Sammy Day's Disney Days

I decided I would watch a Disney film every day. I never intend to stop, except if I do watch every Disney movie ever released, but that's no time soon. Here is the record of my quest to watch every Disney film ever released because yes, I do review all of them.

[sammyday-everyday]

Disney films of 2018, ranked

I finally watched Mary Poppins Returns yesterday, and I realized that I watched every Disney film this year, at least, according to Wikipedia.

really weird, I was expecting a Disneynature film, Ghibli film or a Disney India film at least but hey, who cares anyway, we got an Incredibles sequel. Yay. So, here are the 6 Disney films of 2018, all ranked from best to worst.

#1: Mary Poppins Returns

Finally a good Disney film! I have so little to say against the Mary Poppins sequel-- it embraced the original’s magic and resurrected the cadaver that is Disney magic. If we look at only Disney titles (excluding Pixar and the others), the last good Disney film was 2016′s Zootopia, that although very good, was very different. I’m talking the classic Disney magic, the grandiose musical numbers, colorful characters, original narrative and of course, 2D animation.  The music is amazing, I don’t know how music works really, but the songs of the sequel matches what I’d call a “musical palette” of the original, hence each new songs sounds like unused musical number from 1964′s Mary Poppins, making it so you could listen to both soundtracks on shuffle together and they’d match perfectly. Then, as you might know the movie features 2D animation, and it is beautiful: exactly what you’d expect from Disney, and I missed it so much I can’t hide that a few tears made their way into my eyes. Emily Blunt nails Mary Poppins, keeping the character very much alive, Lin-Manuel Miranda is Lin-Manuel Miranda, so he is obviously great in this movie also. Still, the film feels a lot like a big broadway musical, which is to be expected since it was produced by the same guys who brought you Into the Woods and La La Land, but the problem is that if feels too much like a broadway musical. Not that much of an issue, but I wondered, a few times too many during the film, why they didn’t just made it into a broadway musical. Finally, it is a sequel, and unfortunately it does exactly what the original did, rather than doing something different, fresh and special. It is frustrating when sequels does that, but that’s a common problem, and even though it makes Mary Poppins Returns less special, it doesn’t make it bad. If you miss the old Disney magic though, that’s the best you’re getting these days.

Beautiful, magical, but still a sequel.

#2: Ralph Breaks the Internet

In a world where big studios try to be relevant to the youth by making films featuring Internet and its wonders, Ralph Breaks the Internet surprisingly isn’t a wreck. The same post-mermaid structure, still very boring, but that’s practically every Disney film these days, so let’s ignore that. The film itself is a great sequel, as nice as the first and they’re trying something different. Sadly, in the end, it’s just Emoji Movie by Disney, a lot of references to giant companies and culturally important websites, making the film feel a lot like one big ad. I won’t go too deep into the film right now, but I’ll say that although I have good things to say about the film, it’s forgettable. They’re still mocking the Disney genre much like Moana, pretending Enchanted never existed, but it’s all fine, then I enjoyed the little hint of a message about Internet hypocrisy in anonymity, but it’s so small you could miss it, and for a film about Internet, I was expecting more of that. The film is so filled with references that it becomes the one thing driving the film forwards, almost forgetting that it is a film, so rushed character introductions leads to a rushed ending when the filmmakers realized they were making a film. Little to see here, but if you like Internet, it isn’t bad, you can try it. For others, this film will be irrelevant. Only notable moment is the Disney Princesses’ appearances, which is excellent, but fan service over-shading the whole film is pretty embarrassing.

Film so empty it makes you wish it was just 112 minutes of Disney Princesses hanging out.

#3: Incredibles 2

Little to say here; to me, Incredibles 2 was a big let down. Misses the magic of the first film, and really fails to give out the same 60s atmosphere the original gave out. Little to no grown-up humor, only the best part from the first, and of course, a lot less fresh and special. If you like the Incredibles, you will get enjoyment out of this one too, the characters are as great as they were in the first. My biggest criticism is that the film doesn’t understand what made Incredibles so special: not only did the original animated a realistic and relatable family as the protagonists, it brought something new to the superhero genre. The first had washed out superheroes and illegal superpowers, really different from the superhero films of the time, like X-Men, Fantastic Four and Spider-Man, but first and foremost it was a family film, about the struggles of an unsatisfied family. The sequel focuses way too much on superheroes, and the superhero part isn’t even anything special: the question of “are we giving too much power to superheroes?” is nothing new, we’ve all seen Civil War and Batman v Superman and we’re all already tired of it.

We wanted a sequel, but not THAT.

#4: Christopher Robin

I am huge Winnie the Pooh lover, my childhood was marked by hours of Winnie the Pooh episodes, hence you might think I found 2017′s Christopher Robin a huge embarrassment and disappointment, but you’d be wrong: I loved it, although I recognize it was junk. You don’t understand how much I love Winnie the Pooh, I love him so much you put him in the worst film ever and as long as you don’t mess him up too much, I’ll love your film. So, what about Christopher Robin the film? It’s lovely, because Winnie the Pooh’s in it, but even Winnie and the gang aren’t as lovable as they used to be. They’re good, but they miss the quotable lines and dreamy metaphors to gain forgettable quotes that’ll make you go “I guess that Winnie-ish” and really obvious metaphors that’ll make you “yeah, I got it, thanks.” The Winnie part was failed, and the rest of the film isn’t better. It’s exactly like Mary Poppins Returns, same concept of retrieving your inner child, but done lazily and without passion. Winnie the Pooh was great because you knew it lived in Christopher Robin’s imagination, now seeing Winnie in London is really weird and unpleasant. Nobody asked for that.

Masters of the Universe but it’s Winnie the Pooh.

#5: The Nutcracker and the Four Realms

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is one of those horrible films that had good ideas, not that it could have been good, but it could have been a lot less horrible. It has an ensemble of characters that are either painfully annoying, terribly boring or plain forgettable, and although it tries to be that grandiose adaptation of the gracious Nutcracker, I wish I could say it’s all “Razzle Dazzle”, but even that isn’t true. I went to see it with my mom and she kept saying how beautiful the film was, and while I guess they were fine, you’ve probably seen awful films with prettier shots, I know I did. Nothing to see here, the story is terribly boring and makes no sense, but it’s so boring you won’t even care about making sense out of it. It’s sprinkled with fragments of good ideas like “let’s have a ballet scene in the film explaining the origins of the four realms” ruined by more obvious annoyingly awful ideas like “but since it’s so genius and subtle and hard to understand let’s have the annoying pink b**ch explain everything during the scene and ruin everything”. Fortunately, I’ll forget about it soon enough. The film tries to be an epic tale but it ends up being insignificant, little, and forgettable. 

