Best Disney films?

[writerlove]

(Warning: Serious fan girling is about to commence. Skip if you don't want to read sheer and shameless obnoxiousness)

Ah DCOMS were awesome back in the day! I watched those like it was my job. My favorite was Brink. I had a slight crush on Erik Von Detten and I thought the skateboarding was awesome (started to watch the X Games after that movie). I loved it when Brink threw the milkshake in Val's face. I also liked Zenon (Supernova Girl, anyone?), Halloweeentown (first one, didn't see the others) the Thirteen Year and Smart House. Ah Smart House. I thought it would be the coolest thing to have a house like PAT. That is until she PMSed and went haywire on everyone.

Okay back to the original thread. My favorite Disney movies are
1) Aladdin and the two sequels. I could quote 75% of Aladdin if I tried. Iago was my favorite character. The sarcasm and wit he had. I loved it. Gilbert Gottfired is the perfect voice for the character. My favorite quote (That I like to use in real life) is "Oh there's a big surprise. I'm going to have a heart attack and die from that surprise!" King of Thieves and Return of Jafar were the only good sequels (as opposed to Mulan 2, which obliterated one of my favorites and i like to pretend it doesn't exist).

2) Mulan. Whole movie is perfection. Mulan is a role model for girls to look up to. She stood up for what she believed in and tried to save her father in the process.  Also it came out when I was 10, starting to enter that preteen phase of trying to figure out your place among your peers. So I could relate to "Reflection". I still love the song 13 years later.  Eddie Murphy as Mushu... priceless. "Hey dragon, dragon not lizard. I don't do that tongue thing". Finally I liked "True to your heart" by 98 degrees (one of my favorites from that era). Although at the time Nick Lachey was just the one in the red coat since that was the color he was wearing.

3) the Lion King-LOVE this movie. Has the right balance of emotionality, humor and evil. It still makes me horribly sad when I watch Mufasa dying. Also a lesson I have carried with me from the movie is this:
Rafiki: "It doesn't  matter, it's in the past"
Simba: "Yeah but it stull hurts
Rafiki: "Oh yes the past can hurt. But you can either run from it or learn from it." (Not sure if this is exact from the movie. But truer words have never been spoken.)
And I'm a huge Simba and Nala fan girl. Nala is my favorite heroine. Always has been since I was 6 (when I saw the movie). Timon and Pumba are awesome too.

4) Hercules- I'm trying to find the words to express for this one. I always identified with Meg and saw bits of myself in her. Now it's even more so that I'm an adult. I Won't say I'm in Love is my jam and I can seriously relate to the beginning "If there's a prize for rotten judgment, I guess I've already won that". Also I like Hades. He's a funny villain but also cunning. He knows what he's doing and  is a good manipulator. I could also relate to Hercules because I was picked on a lot for being different in elementary school.

[MikPal]

Haha! I think I want to hear more stories about this dance teacher, and also want to turn her into a character in a story sometime

Well, you're in luck, since I found her in one of the videos. That's her in the background for 30 seconds with the stick that she uses to keep up the pace in polonaise and announce the next song. Kinda disapointing since when I was dancing I remember she dressed up like this:
[spoiler][/spoiler]

Tron Legacy

Could somebody please explain to me why people like this movie? I think Tron 2.0 did a much better job with updating the visuals of the original Tron and offering a sequel that explored computer technology from within while at the same time having a statement about corporate espionage in our modern world.

[Haids1987]

Tron Legacy

Could somebody please explain to me why people like this movie? I think Tron 2.0 did a much better job...

Okay, I'm coming off of a "I just watched TRON Legacy two days in a row" high, so I'm pretty amped up on all things related to The Grid at the moment.

