Monday 9 February 2015

The Must See Disney Movies

By Beryl Dalton


The California based Walt Disney Studios, has produced fifty-four Disney feature films since 1937 and the release of Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs. At regular intervals movies are released with the latest Big Hero 6. This was released in 2014.

These animated movies fall into various genres, including musicals (Jungle Book (1967), Frozen (2013)), fairy stories (Cinderella (1950), Sleeping Beauty (1959)), history (Pocahontas (1995), The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (1996)), and animal tales (The Lady and the Tramp (1955), The Aristocats (1970)).

Disney also produces the 'live actor with animated character' genre well with such classics as Mary Poppins (1964), with Julie Andrews as the title character. Ironically, the author of the Poppins books, upon which the film was based had insisted that all the actors should be English. One wonders how Dick Van Dyke was able to slip his atrocious English accent past her.

Another classic live action/animation movie was Bedknobs & Broomsticks made in 1971, with Angela Lansbury as a student witch, where they could travel to Naboombu on their bed with a witch and a con man. So many kids in the mid-70s turned their bed knob and hoped it would work.

Disney movies however, generally fall into two categories; those enjoyed only by children and those enjoyed by both adults and children. Naturally for long-suffering parents who watch these movies on a daily basis, it is the latter that generally become big hits. The popularity of the block-buster Disney movie can be seen in the long list of celebrities who provide the voices for some of the colourful characters. No one can fault Robin William's exuberant performance in Aladdin (1992), and Whoopi Goldberg's performance for The Lion King (1994).

Everyone has a favourite Disney movie, and not always one from their own childhood; just one that appealed, amused, or generally made the viewer feel good. A classic Disney movie is The Jungle Book (1967), with ridiculously catchy music which has survived the test of time. No one can fail to dance around to I wanna be like you. The latest musical is Frozen (2013), where Let it Go has been used in TV adverts in the UK, played on a loop through December 2014. Not the best Disney movie, but everyone should see Frozen just so they can see what the fuss is about.

A great swashbuckling tale is Peter Pan featuring pirates, small children residing in the woods, a ticking clock inside a crocodile, and lots of fights. However what Disney does well are romances, of which there are many. One that stands out is Little Mermaid (1989) which tells a love story between a man and mermaid . Some wonderfully bouncy tunes like Under the Sea bright colours and loveable characters.

One Disney movie which tapped a whole other audience was The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) which appeals to kids, adults and goths alike. The story of Jack Skeleton the Pumpkin King who decides he wants to take over Christmas instead of only celebrating Halloween. A dark, dreary movie with great songs and a distinctly un-Disney macabreness to it ensures that it couldn't be anything but a hit.

Not everyone will agree with the choice of movies presented here, and in a year's time perhaps the list of must-see Disney movies would be different as, as the audience matures their choice of movies changes although it is inevitable that of the fifty-four movies there will always be a favourite that stands out.




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