The Great Movie Ride II - Hype/Discussion Thread

ThemeParkPriest

Well-Known Member
So much Bolt slander on these boards recently and I will not stand for it!

Bolt was my favorite movie for a very long time and while I haven’t watched it in ages, my blind nostalgia for it will completely keep it impervious from any and all harm when I finally reach it.
I really need to watch it again. It came out when I was in college, and I recall it being very different than other Disney movies.
 

Disney Dad 3000

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Hey @Disney Dad 3000
Due to a last minute change of plans that would make playing this game difficult for my schedule for the majority of the summer, I've decided to drop out of this competition. I apologize for any inconvenience this might cause in getting the game ready for tomorrow.

No worries. Sorry to hear that but certainly understand. If things change and you find you'd be able to join a few weeks down the road, don't hesitate to reach out. Would love to have you!
 

Tegan pilots a chicken

Sharpie Queen 💜
Premium Member
F34B341C-B040-4CF1-9C89-67FB562E7175.jpeg

Tegan’s Studio/Team
 

DisneyManOne

Well-Known Member
At Candy Cauldron in Disney Springs and you can tell they haven’t updated since the early 2000’s part of the store’s music looop included “Little Patch of Heaven” from Home on the Range!
I remember when I went in 2005; I was in the Marketplace, more than likely sitting outside World of Disney (although, honestly, I can't remember where I was sitting), and I remember that they were playing "Yodel-Adle-Eedle-Idle-Oo" in the area music.
 

TheOriginalTiki

Well-Known Member
My list so far

Part One

60. Fun and Fancy Free

This just didn't do anything for me. Jimminy Cricket was already a character that felt super dated after my Pinocchio rewatch, so having him as the narrator really didn't help. Bongo straight up sucks haha. Easily one of the single worst shorts of the package era. Mickey and the Beanstalk on its own is great, but it's totally dragged down by the Charlie McCarthy bits. Overall just a mess of a package film.

59. The Sword in the Stone

I definitely have some nostalgia for this one, but I was baffled rewatching at how little actually happens. The lack of care on Walt's end is obvious. The wizard fight and Merlin's general animation are really the only saving graces here.

58. The Aristocats

The poster child of mediocre Disney for good reason. It's completely servicable but doesn't really do anything on a level that's even above average. The animation here is a low point for the 2D Disney style. Very disjointed and rushed plot. Phil Harris is really phoning it in after Baloo. The butler being a so bad it's good villain was the only thing that was really keeping my attention.

57. Dinosaur

A total failure, but a fascinating one. I actually thing that Samuel E. Wright's villain is pretty under-rated. It's really cool having the Sebastian character play such a real-world sinister type of role. Him, the score, and the WONDERFUL opening scene elevate this towards not being at the complete bottom, but everything else about it is very much a mess.

56. Ralph Breaks the Internet

I actually really like Vanellope's arc in this one. Unfortunately Ralph being completely toxic on top of the HORRIBLY dated internet joke that in the long run prove to be just as cringe-y as the Emoji Movie makes this one a tough sit. The biggest crime here is cutting the entire plot with Calhoon and Felix. The OhMyDisney stuff is Disney at its most shamelessly self-promoting.

55. Chicken Little

The "Ugly Sonic" of the cannon haha. I spent so much time hating on this movie when it first came out that I've looped back around to being somewhat nostalgia for its messiness. That being said...yea, it's messy as hell and Buck Cluck deserves all the hate he gets as a terrible parent I still kind of enjoyed my rewatch though mostly based on the time capsule element. The movie really embodies the mid-2000s more than any other Disney movie. That doesn't make it good at all, but it was a fun throwback.

54. Saludos Amigos

This should honestly be #60, as I'm genuinely surprised Disney still considers this cannon. Really something like The Reluctant Dragon is more of a full "film" than this. It's literally a 45 minute promotional travelogue. That being said, I bumped it up above the first few entries simply for the historical value. There's some really fun shorts in here and the final Brazil scene is just as great as anything in Fantasia from an animation point of view. On top of that, seeing the El Groupo stuff in the context of an actual Disney movie is a really neat novelty. A historical relic for sure, but I'm glad Disney continues to hang on to it in spite of it literally not even being feature length.

53. Make Mine Music

There's a select couple shorts in here that really elevate it, mostly The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met which serves as an awesome finale. There's also Peter and the Wolf which has gone on to be a bit of a dark horse classic in its own right. There's really not a ton here though, and some of the shorts feel really dated. Casey at Bat SHOULD be a highlight but feels out of place as the one short that really has nothing to do with music. Very disjointed, but with a couple really strong sections.

