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MOANA GETS A YOUNGER SIBLING IN THE SEQUEL?!?!
Instead of focusing on making soulless and unwanted live action remakes of their animated movies here are some fairy tales/legends/myths/fables/folktales/literature and original ideas that Disney should focus on adapting into animated movies:
The Twins/The Boy who was brother to the Drague
2. Don Quiote
3. Little red riding hood
4. Puss in Boots
5. Tatterhood
6. Iron John
7. Ivan Tsarevich
8. Dobrynya and the Dragon
9. Rasputin
10. Journey to the west
11. Norse Mythology(Aesir, Vanir and Jotnar)
12. Cu Chulainn or Fionn mac Cumhail/Finn McCool
13. Till Eulenspiegel
14. Egyptian Mythology (Horus)
15. Nora of Kelmendi
16. Ibonia
17. Anansi
18. Epic of Mwindo
19. Epic of Gilgamesh
20. Momotaro
21. Aztec Mythology(Quetzalcoatl)
22. The Kalevala/Kalevipoeg
23. Ramayana/Mahabharata
24. Rostam
25. Kiviuq
26. Princess Bari or Shimcheong
27. The epic of king Gesar
28. the tale of Thanh Giong or the legend of Au Co and Lac Long Quan.
29. The story of bidasari
30. The legend of Mayari
31. a Maltese fairy tale or myth
32. Gothic fairytale story idea(one with vampires)
33. Steampunk/ Gaslamp fantasy story idea
34. A re-imagining of Moby Dick from the whale's perspective.
New Moana 2 News. Storm god villain and Kakamora ally.
according to some news, during the Tautai ceremony Moana will receive a vision from the last Tautai warning her about Motufetu, the island that connects all Polynesian islands and the jealous god of storms who guards it.
aside from that, alongside with Loto(the girl), Kele(the old man), Moni(the young man), Maui, HeiHei and Pua, Moana will be also accompanied by Kotu.
This is Kotu the Kakamora.
Based on what I read, Kotu(described as being like Moana personality wise) will join Moana and her crew after an encounter with the giant clam monster we saw in the teaser.
Now as excited I am for this movie, I have 2 concerns:
I hope the god of storms will be an actual evil villain with a great villain song like the classic ones and not one that is sympathetic.
With the amount of characters we will be focusing on, lets not have a repeat of Asha's 7 friends. Hope each one will be flashed out.
IS THAT ASGARD IN THE SKY?!?! AND THAT SHADOW!!! IS THAT ODIN'S SHADOW BEHIND ANNA AND ELSA?!?! ARE WE GOING TO SEE THE NORSE GODS?!?!
Nalo straight up looks like Stratos from Hercules.
The more I think about it....
.....The more I have to agree with certain people in the frozen fandom regarding that the Norse gods should not be in Frozen 3/4. I know its a stretch to say this as the Frozen franchise is set in a Scandinavian setting and we have that concept art showing shadows that resemble the pop cultural portrayal of vikings and the ethereal castle in the sky that one may assume to be Asgard/Valhalla.
But as others have said, it is too early to assume. For all we know, the shadow could be that of Aren, the villain, or an original viking character who was the previous fifth spirit with the ethereal city being Ahtohallan. Or I could be wrong and the Norse gods will be involved. We need more info, so we have to wait and see.
Personally since the Frozen franchise is centered around different Scandinavian cultures i would love the series to focus on Anna and Elsa discovering the cultural heritage of both their mother(Sami/Northuldra) and Father(Arendelle/Viking/Norse). But that's just me.
if Disney where to make an animated movie focused on Norse/Germanic mythology(Aesir, Vanir, Jotnar) be it an adaptation of a famous Norse Hero(Sigurd, Beowulf etc), and original character(viking prince/hero or viking princess/ heroine) or a prequel series/franchise focused on Aren. I would very much prefer it to be set during the viking period/age
The more "empowered" Disney tries to write their heroines as, the less interesting and charismatic they become, ironically.
RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET (Dir: Rich Moore & Phil Johnston, 2018).
