Song of the South (1946)

Anyone from my generation and earlier is familiar with the classic Disney song “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” (and I certainly hope that the younger folk are too). Most people, however, aren’t familiar with the film that it comes from. The reason why? Song of the South has never been released on home video in the United States. You can find VHS and DVD copies in other countries but unless you order it from abroad, you’re out of luck. Is the racial content of this Reconstruction Era film really bad enough to warrant this self-imposed cinema embargo?

Little Johnny is excited to make a trip to his grandmother’s plantation but this joy turns to sadness when he learns the trip is due to his parents spending some time apart. When his father departs for Atlanta, Johnny decides to run away from the plantation and make his way to Atlanta. While passing the dwelling place of black farmhands, Johnny is mesmerized by the storytelling of Uncle Remus (James Baskett). The former slave ultimately talks the boy out of running away and a friendship is born.

Over the next few weeks Johnny continues to visit Uncle Remus, hearing more and more tales about Br’er Rabbit and his foes Br’er Fox and Br’er Bear. He also befriends a girl who lives nearby. For every conflict and issue that arises, it seems Uncle Remus has a story with a lesson that will come in handy.

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room first, shall we? This film is harshly criticized for white washing the treatment of slaves in the Civil War era South. Disney has long claimed that this film takes place after the war. Does that make its representation of Southern blacks as chipper field workers any better? Certainly not. Does this tarnish the film? Yes, a bit. Is Disney’s refusal to release the film on home video in America justified? It depends.

Do we want young African American children emulating the vernacular and mannerisms on display here? Absolutely not. Then again, shouldn’t our society be filled with enough positive African American role models that these characterizations seem dated, hollow, and false? If we’re not yet at the point, culturally, where Uncle Remus is nothing more than a silly fictional character then we’re doing something wrong. I understand not wanting to risk filling impressionable young minds with the wrong ideas, and it is Disney’s choice. No one is suing them to keep it off shelves, so this line of discussion is really a moot point.

As a piece of art, Song of the South is pretty decent. It builds on Disney’s previous experiments between live-action and animation. James Baskett does a phenomenal job in these fusion scenes. Sometimes it’s hard to remember that he is interacting with nothing at all. His enthusiasm and devotion to the character of Uncle Remus provides the foundation needed for the film to work. Sure, Johnny is the main human character, but Uncle Remus is the star.

The animation is bright, colorful, and full of detail. It doesn’t do anything above and beyond what was being included in the Disney animated ‘package films’ of the 40s but it definitely helps break up the somewhat boring live-action elements. Nothing against little Johnny, but his daddy issues don’t make for a compelling story. Is it any wonder that this film is remembered more for Br’er Rabbit’s high jinks than for the maturation of little Johnny?

The other clear highlight is the music. Disney cranks out a couple of gems with this film, not just “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah.” These tunes are every bit as fun and airy as Uncle Remus himself. And, stereotyped as his demeanor may be, it’s exactly that laid back attitude that makes this film enjoyable. Forget little Johnny. He serves as little more than a vehicle to carry us between Uncle Remus’s wonderful stories.

As art, Song of the South is pretty good. The live-action scenes are nothing to write home about but the hybrid scenes and the Br’er Rabbit tales are splendid. Culturally speaking, this film is probably better left on the shelves until America moves further into a post-racial society.

RATING: 3.5 out of 5

Peter Pan (1953)

Some Disney films have grown so famous over the years that you occasionally forget why you like it so much. For me, such is the case with Peter Pan. What I remembered to be an innocent, playful romp through a fantasy land from my youth turned out to be a little darker than nostalgia would have me remember. This film may not fit into today’s political correctness-obsessed culture but, taken for what it is and when it was made, Peter Pan cannot be denied its rightful place among the top tier of Disney’s work.

John and Michael Darling love to hear the fanciful stories that their older sister Wendy tells them about a roguish, ageless boy named Peter Pan. Their father, not wanting the boys’ heads filled with ‘poppycock,’ decides it’s time for Wendy to have her own room, cutting the boys off from their beloved stories. That night, Peter Pan himself comes prowling around the Darling abode and whisks them away to Never Land.

Upon their arrival to Peter’s fantastic world, Wendy finds an unexpected foe in Peter’s pixie friend Tinker Bell, who is jealous that a girl should come between her and Peter. Tink’s jealousy leads her to assisting Peter’s nemesis, Captain Hook. The short-tempered pirate captain constantly has one eye on the lookout for Pan and the other on the lookout for the crocodile that claimed his hand and wants the rest of him too. The children explore their new surroundings, meeting the Lost Boys, an Indian tribe, and a fateful encounter with Hook.

