#the aristocats animated series

[quietfounder]

Whenever I look at some of the cancelled Disney projects and mourn their loss, I think about how some of these projects could’ve still been made, especially the Aristocats and Beverly Hills Chihuahua shows. The art style looked nice and the character designs were cute.

I think they would have been a big hit to kids and fans alike. Not sure how long they would have lasted given what happened to 101 Dalmatian Street and some of Disney's more recent shows, but they could have made an impact.

I mean just imagine if these were released around the same time 101 Dalmatian Street was. All three of them would have been set in different countries if they had attempted to do a crossover.

[thewildpiranha]

𝓘𝓬𝓸𝓷𝓲𝓬 𝓦𝓱𝓲𝓽𝓮 𝓒𝓪𝓽𝓼

Duchess (The Aristocats) Marie (The Aristocats) Dulcinea (The Adventures of Puss in Boots) Opalescence (My Little Pony) Simon's Cat Artemis (Sailor Moon) Kitty White (Hello Kitty)

[selkie-on-land]

I tried to watch avengers assemble (the animated series). At first I wanted to watch it for Black Widow but I'm so disappointed and angry at it. She's an avenger, one of the first one actually, she built the team with Fury and Coulson but as always, it's a male only show : all the characters are exclusively male, and sometimes for a few seconds, when they need a damsel in distress, there is a woman screaming or she finally appears! Only to be there for at most 2 minutes in the whole episode (25 minutes) and only maybe 2 or 3 episodes. Even the new guy who is not an avenger yet but is becoming one get more screen time and line and everything actually than her an actual avenger.

This is infuriating! Not just about her character lack of screen time, she often doesn't talk either, just appearance time to time, she is so invisible and reduce as a poor damsel in distress.

I'm so so so sick of this !!! Of this male only society, the entire planet is already practicing separatism, everything is male only. And if you dare create one female character even if she has one second of time screen then all the trash are screaming and crying that they are erased and replaced by those *Misogynistic insult*. It is truly sickening to live in a world where you are not supposed to even exist but your people is the one creating the entire humanity.

I crave to have shows where there is not a single male in it !! But if you dare say so, you're a terrorist blablabla. The entire world is already like this and it doesn't bother anyone! But when it's about the invisible humanity, females, then it's an outrage to the world ??? Having female representation is categorised as hatred or hate speech. 💀

''How dare you allowing those things to be there in our things and to show that they actually exists!!?''

The entire society is applying DARVO on us, this is gaslight, this is manipulation. We are not the one who genocide half the humanity that birthed us just because they exist. Male are. Every media, every movie, every song they create is built on their hate towards us, every thing they do is created only to full their hate speech Agenda.

The only few shows dominantly with females characters are the Barbies ones, the animated movies.

In all the Disney etc movies, the ''princess'' or female lead doesn't have any female friends, her only possible friends are all male. (Except some rare exceptions)

In the 101 Dalmatians, the only female one is only there because they needed a mother role to birth all of them !! That's her only purpose 💀

In the aristocats, the strays one should be all females, the male one are very similar to the humans too, the female too, they tend to bond and to live together with their kittens and the male are excluded. The adult males don't bond they fight eachother, they kill eachother. So a made up family of Stray cats can only exists if they are all females.

Same in the Lion King, the male are excluded and not the leader or king of anything. The lionesses are the Queens.

Female friendship or sisterhood is inexistant unless it's for serving the sole purpose of misogynistic agents like peak me etc.

If you know movies or shows centered around women and girls please comments/share it !

I hope it's not the dystopian movie where there is no man left on earth ... Like we deserve to have representation, real one, not post apocalyptic one ...

So far I've got :

Barbie's animated movies

The Tinkerbell movies

She Ra (the reboot I didn't watch the original)

Marvel Rising saga

Supergirl (it's not exclusively female but the accent is put on them, minus for the TWAW speech)

Agatha All Along (even tho the only boy got more attention and get to have an entire episode focused exclusively on him while the other women including the main character have to share the few minutes of the episode 🙄)

Tell it to the bees

Portrait d'une jeune fille en feu

Ocean 8

The L world

[keiko-cornetto]

Contrary to what “catphiles” think, for most people cats are bad, egocentric, individualistic and completely insensitive animals. In fact, the film industry has been saying this for years, as the world is the world and Disney is Disney. However, there are some approaches, like the film The Aristocats, in which the good guys are (incredibly) THE CATS! OOOOOOH! And this is actually the only exception, because in all other cases felines are the cruel ones in the movies.

While dogs participate in films filled with love, cats in cinema are generally associated with villains.

Disney

Dogs are by far the population's favorite animals. Due to the ease of acquiring and maintaining at home, they have become ideal partners for anyone who has a pet at home. Cats come next in this dispute and associating a “rivalry” between animals (very associated with films), created this duel between pets and naturally those who have fewer fans end up being the “villains” of the story, in this case the cats

I can mention here several cartoons, books and films with the figure of the cat associated with the villain. Obviously, it's not just the same ones that tend to be associated with the villain, just look at the wolves that are also widely used. The thing is that it has even become a culture to create a production and place the cat as the villain because it is easier to associate and less complicated, even in several cartoons, such as Sylvester being less of a villain than

Sincerely? I have NOTHING against dogs, they are all beautiful, intelligent animals and deserve respect for their feelings, but the whole world has a wrong view about the personality of cats, aaaah yes they do!

So, let's get to the point: Another photo gallery, featuring the best-known feline villains in the history of cinema and television.

You've seen her in every Sylvester and Tweety cartoon you've watched. In them, Sylvester is always shown as a malevolent and stupid cat, whose only objective in life, to eat Tweety, is frustrated at every attempt by the canary's supposed superior intelligence. Sylvester and Tweety, who already existed separately in cinema, were coupled in 1949 by a Warner Bros. designer, Friz Freleng. In other words, for 51 years, children all over the world

Jerry the mouse, from Tom and Jerry, is perhaps even worse. Alone or with his minion, the mouse Spit, Jerry tortured the honest, sincere and gullible cat Tom in no less than 160 cartoons for the cinema, from 1940 to 1967. The creators of the duo were Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera (in fact, also responsible due to the impoverishment of cartoons with the "simplified animation" technique, which they invented when they started producing for television in the 60s). The latest designs were already delegated by Hanna and Barbera to bagrinhos, but the initial concept of the series never changed; While trying to protect his home from the presence of the parasitic and disgusting Jerry, Tom is electrocuted at the socket, set on fire in the fireplace, drowned in the sink, crushed by pianos and blasted through the ceiling. Insensitive and perverse boys watch this laughing in front of the TV - and probably repeat such violence with their cats.

There are no cat heroes in these powerful opinion makers that are cartoons. The heroes are always dogs, rabbits, ducks and, incredibly, especially a muddy mouse who hasn't made a film in 47 years and, even so, remains a symbol of a cartoon empire – have you ever heard the sound of Mickey Mouse? Walt Disney himself, although always careful that his studio did not offend anyone) was unable to hide his prejudice: in his films, the dog is the noble animal (see Lady and the Tramp and 101 Dalmatians, not to mention the 44 drawings of Pluto and 42 of Goofy made between 1940 and 1965). Nothing against that and Walt could like whatever animals he wanted. It turns out that almost all of his most famous drawings are also Anti-Cat

In Pinocchio, one of the villains is a weak and filthy cat who helps the fox deceive the doll. In Cinderella, the fat and treacherous cat Lucifer is a frightening threat to the mice Gus and Jaq. (clean rats that do not transmit any danger to humanity) In Alice in Wonderland, the Cheshire cat is far from being a sympathetic character – he knows that Alice could get into trouble and does nothing to stop it.

(I particularly love this cat)

In Lady and the Tramp, Si and Am are the two Siamese who destroy the curtains, attack the canary and the goldfish and attack the family's baby, causing the chaos that will send Lady to the cart.

And even in The Aristocats, which is supposed to be a pro-cat film, there are a handful of nasty stray cats on the scene, and the hero turns out to be, in fact, a mouse named Roquefort. And it's worth remembering that, in Mickey's very first cartoon, Steamboat Willie, from 1926, he tortures and executes a cat by turning it by its tail and throwing it into the sea. Come to think of it, Disney couldn't really like cats - he got rich building human mousetraps like Disneyland and Disney World.

It is normal that cinema has never done for cats what it has done for countless dogs, since Lassie and Rin-Tin-Tin; cats refuse to be actors and it is impossible to train them to do things that dogs, seals and even elephants accept naturally, such as climbing stools, doing somersaults or balancing balls on their noses - the intelligence, dignity and independence of cats does not allow them to play these humiliating roles. It is only possible to make a film like Stuart Little, in which the cats seem to "do" things, by filming them naturally and adapting the scenes to the script, when not altering them electronically

but remember that all cinema portrays cats like this

as a cartoon that really disappointed me because it was one of my favorites, it's Shaun the sheepwhere the cat is shown as a villain and is evil in every episode

There are people who say that cats in cartoons like Lady and Tramp are villains because the story is portrayed through the eyes of dogs where cats will always be the villainsbut because when the cartoon is about cats, dogs are never villains, since dogs don't like cats, cats are afraid of dogs and in cat cartoons their friends are dogs

For those who love cats, don't be sad as there are many, many animes that don't portray the cat as a villain

In fact, cats have more space in anime than dogs, there are hero cats, there are villain cats, there are all types of catsCats are everywhere, it doesn't matter if the cat isn't there there will always be something that reminds you of the cat like clothes or cat ears in anime

44 cats and superkitties and they're really good

another very good film coraline:

and as always, those who don't like cats have theories that the cat was the biggest villain in the film

but I disagree since the cat always helped Coraline, even at the end when she wanted to open the door the cat went ahead because he knew she was in danger

This was the post about the poor cats, this post is not originally mine, I just added some things and I also didn't make this post with the intention of offending anyone.bye Bye

EDIT:

and the Oscar for most disturbed people goes to: Lim Yirang & Heo Sunhaeng two soulless South Korean directors

these two together directed a ridiculous and disturbing crap animated short film is a colorful and lively animation that takes place in a garden, it seems to be a type of children's and educational cartoon for children, where there are several cute stuffed animals and elves and even a princess everyone spends the seasons happily every day, until one day a huge evil CAT comes into action and kills everyone in the garden except the ''poor defenseless girl (the protagonist)'' what was supposed to be a beautiful and enchanted cartoon turned into a horror film, that's the kind of thing they want children to watch a scary CAT Everyone knows that most people who have a phobia of cats are because they only see them in films as villains or hear people who hate cats saying how dangerous they are. And the worst part is that this stupid cartoon actually takes place in a potted plant and they are all stuffed animals and die because the evil cat killed them, and the biggest destroyer of stuffed animals is man's dear best friend, that is, the puppy. but how these two Koreans probably fuel this rivalry between dogs and cats so something bad that the dog does they go and make a cat do it instead because the only villains in this world are cats Just like Mr Walt Disney (Koreans also show their huge preference for puppies) this animation should be remade and the big planes being two giant South Korean men with enormous evil in their hearts, children watching this later become afraid of cats and this even contributes to animal abuse these two men should be arrested

This animation could be beautiful but with a very low budget and stupid ideas the big villain should be a human since the biggest destroyer of nature is humans themselves, an animal would never destroy nature These two and Disney have a lot to learn from the great studio Ghibli, there are only good films for people of any age to watch

the biggest villains are humans and not cats

[jeante13]

get to know me <33

★ my name is Jeanté

★ i'm libra & infp

★ music taste: lana del rey, taylor swift, the cure, london after midnight, lareine, gulu gulu, abba, nirvana, bauhaus, buck-tick, the smiths, him, evanescence, glamscure, the beatles, elvis presley, my chemical romance, siouxsie and the banshees, hole, sisters of mercy, david bowie, laufey, cigarettes after sex, dadaroma, vampire rose, the doors, malize mizer & type o negative

★ fav films: edward scissorhands, girl interrupted, the aristocats, sabrina (1954), interview with the vampire, romeo & juliet (1968), thirteen, corpse bride, the crow (1994), 10 things i hate about you, jennifer's body, halloween, a nightmare before christmas, mirror mirror (1990), the craft, heathers, ginger snaps, sherlock jr, speak, white oleander, the addams family values, a nightmare on elm street, beetlejuice, the love witch, candy (1968), repulsion, black swan, the swan princess, the last unicorn, the princess & the frog, perfect blue, casablanca, gone with the wind, helter skelter (2019) & valerie and her week of wonders

★ fav series: friends, gilmore girls, american horror story, sailor moon, chobits, death note, the office, queen's gambit, gossip girl, the golden girls, full house, kakegurui, neon genesis evangelion, castlevania, the vampire diaries, the rose of versailles, nana, the munsters & ergo proxy

★ fav books: pride & prejudice, emma, the secret history, dracula, frankenstein, crime and punishment, hamlet, my year of rest and relaxation, little women, wuthering heights, the picture of dorian gray, jane eyre, the stranger, the metamorphosis, the great gatsby, anna karenina, war and peace, the bell jar & white nights

★ things i love: 60s/70s fashion, vintage items, ballet, russian literature, poetry, v-kei, anime, shakespeare, tim burton films, old barbie, coffee, history, cats & 80s horror movies

[nostalgiclittlespace]

Movies/TV shows for Little Space! (Part 1)

So I thought about doing a massive master list of Little Space shows, but realized that making separate lists by theme would be a lot more helpful for people. I’ll probably update this as a series once a week or so. There will be a mix of TV eras, mostly ranging from 90’s to modern. There may be repeated titles suggested as they fit into multiple themes as the series progresses. All shows mentioned are SFW!

