Happy St. Patrick's Day, belated

Thanks to Disneyland, I now own a Mickey egg mold, which also works as a cookie cutter! You will hopefully be seeing a lot more Mickey-shaped food in the future. :)

#27: A Twist on Twist

(c) Disney

Oliver & Company, 1988
watched March 4, 2012

Admittedly, I have not read the classic Charles Dickens novel on which this movie is based. However, my research (aka skim of wikipedia), as well as my familiarity with Disney, tell me that this adaptation does not retain much more than a couple of character names and very basic story elements. So, with that in mind, I shall treat this film as its own work and not get too caught up in comparisons with the novel.

As is so often the case in Disney movies, Oliver & Company tells the story of an orphan looking for a place to belong. Though it's a tried and true formula, it only somewhat works in this instance. It's very easy to root for the main character, Oliver, a cute and innocent young cat. However, as the fifth in the canon to be set in present time, the film feels quite dated. While it may have worked for 1960s London in 101 Dalmatians, a 1980s New York City just isn't as timeless as Disney was perhaps hoping it would be. The most telling aspect is the music, featuring the talents of Billy Joel and Bette Midler. "Why Should I Worry" is catchy, but it's by far the best song of the soundtrack, which isn't saying much. The style of clothing and use of color also comes off as garish (bright blue eye shadow, anyone?).

The plot unfolds when Oliver finds himself in company with Dodger, a street smart dog, and his gang, who all work for Fagin. In this version of the story, Fagin is a hopeless thief, who currently owes a huge debt to Sikes, a ruthless bad dude with unusually large hands (seriously, they were humongous!). During one of the gang's street raids, Oliver is found by a kind girl who lives on 5th Avenue.  As Jenny and Oliver take to each other, the dilemma for Oliver is whether to stay in the comfortable, safe home of Jenny's family, or to return to the gang.

It's an easy choice for Oliver, but his decision is hurtful to Dodger and the rest of the dogs. When Jenny is kidnapped by Sikes, however, the gang does not hesitate to come to her rescue.  (Granted, I'm not sure the storytelling fully communicates the real pain of betrayal here, but it was a good idea nonetheless.)

Fagin has his shining moment as well. In a scheme to make some money, he sends a ransom note to Jenny's house for Oliver. When he discovers Jenny is the recipient of the note, his sympathy causes him to return Oliver without requiring payment, even though it means he still owes his debt and will likely be punished for not paying Sikes on time.

If you're willing to look past the scratchy animation and uncomfortably dated music, it's possible to grow fond of Dodger's gang, Fagin and Jenny, who each show courage, compassion and kindness to the helpless orphan cat. The themes of sacrifice and selflessness show up in a most surprising way. While this isn't Disney's best, it certainly still has some redeeming qualities, if only to serve as a preface to a truly significant era of animation.

Disnographic of the Month - Cats

Although Disney started with a mouse, believe it or not there are quite a lot of cats throughout the films. Here are some thoughts about my findings:

• I counted Si & Am as one cat, since they are, after all, Siamese twins. Also I didn't want to skew the data.
• Surprisingly, the number of good cats far outweighs the number of bad ones. I suppose cats typically get a bad reputation, which is why the bad ones may be more memorable. Make sure to vote for your 'favorite' bad cat in the poll!
• When categorizing these cats into wild and domestic, I just couldn't figure out the Cheshire Cat. Any opinions?
• I'm pretty stoked about the way I presented this info. In case you needed more proof that I truly am a Disnerd.

And the Disnerdy goes to...

Awards season ended a few weeks ago and I thought now would be an appropriate time to give out some of my own awards. I'm calling them the Disnerdies. What else would they be called?

Most Evil Villain: Lady Tremaine, Cinderella
While many villains are comical or outrageous, her calm, cold demeanor chills me to the bone. Sometimes the quiet ones are the scariest.
- honorable mentions: Cruella de Vil (101 Dalmatians), Medusa (The Rescuers)

Most Loyal Sidekick: Timothy Q. Mouse, Dumbo
I've already said it, but he wins major points for his loyalty and courage! He sticks up for his hero through thick and thin!
- honorable mentions: Baloo, Jac & Gus, Gurgi

Most Courageous Hero/Heroine: Bernard & Bianca, The Rescuers
Surprisingly, many main characters are either passive, naive or both; these two mice are anything but. Facing great obstacles, they show immense courage and admirable determination.
- honorable mentions: Robin Hood, Pongo & Perdy

Achievement in art: Sleeping Beauty.
While quite different from the cute-sie roundness that has become best associated with Disney animation, Sleeping Beauty's departure was a great success.
- honorable mentions: Alice in Wonderland, Bambi, Fantasia

Best Soundtrack: Cinderella
All the songs in Cinderella are the kind you find yourself humming days after watching the movie, the definition of a successful Disney soundtrack, in my opinion.
- honorable mentions: Fantasia, Sleeping Beauty, Jungle Book



And now for some fun categories:

Hottest Prince: Phillip, Sleeping Beauty
HELLO. Haha, I had to make this a category. There aren't too many princes in the first half (only 3) so it was an easy choice. Don't worry, ladies, I will do a full rundown of the prince lineup when we've gotten further along. :)

Lamest villain: Edgar, The Aristocats
I've already said my peace about this dude. I didn't want to have to give him an award for being lame, but, I needed to emphasize how utterly ridiculous he is.
honorable mention: Madam Mim (The Sword in the Stone)

Most annoying sidekick: Tinkerbell, Peter Pan
Did you even have to ask?
honorable mentions: Jiminy Cricket, Cyril Proudbottom

Most faithful Disnerd: Vicki
I've been keeping track of who has been coming to my Sunday movie nights and Vicki has attended the most weeks, 21 out of 26! She wins a... hmm, something. I'll think of a prize later. Congrats, Vicki!
honorable mentions: Kylene & Mimi tied at 17.

