#this is gonne get so long if we actually do all of them lmao rip

[paperstorm]

I have decided with my bestie to watch all the Disney movies in chronological order and what better pairing than to subject tumblr to my thoughts about them. Obviously we aren't gonna watch every single movie that Disney owns so we'll be somewhat subjective on what counts as an official animated feature film. And will probably skip some of the racist ones and maybe some sequels. But I digress.

Dumbo (1941)

Preface: movie number two with the “sorry for being racist” warning.

Pros:

I do genuinely miss when movies had credits before them. It feels so nostalgic but also respectful of all the people who worked on the movie and we’ve lost that in favor of only caring about the actors.

The scene at the beginning of all the baby animals being delivered by the storks is one of the more delightful things I have ever seen.

The animation is cute in a new way, I don’t know enough about art to put my finger on exactly what’s different but it’s got more of an adorable quality to it, and less of that 1930s creepy quality

A stork voiced by Sterling Holloway!! (beloved voice actor best known for Winnie the Pooh)

Cons

Like 90% of the characters in his movie are MEAN. The ringmaster is mean, the other elephants are mean, the circus attendees are mean, the crows are mean, the clowns are mean. My sensitive heart was not built to withstand a bunch of characters being mean to a crying baby elephant. Genuinely upsetting.

There is a drunken hallucination scene of dancing elephants that goes on for like 8 minutes and has nothing to do with anything.

The crows are as racist as I remembered and then some. The irony of writing a movie about how awful it is to be mean to someone because they’re different (Dumbo with his big ears) but then still having a super racist caricatures within that movie is Joanne Rowling levels of not understanding the point of your own story.

Verdict: Mostly just kind of boring. It’s not terrible but it’s not really good either.

2/10

[older movie reviews under the cut]

Fantasia (1940)

Preface: This is the first of the handful of movies with the “sorry for being racist” content warning before it, however the version streaming on Disney+ has actually removed the offending scene (a truly horrendous depiction of a black centaur).

Pros:

I was not looking forward to this one. I remembered from childhood that it was very weird and boring. And here’s the thing, to a child it would probably still be weird and boring. But the purpose of this feature (which I had not remembered) was to be a giant love letter to MUSIC. It was a bold and creative idea to use animation, a still somewhat new art form, to visually display the way music makes you feel and to reimagine the stories being told in the pieces. And unlike child me, adult me has a degree in classical music and generally nerds out a whole lot over music so unexpectedly this movie was so right up my alley

Visually stunning. The thought of this being a showcase for what animation can do since it was still somewhat new in cinematography, is very cool.

The music is beautiful, and even without my education I think I would have recognized most of these pieces which gives it a familiar feel. The Nutcracker Suite is a personal favourite and it’s beautifully done by the Philadelphia Orchestra.

The animation really does match the music in a pretty magical way – during the dinosaur chapter where the music is 20th century modern (brash and bombastic) the animation is much harsher with dark colours and sharp edges, vs the animation in the segment about Greek myths set to Romantic era Beethoven, which is softer and pastel.

Cons:

It’s too long. Over 2 hours, which is very lengthy considering the concept. In parts my attention drifted. But there is an actual intermission with a title card for it and everything so you can break it up neatly into two, like we did.

The chapter depicting the evolution and then extinction of the dinosaurs is the least entertaining in my opinion and it drags on, despite Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring being a messy neoclassical masterpiece.

Obviously because of what it is, there isn’t a larger story, which makes it just sort of an odd venture.

DINOSAUR SLANDER. This con is mostly a joke but there is a part where the narrator goes on for like 7 minutes about how dumb dinosaurs were which just feels mean.

Verdict: Better than I remembered or expected! If you do not like classical music it might not be for you but your adult self might like this one more than your kid self did.

6.75/10

Pinocchio (1940)

Pros:

I love an aminated movies opening with a book, and someone telling us the story. Also loved that in the opening scene that shows Pinocchio in book form, books of Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan are also in the shot, which Disney hadn’t yet made movies for

Patches on clothing are such an interesting staple of old cartoons, from a bygone era when people used to actually repair their clothes. I don’t know if that counts as a pro of this particular movie but it’s a thought I had

Figaro the cat is such a hater which is so perfectly on brand for cats

More impressive advances in animation – I don’t know how they made the Blue Fairy transparent but it’s very cool

Cons:

Despite the transparent Blue Fairy, in general the animation in this movie doesn’t have the same magic to it that some others do. It feels sort of cheap and uninspired, I can’t explain it but it’s missing something. Snow White was beautiful, the animation in this one is kind of bland

Pets are a thing that exist in this universe - Geppetto has a cat and a fish - but then there's randomly a fox and a cat (both the size of humans) walking around in clothing as if they are people when every other character is human

Stromboli is supposed to be Italian I think but his animation and character feels deeply racist in a way I can’t quite put my finger on. He is referred to at one point as the G slur so I’m not sure if maybe he’s meant to be Roma? He feels like a weird mix of anti-Jewish and anti-Arab stereotypes even though I don’t think he’s supposed to be either. It’s highly uncomfortable

