Disney Movie Challenge: Encanto (2021)

 

 Disney Movie Challenge

Encanto (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.

My original goal was to finish this challenge before Encanto came out but took a few breaks but I think ending on number 60 works perfectly, and getting to see the last one in theatres seems like a great end to the challenge.  

Encanto is about the magical Madrigal family, who live in a magical house in the jungles of Columbia.  The matriarch Abuala Alma oversees the house and the family. She was there when a magic candle first created the house and gave special powers to each of her children (Julieta can heal people with her cooking, Pepa can control the weather, and Bruno can see the future).  As the family has expanded each grandchild has been given special gifts (super strength, super hearing, shapeshifting, talking to animals, and being perfect) except Mirabel.  Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz) loves her family but feels left out because she has no power and Abuela Alma seems to blame her for the magic candle losing some of its power.  Mirabel sets out to save the magic and prove she can contribute to the family.  Her first mission is to find Bruno who has been ostracized for his premonitions.  

As with most Disney films Encanto was made collaboratively.  When you look at the credits and you see 3 directors and 6 writers for most films that would mean it was a disaster behind the scenes.  For Disney animated films it’s par for the course.  Jared Bush and  Bryon Howard who both worked on Zootopia were credited as Directors and Charise Castro Smith was credited as co-director.  Bush and Smith were also credited as co-screenwriters with story by Bush, Jason Hand, Nancy Kruse (The Simpsons), and Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton).  With so many cooks in the kitchen it amazing that Disney can manage to get a cohesive story 

After sharing songwriting duties on Moana, Disney finally let Miranda free to write a full on musical.  Tapping into his Broadway roots Miranda wrote 8 original songs that are used to tell the story.  Broadway style storytelling was used in abundance during the renaissance and revitalized by Frozen,  but Miranda gives a his own flavor to the songs that makes it stand out from any previous Disney animated film.  The songs have a lot of energy and are pretty catchy and the performances are spot on.  Beatriz has the majority of the singing and she just absolutely shines.  My favorite is when she sings "The Family Madrigal" towards the beginning of the film.  The song is a lot of fun and an important part of introducing all the characters.  But Beatriz doesn’t get all the songs to herself, everyone gets a chance to shine.  

As with all great Disney movies this one has themes that resonates with people.  In this one it’s about feeling like an outsider in your own family and finding your own self worth.  Not having a special gift Mirabel feels very worthless, and the person she is looking for the most acceptance from, Abuela Alma, blames her for the trouble.  As Mirabel searches for the reasons for the cracks in the house she discovers there are cracks in her “perfect” family.  Everyone feels so much pressure to be what's expected of them they never get to be anything else.  Mirabel is able to get them to open up about their feelings and begin a healing process.  The story makes for an emotional journey that of course has a happy ending.  

Overall: I loved the music and the emotional journey of the film.  The animation is colorful and the performances are great.  My one question: If Mirabel’s mom’s food can heal people, why does Mirabel need glasses? 

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: Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)

 Disney Movie Challenge

Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)

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. 

Ralph Breaks the Internet is only the second sequel to a Disney Animated movie to get a full theatrical release after The Rescuers Down Under (1990) (I don’t count Fantasia 2000 as a sequel).  The movie takes place 6 years after the first one which is the amount of time between films.  Most of the cast is back but besides Ralph and Vanellope they are relegated to mostly secondary characters.  

The sequel starts with Ralph and Vanellope living a good life.  They work all day in their video games then hang out all night drinking root beer and talking.  But Vanellope isn’t that happy.  She is bummed by the same old routine.  When Ralph tries to help her things go wrong and the Sugar Rush game breaks.  To prevent the game from being unplugged Ralph and Vanellope must go to the internet and buy a new part from eBay.  But things start to fall apart when Vanellope finds the car racing game Slaughter Race.  The game gives her everything she dreamed of in a racing game.  Ralph sees the game as extremely dangerous and doesn't want to lose his friend.  Vanellope must decide if she wants to stay or go home, and Ralph must learn that friendship is more than just hanging out.  

