29th Sep 20231st Oct 2025 by The Disney Purist

#13 Alice in Wonderland (1951)

BACKGROUND

Lewis Carroll’s original story, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, has been adapted for screen and stage numerous times over the years, however, despite seeming like a simple film to make, given the ample source material, Disney’s Alice in Wonderland actually took a number of years to develop and produce.

With all these adaptations over the decades, you’d think it would be difficult for a studio to make their mark with this story, yet Alice in Wonderland is likely to be the most memorable adaptation of Carroll’s famous stories, and for many, their first introduction to the story. This might lead viewers to believe that it was always a popular film, but in fact, it was not. When Alice in Wonderland was first released in 1951, its reviews were not kind, and it underperformed at the box-office.

I have always liked Alice in Wonderland, though it is not one that I revisit too often, but it does have a short enough running time – just 75 minutes – to make it easy to sit and watch whenever I have a spare hour. It is the best adaptation in my opinion as well. The 1999 made-for-television film Alice in Wonderland does stick in my mind, as it did feature an all-star cast, with actors like Martin Short, Miranda Richardson, Whoopi Goldberg and Gene Wilder, but it was just bizarre and not overly pleasing to the eye.

PLOT

Disney’s Alice in Wonderland begins with Alice, a little blonde girl, being read a history book by her sister in the park. Alice is not paying any attention to her lesson, and is distracted by her cat, Dinah, who is a very cute cat and doesn’t get nearly enough screen time, and everything else in the garden. Alice says she can’t possibly pay attention to a book with no pictures in it, and starts to imagine her own world, where everything would be backwards and not make sense. Soon, she sees a white rabbit with a watch and a waistcoat running nearby, shouting about being late for something. Curious, Alice follows the White Rabbit, wanting to know why he’s late. She crawls into a hole and tumbles down, leaving her cat and the world she knows behind.

Alice doesn’t fall, but floats downwards, passing by floating furniture, before turning upside down. Eventually, she hits solid ground, where she sees the Rabbit going through a door. Alice opens lots of tiny doors and steps into a hall, where she finds a door on the opposite side. She tries to turn it, but is surprised to find the doorknob can talk! The Doorknob tells Alice she is too big to get through the door and tells her to drink the bottle that’s on the table. Sure enough, she becomes small enough to fit through the door, but the Doorknob forgot to tell her that he’s locked, with the key up on the table that Alice can no longer reach. A box of “Eat Me” biscuits appears in front of her, which then makes her too big again. Alice cries, with huge tears falling down her cheeks, flooding the entire room. The Doorknob tells Alice to drink from the bottle again, which makes Alice too small and she falls inside the bottle. Luckily, as she floats down her sea of tears, the Doorknob swallows a bunch of it through the keyhole, including the bottle, and she gets through to the other side.

There, she sees a dodo, birds and lobsters swimming in the water. She soon hits dry land, tumbling out of the bottle, where these creatures are running around in a circle, called a “Caucus Race”, trying to dry themselves. Alice is told by the Dodo to join in, despite Alice’s protestations that they can’t possibly get dry this way as waves keep crashing on to them. She soon sees the Rabbit again, and follows him into the nearby woods, where she meets Tweedledee and Tweedledum. The twins introduce themselves to Alice, and want her to stay and talk to them for a while. Alice doesn’t, saying she is curious by the White Rabbit. This reminds the two of a story called “The Walrus and the Carpenter”, which features curious oysters. Alice sits down to hear it. The story goes that a walrus and a carpenter were walking along the beach, and sees loads of oysters in the sea. Thinking they’d be perfect for their dinner, the Walrus coaxes the young oysters out of the sea and leads them to a makeshift restaurant that the Carpenter has put together. As the Carpenter is told to get condiments and bread, the Walrus shocks the oysters by eating them all. The Carpenter returns to find the Walrus has eaten every last oyster and chases him down the beach. Alice decides as she’s not an oyster, she doesn’t need to worry about being curious and leaves.

Alice reaches a cottage, which turns out to be the White Rabbit’s. The Rabbit sends Alice in to find his gloves, but as she does so, she eats a biscuit which makes her grow so large that she fills the entire house and is stuck. The White Rabbit asks the Dodo and Bill, a lizard with a ladder, to help. The Dodo tells Bill to go down the chimney and pull the monster (Alice) out. As Bill falls down the chimney, soot flies into the air, making Alice sneeze and sends Bill shooting back out of the chimney. The Dodo then decides to burn the house down, “to smoke the monster out”, and starts to break up all of Rabbit’s furniture. Alice sees a bed of carrots nearby and pulls one out to eat. As she takes a bite, she shrinks down to a tiny size again, and rushes out of the house to follow the Rabbit again. This time, she finds herself in a garden, where the flowers talk and sing to her. They decide that Alice must be a weed, as she can’t say what type of flower she is, and chase her out of the garden.

Next, Alice meets a smoking caterpillar sitting on a mushroom. He wants to know who she is, but she can’t explain as she’s changed so much since she got to Wonderland. The Caterpillar insults Alice as she tries to recite, making her so angry she leaves. She is soon called back by the Caterpillar, and told to control her temper. He wants to know what is wrong with her. She says she wants to be taller, as being three inches high is a “wretched height”. It turns out the Caterpillar is this exact height. Furious, he suddenly turns into a butterfly, and tells Alice that the mushroom near her can change her size; one side will make her taller, the other shorter. After some trial and error, involving a bird and her nest of eggs, Alice gets back to her normal size and carries on. Alice goes back into the woods, but is confused by the poor signage. The Cheshire Cat materialises in front of her, and Alice asks him for directions. He tells her to talk to the Mad Hatter or the March Hare, telling Alice that “most everyone’s mad here”, annoying Alice who doesn’t want to talk to mad people.

She stumbles upon the Mad Hatter’s tea party and hears of him and the March Hare singing about their “unbirthday”. Alice finds it’s her “unbirthday” too! They celebrate with a cake, and invite her to join them for tea. Alice doesn’t manage to drink a drop of it, as the two question her, constantly move seats, and call her mad. She also scares the Dormouse, who sleeps in the teapot, by mentioning her cat, Dinah. The White Rabbit runs past, shouting about being late, so the Mad Hatter takes a look at his watch. The watch is two days slow apparently, but the Mad Hatter can fix it! He spreads butter, jam, tea, and lemon into the mechanics of the watch and closes it up. The watch goes crazy and starts to jump and snap all over the place. There’s no option but to break it with a mallet. The White Rabbit is upset, but the Mad Hatter and March Hare cheer him up with their “Unbirthday Song” and throw him back into the woods. Alice leaves shortly after, deciding she wants to go home.

She walks through Tulgey Wood, where she encounters many strange creatures, but finds herself hopelessly lost. The Cheshire Cat returns to her and tells her she must meet the Queen who rules this land before she leaves. He shows her a shortcut to the Queen’s castle and Alice goes in. She sees a pack of cards painting roses red, and asks why they are doing that. It turns out they planted white roses, and knowing that would anger the Queen, must paint them red, the colour she wanted, before she finds out. But she does find out, because the Queen and her Cards enter the gardens. The Queen of Hearts sees paint dripping from the roses and questions the cards, eventually sending them off to have their heads cut off. Alice is invited to play croquet with the Queen. The Queen wins by cheating, which upsets Alice. The Cheshire Cat reappears, this time on the Queen herself, and starts to talk to Alice. Alice looks rude and insulting as she responds to the Cat as nobody else can see it since the Cat disappears without warning. The Cheshire Cat manages to flip up the Queen’s skirts, exposing her underwear to everyone. Alice is blamed for this and the Queen begins to shout “off with her head”, when the King asks for a trial instead.

Alice is taken to the Court Room, where they hear pointless evidence from the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, and the Dormouse, none of whom were even there. They celebrate the Queen’s “unbirthday” and gift her a crown, except the crown is actually the Cheshire Cat. Alice tries to get everyone to see him, but he vanishes. The Dormouse freaks out again at the word “cat”, which leads to the Queen having jam thrown in her face. The Queen is furious and thinks it was Alice who did it, and starts to shout “off with her head” again, when Alice finds the mushroom from earlier in her pocket. She eats both halves and grows tall again. This gives her the confidence to call the Queen a “fat, old tyrant”, but shrinks down to her normal size just as she finishes. Alice runs away, and is chased by hundreds of the Queen’s Card Soldiers. She is chased all through Wonderland, where she sees characters from her earlier adventures, who all try to stop her. She finally gets to the Doorknob from the start of the day and asks him to let her through. He shows Alice that she is already through; Alice is asleep by the river in the park, where she was before she fell down the Rabbit Hole. It turns out it was all a dream. Alice shouts at herself to wake up, and we are taken back to the park, where Alice’s sister is telling her to wake up. Alice wakes up confused, and starts reciting the Caterpillar’s earlier phrases, explaining her visit to Wonderland. Exasperated, her sister simply says they should get home for tea.

CHARACTERS & CAST

Alice is a precocious little girl, who is easily angered and annoyed, having multiple arguments with Wonderland’s residents, including the Caterpillar, the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, the Cheshire Cat, and the Queen of Hearts! She doesn’t seem to know when she should and shouldn’t talk. Most of the film seems to be about teaching Alice how to be courteous and polite, as she is taught how to speak “correctly” by the Caterpillar; how to sing sweetly by the Flowers; warned of the dangers of being too curious by Tweedledee and Tweedledum; and taught to address royalty by the Queen. Unfortunately, these lessons fall on deaf ears for the most part as Alice is so confident and headstrong that she keeps barrelling in to more difficult situations, getting to the point where she ends up on trial for angering the Queen. It’s not good, is it? If I was stuck in Wonderland with no idea about their rules of society, I’d spend my time trying to work out how to behave correctly so I could keep my head on my shoulders. But not Alice; she does the complete opposite. Whether that’s a good thing or not, I’ll let you decide! Kathryn Beaumont voices Alice, and also provided the live-action reference material for the character. Beaumont would go on to voice Wendy Darling in the next Disney animated feature film, Peter Pan (1953). She would also reprise both these roles on occasion for Disney projects. Kathryn Beaumont was named a Disney Legend in 1998.

The real-life inspiration for Alice was a five-year-old girl called Alice Liddell. She met mathematician, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, who would later be known under his penname Lewis Carroll, at that age, as her father was Dean at Christ Church College at the University of Oxford where Dodgson was a maths tutor. He would soon become a friend of the Liddell family. The stories were created on 4^th July 1862 by Dodgson. He improvised the stories as a way of entertaining Alice and her sisters, Lorina and Edith. The first written manuscript of the story was given to Alice Liddell in November 1864, with illustrations also being provided by Dodgson; the book was titled Alice’s Adventures Under Ground. The story was then published widely in 1865, with illustrations by Sir John Tenniel, under the name Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. A sequel titled Alice Through the Looking Glass was later published in 1871. The books were a hit.

After the publications, Alice Liddell lived a life without fame. She married Reginald Hargreaves, who was a pupil of Dodgson’s, on 15^th September 1880. They had three sons and lived in Hampshire. It wasn’t until financial problems many years later, forcing her to sell Dodgson’s original manuscript to an American collector, that Alice Liddell would find fame. She visited the USA for Carroll’s centenary celebrations at Columbia University, and later received an Honorary degree from there for services to literature. She also consulted on Paramount’s 1933 film, Alice in Wonderland. Liddell died in November 1934. A few years later, in 1948, the original manuscript of the story was returned to the UK[1].

There are multiple other characters in Alice in Wonderland, so I won’t discuss all of them, but I will mention some of the more important ones. First, the Mad Hatter, the March Hare and the Dormouse feature in two separate sequences: the Tea Party and the Trial. It’s quite clear that, although the Mad Hatter and the March Hare are bizarre and odd, they are harmless and mean well generally. They just want to celebrate, have a good time, and seem to quite enjoy meeting new people. The Dormouse doesn’t feature too much; he’s mostly just sleeping in his tea pot, so he’s definitely harmless and not mad at all really. The Dormouse’s voice was provided by Disney Sound Effects Head, Jimmy MacDonald. MacDonald created contraptions to make the sounds for many characters in Disney movies, such as the Crocodile’s “tick-tock” in Peter Pan (1953); Dragon Maleficent’s snapping jaws in Sleeping Beauty (1959), where castanets were used; and the buzzing of Evinrude the dragonfly in The Rescuers (1977). MacDonald was also the official second voice artist to voice Mickey Mouse, after Walt Disney, and the original voice of Chip, from the duo of Chip ‘n’ Dale.

Musician, comedian and actor Jerry Colonna voices the March Hare. He had previously narrated the segment “Casey at the Bat”, which features within the package feature Make Mine Music (1946) for Disney. Colonna was also one of Bob Hope’s sidekicks in Hope’s radio shows and films during the 1940s and 1950s. The Mad Hatter’s voice is provided by Ed Wynn, who began his career in radio shows before moving into film. He hosted his own variety show, The Ed Wynn Show (1949-50) for which he won the Emmy Award for Best Live Show. Ed Wynn also appears as giggling Uncle Albert in the Disney film, Mary Poppins (1964). I really like the March Hare and the Mad Hatter as characters, with the Tea Party being one of the funniest scenes in the film. During the live-action reference shoot for this scene, Ed Wynn ad-libbed many of his lines. When it came time for Wynn to record his lines clean in the studio, the team found they weren’t coming across funny enough, so they went back to the live-action tape and used those lines in the film instead[2].

The Cheshire Cat is the most lovable of the characters in my opinion, but that’s probably just because he’s a big, fluffy, pink and purple cat! He’s a bit tricky to deal with though, not answering questions directly, vanishing at random, and seeming to want to get Alice into trouble with the Queen! I still like him though; he’s fun and the choice of voice actor probably helps with his likeability too. Sterling Holloway voices the Cheshire Cat, with Holloway having provided the voices for numerous characters for the Walt Disney Company throughout his career. Some of these include Mr. Stork in Dumbo (1941), Kaa in The Jungle Book (1967) and the original voice of Winnie the Pooh. Holloway has a kind, warm voice, so you can see why Disney hired him so often.

Another prolific Disney voice actor credited in Alice in Wonderland is Verna Felton who voices the menacing Queen of Hearts. It’s clear from the Queen of Hearts’ first entrance that she is difficult to please, high maintenance, and easy to anger, as she immediately sends three of her Cards to be beheaded from the first moment we meet her! She’s certainly not easy to get along with, though her voice may come across as sweet and kind when she wants to, just to lure you into a false sense of security. Verna Felton has provided the voices of characters such as Mrs. Jumbo and the Elephant Matriarch in Dumbo (1941), the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella (1950), Flora in Sleeping Beauty (1959), and Winifred the Elephant in The Jungle Book (1967).

But that’s not all because there are a few more actors who appear in Alice in Wonderland and many other Disney movies. English actor and singer J. Pat O’ Malley, who was born in Burnley, which explains the Northern accents in this film, voices the characters of Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Walrus, the Carpenter and Mother Oyster, so basically all the voices in that sequence, except for Alice. I always liked watching “The Walrus and the Carpenter” story when I was younger, rewinding the VHS tape to see it over and over. I find Tweedledee and Tweedledum a bit annoying though! O’Malley also voiced Colonel Hathi in The Jungle Book (1967); Cyril Proudbottom, the horse in The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949); and Jasper and Colonel in One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961).

Bill Thompson, who voiced Mr. Smee in Peter Pan (1953), Jock in Lady and the Tramp (1955), King Hubert in Sleeping Beauty (1959) and Uncle Waldo in The Aristocats (1970), voices both the White Rabbit and the Dodo in Alice in Wonderland. The Dodo acts like he is incredibly intelligent, but in actual fact, his ideas and plans don’t make any sense and don’t really work. The White Rabbit is the catalyst for Alice even coming to Wonderland, so he’s important for the story, but he is quite high-strung; he needs to relax and stop running around so much! I like both these two characters.

The Mellomen, a singing quartet founded by Thurl Ravenscroft, the original voice of Tony the Tiger for Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes, featured as singers for large groups of characters in Disney animated features, such as the Pirates and the Indians in Peter Pan (1953), the dogs in the pound in Lady and the Tramp (1955) and the Dawn Patrol in The Jungle Book (1967). In Alice in Wonderland, the Mellomen are the singing Card Painters.

A couple of other actors to mention are Richard Haydn and Heather Angel who provide the voices for the exacting Caterpillar and Alice’s frustrated sister respectively. Haydn would later play the role of Max Detweller in The Sound of Music (1965) and Angel would voice the part of Mrs. Darling, Wendy’s mother, in Peter Pan (1953).

PRODUCTION

Walt Disney’s fascination with Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland goes back to his time at school, where he loved reading Carroll’s original stories. In 1923, as part of Walt’s original studios, Laugh-O-Gram Studio in Missouri, him and his staff made a short film titled Alice’s Wonderland, which involved a live-action little girl dreaming of Cartoonland, an animated world, where she interacted with various animated animals, before being chased off a cliff by hungry lions. It was a silent, black-and-white short film, which combined animation and live-action, lasting about ten minutes. After the film was completed, the Laugh-O-Gram Studio went bankrupt and shut down, leading Walt to go to Los Angeles and set up a new studio over there. Walt and his new studio then produced 56 more shorts like this from 1923 to 1927, which became known as the Alice Comedies. In 1933, Walt Disney considered making a feature-length movie based on the Carroll stories as an animation/live-action hybrid like his Alice Comedies, with Hollywood actress Mary Pickford in the starring role. However, partly due to Paramount’s own adaptation being released that year, nothing further happened with the idea and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs became the Disney Studios first feature-length movie release.

In 1936, a Disney short was released, titled Thru the Mirror, which involved Mickey Mouse stepping through a mirror, after Mickey falls asleep reading Alice Through the Looking Glass. In the mirror, Mickey eats nuts to make him grow tall and then small. Whilst small, he skips with a phone cord, dances with a pair of gloves, and then marches alongside a pack of cards. Mickey dances with the Queen of Hearts card, angering the King, who sword-fights Mickey and orders the cards to attack him. Mickey gets away, and races over the Globe in the room. He falls through the Globe, but returns to the surface, normal-sized again, so he can return in time for Mickey to be woken by his alarm clock[3].

This shows that the Alice stories were still very much on Walt Disney’s mind. Though it wasn’t until 1938 that Walt moved forward with the idea of producing a movie again, when he formally registered the title with the Motion Picture Association of America and bought the rights to the story and Tenniel’s illustrations. Story man Al Perkins produced a 161-page analysis of the book and analysed each chapter, thinking about how it would work in animation. In June 1939, British art director David Hall spent three months producing around 400 paintings, drawings and sketches using Perkins’ book analysis as a guide. A film reel of these concept drawings was filmed in November 1939 and shown to Walt, who was not pleased. He felt that the animators were not understanding the spirit of the story correctly, making it too dark, and that Hall’s sketches were too close to Tenniel’s illustrations and therefore would be difficult to animate. Although the film later went in a different direction, some suggestions of Perkins’ were used in the final film, such as the White Rabbit wearing glasses, something Carroll had envisioned but did not translate into Tenniel’s illustrations, as well as the watch being fixed by the Mad Hatter belonging to the White Rabbit, and the Cheshire Cat appearing more.

