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Home Alone (1990)
A Christmas Classic for Kids & Adults
I first saw this as a kid and I liked it (mostly for the slapstick during the last 30 minutes or so of the movie). As an adult, I still enjoy this movie a lot. However, I like it more for the atmosphere than for the comedy.
The overall atmosphere of Home Alone is what I think adults might like most about this film. It just looks like Christmas with all of the lights, decorations and even the songs. It really gets you in the holiday spirit and just gives you that heartwarming feeling of Christmas.
The slapstick comedy doesn't totally hold up for me. I don't find myself laughing at it as much, but I know kids like that stuff and even some adults, so if you like it, then that's totally fine.
I have seen a couple of the original trailers for this movie and based on that, the film doesn't look like anything special or anything that good. It mostly focuses on the slapstick and doesn't look too promising, but Home Alone is so much more than that and I think that's the main reason why it was such a huge box office hit since it wasn't a major success with critics.
To sum it up, Home Alone is a great Christmas film that is a prime example of not judging a book by its cover. It's nicely shot, well- acted and just gives you that warm feeling you get with the Christmas holidays.
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
A Good Sequel, Despite Being A Carbon Copy of The First One
With the financial success of the first Home Alone movie, a sequel was probably inevitable. Home Alone 2 is very much the same thing as the first one. Not only is the premise very much the same, but even the littler things are very similar to the first one. Watch both movies and see how many similarities you can find. You'll probably need a lot of paper to keep track.
Even though Home Alone 2 is a carbon copy of the first movie, it still gives you that warm feeling of the holidays and gets you in the Christmas spirit. However, I personally like this one a little more than the first one for a few reasons:
1. The Setting: I like that Kevin is in New York City and not limited to his suburban area of Chicago. He has a huge city to explore and a lot of money and credit cards to do so. He visits Central Park and the World Trade Center just to name a couple of places. I also love the shots of New York with all of the Christmas lights and decorations.
2. Tim Curry: Both Home Alone films are well-acted, but Tim Curry gets extra points for his performance. He looks like he's having fun with the role, even though he's not over-the-top or anything like that. He steals every scene that he's in. He's just an overall delight to watch.
3. The Slapstick: This is the main reason why I like the sequel a little more than the first one. The booby traps are a little harsher, but the slapstick is played out like some of the classic Looney Toons shorts and for the most part, they work fine in this movie. The only major part of the slapstick I don't really like is when you hear Marv's bones cracking. However, the rest of the slapstick is pretty good and I find myself laughing at it more than in the original.
Overall, Home Alone 2 is a good sequel that I happen to like a little more than the original. However, if you don't agree, then I totally understand.
Fantasia 2000 (1999)
Great Sequel - Just Not Quite As Good As The Original
I'm a big fan of the original Fantasia, so you might think I don't like Fantasia 2000 that much, but in reality, I think it's a great sequel. It's not quite as good, but it's still really good.
Once again, the music is great and so is the animation. The music was performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and very well-done. The animation is more diverse this time, so we get some classic Disney 2D animation, 2D animation based on the works of Al Hirschfeld and some CGI animation.
I gave the original Fantasia 10 stars and I give this one 8 stars as it's not a completely flawless film.
The most common complaint people seem to have with this film is with the celebrity cameos. There's really no point to having them all in this film as they all pretty much just introduce the segments. Probably one or two of them would have been fine. Despite that, the cameos aren't that bad. The only cameo I don't like that much is Steve Martin. I have nothing against the guy and he can be very funny, but his humour here seems really out of place and childish in an unfunny way. However, the cameos are fairly short (about 1-2 minutes), so they don't really get in the way that much.
The other I give this only 8 stars is that some of the segments are not nearly as good as the ones in the original. The one with the flamingos is more like something out of a Saturday morning cartoon than a Fantasia film, but it's an entertaining segment nonetheless. The one with Donald Duck is also kind of along the same lines, but again it's pretty entertaining. Some of the segments are really good though such as the Pines of Rome & Firebird Suite ones.
Overall, Fantasia 2000 is a great sequel and I do definitely recommend it despite my criticisms. If you like the original, I think you'll definitely like this one.
Fantasia (1940)
One of The Best Animated Films Ever Made!!!
It's kind of hard for me to figure out how to explain why this movie is such a great animated film, but I'll try my best. I will say that Fantasia is my favourite Disney film and one of my all-time favourite movies in general.
The concept of Fantasia was very unique for the time and still kind of is: combining classical music with animation to tell narrative or non-narrative stories. No dialog is needed. The only dialog you get is from the host, Deems Taylor, who introduces the segments and gives us some details on what each segment will be about. You also get some very brief dialog from Mickey Mouse and the conductor, Leopold Stokowski.
The music was performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra and they did absolutely fantastic. The music and animation are matched up flawlessly. The animation is also fantastic. No complaints about either of those things whatsoever.
