MY TOP DISNEY #1

It's finally time to reveal my ALL TIME FAVORITE ANIMATED DISNEY FILM. I knew my #1, but the rest were hard to narrow down. Here are a few honorable mentions...but I don't think there are many Disney films that I don't like (can't think of any right now, but I'm sure there is one somewhere...)


Honorable Mentions:
Mulan (1998) - love it! She is strong enough to save herself, and vulnerable enough to make you love her.
Pocahontas (1995) - not historically accurate, but has some of my favorite songs
Snow White (1937) - not my favorite (actually I prefer to not watch it), but from a critical standpoint, it is an incredible film (and was the first Disney film)

And without further ado....
#1 Alice and Wonderland

"If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary-wise; what it is it wouldn't be, and what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?"

One day, Alice (Beaumont) is bored with her lessons and wishes for a world where everything is the opposite of reality. As she sings to her cat Dinah, she sees a White Rabbit (Thompson) wearing a coat and carrying a pocket watch. Intrigued, she follows him down a rabbit hole that isn't what it appears.
When she finishes falling, Alice sees the rabbit escape through a door which is too small for her. A drink makes her shrink in size, while eating makes her grow. Eventually she is small enough to follow the rabbit and meets a cast of interesting characters while following the rabbit: storytellers Tweedledee and Tweedledum (O'Malley, pictured above), Dodo (Thompson again) who never has helpful suggestions, a confusing Caterpillar (Haydn), and joins a tea party with (all pictured below)...

...the Mad Hatter (Wynn), March Hare (Colonna), and the Doormouse (James MacDonald) and learns the joys of Un-birthday Parties. Popping up to frustrate and confuse Alice is the mysterious, disappearing Cheshire Cat (Holloway) who warns her about the demanding Queen of Hearts (Felton) who rules Wonderland.

Reason I chose this film:
Alice may seem like a strange choice, since it isn't the most popular (or easiest to find) Animated Disney Classic, but this has always been my favorite! There is so much happening: intricate, colorful backgrounds and an army of crazy characters...I love it. Even though most interactions are brief, the characters Alice meets are memorable and a part of popular culture (the Queen of Hearts and the Cheshire Cat are pretty popular...just try searching for costumes / pictures of these characters).

There isn't really a plot (or purpose), but that is part of the joy of this film. In many ways it is similar to a dream. No, it doesn't make sense, but how often do dreams make sense? Usually fantasy is preferable to reality, regardless of clarity.

I haven't read Lewis Carroll's story (or the sequel "Through the Looking Glass") yet, and I'm not sure if I want to. I know aspects from both were selected for the film (and subsequent Alice films), and I don't want to lose the magic of the film for the real story... In most cases I prefer to read the literature before seeing the film...but I fell in love with Alice's story as a child and I'm not willing to give that up.

In college my love for Alice was renewed when my roommates (and their friends) assumed the identity of a Disney princess. They had been friends for a few years before I joined the crew, and all the cool princesses were taken. They decided I should be Alice because I was blonde...an English major...and younger than them (only by a year). The name and identity stuck, and we had some memorable conversations about our statuses as Disney princesses (they liked to share direct quotes from our discussion of our future "princes" based on our film...and I complained that all I got was a white rabbit. Oh the memories).

Some people believe it is a trippy story, and think Disney (the animators ect) were influenced by durgs while making this film. I don't know if that is true, I don't really care...why spoil a delightful experience by reading random drug related messages into the story. You see what you want...and I'll sing / speak along with the characters at the top of my lungs.

*I look forward to seeing Tim Burton's Alice film, although I assume it will be much darker than this one.
**I also look forward to seeing the SyFy mini series of Alice (2009)... based on their re-imaging of The Wizard of Oz in 2007's Tin Man, it should awesome!

Alice in Wonderland (1951) 75 minutes
Director: Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, and Hamilton Luske
Starring: Kathryn Beaumont as Alice
Ed Wynn as Mad Hatter
Richard Haydn as Caterpillar
Sterling Holloway as Cheshire Cat
Jerry Colonna as March Hare
Verna Felton as Queen of Hearts
J. Pat O'Malley as Tweedledee / Tweedledum
Bill Thompson as White Rabbit / Dodo

My Top Disney #2

#2 The Sword in the Stone

"It's not just a mere show of muscle, my boy. Jousting is a fine skill. A highly-developed science."

"Science indeed! One dummy trying to knock over another dummy with a bit of a stick."

While attempting to retrieve a lost arrow, Wart (Sorensen, Reitherman, and Reitherman) falls through the roof of a cottage and meets Merlin (Swenson) the world's most powerful wizard. Merlin, and his "educated owl" Archimedes (Matthews), decide to accompany Wart to his home and see that he gets an education. Wart's foster family is unreceptive to the prescence of a wizard, and taking Wart away from his duties as a page / squire to his soon-to-be-kinighted brother Kay (Alden).

