Disney Movie Challenge: Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)

 

 Disney Movie Challenge

Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)

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 60 films. Starting with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937 going to Encanto in 2021.

 Raya and the Last Dragon is the first time ever my kid saw a movie before I did.  He got to see it at a friend's birthday party.  The first thing I asked him when he got home was “how was it”.  He had a one word review for this film and that was “epic”. For a kid that doesn’t like many movies that is certainly high praise and I couldn’t wait for my chance to see it.  While I was going to wait to watch it till I got to it for the challenge I couldn’t resist watching it a few times with him before then.  But finally got to it and gave it a rewatch.   

 The movie is about Raya, a princess from the Heart in the land of Kumandra. Kumandra used to be a peaceful land where humans and dragons lived side by side.  But the Dragons used the Dragon Gem and sacrificed themselves to save the humans from the Druun, a life sucking spirit that turns people into stone.  500 years later the humans are divided and have separated into 5 different tribes (Fang, Heart, Talon, Spine, and Tail).  Raya’s father tries to reunite the people but after being betrayed by Fang the Dragon Gem is split into 5 pieces and each tribe uses it to protect their land.   Afterwards Raya searches for Sisu, the last dragon. Raya thinks it is the only one that she can bring peace back to the land.  Once she finds Sisu they must work together to find the other 4 pieces of the Gem to once again defeat the Druun.  Along the way they team up with unlikely companions and the must learn to trust one another if they are going to be successful.  

Raya and the Last Dragon had an interesting road to release.  After years in development the movie was set to go into full production in 2020.  But when the pandemic hit they moved all production remotely.  The animators all worked from their homes, all the meetings were done via Zoom, and all the actors recorded their voice roles from their home (some did it in closets).   It’s a miracle that the movie got made at all and looks as good as it does.  Doing all the work at a bunch of homes didn’t hurt the quality and it looks great.  The movie’s themes feel even more relevant during the pandemic. In the beginning we are told that the Druun are a “a mindless plague that spread like wildfire”. While the movie was written before the pandemic started you can’t help making the connection.  

Raya’s goal to unite a broken world also feels very relevant to today’s world.   Raya is hoping that with the full power of the Dragon Gem that SIsu can use magic to heal the world,  But Sisu makes it clear throughout the whole movie that it will take Raya trusting someone who betrayed her to heal the world. Raya resists this, thinking it’s too difficult she continues to try to find an easy way to do it. There is a great conversation from the middle of the movie between Raya and Sisu that goes

Raya: The world is broken, you can't trust anyone.

Sisu: Maybe it's broken, because you don't trust anyone, you just have to take the first step.

I’m not sure how much of the themes were added during the pandemic but this quote feels like it could be applied to the real world where people feel more divided than ever.  

Besides the timely themes there are a lot of other things to like about this movie.   I am a sucker for movies that have motley crew team up.  This movie has a crazy bunch of characters that includes a baby, a gentle warrior, and a kid that runs a shrimp boat, so I was all in.   The action/adventure aspect was also right up my alley.  Not very often you can talk about how awesome fight scenes are in a Disney Princess movie, but here we are.  The movie had some great fight choreography that rivals live action films.  All the fight choreography was based on real fighting styles used in South East Asia. You also felt each fight on an emotional level because they always felt like there was something at stake.  And you never actually know who will win as Raya actually loses more fights than she wins.  

One of the things my kid told me when he got home was how good the music was.  Figured if he liked it that much I had to hear it so I bought the soundtrack.  And he was right, the score is pretty amazing.  This is the fourth Disney Animated Film that James Newton Howard has scored following Dinosaur, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, and Treasure Planet. Here he manages to combine the action aspects with the fantastical elements flawlessly.  Take for instance our favorite track “Betrayed”.  You listen to that and you might think it’s from a Batman movie.  But then you got “Running on Raindrops” which just has this magical uplifting feeling to it.  The fact that these two are in the same movie and doesn’t feel disjointed is a testament to Howard’s and the filmmakers talent.  While I’m not sure the movie will be remembered come Oscar time I am hoping he is in the conversation for Best Score.  

