And contrariwise, what it is, it wouldn’t be. And what it wouldn’t be it would…

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ALICE IN WONDERLAND

Directed By: Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, & Hamilton Luske
Produced By: Walt Disney
Based On: Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Through The Looking Glass
Premiered On: July 26, 1951
Distribution By: RKO Radio Pictures

Seeing as I’ve already reviewed Disney’s Alice in Wonderland at least in concerns to a lot of random trivia and fun facts, I’ll remain focused on the three elements of the film’s story compared to the original, my choice in song that encompasses the film as a whole, and whether this is a film for all ages or younger audiences.

The tale of Alice begins one lazy summer afternoon as Alice tries to pay attention to her history lessons but finds it rather difficult to focus on a book without pictures or conversations. Her attention is further grabbed by the incredibly odd sight of a white rabbit wearing a waistcoat and carrying a rather large pocket watch racing by with cries of being late for a very important date. Curious as to what the White Rabbit could possibly late for, Alice gives chase and after a bit of a tumble finds herself in the maddening world known simply as Wonderland.

As she searches high and low for the White Rabbit, Alice meets an incredibly diverse, and rather mad, cast of characters such as the eccentric Dodo, a choir of singing and talking flowers, a egotistical hookah-smoking Caterpillar, and a deviously grinning Cheshire Cat just to name a few.

After taking part in the stupidest tea party in all of her life, which to be fair she should have expected with such company as a Mad Hatter, March Hare, and Dormouse, Alice is fed up with Wonderland and tries to find her way home only to realize she has no way out. That is, until the Cheshire Cat reignites her curiosity and leads her to meeting the Queen of Hearts where Alice comes close to losing her head on more than one occasion.

Fearing for her safety, and having more than enough of everyone’s eccentricities, Alice runs as fast as she can back to the door as Wonderland slowly starts to unravel around her until she makes it to the talking Doorknob. The Doorknob informs her that he’s still locked and that she needn’t worry about getting back outside of Wonderland, as she is already there asleep and dreaming. Alice wakes with a mild start and her sister, fondly exasperated with her younger siblings fantastical whimsies, leads them back home for tea.

This is one of the few adaptations of Lewis Carroll’s classic story that is as close to the book as can be allowed for time. There are many key moments and characters missing in this film though it can be argued that they were merely switched around with those present in the sequel Through the Looking-Glass. Namely, the twins Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, the Walrus and the Carpenter, and the talking, or rather singing, flowers, all of whom were featured in the second book and not the first.

Likewise, the film is missing the characters of the Duchess, her pepper-obsessed Cook, the Duchess’ young baby that turns into a pig upon rescue by Alice, a melancholy Mock Turtle and his musically whimsical Gryphon buddy.

A lot of reasons have been presented as to why these changes were done, from time constraints to trying to keep the story suitable for young audiences. Much as Wonderland is a tale of fantasy and wonder, there are some rather darker tones to its story, particular with the Duchess and how she treats her kid and the fate of said child.

As to the song that I find to fit the film the best… I’ll admit, I was tempted to say it was the song in the opening credits “Alice in Wonderland” that would fit the role the most but really, it’s far too short to consider. That and it is, after all, a credits song and not one featured in the actual film itself. I’ll also admit that the song “A Golden Afternoon” is likely the most recognized of the songs in the film and is definitely one worth watching if only for the stunning array of characterized flowers, but again it’s not a song that really fits the film as a whole.

No, that honor goes to the song sung by Alice herself, “In A World of My Own.” A song that, originally, was going to feature a dazzling array of visuals where Alice’s daydreams would intermingle with the real world until it became difficult to tell just where the reality ended and the dream began. Still, even without those visuals, Alice’s song still holds true to the point of Wonderland and Alice’s adventures there. After all, what child does not imagine a world of there own, where the rivers run up instead of down and the sun and the moon reside together in the sky at the same time?

Overall, Alice in Wonderland gets a solid five out of five stars from me. It’s not the perfect adaptation and while it lacks anything more than the common moral of curiosity and caution, this is a story of nonsense and should be treated as such. Kids will enjoy the wide array of colors and life to be found in Wonderland while adults may remember a time when they imagined such nonsensical things as smoking caterpillars and singing flowers. It’s a film that’s meant to inspire us because if a girl such as Alice can dream up a world as fantastical and everlasting as Wonderland, then who is to say that no one else can do the same?

