A week or two ago, summer began officially. At least for me. And it being summer, and me being, regretfully, unemployed, I got it in me to work systematically through all those films I had so regretfully neglected due to more pressing concerns. But, where to begin? I hadn't the faintest clue. Still, it didn't take long at all to decide which direction to press on in first: Disney. With films so short and (from time to time) sweet, it would be no tall task. And I had felt I might be shortchanging Disney, never missing an opportunity to make it perfectly clear just how overrated I think Disney is.
So, I thought, Disney it is, and made up a list of the notables, including not only the old standbys, but more recent and underrated efforts as well. For the sake of fairness, I left no stone unturned and did my best to go into each film with a relatively open mind. While I might not car for Disney, who is to say I wouldn't or couldn't enjoy one of their films? Even DreamWorks manages to get it right now and again.
As it turns out, Disney is not incapable of finding the mark. Like with DreamWorks, most of what you find consists of dirt clods or fossilized excrement, but if you keep on digging, you'll soon be rewarded with that rare gem of the bunch. Of the 34 Disney movies I have seen, I only particularly like about 11 of them, and that is using the term like rather loosely. Only 7 of those 11 films are not marred by a glaring flaw or two and keep me entertained throughout: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, THE LION KING, TARZAN, FANTASIA 2000, THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG, THE EMPEROR'S NEW GROOVE and MULAN. And those 7, which hit the nail so squarely on the head, only served to make the others ever so much more disappointing.
FANTASIA 2000, for example, further illuminated the flaws of its predecessor by doing away with them for the most part. Many consider it rather by-the-numbers and feel it lacks the warmth and human touch of the original. Just the opposite, I think. I found FANTASIA distancing, an experiment executed in a cold and calculated manner. With the exception of one segment, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," it seems ever aware of its artistic leanings. And, by lending the film its narration, Deems Taylor gives it all a stuffy air. Whereas, in FANTASIA 2000, the cast of narrators is diverse and each has a passion that is readily apparent. And, just as the Devil is in the details, so is Man. The imperfections of a film, such as FANTASIA 2000, do not so much distract from the film as they reveal to everyone the man behind the curtain at the controls, working his magic on us all. And I like to think of that man as being more like The Sorcerer's Apprentice than The Sorcerer himself. Though he is no sorcerer, he has access to a well of magic just the same. With that magic, he can just as easily bugger things as he can produce something genuinely magical, for he has that undeniably human characteristic that The Sorcerer lacks, heart, and so is subject to failings just like each and every one of us.
So, all that said, here are my Disney rankings. I imagine most would not be liable to agree with them, but that does mean my opinion should hold less weight. Quite the contrary. I always find dissenting opinions most interesting to read.
01. Beauty and the Beast (1991; Dir. Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise)
02. The Lion King (1992; Dir. Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff)
03. Tarzan (1999; Dir. Chris Buck, Kevin Lima)
04. Fantasia 2000 (1999; Dir. James Algar, Gaetan Brizzi, Paul Brizzi, Hendel Butoy, Francis Glebas, Eric Goldberg, Don Hahn, Pixote Hunt)
05. The Princess and the Frog (2009; Dir. Ron Clements, John Musker)
06. The Emperor's New Groove (2000; Dir. Mark Dindal)
07. Mulan (1998; Dir. Ron Clements, John Musker)
08. Hercules (1997; Dir. Ron Clements, John Musker)
09. Fantasia (1940; Dir. James Algar, Samuel Armstrong, Ford Beebe, Norman Ferguson, Jim Handley, T. Hee, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske, Bill Roberts, Paul Satterfield, Ben Sharpsteen)
10. Dumbo (1941; Dir. Ben Sharpsteen)
11. Lady and the Tramp (1955; Dir. Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske)
12. Enchanted (2007; Dir. Kevin Lima)
13. Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001; Dir. Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise)
14. Treasure Planet (2002; Dir. Ron Clements, John Musker)
15. Pocahontas (1995; Dir. Mike Gabriel, Eric Goldberg)
16. The Little Mermaid (1989; Dir. Ron Clements, John Musker)
17. The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996; Dir. Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise)
18. Peter Pan (1953; Dir. P.J. Hoggan)
19. One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961; Dir. Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske, Wolfgang Reitherman)
20. The Rescuers (1977; Dir. John Lounsbery, Wolfgang Reitherman, Art Stevens)
21. The Fox and the Hound (1981; Dir. Ted Berman, Richard Rich, Art Stevens)
22. Aladdin (1992; Dir. Ron Clements, John Musker)
23. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977; Dir. John Lounsberry, Wolfgang Reitherman)
24. Mary Poppins (1964; Dir. Robert Stevenson)
25. Alice in Wonderland (1951; Dir. Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske)
26. The Black Cauldron (1985; Dir. Ted Berman, Richard Rich)
27. Bambi (1942; Dir. David Hand)
28. Cinderella (1950; Dir. Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske)
29. Sleeping Beauty (1959; Dir. Clyde Geronimi)
30. Pinocchio (1940; Dir. Ben Sharpsteen, Hamilton Luske, Norman Ferguson, T. Hee, Wilfred Jackson, Jack Kinney, Bill Roberts)
31. Bolt (2008; Dir. Byron Howard, Chris Williams)
32. The Jungle Book (1967; Dir. Wolfgang Reitherman)
33. Robin Hood (1973; Dir. Wolfgang Reitherman)
34. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937; Dir. David Hand, William Cottrell, Wilfred Jackson, Larry Morey, Perce Pearce, Ben Sharpsteen)
Now, I shall set Disney aside and turn my focus to something else. I'm thinking noirs will be next.
