If you like Stephanie's Movie Musings...

Please check out my more in-depth reviews at cinemasteph.blogspot.com and my review of Gravity (2013) on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZp-Nstjsh8 (more to come!!!).

Lady and the Tramp (1955)

Boy meets girl, boy offends girl, boy rescues girl, boy gets girl into a sticky situation, girl snubs boy, boy risks everything to save the day. This is Lady and the Tramp (1955) in a nutshell: a classic romance with one of those loves that crosses class boundaries. Forget about dogs, and what you have is just what the title tells you: a finely-bred Lady, influenced by her social upbringing and her well-meaning but haughty neighbors, and a street-wise, flirtatious Tramp from literally the wrong side of the tracks.  These two, against all odds, seem made for one another.  Their spaghetti date is one of cinema's iconic romantic scenes, and even pops up today in shows such as Glee.

Now forget forgetting about dogs. Even as a cat person, I find this movie cute.  While I would never choose a cocker spaniel for myself, Lady as a clumsy puppy is undeniably precious.  Then she grows up and I have to wonder why she ever stopped tripping over her ears.  Ooh, ooh, idea: maybe she should take flying lessons from Dumbo!  Now the Tramp is a mutt, but nearly every other dog in the movie has a very specific breed.  In fact, a large chunk of the humor (or offense, depending on the viewer) comes from associating breeds with ethnic stereotypes.  Of course, a lot of the humor would be lost on someone who doesn't know their breeds; you have the Scottish terrier, the German dachshund, the Mexican chihuahua, the English bulldog, the Russian borzoi--and of course the Siamese cats, with their buck teeth and their poor command of the English language.

I was going to say that the idea of the pound dogs singing to cover the sound of the dachshund digging was borrowed from The Great Escape (1963), but seeing as that movie didn't come out for another eight years, this is obviously not the case.  For the most part, though, the dogs act like dogs... dogs that can talk to each other.  The "dog" humor is subtle, more along the lines of Bambi learning about his surroundings than actual jokes.  Their understanding of humans is the topic of nearly every conversation, and the way Lady knows her owners only as "Jim Dear" and "Darling" shows that the writers put some thought into this dog's perspective.  They chase chickens for fun and have to face muzzles and dog catchers.  You know--dog stuff.

As for the music, "Bella Notte," "The Siamese Cat Song," and "He's a Tramp," are memorable, but that's about it.  There is a weird kind of spoken internal monologue Lady does to music, called "What is a Baby?, but it reminds me too much of "Can You Read My Mind?" from Superman (1978).  At the beginning and end there is also Christmas music, but you can hardly call it a Christmas movie since the whole thing takes place over several months (or is it just one year?)--enough time to have a creepy-looking baby, anyway.  Seriously.  They could have animated the baby.  They should have animated the baby, just as they did Jim Dear, Darling, and every other character.  But did they?  No.  What you get instead is an absolutely still image of a baby's head that looks like it was cut out of greeting card.  Why doesn't it move?!

Speaking of babies, I feel I should point out that this is one of the most sexually suggestive Disney animated movies.  Think about it--Lady and the Tramp stay out all night, which could be harmless or not.  I personally don't think they did the deed, but how can one be sure?  Lady has to endure a walk of shame--she is literally in the doghouse--after spending the day behind bars and learning of all the Tramp's previous girlfriends from a dog who looks as much like a hooker as a dog can, only to be proposed to by her friends out of pity and in an effort to save her reputation.  Hmm... how scandalous...

Now Lady and the Tramp, like Alice in Wonderland (1951), has no real villain.  Sure, there's the rat that for some reason likes attacking babies, but it's appearance is really random, more like a force of nature than a character.  Sure, there's Aunt Sarah, who clearly hates dogs, but her dislike of our heroes is due to a lack of understanding, not evil intentions.  Sure, there are the Siamese cats and the angry street dogs, but after their respective scenes, they never reappear.  Even the dog catchers can't be blamed.  More along the lines of Bambi (1942), this is a story of understanding life, love, and the world (a world without magic, I might add).