I've never played TRON 2.0 before, so I can't compare, but I'm a total TRON fangirl. As most everyone here knows by now, I started off hating Legacy--but this was only because I'd never seen the original.  After I saw the 1982 TRON I was hooked.  I rewatched Legacy a couple times and this is why I'm addicted now:

-First and foremost, the nostalgia of the first one.  The lightsuits!!  The Recognizers!!  KEVIN FLYNN!!  There were a lot of references to the first, and everytime I watch Legacy I pick up on a new one, however small. (i.e: the pool of whatever that liquid is that gets them drunk inside Flynn's safehouse, the lights turning on when Flynn's bare skin touches them, etc)
-The Dude and Bruce Boxleitner came back for the sequel, and the original TRON director, Steven Lisberger, came back as the producer of Legacy.  This is pretty much the same reason as my first one, but it's exciting to see the same characters you remember coming back for more.
-The father-son relationship is one of the main reasons this movie gets to me.  The "long time" scene where Sam and Kevin meet again for the first time in twenty years brings me either on the verge or right to tears.  It's moving, the music is incredible, and it's an overall powerful scene.  Later on, when they're on the light ship (or whatever it's called ) and the two Flynn boys are catching up, it's such a sweet, endearing moment.  The way they talk about Kevin's motorcycle, the Lakers and the Celtics, and WiFi is so effortless and cute--you can see that they would have stayed good friends throughout their lives, had the circumstances allowed it.  And at the end, on the bridge right before the portal, it's absolutely heartwrenching [spoiler]how Flynn sacrifices himself for his son.[/spoiler]  He can see now what his priorities always should have been, and the audience feels exactly what Sam feels as it happens.
-On a semi-related note, I gotta gush a little on Flynn.  Yes, he's become a recluse and an eccentric, and he's found peace in his situation with his "Zen thing," but deep down, he's still Kevin Flynn.  It's so funny to see this 61 year-old man say things like "digital jazz, man!" and "We gotta split, man."  And talking about his motorcycle longingly--so funny!  That's Flynn, that's his attitude.  He might be all Obi-Wan Kenobi now, but he's still the arcade owner and programmer of Space Paranoids that he always was.
-Quorra.  Ohhh, Quorra.  She's awesome!  She's badass, fearless, smart, and beautiful.  This chick kicks some serious digital butt!  Her innocence and naivite is adorable, and she's selfless down to the lighted leather boots she wears.  She always puts Flynn's needs before her own and doesn't consider it a sacrifice in so doing.

Oh my.  I could go on and on, but I believe I've bored you enough, Mik.

[MikPal]

As most everyone here knows by now, I started off hating Legacy--but this was only because I'd never seen the original.  After I saw the 1982 TRON I was hooked.

I think I saw Tron first time in -96, it was about the time I also learned that Star Wars had sequels (Don't judge me, I used to use a bar stool as a steering wheel for my X-wing when I was 8 years old watching the ending of the original SW. Of course my friend at the time wanted to play "house", so we agreed that the X-wing had an oven to bake bread). So, I can understand the nostalgia, but I just can't find it in Tron Legacy.

-First and foremost, the nostalgia of the first one.  The lightsuits!!  The Recognizers!!  KEVIN FLYNN!!  There were a lot of references to the first, and everytime I watch Legacy I pick up on a new one, however small. (i.e: the pool of whatever that liquid is that gets them drunk inside Flynn's safehouse, the lights turning on when Flynn's bare skin touches them, etc)

You know, the visual side of Tron Legacy is one of the reasons why I don't like it. Nothing looks as magical as in the original tron. Everything looks like it is in real world. There's smoke, realistic textures and real clouds. Tron 2.0 had this weird world design where everything really looked like they were a visual representation of the different elements of a computer. It had corrupted hard drives, firewalls, kernel.exe, internet, an old mainframe with old programs that you had to overclock to get connection and even a PDA that could not run more than one program at a time. To top it all off, everything felt like it was built on top of the old technology. Like recognizers are used as simple transporters and bits have been reduced to door knobs while bytes do their job now.

-The Dude and Bruce Boxleitner came back for the sequel, and the original TRON director, Steven Lisberger, came back as the producer of Legacy.  This is pretty much the same reason as my first one, but it's exciting to see the same characters you remember coming back for more.

Boxleitner was in Tron 2.0 reprising as Alan Bradley. Cindy Morgan was also in it too. If I understood correctly Tron 2.0 was based on a earlier version of the script by Lisberger. Flynn doesn't appear in it, but you can follow some Emails where you can read exchange between Flynn and Alan. The letters about the aftermath of Lora's death are really sad as Alan tries to make do with being a single parent and Flynn for once sounds really serious.

-The father-son relationship is one of the main reasons this movie gets to me.  The "long time" scene where Sam and Kevin meet again for the first time in twenty years brings me either on the verge or right to tears.