A wonderful dream come true…

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cinderella, Disney Animated Feature Films, Disney Animated films, Disney's Cinderella, Film Reviews, Years of Disney

CINDERELLA

Directed By: Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske, & Wilfred Jackson
Produced By: Walt Disney
Based On: “Cendrillon” by Charles Perrault (1697)
Premiered On: March 4, 1950
Distribution By: RKO Radio Pictures

While it cannot be denied that it was the film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which started the art of animation in films and made Disney a household name, it was the likes of Cinderella that kept it going through one of the darkest hours the company had ever faced. For despite the acclaim of the films Bambi, Dumbo, and Fantasia have nowadays, none of those films did much in the box office and some were even panned by critics. That’s not even taking World War II into account either. Prior to this film, Walt Disney and his company were petering on the edge of bankruptcy, owing well over 4 million dollars in debt.

This film would either make or break the company and needless to say, it certainly made in a vast number of ways. Aside from being the first animated film to be worked on by the Disney Legends who would eventually be known as Walt Disney’s Nine Old Men, this film had broken new ground on the music scene of things.

But before that let’s get the general plot of the film out of the way for those poor few who’ve never seen, or read, the tale of Cinderella. The story goes that a young girl’s father, having passed away, grows up to be treated as nothing more than a servant girl to the likes of her cruel stepmother and equally mean step-sisters. Despite the hardships of her family, Cinderella, as she is so named by her stepfamily, lives each day with a smile on her face and a song in her heart.

One day, word arrives from the castle that the king, in a desperate attempt to find his son a suitor so that he may have spend what time he has left adoring his grandchildren, has declared a ball for all eligible maiden of the land to attend. Cinderella asks her stepmother if she may go as well and is promised that she can so long as she finishes her chores and finds a suitable dress to wear for the occasion. Fortunately for Cinderella, her little mice and bird friends happily make her a dress while she goes through all of the chores as quickly as she can.

Unfortunately, though they used a dress belonging to Cinderella’s mother as a base, the beads, sash, and other such assortments were taken from her stepsisters, whom had discarded them earlier. Lady Tremaine points this out to her daughters whom angrily tear apart Cinderella’s dress and set the poor girl to tears. Thankfully, all hope is not lost as Cinderella’s fairy godmother appears and grants her goddaughter a gift or two. A fancy carriage to carry her to the ball and a dress to make any royal’s head turn, most of which will return back to normal upon the stroke of midnight save for the pair of glass slippers.

Cinderella attends the ball and has a romantic dance with the prince but the clock soon starts to strike midnight and Cinderella beats a hasty retreat back home, unwittingly leaving a glass slipper behind. The prince, eager to find the maiden who had so easily ensnared his heart, the Prince makes a declaration of his own, that each and every available maiden try on the small slipper and should the shoe fit, she shall be his bride.

News reaches Cinderella’s home and as her family prepares for the arrival of the Duke, Cinderella unknowingly hums the song that was played at the ball, leading her stepmother to realize that she is the mystery girl whom has the kingdom in such an uproar and so locks her in the attic. The animal crew comes to the rescue but Lady Tremaine tries once more to stop Cinderella’s happily ever after by causing the Duke to trip and destroy the glass slipper. Thankfully, Cinderella has the other slipper and upon proving that hers is the foot that fits, is taken back to the castle and is later wed to the young prince.

Not surprisingly, the film and its original story only differ in the smallest of details, most consisting of the inclusion of Cinderella’s animal friends and their degree of sapience but that’s a trope that will never, ever die amongst Disney animated films. Heck, the only true difference between Perrault’s tale and Disney’s version is that Disney had Cinderella’s dog turn into a footman and her old horse into a coach driver, which in its own way is incredibly ironic. In the original story, it was a lizard that was made the footman, as was the case in the more recent live action film re-imagining, and a rat that was turned into a coachman.

That’s right. A rat. Not a goose, not a dog, but a rat. Now, I’ve nothing against rats as films like The Secret of NIMH and Ratatouille have done excellent work towards their image, but really? How poorly was Cinderella being treated that she had to live with a rat’s company?

To a more lighter note, and do forgive the pun, the music and sound of the film was one of its highest points. How high? Well, following its release, Cinderella was nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Sound, Best Original Score, and Best Original Song. Unfortunately, it didn’t win a single one of them, losing out to films that, in a twist of cruel irony, I have never heard of before.

