tell everybody I'm on my way

[arisha]

Last night, A and I rented Little Miss Sunshine and I was rather indifferent to it. I always read a movie's good reviews and think "I should see that!" but then the movie starts playing and I remember I only like movies intended for five-year-olds. x_x; A was sorta mad at me because she thought the only reason I didn't like it was because it was rated R, but I just didn't find it funny, or all that interesting, and the characters were all so unlikeable ... it's not like I intentionally dislike movies actually made for my age group. :P

But it's fair for her to be annoyed with me 'cause I was kind of annoyed at her before that. x) I wanted to rent Pinocchio for myself, but apparently I needed to make clear that I was looking for the animated Disney Pinocchio, even though it didn't even occur to me that I might be misinterpreted. A asked the guy at the desk if they had it and returned to tell me that "They have it, it's called Pinocchio 3000." HAHAHAHA SHERLOCK HOLMES IN THE TWENTY-SECOND CENTURY WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT. Eventually I located a copy of the Johnathan Taylor Thomas version (I remember having a poster from this movie in the fifth grade, hahaha why???) and she was all, "That's it!" in a great accomplished tone, and I said the one I wanted was animated, and she said, "That one's animated" (it isn't, even - we'll ignore this point), as if all animated versions of Pinocchio are the same. What the heck. I know this is a ridiculous thing to get annoyed about, but man, I really was annoyed!!! And what kind of video store doesn't have Pinocchio, honestly!!!!!

So I was still determined to rent a Disney movie, and I saw Mulan II and got really excited, and guys, I am one of like six people who would ever have this conversation:

A: That movie is the most ridiculous, sappy story ever!
Sarah: But mydochas said I should watch it ... for the gender roles ...

I am still determined to one day watch it for the gender roles (and also you have no idea how disappointed I was that all their copies of Cinderella III were out, hahahaha, why am I so curious about this movie??), but last night in the end I ended up renting Brother Bear, which believe it or not I had never ever seen!! I definitely think it was more my kind of movie than Little Miss Sunshine, hahaha. XD; Although, hmm. I liked it okay, but wasn't in any rush to watch it again, unlike most Disney movies where I get obsessed with them after I see them for the first time. XD My biggest complaint about the movie is that the climax was a joke. I mean, your typical Disney movie has a big battle scene, right? Or at least something like in Treasure Planet where a character has to make a big decision or save the day or whatever with not a lot of time. But Brother Bear doesn't have a villain! The biggest conflict is within Kenai, isn't it? Perhaps kind of a vague conflict, but still I would think that's what it is. And even though the main conflict in the movie is man-versus-himself, they tried to make a climax out of man-versus-man, which didn't really work. I would argue that it could have worked, but that they cut it way too short. Basically you have Kenai's brother trying to kill bear!Kenai because he believes bear!Kenai killed human!Kenai, and Kenai is just trying to protect himself and Koda. So it doesn't totally work as a big battle scene? I think it could've worked as the climax, though, if they had done it so that Koda had been in some real terrible situation and Kenai had to decide whether to save him or not, and then after deciding to save him he could become human again. It would be kind of like in Hercules, where Herc becomes a god after saving Meg. In my mind that would have made a much better climax than what it was. When Koda went running to get the spear, I was so sure that that's the way they were going to go, but then they cut it off! All of a sudden for no reason Kenai turns back into a human! And his brother is like, "Whoops, sorry I tried to kill you, dude." It's just way too easy. It's like in Howl's Moving Castle, hahaha, I was half expecting someone to pop out and cry, "Hallo! I'm the prince from the neighbouring country!" XDXDXDXD;;;;;

