And so it ends, just hours before our flight to Orlando:
Disney Animated Classics:
Snow White and the Seven DwarfsPinocchioFantasiaDumboBambiSaludos AmigosThe Three CaballerosMake Mine MusicFun and Fancy FreeMelody TimeThe Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. ToadCinderellaAlice in WonderlandPeter PanLady and the TrampSleeping BeautyOne Hundred and One DalmatiansThe Sword in the StoneThe Jungle BookThe AristocatsRobin HoodThe Many Adventures of Winnie the PoohThe RescuersThe Fox and the HoundThe Black CauldronThe Great Mouse DetectiveOliver & CompanyThe Little MermaidThe Rescuers Down UnderBeauty and the BeastAladdinThe Lion KingPocahontasThe Hunchback of Notre DameHerculesMulanTarzanFantasia 2000DinosaurThe Emperor’s New GrooveAtlantis: The Lost EmpireLilo & StitchTreasure PlanetBrother BearHome on the RangeChicken LittleMeet the RobinsonsBoltThe Princess and the FrogTangledWinnie the Pooh
Toy StoryA Bug’s LifeToy Story 2Monsters, Inc.Finding NemoThe IncrediblesCarsRatatouilleWall-EUpToy Story 3Cars 2Brave(for my review of Brave, check out this post)
Totals: 64 Completed, 0 Remaining
I saved my favorite four, the four that really have had a significant impact of life, for last. The Lion King, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and, of course, The Little Mermaid.
There’s a whole bunch I can say about these films, like how The Little Mermaid is a great example of script economy–nothing here is wasted, save, perhaps, the “Les Poissons” number, which gets a pass since it’s such a crowd pleaser. Or how Aladdin may be the most well-crafted of all Disney films. Or how I find Moira Kelly just as annoying as the voice of adult Nala as I do her character from Season 1 of “The West Wing.”
BUT…I did want to take a second to give props to what makes these four films truly great, in a class all their own among the Disney animated canon: they have the best villains! Think about it: Scar, Gaston, Jafar, and my personal favorite (who, like me, is modeled after Divine, world-famous drag queen), Ursula the Sea-Witch.
In all of these films, the viewer spends a not insignificant amount of time with the villains. Their personalities are multifaceted. You can kinda understand why Scar is a jealous weasel, and you get a kick out of Gaston being as much full of nauseating, humorous bravado as he is mean-spirited, “jerkface jock from gym class.” You actually end up caring about them, in a twisted-beard sort of way. How many other iconic Disney villains can you say that about? Malificent is a wonder aesthetically, but her range is from “mean” to “really mean.” Cruella De Vil may be the only other Disney villain I can think of who is actually an interesting character.
I love these movies; they mean a lot to me, and I’m glad I took the time (4 whole days of my life–some 96 hours!) to revisit them. I hope everybody at Blizzard Beach is ready for the fat behind I gained from my movie marathon immobility coming down Summet Plummet.
We’ll be Disney-bound in a few short hours! For up-to-the-minute trip updates, follow us on Twitter! We’ll have a trip report on the blog next week.
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