Going back to the Siamese cats, they can be summed up by looking at this line from their song: "Do you seeing that thing swimming round and round?  Maybe we could reaching in and make it drown."
1. Their English is atrocious.  Seeing?  Reaching?  Really?
2. They are not only curious, but murderous... at least when it comes to potential food.
3. They are dumb.  You can't drown a fish!
The good thing is, parts 2 and 3 could be attributed to their being cats rather than to their being Siamese, leaving only their buck-toothed appearance, poor grammar, and the style of the song as stereotypes.  Either way, they're among the most memorable parts of the movie.

With a classic love story, adorable animals, and an ending that will make you first incredibly sad, then incredibly happy, I approve of Lady and the Tramp.  It's not the type of Disney movie you want to watch on repeat like the Disney Renaissance movies, and it has its un-PC moments, but it also has a depth of emotion that, as with Bambi, is cathartic.  I enjoyed this movie as a child and I enjoyed it even more now that I can read deeper into it.

Peter Pan (1953)

Having not seen Peter Pan (1953) in several years, it was pretty cool seeing it again. It was among my childhood favorites, and the years have not changed that. That's not to say that I didn't notice new things this time around. For instance, I had forgotten the extent of Peter's conceit. It's not until the tender moment with Tink in the tree (a moment that makes me cry every time) that Peter's shell of bravado is cracked. For the most part, I found him a much less desirable person to spend a day with than I had previously thought. Still, his aerial acrobatics and cockiness provide entertainment where Wendy tries to hold back the fun with her practical wisdom.

Another thing that stood out to me as an adult was the portrayal of the "red men."  Never as a child did I think for an instant that the Native Americans in Peter Pan were a reflection of real native peoples.  I honestly don't think any man, woman, or child could make that mistake; for one thing, they are distorted almost beyond recognition.  The cartoons are misshapen, and two of them in particular--one being the chief, himself--are ugly, with horrid, gravelly bass voices. Their movements are also very cartoony, their combined word choice and sign language stereotypical to the max, and of course the song, "What Makes the Red Man Red?" is decades out of fashion if you're a follower of PC trends.  Tiger Lily is the only "humanized" one, and she makes for an awesome character despite her small role.

BUT in the movie's defense I will say this: as I see it, the inhabitants of Neverland are not meant to be real people. They are intended to be the creations of young turn-of-the-century children's imaginations come to life, and for THAT reason and that reason alone I am able to accept this portrayal. I know that no tribe of Native Americans was ever like that. You know that no tribe of Native Americans was ever like that. But did little English boys and girls in the early 1900s? Probably not. I know there will be people who disagree on this matter, but I've tried to explain my opinion as best I can.

Moving on...

This is a movie of slapstick humor. Mr. Smee and Captain Hook are a great comic duo.  The Captain himself is quite (unintentionally) comical for a villain.  He pops in and out of the crocodile's mouth like a jack-in-the-box and he even engages in a bit of Looney Tunes-style physics.  Overall, he is among the most hapless Disney villains, being foiled by Peter nine times out of ten and having a phobia of ticking clocks so strong that his mustache actually twitches in time.

Once again we get our bitchy characters, this time in the form of the jealous mermaids. Not super important. Nor are the Lost Boys, really. They're just a mob of boys in weird animal suits. Which reminds me... what's the deal with Nana?  A dog (with eyebrows) that acts as a nanny? I'd ask Mr. Barrie, but unfortunately he's dead. A few other things that I never really got: the "I'm a codfish" joke, how the seagull gets its butt shaved without noticing, and (until this time) Mr. Darling's need for cuff links and his weird shirt front thing.

What else...... oh yeah, the music!  The orchestral theme to Peter Pan is one that I have always been able to recall at will just as most people know the Star Wars or James Bond themes by heart. Of course there's the iconic "You Can Fly!" and "Following the Leader," and the orchestral "Never Smile at a Crocodile" and the pirates seem to like singing... the other songs are more forgettable.

I think that about covers it.  I enjoyed Peter Pan as a child and I still enjoy it today.

Alice in Wonderland (1951)

I think this was only my second time ever seeing Alice in Wonderland (1951), so it was like-new to me. What I found was a fun, nonsensical frolic through a dream-like world. The whole plot is driven by Alice's curiosity. There's no reason for her to follow the White Rabbit, and nobody really listens long enough to help her achieve this goal, but this objective drives Alice further and further into the "curiouser and curiouser" world of Wonderland until she realizes she would rather be home where things make sense.