As his foster father, Sir Ector (Cabot) and friend Sir Pelinore (Napier) prepare Kay for a jousting tournament, Merlin teaches Wart life lessons with the help of magic...

Including a run-in with the crazy Madame Mim (Wentworth), as seen above. Wart is actually Arthur, the future king of England.

Reason I chose this film:
1.) Bill Peet did the story and was an animator on the film (I used to love his books!!)
2.) An interesting take on the teen years of King Arthur, and the time before he became king...which is not often tackled.
3.) Archimedes. The owl is hysterical.

I loved it more as a child, but the film still holds a special place in my heart. Having three boys voice Wart is very noticeable (especially when you are looking for it), his voice changes multiple times within a scene. Overall it is still enjoyable!!

The Sword and the Stone (1963) minutes
Director: Wolfgang Reitherman (story by Bill Peet)
Starring: Rickie Sorensen as Wart
Richard Reitherman as Wart
Robert Reitherman as Wart
Karl Swenson as Merlin
Junius Matthews as Archimedes
Sebastian Cabot as Sir E:ctor
Norman Alden as Kay
Martha Wentworth as Madam Mim
Alan Napier as Sir Pelinore

What Happens in Vegas

"If I could kill someone with my mind right now, it would be you."

Jack (Kutcher) just got fired by his father...Joy (Diaz) just got dumped by her fiance in front of all their friends. How do you fix this...go to Vegas with your best friend! A room mixup brings them together, and a shared sense of frustration leads to a night of partying, and a surprise wedding. Coming to their senses the next morning, Joy and Jack try to get a divorce...but first, they win 3 million dollars (he pulls the lever, with her quarter). They go to court to find out who gets the money, but the judge (Dennis Miller) is disgusted by their attitude towards marriage and sentences them to marriage counseling (with Queen Latifah) and sharing an apartment for a few months. If they are trying to make the marriage work, they will have access to the money at the end.

Taking the advice of their friends, Jack's best friend / incompetant lawyer Hater (Corddry) and Joy's angry bartender pal Tipper (Bell), they decide to sabotage each other any way possible: playing with insecurities, messing with the counselling session, etc.


Completely predictable. They hate each other...hate becomes interest, which becomes love...but then someone screws up...but we all know what happens in the end. The friends, Rob Corddry and Lake Bell were the funniest parts of the film. Normally Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz are funny, and they had moments here, but overall it wasn't enough. Dennis Miller, the judge, had some funny lines as well...Queen Latifah was completed wasted in the role of counselor. The funniest scene occurs during the credits when you actually get to see Jack & Joy's wedding. The whole ceremony is hysterical. The other scene during the credits is Tipper and Hater visiting Joy's ex (Jason Sudeikis), which is also funny.

If you want mindless entertainment...and have the opportunity to see it for free then go for it. But don't actually spend money on this.

What Happens in Vegas (2008) 99 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for some sexual and crude content, and language, including a drug reference.
Director: Tom Vaughan
Starring: Cameron Diaz as Joy McNally
Ashton Kutcher as Jack Fuller
Rob Corddry as Hater
Lake Bell as Tipper
Jason Sudeikis as Mason

Funny Face

"When I'm done, you'll look like...what do you call beautiful? A tree. You'll look like a tree."

Quality Magazine struggles to find the perfect location for an intellectual photo shoot. When editor Maggie (Thompson) and Dick (Astaire) find more than they bargain for, when they choose a dingy bookstore for the shoot and discover the intelligent beauty, Jo Stockton (Hepburn), who works there. Dick convinces both women to feature Jo in the next issue of Quality. Maggie sees potential and agrees, and Jo sees the opportunity to meet her philosophical idol and agrees.

They travel to Paris to meet with Paul Duval (Flemyng) the designer creating a collection specifically for Jo. While in Paris, Jo meets Professor Flostre (Auclair) the founder of her philosophical movement, Emphaticalism. Meanwhile, Dick helps Jo become a model and they fall in love.


Not my favorite movie musical... there were good moments, but overall it seemed to drag on. I love to watch Fred Astaire (or Gene Kelly) dance, and was surprised how well Kay Thompson and Audrey Hepburn kept up. The songs were disjointed and caused abrupt transitions, such as "Think Pink," although I did like Hepburn's rendition of "How Long Has This Been Going On." The photographs used in the film were taken by a professional photographer and are beautiful and memorable. Another memorable moment is Hepburn's dance (which was used in recent clothing commercials). It was entertaining, but I've seen better.

Funny Face (1957) 103 minutes
Director: Stanley Donen
Starring: Audrey Hepburn as Jo Stockton
Fred Astaire as Dick Avery
Kay Thompson as Maggie Prescott
Michel Auclair as Prof. Emile Flostre
Robert Flemyng as Paul Duval
Dovima as Marion