A sequel to a Walt Disney Animation Studios feature is a rare beast. While the 1990s and early 2000s were plagued with cheaply made straight-to-video sequels (a few of which did gain cinema release) produced by the television arm DisneyToon Studios, no feature since the 2008 release The Little Mermaid 3: Ariel’s Beginning (Peggy Holmes) has bared this indignity.
Other animation studios such as Pixar, DreamWorks and Blue Sky have regularly released sequels to their biggest hits with varying quality, but I was glad that Disney had abandoned exploiting their product in this way, especially as their last decade has seen a run of exceptional original movies, arguably their best since the Walt-era features. So it was with some trepidation that I viewed Ralph Breaks the Internet, the sequel to the excellent 2012 original Wreck It Ralph and I am happy to report that I was not too disappointed.
Ralph Breaks the Internet sees video game buddies Ralph and Vanellope Von Schweetz leave their respective games in Litwak’s Family Fun Center and Arcade and travel to the internet, initially eBay, in order to retrieve a spare part to repair Vanellope’s Sugar Rush game. On the way they visit the noirish Dark Net and unwittingly unleash a devastating virus but not before a sojourn in hyper-real racing game Slaughter Race and an encounter with the Disney Princesses in a neat cameo via the Oh My Disney website.
Yeah, the plot is slightly convoluted! This is where Ralph 2 suffers most in comparison to the original movie; the simple story of bad guy who wants to be good is simply more appealing, not to mention more streamlined, than what is on offer here. It also has a mildly unsatisfying conclusion and a slightly muddled message, a little at odds with that of the first film.
Still, Ralph Breaks the Internet is a lot of fun and is visually spectacular. While this movie doesn’t quite live up to the original it is certainly well worth 2 hours of anybody’s time and I guess bodes well for the next Disney Animation sequel, due for release in November 2019; a little movie named Frozen 2...
Visit my blog jinglebonesmovietime.blogspot.com for more reviews of Disney animated classics!
DUMBO (Dir: Ben Sharpsteen, 1941).
Walt Disney’s 4th animated feature is the story of the circus elephant born with oversized ears who uses his disadvantage to his advantage when he discovers his ears enable him to fly.
At 64 minutes it is one of the shortest Disney movies but is a masterclass in storytelling. Not a second of screen time is wasted; in fact its tight narrative and snappy pace make it an advocate for shorter movies!
It is also the most emotionally moving Disney feature. Many a tear has formed in audiences eyes as Dumbo is separated from his mother and ostracised by the other elephants. It is a credit to writers Joe Grant and Dick Huemer that the emotion never descends into false sentiment and there is also much humour to offset the heartache.
The animation too is exemplary, as one incredible animation set piece follows another. Highlights include the shadowy roustabout sequence, the tragicomic disastrous pachyderm pyramid, Dumbo’s inaugural flight and best of all the surrealist Pink Elephants On Parade. The character animation, opting for a more ‘cartoony’ look than in previous features, is also among the studios best as are the beautiful watercolour backgrounds against which the action takes place.
Add to this a fantastic score by Frank Churchill and Oliver Wallace, including the tender Baby Mine and the clever wordplay of When I See An Elephant Fly, and a powerful message of acceptance and the result is one of the greatest movies, animated or otherwise, of all time. In my opinion only rivalled for greatness by Walt Disney’s Pinocchio (B Sharpsteen & Hamilton Luske, 1940). Dumbo is unarguably a masterpiece and a work of art.
For more reviews of vintage Disney classics check out my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME at the link below!
LADY AND THE TRAMP (Dir: Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson & Hamilton Luske, 1955).
The first half of the 1950s was a fairly prolific time for Disney animation. Although production of shorts was dwindling, 1955’s Lady and the Tramp was the fourth feature film released that decade.
The movie draws upon Walt Disney’s love of turn of the century small town America (Disneyland’s loving recreation of the era, Main Street USA, opened the same year) and after Dumbo (Ben Sharpsteen, 1941) is the only other Walt-era animated movie to feature an (almost) contemporary US setting.
The tale of pampered Cocker Spaniel Lady (voiced by Disney regular Barbara Luddy) and street mutt Tramp (Larry Roberts) who fall in love over a plate of spaghetti is a fairly conventional one. However, the novel use of canine protagonists, witty dialogue and inventive scenes, such as the famed pasta-fuelled kiss, lift the familiar story above the mundane.