I feel like we’ve all Mandela-effect-ed ourselves about Pinocchio and his growing nose. I remembered it being a big part of the plot but it’s literally one small scene about halfway through and then it never happens again

Pleasure Island is incredibly creepy and the scene where boys are turning into donkeys is super unsettling. Perhaps that should be a pro since it was probably supposed to be unsettling, but it’s a con for me because I did not enjoy it

How is Geppetto alive in inside a whale. I know it’s a cartoon and I know it’s based on an old story but STILL. Also Pinocchio is totally fine just like hanging out at the bottom of the ocean for like 25 minutes (because he’s made of wood and isn’t really alive yet), but then somehow at the end of the scene he drowns to death in a puddle? Make it make sense

The plot is … weird. It’s just weird. It feels like a combination of about 4 different stories – the creation of Pinocchio, falling in with Stromboli and the puppet show, going to Pleasure Island, and rescuing Geppetto from the whale all feel like separate stories that come one after another but don’t really relate to each other that much, and the tone of the movie also changes significantly with each one in a way that is not cohesive

At the end of the movie there’s still a whole island of enslaved, kidnapped donkey children that are just never mentioned again so … dunno what to do with that

Verdict: Weird. Very, very weird, and not in a good way. I did not remember from childhood how genuinely strange this story is.

1/10

Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (1937)

Pros:

The animation is beautiful. I got weirdly emotional thinking about people in 1937 seeing this for the first time, how mind-blowing it must have been. I know almost nothing about animation but I was genuinely impressed with the techniques used for movement, considering how old this is and how new the medium was. Also the movement of people’s hands and faces is so similar to other cartoons of the same era (I’m thinking Betty Boop but also others) which was kind of cool to see

Weirdly nostalgic in a way I wasn’t expecting, there are several songs I had in the back of my mind but had totally forgotten were from Snow White – Whistle While You Work and the song the Prince sings

The evil queen is so fucking cunty I was flabbergasted. I love her. More cunty Disney villains please (also, ICONIC scene where her cape flows as she runs down a spiral staircase. I was obsessed with that as a kid and the fluidity of the animation is incredible for the time)

I loved how melodic it all was, the sound of footsteps down the stairs or the dwarves falling down all to the beat of the musical score made the whole thing flow so nicely. I miss when movies did this

Cons:

Obligatory note that you shouldn’t kiss strangers in comas

The ending is kind of a bummer, I forgot she leaves the dwarves who love her for some guy she met 10 minutes ago. But alas, I guess that’s how the fairy tale went

Adriana Caselotti’s squeaky operatic soprano is iconic, but not particularly pleasant to listen to

Verdict: Delightful. Truly delightful. Obviously not a new or innovative story but it was very nostalgic and I enjoyed it much more than I was expecting.

8/10

[definitelycay]

Wow these questions r very huh mmkay I can do introspection let's go

I have never thought of that. But since it's very me, uh...I like Fanta. Orange Fanta. Not constantly but it's nice every now and then specifically cold and bubbly. I think cos my name isn't meant to be taken too seriously (it was very lazy and originally a... "joke") and neither am I, then Fanta 👍

I've never really thought about having a favourite person, I suppose, I consider my friends my favourite people. But then if I had to choose I'd say my best friend. We don't spend much time together these days but we've been friends for like... 14 (?) Years now? She's very important to me, I don't need to talk just to know she's there and I can talk. And she wears glasses, so she makes me think of glasses, so glasses lens is my answer! Or maybe something like a boba drink. But a spiky boba drink. Like she's got the bubbles boba tea vibe but she's also rather...in the nicest way judgy and gets angry easily sometimes... wow this answer is getting too long let's stop before I describe her completely

Cried: I don't cry very often and when I do it's usually in the same few places. I can think of some bad places I cried (the toilet rip) but for the nicest... I want to say my bed. Sort of. It's nice because I have heeeeaps of plushies/pillows to feel comfy with, and comfy is a good place to cry. But at the same time, I remember having to stifle my like, crying noises because I didn't want my family to hear and ask what's wrong because I can't tell them. So maybe the nicest place would be when I could cry out loud. That means either my car or the floor when no one's home. Lmao.

Screamed: I don't really scream. Like aloud at least. So I'm gonna replace this one with a feeling that idk just felt like something, but it was definetly a scene. Because I think sitting in my car outside my friend's house after I picked up a binder from their mail box and eating increasingly-cold Maccas chips with Frank Sinatra's My Way playing right after I'd had a psychology appointment just really sticks with ya yk. Full dead stare and it's funny to think about.

Laughed: anywhere with my friends. I don't care, but if I can get to the point where I'm genuinely laughing then it's nice.

Best way I've been shown love...? I don't know. But I am a very materialistic person. If someone gets me a gift, I don't care what it is, I struggle to part with it. I am a bit of a hoarder, but I don't know, if someone gets me something with a bit of thought behind it or even if not? Like not all presents but trinkets and things and especially drawings I love collecting my friends' drawings I think they're very special. Mum got me a pocket frog one time with a cheesy line about love on it and I haven't put it anywhere special but I know I'm going to keep it. Especially if i get kicked out. Pieces of people, I suppose.