To say this is a strange movie for Disney is an understatement.  The film is about a video game character having an existential crisis, has no main villain, and openly mocks Disney Princess tropes.  So where do you even begin to talk about this movie? I'm going to begin with a few of the negatives.  First, it's really long.   At 1 hour 52 minutes it is the second longest Disney Animated Film of all time (Fantasia still holds the record at 2 hours 5 minutes).  As you get close to a certain point you think it’s going to end but it keeps going.  Then the movie started to lose me.  I just kept thinking when will this movie end.  The next issue I had was more of a question I kept thinking about after it ended, and that is are there too many product placements in the film?  I get that when you’re placing the movie in the internet it’s cool to see some recognizable brands.  And the joke about Google being where you go for goggles is kind of funny.  It all seemed like too much and in 10 years will likely make the film seem dated.  It also remind me of The Emoji Movie which got panned for some of the same things that Ralph Breaks the Internet does.  

While the internet seemed like too much pop culture references it was beautifully animated. Everything looked great and I loved the way they represented certain internet traits like the pop up ads and the intuitive search bar. I thought it was super creative the way they designed how information moves and made the internet feel like a real place.  

The movie also examines what it means to be friends and how friendships change over time.  Right from the start we see two perspectives and know that they will clash.  Vanellope states that she is tired of the same routine and Ralph responds about how he is living his best life.  When Vanellope finds Slaughter Race and realizes that this is what she wants to do, we see her grapple with the decision. We also see how badly Ralph reacts to her choice.  One of the final obstacles they face is a virus version of Ralph called Ralphzilla.  Ralphzilla is creepy as hell and the stuff of nightmaresm but the way they beat Ralphzilla feels like a bit of a cheat. Basically the real Ralph has a therapy session and “cured his insecurities”.  It kind of works for the theme of the film it doesn't work 100%.  Of course in the end they are friends again and yet everything has changed.  Here is where the movie reminds me of one of my favorite Pixar movies Inside Out.  Both movies deal with feelings and how people change.  Another similarity is that neither movie has a main protagonist.  

While not a major part of the film I feel it’s important to talk about how the Disney Princess are portrayed.  As I mentioned earlier the movie pokes fun at a lot of the Disney Princess tropes.  Like talking to animals, needing a man to fix your problems, and singing a song while staring at water.  The way it was done was pretty smart.  While it was poking fun at those tropes it was never poking fun at the Princesses themselves (except Merida from Brave, who some thing they poked fun at because Brave beat the first Wreck-It Ralph at the Oscars).  There is actually a really fun scene where the Princesses get their own Avengers style team up, and it makes me want to see more of that team up. They also give Vanellope a Princess song of her own.  To make it feel like an authentic Princess song they brought in Alan Menken (The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast) to write her song.  

Overall: This is a fun movie that does feel a bit too long but kind of makes up for it with a powerful story about friendship.  

Random Facts:

They brought back most of the original voices for the princesses.  The exceptions are Snow White, Cinderella, and Aurora. Mary Costa who voiced Aurora is still alive but it was determined that an 88 year old couldn’t do a convincing voice of a 16 year old princess. 

The only voice actor not to return from the original film is Mindy Kaling who voiced Taffita in the first movie. 

A bit of controversy surrounded the Princess scene prior to release. Many complained that Tiana and Pocahontas' faces were lightened and given a more European shape. This was changed prior to the film’s release. 

There is a mid credit scene featuring a scene that was in the trailer but cut from the movie. The filmmakers turned into a joke where a kid complains about the scene not being there. 

There is also a post credit scene with Ralph “Rick Rolls” the audience.  

Besides the Princesses the movie features various nods to other Disney owned products like Star Wars and Marvel. Vin Diesel reprises his role for Baby Groot and Anthony Daniels reprises his role as C3PO. Tim Allen also makes an appearance as Buzz Lightyear. There is even a Stan Lee cameo. The animators did ask Lucasfilm permission to use Kyle Ren but were denied.   