I also love the voice acting in the film.  Kelly Marie Tran does great as Raya and we really get a sense of her progression throughout the film.  Daniel Dae Kim as Raya’s dad, Gemma Chan as Raya’s nemesis also do a great job.  I barely recognized Benedict Wong as Tongo but he pulled off the tough guy with a heart perfectly.  Awkwafina as Sisu for me was the stand out.  The more I see her, the more she becomes one of my favorite actresses.  As Sisu she keeps a lot of that wisecracking dialogue she is known for but also gets to show off a bit of her dramatic elements.  The filmmakers let her ad lib most of the dialogue and I think she nailed it. I can see some people who don't like her schtick might find it tiresome but it totally worked for me.

Overall:  Not sure if it is just a case of the right place at the right time but I really enjoyed this movie.  Themes felt timely, animation was top notch, action was great, and the score pulled it all together.  

Random Facts: 

During the credits there is a thank you to everyone that worked at home.  

Gemma Chan and Awkwafina both would star in a Marvel Project that also came out in 2021.  Gemma Chan was in Eternals and Awkwafina was in Shang-Chi: The Legend of the Ten Rings.  Benedict Wong has a cameo in Shang-Chi and Spider-Man: No Way Home as his character Wong from Dr. Strange.  

Despite being directed by two men (Don Hall and Carlos López Estrada) the production and technical teams were made up almost entirely of women.  

This is the first (and only) Disney Animated film to feature a Princess that isn’t a musical and doesn’t have a love interest.  Brave also did this but that was from Pixar.  

Kelly Marie Tran originally lost the role of Raya to Cassie Steele but after some story changes they decided that Kelly was a better fit for the rewritten character.

Disney Movie Challenge: Frozen II (2019)

 

 Disney Movie Challenge

Frozen 2 (2019)

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 59 films. Starting with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937 going to Raya and the Last Dragon in 2021. 

The second sequel in a row for Disney, and with lots of remakes of their classic films it made me wonder if Disney ran out of ideas.  This movie came out at the end of 2019 and was one of the biggest films of the year.  When the pandemic hit in 2020 Disney surprised everyone by releasing it months early on Disney+.  That’s when I first watched but honestly didn't remember much about it.  

Frozen II picks up 3 years after Frozen and everyone is living happily ever after.  That is until Elsa hears a voice.  She sets out on another adventure but Anna isn’t going to let her go alone this time.  And if Anna is going then so is Kristof, Sven, and Olaf.  The 5 of them head into the enchanted forest to try to figure out how to reverse the curse and find out whose voice Elsa keeps hearing.  Along the way they meet the 4 spirits, Wind, Fire, Water, and Earth.  Elsa and Anna learn secrets about their past and how Elsa got her magic powers.

After denying they would make a sequel to Frozen for a couple of years Disney finally officially announced the film in 2015.  After making the short film Frozen Fever the creative team of Jennifer Lee (writer-director), Christopher Buck (director), and Peter Del Vecho (producer) decided they wanted to spend more time with those characters and decided to have it focus on Anna and Elsa’s history.  The most interesting thing about the production is that they went to Norway, Sweden, and Finland and worked with the indigenous population there to try to get the culture right.  A partnership formed between Disney and the representative’s of the Sámi people.  Here is an interesting article about the agreement from Arctic Today https://www.arctictoday.com/how-a-collaboration-with-disney-shaped-the-way-sami-cultural-details-were-portrayed-in-frozen-2/ . 

The years between the first and second film saw some technological advancement in animation and Disney wanted Frozen II to show that off. The big advancements came from the way they animated items moving in the wind, especially hair, and how the water spirit looks.  They wanted to have the water look more realistic than in Moana.  They managed to do it so well that the photorealistic water looked out of place from the rest of the movie and had to be toned down.  

