Disney Movie Challenge Bonus: Return to Oz (1985)

 

Return to Oz is another piece of evidence that Disney was in a strange place in the 80’s. Not sure who at Disney said “you know what we should do is a dark sequel to The Wizard of Oz".   But one thing you can say about Disney in the 80’s is they didn’t play anything safe and they gave us some truly interesting films.  I remember seeing this one on the Disney Channel as a kid, but as I got older I wondered if it was just a fevered dream I had one day while I was sick.  But turns out it’s a real film that really leans into the horror of Oz. 

The film starts with Dorothy going to a mental hospital because she won’t stop talking about Oz.  There the doctor plans to use electroshock therapy to get rid of her bad dreams.  During a thunderstorm the power goes out and with the help of another girl in the hospital they both escape.  They end up in a river during the storm and Dorothy ends up in a floating cage and falls asleep.  When she wakes up she is in Oz with her chicken Billina.  But this Oz is nothing like she remembers.  The Yellow Brick Road is torn up and everyone at the Emerald CIty is turned to stone.  She begins looking for the Scarecrow who was left in charge of Oz when she last was there.  While she is wandering the Emerald City an army of “Wheelies” come after her.  Wheelies are creatures that have wheels as hands and feet.  They scare her and while trying to hide she finds a robot Tik Tok.  Tik Tok captures one of the wheelies and the wheelie brings them to the Princess Mombi.  Princess Mombi is not a benevolent Princess and turns out she has a collection of heads and changes them at will.  When Dorothy introduces herself the Princess says she will imprison her till she is older so she can take her head.  While locked in a room in the castle Dorothy meets Jack Pumpkinhead.  A large scarecrow with a pumpkin head that the Princess used a magic powder on to bring him to life.  Dorothy quickly figures out a plan to escape by making a flying living creature out of a couch, moose head, and plant leaves.  First she steals some of the powder that was used on Jack.  Once the creature comes to life they fly out of the caste towards the castle of the Nome King where they were told the Scarecrow is.  There they have to outwit the Nome King to turn everything back to normal.  

The movie is fantasy film that really has some bizarre elements. While it’s not really scary it's one that can give a kid nightmares.  One of the most truly bizarre elements of the film is the Hall of Heads the Princess has. It's implied she killed a bunch of girls and took their head. There she keeps them all alive but can choose which one she puts on to fit her mood. It is also implied that she only remembers certain things if she has the right head on. This isn't really explored too much in the film but raises a lot of questions.

The scene that has always stuck with me and gave me nightmares as a kid was the scene of Dorothy about to get electrocuted by the doctor.  For some reason this scene was more disturbing than any scene in Oz. Maybe it's because it took place in the real world and I couldn't believe that electroshock therapy was a real things.

Other things that are a bit odd in the film are Jack Pumpkinhead and the wheelies. Jack seemed weird to me as a kid but now it just seems oddly grotesque. The wheelies are also strange and can see them given kids nightmare. Watching it now it feel like a very 80’s thing.  With movies about BMX and Skateboarders gaining popularity it makes perfect sense for Disney to try to get in on that money. 

The acting is pretty standard. Fairuza Balk who would gain notoriety playing dark gothic roles got her start as Dorothy in this one.  As a child actor she does a fine job.  She doesn’t try to imitate Judy Garland and makes the role her own.  Unfortunately the screenplay doesn’t help her out any.  The dialogue is odd, and the story barely makes any sense. 

Like The Black Cauldron, which I just watched prior to this, the ending is a bit anticlimactic.  Leading up to the final battle Dorothy and Tik Tok try to outwit the Nome King, but once we get to the final batter it ends up being pretty much random luck that defeats him.    

 Overall: While not a great movie it’s an interesting watch to see how bizarre Disney really got in the 80’s.  Watching it now it doesn’t quite hold up and the effects feel very dated.  This is one I am curious to know if anyone has revisited recently and what their thoughts are.  

Random Facts:

Nominated for Best Special Effects at the Oscars

I like to think the girl she meets in the mental hospital is Alice from Alice in Wonderland and I know there is a movie crossover in the works so why couldn’t it be.  There is also a bit of similarity with the Princess who has a bunch of head and the Queen of Hearts who is always shouting “off with their head”.  