Today’s theme: Shows with Animal Characters

Disney: Zootopia, Aristocats, Jungle Book, Lion King, Ratatouille, Lady & the Tramp, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, etc

Oswald

Kipper

Sonic X, Prime, or Boom

Little Bear

PB&J Otter

Bluey

Tom & Jerry

Care Bears

Max & Ruby

Winnie the Pooh

Blues Clues

Olivia

My Little Pony

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Berenstain Bears

Peppa Pig

Paw Patrol

Angelina Ballerina

Pound Puppies

Franklin

Curious George

Simon

Wonder Pets

Yogi Bear

Backyardigans

Chip and Potato

Special Agent Oso

Hope this helps or inspires someone looking for some Little Space shows! I tried not to make this list too long, so feel free to add some suggestions in the comments! Happy regressing!

-Marty 🐶

[gemsofgreece]

10 best animated movies to watch in Greek

One of the best ways to practice a language is by watching a movie. Even more so, watching an animated movie dubbed in your target language can be really fun and useful, as these movies tend to include jokes (even inside jokes specific to the language) and songs. So, without further ado, here is my personal list of 10 best animated movies to watch in Greek.

10. Shrek 2

The reason I am recommending Shrek 2 instead of Shrek is just because I have the - maybe not standard, but certainly not unpopular - opinion that Sherk 2 is overall a funnier movie than Shrek. The Greek dub maintains successfully all the witty and somewhat adult-oriented humour. The voice casting done for characters like Donkey, Puss in Boots and Gingy is memorable and accurate.

9. Lion King

The voice casting is really good. Adult Simba has a sympathetic voice, Mufasa has a superb kingly radio voice, the hyenas are hysterical, Zazu is funny too, Nala's voice is warm and womanly. I also love Scar's voice. Scar has a sinister voice but it's a weaker, not as “thick” a voice as Mufasa’s, just like Scar relied on the evilness of his mind and not his muscles. Timon and Pumba's dub is iconic. Greek Can you feel the love and Be Prepared are fantastic versions of the songs. And Greek Mufasa just steals every scene vocally, especially those when he appears in Simba's memory.

8. Monsters INC

Another amazing voice casting for all characters but we all (Greeks) know that this is one man's show. Christos Hatzipanayotis just KILLS it as Mike Wazowski. I believe Greek Wazowski is much funnier than the original. Also let's remember "Fovízume yatí sas frondízume" lol the Greek "We scare because we care (for you)"

7. Finding Nemo

This dub did something special with the casting. It casted as Marlin and Dory two actors that had already worked together in a super famous comedy series as a couple. As a result, their chemistry is off the roof and Dimitra Papadopoulou's voice is incredibly accurate for Dory's character. Dory's whale language is hysterical and I also love the incredibly relaxed voice actor they found for that turtle reincarnation of Bob Marley. All other casting is good too, except I want to slap the extremely nasal Nemo.

6. Sleeping Beauty

Although I love this movie dearly and I really like its Greek version, I actually place it that high because I have found it to be really popular with foreign people. Some say they like Aurora's song better in Greek, which I find interesting as I really love the original. It is surely a masterful work though. It is an old movie and the Greek actors speak more elegantly, more sophisticatedly like people tended to, back then. The voices suit properly an aethereal princess and her dreamy prince, the fairies have these warm, elderly, ladylike voices and Maleficent also is imposing and very cold.

5. Aristocats

This is a perfect example where it is clear that both the voice casting directors and the actors worked their asses off. Every actor chosen is simply ideal for their character, including the kittens, Edgar the evil servant, the diva, the super SUPER old lawyer, the tomcats, Lady is so prim and proper, Uncle Waldo and the goose nieces with their Britsh accent Greek lol BUT. I have no idea how it dawned on them to make the dog couple have a comedic Heptanesian island accent but whoever that was, they were a bloody genius. Not only it's impeccably performed, it's twice as hilarious when you see them in an old Parisian environment speaking some really strong Heptanesian out of nowhere. The dogs in the original do not have any particularly heavy accent to my understanding, so if you watch the original after you have watched the Greek, you won't even understand they are supposed to be funny. I love that the Greek directors took the uneventful speech of the dogs and were like "Clearly, we 're gonna make them speak extreme Heptanesian" XD

4. Spirit: The Stallion of the Cimarron

Spirit has mostly narration and songs, it has very few dialogues. Its songs are amazing though and they really make a difference in the movie. In the Greek dub, both the narrating and singing role was given to singer - actor Yannis Savvidakis who is very talented. Not only he performed those songs wonderfully but I liked how well it maintained the feel of rock ballads coming from America, despite being sung in a language from a place that has nothing to do with any of this.

3. The Emperor's New Groove

Okay, we reached the Golden Triad. The Emperor's New Groove is, simply put, the best Disney comedy to date. If we consider that the Greek version is funnier than the original, as I strongly believe, you get a comedy for the ages. The voice casting is PERFECT. Every voice chosen is like it was created for the character, the characters get life and personality through the vocal performances. Kuzco sounds blasé, egocentric, sarcastic and you want to slap him silly, Kronk sounds like a soft dumbass himbo which is what he is, Pacha is your everyday good-hearted peasant, Yzma is killing it as the old ambitious narcissist. The humour is awesome and tranferred ideally into Greek comedy. It just works on every level. I can't explain it more, it's just perfect. While this movie is unfairly obscure and underrated on a global level, in Greece it was a hit and people still remember quotes by heart, exactly beause the dub was so god-tier level.

2. The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Okay. The dub of dubs. The Dub of Notre Dame. Seriously, this is a masterpiece on every aspect. Again, this is better than the original. Esmeralda has a sensual, really beautiful speaking voice and an outstanding singing one (Alcestis Protopsalti y'all), Frollo has an ideal casting in that he sounds like a bad person but in a totally realistic way (as he is also a very realistic villain) and he sounds so very sophisticated, very elegant. Sinister and elegant, which makes total sense as in the Disney version he is the supreme justice minister of Paris. Quasimodo is voiced by Sakis Rouvas (a sexy singer with a soft voice), who a few found like a somewhat odd pairing but it works perfectly since Disney's Quasimodo is soft, sensitive and considerably sophisticated as well. Clopin's singing is done by tenor Konstantinos Paliatsaras. The songs in the Greek version are in my opinion better performed than in English. Hellfire is quite possibly the most loved villain song in Greece. A small example to understand the level of perfection; the intro song "Bells of Notre Dame" has an extremely difficult ending note that only a few versions globally managed to hit. Even the original singer struggles with the note, he hits it but a little weakly, he is very supported and almost covered by backing vocals. In other versions, even this is not possible at all and singers just skip the note. The Greek version by Paliatsaras is one of the very few where the note is hit correctly, he essentially rips it apart, but I think it is also the only version (unless something escapes me) where the lyrics were different in a way that it made a difference to the singing. All versions I have heard are a variation of the original "bells, bells, bells, bells" which prepares the crescendo / raise of the pitch and then, "of notre DAAAAAME". Greek is the only version I have listened to where a full sentence is delivered effortlessly, without a repetition of "bells". "Ke ihún pandú kambánes stin karthyá tis panaYAAAAAS". It's a full sentence instead of a convenient one-syllable word over and over. Of course, it had to be done because the word for bells in Greek (kambánes) wouldn't work but it still was a harder thing to deliver than the repetition and it was accomplished even better. Okay, in short, Oscar worthy dub. Perfect in every way. I am in love with it, you can tell. The only reason it is not first is because the first spot had to be saved for the obvious one.

1. Hercules

The obvious first spot. Of course, it doesn't take it without deserving it. Greeks really made sure to give this one even more attention to detail. So, it doesn't only feel like it's natural, it also IS the most natural one, as contemporary languages go. All voice casting is once more ideal. Hercules, or Heracles as he is of course in Greek, has a sensitive, warm, sympathetic voice. They did a great thing with Megara when they gave the role to Evridiki who has a more mature, seasoned voice which fits Megara's character and not like a girly, princessy, out-of-place voice. Famous comedian Lakis Lazopoulos steals the show in all his scenes and they are MANY, since he plays Philoktetes and Pain AND Panic, all three of them! But he can't steal the scenes where Hades is in, as Konstantinos Tzoumas is in reality the big star of the movie. First and foremost, you watch this movie for Hades. One more fantastic detail in my opinion is what they did with the Muses. So you know, the original movie Muses are singing a liberal style of American gospel. Instead of ditching it as unfitting and entirely inaccurate, the Greek directors played along with it. Most notably, one of the Muses is voiced by Julie Massino, a vocal coach and singer born and raised in the US (I don't know if she has Greek descent) who lives and works in Greece, so she has a natural and strong American accent in her Greek! I just found this so cool. It is a really cool dub. They knew the stakes were very high and they delivered down to the very last detail.

*We really had to title this: Heracles - Beyond the Myth...!

[thecatfight2023]

The Bracket™ is here!

here are our competitors!

to space out the polls some, we have them divided in mini-brackets (each mini bracket will be posted a day as to not overwhelm everyone with all of the polls at once)

THIS WILL ALSO BE UPDATED TO HAVE THE LINKS TO THE POLLS!!

mini-bracket 1

Mewo (OMORI) V. Spider Cat (OMORI)

Domino (Amphibia) V. Ghost (The Owl House)

Thomas O’Malley (Aristocats) V. Marie (Aristocats)

Oliver (Oliver & Co.) V. Mochi (Big Hero 6)

Cat (Coraline) V. Cheshire Cat (Alice in Wonderland)

Tasque (Deltarune) V. Tubbs (Neko Atsume)

Daffodil (Spiritfarer) V. Black Cat (The Witch’s House)

Neite (Runescape) V. Black Cat (Divinity Original Sin 2)

Alpine (Marvel) V. Goose (Marvel)

Isis (Batman: The Animated Series) V. Alfred the Cat (DC)

Mikeko (Ace Attorney) V. Shoe (Ace Attorney)

Cats (Jet Set Radio Future) V. Shadow (Super Lesbian Animal RPG)

Fat Louie (The Princess Diaries) V. Orion (Men in Black)

Milo (Milo & Otis) V. Miss Kitty Fantastico (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Cat God (Identity V) V. Yuumi (League of Legends)

Opalescence (MLP:FIM) V. Ice Cream Kitty (TMNT 2012)

mini-bracket 2

Ichigo Momomiya [cat form] (Tokyo Mew Mew) V. Alto (Tokyo Mew Mew)

Kyo Sohma [cat form] (Fruits Basket) V. Kuro (Blue Exorcist)

Sakamoto (Nichijou) V. Kuroneko (Trigun)

Prince (Genshin Impact) V. Neko (Genshin Impact)

Pusheen (Pusheen) V. Simon’s Cat (Simon’s Cat Animations)

Nyan Cat V. Minecraft cats

Video (Strong Hearts are Mandatory) V. Ginger (Brimstone and Roses)

Midnight (Castle in the Air) V. Jenny Linsky (Jenny Linsky books)

Schrodinger’s cat V. Tuna Sandwich (Kid Cosmic)

Pura (Crash Bandicoot) V. George (Spyro)

Tom F14 (Atom: The Beginning) V. Murr (The Case Study of Vanitas)

Mausfänger (Pentiment) V. Myau (Phantasy Star)

Cam (Squishmallow) V. Autumn (Squishmallow)

Serafina (Barbie Princess and the Pauper) V. Wolfie (Barbie Princess and the Pauper)

Melog (She-Ra 2018) V. Curious Cat (RWBY)

Judd + Lil Judd (Splatoon) V. Webkinz cats (all of them)

mini-bracket 3

Tama V. FDC Willard

Stray Cat J V. Pangur

Grumpy Cat V. Miette

Jinx V. Jorts

Gandalf V. Raymond 

Smudge V. The Cat Foretold

Forever’s Brood V. Norman (SolidarityGaming)

Jellie (GoodTimesWithScar) V. BB (Jacksepticeye)

Garfield (Garfield) V. Meowth (Pokémon)

Puss In Boots (Shrek Cinematic Universe) V. Kitty Softpaws (Puss in Boots)

Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess cats V. The Garreg Mach Monastery cats (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)

Purrsula (Dragon Quest Treasures) V. Shiro/Blanche (House 1977)

Slugcat (RainWorld) V. Pussyfoot (Looney Tunes)

Li'l' Mittens (WordGirl) V. Mittens (Wander Over Yonder)

Greebo (Discworld) V. Maurice (Discworld)

You (Discworld) V. The Cat (Infinity Train)

mini-bracket 4

Cat (Ghost Trick) V. Cat (Stray)

Salem (Sabrina the Teenage Witch 1996) V. Binx (Hocus Pocus)

Firestar (Warrior Cats) V. Scourge (Warrior Cats)

Mothwing (Warrior Cats) V. Leafpool (Warrior Cats)

Sprigatito (Pokémon) V. Litten (Pokémon)

Meowstic (Pokémon) V. Shinx (Pokémon)

Jiji (Kiki’s Delivery Service) V. Luna (Sailor Moon)

Artemis (Sailor Moon) V. Diana (Sailor Moon)

Morgana (Persona 5) V. Ravage (Transformers)

Fukumaru (A Man and His Cat) V. Nyanko-Sensei (Natsume Yuujinchou)

The Judge (OFF) V. Mr. Midnight (Fran Bow)

Khoshekh (WTNV) V. Catbus (My Neighbor Totoro)

Grudge (Star Trek: Discovery) V. Spot (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

Lumi (Cats are Liquid) V. 808 (Hi-Fi Rush)

Ser Pounce-A-Lot (Dragon Age) V. Warmseeker (Elder Scrolls Online)

Frumpkin (Critical Role) V. The Admiral (TMA)

polls for mini-bracket 1 will be scheduled to post around 2 pm EST tomorrow! also reminder they will be open for 1 day each!

propaganda is encouraged!! go wild! we will do our best to reblog as much as we can and it will be tagged with "purr-opaganda" (for those who want to filter the tag). we also recommend making propaganda for your cat blorbos sooner rather than later so there's a chance for them to win!!

