Aquarela do Brasil

1942’s Saludos Amigos is a bit of an odd duck in the Disney Animation Studio canon. It’s only 42 minutes long and a good portion of it is live action. I didn’t expect to enjoy it as I don’t have a great memory of the package films of the 40’s, but I thought this was a great little gem of Disney History.

We get to tag along with Walt Disney and a group of hand selected artist on their good will tour through South America. Sure, it reeks of the Good Neighbor Policy but it is so much fun to see parts of the world that were foreign to the eyes of a pre internet world. The Disney animation buff in me is totally delighted in seeing favorite artist like Frank Thomas and Mary Blair do their sketching and doodles in living color.

Playing more like a travelogue than an actual film, the shorts are tied together with the story of the animators getting inspiration from the surrounding lands and cultures. You’ve most likely seen the first 3 stories as standalone shorts and the animation, though consistent in quality, is no more groundbreaking than any other Mickey Mouse/Silly Symphony that was released in the past. We get to see Donald Duck being tourist in Lake Titicaca. We see the first installment of the Planes franchise in Pedro, the little mail plane who bravely flies through a storm over the country of Chile. We visit El Gaucho Goofy as he learns how to turn from an American Cowboy to a genuine Argentine gaucho with hilarious results.

The fourth short, Aquarela do Brasil, is where animation gets to do what animation does best: be wonderfully surrealistic. Translated to “Watercolor of Brazil”, a paint brush is animated painting landscapes of the country with each splattering of paint becoming something alive. A dash of blue paint becomes a flowing river. With a few drops of yellow a palm tree becomes an exotic jungle bird. Magically, a bunch of bananas are transformed to a flock of toucan with a mere splash of black paint. It’s beautiful, fantastic, and awesome. Once the scene is set Jose Carioca, the green parrot most associated with the Three Caballeros, is introduced to samba the night away Donald around the color streets of Brazil.

Not the best feature out there, and I probably wouldn’t recommend it as a must see to the casual fan, but if you have any interest in the Disney Animators of the 40’s, it’s a real treat. Bonus points for any anthropologist out there as all the live action footage has some great stuff from the native cultures of South America and Mid Century era Brazil.

“Recalling thrills of our love, there’s one thing I’m certain of. Return, I will, to old Brazil.”

… He Is Known As the Great Prince of the Forest

Mister Walt Disney sure gave us the 1-2 punch with the motherly tragedy when he released Bambi in 1942. Quite possibly one of the most beautiful of the animated films, Walt Disney set out for a more realistic look than the previous films that had been animated by the studio. Animators were instructed to study the anatomy of real animal and the hard work paid off. Animator Eric Larson is quoted as saying the previous attempts at deer in Snow White were more “like big flour sacks” than actual animals. It’s pretty amazing that you can actually see the back muscles moving when the deer walk around the forest. A forest made all the more lush thanks to the eye and hand of animator Tyrus Wong. The visuals of this film are true masterpieces of the medium.

Not only is this Disney’s first attempt at realism in a feature film, but this is really the first coming of age tale they tried to tell. There is more emphasis on the daily life of Bambi than there is on a clear cut narrative. The villain in the story is only identified as Man, and he is never seen. The death of Bambi’s mother is one of the most iconic parts of the film, and surely traumatized a fair share of children around the world, but it hurts mre because Bambi and his mother have such a wonderful relationship. The fawn cares for his mother so deeply that you want to believe that she’s right behind Bambi in the safety of the thicket. I don’t think I’m alone in hoping that she makes it every time I watch the film.

Not to be overshadowed by the tragic death of the mother, the movie is just chock-full of super intense moments. From the battle Bambi has with a competing Deer over the hand (hoof?) of Feline, to the forest fire and dog fight in the climax, there is almost no time to breathe in the second half of the film. My favorite moment in the film is actually one of the more frightening scenes, involving a quail and her fear of the approaching hunter. Against the advice of her friends to stay hidden in the brush, she succumbs to her fear induced madness and flies away only to get shot down has she tries to flee. And no punches are pulled here; you actually see her body fall and hit the ground.

