Quoting my over five-year-old review from amazon.com:
The thing about this adaptation of Li’l Abner is that it manages to capture the light-hearted feel of the strip at the time. Unencumbered by any political or social leanings (in either direction) it gives a sense of Al Capp at his finest. When Li’l Abner and the citizens […]
Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 are two of Disney’s more interesting releases. Originally envisioned by Walt Disney as an “event” (one that you would dress up for, as if going to a real concert), Fantasia was a financial disaster for the company, almost bringing them to ruin.
And it wasn’t all that warmly received critically, either. […]
Viewed November 20, 2006
One way to judge the quality of a film is to judge the quality of its remakes. For The Shop Around the Corner, its progeny couldn’t be of higher quality. Its story of two disparate people who fall in love through the mail was first remade in 1949 as In […]
Viewed November 6, 2006
Donald’s Vacation is a rather uninspired entry in the Donald Duck canon. There’s lots of Donald mucking about in nature, but there is little focus. I got the sense that the guys at Disney just had a bunch of gags lying around and structured this short in order to use […]
Viewed November 2, 2006
Right off the bat, I thought it was funny that Disney put the song “Whistle While You Work” into Billposters. It’s obvious that even back then, Walt was interested in synergy and keeping the memory of Snow White alive in people’s minds. Unfortunately, except for that amusing inclusion, Billposters is […]
Viewed October 23, 2006
Donald really starts to hit his stride here, as the animators have obviously begun to really define what works for him and what doesn’t.
Officer Duck is a nifty crime caper short that has Donald disguising himself as a baby to infiltrate the lair of a wanted criminal, Tiny Tom (essentially the eternal […]
Viewed July 29, 2006
Pony Express Days tells the tale of the brief lifespan of the Pony Express. George Reeves plays Bill Cody and much of the focus of the short is on his desire to ride for the Express. Things come to a head when secession talk in California leads to a desperate […]
Viewed May 19, 2006
The Ghost Breakers is a fun outing starring Bob Hope. It doesn’t exactly break any new ground, but it catches Hope in his full stride, with an excellent supporting cast.
The story revolves around a typical Hope device: the somewhat cowardly dupe caught in the tide of bigger events. In this […]