Film Snark

A motorcycle cop in a black uniform rides down a city alley towards the camera. In front of the cop is Roger Rabbit, a white cartoon rabbit with red hair wearing a blue and yellow bow tie, and yellow gloves, clinging on to Eddie Valiant, a white man (not a cartoon) wearing a gray suit, red and black patterned tie, and brown fedora.
A+
Disney Animated Features

Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Released: June 22nd, 1988

Figuring out where to put this movie was possibly the hardest challenge so far.

My God. It'll be beautiful.

Notable Grossness

The Native American bullet. The weasel in a straitjacket.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit is one of the best films Disney's ever made. It is a delightful work of art that takes the best of two genres and mashes them up expertly. Everybody is spectacularly cast; Christopher Lloyd, Kathleen Turner, Bob Hoskins, genius. The writing is classic, the animation is only as complex as it should be for both the genre (40s noir detective movie) and for blending it with live action footage. The characters are well-rounded, even based on tropes from their respective genres. The music supports the story and the theme of the movie.

I probably know more lines from this movie by heart than any other movie. James and I often say "Stop. That. Laughing! One of these days you're gonna die laughing!" to each other. The costume design is excellent; I especially love everything that Dolores wears, and Jessica's dress and gloves is one of the most iconic looks in film history.

This movie was really groundbreaking in so many ways. Animation and live action film had been mixed before, but this was a marriage of the best parts of both, with a nod to old school Hollywood and one of the most gritty and action-filled movie styles ever made. It was an excellent technical achievement and it honestly had some really bought-in actors. They really made it work. It could have gone so wrong and instead it was perfection. A large, dirty steamroller rolls over Judge Doom, a white man in a black hat and black coat in a factory while he screams. The caption over the steamroller is 'My student debt,' and the caption over Judge Doom is 'Me'.

I LOVE the Weasels. I love Benny. I love the Merry Go Round Broke Down numbers (both of them) and I love that Angelo doesn't turn in Roger. The whole plot with Cloverleaf trying to take over the Red Car and Acme and Maroon Studios to build a freeway is a really excellent framing for the "evil genius" plot.

I ranked this at #2 because it’s not, in my opinion, as universally appealing as Sleeping Beauty. I know at least one person who was scared of it as a kid. As far as arbitrary decisions go, that’s as good a reason as any.

May 25th, 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