Showing posts with label 1990s. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1990s. Show all posts

Saturday, February 25, 2017

Tarzan (1999)


Directed by Kevin Lima and Chris Buck
Written by Tab Murphy, Bob Tzudiker, and Noni White. Based on the novel Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
Premiered June 12, 1999
88 minutes
Rated G


Synopsis
Deep in the African jungle, a human baby is adopted by a female gorilla Kala (Glenn Close) after his parents are brutally attacked by a vicious cheetah. Kala's mate and leader of the pack Kerchak (Lance Henriksen) disapproves of the human intrusion and refuses to accept the baby--now named Tarzan--as a part of the family. Many years later, Tarzan (Tony Goldwyn) is a grown man still struggling to find his place among his gorilla mates but  nonetheless has a gorilla friend, Terk (Rosie O'Donnell) and elephant friend, Tantor (Wayne Knight). Tarzan's world changes drastically with the arrival of biologist and researcher Archimedes Q. Porter (Nigel Hawthorne) and his beautiful, intelligent daughter Jane (Minnie Driver). As Tarzan and Jane connect, the Porters' guide Clayton (Brian Blessed) is eager to kidnap the gorillas to be sold.



Before We Begin -- Part Une (written c. December, 2016)
By the time I was eleven years old, I really didn't care about Disney movies anymore. I was one of those eleven year old girls that liked boys and embraced puberty rather than one of those eleven year old girls who desperately tried to cling to her childhood by keeping her Barbies around. I just didn't care when Tarzan came out, although, I was still watching the Disney channel and saw heaps of previews and promotional material. Yes, Deep Canvas and surfing Tarzan, sure, whatever, please show me more Britney Spears music videos, now.

I eventually did see Tarzan. On the Disney channel. Like, a year later. I was bored, because by then I was twelve, soon to be in the seventh grade, and it really wasn't happening. But since the Disney Independent Study Course of 2006, I have seen Tarzan a good many times. And...it's...okay part of the time...good some of the time. Just not my favorite.

Before We Begin -- Part Deux (written c. February, 2017)
Soooooooooo.....if you're paying attention to the timeliness in which these blogs are posted, you make have noticed a huge gap. True, Christmas was partly to blame. But the other part was Tarzan itself, a movie I just can't get excited about. A movie that feels like an absolute chore until I get into it. But, shit or get off the pot, right?

Mötley Müsings
• Looks good.

•  Ugh. Phil Collins. Why him? Obviously the producers/directors must have been fanboys.

•  Those are some HUGE sausage curls.

• The treehouse is badass, we can all agree.

• Tarzan's mom is pretty.

• I mean, why didn't the cheetah eat the baby! It's not like he couldn't smell it.

•  And the cheetah has a name. Well, I suppose the gorillas could have named him.

•  We're only 7 ½ minutes in. Oh boy.

• Mama gorilla saves baby. Kala.

• How would Kala know what he is?

• Honestly, she should probably consult her life partner before adopting a child.

• “Tarzan? Okay, he's your baby.” My reaction to basically everyone's baby name choices.

• “You'll Be in My Heart”. Best Original Song winner at the 1999 Academy Awards and the best song in the film. EASILY.

•  So green! I like the green.

•  All right, the Baby Tarzan section was okay, but this Kid Tarzan section is downright...arg, arg, grumble, grumble.

• Oh yeah. The days when you would put Rosie O'Donell in your movie...

• “Terk, can I come?”
“Yeah, if you could keep up. But, you know, you can't really keep up.”
HE DOESN'T QUITE FIT IN.

•  So is Terk his friend or not? More like a frenemy, it seems. She's far too concerned with fitting in with the other gorilla children. Which, this sort of thing is accurate to childhood, but Terk is still a jerk.

• The elephant hair mission...it just goes on, doesn't it?

• Emo Tarzan. Ugh...I just don't care about this child's problems. Why do I not have sufficient sympathy for him? Adult Tarzan is just fine.

• Time for another song. Montage: Tarzan tries to learn what he is. And he becomes a vine swinging, tree surfing adult. I'm coming aboard.

• Ah, Newman from Seinfeld, because NINETIES.

• That damn cheetah! How come the cheetah can't speak? Or does he just let his teeth and claws do the talking?

• The backgrounds in this are seriously amazing. Such texture!

