Dumb Disney

Over the years, Walt Disney Pictures has created a variety of classic cartoon movies. It all started in 1937, by Disney’s first release of a full-length cartoon feature titled Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Disney continued producing instant classics with Fantasia and Pinocchio in 1940, Dumbo in 1941, Bambi in 1942, Make Mine Music and Song of the South in 1946, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad in 1949, Cinderella in 1950, Alice in Wonderland in 1951, Peter Pan in 1953, and the list goes on up until Disney’s most recent release Bolt in 2008. However, as time progressed, Walt Disney Pictures has been producing less and less instant classic films and more and more childish, forgettable cartoons. True, the main audiences for these films are children, but children and adults alike still enjoy the earlier films like The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast, but not so much can be said for Disney’s later films like the recent 2006 Cars. So taking in all of the above as consideration, after 70 years of full-length animated films, is Walt Disney Pictures running out of ideas?



Coming up with ideas for movies used to be easy for Disney. Simply take an already well known fairy tale and create a child-friendly movie. And then, when all the fairy tales were used up, take a book or a play and turn it into a movie. This was the case for classics like Peter Pan, The Little Mermaid, Cinderella, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, Beauty and the Beast, and so on. And then, when all the fairy tales and stories were used up, Disney started to get creative. There were successful films along with failing attempts. Disney’s 1994 The Lion King, even though based on Shakespeare’s Hamlet, is an original Disney idea as it incorporates the kingdom of animals in Africa without the help from any fairy tale. Toy Story also became a huge success for Walt Disney Pictures in 1995 along with Monsters Inc. and Finding Nemo in later years.

However, if you look at the big picture, and not the individual successes, Walt Disney Pictures has gone downhill over the decades. Now, instead of producing an instant classic each year, it’s producing a successful film every five years. Recently, Disney has been producing many sequels to the classics that go straight to DVD, having no time on the silver screen. And movies that do make it to the screen, like Cars and The Emperor’s New Groove, never get as nearly as much praise as say, Beauty and the Beast or Cinderella. No worries though as Walt Disney Pictures is nowhere close to running out of money, but hopefully soon, Disney will put the money to good use in creating yet again, more instant Disney classics.

Paul Newman

It has been nearly two months since Paul Newman’s death, and so this is my late tribute to the Academy Award winning actor who astonished multiple generations with his works.



Paul Newman was born on January 26, 1925 in Shaker Heights, Ohio. Early in his life, Paul Newman expressed interests in theater and acting, and with his mother’s encouragement, he starred in multiple school plays; Newman made his debut at the age of seven as the court jester in his school’s production of Robin Hood. Later in life, Newman served in the Navy in World War II, but after the war, he completed his degree at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio in 1949. He then studied drama at Yale University and graduated in 1954.

Paul Newman made his Broadway theater debut in 1953 with William Inge’s play Picnic, and later he appeared in the Broadway Productions The Desperate Hours in 1955 and Sweet Bird of Youth in 1959. In the film industry, Newman first made his mark in 1954 with The Silver Chalice, and continued with some of his most acclaimed roles including Somebody Up There Likes Me in 1956and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in 1958. Once Paul Newman was on the scene, he, unlike most actors and actresses, successfully made the transition from 1950s cinema to that of the 1960s and 1970s. He starred in the biggest movies of all decades leading up to his death including Exodus, The Hustler, Cool Hand Luke, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting, Slap Shot, The Drowning Pool, The Verdict, Harry & Son, Mr. and Mrs. Bridge, and many more. One of Paul Newman’s most acclaimed roles is his academy award winning (Best Actor) part as “Fast” Eddie Felson in Martin Scorsese’s directed The Color of Money in 1986. But throughout the decades, Paul Newman amazed many from the years 1952 to his retirement in 2007.

In June 2008, Paul Newman announced that he was diagnosed with lung cancer. He continued chemotherapy until August 2008 and soon after told his family he wished to die at home. On September 26, 2008, Paul Newman died at his longtime home in Westport, Connecticut surrounded by his family and close friends. When the news reached the public, people were devastated as the actor who had impressed over 50 years of generations was now gone forever. However, he is still around through all of his famous works, and I will never forget him or his talent as I watch my favorites of his including Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
 

Pixar vs. DreamWorks

Remember when computer-generated cartoon movies first came out? Between DreamWorks and Pixar, a new movie would come out at least every year. In the very beginning in the year of 1995, when this technology was so new, DreamWorks and Pixar competed for who could make the best of the best computer-generated cartoons; this is only typical for the aggressive movie business. However, what made the competition really intriguing was the similarity of the movies being released by the different companies around the same time.

Pixar made the first move in 1995 after teaming up with Disney to create the Academy Award winning movie Toy Story. DreamWorks realized they too had to become a part of the computer-generated movies era, and so created the movie Antz, which released in October 1998. Antz follows the life of a whiny, outcast ant named Z who goes through life-changing conflicts while living in his ant colony along with those he faced in the outside world after leaving the colony. Long story short, the movie ends with a happily ever after, boy ant marries royal princess ant, and is followed by the credits of a star-studded cast.

