52. Wreck-it Ralph (2012)

Wreck-it Ralph was a return to computer animation and big narrative storytelling, after the comparatively smaller and simpler Winnie the Pooh and seems to be another attempt at Disney trying something a little different out. The main concept of the film and the advertising that surrounded it is the idea that all your favourite video game characters live in the same world – Sonic, Pac-Man, Bowser and so on are all real people who treat their video game personas as a job and at the end of the day they go off and have their own lives; it’s kind of like Who Framed Roger Rabbit, except with video games instead of cartoons. Audiences were taken in by this enticing idea and stuck around for the film’s visuals and story, which went beyond simply shoehorning in a bunch of video game cameos, though Wreck-it Ralph is certainly not without its problems.

Disney clearly establish that at this point, they have managed to use computer animation while still retaining the creativity, imagination and personality of their traditionally animated films; though not as impressive as Tangled, Wreck-it Ralph is nonetheless a very well animated film which takes advantage of a number of different styles and techniques, from cutting edge CGI to retro, 8-bit graphics and even what is made to look like stop motion. The film has a varied visual style – all the characters have unique and interesting designs, reflecting the fact that they are from different games, which all have unique art styles of their own; I do think the film’s human characters look a bit more like Pixar than Disney, which can come off as a bit lazy, but they are hardly the focus of the film. The characters’ movements are perhaps the most impressive aspect; the film perfectly captures the awkward and limited animation of early video games with the stiff, choppy movements of characters such as the Nicelanders and, occasionally, Ralph and Felix, which helps legitimise this idea that these are video game characters that have come to life and not just pre-rendered models. The backgrounds are also all very distinct and colourful, helping to set the tone for each individual game and, again, distinguishing them from one another; I especially like the fact that it is always night time in Fix-it Felix Jr., because old arcade games always have solid black backgrounds.

What you all came to see

The basic concept of the film is not an entirely original one, as well as the aforementioned connection to Who Framed Roger Rabbit, the film perhaps more explicitly resembles Toy Story, except with video games instead of toys – a group of characters play certain roles for the amusement of children, which they treat like a job and have their own lives that resume when playtime is over. In this respect Wreck-it Ralph can at times feel as if it wants to be more like a Pixar movie than a Disney one, but it unfortunately lacks the depth of Toy Story and is a little too straightforward. Though this initial idea is very interesting, it isn’t always utilised well; the world of the arcade and all the different rules that the characters have to follow are engaging and make for an exciting journey, but the film never really plumbs the depths of its own ideas; while the Toy Story series used its concept and setting to explore the issues of mortality, abandonment, maturity, selfishness versus selflessness and the difference between merely surviving and truly living, Wreck-it Ralph only really uses its concept as a backdrop for a standard underdog story about an outcast who gains acceptance. 

These problems are also reflected in the film’s somewhat poor pacing – though the initial conflict is set up quickly, Ralph spends much longer in Hero’s Duty than he needs to, as it really only serves to set up Calhoun and the Cy-Bugs, which could’ve been done much faster; additionally, the world of Hero’s Duty is pretty dull and unimaginative compared to the film’s other environments, so it’s frustrating to not see Ralph get out of there as soon as possible. He spends even longer in Sugar Rush and though it’s much more interesting an environment, it’s a shame that Ralph couldn’t go to any other games; the bulk of the film isn’t bad by any means, but this all just feels like a waste of potential. Meanwhile, Felix and Calhoun’s subplot, which also takes place mostly in Sugar Rush, feels pretty pointless; they’re basically just chasing after Ralph, but their stories don’t intersect until the very end and as a result they feel very disconnected from the action and serve more as a distraction or, arguably, filler, rather than a companion to the rest of the film. The only purpose their scenes serve is to deliver exposition, which makes them tedious to watch and slows down the action; again, it feels like a missed opportunity, considering that Felix and Calhoun could have travelled to other video game worlds, met a wider assortment of characters and been given more development to their relationship, rather than simply using their time to spout expository dialogue.