Everything she encounters is a little bit frightening at first, except maybe the door knob.  There are so many odd characters and creatures, and running into them is really what makes up the story: the White Rabbit; the door knob; the dodo; Tweedledee and Tweedledum; the Cheshire Cat; the Mad Hatter, March Hare, and Dormouse; the Caterpillar; a chorus of flowers; a newt who's a chimney sweep; various creatures which combine household items and birds or dogs (the only creatures that didn't seem to fit in, I thought); and of course the card soldiers, hedgehogs, flamingos, and the King and Queen of Hearts. There are probably others I'm forgetting; as I said, meeting strange people and creatures is what drives the plot.

Instead of having a traditional antagonist, Alice is thwarted and emotionally hurt by the obstacles of the world she's in and by the lunatics she meets more than anything. The flowers are mean--along the lines of the elephants in Dumbo (1941)--but only the Queen of Hearts is really vicious. However, despite all her screeches of "Off with her head!" it would hardly be fair to call the queen a real villain, as she only turns up at the end of the story and seems to treat Alice the same as she treats everyone else. As with Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland (2010), the Cheshire Cat is my favorite character from the movie, although the Caterpillar is a close second ("A-whoooooo aaaaare a-youuuuuu?").

I really enjoyed this story the second time around. It may be super weird--and they do use the "standing on your head" gag twice--but overall the music, art, and story are cute and fun.

Cinderella (1950)

As I was watching Cinderella (1950) for the first time in at least a decade, it occurred to me that Cinderella has to be the most mild-mannered heroine imaginable, a fact that bugged me throughout the movie. Without a rebellious bone in her body, her only "strength" seems to be her incredible patience. Those who mock Disney movies for singing animals and superficial role models must be thinking mainly of this film, but I suppose my main beef is with the fairy tale source which teaches that external beauty wins handsome princes.

Another thing that bugged me considerably was the devolution of the artwork. All of the animals up to this point have been pretty realistic, but in Cinderella we get the evil Lucifer who is shaped more like a pig than a cat and Bruno the dog and Major the horse who are misshapen, old bags of bones. The mice are cute, but why are they wearing clothes? Oh, that's right, because our heroine is so bored (and boring) that she spends her spare time sewing tiny outfits for mice and birds, her only friends.  As if that's not bad enough, for the first time we have animals who can speak to humans, and vice-versa. Are they really speaking, or is Cinderella just cray-cray? It almost drove me insane trying to understand their speech, but I suppose the only words you really need to hear are "Cinderelly," "Gus-Gus," and "Lucify." Which makes me think, if the mice can talk, why not Lucifer or Bruno? The only explanation is that the girl is loony. What about the talking crows in Dumbo (1941) or Jiminy Cricket and Honest John, the talking fox, in Pinocchio (1940), you ask? While the crows do wear clothing, so do the rest of the circus animals, so that seems to fit. Besides, there is still no communication between animal and human. The same goes for the Pinocchio group, who only ever talk to the wooden boy and the Blue Fairy (already fantasy elements), whereas I get the feeling that the only magic in the Cinderella world occurs at the hands of the Fairy Godmother.

Another thing that bugs me is that we get misshapen human characters in Cinderella: the king, the step-sisters, the grand duke, the little town crier dude... they're much more cartoon-y than the humans in the previous works. Just to be inconsistent, though, Prince Charming, Cinderella, the Fairy Godmother, and the Lady Tremaine look perfectly real.

Basically, I feel that while it is regarded as one of the most iconic Disney films, Cinderella is far from my favorite in terms of story and character design. Cinderella is completely reliant on mice and her fairy godmother, who help her because she cries. Not the most inspirational tale, and she's not even witty. Ok, I'm done with my Cinderella bashing.

Bambi (1942)

I looooooooove Bambi (1942). A lot of people claim this movie is too sad to watch, but I disagree. It's one of those emotionally purging stories. Of course I cried, but I also laughed, smiled, and "aww"ed, and when it was all over I was entertained and emotionally sated. I must confess that I actually teared up prematurely because I forgot the sequence of events and was anticipating Bambi's mom's death (oops... spoiler?) early, but I cried again at the actual event. To those who find this scene too sad, just remember that there is a lot more story to follow. If a baby deer who can only say "BIR-duh" can learn to move on, so can you. That's kind of the point of the story: the world can be a dangerous place, but life and love go on.

