The original Lion King movie delivers on everything Disney promises in terms of characters, themes and iconic songs – with its captivating story that’s like Hamlet with lions but still makes an impactful statement about our society today.
Disney’s astounding fast-paced buddy comedy features an inspiring female protagonist, an engaging villain and an unforgettable romance storyline.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
Walt Disney’s first feature film is an iconic masterpiece that stands the test of time, setting the standard for animated cinematic storytelling. Starring an endearing princess, an amusing cast of dwarf friends, and a devilish witch who only feels satisfied when her Magic Mirror declares her the Fairest One among many others, this movie offers drama, humor, and touching moments of emotion throughout.
Snow White is a testament to the original studio animators’ unwavering commitment to their art form. The hand-drawn animation remains flawless, creating both horror (the eye bulging eyes of the wolf in the woods) and pathos (Dwarfs mourning over Snow White’s apparent death).
Many consider Beauty and the Beast superior to Snow White, though Snow White remains one of Disney’s signature films. Moana joins this roster of classic films as the latest entry of Animated Classics; she portrays an adventurous princess seeking new experiences outside her village with demigod Maui.
Moana
Moana is an animated Pacific adventure movie which draws from Polynesian culture and mythology to tell its tale of a demigod and his mortal daughter. With beautiful special effects and catchy songs featuring charming characters, this film stands as one of Disney’s best ever cinematic endeavors.
Moana places great emphasis on family in this film, and she shows it by being fiercely loyal yet strong when necessary. Moana possesses confidence in leading any situation even when scared or confused, which she attributes to the strength of her character and confidence of leadership she exhibits throughout.
Moana discovers through the movie that family is more than blood; it is a bond of love and respect that she cannot break, even when Maui threatens her safety by using his fishhook to form into a hawk and turn against her.
Aladdin
Disney’s 1992 animated adaptation of Aladdin, an ancient folktale about an artful plunderer, showcased groundbreaking special effects that are still revered today while providing iconic characters and an exhilarating story. It became an enormous success and led to two direct-to-video sequels, an animated TV series, Broadway musical production, themed rides at Disney parks, video games and merchandise sales.
Mena Massoud stars as Aladdin, Naomi Scott portrays Princess Jasmine and Will Smith voices Genie in this live-action adaptation of Disney classic Aladdin. It’s an extravagant spectacle filled with tableaux and processions, chases that become slow-motion dances, love triangles involving Sultan Jafar and Princess Jasmine as well as tableaux depictions. Amidst all of this spectacle lies colonialism which must be addressed along with de-emphasizing some offensive character stereotypes found in 1992 film Aladdin.
Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins was released as a 1964 movie and quickly become one of the world’s favorite classics, receiving 13 Oscar nominations (including for Best Picture and Visual Effects) and five wins, including for Julie Andrews as an iconic British nanny played by Jane Banks (an actor of considerable renown at that time). Mary Poppins won 13 Academy Award nominations (including “Best Picture”) and five wins including “Best Visual Effects”. It is amongst Julie Andrews’ greatest performances – it remains amongst one of my all time.
The movie opens with Mary floating effortlessly above London in her dreamlike state on a cloud, until suddenly like some Edwardian Superman she descends upon the Banks family in anguish to restore order and bring fun back into their lives. Through work-play interactions that transform into self-expression.
Emily Blunt perfectly captures Travers’ vision with grace and charm, though she may be more blunt when confronting children’s misbehavior than Julie Andrews was. Still, Emily Blunt makes for an equally captivating Mary Poppins that will delight both children and parents alike in this latest adaptation of Mary Poppins.
The Lion King
The Lion King is a 1994 animated film which recounts the tale of a young lion prince struggling against his evil uncle. This timeless classic has become one of Disney’s most-beloved films ever, touching audiences of all ages with themes of family, responsibility and identity.
The film featured groundbreaking visual effects, with realistic computer-generated animals. Giraffes strut, birds sing and gazelles leap onscreen bringing to life an entire Serengeti onscreen in stunning detail. James Horner composed an immensely popular soundtrack that included songs such as “Circle of Life” and “Hakuna Matata”, inspiring a generation of music enthusiasts.
This film’s success inspired numerous direct-to-video sequels and prequels, a live-action remake in 2019, television series episodes, video games and merchandise, while it remains traditionally animated film with highest grossing total ever in history. Furthermore, The Lion King franchise became one of Disney’s most successful media properties ever.
Frozen
Frozen’s catchy tunes, romantic plotline between Anna and Kristoff and endearing snowman who acts as Anna’s companion are sure to warm even the hardest hearts – not to mention its warm reception in our local theatre, with its larger-than-usual gift shop in the Civic Theatre lobby doing brisk business on Thursday evening before showtime began!
Disney ( DIS – news – people )’s success at adapting animated movies into Broadway musicals rests heavily on Christopher Oram’s set design for Frozen Live! Christopher delivers in spades when it comes to depicting Elsa’s magical ice and snow powers while she lives in self-imposed exile in North Mountain Aerie, while its lighting (silvery and white hues with swirling darker blue, green and purple shades) also stands out.
But this tale of sisterly devotion and the power of love to open hearts goes deeper than eye-popping special effects, which is why its second act initially falters before eventually finding its stride.