 

Screenwriter of Wreck-It Ralph Phil Johnston pulled double duty on this one getting a promotion to assistant director in addition to screenwriter. Jennifer Lee who co-wrote the first one did not work on this film as she was working on Frozen 2. Pamela Ribon did come on board as co-writer and wrote most of the princesses’ scenes. She also ended up voicing Snow White.  

Disney Movie Challenge: Moana (2016)

 Disney Movie Challenge

Moana (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.

The second Disney animated film to be released in 2016.  Moana was released on Thanksgiving weekend and proved to be a box office phenomenon.    Ron Clements and John Musker continued their hot streak of Princess movies after directing hits like The Little Mermaid (1989), Aladdin (1992), and  The Princess and the Frog (2009). 

Moana is about a princess on a fictional Polynesian island who heads out into the ocean on an adventure.  On the island of Motunui the people live in harmony with nature but never go out far in the ocean.  When Moana is young she hears the ocean calling her and wants to go out and explore it.  Since she will be the next chief her parents force her to learn about the island and how to take care of the people, but her Grandmother shows her that things used to be different.  Their ancestors were great sailors and traveled far across the ocean.  When the food starts to become scarce on the island Moana sets out to fix things.  There is a story about how the Demigod Maui stole the Heart of Tafiti which caused the evil Te Kā to rise and send out darkness around the world.  When Te Kā attacked Maui, Maui lost the heart of Tafiti and his magical fish hook that grants him shapeshifting powers.  Moana is chosen by the ocean to be the one that returns the Heart of Tafiti.  After the ocean gives her the jewel she must brave the waters in her ancestor's ship, find Maui, convince him to go back and return the jewel, and figure out how to beat Te Kā.  

When another movie they were working on failed to materialize Clements and Musker set out to make an original film.  After doing some research they became fascinated by Polynesian history and decided to set their story in that world.  The fascinating thing is that it is partially based on truth.  The Polynesian people were great sailors but mysteriously stopped sailing and no one knows why.  Then after 1,000 years they mysteriously started sailing again.  Originally planned to be about the demigod Maui, they eventually decided that focusing on a human would make the movie more relatable.  Using a cast made of actors with Polynesian heritage helps lend it some authenticity.  The cast includes Hawaiian natives Auliʻi Cravalho as Moana and Nicole Scherzinger as Moana's mother. Dwayne Johnson who is of Samoan heritage plays Maui.  Rachel House (Moana's grandmother), Temuera Morrison (Moana's father), and Jemaine Clement (Tamatoa) are of Māori heritage.

The first thing you notice about the movie is how good it looks.  Clements and Musker had only done hand drawn animation before so how they would handle their first CG animated movie was a question.  But they made a great looking film that just sucks you into the world.  The story manages to be familiar yet different from other Disney Princess movies.  While we see the typical tropes of a stubborn daughter going out on her own, what makes this one feel different is that there is no love interest and Moana always feels fully capable despite having magic help.  When Maui refuses to help her she doesn’t back off.  She is persistent and determined and nothing will stop her from doing what she thinks is right. Even if Maui didn’t go with her you feel she still would have been able to complete the mission.  

We can’t talk about Moana without talking about the music.  When I first heard that The Rock was going to sing it really made me not interested in seeing the movie.  I had no desire to hear the Rock sing and when I heard “Your Welcome” before seeing the movie it didn’t change my mind.  He really isn’t a good singer but in the movie it somehow works.  I thought it would take me out of the movie but it didn’t and that might have to do with how great the song writing is.  The music was written by an eclectic trio. Lin-Manuel Miranda, best known on Broadway for Hamilton, wrote the majority of the songs including “How Far I’ll Go” and “You’re Welcome”.  Opetaia Foa'i is the lead singer of an Oceanic Fusion group called Te Vaka and he helped write the more pacific islander centric music including “An Innocent Warrior” and “We Know the Way”.  The last person in the trio is Mark Mancina who wrote some of the music for the songs and the entire score.  Mancina has had an interesting career. He worked with Hans Zimmer on The Lion King Score then worked on such films as Speed, Bad Boys, and Twister.  He returned to Disney and worked with Phil Collins on Tarzan and scored Brother Bear.  Together the three wrote a soundtrack that combined the broadway sensibilities of past Disney Princess movies with traditional Polynesian sound.   

