Dumbo (1941)

Once again, another cute animal cartoon. Disney, your cute baby animals are killing me. Good job.

I just remembered, when I was little I thought that Dumbo's ears got bigger every time he sneezed, but that is not the case. That sneeze is just so darn cute though!

Okay first off, I'd like to point out how much I don't like the other elephants. Who are you to judge the ears of another elephant's baby?? I mean really. Meanies.

I'd also like to point out that every single human being in this movie is a jerkface. Like that boy who made fun of Dumbo's ears at the circus. Have you seen your ears, dude? You don't deserve to look at cute baby elephants. Go away.

You know what's scary? Dumbo's mother's eyes turned red when they took Dumbo away. So kids, you know what you can take away from this? Do not mess with baby animals. PERIOD. Or else their mother will make you sorry.

Timothy Q. Mouse is the only okay character besides Dumbo and his mother. I like you, Timothy. You brought happiness into this movie. If it weren't for you, this movie would be totally depressing and I wouldn't even consider it a kid's movie. IT'S SO SAD. The other elephants at one point say that Dumbo is no longer an elephant because he's been turned into a clown. And speaking of clowns, you hear the clown actors senselessly plot to make Dumbo jump from higher up to make it more entertaining for the audience and they say that it doesn't matter how it effects Dumbo because "elephants don't have feelings". How cruel is that?! This is a tragedy.

Oh, and to make things worse, Dumbo and Timothy Mouse accidentally drink a whole bunch of alcohol and the next thing you know there are pink elephants on parade. At first you may think, "oh, how cute!". It's not cute, it's a total nightmare. THIS ISN'T FUN ANYMORE... (it may even give you epilepsy, I'm not kidding.)

It's got a happy ending, but this movie was just sad, and I think a lot more complex than any of the previous Disney films. Dumbo was put through a whole lot just because of his ears, but if it weren't for the incredible Timothy Q. Mouse, Dumbo would spend the rest of his poor life suffering, which is an awful thought. The moral of the story is that if there is something about you that people don't like or something about you that you are ashamed of, there will always be someone who finds it beautiful and someday you may find that it may have a bigger purpose than what you could have imagined, so OWN your uniqueness! It's what makes you special!!

My rating:

Bambi (1942)

Hello again after like six months! Everything has been absolutely crazy lately, so I have had basically no time to watch Disney movies and review them. But it's summer now and I've got nothing better to do (that's probably a lie), so I'm back! And I have an update: I went to Dinseyland and it was amazing!! See? Dreams really do come true.

First of all, Bambi is SUUPER CUTE. So cute. All the baby forest animals are too cute to handle, guys!

I didn't realize how short this movie was (1 hr 10 mins). I'd almost classify it as a short film, except it's not. It's almost like a segment from Fantasia with less music and more talking. There is literally no plot to this movie. It is purely cute entertainment about animals living in a forest, although there are some horror movie-esque scenes in it, like when the quails are hiding from the hunter and one freaks the heck out and tries to fly away but is shot down (I thought this was a cute movie??!). Scary. I also just noticed that on the movie poster pictured above it says "A Great Love Story". This was a love story? I mean yeah they all fell in love just like that and lived happily ever after (after the stupid humans burnt the forest down), but I wouldn't call it a love story when 15 minutes are spent at the end of the movie showing that the animals fall in love. But that's beside the point. I liked this movie because it makes you forget that there's no plot by shoving loads of super cute animated forest animals in your face, so you have to like it. Disney, you did it again.

And also, Flower named his son after Bambi?! That's freakin' adorable!!

My rating:

Fantasia (1940)

Honestly, I've never really been a fan of Fantasia because at a younger age I thought it was boring-- classical music put to a bunch of short cartoons-- sooo boring, right? But as I have grown up and come to appreciate these things much more, I have obviously decided to watch it with a keen outlook and hopefully change my negative opinion of it into a positive one. So here we go!

You know, orchestras are actually so cool. I don't know what it is, but for my whole life, the sight and the sound of the orchestra sitting down and tuning their instruments has always stirred something inside of me. It's that "Oh! It's about to start!" feeling that you get. Most of my experience listening to orchestras live comes from going to see the Nutcracker with my family every year for Christmas. The first few notes of the overture always give me the excitement of knowing that a grand story is about to begin.

I have no idea what all these shapes and colors are, but it's clearly a beautiful illustration of music, whether one enjoys this or not. So far, I can understand why I wouldn't have enjoyed this as a kid... there's no action, no plot, nothing to keep you on the edge of your seat, but I still believe that this is a genius work of art, at least in it's own way.

By the Nutcracker Suite and throughout the rest of the movie, there is actually something to pay attention to. Everything is obviously and naturally better when there is something to look at. It's actually really interesting seeing the interpretations of Tchaikovsky's music through illustrations of nature (and fairies) and Beethoven's music through Greek mythology. The movie gets a lot more interesting later on when there are stories to follow, like the extinction of the dinosaurs and The Sorcerer's Apprentice.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice scene is so legendary in the Disney universe. The reason it's so legendary and the reason there's a giant replica of the hat in Hollywood Studios at Disney World is probably because it was Mickey Mouse's big comeback. The popularity of Mickey Mouse was fading out at this time and was being replaced by Donald Duck. The whole thing is actually pretty interesting. Here is some more information on the history and production of The Sorcerer's Apprentice.