Other than that, Koda is adorable, the "Transformation" scene is beautiful, it was painfully obvious that the music was by Phil Collins and Mark Mancina even before Phil sang anything (or maybe I've just watched Tarzan too many times), and I got a kick out of that bear who kept telling people her husband was dead, hahaha. I was actually really surprised to hear a joke like that in a Disney movie, but at the same time it's kind of reminiscent of the ancestors in Mulan, who I think are awesome. XD The movie was vaguely reminding me of Lion King (because it's about animals? because it's vaguely Circle of Life-ish?), but then there was a shot of Kenai and Koda on that cliff during the confession scene and I was like OMG did you trace that from the "everything the light touches" scene in Lion King?? Are you kidding me??? I kind of hope that was an intentional reference because I think if you showed that screencap to anyone they would be like, "Hey, it's Mufasa!," and oh man, I just found that one shot so painful. ^^;;

Oh, and also, if you thought Disney would never make a movie heavier than Lion King ... dude. It was resolved perhaps a little too quickly, and it was kind of predictable anyway, but still I'm surprised that they put that in! (I am being vague so as not to spoil, hahaha, or is it silly to think anyone would actually be mad? XD;;; )

And the DVD had an outtakes reel! Although I think that sort of thing works better with CGI films than with traditionally animated films, just because the whole time I was thinking, "Someone actually drew this ... ? Took time out of their busy day to draw this ... ?" I, like many people, sort of have the idea that for CGI films they just tell the computer what to do and it does it all quick and painless and stuff, haha, even though I'm pretty sure that's not true. So anyway, if any of the outtakes were actually funny, I missed it. XD;;;

And the Canadian moose ... :P Whenever I hear accents like that I feel like I'm watching Royal Canadian Air Farce or something. ^^;

Also this movie featured way too many scenes where characters fall off of things. x_x; Like they couldn't figure out how to transition so they decided just to start throwing people off of cliffs. "Uh, how are we going to end this scene, Bob?" "I'm sure you know the drill by now, Bill."

So out of the seven traditionally animated Disney movies released post-1999 (I lump them together, hahaha), I have now seen six. :D Yay! I'm catching up! XD I think my favourite is still Treasure Planet, though. Emperor's New Groove is awesome (I think I appreciate it more now that I can shove all my previous annoyance with it onto PotC2 -- at least when Kuzco and Pacha fall off cliffs and over waterfalls and ridiculous stuff, it's close to being funny XP ) and features the voice of my very favourite Seinfeld character (Puddy!!), but I'm like the Academy Awards, I like my teary-eyed movies. XD;; Lilo & Stitch I would say is the most generally liked of the post-1999 Disney movies, but I personally would have liked it better if it didn't have any aliens. :P I thought Lilo was a lot more interesting before Stitch came along. (Like Pinocchio, I got rid of my copy of Lilo & Stitch and now hate myself for it. Oddly enough, though, I don't regret getting rid of Dinosaur, hahaha. Zzzzzz!!) I have to watch Atlantis again, all I can remember about it is that the trailer was AWESOME and I was so excited but then when I finally saw the movie I was like WHAT HAPPENED!!!! The "Parlez-vous français ?" scene ... and then the twist ending omg I hated that so much ... I remember a lot of people liked the minor characters but I don't even remember my own opinion, hahahaha. XD Fantasia 2000 I like because I am ridiculous, and Home on the Range, omg I don't even want to see that. x_x;;;

So yay! I'm catching up on LJ entries after being distracted by my shiny new MoMusu DVDs for a week, hahahahahahahaha yessss. XD XD XD

(Six days till Disneyland but unless Tigger and Goofy get their act together there may not be any characters for me to see while I'm there, lol lol lol this is the sort of joke that doesn't even make logical sense.)