Let’s make The Nutcracker but stupid.

#6: A Wrinkle in Time

I wish I could hate A Wrinkle in Time with a burning passion, but I just don’t understand it. If I’d tell you the plot of the film, you’d say “This is so stupid, this does not make any sense”, but don’t go thinking A Wrinkle in Time is one of those films, those that makes you go “I mean sure it sounds stupid but if you watch it it’s a lot better.” It is stupid, and the film glorifies not making sense, or at least I think it does. Most scenes I don’t know if it’s one of those glorified scenes of nonsense or just a metaphor for something I don’t get. Scenes come out of nowhere and lead nowhere, to an extent where you’re left with scenes like “so the kids go to the beach and a guy gives them food, but then one of the kid eats sand so the girls’ brother becomes evil” and concepts like “to teleport to another dimension all you need is to set your frequency to love”. With an ending where the kids exterminate all evil in the universe so everyone in the planet becomes good or something, I can’t find anything good about this movie. It’s so weird and unpleasant and incomprehensible, I couldn’t recommend it any less. It’s a mess trying to be progressive and give a message of love, but even Barberella is better in this department.

“...what?” -Me, during the entirety of A Wrinkle in Time.

What 2018 a good year for Disney? Well, it was better than 2017 so I guess yes. This year we’re having a couple of titles too. Remakes of Lion King, Aladdin and Dumbo sure sounds like big disappointments, and I wonder if they’ll give the Genie a kid since he’s played Will Smith-- can’t imagine the guy playing a role other than a tragic dad. Frozen 2 and Toy Story 4 have potential, but they will be sequels. I am curious for that Artemis Fowl film though, but since Kenneth Branagh is directing it (Director of Thor, Cinderella and Murder on Orient Express, all the worst ones) I’m gonna be expecting a bad year. 

[sammyday-everyday]

(016) Treasure Island (1950)

We're just out of the ass-saver era-- when times were hard, Disney had to take drastic measures, it's understandable, and it was necessary. Still, out of the war, it’s needless to say that Disney weren’t the Scrooge McDucks of the film industry, hence they needed funding. So come the British funds, giving money to the Disney Studios as long as they do the filming in the United Kingdom.  Yes, my radical rascals, we did see Song of the South, So Dear to My Heart and The Reluctant Dragon, which were mainly live-action, but they weren't entirely live-action like Treasure Island, and the three other that’ll come after it. I called the last trend “ass-savers”, I’ll call this new one “brit-flix”. Without further ado, the review:

Synopsis: Based on the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island tells the story of  Jim Hawkins (played by Bobby Driscoll, again), a young boy that will join Captain Smollett and his ship, the Hispaniola, in order to find the lost treasure of Captain Flint. It's a pirate adventure featuring thrills, treachery and high stakes; it's the closest we have to Pirates of the Caribbean for now.

I didn't like it. I didn't and I wish I could clearly explain why, because I can't-- I don't know what that film doesn't have that other Disney live-actions had or any other family flick had that it didn’t. Watching Treasure Island I felt an incredible boredom which gave me the strong feeling I wasted an hour and a half of my life. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood, and if I re-watched it, I'd like it more, because I was so bored I couldn't focus on the actual film. But to my defense, if the film was good, I still would have enjoyed it, that I’m sure. Anyway, I am going to do my best at analyzing what I do remember from the film, and try to figure out why I didn't like it.

First things first, Bobby Driscoll, I think I'm tired of him. Song of the South, So Dear to My Heart, Pecos Bill-- I'm just so tired of seeing his face, film after film. I suppose I never got into it because the opening wasn't all that intriguing; a guy dies and Bobby finds a map to some treasure. Again, this film’s pacing and, let’s say, tone is exactly like So Dear to My Heart, the difference is that So Dear to My Heart had a story I consider is more entertaining, which sells the movie better.

Of course, Treasure Island, the novel, is a classic pirate novel, but I've seen so many pirate stories over and over again that I'm getting used to the "Pirate treasure hunt" story. Maybe if Treasure Island was my first pirate film, I'd rate it better, but again, as a genre, films shouldn’t do what has been done but do things differently. Yeah yeah, in our case Treasure Island is a classic to some people and in my opinion, it might be a classic but it doesn’t mean it’s not boring. Disney’s early live-actions are all pretty stale, the only thing selling them being the story. In our case, no offense to Stevenson’s novel, but this story was pretty meh, so you here’s what you get, a really forgettable film.

End note: Maybe you liked Treasure Island and I suppose that would could happen, but this one just didn’t work for me. For the ones who did like Treasure Island and wish to see more, Long John Silver, a film sequel to the novel, and the show The Adventures of Long John Silver might not be a Disney productions, but both also star Robert Newton, reprising his role as Silver from the first Disney film, and they all are directed by Byron Haskin. Not a Disney sequel to Treasure Island, but the closest thing you'll ever get to one.

Star Rating: 1.5/5

[sammyday-everyday]

015: Cinderella (1950)

WWII is finished, and believe it or not, no one had time to watch Disney films back in the war, causing Pinocchio, Bambi and Fantasia to bomb at the box-office. But now, we're in 1950, and to hell with war because everyone's ready for some more of that Snow White sweetness. You know what I'm talking about, let's get back to Princesses and Disney classics, oh yeah, I'm talking Cinderella baby.

Synopsis: Living in the abuse of her step-mother and her step-sisters, it's hard to be Cinderella: constantly doing the chores in the house to please her family, she never gets even a hint of gratitude, but a gleam of hope enters her life when the Prince announces he will hold a ball to meet his future wife: does Cinderella even has a chance with the Prince? A series of events including a Fairy Godmother, a couple of mice and a magical night will come to change her life forever.

Cinderella being so popular, what can really be said about it? What differentiates Cinderella from the rest, you ask? Well, not much but enough: we didn't even hit the 20 movie mark and I already can feel that watching those films one after another is going to feel repetitive. Still, Cinderella is only the second princess movie and it feels a bit different; Snow White established the bases of the Disney genre, from its art style to the art of syncing the film's music with its action, an art, I've recently discovered, that is called mickeymousing. Of course, the animal comedy is still present in Cinderella (who doesn't remember Jaq and Gus?) and we are served in songs, but like I said, there are a few things that differentiates Cinderella from the rest. For one, I think the songs are excellent, don't get me wrong, Snow White and Pinocchio had great songs too, but Cinderella has a lot of great songs. A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes, So This Is Love, Sing Sweet Nightingale Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo-- all of those songs are iconic on their own, which is quite a feat. Then, we just mentioned mickeymousing, that little Disney trademark absent from Cinderella, which is a first in their feature films. I mention the lack of mickeymousing, sure, but I also noticed the fact that Cinderella is a lot less funny then Snow White, Pinocchio or Bambi, but perhaps was it the point?

