Disney films

[Ted]

Ah Disney, They've made timeless classics over the past years and some of them are regarded the best of all time. This thread discusses all the classic (and modern) films, you can discuss stuff like the films themselves, your memories and your favourite characters! basically anything to do with the films =)

So has anyone got a favourite Disney film? Mine happens to be 101 Dalmatians, I think it's wonderfully animated film with it's awesome and (for me) thrilling plot. As for my favourite character, You can obviously tell by my avatar that it's Alice from Alice in Wonderland. She's such a cute, curious and lovable character and one you can easily understand =)

 

[D4n]

Nice thread; I approve.

Having watched through the vast majority of Disney's works fairly recently, I'm slightly ashamed to say that my two preferences of their backlog are both fairly recent; the first is Tangled, which is absolutely beautifully animated, with some ridiculously good musical sequences which make it altogether very rewatchable. My other personal favourite would be The Emperor's New Groove, which is pretty much a film that I grew up watching, and I love it for it's outright silly nature in spite of it not actually being up to scratch in terms of storyline.

Others that I could rewatch again and again would be Dinosaur (another childhood favourite), Lilo & Stitch (Stitch! <3 Most loveable animated character ever), Aladdin and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (that film is ruddy terrifying!). In terms of first / second generation Disney my preferences would probably be Dumbo and The Sword in the Stone, but I can't help but hold the gripe with the majority of the older films that they're simply too short to fully develop a storyline, even if the animation et cetera is ahead of its time. Plus I 'grew up with' mainly the more recent films (Dinosaur, Lilo & Stitch, The Lion King, Aladdin) and have only seen the classics more recently, so perhaps natural bias towards my childhood favourites.

There are still a few that I'm waiting to see, too, notably Pinocchio and Lady & the Tramp. But, yeah, basically, Disney ftw.

 

[Lottie.]

I love all the classic Disney films, the story telling is told brilliantly (in my eyes), I love all the characters and villains and in general, I see the films a way of me passing the time or to make me feel happy when I'm feeling blue.

I'm not overly keen on some of the new-ish Disney/Pixar films that have come out in the last couple of years if I'm honest. Maybe it's cause I've grown up with the classics so find the newer stuff is different to what I think Disney is all about. But that doesn't mean to say that I dislike them. Only exception is Tangled - god I love that film!

Favourite Disney film is either Pocahontas/Hunchback of Notre Dame/Sleeping Beauty.
Favourite Disney character is Pocahontas (spose that is obvious as it's also my favourite film!)
Favourite villain is Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty.

There is something about Disney films that I will never tire of watching them. Unlike the usual Rom-com/Twilight/Harry Potter films etc. With Disney, I can watch them forever and I won't have this feeling of "Oh I've had enough of watching this!"

 

[Ted]

Nice thread; I approve.

Having watched through the vast majority of Disney's works fairly recently, I'm slightly ashamed to say that my two preferences of their backlog are both fairly recent; the first is Tangled, which is absolutely beautifully animated, with some ridiculously good musical sequences which make it altogether very rewatchable. My other personal favourite would be The Emperor's New Groove, which is pretty much a film that I grew up watching, and I love it for it's outright silly nature in spite of it not actually being up to scratch in terms of storyline.

Dan Mate, there's no shame in saying that those two are two of your favourites! I personally love the Emperor's New Groove myself! For me it's nostalgic, but I don't like simply because of that, it's a really funny film with some hilarious and memorable quotes, and is also one of the most unique and random Disney animated xD

As for Tangled, I can't comment on it as I haven't seen it. However it looks like a excellent film and one I need to get around watching in the future =)

And Cheers! Glad you think that =)

 

[Rowe]

Much like the coveted Disney vault, I rotate my favourites on an occasional basis because I've grown up with almost every era of the animation period and it's surprisingly hard to decide which I prefer most with only a few that I dislike out of the entire chronological list (Lady and the Tramp, Fox and the Hound, Chicken Little).

I do absolutely adore Disney though, Walt is personally responsible for fuelling my childhood (I'm looking at your 'folly', Snow White, Walt!) due to the adapted fairy tales and for the film-making process; the amount of animation that the company have gone through is astounding. And if I were to list every single film from the list that's been a part of my childhood then I would be here a fair while writing them all down!

Though, and I'll mention again, Snow White made the biggest impact on me and still does to this day. It's by no means the best of the lot but by heck, did Walt have some guts to make this feature film happen!

Making of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 1994 VHS Remake

I'd recommend taking a look at the shorts, particularly Oswald the Lucky Rabbit even though he was formerly Disney by name rather than company and only recently was he traded back by Universal, as the heritage in between the films is fascinating.

 

[Alastair]

A bit out of the way from the typically thought of Disney films but I was watching the Tower of Terror (1997) the other day, and it's a pretty good film. Might only partially be because of the novelty value of it being filmed at the actual ToT but I think the plotline and acting is quite solid as well.

I recommend:

Disney's Tower of Terror (1997)

 

[Rose Of Dawn]

I'm gonna try and avoid talking about The Lion King. It's one of my favourite films of all time, but whenever I see a topic like this in a forum it's all people usually talk about.

One of my favourite Disney films growing up was The Rescuers Down Under. I liked the first one, but the sequel was miles better. The Rescuers films are severely underrated, in my opinion.

I also have a soft spot for Pinocchio. I have it on Blu Ray and it looks fantastic. The only odd thing about it are the scenes on Pleasure Island. It's rather bizarre in this day and age to see kids chain smoking cigars and drinking alcohol in what is regarded as a children's film. Also, the context of the kids being rounded up, let loose then turned into donkeys and forced into slave labour is quite dark, even for most Disney films. If it was made today you'd probably see Pinocchio and Jiminy try and save them, but even though the film has a happy ending, there are loads of kids/adorable donkeys in slavery that are never rescued.

I also love Pixar movies. My favourite, and possibly my favourite film of all time, is Up. It's a great film for so many reasons, but it's at it's best in the first ten minutes, during the 'married life' montage. It's so beautifully done. Ones minute you're laughing, the next you are crying. And you've only known these characters for a few minutes. All the characters are relatable. Also, I love Dug, as he's the most realistic golden retriever put to film.

I also have a thing for Disneys A Christmas Carol, the 2009 film with Jim Carey. I love the book, and it's quite possibly the most faithful adaption ever seen.

 

[Lottie.]

^ I guess with the Lion King, it is one Disney's iconic films - well, certainly for me. And I do enjoy watching it, had the saddest moment of all Disney films with Mufasa's death.

Not a fan of the Lion King sequels mind you. Then again I'm not much of a film sequels person, the original films were great so why make a sequel!


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[Tim]

A bit out of the way from the typically thought of Disney films but I was watching the Tower of Terror (1997) the other day, and it's a pretty good film. Might only partially be because of the novelty value of it being filmed at the actual ToT but I think the plotline and acting is quite solid as well.

I recommend:

Disney's Tower of Terror (1997)

Hold on, so they based a film on the ride which itself is based on a TV series but didn't base the film on the TV series? (according to a quick wiki search)

Might have to check that out some time.

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As for the Disney Films I can't even begin to rank them. Of the ones I've seen they've all been good to great but admittedly I was quite young when I watched them. As for the more recent stuff I applaud Pixar who are one of the very few companies (alongside Valve and Mack ) I have complete faith in. Every film that they have made (even the less well received films such as Cars) I'll still sit down and watch whenever they are on. I think Ratatouille is my current favourite just because it's such a rich world and Anton Ego is the perfect good bad guy character.

 

[Rose Of Dawn]

^ I guess with the Lion King, it is one Disney's iconic films - well, certainly for me. And I do enjoy watching it, had the saddest moment of all Disney films with Mufasa's death.

Not a fan of the Lion King sequels mind you. Then again I'm not much of a film sequels person, the original films were great so why make a sequel!


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The Lion Kings sequels are terrible! Especially The Lion King 3, which seems to go out of its way to ruin some of the originals most iconic scenes just to shoehorn Timon and Pumbaa in for no good reason.