Despite the advancement in technology the movie felt kind of boring.  I have been having trouble figuring out what it is that didn’t work.  The most obvious thing is that the songs just aren’t as good.  While “Into the Unknown” feels like a good follow up to “Let it Go” the rest of the songs aren’t memorable or fun.  The harder thing to figure out was why the story didn’t work.  I think the film tried to take the Frozen story into a darker more emotional place but it might have gone too far (both Elsa and Olaf die at one point).  The documentary Into the Unknown: Making Frozen II reveals that this was indeed the case.  After a surprise test screening in San Diego it was made clear that people didn’t understand what was going on and kids were generally bored.  Based on that feedback they added more jokes by Olaf to entertain the kids, and added more of the fire spirit since he was a big hit.  The additional jokey material gave the film a disjointed tone.   Olaf just seemed to be more annoying in this film and overused as the comic relief. 

Similar to Ralph Breaks the Internet this movie has no main villain.  The movie is more of a mystery and trying to find out what is going on.  There are a lot of “false villains” like the fire spirit.  It's interesting because I always felt that the first Frozen would have been better if they didn’t have a villain as that villain seemed tacked on.  Now they don’t have a villain and this movie doesn’t work.  It just doesn’t hit the emotional beats that it should. I’m not sure if it was just me but when Olaf died it should have affected me more, but maybe because it’s a Disney movie I kind of knew he would be back. Another aspect that the film has in common with Ralph Breaks the Internet is that they both have a character going through an existential crisis. In this one we see Olaf asking lots of questions about growing up and how to deal with things constantly changing. While we really got to see Vanellope deal with her questions in this one Olaf questions is just played for jokes. I wish they delved more into that and see him get some resolution. Looking back at it know it could have been prescient with the amount of changes coming with the pandemic.

Overall: The movie just doesn’t work for me.  It’s kind of boring and it’s unfortunate that a lot of the fun of Frozen is missing in the sequel.  It could also be that when I first watched it at the beginning of the pandemic and wasn’t quite in the right headspace for this movie.  I believe that how you are feeling going into a movie can have an effect on how you enjoy the film.  But even watching it again it still didn’t do anything and really isn’t that many memorable scenes.   I also forgot how similar to The Fifth Element  certain plot points are.  

Random Facts

Since Frozen won Best Animated Feature at the Oscars it was surprising that Frozen II wasn’t even nominated.  Although “Into the Unknown” was nominated for Best Song.  Toy Story 4 won Best Animated Feature and “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” from Rocketman won Best Original Song.   

When I started the Disney Movie Challenge Frozen II was the last movie on the list  But Raya and the Last Dragon and Encanto both were released prior to finishing.  

During production Jennifer Lee became head of the Walt Disney Animation Studio following the controversial exit of John Lasseter.  Lasseter had been the head since Disney purchased Pixar in 2006.  Lee is the first female to hold that job.    

Highest grosing animated film of all times. 

Disney Movie Challenge: Zootopia (2016)

 Disney Movie Challenge

Zootopia (2016)

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 59 films. Starting with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937 going to Raya and the Last Dragon in 2021. 

A lot of people accused Disney of subtly inserting social messages into their films.  The two that I remember Fox News complaining about are Frozen , which they accused of having a LGBTQ agenda, and The Muppets (2011) which they accused of an anti-capitalist agenda.  In 2016 it seems Disney finally decided to make a film without a clear social message and absolutely no subtly.  Zootopia comes out swinging with it’s clear anti-racism message and there is no way to miss it.  

The movie is about an idealistic bunny named Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) who dreams of becoming the first bunny cop in Zootopia.  Zootopia is a city where “anyone can be anything”.  Despite the odds Judy manages to fulfill her dream and get on the police force.   But Chief Bogo (Idris Elba) still doesn’t see Hops as a valuable asset to the force and assigns her parking duty while everyone else works on a big case.  She tries to prove herself by handing out 200 tickets in one day, but her big break comes when a weasel robs a flower store and she chases and arrests him. While trying to convince the Chief she is a capable police officer who can do more than be a meter maid a otter comes into the office to report that her husband is missing.  Judy makes a deal with Bogo to find the missing otter in 48 hours or she will resign.  To find the otter she must team up with a fox named Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman).  Nick is a con artist but Judy needs his connections to help uncover the truth.  They uncover a plot to turn the predators “savage” and unleash their primal instincts to attack and kill.  The public is notified of the plot a panic ensues where all the prey become fearful of every predator. Zootopia turns into a city full of suspicion and mistrust.  While Judy wants people to see her for more than a cute bunny she must learn to see others as more than a predator.  After realizing she made things worse instead of better she leaves Zootopia for her farm but upon stumbling on a clue she reunites with Nick and finally figures out what really is going on.  

