Story in brief:
Young Tiana is a hard worker in 1920s (?) New Orleans, struggling to see her late Daddy's dream of a restaurant come to life. Her rich friend Charlotte has none of her concerns, only working to meet and marry Prince Naveen so that she can be the royalty she dreams of being. Prince Naveen is a happy go lucky sort of Prince, fascinated with the music surrounding him, but fails to mention to others that his royal folks have cut him off and he's broke. This pocketbook failure leaves him vulnerable to the slick talk of the Shadowman who promises him a lot of green and provides it in Naveen's skin, as he's turned into a frog. Bumping into Tiana at a masquerade ball and mistaking her for a princess, he talks her into kissing him and the spell backfires, turning her into a frog as well. Their quest to regain their humanity begins!
Thoughts:
The basic plot of the film is no great surprise. Two people on a quest grow a group around them as they search for the way to reach their goal. On the way, they learn something about themselves and the others around them, leaving them better people at the end. There are a few twists in the way the story is told here and therein lies the fun. Having established the rules of this world, the story remains logical within those rules, with resolution of the problems coming in clever ways.
The music is good, fitting itself in the jazzy, zydeco style of the city and period in which the movie is set. The second song comes a bit quickly after the first but, in large, the timing of the songs is fine, not overwhelming the story nor feeling repetitive. The movie is also funny, sweet, tender, and occasionally sad, playing all the emotional notes you'd expect from a Disney film.
The visual style is impressive. This movie is Disney's return to 2D hand drawn animation but also features computer assisted art. The backgrounds look painted in a fine art style and appear to have some depth to them. A dream sequence during the first song is in a style totally different to the rest of the film as well as different to the standard Disney style. This experiment was interesting and fascinating. I hope this is the start of something.
The characters all have motivation for their actions, even if some of them are very subtle. The only real villain is the Shadowman and he is spooky. Some of the Shadowman related sequences, while cool to me, could be rather terrifying for the younger set so, be warned.
Is this the best thing ever? No. Is this a good film, a solid return to Disney film-making? Yes, I think this is a good film and a good sign for further movies to come.
Recommended.
18 December 2009
16 December 2009
Rest Well Roy
A few months ago while talking about Disney buying Marvel, I mentioned signing up for Roy Disney's 'Save Disney' anti-Eisner campaign some years back. I was getting email from Walt's nephew and that felt cool. Sure I was part of a big mailing list but that's not the point.
The point is that Roy Disney died today at the age of 79. I can say nothing of him as a person but, as a representative of his uncle, I think he did a fine job of representing his interests.
Thanks Roy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_E._Disney
The point is that Roy Disney died today at the age of 79. I can say nothing of him as a person but, as a representative of his uncle, I think he did a fine job of representing his interests.
Thanks Roy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_E._Disney
14 December 2009
The Scariest Band in the World
In the beginning, there was rockabilly. And it was good. It may not have been complicated in style but it was energetic and the perfect accompaniment for a little hell raising.
What if the band sounded like it had been ... raised from hell? It may sound like the darkest surf music in the world, a bass so low it sounded like the depths below. Add in lyrics inspired by horror and crime films, then stir until stiff. Then we would call it... voodoobilly.
Maybe they didn't reinvent the wheel. Maybe they didn't create a new style. I've yet to hear any other band sound like Deadbolt. Maybe you will think that's a good thing.
But if you tell them they aren't the scariest band in the world... well, there's no maybe about the butt-whuppin' they'll lay down on ya...
What if the band sounded like it had been ... raised from hell? It may sound like the darkest surf music in the world, a bass so low it sounded like the depths below. Add in lyrics inspired by horror and crime films, then stir until stiff. Then we would call it... voodoobilly.
Maybe they didn't reinvent the wheel. Maybe they didn't create a new style. I've yet to hear any other band sound like Deadbolt. Maybe you will think that's a good thing.
But if you tell them they aren't the scariest band in the world... well, there's no maybe about the butt-whuppin' they'll lay down on ya...
13 December 2009
'Fat Albert' (2004)
Synopsis:
Despite the presence of her foster sister, Doris feels alone. Her parents are often gone on business, her grandfather died recently, and she doesn't really have friends as she's been slowly pulling away from people. Emotionally overwhelmed, she cries while watching a rerun of 'Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids'. Somehow, Fat Albert hears her and uses her tears as a portal from his cartoon version of the 1970s to cross into the real world of the 2000s. Doris has a problem and Fat Albert seeks to do what he does best: fix a problem.