Still, despite having lost the chance for an Academy Award, the song “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo” had become a hit single on four different occasions, and was even recorded as a cover version by then popular singers Perry Como and the Fontane Sisters. In point of fact, it was due to the popularity of the music in Cinderella that led to the creation of the Walt Disney Music Company and the concept of marketing film soundtracks. Prior to Cinderella, most songs from films had little value to the studio that owned them and were commonly sold off to major music companies to be made into sheet music.

While it can be argued that “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” is the theme of both Cinderella the person and the film itself, I can’t help but put “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo” over that one simply for the fact that it is such a fun song to sing and even more fun to watch. Mostly because you can tell that what Cinderella wants more than a ride to the ball is for her mother’s dress to be repaired, or at the least, fixed up. It’s only because of her near limitless patience and understanding that stops the poor girl from ripping her hair out as Fairy Godmother literally fails to notice the one thing she should be fixing first and foremost.

Actually, on the note of music, and again I apologize for the poor pun, it was because of the songs in Cinderella that Ilene Woods, Cinderella’s voice actress, was chosen out of 309 other candidates. On a lark, and due in no small part to her friends pushing her to do so, she had made some demo recordings of her singing a few of the film’s songs. Those same friends then secretly sent the recordings off to Disney without her knowing about it and she had no idea until Walt Disney himself called her up with the opinion that hers was a voice that had the right “fairy tale” tone.

In point of fact, it was with Ilene Woods that Walt Disney tried something that had never been done before in music but would later be utilized, and popularized, by artists like the Beatles. Namely, the use of overdubbed vocals, which is basically when an artist listens to an existing recorded performance and records a new performance simultaneously alongside it. In the case of Ilene Woods, it was for the song “Sing Sweet Nightingale,” which is a good song but with a horrendous start considering we have to subject our ears to the likes of her stepsisters brutalizing the song.

Overall, I’d give Cinderella a good five out of five stars. It’s a movie for all ages and one that if nothing else, proves that hope and kindness are one of the most powerful forces in all the world. For without either, how else can one’s dreams come true?

Good morning, young prince…

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BAMBI

Directed By: David Hand (Supervising)
Produced By: Walt Disney
Based On: Bambi, a Life in the Woods by Felix Salten (1923)
Premiered On: August 21, 1942
Distribution By: RKO Radio Pictures

A film like no other in most of Disney’s Animated Feature Films, Bambi was a film that was, not surprisingly mind you, panned by critics simply for the fact that it was a huge opposite to what Disney was famous for at the time. Far from a fantastical and even cartoony storyline, Bambi is the tale of a young white-tailed deer named Bambi and his life in the Forest. However, Bambi is no mere baby deer but the young heir to the Great Prince of the Forest, the oldest and wisest of the deer who protects the forests and its inhabitants.

Bambi’s childhood is carefree and fun, especially in the company of his rabbit friend Thumper, who helps to teach Bambi to speak and walk, and a bashful skunk Bambi names Flower. However, the young prince’s happy times come to a swift and tragic end as winter comes and with it the one and only creature that all animals fear, Man. Though Bambi survives the brief brush of Man, his mother… does not. Taking pity on the young buck, the Great Prince breaks the ancient tradition of the deer and takes Bambi with him and raises him on his own.

Times passes and it’s in the opening buds of spring where we see Bambi, Thumper, and Flower as young adults whom are warned of the dangers of “twitterpation” by Friend Owl. Twitterpation being the old bird’s rather unique, if not on the nose, term towards lovey-dovey affections that overcome most animals during this time of year. The three scoff at the idea and meet it with scorn but one by one, they each fall head over paws in love and though Bambi stays strong, he finds himself totally and utterly twitterpated with a doe named Faline, whom he had known as a fawn.

Unfortunately for Bambi, Faline’s affections are also wanted by another buck by the name of Ronno, whom attempts to try and drive Faline away from Bambi. Having none of it, Bambi fights and successfully defeats. However, just as before with his mother, tragedy strikes the forest once again as a wildfire is accidentally started by a group of hunters and though Bambi is warned and guided by his father, he and Faline are separated during it.

