Classic Disney: Any Fans?

[Darklordavaitor]

By classic, in this case, I referring to the studio's live-action works rather than their animated films.

As of late, I've taken the time to rewatch as many of the Walt Disney Studios' classic works as I can, and with good cause. Rewatching some of the movies made while the man was still alive shows just how brilliant Walt is as a producer and idea man, and how well he works behind the scenes. The reason his studio's take on 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea remains to be the most popular take of the classic novel, for example, is apparant while seeing how the film highlights the more adventerous and exciting parts of the book while still keeping the technologic side that Jules Verne added to his original story, bringing a breathtaking Nautilus alongside other special effects that still look great to this day. Mr. Disney was a big fan of Verne's work and it shows by seeing how well he cared for the movie.

I personally feel that the live-action movies made when Walt was still alive seperate themselves from other studio's childrens movies since most of the time the people working on these movies weren't making them for just children, as that was never Walt's aspiration. Pollyanna, for example, was heavily promoted for adults more than children, and looking at the film now, it's easy to tell why. With anyone but David Swift on directorial duties or Hayley Mills as the title character, this could of been overly sappy and pretentious, but Swift's strong script and reliance on his actor's facial expressions to express emotions and Mill's undeniably charming portrayal of an overly glad young girl inexplicably spreading joy to a banal turn of the century town help make this movie one of my all time favorites and one of the handful of Disney movies I'd recommend practially anyone to look at again.

Most people think of the Disney studio's live-action films for their comedys, and while I have my favorite comedic movies of theirs, there are quite a few good dramatic and adventurous films to make up for those looking for more than a laugh. Try Treasure Island, Swiss Family Robinson, Darby O'Gill and the Little People, Third Man on the Mountain, and Summer Magic to see different takes on the typical non-animated Disney experience.

Even their comedys aren't that bad. The Parent Trap is also quite high on my favorites list, not only for it's humorous exchanges of dialogue and many memorable supporting characters, but also due to how well Swift is able to juggle two different stories in one; not just how the twins switch places to try to get their parents back together, but to also see how long-lost twins react to meeting each other for the first time, and to focus on two estranged lovers finally confessing to each other how much they miss being together. Swift is once again able to show how well he's able to treat emotions and chemistry by having both parents work well alongside each other. Throughout the entire movie you hope to see them get back together, because you know they really care for each other, and I can only speak for myself, but I always love seeing that happy ending.

I also think The Shaggy Dog and The Absent Minded Professor are great children's comedys, that work so well thanks to strong performances from their various actors, mainly the incredibly charming Fred MacMurray, who makes a dog-hating mailman and a professor who's forgotten time and time again to attend his wedding believable and likeable. Both movie's special effects look great thanks to the decision to direct the film in black-and-white. It's hard to look at their color prints, since these films were meant to be seen in B&W, and adding cheap Technicolor ruins the fun of seeing a boy transform to a dog or a high-jumping basketball game.

Anyway, that's just me rambling on. I'd like to hear what you think of the studio's classics, mainly from our "official" movie buff, hanshotfirst. Here's a good list of what Disney's done and what to check out, if you're interested in broading your horizons.

[GWOtaku]

It's not a movie, but live action Zorro was awesome. Behold!

It had a good run of serialized adventures, lasting 78 episodes. The series also often took on entire story arcs, including a really great one with Zorro taking on a nefarious conspiracy led by a mysterious figure known only as "the Eagle." I recorded just about the entire thing back in the day when they actually had it on Disney channel.

It's apparently actually gettable on official DVD if you're in the Disney movie club. Hmmmmm.

[Darklordavaitor]

It's apparently actually gettable on official DVD if you're in the Disney movie club. Hmmmmm.

You can get the entire first season if you register on the Disney Movie Rewards site for about 2,000 points. It's free to join, and if you've bought any Disney DVDs or Blu-Rays in the past 2 or 3 years and have a code to use in it's package, you can put thiese codes in for points to buy DVDs like that and other awesome stuff with enough points, without spending a red cent.

There's also supposed to be a Disney Treasures release with some of the classic Zorro episodes this year. Can't wait for it myself, with the series being a favorite as a kid.

[The Cartoon]

Even though I'm bigger on their animation, I love a lot of Live Action Disney too. Swiss Family Robinson, 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, Marry Poppins, Bedknobs & Broomsticks, and Darby O'Gill (I would have forgotten that one if you hadn't mentioned it) are among my favorites. And then there is the Mickey Mouse Club of course. There was some great Live Action there, The Hardy Boys being my personal favorite.

[Desensitized]

I loved the Incredible Journey. Such a shame it's not available on DVD. The book was pretty good, too.

[Elven Moon]

I watched Pollyanna a lot as a kid. Same with Bedknobs, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Mary Poppins