Overall:  Moana is a fun movie that manages to feel like a traditional Disney Princess movie yet makes the character feel fresh and innovative.  Miranda wrote some fun songs that even the questionable singing of The Rock couldn’t ruin.  Speaking of The Rock is there anything he can’t do? Action movies, comedies, and now animated princess movies.  

Random Facts 

To do research for the film Clements and Musker went on a research trip to Fiji, Samoa, and Tahiti.  Sounds more like a vacation than a research trip  

Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok, Jojo Rabbit) wrote the initial screenplay but pretty much everything got rewritten. He is not credited as a screenwriter but he gets a special thanks in the credits.  

Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote “Shiny” based on Flight of the Conchords (Jermaine Clement’s band) performance of a David Bowie Tribute.  Miranda also said at the time he was listening to David Bowie songs after Bowie’s death. Here is a clip of Flight of the Conchords Bowie tribute https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4zV4pJ8MwM

Lost Best Animated Feature Oscar to Disney’s other 2016 movie Zootopia  

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: Frozen (2013)

 

 Disney Movie Challenge

Frozen (2013)

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. 

I don’t think there’s been a bigger animated movie than Frozen in the last 10 years. You can not overstate the phenomenon that it was. It was everywhere and even became a major talking point on Fox News for it’s supposed Liberal propaganda. There’s been so much written about it (the Wikipedia article has to be the longest for any Disney movie I’ve researched) that I’m not sure if I have anything new to contribute to the conversation. But that’s part of the challenge. 

If you haven’t heard, Frozen is about two sisters, Anna and Elsa. They are both princesses in the fictional kingdom of Arendelle. Elsa has a magical gift that allows her to create ice and snow on demand. After she accidentally shoots Anna in the head with a frost beam their parents take them to see the trolls. The leader of the trolls uses magic to make Anna forget what happened and instructs the parents to conceal Elsa’s powers. Elsa goes into a forced isolation and no one is allowed into the castle. After their parents die (it’s a Disney movie so of course they die) Elsa is set to become Queen and a big celebration is held. When Anna says she wants to marry a guy she just met Elsa says no and they get in an argument. It’s then that Elsa reveals her powers. She runs away but not before dooming Arendelle to eternal winter. Anna sets out to find her sister and make things right. On her journey she teams up with Kristof, his Reindeer friend Sven, and a Snowman named Olaf. 

The movie originally went into development as the “Snow Queen” with Elsa as the villain. The story bounced around in development for a long time.  It was when it was decided that Elsa and Anna were going to be sisters the story got changed around and started to gain momentum. But it was the song “Let it Go” written by married couples Kristin Anderson-Lopez  and Robert Lopez that really changed the course of the movie. “Let it Go” is a power ballad written for Elsa and when the Producers heard it they decided that they couldn’t have the villain sing the best song in the movie. So they changed the story to make Elsa more sympathetic. This change left a hole of a villain that was later filled by Prince Hans who Anna wanted to marry in the beginning of the film.  

Originally planned as a traditionally hand drawn movie and one of the reasons John Lasseter brought back Chris Buck who left Disney when they stopped making hand drawn animation.  But after Buck came back it was decided that some of the visuals were too complicated to do with traditional animation and the movie was done with computer animation.  One of the things I love about Disney is their willingness to push the envelope. When the technology wasn’t there to create realistic snow and footprints they created new technology.  Art director Michael Giaimo also focused a lot on clothing. Something that wasn’t a big focus on other Disney animated films.  Giaimo saw the film as a costume film and wanted authentic looking fabrics.  Since computer animated films allow costumes to be drawn separately from characters for the first time a Disney Animated Film had a “Costume designer”. This job went to Jean Gillmore who was a character designer normally.  They used real world examples to help build the very detailed costumes they were looking for.  The results of all of this was an amazing looking film.  Everything just popped off the screen.  

