When Instincts Collide

Well, wouldn't you know it! This blog isn't dead after all! No, on the contrary, a brand new year of "Animation Revisited" is just beginning. After getting moved into college, I decided it would be far more prudent to share my passion for animation with my dormmates than to shut myself up in my room and watch movies on my computer. It's definitely a lot more fun when you can share a movie experience with somebody; reminds me of last year, when my sister and I always watched them together.

But I digress. Let's pick up where we left off, shall we?

The Fox and the Hound
Original release: July 10, 1981

Oh, I hear you. You just went "aww." This movie is widely known as one of Disney's saddest. It is the tale of an orphaned fox kit, raised by a widow, and a hunting hound puppy who lives nearby. The two kids, named Tod and Copper respectively, soon become playmates and promise to each other that they'll "always be friends forever." But the two are separated over the course of that winter, and by the time they reunite, their conflicting instincts have grown stronger. I'm not going to say much more than that for now.

This movie is undeniably heartfelt. It's hard not to get a little choked up when the friends are separated, when Tod has to fend for himself, when the two protagonists have to decide how deeply to honor their former friendship. As one of my dormmates said after we were finished, "That's the biggest emotional trip I've been on in a while." I know there were definitely tears forming in my eyes at a few moments there. It's no wonder this film is remembered so fondly: anything that tugs on your heartstrings at such a level has to be at least a good movie, if not an excellent one. Watch the following scene to see what I'm talking about.



But, like everything else, it's not perfect. There were several rather hokey moments involving silly facial expressions, unrealistic dialogue, and a character talking to him-/herself. (You may have noticed some funny mouth movements made by the widow in the above video, for example.) Also... oh, man. The scenes with Vixie. Ha! Those were the scenes that made us all laugh as we watched. Disney is well-known for its use of innocent romance. Generally the relationships that end up resolving at the end of the film start developing in the earlier half of the movie. Not so here. Tod and Vixie meet more than halfway through the film, and BAM! Infatuation. Not to mention Vixie has got to be the ditziest female character Disney ever created. I won't reiterate all the risque jokes that we made, but you get the idea.

Interestingly enough, most people don't know that this movie was actually loosely based on a novel. The 1967 novel by Daniel Mannix is actually just the story of the life of a fox, initially raised by humans and killed by hunters. In the book, Tod and Copper were never friends; the fox kills Copper's fellow hunting dog Chief, and Copper and his owner swear revenge...and get it. In the movie, Chief is still seriously wounded while chasing Tod, and Copper and his owner head out to get him, but Disney's famous family-friendly adaptations this time around included (a) leaving everyone alive at the end and (b) introducing the childhood friend element. What's rather intriguing is that the introduction of the latter actually helped to make the movie deeper, due to the conflicts of the two characters.

So. While this film clearly has its weak moments, there is more than enough substance to make it worth your time. You won't regret watching this, I can guarantee you.

Mahewa's rating: 3.8/5

Critics generally thought that while the animation was quite well done (this was the first work of their new, younger animation team), the plot and characters seemed formulaic. Check out IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes for more information.

Animation and Me: A Reflection

First of all, I apologize to any actual followers of this blog: this entry is not a movie review. It is an assignment for English class. But I thought, Why not include it here? You don’t have to read this, though I hope you will.

I’ve thought a lot recently about my enthusiasm for animation. I’ve touched on this before (read my profile), but even so it’s hard to pinpoint why I love animation so much. Perhaps it’s the ability to make anything believable. Since nothing is filmed, the movie isn’t meant to look ultra-realistic, so you can include the unusual without fear. Maybe that’s why so many animated films center on human-like animals or have fantasy themes. Is that why they’re so appealing to me, because they have talking animals and magic users? Or, perhaps it’s the style. Animation, whether traditional or 3-D, generally looks simpler than real life, more stylized.

In any case, my fascination began when I was quite young. Not surprising, you say? I agree. Kids are notorious for drinking in any and all cartoons, regardless of quality. How else do you think those awful Disney direct-to-video sequels managed to net any sales? Because they are movies that parents buy to give their kids something unproductive to do and keep them busy.

