A Salute to the Sherman Brothers - A Symposium on Popular Songs

Disney, 1962

Voices of Paul Frees, Gloria Wood, Skip Farrell, and Billy Storm

Directed by Bill Justice

Music and Lyrics by the Sherman Brothers

This is in honor of Richard Sherman, who passed away on Wednesday. Symposium was one of their earlier projects at Disney, made just a year after Walt was impressed with their hits "Tall Paul" and "Pineapple Princess" for Annette Funicello and hired them. They looked into their own past with this unique 20-minute featurette as they recalled the styles of music their own songwriter father Al Sherman created in the 30's and 40's. 

This would also the be the first and only theatrical short for Professor Ludwig Von Drake, a talkative duck who was more commonly seen on The Wonderful World of Color TV show. Does Von Drake do as well with his hosting duties on the big screen as he did on NBC in the 1960's? Let's begin with Von Drake inviting us into the enormous mansion that houses the Symposium and find out...

The Story: Professor Von Drake explains the history of popular music and claims he more-or-less invented it, via 7 songs ranging from ragtime in the early 1910's to then-current rock.

Animation: While not the best they ever did, the Professor generally looks and moves a bit better here than he does on his episodes. The opening with the elegantly sketchy blue mansion is especially nice. The music segments are done as stop-motion and look unique for Disney, with their adorably cut-out-paper, hand-drawn look. 

The Song and Dance: If you know anything about the history of popular music up to the early 60's or are familiar with Von Drake's other shorts, this is really cute. Von Drake has some genuinely funny moments, including his rollicking take on rock in the finale. All of the stop-motion is pretty nifty, but the opening "Rutabaga Rag" with the dancing vegetables are definitely the coolest. 

Favorite Number: The Professor opens by claiming he created ragtime because he was broke and in rags when he did it. This takes us to our first number, "The Rutabaga Rag," with actual fruit and vegetables dancing to the ragtime beat. "Charleston Charlie" takes us into the Roaring 20's as the Professor recalls the days of raccoon coats and Betty-Booping flappers. He claims the name of the song was originally "Louisville Ludwig," but what we hear is a Dixieland satire performed by a cut-out booping cutie. 

"Although I Dropped $1,000" spoofs the cheer-up ditties of the early 30's that the Shermans' father Al specialized in, and even mentions a few of them. "I'm Blue for You, Boo Boo Boo" jumps to later in the 30's as we're introduced to a line-drawing version of crooners like Bing Crosby. "The Boogie Woogie Bakery Man" has fun with the Andrews Sisters and the close-harmony numbers they performed during World War II. "Puppy Love Is Here to Stay" is a homage to the more innocent brand of pop music that was big with teenagers during the early-mid 50's, while the Professor's "Rock, Rumble, and Roar" finishes things off with the rock that was just coming back into fashion.

Trivia: Nominated for Best Short Subject in 1963.

Though this is the only theatrical short featuring Professor Ludwig Von Drake to date, he continues to be used on TV, usually as a brainy absent-minded professor type on Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck-based shows. 

What I Don't Like: Let's discuss "Boogie Woogie Bakery Man." The lyrics that reference Orientals and stereotypical treatment of the Chinese is in line with the time period being depicted and the early 60's, but song and artwork come off as dated and a bit offensive for many people nowadays. In fact, a lot of the references in the songs will likely fly over the head of younger kids who would enjoy watching Von Drake do his routines, and many adults who would be interested in the music and animation might get irritated by Von Drake's constant chatter. 

The Big Finale: Truth be told, while the Shermans' songs are a lot of fun, I don't think the Professor was quite ready for his theatrical close-up. Recommended only for major fans of Disney, Von Drake, or the Shermans. 

Home Media: To date, this has only been released on DVD as part of the limited edition Walt Disney Treasures set Disney Rarities, which is insanely expensive on Amazon. You're far better off looking for this used or on YouTube.

DVD - Disney Rarities: Celebrated Shorts, 1920's - 1960's

YouTube

Animation Celebration Saturday - The Sword In the Stone

Disney, 1963

Voices of Sebastian Cabot, Karl Swenson, Rickie Sorensen, and Junius Matthews

Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman

Music and Lyrics by Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman

Let's travel to merry old England for something a little less hectic. T.H White's novel about Arthur before he became king was optioned by Disney way back in 1939, but Disney didn't really get to working on it until the 1950's. Walt finally approved of it after the success of the stage musical Camelot in 1960. It took so long, the boy they originally had playing Arthur went into puberty and was replaced by Reitherman's sons. How well do they all do with the story of how Arthur goes from a kitchen boy to king of England? We begin with a lovely book and a narrator (Cabot) explaining about the legend of the Sword In the Stone and why the kingdom is at war as we find out...

The Story: Arthur, or "Wart," (Sorensen and Reitherman) literally falls into the home of Merlin the Wizard (Swenson) while searching for his adopted brother Kay's (Norman Alden) lost arrow. Merlin and his highly educated owl Archimedes (Matthews) go home with him, to the annoyance of Arthur's guardian Sir Ector (Cabot), who doesn't trust magic of any kind. Merlin wants to teach Arthur everything he'll need to know as an adult, and turns him into a fish and a squirrel to do it. Turning him into a bird leads to an encounter with the devious Madam Mim (Martha Wentworth), a genuine black sorceress.  

Ector approves of neither the lessons, nor Arthur being taken away from his chores to do them. He gives another boy the role of Kay's squire. Arthur ends up being his squire and going with him to London anyway when the child takes sick. This time, it's Merlin who doesn't approve, but that New Year's Day trip will have more important consequences for Arthur and England than the result of a mere tournament.

The Animation: This is firmly in the rough Xerox "thick line" style that was popular at Disney from the 60's through the late 80's. It's not the best Disney ever did, but it does have some charms. The backgrounds are meticulously detailed, especially during Arthur and Merlin's adventures under the moat and in the woods, and the characters move well enough.

The Song and Dance: Cabot and Swenson's decent performances anchor Disney's only foray into the Arthurian legends to date. The Sherman Brothers really have fun with their trademark made-up words here with a memorable song revolving around Merlin's spells, and another for Madam Mim. Speaking of Mim, she really steals the show. Her "Wizard's Duel" with Merlin has long been my favorite part of the film. The back and forth between the two magicians - and the hilarious ending - are a riot. Wentworth has such a ball being bad and plays beautifully off Swenson. 

Favorite Number: We open with Fred Darian singing the title song as we learn about how the Sword In the Stone came to be, and why no one has pulled it out yet. "Higitus Figitus" is Merlin's tongue-twisting spell song as he uses his magic to pack his entire household in a single carpetbag...including Archimedes' birdhouse! Merlin uses "That's What Makes the World Go 'Round" under the moat to explain physics and animal instinct to Arthur. The song is ended prematurely when a large, toothy pike decides Arthur would be a great dinner. He also tries to explain that love is "A Most Befuddling Thing" when the pretty girl squirrel chases Arthur all around the tree. "Mad Madam Mim" explains everything her magic can do, make her beautiful or uglier or into any animal she wants. 

Trivia: This was originally supposed to be a bit darker, and more of a musical. Three songs were cut; one, "Blue Oak Tree," has a tiny bit left that's performed by Cabot and Alan Napier as they celebrate Kay's knighthood. 

I'm not the only one who loves Madam Mim. She eventually became a popular villain in the Disney comics. She's especially big in parts of Italy and Denmark, where she's apparently played as more naughty or mischievous than genuinely evil. And this would be Martha Wentworth's last film; she retired shortly after its completion. 

The last animated film Disney personally produced. 

Supposedly, there's a live-action remake and a spin-off focusing on Merlin in development. 

What I Don't Like: First of all, there's a lot more to Arthur and Merlin's adventures in the book this is based on. They originally turned into three more animals and met Robin Hood and Maid Marian. Sir Ector and Kay were a little kinder to Arthur as well; here, Kay in particular comes off as a jerk to his adopted brother. Honestly, the story isn't the strongest in the book, either. This is supposed to be a coming-of-age tale, but it meanders and wanders into sequences (like the Wizard's Duel) that have nothing to do with anything. 

Second, I wish they could have found one kid to play Arthur! Yes, I understand about puberty, but the three boys' voices sound totally different, which means Arthur's voice fluctuates in tone and deepness from scene to scene, or even from minute to minute. He's also the only actor who doesn't attempt an English accent, likely due to being played by a real kid. It's really distracting. 

The Big Finale: While not Disney's absolute best, it is a nice introduction to Arthur's life before becoming king for kids and a good starter Disney movie for elementary-school-age boys who might be put off by the girlier aspects of some of their other animated movies. 

Home Media: This was taken out of the "Vault" for good back in the early 2000's. It's now easy to find on streaming (including on Disney Plus with a subscription) and on disc, often for under $10.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Disney Plus

Family Fun Saturday - Huckleberry Finn (1974)

United Artists, 1974

Starring Jeff East, Paul Winfield, Harvey Korman, and David Wayne

Directed by J. Lee Thompson

Music and Lyrics by Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman

The Reader's Digest musical version of Tom Sawyer was so well-received in 1973, they started production on this one before the first movie was even finished. Unfortunately, they ran into trouble even Huck and Jim couldn't predict. Winfield didn't want any singing slaves and was treated poorly by the Missouri police. Roberta Flack's insisted on having guitars in the song "Freedom" and threatened to sue if she couldn't, which led to the soundtrack album going unreleased. One of the producers passed away before filming. Thompson had trouble with the musical direction, and Robert B. Sherman had a knee operation in the middle of filming. There's also the story of Huck and his adventures with runaway slave Jim on the Mississippi River being controversial to begin with. How does it fare in this version? We open with a montage of life in Missouri in the 1850's and find out...