Once again Disney pushed the envelop of animation technology.  This time by creating new software to make realistic fur.  The software “iGroom” used individually placed hair (Judy and Nick had 2.5 million individual hairs) and was able to manipulate the fur to make it look plush and naturalistic.  The voice acting in the film was pretty good.  Jason Bateman is by far my favorite but Ginnefer Goodwin really gives Judy the perfect optimistically naïve voice.  

The story itself is pretty heavy handed. Teaching kids not to judge others by how they look or where they come from is important, unfortunately as an adult I find it a bit too much.  At some point in the film I just found myself saying “I get it”.  There is also an extended reference to The Godfather which most likely goes over kid’s heads. While kids get the idea of don’t judge a book by it’s cover I’m not sure they will grasp the larger societal issue of Racism.  The first time I tried watching it when it first came out on Blu-Ray my kid took the disc out of the player and threw it across the room.  So, he really didn’t want to watch it.  This time he paid a bit more attention to it but I don’t know how much he got out of it.  

Overall: A good looking film with good voice acting, but a little too on the nose messaging took away from the story.  Kids will enjoy some of the silly gags but not sure how much they will get out of it.  

Random Facts 

The title of the film was changed for international release due to Disney not being able to copyright the name Zootopia in various countries.  For most of Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa it is called Zootropolis.  In Germany it is called Zoomania due to a children’s Book called “Zootopolis”.  

The news co-anchor thats a Moose in the standard version is different animals In other countries.  He is a Koala in Australan and New Zealand version, a Jaguar in the Brazillian version, a Tanuki in the Japanese version, and a Giant Panda in the Chinese version.   

Zootopia is the third non-Pixar Disney Animated film to win Best Animated Film at the Oscars. It biggest competitor was the other Disney Animated film to come out in 2016 Moana.

Alan Tudyk plays Duke Weaselton the small time crook. Tudyk also voiced the Duke of Weselton from Frozen. 

Disney Movie Challenge: Big Hero 6 (2014)

Disney Movie Challenge

Big Hero 6 (2014)

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 59 films. Starting with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937 going to Raya and the Last Dragon in 2021. 

After Disney bought Marvel Studios in 2009 everyone knew it was only a matter of time before they cranked out a Marvel Animated movie, but no one would have expected one based on the obscure comic “Big Hero 6”.  When Don Hall was working on Winnie the Pooh he started going through the Marvel Archives looking for a comic he could adapt.  For some reason the title of “Big Hero 6” stood out to him and started looking at the story.  While some of the characters are the same as in the comic a lot of their backstory changed.  The biggest example is Baymax who is a lovable robot in the movie, in the comics he was designed to be a bodyguard and was implanted with human memories

The film takes place in a fictional land called San Fransokyo where 13 year old Hiro is a genius but uses his talents to win money scamming people at robot battles.  His older brother Tadashi is in college trying to convince Hiro to use his brain for more than bot fights.  One night after rescuing Hiro from an angry mob, Hiro's brother Tadashi takes Hiro  to his school to introduce him to his friends (Gogo, Wasabi, Honey Lemon, and Fred) and show off all the cool tech they are building.  It’s there that Tadashi shows Hiro the robot he built called Baymax.  Baymax is designed to be a healthcare assistant and used to help people.  Hiro falls in love with the school, the cutting edge tech they are developing,  and everyone there.  He makes it his mission to get into the school.  To get in he has to enter a science fair and show off something great.  For the fair he uses the concept from his fighting robot to make microbots.  Microbots are tiny robots that can be controlled with the mind and combinted to do anything.  He wows everyone and gets a spot in the school.  But as they are leaving the science fair an explosion happens and Tadashi runs into the fire to save the school principal.  Unfortunately Tadashi dies in the fire and Hiro believes his Microbots have been destroyed. This leaves Hiro hopeless and he gives up on his dream to go to school.  But he soon discovers that Baymax is still functional and that someone is using his microbots for nefarious purposes.  This sets him on a collision course with the Kabuki Mask wearing villain.  But he will need a team to help him win and get his revenge for the death of his brother.  He recruits Gogo, Wasabi, Honey Lemon, and Fred to join the team and uses their inventions to turn them into superheroes.  He also converts Baymax from a health care assistant into a fighting machine.  Together they will have to learn how to work as a team and decide what they are actually fighting for.  