Thankfully, Bambi manages to not only find Faline but rescues her just in the neck of time from a pack of hunting dogs. He leads her to safety of a riverbank where most of the animals have already gathered. The following spring shows that, though damaged, the forest and life itself continues as Faline gives birth to not one but two new heirs to the forest as, from afar, Bambi watches on with pride.

In a fashion, I can understand why this film was initially not well received by critics when it was first released. It had broken a lot of the standard themes that were set by Disney’s earlier films. There are absolutely no cartoony qualities to the animation in any form as all the animals were animated to be as realistic as possible.

The few songs in the film are more background music than actual singing in the film itself. Admittedly the song “Little April Shower,” is rather artistic as a scene of how animals take shelter from the rain and is easily the most recognized in the lot. However, the song “A Gay Little Song of Spring” is still credited as an example of trying to turn a dark and serious moment around in films, a technique that has been done again since in Disney films as well.

Even the story itself was disliked for the fact that it had no fantastical elements despite the fact that the book from which it was based was acclaimed for its realism. Speaking of the Austrian novel, there are a few major differences between it and the film.

Some major scenes that are in the book were left out in the film though this could likely be blamed on the financial difficulty Disney was facing at the time with the poor reception of Dumbo and Fantasia. In all, twelve minutes of the film had been cut before final animation was complete and considering how much can happen in just a single minute…

The biggest difference between the book and film though is the lack of both Thumper and Flower as companions to Bambi. If anything, the book has far more deer, both young and old, that Bambi meets and learns from, including a deer that was rescued and raised by humans. Either way, both the book and the film are considered to be one of the first of the “environmental” types of story, warning those of the dangers that can be wrought both by intention and by accident.

Overall, I give Bambi four out of five stars. The fun and carefree childhood of Bambi is just as entertaining to watch then as it is now and the epic battle and flight as an adult are just the same. It’s a great film to watch young and old but I do stress the fact that one should have an adequate amount of tissues on hand for those who’ve never seen the film for themselves. Trust me, it’s needed.

The ninth wonder of the universe…

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DUMBO

Directed By: Ben Sharpsteen (Supervising)
Produced By: Walt Disney
Based On: “Dumbo, the Flying Elephant” by Helen Aberson (1939)
Premiered On: October 31, 1941
Distribution By: RKO Radio Pictures

Likely one of the most recognized of the Disney Animated Feature Films, Dumbo is the story of a young elephant, named Jumbo Jr. by his mother, who is cruelly renamed as Dumbo due to the fact that he has extremely large ears. By extremely large I mean each ear is easily bigger than he is overall. Thankfully, he finds a find in one Timothy Q. Mouse, who tries his best to bolster the baby elephant’s confidence despite all of the hardships thrown his way.

Hardships such as having his mother taken from him when she acted in his defense when a group of boys started tormenting him, the other elephants outright shunning him, and the ringmaster making Dumbo to play the part of a clown in a circus act that would have PETA positively howling for blood.

Fortunately for our titular elephant, salvation comes to him the morning following a immense mind-screwing sequence born from partaking in too much alcohol. Literally and figuratively I think too. I don’t mean to step atop a soapbox here but really, the whole sequence of “Pink Elephants” is just so flipping weird and disturbing that even as a child I couldn’t stomach watching it all from beginning to end. I’d either close my eyes tight to it or outright run from the room and this is coming from the same kid who watched The Black Cauldron without so much as batting an eye.

Anyway, Dumbo and Timothy find themselves waking up in a tree to a flock of crows who can’t help themselves from poking a little fun at the pair, particularly when Timothy comes to the astonishing conclusion that Dumbo, in his drunken sleepy stupor, flown up into the branches of the tree. After a proper dressing down from Timothy, the crows try to bolster Dumbo’s confidence enough to get him to fly by way of a “magic feather,” which does the trick.

Unfortunately, during another performance at the circus, Dumbo looses the feather and his confidence with it until Timothy manages to convince him to try to fly without it and just in time too. Following a spectacular airshow, Dumbo becomes an international celebrity and thus he, and his mother, live happily ever after.

Overall, Dumbo is film that is well and truly aimed towards children and while it can definitely be enjoyed as an adult too, it’s not one that I imagine could be watched time and time again. It’s a cute film with an even cuter story of acceptance and confidence but… Well, let it is a film based on a children’s toy after all but then, I’m getting a bit ahead of myself now aren’t I? Let me speak first of the film’s most prominent of songs first before I go into its origins.