Which leads me to the second point. Cinderella and her mice friends are memorable, but I didn't enjoy Lady Tremaine and the step-sisters as villains, not as much as Queen Grimhilde, Stromboli, Honest John or any other villain we've seen so far. The Prince is as forgettable as Prince Charming, and if you ask me any good joke from the film, I couldn't think of one. The strength of Cinderella is probably it's soundtrack: the songs are iconic and the background music is lovely, I simply love it. I wish I could say the same about the characters, but they're far from Snow White and the dwarfs, Pinocchio and his friends, or all of Bambi’s forest friends and foe. The same goes with the story, that's way more traditional-- at least Snow White had that Disney twist with an awesome villain and the dwarfs' hilarious re-imagining. Cinderella is based on a classic story, and it's told in a classic way.

I don't dislike Cinderella, I like it, honest, it's just that I'm comparing it to what Disney gave us so far, and, again, I cannot say it's as good as Bambi, Pinocchio or Snow White. I know we're not there yet, but Disney has yet to improve their Princess movies, as we're going to see with Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Mulan and any other we'll get after that. In my opinion, Cinderella is a downgrade from Snow White. Sure, the music is much better, and since Snow White's music was great, imagine how I like Cinderella's. But everything else is a lot less iconic and memorable. The mice are cool, but they're not beating the dwarfs. The villains aren't even comparable, and both stories are equally good and classic. Thing is, as Snow White had more enjoyable and memorable elements to add into the story, Cinderella had a lot less to offer. I am unsure if comparing each and every Disney film with one another is the good way to go, but again, they're so much alike I do not have the choice to. If I do otherwise, I'll repeat myself over and over again. My opinion on Cinderella is much alike Snow White, it's lovely and great and I love it, but Cinderella is a tad too traditional to my taste. Lastly, Cinderella is a much more likable character than Snow White, but she's still forgettable. She's kind of a flat character, she doesn't really develop throughout the film, neither does she learn anything, which isn't really interesting.

End note: Tackling Cinderella was refreshing, but my hopes are up for what's coming next: Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan, those are great films. And about Cinderella? We're far from being over, I'm telling you: the film had two direct-to-video sequels, Cinderella II and Cinderella III: A Twist in Time (that sounds fun), and a few years ago we got a live-action Cinderella remake. Cinderella isn't such an exciting franchise but I'll take it-- I always wondered what those DVD sequels looked like. I heard they're bad but maybe they are laughably bad.

What If The Slipper Didn’t Fit? I love it. Star Rating: 4/5

[sammyday-everyday]

014: The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)

Here we are, ladies and gentlemen, to the last ass-saver. Let’s get this down quickly, but believe me when I say that I’m relieved to present The Adventure of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.

Synopsis: In this feature, Walt Disney presents two stories based on classic literature, "Wind in the Willows" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow". The first story is about Mr. Toad, a wealthy frog with a problem for manias, and how his incurable behavior leads him to trouble with the law. The second is about two rivals in love, the odd Ichabod Crane and the strong Brom Bones, who are quarreling for the love of Katrina Van Tassel, which will lead Brom to frighten the superstitious Ichabod with the tale of the Headless Horseman.

If you saw any of my ass-saver reviews (here's the first one), you know why that film was made. You also know how I feel about the film-- unsurprisingly mediocre--, so I do not know what one would expect in this review. But I'll do my best to cover the essential without wasting anyone's time.

Overall, animation and songs as you might have guessed are fine but not memorable. The stories aren't as remarkable as previous Disney features, but compared to the other ass-saver, they did a good job. Many seems to enjoy the Mr. Toad segment according to reviews I’ve read, but I personally preferred the Ichabod Crane part of the film. It's simple, funny and, most importantly, amusing. I enjoyed the first segment a lot less, but that might only be because I'm more into the silly quarrel between Ichabod and Brom than a frog having to represent himself in court for a crime he didn’t commit.

I guess I'd recommend the film only to someone who's really into any of those two stories, because I doubt there's a lot of Wind in the Willows adaptations out there. Other than that, it isn't a forgettable piece of Disney film neither is it a memorable one. I guess it just stands in-between; it has that Disney charm but lacks anything iconic.

End note: Watch it if you want, but it's mediocre for Disney standards. Story-wise it's nothing impressive either. Like I said, you might be into if you like either Wind in the Willows or Sleepy Hollow, or maybe if you're just a really big Disney fan.

Star Rating: 3/5

[sammyday-everyday]

SDDD#012: Melody Time (1948)

Another ass-saver for today, but, in all honesty, I'll admit it is not that bad. Let's get to it; Melody Time.

Synopsis: Anthology feature presenting a vast array of animated shorts accompanied by musical numbers, ranging from the abstract "Trees" to the human sagas of "Pecos Bill" and "The Legend of Johnny Appleseed", passing through echoes of Fantasia in "Bumble Boogie" and some kind of a follow-up to Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros in "Blame it on the Samba".

Is it any good? Meh, I guess. Make Mine Music was mostly forgettable and a tad boring, but Melody Time did have its great moment. I believe the film deserves that I get to each of its segments one-by-one, so that's what I'll do. Kinda.

First and fourth segments of the film are "Once Upon a Wintertime" and "Little Toot", charming stories that are nice to watch, but that doesn't stick up with you really long. Once Upon a Wintertime is about two lovers who encounters tragedy while skating on ice, which I enjoyed, and Little Toot, sang by the Andrews Sisters (who also sang "Johnny Fedora" in "Make Mine Music") is just fine.

5th and 6th segments of the film are, respectively, "Trees" and "Blame it on the Samba". I literally cannot remember anything from those two bits, only that they are part of the film. I do remember, however, that Trees is accompanied by a poem or something, and that Blame it on the Samba was pissing me off more than anything because I've already watched two Disney films about dancing and Latin America in the past week and I just can't take it anymore. F**k that.

2nd segment is "Bumble Boogie", a swing-jazz version of "Flight of the Bumblebee". This one I enjoyed because it reminded me of Fantasia, and it did made me miss Fantasia. It's not great, but it's okay. Visually, nothing compelling, but I recommend watching it for the music. It's nice-- however I'll admit I'd have completely forgotten about it if the Wikipedia page didn't mention it.