Pick one? Nuh. In a week? Doing what I've been doing but hopefully feeling better than i have this week. I have less work...at this point. And I'm meeting up with friends (one has a birthday actually) so...doing what I've been doing for the last couple weeks. Work and friends, but hopefully more rested than I've been recently. Pretty sure I was breaking down in some of the earlier days this week haha. In another lifetime? Idc isekai me. Why live in a normal world when I could have magic? I want magic. And dragons. And other mythical creatures and demihumans. Idc give me a generic male fantasy world it'll be fun. One where I can be a part of a brotherhood and have brothers in arms to go on adventures and be good with swords and weapons but still enjoy my books and knowledge and I can feel confident in myself. Magic and the rest of that may be a bit difficult in this universe, but I'll do my best (I already have a sword. And an axe. And a bow)

Yeah, I don't get the obsession with virginity. I mean it only makes sense in liek...idk the only person that's probably gonna read this is a minor I'm not gonna reveal that I'm that weird. Ahem. I don't think it matters so much. It's a cute thing if like u can say "oh we had our first time together yippee" or "I remember my first time..." and it being good or bad or whatever... but like there's a first time for everything and people don't generally place so much weight on that. It's very purity culture...and if that's ur thing, like u can value ur virginity. That's good. Do it when ur ready. But for people who can't and stuff... it matters more that they were sa'd in the first place and there's no need to add more stress. And what is virginity really? How do u know what counts as sex? Does it need to include penetrative? Uh yeah virginity is weird and placing so much of a "you only get one" on it when..."it" doesn't really exist to the extent that some people make it seem. Just. Eh. Sex is sex there will be more sex or there won't. I don't know if any if these r making sense.

Who would help me? Depends on what it is but for the important stuff... I rely on myself a lot. Sometimes I feel like that's all I can or should do. But then I think about it more and my friends have helped me...and also some of my friends' parents, actually. For just one instance, I owe one for explaining to me how to get a psychology appointment and meds if I want them and she later came to my gp appointment, and another friend for helping me actually do it...and his mum for calling and setting up the gp appointment. I don't like phone calls. That was at the start of the year, though, and when I got my gp review a month or so ago I called up myself ! Yippee. And...my family tries to help me. Sort of. But I don't think I can rely on them. Not fully. Not yet and for some maybe never.

My sibling is good! Sad I don't spend much time with her ig...but she's growing and we mess around a lot recently, do goofy stuff and it's fun. I think she's happy. My cousins... I think all of them are good. I don't see them often. Or talk with them. My fault somewhat. I'm busy. They're busy. One has another child coming...I think she's happy, and she deserves it because she's been through a lot. One is moving around a lot and had a real bad relationship but...I think he's okay? Maybe? I was a lot closer to him when we were younger and used to do dumb things together and wrestle. I don't know how to talk to him now. I think two of the others are okay... and some others are young so they're goofy children. With all of them, like all my family, I wish I could be more open because I feel like there's a wall. Including my sister. I can't be honest. I want my sister to know she has a brother. But maybe I'm being too dramatic, I still like them all. Some of them are the first I'd talk to anyway. I do wish I could actually get to know them better though...

I think I'm wasting too much time doomscrolling and repeating so many things... there's so much, so much I want to do. I can technically do it but I get overwhelmed...and yet, I'm still pretty happy. Recently I've been very tired, so clearly I'm doing a heap. I went to a friggen Hatsune Miku expo??? I feel like I'm doing more this year than I ever have and that makes me satisfied....to a point.

Yes? Mostly. I had a very sad and touchy week so this may not be the best time to ask...im very stressed about the future. Most of it is my fault. But also the housing market should just crash like wth actually.

When? I need to stop thinking about transitioning. But it makes me very happy. It won't solve all my problems and all its been doing is creating more problems so far... but when do I see myself being happy (more than i am now. I am grateful for my friends and the times i have fun with my family and just chill)...when I can present as myself, when I have worked out my mummy issues and any other ones I have with others in my family or at least the major ones. I'd also like to have yk a house and maybe a stable job...or at least be good at uni and be on my way to a good job (I picked a terrible field for that). When i can actually schedule my hobbies well... ik ppl everywhere struggle with this constantly. Just when I can live my life and be more mentally stable about problems etc. Also running around shirtless is very important. Just when I can be goofy and dumb rather than anxious and careful. Even if I'm still anxious, I can still be openly goofy. So. Sometime. I think I've taken the first few steps to that. I hope I can keep walking to it and everything goes as well as it can.

Wow what long answers this took longer than I thought...turns out I will spill my life story at the slightest push. I think I answered them all? Maybe?

Get to know you questions:

What drink does your name taste like?

What textured surface would your favourite person be (ie dogs fur, grass, concrete)

What's the most beautiful place you've cried?

Screamed?

Laughed?

What's the best way you've ever been shown love?

Where do you see yourself in your next lifetime or in a week (pick one)?

Do you think we as a society place too much significance on virginity?

Why/why not?

Who would help you?

How are your siblings? Cousins?

Are you wringing the syrup out of every moment? Getting all you can from your life?

Are you happy?

When do you see yourself being happy?

Why is that?