As I mentioned this movie is loosely based on the comics.  Outside the character names and some of their personalities everything was changed.  It probably helped that it was an obscure comic so not many were going to be super upset about the major changes.  While there are lots of fantastical elements in the film it feels more grounded in reality then the comics sound like they were.  Don Hall and his team went to a Robotics Lab at Carnegie Mellon University to see what the cutting edge of robotics looked like.  There they were working on making robots with vinyl which became the inspiration for Baymax’s design.  They also based the powers of each hero in the group on technology instead of having backstories that involve superhuman powers (in the comics GoGo could turn into a fiery blast just by saying her name).  As with a lot of Disney animated films they pushed the limits of technology once again.  They used a new rendering program that gave them new lighting possibilities that were used to make Baymax look more translucent.    They also used new programs to create the cityscape and add people.  

For some reason the first time I saw it in theatres I thought it was fine but didn’t like it that much.  But with each subsequent viewing I like it a little bit more.  There is a lot going on in the film and I think it wasn’t what I was expecting when I first saw it.  I still feel there is something in the beginning that doesn’t quite work but I can’t put my finger on it.  It might be because it’s hard to believe that something like microbots could actually exist (of all the technology in the film this one feels the most far-fetched) or that a 13 year old kid could invent them.  There is also something about Hiro's personality that is a bit off putting.  I'm not sure if it's arrogance or something else but he is very unlikable in the beginning.  That all changes after Tadashi dies and the film starts clicking for me.  I love that the movie starts as a tale of revenge but is really about grieving the death of a loved one.  We see Hiro go through different stages of grief and with the help of Baymax learns that he has friends to help him.  In addition to being about grieving we have the more fun superhero team building story.  We follow as each team member learns to use their weapons in addition to learning how to work together as a team.  All the elements work well as individual story lines but come together in fun and surprising ways. 

Stealing every scene he is in, Baymax is the real star of the film.  There are so many memorable robots in film history that to create a new one that stands out is pretty amazing.   Since Baymax was programmed to help, that is the only way he sees every situation.  This naivete leads to some funny interactions.  They also use every aspect of Baymax for comedic effect. There is the way he deflates to get through a window, the scotch tape gag at the police station, and then the drunk Baymax when his battery starts to run out. The most incredible thing of all is that Scott Adsit is able to inject Baymax with a personality while delivering all his lines in a monotone robotic voice.   

Overall: A fun action packed film that has lots of laughs but isn’t afraid to deal with the deeper emotion of grieving.  Kids will certainly get a kick out of the action hijinks but the film also gives adults something to think about.  

Random Facts

The first Disney animated film I saw in theatres since Pocahontas in 1995.  It’s also the last Disney animated film I have seen in the theatres.  

A post credit scene was added late in production after Don Hall watched Guardians of the Galaxy and realized that fans would expect it.  

While not said in the movie the history of San Fransokyo is that after the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake the city was rebuilt by Japanese immigrants.  

Second year in a row that a non-Pixar Disney movie won Best Animated Film at the Oscars (Frozen won the year before)

Disney Movie Challenge: The Princess and the Frog (2009)

 

 Disney Movie Challenge

The Princess and the Frog (2009)

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 59 films. Starting with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937 going to Raya and the Last Dragon in 2021. 

After the failure of Home on the Range (2004) Disney said they would never make a traditional hand drawn animated movie again.  Five years later and under the supervision of John Lasseter things changed.  