Peter Pan gets back to what Disney does best- innovative animation, a delightful story, and memorable songs. That is the formula for Disney greatness. Cinderella nailed each component but Alice in Wonderland faltered in both story and music. Peter Pan already has a great story built in, so the songs and music are really where Disney should be most heavily evaluated.

“You Can Fly” is still among Disney’s most recognizable tunes but this is not a one-song film. Other memorable tunes include “Following the Leader” and “What Makes the Red Man Red?” are also quite enjoyable. Granted, the latter song, and the presentation of the Indian tribe as a whole, is a gross stereotype that would be met with all kinds of protest today. If you can keep in mind the time period when the original story was written (1911) and when this film was released (1953), you should be able to take these depictions with a grain of salt.

I had all but forgotten about the politically incorrect portions of Peter Pan since the last time I saw it (which is admittedly quite a long time ago). What I hadn’t forgotten was how great the film looks. Three significant accomplishments stand out for this production. First and most obvious is the animation of the children flying. I can’t even fathom how much time it took the animators to make those sequences look right. The children float, rise and dive almost without effort, creating a perfect illusion.

Second is the work involving Tinkerbell and her glow. Several times she hides behind pieces of foliage but her natural luminosity makes for a unique effect that I don’t recall ever seeing before now. Finally, during the climactic battle with Captain Hook, there is a sequence where the camera is ‘looking down’ on Hook as he climbs the rope ladder toward Peter. Instead of Hook just growing larger as he climbs closer to where the camera would be if it were live action, the effect is that of the camera panning backward at the same pace as Hook while the background deck of the ship grows smaller. It seems like a minor detail but it floored me because it is extremely intricate.

The beauty of the story of Peter Pan is that it works on two levels. Kids will love it because it is an adventure involving children that don’t grow up. The kids ultimately pick up a lesson that, at some point, growing up is inevitable and should not be resisted. For parents, the story of Peter Pan makes them confront some of the realities of adulthood. How much like Captain Hook and Mr. Darling are you? That’s the subtle question it asks while quietly assuring us that growing older doesn’t have to mean growing colder. The Disney team captures these messages perfectly.

While political correctness junkies may be loathe to show this film to impressionable children, I plan on showing Peter Pan to my kids someday. Chances are, kids won’t even remember the ‘red man’ stuff. The Disney team is on top of their game here, which means that children and adults will marvel at the colors, sounds and music coming their way. It’s a great story given a terrific treatment. This film is part of the reason that the story and spirit of Peter Pan still exists in our cultural lexicon.

RATING: 4 out of 5

Lady and the Tramp (1955)

I’m starting to see a pattern develop with Disney animated films. It seems as though the best of Disney’s work up to this point has come from classic fairy tales like Snow White and Cinderella. Other literary adaptations have proven successful as well despite the Disney version now being more familiar and influential than the source material (i.e. Bambi). Ever since emerging from the World War II era of package films, it seems that the quality of the Disney product has been see-sawing, taking a step forward with one film and then a step back with the next. Lady and the Tramp very loosely fits into this pattern.

Lady, a cocker spaniel has lived a pampered life with her owners Jim and Darling Dear. She is good friends with other well-to-do dogs in her neighborhood and consults them when her owners’ behavior toward her changes mysteriously. Her friends tell her that the humans are having a baby. In comes The Tramp, a savvy street dog who warns Lady that her life will be drastically different when the baby arrives, implying that babies and dogs don’t mix well in the eyes of human adults.

After the baby is born, there are a few subtle changes but Lady and the little one co-exist quite peacefully. Then the Dear’s go on vacation, leaving the cat-loving and dog-hating Aunt Sarah to watch the child. Sarah’s sly Siamese cats display a knack for causing trouble and laying the blame on Lady. When Sarah tries to muzzle Lady, the frightened dog runs away. The Tramp shows her a few things about life on the street and they fall in love. Their bond becomes critical when Lady returns home and is unable to help in a desperate situation.

This is only the third of Disney’s full-length one-story animated films to be almost exclusively animal driven. Dumbo was a departure from the lush animation style Disney was known for while Bambi was a return to that style. In the build-up toward Lady and the Tramp, Disney produced another detail-rich fairy tale (Cinderella), an experimental piece (Alice in Wonderland), and a fantasy-laden children’s tale (Peter Pan). While the beginning and end of Peter Pan take place in some form of modern times, this is the first Disney picture to keep itself in the ‘real world’ for its entire runtime.