The credits for this movie are pretty great

Speaking of the dialogue, it is sadly one of the film’s biggest problems; though the central story is still good, if a little unfulfilled, the dialogue is often clumsy and flat, with too much exposition and strange and awkward attempts at comedy which had me scratching my head more often than laughing. The film’s sense of humour is very broad and juvenile, with a lot of lazy pop-cultural references, silly puns and childish “funny” insults used in place of any humour that naturally develops from the interactions between the characters and the situations they find themselves in. This, combined with the fact that practically every character is voiced by a relatively major celebrity reveals that the film is perhaps not so much a Disney movie that wants to be a Pixar movie, but more like a DreamWorks movie that’s trying to be a Pixar movie, despite actually being a Disney movie; a messy simile I know, but I think that’s the best way to describe it. That said, the video game jokes are surprisingly clever and subtle, for the most part; I was expecting a lot of very goofy references to only the most well known and base level of video game culture, with a lot of talk about points and levels and high scores and very little specifics, but it’s clear that the writers actually cared about the subject matter enough to do their research. Sugar Rush, for example, is a perfect parody of a dime-a-dozen late 90’s Mario Kart clone, while Fix it Felix Jr. itself of course is a love letter to the original Donkey Kong, right up to the arcade cabinet art. There are a few groan-worthy moments – Ralph referencing Lara Croft for absolutely no reason other than to make the reference comes to mind – but most of the video game jokes are quite clever and usually focus around humorously deconstructing the tropes, clichés and bizarre internal logic of video games as a whole, rather than simply yelling out “Mario” or “Sonic” every two minutes.

The characters are also one of the movie’s weaker points, as even though they have a lot of cool things to do, the weak dialogue puts a damper on their wit and personality. Ralph is a bit dull, he doesn’t seem to have much of a personality beyond being grumpy and short-tempered, not so bad for a supporting character perhaps, but not the protagonist; he’s not especially unlikeable and his character arc is interesting, in theory, but in practice it’s not really all that involving. His dialogue is especially bad, usually just being far too simplistic and lacking any sense of emotion or individuality; if it wasn’t for the effort that John C. Reilly puts into his performance, Ralph would be so boring as to be borderline unwatchable. Vanellope is pretty likeable, she’s fun, cute and her animation is very energised and creative; she can be a little annoying and excessively bratty at times, but like John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman puts a lot of energy into her performance that makes it difficult not to find her at least a little endearing. Felix seems to be a parody of typical early video game protagonists, who, by necessity, had no real characteristics beyond their design, as well as a lot of early Disney ones; he’s a nice, decent guy, but not much else and is often overly naive, as well as polite and friendly to a fault. This is a clever idea which could work really well when paired up against Ralph, but unfortunately the two don’t spend much time together, so like a lot of other things in the movie, this potential seems sadly wasted.

Turbo-tastic

Calhoun is very obviously just supposed to be an animated version of her voice actress, Jane Lynch, or rather, her comic persona and in particular her most famous character, Sue Sylvester from Glee. Not only does she look and (obviously) sound just like her, she’s just as tough, no-nonsense and so on; she’s not unlikeable, but isn’t really very interesting either, as the entire purpose of her character seems to be to deliver exposition, it’s honestly almost all she ever does and it’s distracting, particularly for a Disney movie, as they usually don’t have much exposition at all. She’s not especially bad, but things usually become a little boring when she’s on screen and her dynamic with Felix isn’t nearly as interesting as the dynamic between Ralph and Felix could have been. King Candy is an enjoyably goofy villain and though his dialogue is not particularly funny, his voice and mannerisms – which is quite clearly Alan Tudyk trying to do an impression of the Mad Hatter – are fun to watch. The reveal that he is actually Turbo, an egomaniac who left his own game to take over Sugar Rush and destroyed two games in the process, is genuinely a rather good twist and while his back story is a little clumsily delivered, the way it ties him in to the history of the arcade and its inhabitants helps strengthen his role as a villain and the threat he poses.