-mod orange

[joshuasumter]

You're not going to believe this! The Disney 100-year Anniversary crossover short, Once Upon A Studio, is coming! 100 years of stories, 100 years of magic, 100 years of Disney! It's like Disney's House of Mouse all over again, with a hint of Night at the Museum. I've been waiting for this all my life, I'm so excited! (Also gets you and some people hoping for a House of Mouse revival/reboot on Disney+, or maybe a mini-series inspired by this short) Featuring 543 characters from over 85 Disney films and shorts, the following list features those that are only from Walt Disney Productions (1937–1985), Walt Disney Feature Animation Studios (1986–2007), and Walt Disney Animation Studios (2007-present).

Films

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Pinocchio 

Fantasia 

The Reluctant Dragon

Dumbo 

Bambi 

Saludos Amigos

Victory Through the Air

The Three Caballeros 

Make Mine Music 

Song of the South 

Fun and Fancy Free 

Melody Time 

So Dear to My Heart 

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

Cinderella (1-3)

Alice in Wonderland 

Peter Pan (1-2)

Lady and the Tramp (1-2)

Sleeping Beauty 

101 Dalmatians (1-2)

The Sword in the Stone 

Mary Poppins 

The Jungle Book (1-2)

The Aristocats 

Bedknobs and Broomsticks 

Robin Hood 

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh 

The Rescuers

Pete's Dragon

The Fox and the Hound (1-2)

The Black Cauldron 

The Great Mouse Detective 

Oliver & Company 

The Little Mermaid (1-3)

The Rescuers: Down Under

Beauty and the Beast (1-3)

Aladdin (1-3)

The Lion King (1-3)

Pocahontas (1-2)

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1-2)

Hercules 

Mulan (1-2)

Tarzan (1-2, Tarzan & Jane)

Fantasia 2000 

Dinosaur 

The Emperor's New Groove (1-2: Kronk's New Groove)

Atlantis: The Lost Empire (1-2: Milo's Return)

Lilo & Stitch (1-2: Stitch has a Glitch)

Treasure Planet 

Brother Bear (1-2)

Home of the Range  

Chicken Little 

Meet the Robinsons  

Bolt 

The Princess and the Frog 

Tangled 

Winnie the Pooh

Wreck-It Ralph

Frozen

Big Hero 6 

Zootopia 

Moana 

Ralph Breaks the Internet

Frozen 2

Raya and the Last Dragon 

Encanto  

Strange World 

Wish 

Shorts

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in "Trolley Troubles"

Mickey Mouse in "Steamboat Willie"

Silly Symphony (Three Pigs, Big Bad Wolf)

Donald Duck

Goofy

Pluto

Figaro 

Chip n' Dale

Adventures in Music

Humphrey the Bear

John Henry (Disney's American Legends)

Ballad of Nessie

Paperman

Ben and Me (1953)

Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom (1953)

Lambert the Sleepish Lion (1952)

*Roger Rabbit, made by Richard Williams's studio in England, and Enchanted, made by Tony Baxter, will not appear in this short because they don't belong to WDAS. 69 + 16 = 85!

[disneytva]

Crazy things are happening with Michael Cusack (Adult Swim "Smiling Friends", "YOLO", 20th TVA "Koala Man") at the House of Mouse. 👀

Imagine Disney asks Zazh Hadel and him to make their own Disney Television Animation series or ask them to reboot an old IP like The Aristocats, Horace Horsecollar or The Great Mouse Detective.

[decadebattle]

Which Decade Had Better Animated Media?

Popular Animated Shows of the 70's Include: Hong Kong Phooey, School House Rock, Josie and the Pussycats, Super Friends and Star Trek: The Animated Series

Popular Animated Films of the 70's Include: Lord of the Rings, The Aristocats, Robin Hood and The Phantom Tollbooth

Popular Animated Shows of the 60's Include: The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Scooby Doo, Jonny Quest, Yogi Bear, and the Bullwinkle and Rocky Show

Popular Animated Films of the 60's Include: Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, The Jungle Book, The Sword in the Stone, Yellow Submarine, 101 Dalmatians, and a Charlie Brown Christmas

[thewickedmerman]

Ranking Don Bluth's Movies

Okay, so I've recently been having some issues with making videos and until I can sort it out, I can't really get any new clips for videos. So that makes it harder for me to be able to talk about certain topics I want to discuss on YouTube. However, I really want to talk about this so I decided to make a post here on Tumblr and when I have my technical issues sorted out, I'll post a YouTube version. However, since I'm not playing a character on Tumblr, that means that this won't include my signature merfolk language like "mermazing", "What the Tartarus", or "Dear sweet Poseidon." But you can expect that in my video when I sort out my technical issues.

Anyway, as a long-time fan of animation, especially of 2D animation, I’m a pretty big fan of Don Bluth. Here’s a brief history lesson about this legend. He was a big fan of Walt Disney animation ever since he first saw Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs as a child and realized all he wanted to do in life was make animated movies. He managed to work at Walt Disney studios and even got to meet Walt Disney before he died, and he would end up leaving the company years after Walt’s death and taking several animators with him due to the disappointment in the company’s lackluster work with films like The Rescuers, Robin Hood, and The Aristocats. He made all of his movies with his friend, co-producer, and animator Gary Goldman. His company would ultimately fail due to financial issues, but his work did manage to force Disney to start uping their game and resulted in the Disney Renaissance. The whole history of Don Bluth’s animation career is really much more complex and extensive, so I highly recommend watching AniMat’s video series on the history of Don Bluth, which I will link down below. Trust me, it’s a great and educational watch that you should check out, after you read this post, of course.

While he sadly never managed to become the next Walt Disney, due to the failure of certain films and his company filing for bankruptcy, he has undeniably created movies that were a big part of many of our childhoods. Some holding up better than others. In this post, I will share my personal rankings. I’ll go over the plots of each movie in the order that they were released, discuss what I liked or disliked about the film, and at the very end of the video, I’ll rank them. First of all, don’t take my rankings too seriously. We all have our personal preferences for what makes a good movie and our own biases and personal experiences tend to influence how we will feel about a movie. This is just my opinion and if you disagree, that’s perfectly fine. Just don’t be an asshole about it!

Also, lets go over some guidelines. I only will be covering the movies that Don Bluth actually worked on, which means that sequels to his movies, apart from Bartok: The Magnificent, won’t be on this list. Besides, The Land Before Time sequels have enough movies to be on their own list. Let me know if that’s something you guys would be interested in. Secondly, they have to be full-length animated movies, so his animated shorts, Banjo the Woodpile Cat and Small One won’t be on this list. Lastly, he has to have actually directed the film, which means none of his work as just an animator or supervisor from Disney will be included. Also, this post WILL include spoilers. So don’t say I didn’t warn you. Now without any further delay, lets dive right on in.

The Secret of Nimh

The recently widowed Mrs. Brisby is trying to save the life of her youngest son, Timmy, who is sick with pneumonia and is told by Mr. Ages that Timmy can’t go outside at all or he could die. Things get complicated when the farmer decides to plow early and while Mrs Brisby and Auntie Shrew manage to stop it temporarily, it’s only a matter of time until he fixes it. So Mrs Brisby visits The Great Owl, with the assistance of Jeremy the crow, who informs her that the Rats of Nimh can help her. She gets the help of Mr. Ages and Justin, who are members of the organization, who help her meet Nicodemus, who gives her a magical amulet and has the rats help her move her house to where it’s safe. However, secretly there is a plan from the villain, Jenner, who wants to kill Nicodemus.

So as you can tell, a lot is going on in this movie based on my crude summary. But to be fair, it never feels like too much is going on to the point where the story feels messy. The story actually is very flowing and nothing feels crammed in, apart from Jeremy, who is the worst part of the movie and like everyone, I can’t stand him. He just reminds me a lot of comic reliefs from modern Disney movies who add nothing but bad and forced comedy. But apart from that, everything else feels organically woven into the story. It never feels like it’s too detailed because its knows what to keep vague and what to elaborate on. The score is epic and helps things feel grand. Not to mention the whole question of morality of the movie is very well done and complex but done in a way that kids can understand without talking down to them. It’s all very relevant in this day and age. I love the dark elements of the film, as it helps give it a lot of atmosphere. While I wouldn’t say that it feels like a movie that you could play on Halloween, it’s still a pretty dark film. Part of that is the designs of certain characters. I absolutely ADORE the design of The Great Owl. Just look at this guy! He looks so majestic and mysterious and it’s one of my favorite scenes in the movie, with my favorite being when Mrs. Brisby uses the stone.

Speaking of Mrs Brisby, she’s a really great and unique character. She’s not a heroine who has grand ambitions, but rather is a mother who just wants to exist enjoying life and for her kids to be happy and healthy. She’s timid and not the bravest but despite her fears is just willing to do whatever it takes to save her son’s life. She does get braver but it’s not to the point where she feels like she went through major character development. I kind of like that she gets to stay who she is. She’s a loving and caring person who doesn’t have to change who she is. She never stops being scared and doesn’t really gain any confidence but is just a likable and gentle character that will throw herself into danger if it means saving the ones she loves or even someone she just met like Jeremy. Although, I say she should’ve just let Jeremy die and put us all out of our misery.

The rest of the characters, apart from Jeremy, are also interesting and likable, even if they aren’t nearly as engaging as Mrs. Brisby. Even though Auntie Shrew and Mr. Ages are grouchy characters, it still comes from a loving place. The voice acting is top-notch, especially from Elizabeth Hartman as Mrs. Brisby, Derek Jacobi as Nicodemus, and John Carradine as The Great Owl. The animation is some of Don Bluth’s best work, especially with the scene where Mrs. Brisby uses the stone. You’ll be hearing me say this A LOT throughout this video, but Don Bluth’s animation is always so flipping gorgeous. This was clearly a passion project for Don Bluth and it really shows as he’s often referred to it as his favorite movie he’s ever made. While I wouldn’t say it’s my personal favorite, it’s definitely among some of his best. Sadly, I didn’t grow up with this movie and didn’t see it until I was in high school. However, I do wish that I had grown up with it because it’s a genuinely great movie and is better than anything Disney was releasing around that time. Hell, it’s better than most of the films Disney is releasing today.

An American Tail

Starting off in Russia with the Mousekewitzes, a family of mice that are clearly Jewish, celebrating Hanukkah. Unfortunately, the celebration doesn't last, as the mice are attacked by Russian cats that are not so subtle in their symbolism. After their home is destroyed, the Mousekewitzes immigrate to America where they believe there aren’t any cats. Unfortunately, Fieval gets separated from his family after nearly drowning. Having arrived in America, specifically New York, he sets off to find his family while meeting some colorful characters that either try to exploit him or help him find his family and discovering there are indeed cats in America.

So as you can probably tell, this movie is influenced by the treatment of immigrants that come to America to escape their problems only to find out that America is full of problems as well. It’s a very complex issue and while this movie mostly focuses on Fieval’s struggle to find his family, these issues are handled pretty well. It’s not afraid to show the harsh realities but also knows how to make it simple enough for the kids to digest it and help them learn more about it as they get older without dumbing it down or having nothing of value for adults. I didn’t grow up with this movie. I only saw it once on Cartoon Network when I was a kid and didn’t really watch it again until I was a teenager. But just like The Secret of Nimh, I wish I had grown up with it. I love how dark and serious this movie is without having to be so dull and lifeless.

While Fieval did cause his situation with deliberately throwing his hat on deck so he could see the fish during the storm, you can still sympathize with him. Yes, it was his fault, but he’s also just a kid that I’m guessing isn’t any older than seven in mouse years. He’s lost and alone in a new country where he doesn’t know anyone and has no idea where his family is. The emotions of his family are very strong as well, since all of them, apart from Fieval’s big sister Tanya, believe him to be dead. I love how this movie allows the emotional moments not to be interrupted by pointless comedy like a lot of movies nowadays.

This is the first Don Bluth movie that is a musical and I will be honest and say that while they’re good, they’re not great, apart from "Somewhere Out There", though I do prefer the end credit version sung by Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram. Not only because of their phenomenal vocals but also because the singing voices for Fieval and Tanya aren’t very good. While the child actors they got did a great job when it came to acting, they really should’ve gotten singing doubles for them because it makes it harder to listen to. The others have better singing in them, even if Fieval does still sing in "Never Say Never" and "A Duo". But they aren’t anything to brag about. Plus, "There Are No Cats in America" honestly does play into some ethnic stereotypes.

The villain, Warren T. Rat isn’t really anything great or even very interesting. He serves his purpose but he’s not gonna make a lasting impact. Plus, his little bug friend adds nothing and the two of them don’t have a very interesting dynamic. Luckily, the rest of the characters are likable. My personal favorite is Gussie. She’s very flamboyant and prissy but also cares about others and standing up for what is right, despite also being privileged. Showing that individuals are multi-dimensional. The animation is gorgeous (Though the rotoscoping is obvious), the action scenes are pretty intense especially when the cats are super feral and monstrous, the score is epic, and it will absolutely make you cry, especially when Fieval is reunited with his family. I love how soft and timid Fieval’s voice is with a twinge of hope that his family is really there when he hears their voices calling for him and his father playing the violin. It honestly gets me misty eyed and I have to fight the tears when he’s reunited with his family.

It should also be noted that this is one of the few times in animation where Jewish characters are portrayed as the heroes and not as a joke or villains with very Jewish features. Yes, you could argue that it’s not the best because of the fact that they’re portrayed as mice, but it’s nice to see them as a loving family and characters with fleshed-out personalities that aren’t just stereotypes. It’s a great movie and it’s clear to see why this is considered one of Don Bluth’s best films. It’s a classic for a reason.

The Land Before Time

Long before the double-digit sequels, with their light-hearted feel and musical numbers, was a pretty dark film devoid of musical numbers. And to make things easier, I won’t be referring to them by their scientific terms but instead the simple terms they were given in the movie. Anyway, it takes place during the time of the dinosaurs when the Earth was changing and the leaf eaters set out to find The Great Valley, a place unchanged and filled with fresh water and lush green food. Littlefoot, a young longneck, and Cera, a young three-horn get attacked by a sharp-tooth. They are saved by Littlefoot’s mother but it costs her, her life and Littlefoot must travel to The Great Valley and find his grandparents. Along the way, he meets Cera again, as well as a swimmer named Ducky, a flyer named Petrie, and a mute spiketail named Spike. They must try to find The Great Valley while trying not to perish from hunger, as well as not getting eaten by Sharptooth.

