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Animated Life: A Lifetime of Tips, Tricks, Techniques and Stories from an Animation Legend
Book
Since Steamboat Mickey, animators have been creating characters and films that are charming, warm...
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Beauty and the Beast (2017) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
I can't remember if I had already said that I wasn't looking forward to Beauty and the Beast. I wasn't disappointed... and by that I mean I was expecting bad things, and got bad things... but not where I expected. After seeing the trailers I wasn't really feeling it, Beast looked terrible, as did all the other CGId characters. Once there though I was pleasantly surprised by the animation of Beast (not so much the others). The original is obviously a hard act to follow, I mean, those songs were perfect... but the village song near the beginning of this new version was really difficult to decipher. And the one thing everyone loves about a Disney film is that there are singable moments, but there really weren't in this one, not in the same way... don't get me started with Tale As Old As Time. Incoming unpopular opinion... I didn't enjoy Emma Watson's singing. Disney leads should have powerful and moving voices, and she just didn't. The best think about the film was definitely Kevin Kline, he was amazing.
Fred (860 KP) rated Dumbo (2019) in Movies
Jun 19, 2019
This is how you ruin a classic
Dumbo is one of my favorite Disney films. The original, not this crap. When told that his film was not long enough to be considered a full-length movie & that he would have to add 10 more minutes or so, Disney said "No. It's perfect the way it is." And he was right. The people who made this live-action remake apparently never heard that story. It's almost 2 hours long. The original story of the first film is done in about the first 20 minutes of this film, then it's an original sequel, basically.
The first & main problem of the film is the most obvious. The focus on the human characters over the animal characters. There are no talking animals in this one. Sure, Dumbo didn't talk, but he had Timothy mouse with him to speak for him. There's no stork, the bully elephants are gone, even the racist, but very entertaining crows are completely gone.
Second problem: Some of the music from the original film is here, but instrumental versions. Only "Baby Mine" is sung. We hear a clip of "Casey Jr." at the beginning. At the very end of the credits, we hear a bit of "When I See a Elephant Fly", but no "Look Out For Mr. Stork". But the biggest mistake was what they did with "Pink Elephants on Parade" In the original film, Dumbo accidentally drinks some champagne & gets drunk. He then blows bubbles & the bubbles take shape & thus begins one of the greatest scenes in Disney history. The bubbles take the shape of dancing, skating & tromping elephants. The scene is a nightmare & probably scared some kids in the day. The song itself is both fun & creepy. This should be perfect Tim Burton stuff, but in this film, it is not. In this film, circus performers are creating giant bubbles & somehow they are taking the shape of the elephants. In fact, they're copies of the elephants (and camel) from the original film. The song plays, but again, no lyrics. It's also not very well directed. Instead of looking like a nightmare, they keep cutting to Dumbo, watching the performers, with a smile.
And that brings me to another problem. Tim Burton. Like most Tim Burton movies, it looks fantastic, but it's just boring. The story is boring & unoriginal (Free Willy anyone?) I didn't get to like any of the human characters to care. They kind of just go through the motions. Dumbo himself lacks character & I never really felt for him.
I know Disney is set on remaking their classics & I haven't seen any before (and probably will not see anymore after this one). It breaks my heart to see Disney reduced to this sort of thing. I'll stick with the originals, thank you.
The first & main problem of the film is the most obvious. The focus on the human characters over the animal characters. There are no talking animals in this one. Sure, Dumbo didn't talk, but he had Timothy mouse with him to speak for him. There's no stork, the bully elephants are gone, even the racist, but very entertaining crows are completely gone.
Second problem: Some of the music from the original film is here, but instrumental versions. Only "Baby Mine" is sung. We hear a clip of "Casey Jr." at the beginning. At the very end of the credits, we hear a bit of "When I See a Elephant Fly", but no "Look Out For Mr. Stork". But the biggest mistake was what they did with "Pink Elephants on Parade" In the original film, Dumbo accidentally drinks some champagne & gets drunk. He then blows bubbles & the bubbles take shape & thus begins one of the greatest scenes in Disney history. The bubbles take the shape of dancing, skating & tromping elephants. The scene is a nightmare & probably scared some kids in the day. The song itself is both fun & creepy. This should be perfect Tim Burton stuff, but in this film, it is not. In this film, circus performers are creating giant bubbles & somehow they are taking the shape of the elephants. In fact, they're copies of the elephants (and camel) from the original film. The song plays, but again, no lyrics. It's also not very well directed. Instead of looking like a nightmare, they keep cutting to Dumbo, watching the performers, with a smile.