Disney had the rights to the books but also included references to the Ruby Shoes. Since the Ruby Shoes are not in the books and only in the movie Disney had to pay MGM for permission to use them in the film.  

Disney Movie Challenge: The Black Cauldon (1985)

Disney Movie Challenge

The Black Cauldron (1985)

WHAT IS THE DISNEY MOVIE CHALLENGE: With Disney+ making available almost all of their films from the vault I thought it was a good time to watch all the theatrically released feature length Disney Studio Animated films. That’s a lot of qualifications so what does it all mean? It must be a film developed and released under the Walt Disney Animation Studios (so no PIXAR or Tim Burton stop motion films). Must have been released in theaters (no direct to video releases). And feature length (no shorts that played prior to the features). Currently there are 58 films. Starting with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937 going to Frozen II in 2020. 

After the dust up between old and new animators on The Fox and the Hound Disney really went for something different on their next film and still ended up with a lot of behind the scenes drama.  The Black Cauldron was an ambitious film that they filmed in a 70 mm Cinemascope like Sleeping Beauty, and it was also one of the first animated films to feature  Dolby Stereo 70mm six-track surround sound.  Unfortunately like Sleeping Beauty it failed at the box office and almost bankrupted the Disney Animation department. 

The Black Cauldron is a fantasy film set in the land of Prydain.  I’m going to try to explain the plot as best as I can without getting too complicated but a lot happens.  A boy, Taran, is tasked with protecting the magical pig named Hen Wen from the evil Horned King.  When he loses the pig he heads to the Horned King’s castle to find her. There he manages to free the pig but ends up being captured and thrown in the dungeon.  A princess named Eilonwy comes and rescues him and as they try to escape Taran finds a magic sword in the catacombs.  The sword comes in handy against some of the Horned King's guards and they end up finding another prisoner, Fflewddur Fflam.  Fflam is a musician who has a magic harp.  They escape and find an animal named Gurgi who knows where Hen Wen is.  They find Hen Wen’s trail and follow it to the land of the fairies.  There they learn that the black cauldron is in the marsh land and with the help of the fairies they travel to get it.  They set out to find the Black Cauldron before the Horned King can use it to release an army of the undead.  Unfortunately they find out that three witches are protecting it but they are willing to trade it for Taran’s magic sword. The Horned King had Taran followed and as soon as they got the cauldron the King took it for himself.  The group finds out the only way to destroy the cauldron is for someone to sacrifice themselves and go into the cauldron where they will never escape.  But the Horned King starts to use it and his army of the “cauldron born” begins to rise.  Gurgi who wasn’t captured frees everyone and then jumps into the cauldron and ruins the plan. The Horned King and Taran begin to fight but the Horned King is sucked into the cauldron and the castle is destroyed.   After the day is saved the witches return and want their cauldron back.  The team makes a deal they will give the cauldron back if the witches return Gurgi.  After the deal is done the ragtag team heads home.    

The major point of contention in this film was the “cauldron born” rising up.  On initial test screenings during the scene kids and parents left the theatre.  The scene was deemed too scary and cut from the movie.  New studio head Jeffrey Katzenberg ordered the film to have 12 minutes cut.  New Disney CEO Michael Eisner had to step in to ease some tensions.  Another reason for the cut was because initially the film was given a PG-13 rating by the MPAA.  The cut got the rating down to PG and The Black Cauldron became the first Disney Animated film with a PG rating.  Having that much animation cut from a film is rare.  The only other Disney Animated Film to have a big cut after the animation was finished was Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.  

While fantasy films are hit and miss for me I love the filmmakers ambition and willingness to try something new.  Unfortunately it’s not a great film.  The biggest problem for me is that the characters are one dimensional.  We really know nothing about them.  Why does Fflewddur Fflam have a magic harp? Why does the harp break everytime he lies? Why is the princess in a dungeon? What kind of magic is in the sword that Taran finds?  What power does the cauldron actually have? These are all questions that would really help the story.  The other big problem is the ending is really anticlimactic.  The Horned King gets sucked into the cauldron.  They build up to what you think would be an epic fight but nope, the cauldron just sucks him in without anyone doing anything.  Now some claim that this would be solved by the additional 12 minutes that was removed.  While those 12 minutes might be able to solve some stuff it’s not enough time to solve it all.  