I’m not gonna lie, I grew up watching The Land Before Time films religiously as a kid. Anytime a new Land Before Time movie came out, I had to have it. But lets save my opinion on the other movies for another time. Lets face it, the original film is BY FAR superior to the sequels. First of all, this is one of Don Bluth’s best-looking films. In fact, I’d say it’s his second-best-looking movie. What’s his best-looking film? We’ll get to that later. The film manages to make the film look gorgeous, despite the fact that they’re living in a barren wasteland, which shows that you don’t have to make a film be brown and grey in order to make it look apocalyptic. But maybe that’s just one of the advantages of animation, specifically traditional animation. The Great Valley is absolutely GORGEOUS! I mean, the visuals are nothing short of spectacular. Not to mention the action scenes are absolutely phenomenal. By far the best action scene is the Sharptooth attack and when Littlefoot’s mother is battling the Sharptooth, especially during the earthquake. It was absolutely intense and I ADORE it for that. Not to mention the score for the entire movie is just epic and iconic.

Speaking of Littlefoot’s Mother, I was absolutely heartbroken by this as a kid and even now it makes me absolutely ball. I love how they really take the time to allow Littlefoot to properly grieve the loss of his mother with being angry about it, sad, depressed in an unhealthy way, finding comfort in her footprint, thinking he hears her voice (Though it’s arguable whether or not her spirit is actually guiding him), thinking for a brief moment that she’s still alive, and ultimately accepting the fact that she’s truly gone. It’s harsh but it’s important for kids to learn how to accept loss because they will inevitably have to face it.

While on the subject of Littlefoot, he’s always been one of my favorite fictional male characters. Part of this is also because of the sequels but in the original movie he’s just as amazing. I love how he acts like a real kid that makes mistakes and has flaws while still being a great leader with a strong moral compass. One of my issues with Arnold from Hey Arnold, despite my immense love of the show, is that Arnold after season 1 starts to become too perfect and helps others learn lessons but never learns a lesson himself or even gets grounded, especially in the last two seasons. Littlefoot is stubborn, can be sassy, is playful, strong-willed, fun-loving, and more so in the sequels can be surprisingly sarcastic. He has his doubts and can be a bit self-righteous at times but it’s never to the point where it’s unbearable. He’s just an overall fantastic character.

As for the other characters, part of the reason why this film works is because they’re all so likable and engaging. Ducky is absolutely adorable and endearing, which is helped by a pitch-perfect performance from Judith Barsi. Spike is so cute and lovable, which is odd, due to my usual hatred of characters who have eating be one of their prime characteristics but for some reason, he’s just so likable. I will admit that I prefer Petrie in the sequels, at least, in movies 2-6 like with most of the characters, but I still love and enjoy him in this movie. I just find him funny and I think part of that is his voice that just helps make him funny to me. Plus, unlike someone like Jeremy, Petrie is actually plot-relevant. But I do think that fake-out death of his was really unnecessary. As for Cera, I will admit that growing up, I absolutely couldn’t stand her. However, watching the movie again for my Don Bluth marathon, she actually grew on me. Maybe it’s because recently I’ve been seeing a lot of unlikable and poorly-developed characters but Cera just didn’t annoy me. Part of the reason is because, unlike say Isabela from Encanto, instead of it being a grown woman acting like an unbearable brat, Cera is just a child and unlike Sasha from the Barbie movie, she’s not like this because “Oh she’s a teenager,” especially when Cera isn’t a teenager, but because of her upbringing. Plus, unlike these unlikable characters, we do get softer moments from her sprinkled throughout the movie that don’t make her character development feel out of nowhere or half-baked and help her feel like a character with depth. While she’s still my least favorite of the five main characters, I do actually like her now.

I’m shocked about how short the film is, which comes in just a little over an hour. I feel like the film could’ve used twenty more minutes to help flesh things out. It manages to handle generational traditions and prejudice pretty well but I feel like that twenty minutes could’ve developed it more. The film was edited quite a bit and if you’re an average moviegoer and not someone who overanalyzes things like me, you won’t notice. However, if you are like me and notice details like that, it might bother you a little but you’ll still have a great time. I also felt like at times the narration didn’t need to be there. Such as after they were attacked by Sharptooth and were struggling to find The Great Valley or when Cera was having her self-pity moment. It’s not done to death and doesn’t feel pandering but they could’ve cut some of the narration. I absolutely love the friendship between the characters and it feels absolutely believable, even between Littlefoot and Cera with all their conflict. Yes, the film isn’t exactly perfect but there’s no such thing as a perfect movie. But it’s honestly one of my all-time favorite movies. I need animated movies to return to this kind of darkness.

All Dogs Go To Heaven

The film that got annihilated by The Little Mermaid and it’s clear to see why. But lets get into the plot. It’s about a German Shepard named Charlie Barkin, who is killed by his ex-business partner, Carface and goes to Heaven. However, Charlie doesn’t want to be dead and decides to re-wind his life watch to bring himself back to life and he shall remain alive so long as the watch remains ticking, otherwise, he’ll die and go to Hell because he can’t go back to Heaven. He then tries to get back at Carface with the help of his cowardly but loyal best friend, Itchy, by “rescuing” a little girl named Anne Marie, who can talk to animals that Carface has been using to win bets while also keeping her locked away in a room with minimal care. Charlie uses her for the same thing but is clearly nicer to her, though just to get into her good graces, but starts to form a bond with her.

As a kid, I was absolutely in love with this movie and would watch it constantly as a kid, especially the Heaven scenes. However, while I would still say it’s a great movie, I honestly don’t enjoy it nearly as much as I did as a kid. Part of that is because I really don’t care much for the characters, save for Anne Marie, who I’ll talk about in a little bit. Charlie, while not totally detestable, as he is given some soft moments, feels too harsh at times. His character development isn’t done well enough to make me root for him and for the things he’s doing, he needed some really amazing character development. Overall, the character is okay but he’s not that engaging or entertaining to watch, apart from a great vocal performance from Burt Reynolds. Itchy is entertaining and likable but I feel like in the second half he's forgotten about until Carface attacks him. Dom DeLouise gives a great performance but the character is missing something. He’s at least likable, even if I don’t exactly love him. Carface is an absolutely boring and generic villain that does nothing but get angry and shout. Nothing about him stands out and I tend to forget about him, even as a kid. Killer is just the typical incompetent villain lackey.

I also feel like the title is misleading, due to how we don’t really spend much time in Heaven or really talk much about it. With a title like "All Dogs Go to Heaven," you’d think that the film would be all about that. It feels like two completely different stories were put together and one overtook the dogs in Heaven plot. Plus, this film tends to just forget about things like the fact that Charlie is trying to lay low and keep Carface from finding him and Anne Marie but still promotes his name for his casino right in the same town. Carface never has any realization and we just cut to him assuming Charlie is alive and has Anne Marie without any build-up. Also, they established that the animals can’t talk to animals outside of their species but Charlie can talk to the Big Lipped Alligator? Also, the gator’s rat followers are clearly offensive and haven’t aged well. While the pacing isn’t horrible, it’s a bit messy.

The songs aren’t very good either, apart from "Let Me Be Surprised", "Soon You’ll Come Home", and the end credit song, "Love Survives." But the rest of the songs are pointless and not very pleasant to listen to. Part of that is because they’re mostly sung by Burt Reynolds, who just isn’t a singer. He sounds like he’s talk-singing and it’s not pleasant. Yes, he sang in "Let Me Be Surprised", but at least Annabelle, voiced by Melba Moore, could sing, which helped balance it out and it had fun lyrics. The lyrics in the other songs aren’t good and serve no plot relevance. Not to mention "You Can’t Keep a Good Dog Down" has a glaring racist moment. "Lets Make Music Together" has great singing and would be a good song on its own but it serves no purpose and gives absolute tonal whiplash. It’s no wonder this became a meme. "Soon You’ll Come Home", despite clearly not being sung by Judith Barsi, is the only song I love. But this movie clearly wasn’t meant to be a musical, since the songs feel tacked on.

Now you’re probably thinking I don’t like this movie but I actually still love it. Part of that is the atmosphere, especially when we’re in Heaven or Hell. Those scenes show off some of Don Bluth’s best work. It has a lot of interesting ideas like clocks representing the life of someone. Plus, the actual Hell scene was the stuff of nightmares and I love it for how dark and twisted it is. The animation is top-notch as always. I also love the relationships between the characters, Charlie and Itchy have a great friendship with amazing chemistry, which is helped by Burt Reynold and Dom DeLouise being best friends in real life. Charlie’s relationship with Anne Marie is also really sweet. And while the characters aren’t great, the situations are still fun with exciting action scenes. I also love that the movie had the guts to let Charlie die at the end and not find some way to bring him back to life without the watch. That’s really impressive that they let their protagonist die and I admire it for that, which leads to an ending that’s the most emotional part of the film. It has a lot of great things about it that lead to an overall enjoyable experience. It just needed to fine-tune those details. But it’s clear that cutting ties with Steven Spielberg and even George Lucas was a mistake on Don’s part.

However, while the film is still good on its own, Anne Marie is what elevates this movie into a great film. Without her, the film wouldn’t be half as enjoyable. Not only is she absolutely adorable but she’s the heart of the film. She’s sweet without being cloying, spunky without being a raging fireball, and smart but still realistic and naive. She was always a delight every time she was on screen and part of that is the perfect casting of Judith Barsi. She was amazing as Ducky but this is the role I tend to associate her with more. She gives it her all, even out-acts the adult actors, and becomes the stand-out performer. She’s honestly one of the great child actors and it’s really sad that she and her mother were murdered by her father. It honestly makes the ending all the more emotional for me. Also, while this is minor, I hate that she still ends up wearing those rags for the rest of the movie even after she gets so many beautiful new outfits. Let her wear one of those dresses. My personal favorites are her sailor dress and her fur-trim coat.

Rock-a-Doodle

While All Dogs Go To Heaven might’s had the warning signs to Bluth’s downfall, this was definitely the beginning of the end. But lets get to the plot, such as it is. A singing rooster named Chanticleer has the power to bring the sun up with his crowing but one day it comes up without him and his “friends" laugh at him. This was secretly the work of The Grand Duke of Owls who wants the world in eternal darkness so the light won’t hurt him or something. But it turns out this is all a storybook because we cut to live-action where a real boy named Edmond is being told the story by his mother. The rain is endangering Edmond’s family farm, so he calls for Chanticleer, which instead brings the Grand Duke of Owls who turns Edmond into an animated kitten so he can eat him for daring to try and bring back Chanticleer. But he’s saved by Patou, a basset hound that can’t tie his shoes and they set off to find Chanticleer in the city along with some other colorful characters because apparently the sun actually can’t come up without Chanticleer.

Yeah, that’s not all the details in this movie but the film is both too complicated and too simple at the same time. First of all, they never explain how the sun managed to come up that one time without Chanticleer and suddenly it can’t anymore. Or the fact that they don’t allow birds at the club but allow penguins, a type of bird. They have Goldie pretend to be in love with Chanticleer but then the next minute they reveal through narration that she fell in love with him for real out of nowhere. During the climax, Chanticleer reveals that he can’t crow anymore for some unexplained reason. The story is all over the place and feels like an acid trip, which is why they put in a lot of unnecessary narration from Patou, which gets annoying because it happens every few minutes. But all it does is annoy the audience and feel like you're being talked down to. The film is so unfocused and all over the place that I find it hard to even talk about it. Also, I find it really annoying how no one believes that Edmond is really a human boy turned into a cat by The Grand Duke of Owls. I mean, y’all know the villain has powers and yet you find it hard to believe that Edmond is really a human boy?

It doesn’t help that the characters are all either bland and boring or unbelievably annoying. Edmond is cloying with how precious he is and it doesn’t help that the actor can’t act and talks with a lisp. It’s odd because in the past, Don Bluth has been great at hiring talented child actors for his films. What happened? Snipes gets the silver medal for most annoying character with his obnoxious and chauvinist personality, Peepers is a smug and know-it-all brat, Patou doesn’t shut up with his narration, Goldie is bland with no real character, Chanticleer should be the protagonist but isn’t even really a character and is instead a plot device, and Hunch takes the gold medal for the most irritating thing from this movie to the point I’d rather be stuck in a room with Valentino from Wish, Ben from Treasure Planet, Fred from Big Hero 6, the Moose from Brother Bear, and even the entire cast of Home on the Range than deal with his idiotic antics.

The songs are also either unmemorable or awful, specifically the terrible villain songs. Yes, there’s more than one villain song. Even the animation, while great, feels like a downgrade and has such a childish feel to it. It’s almost like a more polished silly symphony. Not to mention the live-action scenes are so awkward with acting so terrible it’s giving background or minor characters from 7th Heaven. Yeah, it's that bad! You can tell that Don Bluth wasn’t comfortable with live-action because it really shows with this terrible framing device.

The only positives I can say about the film, apart from the animation and voice cast (Save for Edmon), is the first song sung by Chanticleer, even if it’s nothing spectacular, and The Grand Duke of Owls. He has some class, is decently threatening, and his lines are pretty good. Although, I would’ve loved if he looked more like The Great Owl from The Secret of Nimh. Though it’s silly how he gets yeeted by a flashlight. But overall, it’s just a terrible movie and clearly something you put on to keep your toddler quiet. It’s never engaging or exciting. They really should’ve used more of the structure and plot from the original Chanticleer play. Maybe I’ll do a rewrite of Rock-a-Doodle one day.

Thumbelina

Based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy-tale of the same name, Thumbelina is about a girl no bigger than a thumb that was born from a flower to an old woman that longed for a child. Thumbelina longs to find people who are the same size as her and one night she meets and falls in love with the fairy prince, Cornelius. But before the two can live happily ever after, Thumbelina is stolen by Mama Toad, who wants to use Thumbelina’s beautiful voice to make money and force her to marry her son, Grundel, who is in love with her. Thumbelina manages to escape with the help of a swallow named Jacquimo. Meanwhile, both Cornelius and Grundel search for Thumbelina. All the while Thumbelina must find her way home to be reunited with both her mother and Cornelius while facing obstacles and learning her own self-worth.