But the older I got, the more I was able to discern between the mindless entertainment and the works worthy to be called good movies alongside live-action films. I don’t remember exactly how old I was, but I remember walking through Rite Aid one day several years ago and passing by a display stand for Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure. Rather than wanting to snatch up a copy, I thought, “Eh, it probably isn’t that great.” I ended up watching the movie at one point (I don’t remember why) and noticing that its quality level was indeed below that of its prequel. A few years later I was consciously aware of the Disney “cheapquel” phenomenon; I think it was having to sit through Pocahontas II: Journey to the New World that eventually made me painfully aware of Disney’s imperfection. I have since learned to only expect the worst from that family of movies. (Though I did at one point watch The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea out of pure curiosity, and was rewarded with a wasted afternoon and a crummy mood.)

But how much has animation influenced my everyday life? Good question. I’ve liked art and animals from early age, and in middle school began to do my first “art.” It was mostly of dragons, unicorns, horses, and cats. Granted, it wasn’t all that great. Fair, but with lots of room for improvement. But then, in tenth grade, I rediscovered The Lion King. Before I knew it, I was doodling lions. At first they didn’t look very good, but the more time went on, the more I could successfully emulate lions drawn in Disney’s style, and the more I could successfully depart from Disney’s style and keep the art looking good. As my confidence grew, I returned to dragons and cats and introduced canines to my repertoire as well, but giving them all a Disney-like twist as well as my own tastes. Now I can tackle almost any animal with an appealing, animation-reminiscent style.

Also, after the “rediscovery,” I regained interest in animated movies in general. I returned to watching the videos that my family owns. After a while, once my art had improved as described earlier, I fancied trying to animate things myself. It was perfect: I could make my cool drawings move, just like the good movies! I have made a few attempts at animation over the months, and I intend on developing my skills in the area much further in the future.

I started this blog as an assignment for my twelfth grade English class. The only instruction was that the entries be “responses to something.” I sat down and thought for a while what I wanted the theme of my blog to be; I didn’t want to just write about random things I saw, but about a cohesive set of material. So what’s something that I like a ton that others might be interested in? Animated movies, of course. Music is too wide of an area to effectively explore so casually, and math is appealing only to a small portion of the population. And come on, what could I effectively write in a blog about Spanish that people would read?

There you have it; I enjoy animated movies, as explained before, and many other people do too. But animation in itself isn’t something I can do very well yet. I’ll try to work on it in the future, but right now I am content with my skills in still art. I definitely want to take art classes in college and explore all of my artistic potential.

College? To those of you who know me, art doesn’t seem like what I would specialize in. Sure, I’ll take music lessons and join ensembles. Sure, I’ll try to get better at Spanish and maybe learn another language. But if I were to lose all my skills but one—suddenly not know how to do anything right but one thing—that thing would not be the saxophone, nor my mathematical prowess, nor my knack for languages. I would choose to keep my immersion in animation-styled art. (Well, okay, I wouldn’t want to give up my singing voice either.) It’s a surprising conclusion for myself to come to, but if I look at my history and at my life today, I realize just how much I rely on doodles of animals to get me through the day.

In the end, I guess it’s not so much that animation itself will be an important part of my life, though I love it. What will remain an integral part of my life is the stylistic impact that animated movies have had and will continue to have on my art.

Thank you.

The Jungle...Again

Hey, look. We're back in Africa.

Tarzan
Original release: June 18, 1999 (UK)

Edgar Rice Burroughs' book Tarzan of the Apes, published in 1914, has inspired an astounding number of films. Wait, let me count... forty-nine films. That's an awful lot. It will generally be agreed upon, however, that this particular rendition is one of the finest.

If you've been following the blog or are in my English class, you may notice: this film was the last film of the Disney Renaissance. Is that ringing a bell? In the early 2000s, Disney's films went into a slump. Luckily, this one is free from any such worries about quality. Through a combination of smooth animation, impressive CGI work, catchy music, and an emotional story, this movie will keep you hooked from beginning to end.

The story opens with a shipwrecked couple and their baby, who start building a new home in the jungle where they get stranded. At the same time, two gorillas play with their infant son. Immediately I was impressed with how well these two parallel scenarios were interlaced. The music didn't hurt, either.