The movie did use some new technical innovations.  A new process was developed that was supposed to take the place of Xerography that had been used since 101 Dalmations.   Animation Photo Transfer (APT) used high contrast Litho film to transfer drawing onto cels.  One advantage was that it meant the animation lines could be in any color not just black. The movie was also the first to use computer generated images.  Despite all this technical advances the film still  looks like a Saturday Morning Cartoon. 

Overall: Surface level fantasy film.  No character depth and wish they leaned more into the dark PG (or maybe even PG-13) territory.  While I appreciate the ambition it ultimately didn’t work for me. 

Random Facts:

First PG Disney animated film

First animated film to use CG animation. 

David W.  Spencer won a technical Academy Award for the development of the ATP process. It was used on a few of the Disney animated films but quickly got replaced by computer transfers.   

The Care Bear Movie was released the same year. And while ultimately made about the same as The Black Cauldron but was made for a lot less and would be very profitable. This made the fact that Disney lost money on The Black Cauldron an imbaressment.

The most expensive animated film at the time and a box office failure. 

Tim Burton’s character design was abandoned 

The weirdest scene in the film was a scene where one of the characters gets turned into a frog by one of the witches. He then gets stuck in one of the witches' boobs. It’s just very odd. And now feel I need to share it with you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQqT71czTXs

Disney Movie Challenge Bonus: The Fox and the Hound 2 (2006)

 Disney Movie Challenge Bonus

The Fox and the Hound 2 (2006)

The Fox and the Hound is a strange movie.  It touches on some deep themes like friendship and the effects societal pressures can have on that friendship.  It was a struggle between the old school animators and the new younger animators.  Now what if we took that same film and tossed out any of the social commentary? You would get a movie like The Fox and the Hound 2.  This is not necessarily a bad thing.  One of the problems with The Fox and the Hound is that it kind of skirts the issues.  It brings them up but never really feels like it deals with them, so the question is why even bring them up to begin with.  The Fox and the Hound 2 feels like the film that the older animators wanted to make.  A fun light hearted film that focuses on the friendship between the fox and the hound.  

Similar to Bambi II the movie takes place during a time jump in the first film.  Both Tod and Copper are still pups and the best of friends.  Copper hasn’t developed his hunting dog instincts yet and thinks he is pretty useless.  But one day a fair comes to town and Copper and Tod find a group of singing dogs called The Singin' Strays.  When Copper starts singing along they realize he has a great talent. When Dixie leaves the band because she feels like she is not appreciated Copper ends up joining the band.  Copper and the band practice to impress a talent scout from the Grand Ole Opry.  Tod, who initially encouraged Copper to join the band, now feels left out when Copper spends all his time with the band and ignores him.  Eventually Tod and Dixie team up to ruin the band. At the end of the day there is reconciliation between Tod and Copper and also the band.  

At the end of the day this takes the original film and boils it down to a simple tale of friendship, jealousy, and reconciliation.  It’s the kind of morality tale you expect in a kids film.  It doesn’t do anything unexpected and from the start you can pretty much predict what will happen.  What actually does work well and keeps the film from feeling to dull is the voice cast.  Reba McEntire and Patrick Swayze play Dixie and Cash, the two lead dogs in the band.  Their interactions are fun and they bring the characters to life in a way that really works.  As for the songs they aren’t too bad.  I’m not a huge fan of country music but the songs really work well in the film.  

Overall: A film that knows exactly what it is trying to do and executes it perfectly.  It tells a tale of friendship that ends with a happy ever after (although we know from the first one that it’s anything but).  Reba McEntire and Patrick Swayze are perfect in their roles and it’s already a good reminder how good a singer Swayze really was.  

