For dis blog I 'ave decided to list some awesome cartoon movies... because one of the loner things I've spent this holidays doing was having a kiddie cartoon day (I know, I know, I have no life).
Trying to find an appropriate picture for the Swan Princess; am rather surprised at the amount of fanart it has inspired. I don't really like most fanart, particularly fanart of a cartoon! So it's a little frustrating trying to find a picture I like...
I love The Swan Princess. Even though I can't approve of Derek's hair (and blatant stupidity - 'What else is there?'!!!) and Odette's blue nail-polish, it's purely enjoyable. Lovely songs, pretty animation, ok storyline (although, now that I'm older I'm aware that there isn't really any plot going on in the middle bit - but that's OK! We can deal with that!)
Where was I? Oh, yeah. I love the supporting characters - particularly the random music director dude from Derek's court. For some reason he was endowed with the most quotable line from the movie, despite being aged, cantankerous and having weird hair... and being rather unnecessary to the plot. 'You should write a book, How To Offend Women In Five Syllables Or Less.' And there are plenty of other awesome lines that I don't really have space to quote right here, too.I seriously am tempted to believe that Disney nicked the Jean-Bob designs for their new (excellent) movie, The Princess And The Frog, (which was actually the inspiration for my cartoon binge)... he's even got the weird accent!
Next up on my delicious list comes Thumbelina, a film by Don Bluth who also brought us 'Fievel, An American Tail' - another film of my childhood... and one that I haven't watched for years because we only have it taped on casette along with an episode of 'Full House'. Erm.
The music in Thumbelina is spectacular. At least the equal of any Disney film, particularly the hit 'Let Me Be Your Wings'. I would say that this song is a showstoppingly beautiful number - kinda the non-Disney 'Whole New World' and sung under pretty much the same circumstances: Prince takes his chosen lady on a magical late night flight around the neighbourhood whilst singing to her of the wonderful life they could have together. *Sigh*Prince Cornelius's hair owes much to the 90s standard of men's style (like Derek) but it's easier to forgive him than Derek, I think, coz he's got prettier eyes.
Those who like a strongminded self-sufficient heroine will be disappointed in Thumbelina herself; the itty-bitty protagonist is naive and indecisive to the point of silliness, but she is only forgiveably childish.
A lot of the film's humour is a bit racist... there are a few stereotypical characters that may annoy people who are bothered about political correctness. The mother toad who kidnaps Thumbelina as a bride for her son is a Spanish diva with high high heels, the shortest miniskirt imaginable and er, rather well endowed bust for an amphibian. There is a sixth musketeer type French swallow who is, in his own words, 'a swallow of great passion'! A fat, pompous English mole (I wonder how these small creatures from different countries all manage to populate the countryside of a difficult to place country; by all rights it should be Denmark but there aren't any Danish characters!), and an American beetle (voiced by Gilbert Gottfried, who did Iago in Aladdin, ironically).
I must go now because I've overstayed my computer time, so no Disney films for the present, just these two. But they are pretty special!
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