1999 marked a turning point for the Walt Disney Animation Studios in more ways than one. It was the ten-year anniversary of the release of The Little Mermaid, which had heralded the company’s veritable rebirth in the subsequent decade. It saw the release of Toy Story 2, the third critically-acclaimed film produced in a lucrative…
Well, folks, we’re back with another, long-delayed installment of Saturday Morning Cartoons! What can I say–it’s been a busy summer. We still have two films left to cover in our examination of the “classic” Disney canon–the final two movies released during the period popularly known as the “Disney Renaissance.” This week, we’ll be tackling 1998’s…
This week, TIME announced its list of what it considers to be the “All-TIME 25 Best Animated Films,” as determined by film critic Richard Corliss. Let’s just say there are some puzzling inclusions, and some even more startling omissions. The list: 25. Lady and the Tramp (1955) 24. Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) 23. Yellow Submarine…
This was probably a good selection for Father’s Day weekend, because our hero has two, plus another male mentor. But we’ll let you draw your own conclusions there. Hercules (1997) is kind of loved and hated. However, I find if you aren’t aiming for too much accuracy and just see the humor, it’s pretty fun.…
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) is based on Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel of the same name. Quasimodo (voiced by Tom Hulce) is a deformed man of Gypsy descent who lives in the cathedral’s bell tower and serves as the bell-ringer. He has been reluctantly raised (and hidden from public view) by the evil Judge…
This week’s film, 1995’s Pocahontas, is probably one of the most controversial additions to the Disney animated canon. The first to be based on actual people, the film has received a lot of scorn over the years for its wild historical inaccuracies, particularly in its depiction of the supposed romance between English colonist John Smith and…
The Lion King (1994) remains one of the most critically-acclaimed and beloved films ever produced by Walt Disney’s animation studios. To this day, it is also the highest-grossing non-computer animated feature in history, and the most successful film to emerge from the Disney Renaissance period of the 1990s. And does it deserve its numerous accolades…
Aladdin (1992) was an important piece of the Disney Renaissance; for this period, Disney was stepping up the pace and made some really wonderful animated films. They were very well-marketed and truly well-made. I loved this one when it came out, and I’m still a big fan. Watching it again with my sister to do…
True Classics 