Tackling the Magic Kingdom

.

JA from MNPP here. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times yesterday Jon Favreau opened up about why he's not doing the third Iron Man film (Nat mentioned it yesterday), and in so doing this tid-bit presented itself:

"Favreau is set to direct “Magic Kingdom,” which the 44-year-old filmmaker described as a family fantasy adventure that will tap into the vintage Disney creations that “loomed so large in the imagination” of his generation. Favreau said that [David] Fincher ... will direct the studio’s ”20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,” a Jules Verne bookshelf classic that is closely associated with Disney after the landmark 1954 film and the submarine theme-park ride, and Disney confirmed that to be the case. [Guillermo] Del Toro had already been announced as director of a new “Haunted Mansion” film."

That's right - David Fincher, currently swallowing whole every critic's prize in sight for his little Facebook movie, might be making a movie about a giant squid squatting on a submarine next.

Well after his adaptation of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo that is, which he's currently in the middle of filming. What does this mean for his adaptation of the French graphic novel The Killer that he's been attached to? Or his forever-gestating Rendezvous With Rama?

And what does this mean about the Disney live-action film in general? They seem to be putting at least some of that Pirates of the Caribbean and Pixar money to good use, hiring smart people and throwing them into curious projects. (Unless it's the fourth Pirates movie we're talking about; that's just desperate.) I'm dying to know what a David Fincher 20,000 Leagues would look and feel like. Or Del Toro's take on The Haunted Mansion, sure to be bursting at the seams with fantastic beasties.

But my real question now is how long until they hire David Lynch to make a Space Mountain movie? Because that's when shit gets real.

.

"Tangled" as 50th. A Disney List

At some point in the chronology of me dealing with Tangled, a complicated psychological rollercoaster for this lifelong Rapunzel lover, I had completely forgotten (or maybe never known?) that it was to be the 50th Disney animated feature.

I think I wasn't counting the compilation films but Disney does. Here's a helpful reminder from Disney of that rich history (which I saw courtesy of All Things Fangirl). How many have you seen?

The video comes after the jump.






The ones I've seen are in bold. Some I haven't seen so childhood so I dare not "rank" them though it's tempting to imagine watching them all chronologically and doing so... I just need a free 300 hours or so to watch and write up. Easy. Links go to previous posts if there are any -- every time an animated film comes out I realize it may be the biggest deficiency here at TFE. I never talk about them. Can't figure why -- I've also pinpointed my three childhood favorites and my current holy trinity. An asterisk indicates films I was basically obsessed with during their release.

1. Snow White (1937)

2. Pinocchio (1940)

3. Fantasia (1940) Childhood Obsession

4. Dumbo (1941)

5. Bambi (1942)

6. Saludos Amigoes (1942)

7. The Three Caballeros (1944)

8. Make Mine Music (1946)

9. Fun and Fancy Free (1947)

10. Melody Time(1948)

11. The Adventures of Ichobad & Mr Toad (1949)

12. Cinderella (1950)

13. Alice in Wonderland (1951)

14. Peter Pan (1953)

15. Lady & The Tramp (1955)

16. Sleeping Beauty (1959) Holy Trinity & Childhood Obsession

17. 101 Dalmations (1961)

18. The Sword in the Stone (1963)

19. Jungle Book (1967) Childhood Obsession

20. The Aristocats (1970)

21. Robin Hood (1973)

22. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)

23. The Rescuers (1977)

24. The Fox and the Hound (1981)

25. The Black Cauldron (1985)

26. The Great Mouse Detective* (1986)

27. Oliver & Company (1988)

28. The Little Mermaid* (1989) Holy Trinity

29. The Rescuers Down Under (1990)

30. Beauty & The Beast* (1991) Holy Trinity

31. Aladdin (1992)

32. Lion King (1994)

33. Pocahontas* (1995)

34. Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)

35. Hercules (1997)

36. Mulan (1998)

37. Tarzan (1999)

38. Fantasia 2000 (1999)

39. Dinosaur (2000)
40. The Emperor's New Groove (2000)
41. Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
42. Lilo & Stich (2002)

43. Treasure Planet (2002)

44. Brother Bear (2003)
45. Home on the Range (2004)
46. Chicken Little (2005)

47. Meet The Robinsons (2007)

48. Bolt (2008)

49. Princess & The Frog (2009)

50. Tangled (2010)

Yeah, yeah, Nathaniel, that's all well and good. But when are you going to really write about Tangled? Ergh. I know, I know. For what it's worth, I had a conversation with Michael (who writes "Unsung Heroes") about Tangled over dinner a couple of days back -- where we'd place it in the Disney hierarchy, its strength and weaknesses. I'll share that in a couple of days. Must transcribe first. But by then you'll all have seen it, right?

7 Word Reviews: From Rapunzel to Woody

Until I find more time... 7 words must suffice.