There are a lot of reasons why Wreck-it Ralph shouldn’t work: it only capitalises on a tiny percentage of its interesting initial concept, the dialogue is weak, the jokes aren’t very funny, its characters aren’t especially interesting and its attempts to be more like an edgy mix between a Pixar and a DreamWorks movie feel a little out of place. Despite all this, for some reason, I find Wreck-it Ralph really enjoyable and I cannot for the life of me articulate exactly why that is. The best example I can give of this is the scene when Vanellope is learning how to drive, which takes the form of a montage set to “Shut Up and Drive” by Rihanna. For so many reasons, this should not work at all; contemporary pop songs, particularly those of an artist like Rihanna feel completely out of place in a Disney movie, this seems so much more like a scene from a DreamWorks film and not a very good one at that. Yet, somehow, it works; instead of this this awkward song choice taking me out of the movie, it dragged me further in, instead of scoffing and rolling my eyes like I usually would, I felt invigorated and excited, without any sense of irony or insincerity. This sums up the whole film to me, there are so many problems and missed opportunities here, so many things that do not feel like they should be part of a Disney movie, but despite, or perhaps, because of this, Wreck-it Ralph works. Maybe it’s because it’s so unlike most other Disney movies, or maybe it’s because this reflects the very message of the film – everyone is special in their own unique way and even if something isn’t perfect and seems a little messy or broken, that doesn’t mean it can’t be great. Wreck-it Ralph certainly isn’t perfect and is definitely a little rough around the edges, but deep down, it’s a sweet and charming film.


6.5/10

Next Week: Frozen!

Email: joetalksaboutstuff@gmail.com

Twitter: @JSChilds

51. Winnie the Pooh (2011)

After the positive reactions to The Princess and the Frog and Tangled, it looked like audiences were finally warming up to Disney again. I can only assume that Disney didn’t want to risk their recently reclaimed popularity after years of critical and financial disappointment and so decided to play it safe by going back to old territory with Winnie the Pooh, a small and simple film featuring familiar ideas and characters that was sure to draw audiences in. I still find it a rather strange choice that this film was made, as there doesn’t really seem to be sufficient reason for it to be, but it’s nice to see this world again after so long.

The film is Disney’s last traditionally animated feature (as of the time I’m writing this) and while it’s hardly a big, showy send-off to traditional animation, it certainly looks very nice. The animation is very smooth and lively, with clear and crisp colours and beautifully painted backgrounds; it really does just look like an updated version of the original The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, with only a few slight tweaks to art style and character design (namely, Christopher Robin). It’s nothing revolutionary or unique to shout about, but the animation is certainly strong and some sequences, such as Pooh’s honey fantasy and Owl’s description of the Backson do stand out as being especially imaginative. 

I’m pretty sure this is how Orson Welles died 

The story resembles the original The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh in that it’s less of a singular narrative and more like a few different stories collected together, although they are more interconnected and weaved together, here, as this is not a combination of pre-established shorts, like the original. The film focuses on three stories – Pooh’s quest for Hunny, Eeyore’s search for a new tail, and the group’s attempts to rescue Christopher Robin from the dreaded “Backson” (he’s actually just at school and will be “back soon”). The stories all flow well enough and intersect together at the end to make a satisfying and appropriate conclusion, although after that the film does kind of awkwardly end, without the same kind of emotional satisfaction as the original. There really isn’t any more to it, than that; like the original, this movie is definitely made for children and thus keeps things as basic as possible, but of course, there’s nothing really wrong with that.

The characters are the same, we know all these guys already – Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, Rabbit, Eeyore, Owl, Kanga, Roo, Christopher Robin, they’re all here, except Gopher, but somehow I doubt anyone misses him. The characters are mostly all the same, though they tend to be a little more exaggerated than they were in the original film and some are a bit more prominent than others – Owl in particular gets a strangely large amount of time dedicated to him, almost as much as Pooh himself. The different voices can also be a little distracting, but most of the impressions are pretty much spot on and the only noticeably different ones – that is to say, Rabbit and Owl – still fit the characters well. The only one I don’t care for is Christopher Robin, who I don’t think really sounds right; I get that he’s supposed to sound more like a modern British kid would, but I don’t know it just sounds strange and a little too young, I don’t think it really matches with his older looking character design or general personality, but that’s just me. Besides that the group is... perhaps a little too stupid; the characters of the Hundred Acre Wood have always been a little airheaded, but it’s usually more a case of charming innocence and naiveté, whereas here they just seem really, legitimately dumb. It allows for a few good jokes, but I do think it goes a bit far at times; it works for some characters, like Owl, or Pooh, to a degree, but seeing Piglet and Rabbit act so stupid doesn’t really seem right. Other than that, John Cleese is a perfect choice for the narrator, who serves the same role as the one in the original film and honestly, is just as friendly and engaging.