The combination of these two factors makes Lady and the Tramp a real gamble. Going back to animals is the lesser risk here because Disney’s crew of animators has shown time and again that they are adept at replicating the look and movements of animals. It’s the ‘modern’ setting that might prove to be a deal-breaker for some people. After a number of films with exotic and lovely locations, the city streets are hardly what one would expect from Disney. While it does give the animators new territory, colors and shapes to explore, trash and alleyways aren’t all that visually appealing to anyone.

Lady and the Tramp rises above this potential pitfall though because of its high-class-low-class romance. Both Lady and The Tramp have a few things to learn from each other and it’s hard not to find an animal romance cute. The Tramp reminds me of Clark Gable in It Happened One Night. He’s sly, witty and devilishly charming. If not for him, the film would have no fun or soul.

One critical failing of this film, however, is the lack of potent music and songs. Aside from the now politically incorrect “Siamese Cat Song” and a few lines of “He’s a Tramp,” there’s not a memorable tune to be found. Sure, some of the music may be catchy but it’s the action of the dogs meeting in the middle of a spaghetti noodle that is more memorable than the “Bella Notte” song playing throughout the scene.

While most other song-light Disney flicks have managed to bounce back through style and story, Lady and the Tramp isn’t quite capable of a full momentum reversal. It does offer some fantastic animal animation. In fact, the personalities given to each type of dog is marvelous. The problem mainly lies with its lightweight story. Yes, there’s the romance, but what else? A rich dog runs away, falls in love with a poor dog, goes home and the poor dog “saves the day” from something that doesn’t make much sense as a serious threat to begin with.

For an hour and fifteen minutes of entertainment though, Lady and the Tramp fits the bill. The animators nail their subjects perfectly, creating engrossing characters that take your mind off of any quibbles you may have with the film’s urban setting. The high point is the design and execution of the animal characters even though the rest of the animation may not be up to snuff with Disney’s best efforts. It’s quick and to the point. To do so with characters like these makes it something special.

RATING: 3.75 out of 5

Alice in Wonderland (1951)

This is a tough film to place. I have never studied, nor even read, Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland or Through the Looking Glass. I don’t know if that leaves me at a disadvantage when approaching this film from a critical perspective. Literary types go gaga over the source stories and artsy-fartsy types (not to mention recreational drug enthusiasts) adore the trippy animation employed by Disney’s team. Seeing as I don’t really fall into any of the above categories, it should come as little surprise that this film fails to get much of a reaction from me.

The young and lovely Alice grows tired of living within the strict rules of reality. Dreaming of a world unlike her own, she spies a White Rabbit hurrying along and talking to himself. Following the curious creature, Alice falls down his rabbit hole and into a world full of nonsense. Along her pursuit of the White Rabbit she meets various unique characters that have become timeless: the Mad Hatter, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, and the grinning Cheshire Cat, just to name a few.

Not many of the characters Alice meets along the way are helpful but her quest isn’t much to get excited about. Through most of the tale she is merely trying to catch up to the White Rabbit and find out where he is running to. She does a good job of staying on task, despite being bombarded by gibberish and nonsense at every turn. Once she gets to where the Rabbit is headed, her life is put in jeopardy by the headstrong Red Queen.

The story itself is interesting, despite going off on a tangent with the seemingly random vignette of ‘The Walrus and the Carpenter.’ Then again, there’s really not much to the story at all. Alice is trying to find the White Rabbit the whole time and eventually realizes what a mess a world of nonsense would be. I guess the point of the tale is for Alice to learn a simple lesson while encountering a world of bizarre people and creatures. In many ways, this is similar to a number of other children’s fantasy tales. Alice in Wonderland just happens to be wittier and smarter than most.

Disney keeps much of the manic wordplay that made Carroll’s stories popular with the literary crowd. It is fun to hear the double entendres and usage of dual-meaning words. It is also enjoyable to watch the weirdness play out. The Cheshire Cat is really the only animation marvel in the film though, as he fades in and out of existence with ease. Yes, there are plenty of creative settings but Alice features Disney’s plainest animation since Dumbo. That takes away from the visual impact that could have turned the film into a real mind-bender.

I understand why Disney played up the story for a family-friendly vibe but Alice in Wonderland misses the mark a hair for modern audiences. I don’t know how kids were back in the 50s but nowadays it’s mostly the under-10 crowd that goes to see Disney movies. Kids that young won’t get much of the wordplay and will be more likely to watch it on the surface as a goofy fantasy with funny characters. Parents may pop it in just to entertain the kids and not think much, but they’re apt to find their brains in overdrive processing the literary lunacy being cut loose.