The Story: Huckleberry Finn (East) is tired of being coddled by the two kindly widows who took him in. He's tired of their fussing and wishes he could escape for some adventure. He gets a lot more adventure than he bargained for when first his mean drunk of a Pap (Garry Merrill) kidnaps him to steal his money, and then the old ladies' slave Jim (Winfield) runs away after hearing they may sell him to get the ransom. Huck fakes his own murder, but Jim is accused of the crime. The two finally set off down the Mississippi together on a home-made raft, meeting many different people from all walks of life, foiling the plots of swindlers The Duke (Korman) and The King (Wayne), dodging slave traders, and learning a lesson about the true meaning of freedom. 

The Song and Dance: Winfield and East work well together as the escaping pair in this down-home epic. You really feel their chemistry, especially towards the end, when the duo tangle with the slave traders. I also like Korman as the flamboyant flim-flam man who is determined to become rich by any illegal means necessary and Merrill as Huck's nasty drunk of a father. Once again, we have splendid cinematography in small towns on the real Mississippi River, with some gorgeous shots of the river itself. The music is a delight, too, making it even more of a shame that Flack made all the fuss that halted the release of the soundtrack album. 

Favorite Number: Even without the guitars, "Freedom," the ballad that accompanies the montage of daily life on the Mississippi in the opening credits, is absolutely gorgeous. The Sherman Brothers were masters at writing slow numbers for family movies without traditional girl-meets-boy plots, and they demonstrate it well with this lush, lovely salute to independence.  

Winfield isn't the best singer, but he does tell his wife (Odessa Cleveland) how "Someday, Honey Darlin'," they'll be free, and covers his part of his rousing duet "Cairo, Illinois" with East well enough. Merrill growls and complains about his "Rotten Luck" that he never gets old ladies who give him big inheritances. East isn't a great singer, either, but he does well enough by his solo near the end when he asks "What's Right, What's Wrong?" The daughters of the rich plantation owner who briefly takes Huck in flutter fans and simper about "A Rose In a Bible" at a family get-together. 

Korman and Wayne get three big numbers highlighting their ability to take a crowd for everything it's got. Korman roars  "The Royal Nonesuch" to introduce their non-existent European play and "In Their Hands" to the grieving young women whose money they want. They introduce themselves to Huck and Jim as being "Royalty!" 

Trivia: An unrelated stage Huckleberry Finn adaptation, Big River, went over far better with critics and audiences in 1985. 

What I Don't Like: They actually stick to the book pretty well...until the finale. In the original book, Huck learned that his father and the sisters had died, and the sisters set Jim free in their will. Huck went west to Indian Territory (Oklahoma) before the family that adopted Tom Sawyer could take him in, too. Not only is the action finale with the slave traders badly done, it's awkwardly staged. It's assumed that Jim does take his freedom, but the movie ends before we find out what happened to Huck. It also eliminates Tom Sawyer and his family. Perhaps they couldn't get Whittaker back?

This is also a good time to discuss the language and themes in this movie. Like Minstrel Man, this is set in a time and place where the N word was bandied about quite a bit. It depicts slavery in the pre-Civil War south, including the slave catchers who treat the men like property. Winfield requested that the language be toned down, but some of it does remain. There's also a fair amount of violence, from Pap's abuse of Huck to most of the men at the antebellum house dying under the guns of their rivals.

The Big Finale: Critics and audiences have been divided on how well this represents the book for years, and whether it should have been a musical at all. I think the terrific music and some decent performances are the best things about it. Not a bad choice for families with older kids and young teens who have read the book and understand the violence and language that comes with it. 

Home Media: Easy to find on all major formats. The Twilight Time Blu-Ray bundles it with Tom Sawyer and is a tad expensive. It's currently running for free with commercials on Tubi. 

DVD

Blu-Ray - Tom Sawyer/Huckleberry Finn

Tubi

Happy Halloween! - Pooh's Halloween Heffalump Movie

Disney, 2005

Voices of Jimmy Bennett, Kyle Stanger, Jim Cummings, and John Fielder

Directed by Elliot M. Bour and Saul Andrew Blinkoff

Music and Lyrics by various

Let's spend Halloween at the Hundred Acres Woods for the last Pooh holiday movie to date. After the Pooh films of the late 90's and early 2000's often got too dark for their audiences, Disney started writing in additional characters to gentle things down. Pooh's Heffalump Movie came out earlier in 2005, adding Lumpy, a sweet-natured Heffalump who befriends Roo, to the cast. How does Lumpy's second outing look nowadays? Let's start at Piglet's house, as everyone tells spooky stories in preparation for Halloween, and find out...

The Story: While they prepare their costumes, Tigger tells everyone the story of the Gobloon, who turns his victims into "jaggedy-lanterns." If you catch him, you get a wish. Roo convinces Lumpy that they should find the Gobloon when Pooh eats all the candy and trick-or-treat may have to be canceled. They make a map that follows Tigger's story, but when it comes to catching the Gobloon, poor Lumpy's too scared. Roo tells him the story of how Piglet found it in himself to be brave the previous Halloween. When Roo finds a pumpkin that looks like his friend and thinks he's been taken by the "Gobloon," he finally knows what he really wants for Halloween - a best friend by his side. 

The Animation: Not the best from Disney's low-budget Disneytoon Studios. Normally, that works with the simple world of Winnie the Pooh, but there's a few continuity glitches here (the candy bags Pooh empty magically refill later), and some of the shadows and special effects don't look so good, either. On the other hand, the characters move pretty well, and Lumpy in particular is so huggable, I'd love to find a stuffed toy of him. 

The Song and Dance: Lumpy and Roo's adorable relationship is so much fun to watch in the first half. I love seeing Roo trying to help his friend, and how Lumpy eventually overcomes his fear. The middle segment is the Pooh TV Halloween special Boo To You, Winnie the Pooh, and it's equally fun, with a bit of a dark side in Piglet's fears and the shadowy animations. 

Favorite Number: We open with "Trick or Treating With Our Friends" as Roo and the others explain to Lumpy how much fun that is. Lumpy and Roo create their map and costumes as they sing about how they're "Brave Together." A whimpering Piglet tries to encourage himself with "I am Not Afraid" during the Boo To You segment. Also in Boo to You, Tigger claims that he likes to "Scare Himself," and he can't understand why Piglet doesn't. 

Trivia: Final film for Piglet's long-time voice artist John Fielder. He died during production. Travis Oates finished his work and became the next voice of Piglet. 

What I Don't Like: As cute as Lumpy and Roo are, I wish we saw more of the rest of the gang. Roo mentions Owl and Gopher is seen in the Boo to You segment, but Christopher Robin is nowhere in evidence. On one hand, I am glad they created an original story around Boo to You, instead of stringing three random shorts together as in the Thanksgiving compilation Seasons of Giving. I just wonder why they felt the need to create movies around the holiday specials at all. The dark-ish Boo to You doesn't really fit in with the somewhat sweeter Halloween Heffalump Movie, and it's obvious it was added as padding mid-way through. 

The Big Finale: Cute enough if you have little kids who will enjoy Lumpy and Roo's antics for an hour before trick-or-treating, or if you enjoyed Pooh's Heffalump Movie. Completely unnecessary for anyone else. 

Home Media: Oddly, not currently on Disney Plus (though Pooh's Heffalump Movie is). It is on DVD and can be found streaming elsewhere.

DVD

Amazon Prime (Rental Only)

Family Fun Saturday - Tom Sawyer (1973)

United Artists, 1973

Starring Johnny Whittaker, Jodie Foster, Celeste Holm, and Jeff East

Directed by Don Taylor

Music and Lyrics by Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman

In the early-70's, the magazine Reader's Digest decided to dive into film-making. They chose for their first production this musical version of the beloved Mark Twain novel. I reviewed an animated version from 2000 back in June, but how does this earlier live-action retelling fare? Let's begin on the river, as the paddlewheeler Julia Belle Swain pulls into Hannibal, Missouri, and find out...

The Story: Tom (Whittaker) is constantly getting into trouble with his Aunt Polly (Holm) for skipping school to hang out with his buddy Huckleberry Finn (East) by the river. Even when he's made to whitewash a fence for staying out too late, he gets his friends from the neighborhood to do it. He and Huck realize they've bitten off more than they can chew when they witness a murder at the cemetery at midnight. Tom promises Huck he won't tell, but can't bring himself to let town drunk Muff Potter (Warren Oates) take the blame and reveals what he saw. 

After he tells pretty Becky Thatcher (Foster) he likes her, they become "engaged," until she finds out he already had a girl. Aunt Polly is still angry with him for being out too late. He finally runs away with Huck, only to be stranded on an island. They return to their own funeral. Everyone's happy to see them in time for the Independence Day picnic, but when Tom takes Becky to the local caves and they're trapped by the real killer, it's up to Huck to lead the townspeople to them.

