Film Snark

Mickey Mouse, a mouse with a tan face and black ears and body, wearing a tan hat, red tunic, orange leggings, and tan shoes, is walking. Next to him is Goofy, a dog with similar coloration, wearing a blue hat, a yellow and orange tunic, brown pants, and tan shoes. Next to Goofy is Donald Duck, a white duck with a tan hat, blue tunic, and no pants or shoes. They're walking through a field with mushrooms and tall grass that is taller than they are.
C+
Disney Animated Features

Fun and Fancy Free
Released: September 27th, 1947

There's just two shorts in this one, with Jiminy Cricket sort of transitioning between the two, and there's a live action segment with Edgar Bergen, the ventriloquist and his two dummies.

Bongo, the first cartoon, is okay but long. It's a vehicle for some songs sung by Dinah Shore, and she's got a lovely voice, but it's a pretty boring cartoon in general.

Notable Grossness

This is the first time I saw "hidden genitalia" animation (which is always up for interpretation and guessing). I haven't been watching all the movies with a microscope, but this happened when I happened to be looking up.

The second cartoon is Mickey and the Beanstalk, which I love. The singing harp reminds me of Cinderella with how she's illustrated. I also love that this is a Mickey, Goofy and Donald picture. It's the last time Walt Disney voiced Mickey, so there's a really pleasant nostalgia associated with this voice acting. Also Edgar Bergen was a very good, funny ventriloquist. Lots of excellent one-liners and puns. I love the art they use for Happy Valley. The beanstalk growing in the shaft of light in the cottage is iconic, as is the harp singing about where the key is hidden in the giant's vest pocket. I love that this has some mildly sinister art combined with the silly, simplistic animation of Goofy, Donald, and Mickey. I'm not 100% sure if this was the inspiration for Kingdom Hearts' King Mickey and fellow adventurers Donald and Goofy, but it feels very much like it was. This cartoon also feels just as long as it should be. The action is suspenseful, I still gasp when Mickey is climbing up the thread with the key and almost drops it a bunch of times. Donald Duck, a white duck in a blue tunic with a white napkin wrapped around his neck, angrily stacks dishes and silverware on top of each other like a sandwich and eats the plate/silverware sandwich, scattering pieces everywhere. The caption reads 'When I'm left to my own devices for lunch'

Once again, this would be a higher grade if it was just Mickey and the Beanstalk, but these two cartoons are different enough in quality and interest that I wouldn't want to sit through Bongo to get to Mickey and the Beanstalk.

January 12th, 2021
Pete's Dragon
A movie release poster shows a group of white people, 4 men, a woman, and a young boy, surrounding a green animated dragon with pink wings and red hair. The poster says "Coming at Christmas, Walt Disney Productions' Pete's Dragon"
Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Five human actors, a woman, a man, and three children of various ages, sit on a flying brass bed with a floral blanket, with the moon and clouds behind them. Below them, illustrated animals are in various poses: two fish dance together (one in a suit); two fish and an octopus play in a band together with the words "The Briny Boys" on the front of the drum kit; an alligator, a rhino, and a gorilla run around a soccer field in yellow and green athletic outfits; a lion in a crown and red royal robe stands with one foot on the soccer ball; and a secretary bird in a suit with glasses stands watching.

Recent Snark

Bert, a chimney sweep, Jane, a young blonde child in a red dress and yellow overcoat, Michael, a young strawberry blonde child in short pants and a button coat, and Mary Poppins, a nanny in a red dress with a black hat with white flowers, stand on a rooftop, covered in soot.

Mary Poppins

Julie Andrews is a genuine delight, whether she's being fun or she's irritated. It's not just her voice, her whole presence is just delightful. George and Winifred Banks are excellent side characters, and the kids are as adorable as they need to be. Dick Van Dyke is a national treasure and I won't hear a word against him.

Structurally, there's not really a plot, but that makes sense given that it's based on a series of kind of episodic books. It's also very long. I think the length and episodic nature takes away from the character study of stuffy, cross Mr. Banks and how he learns from his children (and Mary Poppins and Bert) how to retain a sense of wonder and joy. But it's consistently fun. The music is delightful, the dancing is wonderful, and the adventures Mary Poppins and Bert and the kids go on are spectacular. I'm sure I have nostalgia for it but I think this stands up, to be honest.

The dings on the grade are for occasional bad costumes, bad makeup, the length, the imperialist nonsense. I'm honestly tempted to raise it back up because of the flawless animation/live action melding.

September 13th, 2022
Bigfoot, a giant humanoid creature with red fur, sits in front of a cardboard box with a downward pointing arrow on the side, wearing a pair of white men's briefs underwear on his head. He holds the crotch hole open with his fingers so he can look out. Goofy, a dog-like humanoid cartoon with black skin and a pale face, and long ears, watches from his yellow car several hundred feet behind Bigfoot, with his son Max in the passenger seat; Max looks similar to Goofy.

A Goofy Movie

I know this is shameful for someone my age but I've never seen this movie before. I may have caught bits of it when my brothers were younger, but the only thing I remember is Pauly Shore doing the leaning tower of cheese-a. I'm pretty much going into this one blind.

March 1st, 2022