The utter weirdness of Disney’s Alice in Wonderland has made it memorable for generations. I remember seeing it and reading the Diseny read-along-on-tape book when I was a kid. Do I remember it for being awesome and fun like Cinderella? Nope. I remember it for being weird and being creeped out by the Cheshire Cat. Elements of the story remain in our cultural consciousness and I believe that this animated version has kept it there for the past 60 years much in the same way that Disney’s Cinderella has for that tale. Do many parents read Carroll’s stories to the kids anymore?

Maybe I just don’t belong to the niche audience that Alice in Wonderland was made for. It is entertaining to watch, albeit frustrating at times, but the conclusion lacks profundity. Alice learns that a world of nonsense is not a place worth living in. Any adult could have told her that but, like any stubborn child, Alice has to learn it for herself. Unlike most other Disney films, there are no central themes or morals to the story. Perhaps, given the source material, none are needed, and I’m just used to children’s stories having a lesson behind the colorful, musical fun.

Perhaps I’ll change my tune once I read the works of Lewis Carroll. Until then, I’m not surprised that this film isn’t remembered as part of the upper echelon of Disney classics.

RATING: 3.5 out of 5

Cinderella (1950)

From August of 1942 until the end of the decade, Walt Disney and his animation studio were in a kind of Dark Ages. Half of their animators were being used to make pro-Allied Forces propaganda films for the US military. After the end of World War II the studio didn’t have the funds to pull off a full-length stand-alone story. Thus they were stuck with the cheap-to-make package films that modern audiences have all but forgotten entirely. Walt Disney took a chance and nearly broke the bank to produce Cinderella. The rest is history.

If you don’t know the story of Cinderella then you have either been living under a rock or led a horribly sheltered life. Just in case anyone does fall into either of those categories, I will summarize. A beautiful young woman is mistreated by her step-mother and ugly step-sisters. The prince of the kingdom seeks a wife and the poor maiden gets help from her animal friends and a fairy godmother to transform her from a servant into beautiful woman. She captures the heart of the prince but leaves her suitor before the enchantments end at midnight. The prince is left to search the countryside for the maiden who fits a glass slipper left behind at the castle.

The motto ‘go big or go home’ may seem clichéd now but you can’t help but look back at history and point to instances of this motto working in magnificent ways. Cinderella is one such event. Had the film tanked, Disney was prepared to close up shop. Can you even fathom a world without Disney films? What a sad existence that would be! It’s hard to believe that that was a possibility, but it was.

Thank goodness Disney pulled out all the stops. The animation may not be as layered and gorgeous as Snow White or Pinocchio but Cinderella has enough colors and textures to dazzle the eyes. In fact, the animation has very little to do with the success of the film. That credit belongs to the following factors: a timeless story, charming characters and unbeatable music.

While this film version now serves as an introduction for most young people to the classic fairy tale, Cinderella has been around for hundreds of years. Operas, plays and even ballets have been written and produced to tell this timeless tale of love breaking through the boundaries of class and status. Even a half-dozen incarnations of the story were committed to film before Disney had his animators ink the tale in Technicolor. Returning to popular lore was the first step toward success. Cinderella exists in the hearts and minds of everyone. It’s a tale that resonates with just about all of us. Who doesn’t want to rise above their current situation and fulfill a dream? That’s the stuff Cinderella is made of.

With all the success Disney’s animators had over the years with bringing animals to life, it makes perfect sense for them to include anthropomorphic critters to the tale. Sure, it’s only the mice that walk, talk and sing like people, but the collection of personalities enhances the story instead of distracting from it. Plus, kids are easily entertained by animals doing human-like things. The trials and tribulations of Cinderella’s mouse friends are added in the right places, providing an extra dramatic kick or a much-needed dash of humor at just the right times. The step-mother and step-sisters are also developed with the right aura of coldness and haughtiness as to prevent them from being likeable in any way.

Finally there is the music. Virtually all of the songs in this film are memorable and fun to listen to. “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo” is still among the greatest Disney film songs of all time. On top of this rollicking treasure are other signature classics like “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes,” “Sing Sweet Nightingale,” and “The Work Song” as sung by the mice to relay Cinderella’s plight. The only Disney film to this point to feature so many songs that have stood the test of time is Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Everything about this film is iconic. Along with Snow White, Cinderella helps define Disney. The stars aligned for Walt and his crew and this film gave new life to the company. This film furthered their move towards a simpler animation style but it grips you where it matters most. Sixty years after its release, Cinderella hasn’t lost an ounce of its magic.

RATING: 4 out of 5

Melody Time (1948)

After taking a step forward with Fun and Fancy Free, Walt Disney and his animation team takes a slight step backward by returning to the overstuffed ‘package’ film format. Melody Time has its share of virtues but it can’t escape the stigma of seeming like another Fantasia clone that fails to live up to the achievements of the original.