Undeniably one of best things about the film is the music.  Kristin Anderson-Lopez  and Robert Lopez wrote a total of 25 songs during the production of the film, only 8 of those songs made it into the finished film.  As mentioned earlier their songs ultimately drove the story of the film.  While “Let it Go” is the most popular song, songs like “For the First Time in Forever”, “Do You Want to Build a Snowman” and “In Summer” are all super catchy and fun songs.  The first 30 minutes of the film is almost entirely told by music and almost feels like it’s going to be a full opera.  The music recalls the early movies of the Disney Renaissance and there is a good reason for that.  Whenever the Lopez’s were stuck on a song they looked to Howard Ashman’s work on The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin for inspiration.  The one song that I feel doesn’t work at all is “Fixer Upper”.  Maybe that's because I really dislike the trolls (more on that later), but the film has some of the best songs of any Disney film.  

The story itself is mixed.  First let me just say I love the twist at the end that it’s not "true love’s kiss" that saves the day and the story of Elsa’s rejection of society and redemption to good as both are different from other Disney movies. Most of my issues lie with two aspects of the story.  First is the villain of the film and that twist, the second (as mentioned earlier) are the Trolls and the parents.

When it was decided that Elsa wasn’t going to be a villain Disney decided they needed a different villain.  At some point they decided that Prince Hans was going to be the villain. I am not sure how much of Prince Hans was written before they decided that, but it feels like it was a very late change.  There is nothing in the beginning of the film that even hints he might be evil. His turn to a villain comes out of left field and seems that the writers felt they needed a villain and just changed his character.  I love twist endings but you can’t just change a character mid movie like that.  It also seems like he had a half assed plan to marry the younger sister of the Queen and then kill them both. It's almost like when Elsa turned evil he just lucked out.  I think the film would have been better if they just left out his villainous turn and just focused on the sisters which is the heart of the story anyway.  

Now let's get to the parents and the trolls.  This is the biggest thing that irks me about this film.  When they discover that Elsa has dangerous magic powers they just lock her in her room, isolate her from everyone, and tell her to “conceal it, don't feel it".  Why would the troll king even suggest that?  That’s like the worst advice ever.  Instead of trying to teach her how to use her powers he tells them to just lock her away.  For someone that is supposed to be old and wise he seems pretty dumb.  Which brings us back to the parents.  Why would they even listen to him?  Did they not realize that what they were doing was hurting their daughter?  I know they try to make the trolls lovable creatures but to me they are the real villains in the film.  When Kristof brings Anna to the trolls for help all they do is try to get them married.  They don’t even care.  And when they decide that only true love’s kiss will cure the spell the Troll King doesn’t even correct them and say it could be any true love.  It’s obvious they are the worst.   

Overall: It’s a film I feel is overrated.  I always thought people loved the great music and made them nostalgic for the Disney Renaissance era.  While the animation and music are great it’s the story choices that really bug me.  

Random Facts

The scene where Elsa builds the ice castle was so complex it required 30 hours to render each frame, with 4,000 computers rendering one frame at a time.

Jennifer Lee was brought on to be a screenwriter but was so instrumental to the film she was given a co-director credit also.  She became the first female director of a Walt Disney Animation Studios feature film and the first female director of a feature film that earned more than $1 billion world wide at the box office.  

Originally Olaf was going to be Elsa’s evil minion.  

The movie was Disney’s first non-Pixar animated film to win Best Animated Feature at the Oscars.  The only PIxar movie released that year, Monsters University, wasn’t even nominated for an Oscar.  

The movie is based on "The Snow Queen" by Hans Christian Andersen. There is a nod to this with the names of the characters, Hans, Kristof, Anna, Sven.