Tangled 
Disney's animated Rapunzel musical (Skip the 3D, save money.)
7WR: Gorgeously rendered central image / conflict. Tonal slips.  B+
[More to come on this one soon. Sorry for wait.]

You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger
Woody Allen's annual comedy. This one focuses on a failed writer (Josh Brolin) whose new work just doesn't measure up to the old (hmmmm) and the women in his life.
7WR: Woody, lazily confessing, quotes Shakespeare "...signifying nothing."  D*

Inside Job
Oscar finalist documentary on the global economic crisis.

7WR: Dry, linear 'Recitation O' Horrors'. Beautifully shot. B

The Way Back

Peter Weir's true WWII era story of escapees from a Siberian work camp.

7WR: The walking dead; only haunts in stasis. B/B-

*That grade might be generous. It might be my second least favorite Woody Allen film. Nothing "tops" The Curse of the Jade Scorpion.

Links With Benefits

Journalistic Skepticism Oooh, it's a must read listen. Luke has collected the film scores this year. Which is your favorite and who do you think is winning the Oscar for Best Score?
Cinema Blend smart post about confusingly similar 2011 romantic comedies Friends With Benefits and No Strings Attached. One twin thing that isn't mentioned: Mila Kunis and Natalie Portman, the female leads from the respective movies are sexually entanged together in Black Swan.
Towleroad A bit about Spielberg's Lincoln. Plus, my continued Harry Potter agnosticism . I don't even wanna see this one. Five hours to tell that book? And I've heard that they do spend lots of time moping in that tent. Argh. I don't even dislike the movies really (except the first two) but 9 years is more than enough for one series. Wrap that damn thing up already!
Austin Translation has some fun advice for future Disneyland travellers.
I.Z. Reloaded amazing Star Wars inspired art.
Vulture looks at the possibilities in a post Harry Potter world for Daniel Radcliffe.

Finally, have you read this great New York Times Cher profile piece? I particularly loved this bit about her surreal fame-filled life.

It’s an odd existence, Cher’s. When she recounted a late-night gabfest with two girlfriends in the bedroom of her Malibu manse not long ago, the gabbers in question were Joan Rivers and Kathy Griffin. When she flashed back to a favorite exercise class in Beverly Hills decades ago, the fellow crunchers and squatters were Raquel Welch, Ali MacGraw and, to a more limited and grudging extent, Barbra Streisand, who “would go over, do two little things, and then walk around and talk,” Cher said.

She refers to most of these people by first name or nickname only, figuring you can fill in the blanks. Nicky is Nicolas Cage, Kurty is Kurt Russell, Mich is Michelle Pfeiffer and Nony is Winona Ryder, who starred with Cher in “Mermaids” in 1990 but suffered a career setback after a subsequent arrest for shoplifting.

“It’s such a drag that some crimes are cool and some crimes are uncool,” Cher said.

Ha. You know why that "snap out of it" scene in Moonstruck is so infinitely funny/resonant? Because loving Cher (in ridiculous proportions to how much you probably should love Cher) comes so naturally; you have to be slapped to break her spell!

True story: Last night I was supposed to meet The Boyfriend for an event and I got confused about where we were meeting. I ended up at that big wall-painting of Burlesque I shared last week (which wasn't where I was supposed to be). A minute later he showed up just as I was ringing him.

"How'd you know where I was?" I ask.
"I knew you'd gravitate towards Cher."
*

Unsung Heroes: Vladimir Tytla for Dumbo

Michael C here from Serious Film. It's going to be tough not to get carried away this week since the subject of this episode is one I feel very strongly about. If I had only been given the opportunity to write one episode of Unsung Heroes it probably would have been about this man.

Even the most casual moviegoer can pinpoint a favorite animated moment, but I'd be surprised to find that one in a thousand could name the main animator responsible. If this wasn't the case - if people knew animators the way they knew actors and directors - then the name of Vladimir Tytla would be as well known as Hitchcock or Brando. He is to animation what Michael Jordan is to basketball. You didn't know his skill could be performed on that level until you saw him do it.

It is commonly said in the profession that animation is acting with a pencil. Good animating is as deeply felt as anyone performance on the Broadway stage. On that level no animator ever performed with more depth of feeling than Tytla. A physically imposing man, his drawings were just as powerful and muscular as he was. There were no half-hearted emotions in one of his characters. Scenes bearing his signature reached heights to which few live action filmmakers came close.

I could devote a book chapter to each of Tytla's achievements during the golden age of Disney animation. Along with Fred Moore he supervised the animation of Snow White's seven dwarves, work which proved to the public that animated characters could have all the humanity of their live action counterparts. Stromboli, his villainous puppeteer in Pinocchio, is frighteningly realistic as no other animated character I can think of.