While we're on that, I'm going to have to talk about the music. I have to say that the music really helps make this film what it is. This is Phil Collins! He is a high-quality songwriter, regarding both the lyrics and the music, which always seem to go together quite well with each other as well as with the movie. The most famous tune from Tarzan is probably "You'll Be in My Heart," which makes sense; it did win the Oscar for Best Original Song that year. But the other songs are just as interesting. In the case of "Trashin' the Camp," I was seriously tempted to get up and start dancing around the room. But my favorite song in this movie is "Strangers Like Me." In the movie, this segment covers a lot of important plot progression: this scene focuses on Tarzan's time and studies with the human trio and its results, namely questions about the gorillas and a budding romance between Tarzan and Jane. Oh, there I go again, being a romantic.



Quick! What's that device shown at 0:59? You should know this if you were taking notes on Monday!

Watching this again after some time, I was surprised how emotional it was. Tarzan is a much more conflicted character than you might think. As a kid, there's the scene where he looks at his reflection in the river and tries to cover his bare human skin with brown mud. All through his adolescence (the "Son of Man" segment) he is something of an overachiever, but only because he is trying to prove himself to his family, particularly the leader Kerchak. When Tarzan presents the leopard's body to Kerchak, you can see how desperately he wants Kerchak to accept him. And the part where he tackles Kerchak to the ground to let his human friends escape, and the guilt trip scene with Clayton in the boat, and... Okay, okay. I need to calm down.

But what was most moving of all was the scene in which Tarzan's gorilla mother, Kala, finally reveals his past to him. That scene made me cry. I'm serious, there were tears coming out of my eyes. It was rather embarrassing, too. I don't think I've ever cried before when watching this! But seriously, the scene is extremely touching. (I couldn't find a smaller clip, so you'll have to skip to about 3:30 and watch until 6:30.)



Another high point of the film was the amazing background work. Why is it that Tarzan remains the highest budget Disney film in history? Because of something called Deep Canvas, a program designed to use 3-D computer generated imagery that had a loose, artistic, oil-painted look that ends up looking extremely impressive.

Low points? The villain Clayton, while he does serve his function as villain well, is strikingly similar to Gaston from Beauty and the Beast, albeit slightly uglier and with a heavy British accent. The sailors weren't all that impressive, either. Sabor, the leopard, was more of a dangerous force of nature than a villain. That's not to say his scenes weren't dramatic and action-packed, because they were. He just seemed a smidgen unrealistic. (Mahewa notes that a real leopard would have given up the fight after ten seconds and gone on to find an easier meal.)

So we have nice music, a strong story, high-quality animation, and well-done action. Actually, I was impressed by how well they were able to switch between comedic moments and serious moments, and vice versa. This film definitely deserves its recognition.

Mahewa's rating: 4.0/5




Interested in Entertainment Weekly's review of this flick? Read here for one writer's expressed awe at the visuals and emotions.

P.S. That device was a praxinoscope.

Insanity Realized

Alice In Wonderland
Original release: July 26/28, 1951 (UK/US)

It's unbelievable how many film adaptations there have been of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. But most of the time, if somebody starts talking about a girl called Alice who gets lost in a Wonderland, he or she is most likely speaking of either the original books or Disney's famous adaptation of them. Come on, who here has never heard of "the teacup ride"? (The ride itself, Mad Tea Party, has been a favorite at Disneyland Park ever since the entire park opened in 1955.)

It sounds blunt, but it's true: this movie is a mess. The scenes seem at first entirely random, and in many ways they are. Of course, you can't do too much else with Carroll's books, which barely have any plot on their own. Walt Disney's intention was to center the entertainment factor of the movie around its visuals and music, rather than a strict story. Actually, the studio found it difficult to pull off just right; the movie was officially proposed in different formats at least four times after 1945.

Nevertheless, there is in fact a plotline: Alice is bored with her lessons and wishes she could be in her own world of "nonsense." Upon accidentally entering such a world, she proceeds to chase after the White Rabbit for a surprisingly long time, continually revived by her curiosity. Over time she realizes that though nonsense can seem fun, it can also feel pointless; under certain conditions, it can even do serious damage to a person's spirits. She eventually decides that logical thinking does indeed have its place in the world. For a glimpse into the more serious points of the movie, watch the following clip; it's a surprisingly sorrowful, despairing musical number that Alice sings to herself after she's gotten hopelessly lost in the woods.