The heffalump uh I mean the woozle uh I mean the pink elephant uh I mean the Backson

The songs are mostly like those of The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, as well as explicitly featuring the original “Winnie the Pooh” theme and a couple of songs that are quite obviously inspired by similar ones from the original film. The songs are fun and cute, but simplistic; the lyricism isn’t exactly inventive or masterful, but there is at least an attempt at matching Disney’s lyrical style which works well at times. “The Tummy Song” and “It’s Gonna be Great” demonstrate this style, as well as resembling “Rumbly in my Tumbly” and “The Wonderful Thing about Tiggers”, respectively; “Everything is Honey” also follows this style but feels a little more original. Similarly, “The Backson Song” obviously takes inspiration from “Heffalumps and Woozles” with its dark, jaunty rhythm, kooky rhymes, surreal visuals and bizarre animation; just like the song it takes its inspiration from, this a very fun number and the best sequence of the film. Other than that there a couple songs from, of all people, Zooey Deschanel, who on paper seems like a strange choice but in practice I think her soothing, melodic voice suits the tone and feel of the film very well.

Winnie the Pooh is a decent movie, but there’s not much to it, so honestly, I don’t have much to say. It’s very much a movie for young children, even more so than the original, being even more simplistic and short, clocking in at barely an hour. The characters are timeless, of course, but I do think the film’s somewhat more modern sense of humour means that they are forced into positions that don’t entirely suit them; the nucleus for all these classic characters is still there, but some of their traits are exaggerated to the point where they don’t quite act like themselves. Overall, though, Winnie the Pooh is pretty much exactly what you’d expect – a cute, visually appealing movie with some nice music and a good heart; I’m still not entirely sure why it was made at all and it’s on a much smaller scale than anything Disney had made for a long time, but I suppose at this point perhaps it was appropriate for them to dial things down a bit for a year and take a bit of a break. 

6/10

Next Week: Wreck-it Ralph!

Email: joetalksaboutstuff@gmail.com

Twitter: @JSChilds 

50. Tangled (2010)

After the golden age of the Renaissance, Disney just couldn’t seem to get back to the top, no matter what they tried; despite a couple of successes, namely Lilo and Stitch, the next ten years of films just failed to live up to audience expectations. Though The Princess and the Frog did manage to recapture the feeling of the Renaissance to a degree and was a moderate financial success, it still seemed to be missing something; then came Tangled, the film which finally brought back that feeling 100% and became Disney’s biggest hit in years. After ten long years of struggling with how to update the Disney formula, how to move on from the Renaissance while still keeping what was best about it and how to make computer animation work for them, Disney succeeded at last, as well as proving that it was more than worth the time and effort.

The film returns to computer animation, but for once I don’t say that with disappointment, as with Tangled Disney finally found a way to translate the style and personality of their 2D animation into 3D, combining new and old techniques to create something entirely original; it might not be like watching Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs or Fantasia for the first time, but Tangled does push the boundaries of animation more than anything we’ve seen from Disney in a long time. The film takes advantage of the unique attributes afforded by computer animation, allowing for highly realistic and detailed textures and lighting, the animation of the hair – particularly Rapunzel’s, obviously – is especially impressive; this makes Tangled so much more than just a regular Disney movie in 3D, it’s an entirely different animal with its own, unique strengths. The characters are perhaps the biggest improvement in terms of computer animation, they have great facial expressions, so much movement and energy, a lot of subtle touches to them that help strengthen their personalities; this is the kind of stuff that always sets apart a good Disney movie from a great one and sadly, it seemed to have been lost in their move to computer animation, so it’s truly satisfying to see it back. Tangled is the first computer animated movie from Disney that actually looks and feels like a real Disney movie and, as is the case with all the best Disney movies, you can really sense the effort and love put into every frame.

