Originally Posted By trekkeruss <<I don't dislike "Dumbo", I just don't understand all the praise it garners from fans and animators. It just doesn't have a unique style like "Pinocciho" or "Cinderella" or "Sleeping Beauty" or "Jungle Book" or "Rescuers", to name several. Dumbo is just "there".>> IMO, the praise is due to the story; simple, sweet, heartwarming. Your fave, SB, while stunningly beautiful, is a bit cold.
Originally Posted By TALL Disney Guy It's not cold unless you're expecting it to be something it isn't, IMO. It's not the old standard film focusing on the two main characters. It's shown more from the perspective of the supporting players (the Fairies), which is different and unexpected. As one of the animators said, it was a milestone, a certain type of film that they never did before and never did again. So many Disney movies have sweet and heartwarming stories, therefore I prefer films punched up with visual personality and unique styles. It gives them that much more.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss I agree it's different, and I wouldn't disagree that it was a milestone. But does that make it the best? I'd argue otherwise. But it's all opinion anyway. I said Fantasia should be best for animation, but it's far from my favorite film.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>I don't dislike "Dumbo", I just don't understand all the praise it garners from fans and animators.<< Well, I don't want to repeat myself, but there is a wonderful roundness to all of the characters. They have mass and weight. And not just the elephants -- the clowns, the crows -- gravity is at play here. It's also the work of animators at the top of their game. The work has the feel of a comfortable well worn sweater, the animation looks almost effortless, loose. Add in the 'Pink Elephants' segment, which is endlessly inventive and fun, dark and silly, and that puts the whole movie wonderfully over the (big) top in my book. Other films are more awe-inspiring, I'm just saying that for me, as a total package, no animated film works better. >>therefore I prefer films punched up with visual personality and unique styles<< ... says the Hercules hater. ; )
Originally Posted By TALL Disney Guy ^^^D'oh! Well, I also prefer my films to NOT BE INACCURATELY BUTCHERED ("accuracy" here meaning "the actual myths as they were recorded in written words"). I'm also one for being awe-inspired as opposed to seeing more "everyday" things. <and that puts the whole movie wonderfully over the (big) top> Lol! Well first we have the original world of Snow White...then the Italian woodcarving era of Pinnochio...("Fantasia" notwithstanding next)...then plain ol' American "Dumbo" (just how I've always kinda thought of it)...then the soft natural forestation of "Bambi", etc. Maybe because "Dumbo" is so simple, I expect the characters to look more real or something, not so then-contemporary and cartoony. Next time I watch it I will try to pay a bit more attention to the overall package.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>Maybe because "Dumbo" is so simple<< I'd say deceptively simple. It ain't that easy to make an elephant fly! Part of my appreciation of it comes from having the old turn-crank Action Viewer toy as a kid. You could get these little cartridges that contained little spools of film and watch scenes from Dumbo, Mickey and the Beanstalk, etc. I watched the scenes over and over again, slowing them down frame by frame, backward, forward in which Dumbo performs as a clown. The clowns run about as fireman, all sorts of antics and gags. In real time, so many things are going on you'll never see them all. But slowed down, you can appreciate a whole new level of stuff happening.
Originally Posted By TALL Disney Guy <Part of my appreciation of it comes from having the old turn-crank Action Viewer toy as a kid. You could get these little cartridges that contained little spools of film and watch scenes from Dumbo, Mickey and the Beanstalk, etc.> Tell me more about what it was like to love Disney in the old days, Grandpappy2oon. ;-) I kinda know what ya mean. I loved to look at single frames in ViewMasters of the Disney films and Disney parks.
Originally Posted By jasmine7 <<Part of my appreciation of it comes from having the old turn-crank Action Viewer toy as a kid. You could get these little cartridges that contained little spools of film and watch scenes from Dumbo, Mickey and the Beanstalk, etc.<< Oh, gosh! I haven't thought about that toy in years! I loved mine so much. I didn't have Dumbo, but I had Mickey & the Beanstalk, and I must have slowed that one down so many times. I just loved to advance it one frame at a time. Back on topic, though, I think my favorite animation is probably Hunchback, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, and Tarzan.
Originally Posted By TALL Disney Guy I feel disloyal by not mentioning "Fantasia". It was such an ambitious new experiment, and the animation is definitely fantastic. And as a perk, it's one of my top favorite Disney films.
Originally Posted By dsnykid Wow... I have to totally hijack the thread ofr a second, because I had totally forgotten about the handcranked movie toy... I had Mickey and the beanstalk and Mickey, Goofy, and Donald as Ghostcatchers... I swear I used to spend whole afternoons watching those things over and over again... I know for a fact I watched them for 5 hours straight once when we drove from St Albert to Peace River to visit family.... Wow... I wonder if my parents kept that toy in my memory box... I'll hafta call tomorrow...
Originally Posted By mjs1902 If we stick to the topic at hand: Multi-plane only (2D) - Snow White. Still excellent after all these years. The flow of the story and the animation are timeless Mixed Multi-plane and CGI - Beauty and Beast. FIrst intro to CGI with "Be Our Guest" and the Ballroom scene. Animation just flows as does the story. CGI only - Toy Story 2. I know ... Toy Story set the standard, but the story flowed much better in 2 and the animation was excellent
Originally Posted By Autopia Deb ^^^actually Disney first used computer animation way back in The Great Mouse Detective, for the clock scene.
Originally Posted By threeundertwo I agree with many of the opinions here, and I think it's interesting how many like SB and Pinocchio - both had strong contributions from Bill Peet, who is a favorite around our house. Personally, if I were to turn the sound off and watch just for the beauty of a film, I would choose: 1) Beauty and the Beast 2) Finding Nemo 3) Tarzan 4) [get your pies ready to throw at me] Piglet's Big Movie. I just love entering the watercolor world that has been created with some of the Pooh movies.
