinderella is another great example of remixing existing material to make something original. Cinderella was a successful Disney movie, based off of an illustrated book of the same name. It again has the premise of an evil stepmother and ending with the “happily ever after” ending that most Disney princesses enjoy. It is also a fairy tale that has been re-created in so many different formats it is hard to keep track.

One of my favorite adaptions is “A Cinderella Story”. The movie – released in 2004 stars Hilary Duff as a modern day “Cinderella” named Sam. Like in the Disney film Sam is made to behave like a servant for her evil stepmother and stepsisters after her father dies in a tragic accident. As a Cinderella story is based in modern times, we get modern technology. Sam’s dream is to be accepted into Princeton. She becomes pen pals with a boy - Austen (Chad Michael Murray) who also shares that dream but is struggling with the pressure of what his father wants from him instead. We see a lot of social dynamics at play mainly Sam and Austin’s complete opposite social standing, Austin’s popularity VS Sam’s unpopularity. There is even a scene at the ball where Sam dresses up like a masked Cinderella and loses her cell phone (instead of a glass slipped) at the dance. This leads Austin on a frantic search for his “Cinderella”. 

  Also like the Disney version we see these two end up with their “happily ever after – well for now”, with both being accepted to Princeton and ending up together. This is a great example of how you can take something and remix it enough to be original. Almost everyone who watches this movie knows that it is a remix of something else, yet with the original take on the concepts it’s completely loveable all the same. What also makes this original is that while Sam’s family is wealthy, she’s not a princess in the way Disney portrays it. She won’t inherit a kingdom - instead she inherits a diner, and she won’t be “ruling” over anybody. She goes to Princeton and lives her best life.

Disney isn’t a stranger to controversy, however. While their Disney Princess stories were always known to be adaptions of other stories, there is one dark stain on their history. “The Lion King” (1994) was credited as being Disney’s first original story. Almost immediately, people started realizing a great deal in common with a Japanese manga series “Kimba the white lion”. Disney adamantly denied any copyright infringement, instead trying to plead ignorance and stating that “The Lion King” was created by using concepts from “Hamlet” – a Shakespeare play, and Bambi. Most don’t exactly buy that defense… it’s hard not to see the similarities between the two – with some scenes almost mirroring each other. You can watch this side by side comparison and draw your own conclusions, however to me, this looks like a clear copyright infringement.

www.avclub.com/disneys-claim-that-the-lion-king-was-their-first-origi-1822629988

When remixing and remaking movies how far can you go before, you’re just copying instead of remaking? In 1994 such as when the Lion King was released, I think it was easier to copy and not credit the original sources. This was before the internet was such a popular place. People in the Western world didn’t always know what was happening in the Eastern world. Disney probably thought no one would notice that they copied direct scenes from another source. If this happened now, the entire internet would be alit with hundreds of YouTube video’s showing the similarities between the two and making Disney accountable. Instead, it happened in 1994 and instead, they probably got a couple of digs in the newspaper – and one notable nod in “the Simpsons”. Pretty much, if you don’t want to be accused of copying something else… change more than one letter in a character’s name, and definitely do not copy entire scenes from the original.

[writewaystudio-blog]

April 2018 Featured Creator

What is a Featured Creator?

Write Way Studio’s “Featured Creator” segment is my way of showing appreciation for the creators of the world.  Creative outlets are limitless, because there is no end to human imagination.  Every month shows the succeeding featured creator.  If you would like to be a part of this collaborative project, contact me at studiowriteway@gmail.com or go to Write Way Studio's Contact Page!

My seventh guest creator is Alexandra, the web-comic artist behind Wind Rose and Bloody Rose!

Introduction

First, it is time for a long-awaited introduction of the one and only Alexandra!  She is better known online by her nickname-turned-username Sfera.  To start, she is twenty-two years old with her birthday on June fifth.  She is under the sign of the Gemini and has noticed that she can never do just one thing at a time.

She is at this time a computer animation student at Ringling College of art and design.  Interestingly, her educational background did not start with Ringling; it actually began at her hometown’s university and their animation department where she spent two years’ worth of study.  Once she realized their animation education was not advanced enough, she decided to apply to American schools.  She needed to further develop her portfolio, so she studied for a year in Vancouver on intense Concept Art for Animation program to improve her skills.  Only after Vancouver did she gain acceptance into Ringling College and complete her freshman year.

She works on her stories, such as Wind Rose and Bloody Hood, whenever she gets a free moment.  Future projects are always in development! 