The Princess and the Frog is an updated version of the Grimm's fairy tale The Frog Prince.  This version takes place in New Orleans and involves a waitress and a prince who get turned into a frog.  Tiana (Anika Noni Rose), a waitress in New Orleans is working extra hard to raise money to buy a restaurant.  When she gets real close to succeeding at her dream it gets snatched away from her.  At this low moment a talking frog seems to magically appear from nowhere.  The frog says that he is Prince Naveen (Bruno Campos) and that he was turned into a frog by a witch doctor (Keith David).  Remembering fairy tales she was told as a kid she figured what's the worst that could happen if she kisses the frog.  Well unlike the fairy tales this kiss turns her into a frog also.  They embark on a journey to turn themselves back into humans and along the way meet a variety of friends and of course fall in love.

When John Lasseter moved from Pixar to Disney everyone expected that was the end of traditional animated films.  But as a film lover in general he knew that traditional animated films were Disney's signature and decided he wasn't going to give up on that.  Since many of the traditional animators had left Disney in the 5 years since Home on the Range, Lasseter had to go and rehire them.  The top of his list was John Musker and Ron Clements who had directed some of the biggest hits during the Disney Renaissance, including The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Hercules. Lasseter made them a deal, come back to Disney and make the film however you wanted.  They came back and chose hand drawn animation.  The biggest problem was that a lot of the technology they had pioneered during the renaissance was now outdated (specifically the CAPS program) so they had to look for new ways to make the films. After making a few shorts they decided their best was to hand draw it and scan it into a program called Toon Boom which they could use to manipulate the drawing similar to the way CAPS did.  In the end it had a classic feel but still felt fresh.  

Originally Musker and Clements wanted to work with frequent music collaborator Alan Menken, but Lasseter wanted Randy Newman.  Newman had worked with Lasseter on the Toy Story films and was from New Orleans . Lasseter felt that Newman could bring some authenticity to the music.  Mixing the score with Jazz, Zydeco, and Blues the music really had a distinct New Orleans feel. As the first musical in years it definitely felt like a return to form for Disney. My biggest complaint is that the song "Friends on the Other Side" sounded a lot like "Friend Like Me" from Aladdin.     

This is the first Princess movie that takes place in a modern city in the U.S and it surprisingly worked really well.  I had my doubts because it doesn't make sense for a Princess to be in New Orleans, but the story sold it to me.  I loved the independent spirit and drive of Tiana and how she doesn't fit the normal mold for Disney Princesses.  The Prince on the other hand is the one that comes off ditzy and out of touch with the normal world. At first, Tiana wants nothing to do with him and he is the one forced to change if he wants to marry her.  The rest of the characters were fun and loved their little quirks, like the alligator that wanted to play the trumpet.  The voice cast was top notch.  I loved everyone involved in it.  

Being the first Disney Black Princess the film had a lot of controversies prior to being released.  First thing that was changed was the name of the film.  During production the movie was called The Frog Princess, but many people felt that it felt a bit degrading that the first black princess was referred to as an animal in the title.  Also changed was the name of the character and her occupation.  Originally she was named Maddy and worked as a maid.  This was felt to be too close to the racial stereotype of "Mammy" being a maid.  Her name was changed to Tiana and she became a waitress.  Another controversy surrounding the film was that it took place in New Orleans.  Some felt that it was insensitive to the city as it was still struggling rebuilding post Katrina. To me the film felt like a celebration of the city and more I'm glad they kept that aspect.

Overall: A fun music filled movie that has good songs and a great cast.  Definitely more similar to the Renaissance films of the 90's and maybe it felt too out of date when it was released, but looking back on it it's a really good film that deserves more attention.  

Random Facts

While the movie was a critical success it didn't "ignite the box office" the way Disney thought it would.  There were some in Disney that thought having Princess in the title affected the box office. Their thought was that it turned away the male demographic because they all assumed it was a "girly" princess movie.  This thinking would affect the names and marketing of their next two princess movies.  Rapunzel title was changed to Tangled and marketed as an action movie not a Princess movie.  The Snow Queen title was changed to Frozen 

Another factor affecting the box office was that it was released one week before Avatar which pretty much sucked up all box office money.  

The movie was nominated for 3 Oscars. Best Animated Feature Film, and 2 Best Song nominations.  This was the most nominations any Disney film had received since The Lion King received 4 nominations.  

According to IMDB Tiana and Naveen kiss each other five times which is more than any other couple in a Disney princess movie. I didn't count to verify this fact.  