That's all for now! Congrats to all the winners of these prestigious awards. :)

Laura's Top 5, so far

Over the past months I've often been asked which Disney movies are my favorite. Well, my answer is slightly biased due to my ardent devotion to the Renaissance era (1989-1999). So, since we haven't gotten there yet, I thought I'd list my top 5, out of the ones I've watched and reviewed thus far--all the movies from 1939-1988.

 5. Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs
why i love it 30 words or less: this one just edged out a few others, because remembering that this was made in the 1930s, the art, storytelling and music are simply groundbreaking.

4. 101 Dalmatians
why i love it in 30 words or less: i only need one word to explain this one: PUPPIES!

3. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
why i love it in 30 words or less: Watching this movie is like revisiting my childhood, a place I love to go. I'm a sucker for nostalgia.

2. Lady & the Tramp
why i love it in 30 words or less: Racist cats aside, this movie was quite sweet. Considering they only have 80 minutes, the love story is well-developed. And the iconic spaghetti scene? Genius!

1. Cinderella
why i love it in 30 words or less: I've always had sentimental reasons for loving Cinderella, but now I also appreciate its humor, beautiful animation, great music, and message of hope.

Coming soon: my picks for favorite/least favorite hero/heroine, villain, sidekick, songs and more!

What are your favorites from the first half of the Disney canon?

#26: It's elementary, my dear Disnerd

(c) Disney

The Great Mouse Detective, 1986
watched February 25, 2012 

The story is a familiar one, based on a children's book called Basil of Baker Street, by Eve Titus, which intentionally draws its characters from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous detective. With all the recent Holmes adaptations, I think this movie stands up with the rest of them. Granted, the plot is significantly simpler than that of BBC's modern day series, or Guy Ritchie's effects-laden films. But the mouse detective has his own charm. (I wonder if Disney creatives sit around thinking, how can we make this into a mouse movie?)

Just like Holmes, Basil of Baker Street has that same quirky brilliance that makes his character lovable. It cracks me up that he can figure out the location of the villain's lair by the kind of paper used in a lost note, but cannot for the life of him get Olivia's last name right. It's Flaversham, if you were curious.

However, it is sometimes hard to distinguish if the detective's motive is to do justice, or if he simply can't resist a good mystery. For example, just before the climax, Basil nearly gives up as he lays tied to the mouse trap set for his demise, feeling completely humiliated and outwitted. This seems to be the action of someone who's more about appearing clever, and less about doing what's right.

Ratigan, on the other hand, has all the airs of your classic pompous villain whose sole purpose in life is to take over the world (or in this case, all "Mouse-dom"). At first, I was struck by the contrast of his over-the-top persona to the subtleties of Holmes' iconic villain, Professor Moriarty. I can hardly imagine Moriarty singing at the top of his lungs while swinging from chandeliers and drinking champagne.

But Ratigan does share with Moriarty the same denial of his real identity: a base, vulgar, completely corrupt bad guy. This is seen clearly in his adversity towards being called a rat, even though that's exactly what he is. (Apparently in Disney films, rats are bad and mice are good. Thank God for Pixar.) Additionally, Ratigan, wearing an elaborate tuxedo and cape, carries himself as someone very classy and sophisticated. This whole act is quite literally shed during the final scene, however, as Ratigan devolves into his true self, ugly and violent

And so, interestingly, we see both the protagonist and antagonist dishonest with themselves about who they are. Basil strives to be the smartest and cleverest, but along the way he saves not only a kidnapped child and her father, but also Queen Mouse-toria (yup, they went there) and all of Mousedom from an evil takeover. He becomes the accidental hero. Ratigan claims to be worthy of the power he tries to possess, but in reality, he's a rat - both literally and figuratively.

As much as we like to present ourselves as clever, moral, pretty, successful, rich, powerful, popular, or whatever adjective you prefer, ultimately our actions speak much more loudly. It's not what we say we are but what we do that defines us. How we act, the choices we make, these are a natural outflow of our true character. If you met the brilliant observer Basil, what conclusions might be drawn about you?

Drum roll, please! An important announcement

As of this weekend I have watched #26 (of 51) - The Great Mouse Detective. This Disnerd Adventure is 50% complete!

I can't believe I've been watching a Disney movie every week for the past 6 months. I also can't believe I still have 6 more months to go... agh! What did I get myself into? :P But really, it's been a lot of fun so far; thanks to all who have participated with me by coming on Sunday nights, reading and commenting on my blog, and letting me nerd out in conversations with you.

To celebrate the half way point, I am going to Disneyland! No really, I'm actually going! It just so happens that I have a work-related trip to Long Beach, California this coming week. When I found out, I called my sister who lives in LA and asked if I could come visit her after the conference. The second thing I asked her was if we could go to Disneyland. teehee.

I'm super excited because I've never been there (unless you count the time I was a year old, which I don't, since I have no memory of it whatsoever). Also, my sister's friend is a Disneyland employee and is getting us in for free! Maybe there will be some behind the scenes tour or something; we'll see. It's already great that I'm going basically for free, since even my airfare is covered for work. :)

For those of you who have been to Disneyland before, what do you recommend? What's a must-see? I really have no idea what to expect, and I'd love some tips. Leave your thoughts in the comments.

I am also excited to premiere my new t-shirt that I designed and had printed. I will be proudly wearing this at Disneyland. Check it out: 

please excuse the 'it's still morning' face

Over the next couple weeks that I'll be traveling I may get a little behind on my normal reviews. But stay tuned for some special lists, disnographics and photos of my Disneyland adventure!