What Sparked the Creator Passion?

As she contemplated this question, Sfera noted how she always liked to create stories.  She even recalled her childhood, with how she played with her toys by giving them a story of some kind.  After watching Disney’s animated feature Bambi, she remembers desperately wishing there was a sequel.  Her desire increased to such extremes that she created deer out of Plasticine (a material similar to clay) and played a game called Bambi 2.

Not much has changed as she got older.  She is still creating stories.  The only difference is that her process is more advanced than ever before.

Alexandra’s Creation:  Wind Rose

How It All Started

As a child, her parents wanted to travel and brought her along.  Since they were from the Northern part of the world, her parents liked to the Southern parts.  She has slept in jungles as well as visited cities, such as Katmandu in Nepal, their contrasting beauty blowing her childish mind away.  A glimmer of imagination made her wonder that if the South were a person, that she would be loud, fun, colorful, cheerful and bright versus the North, who would be melancholic, quiet and calm.  The idea of humanization and personification has always appealed to her; the fascination to take something non-human and imagine it in a human body.

Many influences inspired this work.  She was impressed with Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet when she first read the play.  The idea of forbidden love persisted. 

All about Wind Rose

Wind Rose is a story about love and adventures, the main characters being a humanized North and South.  North and South will eventually fall in love, but it will take time due to their contrasting personalities.  That is only the first part of the romance.  After they finally admit they love each other, new adventures with other individuals like West, East, Equator, and Poles will commence, initiating the second half of the tale.

Wind Rose is her first comic and has become her greatest teacher.  As such, the work is not meant to be professional but meant to give insight for future works.  At first, she didn’t know what she was doing or what style to use.  She learned very quickly that she hated lines and focused on her painting and rendering skills.  It has taught (and is still teaching) her how to paint, how to create interactive 360 panoramic pictures, and even how to create your own font.

She works on Wind Rose every day and learns something new every day because of it.

Future Projects

Right now, she began Chapter 2 of her web-comic Bloody Hood, where she retells Red Riding Hood and other well-known fairytales.  The story introduces a small city near the woods, where an unusual castle houses a peculiar family.  Each member wears a distinctive red hat.  The protagonist, Mister Wolf, observes the family closely, since they can become a great danger to the city.  She plans to publish all of Chapter 2 during the summer.  Then, we will be presented with every family member.

"The idea of humanization and personification has always appealed to her; the fascination to take something non-human and imagine it in a human body."  -- Sfera

She has many ideas for the future.  As a sneak peek, she does not want to create only web-comics.  The next project requires her to learn how to code.

Where to Find You? Support You?

Sfera is available on most social media platforms.  For more details, look below!

All about the Art!

     o   Art and sketches on Instagram

     o   Her best artwork is on her ArtStation

Check out her comic series!

     o   Line Webtoon

     o   Tapas Media

Support her art and get exclusives!

     o   Patreon

Last Tidbits

There is not much to report for the weirdness department.  The only item that might qualify is Sfera’s bowler hat.  She wears it all the time, to the point that it feels like part of her brain has become one with the hat.  Thus, the inspiration comes forth.

Important Notice

Please understand that some information will not be shared by the creator’s request.  If you cannot understand that, there is not much more I can do to help you.  Safety is a top priority here, and I am here to help the creators, not instigate negative behavior.

Collaboration Disclaimer

The information provided in my Featured Creator articles is, in fact, from the real people, not some random Internet bot.  I do not use random stock photos to fill an imaginary photo quota.  Any photos in the Featured Creator segment are provided by the creators with permission to use them in this manner.  I want to support the original person behind the work, not a random online copycat creeping around.

To Alexandra,

I know this collaboration has not been the smoothest, due to personal and technological obstacles on my part.  I really appreciate you working with me on my Featured Creator segment and remaining patient with me.  I know that the silence was agonizing (and that’s putting it mildly!)

I can’t wait to see more of North and South blossoming into their tale.  I also wait in anticipation for Bloody Hood’s official debut!  I wish only the best for you with school and your art!

Sincerely,

Jasmine Love

{Write Way Studio creator and blogger}

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Oh, No! Disney Motion pictures Have Soiled Little Secrets and techniques, Too

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Oh, No! Disney Motion pictures Have Soiled Little Secrets and techniques, Too

You could have most likely seen a film and found an “Easter Egg” whilst you have been watching. An Easter Egg is one thing that’s hidden in plain sight. Whereas a few of them are humorous and supposed for some kind of leisure worth, some Easter Eggs are downright soiled. That is very true about Disney movies, which most individuals assume are meant for teenagers. Some animators prefer to have just a little enjoyable, however a lot of these messages are inclined to push the restrict just a little too far.

