Starring Keisha Knight-Pullman, Phylicia Rashad, Dorian Heywood, and Anthony Newley
Directed by Debbie Allen
Music and Lyrics by various
Polly was one of the biggest hits to run under the banner of The Magical World of Disney. It proved to be so successful, a sequel with almost the entire original cast turned up a year later. Is it just as much fun, or should it be left behind? Let's begin on the road, as Jimmy Bean (Brandon Quintin Adams) waits for his best friend Polly Whittier to return from the hospital in Atlanta, and find out...
The Story: Polly's not the only one arriving in Harrington that day. The new British head of the orphanage Dabney Mayhew (Newley) also arrives that day, and gets quite a shock when the majority of the children in his charge turn out to be black. Polly's Aunt Polly (Rashad), who hired him, sets him straight quickly. Other problems aren't as easily dealt with. Mayhew wants to turn the orphans into "gentlemen," which basically means getting them uniforms and drilling them in manners. Jimmy convinces Polly to run away with him to Atlanta to get Elvis Presley's autograph. Polly's more interested in convincing Dr. Shannon (Heywood) to come home and start seeing Aunt Polly again. Aunt Polly, Mayhew, and Reverend Gillis (Larry Reilly) go after them...and arrive just in time for tragedy to strike Jimmy.
Even when they do get Jimmy home, the town is a hotbed of intrigue. Harrington is having its first open election to find out which of their two mayors should remain in office. Meanwhile, Polly is thrilled when Dr. Shannon comes back with them...but Mayhew's not as happy when he learns Shannon's to observe him, and the orphanage may be shut down and turned into a subdivision.
The Song and Dance: Once again, the charming cast mostly carries the day. Newley is the best of the new additions as the school teacher who is at first offended by his pupils, then becomes one of their biggest advocates after he gets to know them and the town. Pullman may be even more adorable here, especially when she's by Jimmy's side hoping he'll talk to her again.
Favorite Number: The opening "Comin' Home" winds in almost the entire cast as they celebrate Polly's return from the hospital in Atlanta. The now-pregnant Nancy (Vanessa Bell Calloway) reminds Polly that "You've Got a Family" that loves her no matter what. Newley leads the orphans through a stuffy dance routine to remind them that "What a Gentleman Does" is behave like a "real man." (It ends prematurely with Aunt Polly and Polly almost literally falling into it after they were listening in!) Polly dreams about "Hot 'Lanta, GA," complete with fog and dark lighting and dynamic dancers in slinky bare costumes, right before she runs away with Jimmy.
Mayor Warren (Ken Page), Nancy's husband George (T.K Carter), and barber Mr. Tarbell (George Anthony join the townspeople in claiming it's "A Distinct Possibility" that the mayor may be ousted. "I Can't Hear My Heart" is the big romantic duet for Dr. Shannon and Aunt Polly as they realize how much they mean to each other; "Show Me the Way" is the chorus number for the townspeople after everyone realizes that races can live in harmony, and people weren't meant to rule alone.
What I Don't Like: First of all, what happened to Mr. Pendergast? He's not even mentioned. Brock Peters is one of the only major actors from the first film who doesn't appear here. Second, the story is even more maudlin here than in the first film. The entire sequence with Jimmy and Polly running off to Atlanta in particular is contrived and ridiculously melodramatic. Polly's dark dream sequence, nifty dance routine aside, seems to have come from a different movie entirely, or maybe a music video of the early 90's. With Menken working on Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, the songs were written by several different songwriters and lost both their distinctive edge and their doo wop pastiche sound and are now annoyingly generic, especially the modern-sounding "I Can't Hear My Heart."
The Big Finale: If you enjoyed the first film. you'll find just as much to love in this one.
Home Media: Same deal as the first film - only released on DVD as part of the Disney Movie Club in 2008 and now out of print and expensive. You're better off looking for this one used.
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