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bobbins494
Reviews
The Emperor's New Groove (2000)
A Win for the Whole Family
I think it's hard to review a kids movie because, ultimately, it's the opinion of the reviewer (adult) that is expressed.
I have three children and whenever we pull out our movie library for them to choose from, this one is ALWAYS among their top five choices. It never ceases to hold their attention. My kids still, after all this time, laugh out loud (and for good reason). The writing is great and they are never talked down to once.
The emperor (Kuzko) is spoiled and self-centered. Through the course of the movie he learns some great lessons about friendship, honesty, and doing the right thing and is ultimately transformed.
Yes, there are some adult themes. Murder, for example. Unlike "The Lion King" where this is handled rather "in-your-face" and darkly, the makers of this movie glide over this deftly and with a lot of humor. After all, Elmer Fudd was trying to kill Bugs Bunny, right? It is very much in this style and tradition, from dialogue to animation to music.
As for me, I love this movie. The children in the movie (Pacha's children) aren't "victims" as they are in many Disney films; they're not stupid, defenseless or in some kind of peril. They are smart, funny, and resourceful. Kuzko and Pacha are great together, but it is Yzma and Kronk that steal the show. I submit to you that these may be the funniest Disney villains of all time.
Another thing I like, that is out of character for Disney, is that this movie isn't trying to sell my children a Kuzko doll. There is very little marketing value to this movie; it's simply left to stand on its own, seemingly produced for no other purpose than to entertain.
Why only 9 stars out of 10? The movie closes w/a song performed by Sting ("My Funny Friend and Me"). The song is fine, but could not be farther out of context with the movie if they had chosen to play the Oscar Meyer wiener song. I'm at a complete loss as to why, after this fast-paced fun movie, they would want to transport the viewer immediately to an elevator or highbrow coffee shop. Kind of strange.
Ratatouille (2007)
/Lays out rat poison
Disney did a great job capturing the feel of Paris, the animation is beautiful, and I loved the music. That being said...
Disney has been beating us over the head with "self realization/being true to oneself" movies for years. The formula for this one is no different. The difference is many of Ratatouille's predecessor's have actually been entertaining. This wasn't.
The protagonist in this movie is a rat named Remy. He's a gifted cook who grapples over following his cooking aspirations and being true to his little rat roots. He's likable enough, but neither interesting nor humorous. The human protagonist of the movie is named Linguini. He is, in a word, a moron. I disliked him in the beginning of the movie. I disliked him at the end of the movie. The physical comedy they try to pull-off in the kitchen sequences (when Remy first tries to control Linguini's movements), pay a nod to a physical comedy genius: Goofy. Unfortunately, Goofy is lovable. Linguini is not. The comedy fell flat.
Before the middle of the movie I'm completely bored (and so are my kids). There's legality and DNA conversation, too much Linguini, not enough characters who are interesting.
The middle of the movie is choppy and it's hard to follow the action. I lost all sense of time, with more than one time-passing sequence occurring. It seems the first 45 minutes of the movie is just filler, building up to something happening. -And believe me, after 45 minutes you're ready for something (ANYTHING) to happen.
***There is one transcendent moment in this movie; the reason for the three stars I gave it. It's a wonderful scene that is poignant and full of truth: the scene where Ego (who is the most interesting character in this movie) first tastes the ratatouille. I laughed out loud, as did most of the adults in the audience. The irony was that none of the children in the audience got it...because they are children! They are currently IN CHILDHOOD! Odd that the only moment of humor in this dismal little movie was directed at the adults.***
In conclusion, the major themes of this movie are be true to yourself, even an incompetent loser can still succeed if he rides the coattails of those around him, and don't steal. Deception, using those you love for your own purposes, kidnapping, taking credit for others work...these things are OK; but DON'T STEAL.
Disney needs to get it's marketing and creative department in order and on the same page. It is unclear what audience this movie was intended for: children or adults. It was way too uninteresting for children and way too childish for adults.
Meet the Robinsons (2007)
Not for young children
Child abandonment and apocalyptic themes...good family fun, huh? The movie opens with a child abandonment scene which immediately made me uneasy. I had my three children with me, of course.
The story is about an orphan, Lewis, who is brilliant and sweet and desperately wants someone to love him. Frankly, it was difficult to watch as he was used, lied to, manipulated by seemingly everyone in the movie (indluding his own son).
I'm not sure when people began associating eccentricity with genius, but the two do not go hand-in-hand; one can be eccentric and not a genius and vice versa. Lewis's future family was neither. Bizarre behavior and instability highlight these scenes...truly, it was like something out of a lunatic asylum. By now, Lewis's voice has begun to grate on my nerves (everything he says has an urgent, whiny quality to it).
The scenes of the future were downright disturbing and frightened my children. The middle of the picture was filled with scenes that are frantic and have a twisted, kind of Japanese anime look to them.
There was not a single laugh-out-loud moment in this movie. There was no "fun" in this movie. On the contrary, it was dark; VERY dark. There appeared to be no uplifting message in this movie. "Keep moving forward" lost all meaning by the end of the movie, even with the Disney quote at the end.
It's unclear to me what audience this movie was intended for; adults or children. Regardless, it was not enjoyed by either.