While the song “Baby Mine” is truly the most heartfelt of songs, it’s far too much a lullaby to me to truly enjoy. Meaning that I can’t listen to it without falling asleep near the end really but hey, at least I’m honest in that regard. No, the song that well and truly encompasses this movie is “When I See an Elephant Fly.” Aside from the song all but describing the sheer impossibility of a flying elephant, I find the wordplay throughout the song to be rather fun. Really, it would make for some interesting sights wouldn’t it?

As to the original source material for the film, now there’s an interesting story to be had there. Rather than a fairy tale or a popular book, the idea was born from something of a children’s toy at the time, or what would have been at any rate. A “Roll-a-Book,” which is exactly as it sounds with its closest relation being a panorama.

In point of fact, the device was still a prototype that had been brought to Walt Disney’s attention by his then head of merchandising. While Mr. Disney didn’t care much for the toy itself he did greatly enjoy the story, which was all of eight illustrations and a few scant sentences long.

Though the original prototype never went to shelves and little more than the blueprints and the original cover can be found of it, the one thing that can be said with absolute certainty is one extremely minor difference between it and the film. Namely that the role of Dumbo’s little buddy Timothy was a robin and not a mouse but in the grand scheme of major alterations that barely ranks a one.

Overall, I’d give Dumbo a good four out of five stars. Again, it’s far from being a bad movie and while it’s certainly a good one, it’s not truly one that I could say is worth watching time and time again. Definitely one to watch with the kids but beyond that… Not particularly no.

When you wish upon a star…

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Disney Animated Feature Films, Disney Animated films, Disney's Pinocchio, Film Reviews, Jiminy Cricket, pinocchio, Stromboli, the coachman, Years of Disney

PINOCCHIO

Directed By: Ben Sharpsteen & Hamilton Luske (Supervising)
Produced By: Walt Disney
Based On: The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi (1883)
Premiered On: February 9, 1940
Distribution By: RKO Radio Pictures

The story of Pinocchio is one that is arguably one of the more reclusive amongst the original Disney films insomuch that it is not Pinocchio himself but rather his co-star that has achieved worldwide renown several times over. I suppose that one of the main reasons this is so is strictly for the fact that despite being one of the earlier Disney animated films and one that most children almost instantly recognize, Pinocchio is one of the rarely seen Disney films on television or even DVD. For despite how the story goes, Pinocchio is a film that does toe the line for childhood appropriateness in our modern era whence compared to what was the common standard back when it was first released.

Our tale begins with the true star of the show, one Jiminy Cricket, who after finishing the film’s opening song, narrates the story to us of a man named Geppetto and the little wooden puppet he names Pinocchio. Before going to bed, Geppetto wishes upon a star that Pinocchio may become a real boy, a real son, to him and in the night, his wish is granted by the Blue Fairy though only a small portion of it. For though she brings Pinocchio to life, she does not immediately turn him into a real boy. Oh no, Pinocchio has to earn the right to be flesh and blood by proving that he can be brave, truthful, and unselfish. She even goes so far as to assign Jiminy Cricket the task of being the boy’s conscience, a task that proves far more trouble than its worth even at the best of times.

Pinocchio, being all of a day old, is unbelievably naïve and is easily led astray not once but twice by the likes of the fox named Honest John and his mute feline compatriot Gideon. The first time, the two trick Pinocchio into skipping school and going into the life of entertainment by way of the traveling puppeteer Stromboli. At first, the life of entertaining the masses appeals to Pinocchio but the moment he tries to go home, Stromboli snatches him up and locks him into a birdcage. Though Jiminy tries to free him, it’s the Blue Fairy who comes to the rescue once more though she questions Pinocchio as to how he got there.

This leads to one of the more funnier moments in the film when Pinocchio tries, and fails rather spectacularly, at lying as each lie he makes causes his nose to grow and even sprout out a birds’ nest. Though Jiminy convinces the Blue Fairy to give Pinocchio another chance, she warns that a boy who won’t boy might as well be made of wood.

Unfortunately, as I’ve said previously, Pinocchio once more runs into the dastardly pair who tricks him into going on a vacation to a place known simply as Pleasure Island. Seeing as I’ve spoken more than my fair share of the Coachman and what he does, I’ll skip ahead a bit to the climax of the film, namely the monstrous whale aptly named Monstro, who has swallowed Geppetto when the poor man was out searching for Pinocchio.