Finally, the 3rd and final segments are, respectively, "The Legend of Johnny Appleseed" and "Pecos Bill". If you are a Disney fanatic, I wouldn't be surprised if you knew Pecos Bill, as you might, like me, have noticed his name around in Orlando’s Magic Kingdom or Disneyland. As for the segment, it's okay, I didn't liked it all that much but I'd still recommend it: it's well made, mixing live-action segments with animation, much like "Song of the South", and I'm sure some people could like it more than me. Still, my favorite part of the film is definitely "The Legend of Johnny Appleseed". It tells the tale of Johnny Appleseed, which I assume is a character from American folklore (I am Canadian, only guy I know from USA's mythology is Paul Bunyan), but the short is really good. I loved it. Good story and a good execution. I recommend you watch it, it surprised me. Sure, the songs are nothing more than alright, and the story is nothing even close to Pinocchio or Bambi, but it is one hell of a good watch. If you ask me, it's the only short worth watching in this whole bunch.

End note: Ending it here. Overall, movie's fine; forgettable to fine music, which is bad because it's supposed to be an important part of the film; you know what I think of the individual shorts, and, seriously, I kinda recommend watching this one. Do not watch any of the other ass-savers, just this one. You have a bit of Saludos Amigos/Three Caballeros in there, some Fantasia echo, Johnny Appleseed and even a live-action/animation hybrid. Melody Time might be the best collection of shorts to illustrate what kind of stuff Disney was releasing in the 40s in order to save the studio during WWII, and I'm pretty sure it won't bore you to death.

Star Rating: 3/5

[sammyday-everyday]

013: So Dear to My Hear (1948)

To finish my second week, I am blessed with not an ass-saver but a live-action/animation hybrid in the same vein as Song of the South-- well, without the controversy. I am glad to realize that I have in my hands a hidden gem of Disney history, and it delights me to present it to you; So Dear to My Heart.

Synopsis: Little Jeremiah Kincaid dreams of training the fastest horse to ever race, but his objectives change drastically when he stumbles upon a black lamb in his grandmother's barn: when the latter is rejected by his own mother, Jeremiah takes the responsibility to take care of the lamb himself. Naming it Danny, Jeremiah has a new goal: bringing Danny to the county fair and winning the blue ribbon.

Adorable. So Dear to my Heart is simply adorable. After a watch it became an instant favorite, not that it is great beyond what I have seen so far, but that it really struck my emotions in the right places. Telling a charming tale of selflessness, the film featuring Bobby Driscoll (who also had leading roles in "Song of the South" and Melody Time's "Pesco Bill") as Jeremiah uses animation lightly, and it works. Song of the South had a nice plot and a good moral, but So Dear to My Heart has a nice plot and a better moral. Plot itself is simple: Jeremiah wants to bring Danny to the county fair to win the blue ribbon, so he must find a way to earn money to get to the county fair and enter it. After some animated musical numbers about perseverance and doing your best, Danny ends up finding some honey and selling it for 20 bucks. Going to the fair, he might not win the first prize, but Jeremiah wins a special prize for Danny for the special lamb that he is.

The animated segments are few and I honestly forgot that they were into the film until I looked at pictures for the article; basically, they’re little motivational musical numbers that are cute but, sadly, forgettable. As for the moral it’s that, seeing Jeremiah only wants the blue ribbon and the cash prize and that he doesn't really care about Danny, the grandmother lectures him and tells him that the important thing is not money or trophies, but the spiritual. There're other morals like, "It's what you do with what you've got", but to learn more about these I recommend you watch the actual film.

End note: It's like ordering a chicken soup at the restaurant and being served a good chicken soup. Sure, no surprises awaits you in the film, but if you want a charming tale with nice songs then So Dear for my Heart might be something that could interest you. While it does not live up to Song of the South because of its more than unimpressive use of animation, So Dear to My Heart hides an adorable story some might dig.

Star Rating: 3/5

[sammyday-everyday]

011: Song of the South (1946)

I will be presenting today the most interesting piece of Disney film I got to see so far. A really controversial movie even today, Song of the South is the sweet and joyful movie that insulted black history and culture. Let's get to that.

Synopsis: During a stay at his grandmother's plantation, 7-year old Johnny meets and befriends Uncle Remus, a worker on the plantation and a man full of tales about Br'er Rabbit, Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear. Johnny will learn important life lessons from Uncle Remus' stories and how to apply them in his life.

Song of the South has a charming story, likable characters, a believable story and nice musical numbers, but of course the film isn't known for those characteristics, but for its controversial setting. At first glance it might seem that Song of the South takes place in a plantation with slaves, and that all black characters, such as Uncle Remus, are said slaves. But in the film's defense, Song of the South is set during the Reconstruction Era, the period right after the abolition of slavery. In other words, the black characters aren't slaves but paid workers. Of course, this isn't clear in the film as I also believed the characters were slaves, really happy slaves who really liked what they were doing. I think the problem lays in representation.

See, other than the unclear setting of the film, there are two rather important things in the film that are misrepresented and might be offensive. Some see the character of Uncle Remus and the other black characters to be stereotypical, which I also have mixed feelings about, but I'm ambiguous if it's just lazy character creation or real racism. The second thing is the one that really offends me though, it's the relations between the black and white characters of the film. Even if slavery was abolished during the Reconstruction Era, there was still discrimination and racism. I simply cannot believe black people being considered as family by white people during Reconstruction Era, especially if it's set in the south. Even if I have to admit it's not impossible, it's still misrepresentation: of course Disney surely wanted the movie to be family-friendly and not include any racism into the film, but it still insulting to black history, I hate the fact that they completely ignore this.

Other than that, like said above, the film is good. Teaches morals about right and wrong, has adorable kid characters, and Uncle Remus is such an enjoyable fellow. Plus, you surely have heard the infamous song, Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah. The film also mixes live-action and animation, much like The Three Cabelleros did, but this time it is used to tell the stories of Br’er Rabbit, which are great. Of course the film’s controversy has to be took into account, but I just can’t take away how good the film is.

End note: In the end my feelings for the film are the same for the new Captain America/Avengers films: I hate the fact that they completely removed Hitler from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, that he never existed, and instead replaced him with Red Skull and Hydra, I hate that they changed that part of history from their films to fit a broader audience whilst not offending anyone. That ignorance might work for the MCU, but in Song of the South it just comes off as offensive. It pisses me off, sure, but it doesn't remove what the movie did accomplish, and in our case it's a pretty good film. I know I didn't talk much about the film's quality, but it's only because all it it is a nice film. Nothing exceptional was accomplished, it only has a nice story, nice lessons, and nice characters.  The animated parts are good, the character of Br'er Rabbit is really fun to see outsmart and trick Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear, and it holds a nice moral of what you can't make up in muscle, make it up with wits. I recommend this film as it can be enjoyable for a fair share of us, I suppose that if you are a fan of Disney you should watch this film, of course you have to look pass its controversial elements but I still believe it to be a good film.