They just can’t get his nose right 

The story takes a lot of things we’ve come to expect from Disney, but utilises them at the highest level and combines them to create a story that still seems refreshing and new, a trend we will see in most facets of the film. Things are very well paced, opening up with a classic Disney introduction which sets up the story very quickly and then jumping into the action almost immediately and never really slowing down, except when it’s appropriate. Obviously it’s a matter of opinion, but I think the film goes by so quickly, especially considering this is one of Disney’s longer movies, not a single moment feels wasted, unnecessary, or even remotely boring, it’s non-stop fun from beginning to end. The movie combines action, adventure, comedy and romance in a perfect balance, debatably even better than Aladdin, which set the benchmark for this style of Disney film; the film isn’t lacking in any of these areas and is at the top of its game in absolutely all of them, never neglecting one aspect of the story or spending too much time on another, everything is just right. The action scenes are excellent and genuinely exciting, with some surprisingly good fight choreography for a Disney movie, the more emotional scenes are touching and the comedy is really strong – the physical humour is funny, the character interactions are funny, the dialogue is funny it’s just funny and without being cynical or sarcastic; much like Rapunzel herself, the film derives joy and humour simply from a pure and genuine desire to have fun.

If The Princess and the Frog was a return to the style of the Renaissance films, Tangled is for the Renaissance films what they themselves were for the early Disney classics – it takes what was good and, most importantly, timeless, about them and repurposes those aspects for a new time, while adding a few of its own new ideas for good measure; the result is a film that recaptures many of Disney’s most charming traditions and tropes, but still feels completely original. Tangled oozes with creativity and imagination and is never lazy or derivative with its ideas, in what other movie would you see a man sword fighting with a horse, using a frying pan? The film is able to acknowledge these quirks and eccentricities, but without being overly self-indulgent, which means that even in the most ridiculous of scenarios, the world of the film and the behaviour of its characters still feels totally real – it sucks you in right from the start and never lets you go.

The most dangerous game

Rapunzel is Disney’s best female protagonist since Belle and, even I have to admit, she may very well be an even better one. Rapunzel is brimming with personality, she’s sweet, optimistic, curious, adventurous, anxious and immensely likeable; practically every character in the movie warms to her after just a few minutes and it’s impossible to not do the same yourself. Though drawing on the “sheltered young girl who dreams of something more” character type common in the Renaissance, Rapunzel is not only given a better reason for these ambitions than most of her predecessors, but this is also only a single aspect to her personality; her dreams of exploration outside her tower serve only as the initial spark to her adventure and, despite her joy at finally realising her dream of seeing the lanterns, it quickly becomes clear that the journey is much more important than the destination. She also undergoes genuine character development, going from an overly cautious and jumpy young girl who has been browbeaten by her abusive mother into thinking that she’s worthless, to a strong and confident young woman who realises the necessity of taking charge of one’s own life. Though the circumstances of Rapunzel’s life are of course, fantastical, her having to grown up under the rule of a selfish and belittling parent is a very real problem for young people and, while the repercussions of this kind of parental abuse are not explored as fully as they could be – it is ultimately, a light-hearted film – it’s still exhilarating to see Rapunzel finally triumph over her controlling mother, in the same way that it is to see Quasimodo stand up to Frollo, a relationship that very much resembles this one. Determined, energetic and adorable, Rapunzel is one of Disney’s best protagonists.

Similarly, Flynn is one of Disney’s best love interests, so much so in fact, that it’s reductive to refer to him as such, as he exists as a great hero in his own right, with a personality and character arc entirely independent of his relationship with Rapunzel. Like Rapunzel, Flynn draws inspiration from a classic Disney character type, in this case, the “cheeky, loveable rogue”, such as Aladdin, Tramp, Baloo and even Naveen from the previous year’s The Princess and the Frog. However, like everything else in the movie, he transcends simply being a newer model of an old idea, by just how well his character is realised and how fun he is to watch. He’s daring, shallow, witty, loves to brag (though he’s always swiftly punished for doing so), but secretly has a sensitive side and suffers from insecurity issues and low self-esteem. We’ve seen this all before in some way or another, but everything about Flynn (or, Eugene Fitzherbert, which we learn to be his real name) from his animation, to his voice acting, to his exceptionally well written and funny dialogue is presented at such a high level that it hardly matters. Rapunzel and Flynn’s relationship is very possibly the best of any Disney movie, except for Belle and Beast; like those two, they start off at odds with one another, forced into a partnership that neither of them really feels comfortable with and somewhat unwilling to work together. As they get to know each other, however, they realise they have more in common than they thought and learn to bring out the best in one another, eventually falling in love. Again, this is classic stuff, but done so well that there’s nothing to complain about; I can’t even really put my finger on why it works so well, perhaps it’s simply because these two are so likeable on their own and for such similar reasons that they naturally go perfectly together, perhaps it’s because the moments the two are given together are so well written and paced and feel so down-to-earth and real, perhaps it’s some entirely independent and unidentifiable quality, I don’t know. What I do know is that, for whatever reason, it works and it works splendidly.