The little puppet manages to reunite with his father and together the two come up with a daring plan to escape the ginormous whale. The plan succeeds but at the cost of Pinocchio’s life. Returned home and laid upon the bed he had yet to sleep upon himself, Geppetto and company mourn for the little puppet only to find themselves celebrating the life of a newly born boy.

The Blue Fairy, having found Pinocchio to be brave, truthful, and unselfish, had made him into a real boy and bestows upon Jiminy Cricket a solid gold medal declaring him an official conscience to all whom have the ears to listen and a mind to reason.

As I’ve said previously, this is not entirely a film for really young audiences. Aside from the horrific imagery of watching a boy being turned into a donkey there are a few choice words and imagery that while not inherently bad back in the day… Are not quite so nowadays. While it was a common phrase, the term “jackass” is now more of a cussing word than an actual reference to donkeys and/or mules. That and… well, let me speak of the song that I feel best represents the film overall.

See, as popular as the song “When You Wish Upon a Star” is, I’ve found that song in particular is more befitting of Disney as a whole rather than just this film. In all honesty, it’s the one and only song that immediately comes to mind whenever I think of such places as the Magic Kingdom or Disneyland and, more often than not, it is the very song that they place during most of their commercials too.

As such, my own personal choice for the song that best describes Pinocchio is his own song, “I’ve Got No Strings On Me.” Aside from being made into a far too creepily sung rendition in a recent superhero film, the song does sum up everything that Pinocchio is and then some, particularly in his attempts at being a good, little boy and his failings at this.

And as you can see there are a few moments, particularly the scene with the dancing puppets near the end, where some parents/adults would argue it to be a bit… promiscuous. Me, myself, personally however, I’m afraid that whole scene flew right over my head as a kid as I’m sure it will for most kids nowadays too. In this early time of a new century, children are far more desensitized to these sorts of things with most modern cartoons and television shows making light of things that back in the time of Pinocchio would be considered as scandalous. If I recall correctly, the idea of a television show having a married couple in the same bed was one such example.

More to the point, Jiminy’s reaction to the can-can puppets will forever be one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen the little cricket do, bar none.

As to the differences between the film and the original book… I shan’t lie, there’s quite a lot of differences mainly for the fact that Pinocchio, at least in the book mind you, is far more trouble than he’s worth. On his first moment of life, Pinocchio not only runs out on Geppetto but acts in such a way that a Carbiniere, the military police of Italy, thinks him an abused child and has Geppetto arrested. That’s just one of the many differences mind you and one of the more tamed ones to boot. Honest John and Gideon for example not only attempt to rob Pinocchio in the original story, but actually try to hang him via noose after Pinocchio manages to bite off Gideon’s paw.

Heck, even Pinocchio’s happily ever after is a bit dark as rather than having his puppet body be turned into a real boy, his real body materializes on a nearby bed where he wakes up to find his original puppet body left behind, lying lifelessly on a chair. That’s… so unbelievably creepy. I mean, I’m glad for Pinocchio and all but what would you do with the puppet body at that point considering all that it went through and all that it endured? Bury it somewhere far and away? Burn it and scatter the ashes to the four winds? I don’t know and frankly, I don’t want to.

Now, I’m sure a good many of you are thinking to yourselves ah, well, that can’t possibly get any worse than that can it? Oh no, it most certainly can, my dear readers. For you see, I had skipped ahead a bit in the original story, bypassing one scene in particular that well and truly disturbs me more than any other. On the night of Geppetto’s arrest, Pinocchio returns home and there he accidentally kills a certain talking cricket. A certain talking cricket whose spirit then continues to haunt Pinocchio throughout the rest of his adventures, offering advice and warning whenever possible.

… Yeah, so moving on to happier things. For all the magic that is Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket, I can’t really give this film anything more than three out of five stars at best. It’s not a bad story and it’s certainly one worth watching at least once, but it isn’t one I’d consider putting atop a golden pedestal by any means.