Star Rating: 3/5

[sammyday-everyday]

010: Make Mine Music (1946)

After two ass-savers about Latin America, today we'll look at a third one I like to see as one of Fantasia's two cousins. The concept is simple, a couple of artists sing songs or perform any sort of music and Disney animates a short that goes with each of those musical pieces. I believe you noticed a pattern with those ass-savers, notably that they are all anthology films, in other words, series of shorts that are more or less related. Let's go for Make Mine Music.

Synopsis: No master of ceremonies here, just a series of shorts. Segments includes "Casey at the Bat", "Blue Bayou", "All the Cats Join In", "The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met", "Johnny Fedora" and more.

It kinda sucked? Some segments are good but most of them are forgettable and/or boring. One one hand, there's stuff like "Blue Bayou" and "Two Silhouettes" which are nothing impressive, funny, or even entertaining. It's literally just birds flying and people dancing. You might point me to Fantasia, but Fantasia at least had good music. Okay, okay, I don't have anything against Make Mine Music's songs, they aren't bad, they're decent, but that's it. I highly anyone has Blue Bayou on Spotify. Anyway, if you're not going to show any plot in your segment, at least make it entertaining, Fantasia achieved this at least, for the most part.

Then, on the other hand, I have to admit that three shorts really stood out. Thinking about a Top 3, Johnny Fedora would be in the third spot, a nice story filled with charm about two hats in love that are separated, and how they pass their lives looking for each other. The song is good, the concept is adorable, and it's entertaining: I liked it. If every segment were at least as entertaining as this one, it would have been a good film, but it wasn't.

Second place would be "The Whale Who Wanted to Sing a the Met", a story about a singing whale who's dream is to sing opera at the met, and how a man, believing the singing comes from a swallowed Opera singer, tries to hunt down the whale. This segment has the best plot, because it has decent characters and clear challenges to the protagonist's objective. It's really simple, but it's satisfying to see a good segment after losing 45 minutes of my time watching pointless and uncreative animation. Plus, it ends the film on a bad ending, which let me supposes that someone during the making of this film actually cared about making something good.

And first place goes to my favorite segment, Casey at the Bat, 8 minutes of pure slapstick about a baseball player who's too sure of himself. I don't have much more to say about this one, I just find it hilarious.

End note: Yup, that's it. As much as I'd like to give you a more complete review about this forgettable piece, I also do not want to waste your time. I don't recommend it, but if you really want to look into it just watch the segments I talked about on YouTube or something, the rest of the film is boring, in my opinion. Even if you love Fantasia, this cheap lookalike is nothing compared to it, and would most likely make you waste your time.

Star Rating: 2.5/5

[sammyday-everyday]

009 - The Three Caballeros (1945)

Today, nothing much to see or talk about, we're talking about some sort of a sequel to Saludos Amigos and a second ass-saver film. Let's take another trip to Latin America with Donald, José Carioca and the newest member of these Three Caballeros, Mexico's Panchito Pistoles.

Synopsis: It's Donald Duck's birthday and his Latin American friends sent him some presents. The film introduces a new character, Panchito Pistoles, who'll befriend José and Donald to form the Three Caballeros. The film showcases a series of shorts as Donald opens his gifts.

I don't know what to tell you about this film other than it's pratically Saludos Amigos, but bad. At least Saludos Amigos was interesting, this one was mostly boring, but I still need to do a decent review so let me check what I said about Saludos Amigos so I don't say the same exact thing...

Well, okay, upon re-reading my Saludos Amigos review I think I know exactly how to tackle this film. It's nothing creative and to top that, the segments aren't even good-- at least, most of them sucks. I remember that flying carpet flight over Mexico or something that was bad, and so many long and boring scenes with the Three Caballeros interacting with humans. This movie didn't really try to be educative, it was just inspired by Latin American culture, and as nice as some parts and ideas of the film can get,  it's still boring. It's not that bad, but except if you really, really like José Carioca and you wish to see him more, I would recommend that you don't lose your time and don't watch this film. Three Caballeros was never meant to be a great film and no one tried to make it something memorable, just watchable. I didn't find it enjoyable but I wouldn't be surprised if someone, out there, finds something appealing into this film.

End Note: It's the last we'll see of the Three Caballeros but it isn't a sad farewell, I just want to get over with those ass-savers and get to the juicy classics. But we're not done, so hang on with me.

Star Rating: 1.5/5

[sammyday-everyday]

008 - Victory Through Air Power (1943)

Starting my second week of Disney Days I have a really intriguing piece of film to review. 1943's Victory Through Air Power, a propaganda film produced by Disney during World War II. Believe me, you'll never see that many Swatzikas in a single Disney film.

Synopsis: Presented by Alexander P. De Seversky, Victory Through Air Power is a documentary film about aviation explaining why its use on the battlefield might be the only way to win the war. The film goes through the history of aviation, what happened so far in the war (as of 1943) and presents a strategy on how to win the war.

I really don't have much to say about this piece of american propaganda. The film is mostly animated, but a lot of scenes are just De Seversky speaking-- to be blunt the film could seem boring for most people, because you're basically taking a history class on World War II, plus it focuses a lot more on strategy than basic history. To understand the film without watching it, imagine taking a class on military air force taught by Walt Disney, that's pretty much it. The animated parts are nothing exceptional, they're just there to make the subject easier to understand.

I'm having a hard time reviewing this "documentary" mainly because I do not have a great knowledge of the propaganda industry, it is something I am not well-informed on. I can tell you that Victory Through Air Power has its interesting parts and its boring parts, but probably someone else could either find the whole thing either painfully boring or really interesting, but I suppose documentaries should be interesting to everyone. Again, I am unsure whether this is really a documentary or just propaganda, so I'll stay ambiguous.

As for the film's entertainment, it's okay. I wouldn't watch it again and would only recommend it to history geeks, mainly because this is an interesting piece of history, and being a film about WWII released during WWII, I'll admit that it's pretty cool seeing in what state of mind people were at the time. But other than an interesting piece of history, the film doesn't really stand out.

End note: That's it for today, a quick one for an interesting piece of Disney's cinematography. I do not have much to say, other, maybe, that seeing what movies are waiting for me this week, it's going to be a long week.

Star Rating: 2.5/5

[sammyday-everyday]

007: Saludos Amigos (1942)

By now you must already know that the 40s were hard on Disney, at least, you should if you read my Dumbo review, which you obviously did. World War II was making Walt Disney's life really hard, and if he wanted the studio to survive, he needed to find some way to make films without going bankrupt. Hence, the studio decided to release 6 films from 1945 to 1949 with the intent to make fine films with a minimum of expenses. No big film ideas were developed during those years, as the studio was financially struggling because of the war. The first of those 6 films, my friends, was Saludos Amigos.

