I was two when The Little Mermaid came out and twelve when Tarzan was released. My childhood was built on the Disney Renaissance, the period of films made between 1989 and 1999.
The Little Mermaid (1989).
This is by far my favorite Disney film and always has been. I saw it in theaters, though I don't remember, and I'm so excited to see it when it's rereleased in 2013, marking it's second theatrical return. I broke my VHS of this when I was five from watching it too much.
This movie has such much going for it. Firstly, it's about a fucking mermaid. Bomb. She's a redhead with fabulous 80s bangs (lol). She's kind of a brat, but girls just find her to be sassy and outspoken. Jody Benson's voice is absolutely amazing and the songs are beautiful. My favorite is the 'Part of Your World (Reprise)' when Ariel is singing on the rock and the waves spay up around her. It's my favorite part of the film.
I had a Little Mermaid backpack, bedsheets, and framed pictures. I have none of it anymore, which is sad. I also had the singing Ariel doll.
The majority of my Disney collection is on VHS and I own the original 'penis' case to this film. XD
The Rescuers Down Under (1990).
Honestly, not one of my favorites. I don't own it and I don't plan to, though I may purchase it's predecessor. There's nothing really wrong with this movie, Roger and Bianca just weren't characters I 'clicked' with. When I was young I had this problem with a lot of Disney films that had adult-like characters as the main leads, like 101 Dalmatians, The Great Mouse Detective, or Sleeping Beauty.
Beauty and the Beast (1991).
This film was the second by Disney (after The Rescuers Down Under) to use CAPS, a computer animation software created by Pixar (who had yet to create Toy Story). The animation is so rich because they could use so much more color and they could use the background in a way they never had before. That's why they show so many wide spaces in the film, I think, and it's great.
My favorite part though, I think, is the stained window scene in the beginning. I always thought that was so pretty. Though, I do think it's pretty mean of the enchantress to punish everyone in the castle for what the prince did.
I like how Belle is a strong female character. I hate it when people say the only difference is that she's a brunette who reads. It's completely wrong. She went after her father, stood up alone against crowds, had compassion and thoughts. She refused to do what was expected even though it would have been easier for her.
I don't think Gaston should have died at the end.
Aladdin (1992).
I really didn't care for this movie too much as a child. It focused too much on 'the boy' for my taste. I was very much a Disney princess girl. (I did enjoy the sequel a fair bit though.) However, as an adult I enjoy this movie much more.
'Prince Ali' is probably in my top five Disney songs I listen to most. It's definitely not one of the best composed or the best sung, but it's fucking awesome. It's got such a great beat and it's so funny and dance-y. XD I listen to it a lot more than I probably should.
Jafar is a great, unapologetic villain. I consider him the male equivalent of Maleficent. And I love Iago. Who doesn't love Mr. Peabody as a Disney 'villain'? I really love the Sultan and how he's a good guy who really loves his daughter, but gets taken advantage of.
And I think the animation involving the Cave of Wonders and the magic carpet ride are fantastic.
The Lion King (1994).
Ahhh, The Lion King. It's a favorite of everyone, if not everyone's favorite. Elton John wrote the soundtrack and it's beautifully sung. My favorite song is the opening, 'The Circle of Life'. At my elementary school, we sang Disney songs at our spring concert and I know every word to 'I Just Can't Wait to Be King' thanks to that. I also had the privilege of seeing this film in theaters when it was originally released. I still remember the tingle I felt up my spine when the title comes on after the opening song. The loud resounding boom in the theater reminds me of my childhood.
This film has everything. A great soundtrack, a love story, comedy, tragedy. An amazing villain in Scar. I absolutely love 'Be Prepared' and it's sequence now. As a child, it scared me. And I can see why. There are very strong references to Nazi Germany in it, but it's so amazing done.
I also love the sequel this film. And I've had the privilege of seeing the Broadway play twice. Beautiful both times.
Pocahontas (1995).
Again, not one of my favorites as a child, but one of my absolute favorites when I grew older. I think there was just too much of a storyline for me at the age of nine. There's so much there and for a young child, it can be hard to sit through the whole thing.