Once there was a princess…

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SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS

Directed By: David Hand, William Cottrell, Wilfred Jackson, Larry Morey, Perce Pearce, & Ben Sharpsteen
Produced By: Walt Disney
Based On: “Snow White” by the Brothers Grimm (1812)
Premiered On: February 4, 1938
Distribution By: RKO Radio Pictures

There are few who have not heard the story of Snow White and fewer still who have not, at least once in their lifetime, seen the film that well and truly started it all for mainstream animation as a whole. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is the story of the titular princess Snow White whose mother, or step-mother as was done in the film, learns has become “the fairest in all the land” and so sets her huntsman to kill Snow White and to bring back her heart as proof.

The huntsman, a kindly soul, could not bring himself to kill an innocent girl and bade Snow White to run and never look back. The young princess would eventually find refuge in the cottage of the seven dwarfs and, for a time, she would become something of a mother hen and loving daughter to the seven dwarfs, some more so than others.

For though the dwarfs are masterful miners, finding and digging up all manner of jewels and gems with ease, not a single one of them are able to cook or clean in a satisfactory manner. So while they work at the mine during the day, Snow White upkeeps the small cottage, oftentimes with the aid of her animal friends, and at night they celebrate in song and dance. However, the Queen soon learns of the huntsman’s deceit and so decides to handle matters personally by transforming herself into a wicked, old hag and creating an apple poisoned with “Sleeping Death” a curse that can only be broken by “love’s first kiss.”

Despite this horrendous flaw of essentially putting her stepdaughter into a coma, the Queen believes that the dwarves will unknowingly bury Snow White alive and so goes to their cottage. Despite her disguise, the animals instantly recognize the Queen for who she is and quickly run off to fetch the dwarfs but they return too late. The Queen had already tricked Snow White into taking a bite of her “wishing apple” and makes for her escape with the dwarfs hot in pursuit. They manage to corner her on a cliff and though she tries to roll a boulder down over them, a bolt of lightning tears the ground from under her feet, causing the witch to fall down to her supposed death.

Returning to their cottage, the dwarfs all agree that to bury Snow White out of sight in the ground is something that none of them can do, they craft a beautiful glass coffin to place her in and visit her every day as they go to and from their mine for the next year, with the forest animals keeping watch over her day and night. It’s not until a certain prince whom Snow White had met previously, delivers a farewell kiss to her, thus breaking the curse.

And they all lived happily ever after.

As for me, I would never, not ever, be able to look at trees the same way for most of my early childhood. Say what you will of the whimsy and romantic heart of Snow White, the fun and fancy of the dwarfs, but when this film wanted to get scary, it skipped that and dove right into terrifying. Though a short and brief moment in the film, Snow White’s run through the “haunted forest” was scary for me when I was toddler and the ride at the Magic Kingdom only worsened it for me. No matter how many times I went on it or how old I was, I never once opened my eyes during that part of the ride.

Yet this all pales in comparison to one of the more truly horrifying moments in the film when the Wicked Queen, or Grimhilde as she’s named in other media, turns herself into a hag. Specifically, the ingredients that she uses such as mummy dust to make her old, the black of night to shroud her, a old hag’s cackle to age her voice, a scream of fright to whiten her hair, a blast of wind to fan her hatred, and a thunderbolt to mix it well.

Magical transformation aside, you have to give Grimhilde credit, she went above and beyond for her disguise but again I can’t help but notice one element in particular. “A blast of wind to fan my hate…” Why would the disguise to be an old peddler call for such a thing? Unfortunately, I have long since given my opinions on Grimhilde so I’ll leave that well alone and move on to the more delightful portions of the film, namely the songs.

Is this a movie for kids of all ages? Eh, I’d say that’s really dependent on said child’s tolerance towards scary moments like the aforementioned scenes. Even Walt Disney himself admitted that he had made Grimhilde a far more frightening character than he intended and made it a point to never make one as frightening as her. Bar one living representation of Evil dwelling within the heart of a mountain, I’d say he succeeded. It’s one of the main reasons why a lot of Disney Villains are somewhat comical or have an overbearingly bad weakness to them such as overbearing arrogance or hilariously short tempers.

Moving on to the music, I’ll admit that choosing one song in particular was extremely tough. There’s hardly a song in this film that anyone hasn’t heard at least once and truly, depending on one’s mood, any song can best fit the film as a whole. Some songs weren’t even really songs in themselves with full lyrics but the animation that accompanied the music more than made up for it. Songs like “Whistle While You Work” or “The Dwarf’s Bathing Song” where it was more humming, whistling, and other such musical tones than outright singing. Regardless, my personal favorite song in the film is the popular “Heigh Ho” as sung by the Dwarf Chorus.

