During my time in the USA I learned to love Thanksgiving day, for me this holiday became the day of getting some great food, decorating the Christmas tree, spend four days with people who love me and of course going to watch some long waited movies. To celebrate Thanksgiving day this year I decide to write the list of movies I’m thankful for.
Category Archives: Disney
6. Beauty and the Beast
DIRECTED BY GARY TROUSDALE AND KIRK WISE
WRITTEN BY LINDA WOLVERTON
STARRING PAIGE O’HARA, ROBBY BENSON, RICHARD WHITE, JERRY ORBACH, ANGELA LANSBURY, DAVID OGDEN STIERS
RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 22, 1991
AGE RECOMMENDED: ALL AGES
Beauty and the Beast is the 30th Disney’s animated feature film. This film is based on the fairy tale La belle et la Bete by Jeanne – Marie La Prince Beaumont, and share some of the ideas of 1946 film by Jean Cocteau. This is a musical film, very inspired by Broadway musical tradition which is very notable specially in the cast written by Alan Mekefn and Howard Ashman. This is also the last work of Ashman, who died shortly after the release of the movie.
Beauty and the Beast is the first animated film to be nominated in the Academy as best Picture, also is one of the 6 films to have 3 songs nominated for Best Song, And Finally this movie share the record with Wall-E as the animated film with 6 nomination to the Oscars. Beauty and the Beast is easily the finest and tender animated movie ever. The only thing I can say about this movie is beside that is one of my favorite movies, a few months ago I saw it with a 6 years old boy and he love it as much as I, he sang the whole movie and even got mad with Gaston: this is really a great movie to see with kids no matter age or gender.
8. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Poooh
DIRECTED BY WOLFGANG REITHERMAN & JONH LOUNSBERY
WRITTEN BY LARRY CLEMMONS, RALPH WRIGHT, VANCE GERRY, XAVIER ATENCIO, KEN ANDERSON, JULIUS SVENDSEN, TED BERMAN, ERIC CLEWORTH & WINSTON HIBLER
STARRING: SEBASTIAN CABOT, STERLING HOLLOWAY, JOHN FIEDLER, JUNIUS MATTHEWS, PAUL WINCHELL, HOWARD MORRIS & BRUCE REITHERMAN.
RELEASE DATE: MARCH 11, 1977
AGE RECOMMENDED: ALL
This post is very important for me, I grew up with Winnie the Pooh to the point I have a collection of Eeyore donkeys. Winnie the pooh is the a coming to age movie for the first part of our lives. The movie, this one and all of them that follow it and all the tv shows, are based in the book of A.A. Milne.
The books and the film have several differences but the films, and specially the insertion of the character of Gopher, who does not exist appear in the books, or in the book Winnie only wear his shirt in winter. Disney decide to create first this movie as a little featurettes, releases in 1966, 1968 and 1974, so the american public became familiar with the story which was quite popular in England but quite unknown in the US. In 1977 the studio decide to re-release the original featurettes (Winnie the Pooh and the honeey tree , Winnie the Pooh and the blustery Day and Winnie the Pooh and Tigger too) as a full length movie.
15. The Rescuers
DIRECTED BY WOLFANG REITHERMAN, JONH LOUNSBERY & ART STEVENS
WRITTEN BY: LARRY CLEMMONS, VANCE GERRY, KEN ANDERSON, FRANK THOMAS, BURNY MATTINSON, FRED LUCKY, DICK SEBAT & DAVE MICHENER
STARRING: BOB NEWHART, EVA GABOR, MICHELLE STACY, GERALDINE PAGE, JOE FLYNN, JIM JORDAN, JOHN MCINTIRE, JEANETTE NOLAN, JANNETTE NOLAN, PAT BUTTRAM & BERNARD FOX
RELEASE DATE: JUNE 22, 1977
AGE RECOMMENDED: 4 & UP
Confession time I have never seen this movie in English, ergo I can say that The Spanish translation is really good. This movie took advantage of Annie’s trend and release a movie of the little orphan Penny. The movie is a dark story based in two stories by Margery Sharp. the movies is a solid, child-friendly work which will keep little ones content, if not mesmerised.