In April 1941, the movie was considered again with a live-action girl. This time, actress Gloria Jean was considered for the main role. America’s involvement in World War II in this year then halted production on the movie. After the war had ended, the idea of Alice in Wonderland was returned to. This time, Ginger Rogers was considered for another live-action/animated hybrid film, and later Luana Patten, who starred in Song of the South (1946) and So Dear to My Heart (1948) for Disney[4]. In 1945, Aldous Huxley, who wrote the novel Brave New World, was hired to write the script for the movie, but Walt found it too close to Carroll’s novel, as well as too difficult to understand. From this point, Walt decided to make Alice in Wonderland a fully animated movie, with production moving forward in 1949.

As the original stories involve over eighty characters, many characters and sequences were cut from the final film. These include the White Knight, who Walt Disney was fond of, but felt that by cutting the character, Alice would be able to figure things out for herself in Wonderland instead of relying on the White Knight to help her. Another scene titled “Pig and Pepper” involving the Duchess, her cook and a screaming baby that transforms into a pig when Alice tries to rescue it from the mad house, was also cut, with this scene later being available to view with David Hall’s original artwork on home releases. Another was an early version of Alice daydreaming of a world of her own. Alice would have laid on the grass, watching birds fly, and seeing animal shapes in the clouds and moving trees blowing before the White Rabbit appeared[5]. There was a planned segment on the Jabberwocky, with Stan Freberg, who would voice the Beaver in Lady and the Tramp (1955) for Disney, being chosen for the character. Some animation was completed for the segment, but it was removed as Walt felt the scene would be too scary for children. Original pressbooks from 1951 credited Freberg with voicing the Jabberwocky despite this edit. Concept art of the sequence by Tom Oreb was released in 1992[6].

One thing that was definite in production of the movie was that Mary Blair’s concept art would be used as the overall animation style for the movie; because of her work, Walt finally believed that they could make Alice in Wonderland and do the original stories justice. Blair’s art style influenced Saludos Amigos (1942), The Three Caballeros (1944), Cinderella (1950), and later Peter Pan (1953), as well as Alice in Wonderland. The Tea Party and the March of the Cards sequences are the most obvious examples of Mary Blair’s art styling making its way into the film, with her concept art being perfectly mimicked in the scenes[7].

The March of the Cards is similar to the hallucinogenic “Pink Elephants on Parade” from Dumbo (1941), as it uses bold, bright colours, which quickly change. It was seen as the big spectacular scene in the movie, making the Cards appear as soldiers and the villain’s minions. Walt was inspired by Carroll’s depiction of the Playing Cards in the original stories here. Sammy Fain, who was involved with composing many of the songs for the movie’s soundtrack, was playing a two-bar intro one day that Walt happened to hear. Walt asked for it to be considered for this particular scene of the cards marching[8]. I think it’s a mesmerising scene to watch and I like the music that plays with it.

MUSIC

Alice in Wonderland features the most songs of any Disney animated feature, with a total of sixteen original songs, though some of these are more sung-through dialogue, used for narration purposes. Alongside Sammy Fain, Bob Hilliard contributed lyrics to the majority of the Alice in Wonderland songs, the first of which is the title song, “Alice in Wonderland”, which plays during the Opening Credits. It is a quiet, calming song, performed by the Jud Conlon Chorus. After that, the movie characters sing the rest of the soundtrack. As Alice, Kathryn Beaumont sung two solos, both written by Fain and Hilliard, which are “In a World of My Own”, sung by the riverbank as Alice dreams of her very own “Wonderland”, and “Very Good Advice”, which she sings when she is lost in Tulgey Wood and can’t find her way home. I’m not a big fan of either of these songs; they’re nice enough, but not particularly memorable. Alice also sings part of the song “All in the Golden Afternoon”, with the chorus of flowers. This song is my favourite of all the Alice in Wonderland songs, probably because it sounds like a real musical performance, and not just story narration.

Other Fain and Hilliard songs include “I’m Late”, which is more of a ditty, performed by Bill Thompson as the White Rabbit, and “The Caucus Race”, also performed by Bill Thompson but as the Dodo this time, alongside the Jud Conlon Chorus. I really like “The Caucus Race”, even though it’s not a long song, and doesn’t mean much; it just sounds fun and upbeat! For J. Pat O’Malley as Tweedledee and Tweedledum, Fain and Hilliard wrote “The Walrus and the Carpenter”. This is a sung-through story, more so than an actual song, but again I very much like this “song”, and the sequence that goes with it. The final songs they contribute to are “Painting the Roses Red” and the reprise of sorts “Who’s Been Painting My Roses Red”, with the first song being performed by Kathryn Beaumont as Alice and The Mellomen as the Card Painters, and the second by Verna Felton as the Queen of Hearts. These are quite catchy tunes, and probably one of the more recognisable songs from the soundtrack. In some versions of the soundtrack, “Painting the Roses Red” is combined with “The March of the Cards” instrumental, which I mentioned earlier.

Long-time Disney composer Oliver Wallace, who had composed the scores for films such as Dumbo (1941), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Original Score, alongside Frank Churchill; The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949); and Cinderella (1950), contributed to Alice in Wonderland’s soundtrack, alongside Ted Sears, who was the first head of Disney’s story department, where he also contributed song lyrics for films like Peter Pan (1953) and Sleeping Beauty (1959). These songs are “Old Father William”, performed by Tweedledee and Tweedledum, albeit briefly; “We’ll Smoke the Blighter Out”, another quick tune, performed by Bill Thompson as the Dodo; and the song “A-E-I-O-U (The Caterpillar Song”, sung by Richard Haydn as the Caterpillar. No lyrics as such feature in the song; the Caterpillar just sings the five letters in different variations, but nevertheless, it’s a fitting introduction to the Caterpillar, and sounds very mysterious as Alice figures out who or what is making the strange sounds.

Don Raye, known for writing songs for singers The Andrews Sisters with hits such as “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy”, and songwriter Gene de Paul, who had collaborated with Raye to write the songs for “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” section of the film The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, wrote one of the final two songs to mention in the soundtrack. This was “’Twas Brillig”, a musical recitation of the poem “The Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll, which is performed by Sterling Holloway as the Cheshire Cat. I love this song; again, it’s catchy and memorable. It was actually a late addition to the movie, as there was a plan as late as 1950 to have the Jabberwocky as a character, with a whole scene and song called “Beware the Jabberwock”. When it was cut, they decided to at least reference the Jabberwocky, by giving a song, reciting parts of the original poem, to the Cheshire Cat, which meant removing the Cat’s own song “I’m Odd”, which was written in 1949[9]. I’ve heard the re-recording of the original song, and it’s catchy, but I prefer “’Twas Brillig”.

The final song to mention is potentially the most well-known from the film: “The Unbirthday Song”. It is performed by Alice, the Mad Hatter and the March Hare and explains exactly what an “unbirthday” is. It’s a fun, upbeat song, perfect at this point in the movie when Alice is becoming more and more confused and irritated by the people of Wonderland! It was written by Mack David, All Hoffman and Jerry Livingston, who collaborated on the songs for Cinderella (1950), Disney’s previous animated release. Parts of this soundtrack can be heard within certain attractions at the Disney Parks where the characters of Alice in Wonderland appear. Oliver Wallace was nominated at the Academy Awards for Best Scoring of a Musical Picture for Alice in Wonderland but lost to An American in Paris (1951).

Many more songs were recorded as demos, but did not make it into the final cut of the film, mostly because those characters or scenes were removed from the storyline, and therefore could not be used. These original song demos appeared within the Bonus Features on the 60^th Anniversary home release of Alice in Wonderland. Some of these include: “If You’ll Believe In Me”, written for the Lion and the Unicorn; “Everything Has a Useness”, originally meant for the Caterpillar; and “Beautiful Soup”, written for the Mock Turtle, which was to be set to the tune of “The Blue Danube Waltz” by Johann Strauss II[10].

Another interesting point to mention on the music is that “Second Star to the Right” from Peter Pan (1953) uses the melody of a song originally planned for Alice in Wonderland (1951). This song would’ve been called “Beyond the Laughing Sky”, to be sung by Alice in place of “In a World of My Own”. It was a slow ballad, and wasn’t seen to fit the tone of the movie particularly well. The music was written by Sammy Fain. As he worked on both films, he simply used his melody with new lyrics by Sammy Cahn for Peter Pan instead[11].

RECEPTION

As an early way of promoting the movie, a one-hour Christmas special by Walt Disney Productions, titled One Hour in Wonderland, aired on Christmas Day 1950. A few clips of the movie were shown, such as a brief clip of Tweedledee and Tweedledum and the full sequence of the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party. In June 1951, a short documentary titled Operation Wonderland featured further looks at the movie, including parts of “The Walrus and the Carpenter”, “All in the Golden Afternoon”, and the Mad Hatter fixing the White Rabbit’s watch. Other short clips and concept art were shown.

On 26^th July 1951, Alice in Wonderland held its premiere in London, which was attended by Kathryn Beaumont and Walt Disney himself. Two days later, on 28^th July 1951, the movie hit US theatres. Unfortunately, despite hopes that Alice in Wonderland would be as popular as Cinderella (1950) was during its first release, it received mostly negative reviews upon its general release, particularly in the UK, where audiences disliked the “Americanisation” of the Lewis Carroll story. It lost almost $1 million at the box office, against its $3 million budget, during its initial theatrical run. Reviews from the time stated that there was very little story, with lots of different sequences simply being thrown together. Disney did take the poem of the “Jabberwocky” and the characters of Tweedledee and Tweedledum from Alice Through the Looking Glass and put them into Alice in Wonderland, despite the fact the two Carroll novels have very different plots. Much of the main storyline of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was used in the film, with a few omissions, but by taking bits and pieces from both stories, the essence of the original stories was likely lost, which would have annoyed fans of the novels. Critics also did not like the characters, feeling that they lacked warmth and heart. Some did not like how much Disney deviated from the well-known Tenniel illustrations. It was generally agreed upon, though, that the film would be entertaining enough for children and anyone unfamiliar with Carroll’s original story. Many critics did think the music and colourful animation was pleasant.

Over the years that followed, particularly in the 1960s and the 1970s, Alice in Wonderland began to profit from its re-releases. The 60s and 70s were big for Alice in Wonderland due to its psychedelic artwork and music becoming part of pop culture[12].

LEGACY

Ever since its release, Alice in Wonderland has continued to become more and more popular, now being considered one of the best Disney animated feature films, which is evident from the number of references to it within the Disney Parks, as well as spin-offs to it on screen. Alice and its characters also appear in Disney video games, like Kingdom Hearts and Disney Infinity.

On screen, Alice in Wonderland was one of the first Disney animated films to receive not one but two live-action adaptations, though it is not right to call them “remakes” as the films feel completely different to the animated film and do not bear much resemblance to it. The first live-action film, titled Alice in Wonderland, released in 2010, was directed by Tim Burton. It follows a nineteen-year-old Alice returning to Wonderland, where she must restore the White Queen’s throne by fighting against the Red Queen. Even from this very brief plot description, it is obvious that this version of Alice in Wonderland involves different characters to those in the animated film, with many more characters from Carroll’s original stories being used. It features an all-star cast including Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen, Anne Hathaway as the White Queen, Stephen Fry as the Cheshire Cat, and Alan Rickman as the Caterpillar. I watched this film once for a university project and I found the story much too dark, and Tim Burton’s artistic style didn’t appeal to me! But it did well at the box-office and won Academy Awards for Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design. In 2016, the sequel, Alice Through the Looking Glass, was released, with much of the cast from the first film returning to reprise their roles. This time, the film was directed by James Bobin. The story follows a 22-year-old Alice travelling through time to help the Mad Hatter find his family. Alice Through the Looking Glass received mostly negative reviews for its plot, and did not do well at the box-office. It was Alan Rickman’s final film performance, as he died in January 2016, five months before the movie’s release.

On television, a computer-animated series titled Alice’s Wonderland Bakery (2022-present) is currently airing on Disney Junior. Its first season aired in February 2022; its second began airing in June 2023. It follows the great-granddaughter of the original Alice working at the Wonderland Bakery, exploring the kingdom on numerous adventures with creatures the same or similar to those from the original Alice in Wonderland film. A spin-off of the popular ABC television series Once Upon a Time (2011-18) took place in Wonderland with Alice and the characters of Wonderland. Once Upon a Time in Wonderland only aired for one thirteen-episode series, from October 2013 to April 2014, before being cancelled. Its reviews were mixed, as some disliked the confusing plot. One character from this spin-off, Will Scarlet / The Knave of Hearts, did later appear in the actual series.

At the Disney Parks, Alice in Wonderland is a basis for at least one attraction in all six of the Disney theme parks. Disneyland potentially has the most interesting attraction, a dark ride, unsurprisingly called Alice in Wonderland, that goes through the story of the film. It is two-storeys, with a zig-zagging outside track on the top floor. It looks great; I’m very jealous of Disneyland for having that because I love a good Fantasyland dark ride. The original version opened in June 1958, but it has been renovated and enhanced over the years. As well as this, the Storybook Land Canal Boats and the Casey Jr. Circus Train go past a miniature English village, based on the one from Alice in Wonderland. A doll of Alice and the White Rabbit appear within the UK section of the it’s a small world boat ride. Disneyland also has the Mad Tea Party, a spinning “tea cups” attraction, which is the only Disney one to be uncovered. There is also a gift shop in Disneyland’s Fantasyland named The Mad Hatter, after the Alice in Wonderland character.

At Walt Disney World Resort, within Magic Kingdom, they have their own version of the Mad Tea Party tea cups attraction. This one is under cover due to the ever-changing Florida weather. It has a huge tea pot spinning in the centre of it; the Dormouse even pops his head out on occasion. Very close to this attraction, you can find the famous Cheshire Cat Tail chocolate pastry at the Cheshire Café refreshment stand. At Epcot, Alice has a permanent meet-and-greet location at the UK pavilion. At the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, you used to be able to meet Alice and the Mad Hatter at the Supercalifragilistic Breakfast character meal at their restaurant, 1900 Park Fare. The Wonderland Tea Party was also available for children to attend where they would also be able to meet Alice and the Mad Hatter, however, when 1900 Park Fare reopened in 2024 after its prolonged closure for the pandemic, it had changed its character meals and these characters no longer appear.

At Disneyland Paris, there are two Alice in Wonderland-themed attractions, with the first being another “tea cups” attraction, this time called Mad Hatter’s Tea Cups. It also has a cover, like the one at Walt Disney World. The second is Alice’s Curious Labyrinth. It is a literal maze, with models of characters from the movie, such as the Caterpillar, the Dodo and the Card Painters dotted on, around and within the hedges. There is also a large flower bed shaped like the Cheshire Cat and a multi-coloured castle in the centre to explore. I vaguely remember going through this maze when I was younger on my first visit to Disneyland Paris; I can’t remember if we finished though, as I’m pretty sure I freaked out about getting lost in it! I don’t think it helped that I kept thinking of a 1990s advert for Disneyland Paris, which I must’ve seen on some VHS tape, where the Queen of Hearts is chasing children through this maze and was worried it would happen to me! The Queen is a terrifying walk-around character… Also at Disneyland Paris, but at the Walt Disney Studios Park, specifically at the outdoor Theater of the Stars, there has been an Alice in Wonderland-themed BMX stunt show running over the spring and summer in 2024 and 2025. This interesting, and vibrant, take on the movie is called Alice & the Queen of Hearts: Back to Wonderland.

At Hong Kong Disneyland, Mad Hatter Tea Cups is the name of this park’s “tea cups” attraction and is another covered attraction. At Tokyo Disneyland, their “tea cups” attraction is titled Alice’s Tea Party. It is also covered and has the tea pot with the Dormouse popping his head out, like at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. Like at Disneyland, a doll of Alice and the White Rabbit appear within the UK section of Tokyo’s it’s a small world boat ride. Tokyo Disneyland does also have a quick-service dining location named Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall. It is a cafeteria-style restaurant, with Card Soldiers and garden sets in place throughout the location. At the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel, you can also choose to stay in one of their Alice in Wonderland rooms. They are designed with motifs from the film and its characters, as well as pictures of concept art and paintings from the movie on the walls. There is even a clever lamp shade that looks like the Mad Hatter’s hat!

At Shanghai Disneyland, there is another maze, this time called the Alice in Wonderland Maze, but in this case themed after the live-action 2010 film, not the 1951 animated film, meaning it is slightly darker, with less bright colours than Alice’s Curious Labyrinth in Paris. The centre features an area themed to the Red Queen’s castle, with a huge model of her head watching you as you pass! Unlike the other five Disney Parks, Shanghai’s “tea cups” attraction is not themed to Alice in Wonderland, but instead uses honey pots for its vehicles as it is Winnie-the-Pooh themed.

Finally, on the Disney Cruise Line, on some ships, there is the Wonderland Cinema, which plays Disney films to guests whilst on board. It is themed to Alice in Wonderland, with the backs of the chairs looking like playing cards, and images of characters from the film appearing on the walls of the cinema.

As for Alice in Wonderland character meet-and-greets, Alice, the Mad Hatter, the White Rabbit, the Queen of Hearts, and Tweedledee and Tweedledum have appeared at most of the Disney Parks over the years. It would seem that the Queen of Hearts and Tweedledee and Tweedledum are more frequently seen at the Disney Parks’ Halloween events, especially at the US Parks. The Cheshire Cat is the rarest Alice in Wonderland character to see, but it seems he can come out for Special Events. But if you struggle to find these characters, you should be able to see them in various parades and nighttime shows. For example, the Mad Hatter and Alice make an appearance at the Festival of Fantasy Parade at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World, whilst Alice, Tweedledee and Tweedledum appear in Tokyo Disneyland’s Harmony in Color Parade. Alice also sits atop a Chesire Cat float in the Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Dreamlights Nighttime Parade. Previously, Alice and the White Rabbit featured in the now-defunct nighttime parades SpectroMagic and Main Street Electrical Parade. Clips from the movie also are shown as part of some fireworks and nighttime shows, such as Wondrous Journeys at Disneyland.

As Alice in Wonderland is quite an old movie from the Disney Animation catalogue, the characters from the film are not likely to have starring roles in any current or upcoming shows or parades, but at least one character should still be there.

FINAL THOUGHTS

In recent years, Alice in Wonderland has become iconic. Walt Disney was disappointed with the initial reaction to his movie, but did state that he felt it would become a valuable property for the company – and that it did. Alice in Wonderland features prominently at the Disney Parks around the world, which might have seemed odd considering the film did not do well around the time Disneyland was being planned and when it first opened in 1955.

But it wouldn’t be too much later, during Alice in Wonderland’s re-releases, that it would become popular and generate big profits for the Disney Studios. It has stood the test of time, having celebrated its 70^th anniversary back in 2021, with adults and children alike finding admiration and love for the movie today.

