walt disney | St. Gallen's Scribblings

Film Review – The Lion King (1994)

Simba the Brownish Gold Lion

When I was young and carefree, I didn’t really have strong opinions on anything like most media, video games included (and I’ve been a gamer for as long as I remember), or any other media like books, movies, and television shows. In the early 1990s, I did have a slight interest in Disney’s animated films and had seen many in the theaters then, but when The Lion King came out in 1994, refused the opportunity to see it with my family when we visited my late maternal grandparents then. Since then, I hadn’t actually seen the film in its entirety to the point I could remember it, but recently watched it in full on Disney+ to celebrate its thirtieth anniversary.

The film opens with the iconic “Circle of Life” musical number and sequence where the newborn Simba, son of King Mufasa, is presented to the animal population of the Pride Lands. When Simba grows up, his father teaches him about royal responsibilities and preserving the “circle of life,” which connects all living entities. However, Mufasa hypocritically excludes the hyenas from it, with his effeminate younger brother, Scar, conspiring with them to seize the throne for himself. Some of the character names, Scar’s included, create an Aerith and Bob situation, like the main hyenas being named Shenzi, Banzai, and…Ed. Scar’s birth name, Taka, is never mentioned within the film, and a flashback in the future series The Lion Guard shows how he got his namesake facial blemish.

“When we die, our bodies become the grass, and the antelope eat the grass. And so we are all connected in the great Circle of Life…but not the hyenas.”

Young Simba is a bit of a brat, and many musical numbers feel a bit excruciating, such as “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” (which steals a bit from Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5”), and “Be Prepared” (sharing its name with the Boy Scout motto doesn’t help). Scar ultimately tricks his nephew into going into the middle of a gorge while having the hyenas incite a stampede of wildebeests try to kill him, which results in Mufasa rescuing him but being killed himself in the process. Simba is blamed (mostly rightfully) for killing the king, with his uncle telling him to run away, which he does.

Simba eventually encounters the vagrant meerkat Timon and the warthog Pumbaa, who teach him through song “hakuna matata,” the art of not giving a damn, which he masters into adulthood. He rescues the two from his old friend Nala, with whom he falls in love, and who tells him that the Pride Lands has become drought-stricken under Scar’s reign. The film shows no logical explanation as to exactly how they did, with starvation present as well due to the lionesses refusing to hunt, so one could count them among the real villains of the movie alongside Mufasa.

The real heroes of the film.

After a celestial visit from his father, Simba returns to the Pride Lands to confront his uncle, with the rest of the film having plenty of callbacks to the first act. Overall, The Lion King definitely has many positive aspects, including the soundtrack (with exceptions such as a few of the musical numbers), strong voice performances (including James Earl Jones as Mufasa, Jeremy Irons as Scar, and Whoopi Goldberg and Cheech Marin as the hyenas Shenzi and Banzai), and parallels to William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. However, the movie does derive elements from Osamu Tezuka’s Kimba the White Lion, and there are others issues like zero in-film explanation about the climate during Scar’s kingship. Regardless, it’s easily a bucket-list animated film, but as with many others, that’s far from synonymous with “masterpiece.”

The Good	The Bad
Hamlet, but with lions. Great voice performances. Beautiful animation. Nice ethnic soundtrack.	Some unexplained plot elements. Borrows elements from Kimba the White Lion. A few excruciating musical numbers. Toilet humor.
The Bottom Line
A must-see Disney classic, but not synonymous with “masterpiece.”

Hercules (1997)

Posted on February 16 by Remy St. Gallen

Disney’s original animated interpretation of the classic myth of Hercules opens with the songstress Muses narrating the film’s backstory in a musical style combining elements from the soul and gospel genres (and the studio back then was still mindful of DEI, even if in a different fashion), leading to the present where the gods Zeus and Hera have their titular son in Ancient Greece. Mythologically, the film fuses elements from Greek and Roman mythos, with Herc’s equivalent in the former being Heracles, but admittedly, that moniker doesn’t roll off the tongue, and deviations from the original myths abound.

While most of the gods of Mount Olympus celebrate Hercules’ birth, Zeus’ brother Hades, brilliantly portrayed by James Woods and the high point of the film, plots to overthrow the heavenly deities to rule himself. Thus, he sends his minions to kidnap the infant Herc and off him after having him ingest a potion that strips his immortality, although humans interrupt them and make them flee, leaving him with a drop of his godliness. Raised by mortals, Hercules faces estrangement for his excessive strength and discovers his destiny to rejoin the gods through heroism, with the satyr Philoctetes (or just Phil), just as memorable as Hades due to Danny DeVito’s performance, taking him on as his apprentice.