The Song and Dance: Considering this is the second time this summer a musical version of Tom Sawyer came out well, I'm surprised there aren't more out there. Whittaker and Foster worked together in the family drama Napoleon and Samantha the year before, and they're adorable and very funny as the mischievous lad in over his head and the newcomer who admire his spunk. Celeste Holm makes a great Aunt Polly, too, frustrated with Tom's inability to behave, yet still loving him much like Becky does. There's also some gorgeous and authentic costumes and cinematography - they actually filmed the movie in two historic small towns in Missouri. The even found a real Native for Injun' Joe. 

Favorite Number: The movie begins and ends with country singer Charlie Pride performing "River Song," on the mighty Mississippi and how it turns "a boy into a man." This stirring folk tune comes straight from Twain, and it was nominated for an Oscar. Aunt Polly sings the title song twice, first as she fumes early in the film because he's late again, then when she's worried after they vanish he won't be coming home. 

The Sherman Brothers return to their love of crazy made-up words with "Gratification" for Tom's friends as they paint the fence and "Freebootin'" for Tom and Huck as they happily do what they please on the island. Muff cements his friendship with Tom and Huck, telling them "A Man's Gotta Be (What He has to Be)," even if it's the town drunk who hides his liquor in the water trough. Tom has two sweet solos mid-way through, "How Come?" as he wonders about his feelings for Becky in a gentle montage of their relationship, and "If n' I Were God" when he leaves in tears after Aunt Polly's angry because he insulted religion. 

What I Don't Like: The murder story is still pretty dark for a lot of kids, particularly younger ones who may enjoy the sprightly music. Possibly because Foster was the bigger star at the time, there's not as much emphasis on Tom's relationship with Huck as you might think or want. Maybe a second number for them before their island adventure might have expanded their relationship. It's also not a hundred-percent adaptation of the book, missing the entire incident in the haunted house and turning the small picnic with Becky and Tom into a huge town gathering. 

The Big Finale: Lovely introduction to Twain for older elementary school kids who may enjoy the action and some of the songs.

Home Media: Like most MGM DVDs, it's in print but expensive and often hard to find. You're better off streaming it. Tubi currently has it for free.

DVD

Tubi

Animation Celebration Saturday - The Tigger Movie

Disney, 2000

Voices of Jim Cummings, Nikita Hopkins, Ken Sansom, and John Fielder

Directed by Jun Falkenstein

Music and Lyrics by Richard and Robert Sherman

We depart the sun-drenched isles of Hawaii for a brief detour to the Hundred Acre Woods. By the late 90's, the Pooh franchise was mainly the realm of TV shows and direct-to-video adaptations. And indeed, this was originally supposed to go direct to DVD, until then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner heard the music and thought it deserved a theatrical release. Was he right, or should this be stranded in a snowstorm? Let's begin with Tigger protesting that the movie's about him, not Pooh, and find out...

The Story: Tigger is disappointed when none of his friends want to bounce with him. Trying to find someone to bounce with only ends with him dropping a boulder on Eeyore's house. He does no better attempting to get the boulder off and sends everyone into the lake or a tree. Rabbit angrily scolds him for being careless and reminds him that they aren't Tiggers.

That makes Tigger wonder where all the Tiggers are. Why doesn't he have a family, like Owl or Kanga and Roo? Roo wants him as a big brother, but he's too busy trying to find his relatives after Owl talks about his "family tree." To bolster his spirits, the others write him a letter...but it makes Tigger believe his relatives are coming to visit. His friends dress as his "family" and try to pass as Tiggers, until Tigger catches wise. Now they have to find Tigger out in the snow, before they lose their favorite bouncing buddy. 

The Animation: For the most part, this one sticks with the original visuals as they appeared in The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh...and that's as it should be. This is one franchise that doesn't need fancy visuals. There are a few instances of CGI, such as the snowflakes and that big avalanche towards the end, that stick out like sore thumbs. (The snowflakes are particular offenders.)

The Song and Dance: Disney seemed determined to take the Pooh franchise in a somewhat darker direction in the late 90's and early 2000's. Along with the direct-to-video Pooh's Grand Adventure, this is the best of their more "mature" Pooh films from that time. Who knew Tigger could be this heartbreaking, especially when his search for his family proves fruitless midway through the film and after he finds out his friends lied about his family existing. Many people complained about Cummings replacing long-time Tigger voice artist Paul Winchell, but Cummings does just fine. Hopkins is nearly as good playing sweet little Roo, who worships Tigger and just wants a big brother. 

Favorite Number: We open, of course, with Cummings reprising Tigger's signature "The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers" as he requests a movie focusing on him. He admits that he longs to bounce with "Someone Like Me" after the others turn down his requests to bounce with him. Roo's the only taker, leading him to teach the little Joey the powerful "Whoop-De-Dooper Bounce" that sends them rocketing all over his living room. "Pooh's Lullabee" is a charming lullaby Pooh sings to put the bee to sleep, so he can gather honey. 

Tigger tells the others about great Tiggers through history "'Round My Family Tree" in a wild, surreal routine that has him oddly making several pop culture references. The others teach each other "How to Be a  Tigger" and behave like his real family when they're getting ready for the party. Kenny Loggins collaborated on (and performed) the heartfelt ballad "Your Heart Will Lead Me Home" over the end credits.

Trivia: Paul Winchell was supposed to play Tigger, but the studio thought his voice was too raspy. He was dropped and ended up retiring in 1999.

The Sherman Brothers' first Disney movie since Bedknobs and Broomsticks in 1971 and the first theatrical Pooh film since the short A Day for Eeyore in 1983. 

What I Don't Like: This actually feels a little too dark for the Pooh franchise at times. That avalanche near the end does give Tigger and Roo a reason to work together and be heroes, but it also seems out of place in the gentle world of the Hundred Acre Woods. Not to mention, there's some very emotional scenes for this franchise, with Roo upset that Tigger won't be his brother and Tigger spending half the movie utterly despairing over not having a family. You may want to offer a hand to your littlest ones to hold during these sequences. And frankly, the moral about your family being the ones you love, not just your actual family unit, is put across with all the subtlety of Tigger's Whoop-De-Dooper Bounce.

The Big Finale: One of the better Pooh films, particularly if you or your children are fans of Tigger and/or Roo.

Home Media: Easily found on disc and streaming; is on Disney Plus with a subscription.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Disney Plus

Animation Celebration Saturday - Little Nemo: Adventures In Slumberland

Toho-Towa/Hemdale Corporation, 1989

Voices of Gabriel Damon, Mickey Rooney, Rene Auberjonois, and Laura Mooney

Directed by Masami Hata and William Hurtz

Music by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman

This Japanese-American co-production has a complicated history. Producer Yutaka Fujioka first became interested in turning the whimsical early 20th century Little Nemo comic strips drawn by Windsor McKay in 1975. He got permission from McKay's family in 1978, but couldn't get funding until 1981. He tried to interest veteran animators in making a Japanese film with the quality of Disney, eventually bringing aboard two of their famous "Nine Old Men" and, initially, later Japanese Legend Hayao Miyazaki. It was suspended in 1984 when they couldn't find a director or more funding, then ran through many scripts in 1985 and 1986 in search of an appropriate story. They didn't really get going with a director and funds until 1987. Was all that trouble worth it, or should this dreamy fantasy be left with the Nightmare King? Let's begin flying on a bed in the mind of Little Nemo (Damon) himself and find out...

The Story: Nemo is excited about a circus in town and is disappointed when his parents say they can't take him, and then tries to steal a pie and is caught. He dreams that the circus people are all from Slumberland, and want him and his pet flying squirrel Icarus (Danny Mann) to be princes and take over from King Morpheus (Bernard Erhard), as well as be a companion to daughter Camille (Mooney). His dream gets a lot scarier when mischievous Flip (Rooney) convinces him to open the door to Nightmare Land, just for a peek. That "peek" lets The Nightmare King (Bill Martin) escape and capture Morpheus. Now it's up to Nemo, Camille (Mooney), his advisor Professor Genius (Auberjonois), Flip, and a group of good-natured demons called Boomps to return the magic scepter to the King and save Slumberland and all beautiful dreams.

The Animation: For all the trouble he had in other areas, Fujioka did manage to make the quality animation he wanted. This is nearly on par with Disney movies of the period, especially with eye-popping designs like the steampunk-esque Dream Dirigible that brings Nemo to Slumberland and the black mist grabbing King Morpheus at the coronation. The characters move fairly well, as if they're floating on the clouds of those dream lands.

The Song and Dance: I remember hearing about this as a kid in the early 90's, but I didn't get to see it until many years later. Now I wish I had caught it then. It's charming and funny, with a dark streak in Flip's destructive mischief and the unleashing of The Nighmare King. Rooney has by far the most fun as Flip, the hobo whose thoughtless antics eventually gets Nemo - and everyone in Slumberland - into major trouble. Demon and Mooney make an adorable couple, too, even vocally, and Mann manages to make the most out of Icarus the Flying Squirrel's squeaks.

Favorite Number: "Slumberland" is heard twice, as Princess Camille, Nemo, and Bon Bon play in giant balls in the sky and ride a goat-driven sleigh and in the closing credits. Every instructor in the palace tries to teach Nemo "Etiquette" in one of the last of the Shermans' tongue-twisting tunes, but he's more baffled than anything. "The Boomps Song" explains who they are and why they don't get along with the Nightmare King.