Hercules is in regards to the Greek demi-god of the identical identify. Within the movie, Hercules should defend Mount Olympus from the imprisoned Titans and the demi-god Pluto. This movie did very properly within the field workplace and spawned a advertising frenzy of video video games, tv reveals and such.

After an uppercut to the River Guardian, Hercules flies into the air and lands. As he lands, a lump grows on his head. A horseshoe then falls on the lump. Look very intently and it resembles male genitalia. Woah, nelly!

Toy Story is a film animated by Pixar and launched by Disney, a couple of boy who will get a brand new toy. One of many toys (Woody) feels ignored due to the looks of a brand new and superior toy (Buzz Lightyear).

There’s a toy with Barbie doll legs and a hook. The toy is a symbolic “hooker.” What bizarre and twisted minds thought to make this!

The Lion King is a film a couple of younger lion who’s duped into believing that he murdered his father, when the truth is it’s his uncle who murdered the younger lion’s father. For a movie that’s aimed toward kids, this looks as if some fairly heavy stuff.

When the younger lion (Simba) falls, some dusts flies into the air. It spells out a sure three-letter phrase that may be a bodily exercise for adults. One of many animators mentioned that the phrase is definitely SFX for the particular results division. Disney claimed that this was an harmless mistake, however many individuals aren’t shopping for that clarification.

A Bug’s Life is an “harmless” story about an ant who tries to recruit a bunch of robust bugs with the intention to battle a rival gang of harassing grasshoppers. Though the movie is focused in the direction of kids, this movie is loaded with grownup humor and innuendo.

There’s a scene in A Bug’s Life when Francis meets one of many Fly Brothers. One of many fly brother’s says, “Hey, cutie! Wanna pollinate with an actual bug?” It is a direct reference to an grownup exercise that I can’t point out.

The Rescuers is a movie about two cute little mice who set forth to rescue an orphan. This looks as if an harmless sufficient movie — a cute couple of mice doing good. However one thing at all times has to occur to screw the film up.

A scene in The Rescuers reveals the mice in a sardine can taking a journey. Slowing down the scene reveals a topless lady in a window. This film was recalled from video shops due to the hidden scene.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a cartoon a couple of human detective who helps a cartoon rabbit clear his identify of a homicide he didn’t commit. It was a extremely profitable movie which spawned Disney’s animation renaissance.

There’s a scene within the film the place Jessica Rabbit is thrown from a automobile. Her gown comes up and she or he doesn’t have any underwear on.

Vehicles is an animated story a couple of automobile that will get misplaced on a technique to a race and is befriended by the folks in a city known as Radiator Springs.

A scene within the movie reveals a automobile being “flashed” by two feminine automobiles. The hidden message is that the flashing lights have been used to suggest a girl lifting up her shirt and flashing a person.

Like plenty of different Disney films, Vehicles has plenty of suggestive grownup humor that you just may miss when you weren’t searching for it. A lot of this film takes place on the highway, as Lightning McQueen is travelling to California for a tiebreaker race of the Piston Cup.

Whereas on the highway, the automobiles drive by “Prime Down Truckstop” the place they promote “All Convertible Waitresses.” As a result of all of the characters on this world are automobiles, the waitresses at this truck cease is likely to be all convertible automobiles. This may be seen as a play on phrases, for the reason that waitresses may presumably supply extra, because the signal suggests.

The Little Mermaid is a movie a couple of mermaid (after all) who has a want to develop into a human being.

There’s a priest within the movie who has a bulging crotch which could be very seen in the course of the wedding ceremony scene.

The Little Mermaid‘s title poster depicts the entire film’s fundamental characters in a enjoyable and colourful scene surrounding King Triton’s underwater citadel. Harmless, proper?

Incorrect. Many individuals have scrutinized the picture, saying that phallic imagery was purposefully drawn into the scene.

Fantasia is a film about Mickey Mouse as a wizard. It’s a musical movie, primarily based on classical music.

Taking a look at this, you possibly can see one thing bodacious. Every thing is true there!

Alice in Wonderland is a movie a couple of lady who falls down a rabbit gap and finds an odd and distinctive world by which the eye is targeted on her.