For example, one of the best scenes in The Lion King is right at the start, with the animals gathered around Pride Rock. Simba, who will be their future king, is presented to them, and they bow down. Even watching it as an adult, it's really good imagery. But The Lion King 3 ruins it by completely changing the context of what happened. It turned out that Pumbaa farts and some of the animals pass out. Thinking they are actually bowing, the rest follow suit. It's a cheap and terrible joke, and it ruins the whole scene as according to the continuity of the series, that is what actually happened. Never mind how Timon and Pumbaa seem to be present in virtually all of Simba's childhood scenes, yet when they actually meet him they act like they've lived alone nearly their entire lives, which according to this film isn't the case at all.

Rant over.

 

[Alastair]

A bit out of the way from the typically thought of Disney films but I was watching the Tower of Terror (1997) the other day, and it's a pretty good film. Might only partially be because of the novelty value of it being filmed at the actual ToT but I think the plotline and acting is quite solid as well.

I recommend:

Disney's Tower of Terror (1997)

Hold on, so they based a film on the ride which itself is based on a TV series but didn't base the film on the TV series? (according to a quick wiki search)

Might have to check that out some time.

Yeah, and to complicate things even more, the same actors that are in that movie that has no relation to the ToT Twilight Zone theme are actually in the ToT preshow movie that is explicitly related to the Twilight Zone.

 

[Ted]

On topic of Disney Sequels, I agree that all of them are complete crap. Note this doesn't include the likes of Rescuers Down Under (Which I think is brilliant!) as that's made by the same company that makes the "Classic" films. I feel stuff like Lion King 2, Bambi 2, Cinderella 2, Little Mermaid 2, Mulan II and all them types can ruin the reputation of the first one. Although one Disney film I think deserves a sequel and to extent "needs" one is Alice In Wonderland. Most of it is based off the first book (although some elements are from through the looking glass), I think a film based off through the looking glass sounds like a fantastic idea in my opinion, or is it my obsession with Alice is getting to me? =P

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As for The Tower Of Terror film, I've not seen it, but I might give it a try when I get the chance. It's also not the only film based off a Disneyland attraction, another is The Haunted Mansion, which came out around 2002, must admit I'm not really to keen on it

 

[Mankey]

Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Easily one of Disney's darkest films, with a plot that has a fairly adult subject. Oh, and not to mention Alan Menken's finest soundtrack. The way he works the latin into parts of it, and how it translates into the actual scene is just phenomenal.

 

[Rowe]

I'm inclined to disagree on the sequel front being all completely crap: Some of them are actually decent.

Although I'm not entirely fond of Cinderella, I have to vouch for the character development that Anastasia gets in II and III because she finds herself liking somebody who is below her own class and follows her own conscience instead of listening to Tremaine. She effectively becomes beautiful and I love how III focuses on her for a great deal rather than Cinderella herself.

The Lion King II I can understand because the plot goes off on a tangent rather than sticking to the original. Zira and the lionesses were never mentioned and the first born Simba and Nala have is missing (There is an awful lot of speculation that the cub was killed, which is why Simba is so uptight to Kiara). It's an alright film but it could've been better. The sequel after that, 1/2 I think, I don't mind that either. It has its moments and channels the classic 'Rosencrantz and Guildenstern is Dead' by Tom Stoppard to an extent.

The Little Mermaid II and III could have been a LOT better but I think we get a better understanding of Triton and the impact he's had on Ariel. Yes Morgana and Del Ray are re-hashed Ursulas, were never touched upon in the original, and a majority of the plot points were a bit useless but these sequels aren't too bad either.

I'd continue if I would! Not every Disney film needs a sequel, I agree, but not all of them feel like new money making ideas by the Disney company and feel more like they're expanding on morals for the young family audience who love the originals. Though saying that, the company halted the production of sequels several years ago and are now focusing on the Tinkerbell series.

