7) Lady & The Tramp! The best word to describe this movie is adorable! I don't know if it's cos I'm a huge dog lover, but this film has been in my heart ever since I was a kid! And I'm not gonna lie, this is one of the few Disney movies which makes me cry next to Dumbo & Bambi (ESPECIALLY during the pound scene cos I hate seeing dogs locked up)! Anyway, all I can really say about this in terms of plot is it's a charming love story, which happens to involve dogs, & just watching how it grows throughout along with Lady accepting her owners' new baby & how it'll change her life. They do bring in some conflict with Tramp previously being a cad, Lady being put in the pound & it is done pretty well, if not cliched (it doesn't really matter to me cos cliches in films don't always have to be bad). I think the main reason why I love this is that it has a simple charm to it compared to the grandure of other Disney animated films at the time like Cinderella & Sleeping Beauty. That's not to say that this film doesn't either, but I do like how this focuses on the romance between the 2 main characters & expanding on it rather than having the characters just meet & decide they want to be together.

As for the characters, they may not be the most complex or developed Disney characters out there, but with simple character traits & personalities, they manage to all be memorable, even the main characters & how contrasting they both are thanks to their different backgrounds. With Barbara Luddy's youthful & innocent sounding voice (despite ironically being in her 50s by the time she recorded the dialogue for this), Lady encapsulates the upper class 'woman' & is responsible & pretty naive, but judging her upper class & sheltered upbringing, it's kinda justified & she is very likeable especially when it comes to her feelings towards the new baby. Tramp on the other hand is much more fun loving & mischievous, but it's clear he does have a good heart throughout. Jim Dear & Darling aren't really as interesting in my opinion, but I guess it's intentional considering they're not the focus of the story! Anyway, I also enjoy the other dogs like Jock, who is also very adorable yet outspoken & grumpy, Peg is kinda like a sultry & even the beaver Lady & Tramp meet at the zoo is pretty funny (if not too similar to Gopher from Winnie The Pooh) But my personal favourite would have to be Trusty thanks to his old solider type nature & being very loyal to Lady (and he also reminds me of one of my childhood dogs who died a few years ago)  But I know all of you will solely because of the Siamese Asian stereotype cats Si & Am & their controversial song! Well, yeah I can understand why now compared to my innocence as a kid, but I still find their antics funny when trying to get Lady in trouble & there's no denying the Siamese Cat Song will get stuck in your head after you've listened to it!

As for the animation, I do really love how it captures the look of dogs & their different breeds, while giving them very emotive anthropomorphic faces without looking creepy. I also love the backgrounds, rather it be the architecture of the suburbs where Lady lives (seems to be inspired by Louisiana if I'm correct), the romantic atmosphere of the park & the backalley of Tony's during the Bella Notte song & the Christmas-y atmopshere at the beginning & end of the film. As for the character animation, it is very well done in my opinion. In fact, this may be some of the best character animation I've seen from Disney when it comes to animals, since they have to deal with many breeds of dogs (even Trusty limping at the end) throughout along with the beaver, birds, the (very creepy realistic looking) rat & the fact that the humans throughout are hardly seen from the waist up & it's all very fluid & I love the attention to detail throughout the film.

As for the songs, I love all of them! They're definitely not the most memorable Disney songs out there compared to others & it isn't a musical, but I love them (even the Siamese song like I mentioned before). My personal favourites would have to be He's A Tramp (sung by Peggy Lee) & (of course) Bella Notte during the romantic spaghetti scene. I do enjoy the opening choir at the beginning & end, but it kinda felt out of place for me compared to the rest of the songs. Oh yeah, and I also love La La Lu (the lullaby that Darling sings to the baby), What Is A Baby? is a pretty interesting one since it's in Lady's head & Jock's little song in his introductory scene is pretty fun.

While it may not be Disney's biggest movie, with beautiful animation, likeable characters, memorable songs & a charming love story, Lady & The Tramp would have to be one of my favourite Disney classics! And besides, this is the perfect date movie for dog lovers & made it socially acceptable to do a spaghetti kiss!