The happy couple

Maximus is a very strange and interesting idea for a character, a serious, determined horse that chases down Flynn with all the unstoppable tenacity of Tommy Lee Jones’ character in The Fugitive. Disney have proven time and again their natural skill at physical humour with silent characters and Maximus is no exception, his sharp and sudden movements and great facial expressions allow for a lot of great jokes and his interactions with Flynn in particular are very funny. Pascal works in the same kind of way, but is more calm and easygoing than the hot-blooded Maximus, though no less ruthless when it comes to defending Rapunzel. These two characters are fun and enjoyably cartoony in nature, but never upstage Rapunzel and Flynn, who rightfully remain the centre of attention. Mother Gothel is a fantastic villain that resembles aspects of many others, such as Frollo, the Evil Queen, Lady Tremaine and so on, but again, manages to also be a completely unique character. A narcissist who constantly throws passive aggressive swipes at her adopted (or rather, kidnapped) daughter to lower her self-esteem, obsessed with her own youth and beauty, incredibly over-dramatic, incapable of accepting responsibility or viewing herself in the wrong, she’s a great and actually realistically psychologically troubled villain, with a well constructed relationship with the hero. She has a strong and clear motivation, she’s always involved in the action, she’s fantastically animated, by the end of the movie Mother Gothel already feels like one of Disney’s classic villains. The side characters aren’t as prominent so that the film can focus on developing its core cast, but the ones that do appear, namely the thugs from the Snuggly Duckling, are at least relatively interesting and memorable.

The Princess and the Frog brought back the traditional musical format, but despite some very fun songs, they were a bit samey and the lyrics were not especially creative; Tangled brings back that delightful lyricism and while it doesn’t have as many songs, they are all very well written, distinct and memorable. “When Will my Life Begin” is a fun, poppy, song and a classic “I want” song for the protagonist in the vein of “Belle”, “Part of Your World” or “Out There”; it’s a good intro to Rapunzel’s character and the life she has led until now and quickly gets you into the upbeat mood and spirit of the film.  “Mother Knows Best” is by far the film’s best number, a classic Disney villain song and arguably one of the very best, with a catchy tune, really funny and clever lyrics and rhymes, great visuals, it’s a delight.  “I’ve Got a Dream” is a fun, upbeat and somewhat sudden and unexpected song which showcase’s the films kooky sense of humour. Again, it’s catchy, with good rhymes and serves as an appropriate introduction to the thugs of the Snuggly Duckling; effectively, this is the film’s big showstopper and while it doesn’t quite have the energy to match up to something like “Under the Sea” or “Be Our Guest”, it’s still enjoyable. “I See the Light” is the “Whole New World Number” and, without trying to sound like a broken record, it is one of Disney’s very best; unlike most “Whole New World Numbers”, it doesn’t feel out of place or inappropriate, it doesn’t kill the film’s energy or grind it to a halt and it isn’t goofy or overly sentimental. The song is touching and sweet, partially because, like “Beauty and the Beast”, we have grown to care so much for these characters and their relationship, so a song like this feels not only earned, but satisfying. While many of Disney’s love songs feel like they’re there just to fill a quota, even some of the better ones, this is one of the rare ones that is just as strong as the rest of the soundtrack; though the lyrics aren’t anything all that special, it’s a very nice song all the same.

Mother Gothel is very easygoing and down-to-earth

Fun, original, exciting and effortlessly endearing, Tangled is one of those rare treats, a Disney movie that just gets it. It gets exactly why the world fell in love with Disney in the first place and, rather than trying to soullessly replicate that success or move away from it in search of another demographic, it makes us feel like we’re experiencing that joy for the very first time; it’s a movie that manages to somehow feel both comfortably familiar and refreshingly new. The story is one of Disney’s best, the main characters and their relationship are some of Disney’s best, the villain is one of Disney’s best; add to that some great songs and a triumphant and long-awaited realisation of exactly how to represent their classic animation style with computer animation and you have a movie that is simply one of Disney’s best.