And that brings me to another problem. Tim Burton. Like most Tim Burton movies, it looks fantastic, but it's just boring. The story is boring & unoriginal (Free Willy anyone?) I didn't get to like any of the human characters to care. They kind of just go through the motions. Dumbo himself lacks character & I never really felt for him.
I know Disney is set on remaking their classics & I haven't seen any before (and probably will not see anymore after this one). It breaks my heart to see Disney reduced to this sort of thing. I'll stick with the originals, thank you.
Mark Halpern (153 KP) rated Aladdin (1992) in Movies
Jan 2, 2018
Disney Classic
WHat not to say about one of Disney's most treasured movies. The score is one of the best and Robin Willams as the genie leaves us applauding for more. The story of a street rat who comes into contact with a mgaic lamp that give him the chance at the beautiful Princess Jasmine. The movie is fun,funny and has it's moments of suspense and danger. Ultimate be careful on what you wish for.
Shaun Collins (3 KP) rated Star Wars: Lando in Books
Jan 11, 2018
A rollicking "Ocean's 11" style caper with the likable Lando at it's lead. What's not to like? Great characterization and matching art. This has been the most solid of the Star Wars mini series Marvel has launched since the Disney acquisition. (At least that I've read so far.) I understand it was trimmed down from a planned 8 or 10 issue arc to 5, and that's a same, because the finale does feel a bit truncated, but still well worth your time!
The Craggus (360 KP) rated Mary Poppins Returns (2018) in Movies
Feb 5, 2019
Mary Poppins Returns (2018) is an exercise in Lucasian poetry #Review
George Lucas once claimed that the many repetitive instances in the Star Wars prequel trilogy were deliberate ‘poetry’, rhyming with the original trilogy and so it is with this second Mary Poppins film. Having soothed its corporate conscience with “Saving Mr Banks”, Disney returns to the works of P L Travers to produce a checkbox musical which follows the template of the first movie to a fault...
FULL REVIEW: http://bit.ly/CraggusPoppinsReturns
FULL REVIEW: http://bit.ly/CraggusPoppinsReturns
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2171 KP) rated Madness at Moonshiner's Bay (Accidental Detectives, #8) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
The Accidental Detectives are off to Disney World, only their trip is interrupted when Ricky, Joel, and Lisa are kidnapped and trapped on an island guarded by an alligator. Can they figure out what their captor's want? Definitely one of the more suspenseful books in the series, but still so very good. My feet get clammy just thinking about some of the scenes.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/04/book-review-madness-at-moonshiners-bay.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/04/book-review-madness-at-moonshiners-bay.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Connie (244 KP) rated Disney Emoji Blitz in Apps
Jun 17, 2018
Addicting!
I have been playing Disney Emoji Blitz for well over a year now and am still in love with it. I love that I can take the emojis I earn and use them in texts (nerd alert: I am a self-proclaimed Disneyholic)! And there are always new emojis being added and challenges that reset daily, so there's no sense of being stuck in one place to me. Through all my app-hunting, this is by far one of my favorites!
The Art of John Alvin
Book
John Alvin's movie poster art is among the most iconic of the last 40 years, from Disney films such...
Toni Lynn Donald (1997 KP) rated Soul (2020) in Movies
Aug 2, 2021 (Updated Aug 2, 2021)
I was really looking forward to watching this because it has some good voices in it( Jamie Fox, Tina Fey and Phylicia Rashad) but I was disappointed. I saw it when it first came out on Disney + so I really don't remember a lot about it, just that it was confusing at the end and a bit boring. I did like Jamie Fox's character and his Mother ( Phylicia Rashad) but other than that the story was too out there for me.