Oblivion's Been Knocking Since I Gave It My Address

The Illusionist (Chomet, 2010)

The previous year was an incredibly strong year for animated films the world over. Japan delivered the strongest showing with Summer Wars, Ireland brought the fantastic The Secret of Kells, and France yielded the joyous display of absurdity known as A Town Called Panic. And once again we find ourselves in France for Sylvain Chomet's adaptation of Jaques Tati's script for The Illusionist. While Chomet plays his comedy in a broad sense, likely a departure from Tati's signature style, the pull of the film is located in its ability to balance strong emotional scenes with the tension of an ever changing world.

Wish There Was Something Real In This World Full Of You

A Fairly Odd Movie: Grow Up, Timmy Turner (Shortened Version) (Holland, 2011)

Earlier in this year J.J. Abram's latest film Super 8 made unapologetic plays toward the nostalgia of audiences the world over by hoping to tap in to childhood memories of beloved Steven Spielberg classics. With the latest made for TV Nickelodeon movie, A Fairly Odd Movie: Grow Up, Timmy Turner!, we have appeal to a nostalgia that I think is likely still there for a large section of the audience, at least it's there for me, while still being able to draw in recent viewers who have taken a liking to the cartoon series that spawned the feature length live action adaptation. I still remember watching the very first episode of The Fairly Odd Parents, actually the pilot on that cartoon collection thing that Nick had which was similar to Cartoon Network's What A Cartoon, and finding, alongside a great block of animated programing that Nickelodeon was pushing out at the time, another show that I became instantly addicted to for a good deal of time. But all too many times with these types of movies making the transition from animated series to full on film is even more difficult than turning a television show into a movie in the same format, so despite being interested in the cast I was even more excited to see how the movie handled this transition.

Come On Pops, I Need A Little More Speed

Cars 2 (Lasseter and Lewis, 2011)

When I searched Cars 2 on imdb.com, it was the first result, but right below it was (somewhat inexplicably) Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, another sequel that was lambasted by critics who apparently felt scorned. Prior to the release of Pixar's latest film Cars 2, there was a brouhaha regarding the movie's existence as nothing more than a mindless cash grab. It seemed like far before the movie was even screened for critics that it was practically destined to be shredded by the critical community. Now in the past I have had my share of problems with Pixar, as it always seems to me that since Wall*E the studio has done its best to artificially manufacture emotion for the sake of seeming profound. This notion was incredibly clear both in Up's sectioned off sections of emotion that were jarringly inserted alongside its broad comedy, and the same could be said of many of the scenes in Toy Story 3. So I entered Cars 2, a sequel to what I consider one of the worst of a catalog of mostly lackluster entries, expecting to come out, as many other critics were, completely furious. But in the end, I was mostly left wondering one thing: why?

Dreams That We Once Had, Did We Have Them Anyway?

Kung Fu Panda 2 (Nelson, 2011)

I have professed a few other times that I really love animated films. In fact, if I could just watch animated films for the rest of my life I would probably be perfectly happy, despite missing out on many other live action greats. However, recent American animated movies have generally left me mostly cold even when they have been generally regarded as 'successful' films. Kung Fu Panda 2 is a sequel to a film for which I have little love, so I entered the movie with fairly tempered expectations. But sequels, at least on a theoretical level, are supposed to be ways to improve, so I hoped that since the characters and world was established the film would be willing to deliver a few interesting action sequences situated around a competent story line. I do not ask for much, yet Kung Fu Panda 2 still does little besides disappoint. Why, Po? Why do you hurt me so?

To Share On Our Journey With All Of Mankind

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (Algar, Geronimi, Kinney, 1949)

Thus far, the theme of this marathon for me can be summed up in one word: discovery. Whether discovering great new films like Melody Time or Song of the South, rediscovering and being able to notice what is so great about Bambi, or discovering that I was never off the mark to begin with, ala Fantasia, I can say with confidence that I have discovered a good amount by revisiting the Disney Animation Stuido's compendium. So it is only fitting that this next film is one that basically allows for all types of discovery.

I have come across a film that, for all intents and purposes, should be very close to my heart. When I went to Walt Disney World as a child my favorite ride was always Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. Then it was shut down and my spirit was crushed like Smarty Jones's hopes at a triple crown after losing the final race. Despite loving the ride, I had never watched The Wind in the Willows short that gave rise to this attraction. On the other side, I had, and likely still do have, a VHS copy of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and I watched it about once a week as a younger child. Still, it has been years since I have watched that short film and I like to think that my tastes have refined a bit since then.

Oddly, after spending some time with the film, and taking a day or so to reflect on what exactly I had just watched, I found that my expectation, that I would be able to confidently say that Ichabod makes for the better segment, is mostly wrong. So that brings me to The Wind and the Willows. Starting off like a simple story, which splendid narration to boot, once the introductions are finished and we get straight into the characters actually being characters the film picks up considerably. The animation is really nice and a number of the shots are absolutely brilliant, but the strength comes in the voice acting. Comedy hits just about every time it is used and the performances from each actor make for some really entertaining dialogue.