9.5/10

Next Week: Winnie the Pooh!

Email: joetalksaboutstuff@gmail.com

Twitter: @JSChilds

49. The Princess and the Frog (2009)

After years of struggling to reconnect with audiences in a way that they did during the Renaissance, Disney decided to go back to basics with a traditionally animated musical based on a fairytale, The Princess and the Frog. The result is a film which feels so at home with the other Renaissance classics that it’s like no time has passed at all, as The Princess and the Frog avoids trying to be needlessly hip and instead plays to Disney’s strengths, doing all the things that they know how to do best.

Disney returns to 2D animation here and after the last few features, it’s certainly a sight for sore eyes; even Bolt and to a lesser extent Meet the Robinsons, which were decently animated, are light years behind the quality of Disney’s traditional animation, a fact that audiences were pleasantly reminded of with this feature. Because there had been a reasonably large gap between this and Disney’s last traditionally animated film, the increase in quality between the two looks huge; the film looks incredibly crisp and clear, with a gorgeous and varied colour palette which practically leaps off the screen. The animation is back to Disney’s best, lively and expressive with lots of little touches and examples of the animators going the extra mile to add as much life to the film and its characters as they can. Some of the characters’ movements are so fast and frantic that all you can really do is marvel in awe of how expertly they are animated and how things never get out of the animators’ control, a feeling that has been missing from Disney pictures for some time, at this point; evidently, The Princess and the Frog not only revitalised the Disney formula, but also the passion and interest of its animators, a passion which definitely comes across in this wonderfully animated film.

Prince Naveen, fabulous he

Just as the stories and characters of the Renaissance harked back to those of the early Disney films, (although with a modern twist) The Princess and the Frog harks back to those of the Renaissance itself, attempting to recapture the way those movies told classic myths and fairytales in a timeless, but still modern and relevant way; on top of this rather broad point of reference, the film takes more direct inspiration from The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and Hercules, but never feels like it’s copying or cheating, it just takes different elements from these films and combines them together to make a strong narrative and setting of its own. The film is very well structured and paced and with the exception of a single scene where the heroes encounter some hunters, there are really no wasted scenes or pointless moments, everything serves to develop the story and the characters, but is paced well enough that scenes are still given time to breathe and play out without being rushed. This is a relief considering that the majority of the movie is kind of a road movie, with the heroes trying to get through the bayou and then back to New Orleans and Disney road movies have a tradition of being boring and not really going anywhere COUGH The Aristocats COUGH, so it’s a welcome surprise to have one so full of fun, but relevant moments. The film also borrows another of the Renaissance’s typical aims, to approach an aspect of the early Disney movies with a modern perspective, in this instance, the idea of wishing on a star and believing in magic and the power of hope to make your dreams come true. The Princess and the Frog pushes the idea that, although hope is important and you should never give up on it, you can’t just sit around and wait for the world to give you what you want either, you have to go out there and work for your dreams, a good moral which tackles some of the issues people have with Disney films, which they suggest encourage children to wish upon a star and then expect everything to turn out alright; here, Disney reminds us that while we should never lose our optimism, there is no substitute for hard work. 

The characters are a lively and colourful bunch, with the slight of exception of the more low-key Tiana, who can be a bit shaky as a protagonist; on the one hand, she is hard-working and determined, with a lot of agency and attitude for a Disney princess, which is a refreshing change from their typical, overly sweet, pushover personas. On the other hand, this can at times lead to her being, as Naveen himself says, a bit of a killjoy; the point of her character IS that she learns to not always be so serious and that it’s okay to loosen up and have a little fun, but her attitude towards Naveen and Louis can come off as a little holier-than-thou. A little over half-way through she becomes a lot more easygoing and likeable however, so I’d still say she’s one of Disney’s better female protagonists. Naveen is a rarity, a Disney prince with an actual personality and a very likeable one at that! He’s a lazy, free-spirited kind of guy who just wants to have fun and avoids hard work and responsibility whenever he can. This means that he is a bit of a spoiled brat, but it is played in an oblivious and extreme way so that Naveen always comes off as humorously unaware of his own selfishness, rather than deliberately spiteful; he is funny and charming. Though his and Tiana’s relationship is a little rushed, they do have a natural chemistry between them which is bolstered by their individual character development and the fact that they help one another to overcome their flaws and become better people – Tiana teaches Naveen the value of hard work and personal accomplishment, while Naveen teaches Tiana the importance of fun and companionship, as well as professional success. Louis is the comic relief, a big, goofy, cowardly alligator who dreams of being human so he can become a famous jazz musician. While very silly and a little useless, he never moves into “The Hooter” territory, his anxiousness, incompetence and loud personality being used just enough to be funny without going too far and causing him to overstay his welcome. Ray plays a similar role, though he’s more of a fast-talking, easily distracted airhead than a big, loud goofball; he too is funny and likeable, but never takes too much attention away from the main characters.