This was a movie I watched A LOT as a kid and it honestly still holds a special place in my heart to this day. Is it flawed? Yes! The story is a bit too episodic, but to be fair, that’s exactly what the original story was like as well. Plus, I don’t hear people complain about that with movies like Alice in Wonderland, Pinocchio, and Moana. I do think it would’ve benefited from a couple of rewrites. But considering Don Bluth had to write the script within the span of a couple of weeks, I feel like he did pretty good, especially considering some other movies that had a lot more time that turned out terribly. Another issue is the designs of characters like The Gitterbugs and the animals on Thumbelina’s farm looking way too exaggerated and like characters from a pre-school book. I feel like this could’ve benefitted from Don Bluth’s early dark style, as it would make a contrast from the bright and happy world Thumbelina knew when she was with her mother and the beautiful night she spent with Cornelius to a world that she’s unfamiliar with.

However, it’s honestly a great movie in my opinion. I can forgive it having plot holes because of the fact that I can suspend my disbelief when it comes to fairy-tale movies where it runs off emotion rather than logic and is more impressionistic. So I don’t care that she randomly grew wings because it didn’t make much sense in the original tale either. Plus, she was created from magic, so whose to say she couldn’t just magically get wings?

Unlike Rock-a-Doodle and even All Dogs Go to Heaven, the characters in this movie are all great and entertaining. They’re just so memorable and fun to watch in my personal opinion. Mama Toad, Ms. Fieldmouse, The Beatle, Cornelius, and especially Thumbelina. I know a lot of people complain that Thumbelina just whined and didn’t really do anything. But considering the fact that she was taken away from her home, has never been out in the real world before, is constantly being accosted by someone, and is no bigger than a thumb, I’d say she has every right to complain and not to have much hope. Her journey is that people keep on telling her what to be and what to do and she has to learn to stand up for herself and find her own self-worth. Something many relate to and struggle with. Could it have been better? Yes! But I feel like it’s done pretty well. I relate to Thumbelina's struggle, due to my autism and how I often feel like there isn't a place for people like me in this world. So I can't help but root for Thumbelina and sympathize with her situation. But she isn’t just a stick in the mud. She's playful, bubbly, charming, sweet, and just so endearing, a subversion from her pessimistic outlook, making her unique. Part of why she’s so great is definitely thanks to the stellar performance of Jodi Benson, who also did the voice of Ariel in The Little Mermaid. Unlike Matthew Broderick as adult Simba from The Lion King, which came out the same year, Jodi Benson managed to help the character feel fleshed out and make her personality fly off the screen due to her prior experience instead of suffering from a flat performance.

I know a lot of people hate Jacquimo and I was ready to hate him too but he’s actually not bad. My only issue is the fact that he could’ve just flown Thumbelina home this entire time. He’s based on a character that didn’t appear until the last third of the story and even then, he didn’t fly Thumbelina home because she just completely forgot about her mother who’s worried sick about her and is never seen again. While it’s annoying how he meets her quite a few times and they never think to just have him fly her home, he’s not actually a bad character. He’s a helpful character that helps support Thumbelina, such as when she’s feeling insecure about her appearance, he reminds her it doesn’t matter what others think about her and that there are people who love her. I feel like this issue could be fixed if he injured his wing when they first met after trying to save her and therefore couldn’t fly her home. Plus, given all the terrible comic reliefs I’ve been seeing from Disney lately, he’s far less annoying and actually serves some purpose.

The only characters I’m not so fond of are Grundel the toad, Mr. Mole, and Thumbelina’s three jitterbug friends. The latter are just pointless and add nothing other than saving Cornelius when he’s frozen but they could’ve found another way to get around that. In the case of Grundel, he’s just not convincing as a villain and even makes Gaston look competent. He’d work better as a villain sidekick. I honestly think Mama Toad should’ve been the main antagonist with her son being a lackey. Sort of a Fairy Godmother and Charming from Shrek 2 situation. She’s far more entertaining and interesting and I wish we saw more of her. Same with Ms. Fieldmouse, who could be just as much of the villain as Mama Toad. As for Mr. Mole, he's just there and doesn't really do much.

The romance between Thumbelina and Cornelius is so cute! While I do think they should’ve had more of a conversation together where they get to know each other before the "Let Me Be Your Wings" scene, I do buy their chemistry. There’s at least more of a basis for their relationship than the Disney Princess couples from Walt’s time. Not to mention, this is a GORGEOUS-looking film! One of Don Bluth’s best-looking films. Yes, I’ve mentioned some designs are too childish looking and some CGI is very dated but the animation is still absolutely phenomenal. For the flying scenes, they took inspiration from ice skating, which explains how graceful and elegant they look. This movie takes my breath away, especially "Let Me Be Your Wings."

Speaking of which, the soundtrack absolutely slaps! The songs were done by singer-songwriter, Barry Manilow and he did a phenomenal job. The songs are entertaining, move the story along, and show how the characters are feeling. That is the purpose of a musical. Even with a song like "Yer Beautiful Baby," which doesn’t have good singing, it’s still entertaining to watch with its high energy. The best songs are definitely "Let Me Be Your Wings", "Soon", and "The Sun" but I love all of these songs. Well, except for "Marry the Mole." It’s infamous for being the only song from an animated movie to win a Razzie for worst original song and while it’s not good, it’s not that bad either. It’s okay and it being the only animated song to win that award means nothing when the Razzies no longer have that category and they are infamous for not even watching the films that they nominate. But apart from that one hiccup, the soundtrack is amazing and it’s impressive that he had no prior experience with musicals, especially given what happened with Wish, which hired pop artists to write the music and their inexperience showed. Disney needs to fire Lin Manuel Miranda and hire Barry Manilow. I could go on about how this film is an underrated gem but lets save that for another day.

A Troll in Central Park

In the world of trolls, where all trolls are mean, ugly, and hate flowers lives Stanley, a nice and rosie-cheeked troll that magically grows flowers with his literal green thumb. He was to be turned to stone by the evil ruler of the trolls, Queen Gnorga but is convinced by her hen-pecked husband to send him to a place where nothing grows. However, that backfires because he’s sent to New York City right in the middle of Central Park. There he meets and befriends a bratty little boy named Gus and his sweet little toddler sister Rosie. Gnorga learns how her plan backfired and sets out to destroy Stanley.

This tends to be Don Bluth’s most universally hated film and for absolutely good reason. It feels like it was written for a Barney the Dinosaur audience instead of for all ages. It’s absolutely pandering, has little to no plot, nothing really happens, a lot of jokes go on for way too long, and it makes up rules as it goes along like a preschooler at playtime. Stanley can grow plants that apparently are sentient but he can also transport them to a make-believe world with trolls like him and make Gus’ toy boat the size of a real boat? When Gus is turned into a troll by Gnorga, he has her ability to turn people to stone with his thumb and then when he’s back to normal can unstone Stanley? Gnorga can control Gus’ thumb when he’s a troll? Gus turns back to normal when Gnorga turns into a rosebush? Gnorga didn’t think to check where the place she was sending Stanley was before sending him there? If Stanley has these other magical abilities, why didn’t he leave the troll world? Oh my gosh! It’s an absolute mess and really feels like something meant to keep your toddler quiet.

It doesn’t help that the characters we’re following are absolutely unlikable. Stanley is absolutely annoying, stupid, and useless. He reminds me of all those annoying toxic positivity people in life that say if you just believe and be positive it’ll happen. It doesn’t help that he’s never any help until the climax but it doesn’t feel earned due to how pathetic he’s been. Gus is just an irritating and shrill little brat that would make even the most liberal person want to beat the hell out of him. Even his moments of being a loving brother to Rosie don’t help balance out his bratty moments because he’s just too annoying and unlikable. Rosie is just there and does nothing but be cutesy. While her cutesyness isn’t nearly as pandering as cloying as Edmond, she just adds nothing but to be captured by the villains. Speaking of the villains, they’re lame as well. Gnorga is basically like those villains you see in preschool shows that hate goodness and prettiness and love the nastiness but is a simpleton and a total clown of a villain you can’t take seriously. Her husband is just the pathetic henpecked husband who is totally incompetent and bad comic relief.

The songs all suck and feel like rejected songs from a d-tier preschool show. Childish, pandering, and sounding like the writers had less than a week to write the songs. How did we go from the bangers of Thumbelina to songs that make the soundtrack of Rock-a-Doodle sound like Beauty and the Beast?

The sad thing is that this movie, despite how dumb it is, actually had potential. I feel like it would’ve been interesting to have Gus be an orphan in the foster system that is jaded and pessimistic from life and he ends up meeting Stanley who is positive and naive and the two learned and grew from each other. Showing how both their world views have some truth to them but also are flawed. Maybe I’ll do a video where I do a rewrite of A Troll in Central Park. Let me know if that’s something you guys would be interested in. But as for this movie, I was embarrassed when watching it like I was watching something meant for toddlers.

The Pebble and the Penguin

Taking place in Antarctica, the Adélie penguins are preparing for a mating ritual where the male penguins present a pebble to a female penguin they fancy and if she accepts it, they mate for life. Our protagonist, a shy and stuttering penguin named Hubie, is in love with "the most beautiful girl penguin," Marina (The narrator’s actual description of her, not mine) and she seems to feel the same. However, Hubie can’t seem to get a pebble until one night he wishes on a star and an emerald cube falls from the sky. Unfortunately, an evil macho penguin named Drake is also after Marina’s flipper in marriage and tries to feed Hubie to a leopard seal. Hubie manages to escape but is lost at sea where he's captured by humans to be put in a zoo. He manages to escape with the help of a cranky and wise-cracking penguin named Rocko, who agrees to help Hubie get back home before the mating ceremony and they form a friendship along the way.

This was another movie that I watched a lot as a kid and enjoyed. However, unlike Thumbelina, it sadly doesn’t hold up at all. While it’s not bad, it’s just a mediocre mess. The movie was a production nightmare and it shows in the final product. This can definitely be seen in the writing with how it tends to skim over important details like showing Hubie getting captured by humans, how Rocko survived the killer whales, explaining the apparent magical powers of the pebble that can let Hubie see what’s happening with Marina back home only once and is never brought back up again, and the rules of the mating ceremony. Apparently, there’s a law that you have to choose a mate before the full-moon mating ceremony or you’re banished. It’s done to make Marina’s situation more dire but it just makes the world-building a bit ridiculous. The pacing is also all over the place, hence why the film has narration that works at the beginning and the end of the film but is constantly done throughout the film to the point it feels pandering and unnecessary because the film should’ve been able to show it by itself. It’s not nearly as bad as Rock-a-Doodle’s narration but it’s still really pointless. They even give Rocko the ability to fly at the end of the film but give no real explanation as to how this is possible. The only explanation is lazy writing.

Hubie is a really unlikable protagonist. He’s clearly only interested in Marina for her looks, is really selfish, doesn’t respect Rocko’s very clear boundaries, manipulates and lies to Rocko to get what he wants from him and faces no real consequences for it, is absolutely useless to the point he’s more of a damsel in distress than the actual damsel in distress, and actually held his breath until Rocko said he liked him like a spoiled 4-year-old. His motivations for wanting to be with Marina aren’t any different than Drake's. The only difference is that Drake is more up-front about it. I appreciate the representation of people with speech problems, as I myself struggled with that as a child, but the character is so unlikable that I can’t even appreciate it that much. While he’s not as bad as Stanley, he’s still a really terrible protagonist.

Marina is just there to be a love interest and to promote the film’s message that it’s not the pebble, it’s the penguin and that’s it. She’s a non-entity. She at least has a beautiful singing voice. Hubie’s three bird friends are pointless and add nothing to the story. You forget all about them until they pop up. The only good characters are Rocko and Drake. Rocko is really enjoyable with his tough and wise-cracking personality and we often feel his frustration with Hubie, given the fact that Hubie is awful. But their friendship isn’t convincing because it had terrible development, he hasn’t shown any signs of liking Hubie, and I just can’t imagine anyone actually liking Hubie. Drake is voiced by Tim Curry and that’s pretty much all you need in order to make a villain great. The character gives Gaston but a lot smarter and just has a lot of charm due to Tim Curry’s stellar performance. And it’s truly sad that the more appealing option is the villain.

The animation is still great, though there are times it’s clear that corners have been cut with some art cels not being finished and characters being frozen in frame. But the animation is still gorgeous to look at, especially the killer whale chase, which is really spectacular, especially with the way the orcas are animated. I also love the creativity of the opening sequence, "Now and Forever."

Speaking of which, the soundtrack is a banger. Barry Manilow returns to do the music for the film and I’m thankful for his contribution. While not as good as the songs from Thumbelina, this is by far the most enjoyable aspect of the film with songs that feel like they were made for Broadway. The only song I don’t like is "The Good Ship Misery." The melody isn’t very good, the vocals are too harsh at times, and is just meh. And while I don’t think "Looks Like I Got Me A Friend" works in the film, due to a lack of development between the characters relationship and Hubie holding his breath until he gets his way like a Karen is off-putting, the song is still really catchy and fun. But the rest of the songs absolutely slap! "Now and Forever", "Sometimes, I Wonder", and "Don’t Make Me Laugh" are bangers. If there’s any reason to check this film out, it’s just for the songs.