• Kerchak, how can you still have a problem with Tarzan?

• A fart joke. Never a good sign.

• A gunshot! Humans! YAY! The good part of the movie.

• Maybe now is the time to talk a little bit about the book... Tarzan of the Apes was written by Edgar Rice Burroughs and published in 1912. Tarzan was the son of a pair of shipwrecked nobles—Lord and Lady Greystoke. The mom dies of, I don't know, let's just say “womanly sickness” and the dad is killed by Kerchak, the wicked leader of the apes. Tarzan is adopted by Kala, eventually kills Kerchak and becomes leader of the apes himself. Then along come the Porters who are accompanied by Tarzan's cousin, William Cecil Clayton, who is current Lord of Greystoke, because, you know, the original Lord went missing in the African jungle and somebody needed to do the job.

• Jane! One of the most underrated Disney heroines! Partly, because there is no way she can be a princess. (Just a lowly Lady if they followed through with Tarzan reclaiming his birthright as an English noble.

• Jane is a little bit of a rehashing of Belle. And not just because of the brown hair and yellow dress. (Love the bustle! Don't like the color. But they were obviously going for contrast against the GREEN GREEN GREEN of the jungle. Plus, something like safari gear always being khaki, I'm assuming.) But anyway, Jane is obviously intellectual and has an adventurous spirit, but she's far more neurotic and excitable compared to Belle. That also fits with the tone of the movie.

• Oh, and she has a short, eccentric, elderly father. Archimedes is cool, tho.

• Yes, love the bustle! The shorter hemline is inaccurate but the most practical part of her clothing for traveling through the jungle.

• And Tarzan's all twitterpated because HUMAN WOMAN.

• “Oh, look, bananas!” Minnie Driver is charming. A very good casting choice. Did you know the original Jane was American? #themoreyouknow

• This rescue is great. Definitely one of my favorite action sequences in all the DAFs.

• She's probably never seen a man that unclothed before.

• At least she tried to hit him for invading her personal space.

• “Oh dear. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear!”

• This is a very romantic and intimate scene.

• But here's “Trashin' the Camp” to come and fart all over this movie's earlier attempt at maturity. A total waste of time. Terk, Tantor, and friends marvel at Victorian technology and then destroy it. Let's not the forget the kids watching! They need something to entertain themselves seeing as how the previous scene was totally not for them.

• “And, Daddy, they took my boot! And I was saved! I was saved by a flying wild man in a loincloth!”

• Kerchak = Chief Powhatan. Tarzan = Pocahontas. Jane = John Smith.

• Oh good, Jane is wearing something far more practical.

• Damn, she can draw as well as a Disney animator.

• “Oh, shall I leave you and the blackboard alone for a moment?”

• “If I can teach a parrot to sing "God Save the Queen", then I can certainly teach this savage a thing or two.”

• The music...just doesn't lure me in.

• Tarzan falls in love with Jane while he learns about humanity. Jane starts wearing a camisole because it's probably way too fucking hot and humid in the jungle to keep wearing that long sleeved bustle getup.

• “Jane must stay with Tarzan.”

• Clayton uses Tarzan's love for Jane to get him to reveal the gorillas. Right from the Captain Hook playbook. "Even if you hadn't grown up a savage, you'd be lost. There are no trails through a woman's heart."

• IT'S A TRAP.

• So....yeah...I stopped watching this because I got bored...and now I'm back. With twenty-six minutes to go.

• Tarzan protects Clayton from angry Kerchak.

• Not a man, not a gorilla. WHERE DOES HE BELONG!?

• Kala helps him decide when she shows Tarzan's parents' badass treehouse.

• Dapper.

• I don't like Terk.

• But, oh no! Clayton is going to kidnap all the gorillas!

• “I've had it with you and your emotional constipation!” Okay...that's pretty funny.

• You guys really weren't suspicious? Really?

•  Animal friends to the rescue! They've got to be good for something.

• How is it suddenly nighttime?

• Strangled by vines...and Tarzan tried to save him.

• Kerchak is all humbled and calls him son...this is so...lazy?

• And it's raining because SAD. (Wow, I'm getting bitchy.)

• Is he going to take his place on Pride Rock and roar? Nope, just a chest beat.

• Jane jumps ship. Nice kiss. Very nice. Yes, yes.

• Jane has a bikini now. Boy is she going to miss some things....some feminine hygiene type things.

