Animated movies

This is not the first full-length animated film. That distinction belongs to El Apóstol, by Argentinian animator Quirino Cristiani, but this is the first one that has not been lost. It's one of those films that are difficult to rate on the same scale as regular animation films, since it's such a different form of art. And art it truly is, painstakingly animated using cutout silhouettes. The result is eerily beautiful. This silent film tells a story adapted from the Arabian Nights, accompanied by instrumental music. The figures move jerkily because of the practical limitations of the technique, but this is turned into artistic choice. The extremely elaborate figures seem to dance to the accompanying music, and it's almost hypnotic and beautiful, quite unlike any animation I had seen before. Rating: 8/10

A visual and musical delight throughout. It's often called the first animated feature film. It's not the first, actually, but earlier antecedents are not recognizable as modern animation, and in that sense this is an astonishing masterpiece that took animation to a completely new level. It basically created what we regard as a modern animation feature film, with color, sound, synchronized dialogue, songs and skillful storytelling. It's incredible how modern-looking and sophisticated the animation sequences are. It's a fairy tale, so don't expect deep characterization or anything, but Disney did a great job making the dwarves distinctive and likable. It's a great classic, and the passage of time has not been unkind to it. Rating: 10/10

Fleischer Studios released their own feature film to compete with Disney's Snow White. Great animation sequences but not quite as great as Snow White. Funny and likable but not as much as... Well, better to stop comparing. A good film on its own right, perhaps with some pacing problems. Also, an interesting pacifist message. Rating: 7/10

Another amazing classic from Disney's Golden Age. The movie is darker than I remembered (those donkeys), has less singing than Snow White (although the songs in it are very good) and suffers from excessive use of the deus ex machina plot device, but it's full of heart, narrative wisdom, good characterizaton and iconic animation. Rating: 10/10

It's difficult to rate this movie on the same scale as regular, narrative movies. It's glorious at times, daring and high-concept, a visual and musical delight. It shows what confidence they had in the beauty of their animation, and also their willingness to play around with the possibilities of this format. It's wonderful that Disney took this risk at a time when survival of the studio was at stake (Disney was certainly not a financial behemot yet). At other times it takes itself too seriously (those spoken introductions to the pieces), and it may frustrate those who are looking for storytelling. It was not successful in the box office, but in the end it has passed the test of time and survived as a Disney classic and as an artistic success. Rating: 8/10

I can't get over how good the animation looks, so early in the game of animated feature films. It's amazing how expressive and cute Disney's animals look. I did not realize that Dumbo and his mom do not speak at all until the movie was over, that's how expressive they are. I know that great things can be accomplished with 3D animation, but to be honest, this film done 75 years ago looks better to me than anything done today. Having said that, this is another great production from the Golden Age of Disney. It's the most emotional one so far. Pinocchio was emotional too, but here we see Dumbo's suffering in a starker manner and we are unconditionally rooting for him. Short and to the point, but watching this is another 64 minutes of delight. Time is kind to genius. Rating: 10/10

I can't help it. The beginning of these Disney movies make me ridiculously happy. Yes, you may consider them overly cute and sweet, but who doesn't need something like that from time to time. So this movie begins like that. It does not have as clear a plot as the previous Disney movies. It's more of a slice of life film with deer, until it goes dark. Really dark. So dark in fact that it might be too ruthless at times for small children, although adults will appreciate its honesty in the depiction of the wheel of life. Perhaps appropriate when the real world was at war. Artistically it's an achievement, with a masterful use of color to indicate dramatic mood. Walt and all those Golden Age Disney animators were so good. World War II would put an end to their activity, and until 1950 Disney would not be able to make another full-length feature film. The studio survived until then releasing package movies, each made from several short pieces. Good and creative times would come again for the studio, but the series of masterpieces they made before the war truly was a Golden Age. Rating: 10/10.

Difficult to know how to review this. It's a 40-minutes film, the first of the package films that Disney released during or immediately after the war to sustain their business at that difficult time, when many of their animators were conscripted or had to do war propaganda, and the economy was particularly difficult for the entertainment industry. It mixes live footage of the visit of several Disney artist to South America with four animated shorts. Most of the shorts are humorous illustrations using Donald Duck or Goofy of the non-fiction documentary-like material. As non-fiction, this is fascinating stuff from a historical perspective, about the "Disneyfied" vision of South America in the 40s. The live footage is particularly interesting in that sense. Paradoxically, the only animated short that feels out of place and is disliked by most reviewers because of that, the one about the little plane that flies for the first time, was particularly enjoyable for me. It's just a traditional Disney short, with some fiction storytelling as contrast with the documentary stuff. All in all, this makes for interesting viewing, but it's TV material. It would never have been released as a feature film in different circumstances. Rating 4/10