The soundtrack on this is just . . . sooooo good. My favorite song is actually not 'Colours of the Wind', despite how great that is, but 'Just Around the Riverbend'. I love everything about her voice in that song and the beautiful, fast melody. The sequence to 'Colors', however, is the best in the film. It has such a strong message about environment, as well as not judging people.
The end always has me in goosebumps. This is also a strong warrior princess, who stops a war.
(I'm also watching this film right now.)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996).
This film definitely shouldn't have been rated G, but it is one of the greatest Disney films of all time, in my opinion. The soundtrack on this film is beyond brilliant. My favorite is a tie between 'Heaven's Light/Hellfire' and 'The Bells of Notre Dame'. The latter is the opening to the film and it tells the story, as sung by Clopper.
All of the songs tie into each other with the music and there are quite often direct responses to other songs. It's so amazing and the songs are such bold, epic piece.
The story itself is so dramatic and sad and heartbreaking. They make very bold statements in the film about outcasts, politics, religion, etc. I love that they purposefully cast an actress with an 'atypical' voice to play Esmerelda because I think it made her character that much more authentic. I love how sexual her character actually is. There's nothing in it that I think is at all offensive or bad for children, but when adults watch it, they see that and it develops her character.
But I think it's shitty Quasi didn't end up with her. (No, I didn't watch the sequel and I shan't.)
Hercules (1997).
Whoever decided that a film based on a Greek myth should be matched with black Gospel music should be given sainthood or something. I love the songs the Muses sing in this film. The voices and the songs. There's such feeling and passion in them. I absolutely love hearing them harmonize. My favorite song in this film is 'I Won't Say I'm in Love' and I played it constantly when I had a crush on my art teacher junior year. (Embarrassing.)
I remember noticing the animation in this film was different and how fitting it was for being a Greek myth story. I loved Meg's curves, her dress, and how sexy she was. I was ten when this film came out and I wanted to be her. Of course, I perceived her sexiness as turning my head over my shoulder when I spoke and wearing my hair in a side ponytail.
And Hades is just . . . James Woods as a Disney villain. He's so fucking funny and one of my favorite parts of the film is when the Titans accidentally freeze him. 'Not me. The yutz with the horse.' He's just amazingly hilarious.
Mulan (1998).
I remember seeing the Christina Aguilera mini music video for this on Disney just before the film was released. And I saw this in theaters. I remember the preview and how fucking epic it was. They had such an amazingly animated, dark scene set with this adventurous music that made you aware shit was going to happen.
Mulan is by far one of the strongest Disney heroines (not a Disney princess). She protected her father, saved China, became stronger than everyone in her platoon, was smart and resourceful, and still managed to have a sense of humor.
Oh, btw, Eddie Murphy is the dragon and there's a lucky cricket. XD The songs in this are so good and I honestly don't know if I can pick one favorite. I think everyone loves the scene where Mulan is getting pretty, but I honestly kind of like her as a man. I think she's cute. Is that weird? I kind of hate how we always see her in that pretty dress when she spent most of the film fight in men's clothes.
Tarzan (1999).
I was a Backstreet Boys fan when this film came out, so I refused to the listen to the 'Trashing the Camp' song. So embarrassing. Phil Collins did this soundtrack and he did it beautifully. I don't know if my favorite song is 'Strangers Like Me' or 'Two Worlds'. I do know the scene to the former is my favorite of the two. They show so much and Jane is amazing.
I still think Jane is one of the prettiest Disney heroines. She has such a pretty full face and lips. She was always smiling and so nice. I wanted to be her so bad. I thought it must be wonderful to be able to wear those pretty dresses and hike through the jungle.
Tarzan and his friends are such an amazing cast of characters and I love watching the scenes where they're all kids at the beginning. Sadly, my mother always ruins this movie by pointing out that Tarzan could not mate with the women and so he can't be a pack leader at the end. Grrr. Bad mommy.
So, those are my condensed thoughts on the Disney Renaissance films. I'll be doing one of these until I eventually get to most of them.