REFERENCES

[1] Credit: Author Unknown, ‘The real Alice in Wonderland’, VAM.ac.uk, date unknown.

[2] Credit: Disney, “Reflections on Alice”, from Alice in Wonderland (1951) 1-Disc 60^th Anniversary DVD (2011).

[3] Credit: Disney, “Thru the Mirror (1936)”, from Alice in Wonderland (1951) 1-Disc 60^th Anniversary DVD (2011).

[4] Credit: Jim Korkis, ‘The Disney “Alice in Wonderland” Never Made’, CartoonResearch.com, 24^th July 2020.

[5] Credit: Disney, “Deleted Scene: Pig and Pepper”, “Deleted Concept: Alice Daydreams in Park”, from Alice in Wonderland (1951), 60^th Anniversary DVD and Blu-Ray (2011).

[6] Credit: Jim Korkis, ‘Animation Anecdotes’, MousePlanet.com, 1^st October 2014.

[7] Credit: Disney, “Reflections on Alice”, from Alice in Wonderland (1951) 1-Disc 60^th Anniversary DVD (2011).

[8] Credit: Jim Korkis, ‘The Playing Card Characters in Alice in Wonderland’, MousePlanet.com, 14^th September 2016.

[9] Credit: Disney, “I’m Odd” Cheshire Cat Song”, from Alice in Wonderland (1951) 1-Disc 60^th Anniversary DVD (2011).

[10] Credit: Disney, “Original Song Demos”, from Alice in Wonderland (1951) 60^th Anniversary Blu-Ray (2011).

[11] Credit: Disney, “From Wonderland to Neverland: The Evolution of Song”, from Alice in Wonderland (1951) 60^th Anniversary Blu-Ray (2011).

[12] Credit: Brittany DiCologero, ‘Today in Disney History, 1951: Alice in Wonderland Premiered in the U.K.’, WDW Magazine (online), 26^th July 2023.

22nd Sep 202329th Sep 2025 by The Disney Purist

#35 Hercules (1997)

BACKGROUND

With Hercules being released within the famed Disney Renaissance Era, it was automatically going to become popular, mostly with those viewers who were children at the time, who see all films within the Disney Renaissance time period as bringing them a feeling of nostalgia. That would make it seem like Hercules was always a big hit.

But that wasn’t really the case. Though the children of the day may have loved it, in actual fact, Hercules was the Disney Renaissance film that did the worst at the box-office, and was not considered to be particularly original or exciting.

I am firmly within the pack of kids that loved it as children, and I believe my family and I watched it at the cinema when it was first released. I love Hercules and I rewatch it often, being able to quote many lines and scenes from it. Hercules sits comfortably within my Top 5 Disney films, mostly because the film involves my second favourite Disney villain, a very close second, I might add, but not quite enough to top my list.

Hercules does not have the universal appeal of other Disney movies, such as Beauty and the Beast (1991) or The Lion King (1994). Disney executives had hoped that Hercules would be as well-received as Aladdin (1992), however, it was not. Still, Hercules remains a firm favourite especially with “90s kids”, who continue to speak fondly of the movie as adults.

PLOT

Hercules begins with an invisible narrator who starts telling the story of Hercules. Five women on a nearby vase suddenly come alive, and ask the narrator if they can take over, to make the story more interesting. These women are the Muses, and they state that many eons ago, the Titans ruled over Earth, creating chaos everywhere. That is until the mighty Zeus trapped the Titans underground, becoming the ruler of Earth instead. We then go to “present day” and head up to Mount Olympus, home of the gods, where we see that Zeus and his wife, Hera, have a son, called Hercules, with all the gods assembling for a party to celebrate the birth. Zeus fashions a flying horse out of clouds as a gift to his son, the horse being called Pegasus. Everything is going well – until Hades, Zeus’ brother and ruler of the Underworld arrives, clearly not wanting to be there, and not willing to marvel at the kid. Hades leaves soon after arriving, having been jeered at and/or ignored by the crowd.

Hades is annoyed at being forced to rule the Underworld, a job that leaves him constantly busy and mostly alone, with only his two minions, Pain and Panic, for company, though those two are completely useless and infuriate Hades most of the time. Hades is told that The Fates are here, the three who control the lives of mortals, cutting their threads at the end of their lives and sending them to the Underworld. Hades convinces the Fates to tell him how his plan to take over Olympus may or may not happen. They eventually tell Hades that in eighteen years, the planets will align and that the time will come to release the Titans and overthrow Zeus. Hades is thrilled, until they tell him the bad news – that if Hercules fights, he will fail. Hades comes up with a plan to bring Hercules to Earth and turn him mortal. Pain and Panic are sent to kidnap the baby and force-feed him a potion to turn him mortal, with him having to drink every last drop. Pain and Panic are disturbed by two mortals, and hide, leaving a crying Hercules and the bottle of potion, which breaks. Unbeknownst to Pain and Panic, there was one last drop in that bottle…Pain and Panic turn into snakes and go to attack Hercules, but as he didn’t drink the whole potion, he retained his god-like strength and easily defeats them. He is taken in by the mortals, Amphitryon and Alcmene.

Some years later, Hercules, now a teenager, finds that he doesn’t fit in with others, with his super-strength generally causing problems for everyone else. This is clear when Hercules tries to join in a game of discus with a group of boys, but as he catches the disc, he bumps into a column, sending the whole marketplace into chaos, with every building destroyed. Amphitryon tries to calm Hercules, but he doesn’t listen, thinking he doesn’t belong here and annoyed that he doesn’t know where he would. Later that day, his adopted parents give him a crest with the symbol of the gods on it, telling Hercules it was around his neck when he was found. Hercules decides to travel to the Temple of Zeus for answers. At the temple, the great statue of Zeus comes alive, and grabs Hercules, announcing that he is Hercules’ father. Hercules is shocked. Zeus tells him how Hercules ended up on Earth, and says that if he wants to rejoin them, he needs to become a “true hero”. Zeus asks Hercules to seek out Philoctetes, the trainer of heroes. He is also reunited with Pegasus.

On a misty island, Hercules finds a goat stuck in bushes and pulls him free. Except, it’s not a goat, but a satyr, half-man, half-goat, and that satyr is Philoctetes, or Phil, who is most annoyed that Hercules has now scared the nymphs away that he was ogling at. Good thing, really, because that’s kind of creepy, Phil! Anyway, Phil tells Hercules that he once trained heroes, including Perseus and Achilles, but that they never achieved greatness so he has retired and will not help Hercules. With some “persuading” from Zeus, Phil reluctantly agrees and they begin training. Some years later, Hercules is ready and Phil tells him they are going to Thebes, as that town is full of troubles and needs a hero. On the way, though, Hercules is distracted by the cry of a “damsel in distress”. They find a woman being harassed by a centaur, the River Guardian, Nessus. Hercules asks Nessus to release the woman, but he refuses, easily pushing Hercules away. Hercules battles Nessus and wins, with the woman free to go, despite her claims that she was handling it. The woman introduces herself as Megara, also known as Meg, and goes on her way, but Hercules is entranced by her. Phil scolds him for being distracted by a “pair of big goo-goo eyes” and they head to Thebes.

Meg walks through the nearby forest and comes across Pain and Panic, in disguise, along with Hades. It turns out Meg sold her soul to Hades and must work for him, helping him in his long-awaited uprising. She was meant to persuade the River Guardian to join Hades’ side, and did not, angering him. Meg tells Hades it wasn’t her fault, that some guy called Hercules disrupted the plan. Hades is furious, questioning Pain and Panic, as they never told Hades that their initial plan to kill Hercules had failed.

In Thebes, Hercules is laughed off quickly by the residents, who don’t believe him to be a hero. Meg suddenly rushes in, saying two boys are trapped in a gorge and they need saving. This is perfect for Hercules, who lifts the rock trapping the boys, freeing them. Then, there’s a noise; a monster comes out from the gorge and attacks. Hercules, caught off-guard, is eaten by the large snake-like Hydra. When all looks lost, Hercules cuts himself free from the Hydra’s throat. But then, the head grows back, along with two more. After a bad tactic of constantly cutting off the heads, only for more to grow back, Hercules is pinned to the rocky mountain-side. He hits the rock face hard, causing a landslide, which crushes the Hydra. We find that this was all part of Hades’ new plan to kill Hercules. Hercules is seemingly crushed in the hand of the Hydra, but frees himself. Hercules is proclaimed a hero by everyone, soon becoming one of the most famous people in Greece, with his own range of merchandise, huge villa and thousands of fans, defeating even more monsters that Hades throws in his way. He thinks he’s now proven himself a hero and goes back to Zeus at the temple, who tells him he’s on the right track, but not quite there yet.

Hades can’t believe Hercules has beaten everything he’s sent out to him. Hades decides he needs to send Meg to him, to find his weakness, and that if she can do this, then he’ll grant her freedom. Meg convinces Hercules one day to “play hooky” with her, and go out for the day, instead of doing his boring celebrity stuff. He tells Meg he has no weakness. Hercules is soon found by Phil, who orders Hercules to the gym as punishment. On the way there, Phil is hit by a branch and falls off Pegasus. When he awakens, he overhears Meg talking with Hades about Hercules. He realises she’s working for him. Phil goes to the gym to tell Hercules, but he doesn’t believe him, instead getting angry at Phil. Devastated that Hercules is not the hero he thought he was, Phil leaves. Shortly after, Hades arrives. He asks Hercules to give up his strength for 24 hours so he can enact his plan. Hercules refuses, until he sees Meg tied up, Hades using her as leverage. Hercules agrees on one condition: that Meg will be safe from harm. The two shake on it and Hercules’ strength is taken from him. Hades then reveals that it is true that Meg was working for him, crushing Hercules, as predicted. Hades goes off to release the Titans, who then attack Olympus; the Cyclops is sent to Thebes to deal with Hercules, but as Hercules hasn’t his strength anymore, he is overpowered quickly. Meg finds Pegasus, and they look for Phil together. Meg convinces Phil to come back with her to help or else Hercules will die.

Phil gives Hercules a pep talk, which encourages Hercules. He ties rope around the Cyclops feet, putting him off balance and he tumbles off the cliff. With the force of this action, though, a nearby pillar begins to fall. Meg rushes to push Hercules out of the way but is crushed instead. Hercules lifts the pillar off her, having gotten his strength back as the Hades’ deal is broken. Meg is alive, barely, and tells Hercules to stop Hades. He flies over to Olympus, and frees his father from the frozen lava he’d been encased in by the Titans. Hercules trapped all of the Titans within each other, throwing them into the sky, where they explode. Hades is defeated, but as his parting shot, he tells Herc that he got “one swell consolation prize”, and that is Meg’s death. Hercules flies to her side, but is too late; she’s gone. Phil and Hercules are devastated, with Phil telling Hercules there are some things you just can’t change, but Hercules thinks he can. He finds his way into the Underworld and orders Hades to let Meg’s soul go. He can’t do that and leads Hercules to the River of Death, where her soul resides with every other one. Hercules makes a deal with Hades, to take Meg’s place. Hades agrees, and as Hercules goes into the river to retrieve her soul, he shouts that Hercules will be dead before he gets to her. Sure enough, the Fates are ready with his “thread of life” but as they cut, the thread turns golden and cannot be cut through. Hercules comes up out of the river, holding Meg’s soul. Hades is shocked to find that Hercules is now a god, and tries to apologise for his actions, but Hercules doesn’t care and punches him with such force that he ends up in the River of Death.

Hercules returns Meg’s soul to her body and she is revived. A cloud appears to take them up to Olympus, where Hercules is given a hero’s welcome by Zeus, Hera, and all the gods, stating that as he risked his life to save another, he proved himself a true hero and now can come home. Meg is proud of Hercules but knows she must let him go now, and starts to walk away. Hercules sees this and realises that he doesn’t want to be without her. He tells Zeus that he wants to go back to Earth to be with her. Zeus agrees. The two return with Phil and Pegasus, and watch as the gods make a picture of Hercules in the stars, with everyone knowing that’s “Phil’s boy”, thus fulfilling a dream Phil had always had. And they all live happily ever after – though this is Greek mythology, so they probably don’t for long!

CHARACTERS & CAST

Hercules goes on a real “hero’s journey” throughout this movie. He begins the film as the newborn child of Zeus, the most powerful god on Olympus. Despite only just being born, it’s quite clear he was going to be a very spoilt child, praised and fawned over by everyone. But as he is then taken to Earth and becomes a mortal, he gets a more normal upbringing, though because Hercules isn’t “normal”, he ends up being bullied and berated by everyone he comes into contact with, as he is quite clumsy. He just wants to fit in though; it’s not his fault he’s super-strong. Then, as he becomes a hero, Hercules gets taken in by the fame and fortune that comes with his celebrity status, and must figure out for himself how to be a “true hero”, not just a star. Hercules goes through a lot to get that stage, not only physically with monster battles and evil villains, but emotionally and mentally as he has to figure out what he wants from life and how exactly he can go there. He hits many low points, before hitting the highs of finding Meg and finally being reunited with his family.

The team at Disney knew that although Hercules needed to be this strong superhero character, with all the charisma and brawn that goes with it, he also had to have a softer, emotional side to come full circle with his journey. They knew the best way to show this would be in his scenes with Meg, who he instantly falls for her and still forgives despite her ultimate betrayal of having seemingly used him to help Hades achieve global domination…Andreas Deja, the animator known for animating Disney villains such as Scar and Gaston, got to have the opportunity to be the Supervising Animator for a hero this time with his work on Hercules. Deja found Tate Donovan’s lively energy and strong vocal performance a big help in designing this naïve, innocent, yet charming, brave character[1]. Tate Donovan voices adult Hercules. Donovan has appeared on both television and film, with roles such as Rob Anders in Argo (2012) and Jimmy Cooper in The O.C (2003-07). Donovan has continued to voice Hercules for other Disney projects throughout his career. Josh Keaton voices young Hercules. Keaton has since had numerous voice-acting roles in film, television and video games.

To help Hercules on his journey to becoming a hero, he relies heavily on the trainer of heroes, Phil. Phil is impatient, difficult to get along with, blunt and grumpy at times. At least that’s how he appears when he first meets Hercules. But as the movie goes on, we see a friendship form between Phil and Hercules, with Phil telling Hercules that he’s got something special that he hasn’t seen before in any of the other men he’d trained, thinking that he can actually be great and “go the distance”. It’s especially touching when Phil returns to help Hercules defeat the Cyclops, as he tells Hercules he’s not going to give up on him, despite them having just had an argument over Meg. Phil gets Hercules to believe in himself again, giving him the boost he needed at that point. Phil is also the most comedic character, with many of his lines being the funniest, and most quotable, in the movie.

Supervising Animator for Phil was Eric Goldberg, known for his work on the Genie in Aladdin (1992). Goldberg was inspired by Danny DeVito’s own features when designing Phil. Danny DeVito was one of the first choices that Disney had for the character; I couldn’t imagine anyone else being a better fit for Phil. DeVito has had an incredible acting career spanning multiple decades. Some of DeVito’s best roles are: Louie De Palma in Taxi (1978-83), for which he won a Golden Globe and an Emmy; Mr. Wormwood in Matilda (1996); the Lorax in The Lorax (2012); and most recently, as Eddie in Jumanji: The Next Level (2019) and the Ringmaster in Dumbo (2019). Plus, DeVito has starred in the series It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005-present) since 2006.

Meg, or Megara, is Hercules’ love interest, but she’s not the average cute, sweet, devoted romantic interest. Meg is incredibly strong-minded, brave and quite sarcastic. She is not bothered by Hercules at all when she first meets him, saying she may be a damsel in distress but that she can handle it – and I believe she could’ve done. Meg is sassy and feisty, and a fan-favourite amongst Disney film-watchers. The other added complexity to Meg is that this is the first time in a Disney movie that we’ve had the love interest actually working for the villain, which makes her even more fascinating to watch, as she fights against what she wants to do and what she has to do. I don’t think Meg wants to be deceptive and it’s clear when her betrayal is revealed by Hades that she feels incredibly guilty and wants to help resolve the mess she helped make. When Meg throws herself in front of the pillar to protect Hercules, that shows Meg’s love for Hercules and symbolises the end of her working relationship with Hades, no matter what that means for her.

Supervising Animator for Meg, Ken Duncan stated that, to fit in with the overall style of the movie and the Greek art that features heavily within scenes, Meg was designed to look like a column, in terms of her body shape and the vertical stripes of her purple dress, with her head made to be a vase shape, with a flowing, curled look to her hair[2]. It’s also impossible not to notice that Meg has a very small waist and quite a sexy walk; I’m not sure those are character features that Disney would be able to use nowadays! Susan Egan voices Megara. Egan originated the role of Belle in the Broadway musical of Beauty and the Beast in 1994, having also starred in other stage productions such as The Sound of Music in 1996 as Maria, and as Sally Bowles in productions of Cabaret from the late-1990s to mid-2000s. Egan also continued to do voice acting, such as various voices in the Cartoon Network series Steven Universe (2014-19), and Lin in the English dub of Spirited Away (2002). Susan Egan also frequently reprises her role of Megara for Disney and was cast as Ms. Bartlett in the Disney Channel movie Gotta Kick It Up! (2002).

Arguably, there are only really four main characters, those that the plot revolves around, so that leaves the best one until last: Hades, one of the most popular villains in the Disney Villains franchise. This is likely due to the fact that Hades is a completely unique take on any other Disney villain, because he sounds like a fast-talking car salesman, a total schmoozer, which makes him charismatic and charming, yet he is also menacing and evil in the movie. As Nik Ranieri, the Supervising Animator for Hades, stated, Hades has an appealing evil which draws people in, making him more dangerous, but also more attractive to those he interacts with. In the first few minutes of the movie, we see Hades charming the Fates into telling him how to enact his great plan to overthrow Zeus, and he also has a way with Meg, because, although she doesn’t want to work with him and only sold her soul to save her boyfriend’s life, you can see that she gets taken in by Hades easily. Hades is also incredibly funny at times, with James Woods, the voice actor for Hades, wanting to make the Disney team laugh at his performances, saying the funnier, the better. Hades’ mood shifts frequently in the movie, where his face and hair are generally blue, for when he’s cool and calm, but changes rapidly to be red hot whenever he’s angry, which isn’t too infrequently, especially if Pain and Panic are around[3]!

John Lithgow was originally cast for the role of Hades, even recording lines for a period of around nine months, before being replaced by James Woods, who changed the whole demeanour of Hades with his fast ad-libbing. Apparently, Jack Nicholson was also approached for the role[4]. But it went to James Woods, who has starred in movies such as Once Upon a Time in America (1984) as Max Bercovicz, alongside Robert De Niro; and as D.J. in the made-for-television film Promise (1986), for which Woods won an Emmy. Woods has also voiced other characters, like the Falcon in Stuart Little 2 (2002), who is the only good part of that film in my opinion, and Dr. Benedict in Recess: School’s Out (2001). Woods also has reprised his role of Hades for Disney numerous times as he loves the character.