Visually, though, and musically, Bambi has to be one of the most beautiful animated features I've ever seen.  The artwork is beyond spectacular, and the main theme, "Love Is a Song," is gorgeous. The next time you watch Bambi, take a moment to listen to the lyrics. The animals don't sing, but there's no reason for them to; for the first time, only the chorus assists the tale as the choruses of theater once did, moving the story through the seasons as a vocalization of nature. "Little April Showers" is always a favorite of mine, but "Let's Sing a Gay Little Spring Song" is alright, too. Without it, we wouldn't have a segue into Friend Owl and his memorably mimed explanation of twitterpation (being the noun form of "twitterpated").

Fortunately, the transition from linguistically challenged toddler Bambi to manly-voiced adult Bambi is far less awkward than the three-stage transition of young Simba to adult Simba in the Lion King (1994), but we'll get to that later... much later. I would choose unrealistically sudden aging to this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBLGVwl3uhU any day. I haven't even talked about how adorable Thumper is... but I think I've said enough.

With man as an off-screen harbinger of death,  Bambi begins to resemble a Greek tragedy, but the semblance is only momentary. There are so many memorable and adorable scenes like the ice skating, and eating clover, and meeting Faline. Ultimately, the story is one that warms the heart and cleanses the soul. As I said, I looooooooove Bambi.

Ooh, ooh, one more thing: I don't know how many releases were like this, but on our VHS copy there's a mistake at the very end where the mother raccoon has swum to the island and is cleaning it's babies on the left-hand side of the screen and one baby magically teleports to the right side while the mother continues to lick the dirt.

Dumbo (1941)

Dang it--I kept telling myself I would let this blog be more free-form. So. Beginning now, I'm going to try not to be formulaic.  Anyway, I've gotten a bit behind on both reviewing and watching, but I'll try to churn out the next couple on my list, starting, of course, with Dumbo (1941).

Dumbo is, in my opinion, the creepiest of the Disney animated films... of those I'm familiar with, anyway.  I don't mean because there's a flying elephant, but because 95% of the characters are malicious for no reason at all.  I mean, those animals are HORRIBLE. And the people are equally bad.  Not only is the setting almost entirely dark and stormy, but then you have these horrifying shadows of the carnies and clowns, not to mention the appearance of clowns themselves, who wear some of the creepiest costumes and makeup (seriously, what is that "mother elephant" headdress?).... well maybe I'm biased because I find clowns frightening to begin with, but I find this film downright disturbing.The circus tent shadow-people may have been the animators' way of being lazy, or maybe an artistic choice, but I've always found it unsettling.

Let's talk about Dumbo the character. Dumbo is a baby. He can't even talk, yet he's subjected to some of the cruelest japes and ostracization imaginable, not only by the buck-toothed circus-goers, but also by his human masters and his fellow elephants. If you didn't remember, his name is actually Jumbo; "Dumbo" is the nickname given by the elephants, but even the humans call him that. As if that's not bad enough, there's the horrific scene when Mrs. Jumbo, the little guy's mother and only friend (at the time) is whipped and locked up in isolation and shackles because she stands up for him! Not kid-friendly, if you ask me. Things do get marginally better with the appearance of Timothy Mouse, the sort of Jiminy Cricket of Dumbo... only to bring on the tearjerker song "Baby Mine," which gets me every time. It's only when Dumbo and Timothy get DRUNK TO THE POINT OF HALLUCINATION that the story progresses and we can finally leave those bitchy elephants and cruel circus performers behind. I guess I can't complain too much about the horrific pink elephant sequence; it scared me onto the wagon before I was even old enough to think about drinking. After that, you meet the enjoyably non-threatening crows who, with Timothy, are the most entertaining. Unfortunately, once their song "When I See an Elephant Fly" is over, the movie is pretty much over as well.

If you get some sick, schadenfreudistic (is that a word?) pleasure from watching babies being bullied, you should love this film. If not, you're probably more like me and this is probably not your favorite Disney movie. Despite all this verbal abuse I've been giving Dumbo, I still think it's entertaining and worth watching.

The cool characters are found below:
Mr. Stork
Mrs. Jumbo
Dumbo
Timothy Mouse
the five crows (the leader is apparently named "Jim Crow," although I didn't know that until I read it somewhere)
oh, and the lazy tiger... just because I like tigers