What are your thoughts?
The Little Mermaid (1989).
This is by far my favorite Disney film and always has been. I saw it in theaters, though I don't remember, and I'm so excited to see it when it's rereleased in 2013, marking it's second theatrical return. I broke my VHS of this when I was five from watching it too much.
This movie has such much going for it. Firstly, it's about a fucking mermaid. Bomb. She's a redhead with fabulous 80s bangs (lol). She's kind of a brat, but girls just find her to be sassy and outspoken. Jody Benson's voice is absolutely amazing and the songs are beautiful. My favorite is the 'Part of Your World (Reprise)' when Ariel is singing on the rock and the waves spay up around her. It's my favorite part of the film.
I had a Little Mermaid backpack, bedsheets, and framed pictures. I have none of it anymore, which is sad. I also had the singing Ariel doll.
The majority of my Disney collection is on VHS and I own the original 'penis' case to this film. XD
The Rescuers Down Under (1990).
Honestly, not one of my favorites. I don't own it and I don't plan to, though I may purchase it's predecessor. There's nothing really wrong with this movie, Roger and Bianca just weren't characters I 'clicked' with. When I was young I had this problem with a lot of Disney films that had adult-like characters as the main leads, like 101 Dalmatians, The Great Mouse Detective, or Sleeping Beauty.
Beauty and the Beast (1991).
This film was the second by Disney (after The Rescuers Down Under) to use CAPS, a computer animation software created by Pixar (who had yet to create Toy Story). The animation is so rich because they could use so much more color and they could use the background in a way they never had before. That's why they show so many wide spaces in the film, I think, and it's great.
My favorite part though, I think, is the stained window scene in the beginning. I always thought that was so pretty. Though, I do think it's pretty mean of the enchantress to punish everyone in the castle for what the prince did.
I like how Belle is a strong female character. I hate it when people say the only difference is that she's a brunette who reads. It's completely wrong. She went after her father, stood up alone against crowds, had compassion and thoughts. She refused to do what was expected even though it would have been easier for her.
I don't think Gaston should have died at the end.
Aladdin (1992).
I really didn't care for this movie too much as a child. It focused too much on 'the boy' for my taste. I was very much a Disney princess girl. (I did enjoy the sequel a fair bit though.) However, as an adult I enjoy this movie much more.
'Prince Ali' is probably in my top five Disney songs I listen to most. It's definitely not one of the best composed or the best sung, but it's fucking awesome. It's got such a great beat and it's so funny and dance-y. XD I listen to it a lot more than I probably should.
Jafar is a great, unapologetic villain. I consider him the male equivalent of Maleficent. And I love Iago. Who doesn't love Mr. Peabody as a Disney 'villain'? I really love the Sultan and how he's a good guy who really loves his daughter, but gets taken advantage of.
And I think the animation involving the Cave of Wonders and the magic carpet ride are fantastic.
The Lion King (1994).
Ahhh, The Lion King. It's a favorite of everyone, if not everyone's favorite. Elton John wrote the soundtrack and it's beautifully sung. My favorite song is the opening, 'The Circle of Life'. At my elementary school, we sang Disney songs at our spring concert and I know every word to 'I Just Can't Wait to Be King' thanks to that. I also had the privilege of seeing this film in theaters when it was originally released. I still remember the tingle I felt up my spine when the title comes on after the opening song. The loud resounding boom in the theater reminds me of my childhood.
This film has everything. A great soundtrack, a love story, comedy, tragedy. An amazing villain in Scar. I absolutely love 'Be Prepared' and it's sequence now. As a child, it scared me. And I can see why. There are very strong references to Nazi Germany in it, but it's so amazing done.
I also love the sequel this film. And I've had the privilege of seeing the Broadway play twice. Beautiful both times.
Pocahontas (1995).
Again, not one of my favorites as a child, but one of my absolute favorites when I grew older. I think there was just too much of a storyline for me at the age of nine. There's so much there and for a young child, it can be hard to sit through the whole thing.