52. The Rescuers

Actually one of the few in the list I watched for the first time. The Rescuers is another film that sort of embodies the mediocre Ron Miller era, but there's enough charm and atmosphere to elevate it slightly. The big highlight is the leads. Newhart and Gabor's voices just leap off the screen and the chemistry their characters have is totally infectious. I also kind of dig the bayou setting. Ironically enough I feel like this film pulls that setting off better and with a more interesting artistic direction than Princess and the Frog did. Medusa is a really stock wannabe Cruella villain, but she still has some fun moments and her plot line is genuinely dark and menacing. This is for the most part a pretty forgettable entry, but it's got enough edge to make it worth a watch.

51. Raya and the Last Dragon

Akwafina absolutely TANKS what could have been Disney's single most ambitious outing. Her character is so obnoxious and tone deaf to the rest of the story that it really drags what's otherwise a really strong adventure story down significantly. The animation and action here is top notch. The side characters don't get a lot of time to individually shine, but they really work as a unit. Tbh the Lindsay Ellis "controversy" has REALLY soured me on the movie as a whole, as the Last Airbender comparisons are just glarringly obvious. Please don't dox me, Twitter. It's not a BAD thing though. TLA is clearly one of the most influential pieces of animation of the new century. It's only going to be natural that other pieces of media will draw on it. The fact that this became SUCH a contentious element of the film really overshadows a lot of the good qualities of it for me.

50. The Great Mouse Detective

Probably my first controversial placement. I can't even really put my finger on it, but this film just seemed to drag for me on a rewatch. I think doing a Sherlock Holmes homage has been perfected in the years since, and so the mystery elements just don't really shine. Rattigan is the obvious highlight, but outside of him there's just not really a ton for me to latch on to. The significance of the Big Ben set piece as far as animation techniques goes definitely elevates this one. Overall I got a a lot of "fine, but nothing special" vibes through most of the film that doesn't involve its iconic villain.

49. Brother Bear

Probably THE best example of a film that starts out super strong and just deflates as it goes on. I was genuinely shocked with how much I loved the first act of this. The brothers are all extremely well developed, the death hits really hard, and the attention to detail in the cultural aspects made me really compelled. I think some of the Phil Collins music really slaps here (On My Way and "Welcome" are total bops) but as most have pointed out other songs feel completely out of place. THE big issue is that the movie COMPLETELY falls apart for the most part after the transformation. Rutt, Tuke, and Koda were all so annoying it made me want to just stop watching. A big selling point for my overall criticism of the movie is that it managed to make an extended scene of bears riding MAMMOTHS boring!! A disjointed mess after the first act, but that first act really is something special.

48. Frozen 2

The soundtrack slaps. That's about it haha. I genuinely find this to have a better song selection than the first film, with the Panic at the Disco cover of Into the Unknown being a HUGE favorite of mine. The plot in this is so all over the place, so disjointed, so completely and totally messy that it ruins an otherwise potentially epic movie. There's some stand-alone visuals here that are great. I'll never forget the first time I saw the teaser trailer with Elsa trying to freeze the wave. THAT is an instantly iconic piece of Disney imagery no matter how sloppy the rest of the film is. Out of EVERYTHING so far, this gets the most dragged down by the actual story which tries to do way too many things and ultimately feels soulless for pretty much everyone involved.

47. Meet the Robinsons

Another fan favorite that arrives pretty low on the list. Let's make one thing clear...the Goob reveal is BRILLIANT. I absolutely adore it. "They all hated me" is one of the most darkly hilarious lines in any Disney movie. Unfortunately this is kind of a case of that one strong element overshadowing most everything else. The best part of Meet the Robinsons is when they're NOT meeting the Robinsons, because MY GOD what disjointed, confusing, UGLY bunch of characters. I genuinely couldn't stand the design for most of them. They had the same sort of half-finished idea issue I had with the new Supers in Incredibles 2. Lewis's arc is another highlight, but it really gets buried in the second act. Wilbur as a character is a throwback to the mid-2000s attitude that isn't as charming as Chicken Little and more serves as an illustration on how "hip n' cool" the media was back then. I also kind of think a lot of Disney fans really elevate this one because of the Walt quote at the end, which tbh in the years since has rung more and more hollow to me as cheap nostalgia bait.

46. Sleeping Beauty

I REALLY wanted to love this on a rewatch. Since I last sat down to watch it I've gained a HUGE appreciation of Eyvind Earle who has since become my second favorite Disney stylist right behind Mary Blair. This film really is his baby from a visual point of view, and it ABSOLUTELY kicks in that regard. The problem is that the actual story here is soooo slow. It's not something like Bambi which for me really SUNG through an adult lens. There's just way too many filler comedy scenes with the fairies and the two kings that it just totally drags down the tone and pacing. Malificent is super compelling in her presence and voice, but yea...not the strongest villain motivation haha. A gorgeous and historically significant film that ultimately still feels pretty cold as far as emotions go.