16. The Sword in the Stone
DIRECTED BY WOLFGANG REITHERMAN
WRITTEN BY BILL PEET
STARING: RICKIE SORENSEN, KARL SWENSON, JUNUIS MATHEWS, SEBASTIAN CABOT, NORMAN ALDEN & MARTHA WENWORTH.
RELEASE DATE: DECEMBER 25, 1963
AGE RECOMMENDED: ALL
This is funny, I was watching this movie a couple of days ago and it is a great movie. Movie may be kind of helpful now a days Wart is bully but still he manages to became King Arthur. This one of the classic Disney movies, and belongs to Disney’s British period (like Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh and 101 Dalmatians). The movie is based in the 1938 book, The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White, later renamed The Once and Future King . The movie had one of the most memorable and funnier villains in films, Madame Minn. The movie is great and funny but it has some flaws like some weak secondary characters.
19. Song of the South
DIRCTED BY HARVE FOSTER & WILFRED JACKSON
WRITTEN BY DALTON S. REYMOND, MORTON GRANT, MAURICE RAPF, BILL PEET, RALPH WRIGHT, GEORGE STALLINGS, & JOEL CHANDLER HARRIS
STARRING: RUTH WARRICK, BOBBY DRISCOLL, JAMES BASKETT, LUANA PATTEN, LUCILE WATSON, HATTIE MCDANIEL, GLEEN LEEDY, JOHNY LEE, & NIC STEWART
RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 12, 1946
I have fond memories of this movie specially because this one was the favorite of my grandmother. Song of the south is an American period movie based in the Americanization of the African folklore tale of the trickster rabbit. The story was brought to America by Joel Chandler Harris whose pen name was Uncle Remus.
The movie was a success when it was release and even won an Academy Award for original song , but now a days in USA Song of the South is baned for it’s portrayal of slavery. This decision is consider as unfair because others movies like Gone with the wind or Jezebel also portray slavery without been baned for it. Outside of the US the tales of the Brer Rabbit are really popular. I believe this movie is a buried jewel that deserve to be seen.
20. 101 Dalmatian
DIRECTED BY CLYDE GERONIMO, HAMILTON LUSKE, & WOLFANG REITHERMAN
WRITTEN BY BILL PEET & DODIE SMITH
STARRING ROD TAYLOR, CATE BAUER, BETTY LOU GERSON, BEN WRIGHT, LISA DAVIS & MARTHA WENWORTH
RELEASE DATE: JANUARY 5, 1961
AGE RECOMMENDED: ALL
What I love the most of this movie is the villain… Cruela Devil. This is the ultimate children movie and the only dog 
movie I like. 101 Dalmatian had everything you need in a movie a love story, an amazing soundtrack, heinous villain, and a happy ending.
The film’s animation was a major change for Disney Studios, whose animators had previously used the process of rotoscoping to used xerography for the first time to transfer the line art onto the cels instead of having the artists hand-draw everything (to low cost). The art ended up having a thick, black-lined sketchy look to, which was nothing like Disney’s previous animated films.
