Wait a second, what happened to Disney?

Stop and think for a moment. Close your eyes.
When someone says the word "Disney", what films come into your head?
Go ahead, and be honest.


I'll be honest with you. Whenever I think of Disney, I think of classics such as "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", "Bambi", "Cinderella", "Sleeping Beauty", "The Little Mermaid", "The Lion King", "Aladdin", "Beauty and the Beast" etc.

You know, those really old cartoons that were all hand made. Look at all the disney films we have now. They've completely changed and mainly because they've merged with Pixar. Now, I have nothing against films such as "Toy Story", "A Bugs Life", "Finding Nemo", "Up" and whatever else they've made, but in my opinion it does feel like that these Disney films aren't necessarily about storylines and the messages that go with it, but impressive animation to get "bums on seats" or "box office smash". Especially with all the 3D films that keep coming out. I work at a cinema, and I remember when 3D came out for the first time when I worked there. To me, it felt like a one off and a special occassion, but then it kept coming back, and coming back, and coming back again.

To be honest I got used to it, but then I watched some Animé films and the making of them, and these Animé films are made by hand.

Why did they choose to make everything computerised? What's wrong with handmade drawings? Nothing. That's what made Disney, and in my opinion it shouldn't be forgotten.

Storylines, characters and musical compositions should be strong enough to attract an audience, it shouldn't need all the flashy effects. I mean, for goodness sake, imagine Dumbo in 3D. We don't need 3D. Sure, it's impressive, but films should be good on their own, and while I appreciate all the hardwork that goes into all these computerised effects, what about the talented hands?

What I love about old school animation is the art. You don't get art like it anymore and I think it's sad.
I studied Art and Design: Fine Art for a year in my first year of college when I was just 16, and I was into cartoons and fairies and pretty things. My teacher slated my work and said it wasn't art (to which I replied "You're an ART teacher, isn't everything supposed to be Art?" and he did not reply) and he ended up giving me an E at the end of the year. But whatever, he was a dick. These videos which I'm about to show you shows Disney showcasing just how amazing their Art is and how incredible the detail is, and how much hardwork they put into it. They are truly beautiful videos and I implore you to watch them. What I love about the first video is that when you see the sketch animation it flashes between nearly completed versions and barely started versions. You really get the feel of how much goes into it and how hard it is. You start to appreciate the movies you used to watch when you were little a lot more.



Is this not one of the most beautiful things you've ever seen? I watched it in awe.
This next video shows you the making of Snow White, Walt Disney's first full length feature (my eyebrows were raised when the narrator kept addressing the female artists as "pretty girls", but that's a different topic).



You just don't get films like these anymore and I really wish they were created more often. I can't really describe why.

Another thing about Disney is the music. What happened to all those amazing songs? When I was younger we used to have those Disney "Sing-a-long" tapes. Drawing was my first love, then dancing, and then singing. I remember my sister and I singing to "A Whole New World" (I always got the male part, thanks sis) and it was Disney that made me want to sing, really. I treasured those songs as a kid.

This Disney film which I'm about to talk about is one of those films that tends to get overlooked. Even I forget about it sometimes but in fact, strangely, it's one of my favourites. It has a brilliant storyline that actually gets you to think, and has different shades of characters which helps enable the viewer to see things in a different perspective and it also has a fantastic soundtrack.
The film I'm talking about is called "The Hunchback of Notre Dame".

The musical producer of this film is none other than the amazing Stephen Schwartz, the brilliant mind behind the music for "Wicked". (Okay, so Alan Menken did Hunchback of Notre Dame, too) but I definitely think that there is a difference, musically, between this film and other Disney creations.

This is the opening of The Hunbackback of Notre Dame, sung fantastically by a talented man named Paul Kandel, who plays the gypsy puppeteer Clopin. (I have to say, I love the scene where Clopin goes '"Stop!" Cried the archdeacon' because the animation flashes between Clopin and the Archdeacon. It's very well done.)



Another thing I realised is that, when I was little(er), I thought the gargoyles were just there for amusement. I mean, talking stone gargoyles? Totally unrealistic, but when I watched it again recently I began to understand that these gargoyles were actually there to narrate Quasimodo's thoughts. Seriously. Watch the film and you'll get what I mean.

My favourite song from this film is called "Hellfire" because it's a really dark song that, I guess, only adults will get the true nature of the meaning behind this song. When I was younger I understood that he was a man who fell in love with Esmerelda and hated how he couldn't control these emotions, but this was before I discovered the birds and the bees! I watched this film last week (I think), and my eyes were wide open, because I just couldn't believe how dark, sinister and lustful it was. It was a bit "whoa", to be honest, because you really get to understand Frollo's torture and passion. I absolutely adore how you can see him battling his demons, the way they're represented in red-hooded Grim Reaper like creatures and how he runs up and down in confusion and despair, blaming it all on her. You can really feel the venom. It's possibly one of the best scenes in Disney history because it's so powerful. The best two lines in this song, in my opinion, are "This burning desire is turning me to sin" and "He made the devil so much stronger than the man." The amazing thing about Disney is that when you watch them as a kid you view it in an innocent way, but the film is so good that you remember it. Then, when you're older and you think about it, you realise certain bits that you never noticed when you were a child, because you've grown up and understood life a little bit more. A child will never understand Frollo's emotions, but an adult can and possibly relate.
Honestly. Watch this scene and be marvelled.



Another song I love from a Disney film is "I'll Make A Man Out of You" from Mulan. It's sung by Donny Osmond (I know, right? Crazy) and again, I love the lyrics and the music. I just Wikipedia'd the film and am amazed that a critic claimed the songs as unmemorable. Outrageous! "Reflection" is beautiful and "I'll Make A Man" is so powerful. "I'll Make A Man" has an army sound to it and even has army type insults included in the lyrics ("You're the saddest bunch I ever met...You're a spineless, pale, pathetic lot, and you haven't got a clue") but towards the end it becomes really uplifting and inspiring. It's just absolutely brilliant and I had the song on repeat in my room. (Yes, I have a Disney CD, so what?)
I love the chorus "(Be a man) You must swift as a coursing river. (Be a man) With all the force of a great Typhoon. (Be a man) With all the strength of a raging fire, mysterious as the dark side of the moon." because they incorporated those Oriental metaphors and elements into the song. I know they kinda had to because the movie is based in China, but you really get a feel of that culture (and if it wasn't for the Disney film "Hercules", I wouldn't be into Greek Mythology.)
Anyway. Watch this video. I adore the climax.



Now do you see? The new Disney/Pixar films are so bland in comparison. It's these films listed above that made Disney what it is today, and they should not be forgotten.