Anastasia

Inspired by the historical event of the real Grand Duchess Anastasia, our story takes place in 1916 when the Tsar Nicholas II of Russia is celebrating the 300 anniversary of the Romanov family. However, it’s interrupted by Rasputin, who places a curse to have Nicholas and his immediate family die. He’s successful in his mission, with the exception of the youngest daughter, Anastasia who managed to escape with her grandmother, the Dowager Empress Marie, and even caused Rasputin’s death. However, the two get separated and Anastasia gets amnesia. Ten years later, the Dowager Empress is offering a reward for anyone who can reunite her with the lost princess. Two conmen, Vladimir and Dimitri, who was also the servant boy who helped Anastasia and her grandmother escape, try to find an Anastasia look-alike in order to get the money and even have the music box that the grandmother gave Anastasia to help their con work. They come across an orphan named Anya, who looks just like Anastasia and is trying to find her family in Paris, which is where the Dowager Empress lives and they convince her that she could be Anastasia without telling her about their scheme. But it turns out that this is the real Anastasia. Meanwhile, Rasputin, trapped in limbo and literally falling apart, schemes to kill her so his curse can be fulfilled.

This is a movie I watched ALL THE TIME as a little boy and it actually got me interested in the history of the real-life royal family when I was a teenager. So don’t be surprised if my love for this movie shines through. During the 90’s many companies were trying to capitalize off the Disney Renaissance with very few being able to hold their own. This film was one of the exceptions and part of that is because of Don Bluth’s previous experience working at Disney. He knew what made it work and the lack of that magic during Disney’s Bronze Age was why he left Disney to begin with. However, he added his own signature touch to it, which I felt was missing in Thumbelina. This movie is definitely dark and not just because of the subject matter. I mean, you got the villain trying to kill off the protagonist by using the images of her dead family to make her sleepwalk to her doom. That’s pretty dark. I feel like Don Bluth is most comfortable with stories that are dark and I love him for that.

This is by far Don Bluth’s most GORGEOUS-looking film. Due to the fact that this was made with 20th Century Fox, he was able to have much more of a budget than he did with his past works and it clearly shows in every frame. This is arguably the most gorgeous-looking animated movie I’ve ever seen, though Klaus might be more beautiful. It’s a massive film with scale, stellar colors, mermazing character designs, and one of the most stunning animated sequences with "Once Upon a December." Not to mention, Anastasia has such an incredible wardrobe. Arguably the best of any animated heroine. There is some CGI in the film but I feel like it works to the film’s advantage, especially when it comes to the nightmare scene. It never really looks jarring to me and for the most part, blends seamlessly.

Anastasia herself is one of my favorite fictional characters and if she were an official Disney Princess, she'd be my second favorite after Ariel. I absolutely adore how sassy, snarky, and sarcastic she is. I look for opportunities to repeat a lot of her one-liners in real life. She’s one of the characters I credit for me being so damn snarky and sarcastic with an endless amount of sass. But she's also caring and kind to help balance her out and not feel like just a hothead. However, she clearly has her limits and isn’t afraid to call people out and I love her for that. She’s honestly the best protagonist of any Don Bluth movie, even better than Littlefoot.

The rest of the characters are also really likable. They are all entertaining no matter how little screen time they have, which is helped by stellar performances. I know a lot of people don’t like Rasputin but I honestly think he’s the best of all of Don Bluth’s villains. Yes, he’s comedic but I don’t feel like it’s ever to a ridiculous extent like Gnorga and her husband. Plus, despite his comedic moments, he’s actually legitimately intimidating and I can take him seriously as a villain. Such as the scene where he tries to have Anastasia’s family lure her to her death. Which is helped by an amazing design and a phenomenal performance from Christopher Lloyd. Bartok may not be necessary to the plot, but he’s a lot of fun and it’s nice to have a villain sidekick who is actually pretty competent and not an idiot. Plus, he’s absolutely quotable!

This movie also is able to hit you in the feels with scenes like the reunion between Anastasia and her grandmother. We see a jaded old woman that has dealt with loss and people trying to con her slowly start to let down her guard and realize that this woman is her long-lost granddaughter. The moment she calls Anya her Anastasia always gets me emotional.

The music is absolutely PHENOMENAL! This is the best soundtrack from any Don Bluth musical. I know that’s not saying much, considering the track record of Don Bluth’s musicals, but it’s really amazing. It even blows Thumbelina out of the water. Every single one of them are bangers and have a Broadway-style to them that I ADORE. The best songs are definitely "Once Upon a December", "Journey to the Past", and "In the Dark of the Night." The songs are all memorable, full of energy, and have great vocals, especially the songs sung by Liz Callaway and Bernadette Peters. The score is also brilliant, especially "The Prologue" and "The Nightmare." But then again, I’m a sucker for epic choirs singing in a score.

An issue I do have with the film is something a lot of people love and that’s Dimitri and his relationship with Anastasia. Now don’t get me wrong, they’re not bad and are still good but I feel like they were both rushed. They went from arguing, then the Learn to Do It musical number (Which didn’t focus on their relationship), he gives her a dress that she snarks on, she changes her hair and puts on a pretty dress, and suddenly they’re having feelings for each other. That was just an odd transition. I feel like they needed a scene before the waltz where they have a conversation and start to understand each other better before they begin to fall in love. It just makes Dimitri seem like he only started to fall for Anya because of her looks, which doesn’t make him or the relationship look the best. However, I do still enjoy Dimitri and the relationship. I just feel like they needed to develop the relationship a bit more. In all honesty, I would say it’s still the best romance from a Don Bluth movie, but the standards aren’t high there.

I also don’t like how Anastasia left her grandma when she had been looking for her family for so long only to leave her aging grandmother, who she only has so much time left with. It isn’t an awful decision but I do think they could’ve just had Dimitri move in with Anastasia and her grandmother and they could all be together. I know it implies that the royal life isn’t for Anastasia but still, I feel like they could’ve done better than that. But overall, this is honestly one of my favorite movies and much like Thumbelina, it captures the magic that’s been missing from a lot of Disney’s more recent movies.

Bartok the Magnificent

The only direct-to-video sequel that Don Bluth and Gary Goldman ever actually worked on, which is meant to be a prequel to Anastasia, focusing on Bartok. Supposedly taking place sometime before the events of Anastasia, Bartok is a con artist for his own personal circus with his partner in crime, a bear named Zozi. The royal advisor, Ludmilla, claims that the young Prince Ivan was kidnapped by the infamous witch, Baba Yaga. So Bartok, given all his false accomplishments, is sent to rescue the prince. He must accomplish three missions in order to save the prince. But Baba Yaga, obviously, didn’t actually kidnap the prince and it was really the clearly evil royal advisor, Ludmilla who wants the throne for herself.

The biggest issue this movie has is how it feels absolutely disconnected from the original Anastasia. This is meant to be a prequel but how long ago? Obviously, this takes place in a different time period but based on the fashion it’s so long ago that it’s clear that there’s no way Bartok would’ve lived long enough to be there during the events of the original movie. Not to mention that considering all he did to help Prince Ivan, it doesn’t seem realistic that he would one day work with a man who would plan to kill the royal family. I know people change but this is a pretty big leap with no real explanation. Plus, while there was magic and fantasy in the original movie, it still had a level of being grounded in reality. Whereas this movie is clearly meant to be more fantasy, campy, and clearly doesn’t take place in a world grounded in any form of reality. It just feels like two completely different worlds.

However, if you can manage to ignore those massive plot holes, it’s actually really entertaining and fun on its own. It’s nothing great but it has a lot of things going for it like enjoyable and interesting characters, a fun and whimsical look, jokes that are funny, pretty good action scenes, a good message of what’s on the inside that counts, and the quests that Bartok goes on (Even if a little repetitive) are still fun to watch. I feel like all the issues would be resolved if the protagonist wasn’t Bartok. Don’t get me wrong, I love Bartok and he might be my favorite character in the movie. But, unfortunately, his inclusion just gives the film continuity issues when it would’ve been better just to have the film be given a protagonist that was unique to this film.

The animation clearly is the weakest looking of all of Don Bluth’s movies, due to it being made for direct-to-video and not for the big screen. However, it’s still pretty good animation. Yes, there is a clear indication that corners were cut and the CGI is really dated and jarring, but it’s still pretty to look at and really plays into its more whimsical fairy-tale folklore look. Not to mention, the animators definitely had fun with the likes of Baba Yaga and Piloff, who are some of the best characters in this movie thanks to the voice acting, the animation, and good writing.

Ludmilla is an absolutely delightful villain. Yes, she’s power-hungry, selfish, and cares very little for those below her but it’s clear that she’s also frustrated with being bossed around and ignored by her boss, who is a literal child. Speaking of which, where are his parents? Anyway, I also love how Ludmilla clearly is on the brink of losing that last shred of sanity she has left. It makes it easy to believe that when she turns into a dragon, she’d go so insane she’d lose her ability to talk when she sees her new form. Plus, the performance by Catherine O’Hara is excellent, as usual. She just puts her all into any performance she gives and is just eating up the role deliciously, which makes Lubmilla so much fun to watch. I wish we got to see more of her.

While I do find Zozi entertaining, though that could be because of Kelsey Grammer’s performance, he doesn’t seem all that necessary. He doesn’t add much other than giving inspiration and motivation to Bartok. He’s fun to watch and I like his relationship with Bartok, but he doesn’t add much to the movie or have much of a point. Also, why bring Kelsey Grammer back to voice another character in this movie when he already voiced Vlad in Anastasia? Also, his design is a bit odd to me. It’s just a bit too cartoony for me personally. But maybe I’m just spoiled by the bears in Brother Bear, The Fox and the Hound, and the black bear from Balto.

The songs aren’t anything to write home about. The only songs I like are "Baba Yaga" and "Someone’s in My House", which are both pretty fun. As for the other songs, the lyrics aren’t anything special, the melodies don’t grab me, and are so mediocre that they make the songs from All Dogs Go to Heaven look like The Little Mermaid. But the titular song is definitely the worst, especially since Hank Azaria is no singer and makes it hard to listen to. Kelsey Grammer has a great voice but "A Possible Hero" is so forgettable. Catherine O’Hara has a nice enough voice, but the "The Real Ludmila" just isn’t it. It’s so unmemorable and nothing about it stands out to me. Plus, the imagery that likely inspired a lot of fetishist people on DeviantArt isn’t helping.

Overall, it’s not one of Don Bluth’s best works, but it’s still a good movie that’s a lot of fun and I can see myself revisiting it if I was in the right mood. Definitely check it out, since it’s a movie people tend to forget that Don Bluth and Gary Goldman made. But I can’t say you’ll fall in love with it and a lot of it will depend on how you felt about Bartok to begin with.

Titan A.E.

We’ve finally gotten to the last movie that Don Bluth and Gary Goldman ever made and boy was it a way to go out. In the year 3028, the human race is force to evacuate the planet due to the threat of the Drej, an alien race made of pure energy that end up destroying the planet. But before that, a young boy named Cale is given a special ring from his father, who is part of the government and didn't survive. Fifteen years later, the humans are living amongst aliens but aren’t given the best treatment. Cale has grown up to be arrogant and jaded. He’s confronted by Korso, who knew his father and tells Cale that the ring his father gave him is actually a map linked to his DNA and will lead them to the Titan, a secret project the humans created in order to make a new planet. So Cale, being forced to come along or be killed by the Drej, joins a rag-tag team to help save the human race while fighting off the Drej.

This is by far the most BORING Don Bluth movie ever and Don himself never wanted to work on the movie. He said himself that he didn’t know anything about sci-fi and wasn’t even a fan of it. But if he and Gary hadn’t done it, the animation division of 20th Century Fox would be shut down, which ended up happening with how the movie BOMBED. Neither Don or Gary were involved in the script and you can really tell, due to how lifeless this movie is. Nothing about the movie stands out because it’s dull as sandpaper and has no personality. A Troll in Central Park and Rock-a-Doodle are worse but at least they had personality.

Considering the troubled production history of this movie, it clearly reflects in the writing and what an absolute mess it is. First of all, the motivation of The Drej destroying Earth because they were afraid of what the human race would become is very flimsy. I know prejudice isn’t based on logic but this is just a weak reason. There’s a lot of things that don’t make sense like how Akima gets shot and then she’s just told she needs rest without anyone doing anything to fix her wound. It’s also really insane that the dad would give his son, who couldn’t have been any older than 6-years-old, a ring that was humanity’s last hope. First of all, ignoring the fact that a child that young is most likely to lose it, he basically just put a target on his son. Not to mention that despite it being fifteen years later, Cale is acting like the events just happened. Why is he asking for ketchup and complaining about his food moving when he should be used to eating the alien food and at this point wouldn’t even remember what ketchup taste like? Not to mention, are we really supposed to believe that characters would be dressing like this in the 3000’s? They look like grunge from the 2000’s. It’s just weak world-building.

Korso as a twist villain makes little sense because there’s no build-up. Why would he be trying to appeal to Cale’s humanity when he made it clear he didn’t care about humanity? This is a sentiment that Korso shares, so why not play to Cale’s ego and what he’d get out of it instead. Also, the way he gets caught because he was too stupid to make sure the door was closed is ridiculous. His redemption at the end wasn’t convincing in the slightest.

Speaking of Cale, he’s one of the most unlikable protagonists from a Don Bluth movie. He’s an arrogant jerk that just treats everyone terribly. I know that he’s been through a lot but he’s just too harsh for him to be likable. Not to mention he doesn’t even care about saving humanity but rather what he can get out of it. The rest of the characters aren’t very likable either. These are some of the most forgettable characters that you will ever meet. Akima is just the generic love-interest and a tough girl, Korso is dull, Stith is just a violent hothead and that’s all, Gune is just some pointless comic relief that isn’t even putting much effort into it, and The Drej are the most boring villains to ever exist. The only character I find to be entertaining is Preed, which is thanks to the fact that Nathan Lane is hamming it up a bit to make the character more interesting and fun to watch but not in a way that’s too over-the-top. The other actors play the characters too straight and that makes the characters too static whereas Nathan Lane adds some much-needed entertainment.

Speaking of the acting, this movie is proof why just because someone is a talented actor, that doesn’t mean they are necessarily good at voice acting. Matt Damon and Drew Barrymore are clearly talented actors, but their performances are too dry and lifeless. It feels like they foamed it in and their inexperience in voice acting clearly shows.