His work on Fantasia's Night on Bald Mountain sequence is often called his best, understandably so, since many declare it the high water mark in the history of animation. The intensity of Tytla's Chernabog, the demon of the mountain, is truly awe-inspiring. Nevertheless, I would point to his work on the title character of Walt Disney's Dumbo as his crowning achievement.

As head animator for Dumbo he largely ignored the behavior of real elephants, instead basing his animation on his own infant son. It shows. While totally believable as an animal, the character reaches the audience on an elemental level. A silent character save for the occasional squeal, Dumbo is childhood innocence personified. The scene where he visits his mother in prison set the bar for tear-jerkers for the next seventy years. From the perfectly held moment of stillness before Dumbo breaks down sobbing through to the moment mother and son hold on their last moment of contact, Tytla's character choices are so strong I believe students would benefit from studying his work in an acting class.

Animation technology has come a long way since Dumbo, but no computer can ever duplicate the overwhelming emotion Tytla was able to wring from his material. It's a testament to his skill that few outside animation aficionados like myself know his name. To most of the world Dumbo is as real as any character they encounter in a film. Even to a devoted fan like myself it is tough to conceive that a man could create such moments out of blank paper.

Who Toons

JA from MNPP here. While Nat's been away there's been a sad dearth of Oscar news reported on here at TFE and so when I saw this news earlier today I knew it might be a nice enough sized scrap to toss down until he's back and such things can be discussed proper-like. The Academy announced the fifteen candidates that are eligible for the Animated Feature prize this morning, and they are as follows:

Alpha and Omega
Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore
Despicable Me
The Dreams of Jinsha
How to Train Your Dragon

Idiots and Angels
The Illusionist
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole
Megamind
My Dog Tulip

Shrek Forever After
Summer Wars
Tangled
Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue
Toy Story 3

You can check out Nat's prediction page for the category right here. But isn't it funny how the alphabet saved the inevitable winner for last? Trying to trick us all like that.

Seriously though, is anybody going to beat Toy Story 3? Should anybody beat Toy Story 3? I liked not loved it personally - although those final 20 minutes are killer to be sure. I'd love to see The Illusionist (as I'm sure most of us would) but it's not out here til Christmas.
.

Donna Murphy is "Mother Gothel"

If you don't just skip the occasional theater post on The Film Experience you may know of my love of Tony winner Donna Murphy. She has what might be her most significant screen role ever this very year. 'But what they want from her is....her voice.' She is playing Mother Gothel, the villainess of Disney's Tangled. She's the one who grounded Rapunzel, like, forever. [Okay, stop gagging. I know the juvenilia of the Tangled marketing has been entirely off-putting but let's stay positive for two minutes.]

Here's the first image release of Mother Gothel, just released.

Tangled's song score -- eight new songs the soundtrack is out in November the week before the movie -- is by Alan Menken so we hope against hope that the songs will be good and some of his past work is very good indeed. Lately it hasn't been quite so magical but at the very least a Menken score would have to be preferrable to the pop-song laden trailer music which led us to believe that this would be another Shrek, musically speaking. [Shudder.]

<--- Donna (left) with fellow Broadway headliner Sutton Foster, who has weirdly never appeared in a film, despite being a rather big deal on stage. (Usually the big theater stars get at least some film work.)

You've probably seen Donna in a few things already since she does bit parts on film (like in Door in the Floor or Spider-Man 2) and major parts on TV... but her voice is INCREDIBLE so I'm hoping she gets a song that's worthy of her.

So, let's think about the "villain songs" in Menken's oeuvre. How would you rank them? Here's what I'd say.

1. "Poor Unfortunate Souls" from The Little Mermaid. Undeniable classic!
2. "Gaston" from Beauty & The Beast. Not exactly an 'I'm evil' song but so great nonetheless.
3. "Suppertime" from Little Shop of Horrors. Creepy.
4. "Heaven's Light/Hellfire" from The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Hunchback's music is SO underrated and this scene sandwiched next to Children of God is maybe my favorite musical act in any Disney picture. Marvelous. Can I get an "amen"?
5. "Mean Green Mother From Outer Space" from Little Shop of Horrors. Fun.
6. "Mine, Mine, Mine" from Pocahontas. Errrr. not so much.

Now, admittedly the lyrics are a crucial part of the best villain songs. So hopefully Menken will have great assist from Glenn Slater in that department though obviously there will never be another Howard Ashman. Not every villain gets a song. If I recall correctly Hades from Hercules and Jafar from Aladdin don't have songs but that better not be the case when you've got pipes as golden as Murphy's to work with. That'd be like casting Mandy Patinkin in a musical and not letting him sing. Hey, now wait a mi...

Here's some Murphy performances I just love. "Hit Me With a Hot Note" from What About Joan? "Swing" from Wonderful Town, "Loving You" from Passion and "Shall We Dance?" from The King and I.