Just heard the news that Harry Potter actress Emma Watson is set to play Belle in Disney's upcoming live action reboot of Beauty and the Beast. Unlike other Disney reboots out there, this one will have the songs intact & it seems it will be based more on the Broadway version of the movie. Directed by Bill Condon (who directed Dreamgirls & wrote the screenplay for Chicago) & seems set to be released some time in 2016 or 2017, this has been planned for a while (as far back as 2009 by composer Alan Menken) but was inevitably put into development hell.
And as you can tell, I am beyond excited for this film despite my not so great thoughts on live action Disney reboots as it definitely seems that it'll pay tribute to the original story, although my only worry is that it'll feel unecessary doing an exact copy of the 1991 film which is perfect as it is & animated! Anyway, I'll be keeping an eye on this film so come here if you want to know more about the casting/release date etc considering Beauty & The Beast is my personal favourite Disney movie!

8) The Hunchback of Notre Dame! I'm not gonna lie, this isn't one of them Disney films I grew up with. In fact, I had only really watched it in full when I was around 13 & I first caught a bit of it when my parents  were at their friends house & there was nothing else on TV. But now after rewatching it more times in the past few years, it has surprisingly blown me away more & more each time I watch it!

I know it's an adaptation of the Victor Hugo novel Notre Dame de Paris & this takes quite a lot of liberties compared to the source materials like taking away some of the dark themes (including an instance of rape in the book), the characters being much nicer & changing it into a story of acceptance for the main character Quasimodo. However, the one thing I think this movie does compared to a lot of Disney films is take huge risks & most of the time succeeds. I love how it deals with the themes including religion, prejudice, social acceptance, heartbreak & the most surprising of all, lust! Considering sex is normally a huge no-no for Disney, the risk they took to add it in a family film just surprises me & it surprisingly works due to the darker themes & the character of Frollo (even if it can get unsettling for the parents watching with their children). Even at that, the heartbreak aspect is also handled very well & it is very interesting to see a Disney film where the main character doesn't get the girl considering everyone will have experienced it at one point in their lives.

With the characters, I love how much more complex & human they are compared to others, especially Quasimodo, who just wants to be accepted by the world despite his deformities & the fact he doesn't get the girl in the end like other Disney heroes just makes him much more sympathetic. And Tom Hulce's performance is just amazing throughout, even during the musical numbers Out There & Heaven's Light. However, Esmeralda, voiced by Demi Moore, & Phoebus, voiced by Kevin Kline, didn't really interest me despite Esmeralda's kind heart towards Quasimodo while being a gypsy considering she was shown as a 'badass' girl managing to beat out a load of soldiers at the Feast of Fools, but then has to be saved at the end by Quasimodo. As for Frollo, there's no denying that he's one of the best Disney villains out there next to Maleficent & Cruella de Vil, being conflicted with his religious beliefs & his lust for Esmeralda despite believing what he's doing is for the greater good while causing a lot of harm. And Tony Jay's performance is just incredible throughout (actually I love all the voice actors despite some of the characters themselves)!

As for the songs, they are honestly some of Alan Menken's best work I've seen for the Disney Renaissance! They really make the movie that more epic thanks to the choir frequently used in the score & the songs themselves along with the orchestral score. My favourites have got to be Out There, Bells of Notre Dame & God Help The Outcasts, making them feel like huge events instead of just songs, which help carry the movie forward & give the characters much more development (except for A Guy Like You which I find stupid & obnoxious). But those are nothing compared to Hellfire, which has got to be my personal favourite Disney villain song ever, rather it be the imagery showing Frollo's conflict with his lust for Esmeralda, his hatred for the gypsies & his religious beliefs or Tony Jay's singing! Speaking of the animation, the backgrounds are absolutely incredible of the city of Paris & the cathedral itself, with so much attention to detail put in it actually surprises me! Even the character designs look more realistic & I love how they give Quasimodo the same looks as in the original book, except with the huge Disney style eyes.

If I did have a few complaints, it'd be the tonal shifts can be very jarring from scene to scene & the gargoyles are really out of place (along with A Guy Like You being useless compared to the rest of the songs)! I know it's to make the movie more light hearted for children, but they're so goofy & annoying they feel like something different altogether! It doesn't really help that they are not imaginary like in the original book considering they help Quasimodo save the day at the end. Oh yeah, and the romance between Esmeralda & Phoebus didn't really interest me despite some of their funny snarky one-liners!

Despite them, with gorgeous animation, amazing songs & taking so much surprising risks for a Disney film, this is a must-watch (at least if you don't compare it to the source material) for those who haven't seen it out there & is definitely an underrated movie out of the Disney Rennaisance! By the way, if you're wondering why this is pretty low despite all the praises I've given it, this list is based on my personal favourites & like I said, there are some which will surprise you with how much I love them & my taste is pretty different compared to other more popular reviewers!