For the minor characters, let’s start with Hades’ sidekicks: Pain and Panic. Both are small creatures who look a bit like devils, with Pain being the stouter pink one, always getting himself into scrapes with his clumsiness, and Panic, being the thin, green, anxious one, hence their names. They are the worst henchmen of any Disney villain, not having a clue what they are doing most of the time, and so scared of their boss that they’d rather keep their failures a secret from him and hope he never finds out. Except Hades always does find out so all they end up doing is delaying his wrath! At times, you feel a bit sorry for them as they are abused by Hades frequently, and only get a small bit of praise here and there; they try, but they’re just not good enough for him! Bobcat Goldthwait and Matt Frewer voice Pain and Panic respectively. Goldthwait was a stand-up comedian at the beginning of his career, before moving into acting with roles such as Zed in Police Academy 2, 3 and 4 (1985-87). Frewer became his career in films, such as Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989) as Russell Thompson, Sr. and went into further voice acting.

For the gods on Olympus, there are too many to mention here, but it’s worth mentioning that the animators made the effort to represent many of them, introducing a few to the audience who may not be familiar with Greek mythology. Hermes, the messenger to the gods, is the most prominent of the “background” gods. He is voiced by Paul Schaffer, who is probably most remembered as the band leader and sidekick on the entire runs of Late Night with David Letterman (1982-93) and Late Show with David Letterman (1993-2015). The design for Hermes included Shaffer’s rounded sunglasses, and even had the character play the piano for the final musical number in the film.

The most important of the gods are Zeus and Hera. Hera is the goddess of marriage and mother to Hercules. She is calm and gentle, with a voice to match. Apart from the beginning of the movie, and a brief glimpse at the end, Hera is not a major character in Hercules, with Zeus taking much of the parental spotlight, as would only be fitting for Zeus! Hera is voiced by actress Samantha Eggar, who starred in movies such as Doctor Dolittle (1967) as Emma Fairfax, alongside Rex Harrison, and The Collector (1965) as Miranda Grey where she was nominated for Best Actress at the Academy Awards, winning the award at the Golden Globes in 1966 and at the Cannes Film Festival in 1965. Eggar reprised her role of Hera in some of the Hercules spin-offs.

Rip Torn voices the loud, cocky ruler of the gods, Zeus. His booming voice fits the god well, and manages to make the character likeable, despite Zeus’ arrogance and clear disrespect for Hades at the start of the film. Rip Torn sadly passed away in July 2019 at the age of 88, but starred in numerous movies over a career of more than 60 years. Such roles included Marsh Turner in Cross Creek (1983) where he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor; Zed in Men in Black (1997) and Men in Black II (2002); and as Patches O’Houlihan in DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story (2004).

Finally, a few other interesting voice actors in Hercules are Frank Welker, who “voiced” Abu and Rajah in Aladdin (1992), as Pegasus; Jim Cummings, the current Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, as Nessus, the River Guardian; and Wayne Knight, Tantor in Tarzan (1999) and Al in Toy Story 2 (1999), as well as Dennis Nedry in Jurassic Park (1993), as Demetrius, the man struggling with his pottery in the marketplace.

PRODUCTION

Though Hercules is loosely based on Greek mythology, much of the story for the Disney animated movie came from taking pieces of the Hercules myths and putting them together. This is because much of Greek mythology is not child-friendly, and is quite violent and inappropriate in places. The name, Hercules, is not even the Greek name for the mythological figure; it is the Roman name. The Greek name is Heracles, however, Hercules has been more popularly used in Western culture for the same figure for centuries, so that is likely why Disney chose to use the name Hercules for their movie title.

Other changes between myth and screen are that Alcmene is Hercules’ adopted mother, but in the myth, she is actually Hercules’ real mother as Zeus seduced the mortal whilst disguised as Amphitryon, her husband. Another is that Nessus would have had a larger role in the film as he did in the myth. In the mythology, Hercules shot Nessus with a poisoned arrow, as the creature was harassing his wife. Nessus then tricked Hercules’ wife into getting Hercules to put on a poisoned tunic, which killed him. Zeus made Hercules a god to save his life. Another darker side to the myth is that Meg, along with their children, was killed by Hercules after being driven mad by Hera, who taunted him for years as she was jealous of Zeus’ affair with a mortal which resulted in the birth of Hercules and wanted him dead. He was then sent out on his labours to make amends for the murder of his wife and children. If he succeeded, he’d become a god. Greek mythology is dark. I think it’s plain to see why Disney amended some of these storylines for their family-friendly film!

Though the labours do not exactly feature in Hercules, many of the monsters that Hercules had to battle in the myth do appear in the montage of battles during the song “Zero to Hero”, including the Nemean Lion, which should’ve been his first challenge, with the Hydra being his second. In the movie, the Hydra is the first one. Some other lighter differences between the myth and the movie include the fact that Pegasus was not Hercules’ horse, but actually belonged to Bellerophon, and a centaur named Chiron was the trainer of heroes in Greek myth and unlike Phil as a trainer, Chiron was wise, patient and caring[5].

Another thing to mention is that Hades is the villain in Disney’s Hercules, as he is portrayed in many other screen adaptations of Greek myths. This is likely due to the fact that Hades is depicted as the embodiment of the devil, since in a Christian context, the Underworld is perceived as Hell, with Hades, therefore being the devil, an evil that we do not want to encounter. Another issue is that the most well-known myth featuring Hades is the one where he kidnaps Persephone and takes her to the Underworld, but even in that myth, it has been interpreted incorrectly in places as Hades asked Zeus’ permission, Persephone’s father, and just did not ask for the mother’s permission, Demeter. Persephone also voluntarily ate the pomegranate that confined her to the Underworld. Seeing Demeter’s distress at being separated from her daughter, Hades even allowed Persephone to return to Earth for half the year. Generally, in Greek mythology, Hades is not the villain, with Hera being the actual one who causes the most problems to Hercules. Hades even helps Hercules with his twelfth labour, where he must retrieve Cerberus from the Underworld[6].

The Disney version of Hercules stemmed from an original pitch to make an animated feature based on Homer’s The Odyssey, however, soon it was considered that it was too long a story to adapt, so an idea based around Hercules was pitched. Ron Clements and John Musker, who had already directed The Little Mermaid (1989) and Aladdin (1992), were approached to direct Hercules by then-Chairman of Walt Disney Studios Jeffrey Katzenberg. Clements and Musker were reluctant to direct Hercules, until Katzenberg agreed that he would greenlight their “passion project” of a space version of Treasure Island, which would become Treasure Planet (2002), if they directed Hercules first, so they said they would. Since Clements and Musker liked working on comedy, they decided to make Hercules into a funny superhero story, wanting to infuse a contemporary feel to the myth. Hercules was the first Disney animated feature to be based on mythology instead of a folk story or fairy tale[7].

For the artistic look of Hercules, Clements and Musker approached British cartoonist and illustrator Gerald Scarfe, who they had been longtime fans of, to be the Production Designer for the movie. Scarfe had produced graphics for the rock band Pink Floyd previously, as well as creating the opening titles for the British sitcoms Yes Minister (1980-84) and Yes, Prime Minister (1986-88). The directors felt that Scarfe’s style would work well in conjunction with the Grecian art style that would be needed to match the time and geographical setting of the story. The team, including Scarfe, went to Greece and Turkey to research classic Greek mythology, architecture and art to incorporate within the art style of Hercules. The movie includes many references to Greek art in the movie, such as murals, mosaics, vases, and sculptures, even the famous Venus de Milo, which Hercules breaks the arms off by skimming a stone across the pond it sits in front of.

At this point in Disney Animation history, computer-generated imagery was being used for scenes that would be difficult to animate by hand. In the case of Hercules, the key CGI scene in the movie is the battle sequence with Hercules and the Hydra. The Hydra was designed to look like a snake with two huge forearms. As the Hydra continues to grow extra heads throughout this sequence, it would’ve been difficult to achieve this with hand-drawn animation and would’ve been a continuity nightmare. Using the computer software meant that the Hydra could be animated correctly and then be controlled to achieve the necessary threat that was required in the scene.

There are a few “Easter eggs” in Hercules that are fun to spot, which include both Disney and pop culture references. Some of these include: the “Air Herc” shoes, which are an obvious reference to the Nike Air footwear; the Scar skin that Hercules wears as he is posing for his vase portrait – this is not only a reference to The Lion King, but also to animator Andreas Deja, who animated Scar as well as Hercules, and it refers to the first labour of Hercules which was to slay the Nemean Lion; and the two directors, Clements and Musker like to make a brief animated cameo in all of their movies; in this case, the two appear as the two Grecians stoneworkers building a gateway, as teenage Hercules barrels on through to the marketplace with the cart.

MUSIC

The soundtrack for Hercules is not the best of those within the Disney Renaissance period, despite legendary Disney composer Alan Menken being involved. Menken had written music for pretty much every other Disney movie within the Disney Renaissance era up until this point, except for The Lion King (1994) and The Rescuers Down Under (1990). After Hercules, Alan Menken would not work on another Disney picture until 2004’s Home on the Range. Lyricist David Zippel joined Menken to work on the soundtrack. Zippel had contributed lyrics to the soundtrack of The Swan Princess (1994) before working on Hercules, and would then go on to work on the soundtrack for Mulan (1998) afterwards. The styles of music used for the Hercules soundtrack were very different for Disney, as it was not a typical Broadway style, and also unexpected for a Greek story. The soundtrack combines gospel and R&B alongside the classical, heroic themes that are expected from Disney music. It was said that gospel would be a good choice for its storytelling qualities, songs about hope, and for its entertainment factor[8].

The soundtrack goes straight in with the gospel singing, as after a brief, dull introduction by Charlton Heston, known for his roles in epic movies such as The Ten Commandments (1956) and Ben-Hur (1958) amongst plenty others, the Muses interrupt and give the audience some backstory into what we are about to see, with the group continuing to return throughout the story. It’s been pointed out numerous times that in Greek mythology, there were actually nine Muses, but in Hercules, there are only five. This could be because too many characters, and singers, would’ve made the movie busy and complicated, potentially becoming a distraction, but could also be because British pop group The Spice Girls, which had five members, were initially approached to be the Muses, bur declined due to scheduling conflicts[9]. Now that would’ve made Hercules very different! So instead, a group consisting of singers Lillias White, LaChanze, Roz Ryan, Cheryl Freeman and Vanéese Y. Thomas became the Muses.

The Muses begin the movie with three separate songs that appear in quick succession, being called “The Gospel Truth I, II and III”. The first details the backstory to the gods and Zeus; the second describes Hades; and the third explains why Hercules is stuck on Earth after being turned mortal. Though these songs are good for narrative purposes, they don’t exactly standout and are not particularly interesting. The Muses really get their chance to perform with the songs “Zero to Hero”, which is performed once Hercules has defeated the Hydra and becomes a celebrity, and “A Star Is Born”, which plays for the ending of the movie and goes into the End Credits. These are big numbers with soaring high notes, and feature amazing vocal performances and harmonisation; these are the points where the singers really get to show what they’re made of, and I really like these songs, with “Zero to Hero” being a particular favourite of many Hercules fans. Singer Tawatha Agee is also featured on “Zero to Hero”.

For Hercules himself, he gets a hero song called “Go the Distance”, as Hercules tries to figure out where he belongs, plus its reprise which features just a few minutes later after he has spoken to Zeus. These two songs are actually sung by Roger Bart, who was not the voice actor for teenage Hercules. Roger Bart is both an actor and singer, who performed the role of Carmen Ghia in the original stage production of The Producers as well as its 2005 movie adaptation. Bart was also cast as Hades for the musical version of Hercules. On screen, Roger Bart has featured in various films and television series such as The Stepford Wives (2004), Trumbo (2015) and most recently, Good Trouble (2019-present) as Judge Wilson. “Go the Distance” was nominated for both the Academy Award and the Golden Globe for Best Original Song, but lost to “My Heart Will Go On” from Titanic (1997). Still, the song is frequently used within Disney projects, such as within fireworks shows like Happily Ever After and the now-cancelled Harmonious show at Walt Disney World. Michael Bolton also recorded a pop version of “Go the Distance” for the End Credits, and it was released as a single. Ricky Martin recorded a Spanish-language version called “No Importa La Distancia” for the Spanish version of Hercules.

One of the last two songs in the soundtrack is “One Last Hope”, half-sung, half-spoken by Danny DeVito as Phil. This is played during the training montage where Hercules is preparing to become a hero with the help of Phil. It’s a funny song, and the sequence features a lot of physical comedy, mostly at Phil’s expense! The final song to mention is the regular Disney love ballad “I Won’t Say (I’m in Love)” performed by Susan Egan as Meg, with backing vocals provided by the Muses. This is not a typical love ballad for Disney as instead of this being sung between the two main characters, like “A Whole New World”, “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” or “If I Never Knew You”, Meg sings alone, as she debates whether or not she should be falling for Hercules, so that means you too can sing it alone and not feel awkward waiting around for some other character to sing their lines! The style of the song is also different as it mixes doo-wop music with a pop/R&B ballad. Belinda Carlisle, singer of “Heaven Is a Place on Earth”, performs a pop-rock version of the song for the film’s soundtrack. Her version has also featured on other Disney compilation albums.

That’s all the songs covered, but there are a few tracks within Alan Menken’s score that are worth a mention. One of those is called “Meg’s Garden” and plays just before “I Won’t Say (I’m in Love)” as Meg and Hercules walk around a garden and talk. It’s a nice, romantic piece that feels calming to listen to. Then, there is “Cutting the Thread”, which includes most of the sequence where Hercules frees Zeus, they defeat the Titans, and Meg’s “thread” is cut. The first part of the piece is heroic and fitting for a final battle, but then becomes sombre and tense as Hercules races back to see Meg before she dies. But my favourite piece within the score is “A True Hero”, which is pieced together alongside “A Star Is Born”. This track follows Hercules as he swims through the River of Death to get to Meg’s soul; we think he’s going to die but then his thread won’t cut as he has proved himself a hero. It’s a fitting end to Hercules’ whole journey to becoming a “true hero”; it’s triumphant. Though I enjoy most tracks on the Hercules soundtrack, it is not my favourite of the music from the Disney Renaissance Era, as it doesn’t hit me emotionally like many others do. I wonder if that is because I’m such a big fan of Broadway musicals that perhaps the styles used in Hercules’ soundtrack just don’t suit my tastes as well.

RECEPTION

As well as the usual marketing tie-ins, such as Happy Meal toys for McDonald’s, Hercules was also marketed with a five-month promotional travelling tour of the USA, a tool used for other movies such as Pocahontas (1995), where guests were introduced to some of the characters and story of the film. The tour began in February 1997, with the movie first being released on 13^th June 1997, with a wider general release from 27^th June. Hercules had its premiere over the weekend of 13^th-15^th June 1997 at Times Square in New York City, where the Disneyland Main Street Electrical Parade even made an appearance alongside Hercules-themed floats, to celebrate the 25^th anniversary of the original parade.

Sadly, Hercules only made $250 million worldwide during its initial release, becoming the lowest-grossing film of any Disney Renaissance film and making much less at the box-office than had been expected. Competition at the box-office was blamed for Hercules’ lacklustre performance, with other family-friendly movies such as Men in Black (1997) and Batman & Robin (1997) being released at a similar time. It was also thought Hercules did not have as wide an appeal as other Disney movies such as Beauty and the Beast (1991), which had appealed to adults without children. The general consensus was that the film was fun and entertaining enough, with James Woods’ performance as Hades being highlighted by critics, but that it did not live up to the reputations of other Disney films that had come before it. Hercules was not considered to be visually exciting or appealing, with Scarfe’s animation style being criticised, as well as their use of CG. I will admit that the Hydra does not fit seamlessly with the 2D animation, and it is glaringly obvious that two different animation styles have been used in that scene. The music was not generally liked either, with the soundtrack doing little to impress. Hercules was meant to have an open-air premiere at the Pnyx in Athens, but the Greek government declined as the film was panned by the Greek public and media, who said that this was yet another example of their history and culture being distorted for entertainment.

Hercules was nominated for Best Animation Film at the Annie Awards, but lost to Warner Bros Cat’s Don’t Dance (1997), which I had never heard of before, but it was directed by Mark Dindal, who would later direct Disney’s The Emperor’s New Groove (2000) and Chicken Little (2005) and had worked as an Effects Animator at Disney in the 1980s. Space Jam (1997) was also nominated in that same category. But Hercules did win Annie Awards for Directing, the Character Animation of Hades, and the Effects Animation. Hercules also won the Best Animation award at the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards and Best Sound Editing – Animated Feature at the Golden Reel Awards.

The movie would make more money for the Disney Company during its subsequent re-releases. For any fans of the original iteration of the British children’s programme Art Attack (1990-2007), hosted by Neil Buchanan, you’ll be pleased to know that he can teach you how to make a Greek Urn on the 2002 UK DVD Release of Hercules; I learnt that this week! I also found that Hades has a small End Credits appearance, just a voice-over where he says that everyone got something except him, but that nobody is listening to him; I had never heard that before this week. I don’t know why it was put in, unless it was to let everyone know that Hades didn’t die in the River of Death after being punched him into it…

LEGACY

After Hercules was released, an animated television series was created, which follows Hercules through his training to be a hero, called Disney’s Hercules: The Animation Series (1998-1999); it ran for two seasons. Many of the voice actors returned, except Danny DeVito so Phil’s voice was provided by Robert Costanzo, who reprised this role on many occasions after the series. Zeus was also voiced by Disney voice actor, Corey Burton. James Woods even won a Daytime Emmy award in 2000 for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program for his vocal performance of Hades; see, people really love Hades! A direct-to-video film was released in 1999, which featured three episodes of the television series with some linking narrative. The majority of the voice cast was involved again, as well as other names such as Brad Garrett, Eric Idle and Jodi Benson. Another direct-to-video sequel, titled Hercules II: The Trojan War, looking at the story of Helen of Troy, was cancelled when John Lasseter came in to Disney as the Chief Creative Officer in 2006; many other direct-to-video sequels were cancelled at the same time. Helen of Troy actually appeared in the animated TV series, being voiced by Jodi Benson.

Another potential screen appearance is the upcoming live-action adaptation of Hercules, which has been in discussion for years but has not progressed much further than that since! Guy Ritchie, director of the live-action Aladdin (2019), is attached to the project, along with producers such as the Russo Brothers, who have worked on the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In December 2022, Ritchie said that he was planning for Hercules to be finished within the year of 2023, but nothing has been filmed yet, with no cast even announced, with only rumours that Ariana Grande and Taron Egerton are in talks to be cast as Meg and Hercules respectively being discussed. Danny DeVito was expected to reprise his role of Phil. The Russo Brothers also said that they wanted the film to be “inspired by TikTok” and what TikTok audiences want from a modern musical, saying they want Hercules to be “experimental”[10]. As Disney’s live-action adaptations have, for the most part, been unofficially cancelled, I can only assume this film is no longer happening. I really hope it’s not anyway.