Random Facts: 

Director Jim Kammerud also directed other DTV sequels including 101 Dalmations 2: Patches London Adventure, and The Little Mermaid 2: Return to the Sea

Disney Movie Challenge: The Fox and the Hound (1981)

Disney Movie Challenge

The Fox and the Hound (1981)

WHAT IS THE DISNEY MOVIE CHALLENGE: With Disney+ making available almost all of their films from the vault I thought it was a good time to watch all the theatrically released feature length Disney Studio Animated films. That’s a lot of qualifications so what does it all mean? It must be a film developed and released under the Walt Disney Animation Studios (so no PIXAR or Tim Burton stop motion films). Must have been released in theaters (no direct to video releases). And feature length (no shorts that played prior to the features). Currently there are 58 films. Starting with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937 going to Frozen II in 2020. 

The 80’s are a strange time for Disney Animated films.  After the death of Walt Disney the company continued with the “Old Nine Men” still mostly in charge of the direction of the animated films.  But by the time the 80’s started rolling around most had retired and the company seemed to be lost.  While some consider the 80’s the dark ages for Disney Animation it’s really more of  transition.  The younger animators wanted to delve more into the deeper and darker themes but the older guys wanted to keep the more traditional light family friendly films (side note. John Lasseter was one of the uncredited animators on The Fox and the Hound.  He would go to do the seemingly impossible and merge the two and tell family friendly stories with depth when he helped start PIXAR). Long story short The Fox and the Hound feels like a tug of war between the old school and new school, and the behind the scenes story is more interesting than the actual movie. 

The movie itself is about a young fox, Tod, who loses his mother but is adopted by an old lady and raised as her pet.  He meets a puppy named Copper and they become best friends.  Unfortunately Copper is a hunting dog.  Copper’s owner takes him away for hunting season and with the help of an older dog named Chief teaches Copper how to become a great hunter.  When they return and Tod wants to play with Copper again but Chief sees Tod and begins to chase him. After Chief is hurt, Copper blames Tod and they become enemies.  Due to the big hullabaloo the old lady decided to release Tod into a wooded preserve.  There Tod trys to fit in but can’t seem to do anything right, but he does meet a female fox called Vixey.  But the hunter and Copper can’t let it go.  They head out to the preserve to find Tod.  There ends up being a showdown  that involves a bear that almost kills Copper.  Tod comes to Copper’s aid and helps save him from the bear.  When the hunter goes to shoot Tod it’s Copper who returns the favor and saves Tod’s life.  Copper returns home with the hunter and Tod returns to the woods to live with his new girlfriend.  

The film has received some praise for showing how societal pressure can affect those who try to break from what is considered the norm. Some see the film as an allegory for LGBTQ relationships.  While I see how you can read that from the film unfortunately the film is a bit of a mess and it gets lost.  The film skirts around the bigger issues and instead has slapstick stuff with birds and very unmemorable songs that doesn’t really add to the story.  We see the story and we understand what is happening but it doesn’t get much deeper or explore those issues.   I think this is where the tug of war between animators really hurt the film. I think if they had picked a direction either way the film would have been better for it.  Personally I would have liked to see them delve more into the darker material but I can see a light hearted version being good also.  But by kind of bringing up the issues but then switching to a bird chasing a worm it ends up not feeling sincere.  

The one scene that caused the most division in the animation department was the scene where Chief the older dog gets injured.  In the book Chief actually dies. And the younger animators wanted him to die in the film also.  They felt that it would make Copper’s hatred of Tod feel more authentic.  The higher ups at Disney wanted nothing to do with Chief dying.  Their stance was Disney had never killed a main character before and they weren’t starting now.  So Chief was given a broken leg and nothing else.  But the arguments over this scene cause a big riff with major repercussions.  

Even though it doesn’t explore the deeper psychological stuff the movie is still a bit sad and depressing.  Tod not only loses his mother in the beginning but then loses his best friend and his home.  At the end the film wants to leave us on a happy note but it’s not really a happy ending.  Tod and Copper saved each other's lives but you get the feeling they will never be friends again and that they never will see each other again.  I never got the feeling that the friendship was restored.  But a caterpillar turned into a butterfly and the old lady and old man became friends so I guess all is right in the world.  

Overall: I know in some circles this is considered a classic but just didn’t work for me.  A story about friends having a falling out and one trying to kill the other should be a powerful emotional story but it just isn’t.  The songs and music were forgettable. The voice acting was fine but nothing that really stands out. It’s not one I feel I need to revisit.  

Random Fact

First Animated Disney Film released after I was born.  