Soon after the release of Antz, just over a month later in fact, Disney and Pixar teamed up yet again to release A Bug’s Life. This movie follows the life of yet another outcast ant who leaves his home getting involved in life-changing conflicts in and out of the ant colony. The movie, yet again, ends with a happily ever after, boy ant marries royal princess ant yet again, and a star studded credit cast list.


Continuing on with the competition, Pixar released the famous fish film Finding Nemo in 2003 followed a year later by the release of DreamWorks fish tale Shark Tale in 2004. Every year, there would be two new computer-generated movies out with similar story lines and characters. Pixar’s Ratatouille and DreamWorks’ Over the Hedge came out within a year of each other showing how cute little animals interact with dangerous, killing humans. DreamWorks’ Shrek and Pixar’s Monsters Inc. taught audiences not to judge by outward appearances in the same year.

And so goes the continuous competition between DreamWorks and Pixar’s computer-animated films. But no matter how similar the movies may be, they keep the audiences coming back, making millions of dollars, and getting some of the best reviews in cartoon history.

Superheroes!

For the past 10 years or so, a new genre of movies has been taking over the nation, making hundreds of millions of dollars each and creating a just as large fan base. They are movies filled with wicked villains, amazing effects, brave, young protagonists that must save the world along with their damsel in distress, and of course, on-the-edge-of–your-seat actions scenes. These movies are none other than superhero movies.



True, there have always been superhero movies around including the original Superman movies made in the late 70s/early 80s with Christopher Reeve as well as the classic Batman movies from the 60s and the not so popular Batman movies from the early 90s. However, these older movies cannot compare with what is being done today, in the new millennium, to bring the classic Marvel and DC comics to life on screen. With improved computer effects, bigger budgets, enhanced makeup techniques, and better costumes designers, it’s easy to tell why these new superhero movies are such a success and continue to grow in popularity as each new one is released.

The recent superhero movie phenomenon first started when X-Men first released into theaters in the summer of 2000 making gross revenue of roughly $296.25 million. After the sudden outburst of popularity from this one film with high ticket and DVD sales, X-Men sequels followed as well as new superhero movies followed by even more sequels. Superhero films such as Spider-Man, Hulk, Fantastic Four, Iron Man, and The Dark Knight all followed the X-Men release in 2000 making gross profits ranging from just over $200 million to about $825 million. And to continue on with the recent success, several films are currently in development including a prequel to X-Men, a fourth and fifth Spider-Man, and new original movies with new superheroes like Captain America and the superhero league known as The Avengers.

With all these recent superhero movies and all of the new ones soon to be released, it is clear superhero films are taking the nation by storm! And how could they not because who doesn’t want to know the extreme lives of superheroes?

Bushisms and Watergate

With the time of the presidential election approaching, it seems like now is the optimal time for biographical presidential movies. There are currently two in the making, or in the post-production status technically, soon to be released. One, being released October 17, 2008 across the nation, follows the life of none other than the infamous George W. Bush, our current president, and the other movie, latter released on December 26, 2008, covers the dramatic Watergate scandal of Richard Nixon. They are appropriately named W. and Frost/Nixon accordingly. What better way to welcome a new president into office then by releasing two movies that deal with two of the biggest (fairly) recent mistakes in presidency?

Though the movies have not been released yet, I have formed opinions and expectations based on the previews. Let me just start out by saying, that taking on the role of a well-known individual, like the President of the United States, is a very difficult task as that actor needs to not only mock the quality of that person’s voice and nail the accent, but also pick up on all the little tics and mannerisms of the individual. So for just simply taking on the roles of W. and Nixon, I applaud Josh Brolin and Frank Langella. That being said, from the previews, it seems like they do a decent job. However, Frank Langella looks as though he is doing an imitation of an imitation of Nixon, and Josh Brolin looks as though he is concentrating so much of W.’s voice and facial features that he is off slightly in both areas. It’s hard to put my finger on it, but comparing Frank Langella and Josh Brolin to the works of Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles and Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash, it just can’t compare. However, maybe the full-length movie will prove me wrong.

I have also noticed that each movie plays up popular aspects of Nixon and W. For W., the previews are filled with his consistent, hilarious, idiotic quotes, popularly known as “Bushisms.” And for Nixon, Frank Langella does a fine job of doing Nixon’s ever so popular head shake and slurred words whenever he is filled with rage. But no matter how overplayed Bushisms and Nixon’s head shake are, thanks to Saturday Night Live and other parody shows, they are still an important and famous part of both W. and Nixon’s life. (And I am rather excited to hear all the random, renowned Bushisms.)