Along with the dialogue, the music is really integrated into the story pretty well and is a nice precursor to the more modern Disney musicals and less like the classics. The action sequences are pretty thrilling as well and then there is the whole commentary on the justice system that is juxtaposed beautifully with the comedic world. It's a really carefully constructed film that is a blast to watch and I can certainly see myself revisiting this one in the future to see not only how well it holds up to repeat viewings, but to also see what other subtleties I may have missed. Not to mention that the characters are just fun.

Jumping from fun, or as fun as a bunch of weasels getting drunk can be, to the more macabre, we hop across the pond for a bit of American fiction. Much like The Wind in the Willows, the narration here is pretty fantastic and, I would contest, is what saves the film from being pretty bad on numerous occasions. The character animation, aside from Crane, is pretty standard, and the scenes leading up to the party are all downright ugly, it's like Disney forgot how to draw. The music is good throughout, but that's mostly Crosby's doing as it really never really separates from the story telling quality into the film story that The Wind in the Willows employs, and the story is a personal favorite so I cannot complain there, but I would have liked it more if the film had actually broken the narrative aspect and simply introduced the characters and started developing them a bit, like the characters in the Mr. Toad tale.

Unlike in the Mr. Toad story, here I felt like I would be just as well off reading the Sleepy Hollow tale. Up until the party and chase sequence though the film is simply passably watchable and proves to be the lowest point of the film as a whole. However, the party until the film's end is absolutely brilliant and because the story is so short it makes it worth watching.


Ultimately, this film is nothing more than a standard package film without too much depth, aside from the commentary in the Mr. Toad story and the animation toward the end that makes for a truly diabolical Sleepy Hollow tale. I could see myself listening to Crosby's songs on my downtime, but I can see that with a ton of Disney films, so despite him having a really good voice and helping to make what could otherwise be a dull film watchable until it picks up I do not think that is enough for me to say that the Ichabod Crane adventure is anything special. Actually, as a whole I do not think that the film is anything special and, taking it as a package film, Disney could hardly end on a higher note than Melody Time, but for an enjoyable watch that is a tad above pretty good, this film succeeds.

I should also state that, unlike Fun and Fancy Free, the pacing here is brilliant and neither segment overstays nor under stays its welcome. Sadly, this also means we lose out on those hysterical puppets, but at the expense of a better film, so I guess it all works out. I suppose that's it for the package films. My floors are dirty...bring on Cinderella!

C/C+ or 3.2723786978156217956231

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad achieves a 7.9 out of 17, with 0 being Fantasia, 8 being my recollection of another specific film in this marathon that will be revealed when it has been watched, and 17 representing how great Hercules is based on my most recent watching, which was likely over the summer, or winter break.

Currently in the marathon the rankings go as...

1. Bambi - (16.3/17)
2. Song of the South (16.3/17)
3. Dumbo - (14.9/17)
4. Pinocchio - (13.3/17)
5. Melody Time - (10.5/17)
6. Make Mine Music - (8.2/17)
7. The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad - (7.9/17)
8. Saludos Amigos - (7.7/17)
9. The Three Caballeros - (6.66/17)
10. Fun and Fancy Free - (5.5/17)
11. Snow White - (2.5/17)
12. Fantasia - (0/17)

Comments are welcome and, for anyone with a literary mind, I encourage checking out my poetry blog filled with all original works for your reading pleasure.

Also I am on the old Twitter thing so I guess you can follow me at twitter.com/FLYmeatwad.

Hear the Rhythm and Rhyme? It's Melody Time!

Melody Time (Disney, 1948)

Plowing through the marathon we come across what I assume to be the last of the package films from Walt Disney, Melody Time and The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. I have yet to watch the latter, though I watched the Sleepy Hollow short many times as a child and am mostly confident in saying that Melody Time is the final of the psuedo-Fantasia films for quite a while. Now I also do not usually have a mind to give things away before writing up my reviews, but my feelings about the atrocity that is Fantasia are well noted so I think that it should come as no surprise when I say that Melody Time, a film consisting of six short films all paired with songs ala Make Mine Music, is worlds above that instrumental insult of a film.

However, what came as a surprise to me was the fact that Melody Time is not only worlds above Fantasia, but it is considerably better than any of the package films of the same type to precede it, excluding Song of the South obvious, even the incredibly surprising Make Mine Music. The common complaint against Make Mine Music was the presence of at least three subpar sketches as well as animation that simply was left over from Fantasia. Now I have contested that in my marathon post about that film, but what I found incredibly striking about Melody Time is that is seems to be a direct response to both Fantasia and Make Mine Music. None of the segments here are anything worse than pretty good, the animation, especially of water, is incredible, and it even has segments succeed that lean more toward the instrumental side of things. My praise of Make Mine Music as being everything that Fantasia should be may have been a bit hasty as I am now fully able to proclaim Melody Time as the best representative of what Walt Disney was attempting to capture during this time in his career. Sure it sacrifices a majority of what made Make Mine Music so diabolical, but who gives a damn? It succeeds at just about everything and makes for a compelling and fun watch.