 

[Natalie]

I love Disney, everything from the films to the parks. I want to be really geeky and getall the films with the numbers down the side starting with Snow White. My favourites are Tangled (from which "I see the light" almost gets me every time since standing with Wilsy watching Disney Dreams a few weeks ago :'( ) , the classic fairytales, Bolt (which also makes me cry, I'm a dog lover), Nightmare Before Christmas, Song of the South, Fantasia, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Wall-E, I always have to watch The Santa Clause movies with Tim Allen in just before Christmas (it's a family tradition) and many of the other live action and part animation ones like Pete's Dragon and Bedknobs and Broomsticks.

Mandy Moore & Zachary Levi (Ost.Tangled/Rapunzel) - I See The Light

 

[Rose Of Dawn]

The Little Mermaid II and III could have been a LOT better but I think we get a better understanding of Triton and the impact he's had on Ariel. Yes Morgana and Del Ray are re-hashed Ursulas, were never touched upon in the original, and a majority of the plot points were a bit useless but these sequels aren't too bad either.

One thing I hated about The Little Mermaid 2 is how King Triton seems to surrender at every opportunity. In the first film, when he surrenders to Ursula it's quite poignant - he knows the consequences of what he is doing, and you can tell by the way he reacts to the situation, and his hesitance, that he is only doing it for the love of his daughter.

Come The Little Mermaid 2, and he can't wait to give up whenever the opportunity arises. All anyone has to do is threaten Ariel or her daughter and he doesn't put up a fight. In essence, he's the merman equivalent of France.

 

[Rowe]

The Little Mermaid II and III could have been a LOT better but I think we get a better understanding of Triton and the impact he's had on Ariel. Yes Morgana and Del Ray are re-hashed Ursulas, were never touched upon in the original, and a majority of the plot points were a bit useless but these sequels aren't too bad either.

One thing I hated about The Little Mermaid 2 is how King Triton seems to surrender at every opportunity. In the first film, when he surrenders to Ursula it's quite poignant - he knows the consequences of what he is doing, and you can tell by the way he reacts to the situation, and his hesitance, that he is only doing it for the love of his daughter.

Come The Little Mermaid 2, and he can't wait to give up whenever the opportunity arises. All anyone has to do is threaten Ariel or her daughter and he doesn't put up a fight. In essence, he's the merman equivalent of France.

You put in a good point there, I should re-watch before commenting. Triton wasn't well written in 2 though I think it was more down to Ariel gaining his innate fear of losing a child and having (obviously) a bigger role as she was willing to fight for her child. It's a shame really because he goes from being uptight and strict to understanding in the original.

 

[Jono]

The two Disney originals: Pinocchio and Alice in Wonderland both have a special place in my heart. To me, the original animation that's used in the classics is outstanding. I find it so simple, which is the opposite of what animated movies are today. The last (and newest) classic animated disney film i've watched is "The Princess and the Frog." For most of the film, i had flashbacks on the other classic films and overall, I really enjoyed it.

But, i still do love the new, modern disney films. Up, The Incredibles and Finding Nemo are probably the best disney films, in my opinion, since some of the originals.

 

[Towers freak]

I know I'm probably going to be booed but I have a confession to make. I've never been a fan of Classic Disney films and I'm not sure why. The films never really interested me when I was younger and I just couldn't really sit through a whole one without getting bored. There were a few I could watch all the way through one of which was Peter Pan and that was mostly due to always having a thing for Tinker bell. As a child I liked films that were abit dark in tone and I always though Disney films were abit light, I understand these films are family films but kids can take a bit of scariness.

Maybe I'm taking to much of my childhood experiences and memories of Disney and making unfair judgements and I should just take the plunge and watch some classic Disney and maybe I can appreciate them more now.

Will post a follow up to this post with possibly new opinions soon.

 

[D4n]

As a child I liked films that were abit dark in tone and I always though Disney films were abit light, I understand these films are family films but kids can take a bit of scariness.

Disney? Light?

Some of these films are still nightmare fuel for me in a way that franchises like Paranormal Activity can only dream of. I almost admire your childhood self for not seeing them as such.