45. Pocahontas

The first film placement I feel like I have to defend. Pocahontas is definitely a mess. It's easily the most morally messy film outside of the Walt era. A lot of the film drags in its pacing with a confusing mix of "magic" and boring realism. That being said, I genuinely think the soundtrack and animation REALLY elevate this one. Colors of the Wind, Just Around the Riverbend, and Savages are all really incredible Disney musical moments, with the former two being among the most lyrically broad songs in the cannon and the latter while having some cultural messiness still serves as an awesome build up to the film's genuinely thrilling climax. I also really appreciate Ratcliffe as a "so bad it's good" Disney villain and I think the "See how I glitter!" meme really speaks to that haha. John Smith is easily the element of the movie I dislike, between his obvious White Savior vibes, the icky Mel Gibson factor, and the fact that he's just a big old wooden slab of a character. Naturally, my boy Kokoum elevates this one significantly ;)

44. Home on the Range

Those who have followed me on the internet for a long time know I've always had a soft spot for this one. It's certainly not meant to be a big, bold, artistic statement. As a CARTOON and especially as a throwback Americana western, I think it really works. I don't think Pearl gets nearly enough credit as an emotionally grounding force in the movie. Seeing her love and affection for the farm and how crushing it is for her to give it up...yea, it should have been more of the focus, but what we do get with her is wonderful. Rosanne Cow...alright, I'm not going to defend it. She clearly drags the movie down haha. That being said I think Judi Dench and Jennifer Tilly add some genuine character to their roles beyond just their baseline personalities, making for a pretty fun dynamic between the three leads. But guys, let's talk about SLIM. One of the ALL TIME most under-rated villains. He's supposed to be over the top, he's supposed to be ridiculous. I love everything about him, I love everything about the Willies (that's my thinkin' spot!) I love the random Steve Buscemi cameo, I love the plot twist with Rico. Really if Rosanne Cow just wasn't a character this movie would be super elevated, as individually I think a ton of the elements work really well, they're all just pushing against a rotten core element.

43. Oliver and Company

This one suprised me. It feels like one of the most contemporary of the Disney films even all these years later, which speaks to how effective the 80s New York setting is. I think the big highlight here is Dom DeLoiuse and Robert Louga playing the iconic roles of Faggin and Sykes. I love how both of these characters are portrayed. I think Faggin works really well as a dog lover who also uses the dogs for his schemes. It softens his character from the "child labor enforcer" of the book but still gives him just enough moral ambiguity to have an edge. Bill Sykes is a freaking awesome villain who feels like something out of a Scorsese movie. The animals are all fine for the most part, with Georgette as Oliver's bitter rival in the second act serving as a highlight. The rest of the film is totally elevated by the two lead humans, which is a pretty cool and unique thing to boast about a "Disney animal movie".

42. The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

If this was JUST Sleepy Hollow, it might honestly make the top 20. Sleepy Hollow is one of THE single most iconic shorts in the Disney cannon as far as I'm concerned, going on to influence countless horror directors in the years since it first graced the screen. Sleepy Hollow is a stone cold classic. A project that deserves a spot on any Mount Rushmore of Halloween specials. Wind in the Willows...is fine haha. There's definitely some fun to be had with the characters, but it just doesn't measure up to Sleepy Hollow and drags the overall quality down. I think it's fair to say that in the pop culture landscape Mr. Toad's Wild Ride has FAR eclipsed the Toad segment here as far as having a lasting legacy.

41. Bolt

Bolt serves as an example of a film that's so low key it kind of has a charm about it that more "epic" and ambitious Disney films just don't. I really like the Truman Show style premise they pull with the main character, and the two side characters balance things out really well. Bolt is a bit generic, but it's a fun ride all the way through that's elevated by some of the leftover Chris Sanders flavor before he left the project (sort of reminds me of the leftover Edgar Wright bits in the first Ant-Man movie) It's probably among the most unassuming in the cannon just based on the timing of when it came out, but I certainly think it's a lot more genuine than Chicken Little and a lot less disjointed than Miss the Robinsons. A simple little film that really hits a lot of the right marks.
 

Disney Dad 3000

Well-Known Member
Original Poster

Disney Dad 3000

Well-Known Member
Original Poster

Disney Dad 3000

Well-Known Member
Original Poster

Disney Dad 3000

Well-Known Member
Original Poster

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