Viewed in
2009, 2010
Formats
Movie theater, HD TV
Premise
Based on the fairy tale, Disney Studios returns to hand-drawn animation musicals with their take on the tale in early 1900's New Orleans.
Liked
The music, animation, and comedy.
Thoughts
After such a long layoff, it felt like Disney Animation never missed a beat.
The film was what I hoped for. There was a good story with funny, charming characters, and family-friendly morals about being a good person. Funniest character was easily the spoiled, 'happily ever after'-dreaming best friend of the main lead.
As for the animation, it was very excellent. I forgot how good hand-drawn animation from Disney could look. I especially enjoyed the shadow minions, as you see their bodies contort as they jump across objects in pursuit of the main characters.
I also enjoyed the music by the great Randy Newman, as they were fun to listen to and sounded like they came from New Orleans. As for voices, I am ashamed to not have recognized the voice of Goliath from 'Gargoyles' cartoon as the bad guy!
Some of the cynical criticisms were racial stereotypes and using African-American characters just to be politically correct. The African-American characters were easily not a gimmick, as they were genuine, likable characters. I found very little racial stereotypes in terms of blacks or the South. Compared to how other movies portray that region, this was a far cry from 'Song of the South' or 'Deliverance'.
What prevents greatness was the lack of anything memorable. As much as I liked the songs, I had trouble remembering them, unlike 'The Lion King' or 'Aladdin'. Then again, I'm not a kid anymore.
It was nothing special, but I recommend it because it was just so well-executed.
What I would change
Tone down the redneck-ness of the three hunters. They seemed to be the most stereotyped characters.
