In a fix? In a bind? In a jam? In a scrape? Maybe you need the assistance of the Rescue Aid Society!
Disney’s 23rd animated feature, “The Rescuers” introduces us to this wonderful (and hopefully fictitious) organization of United Nations mice! Oh, I’m getting ahead of myself, let’s start with the background info. Continue reading “Disney Canon-Forgotten/Minor Characters #23: Euripedes Mouse”
I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I know I’m going obscure again!
But come on, who the heck is forgotten or minor from the “Winnie the Pooh” franchise?! Everybody all over the world knows about Winnie the Pooh and his friends. All kids know about them! All adults know about them! Heck, I’m sure extraterrestrials know about them!
Sigh…well let’s begin this post, shall we? Continue reading “Disney Canon-Forgotten/Minor Characters #22: Mr. Sanders”
Trudging along the post-Walt Disney era of the Disney canon,
we find that Walt still hasn’t really left us! Released in 1973, “Robin Hood” was the Disney Studios’ 21st animated feature. It was based on the legend of Robin Hood, the outcast who “stole from the rich to feed the poor”. The studios had originally wanted to make a film about Reynard the Fox,
but after Walt deemed the hero a bad role model, they ended up using elements of Reynard the Fox in “Robin Hood”. So this film still shares some connection to the deceased Walt Disney. Continue reading “Disney Canon-Forgotten/Minor Characters #21: The Rhino Executioner”
Well, even though Walt Disney has left us on our journey, his legacy still remains! Disney’s 20th animated feature, although not worked on by Disney, was given the approval to go ahead before Walt had passed away! “The Aristocats”, released in 1970, was the beginning of the post-Disney years and what I term the “Iffy Era”. I don’t really consider the ’70s and ’80s as a “Dark Age”; but they definitely weren’t lucrative years! Continue reading “Disney Canon-Forgotten/Minor Characters #20: Georges Hautecourt”
Sorry for the long delay! We are now at Disney’s 19th animated feature and the last one that he personally worked on before he died!
Released in 1967, “The Jungle Book” was both a commercial and critical success. It was so good that Gregory Peck tried his hardest to get this film to be nominated for the “Best Picture” award at the Oscars! Unfortunately, the erroneous idea that animated films are “kiddie flicks” and incomparable to live-action movies was present and his efforts were shut down.
It wouldn’t be until 1991 that an animated film would get nominated for the “Best Picture” Oscar! We’ll come to that one when we get there in our project. Continue reading “Disney Canon-Forgotten/Minor Characters #19: Akela and Rama”
I can hear you saying, “WHO?!” and you probably have a right to say that. Hopefully, everything can be explained as we progress.
We are visiting Walt Disney’s 18th animated feature film, “The Sword in the Stone” (or as I like to call it, “How Many Times Can You Hear Wart Say, ‘Wha..?Wait. Whoa!’?“).
Released in 1963, it was the last animated Disney film released during Walt Disney’s life. Continue reading “Disney Canon-Forgotten/Minor Characters #18: Hobbs”
The “Twilight Bark” can bring you the canine-related news, but “The Animation Commendation” will bring you the Disney canon-related news! And today, we venture into Disney’s 17th animated feature, “One Hundred and One Dalmatians”. Released in 1961, the film was a great success and became loved by us all. It was a thrilling film of how far one goes to save one’s family. Continue reading “Disney Canon-Forgotten/Minor Characters #17: Towser and Lucy”
Come once upon a dream with me as we investigate Disney’s 16th animated feature, “Sleeping Beauty”. Released in 1959, this film was meant to be a masterpiece. Intricate detail was put into the animation and backgrounds. Two versions of the film were made: a widescreen version and a regular version. And to top it all off, this was the most expensive animated Disney film to date! Walt and his crew were hoping for this to be a success! Was it? No!
Like “Alice in Wonderland”, this film was not an initial success, but rather saw box office profits through future re-releases. The underperformance of this film was the reason that Walt decided not to make another animated film based on a fairy tale again. And the Disney Studios would not make an animated film based on a fairy tale until 1989’s “The Little Mermaid”. Continue reading “Disney Canon-Forgotten/Minor Characters #16: Queen Leah”
Traveling along the Disney Canon, we have to embark at the 15th stop: “Lady and the Tramp”. Yes, released in 1955, the love story about two dogs of different statuses has made its way into the hearts of many! The story is an interesting one: it’s based on a story man’s dog, based on a short story in “Cosmopolitan Magazine”, inspired by an actual event involving Walt Disney and his wife, and/or possibly plagiarized from feminist María Lejárraga.
Whatever the main inspiration of the film, we all have to agree that this movie is pretty much perfect! I personally have no problems with it. The animation, backgrounds, and character designs are perfect and beautiful. The characters are lovable. The voice acting is admirable (even if including, arguably, the first use of a celebrity voice in animated films),
the story is precise, and the movie keeps you entertained. I honestly wouldn’t consider it to be one of my favorite Disney films, but it’s still an amazing work of art!
With that said, let’s focus on the…umm…well…the …focus of this project: the forgotten/minor characters! This case was similar to “Peter Pan” in which my choice of forgotten/minor character was one I really didn’t want to go with; but in the end I gave in. Continue reading “Disney Canon-Forgotten/Minor Characters #15: The British Polyglot Professor”
Let’s fly to Neverland, folks! We are viewing Disney’s 14th animated feature film, “Peter Pan”. Released in 1953, the film was a commercial success after the somewhat failure, “Alice in Wonderland”.
The film’s story, again extremely well-known, is about a boy who doesn’t want to grow up named Peter Pan. He lives in a fantasy world called Neverland where he has fun with the Indians, talks with the mermaids, and battles the villain Captain Hook and his gang of pirates. After Peter Pan loses his shadow in the house of the Darling family,
he goes back to retrieve it and decides to bring the Darling children along to see Neverland. And that’s basically the story. Continue reading “Disney Canon-Forgotten/Minor Characters #14: The Hot Water Pirate”
The Animation Commendation 