Trivia: The original American dub had 11 minutes of more violent content cut out; recent DVD copies add it back in, but usually keep the dubbing. (Some recent DVDs do keep the Japanese audio as an extra.)

This was a huge box-office bomb, especially in North America, where it had little advertising. 

The tie-in video game Little Nemo: The Dream Master did far better and is actually quite well-remembered by gamer fans to this day. The video was also a big seller, eventually turning this movie into something of a cult favorite. 

What I Don't Like: The first half with the circus and in Slumberland is meandering and slow, with little going on other than the musical numbers. The movie kicks off with a strange sequence involving Nemo outrunning a train that's never mentioned again (though it may have been a nightmare Nemo understandably forgot). To be fair, the first half is probably closer to the original comics. The Nightmare King, Nightmare Land, King Morpheus, and Icarus were all added for the film, and the padding does show. Icarus can be funny, but he's basically your standard comic relief critter and doesn't have that much to do with anything outside of the finale. There's also Flip's makeup and heavy lips making him come uncomfortably close to racist caricature for some people. 

The Big Finale: I'm glad I finally found my way to Nemo's dream world. Recommended for families with older dreamers and anime fans who'll enjoy the action and Disney-esque fantasy.

Home Media: The American dub is easily found on disc and streaming; Amazon Prime has the full uncut American dub version for free with a subscription.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Amazon Prime

Family Fun Saturday - The Happiest Millionaire

Disney, 1967

Starring Fred MacMurray, Leslie Ann Warren, John Davidson, and Tommy Steele

Directed by Norman Tokar

Music and Lyrics by Richard and Robert Sherman

This started life as a non-musical play in 1956, based after the autobiography My Philadelphia Father by the real Cordelia Biddle. Disney bought it in the early 60's, but had no intention of adding songs until the success of his own Mary Poppins in 1964 and The Sound of Music a year later made epic family musicals all the rage. How does this more domestic tale fare? Let's start in Philadelphia as Irish immigrant John Lawless (Steele) searches for employment in 1916 and find out...

The Story: Lawless takes the job as butler to the wealthy but eccentric Biddles. Patriarch Anthony Drexel Biddle (MacMurray) runs his own boxing and bible class in the stable, keeps pet alligators in the conservatory, and is a major advocate for the US entering World War I. His daughter Cordelia Biddle (Warren) was educated and raised at home, but is tired of being a tomboy and knowing about nothing but boxing, bibles, and alligators. She and her stuffy Aunt Mary (Gladys Cooper) convinces Biddle that she'd be better off at a girl's boarding school. 

While at a school dance, she falls for handsome Angier Buchanon Duke (Davidson). Angie wants nothing more than to get involved in designing cars in Detroit, but their parents would rather turn their wedding into the social event of the season. When Angie gets fed up and walks out, John takes it on himself to make sure the couple comes together, and their parents understand how important it is for the younger generation to follow their own dreams.

The Song and Dance: Definitely one of the stranger Disney live-action musicals. It's more like a long sitcom set in the early 20th century than a typical musical. Warren and Davidsonmake a charming couple, especially while riding in his shiny new automobile mid-way through. Steele's a lot easier to take as a robust Irish servant than he was as a leprechaun in Finian's Rainbow a year later. He has some nice bits in the beginning and end of the film, especially his dealing with the alligators and his speeches directly to the camera. (Look for the sequence where Biddle catches his fourth-wall-breaking and has no idea what's going on.) 

Favorite Number: We kick off with John Lawless explaining why "Fortuosity" brought him to Philadelphia and the Biddles, in a jaunty number he reprises several times. Cordy admits her confusion about whether she prefers "Valentine Candy" or boxing and bibles. John tells the Biddles and cook Mrs. Worth (Hermoine Badderly) why "I'll Always Be Irish" and still appreciate his new home country as he teaches the trio a delightful jig. Cordy's roommate at school (Joyce Bulifant) claims that the dashing Vamp number "Bye Yum Pum Pum" is all the rage. 

"Are We Dancing?" is Cordy and Ange's big duet at the dance, as they waltz on the patio and fall in love. "There are Those" claims Aunt Mary and Angie's snobbish southern belle mother (Geraldine Page) as they priggishly compare Philadelphia and New York society. "Let's Take a Drink on It" John tells Angie as his attempts to keep him drinking at a local bar turns into a huge barroom dance number, and then into a brawl.

Trivia: Leslie Ann Warren's film debut. 

The last live-action film Walt Disney personally oversaw. He died shortly after the first cut was completed.

What I Don't Like: This little father-daughter story was never meant to be a big epic musical. Cordy has two brothers who sing to her beau early-on about how she's punched other boys who took her out to scare him off. They do their number and are never heard from again. Likewise, Cordy's pal Rosemary teaches her "Bye Yum Pum Pum" and vanishes after the school dance. They should have focused on Biddle and his odd ideas or Cordy and her romance, not both. There's no real conflict or challenges until mid-way through, and most of them, like Cordy going to school, are settled much too quickly. 

The Big Finale: Too long and unfocused to be for anyone but the most ardent Disney, Steele, or Sherman Brothers enthusiasts. Look up some of the better songs and skip the rest. 

Home Media: Easily available on DVD and streaming; it debuted on Disney Plus last month. 

DVD

Disney Plus 

Animation Celebration Saturday - The Mighty Kong

Warner Bros, 1998

Voices of Dudley Moore, Jodi Benson, Randy Hamilton, and William Sage III

Directed by Art Scott

Music and Lyrics by Robert B. and Richard M. Sherman

Everything was ripe for an animated adaptation in the 90's and early 2000's. Swan Lake? The Ten Commandments?  Hamlet done with lions on the African savannah? Why not? Disney made it work. Unfortunately, many of these stories weren't really suited for children and were often cut down so badly, they came off as condescending towards and barely related to their source material. Case in point, this Warners direct-to-home-media version of the beloved 1933 horror fantasy King Kong. What can an animated film do with one of the most famous and bizarre love stories in Hollywood history? To find out, we begin in New York as columnist Walter Winchell announces the closing of producer and filmmaker Carl Denham's (Moore) latest show.

The Story: Denham has bigger ideas than merely featuring fake animals onstage. Grabbing Ann Darrow (Jodi Benson), a thief and aspiring actress, off the street, he declares he'll be making a movie. They board a ship bound for the South Pacific and staffed with skeptical sailors, especially first mate Jack Driscoll (Randy Hamilton). 

After being pounded by a storm, they end up at tropical Skull Island, the home of natives who practice human sacrifice to appease their "god," a giant gorilla they call King Kong (Moore). The big primate takes to Ann, fighting several dinosaurs in his jungle home for her. Denham insists on taking him back to New York and making him the star of his show. Ann realizes Kong is literally too big for New York...which Denham realizes too late after Kong frees himself and goes on a rampage down Broadway!

The Animation: Pretty much what you'd find on any Warners animated TV show of the 90's. Truth be told, while the bright colors and character design look half-way decent, the backgrounds are often too simple, especially when the action returns to New York. 

The Song and Dance: Surprisingly good cast for this one. Moore is appropriately smarmy as the ambitious filmmaker who's bitten off a lot more than he can chew in displaying Kong, and even did Kong's growls. Benson makes a sweet and spunky Morrow, too. 

Favorite Number: "CB Denham's Wild Animal Follies," the opening number, and the title song are too goofy spoofs of typical chorus routines, particularly "Wild Animal Follies," with its ridiculous flying animal puppets and dancing gorillas. Denham works to convince Ann to "Sign With Me"...and it's no more impressive to her than it is to us. "Sweet Dolly of Popolli," Benson's number on the ship, somehow turns into a tropical fantasy with her doing something like a hula with overly cutesy animals and bad jungle backdrops. 

Trivia: Dudley Moore's last movie before his untimely death in 2002. 

What I Don't Like: King Kong was never intended to be a musical of any stripe, let alone animated. It didn't work on Broadway in 2013 (where apparently the only thing worth recommending was the giant Kong puppet), and it doesn't work here. The songs are witless and boring when they're not stupid. The three chorus numbers are particularly silly and badly animated. 

Ann and Jack's romance crops up suddenly mid-way through for no particular reason, complete with a dreadfully sappy ballad. Jack's sexist remarks about Ann on the ship and the native stereotypes were passable in the original film due to them being fairly typical of the time period, but are almost unthinkably offensive nowadays. Ricky the cabin boy and his monkey serve no purpose whatsoever besides being cute comic relief and a few ship-board gags involving the monkey. 

The Big Finale: If you want to introduce your kids to King Kong, show them the original film on TCM and explain that the stereotypes and sexism are typical of the time, or show older kids the Peter Jackson-helmed remake. Only extreme fans of Moore, Benson, or the Sherman Brothers need apply.

Home Media: Expensive on made-to-order DVD. Streaming is your best bet if you absolutely must see this. Tubi currently has it for free.