9) Lilo & Stitch! Remember when I mentioned that I mostly grew up during Disney's second dark age in the early 2000's? Well, this is another example of one of my personal favourites, except this definitely has more positive qualities compared to Treasure Planet! I mean, it was popular enough to spawn a couple of direct to DVD sequels & a TV series (which I watched the hell out of) which included crossovers from other popular Disney cartoons like Kim Possible & Recess!

Anyway, I think what I love mostly about this movie is the heart of it, with a message about family (shown through 'ohana') thanks to the relationships between Lilo & Stitch and Lilo & her older sister/guardian, Nani (yeah, before you argue Frozen was the first Disney film about sisters, think again!). Another part which makes the movie interesting for me is the setting in Hawaii & it's clear Disney did a great job at reflecting the culture & it is very interesting seeing a completely different type of location & setting compared to their past films, & ironically doesn't make it feel dated because of the story itself being weirdly timeless. As for the comedy, I do really enjoy it thanks to Stitch's funny yet destructive antics & Lilo just being her bizarre self, along with the funny interactions between Jumbaa & Pleakley during their quest to find Stitch including a variety of rather unconvincing disguises. Another part I love in this film is the soundtrack. In fact, this was what introduced me to the music of the king of rock & roll Elvis Presley (I was around 6 when it came out) & I LOVED listening to it when I was a kid. Heck, I even love the original songs  the like Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride & the opening one after the space prologue with the Hawaiian influence& I consider them some of the most underrated Disney songs ever!

As for the animation, I love the use of watercolour backgrounds in Hawaii, giving out a nice juxtaposition to the space scenes & makes it reminiscent of Disney films from decades ago & the attention to detail is pretty amazing looking back at it along with it looking very colourful thanks to the setting. Even the character designs on the aliens are very creative & the humans manage to succeed having a realistic Hawaiian look while giving them that classic Disney flair. The character animation is also very well done thanks to the wide variety of aliens (in particular on Stitch) & is put to good use in the action scenes, the surfing scenes or even when David is doing his fire act at the luau. I even love the look of the spaceship in the beginning, giving out a big scope during the chase scenes, with the police cars looking pretty cool & the jail cells & plasma guns looking creative.

Probably the best aspect for this film for me has got to be the characters! With charming personalities & three dimensionality, they all give the movie the heart I mentioned earlier. Lilo has got to be one of the best, if not THE best kid characters I have ever seen period! Thanks to her bizarre & loud personality & Daveigh Chase's great voice acting, it's no surprise that she carries the movie forward & her relationship with Stitch (voiced by director Chris Sanders) is very adorable to watch along with Stitch's development & learning about family. Her older sister Nani is also with her equally loud yet loving personality & the situation she's in with looking after her after the tragedy over their parents makes her very sympathetic given she's not her parent yet has to act as a guardian to her. Even Cobra Bubbles, the social worker, is surprisingly sympathetic over Nani's plight with her sister despite his job getting in the way & wanting Lilo to be safe. Jumbaa & Pleakley can be pretty funny thanks to the straight man & idiot type of interaction between them & David Ogden Stiers & Kevin Macdonald's voice acting which thankfully avoids the latter from coming across as annoying!

 

 

If I did have to nitpick at some things, it would have to be the opening with the space going on too long & not really fitting the tone of the rest of the movie & the whole climax involving Gantu (it doesn't really help in the TV series they turned him into a huge buffoon) feeling out of place along with the fact he feels like he's there for the movie to have a proper villain when in reality, it wouldn't have changed anything if he wasn't in the film. And the ending is pretty predictable since it is pretty obvious that there'll be a happy ending out of everything thanks to the message, but I don't really mind compared to other predictable movies since all of it is really enjoyable nonetheless.

Sure, it may have a few problems here & there (much less than Treasure Planet), but with great & loveable characters, nice animation, a lot of heart & huge emotional depth, it's actually a nice little movie from Disney & is one of my childhood favourites! Oh yeah, I highly recommend you also go & watch the teaser trailers for this film because they are all absolutely hilarious!