After proving his heroism in Thebes and boosting his popularity to being merchandized, Herc eventually confronts Hades and the Titans he seeks to revive while fighting for his eventual love interest, Megara (or Meg). In conclusion, this is probably one of my higher-regarded films in the Disney animated canon since I can easily relate to its themes of alienation and ostracization due to character and talent. Likewise, “Go the Distance” is an enjoyable central theme; despite what critics have said, I prefer Roger Bart’s in-movie rendition to Michael Bolton’s during the ending credits. As I mentioned, the film does take liberties with Greco-Roman mythology, but I nonetheless enjoyed it.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Posted on February 10 by Remy St. Gallen

The film adaptations of the first two installments of author Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson & the Olympians series seemed to amount to an orphaned franchise, but the Walt Disney Company, after acquiring 20th Century Fox, distributor of said movies, gave its crack at the fantasy novels in the form of a streaming Disney+ show. The first season adapts the inaugural book, The Lightning Thief, focusing on the eponymous dyslexic, attention-deficit twelve-year-old grade-schooler, expelled from school after a supernatural incident at a museum, whom his mother Sally begins to convey to Camp Half-Blood in a world where Greek gods and monsters are real.

While it’s been years since I last read the books and saw the films, I enjoyed the Disney+ adaptation, given its modern fantasy setting like the Harry Potter books and mythological influences. The episode titles hint at the show’s lighthearted nature (and borrow from a few chapter names in The Lightning Thief). Given that the length of all episodes totaled grossly outweighs that of the first cinematic film, it’s assumedly faithful to the source material, having excellent world-building and cast performances. Thus, I will continue watching this series as future episodes are released.

Zootopia

Posted on February 10 by Remy St. Gallen

In a world solely inhabited by anthropomorphic mammals, the country rabbit Judy Hopps accomplishes her dream of becoming the first lapine police officer in the titular urban metropolis but starts on parking duty. On her first day, the vulpine con artists Nick Wilde and Finnick hustle her, after which she abandons her post to pursue a small-time criminal, but the police chief reprimands her. As he does so, an otter wife interrupts and implores a search for her missing husband, one of fourteen lost predators in Zootopia. Judy receives forty-eight hours to solve the case, blackmailing Nick into assisting her in finding Mr. Otterton and solving the mystery of the other missing predators.

Ultimately, this is an enjoyable film, given its strictly nonhuman cast, with backstory interweaved into the narrative, along with a few good twists and commentary on the alleged black-and-white nature of specific beasts and an exemplification of Paulo Freire’s warning of oppressed populations possibly becoming oppressors themselves. However, a few unresolved plot points abound, like what the carnivores eat and the unexplored role of religion in Zootopia, since characters repeatedly mention God. Some scenes like that at the sloth-run Department of Mammal Vehicles also feel like padding. Regardless, I don’t regret rewatching this and will gladly watch Zootopia+ and the forthcoming theatrical sequel.

The Rescuers

Posted on January 19 by Remy St. Gallen

Based on a book series by Margery Sharp, The Rescuers opens with an orphan girl, a captive of Madame Medusa in a derelict riverboat in Devil’s Bayou, Louisiana, who drops a message in a bottle into the water that miraculously finds its way to the Rescue Aid Society, an international mouse-populated offshoot of the United Nations, in New York City. The organization’s Hungarian ambassador, Miss Bianca, voiced by Eva Gabor (in her second animated film role after the feline Duchess in The Aristocats), recruits janitor Bernard, voiced by Bob Newhart, to first investigate Medusa’s NYC pawn shop, afterward taking an albatross to the bayou to rescue Penny, whom her kidnapper wishes to use to find a valuable diamond called the Devil’s Eye.

Overall, this is one of my less-favorite Disney films. Walt Disney had initially refused its production due to being “too political.” However, aside from the appearance of the United Nations and its rodent nonunion equivalent, I thought that was BS since the film doesn’t take shots at any specific individual or group or have a ham-fisted message. Most of Shelby Flint’s music, with a few exceptions, is decent, but the Rescue Aid Society’s theme comes across as campy. One could say the same of most of the voice performances, but Gabor’s performance as Miss Bianca was the capstone of the voicework. The Mouse Scouts were cute, but the animation, acting, and music date it to the 1970s, and I’ve seen better from the studio.