DVD

Tubi

Animation Celebration Saturday - The Jungle Book (1967)

Disney, 1967
Voices of Phil Harris, Bruce Reitherman, Sebastian Cabot, and Louis Prima
Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman
Music and Lyrics by Richard M and Robert B. Sherman and Terry Gilkyson

Having had success with animal characters in 101 Dalmatians and to a lesser degree in The Sword and the Stone, Disney turned to the animal world for their next film. The Jungle Book started out as a much darker story, ala the original Kipling novel. Disney thought it was too dark, and after the original director left, they started over from scratch. How does the resulting film look now? Let's head to the jungles of India, as Bagheera the black panther (Cabot) finds a human baby jungle animals call a "man cub," and find out...

The Story: Bagheera turns the baby over to a family of wolves to raise. Ten years later, the baby, now known as Mowgli (Reitherman), is a favorite in the wolf pack and his family. Bagheera is happy for him, but he's also concerned. Shere Khan, the man-hating tiger (George Sanders), has returned to the jungle, and he doesn't think Mowgli will be safe with the wolves anymore. He tries to take him to the nearest human village, but Mowgli likes living in the jungle and refuses to go. Rough and tumble Baloo the Bear (Harris) agrees and tries to keep the boy with him.

There's more dangers in the jungle that Mowlgi suspects, though, including Louie the Orangutan (Louis Prima) who wants him to teach his apes about fire and Kaa the python (Sterling Holloway) who thinks Mowgli is dinner. When Shere Khan does finally find Mowgli, it's up to Baloo and Bagheera - and Mowgli's own quick-thinking - to save them from Khan's claws and teeth!

The Animation: By this point, Disney was exclusively using the Xerox process that resulted in the scratchy lines around its animation, giving it a rough look. In this case, it actually sort of suits the jungle antics. At the least, this one does feature some of Disney's best character animation of the era. It's amazing how expressive they manage to make these critters, especially Baloo, Khan, and pompous Colonel Hathai.

The Song and Dance: One of Disney's funniest and most charming films. Everyone's having a good time here, especially Harris as free-wheeling Baloo and Cabot as stuffy Bagheera. Sanders gives Shere Khan more of an air of sophistication than you'd expect to find in a tiger. Sterling Holloway also does surprisingly well in his only villainous voice role at Disney, and Louis Prima joins Harris to turn "I Wanna Be Like You" into a showstopper.

Favorite Number: By far the most famous song here is Baloo's big number, "The Bare Necessities," as he shows Mowgli the ins and outs of being a bear. It's a catchy, jazzy song that perfectly captures Baloo's laid-back attitude. The party heats up as Baloo disguises himself to rescue Mowgli - and gets a great dance with Louie - in "I Wanna Be Like You." "Colonel Hathai's March" through the jungle parodies military march routines as the elephants stamp through brush and explain why they're on patrol.

Trivia: This was the last animated movie Walt Disney had any personal involvement with. He died eight months before its release.

A direct sequel to The Jungle Book was released to theaters in 2003 and did surprisingly well at the box office. A third was planned, but was scrapped after John Lasseter ended production on all sequels.

What I Don't Like: While the vultures who turn up to sing "That's What Friends are For" shortly before the finale are funny, they're also blatant spoofs of the Beatles and other popular British rock bands of the mid-60's. A lot of people who weren't around then or aren't classic rock fans may not get the joke. Despite Walt insisting on changing the heavy plot of the original Kipling novel, some fairly dark moments do remain, including Baloo's near-death encounter with Shere Khan. And yes, this doesn't have much to do with the original novel.

The Big Finale: Great music and a game cast more than make up for the uneven tone, scratchy animation, and some dated references. Definitely recommended for kids who love animals or fans of animation or the Disney canon.

Home Media: At the moment, your best way to find this one is to get a subscription to Disney Plus, or look for the DVD used. The DVD has been out of print for years and is expensive online.

DVD
Disney Plus

Family Fun Saturday - Bedknobs and Broomsticks

Disney, 1971
Starring Angela Landsbury, David Tomlinson, Ian Weighill, and Cindy O'Callaghan
Directed by Robert Stevenson
Music and Lyrics by Robert and Richard Sherman

This adaptation of the 1940's children's books was originally ear-marked as a live-action/animated hybrid as far back as 1961 as a replacement for Mary Poppins when Disney had a hard time getting the rights. After that got off the ground, it went on the back burner at the studio after they realized how close it was to Poppins. They returned to this one in the late 60's when Poppins was a huge success, bringing on Landsbury to play one of the most unusual witches in film history. How does the story of a witch, her charges, and a con-man who want to find a spell to help stop World War II come off now? Let's head to the small town Pepperinge Eye in Northern England, home of apprentice witch Eglantine Price (Landsbury), and find out...

The Story: Ms. Price is a reclusive woman who lives alone in a large house by the sea, and she's not too happy to take in London orphans Carrie (O'Callaghan), Paul (Roy Snart), and Charlie (Weighill) after they were displaced by the Blitz. She's even less happy when they witness her practicing flying on the broom sent to her by Professor Browne's witch correspondence school. The kids convince her to give them something to keep them quiet. She agrees to a spell on a bed knob that will allow them to travel anywhere on the bed.

They need to travel sooner than they think. Horrified when the college closes without revealing the final spell, Ms. Price and her charges take the bed to London. The head of the college turns out to be Professor Emelius Browne (Tomlinson), a con-man whose "college" is really just his way of making money off an old book he found. He's a huckster and a showman who can't believe Ms. Price can actually get these spells to work. Ms. Price, Professor Browne, and the kids go from London's Portobello Road to the fantasy island of Naboombu to Pepperinge Eye, searching first for the words to the spell to make inanimate objects move, and then how to get the spell to work and keep the Nazis off their doorstep.

The Animation: Par for the course for Disney in this time period. Naboombu looks remarkably like Robin Hood with a nautical and soccer theme, rather than Medieval England. King Leonidas even bears a resemblance to King Richard in the end of the film.

The Song and Dance: Landsbury is the thing in this charming tale. She works well with the kids and makes a delightful witch, whether she's trying to get her broom to work or attempting (and failing) to change people into toads. The animated sequence is hilarious, especially once that wild soccer game gets going. This was the only time Tomlinson got to play anything like a leading man at Disney, and he runs with it, romping through his "With a Flair" number and having a great time with the slapstick  in the soccer game.

The other nifty aspect of this one are the special effects. They won an Oscar in 1971 and generally still look pretty decent, especially that finale with every bit of armor Disney could get their hands on at the time literally kicking Nazi rear!

Favorite Number: "Age of Not Believing" is a gentle but pointed ballad that Ms. Price sings to a skeptical Charlie as she and the other two kids prepare to leave for London. It was nominated for an Oscar, and it comes off well in a simple and sweet moment. Professor Browne gets two great solos, "With a Flair" as he shows off his cheap illusions for the crowds in London and "Eglantine" when he's trying to talk Ms. Price to join him in an act as she's attempting to find that all-important spell. "Portobello Road" is the big number for Professor Browne and the chorus as the citizens of London join him in saluting its major shopping street. "The Beautiful Briny Sea" takes us into animation as the Professor and Ms. Price describe the bright citizens of the ocean floating past them and even take part in a well-animated dance contest.

Trivia: Other women considered for Landsbury's role included Julie Andrews, Leslie Caron, Lynn Redgrave, and Judy Carne. Ron Moody was wanted for the Professor but asked for too much money.

"The Beautiful Briny Sea" was originally written for a sequence in Mary Poppins where Mary spun a compass and let the children choose any exotic location they wanted to explore.

The movie was edited from 139 to 112 minutes for its regular theatrical release. Most of the footage was restored in 1996, and this is what I reviewed.

The armor was originally used for the Spanish epic El Cid and were shipped to the US for the King Arthur musical Camelot. Disney rented it for the big finale with the amour coming to life.

What I Don't Like: I am glad they re-added "With a Flair," which explains the Professor's charlatan personality better than any words could, and a short scene in the beginning with Carrie telling Ms. Price how the kids were orphans and ended up in her care was welcome, but most of the other additional scenes don't do much besides pad out the film. "Portobello Road" goes on for way, way, way too long, too. We don't need to see every group in London do their thing.

The biggest problem is...yeah, I can see why Disney thought this was too close to Mary Poppins. There are some close resemblances - magical woman leads kids into a fantasy world with a maybe-love-interest in tow - and it can occasionally come off as too cliched or derivative.

The Big Finale: This is an old favorite of mine. In some ways, I prefer the linear story, tougher kids, and earthier flavor to the flightier Poppins. It's equally recommended, especially for fans of Landsbury or kids' musicals.

Home Media: I have the original 2001 Special Edition. It's since been re-released on DVD and streaming. For some reason, the Blu-Ray only has the theatrical version.

DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime

Animation Celebration Saturday - The Aristocats

Disney, 1970
Voices of Eva Gabor, Phil Harris, Liz English, and Sterling Holloway
Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman
Music and Lyrics by various

This movie came out at a time of great turmoil for the Disney Studios. Walt Disney died in 1966, and no one was really sure how to continue without him. It would be the last film he personally approved before he passed on. How does the story of a mother cat and her kittens who are cat-napped by a jealous butler look today? Let's head to Paris around 1910, as Madame Adelaide (Hermoine Baddley) is preparing to make her will, and find out...