In this movie no all the dogs are named, so I will like to review the names of the dogs(with name): 1. Pongo (Father) 2. Perdita (Mother) 3. Lucky 4. Thunder 5. Rolly 6. Patch 7. Pepper 8. Penny 9. Cadpig 10. Freckles 11. Purdy 12. Wizzer 13. Jewel 14. Dipstick 15. Two-Tone
23. Bedknobs and broomsticks
DIRECTED BY ROBERT STEVENSON
WRITTEN BY BILL WASH & DON GRADI
STARRING: ANGELA LANSBURY, DAVID TOMLINSON, IAN WEIGHILL, CINDY O’CALLAGAN &ROY SNART
RELEASE DATE: DECEMBER 13, 1971
AGE RECOMMENDED: ALL AGES
Another magical musical by Disney, this time adapted from the novel How to Become a Witch in Ten Easy Lessons and Bonfires and Broomsticks by Mary Norton. This movie is great and one of my favorites growing up. The movie counts with one of the most talented musical actress: Angela Lansbury and of course David Tomlison, famous as the dad of the Banks’ kids from Mary Poppins. Again this is a musical by the Sherman brothers (Mary Poppins and Chitty chitty bang bang), but the most impressive thing and my personal favorite: the animated sequence of Naboomboo, a secret island only reachable by twisting the knob three times on a bed that has been cursed by a witch.
This movie is another childish approach to WWII. This movie is memorable for kids and easily became a great memory, unfortunately is not as popular as Mary Poppins or even Chittty Chitty Bang Bang.
26. The Black Cauldron
DIRECTED BY TED BERMAN & RICHARD RICH
WRITTEN BY ART STEVENS, PETER YOUNG, ROY MORITA, AL WILSON, DAVID JONAS, VANCE GERRY, TED BERMAN, RICHARD RICH & JOE HALE
STARRING: GRANT BARDSLEY, SUSAN SHERIDAN, FREDDIE JONES, NIGEL HAWTHORNE, JONH HURT, & JOHN BYNER
RELEASE DATE: JULY 24 1985
AGE RECOMMENDED: 5 AND UP
This is an unusual Disney movie that try to be the beginning of a new animation era, but flunk. The movie is based in the children saga of Lloyd Alexander’s “The Chronicles of Prydain.” This a quest movie, full of fantasy and magic. When the movie came out was a fail, as I already said, but is really one of that forget jewels of children films. I love this movie because is a goosebumps type. One thing that is noteworthy about The Black Cauldron is that it doesn’t feature any songs. That’s a rarity for any Disney movie.
The drawing in The Black Cauldron may seem a little rough or unfinished. Frankly, though, even judging by today’s high standards, the artwork is impressive, especially during the late sequences when the Black Cauldron spews its magical contents skyward and an army of corpses begins its march. The backgrounds are as richly textured and detailed as in any other Disney film.
30. Tangled
DIRECTED BY: NATHAN GRENO & BYRON HOWARD
WRITTEN: DAN FOGELMAN
STARRING: ZACHARY LEVY, MANDY MOORE, DONNA MURPHY
RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 24TH 2010
AGE RECOMMENDED: ALL
When I started this blog I never consider this scenario. Two months ago Disney release this movie, and is definitely worth to see it. Tangled is more than a princess movie, is an action movie and comedy. And for the first time the princess is only part of the move not the main character, Flynn the male character is equally important. Rapunzel is not a needy girl, she’s independent and capable to defend her self, is smart and sweet. The repartee between Rapunzel and Flynn is clever and sharp, and there’s good chemistry between them. Flynn is an extremely charming rogue, just pompous enough to laugh at and whose change of heart towards Rapunzel is believable and slowly earned.
Mother Gothel nearly steals the show, with her overprotective tyranny being made to seem almost rational through some of her sly exchanges with the naive young princess. Mother also gets one of the film’s biggest musical numbers, which Murphy nails.
The music of this movie is again a marvelous work of Alan Menken. The movie is the rebirth of Disney animated musicals after the 80-90’s wave. The CGI animation is simply gorgeous but what it makes this movie what it is, is the perfect sync of a talented cast.
The repartee between Rapunzel and Flynn is clever and sharp, and there’s good chemistry between them. Flynn is an extremely charming rogue, just pompous enough to laugh at and whose change of heart towards Rapunzel is believable and slowly earned. Mother Gothel nearly steals the show, with her overprotective tyranny being made to seem almost rational through some of her sly exchanges with the naive young princess. Mother also gets one of the film’s biggest musical numbers, which Murphy nails.
Coco's Film List 