Beyoncé and Jennifer Hudson were both at one time considered for the role of Tiana, before Anika Noni Rose was cast.  Alicia Keys actively campaigned for the role. 

Oprah Winfrey was brought in as a consultant but ended up taking a role as Tiana's mother.  

Disney Movie Challenge: Hercules (1997)

Disney Movie Challenge

Hercules (1997)

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 facing criticism for themes of racism in Pocahontas and murder, lust, and discrimination in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Disney decided to go back to making family friendly lighthearted comedies with Hercules.  The story of Zeus’ son isn’t quite like how the Greeks told it (they took out the part that Hera is Zeus’ sister and that Zeus tricked a mortal into having sex with him and Hercules is the result of their tryst) but it’s what you expect from a Disney film.  

The movie starts with Zeus and Hera having a birthday party for their baby Hercules.  But uninvited guest Hades shows up and makes a scene. Hades is determined to take over Mount Olympus and after consulting the Fates decides the only way to have that happen is to kill Hercules as a baby.  Hades has his two sidekicks, Pain and Panic, kidnap Hercules and give him a poison that will kill him.  But due to their incompetence they don’t give him all of the poison and it takes away his immortality but leaves him with his god-like strength.  Not being immortal gets him kicked out of Mount Olympus because apparently you have to be immortal to live there.  Abandoned to Earth an elderly human couple adopts him.  Feeling like he doesn’t fit in he eventually learns that he is a descendent of the Gods and to regain his place on Mount Olympus he must prove he is a true hero.  He heads out  to find Philoctetes who can train him to be a hero.  After a training montage they set out to Thebes to put all his training to the test.  It’s there he meets Megara who he saves but really foiled her con.  It turns out Meg is working for Hades and when Hades finds out Hercules is not really dead he sets out to use Meg as a trap for Hercules.  While Hercules does a lot of hero work he is not considered a true hero till he risks his own life to save Meg.  

For a fairly simple movie that recap seemed to go on really long and I left out a lot of detail.  But what it boils down to is a love story between Meg and Hercules. Meg initially was used by Hades to trick Hercules but of course she falls in love with him and must prove she isn’t really evil (oddly enough The Hunchback of Notre Dame II steals the exact same plot).  Most  of the set up goes by pretty fast and is entertaining.  Actually the whole movie feels breezy, light, and short.  The standout in the film is James Woods as Hades.  He seems to be having the most fun.  If I would have to categorize the film I would say it’s an action comedy with more emphasis on the comedy.  You got the antics of Pain and Panic (Bobcat Goldthwait and Matt Frewer), Danny Devito provides great comedy as Phil, and Susan Egan plays a fun Meg.  The action scenes are ok but besides the fight with a hydra there not really memorable.  

When developing the film the writers looked to combine screwball comedies of the 30’s and 40’s with modern pop culture references.   Screwball comedies were known for their witty dialogue and strong headed females.  Directors Musker and Clements cited movies like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Lady Eve, and Meet John Doe(1941) as influences for the film.  As odd as that sounds it worked really well and you can see that as part of the DNA of the film.

Overall: If you had to split Disney films into categories of Great, Good, Fine, and Bad this would be at the lower end of good.  It’s a fun movie but also predictable and unoriginal.  Best part of the film is James Wood having a blast as Hades.  Also be warned you might get "Go the Distance" stuck in your head. It's not a great song but it's catchy and couldn't get it out of my head for 3 days.

Random Facts

The Spice Girls were originally thought of to play the Muses 

Ricky Martin does the voice and singing of Hercules for the Latin American dub. 

The last Disney Film that composer Alan Menken worked on till Home on the Range (2004)

Jack Nicholson was offered the role of Hades but because he wanted too much money and a cut from the merchandising Disney went with James Woods.  

Disney Movie Challenge: The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)

Disney Movie Challenge

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)

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 always thought that after The Lion King the 90’s Disney Animated films just got progressively worse.  I wasn’t a big fan of Pocahontas in 1995 and never felt the need to see any of the other films.  The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, and Tarzan are never really are talked about as part of the Disney Renaissance (As a Disney Princess Mulan is the exception).  All that to say I was surprised by how good The Hunchback of Notre Dame was.  