The Story: Madame is a retired opera singer who lives alone with her cat Duchess (Gabor) and Duchess' kittens Toulouse (Gary Dubin), Berlioz (Dean Clark), and Marie (Liz English). Madame adores her talented feline companions and intends to leave them her fortune. Her butler Edgar (Roddy Maude-Roxby) is incensed that he didn't get the money first. He drugs the cats' milk and takes them out to the countryside to dump them...at least until he's attacked by a pair of hound dogs with a taste for tires, Napoleon (Pat Buttram) and Lafayette (George Lindsay).

The cats end up stranded in the nearest river. An alley cat, Thomas O'Malley (Harris), helps them back to Paris and introduces them to his jazz-loving international cat buddies. Duchess, however, can't bring herself to leave Madame and insists on going home. Edgar, however, hasn't given up on eliminating the cats. It'll take a combined effort from every animal in Madame's household to stop Edgar from sending the cats on a one-way ticket across the globe.

The Animation: Typical of Disney's sketchy style of the time, it's at least colorful and cute, with some nifty designs for the animals and decent effects on the rainstorm Dutchess and the kittens are stranded in and in "Evry'body Wants to Be a Cat."

The Song and Dance:  Not bad, considering all the trouble they ran into making it. Though there's some good songs, it's primarily a comedy, with Buttram and Lindsay standing out as the hounds determined to catch anything on four wheels. Gabor and Harris are adorable as the mother cat and gallant tomcat, and the three kids are hilarious as the talented sibling kittens. There's also some good bits from Holloway as sweet mouse detective Roquefort, who is the one who ends up seeking his lost cat friends.

Favorite Number:  "Scales and Arpeggios" and the bouncy title song were the last songs written by the Sherman Brothers before they left Disney. "Scales" is a charming duet for Duchess and Marie as they practice their singing, while the very French Maurice Chevalier performs "Aristocats" over the credits. Terry Gillkyson did "Thomas O'Malley Cat," Thomas' smooth and laid-back introductory number as he strolls down the road in the countryside and finds Duchess and the kittens in distress. Madame and her doddering lawyer Georges (Charles Lane) get an adorable tango to an instrumental "Habenera" from the opera Carmen in the opening.

By far the best known song from this one is the big jazz number in Paris, "Evr'body Wants to Be a Cat." Harris, Scatman Crothers, and a group of international stereotype cats throw their all into a big jazz dance routine that literally brings down the house. It's by far the best and catchiest song in the film.

Trivia: Louis Armstrong was originally going to play the second-in-command of the alley cats, but had to bow out for health reasons.

The film began development in 1961. It was originally going to be more of a mystery, but was reworked to get closer to adventure-rescue aspect of 101 Dalmatians. In early drafts of the script, a maid played by Elsa Lanchester helped Edgar get rid of the cats and had a comic love duet with him, but she was dropped to simplify the plot.

There was to have been a direct-to-home-media sequel in the mid-2000's that had Marie and her brothers foiling a jewel heist on an ocean liner, but John Lasseter canceled all sequels after taking over the animation studio to focus more on other projects.

What I Don't Like: Edgar is definitely not one of the better Disney villains. While he does manage a little bit of menace towards the end when he captures Duchess and her kittens, he's mostly a bungling idiot who can't even get past a pair of hound dogs. The story is a mess of cliches mainly taken from Lady & the Tramp and 101 Dalmatians, the slapstick with the dogs and animals towards the end can come off as a little too juvenile, and those international stereotypes in "Evry'body Wants to Be a Cat" may offend some audiences today.

The Big Finale: Cute enough time-passer for younger kids who'll enjoy the animal antics and those who grew up watching it on cable or video.

Home Media: This one was a late arrival to video, but it's now easily found on all formats, often for under 10 dollars.

DVD
Blu-Ray 
Amazon Prime

Family Fun Saturday - The Slipper and the Rose: A Story of Cinderella

Universal, 1976
Starring Richard Chamberlain, Gemma Craven, Michael Horden, and Annette Crosbie
Directed by Bryan Forbes
Music and Lyrics by The Sherman Brothers

We head across the Atlantic to England for tonight's review. This musical was a huge hit in England in the mid-70's, and while critics largely dismissed it at the time, it went over relatively well over here as well. How does this lengthy version of one of the most beloved fairy tales in the world fare now? Let's make our way to the castle in the country of Euphania, where the Prince Edward (Chamberlain) has recently returned home, and find out...

The Story: The King (Horden) and Queen (Lally Bowers) are in despair that their son Edward (Chamberlain) refuses to take a bride. He wants to marry for love, but his parents want him to wed a princess who will help fortify their borders. Meanwhile, Cinderella (Craven) was just banished to the kitchen by her domineering stepmother (Margaret Lockwood) after her father's death. She goes to the local cemetery to place flowers at her parents' grave and is caught watching the Prince and his bodyguard John (Christopher Gable).

The king and his advisers suggest a ball to keep the countries on their borders from invading. When less than half the princesses they invite agree to come, they extend the invitations to local nobility. Cinderella's stepmother and stepsisters are delighted to go, but refuse to allow her to join them. Her fairy godmother (Crosbie) first helps her make gowns for her family for the ball, then makes her appear in a gorgeous dress of her own. She and Edward fall for each other at first sight, but even after he finds her and her glass slipper, there's still the fact that his parents want that political alliance with a real princess to deal with.

The Song and Dance: This is one of the most gorgeously filmed musicals of the 1970's, with Craven romping in fields against soft-focus photography and singing "When He Danced With Me" in moonlit shadows. Though she and Chamberlain aren't bad as the put-upon servant girl and the frustrated prince, the supporting cast really shines here. Horden and Bowers are hilarious as the royal parents who don't understand their son's desire to marry for love, Lockwood is suitably haughty and obnoxious as Cinderella's stepmother, and Crosbie makes an unusually tart and sensible Fairy Godmother. Stunning costumes and sets, too, especially at the royal ball, where Cinderella's creamy white pops against the purples and greens and oranges worn by the other guests.

Favorite Number: The film kicks off well with two songs revealing the royal family's differing viewpoints on marriage. Edward laments "Why Can't I Be Two People?" when his parents pester him about finding a bride, while the king and queen ask "What Has Love Got to Do With Getting Married?" The King and his advisers insist that the kingdom has to be "Protocolligorically Correct" to avoid war in one of the big chorus routines, while John and the servants explain about their place in the world in "Position and Positioning." "Suddenly It Happens" is the Fairy Godmother's song as she transforms Cinderella's dress...and her life..in preparation for the ball. Edward and Cinderella recall their magical night, one in the ballroom, one in stunning moonlit shadows, in "She/He Danced With Me."

What I Don't Like: Like most big film musicals of the 60's and 70's, this one goes on for way too long. The entire subplot with the prince having to marry a princess from another kingdom and the final 20 minutes where Cinderella is convinced to leave him is dull and depressing filler. They probably could have stuck a little closer to the original story without all the political trappings and been fine, or at least trimmed some of it.

The Big Finale: Perfect remedy for home-bound, princess-crazy girls who are looking for a new version of one of the most popular fairy tales in the world, or fans of Chamberlain or the Sherman Brothers' other work.

Home Media: It was re-released last year in all formats. Streaming service Tubi currently has it for free.

DVD
Blu-Ray
Tubi

Animation Celebration Saturday - The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

Disney, 1977
Voices of Sterling Holloway, Paul Winchell, John Fielder, and Junius Matthews
Directed by John Lounsbery and Wolfgang Reitherman
Music by Richard M. Sherman; Lyrics by Robert B. Sherman

I'm back from my vacation hiatus with one of Disney's better efforts of the 70's. This anthology of the first three Winnie the Pooh featurettes was their first feature-length outing with the lovable residents of the 100 Acres Woods, a bucolic spot that exists in the imagination of a small British boy. How does his adventures with his beloved stuffed animal friends look today? Let's join Pooh at his home as he gets ready for his busy day and find out...

The Story: Actually, there's three stories in this film, starting with...

Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree: Pooh badly wants honey, and at first recruits Christopher Robin to help him distract the bees and get it from a tree. When that just lands them in the mud, Pooh turns to Rabbit and his pantry filled with honey. He overeats and, to Rabbit's horror, gets stuck in his front door. The rest of the gang helps him pass the time while he's getting thin again.

Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day: We're introduced to Piglet, who nearly blows away on a very windy fall day, Owl, whose tree house is blown over, and Tigger, who bounces in later in the day. While Eeyore searches for a new home for Owl, the others all deal with a huge storm...and Pooh deals with Tigger and his claims that "Heffalumps and Woozels" will steal his honey.

Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too: Tigger is driving Rabbit crazy by bouncing inconsiderately. He first tries to get Tigger lost in a fog, but he ends up lost instead. Rabbit finally gets his wish when the springy tiger bounces too far up a tree and can't get down...but after tells Tigger he can't bounce, finally learns how much fun a little bouncing can be.

The Animation: Not the absolute best Disney ever did...and in this case, it might actually be a good thing. The sketchy artwork does look a lot like the illustrations in the books, especially Tigger and Eeyore. The "Heffalumps and Woozles" segment gets a bit more creative, with brighter colors and surreal imagery ala the infamous "Pink Elephants On Parade" from Dumbo.

The Song and Dance: Disney's sweetest and most charming film, with some of it's most delightful characters. It's also one of their best literary adaptations. Even when they don't one-hundred percent stick to the books (as in the case of Gopher, the only additional character), they at least have the right gentle spirit.