A lot like Saludos Amigos, The Three Caballeros is a collection of shorts with a South American theme, linked together by a flimsy framing device. This second Disney package movie from the WWII period is more polished than the first. It has two nice traditional Disney animated shorts and several segments with South American music and dancing, with Donald Duck (who, weirdly, seems to be lusting all the time after human women). I enjoyed the shorts with with the penguin who hated the cold and the flying donkey, but the plotless nature of the rest of the movie did not work that well for me. Very nice music, though. Certainly watchable, but still kind of lackluster after classics like Bambi, Dumbo, Pinocchio and Snow White. It's a pity that the war stopped the momentum that Disney had. Rating 6/10

The third package film from Disney during the WWII era, Make Mine Music follows the Fantasia example but with popular music in various styles (well, and even some classical music and some Opera). Unlike with Fantasia, some of the music here has gone out of fashion, but fortunately several different styles are featured, making it more balanced. The worst part are the filler segments with no storytelling, but those are short and painless enough, while the highlights are very entertaining. Those highlights include "The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met", "All the Cats Join In", "The Martins and the Coys" (which was absurdly removed from the American DVD for incomprehensible PC reasons) and "Peter and the Wolf". Overall the lack of storytelling in some shorts will probably be boring for children, but as a fan of classic animation I found it pleasing. Rating 6/10

This package film contains two stories: one about a little bear who escapes from the circus and the other an adaptation of Jack and the Beanstalk with Mickey, Donald and Goofy. Entertaining enough, but like other Disney package films from this era, it does not feel up to the high standards of the studio's regular full-length feature films. The stories are narrated by a voice-over, which also helps it feel like TV material. Rating 6/10

This is another Disney package movie made from several animated shorts. Like in Make Mine Music a couple of years earlier, the common element is the extensive use of contemporary popular music (contemporary means from the 40s). The quality is also similar to Make Mine Music's. Some of the shorts are very forgettable and others are quite good. Among the highlights, look for "Little Toot", "Pecos Bill" and "Once Upon a Wintertime". All in all it makes for a pleasant experience, although not at the level of Disney's best efforts. Rating 6/10

The last of Disney's package movies during the war and post-war period, this one is the best of the lot, and collects two short stories, the first a Disneyfied version of Kenneth Grahame's "Wind in the Willows", the second a Disneyfied version of Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow". Although each story, being half-length, does not have the room for development of Disney's full-length films, both have personality and are charming in their own way. The chase scene at the end of Ichabod Crane's story is a triumph of animation, scary and funny at the same time. Rating 8/10

The first Disney animated full-length feature film after 8 years, Cinderella marks the end of the parenthesis caused by WWII. Some people regard the period starting here and finishing with Walt Disney's death as the Silver Age of Disney, while others regard it as the second part of the Golden Age. Whatever label you want to stick to it, Cinderella is an excellent movie. The main criticism I can make is that it doesn't bring anything new to the table, but it's a flawless example of the Disney formula. Cute talking animals, a timeless fairy tale, an excellent music score... It does not have the darkness of the pre-war films: It's enchanting throughout and with an unambiguous happy ending, while the bad guys (Cinderella's step-family and the cat) are mean rather than scary for little kids. Another unforgettable Disney classic. Rating: 10/10.

What a acid trip of a Disney movie! There is no plot to talk about here. Alice follows the white rabbit and from there she meets a random succession of fanciful, surrealistic, mad characters. In Wonderland, everyone is crazy and nothing makes sense. If you are hoping for a conventional story, where characters have objectives and take action to achieve them, you won't find it. It left me with a bittersweet sensation. I just prefer to be told a story. Alice's actions have no bearing on the story. She just gets from place to place and the Wonderland characters do their act. But at the same time I have to admit that there are many things to enjoy here once you accept the premise. The animation is brilliant, and many of the characters are charismatic and memorable. Rating: 7/10.