The animation is another issue. While the 2D animation looks amazing as always, due to the production troubles that caused a lot of people to get laid off, they had to cut corners by using CGI animation for backgrounds, special effects, spaceships, the Drej, and even spacesuits. At times, it can look nice, but most of the time it looks really dated. They don’t blend well at all and it’s just really jarring. The soundtrack is also odd with its very dated rock songs that don’t really match the tone of the film.

Something positive I will say is that I love that this movie actually has people of color in it. As you can tell from Don Bluth’s work, when he’s focused on humans it’s just been white people. Obviously, it still has a white protagonist but it also has an Asian leading lady with Akima and even shows both Asians and black people in the background. While it’s not groundbreaking representation, it’s still nice to see people of color in the Don Bluth style.

I will admit, I’m not the biggest fan of sci-fi, but I’m especially not a fan of the sci-fi that goes for a dull, lifeless, and apocalyptic look to it because it’s just boring and lacks any creativity. If you’ve seen my review of Lightyear on YouTube, you know why this isn’t a good idea for sci-fi. While this movie is a bit better than Lightyear, since we at least get to see some cool locations and the 2D animation is stunning, it’s still lifeless. I tend to prefer sci-fi that have more fun with their concepts like Treasure Planet, Lilo and Stitch, and Buzz Lightyear of Star Command or ones that combine fantasy with sci-fi like Atlantis: The Lost Empire or Winx Club. This movie has none of that passion or creativity. It’s clearly a by-the-numbers film that does nothing with its potential. I literally forgot about this movie after watching it and just remember how bored I was. It deserves to be known as the film that destroyed Don Bluth’s career.

The Rankings

Now that we’ve gone through all of the movies, lets rank them. As I’ve already mentioned, this is, of course, going to be biased, as it’s my own personal taste. And while I do encourage your all to share your opinions, don’t be rude about it or your comment will be deleted without hesitation. Now lets dive on into the rankings.

11. A Troll in Central Park

I would pay to have this movie erased from my mind Totally Spies style, despite the physical pain that would be inflicted on me. That’s how bad this is.  While it’s nowhere near one of the worst animated movies out there by a long shot, I was honestly embarrassed while watching this. The characters are unlikable, the songs are awful, the humor is stupid, the writing is terrible, the villains are lame, it’s unbelievably pandering, and feels like something you put on to keep your kids quiet for an hour and a half and not caring about them actually watching something with quality. If my wife and I ever decide to have kids, we aren’t letting them watch this. It’s absolutely putrid.

10. Rock-a-Doodle

This is honestly almost as bad as A Troll in Central Park. But this movie at least has an entertaining villain and one good song, which makes it marginally better. However, the characters are either bland or annoying, the other songs range from forgettable to awful, the story is a horrible mess, the comedy sucks, the live-action scenes are painfully amateur with terrible acting, and the narration is insufferable. Phil Harris deserved better than for this to be his final movie role.

9. Titan A.E.

While not awful like the other two, it’s still pretty bad. I’m not into this kind of gritty Sci-Fi, the characters range from forgettably boring to just annoyingly unlikable, the CGI is heinous, the story is dull and unmemorable, it’s clunky, and just so boring that my wife struggled to stay awake during it. It’s just a bad movie and I hate that this was the last film that Don Bluth ever made because it destroyed the career of a great artist. But Nathan Lane was a delight, as always.

8. The Pebble and the Penguin

It’s sad that a movie I enjoyed so much as a kid really doesn’t hold up. While the songs slap, the animation is gorgeous, and both Rocko and Drake are enjoyable character, everything else is a mess. Hubie is absolutely unlikable and can’t take care of himself, Marina is a non-entity, the other characters are pointless and useless, the narration is pandering, the story is a mess, the friendship between Hubie and Rocko isn’t believable, and while it’s not a bad movie it’s mediocre at best. But there’s at least a level of entertainment to it, unlike the ones lower on this list.

7. Bartok the Magnificent

This movie isn’t anything great but it’s still a lot of fun and an overall good film. While the animation clearly isn’t as strong as the other Don Bluth movies, due to it being a direct-to-video project, it’s still pretty good and has a lot of creativity. The characters are likable, the villain is fun, the story is engaging, two songs are good, and it has a good message. Its main issue is that the inclusion of Bartok, while a great and entertaining character, causes a lot of plot holes in this film and the tone of the film being totally different from its predecessor. But if you can turn your brain off and ignore that, it’s a pretty fun time on its own. I do wish Ludmilla had more screen time and that the songs were better.

6. All Dogs Go to Heaven

If my younger self was making this list, it would’ve been higher than this but there are some glaring issues. The characters aren’t that engaging, there are only two good songs in a movie that clearly didn’t need to be a musical, the villain is boring, and we really don’t get to see much of Heaven. However, it’s still a great movie with a lot of merits. The animation is gorgeous, the story we get is fun and engaging, the relationships are great, it manages to get me of all people to cry, it had the guts to kill off the protagonist, and Anne Marie is an absolute delight that elevates this movie from a good film to a great film. Plus, while I don’t enjoy it nearly as much as I did as a kid, it still holds a special place in my heart.

5. Thumbelina

Call me blinded by nostalgia all you want but I think this is a genuinely great movie. Yes, the writing isn’t the best and it clearly needed a rewrite or two. However, the film we got is still amazing in my opinion. Thumbelina is an engaging and charming character, Cornelius is a dashing and likable love interest, the romance is good, the characters are a lot of fun, the animation is gorgeous, and while "Marry the Mole" isn’t a good song, the rest of the soundtrack is an absolute banger. To me, it’s a classic and it actually has more of that Disney magic than the films Disney’s releasing nowadays. And if my younger self had made this list, this film would’ve been in the top 3.

4. An American Tail

I didn’t grow up watching this movie but I honestly wish that I did because it’s an amazing film. The characters are likable, it has a great message, the family aspect is strong, it does a good job tackling some serious issues, the animation is gorgeous, the humor is funny, the action is engaging, and it’s very likely to get you emotional, especially by the end of the film. While the songs, apart from "Somewhere Out There," aren’t anything great, they’re still pretty fun to listen to. The villain isn’t anything memorable but he serves his purpose.

3. The Secret of Nimh

I know a lot of you will end up coming for me for not having this as number one but I just don’t enjoy it as much as my top 2. The characters are likable, the story is engaging, the animation is gorgeous, the action is exciting, the hero's journey that Mrs. Brisby goes on is unique, the atmosphere is enticing, and while the villain is a bit generic he’s still fun for how devious he is. But Jeremy is absolutely annoying and I genuinely wanted Dragon to eat him. Much like An American Tail, I didn’t grow up with this movie, but I wish that I did. I can see why people consider it to be Don Bluth’s magnum opus.

2. The Land Before Time

What can I say? It’s one of my all-time favorite movies. The animation is absolutely stellar, the action scenes are intense, the characters are amazing, the friendship between the characters is spectacular, it doesn’t talk down to its audience, its aged like fine wine, Littlefoot is one of my favorite fictional male characters, and the death of Littlefoot’s Mother still makes me cry at the age of 30. If you haven’t seen it, you are missing out. This movie is iconic and it’s clear to see why it spawned so many sequels, even if only movies 2-6 are good.

Anastasia

I mean, is anyone really surprised here? I absolutely ADORE this movie. It feels like a Disney Princess movie from the Renaissance era but with Don Bluth’s own signature dark edge. Anastasia herself is one of the best fictional characters EVER, the songs are amazing, the animation is one of the most beautiful looking animated movies ever (If not THE most beautiful), the characters are likable, it gets me emotional, the action is awesome, the villain is great, and is just an all-around phenomenal movie. While I do feel like Dimitri and his relationship with Anastasia could’ve been A LOT better, they’re still pretty good.

And those were my rankings for Don Bluth’s movies. These films, even the bad ones, make me truly miss 2D animation. Lets hope that Don Bluth eventually gets to release his film version of Dragon’s Lair. At least it would give him the chance to end his film career on a better note than Titan A.E. and it would be nice to see a 2D film in the movie theater again. With computer animation being the dominant animation nowadays, traditional animation has pretty much become an endangered art form that thrives in television and independent projects. However, I’m hoping that there will be someone who will challenge Disney the way Don Bluth did. Yes, that would be difficult but it’s not impossible. After all, they had no competition in animation before Don Bluth, and had he not challenged them to do better, we wouldn’t have the Disney Renaissance. We can’t let 2D animation die because there’s a beauty to it that can’t be captured in 3D. If Don Bluth could manage to challenge Disney and force them to do better, who’s to say that someone else won’t do that as well and revive traditional animation?

So what did you guys think? Did you agree with any of my choices? What are your rankings for Don Bluth’s films? Let me know in the comments below. Let me know. Please like, comment, reblog, and follow me if you haven't already.

[frozen-snowflakesandsunflowers]

Disney 100 ✨🏰🤍

Wishing you all a happy new year and to Disney, a belated 100th anniversary! 🎉

To celebrate Disney’s century milestone, I created an illustration based on 100 of Disney’s most known and loved characters from their respective movies/ series. I’ve included all the ones I’ve known and feel are generally popular but I’m sorry if your personal favourites aren’t here.

This has been in the works for almost four months now but due to many delays I couldn’t finish it on time. So here it finally is!

Out of all these range characters, the hardest to draw was the Cars. I’m not used to drawing cars so I’m not generally good at them (yet). Some of these may look simple and easy to draw but trust me, they’re not 😂.

With drawing the characters and the background, I like to be accurate with the respective style it’s drawn/ animated in and the colours too. But also I wanted to also simplify the 3D ones and add a little depth using shadow to the 2D ones. For example some of these films would have a desaturated grainy effect to it and I wanted to keep that. But finally after months of working on it, it’s completed and I’m happy with it! ✨.

Please, please do check it out on Instagram too:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Zahra Sarfraz (@artofzahrasarfraz)

If this link doesn't work, my username is @/artofzafrasarfraz - it's where I put all my drawings up on. Please do share on stories and comment. Much appreciated 🥹🫶🏼🤍

All the 100 characters featured in this piece are listed below:

1927: Trolley Troubles / Oswald The Lucky Rabbit (2022): Oswald

1937: Snow White: Snow White and the Evil Queen

1941: Dumbo: Dumbo and Timothy Q. Mouse

1942: Bambi: Thumper and Bambi

1943: Private Pluto: Chip and Dale

1944: The Lion King: (Child) Simba

1949: Pinocchio: Pinocchio

1950: Cinderella: Cinderella

1951: Alice In Wonderland: Alice, Cheshire cat and Mad Hatter

1953: Peter Pan: Peter Pan and Tinker Bell

1959: Sleeping Beauty: Aurora and Maleficent

1963: The Sword in the Stone: Arthur Pendragon

1964: Mary Poppins: Mary Poppins

1967: 101 Dalmatians: Cruella De Vil and Patch | Jungle Book: Mowgli and Baloo

1970: Aristocats: Toulouse, Marie and Berlioz

1973: Robin Hood: Robin Hood

1977: The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh: Winnie-the-Pooh and Christopher Robin

1989: The Little Mermaid: Ariel, Flounder, Sebastian and Ursula

1991: Beauty And The Beast: Belle

1992: Aladdin: Aladdin, Jasmine and the Genie

1993: Steamboat Willie/ Mickey Mouse Series: Mickey & Minnie Mouse | Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas: Jack Skellingtion

1995: Lady and the Tramp: Lady & Tramp | Toy Story: Woody and Buzz Light-year | Pocahontas: Pocahontas

1997: Hercules: Hercules & Megara

1998: Mulan: Mulan | A Bug's Life: Flik

2000: The Emperor's New Groove: Kuzco

2001: Monsters Inc: Sulley, Mike and Mary Gibbs aka Boo

2002: Lilo & Stitch: Lilo and Stitch

2003: Finding Nemo: Nemo and Dory

2004: The Incredibles - Helen Parr aka Elastic girl, Robert (Rob) Parr aka Mr. Incredible, Jack-Jack Parr and Edna Mode

2006: Cars: Lighting McQueen and Tow Mater

2007: Enchanted: Giselle Phillip

2008: WALL - E: Wall-E & Eve | Phineas and Ferb: Phineas Flynn and Ferb Fletcher

2009: The Princess and the Frog: Tiana | UP: Carl Fredricksen and Dug

2010: Tangled: Rapunzel & Flynn Ryder aka Eugene Fitzherbert and Pascal

2012: BRAVE: Merida | Wreck-It Ralph: Wreck-It Ralph and Vanellope Von Schweetz

2013: Frozen: Elsa, Anna and Olaf

2014: Big Hero Six: Baymax

2015: Inside Out: Joy and Sadness

2016: Moana: Moana | Zootopia (2016): Nick Wilde & Judith (Judy) Laverne Hopps

2017: COCO: Miguel Rivera

2020: Soul: Joe and 22

2021: Luca: Luca | Encanto: Mirabel and Isabella Mardigal | Raya And The Last Dragon: Raya

2022: Red Panda: Mei Lee aka the Red Panda

2023: Elemental: Ember Lumen & Wade Ripple | Wish: Asha and Star

[atarahderek]

Disney Horses

Disney has never tried doing a franchise focused on their equine characters, and I am disappointed. So here is a partial compilation of Disney horses--namely the ones I think would be the most marketable--just in case Disney should ever change their mind on that point and wants a reference guide to which horses they should include in the line.

Major (Cinderella, 1950)

Major is a gray stallion who is temporarily transformed into a coachman for Cinderella's night at the ball.

Samson (Sleeping Beauty, 1959)

Samson is a gray stallion belonging to Prince Phillip. He is shown to be fast and fearless, and he hates distractions and detours.

Captain (101 Dalmatians, 1961)

Captain is a gray draft stallion who lives in the English countryside. He is instrumental in aiding in the rescue of Pongo and Perdita's puppies, and helps provide them with shelter and protection during their trek back to London.