Now let's break down segments. Things kick off rather quietly with the "Once Upon a Winter Time" short that features a couple ice skating while two rabbits imitate them. Kind of cutesy and lovely and stuff like that all paired with a nice song about how great December is courtesy of Frances Langford. Then shit starts to get real! Lyrics are abandoned as the instruments pick up and make for a thrilling action piece that never overstays its welcome and always is progressing. It all wraps up nicely and really serves as an excellent starting point because it shows the film's ability to blend both the lyrical with the musical. Now it is followed up with a full on instrumental nightmare entitled "Bumble Boogie," but the segment actually works because the instrumental is so powerful and fast paced while the segment is rather short. It's a pretty nice trip too that rivals "Elephants on Parade" from Dumbo as one of the best uses of imagination thus far.

Yet the film does not settle for instrumentals and changes paces rather nicely to the lyrically driven "Johnny Appleseed" segment which, just a side note here, features a word that I will be integrating into my daily vocabulary, "applesass." The overt Christian references in this one would probably make even the most radical televangelist blush, but they are not a huge problem and add to the whole blind devotion thing that the tall tale relies on to explain part of Johnny's reasoning. It's pretty quickly paced and mighty pretty to look at, but the stand out comes at the end and how the film handles Johnny's passing. The final few scenes are beautifully handled and simply engaging cinema. You think Up handles death nicely? Well does that film ever tell an old man with the mind of a child that his corpse is a husk? I thought not! Diabolical Rating: SATANTENSE!


Things get toned down a bit from there, only slightly though, when the "Little Toot" segment begins taking over. It starts off feeling slightly like an aquatic version of the plane part from Saludos Amigos, but the song is actually really charming and the devilish antics of Little Toot are pretty much established from the beginning. His story is pretty predictable, but it's still a joy to watch play out and the animation here is probably the second best of the entire film. The waves during the rescue scene are simply stunning and it is really hard not to get caught up in the adventures of the tiny tug boat. You really are a Big Toot now Little Toot! Probably the most 'cartoony' of all the segments, but still a joy to watch.

Next the film starts to speak to the poet inside of me, in fact it sings to the poet inside me. "Trees," sadly not "The Trees" by Rush, is sang along to some orchestra playing along as we watch trees change through the seasons. Is this where Malick gets his nature fetish? Probably not, but the animation of the title figures are pretty fucking marvelous and, paired with the poem, make for one of the most beautiful and powerful segments in the entire piece. I may even go as far as to call this my favorite segment. The images used are fantastic and the various types of animation are superbly handled, clearly a ton of time and love went into the crafting of this segment. It's truly an artistic accomplishment on par with Bambi as far as Disney animation in the marathon so far is concerned.


The last two segments I imagine people will have trouble with if they are cynical and pessimistic bastards because one is probably a scrapped segment from The Three Caballeros and the other has a lot of live action at the beginning, but I think both are pretty great. The first segment, "Blame It On The Samba," is once again pretty visually stunning and mighty fun. The way the lady swirls in alcohol is cool as well, I liked that a ton because it's like the film is saying drink, dance, and find pretty girls. It's a fun segment with a fun song. I was also a pretty big fan of the closing "Pecos Bill" segment because, aside from the really entertaining live action, the tall tale is interesting and the animation is fun, plus it tells a full story, which is refreshing in a segmented film. The idea of American mythology is really interesting to me as well, reminds me of Greek myths except they are representing the USA, so that kicks ass. USA! USA! USA! It's a great way to close out the film.

Melody Time truly is the culmination of the package films to come before it and it does just about everything spectacularly. Not only is the film leaps and bounds ahead of Fantasia, but it's really so far ahead of the best of these films that I cannot help but be impressed. While there may be questions of the validity of these films in the Disney marathon or if what Walt tried to do was worth all the effort and the years of 'sub par' films, I think that Melody Time truly shows that he was on to something and that the experimentation, both the successes and failures during this time, were incredibly worth while. One of the most entertaining and enjoyable films in the marathon thus far and a perfect way to close out the musical package films.

B+ or 3.998234812370482157801

Melody Time achieves a 10.5 out of 17, with 0 being Fantasia, 8 being my recollection of another specific film in this marathon that will be revealed when it has been watched, and 17 representing how great Hercules is based on my most recent watching, which was likely over the summer, or winter break.

Currently in the marathon the rankings go as...

1. Bambi - (16.3/17)
2. Song of the South (16.3/17)
3. Dumbo - (14.9/17)
4. Pinocchio - (13.3/17)
5. Melody Time - (10.5/17)
6. Make Mine Music - (8.2/17)
7. Saludos Amigos - (7.7/17)
8. The Three Caballeros - (6.66/17)
9. Fun and Fancy Free - (5.5/17)
10. Snow White - (2.5/17)
11. Fantasia - (0/17)

Comments are welcome and, for anyone with a literary mind, I encourage checking out my poetry blog filled with all original works for your reading pleasure.

Also I am on the old Twitter thing so I guess you can follow me at twitter.com/FLYmeatwad.