The artists’ extensive research of real life dogs neatly captures the movement and personality of our furry friends, displaying the most realistic animation in a Disney movie since Bambi (David Hand, 1942).
The first animated feature produced in the new widescreen CinemaScope format, this provided some problems for the artists. With less opportunities for character close-ups and the need to fill otherwise empty space with scenery, the Disney artists created a beautifully detailed, idealised recreation of late Victorian era America. Viewed entirely from a dog’s perspective, the elegant backgrounds and superior character animation combine to make Lady and the Tramp one of Walt Disney’s most visually attractive feature films.
Equally a treat for the ears are a handful of songs co-written by Peggy Lee and Sonny Burke. Lee adds her considerable vocal talent to showstoppers He’s a Tramp and The Siamese Cat Song in one of the greatest Disney musical scores.
Lady and the Tramp is a warm-hearted, intelligent romance with first rate animation, vocal performances and music; a lovely and lovingly crafted jaunt into America’s (idealised) past.
Read the full-length version of this review on my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME! Link below.
DUMBO (Dir: Tim Burton, 2019).
Being of the opinion that Walt Disney’s Dumbo (Ben Sharpsteen, 1941) is one of the greatest movies ever made, I was not entirely thrilled at the prospect of a remake, in spite of my admiration for director Tim Burton. But, ever the open-minded film enthusiast, I watched it anyways!
Dumbo is, of course, the story of the circus elephant born with oversized ears who silences his naysayers when his ears provide him with the ability of flight.
The first half of Burton’s movie roughly follows the original, while the second half continues Dumbo’s story after the events of the first movie, chronicling his tenure as the star attraction of an early amusement park and a daring rescue attempt of his imprisoned mother.
Predictably it is the first half which suffers most in comparison with the original. While the original movie runs little more than an hour, its basic story is retold here in about 40 minutes. The result of which is the narrative beats all fall a little off the mark. For example, Dumbo’s ability to fly is established within the first 20 minutes of the movie, rather than at the climax. The introduction of an antagonist who is swiftly dispensed with roughly halfway through is also slightly jarring.
Absent are the crows and Timothy Mouse, replaced by elephant wrangler Colin Farrell and his children Nico Parker and Finley Hobbins. The relationship between Dumbo and his only friend Timothy is sorely missed and as a result the emotional core of the movie seems sadly lacking. The tragic-comic original contains both moments of great joy and great sadness, while this Dumbo is content to coast along without reaching such emotional depths.
That said, being a Burton production it looks fabulous and has an appealing cast including a neat turn from Danny DeVito as the circus ringmaster. The Climactic rescue attempt does have some genuine moments of excitement.
By all means watch and enjoy Tim Burton’s Dumbo, especially it’s superior second half. Just don’t expect it to soar to the same thrilling heights as Walt Disney’s masterful original.
Read a longer, more in-depth version of this review on my blog: jinglebonesmovietime.blogspot.com
THE LITTLE MERMAID (Dir: Ron Clements & John Musker, 1989).
Based upon Hans Christian Andersen’s classic tale, The Little Mermaid was Walt Disney Animation’s first fairytale adaptation in three decades. It was their biggest critical and commercial success in years and is credited with starting a renaissance in Disney feature animation.
As I am sure you know, The Little Mermaid is the story of Ariel, the teenage mermaid who trades her voice for a man. Not the most feminist of plots but I don’t think it raised eyebrows back in 1989. Be thankful we are more enlightened now and don’t let it spoil your entertainment. Because The Little Mermaid is very entertaining.
The most cinematic Disney animation to date, thanks to inventive use of ‘camera’ angles; directors Ron Clements and John Musker and the talented Disney artists created a movie which felt simultaneously contemporary and classic Disney. Clichéd as it may sound, there is a sense of magic in The Little Mermaid that had been absent from Disney movies for some time.
