(no subject)

Tonight I went out to see Brother Bear and again, I was impressed with Disney. Well, for the most part. Maybe they did (re)learn something after Lilo and Stitch. :)

I have a few things to say, but I have to get this out of the way, first: JOAQUIIIIIIIIIN!!!! Even your voice shivers me. Bravo with the poignancy and the passion and the things and stuff carrying over to voice acting and the whatnot. You are brilliant and lovely and I shall love you forever.

Possibly because I just paid more attention because I knew it was Joaquin, I could hear emotion in his breath even when he wasn't speaking. (On the other hand, I had the same sensation with Mark Hildreth of GW fame, even before I knew who he was. Awesome voice actors, go on, ya's!)

But back to the movie itself, it was actually really good. I mean, yes, Disney has a specific formula and it really hasn't changed much over the years, but it's a formula that works most of the time, at least for me. The sad parts are sad and the funny parts are funny, and I am shamelessly manipulated by Disney sentimentalit--again, most of the time. (They have done movies that have outright offended me, by the way--most notably Hunchback of Notre Dame, so I definitely don't like everything they release.) Also, they seem to be on some sort of ethnic/spirituality trend, and they are skirting cliche with this one. It's tricky in any case to take something as huge as Native spirituality (there isn't just one,) and try to narrow/water it down to fit an 85 minute animated move that's already crammed with big scenery, action, comedy etc. (FTR I never saw Pocahontas so I don't know how I feel about that one.) But, it's Disney and I'm certain that the movie means well.

Disney movies have always vilified or mocked hunters as far as I remember (recall the bumbling hunters in Bambi,) and, well, this is me writing this after all, and I have to applaud that. In this movie, hunting is again shown from the perspective of the hunted (the animals,) but also from the humans. What was interesting about this film is that there was no bad guy. I'm not sure I remember an animated Disney movie that didn't have a Disney Villain (TM), so maybe this is a first? I'm not sure about that, but it definitely was cool. There were just people who made mistakes, or didn't understand, or made rash, selfish choices--pretty much very human and sympathetic characters.

I loved the way the characters--especially Denahi--just naturally saw signs all around them. I am so on board with that kind of awareness. It doesn't escape their notice when a totem of theirs or of someone else's is trying to tell them something, even if they don't quite understand what the message is. I thought that was a really great--and yes, realistic--touch. (Speaking of, why is my mockingbird Hiko, whom I released two years ago and who still comes back once in a while, calling outside of my door at 10:30 PM?!)

My biggest complaint is the freaking overbearing (no pun intended) soundtrack. Phil Collins at his best doesn't thrill me (he's had some okay songs,) but this just sucks. I felt like he was yelling at me through the whole thing, and that absolutely took away from the movie for me. It wasn't just that the music was extraordinarily loud (though it was,) it was nearly unbearable (no pun intended,) and would have been even if it had been played at a lower volume. Plus, as short as this movie was, did we really need all those extra minutes of lots of things going on with the backdrop of this huge landscape while this old guy yelled at me to his own oppressive arrangement in such a totally Wagnerian manner? Shut up, Phil Collins. Let me watch this thing in peace, would you?

The ending took me by surprise, though I guess I should have seen it coming. Other people I know have already guessed, but on the other hand, I like going into a movie not knowing where it's going. And sometimes, even if I do guess, I try to tell myself that I've guessed wrong, just so I can try to get that surprised feeling anyway. :)

So basically, the movie was nice, funny, pretty, I liked all of the characters, I liked the stuff about totems (uh oh, look out fundies! Disney's on Satan's side now!) and I liked the animation. I recommend this one.

That said... JOAQUIIIIIN! ^______^

(no subject)

Tonight I went out to see Brother Bear and again, I was impressed with Disney. Well, for the most part. Maybe they did (re)learn something after Lilo and Stitch. :)

I have a few things to say, but I have to get this out of the way, first: JOAQUIIIIIIIIIN!!!! Even your voice shivers me. Bravo with the poignancy and the passion and the things and stuff carrying over to voice acting and the whatnot. You are brilliant and lovely and I shall love you forever.

Possibly because I just paid more attention because I knew it was Joaquin, I could hear emotion in his breath even when he wasn't speaking. (On the other hand, I had the same sensation with Mark Hildreth of GW fame, even before I knew who he was. Awesome voice actors, go on, ya's!)

But back to the movie itself, it was actually really good. I mean, yes, Disney has a specific formula and it really hasn't changed much over the years, but it's a formula that works most of the time, at least for me. The sad parts are sad and the funny parts are funny, and I am shamelessly manipulated by Disney sentimentalit--again, most of the time. (They have done movies that have outright offended me, by the way--most notably Hunchback of Notre Dame, so I definitely don't like everything they release.) Also, they seem to be on some sort of ethnic/spirituality trend, and they are skirting cliche with this one. It's tricky in any case to take something as huge as Native spirituality (there isn't just one,) and try to narrow/water it down to fit an 85 minute animated move that's already crammed with big scenery, action, comedy etc. (FTR I never saw Pocahontas so I don't know how I feel about that one.) But, it's Disney and I'm certain that the movie means well.

Disney movies have always vilified or mocked hunters as far as I remember (recall the bumbling hunters in Bambi,) and, well, this is me writing this after all, and I have to applaud that. In this movie, hunting is again shown from the perspective of the hunted (the animals,) but also from the humans. What was interesting about this film is that there was no bad guy. I'm not sure I remember an animated Disney movie that didn't have a Disney Villain (TM), so maybe this is a first? I'm not sure about that, but it definitely was cool. There were just people who made mistakes, or didn't understand, or made rash, selfish choices--pretty much very human and sympathetic characters.

I loved the way the characters--especially Denahi--just naturally saw signs all around them. I am so on board with that kind of awareness. It doesn't escape their notice when a totem of theirs or of someone else's is trying to tell them something, even if they don't quite understand what the message is. I thought that was a really great--and yes, realistic--touch. (Speaking of, why is my mockingbird Hiko, whom I released two years ago and who still comes back once in a while, calling outside of my door at 10:30 PM?!)

My biggest complaint is the freaking overbearing (no pun intended) soundtrack. Phil Collins at his best doesn't thrill me (he's had some okay songs,) but this just sucks. I felt like he was yelling at me through the whole thing, and that absolutely took away from the movie for me. It wasn't just that the music was extraordinarily loud (though it was,) it was nearly unbearable (no pun intended,) and would have been even if it had been played at a lower volume. Plus, as short as this movie was, did we really need all those extra minutes of lots of things going on with the backdrop of this huge landscape while this old guy yelled at me to his own oppressive arrangement in such a totally Wagnerian manner? Shut up, Phil Collins. Let me watch this thing in peace, would you?

The ending took me by surprise, though I guess I should have seen it coming. Other people I know have already guessed, but on the other hand, I like going into a movie not knowing where it's going. And sometimes, even if I do guess, I try to tell myself that I've guessed wrong, just so I can try to get that surprised feeling anyway. :)

So basically, the movie was nice, funny, pretty, I liked all of the characters, I liked the stuff about totems (uh oh, look out fundies! Disney's on Satan's side now!) and I liked the animation. I recommend this one.

That said... JOAQUIIIIIN! ^______^