Frou Frou (Aristocats, 1970)

Frou Frou is a flaxen chestnut light draft mare belonging to Madame Adelaide Bonfamille of Paris, France. She is a close friend of Duchess and her kittens. She is the only mare to be prominently featured in a Disney animated feature film with a specific storyline. Fantasia (1940) features a pegasus mare in one of its sequences (the mother of Peter Pegasus).

Philippe (Beauty and the Beast, 1991)

Philippe is a flaxen chestnut Belgian draft stallion who belongs to Maurice and Belle. He is very cautious and skittish, but bravely returns with Belle to the Beast's castle to find her father.

Achilles (The Hunchback of Notre Dame, 1996)

Achilles is a gray warhorse who belongs to Captain Phoebus. He is trained to respond to commands the same way a dog would, and even knows how to sit and heel. He appears to get along with Frollo's Friesian stallion Snowball, despite their owners being on opposites sides.

Pegasus (Hercules, 1997)

Pegasus is a pegasus stallion belonging to Hercules. He is white with a blue mane and tail. Pegasus isn't the most intelligent horse, but he's very loyal and courageous.

Khan (Mulan, 1998)

Khan is Mulan's faithful black stallion. He carries her into battle against the Huns.

Bullseye (Toy Story 2, 1999)

Bullseye is a chestnut stallion who serves as Woody's loyal steed in the children's show that spawned the toy line Woody is part of. In the Toy Story films, Bullseye is Jessie's closest friend and ally.

Buck (Home on the Range, 2004)

Buck is a bay stallion belonging to Sheriff Brown. He is incredibly egotistical and admires the bounty hunter Rico until he learns Rico is working for the notorious Alameda Slim.

Maximus (Tangled, 2010)

Maximus is a light silver Andalusian stallion who loyally serves the Captain of the Guard, acting as both his mount and his right hand man. He is intelligent, brave and fiercely patriotic. He dedicates his life to protecting Princess Rapunzel on all her adventures.

Angus (Brave, 2012)

Angus is a black Shire stallion who serves as Merida's mount and best friend. He has good judgment and hates having to carry Merida into danger, but will do so if the cause is just.

Sitron (Frozen, 2013)

Sitron is a brunblakk (brown dun) fjord stallion who belongs to Prince Hans of the Southern Isles. Despite his owner's sinister nature, Sitron is a polite, friendly horse with fast reflexes and an instinct to protect.

Fidella (Tangled the Series, 2017)

Fidella is a bay draft mare who belongs to Cassandra. She is fast, strong and brave, and Maximus develops a crush on her. Fidella does not come from a feature film, but this list desperately needed another mare.

The Nokk (Frozen II, 2019)

The Nokk is a Scandinavian water spirit tamed by Elsa. It serves as her mount. While it is Elsa's friend and allows her to ride it, it is still very wild and will drown trespassers on the Dark Sea.

[kneesheee]

Honestly speaking, it’s so many extra characters to add in the Descendants verse.

I tend to look at the antagonist from the television shows, games, and abandoned characters. Alongside minor characters if I need a character on the “good” side.

Here are just a few scrapped characters:

Marguerite is a character who was deleted from the final version of Beauty and the Beast, and would have acted as the co-antagonist alongside Gaston. 

Belle's Sisters were two characters who were deleted from the 1991 film Beauty and the Beast, and would have acted as co-antagonist with Belle's Suitors. 

Belle's Suitors were three characters who were deleted from the 1988 screenplay of Beauty and the Beast, and would have had an antagonistic role, along with Belle's Sisters.

In one early concept of Aladdin, there was going to be a Genie in the Ring that would team up with Jafar.

Professor Lefoof was supposed to be Anastasia and Drizella's music teacher, until it was decided that it would simply be Lady Tremaine, who led her daughters' singing lesson.

Arawn was the original main antagonist for the film The Black Cauldron. However, he was replaced by the Horned King.

Elvira was a deleted character from The Aristocats. She was Madame Bonfamillie's maid who assisted Edgar in his scheme to get rid of the cats.

Mick, Bowie, and Lemmy were three mummies Who assisted Yzma and were considered the tertiary antagonists in Kingdom of the Sun, the working title of The Emperor's New Groove. Their names were taken from those of three famous rock stars: Mick Jagger, David Bowie, and Lemmy Kilmister. They were replaced with Kronk.

The Vulture is a character that was originally created for Sleeping Beauty but was deleted during the film's production. Originally, Maleficent was going to have a pet vulture, which was meant to serve as comic relief (very similar to Iago) and had a New York accent. However, because his role did not contribute much to the story and also somewhat detracted from that imposing nature of Maleficent, he was cut from the final version of the film. Despite this, there was dialogue written for the vulture and some rough sketches for the character.

Zoltan the Magnificent is a deleted character in Atlantis: The Lost Empire who was recruited aboard the Ulysses as a medium claiming to be able to communicate telepathically with the Atlanteans. He was intended as a counterpart to Milo and other more scientifically-minded members of the crew; however, he was cut from the final version of the movie.

The Hunter is a character who was cut in the final from Disney's 1985 film The Black Cauldron.

These are a few antagonists from the shows:

Kileem is an antagonist in the Aladdin TV series. He was once a feared warrior who wore a suit of invincible armor. Many tried to defeat him but all failed. When Kileem finally passed away, his spirit possessed the armor. He appeared in the episode "Armored and Dangerous".

Mozenrath is a recurring antagonist in the Disney 1994-1995 Aladdin animated television series. He is a young sorcerer and necromancer who rules over the Land of the Black Sand.

Saleen is a minor recurring antagonist from the Disney animated television series, Aladdin. She is an evil mermaid sorceress with powerful aquatic abilities who attempts to steal Aladdin away from Jasmine; tbh, I headcanon her as Jay’s mom.

Abis Mal is one of the main antagonists in the Aladdin television series, first seen as the secondary antagonist in the direct-to-video film The Return of Jafar.

Ajed Al-Gebraic is Genie's old master, who is very greedy. He used up all his three wishes and sold Genie to a Sorcerer for eternal life, but not eternal youth. He appears in the episode "Genie Hunt".

Arbutus is a minor character from the Disney animated series Aladdin. He is a sorcerer and an entity of nature who thinks of himself as an artist.

 Lobster Mobster and Da Shrimp are recurring antagonists from The Little Mermaid television series. They are bumbling con-artists, who constantly antagonize Ariel and her friends

The Evil Manta, or just Manta, is a major antagonist who appears in Disney's TV series The Little Mermaid. Although it is unknown how old he is, he is believed to be ageless. He has the form of a giant black and purple manta ray, giving a foul presence wherever he dwells. He has a son named Little Evil; tbh, I headcanon him as Uma’s dad.

Ebb and Flo are two alligators and antagonists from the former Disney Channel series The Little Mermaid. They only appear in the episode "Beached".

Emperor Sharga is a character and villain from The Little Mermaid television series. Sharga is the emperor of Sharkania and the leader of the Sharkanians, a race of aquatic creatures that are related to sharks, just as merpeople are related to fish. He is cunning and tricky, and wants to take over Atlantica.

Daniel was Dr. Vile's apprentice; despite not liking it, nevertheless, had no choice because he needed the money for his poor family, in The Little Mermaid television series.

Dr. Vile is an antagonist in Disney's The Little Mermaid series. He appeared in the episode "Island of Fear". He is the former employer of Daniel who loves experimenting on crabs and turning them into crab mutant monsters.

Moray is a recurring character from The Little Mermaid television series. He is a moray eel who is dedicated to defrauding the people of Atlantica. He often tries to get Ariel into trouble.

Little Evil is a minor character in the television series The Little Mermaid. He is the son of Manta, who is a recurring villain in the series.

 The Sorceress (or The Lady in the Cave) is a minor antagonist who appears in the television series The Little Mermaid.

 Octopans (pronounced: "oc-to-puns") are a hostile species of aquatic humanoids, prevalent in The Little Mermaid franchise. They look to be a combination of cephalopods and human beings. Ursula was their leader.

King Trevor is a minor antagonist in Tangled: The Series. He is the ruler of the kingdom of Equis and King Frederic's longtime rival.

Andrew (real name Hubert) is a minor antagonist who appears in Tangled: The Series. He is a mysterious visitor from out of town who forms a relationship with Cassandra in hopes of using her to steal an ancient journal.

The Separatists of Saporia is a centuries-old organization dedicated to destroying the kingdom of Corona. Their members hail from what was once Corona's rival kingdom, Saporia.

Ruthless Ruth is a ghost, who appears in the episode "The Wrath of Ruthless Ruth" of Tangled: The Series. She was the original owner of The Snuggly Duckling who had a barbaric reputation, but also has a secret talent for writing and singing songs.

Anthony the Weasel is an antagonist in Tangled: The Series. Weasel works for The Baron as his assistant, until he took his Kai spider ring and his minions.

The Baron is an antagonist in Tangled: The Series. He is a notorious kingpin that has a history with Flynn Rider and Lance Strongbow.

Sugracha the Eternal (also known by her alias Mrs. Sugarby) is a servant of Zhan Tiri and former pupil of Lord Demanitus who gathering her candidates to gain people's trust.

Stalyan is an antagonist, later a minor character in Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure. She is Eugene's ex-fiancée and the Baron's daughter.

Mother and Father are antagonists in Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure. They are an enigmatic couple who dwell in a cottage in the woods.

Lady Caine is the main antagonist of Tangled: Before Ever After and a recurring antagonist in Tangled: The Series. She is the leader of a pirate gang.

Hector is an antagonist in Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure, who first appears in the special "Rapunzel and the Great Tree". He is a villainous warrior and the most dangerous and sadistic member of the Brotherhood, sworn to keep all away from The Dark Kingdom.

Tromus (also known by his alias Matthews) is a servant of Zhan Tiri and former pupil of Lord Demanitus who trapped Rapunzel and her friends in The House of Yesterday's Tomorrow.

Brock Thunderstrike is a character in Tangled: The Series. He impersonates Eugene Fitzherbert as his former alias Flynn Rider.

Pocket is a minor antagonist in Tangled: The Series. He serves as the assistant of Lady Caine.

A Few Characters from the Games:

Nasira is the main antagonist of Nasira's Revenge. She is Jafar's fraternal twin sister.

Bizarrah is an evil genie and the main antagonist of Disney's MathQuest With Aladdin.

Characters from Prequels and sequels:

Marina Del Rey is the main antagonist of Disney's 2008 animated prequel film The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning. She is the governess of Ariel and her sisters, but strives to gain Sebastian's job by any means necessary.

Benjamin is Marina Del Rey's right hand manatee and a supporting character from The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning.

Fife is the secondary antagonist (later a supporting protagonist) from Disney's 1997 animated film Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas, a midquel to the 1991 animated film Beauty and the Beast. He is one of the Beast's servants who was turned into a piccolo by the Enchantress' curse.

Maestro Forte is the main antagonist of Disney's 1997 direct-to-video sequel film Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas. He was the castle's former music conductor. When the Enchantress put the spell on the Beast, Forte was turned into a pipe organ. In this form, Forte found himself more useful to his master as a composer and was willing to do everything in his power to stay in that form.

Pom-Pom is a minor antagonist in Disney's 2002 direct-to-video film, Cinderella II: Dreams Come True. She is a white female cat who lives in the King's Castle, with him as her owner. She is a minor character in Disney's 2007 animated film, Cinderella III: A Twist in Time.

Prince Jeeki is the former secondary antagonist of Mulan II. He is Lord Qin's eldest son.

Lord Qin is the former main antagonist of Mulan II.

Edgar Volgud is an antagonist in Atlantis: Milo's Return. He is allied with the Krakken, being somehow able to control the creature.

Ashtin Carnaby (otherwise known as Carnaby) is the secondary antagonist in Atlantis: Milo's Return, acting as the main antagonist in the film's second segment. Described by Sam McKeane as "slipperier than a spotted toad in a rainstorm."

Erik "Odin" Hellstrom is the main antagonist in the third and final adventure in Atlantis: Milo's Return.

Matangi is a main antagonist in the Disney's upcoming 2024 animated feature film Moana 2. She is described as a mysterious new character.

Live Action Characters:

Gerda is the secondary antagonist of Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, serving as Queen Ingrith's stewardess and engineer.

Lickspittle is a character who appears in the 2019 Disney live-action film, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. Serving under the tyranny of Queen Ingrith, Lickspittle works in his lab as a scientist using Tomb Bloom flowers, using it to mix with iron powder. In his lab is a collection of fairies trapped inside jars so that whenever he mixes a Tomb Bloom's pollen with iron powder, it creates crimson powder, eradicating every type of fairy (including Dark Fey) instantly.

[basedkikuenjoyer]

Ooh, these were so so fun! Maybe not quite the Perfect 10 that was A Woman Called Fujiko Mine but this is kinda like the adult equivalent of my favorite Disney movie getting a direct-to-video sequel. Which of course The Aristocats did not get because it was so old...

Anyways, if you want the vibe and spirit of that version with more standard Lupin stories? These two are gonna be right up your alley. They do continue being the prequel series, starting with The Gravestone of Daisuke Jigen about the titular gunman. Classic Jigen story at its best, his soft spot for women comes back to haunt him. Then The Blood Spatter of Goemon Ishikawa is an absolutely brutal samurai movie with Lupin, Jigen, Fujiko, & Zenigata as a Greek Chorus. Each is an hour long, presented as two episodes. There is a third, Fujiko Mine's Lie, which I will of course get to.

Jigen's had the better overall presentation to me, but Goemon's felt more like a "Goemon" movie than a "Lupin" one. I love the villain. This bigass country boy who's honestly pretty affable but downright brutal. Wish I had a smoother gif than this one but it was my favorite scene. The way he just overpowers Goemon and it shatters the samurai was some solid storytelling.

All in all, these were great. Lupin III is criminally underrated in Western anime fandom but I loved staying up for it at the end of those early Adult Swim blocks. Happy to have more of the phenomenal Woman Called Fujiko Mine adaptation even if it isn't all trippy and bizarre. The music is so, so on point too. Check out Jigen's theme song!