As the voice of Ariel, Jodi Benson has the right amount of naive wonder and youthful determination while Pat Carroll’s lends her husky tones to Ursula, one of Disney’s most hissable villains. Comic relief comes in the form of Samuel E Wright as Ariel’s crustacean custodian Sebastian who brings a Caribbean vibe to musical numbers Under the Sea and Kiss the Girl.
Howard Ashman and Alen Menken’s excellent musical score is, arguably, what elevates The Little Mermaid from a good movie to a great one and in the modern Disney era has only ever been matched for greatness by Ashman and Menken’s Beauty and the Beast (Gary Trousdale & Kirk Wise, 1991).
It is unfortunate that in subsequent years the Disney Company chose to market The Little Mermaid, and the ‘princess’ movies in general, almost exclusively to little girls. The appeal of great filmmaking should extend beyond age or gender and The Little Mermaid undoubtedly does; its status as a classic is entirely justified.
Visit my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME to read a longer more in-depth version of this review and reviews of other Disney classics! Link below.
THE LITTLE MERMAID II: RETURN TO THE SEA (Dir: Jim Kammerud, 2000).
Released 11 years after the original, The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea is the first of two sequels to Walt Disney Pictures The Little Mermaid (Ron Clements & John Musker, 1989).
Flipping the events of the first movie, The Little Mermaid II is the story of Melody, the tweenage human daughter of Ariel and Prince Eric. Knowing nothing of her mother’s past and longing to explore the forbidden ocean, Melody strikes a deal with Morgana, the equally villainous sister of sea witch Ursula. With the safety of Melody and the merfolk kingdom of Atlantica at risk, Ariel must ‘return to the Sea’ in a bid to save them.
What drives me to watch a movie like The Little Mermaid II? Let’s say morbid curiosity. Plus the fact that Disney is no longer churning out these straight-to-video cash-ins means I am not supporting their production.
Is it any good? Well, considering its made for the home market origins, this is not a bad looking movie. Produced by Walt Disney Television Animation (latterly DisneyToon Studios), it’s not up to the high standards of a Walt Disney Animation Studios production but it is a step up from usual television fare. Also in its favour is the return of much of the original vocal cast including Jodi Benson as Ariel and Pat Carroll as Morgana.
The returning cast members and the above average visuals suggest that Disney was wary of damaging a popular franchise. However, whatever qualities the movie has are scuppered by some doggedly pedestrian storytelling.
To be fair, I found The Little Mermaid II to be passable entertainment and better than many Disney sequels. Very young viewers, especially those with a penchant for mermaids, should enjoy it. Older children and adults, meanwhile, would do better to stick with the superior original.
Visit my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME for more reviews of Disney classics and their sequels! Link below.
THE LITTLE MERMAID: ARIEL’S BEGINNING (Dir: Peggy Holmes, 2008).
The third and to date final movie of Disney’s animated Little Mermaid franchise. As its title would suggest Ariel’s Beginning is a prequel to the original The Little Mermaid (Ron Clements & John Musker, 1989).
Following the death of his wife Queen Athena, King Triton bans all music from Atlantica. Ariel and pals set about showing him the error of his ways and returning music and happiness to the kingdom. Yes, the plot really is that silly.
The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning was to be the last of Disney's animated made for video sequels, a line of movies that began 14 years earlier with Aladdin follow-up The Return of Jafar (Toby Shelton, Tad Stones & Alan Zaslove, 1994). Yet while these movies brought in the big bucks, their lower quality animation and storytelling had a detrimental effect on the public perception of Disney animation, possibly contributing to the disappointing box office returns of the studio’s product in the early 2000s.
Considering its made for video origins, Ariel’s Beginning is a visually pleasing film. Unfortunately the quality does not to extend to the storytelling which is decidedly puerile and aimed squarely at the youngest of mermaid obsessives. The movie also suffers, as do many prequels, from the fact that we know the story’s outcome before it has begun.
Returning as the voice of Ariel is Jodi Benson. While her performance is undoubtedly the movie’s highlight it is a shame that no-one thought to write her any decent new songs. The movie as a whole suffers from an overall lack of original tunes, ironic considering its subject. Sadly, the few that are included are instantly forgettable.
With its impressive visuals and its abysmal storytelling The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning showcases the best and worst of DisneyToon Studios output simultaneously. I personally found it a chore to watch. The most undemanding of very young mermaid fans may disagree.
A longer version of this review is available to read on my blog jinglebonesmovietime.blogspot.com
THE BLACK CAULDRON (Dir: Ted Berman & Richard Rich, 1985).
Walt Disney Pictures' The Black Cauldron is an ambitious animated fantasy based upon Lloyd Alexander's The Chronicles of Prydain, an acclaimed series of novels with a medieval setting.
With dreams of becoming a great warrior, assistant pig keeper Taran embarks on a quest to rescue his missing porcine ward, Hen Wen. The evil Horned King kidnaps the pig to use her oracular powers to secure a magical black cauldron in order to resurrect a skeletal army. Joining him are Eilonwy (Disney's forgotten princess), minstrel Fflewddur Fflam and the eternally hungry Gurgi, a furry creature of undisclosed origin. The gang must locate the cauldron and destroy it before it falls into the Horned King's hands.
The Black Cauldron had a famously troubled production and was subject to editing by a new studio regime who found it too dark for family audiences.
As might be expected from a film based on a five volume series of books, the movie suffers from an episodic, rambling narrative. The detrimental effect of editing is felt most in the sequence in which the Horned King unleashes his army of skeletal deathless warriors; it is all too brief and feels anti-climatic. The overall pacing of The Black Cauldron feels slightly off, languid at time.
However, those lucky enough to see this on original release in all its 70mm glory were treated to the most visually stunning of all Disney movies in years. The looser, sketchier art which chracterised Disney features of the 1960s and 70s is replaced by a fuller, bolder animation style, recalling the Disney product of earlier decades. The extensive use of the multi-plane camera and effects animation, particularly effective use of light and shadow, giving the film a rich texture and lavish quality.
The Black Cauldron is fresh, experimental and edgy while retaining an old-school Disney feel. Its arresting visuals alone make it worthy of far more recognition than it receives; an underrated movie from an overlooked period in Disney history and one that I believe is long overdue for reassessment.
Visit my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME for a longer, more in-depth review of The Black Cauldron! Link below.
ONE HUNDRED AND ONE DALMATIANS (Dir: Wolfgang Reitherman, Hamilton S Luske & Clyde Geronimi, 1961).
Walt Disney's classic animated feature based upon Dodie Smith's novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians.
One Hundred and One Dalmatians tells the story of dalmatians Pongo (Rod Taylor) and Perdita (Cate Bauer), whose 15 puppies are stolen by the evil Cruella de Vil (Betty Lou Gerson). With the help of cohorts Horace and Jasper, Cruella intends to turn these and 84 additional pups into spotty dog skin coats. Utilising the ingenious Twilight Bark dog social network, Pongo and Perdita track their offspring to Cruella's abandoned Hell Hall country estate and embark on a daring rescue.
With it's impressionist background art and loose, stylistic approach to character design ...Dalmatians was Disney's most stylish and contemporary animation to date. Nearly sixty years after release it's highly graphic Mid-century modern stylings are as fresh and appealing as ever. In fact it's difficult to recall any other animated feature with such a dramatic and arresting visual style. In particular, praise must be given to beautiful rendering of early 1960s London; effortlessly capturing the spirit and atmosphere of the city and it's surrounding countryside.
Matching the impressive visuals is an exceptionally well realised screenplay by Bill Peet. One Hundred and One Dalmatians is an expertly crafted thriller, tightly plotted and exciting while remaining lighthearted and extremely witty. It is populated by a fantastic cast of characters, not least Cruella de Vil, possibly the greatest of all Disney villains. Clean-cut canine leads Pongo and Perdita are both heroic and charming and audiences will have no trouble identifying with the parental pooches on their daring quest to rescue the stolen pups.
One Hundred and One Dalmatians easily ranks among the greatest of Walt Disney's many significant achievements. Its beautiful visuals, flawless storytelling, top notch vocal work and fantastic music combine to make ...Dalmatians a masterpiece of movie making.
Check out my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME for a longer, more in-depth review of One Hundred and One Dalmatians! Link below.
100+ movie reviews now available on my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME! Link below.
THE LION KING (Dir: Roger Allers & Rob Minkoff).
The 1990s Disney Animation renaissance continued with The Lion King, their biggest hit (when adjusted for inflation) to date.
The movie tells the story of young lion and future king Simba (voiced by Jonathan Taylor Thomas as a juvenile and Matthew Broderick as an adult). Simba’s father Mufasa (James Earl Jones) is killed by his brother and Simba’s uncle Scar (Jeremy Irons). Scar leads Simba to be believe he is responsible for Mufasa’s death and goes into hiding. Believing Simba has been killed by Hyenas, Scar takes his place as king of the Pride Lands. However, Simba is rescued by comic relief duo meerkat Timon (Nathan Lane) and warthog Pumbaa (Ernie Sabella). When adult Simba learns of his uncle’s despotic machinations he returns to fight Scar, reclaim his crown and restore order to the Pride Lands.
Majestic seems a fitting word for The Lion King. Recalling earlier classic The Jungle Book (Wolfgang Reitherman, 1967) with its animal cast, particularly in the characterisation of Scar, a upper-crust Disney villain in the Sheer Khan mode. The movie feels both fresh, in its break from the fairytale genre, yet classic Disney with its anthropomorphised animal antics.
It is easily one of the Studio’s most visually appealing features of the 1990s. It’s beautiful backgrounds of African landscapes is the match of the superior character animation. This is highlighted particularly in the opening scene as the African animal populous gathers to welcome the newly born Simba to the Pride Lands. So impressed were the Disney execs by this scene, that it was used wholesale as the movie’s trailer. Happily the rest of the film has no problem in living up to this breathtaking beginning.
With outstanding animation, excellent voice work and a handful of hit songs by Tim Rice and Elton John, The Lion King reigns as one of Disney’s greatest post-Walt animated feature films.
Visit my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME for a longer, more in-depth review of The Lion King. Link in bio.
FROZEN II (Dir: Chris Buck & Jennifer Lee, 2019).
Walt Disney Animation Studios sequel to their original blockbuster Frozen (Chris Buck & Jennifer Lee, 2013).
The events of Frozen II take place roughly three years after those of Frozen. However, the movie takes us further back into Elsa and Anna's past as, through flashbacks, we see the girls' father King Agnarr of Arendelle relating the tale of their grandfather's attempt to form a treaty with a neighbouring tribe in their Enchanted Forest homeland. An ensuing battle results in grandfather's death and discord among the Forest's spirits. Years later Elsa is drawn to the forest by a mysterious voice and becomes embroiled in the ongoing conflict which is threatening the well being of both the Enchanted Forest and Queen Elsa's kingdom of Arendelle
While Frozen II bears the legend "Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen, it is nothing like the original fairytale. Neither is it particularly like the original movie, incorporating more references to Nordic myth and legend than the original Frozen.
Reuniting much of the core creative team from the first movie, co-writers and directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee have created a movie which never feels like a quick buck cash-in. The animation is stunning, even more so than in the original. Its forest setting and warm autumnal colour palette gives it a distinctly different feel to the cooler blues and whites of Frozen's icescapes.
In its attempt to differentiate itself from the first movie, Frozen II does seem to suffer from an overly complex narrative. There is so much going on in Frozen II that one misses the more economic and ultimately more satisfying simplicity of the original, although Buck and Lee are to be commended for not being content to just churn out the same movie.
While the story may be a little over complicated for its own good, Frozen II is still a highly impressive, enjoyable movie, much better than audiences may have been expected and continues Walt Disney Animation Studios’ excellent run of features throughout the 2010s.
Visit my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME to read a longer, more in-depth review of Frozen II! Link below.
THE SWORD IN THE STONE (Dir: Wolfgang Reitherman, 1963).
Released to cinemas on Christmas Day 1963, The Sword in the Stone was the last animated feature film released by the Disney Studios during founder Walt Disney's lifetime.
Based on T H White's classic modern retelling of Arthurian legend, we follow the adventures of the future King Arthur (nicknamed the Wart), culminating in his encounter with the legendary sword.
Read the full review on my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME! Link below.