Final Thoughts
Well...I think it's very telling that it took me three separate tries and several months to get through Tarzan, don't you think? I obviously don't like it that much. I like portions of it, certainly. Pretty much anytime Jane is on screen and speaking. I like Tarzan and Archimedes, too. If Clayton were given a deeper motivation beyond making paper, he would be a more compelling villain. I can't help but think of the Beast vs. Gaston in Beauty and the Beast as an example of hero/villain foils. Who is the real beast? (Which also applies to Quasimodo and Frollo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame too. We'll get there.) The movie tries to put this out there in a half-assed sort of way. ("Not a man like you!") But there's just not enough. Also the loving adoptive mother and the cold-shouldered father figure seem...overplayed? There is nothing really fresh here.

It's a common belief that Tarzan marked the end of the Disney Renaissance. It's a belief indeed held by me. Tarzan just feels tired, you know? Another big, epic musical. Another heteronormative love story. Another Academy Award nomination (and win) in the Best Original Song category. It's a little paint by numbers and the burn out is showing around the edges. No wonder Disney wanted to branch out with something new. And hey, fine. Dinosaur is a worthy experiment, at least visually. Fantasia 2000 finally got Roy Disney to shut up. I don't really have the time to get into The Emperor's New Groove, but the end result is zany, buddy picture fun. But not everything worked (Atlantis, cough! Brother Bear, cough, cough!) which is why we're now back to singing princesses. Fine by me.

The hallowed Renaissance had to come to end some time and it could have been worse. The stunning visuals and Jane Porter save Tarzan from the Meh pile and just barely at that.

(On a personal and rather selfish note,  my entire childhood was basically enveloped by the Disney Renaissance. The Little Mermaid was released when I was 1 ½ and Tarzan was released when I was eleven. #humblebrag.)

Favorite Character
Jane Porter

Favorite Moment -- Tarzan and Jane's first meeting.
Favorite Song -- "You'll Be in My Heart" performed by Glenn Close and Phil Collins

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

The Rescuers Down Under (1990)


Directed by Hendel Butoy and Mike Gabriel
Written by Jim Cox, Karey Kirkpatrick, Byron Simpson, and Joe Ranft. Based on The Rescuers and Miss Bianca by Margery Sharp
Premiered November 16, 1990
77 minutes
Rated G


Synopsis
In the Australian outback, a young boy named Cody (Adam Ryen) rescues and befriends a majestic giant eagle named Marahute from a trap set by evil poacher Percival C. McLeach (George C. Scott). When Cody himself is captured by McLeach, word gets out to the Rescue Aid Society, an international group of mice who help people (mostly children, it seems) in distress. Top agents--glamourous Hungarian Miss Bianca (Eva Gabor) and her neurotic American boyfriend Bernard (Bob Newhart)--are put on the case. They fly to Australia on the back of albatross Wilbur (John Candy) and are aided by dashing kangaroo rat Jake (Tristan Rogers), who flirts mercilessly with Bianca despite Bernard's several attempts to pop the question.


Before We Begin
Although the dark days of the Disney direct-to-video sequel/prequel/midquel/spin-off is behind us (thank you, John Lasseter), let's travel back to a time when the idea of a Disney sequel was a novel idea...the 1980s. At this point in time, Disney finally decided to produce a sequel to one of their beloved family classics. But which one? Certainly not Snow White, Cinderella, or Sleeping Beauty; those heroines were off living happily ever after. To disrupt their fairy tale endings would be a travesty.

What about Pinocchio, Dumbo, and Bambi? Real boy, reunited with his mother, Prince of the Forest. All coming of age stories. Once the age had come, a sequel would have to follow these three into adulthood and fatherhood and no one wanted to see that, apparently. Lady and the Tramp, 101 Dalmatians, The Aristocats, The Fox and the Hound: All would have to be stories concerning the protagonist's children...which wasn't yet an idea on Disney's radar.

Fantasia, by the 1980s had come to be respected, but I believe the folks at Disney were not feeling all that ambitious about arty shorts set to classical music. Kids wanted their MTV, after all.

Obviously Alice in Wonderland has its own sequel and one of the Peter Pan books has an epilogue where Wendy's daughter goes to Neverland...which Disney eventually used. Perhaps they thought Alice was too out there? Or they used all the good bits in the first movie? Dunno.

The Black Cauldron: HUGE box office disappointment. A sequel wouldn't be the best idea, would it?

The Sword in the Stone: Wart's wife cheats on him with his best friend and he's killed by his bastard son/nephew while his kingdom crumbles.

The Jungle Book: Mowgli becomes a civilized young man, loses the the loincloth and never returns to the jungle.

Robin Hood: King Richard "returns to the throne" and Robin marries Maid Marian. Taxes are lowered, Robin gets to having those dozen kids.

So what does that leave? The Rescuers and The Great Mouse Detective, both adventures about mission bound mouse duos, both easily tailored for sequels. In fact, the two movies end with the protagonists leaving on "another rescue mission/mystery". But The Rescuers had the financial edge over The Great Mouse Detective's mediocre box office draw that will, unfortunately, forever remain in the shadow of Don Bluth's An American Tail.

Despite there being nine books in The Rescuers series by Margery Sharp, Disney opted to write a brand new original adventure where Bernard and Miss Bianca go to Australia.





On a personal note, The Rescuers Down Under was not a childhood staple of mine--much like its predecessor. I saw many previews, because it was released right at the time I started getting my own copies of DAFs. Again, I don't recall my first viewing of this movie, but I for sure watched it in 2006 in my original chronological run. And let me tell you...watching The Rescuers Down Under in between The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast always feels wrong. I know it came out between those movies. I've double checked. It even looks newer than The Little Mermaid...but...the stylistic differences are jarring. Trust me, Disney's 29th animated feature is best viewed far out of the shadows of its 28th and 30th.

Mötley Müsings
• I cheated with this one. I am still randomly picking these movies (out of a drawer in my vanity) but I had two strips of paper with the word "rescuers" written on them. I was always going to do these in chronological order. #sorrynotsorry

• No offense to Australia, but I'll probably never visit there. That is one long ass plane ride.

• Cody. That's such an 80s name.

• Well...some might call that an Australian accent. And those some would be mistaken.

• That is one 80s haircut. I like.

• Wombats!

• "Be careful, little friend." Too bad this nice kangaroo disappears.

• Good majestic score, but I miss that sleepy 70s stuff...

• This looks just fantastic!

• Marahute is a chick. And a mom. And a widow. :-(

• The fluffing is way cute.

• Oh man...just teared up at Marahute's reaction to "Where's the daddy eagle?" My hormones are out of whack.

• Time to pick some nits: I understand why Marahute's not talking is more dramatic and meaningful, but how and why do some animals talk--the kangaroo, the mice--and others don't? Having the villains' toadies (Brutus, Nero, and Joanna) not talk is a way of showing their wickedness, but then Marahute, as a good character should be able to talk...it's all very confusing.

• Does Percival C. McLeach have a C in his name because George C. Scott does? Probably. I mean, they look very similar.

• I like Joanna. Her not talking helps. And she's not pink nor does she have eyelashes to show us she's a girl. I dig it.  Come to think of it, there aren't any feminine signifiers on Marahute either. #feministdisney

• I have a Bernard Christmas ornament from McDonalds!

• Bernard has a cummerbund! So 80s!

• "I don't think of it as a matter of wanting, it's a matter of duty."

• April! I'm getting married in April!

• A mention of Orville... Orville's voice actor Jim Jordan passed away in 1988 so they got John Candy to play his brother. It works.

• "May I just say enchante, senorita to you?"

• Albatross Air: A Fair Fare from Here to There

• "Jolly little holiday" #disneyreferencesdisney

• "Cowabunga!"

• "Non-stop? What I look like? Charles Lindberg?"

• This one is certainly more LOL funny.

• "Albatross? It's a jumbo!"

• "Crazy yank."

• Bra jokes. Nice.

• Yeah...so what's with this creepy mouse hospital?

• All right...you're not married, Bianca, but you're dating so you should mention that to Jake.

• Although unnecessary, this love triangle forces Bernard to stand up for what he wants. And the callback to the way Bernard put his arm around Bianca is a nice touch.

• Oh no. Frank. The irritating lizard thing.

• "Frank will go as...a purse."

• "I feel like I've got my head in a vise."

• I like this Joanna stealing the eggs bit.

• Frank sucks.

• McLeach is a great villain. Damn...I should rank villains and such, shouldn't I?

• Having three "rescuers" really changes the dynamic. Jake is doing too much work and Bernard and Bianca are becoming ciphers.

• Oh right. The rescuers finally meet Cody. It seems rather...whatever at this point. Maybe that's because he was set free and could've gone home. But he's soon to be in trouble again.

• Heh. Wilbur has to sit on the eggs. Gilligan cut.

• Bernard asserts himself!

• Jesus! McLeach is feeding Cody to the crocodiles! Why doesn't he just dump him the desert? He would probably die of dehydration before he make it home. Fuck, man.

• Dude! Bernard just pushed McLeach and Joanna into the Crocodile Falls!

• ...But, of course, McLeach has to fall over a waterfall so Bernard's not a murderer, although he did push him into the water... #greyarea

• Bernard does a lot more than Bianca in this movie. I don't like that.

Final Thoughts
The last time I ranked these movies, I put Down Under just ahead of The Rescuers because it was "less childish" or something. I have a change of opinion. Given the similar premises and same characters, it's easy to compare and contrast these movies but I don't want my "closing statements" to be about why Movie A is better than Movie B.

But they're going to be. I just can't help it.

In The Rescuers, Bernard and Bianca equally do the sleuthing, equally share the action. In Down Under, Bianca is stuck in McLeach's cage thingy for the last part of the movie while Bernard has to save Cody, protect Marahute's eggs, etc. Also, we as the audience feel closer to Bernard since we know he's trying to propose to oblivious Bianca. Our relationship with these characters is no longer balanced.

Even though I like Jake as a character, he horns in on Bianca and Bernard's partnership (business and romantic) and, like I said, it throws off the dynamic. When it comes to Cody vs. Penny, both are resourceful and reasonably likable, but Penny gets the edge because she is more sympathetic. Plus, Cody is adventuresome in his own right while Penny has probably never known life outside Morningside Orphanage; how long could she survive in that bayou? And finally, that score sure is swashbuckling, but my ears prefer those dreamy 70s soft rock diddies from the first movie.

But here's where Down Under wins: the visuals. Duh. Duh. And I prefer Wilbur to Orville because, you know, John Candy. Finally...there's just something extremely appealing about Joanna. Easily one of my favorite villain sidekicks. I was surprised.

As for the proper villains...we'll call that a draw because both Medusa and McLeach are delightfully evil in surprisingly realistic ways. Both use children for financial gain--a big ass diamond and a big ass eagle but Medusa uses more "feminine" manipulation and emotional abuse, while McLeach hangs Cody over crocodile infested waters.

I suppose I could go on, but all you need to know is that I do like The Rescuers Down Under, just slightly less than The Rescuers. I thought it'd be the other way around, honestly, but there you go.

Favorite Character

Joanna

Favorite Moment -- Cody and Marahute's first meeting and flight.
Favorite Song -- N/A

Sunday, October 2, 2016

Fantasia 2000 (1999)


Directed by Don Hahn, Pixote Hunt, Hendel Butoy, Eric Goldberg, James Algar, Francis Glebas, Paul and Gaetan Brizzi
Premiered November 17, 1999
75 minutes
Rated G


Synopsis
A sequel to Disney's 1940 film featuring new animated shorts set to classical music.


Note: With the segmented films, I will be going further into plot points in my motley musings.

Before We Begin
Any Disney fan worth their salt knows how much old Walt loved the idea of setting animation to classical music but few know the original plan was for Fantasia was to be an ever evolving film, released every few years with new sections while old ones were rotated out. But, due to Fantasia being a financial flop and the fact that World War II sucked the European market dry, Disney had to concentrate on other projects. It wasn’t until the early 90’s when Roy E. Disney (Walt’s nephew who appears at the beginning of all those home video release) pushed for his uncle’s dream to be realized.

Originally, "The Nutcracker Suite" (fairies, flowers, and mushrooms), "Dance of the Hours" (ostrich and hippo ballet) and "The Sorcerer’s Apprentice" (Mickey with the wizard's hat) were the only old segments to be included in Fantasia 2000. However, the creative teams were so excited to make new shorts that all but “Apprentice” were cut…lucky for us.

I was one of the very few people to see Fantasia 2000 in theaters. It was actually at the IMAX. I was eleven or twelve and on a Girl Scout trip. I remember feeling conflicted, knowing that I didn't really care for the first Fantasia and I was also getting "too old" for Disney movies. Honestly, I don't recall having an opinion back in 2000.

Mötley Müsings
• No introduction, just some sound bytes and clips from the first Fantasia and straight into....

• Segment #1 -- "Symphony No. 5" written by Ludwig van Beethoven (c. 1804-08)

• This is the "Toccata and Fugue" of Fantasia 2000: abstract images put to music. Shapes resembling butterflies and bats fight with one another in a world of dark vs. light and good vs. evil. Or something.

• Hello, Steve Martin. Thanks for explaining what Fantasia is.

• Hello, Itzhak Perlman. Thanks for introducing the next segment.

• Segment #2 -- "Pines of Rome" written by Ottorino Respighi (1924)

• This one...is the most boring. 90s era CGI whales can fly. Baby whale get separated from his family and then find them again. What?

• This music isn't very memorable, is it? Why did they pick this?

• Hello, Quincy Jones.

• Segment #3 -- "Rhapsody in Blue" written by George Gershwin (1924)

• Yes! YES! This is what I'm talking about! Notable instrumental music that is catchy and has a certain style! This is fun and not stuffy!

• Four stories are told: we follow a construction worker/wannabe jazz drummer, a poor little rich girl, a sadsack unemployed man, and a henpicked husband throughout a day in Depression era New York City.

• Everything is drawn in Al Hirschfeld's style. Great color palette. It LOOKS different from any other Disney animation.

• I want a martini.

• I don't know why the nanny is dressed like it's 1914 though.

• Hello, Bette Midler.

• Segment #4 -- "The Steadfast Tin Soldier" (Piano Concerto No. 2, Allegro, Opus No. 2) written by Dmitri Shostakovich (1957)

• All right! Fairy tales! There's a ballerina doll who is sexually harassed by a giant, evil Jack-in-the-Box and a one legged tin soldier who falls for her and protects her from Jack.

• This plasticy animation looks good since these are toys.

• Ballerina hits Jack with a ball! Active heroine!

• But tin soldier gets sent out into the rain and the sewers.

• This Jack-in-the-Box may be more aggressive than Gaston.

• But he dies a fiery death!

• Hello, James Earl Jones.

• Segment #5 -- "The Carnival of the Animals" written by Camille Saint-Saëns (1886)

• What would happen if you gave a yo-yo to a flock of flamingos? Hilarity! That's what!

• This is so short and light you can't not like it.

• Hello, Penn and Teller.

• Segment #6 -- "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" written by Paul Dukas (1896-97)

• This was the only segment from the original Fantasia to make it into this brand spanking new one. I agree with its inclusion. Mickey in wizard hat is Fantasia.

• Whoa. Mickey talking to both conductors.

• Segment #7 -- "Noah's Ark" (Pomp and Circumstance Marches 1, 2, 3, and 4) written by Edward Elgar (1901-07)

• Hey! I love "Pomp and Circumstance". Not because I love graduations, I just...Well, I can't really explain why, but I do love this piece of music and seeing it in a non-graduation setting is awesome.

• So the plot: Donald Duck is assisting Noah in gathering two of every animal onto his Ark. (Why Donald, I don't know.) He and Daisy are the ducks, but they are separated and both think they are destined to be alone once the flood subsides.

• Bible stories aren't normally Disney's forte (thankfully) so this feels odd.

• Ha. All those bunnies...Somebody was gettin' biz-zay.

• Hello, Angela Lansbury.

• Segment #8 -- "The Firebird Suite" written by Igor Stravinsky (1919)

• Elk gives life to wood sprite who brings life to the forest until she awakens an angry firebird (re: volcano) who destroys all her work.

• This is pretty and stuff.

• Circle of life, yeah, yeah. At least it's not Man's pollution causing all this damage, it is nature destroying nature.

Final Thoughts
I obviously like Fantasia 2000 more than the original. It's shorter. It's less up-its-ass. The contemporary, comic subtext makes it easier for me to enjoy. This isn't your grandpa's intense, stuffy "concert feature." No one's going to rap your knuckles with a ruler if you doze off during "The Rite of Spring." Which I have done.

Still...it's just...meh.

Favorite Character

The Steadfast Tin Soldier

Favorite Segment -- "Rhapsody in Blue"
Favorite Song -- "Pomp and Circumstance"