Well, it may be a mess, but it's an entertaining mess. It's impossible to sit through more than ten minutes of this movie without laughing out loud. I myself have a personal affinity for Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum: I played Dum in a stage adaptation of Carroll's works when I was in middle school. In any case, here's a clip of the infamous Cheshire Cat to tickle your funny bone and cheer you up after that last particularly melancholy clip.



Think his voice sounds familiar? That's Sterling Holloway! He voiced a great number of Disney characters in the early years, including the stork from Dumbo and the python Kaa from The Jungle Book.

The movie doesn't just have humor and fantastical visuals; it also has some surprisingly catchy tunes. Once you've seen this movie, you'll keep humming its tunes for a week afterward. I've had "Painting the Roses Red" playing in my head the entire afternoon, myself.

For an adaptation of such a tricky pair of books, this movie does a nice job and is really quite enchanting to watch. This Disney classic won't disappoint.

Mahewa's rating: 4.0/5

Bring on the Canines.

This film was made by Steven Spielberg's studio Amblimation, later renamed Amblin Entertainment. Don Bluth used the studio to produce one of his most best-known, An American Tail: Fieval Goes West. This particular film has no connection to Bluth, though as I understand it, it has quite a following anyway.

Balto
Original release: December 22, 1995

Based on a true story, Balto tells the story of the eponymous sled dog who led a team of dogs bringing coveted antitoxins to a diptheria-stricken Nome, Alaska in 1925. Obviously, the movie takes several liberties from what history tells us of the epidemic. In real life, the transfer of the medicine from Nenana to Nome was a relay race, and Balto was a Siberian Husky and leader of the last leg of the race. In the movie, essentially one sled team (aside from the Balto/Steele swapping as lead) makes the entire journey round-trip, and Balto is an outcast...specifically, a half-wolf. Well, if you're going to make a movie, I guess you have to get your conflict somewhere.

There appears to be some overlap between The Lion King fans and Balto fans. I first learned this when I discovered what is now one of my favorite sites, The Lion King Source, and saw that it had a sister site, aptly named Balto Source. How strange; I hadn't heard much about Balto before, at least not nearly as much as about many Disney movies. So after months of knowing its fans, I finally decided to take a peek at it. I wasn't sure what to expect. Now that I've seen it, I can say that there are definite pros and cons.

Pros:

• Animals! Everybody loves animals. I'm sure that the abundance of fluffy canines contributes greatly to its appeal, since the dog is such a popular animal. ("Canine supremacy," Mahewa growls.) And I'm sure I'm not the only one who likes to see lots of flowy, swishy follow-through with animated fur.
• A cute romance. Oh, okay, okay. Maybe that's not a pro to some of you. But I like it. The recreated "Northern Lights" worked well as a unifying element, and they looked nice.
• A deeply conflicted, but distinctly 'good,' protagonist that you want to identify with. Unlike Charlie B. Barkin. Took way too long for that dog to start looking like a nice guy...
• A healthy dose of action. Grizzly bears, top-dog duels, rocky cliffs, avalanches, falling icicles! Whoo! (Even though the grizzly bear attack scene was a dead rip-off of The Fox and the Hound.)
• Mysticism (and wolves ^^). I love the scene where Balto realizes that he can take pride in his wolf heritage, and howls to the wind. I also thought that the shot where the Northern Lights shifted into a howling wolf head was pretty wicked awesome!

Cons:

• Poorly animated humans. The only decent-looking human is the girl Rosy.
• Predictability. Several times I felt like saying, "I saw that coming." Also, there were a couple of scenes where I thought the staging/pacing/camera work could have been made a lot more dramatic than they were.
• Immemorable soundtrack. I liked the introductory music, but after the first scene I paid no attention to the music at all. Very generic.

Did you know that this film contains live action segments? The introduction and conclusion are filmed in New York, where two characters talk about the story and see the statue and memorial of the famous dog. These scenes serve to reemphasize that the movie was grounded in real history. Here's the statue if you're curious.

I can see how one might make a connection between Balto and The Lion King: they're both about animals, which is always an appealing theme, and they involve many classic movie elements: drama, action, adventure, romance. However, I have to say that Balto doesn't even come close to top dog on my list...pardon the pun. It's good enough, but not excellent.