A new adaptation of Hercules, this time a musical, did actually occur, having its premiere at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park from 31^st August to 8^th September 2019 during the Public Theater’s Free Shakespeare In the Park event. Additional music for the musical was provided by Alan Menken and David Zippel. Not only was the singing voice of Hercules, Roger Bart, cast as Hades, but James Monroe Iglehart, the originating performer of the Genie in the musical production of Aladdin, was cast as Phil[11]. A revised version of the musical was performed at the Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey, with Iglehart returning as Phil, from 16^th February to 12^th March 2023. The stage musical started performances on London’s West End in June 2025, with dates running into 2026. It is not yet confirmed if the musical will transfer to Broadway, but I can only assume it will.

At the Disney Parks, when Hercules was first released in 1997, they had their own wave of promotional activities. My family went to Walt Disney World Resort in Florida for the first time altogether in 1997 and I was told that there was lots of merchandise for Hercules at the hotel we stayed in, the All-Star Sports Resort, and that it was where my sister got a Megara Barbie doll. We also saw the Hercules Victory Parade at Disney’s MGM-Studios, now Disney’s Hollywood Studios, that same year, in October 1997. The Victory Parade ran from June 1997 to 1998, when it was replaced by the Mulan Parade. It featured a Zeus float with the Muses, a Phil animatronic on another, the Cyclops on a bike, Hades on his own float, with Pain and Panic around it, a Hydra float and a final float with Meg and Hercules on top, with Grecian-style cheerleaders in front. Every other park that was open at this time had its own version of this parade. At Disneyland, the Hercules’ Victory Parade began in June 1997 and ended in 1998, being replaced by the Mulan Parade just like Walt Disney World, however, its floats were slightly bigger, and more impressive, including a couple of Titans floats, a huge mosaic Zeus, and a Pegasus puppet. At Tokyo Disneyland, the parade was called Hercules the Hero and only ran from July to October 1997, and again, the float formation and order was slightly different. At Disneyland Paris, it was called Hercules Happening and ran from Summer 1997 to 1998. It was only a five-minute performance, with just two floats, though Hercules and Meg were sat atop a Pegasus statue. Specific end dates for all these parades are unclear.

Hercules and Megara did used to meet guests at the Disney Parks, however, are much rarer finds these days, with them being most prominent around the late-1990s to early 2000s. I definitely remember meeting Meg at MGM Studios once around the 2000s, but I’m not sure about Hercules. It seems that Hercules was spotted at Disney’s Hollywood Studios randomly in 2020, and that Megara was meeting guests alongside Hades, Pain and Panic, at the Rock Your Disney Side 24-Hour Event in May 2014. At the Disneyland After Dark: Sweethearts Nite in February 2020, Meg and Hercules were available to meet, with Hercules also having been seen at the Opa! A Celebration of Greece event in May 2013. Phil has also been available for meet-and-greets at the US Disney Parks but not for many years. It is unclear when or if these characters were spotted at Disneyland Paris, Tokyo Disneyland, Hong Kong Disneyland, or Shanghai Disneyland. These rare characters are more likely to be spotted at Special Events these days, or perhaps just randomly. Sometimes, Meg and Hercules may appear on the end of show riverboat alongside other Disney characters at the end of showings of Fantasmic!

The one character from Hercules that you are most likely to see, or even meet, is Hades, as he is a real fan-favourite Disney villain, for obvious reasons. Hades is frequently seen, with and without his sidekicks Pain and Panic, at the Disney Parks’ Halloween events, most likely within the parades or stage shows and at the US Disney Parks, however Hades did recently feature within the Halloween parades at Shanghai Disneyland and Hong Kong Disneyland. In 2014, at the Villains Unleashed event, Hades even got his own stage show to host at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, alongside Meg, Pain, and Panic! Hades can be heard, or seen, during many of the Disney Parks’ nighttime shows, usually whenever there is a scene featuring villains. The most obvious one of these is his frequent appearances during Walt Disney World’s version of Fantasmic! Hades also used to have an interactive game at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, called Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom. Using cards and interactive screens, guests could defeat Hades and the other Disney villains by doing quests around different lands of the Magic Kingdom. I liked watching that game – I’d never play because I can’t fight villains, especially not Hades; I love them too much – so I’m sad it’s gone now; it also gave you something else to do in the park if it was a busy day and queues were too long…It debuted in February 2012 and officially closed in January 2021, though I think once COVID-19 shut the parks, it didn’t reopen with them. But in 2025, Hades began appearing in the Disney’s Hollywood Studios show Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After, in a scene with Jafar from Aladdin (1992), which opened in May 2025, however, he is not one of the main three villains that this show revolves around.

A Hercules stage show is set to come to the Disney Destiny Cruise Line ship when it launches in late 2025, this being a modern musical retelling of the animated movie. There will be live performers as well as puppetry, including a huge one of the Hydra.

Something that would’ve been cool at Walt Disney World that would’ve featured Hades was the discussed attraction Bald Mountain, another addition to the Disney mountains, and log flume attraction considered to take over the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea attraction within that area of Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland, with plans for a whole Disney Villains area as well. Ride vehicles would have been modelled after the boats that travel down the River Styx, the entrance to the Underworld, in the Hercules film. During this boat ride, guests would interrupt a meeting of the most notorious Disney villains deciding who will lead their take-over of the Magic Kingdom. Once discovered, it would be a race to escape the villains, ending with a massive drop down the side of the mountain. This attraction was never built as Disney Imagineering had plans to build a whole Villains Park as another Walt Disney World theme park[12]. Spoiler alert: that never happened either. Although there is set to be a Villains Land within Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World. With Hades being such a fan-favourite villain, you can bet he will be showcased at this land in some way.

FINAL THOUGHTS

This just shows that the movie did become more popular after its official release, particularly with those who grew up in the 1990s. It is also thanks to Hercules that one of the most popular Disney Villains, potentially the most popular male Disney Villain, Hades, came to be, and he continues to be a main figure within Disney’s Halloween celebrations. I’d be much sadder about the lack of representation of Disney’s Hercules if it weren’t for the huge following that Hades has gained and the number of appearances he makes at the Disney Parks and within Disney merchandise!

Though Hercules didn’t live up to the success of some of the other Disney Renaissance Era films, the movie has still amassed many fans, with the 25^th anniversary of the film being celebrated with various items of merchandise – I bought a statue of Hades and Meg, which sits proudly in my office, as well as a Christmas ornament of Hades towering over baby Hercules’ crib – along with special screenings of the movie, organised by the Official Disney Fan Club D23 in 2022. It’s one of my favourite Disney films, and I will continue to rewatch it and love it for many years to come.

REFERENCES

[1] Credit: Disney, “The Making of Hercules”, from Hercules (1997), 1-Disc DVD (2002).

[2] Credit: Disney, “Hercules Video Art Gallery”, from Hercules (1997), 1-Disc DVD (2002).

[3] Credit: Disney, Movie Surfers: Go Inside Hercules (1997).

[4] Credit: Jim Korkis, Everything I Know I Learned from Disney Animated Feature Films (2015), ‘Hercules’, pp. 103-105.

[5] Credit: Emily Whittingham, ‘Disney’s Hercules: 10 Things That Would Be Different If The Movie Was Mythologically Accurate’, ScreenRant.com, 16^th July 2021.

[6] Credit: Carys Lloyd, ‘Disney’s Hercules and the false vilification of Hades’, TheBristorian.co.uk, 13^th February (year unknown).

[7] Credit: Disney, “The Making of Hercules”, from Hercules (1997), 1-Disc DVD (2002).

[8] Credit: Disney, “The Making of Hercules”, from Hercules (1997), 1-Disc DVD (2002).

[9] Credit: Jim Korkis, Everything I Know I Learned from Disney Animated Feature Films (2015), ‘Hercules’, pp. 103-105.

[10] Credit: Rachel Sofaer, ‘Disney’s ‘Hercules’ Live-Action Remake: Director, Plot Details, and Everything We Know So Far’, Collider.com, 7^th July 2023.

[11] Credit: Greg Evans, ‘’Hercules’ Musical Based On Disney Film Set For Shakespeare In The Park Staging’, Deadline.com, 6^th February 2019.

[12] Credit: Jim Korkis, ‘A Friday Visit with Jim Korkis: The Missing Mountains of Walt Disney World’, YourFirstVisit.net, date unknown.

15th Sep 20232nd Oct 2025 by The Disney Purist

#41 Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)

BACKGROUND

Is Disney’s Atlantis: The Lost Empire destined to be lost to time like the fabled city?

The 2000s were a difficult time for Disney Animation, as they sought to compete against the studios that were only making computer-animated movies, with their releases outshining any animated feature from Disney every time. I’m speaking mostly of Pixar, though DreamWorks would go some way with this medium in the early-2000s.

Disney were still holding on to their traditional 2D animation, and this time, they wanted to go against their usual formula of just making the fairytale or the musical; they wanted to make an action-adventure movie. So, in 2001, they released Atlantis: The Lost Empire. It failed to impress.

When I first watched Atlantis: The Lost Empire, I was quite young and not interested in adventure films. I wanted to watch princesses and their princes, and be able to sing along with them. So, it wasn’t for many years that I went back and rewatched it, I think because my sister wanted to watch it one day, and I actually found that I did like it. I had a similar experience with Treasure Planet (2002) around the same time, with both movies being quite similar in some aspects, like their genre and storyline. Despite Atlantis: The Lost Empire becoming somewhat of a “cult classic” in recent years, it is not remembered, fondly or not, by too many Disney fans.

Although the legend and mystery surrounding the Lost City of Atlantis continues to be revisited through either factual documentaries or fictional screen adaptations, the story and characters of Disney’s movie are slowly being forgotten. It’s about time that all Disney fans know about Milo Thatch, the heroic and brave explorer who discovered, and then saved, the city of Atlantis.

PLOT

Atlantis: The Lost Empire begins with a quote from the philosopher Plato, who said that the city of Atlantis disappeared into the sea all of a sudden one night. We then go that fateful day, in 6,800 BC, where we see the Atlantean Armada racing back to the city, trying to outrun the huge wave behind them. The citizens are in a panic, rushing to find shelter, including the King, Queen, and their daughter, the Princess. The Princess, Kida, is concerned by her teddy bear, but the Queen tells her to keep moving. Suddenly, the Queen is beamed up to an enormous light above. Kida is consoled by the King, who tells her to look away from the light. The light surrounds the city, as the wave crashes over, sinking the area.

Many years later, at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., in 1914, we meet Milo Thatch, a linguist and cartographer at the museum. He is preparing a speech about his wish to fund an expedition to find Atlantis. He talks of a book called the Shepherd’s Journal, an artifact that should lead the way to the city. It talks of a power source that Milo thinks should be retrieved and brought to the surface. His meeting time arrives, however, unbeknownst to him, the time was changed. As Milo did not appear for the meeting, his request for funding was denied. He rushes out to find the board members of the museum, pleading with them to fund his mission, but they all thinks he’s crazy and decline.

Dejected, Milo returns home, only to find a woman in his house. She introduces herself as Helga Sinclair; she is there to take Milo to see her ‘employer’ who has requested a meeting with him. At the mansion of this entrepreneur/philanthropist, Milo meets Preston B. Whitmore. It turns out Whitmore was a friend of Milo’s grandfather, Thaddeus Thatch, who had found the Shepherd’s Journal and asked Whitmore to give it to Milo when he was ready. Milo is pleased to know that his calculations and research were correct, as the journal was found in Iceland, exactly where he thought it would be. Milo begins to plan an expedition to Atlantis, but Whitmore is one step ahead: he has assembled a crew, got a submarine, and paid for everything, after he bet the funding of an expedition if Thaddeus found the journal.

Milo meets all the members of the crew as he boards their submarine, The Ulysses. The team consists of: Commander Rourke; Lieutenant Helga, the same Helga who met with Milo at his house – well, broke into his house; demolitions expert Vinny; teenage mechanic Audrey; medical officer Dr. Joshua Sweet; geologist Molière, or Mole; radio operator Mrs. Packard; and chef Cookie, amongst other soldiers. Whilst presenting to the crew about what their path to Atlantis will look like, the crew hear a strange echoing sound. Milo had just mentioned the Leviathan, a mystical sea creature said to guard the gates of Atlantis, but he believes it is likely just a myth, and more likely to be some sort of carving. Well, he’s most definitely wrong, as the Ulysses is attacked by some sort of mechanical lobster. Despite firing at the creature, it cannot be stopped, and breaks the Ulysses in half, leading some crew to lose their lives. The others make it to dry land, and continue their journey on foot.

After much time, many wrong turns, thanks to Milo’s errors in translating the journal, multiple obstacles that either have to be blown up or dug through, a fire at their camp, and conflicts between Milo and the rest of the crew, they eventually arrive at Atlantis, making their way through a dominant volcano. Once there, they are found by a group of Atlanteans, who question the team’s reasons for being there. After an awkward, bumbling conversation between Milo and Princess Kida, they are welcomed to the city, which sits atop a huge waterfall, and taken to meet the King. The King is not happy about strange visitors finding their way to Atlantis, and is incredibly suspicious of them. Commander Rourke asks that they be able to stay for one night, before moving out the next morning. The King reluctantly agrees, but tells Kida in private that she should have slain them on sight. Kida is frustrated with the state of Atlantis, saying that their city is crumbling and way of life dying. Kida is hopeful that these visitors might be able to help them.

Milo is ordered by his crew to speak with Kida, to get some answers about Atlantis, specifically about their “power source”, but Kida gets to him first. As each of them has questions, they ask in turns. Kida first tells Milo of the day Atlantis flooded, with Milo being surprised that Kida was there as it happened almost 9,000 years ago – she looks good for an old lady! Milo then helps Kida get some of their vehicles to work as nobody in Atlantis can actually read their language. Later, Kida takes Milo to a mural underwater and asks him to translate it. It talks of a crystal, the Heart of Atlantis, the power source that Milo suspected was in Atlantis. As they come up to the surface, Rourke and the rest of the crew are ready to “greet” them. It turns out these guys aren’t explorers, they’re mercenaries, wanting to take the crystal back to the surface with them for money. Milo tells them if they take the crystal away, this whole city and its people will die. Rourke doesn’t care, and takes Kida and Milo as prison over to the King, where he tries to forcefully get the location of the crystal out of him. The King is elderly, and is injured in the attack, but he silently signals to the crystal being under the lake in his throne room. Rourke, Helga, Kida and Milo go down to it.

In the crystal chamber, Kida is summoned to the crystal, as it senses danger, mirroring the event that happened to her mother on the day of the Great Flood. She is brought down to the surface, but the crystal has bonded to her. Rourke imprisons Kida in a crate, with the crew about to set off for home. The majority of the crew feel guilty for their part in the soon-to-be destruction of Atlantis, and join forces with Milo, all except Rourke and Helga. Milo goes to see the King in his last dying minutes. The King asks Milo to save Atlantis and his daughter, giving him his crystal necklace, something all Atlanteans have. Milo uses the crystal to power one of the Atlantean vehicles and gets as many others as possible to join him. They follow Rourke to the dormant volcano. Rourke is about to escape with Kida in an airship, however, the Atlanteans and the crew start to fire at its balloons, making it lose altitude. Rourke throws Helga off the balloon, to “lighten the load”, where she falls. Just as she is about to die, she fires her gun at the airship, causing it to burst into flames. Rourke and Milo fight in amongst the mechanics of the ship, where Milo scratches Rourke’s arm with a piece of glass from Kida’s crate. It turns Rourke into a crystal monster. Crystal Rourke gets caught in the propellers of his ship, and shatters into millions of pieces.

These pieces free Kida’s crate from the airship and Milo attaches it to one of the vehicles, as it flies back to the city. With all the turmoil, the dormant volcano begins to erupt with lava hurrying towards Atlantis. At the city, Milo quickly opens up the crate, freeing Kida. With the crystal energy, she rises into the sky and awakens the ancient Stone Guardians, who appear from the flood waters. Together, they create a dome which protects the city from the lava. Once the lava has encased the city, it quickly hardens and breaks away. With the city back to its proper state, Kida is released from the crystal and is returned to the surface.

Milo decides to stay with Kida in Atlantis as they need “an expert in gibberish”. The others are rewarded for their heroism with some of the treasure of Atlantis and their own Atlantean crystal necklaces. On their return home, the now-rich crew review the trip with Whitmore, passing him the photographs from the journey that Packard had taken. Whitmore makes sure that all their stories are straight: that some of the crew died on the journey and others were lost, including Milo, and that they never found anything, to ensure that the secret of Atlantis is protected. Whitmore receives a gift from Milo, a crystal necklace as proof of their trip, wrapped up in the photograph Milo had of him and his grandfather. Back in Atlantis, Milo and Kida commemorate the death of the King with a giant stone structure, which is raised into the sky to join the past Kings which surround the crystal. The crystal is now residing above the city as it always used to, before the Great Flood, and Milo and Kida are happy together, ruling over the newly restored city of Atlantis.

CHARACTERS & CAST

Despite the awkward, geeky look of Milo Thatch, he is the hero of Atlantis: The Lost Empire. All of the museum board members pass him off as an eccentric kook, who should be using his brain to work on “real ideas”, not dreaming of finding some city that doesn’t exist. Even though this clearly bothers Milo, it does not deter him from his dream, as it was his grandfather who always wanted to find Atlantis, and he doesn’t want to let him down by not trying, no matter how many doors get slammed in his face – quite literally at times. Even the crew on the Ulysses don’t think much of Milo at first, especially Rourke. Milo is a linguist and cartographer, meaning he is the only person who can even read the Shepherd’s Journal and find the path to Atlantis, so he is incredibly intelligent. But this leads him to be isolated from the rest of the crew, who at first see him as annoying and a know-it-all. One night, they relent and feel that they had been treating him poorly by not speaking to him; this pleases Milo immensely who wanted to fit in with them from the start. Once Atlantis is threatened by Rourke, thanks to Milo’s heroism, bravery and fight for humanity, Atlantis and its people are saved. In a quote attributed to mathematician Alan Turing, rightly or wrongly, it states that “sometimes it is the people no one can imagine anything of who do the things no one can imagine”. I think that sums Milo Thatch up very well.

Supervising Animator for Milo, John Pomeroy, said that his character design for Milo felt very close to a portrait of himself, being a nerdy, intelligent, somewhat awkward guy, who sometimes gets things wrong! Pomeroy took ideas from different actors from movies he’d seen over the years, and eventually got to a design that the whole team liked. Michael J. Fox voices the role of Milo Thatch. Disney loved the youthful exuberance to his voice, and Fox was not afraid of getting the exact expression and emotion needed into every line. He felt it quite a freeing experience, voice acting, as he didn’t need to worry about what he looked like as he spoke the lines. Michael J. Fox is one of the most beloved actors in Hollywood, having starred in movies such as the Back to the Future trilogy (1985-1990), as well as voicing Stuart Little in all three films from 1999 to 2005. In television, Fox had great success on series such as Family Ties (1982-1989) and Spin City (1996-2001). He also recently released a documentary on his life and career to Apple TV+, Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie (2023), which I would highly recommend to anyone who has the means to watch it.