The Prince and the Cougar

Charlotte is one of the best animated characters in the movie, her movements are so sudden and energetic and her facial expressions so extreme and full of personality that there’s never a dull moment when she’s on screen. She’s a spoiled, materialistic Daddy’s girl, but like Naveen, isn’t malicious, she’s just oblivious to how less privileged people live; she’s very sweet and very funny. Her father, “Big Daddy” La Bouff is just as sweet, a kindly Southern gentleman who lives in his own little world; he doesn’t appear as much as his daughter, but they work well together when they’re both onscreen. Dr. Facilier takes a lot of inspiration from previous Disney villains, particularly those of the Renaissance, but manages to combine a bunch of their different attributes to become a great one in his own right. Like most of those from the Renaissance, Facilier is a weak and somewhat cowardly villain, who relies on cunning and manipulation to defeat his opponents, rather than brute strength; he is also devious, witty and all around charming. Facilier most resembles a kind of fusion of Jafar, Scar and Hades, though with his own individual quirks and personality traits; I think he can stand quite comfortably alongside some of Disney’s best villains. Lawrence is also a fairy traditional villainous sidekick – bumbling, ineffectual and utterly terrified of his boss; he doesn’t have as strong a relationship with the villain as his predecessors, but he works well all the same.

As with everything else, The Princess and the Frog’s music resembles the Renaissance, as it returns to a traditional musical format which we haven’t seen Mulan. To fit the New Orleans setting, the film is full of big, jazzy numbers, starting off with the appropriately titled “Down in New Orleans”, which introduces the audience to the setting and tone of the film adequately. Next is “Almost There”, a fun chirpy number with a very catchy rhythm; this segment is well animated, with a really cool look and design. “Friends on the Other Side” is a classic Disney villain song and a fantastic number in its own right; it takes inspiration from a number of others, particularly “Poor Unfortunate Souls”, but ramps the rhythm and animation up to an even more frantic pace than that. This song is a lot of fun, a great introduction to Dr. Facilier and overall, the best sequence in the film. “When We’re Human” is another fun, jazzy song; not much else to say, it’s just a good time. “Gonna Take You There” is also fun, though a bit brief; of all the songs it feels the least necessary and honestly doesn’t really need to be there, but it’s certainly not anything bad. “Dig a Little Deeper” is a big, show stopping, gospel number; again, it’s full of fun and energy. Clearly, the film is full of a lot of upbeat numbers; in fact, the only slow song it really has is “Ma Belle Evangeline”, which is effectively the film’s “Whole New World Number”, but I don’t mean that disparagingly, as it’s a nice song and takes the necessary time to slow things down for a moment in such a fast-paced, high energy movie. Though most of the songs are a little simplistic, with basic lyricism and a single musical style running through them, they are still very enjoyable and honestly, after so many years of not having a real Disney musical, it’s just nice to have them at all.

Shadow Man is freaky deeky

The Princess and the Frog is a great return to the style of the Renaissance, resulting in Disney’s best movie in years. It has no cynicism, no marketing ploys, no attempts to be “cool” or “edgy” and no efforts to disguise what it is – a Disney movie and this sincerity and openness is really what helps it shine so brightly. Beautiful animation, fun songs, likeable characters, an enjoyable story and most of all, a genuine desire to make its audience smile makes The Princess and the Frog a return to form for Disney and one hell of a good time for its audience.


8/10

Next Week: Tangled!

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