Monday 16 July 2012

Animation Month Update


Hello again. This is my second update. I have fallen behind a bit this week, but hopefully I can buck up in the following weeks.

These are the animated films I have seen as of 16th July, 2012-

1)  Mulan (1998)- This is my Disney-loving best friend’s favourite Disney film, one she has been telling me to watch for the longest time. After finally having watched it, I can see why she loves it.
It is the funniest Disney film I have watched this entire month. Mulan is definitely a brilliant protagonist, seeing how her motivations had nothing to do with a prince charming, but about her proving herself and helping out her family. It looked beautiful, set in Ancient China. Though this had a scary-looking villain, the main task for our heroine is to finding her true self, which I thought was nice. Also the supporting characters, from Mushu, the dragon voiced by Eddie Murphy, to Mulan’s fellow soldiers and one very macho yet totally adorable La Shing, were all excellent. Mulan officially ties with The Princess and the Frog as my favourite Disney princess movie.

Rating- 10/10



2) Lady and the Tramp (1955)- I am not a dog person. At all. So it was a little hard to concentrate on this film. I guess it was cute, especially that spaghetti-kiss scene, but I was most certainly not the target audience for this movie. I am pretty sure that a particular scene with a dog-fight would have scarred me as a child. It pretty much terrified me still.

Rating- 6/10












3) Pocahontas (1995)- I actually liked this one, though apparently that is not the popular opinion. I think Pocahontas is the prettiest Disney princess, and her first meeting with John Smith was perhaps my favourite romantic moment in all these films. 
It was quite a stunning film too, especially in the song “Colours Of The Wind” where all the nature shots are just gorgeous. After this film, I just had to watch The New World, so I guess that would make an interesting double feature.

Rating- 7.5/10









4) Grave of the Fireflies (1988)- Unable to find the remaining Disney films in my list at the time, I decided to start off with anime and this Studio Ghibli feature was my first for this month.
I have heard a lot about how sad this film is, and it really is. It is also incredibly beautiful to look at, especially all the scenes with the fireflies, and the falling bombs that looked quite a bit like the fireflies too. There were moments I got slightly annoyed with the character of Setsuko, but by the end of it, I was very much moved. It is a powerful tale about how war affects everyone, in particular children. As I read in a review, it is not an animated film, but a war drama that just happens to be in the animated form. To see such a poignant film in this medium is quite unbelievable, but it does make us think and believe how much more can be shown in animation, and how it is not just for kids, but for anyone with a tale to tell.

Rating- 10/10



5)  Hercules (1997)- Hey male hero! Woo hoo! First off, the cartoon Hercules is probably the most disproportionate character ever. But he was quite endearing, and this film on a whole was a lot of fun. It doesn't follow the actual exploits of Hercules, for any Greek mythology geeks out there who might be outraged by the film. Instead of Hera, it is Hades who is after Hercules’s life. We see how he becomes mortal and then attempts to get back his immortality by becoming a hero. The action scenes for this are very well made. I also really liked his heroine, Meg, who could almost safely be part of 'Sex and the City: Ancient Greece Edition'. My favourite part of the film were the oh so fabulous muses and their songs.

Rating- 7.5/10






6) The Jungle Book (1967)- I really think that I have seen this before, but the tale is so well-known that I can’t be sure. But I do know the songs, and golly they are awesome!
This is a sweet movie. The characters are colourful, and it gives a sense of colonialized India. I loved Bagheera and Kaa and King Louie and Shere Khan and the very mod vultures, but my absolute favourite was Baloo. He was like the stoned uncle of my dreams. Also, maybe my favourite Disney companion. The ending is a bit blah, but a very enjoyable movie through and through.

Rating- 9/10







So that is it. See ya next week!

10 comments:

  1. Grave of the Fireflies - all the feels!!!! :'(
    I am a dog person (and a cat person too...all animals person) so I loved Lady and the Tramp!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Never cared much for The Jungle Book or Mulan, to be honest (but I was a kid last time I watched them, so don't trust my judgement) but Pocahontas is quite possibly my most watched film, ever. When I was a kid I watched it obsessively, and sometimes I still do.

    I wasn't aware of the controversy until some time ago. I think it's one of Disney's finest, despite whatever the truth may be - it's a film, not a documentary. And as a film, it has a mature, heart-breaking love story, and it deals with serious, interesting themes: the clash of cultures, domination, and so on. AND, it is stunning, like you said. I just really love Pocahontas and I don't really see the issue with it being historically inaccurate - assuming the indian reports around the web are true, of course.

    the sequel never existed. and Hercules is hot.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yep, totally agree. I mean it's Disney, what all do you want to see?
      It is stunning.
      Hercules is cute :)

      Delete
  3. So much nostalgia. Jesus, what happened to Eddie Murphy? My personal favorite Disney movies are The Aristocats (for the score) and Robin Hood (just fun). I recently rewatched both and neither is great but their both entertaining. Also Robin Hood has wayyyy more socialist and communist undertones than necessary for a kids movie. And my parents I wonder why I'm liberal (I watched the movie every day like 3 times when I was younger).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Last I heard of Eddie Murphy, he was making some film about words.
      I have not watched Aristocats and Robin Hood. I will watch them eventually.
      Oh Disney had a lot of underlying messages.

      Delete
  4. I've seen all of these.

    Mulan - loved it a lot in the childhood. Mushu was hilarious and Mulan is a great character herself.

    Lady and the Tramp - I'm not a dog person either but I become one when dogs are drawn by Disney illustrators :D

    Pocahontas - I liked it. The racoon is adorable. Racoons are among my favorite animals. Yep, obviously the main thing that I remember from the film is the racoon. Views were pretty, too, I vaguely recall.

    Grave of the Fireflies - it's just so sad but very well executed.

    Hercules - don't remember much, but my reaction was clearly "meh". Surprised to see that you liked it.

    The Jungle Book - not crazy about it, but it's good. "He was like the stoned uncle of my dreams." -- lol you kill me!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good for you :)

      I became more of a dog-lover in 101 Dalmations.

      Hahaha aww raccoons.

      Man the muses in Hercules are awesome.

      :P

      Delete
  5. Nice List you got there. I loved Mulan, especially the battle sequence in the snow. Look forward to the next batch

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks!
      Not anytime soon but I might tackle something similar soon-ish.

      Delete