This film was a wonderful chance for Walt Disney and his company to experiment with shapes, colors, movement, etc. because this was one of their first ever movies. I think Walt Disney felt that he still needed to prove his skills in animation and movie-making to the world, even after creating Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Pinocchio. It did prove to be a wonderful showcase of Disney's work, almost like an artist's portfolio, and it helped him and his company stand out in the animation industry.

I bet this was a dream come true to classical music lovers-- to see this music interpreted through beautiful imagery because perhaps that is how they saw the music in their minds. Again, this is why I love Disney. They took stories and images out of people's minds and put it onto the silver screen, making it "come to life".

Despite all the nice things I had to say about this movie, I was almost struggling to get through it. I kinda felt like it was a waste of time watching it because there was no overall story to get engrossed in. This kind of movie would be better off being played in the background; it's not a sit-down-with-your-family-and-watch-a-movie kind of movie. However, it is still a work of art, as are all of Walt Disney's productions.

My final opinion:












My rating:

Pinocchio (1940)

First of all, I gotta say that I love the soundtrack to this movie, especially (and obviously) "When You Wish Upon A Star". As the "theme song" for Disney (No joke, they even use the first seven notes for the horn on their cruises. Speaking of that, watch this amazing video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQDGG51Qq3I), it always lifts my spirits when I hear it.

Geppetto is such a child. That's one thing I like about Disney. They make some of their adult characters have a childlike quality about them. That's my goal in life; to always have a childlike quality.

Oh, Pinocchio. He's the epitome of little kids. He just doesn't understand the ways of the world. I'm going to count how many times he asks "why". This will be interesting.

The Blue Fairy is so wise. "A lie keeps growing and growing until it's as plain as the nose on your face" and "A boy who won't be good might just as well be made of wood" are great things to keep in mind.

This movie is so full of symbolism and great life lessons. If you fall into temptation or act before you think, there will be consequences. It's the same with taking the easy route rather than taking the harder route. See, some Disney movies aren't just "fun little things for kids". Like this one, they teach EXTREMELY IMPORTANT life lessons. 

We're all like Pinocchio if you think about it. We're always told to do good, but we just continue to make bad choices. This movie may be directed toward kids, telling them not to make bad decisions, but it could very well be directed toward adults as well. Just because older people have lived longer doesn't mean they have it all under control. We're faced with all kinds of decisions throughout life, no matter what age we are, but still we often forget to listen to our conscience and think things through.
  
I hope these classic Disney movies will stay on earth forever because they're such original, beautiful pieces of art. Everyone should have these movies in their homes.

My rating:

Always let your conscience be your guide! (No really, use your brain because there won't be any Blue Fairy to get you out of trouble.)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the very first feature film produced by Walt Disney, as most people know. The original German fairy tale is similar to the story that we know, except it's a lot darker, as are many other tales that Disney made into films. I will be reviewing and recording my thoughts about this film as I watch it so that I may look back and remember the things I like about it. This is my goal for all the Disney films I will be reviewing. As a huge Disney fan, I find it very appropriate to do so. Here we go!

The movie starts out with a story book that opens up and gives context to what we're about to see. This seemed to be the thing to do for most fairy tale movies to give it that "fairy tale" feel. I kinda like how they do that. They don't delve into the details of the story; they just keep it nice and simple because it's meant for kids. That simplicity shows its innocence, and it reminds you that things were a lot more simple back then than they are now.

Ah, the wishing well. This scene/song is legendary in the Disney universe. LEGENDARY I TELL YOU.

The huntsman has a pot belly... hehehe

I have to admit, Snow White is brave for being a 14-year-old Disney princess. Even though she was running and screaming at everything she saw and eventually just fell over and started crying, she's a tough cookie. She just found out her step-mother is crazy and wants to kill her just because she's prettier, and now she's talking to animals and singing like nothing ever happened. I mean, she could be brave and optimistic, or she could just be stupid and completely ignorant of the danger she's in. But as an optimist myself, I'm gonna say she's being brave and optimistic. That's the Snow White that little girls and boys should see. The message I'm getting from this so far is that you should stay cheerful and positive in every situation, no matter how bad it may be. Another reason I'd say she's a great role model is because throughout the whole "Whistle While You Work" song, she is cleaning the house of people she doesn't know at all. And she's not just straightening up, she is making SURE that everything is spick and span for when the owners come home. This is a great example of serving others with a good attitude. For someone who lives with an evil step-mother, Snow White turned out great. She is often known for her femininity and naiveté, but honestly she's a better role model than some other Disney princesses (*cough*Ariel*cough*).

Nice introduction to the dwarfs. Oh, Dopey.

The dwarfs are such a comic relief!

"She'll never find me here!" Oh, Snow. You're so naive.

I love the dance scene. It's so fun to watch!

Jeez, Queen, tone it down a notch... You're not as powerful as you think...

Awwwww. Grumpy is weeping over her body. My heart hurts. The relationship between Snow White and Grumpy is so sweet.

I can just see the audience of the first showing giving a standing ovation with tears in their eyes. That was great.

I think it was wonderful for Walt Disney to bring this fairy tale to life. That's what I love about movies in general. They take a story that you can only see in your head and make it so that the whole world can see a real, vivid image of that story. I love using the term "bringing stories to life" because that's what it is. Filmmakers take something imaginary and make it seem real. Now that's what I call magic!

My final remark: Why can't we all be like Snow White?

My rating: