One aspect I love about streaming services is that they will recommend viewers films and shows that they may not be aware of and Disney+ is no exception. After writing about Pixar’s first short ‘Luxo.Jr’ last week, another short was recommended to me which was ‘Destino’.
‘Destino’ is a 6-minute Disney short film that was released in 2003. However, the short had been in production for 50 years and was a collaboration between Walt Disney and surreal artist Salvador Dali. The film tells the tragic tale of a mortal woman who falls in love with Chronos, the personification of time.
The short was originally storyboarded, and a minute of the film, was animated in 1945. However, due to financial trouble (due to World War 2), production ceased and interest in production decreased even further as the years went on.
The short could be mistaken for an early segment of ‘Fantasia’ and it’s not surprising that Roy Disney was also working on ‘Fantastia 2000’ at the same time as completing this in 1999. To furthermore help its authenticity, John Hench was brought in as the main artist…whom had worked on the original storyboards in the 1940’s. The abstract visuals are accompanied by the song ‘Destino’ which was performed by Dora Luz and recorded before the film started production in the 1940’s. While the studio, at the same time, loathed the quality of the recording, I think it works with the surreal visuals and helps give the film a dream-like portrayal.
The symbolism that is portrayed by each of Dali’s art pieces is something to admire as well. The various landscapes of the film’s setting constantly change to show the two characters that they could never be together; they are complete opposites in terms of how much time they’ll have with each other. It’s tragic but beautiful.
Streaming services can recommend viewers the most obscure or interesting films and shows but, in some cases, it can recommend a piece of history. This was a collaboration that I was not aware of but am glad I watched. While the transitions between shots is a little frustrating, it’s a small complaint given that this project nearly didn’t see completion at all, and this was the best way that it could be finished and connected together.
While I would recommend ‘Destino’, I would mainly recommend this to anyone with an interest in film and animation history, or if you are wanting to see something that’s different from modern animations. This is a short film that will not be for everyone, and that’s ok. Whether it’s liked or not, it’s still a piece of Disney history that was nearly forgotten about.
Pixar is one of the leading companies in the CGI animation industry and have created numerous beloved and award-winning films that I not only love but are loved around the world. So, it may come as a surprise that I have never seen their very first short film ‘Luxo Jr.’.
‘Luxo Jr.’ is a 2-minute short, following two desk lamps. In the film the smallest lamp, Luxo Jr., excitedly finds a small bouncy ball. However, in its excitement, breaks it. Feeling guilty, it then hops offscreen and manages to find another, bigger, ball.
The short is essentially a comedy skit as well as a demonstration of what the company could create so they could earn financial backing to get Pixar off the ground. And, for a first animated short, it’s extremely impressive. Even 30 years later, the models still look incredible and life-like. Even the lighting still looks fantastic.
Overall, this was a window into what was to be expected of Pixar, in terms of quality. Furthermore, it was a window into how they’d animate inanimate objects to have feelings (a technique that was used for their first feature-length film ‘Toy Story’). The lamps don’t talk, so only communicate through whistling and body language. Again, the latter was important to get right and was later incorporated into 2008’s ‘Wall-E’.
The short is also important because it gave way to two Pixar staples. The first one to note is Luxo Jr. itself, which would become the company’s mascot; the logo in this short is a grey square with a small circle in it. Even the act of the lamp jumping onto the ball and deflating it would be used for Pixar’s opening logo sequence, replacing the ball with the letter ‘I’ in the company name.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4NPQ8mfKU0
Even the whistling sounds as it bounces have stayed throughout the decades. Another aspect to note is the small ball that is deflated (now known as the ‘Luxo Ball’). While it doesn’t appear in everyPixar film, the yellow and blue ball has made numerous appearances, most recently in 2020’s ‘Onward’.
If you have 2 minutes to spare, and want to see some Pixar history, then I would recommend ‘Luxo Jr.’. For a demonstration of the animator’s skills, it said a lot to what they could achieve, and opened a window into what they would be capable of doing.
I have previously voiced my opinion on Disney’s current plan of remaking its classic films into live action pieces. A couple of these remakes have worked, while most have failed miserably. And Disney seem to show no sign of stopping; one of their rumoured remakes is the 1973 film ‘Robin Hood’.
‘Robin Hood’ is the story of Robin Hood of Nottingham, who steals from the rich to give to the poor. All while the Sheriff of Nottingham and Prince John try to put an end to his actions, and constantly prey on the poor. However, in true Disney fashion, the characters are all animals.
I am disappointed to hear the rumours of this film potentially getting the live action treatment as this was one of my favourite Disney films growing up, and still is. The characters and hand drawn animation, that is recognizable with early Disney films, are charming. However, the film is also good at displaying its settings differently depending on which character is onscreen. For example, when Little John and Robin Hood are onscreen, their surroundings become a little brighter, while the Sheriff brings a certain darkness to his scenes. Furthermore, this darkness is both light-wise and tonally.
While ‘Robin Hood’ has its humorous moments, it can also contain some dark scenes too. An example is when Friar Tuck is being arrested after fighting the Sheriff of Nottingham. Their surroundings are dark and gloomy, and the scenario takes place during a rainstorm, adding to the gloominess. This was a scene that upset me greatly as a child, as I didn’t fully understand the idea of good vs evil at that age and couldn’t comprehend why the Friar was being taken to jail. Like previously mentioned, the film didn’t shy away from the fact that Prince John was a ruthless and terrifying leader that reigned with an iron fist.
But, like previously mentioned, the film does contain humour to balance out the darkness. The constant joke of Prince John feeling guilty over his mother is always hilarious; to see a ruthless prince suddenly start acting childish at the drop of a hat is satisfying to watch.
And even his companion Sir Hiss (whom, yes, is a snake) brings a lot of comic relief to the film which is much needed at times. The film has a lack of songs compared to a previously released Disney film, but the decreased amount works perfectly here. ‘Robin Hood’ is focused more on storytelling and character development, so a full soundtrack of songs wouldn’t have worked here.
While this can be viewed as bland, I would respectfully disagree. ‘Robin Hood’ showed audiences that Disney could still tell a compelling story, with good action scenes and lovable characters. Furthermore, it showed that Disney could still create a fantastic animated film after the death of Walt Disney. I also have fond childhood memories of this film, and it still holds up nowadays and is still one of my favourite Disney films.
This Saturday marks my favourite holiday: Halloween! And, while this year will be different, I will still be carving a Pumpkin, dressing up and watching horror films. However, this is a Disney article, so horror films aren’t an option here. But that doesn’t mean I can’t write about a Halloween-themed film!
Originally, I was going to write a review on ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ which is one of my favourite Tim Burton films. However, I have seen this film so many times to the point of knowing the script by heart, so wanted to pick something different. And, after noticing how fondly some people speak of ‘Hocus Pocus’, I decided to watch this film instead.
‘Hocus Pocus’ was a Disney live-action film that was released in 1993. After teenager, Max, moves to Salem and accidently awakens three 17th century witches, he, his sister Dani, his love interest Allison and a talking cat try to stop the witches from casting a spell over the town to regain their youth.
Admittedly, I have seen this film before, but when I was little. Therefore, the only thing I remember was the cat and the song ‘Come Little Children’ that is performed by one of the witches. However, after watching the film, I would definitely call this a perfect family Halloween film. Set during Halloween night, the film includes all the hallmarks of the seasonal holiday: a spooky house in the woods, cauldrons, a black cat, trick or treating and three evil witches, The Sanderson Sisters!
The Sanderson Sisters, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy and Bette Midler, are fantastic as evil and creepy witch siblings, who now must adjust to the modern world for 24 hours, after being awoken 300 years later. Their view on the modern world brings in most of the film’s jokes, but they all bring in a serious tone, even from the opening scene. The idea of a child being sucked of her life so that the witches can regain their youth, to the child’s brother then being into a talking cat that is immortal is terrifying…and that’s just the opening scene! The portrayal of them is also almost animalistic; they’re mythical creatures that have literally been to Hell and back; they’re not supposed to be human. They can smell children and will hunt them in order to regain their youth, and that, in itself, is scary. However, they are siblings and have disagreements and fights, which gives them an oddly relatable charm, even if you don’t agree with their actions.
Unfortunately, the film’s only issue is Max, the main character, played by Omri Katz. He starts as an annoying moody teenager, who hates his move from L.A to Salem, to someone that is solely responsible for awakening the witches. And, while he learns to like his sister Dani, he doesn’t really grow too much as a person. It’s a shame that he’s the main character because he ruins this film to an extent. Another issue, which is more of a small nitpick, is the CGI revolving around the cat whenever he speaks; it looks very cartoon-like. However, this was released in 1993, where CGI was not as mastered as it is nowadays so, like previously mentioned, this is a minor nitpick.
Overall, ‘Hocus Pocus’ is a fun and perfect family Halloween film. While its main issue is the lead character, what brings it to life is The Sanderson Sisters and its fun story and spooky setting of Salem. The film oozes Halloween and would make for a perfect spooky, but safe, film for kids to watch during the holiday. Light the Pumpkin, dim the lights and enjoy!