The soundtrack on this is just . . . sooooo good. My favorite song is actually not 'Colours of the Wind', despite how great that is, but 'Just Around the Riverbend'. I love everything about her voice in that song and the beautiful, fast melody. The sequence to 'Colors', however, is the best in the film. It has such a strong message about environment, as well as not judging people.
The end always has me in goosebumps. This is also a strong warrior princess, who stops a war.
(I'm also watching this film right now.)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996).
This film definitely shouldn't have been rated G, but it is one of the greatest Disney films of all time, in my opinion. The soundtrack on this film is beyond brilliant. My favorite is a tie between 'Heaven's Light/Hellfire' and 'The Bells of Notre Dame'. The latter is the opening to the film and it tells the story, as sung by Clopper.
All of the songs tie into each other with the music and there are quite often direct responses to other songs. It's so amazing and the songs are such bold, epic piece.
The story itself is so dramatic and sad and heartbreaking. They make very bold statements in the film about outcasts, politics, religion, etc. I love that they purposefully cast an actress with an 'atypical' voice to play Esmerelda because I think it made her character that much more authentic. I love how sexual her character actually is. There's nothing in it that I think is at all offensive or bad for children, but when adults watch it, they see that and it develops her character.
But I think it's shitty Quasi didn't end up with her. (No, I didn't watch the sequel and I shan't.)
Hercules (1997).
Whoever decided that a film based on a Greek myth should be matched with black Gospel music should be given sainthood or something. I love the songs the Muses sing in this film. The voices and the songs. There's such feeling and passion in them. I absolutely love hearing them harmonize. My favorite song in this film is 'I Won't Say I'm in Love' and I played it constantly when I had a crush on my art teacher junior year. (Embarrassing.)
I remember noticing the animation in this film was different and how fitting it was for being a Greek myth story. I loved Meg's curves, her dress, and how sexy she was. I was ten when this film came out and I wanted to be her. Of course, I perceived her sexiness as turning my head over my shoulder when I spoke and wearing my hair in a side ponytail.
And Hades is just . . . James Woods as a Disney villain. He's so fucking funny and one of my favorite parts of the film is when the Titans accidentally freeze him. 'Not me. The yutz with the horse.' He's just amazingly hilarious.
Mulan (1998).
I remember seeing the Christina Aguilera mini music video for this on Disney just before the film was released. And I saw this in theaters. I remember the preview and how fucking epic it was. They had such an amazingly animated, dark scene set with this adventurous music that made you aware shit was going to happen.
Mulan is by far one of the strongest Disney heroines (not a Disney princess). She protected her father, saved China, became stronger than everyone in her platoon, was smart and resourceful, and still managed to have a sense of humor.
Oh, btw, Eddie Murphy is the dragon and there's a lucky cricket. XD The songs in this are so good and I honestly don't know if I can pick one favorite. I think everyone loves the scene where Mulan is getting pretty, but I honestly kind of like her as a man. I think she's cute. Is that weird? I kind of hate how we always see her in that pretty dress when she spent most of the film fight in men's clothes.
Tarzan (1999).
I was a Backstreet Boys fan when this film came out, so I refused to the listen to the 'Trashing the Camp' song. So embarrassing. Phil Collins did this soundtrack and he did it beautifully. I don't know if my favorite song is 'Strangers Like Me' or 'Two Worlds'. I do know the scene to the former is my favorite of the two. They show so much and Jane is amazing.
I still think Jane is one of the prettiest Disney heroines. She has such a pretty full face and lips. She was always smiling and so nice. I wanted to be her so bad. I thought it must be wonderful to be able to wear those pretty dresses and hike through the jungle.
Tarzan and his friends are such an amazing cast of characters and I love watching the scenes where they're all kids at the beginning. Sadly, my mother always ruins this movie by pointing out that Tarzan could not mate with the women and so he can't be a pack leader at the end. Grrr. Bad mommy.
So, those are my condensed thoughts on the Disney Renaissance films. I'll be doing one of these until I eventually get to most of them.
What are your thoughts?