Luckily there are plenty of light moments with cute animals frolicking around the meadow, skating an iced over pond, and finding the sensation of Twitterpation and romance. But best of all there’s Thumper. I love Thumper. He is so adorable and has so much personality. He is great when he’s getting scolded by his mother by reciting the wisdom of his unseen father.

I’m glad this film gets the respect it deserves, as it can be easily forgotten in the pantheon of fantasy and princesses normally associated with Disney. The Great Prince of the Forest is a crowning achievement for Walt Disney and his studio.

Did You Ever See an Elephant Fly?

The little film that could, Dumbo was released in 1941 as a means to recoup the losses accrued by Fantasia. Clocking in at only 64 minutes Dumbo provides enough emotional punch for film twice it’s length. It’s no wonder it became the most successful film for the studio in the 40’s.

Nostalgically, this movie is really dear to me as I remember many a Sunday evening at home when they would broadcast it on our local TV station. I was captivated by the story of the little elephant from the circus that was made fun of just because of his enormous ears. One of my first Disneyland souvenirs was a Timothy Q. Mouse plush. Maybe it was the bright colors, the simple story, or even the plain fact that it took place at the circus, something about Dumbo just did it for me. Still does to this day.

Everything about Dumbo’s mother is so incredibly heart breaking. The film opens up storks delivering newborn baby animals to the entire circus as Mrs. Jumbo looks on hoping one will be hers, and is crushed when he child is not delivered. Lucky for her one of the storks, played hilariously by Sterling Halloway in his first of MANY great Disney characters, was just running a little behind. She only enjoys a few moments of bliss before the troupe, led by a matriarch voice by another Disney Voice All Star Verna Felton, begin to poke fun at Dumbo’s big ears. Then she gets put in the clink after she’s protecting her poor baby from some cruel kids visiting the circus. No wonder Baby Mine is universally known as a “If-This-Song-Doesn’t-Affect-You-You-Have-No-Soul” moment. This poor character goes through so much it makes her happy ending all that more satisfying.

I always knew that Pink Elephants on Parade scene was trippy and weird, but it’s really great watching it as a learned adult and see how it’s a surrealist dream/nightmare. There is such trippy and frightening imagery in the sequence. I think has a child I ignored the fact that Dumbo and Timothy are completely drunk.

Now for the elephant in the room: The Crows. Say what you will about this controversial aspect of the movie, but I never saw the crows as racist or offensive (Song of the South is a different story, that can be offensive). These crows were the cool kids in the movie; they seemed to me like they were part of a really cool jazz ensemble. They are one of the few characters that are sympathetic to Dumbo and give him the confidence to fly. The worst thing about them is that the lead crow is unfortunately named Jim Crow.

At the end of the film Dumbo triumphs and becomes a star, and quite possibly a war hero? Dumbo is one of the most inspiring and magical films in the Disney cannon that will have you cheering louder than the crowd under the big top. I’d believe and soar with this pachyderm any day.

What You Will See Are the Different Things That Might Pass Through Your Mind If You Sat In a Concert Hall Listening To This Music

If there was any doubt that Walt Disney was an ambitious man (and there shouldn’t be… at all) look no further than 1940’s Fantasia. I always found it so cool that just after 2 films, Uncle Walt goes balls to the walls with an abstract feature film with no storyline. Meant to be an ever evolving Concert Feature, this one was always kind of lost on me has a child. The imagery was fun, but in all reality I was just waiting for the Mickey Mouse part. Oh, and dinosaurs, because dinosaurs are awesome. In re-watching, the film is just pure eye and ear candy.

Toccata and Fugue in D Minor starts the program with everything that Fantasia sets out to be, what you might see in your head as you hear music. I love how the backlit orchestra melts away to abstract patterns. When the sounds gets fuller so do the images, it’s such an astounding exercise in art and imagination.

Instead of going for the obvious Christmas scene, this Nutcracker Suite features the changing seasons. The fairies are particularly beautiful, and who can forget the funny little slightly racist mushrooms?