Princess Kida is Milo’s love interest in the movie, but don’t be fooled into thinking Kida is a typical Disney princess, because she is anything but! Kida is tough and strong-willed, with leadership qualities, as she will be the next ruler of Atlantis. She is respected in her city, and doesn’t tolerate fools gladly. At first, Kida is both fascinated and annoyed by Milo, teasing him quite often about his intellect and pale, weedy physique. I particularly like her line where she asks Milo: “You’re a scholar, are you not? Judging from your diminished physique and large forehead, you are suited for nothing else!”. It’s such a great line, and sums up her playful nature. Balancing that out, she can be very serious and passionate about saving her people at times, arguing with her father about what’s right for Atlantis and how they can heal their way of life. Kida is one of the earlier examples of a strong, brave woman in a Disney movie, after Mulan. For her design, Randy Haycock, Kida’s Supervising Animator, was inspired by one of the story ideas that the Atlanteans were a “mother race” that all others evolved from. So, Haycock used a mixture of characteristics from different cultures, such as Kida having white hair, full lips, and a wider nose. They didn’t want her to look like the girl-next-door, as many Disney princesses had done before her, but wanted her to be a tough warrior. The romance between Milo and Kida is a slow-burner, after their difficult introduction, but during the sequence of them discovering the mural and the history of Atlantis, they become much closer. Talented voiceover actress Cree Summer voices Kida. Summer was already known for her voice performance work at the time of her castling, as she had been the voice of Susie Carmichael in The Rugrats and All Growed Up and their spin-off movies from 1993 to 2008. Cree Summer also voiced the character of Miranda Killgallen in one of my favourite childhood TV series, As Told By Ginger (2000-04), amongst many other roles in Disney and non-Disney projects.

Commander Rourke was a different sort of villain for Disney at this point, as instead of being an obvious bad guy, inherently evil and wanting to destroy everyone, instead, Rourke is just greedy and the people of Atlantis unfortunately get in the way of his end goal of stealing the crystal and making a fortune. As Rourke says during the battle scene towards the end of the movie, “nothing personal!”. Rourke is just selfish and doesn’t really care about how his actions harm others. In this respect, he’s quite similar to Clayton from Tarzan (1999). Rourke starts off being quite charming, and generally only gets a little bit frustrated with Milo and his antics, but once it looks like Rourke will actually find Atlantis and its crystal, that’s when he goes crazy. Because of his experience in war and Western movies, James Garner was chosen to voice the part of Rourke. Garner’s career spanned numerous decades, with him being well-known for his roles as Flight Lieutenant Bob Hendley in The Great Escape (1963), as Bret Maverick in the Western series Maverick (1957-60), Old Noah in The Notebook (2004), and as Jim Egan, Cate’s father, in 8 Simple Rules (2003-05). Garner won various accolades throughout his long career, including multiple Golden Globes. In 2004, Garner received the Life Achievement Award from the Screen Actors Guild, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1985 for his role as Murphy Jones in Murphy’s Romance (1985). Sadly, Garner died in 2014 at the age of 86.

Dr. Joshua Sweet is a cool doctor. He is very tall, but a gentle giant, and one of the first of the crew to go against Rourke. Joshua Sweet goes from being enthusiastic and happy to solemn and serious quite quickly, with barely any middle ground between the two emotional states, but he is a kind, caring figure to everyone on the crew, and looks out for Milo right from the start, even when the others do not. Sweet is one of the first African-American characters to feature in a Disney film, and was designed by one of the first African-American Supervising Animators at Disney, Ron Husband. Phil Morris voices the role of Dr. Joshua Sweet. Morris is no stranger to the world of voice acting, as he has voiced roles in numerous television series such as The Secret Saturdays (2008-10), American Dragon: Jake Long (2006-07) and Kim Possible (2003-07). In person, Morris has acted in television series such as Smallville (2006-10) as John Jones and most recently, as Silas Stone in Doom Patrol (2019-present).

Vinny Santorini is the Italian demolitions expert in the group. He is kind of sarcastic at times, and is one of the worst for tormenting Milo at the start of their mission, as he convinces Milo that he’s drunk nitro-glycerine and that he’ll likely explode. Nice. But Vinny is one of the key players in battling Rourke and his henchmen at the end of the movie, and actually has a soft side, as we learn when Vinny tells the group that after the expedition, he wants to start his own flower shop. Russ Edmonds, Supervising Animator for Vinny, looked to The Godfather movies (1972-90) to look at the specific gestures of Italian actors, such as their hand movements, so they could be incorporated into Vinny’s design. Don Novello was chosen to voice the part of Vinny, and much of his performance was improvised. Novello is perhaps best known for his performance of the character Father Guido Sarducci which he created in 1973 and debuted on Saturday Night Live (1975-present) in the 1970s. He continued to perform the role in other shows in the 1980s and 90s.

Lieutenant Helga Sinclair was designed to look like a mysterious femme fatale from old 1940s movies. But there is a slight difference here, as though Helga is meant to be sexy and seductive, and Whitmore’s graceful Personal Assistant, she then becomes a tough, strong, though still beautiful, second-in-command on the expedition. It’s quite a mixture of characteristics but it works so well. Helga is probably my favourite character in Atlantis: The Lost Empire for these reasons. I especially love how she still manages to get her own back on Rourke even as she lays dying on the ground. The character of Helga was actually both animated, by Yoshimichi Tamura, and cleaned-up at the Disney Animation Studios in Paris so the team had to make sure her design still fit in with all the other characters who had been designed in the US. Claudia Christian voices Helga. From her credits, such as Commander Susan Ivanova on Babylon 5 (1994-1998), Captain Maynard on 9-1-1 (2018-present) and Hera on Netflix anime series Blood of Zeus (2020), it’s quite clear Christian plays strong women very well.

Audrey is the youngest on the crew and is a teenage mechanic, who learnt everything she knows from her father. It was decided that the expedition team needed to have a character closer in age to Milo, so tomboy Audrey was created. Because of Audrey’s tough demeanour, she demands, and gets, respect from everyone on the team, despite her age. Audrey is voiced by Jacqueline Obradors, who is known for her role as Detective Rita Ortiz in NYPD Blue (2001-05), but more recently has featured in the 2020 movie Palm Springs, and as recurring character Lucia in the miniseries Daisy Jones & the Six (2023).

Packard is the communications expert, but she is looks incredibly miserable and would obviously rather spend her time gossiping on the phone with her friend, Margie, than actually do her job. Though, to be fair, she does spot the Leviathan coming when she picks up the echoing sound. Packard is funny, as she is very deadpan and cynical. She balances out the team well. Florence Stanley, who has performed roles on both screen and stage, such as Yente in Fiddler on the Roof on Broadway from 1966 to 1971, voices Mrs. Packard.

Molière, or Mole, is the strangest one of the group. He is the geologist who likes digging, and looks almost like a rodent, which was a deliberate design choice by the animators, who wanted him to have buck teeth and a mouse’s mouth. He’s the comedy character of the movie, and is just so bizarre to everyone, not just the audience. Apparently, the animators used a profile of Charles de Gaulle for Mole’s face, and wanted him to have a bullet-shaped body and round head, so he’d look very different to the others. Apparently, Mole took ages to draw and clean up due to all the gadgets on his face and head. Corey Burton, arguably the king of Disney voice acting, is the voice of Mole. He has voiced characters such as Captain Hook and Ludwig von Drake for television and films, but has also voiced characters for Disney Park attractions, such as General Knowledge in now-defunct Epcot attraction Cranium Command, Figment in the current iteration of Epcot attraction Journey into Imagination with Figment, Doc Hudson in California Adventure’s Radiator Springs Racers, and so much more. Basically, any time Disney need a voice actor, Corey Burton might just be the man for the job!

Cookie is, oddly enough, the cook for the crew, though he has no concept of healthy eating, stating that the four basic food groups are beans, bacon, whiskey, and lard, and therefore, cooks food that pretty much everyone in the team absolutely hates. The team thought it would be fun to have a character who was old enough to have been involved in the settlement of the West and had worked for generals like Custer, basically creating a caricature of a Western sidekick. Cookie is a silly, wacky character, but good fun. Jim Farney voiced most of Cookie’s lines, but sadly died in February 2000 before the film was finished, though he did get to see some clips of what his animation was going to look like. Steven Barr provides the voice of Cookie in the final scene[1]. Jim Farney had voiced the character of Slinky Dog in Toy Story (1995) and Toy Story 2 (1999), and was well known for his comedic role as Ernest P. Worrell, who featured in television commercials, then television series, and finally films from 1980-1998.

So that’s all the crew on the Atlantis mission. They are quite an eclectic mix of characters and personalities, but they are also incredibly diverse in terms of their heritages and backgrounds, which was quite unique for a Disney movie at this time.

Preston B. Whitmore is that old eccentric man who has too much money. His backstory went along the lines of him having made his money from industry, potentially as a railroad tycoon and then had become a philanthropist, funding anything that took his fancy. In this case, Whitmore was fulfilling a lifelong promise to his friend, Thaddeus. Whitmore doesn’t feature too heavily in the movie; however, he is the one who makes the whole expedition happen, and is the person who ensures that the rest of the crew keep their whole journey and Atlantis a secret on their return, showing he wasn’t in it for anything other than to honour his friend. John Mahoney voices Whitmore, who found it very freeing to be as big and outrageous with his performance as he wanted. Mahoney had voice parts in both Antz (1998) and The Iron Giant (1999) before voicing Whitmore for Atlantis: The Lost Empire, but Mahoney is probably most known for his role as Martin Crane on the series Frasier (1993-2004), for which he was nominated for two Emmy awards. John Mahoney passed away in 2018 at the age of 77.

And last but not least, we have King Nedakh, the stoic, stubborn leader of Atlantis, who is wise and commanding, despite being old and nearing the end of his life. The King was the hardest character to design, according to the team at Disney, as he had lots of facial hair, tattoos all over his head, and a heavily designed robe. He also spoke in Atlantean for much of the movie, so the mouth movements had to fit this made-up language. Surprisingly, Leonard Nimoy, yes, that Leonard Nimoy, agreed to voice the role and was incredibly professional with his performance and mesmerised the Disney team[2]. Leonard Nimoy was famed for playing Spock in the Star Trek franchise (1966-2013), where his final film role was in Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) in a cameo as Spock Prime.

PRODUCTION

At the Disney Studios, the directors, Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, the producer, Don Hahn, and the screenwriter, Tab Murphy, had all worked together on Disney’s 1996 animated release The Hunchback of Notre Dame. After that movie was released, they went to a Burbank Mexican restaurant together to discuss a future project, as they wanted to get started on a new idea quite quickly to keep the whole team that worked on The Hunchback of Notre Dame together, as Trousdale, Wise, Hahn and Murphy liked the team they’d collaborated with. They began to talk about seeing the likes of Star Wars (1977) and Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) for the first time at the cinema, deciding that they “don’t make ‘em like they used to”. As this team had worked on two Disney animated musicals consecutively, the first being Beauty and the Beast (1991), they wanted to do something different, and decided to “head to Adventureland instead of Fantasyland” and make a movie like the live-action-adventure movies that they liked as young adults, and those of the 50s and 60s from Disney.

Therefore, the idea was to make a movie about explorers; no songs, just adventure. Originally, they looked at a more generic plot, about a group of explorers journeying to the centre of the Earth and finding a lost civilisation, before they then began to look into the mystery of the Lost City of Atlantis, which they felt would be a good storyline for their movie, especially as nobody knows whether or not Atlantis existed, or what may or may not have happened to it so the team at Disney could interpret the legend however they wanted[3].

Basing their story in a likely fictional place meant that the Disney animators and story team could have a lot of fun with the concept. They began by finding as much research as they could on Atlantis, from the scientifically sound to the craziest theories, to get inspiration for the story and the look and feel of Atlantis. The “Sleeping Prophet”, an American clairvoyant, claimed to have seen visions in the 1920s of crystals in Atlantis being some sort of energy. This gave the animators a focus for part of their Atlantean civilisation, thinking that crystal energy would look good on screen. The team also thought about the potential that within the hollow core of the Earth there could be lost areas underground that continue to thrive. With this in mind, they knew that Atlantis should be partly preserved underground. For more specific cultural elements of Atlantean culture, a whole dialect and language was created, both written and spoken. The creator of this Atlantean language was Marc Okrand, who also created Vulcan, Klingon and Romulan for the Star Trek universe[4]. The Shepherd’s Journal was another necessity for the movie, as Tab Murphy righty said that Milo needed to have a map to find Atlantis. Lots of development went into the idea for this journal, looking at binding and scrolls, before agreeing that it had to be a book that could be held. The team gave the journal its own history, that it had been fought over for centuries, with it travelling all over the world before ending up in Iceland, where Milo’s grandfather would find it[5].

The story took some time to organise. Tab Murphy crafted the concept and “spine of the story” before passing it over to the directors and story writers to flesh out further. One of the earliest visual images for the movie was of a pirate ship being taken down by mechanical tentacles that had popped out of the sea. This linked with an early story idea that Milo Thatch was going to be a descendent of Blackbeard and that he would be looking to discover his pirate heritage. But instead, the relationship with his grandfather and the explorer heritage was brought in, with the aim for Atlantis to be resurrected by Milo’s team.

At one point, they had two of the three “acts” ready to review, however, these two acts ran to roughly 80 minutes, so they had to make cuts. Characters were deleted, with the team being even larger at this point than the final film, where there are nine members of the expedition group! Other sequences, including many of strange creatures, such as squid bats and lava whales interrupting the group’s progress were also cut, as it was taking about an hour of the film to even get to Atlantis.

Another major story element that was changed was the original prologue. In the final movie, we see the sinking of Atlantis, however, initially there was going to be a prologue about Vikings. The Vikings would’ve had the Shepherd’s Journal and be on their way to discovering Atlantis in 997 AD, just off the coast of Iceland. But their progress was halted by stormy seas and a creature with huge tentacles pulling crew members into the ocean and drowning them, before sinking the ship. The journal would’ve been thrown into the sea. This may have given the audience an insight into the Shepherd’s Journal and how it came to be in Iceland, however, it was felt that, although the entire sequence had been fully cut into the movie and coloured, it wasn’t giving the viewer enough insight into Atlantis, potentially making them not care about the city and its people by the time they got there. Seeing Atlantis fall from Kida’s eyes not only showed what this traumatic event did to the people of Atlantis, but also showed the area as a thriving community, something that Milo and the team do not see when they first arrive.

The look at Atlantis: The Lost Empire is quite different to any other Disney animated movie, as one of the first things you’ll notice is the angular shapes and designs of the characters. Some of the best Disney animated movies had a unique artistic style that carried throughout the movie. In the case of Beauty and the Beast (1991), it was the storybook-look; for Sleeping Beauty (1959), it was the moving tapestry. For Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Disney wanted the movie to have a comic book design, hence the angular lines. Mike Mignola, known for the Hellboy comic series, and his creative style was a huge inspiration to the overall style of the movie, as Trousdale and Wise were already big fans of his, and were drawn to his high contrast, limited colour style. They actually went to Mignola to ask for his input on the movie and he willingly accepted the role as Production Designer on the film. Not only was he vital to the artistic design of the movie, but Mignola also had many ideas for the story. Disney animators were taught to draw in the style of Mignola.

The movie deals with two separate time periods and two distinct environments: the WWI industrial era and the magical, organic world of Atlantis. For the WWI scenes, the team were able to go inside submarines at harbours in Baltimore and LA, and travelled to Maryland to look at a large collection of armoured vehicles and tanks, giving realism to their vehicles and exploration details within the movie. For journeying through all the caverns and caves, the team went to Carlsbad Caverns as part of a research trip to get as close to the centre of the Earth as they could, seeing huge areas underground and thinking about how communities could be sustained there with the right resources.

Now that’s the easy part, recreating things that really existed. The difficult part, although more enjoyable, is creating something that we know nothing about! Trousdale and Wise knew that they wanted to avoid what they described as the “1950s idea of Atlantis”, that being crumbling Greek columns underwater. Instead, they asked their team to look at Mayan and Southeast Asian architecture, such as the Mayan pyramids and Cambodian temples, for the physical basis of Atlantis. Disney Artist Lisa Keene even went so far as to paint a whole concept of what their Atlantean ecosystem could look like, with Atlantis being a bubble sitting under the ocean, with the crystal being their power source. As Atlantis would be near to the centre of the Earth, it would be near magma and lava, with those being able to create steam as the heat came into contact with the water, which would water plants and provide oxygen. It was an intensive look into this fictional world, but this dedication to the project is plainly visible in the final film.

For the Visual Effects, Marlon West was asked by Don Hahn to work on Atlantis: The Lost Empire. It was initially a daunting prospect for West as it was going to be a big job for the Effects team, as he was shown images of lava, sea monsters, and fireflies setting tents on fire. There was also going to be lots of weapon fire, guns, and explosions, alongside the more natural elements like mist, bubbles, clouds and rain. Not only that but Atlantis: The Lost Empire contains more digital production than any other Disney animated movie that came before it. Kiran Joshi in the CGI department split these digital elements into four areas: digital characters, such as the Stone Giants at the end and the Leviathan; Vehicle Effects; Organic Effects; and CG environments. All of these digital elements and effects still had to fit within the Mignola comic book style of the movie. It was a lot of work, but it adds so much to the story and atmosphere of the environments that Atlantis: The Lost Empire would’ve felt empty without all this.

Atlantis: The Lost Empire was one of Disney’s first movies for a while to use CinemaScope, as many of the previous movies that had used it before, such as Sleeping Beauty (1959) had lost money because a larger screen meant larger drawings, and therefore more production costs. But Atlantis: The Lost Empire is a big action movie, an epic story, like Indiana Jones’ movies, and not only that but a comic-book style movie so it would suit a widescreen format well. To avoid the extra costs, although the scenes were 30% longer, they could cut from the top and bottom of the scenes, so they would end up a similar ratio to a non-widescreen production, and therefore didn’t end up being 30% more expensive.