Uncredited Animators include John Lasseter, Brad Bird, Don Bluth, and Tim Burton.  All would go on to make a name for themselves in the years to come. 

Was released the same weekend as Escape from New York which featured a different side of Kurt Russell. 

Production was stalled a year when Don Bluth left with a group of other animators  

Most expensive animated movie at the time.  

Disney Movie Challenge Bonus: The Black Hole (1979)

 The Black Hole (1979)

After Star Wars changed everything in 1977 everyone was trying to figure out how to recapture that moment.  And before Disney realized they could just buy Star Wars for themselves they tried to make their own version in 1979 with The Black Hole

The Black Hole is a sci-fi fantasy film about a spaceship crew that discovers a black hole with a ship mysteriously orbiting it.   After a discussion about pros and cons the crew decide to investigate the ship. The ship turns out to be a ship that was considered lost 20 years ago.   Once on the ship they find it full of robots being controlled by scientist Hans Reinhardt who says everyone else has died and he is on the verge of a great discovery. But things are not as they seem.  Turns out Reinhardt has ulterior motives. He feels he discovered another dimension on the other side of the Black Hole.  When the crew discovers that everything Reinhardt told them is a lie they  try to escape.  Reinhardt orders his robots to capture the crew before they escape. During the chase a meteor shower hits the craft and creates more mayhem.  Eventually a few of the crew enter an escape capsule but are unable to escape the black hole’s pull.  They end up going through the black hole and proving Reinhardt correct.  

This is one bizarre movie.  On paper the cast is amazing.  You have 2 Oscar winners Maximilian Schell and Ernest Borgnine, Oscar nominee Anthony Perkins, and future Oscar nominee Robert Forster.  You also have the voices of Roddy McDowall as the robot VINCENT and Slim Pickens as the robot BOB.  With that kind of pedigree it’s hard to figure out why the acting is so bad.  But one of the things I learned is that all the dialogue was done as ADR.  Not sure if that is why all the deliveries just didn’t feel right or if it was just a bad script they were reading from.  

It’s clear that Disney was going for some kind of mash up of Star Wars and 2001: A Space Odyssey but somehow missing the mark of both.  Taking from the Star Wars universe we got a crew made up of a young hot shot, an older wise man, a person that can communicate with their mind, and a wisecracking robot.  You also got action, a killer robot army, and space chases.  From 2001 you got what feels like it’s supposed to be a technological thriller and the trippy visuals at the end.  The problem is it doesn’t mesh well.  The action feels forced and the interactions between the cast doesn’t feel genuine.  The robot is just bizarre and feels like a poor man’s R2D2.  Also one of the crew members has  ESP that she uses to talk to the robot which just feels bizarre.  While they set up this scientific intrigue it just becomes a lot of talking and you never really understand what is going on.  Then as the actions starts to ramp up they throw all science out the window.  One of the classic scenes from the movie (and one that kind of gave me nightmares as a kid) is the scene of a flaming meteor rolling through the spaceship towards our heroes.  While the scene looks amazing the science is so wrong you can't help but laugh (how are they still alive if the spaceship broke apart and they are exposed to the vacuum of space is my biggest question).  In the end it’s just baffling. 

Overall: The special effects are great and Maximillian Schell looks like he is having a great time as the villain.  Unfortunately everything else is pretty bad. It neither captures the fun of Star Wars or the suspense of 2001: A Space Odyssey.  If you have fond memories of this film probably best not to revisit it.  

Random Facts:

First Disney Film to be Rated PG mostly due to the deaths of some characters.  

Disney Movie Challenge: The Rescuers (1977)

 Disney Movie Challenge

The Rescuers (1977)

WHAT IS THE DISNEY MOVIE CHALLENGE: With Disney+ making available almost all of their films from the vault I thought it was a good time to watch all the theatrically released feature length Disney Studio Animated films. That’s a lot of qualifications so what does it all mean? It must be a film developed and released under the Walt Disney Animation Studios (so no PIXAR or Tim Burton stop motion films). Must have been released in theaters (no direct to video releases). And feature length (no shorts that played prior to the features). Currently there are 58 films. Starting with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937 going to Frozen II in 2020. 