Comments

[natz099.livejournal.com]

Wow... and I thought I liked Disney! Lol. So true though.. what kind of movie store doesn't have Pinocchio?! I've never tried to look for it myself, but that's beside the point. :P

As I read this, I also realised that I don't know if I watched Mulan 2 or not. I ADORED Mulan, and I can't remember if I watched the sequel.. probably not if I can't even remember! Shocking. :O

Have fun in Disneyland! I'm so jealous.. there's isn't a Disneyland anywhere remotely near Australia. Don't forget to brag about it here when you get back. *sniff*

[arisha.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I rarely rent anything from the video store, but still! Honestly! If you don't have Pinocchio, you don't have nothin'! XD XD XD;;

I have yet to actually hear anyone say anything nice about Mulan II, but this doesn't stop me from wanting to watch it. XD Hahaha. But yeah, haha, I have a hard time remembering what Disney sequels I've seen, too. XD There's so many now! o_o;

I plan to post many obnoxious trip report entries, hahaha. XD I read a newspaper article a couple months ago about these Disney fans from Australia who were going on a world tour of all the Disney theme parks. I think that was the first time I realized that Australia is so faraway from any of them! :( I have a friend who spent a year in Australia, and she only came back with a Disneyland story because she spent a short time in Hong Kong. ^^;;

T minus 6

[the-wykydtron.livejournal.com]

Ah, that stupid Treasure Planet song! I hate listening to it, it depresses me. And it's not even a terribly wonderful song ... so why do I love it so? Argh argh argh, I am such a sucker for the loner teen orphan angst.

I'm a little surprised that you don't have Pinocchio (ie, gave your copy away - what were you thinking?). That's my dad's favourite Disney movie - he says he can remember that when he was a kid, the whale scared the hell out of him. I can understand him having emotional investment in that movie, seeing as how it's a part of his childhood and all ... but I don't really like it. The fairy bothers me - her character design is so dated! And Stromboli makes me wince. HELLO, EASTERN EUROPEAN STEREOTYPES!

I like Kitty, though - he reminds me of an evil Dopey.

I was actually surprised to see that the animation of Cinderella III isn't terrible. From what I can tell from the trailers, though, it seems like Cindy is 100% OOC. She was OOC in Cinderella II. I think the writers were stuck: you can't keep true to the feel of the original movie AND have a Cinderella who is acceptable to 21st century audiences. It cannot be done. The solution, of course, would have been to NOT make an obvious cash-grab film ... but when has Eisner Disney ever said no to money?

if you thought Disney would never make a movie heavier than Lion King

I call it Hunchback of Notre Dame!!!

I don't know - I think OBJECTIVELY Brother Bear is a darker movie than Lion King, but I feel like I have more emotional connection with Lion King, and so I feel worse when bad things happen to the characters. Besides, Brother Bear lacks the fratricide (although characters unconsciously come close) and the Nazi-hyenas. And there are v. few skulls and corpses in Brother Bear, whereas Lion King has an entire elephant graveyard. But I don't know - I haven't seen Brother Bear in quite a while, so I can't remember exactly what scene you're thinking of that's so dark :P

I always think it's funny to see what Americans think of Canadians, hah hah! Oh, if only we were a nation of mooses, what larks!

Re: T minus 6

[arisha.livejournal.com]

Ah, that stupid Treasure Planet song!

I've listened to it so many times now that I can no longer even tell if it's a good song or a bad song, hahahahahaha. XD But I quite like it.

My brother and I tried to watch Pinocchio a couple years ago and found it so boring. Believe me, though, I'm totally annoyed at myself for giving it away. I think I would find it a lot more interesting now than I did then. (Dinosaur I have no hope for, however.)

I like Kitty, though

Dude has a name! Gideon the Cat!

you can't keep true to the feel of the original movie AND have a Cinderella who is acceptable to 21st century audiences.

That's what I thought when I saw part of Cinderella II. Or rather, I felt the whole movie was based on 21st century ideas, and had none of the feel of the original at all. Weirded me out. :p

Wikipedia says that Cinderella III has better animation than Cinderella II. UGH THE PRINCE IS SO UGLY THOUGH I CAN'T GET OVER IT!!!!

but when has Eisner Disney ever said no to money?