It's funny that in Tron 2.0 the main character is Alan's and Lora's son, Jet. The father-son relationship is there also with Alan being forced to raise Jet alone after Lora dies. There are Emails scattered throughout the game where you can follow Jet's life with all the anger and problems of a teen trying to find his place in this world. Sure he starts out as a complete a****** who has done some juvvy jail time and gets an easy job form his dad's company through nepotism, but in the end he has to rise above what he was before. To become a mench, as a scriptdoctor would say.  Personally I liked the story in Tron 2.0 because its biggest conflict comes from within the main characters and only they can solve it.

-Quorra.  Ohhh, Quorra.  She's awesome!  She's badass, fearless, smart, and beautiful.  This chick kicks some serious digital butt!  Her innocence and naivite is adorable, and she's selfless down to the lighted leather boots she wears.  She always puts Flynn's needs before her own and doesn't consider it a sacrifice in so doing.

Sounds kinda like Mercury from Tron 2.0, just replace Flynn with Alan. She even gets formatted when making sure Jet gets to safety. Later she can be found again, but without any memory of Jet earlier since she's not the same program that got formatted.

Now that I think about, it feels like Tron Legacy is a retooled version of Tron 2.0 for the post-MTV generation. Heck, Tron 2.0 even had Tron legacy code, that you had to compile by finding a compiler in a bar with a DJ.

[Blackthorne]

I get a real kick out of these kids who's favorite Disney films are all the 90's crap they put out.   I mean, some of the films are good - but crap like Pocahontas and Hercules?  That stuff pales in comparison to the films that Walt Disney put out between the 30's and the 60's.


Bt

[Big C from Cauney island]

Lady and the tramp, american tale, aladdin, fox and the hound, and others.

[KatieHal]

American Tale isn't Disney, it's Don Bluth. But I do love that one myself Same with the original Land Before Time, another Don Bluth film.

[Blackthorne]

Don Bluth worked for Disney, until he stuck out on his own in the late 70's.  I always loved his take on The Secret of NIMH.


Bt

[KatieHal]

NIMH is good stuff.

[Big C from Cauney island]

secret of nimh all the way. It used to scare me when I was a kid. The Black Cauldron is a disney film that used to scare me as well.  I also remember a cartoon movie that I can't remember the name of, but pretty much it was this giant bull made of fire trying to kill all these unicorns, and then it got pushed into the ocean.

[MikPal]

I get a real kick out of these kids who's favorite Disney films are all the 90's crap they put out.   I mean, some of the films are good - but crap like Pocahontas and Hercules?  That stuff pales in comparison to the films that Walt Disney put out between the 30's and the 60's.

Yeah, stupid young ones! They don't know the happiness that comes from seeing thousands of tiny critters driven to their deaths by the filmmakers or seeing your favorite cartoon character blowing his or her head off.


----

I find it interresting that most of the stuff mentioned here are animations. Are the live action movies of Disney, Buena Vista, Touchstone or Silver Screen Partners really that forgettable or non-Walt Disneyish in a way that we wouldn't consider them "Disney films"?

Just found this list of all Disney films on Wikipedia. Some might suprise you.

[Blackthorne]

I get a real kick out of these kids who's favorite Disney films are all the 90's crap they put out.   I mean, some of the films are good - but crap like Pocahontas and Hercules?  That stuff pales in comparison to the films that Walt Disney put out between the 30's and the 60's.

Yeah, stupid young ones! They don't know the happiness that comes from seeing thousands of tiny critters driven to their deaths by the filmmakers or seeing your favorite cartoon character blowing his or her head off.

Yeah.  Cause ALL classic Disney Films contain those elements. 

Bt

[LadyTerra]

I also remember a cartoon movie that I can't remember the name of, but pretty much it was this giant bull made of fire trying to kill all these unicorns, and then it got pushed into the ocean.

That was The Last Unicorn.

[Sir Perceval of Daventry]

I also remember a cartoon movie that I can't remember the name of, but pretty much it was this giant bull made of fire trying to kill all these unicorns, and then it got pushed into the ocean.

That was The Last Unicorn.