Another thing that really stands out about this film is that it doesn't really feel like a kiddy picture. It mostly seems more intended for adults even though it's totally fine for kids to watch. It just doesn't have anything that would immediately draw kids to it, other than maybe the Sorcerer's Apprentice segment with Mickey Mouse.
I really can't put into words what else makes this film one of the best animated movies ever made. You really just have to see it for yourself. I think it's a flawless picture that should be seen by fans of Disney films or just animation in general.
One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)
Charming, Laid-Back & Entertaining
This is a Disney film I first saw as a kid and I liked it. Several years later, I watched it again and I still like it. It's a charming film with a laid-back quality and more contemporary look and feel than any of the Disney movies that came before it.
The animation certainly doesn't compare to the animation in the Disney films that came before it such as Sleeping Beauty and Lady & The Tramp, but it works well enough on its own. The characters (both human and animal) are drawn with more of a sharp and angular look and the backgrounds are drawn with that same kind of style as well.
The opening credits sequence is fun to watch even though it mostly consists of using Dalmatian spots as a series of visual puns, but the sequence does help to get you to look forward to the rest of the film.
The songs are a nice delight to listen to, despite that this movie isn't really a musical like most Disney films, but the two songs (Cruella De VIl & Dalmatian Plantation) are catchy and kind of memorable. The rest of the music works fine with the movie. My favourite part is during the opening credits sequence.
Cruella De Vil is a really fun villain and a lot of that comes from the way she's drawn, animated and voiced. She is probably the best character in the movie. The rest of the human characters are fine, but nothing outstanding. The main Dalmatian characters are fun to watch (especially during the scene where they're watching TV or when they have to disguise themselves as Labradors to get past Cruella's evil clutches) and most of the other animal characters have some fun moments as well.
The plot is a bit out-there, but it works fine for a family film.
Overall, 101 Dalmatians is a charming, laid-back and entertaining movie that has been enjoyed by kids and adults in the past and should continue to be enjoyed for generations to come.
Pocahontas (1995)
Good Movie with Great Animation
I never saw this movie as a kid, mainly because I thought it would too girly and/or boring. I had read reviews that were positive and mixed. Eventually, I decided to watch it and I don't think it's as bad as others might make it out to be.
The best thing this movie has going for it is the animation. The drawing style seems to stand out from some of the previous Disney movies that came out before it. The backgrounds are beautiful to look at, especially the nature ones and the characters are pretty well- drawn too.
Some of the songs are pretty good. My two favourites are "Just Around The Riverbend" and "Colors of The Wind" (both the movie version and the cover version by Vanessa Williams). The other songs are good, but I just like these two the most. This is the only movie I know of where Mel Gibson sings and is surprisingly really good.
Pocahontas is a decent Disney female lead character. There's not a whole lot new to her compared to some of the other Disney female characters prior to her, but she's beautiful to look at and she's interesting enough that she's not much of a bore.
The rest of the human characters are okay, but again, there's nothing really too special about them, including John Smith and the villain, Governor Ratcliffe.
My favourite character is Meeko, the raccoon that usually stays near Pocahontas. I love how he changes expression so quickly and looks so cute doing it. He's also delightfully mischievous, giving Percy (Ratcliffe's dog) and Flit, the hummingbird. The scenes with these animal characters are pretty funny and enjoyable to watch.
I'm not very familiar with the story of the real Pocahontas and I know this film gets criticized for its historical inaccuracies. The only inaccuracy I know about is that Pocahontas was about 11 or 12 years old when she met John Smith who was in his late 20's or early 30's at the time. The movie has Pocahontas as a woman in her late teens or early 20's for obvious reasons.
Overall, I think Pocahontas is a pretty good Disney animated movie. I'm glad I saw it and I see both the good and bad of this film. It does have a slow pace at times and doesn't quite have the level of energy and fun that some of the other Disney films before it had, but it's still pretty good and I definitely will continue to re- watch it for years to come.
Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain (1998)
Not A Bad Spin off
I recently finished watching all of the episodes of this show and I don't think it's as bad as others are making it out to be. It's not as good as when it was just Pinky & The Brain, but it's entertaining and I enjoyed it.
I will admit that Elmyra is a little more painfully annoying than she was on Tiny Toons, but she still has her enjoyably annoying moments. Pinky and the Brain are still enjoyable characters as they were on Animaniacs and, well, Pinky & The Brain.
The only new character that I kind of liked was Rudy, mainly because a lot of the bully-ish stuff he does is over-the-top and kind of funny (Example: When he sues the Brain because the Brain wouldn't allow him to join a kids' club. He actually has lawyers that show up.)
If you like Elmyra on Tiny Toons and you like Pinky and the Brain, I would say this is worth checking out. Just don't be expecting a masterpiece, because this show is not that.