Now that the Animation Advent Calendar is done for a second year, I thought to start off 2015, I'd finally reveal my personal top 10 Favourite Disney Animated Films! Since this is my personal thoughts & not just basing it on the public's views, you may be surprised which ones I like over others that are considered much much better! And just so you know, this'll be done in 10 separate posts instead of one big one since I have a lot of say about each one! And the format will be different!

10) Treasure Planet (VERY loosely based on Robert Louis Stevenson's novel Treasure Island)! I know this is deeply flawed compared to other Disney animated films, but I can't help but love it & it's partly due to nostalgia factor for me! When I was a kid (I was 7 when it came out. Yes, I had to grow up during Disney's second Dark Age) I was so so excited to see this cos of all the cool sci fi & adventure aspects as it felt different compared to other Disney films at the time. Heck, my family even went to the London Planetarium (before it got converted into an extension for Madame Tussauds) around the time it was released which had an exhibit promoting the film! Anyway, why do I like it so much despite the problems? First off, the animation! Yes, the CGI is pretty jarring now with the 2D, but nobody had really done it to this kind of proportions at the time & it is pretty creative! I love the steampunk-ish look (called the 70-30 law during the making of the film) whether it's the ships, outfits or even Silver's cool cyborg design! I even love the character designs on the aliens rather it's the dog-like Dr Doppler, the cat-like Captain Amelia, the scorpion-like Mr Scroop or even just some of Silver's lackeys!

As for the characters themselves, I enjoy all of them! Jim (voiced by the hot Joseph Gordon-Levitt) for example may seem like your typical rebellious teen looking for adventure, but his backstory with his father leaving & wish to make his mother proud make him more relateable & sympathetic. Silver is also great as he's neither really a hero nor a villain as he begins to genuinely care for Jim as a surrogate father & I like seeing those sorts of characters rather than just black & white/good or evil characters. Captain Amelia (voiced by the amazing Emma Thompson) is also enjoyable as while she can be quite cold towards Jim, she can be pretty witty & likeable & her interaction with Dr Doppler (voiced by David Hyde Pierce) is also enjoyable! Mr Scroop on the other hand was pretty much useless other than the movie having an actual bad guy, but moving on! Speaking of Dr Doppler, he is also likeable & funny as & his wide knowledge on astronomy does manage to make him interesting & progress the plot in a surprising way! Also, I'm glad to see a Disney movie (from that time) to not have a love story as part the main plot (I know, Doppler & Amelia fall in love but that can easily be glossed over) & it's much more about a father/son-ish relationship between Jim & Silver, which is handled pretty well along with the relationship between Jim & his mother! *Sighs* Thank God that planned sequel which'd have included a love interest wasn't made... Anyway, other characters like Ben surprisingly make me laugh despite his times of annoyance (I think it's mostly cos of Martin Short's acting & Jim's deadpan reactions to him), Morph was OK as obligatory sidekicks go even if his voice grated on me sometimes & Jim's mother didn't have as much screen time or development than she should have despite all her potential given it seems she had Jim at a younger age!

As for the plot itself, I like how it focuses on the adventure aspect & how it connects well to the heart of the film. There is a bit of filler here & there to show off the animation, but it's still pretty good animation nonetheless so it doesn't really bother me. I even enjoyed the twists in the third act involving the planet itself & the world they made is pretty creative despite it being a bit confusing with the 70/30 law feeling a bit inconsistent. However, one part I do love is the theme involving losing a parent (not through death) with Jim's father just leaving his family, which is pretty sad given that it is something that can unfortunately happen in real life & Jim's behaviour is pretty realistic over it all as he feels he always screws up & can't do anything right. Like I mentioned, the film does have a lot of heart because of the relationship between Jim & Silver & it shows that throughout thanks to the solid chemistry between the characters & it feels very natural during their heart to heart moments. I also enjoy the fact that the females (mostly Amelia) are portrayed as independent & are not solely to be in the movie as love interests compared to female side characters from other Disney animated films i.e. Nera from Dinosaur & Vixey from The Fox & the Hound & they have their own personalities instead of just being reduced to cliches.

I know this is a love-or-hate film in the public eye, but I can't help but be on the love side mostly thanks to the nostalgia factor & I consider it to be one of Disney's more underrated films even if it was during their Dark Age in the early 2000s (yeah, I'm not even gonna go into Home On The Range or Brother Bear which I admit I saw both in theatres)! Overall with great animation, interesting characters, full of action & adventure & surprising emotional depth, I can't help but love it despite it's huge differences from the source material & obvious flaws!