It was a great movie too. Amazing feel.
All Dogs Go to Heaven, while a non-Disney movie, was also IMO amazing. A childhood favorite. And Balto. And Fern Gully. All great, non-Disney animated films.

[Haids1987]

I always forget to mention Who Framed Roger Rabbit! Jeez, that movie was a staple in my house when I was growing up, and it ranks number five on my list of all-time favorite movies, not just Disney movies.

(Posted on: August 22, 2011, 12:42:21 AM)

I also remember a cartoon movie that I can't remember the name of, but pretty much it was this giant bull made of fire trying to kill all these unicorns, and then it got pushed into the ocean.

That was The Last Unicorn.

Another staple in my house as a little kid. I have that one on DVD now, and l just watched it for the first time since I was little. It's kinda scary! I'm actually amazed it didn't freak me out more as a young, impressionable toddler.

[KatieHal]

The cartoon movie The Black Cauldron is utter fail. Granted, it spawned the Sierra game that was the first one I played, which both got me into Sierra games and into the book series the movie/game was based on....but that movie was such a poor adaptation of the book, ugh.

[Lambonius]

The Princess and the Frog was actually quite good, in my opinion.  It definitely had that classic early 90s Disney feel to it.  I'm surprised no one has mentioned it.

Little Mermaid will always be my favorite.  I grew up with them all though.

I'm happy to see Hunchback getting some much deserved love.  It is one of the most artistically beautiful Disney films in recent memory.  Beauty and the Beast is a close second in terms of sheer visual beauty.  Watch the Beauty and the Beast bluray if you get a chance--the background paintings are f****** AMAZING.

The visuals in Sleeping Beauty will always be one of my hands down favorites as well.  Did you know they designed that movie to mimic the look of Medieval illuminated manuscript paintings and tapestries?  Can you say, f*** yeah?!  lol.

[DawsonJ]

Speaking of Blu-Ray versions, has anyone seen any of the EARLY Disnely movies, like Pinochio or Snow White, on Blu-Ray? It seems to me that the video quality wouldn't be any different than a DVD. I don't see how any old set of film can be up-converted to Blu-Ray standards. It's like a friend of mine says, "You can't polish a turd; you can only roll it in glitter."

[MikPal]

Speaking of Blu-Ray versions, has anyone seen any of the EARLY Disnely movies, like Pinochio or Snow White, on Blu-Ray? It seems to me that the video quality wouldn't be any different than a DVD. I don't see how any old set of film can be up-converted to Blu-Ray standards. It's like a friend of mine says, "You can't polish a turd; you can only roll it in glitter."

Well... DVD had a resolution of 720X576 (PAL) and BluRay can go up to 1920X1080. Those old Disney films were shot and distributed on film which doesn't have a resolution. Most of the old films that have been transferred to digital forms for preservation usually use 2K, 4K or 8K resolutions that you can show on the white screen without a loss of quality. So, you really don't up-convert anything.

Unless you convert stuff from media with lower quality like VHS, Beta or Laserdisk.

[Damar]

The visuals in Sleeping Beauty will always be one of my hands down favorites as well.  Did you know they designed that movie to mimic the look of Medieval illuminated manuscript paintings and tapestries?  Can you say, f*** yeah?!  lol.

It is a striking visual choice on their part.  And Sleeping Beauty has one of, if not the, greatest villains in all of Disney.  There is just nothing redeeming about Maleficent.  And they don't pull any punches with her either.  She's just straight up evil and if that scares your kid, well tough luck.  Because Maleficent doesn't care and if you don't invite her to your next party she will end you.

And I do agree, Katie, that Black Cauldron was a failure, but I just can't bring myself to totally condemn it because it is such a unique failure.  There's no singing, the animation style is different from other Disney movies, it has a decent atmosphere, and the Horned King is easily the most frightening and evil villain Disney ever did.  Like Maleficent, the Horned King is just apologetically scary (for kids.)  It's also pretty violent for a Disney film what with the undead army and the Horned King's leathery skin being pulled off by the cauldron.  Oh and of course how could I forget that [spoiler]the adorable little comic relief character commits suicide!  I mean, yeah, he gets brought back to life, but still!  SUICIDE![/spoiler]

So yeah, it's technically a failure but definitely a failure worth checking out.  It's just so unlike anything else Disney did before or since.