Overall, I think these movies will both be decent but not legendary. Nothing in either of the previews really jumps out at me. Nonetheless, I am always willing to try, and if I per chance go to see either of these movies, my expectations will be on the lower side of the scale. And if the movie is horrible and the same type of acting in the previews, at least I will have the Bushisms and Nixon’s head shakes to look forward to.

Love and Caring

Remember the writer’s strike that started the beginning of November in 2007? You could only find repeats of TV shows during the new season, and no new, upcoming movies were talked about for those 14 weeks and 2 days. During the approximately 14 week protest, the Writers Guild of America argued for a higher income by receiving additional profit from subsequent airings (“repeats” and online showings) and purchases of a program (DVDs). It was during this time when I realized writers do not receive nearly as much credit as they should.

Think about it. Everybody who is a consistent movie-goer knows well-known actors and actresses names as well as famous directors but never writer’s names. Take a short quiz and see if you can recognize the following people:










Most likely, the first three were very familiar, and in the last picture, the two people were unrecognizable. The answers are as follows: Tom Hanks, Gwyneth Paltrow, Steven Spielberg, and finally Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio. It is very hard, near impossible, to find an American who would not recognize the names Tom Hanks, Gwyneth Paltrow, or Steven Spielberg unless living in the current residence of under a rock. The last pair, however, Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio, is not so recognizable among Americans. Nonetheless, Ted and Terry have made just as big of an impression on the movie business as they are the screenwriters for movies such as all three of the Pirates of the Caribbean, The Road to El Dorado, Shrek, Antz, The Legend of Zorro, and much more. In fact, they even received an Academy Award nomination for Adapted Screenplay for Shrek in 2001, but most people only pay attention to the categories of Best Actor/Actress and Best Picture.

In my example, I am not saying that Tom Hanks and Gwyneth Paltrow and Steven Spielberg are overrated because they did, in fact, create their own reputations by producing well-liked, prominent films. But, I am saying that some writers create just as eminent reputations as the celebrities and directors and continue to go unknown. True, they may not always be out in the lime light, walking the red carpet with screaming adoring fans, but even so they contribute to the movie with their ideas and words. So, in order to increase recognition of writers, small steps must be taken. I, personally, have started listening closely to the dialogue in movies, critiquing the flow of conversations as well as thinking about the originality of the main idea of the movie. Then I try and add on by trying to pay attention to writer’s names and credits and build on from there. It’s harder than it sounds since even the best of critics in newspapers and other media sources only show interest in the acting and directing, but I feel the writers need to be shown some sort of attention as they are the ones who get “the ball rolling.”

Dirty Disney

Have you ever noticed all of the adult humor sometimes written into the G rated kids’ movies? It’s true; adult humor is becoming more and more common in today’s day and age especially throughout all of the various Disney films. Disney is the master at incorporating adult humor as it goes unnoticed by the children and adds entertainment for the parents. Though adult humor was not as common throughout the Disney classics, such as Snow White and Cinderella, it is a well known idea in many of the newer movies like Lion King and many of the Pixar and Disney creations.

A typical type of adult humor used in many Disney films is when a character’s line is interrupted to convince the adults the intentions of using an inappropriate cuss word. For instance, in the movie Lion King, when Nala is chasing after Pumba and Timon, planning to kill and eat them, Timon is forced to help Pumba out and exclaims, “Why do I always have to save your…Ahhh!” Of course, to the kids in the audience, this line means nothing to them as Timon is only screaming out of terror, but to the adults in the audience, this scream can be interpreted as the unfinished word “ass.” Another example can be seen in the more recent 2003 Disney film, Finding Nemo. While swimming around in the aquarium, the Germaphobe fish, Gurgle, disgustingly cries, “Don’t you people realize we are swimming in our own…” only to get interrupted by Pearl’s “Shh! Here he comes!” Again, the kids think nothing of this line, but the adults may chuckle a bit at the idea of the fish realizing he’s swimming around in “shit.”

Another type of adult humor seen in Disney movies revolves around sexual references, which most kids overlook due to confusion. For example, in The Incredibles, the arch-nemesis, Syndrome, discovers Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl had kids, and slyly comments that they “got busy.” Getting busy is never an appropriate topic for a five-year-old, but these five-year-olds would pay no attention to it as they are completely hypnotized by the action on the screen. Another sexual reference instance can be seen in Toy Story 2 as Buzz Lightyear’s first reaction to the cowgirl, Jessie, causes his wings to spring erect. Buzz plays it off as he tucks his wings back in and coughs a bit, but this toy’s love reaction can be compared to the sexual arousal of a full-grown man.

Of course, this blog only gives a taste of adult humor in children’s movies. Adult humor can be seen in even more Disney films and other G rated films not associated with Disney. However, the main purpose of adult humor inclusion, Disney and non-Disney alike, is to create some humor for adults, while avoiding awkward situations for the children. It’s just an extra level of spice to children’s movies to add to the comedic routine and attract a bigger audience. Never a bad thing.