The film opens reasonably strong with ‘Once Upon a Wintertime,’ a tale of two young people in love on a romp through the winter scenery. The inventive but forgettable ‘Bumble Boogie’ comes next and features a jazz variation of “Flight of the Bumblebee.” Up next is the classic short 'The Legend of Johnny Appleseed.' Most people my age and younger have seen this charming animated tale while growing up and it still has all the charm and magic as the first time you may have seen it.

'Appleseed' is a tough act to follow but 'Little Toot' does well enough in the cleanup spot. It’s about a rambunctious little tugboat and features the signing of the Andrews Sisters. 'Trees' offers a bland recitation of a poem by Alfred Joyce Kilmer. Saving the day is 'Blame it on the Samba,' a wonderfully entertaining short featuring Donald Duck, José Carioca and the crazy Aracuan bird. This reunion from The Three Caballeros is a welcome attraction for me, even though I’ve grown tired of the formulaic structure of these War-era Disney films.

Wrapping up Melody Time is 'Pecos Bill,' a tall tale of the legendary Western characters adventures spun by none other than Roy Rogers. The home video release is cleaned up for political correctness (gone are virtually all depictions of our hero smoking) but the good-natured fun remains. It ends the film on a high note, which is good because anything less than a solid ending would have left audiences frustrated with this re-serving of more of the same.

I don’t mean for this review to come off so negative. The animation is solid, the music is enjoyable and the stories are fine. My beef is that ‘fine’ isn’t good enough for a Disney product. I understand that World War II drained Disney of resources and box office returns tanked but this is the fifth consecutive Disney film to lack a central story line. There is no meat and no growth for characters. All we get are a few splashy colors, fanciful music and short stories. This cheap and easy approach has lost its luster and leaves you longing for the glory days of Snow White, Pinocchio and Bambi.

While Melody Time never tries to be the second coming of Fantasia, it’s impossible not to compare them based on their similar structures. Where Fantasia was a bold and innovative experiment, Melody Time is intentionally formulaic and manufactured. The end product is still worth watching though; it’s just not a main course that you’ll be asking for seconds of.

RATING: 3.25 out of 5

Saludos Amigos (1942)

Before America entered World War II, the US government sought Disney’s assistance in keeping good relations with the nations in South America. This led to Walt Disney taking a number of his animators and musicians on a tour of the continent, all the while picking up ideas and inspirations for a South American-based series of animated shorts that would become Saludos Amigos. While this film has largely gone unremembered, it deserves credit for ingenuity and creativity.

Blending live-action footage of Disney and his crew touring various locales with the animated shorts inspired by each hot spot, Saludos Amigos manages to be part educational film and part travelogue. While it may look like South American culture has been generalized and stereotyped now, you have to consider that the film was made during the early 1940s. Americans knew very little about South America, with these generalizations probably being about it. This made them necessary inclusions in the film because it would be something familiar enough for American viewers to connect with and enjoy. For South American audiences, these generalizations may have simply been neat for them to see on screen.

However you slice it, Saludos Amigos pales in comparison to any of Disney’s previous five animated films. That doesn’t make it a bad film though. Similar to Fantasia, there are animated shorts involved but they are not nearly as complex and inventive. The first involves Donald Duck doing a little sight-seeing at Lake Titicaca and a nearby village. The narrator talks about village life and Donald is merely along for the ride as a beloved Disney character. Using a flute to control a cantankerous llama turns into an amusing two minutes where the animation and music get to play off of one another.

The second short involves the tale of Pedro the airplane. Pedro is a young Chilean mail carrier plane who has to make the dangerous trek over the Andes Mountains in order to pick up mail in Argentina and deliver it back home. This segment features more impressive animation, including detailed backgrounds of the dangerous mountain passes.

The third segment takes us to the pampas of Argentina, where Goofy learns what it takes to become a true gaucho, or Argentinean cowboy. Goofy is used for some slapstick moments involving his clothing and horse. Goofy also gets a taste of traditional Argentinean music and dance.

The final and best segment of the film introduces José Carioca, a lively parrot displaying the colors and rhythms of Rio de Janeiro. This part of Saludos Amigos is a real treat. Like in Fantasia, the blending of animation and music hits the mark. As the music pulses away, an animator's brush creates lavish scenes and South American landscapes. The music adds to the overall effect, making it even more enjoyable than some of the shorts in Fantasia. Donald Duck pops in and José shows him the beauty and fun of the samba. They dance the night away and take in Rio’s nightlife.

RATING: 3.25 out of 5