Sorcerer’s Apprentice is pretty much Mickey’s most famous and memorable role. It’s hard to think of a time that Mickey dropped so hard in popularity that Walt had created this vehicle to showcase him again. It worked spectacularly as this is really one of the best Mickey Mouse shorts. One of my favorite scenes is Mickey Mouse getting all murderous toward the runaway brooms with an ax all in silhouette. Some imagination, huh?

Oh, boy, do we get heavy during Rite of Spring. Depicting the Earth’s beginning to the extinction of the dinosaur, this segment always dragged on a little long for me. It’s strange since it featured one of my all-time favorite things in the entire world, the might dinosaur, and it is pretty action packed, but it is the longest segment and it feels it. It is pretty fascinating that it’s very honest with the life and death struggle of the time with some haunting and gruesome images of the dinos dying of dehydration and starvation.

Pastoral Symphony was a favorite as a kid obsessed with Greek Mythology. I wish there was a few more scenes featuring the gods, the image of Diana shooting a bow and arrow to fill the night sky with stars is striking.

Dance of the Hours is another comedic delight setting the beautiful ballet music to our ample starlet, Hyacinth Hippo. There is some really great character animation here.

Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria is possibly the 2^nd most famous segment mostly due to the powerful presence of Chernabog. Not very many characters have been created that are so intimating. He is pretty much the embodiment of evil. I feel a lot of people forget that it’s paired with Ave Maria, and it beautifully closes out the feature as the sound of bells announce the dawn and the camera pans into the sunrise.

Way ahead of its time, Fantasia was a failure during its first run but now there is no disputing that thisa masterpiece in film and animation. Bravo, Maestro Disney.

The Gift of Life is Thine

 

How much do I love 1940’s Pinocchio? Enough to watch it a million times and write a blog about it, that’s how much. But really, the story of a little puppet learning right from wrong in an effort to become a real boy is a perfect film in my opinion. All the technical aspects of it are wonderful, how this was only the 2^nd feature to be produced by the Studio is beyond me, they learned so much in such a little time. There is a sweeping shot of the mornings activities of Geppetto’s Village that is so beautifully shot you completely suspend belief that these are drawings and not a camera moving on a rig through a physical set. Every shot is so full of details; it takes multiple viewings to fully absorb Geppetto’s Workshop.

Pinocchio is such a great little protagonist. He’s so relatable, possibly due to his morally simplistic journey. He fails in doing right in effort to become a real boy. He lies to cover his tracks, but a simple lie grows until it’s as plain as the nose on your face. We’ve all had to learn such lessons. This makes his sacrifice to save his father from the jaws of Monstro the whale all the more powerful, supported by the heartbreaking image of his dead body in the water. This movie gets dark, friends. I still get nightmares from the scene where Lampwick transforms into a donkey after a night of debauchery on Pleasure Island. And I don’t even want to know what happens to the boys that can still speak after turning into jack asses (Cursing in a Disney movie!).

Our semi-narrator of the story, Jimminy Cricket, ends up being one of the greatest sidekicks of all time. Little did they know when they gave him the song When You Wish Upon a Star that it would become synonymous with the company itself. I love his little winks at the camera and his commentary to the clock figures.  It’s great that this imperfect vagabond gets the role of Pinocchio’s conscience and learns along with him. 

Now to be purely indulgent, I HAVE to talk about the Blue Fairy. She is, without a doubt, one of my favorite Disney Characters. She’s so beautiful and regal and radiant and graceful and elegant and stunning and exquisite.... you get the point. Just something about her always fascinated me. The way she was designed, the way that she carries herself and a perfect vocal performance makes my face light up brighter than the wishing star whenever she appears on the screen.

What could have been a disjointed, episodic mess, with a multitude of side characters, villains, and situations, the story is told seamlessly. Not one scene is wasted. Beautifully animated and designed with a tight, simple story, it’s no wonder that this film gets praise it deserves. Pinocchio goes down as one of the best animated movies ever made and one of my personal favorite movies of all time.