Many have mentioned that this gap seems to be like one thing. Girls ought to already know what I’m referring to. Look very intently.

Pocahontas is a love story in regards to the legendary Native American princess and her romance with Captain John Smith. Pocahontas’ father disapproves, however can love save the day when Englishmen attempt to rob the Natives of their gold?

Check out this scene. The water is splattered with soiled three letter phrases in a number of locations. Somebody has some actually good eyesight to catch all of this.

Okay, we’ve a number of tribal folks round a mystical campfire. We are able to all agree that this innocent gathering is secure, proper?

Out of the frying pan and into the hearth. Wow, these guys caught the subliminal message once more. This soiled three letter phrase is not going to cease, will it?

Doesn’t it virtually appear magical? Disney films are magical alright, in additional methods than one!! We’ve all seen this to this point, so don’t be stunned if…

Look behind the captain and Pocahontas. You will notice these magic phrases. Now in an actual life setting, this could possibly be on their minds, and greater than possible it’s, however for goodness sake, this can be a film for teenagers. Or is it?

Penguins of Madagascar is a couple of group of penguins who’re a part of a particular elite pressure that should save the world. If that is so, what are they doing right here? Slowing down the image on this scene reveals some freaky and downright nasty stuff.

Don’t ask me for any clues — like I mentioned, I’m not telling what that is. These of you who know what that is, properly, it seems to be like a “quantity.” That’s all I’m saying.

Within the kid-favorite Toy Story 2, Woody returns and finds out his origins. He needs to go away his toy pals behind. Aww. Isn’t this a candy sounding story? Properly, it’s, however you recognize what occurs.

Jessie reveals the toys a few of her cowgirl methods. Allow us to simply say Buzz Lightyear will get “excited” as his wings increase and light-weight up.

This film is about Remy the rat. He needs to be a chef, and sooner or later finds himself beneath a restaurant. He units his sight on fulfilling his culinary desires.

Chef Linguini explains his little drawback to Colette. Whereas he says that Remy the rat is doing the entire cooking, Colette seems to be at his non-public space. Very subliminal, to not point out embarrassing.

Tarzan is the story of a person raised by chimps. It looks as if a pleasant transition from ebook to movie. Tarzan is primal, however he’s the basest of kinds on this film!

Within the movie when Tarzan meets Jane for the primary time, he will get just a little too touchy-feely. You possibly can see that Jane is uncomfortable with Tarzan laying proper in her bosom.

Tarzan is made out to be just a little pervy on this animated adaption of the story. Do you see what the loin material he’s carrying seems to be like?

Tarzan seems to be up Jane’s skirt. She replies to him with a kick.

Cinderella is the basic retelling of a younger lady who has to cope with her merciless stepmother till her fairy godmother cheers her up and brightens her life with a Prince Charming.

The scene the place the mouse threads beads onto Gus’ tail appears fairly graphic when you pause it in the precise place.

Bambi is a couple of deer and his animal pals who play delightfully within the forest round them, however hunters spoil the enjoyable and put the animals in horrible hazard. There are some scenes within the movie, such because the ice scene, which put Bambi in very awkward positions.

Whereas exploring the woods, Bambi and Thumper hit the ice. Whereas Thumper tries to assist Bambi out, you possibly can clearly see this can be a fairly graphic nose-to-tail scene.

Along with Thumper, Bambi meets plenty of different woodland creatures alongside the best way. In a mattress of flowers, he encounters an enthralling skunk, whose identify is “Flower” paradoxically. Flower could be very candy and flirty, whose allure impacts these round her, as may be seen within the subsequent slide.

Flower kisses a fellow skunk, who has fairly a response. He will get shy on the kiss, turning crimson and stiff, then rolling over. We are able to consider different elements of the physique that get stiff when the joy of kissing is concerned.

The Emperor’s New Groove tells the story of an egotistical teen emperor who will get changed into a llama on the expense of his evil adviser, Yzma, and her henchman, Kronk. Yzma and Kronk’s dynamic is such that though Kronk is powerful and overpowering, he’s dimwitted and straightforward to regulate, which Yzma makes use of to her benefit.

In a single scene, Yzma and Kronk had arrange camp throughout their seek for Kuzco, after Kronk loses him post-llama transformation. Yzma has a giant luxurious tent however Kronk, as vastly muscular as he’s, has a small tent that hardly covers his physique. However take into consideration the position of this tiny tent in relation to Kronk’s physique. Is that this a technique to symbolize that Kronk is “pitching a tent”?