Review:
As a kid, Bill Cosby was everywhere. He was HUGE. We had some of his records. He was on 'Captain Kangaroo' with his Picture Pages and the pen that made noise. His sitcom launched. 'Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids' cartoon was still being repeated. I enjoyed it all.
I've also watched a number of movies that seek to remake old television shows. The majority of them are dire, mocking the original work rather than trying to reimagine them. As Mr. Cosby was involved in the making of this film, it does a fine job of updating the original text without mocking it.
Fat Albert and the rest of his crew are from the 1970s. Our technology fascinates them (subtle lesson: we have it pretty good). One of Doris' schoolmates decides that Rudy's style is cool and pieces together a replica of his outfit (subtle lesson: dress styles come and go in fashion). The original show and the time period it was set in are never mocked for being different.
At the same time, the current styles are not dismissed as bad. The Kids watch a rap video. 'This is singing?' 'No, this is talking.' 'Whatever it is, I like it.' (Subtle lesson: old or new things aren't necessarily bad in and of themselves.) Even in our world, the Cosby Kids retain their ability to adapt and can rap after this.
Since this is the crossing of the 'real' world and a television world, the movie should be treated as a fantasy. Viewed in this way, the movie works very well. It does some little things that I beg other movies to do; it provides some reasons why these special events are occurring. You may watch the film and go 'Really? That's a dumb reason' but at least it bothers to give you a reason why, say, of all the crying people in the world, Fat Albert hears this one girl.
The movie is amusing and occasionally funny. I think kids might be more amused by some of the physical comedy than I was. I like physical comedy but the way it played out here was only okay to me. Most of the effects are good but one sequence is not. You'll know it when you see it. It's early in the film and looks awkward.
The ending is as it should be, with a surprisingly quiet moment at the end with a cameo I never expected.
Was this a great movie? I don't know about that. Really enjoyable film? Yes. (Subtle lesson: I may have learned something before it was all through. Hey hey hey!)
Despite the presence of her foster sister, Doris feels alone. Her parents are often gone on business, her grandfather died recently, and she doesn't really have friends as she's been slowly pulling away from people. Emotionally overwhelmed, she cries while watching a rerun of 'Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids'. Somehow, Fat Albert hears her and uses her tears as a portal from his cartoon version of the 1970s to cross into the real world of the 2000s. Doris has a problem and Fat Albert seeks to do what he does best: fix a problem.
Review:
As a kid, Bill Cosby was everywhere. He was HUGE. We had some of his records. He was on 'Captain Kangaroo' with his Picture Pages and the pen that made noise. His sitcom launched. 'Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids' cartoon was still being repeated. I enjoyed it all.
I've also watched a number of movies that seek to remake old television shows. The majority of them are dire, mocking the original work rather than trying to reimagine them. As Mr. Cosby was involved in the making of this film, it does a fine job of updating the original text without mocking it.
Fat Albert and the rest of his crew are from the 1970s. Our technology fascinates them (subtle lesson: we have it pretty good). One of Doris' schoolmates decides that Rudy's style is cool and pieces together a replica of his outfit (subtle lesson: dress styles come and go in fashion). The original show and the time period it was set in are never mocked for being different.
At the same time, the current styles are not dismissed as bad. The Kids watch a rap video. 'This is singing?' 'No, this is talking.' 'Whatever it is, I like it.' (Subtle lesson: old or new things aren't necessarily bad in and of themselves.) Even in our world, the Cosby Kids retain their ability to adapt and can rap after this.
Since this is the crossing of the 'real' world and a television world, the movie should be treated as a fantasy. Viewed in this way, the movie works very well. It does some little things that I beg other movies to do; it provides some reasons why these special events are occurring. You may watch the film and go 'Really? That's a dumb reason' but at least it bothers to give you a reason why, say, of all the crying people in the world, Fat Albert hears this one girl.
The movie is amusing and occasionally funny. I think kids might be more amused by some of the physical comedy than I was. I like physical comedy but the way it played out here was only okay to me. Most of the effects are good but one sequence is not. You'll know it when you see it. It's early in the film and looks awkward.
The ending is as it should be, with a surprisingly quiet moment at the end with a cameo I never expected.
Was this a great movie? I don't know about that. Really enjoyable film? Yes. (Subtle lesson: I may have learned something before it was all through. Hey hey hey!)
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