I like to think 1977 brought us a lot of great things. Star Wars, Close Encounter of the Third Kind, and it was the year I was born, so again great things.  But it also brought us two very different animated Disney films.  The first was The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, a classic story about a cuddly silly old bear.  The second was The Rescuers, an adventure film full of danger.  The film also feels like a turning point for Disney as it feels more similar to the early 80’s films than the other films from the 70’s.  

The Rescuers is about a pair of mismatched mice from the Rescue Aid Society (an organization of mice who help people) who set out to help a kidnapped girl named Penny. After a bottle is found with a message from a girl named Penny the Rescue Aid Society decides someone should go rescue her.  Miss Bianca (Eva Gabor) wants to prove herself worthy to the rest of the society and volunteers for the mission.  The RAS doesn’t trust a woman doing it alone and Bernard (Bob Newhart), was a clumsy janitor,  who was picked to go with her.  They find out that Penny was kidnapped by the evil Medusa and taken to a swamp.  There she wants Penny to go in a small hole to find an elusive diamond.  The pair of mice head to the swamp and with the help of an albatross,  a dragonfly and various other local animals they help rescue Penny.  

The movie is a bridge from the 70’s to the 80’s with Disney trying to figure out what to do.  A younger generation of animators including Don Bluth was trying to push Disney to do something different but the old guard wanted to do something more traditional.  Somehow you end up with a film that mostly works.  The first thing that stands out about The Rescuers is that it’s a lot darker in tone than previous Disney films.  The entire beginning is creepy and bleak. The title sequence follows a bottle with Penny’s note in it as it floats along till someone finds it.  Then we learn that Penny is an orphan, is kidnapped, and no one is looking for her.  Usually Disney just kills the parents but to start out with no parents then get kidnapped on top of that and have no one notice is really bleak.  

The other thing that makes it stand out from other animated Disney films is it ventures ever so lightly into women’s rights. When Biance volunteers to go rescue Penny all the other mice laugh.  They tell her that she can’t do it alone. Which is when she picks Bernard the clumsy janitor.  For pretty much the rest of the movie Bianca is the brave one and Bernard is the scared mouse that just wants to go home.  Even Penny isn’t the typical damsel in distress.  Not only did she help herself by sending a message in a bottle but she also escapes (and we find out it’s not the first time she escaped either) and helps come up with a plan when Bianca and Bernard finally get to her.   The only bit of dialogue that specifically addresses women's rights comes from the chairman of the Rescue Aid Society saying  “times are changing”.  

From an artistic standpoint the film marks another technological advance for animation. Disney had been using Xerography since 101 Dalmatians with pretty much no advancement in the technology. One of the biggest drawbacks of Xerography is that all the animation has black lines around them and makes the animation feel a bit cheaper.  In The Rescuers a process was developed that could use colored lines and make the animation look crisper.  

Overall: I appreciate the darker tone of the film.  Definitely makes it stand out from the other animated Disney films.  Eva Gabor gives another great voice performance as Bianca. It has action, adventure, and some good comic relief, everything you could want in a film.   The film does feel like it’s more for older kids so might want to keep the young ones away from this one.   

Random Facts:

A TV show was in the works but when a sequel for the movie was announced the TV show shifted and became Chip ‘N’ Dale Rescue Rangers.  

Don Bluth was so frustrated with the way the film went that he left Disney and started his own animation studio and produced some great 80’s animated films Secret of NIMH, An American Tale, and The Land Before Time.  These films were more successful than Disney films of the 80’s.  

A small section had to be removed from the film when it was released on VHS because it contained nudity.  Disney claims it was put there in post production by a disgruntled employee.  Here is the scene.  https://youtu.be/MTf-l_nPRcI

Medusa’s design bridges Cruella De Vil and Ursula from the Little Mermaid.  You see homage to Cruella in Medusa’s design and during The Little Mermaid’s  team designed Ursula based on Medusa.  

The Rescuers made more money in France and Germany than Star Wars did in 1977.  

Oscar nominated for Best Song.  It would be the last Oscar nomination for a Disney Animated movie till The Little Mermaid in 1989.  

The first animated Disney Film to spawn a sequel.  The Rescuers Down Under was theatrically released in 1990.