Mahewa's rating: 3.0/5




My younger sister watched this with me and said that she really liked it. She also accurately noted that I didn't seem very "enthusiastic" after the viewing was over. To each his own, they say. You may very well come to like this movie; then you'd be right at home with my good friends on Balto Source.

It's About Time.

I decided that one of Studio Ghibli’s works was long overdue as a feature here. So here we go!

Spirited Away
Japanese release: July 27, 2001
U.S.A. release: September 20, 2002

You may have noticed that I’ve mentioned Hayao Miyazaki before in this blog. And with good reason: he is heralded by many critics as one of the best film directors alive today. I have long wanted to include one or more of his works on this blog, if only to include more non-Disney works. Yet when I watched it, I was simply blown away. This man is a genius!

The movie opens very effectively, with a scene that showcases our characters and story setup well: young (and lazy) Chihiro and her parents are moving, but Chihiro herself is extremely sullen about the move and is often stubborn with her parents. They wind up in an unexpected, mysterious place inhabited by spirits, and Chihiro has to learn to work hard and do what is right if she is to rescue her parents and escape the spirit world.

The fantastical setting of this film is very different from our usual idea of a fantasy, i.e. a “western” or “medieval” fantasy. There are funny little stone monuments shaped to look like short, rotund people. Out of nowhere we see oozing black shadows, human-sized frogs, and weird creatures that look like they have roots growing out of their mouths. The way in and out of the spirit world is a grassy hill or a flooded sea, depending on which side of the gap you’re in. Chihiro must hold her breath crossing a bridge, is controlled by her true name being taken away, and isn’t allowed to look back as she leaves. Yet even though this created world seems a bit haphazard and unorthodox, you can’t help but be drawn in by it. It is thorough, imaginative, and just looks so good!

Actually, I was a bit surprised at the animation. The animation of the characters seems to be at a lower frame rate than we are used to, so it looks slightly chunky in places. But the coloring and shading is so smooth, the expressions and motions so lifelike, and the background art so spectacular that you don’t really care about the walk cycles. All you can think when you see this movie is “gorgeous!” I decided that the best way to let you glimpse this visual wonder without revealing too much of the story was its trailer, so here it is.



Our story is in essence a coming-of-age story. Chihiro has never had to do any manual labor; as Lin says, “Haven’t you ever worked a day in your life?” In the opening sequence, she comes across as apathetic and clings selfishly to memories of her old home. She doesn’t appear to be very fond of her parents until she loses them. Yet over the course of the film, she learns to accept hard work, make new friends, and make the right moral choices. The scene with the river spirit who has suffered from pollution is a test of bravery and responsibility, the temptation scene with No Face one of resistance to greed, and the rescuing Haku segment one of love.

Yet many other characters have learning experiences, not just Chihiro. The giant, spoiled baby Boh leaves his pen for the first time and takes it upon himself to learn to walk so that he can stay with Chihiro. No Face, even though his greed, still cares for Chihiro, and follows her to Zeniba’s place and gladly stays there as an assistant. And Haku, of course, gradually breaks free from Yubaba’s power through his love for Chihiro.

Before we go, I have to slip in a word about the music. It was provided by the New Japan Philharmonic, which gives many segments a majestic quality. But in several scenes, the music is simply a piano solo, giving the film a lonely, mystical tone. It is really quite beautiful.

I can do no less than to call this film a masterpiece. If you haven’t seen it yet, then you are in for a real treat.

Mahewa’s rating: 5.0/5




If you’re still not convinced, Rotten Tomatoes gives this flick a whopping 97% approval rate! Check it out for yourself.

Give a Roar!

I know what you're thinking: "Hey, no fair! You're already a fan of this movie!" True, I have this flick memorized back to front. But don't forget that there are reasons why I like it. I faithfully went and watched this again, and now I plan on telling you just what makes this movie so important to me.