Lady and the Tramp

Posted on December 29 by Remy St. Gallen

Based on “Happy Dan, the Cynical Dog” by Ward Greene, this Disney classic opens at Christmastime in 1909 when a husband, addressed as “Jim Dear,” gives his wife, termed “Darling,” a Cocker Spaniel puppy as a present, ultimately named Lady. Years later, the stray terrier-mix Tramp encounters the pampered pooch, neglected due to Jim and his wife expecting a baby. Jim’s Aunt Sarah visits with her destructive Siamese cats after the child is born to babysit; after muzzling Lady, she escapes with Tramp, having it removed at the zoo and touring the town with her. Events at Jim’s home result in Tramp’s capture and potential euthanasia, although Lady’s canine friends go to the rescue.

Overall, Lady and the Tramp is easily one of Walt Disney’s hallmark films, with its music being notable and giving good character to the scenes. The opening credits theme, “Bella Notte,” recurs during the iconic scene at an Italian restaurant where Lady and Tramp share a spaghetti dinner, which Disney initially didn’t want in the film but is one of its highlights. However, the dog-howling rendition of “Home! Sweet Home!” at the pound (see below) feels like a case of Leave the Camera Running since it doesn’t add much to the film. Mileage will vary regarding ethnic stereotypes like the feline Si and Am’s musical self-introduction. Regardless, I found it a fun watch and would easily recommend it to those not of the modern “woke” crowd.

Oliver & Company

Posted on November 24 by Remy St. Gallen

This Disney film celebrated its thirty-fifth anniversary this year (among other Disney milestones in 2023, including the studio’s centennial), and I gave it another watch. Interestingly, in 1988, it was released around the same time as another Charles Dickens literature-inspired film, Scrooged. Disney’s loose adaptation follows the eponymous New York City street cat Oliver, who is recruited by the dog Dodger (voiced by singer Billy Joel) into a canine gang headed by human bargeman Fagin (played by Dom DeLuise), at the mercy of the film’s main antagonist, the loan shark Sykes (portrayed by Robert Loggia).

After a failed attempt by Fagin’s dogs to rob a limousine, Oliver is adopted by young rich girl Jenny Foxworth, to the dismay of her family’s poodle Georgette, brought to life by Bette Midler. Other performances include Cheech Marin as the chihuahua Tito. The attempt by Fagin’s dogs to recapture Oliver leads to Jenny being held hostage by Fagin and Sykes for ransom. The film has some good music, including “Why Should I Worry?” performed by Joel and “Perfect Isn’t Easy” by Midler. While it deviates from Oliver Twist, I enjoyed it; furthermore, though it occurs in the “real world” of 1988, it luckily avoids topical references that would tend to date films of its type.

The Aristocats

Posted on July 15 by Remy St. Gallen

I rewatched this film in a semi-celebration of Bastille Day in France, where the 1970 animated film occurs. The main feline lead, Duchess, voiced by Eva Gabor, is designated along with her three kittens (with Marie especially popular in countries like Brazil and Japan for some reason) to be heirs to an estate. However, the butler of the mansion, Edgar, wants it first and thus tries to spirit away the cat family. In the countryside outside Paris, they meet the alley cat O’Malley, voiced by Phil Harris, who aims to help them return home.

A few musical numbers abound, including the titular theme song during the opening credits and O’Malley’s theme, which are good, even if they and the rest of the soundtrack date the film to 1970. Plus, there are maybe a couple of ethnically stereotyped felines (oriental and black) that necessitated a warning on Disney+. The movie is a classic from the Disney animation studio, although there are a few unexplained plot points, including the sire of the kittens. Not sure if it necessitates a live-action remake as the company has been keen on, but it is worth a gander.

Anthro Ranger Art

Posted on May 1, 2023 by Remy St. Gallen

A two-sided furry badge I commissioned from Cooner. I have an odd fascination with the National Park Service and park ranger uniforms, and these were inspired by the Donald Duck cartoon “Old Sequoia,” with which I also have a strange affinity, and other art I’ve commissioned in the past, such as this from Ashlyn Englund, reflect that:

Chicken Little (2005)

Posted on November 26, 2022 by Remy St. Gallen

Disney’s second adaptation of the old folktale (the first animated wartime short oddly not available on Disney+ from what I’ve seen) follows the eponymous avian as he attempts to redeem himself after causing a scare in his town from the sky allegedly “falling”, which actually may bear some semblance of truth. It actually beats Zootopia by a decade having a fully-anthropomorphic character roster populated by both mammals and nonmammals alike (with maybe one or two exceptions). Some of the characters like the tomboyish Foxy Loxy are genuinely adorable, and while the film is a bit of an Unintentional Period Piece given some of its music (which is otherwise good), I definitely enjoyed it, and its near-total avoidance of toilet humor (excepting one urinary reference) definitely helps.