Yet another Disney classic. This one looked perhaps more directly targeted to children than to the whole family. The source material has some interesting themes to explore, but this adaptation focuses more on slapstick comedy. But what glorious slapstick comedy! Some really iconic scenes with Hook and his crocodile nemesis are part of the history of the medium. The characters were perhaps a bit unsympathetic: Peter is all childish wildness, and Tinker-Bell really goes overboard with her jealousy, I mean, Wendy had barely talked to Peter and already she was trying to kill her? Of course, the story is supposed to have some of that Lord of the Flies vibe (yes, I know Lord of the Flies had not been published yet), so unsympathetic characters are not necessarily a bad thing. It's just that the whole issue is not explored much. Other than that, very entertaining and visually delightful movie. Rating: 8/10

With Disney's films coping the animated feature film market, this British production became the first animated film targeted specifically to adults. It's a very good adaptation of a powerful story, Orwell's political parable Animal Farm, faithful except for a change to the ending. It works on both level, as a satire of communism and as a straightforward story. Good animation that, with some occasional comical relief, is able to convey the moods and horror of the story. It's clear that animation was the perfect medium to adapt this story. Rating: 10/10

Very satisfactory classic Disney movie. Good plot, both as a romance and as an adventure, good characters full of individuality, good songs and good animation. Although it has its funny moments, Golden Age Disney films are not out to get cheap laughs. Instead, they go for heartwarming emotions. It's also the first animated feature film to use CinemaScope. Rating: 9/10

This Russian production is a gentle and charming retelling of the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale. The animation, while aged, has personality, although in the scenes during the night it's difficult to distinguish the characters. With Disney dominating English-language fairy tale animation, it's fun to see a different but also likable way to go about it. Rating: 7/10

Another charming musical fairy tale from the Disney factory. This one reminded me a lot of Snow White. It's quite the same type of story. Once again, the main attraction is not the princess and prince, but the secondary comical-relief characters (in this case, the three good fairies instead of the dwarfs) and the villains (Maleficent is stunning and unforgettable here). Visually, however, it's clear that there's been an evolution. It's not necessarily better or worse, just different, less cartoony and with more detailed backgrounds, although I also liked the more classic style, where the characters and the backgrounds integrated very well. Anyway, great soundtrack and another wonderful story for all the family. Rating: 9/10

The style of animation has very clearly changed from the classic look of the beginning of the Golden Age. This looks more sketchy, with harder edges instead of soft pastels. I unconditionally love the most classic animation, but on the other hand the style suits the story here, and it looks good to me, even if it's different. The story is simply wonderful, enchanting when necessary and menacing when the plot requires it. You really feel the urgency and the threat when Cruella de Vil, one of Disney's best villains ever, threatens the poor puppies. Another big classic. Rating: 10/10

This film is not often cited among Disney's greatest but for me, even though I see its weaknesses, it has a place there. It's true that the incredible quality of the animation in earlier films is gone. The animation here is not bad by any means but, like in 101 Dalmatians, it looks like a low-budget effort compared to Pinocchio, Dumbo or Bambi. The story is a bit disjointed, but that was also true of the source material (T. H. White's book). The pacifist message from the book is a bit watered down, but the movie remains loyal in spirit to it, emphasizing the importance of study and brains vs brawn. However, the characters and the story are just so incredibly charming that it's a favorite of mine. It's also one of the funnier Disney movies so far. Rating: 8/10

This film has charm, although the stop-motion animation and the storyline is basic. It will be quite enjoyable for young children without much to offer for adults, other than the nostalgia value. It tells the well-known story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, how he is discriminated against because of his nose and his eventual vindication. There's some secondary plots to round the story. Oh, and Santa is kind of a jerk. Pleasant enough Christmas entertainment, with songs. Rating: 6/10

This comment is actually for the whole Peanuts Holiday Collection DVD, which includes six Peanuts holiday specials, each one around 25-minutes long. It's not really a feature film, but who cares. Some of these are considered classics of animation. In chronological order:

1) A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
2) It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)
3) A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973)
4) It's Magic, Charlie Brown (1981)
5) The Mayflower Voyagers (1988)
6) It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown (1992)

Some critic wrote about one of the Peanuts' movies: "can amount to either a delightful experience or a pleasant but slightly wearing one, depending upon the intensity of one's fascination with the basic 'Peanuts' mystique."

In my case, it was generally pleasant but (more than slightly) wearing. Yes, these specials tend to have nice messages, but they are presented in a heavy-handed way. The characters, particularly the girls, are often unlikable. The story is thin as paper but, most importantly, not really funny. Some of the charm is here, but I think this material works better in a comic strip. Rating: 6/10

This 25-minutes animated TV special has become a Christmas classic. It's based on a Dr. Seuss book and tells the story of the Grinch trying to take away Christmas from the townsfolk of Whoville. The animation looks better than a typical TV show from that time, but there's not much detail in the backgrounds, since this is not a high-budget feature film. The story and songs are fine and they will enchant the youngest viewers. And that's the target audience, because it does not have as much to offer for adult viewers as the best animated films for children, apart from its nostalgic value. The humor is the typical slapstick of cartoons. It has a nice message, although the Grinch's change of heart at the end was a bit arbitrary and unearned. It's competently-made and does what it's supposed to do in an effective manner. Rating: 7/10