Synopsis: Walt Disney takes us on a tour to Latin America with this special kind of documentary that uses real footage of Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Peru, and animated shorts.

I really do not have much to say about Saludos Amigos. Not having seen any of the six "ass-saver" films, I can't be sure but I'm guessing that I won't have much to say for any of them, but I'll try.

I mildly enjoyed Saludos Amigos, I learned some things about Latin American culture and the shorts were fine. About the shorts, there's one with Donald Duck as a tourist at Lake Titicaca which is good, another with a little plane named Pedro who has to pick up his first air mail which is okay, another one with Goofy learning how to be a gaucho, somekind of Argentinian cowboy, was my favorite, and the last one, Aquarela do Brasil, introduces José Carioca, another bird character, which in turn introduces Donald Duck to the samba, which might be the most popular of all segments.

Donald and José in Aquarela do Brasil

The movie doesn't really get more creative than this, the animation and music is alright, and the rest is by Disney standards. I don't really recommend watching Saludos Amigos, not that it's bad, it's just nothing outstanding, but the animated segments are good, so if you want to watch it, be my guest, you won't waste your time. It's a fine film; the interesting information given through real footage and the enjoyable shorts makes it worth watching, but there are a lot of better Disney films out there. So far, out of the films I've seen since Day 1, Saludos Amigos is my least favorite film.

End note: José Carioca is a good character and he will return in Three Caballeros, another ass-saver film I will get to watch next week. I get the feeling the quality of the films I'll see won't get any better until we hit the 50s.

Star Rating: 2.5/5

[sammyday-everyday]

006 - Bambi (1942)

Today, I am more than glad to present to you one of my all-time favorite Disney films, Bambi. A piece that nears perfection, one of Walt Disney's favorite productions and a heartwarming but dramatic tale, Bambi is one hell of a great film.

Synopsis: The youth, teenage hood and adulthood of Bambi the mule deer, son of the Great Prince of the Forest, and his friends Thumper the rabbit and Flower the skunk. Bambi will encounter love, death, battle and fear during this emotional tale about life in the forest.

To start this right, I really have to say that a Bambi review follows up perfectly a Dumbo review. If you haven't read my last review of Dumbo, I recommend you check it out. You see, Bambi is pretty much the opposite of Dumbo-- let me explain.

Walt Disney really cared about Bambi, hence why the movie took a few years to make. The film was postponed a lot-- it actually was supposed to be Disney's second feature film, but we know now that this is far from the case. Still, in the end, it was worth it: the score is beautiful and I can’t say why I like it that much, but I suppose more quality and effort was put into it. Animation-wise a lot of work was put into the movement of the animals, and it is an impressive success.

See it for yourself in this classic scene.

To return to my previous analogy, the weaknesses of Dumbo were everything but its story, and I guess I also enjoyed the songs. Bambi is the opposite, the only weakness of the film is its story, and I guess the songs are fine but nothing more.

And I'm saying that the story is weak, not that it is bad. A popular opinion is that the death of Bambi's mother wasn't necessary, and I somewhat agree. I think that the return of Man near the end of the film, where Bambi protects his wife from what killed his mother, is signification for Bambi's story, but again, Bambi is never shown any guilt towards the death of his mother, and I truly believe that if you take away the death of Bambi's mother from the movie you do not change much, except perhaps the part where you traumatize children. I personally do not see much more problems with the death of Bambi's mother, I only think that it could have had a greater impact on the character of Bambi.

Bambi has a lot of memorable scenes, but I can't ignore my feelings toward the climax of the film-- the return of Man. I really like the villain of this film, the unseen Man, the destructive force that brings fear into the forest. It really means something to have a villain that is only associated with a little musical theme and a single sound-- a gunshot. To me, it adds to the drama of the film, that is already really dramatic on itself. The climax, though, is really far from the cuteness of the whole movie, but it doesn't holds up to the peaks of terror the movie reaches at moments. I remember that scene where a panicking pheasant flies away, terrified, as an attempt to escape Man, but is immediately shot down and killed mid-air. That's terrifying-- the dog attack at the end was more tiring than anything. I was a little disinterested, maybe because it didn't feel important. It felt like the animals were just running away, which they do, but there was nothing more to it. Bambi wasn't trying to prove something, he wasn't trying to make up for the death of his mother and he wasn't seeking revenge or anything like that. They were all just running away, and maybe it was because I knew the outcome of the story but I didn’t feel like much was at stakes during the climax.

End note: Bambi was based off a dark tale, and Disney did do a good job into turning it into a family feature. A really dramatic and scary family feature, but a great one. Bambi stands as one of my favorite Disney films for its mix of cuteness and terror. Sure, the great characters doesn't make up for its deceiving climax, but it stays a great film I would recommend. Bambi has a sequel that wasn't cancelled which takes place in the middle of the first film, right after the death of Bambi's mother. I am curious about how it ended up, and I suppose I'll get to it during those Disney Days.

Star Rating: 4.5/5

[sammyday-everyday]

005: Dumbo (1941)

Today, we're going to give a look at a classic that, I suppose, was never meant to become a classic; I am talking of Dumbo, a film full of charm and... well, that's about it. It has charm.

Synopsis: Mrs. Jumbo, a circus elephant, lashes out at the circus' clients after they mock her son which has over-sized ears they nicknamed "Dumbo". His mother locked away and labeled as a mad elephant, Dumbo is left with his only friend, Timothy the mouse, who'll stop at nothing to make Dumbo famous.

The 1940s were a hard time for everyone; succeeding at the box office during WWII became a hard task even for Disney, who also lost a lot of money with the previous expensive release of Fantasia. Walt Disney had to find a way to bring a lot of money into the studio, and Dumbo was the solution.

While making Dumbo, the production team had to make sure the movie wouldn't be too expensive, and it shows. I learned that after watching the movie and it answered a lot of questions I had about the film. Only looking at the main Disney releases that came before (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio and Fantasia), Dumbo has the weakest score, animation and characters. The songs were good, I personally love "When I See an Elephant Fly", but the score itself is just fine, the same with the animation. Then, the characters aren't really that memorable, my least favorite being Timothy, who looked a bit too much like Jiminy Cricket for my taste, and Dumbo being less interesting than, I don’t know, Pinocchio didn't help the characters either. Dumbo is, according to me, too simple to be put beside Snow White or Pinocchio, but a lot of people consider Dumbo to be a great film, and I understand why.

See, Dumbo was the first Disney film to really be dramatic. Sure, it was topped afterwards by a ton of Disney films, but the mother locked away, the constant harassing and, well, the handful of scenes where Dumbo cries can really get to someone. I also can't deny I got shivers during "Baby Mine"-- first time I really felt sad during a Disney film since the beginning of this journey. I guess Dumbo's story’s good and that the rest is kind of just "meh". To make up for the lack of interesting score, animation and characters, they really did a lot story-wise, which I enjoyed.