Honestly, it was a true coin toss between this song and “The Silly Song” as both these songs do a great job of showing off the dwarf’s distinct personalities. Though one cannot guess each of the dwarfs by name straight away, the antics and subtle motions as they sing certainly. Dopey and Grumpy being the easiest amongst them by far in my opinion with Sleepy being a close second because lets face it, we’ve all been that and more early in the morning.

Jests aside, the main reason I chose this song, aside from the coin toss of course, is simply for the fact that it is a song that most anyone can sing with ease and without ever having watched the film as a whole. While it’s not a song that’s commonly played on the radio or sung anew by modern singers, it’s still one that most can at least hum along with if not outright sing for themselves, particularly after a long day at work.

As to the difference between the film and the original story, there are two major differences to note overall. The first comes from Grimhilde’s attempt at Snow White’s life. See, contrary to the film, Grimhilde did not just go straight to the poisoned apple trick but had tried two other devices to kill Snow White.

The first was a laced bodice that she tied so tightly upon Snow White that she fainted from lack of oxygen and would have died had the dwarfs not returned in time. The second was a poisoned comb that only worked so long as the comb was in Snow White’s hair so she managed to survive that. Even the poisoned apple trick almost failed simply for the fact that Snow White had grown cautious of these mysterious peddler women flocking by and only took a bite herself when the disguised Queen ate the non-poisoned side of the apple.

While these scenes were considered and even sketched out, there were ultimately dropped for time and for a better flow of the story because honestly? Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me, but by number three it’s just getting boring. Yet there was one other moment in particular that was heavily altered from the original story, that being Grimhilde’s death.

In the original Grimm’s fairytale, the Queen had been invited to Snow White’s wedding and though the magic mirror told her that this new queen was fairer than she, she went anyway despite her suspicions. As punishment for her many attempts at murdering her daughter, and yes Snow White was her own flesh and blood in the original story rather than a step-daughter, the prince bade a pair of glowing red-hot iron shoes to be placed before the Queen and she was forced to don them and dance in them until she eventually dropped dead.

… Wow.

Just… Wow.

There are times that I hear people complain of Walt Disney’s changing the classic fairy tales, and at times I cannot help but agree but most often than not, I can’t help but agree with him. Walt Disney said once that he’ll never patronize children, won’t play down a story though he may temper it. Frankly, I’m glad to have seen the Queen come to an end by her own folly rather than because of a justice system that punished her with such severity, especially in the eyes of Snow White, arguably the kindest and most innocent of all the Disney Princesses bar none.

Overall… A solid ten out of five stars. Why? Because say what you will of the story, the animation, and even the music, this film and this film alone is the reason there is such a thing as animation, that the name of Disney, both the man and the company, are a forever etched in the annals of human history. For though the man himself said it all started with a mouse, it really began with a young princess, a wicked queen, and seven dwarfs.

Years of Disney

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Announcements, Disney Animated Feature Films, Disney Animated films, Film Reviews, Years of Disney

After a brief vacation for the winter holidays, I’m happy to report that I’m back once again and now I will finally uphold a promise I had made long, long ago when I had first started this blog. This means that my previous theme of my personal top ten favorite cartoons and characters will be going on hiatus primarily to uphold the promise I had made but mostly for the fact that I’ve failed to realize that, to paraphrase a certain ranger, one does not simply watch an episode or two of their favorite series. A Lifetime of Animation will be finished, just not until I’ve managed to make my way through reviewing most of the Disney Animated Feature Films.

I say most as some, such as the film The Three Caballeros or Fantasia are films that consist mostly of shorts that are tied together by a certain theme but are otherwise wholly disconnected from each other. Though, to be fair, I may focus on a particular segment that I enjoyed from those films as a review rather than the film as a whole.

Just as before, I will primarily focus on three particular elements to each film. The first being the overall story and whether or not it is a film that can be watched time and time again by people of all ages or by those of a certain age group. Second, my choice of song that I feel best encompasses the movie as a whole. Last, but certainly not least, what changes are made from the Disney adaptation to the original though this may be limited to one major change versus a whole list of them.

With that said, let us begin the Years of Disney!