He's out now though. X) But I don't know how long it takes to make a D2V sequel, so he could well have still been there when Cinderella III started production. My favourite Eisner story is that apparently he was against the idea of Return of Jafar, and then it made a ton of money, and then he was like, "My, that was an awesome idea! What else can we make?" Hahahaha, Eisner. XD I mean, I do think he was good for the company, for a while. But I think it was time for him to go. :X

I call it Hunchback of Notre Dame!!!

Hmm, I dunno ... I think that HoND is more mature, and darker in tone, but to me that doesn't necessarily mean that the subject matter was heavier ... Like, if you just made a very neat and tidy list of all the bad stuff that happens in each movie, I still think that Simba thinking he killed his dad and Kenai having to tell Koda he killed his mom would be worse. Quasimodo believing in Frollo for all those years isn't a great thing, but I dunno, it doesn't seem as bad to me as murder. :X

I feel like I have more emotional connection with Lion King, and so I feel worse when bad things happen to the characters.

Yeah, I think I do too, but yeah, I think objectively Brother Bear is a lot harsher. Haha.

More good people die in Brother Bear than in Lion King. :( (Hahaha, by one, shut up!!)

And there are v. few skulls and corpses in Brother Bear, whereas Lion King has an entire elephant graveyard.

But I would think that's more tone than subject matter? Tarzan has corpses too, but I'm not about to argue that's darker than Brother Bear. (I think it's more emotional, though, just because I think it's better made. XD; )

Waugh I dunno my brain hurts. XD;

I can't remember exactly what scene you're thinking of that's so dark :P

Really just the confession scene, where Kenai tells Koda he killed his mom. MAN THAT'S SO HARSH. Can you imagine having to tell a five-year-old you killed his mom? HARSH HARSH HARSH.

Oh, if only we were a nation of mooses, what larks!

I figured the Creators knew the Canadian accents were way exaggerated, but then in the making of they were all, "We've use various dialects in past Disney movies, so we thought why not use a Canadian accent this time?" But the guys they got to do the voices - Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis - obviously don't talk like that in real life, haha. I mean, I know people talk differently across Canada, but it still weirds me out when people are like, "I'M TALKING CANADIAN EH DUDE EH" =_=; We'll see how much of that we get in Anaheim, har har har. XD;

[fiona-judith.livejournal.com]

The mooses (or moose, moos, mees?) are SO funny XD
Gee, ey, you're one big beaver LOL
Like with the Lion King, I ALWAYS end up crying during this movie.

Wasn't Bambi a heavy one too? Again with the loss of a parent thing..

Actually the only sequels I liked were Aladdin II: Jafar's ..revenge I think and Jungle Book II. Did you see those?

[arisha.livejournal.com]

Hahaha, yeah, I liked the beaver line. XD

I always forget about Bambi because I haven't watched it in soooo long, hahaha. The reason I mentioned Lion King in particular there is because it's not just that Mufasa dies - Simba thinks he killed him. So I thought that was a bit more comparable to Brother Bear, haha, maybe. XD;

I've definitely seen all the Aladdin sequels I could get my hands on. XD I think Return of Jafar is okaaaaaaaaay ... the characterization is kind of awkward in parts. It's really a very transition-y sort of movie. I much prefer the third Aladdin movie, Aladdin and the King of Thieves. But I haven't seen the second Jungle Book! Should I put that on my list of sequels to watch? XD I'm trying to catch up on what I've missed, haha.

[fiona-judith.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the characters were messed up in the first sequel (especially the Sultan, he went from important so veeeery insignificant all of a sudden)
I have only seen the third Aladdin movie in Dutch, because that was the only one I could find at our Moviestore -_-, and therefor the songs didn't really get to me. Stupid synchronising Dutch people who only stock up on the translated DVDs...

Jungle Book II is awesome! I really liked that one, I think you should definately watch it! The songs are REALLY cool and on my Disney playlist XD

Have you seen any of the newer Disney movies? I mean the recent ones? I can't even think of recent ones...