Favorite Number: The most famous song from this one is probably the opening credits number that introduces the characters and who they are. It's likely the song that comes to mind when most people think of Pooh, and it shows off every character in their own gentle way. "Up Down, Touch the Ground" and "Little Black Rain Cloud" from Honey Tree tells us just how crazy Pooh is about honey and why he loves it so. "The Rain, Rain, Rain Came Down, Down, Down" is a catchy number for an unseen chorus as they explain the havoc the storm wrecked on the 100 Acres Woods in Blustery Day.

The other famous number from this one is Tigger's signature song, "The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers." It's as bright, catchy, and bouncy as the effervescent Tigger himself. There's also Pooh's aforementioned nightmare, the spooky "Heffalumps and Woozels."

Trivia: This is the last Disney canon animated film Walt Disney had any personal involvement with. Honey Tree came out during his lifetime, and he worked on Blustery Day before he died.

A fourth short, Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore, would be released theatrically in 1983. It's included with most current DVD and Blu-Ray releases of the film as an extra.

What I Don't Like: Wish the Sherman Brothers had stuck around long enough to do music for Tigger Too and Day for Eeyore. The songs in the first two shorts are so memorable and adorable, it would be great if there were even more.

The Big Finale: If you're a fan of Pooh, want to try a lower-key Disney film, or are introducing your youngest children to the worlds of Pooh or Disney, this is a great place to start. Highly recommended.

Home Media: As one of the most popular Disney "canon" animated films, this is easily found in all major formats.

DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime

Animation Celebration Extra - Charlotte's Web (1973)

Paramount, 1973
Voices of Henry Gibson, Debbie Reynolds, Agnes Moorehead, and Paul Lynde
Directed by Charles A. Nichols and Iwoa Takamota
Music by Richard and Robert Sherman

Our last review before my vacation hiatus begins is this tale of an unusual friendship between a pig and a spider. The book by E.B White remains a beloved favorite of many - including me - to this day. Is the first film version as touching and enjoyable as the book, or does it smell of rotten eggs? Let's head to the Arable farm at the first flush of springtime and find out...

The Story: Fern Arable (Pamela Ferdyn) rescues a pig who is the runt of the litter before her father can kill it. She names it Wilbur (Gibson) and raises it as her pet. Eventually, Wilbur becomes large enough to be sold to Fern's uncle Home Zuckerman (Bob Holt). He's lonely in his new surroundings at first, and then frightened when a snooty ram (Dave Madden) tells him Zuckerman intends to turn him into bacon and ham in the fall.

Wilbur's life takes a turn for the special when he's befriended by Charlotte (Reynolds), a spider who lives in her web over his pen. With the help of Templeton, the disagreeable rat (Lynde), she weaves words into her web that make the Zuckermans and everyone in the area think that Wilbur is "Some Pig." Charlotte and Wilbur are inseparable, but Charlotte is an arachnid, and she's not going to live forever. Wilbur learns the true meaning of friendship when Charlotte makes a major sacrifice for him..and he helps carry on her legacy.

The Animation: Generally par for the course for Hanna-Barbara in this time, but it does have some nice effects. Some of the slower numbers in particular, such as Charlotte's first version of "Mother Earth and Father Time" and Fern's "There Must Be Something More to Us" have some nice effects and glowing colors. The animals are a little more realistic than usual for Hanna-Barbara while still being cartoony enough to appeal to kids.

The Song and Dance: While not a 100 percent accurate retelling of the book, this is still a very charming adaptation. I'm especially fond of the terrific cast. Reynolds is a wonderful, warm, comforting Charlotte, and Gibson is adorable as Wilbur. Lynde is perfectly obnoxious as the scheming, ever-eating Templeton. Agnes Moorehead is a hoot as the Goose with a habit of repeating her words. The score is gorgeous and atmospheric, possibly the Sherman Brothers' best from a non-Disney animated film.

Favorite Number: Gibson and Reynolds leads the farm animals through the rousing "We've Got Lots In Common," a chorus number on being friends despite our differences. "Zuckerman's Famous Pig" is the big number at the fair with a brass band saluting Wilbur and everyone marching along. Lynde and Moorehead have a great time celebrating the delights and edibles of the fair in "A Fair Is a Veritable Smorgasbord"

The film's best numbers are three gorgeous ballads, ably representing the Sherman Brothers' ability to write slow numbers for musicals without traditional girl-meets-boy plots. The dreamy title number accompanies Charlotte writing the words that will make Wilbur famous. Fern's opening song is a lovely lullaby for Wilbur when she first rescues him, "There Must Be Something More to Us." Charlotte describes the passing of time - and how wonderful life and the changing seasons are - in "Mother Earth and Father Time." She sings a touching reprise towards the end as she recalls how she helped Wilbur in a montage.

Trivia: This took a few years to make it to the big screen. It was originally announced in 1967, but it passed to a few animation studios before Hanna-Barbara took it over.

The movie itself did all right on first release, but was never a major blockbuster...until it made it to video. It was one of the best-selling videos of 1994, and was popular on cable as well. Like All Dogs Go to Heaven, it was so popular, it got a (direct to video) sequel, Charlotte's Web 2: Wilbur's Adventure.

What I Don't Like: E.B White hated this movie - he wanted more drama and fewer musical numbers. I love the music, but other things don't fare as well. As mentioned, the animation isn't great, especially compared to Disney's finest, and yes, some things were changed from the book.

The Big Finale: If you've already read the book to your young ones or are about to, this is a charming introduction with wonderful songs and some great performances.

Home Media: Easily found on DVD and streaming, often for under 5 dollars.

DVD
DVD - Charlotte's Web movie 3-pack
Amazon Prime 

Happy Father's Day! - Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

United Artists, 1968
Starring Dick Van Dyke, Sally Ann Howes, Lionel Jeffries, Gert Frobe
Directed by Ken Hughes
Music and Lyrics by Richard M and Robert B Sherman

We salute all fathers with this elaborate family musical from the late 60's. The success of Mary Poppins made both epic, super-long musicals and family-oriented musicals all the rage in the mid-late 60's. This may be the closest anyone came to replicating that film's success...and a close father-child relationship is at the heart of the story of an inventor who spins a crazy yarn about his newly-repaired car. Let's head to the races in the early 1900's to find out how well this story works nowadays...

The Story: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was once the most decorated race car in Europe, until its career ended in a fiery crash. Two children, Jeremy (Adrian Hall) and Jemima (Heather Ripley), regard Chitty as their own playground at the local junkyard and are horrified when the owner intends to sell it for scrap. They run into the lovely Truly Scrumptious (Howes) on the road, who takes them home to their doting father, Cartaculous Potts (Van Dyke). Potts is an inventor whose creations tend towards the fantastic side, like the candies he'd been working on with holes in them. He tries to market them to Truly's father Lord Scrumptious (James Robinson Justice) as a candy you can play, but the whistling sound brings dozens of dogs into the factory. He does manage to raise the money dancing with a folk group at a fair after his hair-cutting machine doesn't work out.

A day out with Chitty, Cartaculous, the kids, and Truly turns into an opportunity for the rousing tale of how the family dodged the child-like Baron Bombhurst of Vugaria (Frobe) and his spoiled and silly wife (Anna Quale) and rescued Cartaculous' father (Jeffries) from his dungeons and the children from the tower and the terrifying Child Catcher (Robert Helpmann).

The Song and Dance: Van Dyke and Howes make a charming couple in this fantastical tale. I think I like Van Dyke's performance even better here. He's warm with the kids and hilarious with Jefferies, the imagined explorer who wishes his son would do something concrete with his life besides tinker. Quale and Frobe are also very funny as the royal couple who care more about playing with toys than with each other. The lavish production includes widescreen cinematography with filming locations England, France, and Germany and lovely, colorful costumes ably depicting the early Edwardian period in Europe.

Favorite Number: "Toot Sweets," with its dancers whirling around a stark Victorian candy factory, plays almost like a warm up for Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory three years later. The Oscar-nominated title song is performed several times, including as they're going to the beach for the picnic after Chitty was finished. The children sing the sweet and charming "Truly Scrumptious" to Truly at the beach to tell her how much they appreciate her joining them. "Me Old Bamboo" is the folk dance Dick Van Dyke joined in on at the fair. His sheer energy level there is amazing; he keeps up well with the other dancers. He sings the lovely lullaby "Hushabye Mountain" twice, the second time as a duet with Howes when they're trying to comfort the hidden children of Vulgaria. Grandpa has two great solos, "Posh" when he's been kidnapped, and "The Roses of Success" with a group of scientists trying to invent a flying car.

Frobe and Quale's "Chu-Chi Face" sounds like something a loving couple would perform, but it's really the darkest song in the movie as the Baron continues to attempt to kill his wife.

Trivia: This was based the book of the same name by Ian Fleming of James Bond fame, but didn't really use much besides a few character names and the idea of a flying car.

It was a big hit in 1969, the tenth-most-popular film of that year.