After all that, did the supposed Lost City of Atlantis actually ever exist? Well, according to historians, it’s not very likely that it did. The location of the supposed Lost City of Atlantis is one of history’s big mysteries, as its disappearance has been theorised for years, with its legends of advanced technology and mythical monsters having been passed down for centuries. It is widely agreed now within historian circles that Atlantis did not exist, as there would’ve been earlier texts on the civilisation much before Plato wrote about it in 380 BC, almost 9,000 years after its supposed destruction. The Atlantis tale didn’t become mainstream until the late 19^th century when Ignatius Donnelly wrote a book about it called The Antediluvian World. Despite these writings, in more modern times, it has been stated that an earthquake or flooding event would likely have not been able to sink an area as large as Atlantis is claimed to be, though 73,000 years ago, there was a potential event that sent 38 cubic miles of land into the ocean. It is likely that the myth of Atlantis from Plato is likely to have been a warning about the nature of the planet, and the volatility of our environments. It was also a morality tale about greed, as Plato’s writing stated that the destruction of Atlantis came about as a punishment form the gods for their greed. Though historians have found that many ancient civilisations were more technologically advanced than first thought, there would still have been some evidence of these technologies existing in a place like Atlantis[6]. So sadly, it looks like Atlantis isn’t real, but that won’t stop people from exploring the legend further and wanting to discover more about it, as can be seen from the “factual” television documentaries to the fiction movies and television series that continue to air today.

MUSIC

As Atlantis: The Lost Empire is not a musical, the bulk of the soundtrack comes from James Newton Howard’s score. Howard had worked on Dinosaur (2000) for Disney before working on Atlantis: The Lost Empire, and would then go on to compose the score for Treasure Planet. For the city of Atlantis, Howard referenced Indonesian orchestral sounds, using instruments like chimes, bells, and gongs to be a real contrast to the WWI era that the explorers have come from and the dirtiness and difficulty of their journey. The score not only had to accompany the action on the screen, with Atlantis: The Lost Empire moving from industrial travel, to magical scenery, to intense battle scenes throughout the plot of the movie, but it also had to speak for the movie when dialogue was not used to express the thoughts and emotions of the sequence. There are many big moments like this, such as Kida being bonded to the crystal, the first reveal of Atlantis to the explorers, and the finale[7].

I have a few pieces from the score that I particularly enjoy. I think that the music that plays during the opening prologue, “Atlantis Destroyed”, is a good way of bringing the viewer into the action and intense emotional moments that they’re going to experience throughout the movie. It’s a horrifying scene as the Atlantean people fear the loss of their home and their lives, with the score perfectly complimenting that. It also sets up some motifs that will be re-used later on in the score. “The Submarine” is another great piece, as it plays as the Ulysses is being launched. It signifies the excitement that Milo is feeling at the start of the expedition. “Just Do It” and “Kida Returns”, which play during the finale of the movie, when Atlantis is saved by Kida, is incredibly fitting for this climatic sequence. But the best number in the score is “The Crystal Chamber”, the point where Kida is summoned to the crystal to eventually save the city. With the choral sounds and foreboding drums, it just shows the importance of this moment, and the uncertainty of exactly what the audience is seeing at this point, as we don’t know what this all means; it’s weird and confusing, but still amazing.

There is just one song on the soundtrack called “Where the Dream Takes You”, performed by Mya, which is played during the End Credits. This was supposedly only included as per a request from the Disney Studios marketing department as every Disney movie’s credits apparently has to have a song! It’s not the best song, it’s just a generic pop ballad really, and not worth watching the credits for, though I’m sure it has its fans.

RECEPTION

Atlantis: The Lost Empire was released on 15^th June 2001 in the US, after having its premiere at the El Capitan Theatre on 3^rd June 2001. It received mixed reviews, with some critics being kinder than others. Some stated that after seeing what Pixar could do with CG animation, they felt that Disney was being left behind with their 2D animation. Others did not think much of the plot or the characters, and were confused by the animation style used in the movie, which is unlike the style that many Disney movie-goers would’ve been used to. There were some that liked the fact Disney were doing something a bit different by creating an action movie, but that they didn’t believe it would ever replace the musical style that the studio was most known for. Basically, it was just ok to many people. The “higher ups” at Disney had even dampened down some of the action scenes to try to appeal to families, but that was clearly not enough to save it.

The biggest issue was that Atlantis: The Lost Empire was Disney doing something completely different, and something that would not necessarily appeal to young children and their parents, and may or may not appeal to teenagers. DreamWorks’ computer-animated film Shrek (2001) had also been released just a month earlier, so there would’ve been competition and comparisons between the two films. Though they are nothing alike, Shrek definitely has more universal appeal, and is much less serious than Atlantis: The Lost Empire. Not only that but it was an odd time for everyone at the Disney Studios as Michael Eisner, then-CEO of the company, was feuding with Roy E. Disney during this time over control of the company, so that would’ve taken focus away from Atlantis: The Lost Empire, though it was clear that Eisner was a fan of the film’s concept.

The movie grossed $186 million worldwide against a budget of $120 million budget, so it was not a total flop, but it wasn’t enough to change Disney’s animation direction, and the potentially large marketing budget may not have been factored in here. The upcoming movie Treasure Planet (2002) was a very similar idea to Atlantis: The Lost Empire, with directors Ron Clements and John Musker being concerned for the fate of their movie after the reaction to Atlantis: The Lost Empire. They would’ve been right to be concerned…[8]

Atlantis: The Lost Empire only won one award, the 2002 Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing – Animated Feature Film. At the Annie Awards, it was nominated for a few categories, including Directing, Storyboard, Music Score, and Voice Acting for Leonard Nimoy and Florence Stanley, and went away with nothing. It was not even nominated for Best Animated Feature there, or at the Academy Awards; unsurprisingly, that award went to Shrek (2001), becoming the first movie ever to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2002.

LEGACY

Because of the film’s lack of success, every idea, concept, and spin-off planned for Atlantis: The Lost Empire was immediately shelved or cancelled. The only thing that did come out of Atlantis: The Lost Empire was a direct-to-video sequel titled Atlantis: Milo’s Return. (2003). The sequel is almost a “package feature” as it consists of three episodes originally created for the planned television series Team Atlantis, where the characters from the movie would investigate mysterious creatures and strange phenomena, including the Kraken. Some linking material was added to make the standalone episodes fit into a whole feature film[9]. I’ll be honest, it’s not a good direct-to-video sequel, and it is only too obvious that the stories were never meant to fit together. But on a positive note, the majority of the original voice cast did reprise their roles in this sequel. Milo Thatch was voiced by James Taylor, instead of Michael J. Fox. A theatrical sequel, Atlantis 2, was also promptly cancelled after the weak performance of Atlantis: The Lost Empire, despite some early story work being developed.

Princess Kida was not even allowed to be included in the official Disney Princess franchise, despite being an actual princess, unlike Mulan who is not a princess but is still included on the list, likely due to the failure of the film, which is incredibly unfair.

To further add to the disappointment of Disney Atlantis lovers everywhere, the attraction Submarine Voyage at Disneyland was going to be rethemed to Atlantis: The Lost Empire, with a poster even being made and put up in the park for its planned retheme to open in 2003. It was to be narrated by Preston B. Whitmore, and would’ve seen guests encounter the Leviathan. Instead, a few years later, the ride was closed and the lagoon drained in 2005 so that the attraction could be rethemed to Pixar’s Finding Nemo (2003). Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage opened in June 2007, and continues to operate today.

A rollercoaster called Fire Mountain was planned to be constructed at Walt Disney World Resort in Magic Kingdom’s Adventureland. It would’ve revolved around the story of Whitmore making expeditions to Atlantis available to the public – which would’ve gone completely against the film, as Whitmore wants the explorers to keep Atlantis a secret, but there you go! The ride system would’ve had guests suspended in hang-glider-type vehicles with the track overhead, with the vehicles going through a lava-filled volcano[10].

Still, if you want an Atlantis-inspired theme park attraction, you could always go to SeaWorld Orlando, San Diego or San Antonio and ride Journey to Atlantis, a rollercoaster-log flume hybrid. The one in Orlando is fun anyway, though it has absolutely nothing to do with the Disney movie, obviously.

As was standard for pretty much every Disney animated movie that has ever existed, a live-action version of Atlantis: The Lost Empire was announced in 2020, however, since that point, there has been no further official news on it. That’s not usual, as so many live-action adaptations were announced in that same year and went no further than that. In a way, Atlantis: The Lost Empire might have been a good option for a Disney live-action remake as it would perfectly fit the live-action format and, as it is not particularly well-remembered by Disney fans, they could’ve done a lot with the story.

Other than that, at the Disney Parks, there has been the occasional merchandise item to buy that features Atlantis: The Lost Empire and its characters, such as a MagicBand featuring Milo, Kida, Vinny, Mole and Audrey, however, that was released in 2021, presumably only for the 20^th anniversary of the movie.

In terms of meet-and-greet opportunities, there are very few of these for the characters anymore. Around the time of the movie’s release in 2001, guests could meet Milo, Kida, and even Mole and Vinny, at the Magic of Disney Animation at Walt Disney World’s Disney-MGM Studios, now Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and at Disneyland. Milo and Kida were also a part of the Disney Stars and Motor Cars Parade at Disney-MGM Studios for the first year of that parade, which makes sense as the parade debuted in 2001. The most recent sighting of Milo and Kida seems to have been at Disneyland, during their special event Disneyland After Dark: Sweethearts’ Nite in February 2022. Even Bernard and Bianca from The Rescuers (1977) were meeting that same night. At Disneyland Paris, Milo and Kida were last spotted at the park in 2018 as part of the Disney FanDaze event. I can’t find any evidence of Milo and Kida being seen at Walt Disney World recently, or ever being available to meet at the Disney Parks in Asia.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Going through all the behind-the-scenes footage from the team who worked on Atlantis: The Lost Empire and seeing their passion for the project, as well as their desire to experiment and try something different in Disney Animation, it just makes me feel all the more disappointed for them that Atlantis: The Lost Empire was not successful. The amount of effort and commitment that went into the movie is evident, not only in its characters and story, but in its design aesthetic, visual effects and sound.

Unfortunately, it was a risk and it ultimately did not pay off. But around the 20^th anniversary of the movie in 2021, it was a surprise to all the filmmakers to find that Atlantis: The Lost Empire had found an extremely dedicated fan-base, and they were only too pleased to find that the movie had touched people, and been a part of their childhoods, with them still loving the film in adulthood.

If you’ve never watched Atlantis: The Lost Empire, completely missing out on it as a child, or you only watched it at a young age, I would encourage you to go back and give the movie another try. You might just find you actually enjoy it, and be able to understand why Atlantis: The Lost Empire is considered to be one of Disney’s most underrated treasures.

REFERENCES

[1] Credit: Jim Korkis, Everything I Know I Learned from Disney Animated Feature Films (2015), ‘Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)’, pp. 121-123.

[2] Credit: Disney, The Making of Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2002).

[3] Credit: Disney, “The Journey Begins”, from Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) 1-Disc DVD (2002).

[4] Credit: Jim Korkis, Everything I Know I Learned from Disney Animated Feature Films (2015), ‘Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)’, pp. 121-123.

[5] Credit: Disney, “Creating Mythology”, from Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) 1-Disc DVD (2002).

[6] Credit: Cassidy Ward, ‘The Science Behind The Fiction: Is There Any Truth To The Myth Of Atlantis?’, Syfy.com, 16^th June 2021.

[7] Credit: Disney, The Making of Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2002).

[8] Credit: Drew Taylor, ‘How ‘Atlantis: The Lost Empire’ Almost Changed Disney Forever’, Collider.com, 17^th June 2020

[9] Credit: Jim Korkis, Everything I Know I Learned from Disney Animated Feature Films (2015), ‘Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)’, pp. 121-123.

[10] Credit: Drew Taylor, ‘How ‘Atlantis: The Lost Empire’ Almost Changed Disney Forever’, Collider.com, 17^th June 2020

8th Sep 20231st Oct 2025 by The Disney Purist

#60 Encanto (2021)

BACKGROUND

Encanto was the surprise blockbuster hit of 2021, being released in theatres in November 2021, before being brought to Disney+, where an even wider audience would see it.

As the movie was released during the COVID-19 pandemic, or at least when the world had not yet fully recovered, I don’t believe anyone expected Encanto to do as well as it did, especially not in a theatre release. The previous “pandemic” Disney and Pixar releases, like Raya and the Last Dragon (2021) and Luca (2021) had not received anything like the acclaim that Encanto did.

So, what was it about this film in particular? Perhaps it was that catchy soundtrack that played over and over on the radio for weeks, or maybe it was the strong sense of family that pulled people towards it as the pandemic had been a tough time for many, with months of not being able to see family members that did not live with you.

I’m assuming it was a combination of many things but what was clear was that Encanto became the new Frozen (2013), the big hit of the Disney 2020s – at least so far.

I watched it for the first time on Disney+ in January 2022, so I was aware of the buzz around it, and was actually quite excited to see it. On my first viewing of the movie though, despite tearing up at numerous points in the film, largely due to its soundtrack, I found myself disappointed and wondering “was that it?” as barely anything happened in the film.

After viewing it again, that same feeling didn’t bother me so much, so I quite liked the movie. It’s not my favourite of even the more recent Disney releases, but it was so full of emotion and relatable family moments that I couldn’t help but feel connected to it this time around. Regardless of how anyone feels about the film, it would be silly to claim that Encanto was not a smashing success, for whatever reason.

PLOT

Encanto begins with a family who have been given an “encanto”, a miracle that has brought magic to themselves and their community. A grandmother sits with her granddaughter and tells her how the family came to have this “encanto”. The grandmother, her husband, and three babies were forced to leave their town suddenly many years ago as armed forces burnt their village, and the husband was killed by those men as they pursued those fleeing the area. In that darkest moment, the candle the grandmother was holding became magical, with a flame that never went out. A whole house and village were built at that moment, with each member of the grandmother’s family then receiving a magical gift when they “came of age”. Now, it is the granddaughter’s turn as tonight it is her ceremony, where the “casita” will give her a gift via a magical door.

We don’t see what happens next as we jump forward in time, about ten years, where the girl, Mirabel, is now about fifteen-years-old. We see that the family has grown in that time, with every member of the family using their special gift to help the whole community. Mirabel is asked to explain what all these gifts are to the local children. Here’s what she tells them: her mother, Julieta, has healing powers, which come from her cooking; her father, Agustín, is non-magical, and is very accident-prone; her sister, Luisa, has super strength, whilst her other sister, Isabela, can make flowers bloom and grow. Her aunt Pepa controls the weather with her emotions, whilst her husband Félix is non-magical, too, but a fun-loving man. Mirabel’s cousin, and Pepa and Félix’s daughter, Dolores, has super hearing; another cousin, Camilo, is a shape-shifter, and Antonio, the youngest cousin, gets his gift today. Bruno, Mirabel’s uncle, can see the future, but nobody knows what happened to him after he left the family a while ago. Abuela Alma is the head of the family, who protects everyone in the village. We then find out that Mirabel, for some reason, never received a gift.

But there’s no time to dwell on that as tonight is Antonio’s gift ceremony, and the whole house needs to be decorated and preparations made. Mirabel is told to stay out of the way as nothing can go wrong. Her parents try to make her feel better, but it’s difficult when the last gift-giving ceremony was hers and resulted in her not receiving a gift, so Abuela is anxious. Antonio is nervous too, concerned that the same thing will happen to him, but Mirabel tells him not to worry. At the ceremony, Mirabel walks Antonio up the long staircase to his door, where his gift is revealed: he can communicate with animals. As the village celebrates, Mirabel starts to feel incredibly left out and upset at not feeling like she has a place in the great “Familia Madrigal”. Suddenly, she sees huge cracks appearing in the walls and floors of their home. She rushes to tell the family, and leads them to the courtyard where she first saw them, but the cracks have inexplicably vanished. Abuela calms the village, telling them the magic is fine. Mirabel is confused, and when she hears her Abuela praying that the magic doesn’t go out, Mirabel sets out to save the “encanto”.

First up, Mirabel talks to her sister, Luisa, who is apparently struggling with all the pressure she is feeling over her obligations to the village and her family. Luisa says that when the cracks apparently happened, she felt weak and remembers that their Uncle Bruno, who left the family ten years ago, had a vision about the magic, a bad one, and suggests that Mirabel starts in Bruno’s room. Though it is off-limits, Mirabel goes in and after dodging some crazy obstacles, she finds the remains of a vision picture; it looks like pieces of green tile. She quickly picks them up and exits the room as it begins to fill with sand. As Mirabel returns to the rest of the house, she assembles the picture and is shocked to see it is of her, with the house cracking behind her. At the same time, Luisa has found that she is weakening and is scared about what is to come. Abuela once again warns Mirabel away from the magic, telling her that it is her sister, Isabela’s, engagement dinner tonight to a local man from the town, Mariano, and that nothing can go wrong.

Mirabel doesn’t stop though and asks her aunt, Pepa, to tell her about Bruno. But the family, they don’t talk about Bruno, as it causes a lot of mixed emotions. The town basically took a dislike to Bruno as his gift for visions supposedly made bad things happen to everyone, like rain on Pepa and Félix’s wedding day, a fish dying and the local priest losing his hair… He was considered to be a “jinx”, basically. Mirabel then goes to her father, who sees the completed vision picture, and tells her not to speak of it, at least not now, and to hide the tiles. Except Dolores heard everything with her super-hearing, and now most of the family are sitting around the dinner-table disturbed by what they’ve discovered. This ruins Isabela and Mariano’s engagement dinner as everyone freaks out about visions and losing their magical gifts. Abuela even sees the reassembled picture and tries to calm Mariano and his family. At the same time, Mirabel sees rats going into the walls of the house and follows them, where she finds her Uncle Bruno. He never actually left the house, as he loves his family and couldn’t bear to be apart from them, no matter what they think of him. It turns out Bruno “left” as he had a vision of the house breaking the night that Mirabel didn’t get her gift, and as he couldn’t work out what it meant, and as everyone would think it was his fault that it was going to happen, he left. Mirabel pleads with Bruno to continue the vision, to see if he can see how the magic can be fixed. He is unsure, especially as Mirabel destroyed his “vision cave” whilst she was in his room, but Antonio offers his jungle-themed room.

The two watch the vision and see that Mirabel can heal the candle if she hugs someone. And that someone is: her sister, Isabela, who she has a difficult relationship with. Mirabel doesn’t want to talk to her, but agrees to, saying that when she saves the miracle, she’ll bring Bruno home. Mirabel goes to see Isabela, and they quickly get off on the wrong foot, arguing about how Isabela has always been so perfect and Mirabel always ruining things. Isabela blurts out that she isn’t even happy with her so-called perfect life and conjures up a cactus, the first time her gift has ever planted something not beautiful and perfect. Mirabel encourages Isabela to be freer with her magic, and to not be perfect all the time. Isabela is happy for the first time in a long time, and the two watch as Isabela grows a variety of different plants and trees all over the house. It begins to heal the cracks in the house that began to reappear at the dinner the night before. Until Abuela comes over, and tells Isabela to stop acting so crazy, before turning to Mirabel, telling her that the magic is at risk because of her and that she is hurting the family. Mirabel is so upset and angry with the fact that her Abuela has pushed her aside ever since she didn’t get a gift that the emotional outburst causes the house to be completely destroyed. Mirabel tries to save the candle, but it goes out, signifying the end of their “encanto”. Mirabel is distraught and runs away.