The Lion King
Original release: June 24, 1994

I have loved this movie ever since my toddler years. (My mother claims I saw it at least twice in theaters!) I had a little finger puppet made to look like cub Nala for a while. When the first sequel came out, we bought it on VHS, and soon after purchased a large stuffed Kiara for me to cuddle. And when the second sequel was released on DVD, we bought that too. The plush toys are long gone, but we still have all three films at home. What's funny, though, is that after the first handful of times watching each movie, I wouldn't think about it much for a long time. So why was I continually inspired to obtain these films if I wasn't a constant fan? Imprinting, maybe?

Anyway, I loved the movies throughout life, but it wasn't until the winter of 2006 that I "rediscovered" them. Being by now more mature, I was able to actively recognize which aspects of the movie drew me in, rather than simply being drawn in.

First and foremost, there is the music. Kudos to those geniuses that are Elton John, Tim Rice, and Hans Zimmer! The musical numbers and score felt like they were part of the same world, and was that world amazing. The catchy beats, the meaningful lyrics...and the authenticity! These guys made the right choice when they hired Lebo M and his choir to record the African vocals. The film's opening shot of a sunrise over the savannah, accompanied by a suddenly piercing vocal solo, has become a cinematic icon. Take a peek if you've forgotten.



Second there is the plot. Most other Disney animated features are retellings of known stories. Take, for example, The Jungle Book, The Little Mermaid, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame as author-written stories and Hercules, Robin Hood, and Mulan as folk tales. Now, The Lion King is different. It borrows ideas from Shakespeare's Hamlet, Greek tragedies, the Bible, and even that old anime "Kimba the White Lion." The result is a completely independent story that attracts all ages. Actually, some critics have complained that the movie is too heavy for the youngest kids. The two-year-old me, however, didn't seem to have a problem with it, and if anything, the dramatic, emotional story is what makes it so touching and magical to the rest of us! Watch as we see the young cub Simba flicker back and forth between a snotty prince and an innocent child. Even when he has developed his musculature and grown a handsome mane, it is not hard to peer beneath the exterior and see that conflicted little cub, eyes shining with tears.

Third, it's an animal world. It's not a movie about humans with the occasional animal character, such as Aladdin; it's not a movie about animals with minor human characters, à la Lady and the Tramp; no, it is a human story with absolutely no humans in it! To me, that's paradise! Maybe that's what makes this setting so attractive: it is a world completely cut off from the human world that we are familiar with. It could take place in 1994, in 1894, in 200 BC for all we care. And we don't. We want to lose ourselves in this world untouched by mankind. We want to be these animals.

Have you ever heard of "fanfiction"? A fanfiction is a story that is written to take place in a world defined by an already existing movie, book, game, etc. If you go to FanFiction.net and look under "Movies," you will see that The Lion King has an astounding amount of fanfiction credited to it. Why is that? It is because of this oasis of a universe that leaves so much open to one's imagination. Click here for a (somewhat informal) essay about this phenomenon.

I'm not sure if I should call this my fourth reason for loving this film, since it somewhat falls under the category of this isolated animal world. That is this: the animation and visual effects blow you away. The characters are all quite visually appealing, captivating you with their vulnerable human expressions and their natural feline movements; is it any wonder that there exists The Lion King Fan-Art Archive with nearly 8000 registered artists, including myself? The opening number, as you've seen, features some spectacular landscapes. And the stampede? I would go so far as to say that it is the most powerful scene in the entire movie. Check it out below.



I hope that I have illuminated my reasons for why I appear so obsessed with this flick. Thank you.

Mahewa's rating: 5.0/5




Oh, it appears that Mahewa desperately wants to talk for a little bit. Here, I'll let her take the stage.

Hi, everybody! I'm Mahewa, the incarnation of Amanda's deep love for the feature film mentioned above. Well, not incarnation, since I only appear on paper and computer screens, but hey. It was through me that my dear creator explored her newfound passion for this movie...and not only that, but refined her artistic techniques and developed a signature drawing style that has extended into all living beings that she chooses to draw, including other felines, canines, equines, reptiles, birds, and even humans (to some extent). She wistfully mentions that she draws me far more often than she actually draws the characters from The Lion King, but I'm happy enough with that! Well, there's not much I really wanted to talk about; it just felt fitting that I speak for a while, and this was the perfect entry in which to do so. Okay, I'm done now.

Um...yes. Thank you for that, my dearest fursona. Well, there you have it. Until next time, here on "Animation Revisited"!