What I Don't Like: First and foremost, it's way too long at over two hours, especially for a musical intended for families. The sequence with the goofy spies and the entire second half of the film in Vulgaria feel like obvious padding. The special effects, which were much-touted at the time, haven't really dated that well. Chitty going over the cliff is some of the most obvious green-screen I've ever seen in a movie. Howes' solo ballad "Lovely, Lonely Man" is notoriously dull and only serves as a buffer between the first and the second half. It's not hard to tell Road Dahl worked on the screenplay; there's a dark undercurrent to the film's antics, especially in the Vulgaria sequence, with the creepy Child Catcher, child-hating royalty, and the Baron gleefully attempting to kill his wife.

Did this really need to be set in the Edwardian era? The costumes are appropriate, but the story just doesn't feel that historical.

The Big Finale: If you can get your kids to sit for it and they can handle some of the darker elements, this is a fun ride with some great songs and catchy musical numbers.

Home Media: As one of the most beloved family musicals ever created, this is easily found in all major formats, including streaming.

DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime

Magical Christmas Double Feature - Mary Poppins & Mary Poppins Returns

Merry Christmas! Once again, my original plans fell through...but this time, there's no scrambling for reviews. I saw the currently-in-theaters sequel to Mary Poppins in theaters with my sister this afternoon and decided that it was the perfect opportunity to revisit the original film as well. After all, Christmas is a time to reconnect with old friends and family as well as new ones. Oh, and if you haven't seen Mary Poppins Returns yet, you might want to wait until you see it to read the second review, as there will be spoilers. Now that we've gotten the warning out of the way, let's return to London, this time to #17 Cherry Tree Lane in 1910, just in time to witness a bit of chaos in the Banks family...

Mary Poppins
Disney, 1964
Starring Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, David Tomlinson, and Glynis Johns
Directed by Robert Stevenson
Music and Lyrics by Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman

The Story: There's a bit of a row on Cherry Tree Lane. Jane (Karen Dotrice) and Michael (Matthew Garber) Banks have run off, and their Katie Nana (Elsa Lanchester) is quite tired of their antics and quits. After a local constable (Arthur Treacher) retrieves them, their stuffy banker father George (Tomlinson) decides to find them a new nanny. The kids have their own ideas and write an ad. Their mother Winifred (Johns) thinks it's sweet, but her husband insists that it's nonsense and throws it away. It manages to reform and end up in the clouds anyway.

The last person Mr. Banks expects to see at the door is Mary Poppins (Andrews), a stern but attractive young woman who takes firm command of the family the moment she enters. It seems that, despite her protests, "practically perfect" Mary can do all kinds of magic, from pulling an entire household out of her carpet bag to taking the kids into an animated chalk drawing with her chimney sweep friend Bert (Van Dyke). She even takes them to visit Bert's Uncle Albert (Ed Wynn), who flies when he laughs too hard.

Their father is aghast at all this lunacy and insists that a trip to the bank where he works is just the thing to return them to earth. The trip turns into a disaster and ends with the kids running out again. It takes a dance on the rooftop and the loss of his job for Mr. Banks to finally understand what Mary and Bert are trying to tell him...that his family means more to him than any bank job.

The Animation: The effects that blend live-action and animation are downright amazing for 1964, and still look good to this day. I've always especially loved the sequence with Bert dancing with the penguin waiters in unison. The animation itself, with the sketchy style of Disney at the time, is just ok, but the interaction between the actors and the animated characters still mostly works very well.

The Song and Dance: While coming off as a bit softer than the books, Andrews is still a wonderful Mary, especially during the animated sequence. Accent aside, Van Dyke more than matches her as energetic and lovable Bert. Tomlinson and Johns also do well as the Banks parents, who eventually discover just how important their children are, and Dotrice and Garber as fine as the kids.

One of my favorite parts of this are the beloved character actors who pop up in small parts. Along with Treacher, there's Reginald Owen as the ship-shape Admiral Boom and Jane Darwell in a cameo as the bird woman. The costumes and sets are also excellent, ably recreating the slightly grimy London of 1910.

Favorite Number: "Chim Chim Cheree" won the Oscar and "Supercalafragilisticexpealidotious" and "Jolly Holiday" are fun dance routines in the animated sequence, but for my money, the best numbers in this movie are the two slow songs. "Feed the Birds" is absolutely gorgeous, possibly the Sherman Brothers' best ballad. The sweet counter-psychology lullaby "Stay Awake" is almost as lovely. There's also the big ensemble number "Step In Time," with Bert and his buddies kicking up their heels all over the roof...only to be outdone by Mary.

Trivia: It took 20 years for Walt Disney to convince author PL Travers to let him make this movie, and she did indeed get script approval. She was one of the only people who disliked the film when it came out, and in fact was so offended by it, she wouldn't let anyone - including Disney - touch her books again until after she died.

That was David Tomlinson as the voice of Mary's talking parrot umbrella. Julie Andrews was the whistling robin in "A Spoonful of Sugar" and the female pearly singer in the animated sequence.

A stage musical version debuted in London's West End in 2004. It was a hit there and later on Broadway in 2006, and it sounds like a revival is gearing up for the West End next fall.

What I Don't Like: A lot of people complain about Dick Van Dyke's Cockney accent, but at least he tried for one. Ed Wynn just sounds like himself. While the animated sequence has dated pretty well, some of the other effects are a bit obvious today, including Mary Poppins coming and going. And yes, it is softened from the books. The stage musical and the sequel (see below) make more use of the darker edges in the book series.

The Big Finale: It may not be "practically perfect in every way," but it is still a lot of fun for families and fans of fantasy-oriented musicals or Andrews and Van Dyke

Home Media:  I have the 45th anniversary 2-disc DVD set from 2009, but it was upgraded in 2013 to the 50th anniversary on Blu-Ray, and it can be found for streaming as well.

DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime (buy only)

Mary Poppins Returns
Disney, 2018
Starring Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, and Emily Mortimer
Directed by Ken Marshall
Music by Marc Shaiman; Lyrics by Shaiman and Scott Wittman

The Story: It's now 1935, and Cherry Tree Lane is once again in chaos. Michael Banks (Whishaw) still lives in the family home with his three children Annabelle (Pixie Davies), John (Nathanel Saleh), and George (Joel Dawson). He was an artist, but after his wife Kate died, he gave up painting and got a job at the bank where his father once worked. Kate apparently took care of most things for the family, including the finances. He took out a loan on the house, and now William "Weatherall" Wilikins (Colin Firth), the nephew of original bank owner Mr. Dawes (Dick Van Dyke),  wants to reposes it. His sister Jane, an activist and social worker, helps him take care of the children but has even less money. If they can't find stocks that Mr. Banks owned and sell them, they'll lose the house.

Mary Poppins (Blunt) literally blows in on the end of a kite. Jane and Michael have no problems welcoming her back. Jack (Miranda), a cheerful lamplighter and Bert's apprentice, is even happier to see her. The current Banks children are less pleased. They insist that they can take care of themselves and have no need of a nanny. Mary shows them otherwise when she takes them on an adventure during their baths, on a romp in a china bowl that turns into a nightmare, and into the bowels of London to visit her cousin Topsy (Meryl Streep), whose life is literally turned upside-down. She and Jack finally prove to the kids and their father and aunt that sometimes, all you need to do is look at life in a different way.

The Animation: Some of the biggest praise for the movie has been how they managed to match the animation up with the original, right down to it being 2D, rather than computer. I like how they managed to make it look like an actual porcelain bowl, including all the details on the humans' costumes being painted on, rather than real flounces and buttons and such.

The Song and Dance: Blunt makes a practically perfect Mary Poppins, maybe even better than Andrews. While she can still be kind, she's also vain and a bit of a snob, as per the original books. Miranda's having a ball as Jack, and Whishaw and Mortimer are adorable as the older Bankses. Look for some fun cameos from Van Dyke and Angela Landsbury in the finale. Firth makes an appropriately smarmy villain as well.

The scenery and costumes are just as gorgeous as the original. Everyone talks about the sequence in the china bowl, but my favorite sequence was their swimming adventure in the bathtub. The underwater effects in that sequence are incredible - and seem to be mostly done with the same 2D animation.

Favorite Number: Ironically, once again, the best song was a ballad, the touching "The Place Where Lost Things Go." (Having lost my own stepfather in October, I'm not ashamed to admit that I cried during the end of that song.) Miranda and his fellow lamplighters have a blast with the ensemble number "Trip a Little Light Fantastic." "Can You Imagine That?", the swimming sequence, and Mary and Jack's music-hall duet "A Cover Is Not a Book" are also a lot of fun.

What I Don't Like: Most critics have complained that it feels too much like a retread of the original. I thought it had enough twists and turns to avoid deja vu, but there was a lot of overlap - an animated sequence, Mary comes in after a kite flies, her buddy is a jack-of-all-trades menial worker with a bad Cockney accent, there's a big number with her and his friends and another one with a character actor known for their eccentric roles, an elderly banker ends up swooping in to save everything in the end.

The save the house plot did make for a bit more excitement than the original...but it also felt like it was trying a little too hard to be an action movie. As nifty as the finale on Big Ben was, it does feel like it loses the simplicity of the original.

The Big Finale: I'll have to see how I feel when it comes out on home media, but for now, I absolutely loved Mary Poppins Returns. The delightful performances, music, animation, and production design more than offset the complaints about the rehashed script. I highly recommend grabbing the kids or any friends who are musical fans and getting to the theater as soon as possible.

Home Media: The soundtrack can currently be found on CD and for streaming on Amazon and elsewhere.

CD
Amazon Music Unlimited