Together we'll be supplying you with our humble little blog, something we like to call Animation Revisited.
Each week (hopefully) we'll get our hands on an animated film. Not a 3-D computer animated one, either. A genuine cel-drawn film from the good old days. We'll sit down and watch it. We'll take notes. Then we'll write up a review for it and post it here for people like you to read. The point of this blog is to bring attention back to some animated movies that have long since slipped out of the hype of their releases. If you like the sound of one, please go find it and watch it. As lame as some of these films may seem, none of them deserve to collect dust in a closet. (If I come across an exception, I'll say so.)
So, without further ado, let's begin this blog with, fittingly, the animated feature that started it all:Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Theatrical release: Feb. 4, 1938 by RKO Radio Pictures
It's hard to find someone who hasn't heard of this old classic. Walt Disney's first ever feature-length animation, it made astounding breakthroughs in the history of motion pictures. The animation was better than I remembered. The multiplane camera: wow! They knew what they were doing when they used that baby. Imagine what animation without the multiplane camera would be like! I particularly thought the various water effects looked really nice, but my favorite showcase of animated awesomeness has got to be the scene where Snow White flees into the woods. The grabbing trees, the log crocodiles, the spooky eyes especially! Zooming, cross-fading, surrounding both the panicking princess and the viewer. One of the few qualms I had with the animation was the way they drew the vultures. WAY too cartoony-looking. Mahewa agrees with me.
As far as characters go, this movie wouldn't have gotten anywhere if the dwarfs weren't as good as they are. They are by far the deepest, most realistic of the characters. It's easy to see the bond of friendship/brotherhood between them, even (or perhaps especially?) when they get frustrated with each other. This was also the first time I remember really paying attention to Grumpy. When I was a kid I didn't like him very much, but he's really got a nice story going behind him! How he's so mistrusting of Snow White at first, but he comes to realize that he really cares about her. Dopey has got to be one of the funniest little comic relief characters I have ever laid eyes on. I couldn't help but keep going "awwww" when certain things happened that had to do with him. By the way, whatever happened to that bar of soap he swallowed? The whole scene in the washroom is pretty darn funny. (The song itself gets on my nerves, though.) The one thing I couldn't quite understand about the dwarfs was whether they were gay or straight. On the one hand they clearly can't help but secretly like her, as in like. How else would they do all the things they did, if not for her? Washing up, giving her the bed, putting on a show... Happy himself said, "I'll take a chance for her!" They also act pretty rough-and-tumble with each other, like any males. On the other hand, they aren't competitive with each other about her. They listen to her love song--about some other guy!--looking all gooney-eyed and romantic. They let the other guy approach the "dead" Snow White without saying anything. And then they get so happy when he sweeps her off her feet and carries her away. Whatever happened to possessive male instincts?
Second on the character believability list is the huntsman. When I was younger he freaked me out (probably because he had a knife), but after paying close attention to his limited screentime, I realized how realistic and human his dialogues and actions were. Just the way he protested the queen's wishes and couldn't bring himself to kill Snow White... I really liked him. Mahewa did too. But then again, her ears did perk up when she heard "hunt." I guess it's easy for her to relate to.
The queen is close behind the huntsman in character development. As a child I was terrified of the queen (weren't we all?), but I have to hand it to her; she's one heck of a Disney villain. Definately one of the best I've seen. In fact, I think she's the most DIY evil queen/king I've ever seen in a movie. No henchmen, no myrmidons. Just her and her black magic. Come on, what other evil queen would head right out of her castle in a disguise she made herself to go take care of business?
Snow White is a middle-range character. On the realistic side, I can understand her fear in the forest and her friendliness with the dwarfs. Even her encounter with the prince was pretty well-paced for a fairy tale, at least on her part. Initially freaked out by the prince appearing out of nowhere (I would be too!), she listens nervously at first to his ode, is clearly flattered/charmed by the song, and thinks to herself, "I think I like that guy." The prince is mentioned elsewhere in the movie, and it's understandable that she thinks about him, since she's fallen in love. Also, though speaking with the animals may seem ridiculous, if you were stranded in the woods, you'd probably talk to yourself too. Whether or not the animals would understand what you were saying depends on whether you're in a Disney movie or not. On the less appealing side, she says some unusual things (such as "Oh, I feel so strange!"), trusts the creepy old hag/queen too quickly, and has the most annoying voice! Augh! I never want to hear "I'm Wishing" ever again. But it is a musical, and she has to sing some songs. I guess warbling super-soprano isn't my cup of tea. The instrumentals in the score were actually quite nice.
The prince? Oh, gosh. At the bottom. He's walking along, hears somebody singing in a whiny warble, and randomly butts into her song. (I will never forget his grand entrance. "Toodaaaaay!" Ugh.) He sings a love song to her when he's only seen her for about twenty seconds. And where is he for the rest of the whole freaking movie? He hasn't seen her in months and he just waltzes in and kisses her "dead" body? Sick.
So all in all, what do I rate this movie? It's got its weird bits, but I have to hand it to them: this thing is a work of art and always will be.
Mahewa's rating: 3.9/5
1 comment:
You really hit the ground running with this project and shaped it immediately to fit your interest, with a theme and purpose. Much more than I expect especially so early in the process. Because you're so focused I would invite you to take a step back and reveal the origin of both your interest in animation and of your inspiration for the purpose of this blog.
Perhaps you could incorporate some cultural studies into your blogs as well. What is behind the snow white and seven dwarfs fairytale, which you begin to some extent by analyzing the sexuality of the dwarfs which was my favorite moment in your blog.
You could also incorporate some original reviews of the movies and commercial reception.
Good work. I think the most difficult aspect of your blog will be mixing it up each week, but the focus is fabulous.
Finally, I appreciate the time you spent in shaping the visual appearance of your blog.
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