Loosely based on the book of the same name by Victor Hugo the film is about Quasimodo, Esmerelda, Captain Phoebus, and the evil Judge Frollo.  Frollo, wants to destroy anyone he sees as being sinful.  The movie starts with Frollo killing a gypsy (the worst people in Frollo’s eyes) and attempting to kill her deformed son by dropping him down a well.  Stopped by a Priest at the Notre Dame Cathedral Frollo is told by the priest to spare the child's life and raise him as his own kid.  Frollo reluctantly agrees, names the kid Quasimodo and forces him to live his life in the bell tower at Notre Dame.  Twenty years later Quasimodo has no friends except 3 gargoyles that keep him company.  Eventually he decides he will travel into the city to check out the Festival of Fools.  There he meets the beautiful Esmerelda who seems to not be scared of his deformity.  Also at the festival is Frollo who despises Esmerelda because she is a gypsy but also is enchanted by her beauty.  Captain Phoebus is ordered by Frollo to round up the gypsies but he also falls for Esmerelda.  When Esmerelda escapes into Notre Dame she claims sanctuary and Judge Frollo can not do anything to her.  Quasimodo and Phoebus team up to help her while Frollo promises to do everything in his power to destroy her.  It all leads up to a climatic battle at the end where Quasimodo has to save Esmerelda from being burned at the stake.

Not knowing what to expect, the movie took me by surprise.  While Pocahontas featured a rare on screen death this movie ups the ante by starting off with the bad guy actually killing someone and attempting to kill a baby.  It was a pretty shocking way to begin a kids movie.  In one of the standout songs “Hellfire” Frollo sings about how he lusts for Esmerelda and how much he hates her for that.  There is also the love story which isn’t your typical Disney love story.  The movie sets up a love triangle between Esmerelda, Quasimodo, and Phoebus.  Usually Disney films give the main character a love interest that they will get together with at the end.  But by setting up the love triangle we are never sure who Esmerelda will go with and actually makes Quasimodo’s story a bit more sad when even after he saves her she choses Phoebus.  That’s not to say the film is all dark.  The three gargoyles provide the comic relief and while most of their stuff just seems silly I can see kids enjoying their antics. 

After working on Pocahontas, Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz are back doing the music for this one.  This is one of the more unique films scores as it taps into the dark themes and “Hellfire” is one of the darkest songs in Disney Canon.  Bringing the characters to life is an All-Star cast including Golden Globe Nominee Demi Moore (Ghost) as Esmerelda, Oscar Nominee Tom Hulce (Amadeus) as Quasimodo, Oscar Winner Kevin Kline (A Fish Called Wanda) as Phoebus, and stealing the show from all those was Tony Jay as Frollo.  You know as soon as he starts talking that he is the villain and he never relents the whole film.  

I asked a question in my Facebook group who the best Disney villain was and someone said Frollo.  It took me by surprise because not many people talk about the film and I honestly had no idea who he was.  But, now that I have seen the movie I can see why.  While not as iconic as Maleficent, Cruella DeVille, or Ursula, Frollo is portrayed as pure evil and has no problem with killing anyone in his way.  It’s a chilling performance that should be talked about more.  

Overall: Did I mention it is dark? It’s hard to imagine kids liking this movie. For me I loved it and could have done without the silliness of the gargoyles.  If you are looking for a more mature adult Disney Film then check this out.  It really is an underrated film.  

Random Facts

The movie almost got a PG rating since during the song Hellfire the MPAA said there was a naked Esmarelda in the smoke.  The animators had to go back and make it clear she had clothes on. 

In the book Frollo is an Archdeacon of the church.  He was changed to a Judge so as not to offend any religions.  

The original names of the Gargoyles were originally going to be Chaney, Laughton and Quinn after the three famous actors who previously played Quasimodo (Lon Chaney, Charles Laughton, or Anthony Quinn).  Fearing they would be sued, Disney forced them to change the names.  It was then changed to Victor, Hugo, and Laverne.  Victor and Hugo being the names of the author of the book.  Laverne just randomly after Laverne Andrews from the Andrew Sisters band.