Give “Baby Mine” a listen if you’re feeling too great today.

End note: Dumbo is regarded as a classic Disney film and, in the end, it did succeed at the box office and brought back a lot of dough in the studio. Like most Disney classics, a Dumbo sequel was planned before it was cancelled: this time, it would've been about Dumbo's father and why he isn't around anymore. You might have heard of the upcoming release of the live-action Dumbo movie which will be a re-imagining of the original story directed by Tim Burton and starring Micheal Keaton, definitely something to keep an eye one.

Star Rating: 3.5/5

[sammyday-everyday]

About the inconsistent activity

Indeed, I do watch a Disney film everyday, even if sometimes it’s pretty hard to plan a 90-120 minutes break into my schedule every single day-- sometimes, or rather, most of the time lately it’s more of an inconvenience than a treat.

But hey, I’m doing it alright-- what I can’t do everyday, not on my own anyway, is write a review on that movie and post it to Tumblr. Anyone who reads my blog knows I do a minimum of research on every film before reviewing it, so I suppose it’s not a surprise that it takes me at least an hour to do those reviews, and that hour comes off as an hour I don’t necessarily have. Sometimes I have the time to research and do a review, but that’s pretty rare. I’m doing my best to post those, even if right now I’m months ahead of what’s posted here. Who knows, maybe I’ll finally post everything on here once I’m finished, like, in 2 years or something.  Anyway, who cares, no one reads my blog. It exists for the sole purpose of me, in 10 years, telling someone “Do you know I’ve watched every single Disney film that was released?” and they’ll be like “What? No way!” and then I’ll show them this and it’s going to be epic. It’s also because my life’s pointless and I need a stupid ridiculous goal to make me go through the days.  Anyway, see ya imaginary rad rascs sometimes, when I’m able to post some more.

[sammyday-everyday]

004: The Reluctant Dragon (1941)

This movie might have not been a classic or even a great Disney production, but it's one I still enjoyed a lot. If you don't know what The Reluctant Dragon is, I am glad to let you know about this hidden gem.

Synopsis: Robert Chaulder, the real-life comedian, is pushed by his wife to pitch a film idea to Walt Disney himself, a story called "The Reluctant Dragon", a story written, in the film, by Robert's wife. However, once at the studio, Robert stumbles into the "behind the scenes" and learns how Disney films are made.

Yes, the movie does star Walt Disney as himself, and it is filmed in the then new California studio. The movie, clearly made to be a tour of the studio, also features some short features, including one named "Baby Weep" in the storyboard room, "Goofy in Horsing Around" in the animation room, and, of course, "The Reluctant Dragon" in the projection room, where Robert finally meets Walt Disney.

The tour itself is really entertaining, we meet the voice of Donald Duck as himself and even Donald Duck who also talks to the protagonist at one point in the movie, because yes the main character interacts with the animated characters; another scene portrays him scaring Bambi away. That, of course, is because the tour is a fictional tour, with I suppose actors playing as the Disney employees, even if I know that some of the most important Disney employees are in the film.

Robert assists to sound design for “Dumbo”

Robert meets the voice of Donald Duck (right) during a performance.

I can't really say anything I didn't like from the film, not necessarily making the film "flawless", but it is also true that the film does do what it wanted to do, an entertaining tour. The film is good, it just wasn't ambitious or that creative. It's a fun thing to see, but that’s about it. The script is okay, the actors are okay, and I could say the same about the features within the tour. The eponymous short, The Reluctant Dragon, was fun, but nothing memorable, even if I did love the characters of Sir Giles and the Reluctant Dragon.

Storyboarding “Baby Weems” (Also, the film uses technicolor for the half of the feature-- once Robert discovers how the studio colors the animations, the rest of the picture is also colored!)

The tour is cool to watch if you want to know how the films are made, but to anyone else watching it, it won't feel much like a movie. As for the eponymous short, the Reluctant Dragon, it's about a boy who tries to make a dragon and a knight fight, but struggles when he finds that the knight and the dragon are becoming best friends, and that they both dislike violence. Nothing really memorable, but, again, enjoyable.

End note: While being forgotten in the time, the characters of Sir Giles and the Reluctant Dragon does appear in future productions, such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit and even Mickey's Clubhouse. Of course, I'd recommend this film to only Disney fans because a tour of the studio, as enjoyable as it gets, stays a tour of the studio. I could see this movie as a Disney attraction, and now that I remember it, I do recall a certain attraction with another dragon at Disneyland. I can't be sure, but I doubt this is a coincidence.

Star Rating: 3/5

[sammyday-everyday]

003: Fantasia (1940)

Fantasia is one of those. You know, those beloved films regarded as landmarks by most for what they accomplished, meaning it’s pretty hard to talk against the film for someone, like me, who didn’t like the film all that much. Of course it's good, but it took me some time and research before I understood why people liked that movie that much, cause during my viewing, I didn’t get that.

Synopsis: Fantasia is some sort of an anthology film, being a collection of 8 shorts presented by composer and music critic Deems Taylor. The shorts are a set of visual representations of classical pieces imagined by a large cast of Disney employees and music experts. The movie is known for its famous segments, like "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" or "Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria".

To be completely honest with all of you, I didn't like Fantasia all that much, and I find it totally reasonable to think so. But before I go on with what I didn't like about the film, I really want to highlight why, in my opinion, this film is loved by millions. Thing is, if I'd regard Fantasia as another animated feature film, it would mean I didn't understand what Fantasia did. Fantasia isn't just a normal film, but an attraction-- an experience. It might sound like I'm praising the film a bit too much right now, but believe me, I'm just being fair.

Fantasia was presented with an all-new stereophonic surround sound system called Fantasound, probably the ancestor of today's surround sound systems. The Fantasound was revolutionary, it worked with various speakers placed strategically around the the spectators to give the impression they were listening to a live orchestra. Why I'm bringing this up is because the Fantasound is one of the things the film was originally praised for, and something I cannot experience in the comfort of my living room.

Other praised the film for its use of classical music, and as Disney said himself, it would bring classical music to "people who walked out on this kind of stuff". The animated segments were creative, going from centaurs to hippos to abstract shapes and a lot of passion was put into the film, I can see that-- only, that doesn't mean I liked the film. Snow White and Pinocchio were, to me, impressive AND enjoyable, hence Fantasia might be “impressive” in some ways but it is definitely the least enjoyable of the three.