PLEASE NOTE: THE LAST PARAGRAPH WILL BE DISCUSSING THE ENDING, SO THERE WILL BE SPOILERS THERE!
Pixar’s most recent animated feature ‘Onward’ was released in UK cinemas at a strange time. Me and my family were about to go into shielding due to two of us being in high risk groups for COVID-19, which meant that I never got a chance to see this Pixar film in cinema. However, after hearing that the film went to Disney+ in the USA in March, it was only a matter of time before it came here too.
‘Onward’ imagines a world in which mythical creatures lived on Earth and evolved technologically, much like humans. After young elf Ian receives a wizard staff and a resurrection spell from his late Father, he attempts to use this to bring him back for one day. However, it goes wrong leading to him and his older brother, Barley, to go on a quest to retrieve another phoenix gem to bring their father back to life fully for one day.
While it has flaws, this is easily one of my favourite Pixar films. The concept is an aspect that I immediately like; while I wasn’t a huge fan of the Netflix film ‘Bright’, I loved the concept for that too, and I couldn’t help but think of that film whilst watching this. However, the execution of this idea is done better. The lead characters Ian and Barley, (voiced by Chris Pratt and Tom Holland – Guardians of the Galaxy, Spiderman Homecoming/Far From Home) are likable and interesting. They both have their own reasons for wanting to reunite with their Father: Ian has never known him, while Barley feels guilty for not spending enough time with him. They’re also opposites: Barley’s confident but always gets into trouble, while Ian is a shy and unconfident teenager, who’s scared of his own shadow. Yet, the dynamic between them works extremely well. While Barley may get himself into trouble, he loves his little brother and will always look out for him. As the older sibling, I related the most to Barley, and some of his memories resonated with me personally, which was unexpected. Their dialogue also worked perfectly; it helped that Chris Pratt and Tom Holland have previously collaborated in the past. They’ve had time to get to know each other, so the dialogue comes off as natural. The lesson I took away from this is to never compare yourself to other people, because you will never find out who you really are. Ian wants to be like his Dad but, in doing so, he’s not finding out what he’s really capable of until he goes on the road trip with Barley. It’s a wonderful and important lesson and one that I was taught at a young age.
‘Onward’ isn’t all sentimental and emotional however; it has its comedic moments too, which mainly come from the world that has been adapted to modern times, and the Father, whom is only a pair of jeans and shoes due to the spell not finishing. This particular character is an example of great comedic timing without the use of dialogue. Throughout the film, the Father does not utter a single word, but he brings comic relief to the film via his movements. It’s simple yet fantastic. However, my favourite scene would have to be in The Manticore Tavern, which was once a bar belonging to a fearsome Manticore monster (comprised of a Lion, Dragon and Scorpion), and has now become a Chuck. E. Cheese-style restaurant. The Manticore is also hilarious and brings into question whether some of the creatures are happy with the direction the world has gotten to.
However, I do have a couple of issues with the film, mainly with the ending. If you have not seen ‘Onward’, then I would recommend it. The animation is not Pixar’s best; it’s very reminiscent of ‘The Good Dinosaur’. The animation looks nice, but it’s not ground-breaking. However, the lead characters and concept are what makes this film enjoyable.
These last two paragraphs will be discussing the ending and other aspects that I would deem as spoilers for ‘Onward’.
The first point is more of an annoyance than an actual complaint. The film begins with a narration, presumably told by the Father, however this narration is unnecessary, due to the fact that this speech is repeated 10-15 minutes later by Ian. The speech is revealed to be a letter written by their Father, which contains the Wizard staff and resurrection spell. But this is more of an annoyance than a complaint, like previously mentioned.
The main aspect that I was unsure about was the ending. It is told that, if you retrieve another gem to finish the resurrection spell, a curse is unleashed that can only be destroyed by a specific sword. Barley unleashes the curse, and Ian eventually defeats the curse. However, Barley chooses to stay behind and finish the spell, while Ian chooses to defeat the curse, which is a distance away. This leads to Ian not meeting his Father because he gets stuck under the rubble that the curse was made from. I was unsure of this because Ian should’ve stayed to finish the spell, as he was the one who had never met his Father before, and Barley had had the chance to spend time with him. However, at the same time, Barley felt guilty because he backed out of saying goodbye to him at the hospital due to fear. Like previously mentioned, both brothers had good reasons for wanting to see him again, however, I think Ian should not have told Barley to stay behind; Ian should’ve stayed behind instead to finally his parent for the first time.