A Goofy Film follows Goofy and his son, Max, on an epic highway journey. Goofy, eager to bond together with his son, takes a begrudging Max on a fishing journey. Alongside the best way, they face many obstacles, together with an encounter with the wilderness legendary creature, Massive Foot.

After escaping, Goofy and Max drive away as Massive Foot rummages by means of their containers of clothes. Massive Foot finds a pair of underwear, not sure of what it’s, and comically places it on his head. Whereas his hair sprouts out of the leg holes, Massive Foot discovers one other gap within the underwear, out of which he peeks together with his eye. This picture makes Massive Foot the “one-eyed monster,” in additional methods than one.

This basic Disney story follows a thief, Aladdin, who falls for the Princess of Agrabah, Jasmine. After discovering a lamp within the Cave of Wonders and unleashing a magical genie, who grants him three needs, Aladdin makes use of one in all his needs to develop into a prince in order that he can woo Princess Jasmine. In a single scene, Aladdin makes use of his magic carpet to fly as much as Jasmine’s balcony. Many have argued about what’s heard subsequent.

As Aladdin enters the balcony, the audio that’s heard is interpreted as “Good youngsters, take off your garments.” It’s unclear as to which character is saying this. May or not it’s Aladdin as he enters Jasmine’s bed room? May or not it’s Genie as he and the carpet are eavesdropping under the balcony? Both means, many imagine that this scene was deliberately sexualized due to these misheard strains. Disney has defended this, saying that the script truly has Aladdin say, “C’mon… good kitty. Take off and go,” to Jasmine’s pet tiger that growls at him.

Within the closing installment of Disney’s Toy Story franchise, Andy’s toys mistakenly find yourself at a daycare middle. There, they meet a plethora of different overly-used and mistreated toys, in addition to a menacing stuffed bear named Lotso.

In an altercation between Andy’s toys and Lotso, Mrs. Potatohead characteristically will get just a little mouthy as she talks again to the evil bear. Lotso then pulls off her mouth to make her cease speaking, after which Mr. Potatohead involves her protection saying, “Hey, no one takes my spouse’s mouth besides me!” Take from that what you’ll.

One among Disney’s newest main blockbusters is Frozen, which is about two princesses who navigate the world of affection and self-acceptance. Anna units on a journey to carry again her sister, Elsa, who has run away as a result of she was ashamed of her powers. For the journey, Anna enlists the assistance of Kristoff to assist her navigate the treacherous winter panorama.

Throughout the journey, Anna talks to Kristoff about Prince Hans, who she has fallen in love with however later finds out after the journey (shock, shock) that he’s evil and was solely utilizing her to take over her household’s kingdom. However throughout their speak, Kristoff questions Anna about her love for Hans, rattling off a bunch of random questions equivalent to Hans’s favourite meals and eye colour. Lastly, Kristoff asks, “Foot dimension?” To which Anna innocently replies, “Foot dimension doesn’t matter…”

Peter Pan is the basic story of the boy who by no means, or would by no means, develop up. In Disney’s model, we meet Wendy and her two youthful brothers. Wendy loves the tales of Peter Pan however is upset at her father who tells her that she is changing into too previous for them and her little brothers. Later that evening, Peter Pan himself pays Wendy and her brothers just a little go to.

On this scene, Peter Pan may be seen enjoying together with his shadow with the sunshine of the kids’s bed room. Nobody may be positive if the animators knew that the shadow of Peter’s shirt would produce such a suggestive picture, however there you’ve got it.

Most likely one in all Disney’s extra forgotten classics, The Hunchback of Notre Dame tells the story of Quasimodo, a deformed man who lives contained in the famed cathedral throughout 15th-century Paris. Sooner or later Quasimodo is inspired to exit in public in the course of the Competition of Fools, which solely ends badly as he’s publicly humiliated. Esmerelda, a gypsy, frees him from his disgrace, a lot to the dismay of Frollo, the minister of justice. Frollo calls for that Esmerelda be detained, however she escapes with magic.

In a single scene, Esmerelda is seen dancing in flames. Many would take this second to note how overtly voluptuous Esmerelda’s physique is beneath all her gypsy garments. Her gown, at one level, appears to be non-existent. Many have argued that this scene is just too sexually graphic for a kids’s film. Oh, and what phrase may be seen within the flames? Take a wild guess.