You see, Fantasia doesn't have a captivating story or anything like that, but this isn't the point. The point, the original point before the passion and ideas kicked in, was that Mickey Mouse's popularity was in decline, hence Walt Disney began production of a short called "The Sorcerer's Apprentice", an ambitious short that would cost more money than usual. For plenty of reasons, it have been decided that the short would work better alongside other shorts, and one idea lead to another, leading ultimately to Fantasia.

When I see Fantasia, I don't see a great masterpiece, all I see is an ambitious Silly Symphony package film. I don't feel amazed nor do I feel captivated with what I see. The animation doesn't do anything spectacular and the music, classical compositions performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra, was good, but that's about it. I cannot rate it the same as Snow White and Pinocchio, what I consider to be true landmarks of animation. But even there, I did enjoy the Rite of Spring segment, the dinosaurs were brilliantly animated, and the Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria segment simply looked gorgeous. But as for the others, they weren't, to me, much more than simple, forgettable, shorts. The movie is enjoyable for some parts of it, but here is my last and biggest concern;

Making Fantasia and interesting picture was hard, and that also shows. When you're making the script and animation first and the soundtrack after, you're free to include as many gags and scenes as you want then add in a matching soundtrack to fit, but when you're doing the opposite, you will be limited by the score. The animations had to fit the score, which was decided beforehand, so if you really thought about the best scene ever, you’ll have to be lucky it fits the score, or else it will either not fit at all or you’ll have to scrap it. If you truly want the animations to match the music, you have to be really creative, and there might be moments where, you know, some spectators will grow impatient as the scene doesn't seem to end because the original musical piece wasn’t meant to back an animated feature. For instance, the scene where the stegosaurus dies in the Rite of Spring segment is the best example I have in mind. In the scene where the T-Rex fights the stegosaurus, all for the scene to match the music, the fight’s pacing is really too slow and repetitive, plus the stegosaurus "dies" three times, which gets a bit boring, redundant and it goes for way too long-- in fact, almost all of the film’s scenes goes for way too long. It’s frustrating and call me impatient if you want, I’m surprised no one else feels the same about this endless scene among others.

For the scene, there ya go.

Remember that the film was about the music and not the animation, hence the soundtrack came first, for the better and the worst. That's what I didn't like from Fantasia, I like what it tried to do and the impact it had, but I didn't like the production all that much. I am here reviewing what the film is and not what it did, and that’s the best I can do, being fair and all.

End note: I might not have liked Fantasia, but millions did. Walt Disney originally wanted to do a new Fantasia movie each few years and refresh the production with new compositions every time. Although it never was done, we did get Fantasia 2000, and even a Fantasia 2006 was in work-- we can see now it didn’t happen and I do not know what happened with it. Fantasia inspired many and I know it impacted big on the industry. I will not take away anything from this iconic piece, but my opinion stays the same; this is a piece I’d recommend only to Disney fanatics.

Star Rating: 3.5/5

[sammyday-everyday]

002: Pinocchio (1940)

After the success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937, Disney set the high up for their second production, which was supposed to be Bambi, but difficulty to realistically animate the animals delayed the production and, in place, they released Pinocchio in 1940. Suprinsingly enough, Pinocchio did reach the bar, if not surpass it.

Synopsis: A wood carver named Gepetto wishes for his latest conception, a wooden puppet he calls Pinocchio, to become a real boy. Wishing upon a star, a fairy hears him and grants the old man a fair wish; Pinocchio is to come to life, but he will stay a wooden boy. However, if he prooves that he is brave, truthful and unselfish he will turn into a real boy. Pinocchio then goes on various adventures on which he will prove to be worth becoming a real boy, all with the help of his newly-acquired conscience, Jiminy Cricket.

I would like to say that Pinocchio is more or less as good as Snow White in every aspect, wish could be true for some parts of the film, but it wouldn't be accurate regarding one specific aspect of the movie-- the animation. Seeing Snow White I was impressed by what they were able to do with animation, but Pinocchio proved to be even more impressive. The puppets and vehicules movements and the whole Monstro scene are quite impressive on their own, and even tries to do things that no one did before, at least, not as good as they did.

See it for yourself in this quick clip-- beautiful.

Music is great and there’s not much I want to say about it, so let’s move on two the two last aspects; let's start with a quick one-- the characters. You know, with the success Snow White's character's had with me, I was quite afraid that Pinocchio, being even more innocent and pure than Snow White, would simply piss me off. Suprinsingly enough, he didn't. Sure, Pinocch isn't my favorite character out of the bunch, but he is a character that I enjoyed watching and learned to like throughout the film. I usually do not like those kind of characters, I usually find them frustrating, but I think that Jiminy Cricket as his conscience totally deleted any fragment of annoyement I could get from his character. Jiminy is likeable, relatable and entertaining, and is the force that pushes the story forward when Pinocchio makes bad choices. Then, of course, Gepetto is that heart-warming old man we enjoy to see smiling, and Cleo and Figaro are simply adorable and, of course, fun to see. As for the vilains, we got a fair amount of them in this film, with Stromboli, the coachman, Monstro and, of course, Honest John and Gideon. Out of the bunch, Stromboli was my favorite, with his character being memorable (the scene where he pays Pinocchio must be one of my favorite scenes), but it is true I couldn't get enough of Honest John and Gideon (that prespricption scene tho).

Bunch of vilains, but also a bunch of stuff happening in Pinocchio. Instead of opting for one adventure, a vilain and an exact lesson, Pinocchio has three different adventures. First, with Stromboli, Pinocchio learns that lying is never good, at Pleasure Island Pinocchio learns what happens to naughty little boys, and with Monstro Pinocchio learns to be unselfish. Rather than to have a lesson like "do not lie", "stay in school" or "listen to your parents", we have a broader lesson that is "be good". All Pinocchio learns throughough the story is how to be nice or, how the fairy puts it, brave, truthful and unselfish. The movie is not told in a traditionnal way of “start to finish and that's a wrap”, and we never do know what happens to Stromboli, the coachman, the kids at Pleasure Island or even Monstro after Pinocch escaped, because the story isn't a normal tale, it's about Pinocchio and how he grows up in the “real world”. To me, Pinocchio is that unique story of an innocent boy growing and learning how to be a good boy, a naive and impressionable boy sure, but a likeable one.

End note:

Is Pinocchio better than Snow White? As I see it, Pinocchio’s story is unique, even with years of Disney films that looks alike, Pinocchio still stays, at the moment I write this, unique. A story not focused on a specific adventure, but on a character. I've seen plenty of those, sure, but with the Disney template we find in most Disney films these days, it's refreshing. Yes, a 1940 movie that is refreshing. Pinocchio is a great watch, and I consider that it surpassed Snow White, in its animation and story. Snow White might be iconic and Pinocchio wouldn't have existed without it, but quality-wise, Pinocchio is definetely the winner for me. Star Rating: 5/5