The whole family look for her, but Abuela finds her first, down by the river. It turns out this is where the miracle first came to her, all those years ago when she fled her village and her husband, Pedro, sacrificed himself to save everyone. When the miracle came to Abuela it blasted the soldiers away and created a new start, a safe haven for everyone. Abuela was so afraid of losing it that she took control over all the family, forgetting who and what the miracle was for; she apologises to Mirabel, saying it was all her fault. Mirabel tells her Abuela that she found the miracle, for all of them, and made them all a family. The two reconcile. Bruno rushes over, ready to take the blame for all the chaos, and accepting of the fact that the family do not want him, only for Abuela, his mother, to hug him and insist he returns with them. The family reconvene at the ruins of the house, and reunite to begin rebuilding it. All of the village also come over to help, repaying the Madrigals for all their service to them and the entire community.

Slowly but surely, the house is rebuilt, and the family members are free to go about their lives as they want to. Bruno reunites with his siblings and the rest of the family; Isabela refuses to marry Mariano, who instead ends up with Dolores, and everything seems happy – even if they don’t have their magic anymore. As the house is ready to move back in to, the family present Mirabel with the door knob to the front door of their new house, so that she can be the one to open up the door. As Mirabel turns the handle, all the magic returns. A final family photo is taken, this time including everyone, even Mirabel and Bruno; it may not be perfect, but whose family is?

CHARACTERS & CAST

Mirabel is the key to the entire story of Encanto. As a person, she is quirky and awkward, quite headstrong, intelligent, and also kind and caring, having a particularly close bond to her youngest cousin, Antonio. Despite all these characteristics, she has been ignored and disregarded by her Abuela, the head of the family, all because she didn’t get given a gift on her ceremony night – like it was Mirabel’s fault. Mirabel’s parents, Julieta and Agustín, are always on her side though and constantly tell Mirabel she is still special to them, even without a gift. Julieta sees how her mother treats Mirabel and tells her a few times not to be so hard on Mirabel, but to no avail. The other members of the family make sure to include Mirabel and she has a good relationship with the majority of them, all except Abuela and her sister, Isabela, who is the complete opposite of Mirabel. Sisters don’t always get on! Even though, Mirabel doesn’t have a gift, it is only her who can save the magic and the miracle, because she can see what the pressure of having gifts has done to them, and it’s up to Mirabel to encourage the others to be who they want to be and ultimately fix everything. At the end, when Mirabel is given the doorknob to the newly rebuilt house, it shows the family signifying Mirabel’s importance to the Madrigals, and her becoming a new leader in the family, looking to replace Abuela as head of the family, when the time comes – this is supposedly why Mirabel never received a gift, as she would be the care-taker of it, like Abuela is. Though the reasons why Mirabel didn’t receive a gift are debated, and open to interpretation, but this is how I understood it.

Mirabel is a great role model to have within the Disney canon, despite being the antithesis of a Disney Princess. Mirabel is trying to find herself throughout this movie and has found that she is made up of so many qualities, good and bad, but they are all her; this is an important message for young people especially to see on screen. Mirabel is voiced by Stephanie Beatriz, who is perhaps best known for her role as Rosa Diaz on the series Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013-21). Beatriz also played Carla in the movie In the Heights (2021), an adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hit stage musical; Miranda wrote the music for Encanto. Most recently, Beatriz starred in the Peacock series Twisted Metal (2023), alongside Anthony Mackie.

Mirabel’s parents, Julieta and Agustín, don’t feature too heavily in the movie, however, it is clear that they are supportive of all three of their daughters. Agustín seems to have a special bond with Mirabel as they are both non-magical, which probably helps Mirabel when she begins to feel left out for not having a gift at times. Julieta is the cook of the family, as she makes the best food, which not only tastes good, but heals everyone’s ills, physical or emotional. Julieta seems to be stuck in the middle of Abuela’s wants for the family and Mirabel’s struggles within the family, but ultimately, Mirabel does come first. Agustín was originally going to be quite strait-laced, but in the end, became a goofy dad, always getting himself into trouble, like being stung by bees frequently! This was a much better choice for the character; I can’t even imagine what a strict Agustín would have been like! Colombian actress Angie Cepeda voices Julieta. Cepeda has featured in a mixture of English- and Spanish-language films throughout her career, but mostly recently had a role in the television series Halo (2022). Wilmer Valderrama voices Agustín. For Disney and Pixar, Valderrama provided the voices of Gaxton, a college student, in Onward (2020) and Manny in the Playhouse Disney series Handy Manny (2006-13). As well as this, Valderrama has been a series regular on NCIS since 2016 (Season 14), as Nick Torres.

For Mirabel’s sisters, Luisa and Isabela, they couldn’t be more different to Mirabel. Luisa is the super strong one, completing tasks such as moving donkeys, lifting boulders, and righting houses around the community. She feels like she has a lot of pressure on herself, not just with the fact she has to lift really heavy things, but that she has too much responsibility and has to keep a brave face constantly so she doesn’t disrupt the family; something that has gotten more and more difficult to keep up, especially as cracks start to form, metaphorically and literally, in the family dynamic.

Isabela is the perfect one, who is beautiful, graceful, and elegant. She basically looks like a typical Disney princess, except Isabela is not particularly kind, at least not to Mirabel, who she frequently tells to keep quiet and not get involved in her life. But this is, again, due to the pressure she feels to be perfect and to go along with the wishes of Abuela, like marrying a man she doesn’t want to, to keep the miracle alive and family going, as she is the eldest of the three sisters. It turns out that when Isabela isn’t so uptight, she is actually a lot of fun and gets on with Mirabel much better. In a deleted scene, Isabela was actually going to run away from home as she was so upset with her life, and was going to go away with her secret boyfriend, before Mirabel discovered them and their plan. In this scene, Isabela seems like the oldest sister, which I don’t think she does in the final movie – I thought Luisa was the oldest one. She is much wiser than she is in the final cut, and instead of arguing with Mirabel, it would seem that Isabela is less mean and spiteful to Mirabel, trying to explain to her how she’s feeling and why leaving the family is best for her[1].

Jessica Darrow and Diane Guerrero voice the roles of Luisa and Isabela respectively. Darrow has recently played the role of Mikki Easton in the series Fifteen-Love (2023); Guerrero is likely most known for her recurring role as Maritza Ramos in Orange Is the New Black (2013-2019) and Lina Santillan in Jane the Virgin (2014-19). She is also “Crazy” Jane in the DC Comics-based series Doom Patrol (2019-23).

For Mirabel’s extended family, there are still many family members to mention! Let’s start with her aunt and uncle, Pepa and Félix. Pepa’s original gift was going to be indestructability, with Julieta being the one who controlled the weather, and Dolores being the healing one, but it was felt that an indestructible power was too close to Luisa’s super-strength so Pepa was then given the weather gift. Despite the fact Pepa’s emotions are so easily given away by the weather changes that either revolve around her head or the whole village, she does not do well at keeping those emotions in check, frequently having emotional outbursts and breakdowns, particularly whenever Bruno is mentioned! These are not only evident by the clouds that form over her head but if you look closely, you’ll see that Pepa’s hair also frizzes based on whatever weather she has conjured. I like Pepa for this very reason though, because why should anyone hide how they’re feeling, even if it does cause a hurricane? To balance out Pepa’s sometimes fragile emotional state, she is married to Félix, a calm and easy-going person who also loves to dance and be the life of the party. Colombian actress and singer Carolina Gaitán voices Pepa. Gaitán has featured in various Spanish-language television series, such as Celia (2015-16) as well as releasing her own music. Mauro Castillo voices Félix; he has recently appeared in the Spanish-language series Paro de mi corazón (2022).

For their three children, we have the shape-shifter Camilo, who is basically that annoying cousin-figure that most families have; the shy, kind-hearted Antonio, with his connection to animals and nature gift and my personal favourite, Dolores, the communicator who knows what’s going on with everyone as she can hear everything happening. I love Dolores; I think she has some of the funniest lines, and her expressions when she’s trying to hide what she’s heard about Bruno are great! Camilo is voiced by Rhenzy Feliz, who starred in the Marvel Comics-based series Runaways (2017-2019) and looks to have a part in the upcoming series The Penguin, based on the DC Comics character Penguin. The series is set to be released in 2024, but has been delayed due to the 2023 Writers and Actors strikes. Adassa, voice of Dolores, is predominately a singer-songwriter, having toured and collaborated with artists such as Pitbull and Daddy Yankee, and released her own music. Antonio is voiced by child actor Ravi Cabot-Conyers, who will star in the upcoming Disney+ series Star Wars: Skeleton Crew (2023), alongside Jude Law.

On another note, Mariano, Isabela and then Dolores’ “significant other”, is voiced by Colombian rapper and singer Maluma. Maluma has worked with various artists including Ricky Martin, The Weeknd, and Jennifer Lopez, who he starred alongside in the romantic-comedy Marry Me (2022). I don’t think Mariano gets nearly enough screen time in Encanto. I would’ve liked to have seen more of him, especially with Dolores; they seem like they’ll be a cute couple.

Then there is Bruno, the outcast of the family. He has spent years hiding himself away from the family, as his visions seem to have been nothing but trouble to the Madrigals and Bruno felt it was best that he disappeared and didn’t contact them again. Everyone seems to have thought Bruno went far away from their house and the village, but in actual fact, he is just living within the walls of their “casita”, so that he can feel close to the family still. It’s a heartbreaking moment when Bruno shows Mirabel his “home”. It wasn’t Bruno’s fault that he had these visions, and as he explains at the end, he never meant to upset anyone, and actually was trying to help. Like on Pepa’s wedding day, Bruno says that he only told her this vision about rain to calm her and let her know that Félix loves her regardless of what weather was going on around her, so she should just feel how she wants to, and “let it go”. Bruno is a great addition to the Madrigal family, and I think John Leguizamo, who voices the character, got a good balance of humour and warmth in his voice, to make us not just empathise with Bruno and his sad story, but to laugh with him too. Leguizamo has had previous experience with voice acting, having voiced Sid, the sloth with the lisp, in the Ice Age franchise from 2002 up until 2016. He has also featured in numerous films and television series, including Romeo + Juliet (1996) as Tybalt and most recently in The Power (2023-present).

Finally, we have Abuela Alma, the strict head of the family. She might be very particular with how she wants the family to be, but she believes she is doing it for the right reasons, i.e., protecting all of them and their village, as she lives in fear that one day, their miracle and magic will be gone and they may be forced to leave their home again, as she had to. Abuela Alma has one of the most horrific backstories of any Disney character in my opinion, as she saw her husband killed right in front of her, and she was suddenly left alone with her newborn triplets to look after. If it weren’t for the miracle, I’m not sure how Alma would’ve cope with that grief, so naturally, she is incredibly thankful for it, and wants nothing more than to keep it. In the end, though, Abuela learns the errors of her ways and lets go of all the control, deciding that it’s better to live in a happy family, even if that means not having magic. Because of this sacrifice and Mirabel’s drive to heal the family, they are all rewarded with the return of the magic anyway[2]. Colombian actress María Cecilia Botero voices Abuela Alma, who has featured in various Spanish-language television series.

All the voice cast in Encanto are of Latin American descent, with many being from Colombia, which adds to the cultural specificity of the movie.

La Casa Madrigal, lovingly referred to as “casita” by the family, could almost be a character all of its own. It is not only an amazing-looking house, created out of a magical moment, giving safety and solitude to Alma and her children, but it also picks up on the emotions of those that live there, and helps them out with their difficulties. As it is within an incredibly musical community, the “casita” is very rhythmic too, moving its tiles and furniture to the beat of whatever is playing. The house is the heartbeat of the community.

Within the house, each family member – apart from Mirabel – has their own room which seems to be designed by the “casita” to perfectly match their gift. For example, Isabela’s room is covered floor-to-ceiling with flowers, but has a lot of open space so that she can magic more flowers and plants, like vines, across the room. She has a perfect “floating” princess bed, tethered by garlands of roses, so it suits her gift very well. Antonio’s room is like stepping into Adventureland at Disneyland; it has a tall treehouse for Antonio’s bed, water slides, hammocks, animals everywhere. It’s the perfect children’s bedroom. Contrary to that, you’ve got the bland nursery that Mirabel sleeps in as she never got a gift, and therefore, no special room, and Bruno’s tiny area in the walls, which is a good hideout, though it is bleak and miserable, mirroring how Bruno feels about being isolated from everyone else. His actual room contained a whole cave suited for his visions though.

To represent the cultures of Colombia accurately within the house, many experts and advisors helped with the design, and different aspects were chosen from different regions of Colombia and combined to make this great house. For example, the kitchen was inspired by those from Cartagena, which is on Colombia’s Caribbean coast. The colourful buildings of Salento shaped the colour choices within the house, along with stonework from Barichara. Houses within Colombia’s Coffee Region also tended to have an indoor-outdoor style of living, so the courtyard was added, which is outside but has a staircase leading up to the magical bedrooms. The team at Disney were careful to make sure that, although the house can move in certain ways, the magic was grounded in reality, meaning that the materials of the house couldn’t bend in weird ways. For the cracking, the Effects team wanted it to look as realistic and believable as possible, whilst also being scary and representative of the family fracturing too. It was a complex challenge figuring out how to destroy the house, and that, and the design of the standing house, was a collaborative effort amongst every animation department. They felt that the “casita” was a way to honour and celebrate both the characters of the Madrigal Family and the country of Colombia[3].

PRODUCTION

Directors Jared Bush and Byron Howard had previously directed Disney’s Zootopia (2016), where they wanted to elevate the traditional “talking animal” movie to make it more sophisticated and deeper. After their success on that film, they decided, as musicians, that they wanted to turn their attentions to a Disney musical. In order to do this, they wanted to work with the best in the music industry so chose to collaborate with Lin-Manuel Miranda, who had worked on Moana (2016) with Jared Bush, who wrote its screenplay. They also asked Germaine Franco to compose the score; she had just worked on Pixar’s Coco (2017), which won the Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement for Music.

Bush and Howard didn’t initially have a story idea to work through, so along with Miranda, they began to discuss what the three of them had in common. That turned out to be large, extended families, so they looked at themselves and their own family dynamics, and decided that their new movie should explore the questions: how well do we know our families, and how well do they know us? Normally, those working on the movie soundtrack would not have such an involvement in the story, but as Lin-Manuel Miranda was involved in the story from early on in development, he did. Bush and Howard were also looking for someone else to join them as co-director and to help move the story along. After interviewing numerous writers, they wanted to work with Charise Castro Smith, who became co-director and co-writer of the screenplay; Encanto was her film debut.

Then, the team had to decide on a location. They found that as Latin America puts such strong emphasis on the importance of family that that would be the best area to base the movie, before choosing Colombia as the specific setting, as it is dubbed the “crossroads” of Latin America. As is standard for most Disney movies, the team went on a research trip in 2018 to look at the region more closely, studying its music, geography, culture and architecture. Whilst there, they were led to places of magic called “encantos”, which are usually in areas of natural wonder. These areas are is linked to the literary term “magical realism”, which was popularised by Colombian novelist Gabriel García Márquez, where magical elements and events exist in ordinary situations. This would be the style that Disney used throughout Encanto. Magic is vital to the beliefs of both the Indigenous Colombian community and the Caribbean communities that reside there.

As per Moana (2016) and Raya and the Last Dragon (2021), a cultural trust was created, as a means to include experts and advisors on the specific country and culture that was being represented in the movie. In this case, it was the Colombian Cultural Trust. Amongst that, they had a group of those working at the Disney Studios of Latin American heritage who were asked to discuss ideas for the story, bringing in their own family experiences and upbringings. This group were able to discuss and review early versions of the script, to ensure that cultural representation was accurate[4].

The crew didn’t originally plan to base Encanto in any specific country, but eventually, they decided it would be better for the story if they grounded into a specific place, and since Colombia is a country that has had difficulties and conflicts in the past, but is now a flourishing environment, as well as being a melting pot of Latin American cultures, Disney decided to choose Colombia. Raya and the Last Dragon (2021) had been criticised on its release in March 2021 for not choosing a specific Southeast Asian country as its setting. Encanto is specific to Colombia in even the smallest details, including the plants, trees, and animals, like those that Antonio can communicate with. When I first saw the teaser trailer for Encanto and saw the capybaras and tapirs, native to South America, I was so excited. I love those animals, especially capybaras; they’re so cute!

Thanks to the variety of experts and cultural advisors that Disney assigned to the project, Encanto successfully integrated the three main heritages of Colombia, those being Afro-Colombian, Indigenous, and Spanish. All of these are represented within the characters, as all of them have differing hair and skin tones; a stereotypical model was not used for each of them. This was something that many viewers picked up on and were pleased to see. Encanto is about appreciating differences, be that in people, architecture, or environments, and living together in harmony. Since there is so much in the world that divides us, especially in today’s society, this was an important message to incorporate[5].

Despite being able to do initial research in Colombia prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, once that hit, Disney staffers were no longer able to travel to that area, and instead had to continue their research and ask questions over Zoom calls. This was the same for the voice cast recordings, as you can see from behind-the-scenes footage. As Encanto would’ve been in production around the same time as Raya and the Last Dragon (2021), it can be assumed the Encanto team dealt with the same issues, such as Wi-Fi troubles, bandwidth increases, and those family and pet disturbances! The lockdown in California, where the Disney Studios are based, officially lasted from March 2020 until June 2021, with California being one of the last US states to “open up” again, so by the time they were out of lockdown, the majority of the production on Encanto would’ve been finished.

MUSIC

The soundtrack had to be recorded over Zoom, at least partly, because of the pandemic, with Lin-Manuel Miranda giving notes to the performers via video conferencing, as can be seen in behind-the-scenes footage. This must’ve been incredibly difficult for everyone involved, with Germaine Franco also having to record much of the score over Zoom. Yet, they managed to create a soundtrack unlike any other Disney film and one that surpassed many others in terms of popularity and diversity.

Lin-Manuel Miranda was well-known at the time of Encanto for having written the uber-famous musical Hamilton, as well as the lesser known but still celebrated In the Heights, along with working on Disney’s Moana (2016), so it came as no surprise that he managed to write a variety of songs that had universal appeal. Miranda stated that he began by finding the pulse of each character, working out which of the varying musical styles would fit that character best. This means that every song in the soundtrack sounds and feels completely different to the next. Due to the diverse cultures that exist in Colombia, there was a lot of styles to choose from.

“The Family Madrigal”, the movie’s opening song, performed by Mirabel to explain the family gifts to the village children, had to be entertaining as well as giving a backstory to each of the twelve family members. It was a complicated song to write for that reason, but Miranda liked writing for Beatriz’ bubbly musical voice. The end of song crazy-fast recap, where Mirabel is avoiding the question of what her gift is, built the character of Mirabel further. I like the song enough, however, as it’s more of a storytelling device, I don’t think too much into it. I struggled to understand much of it, as it is so fast, the first time I heard, so I didn’t know who everyone’s gifts were to begin with. But I have found that can be the case with some of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s songs, like those in Hamilton; that there is so much within them, that it can take a couple of times of hearing it to fully understand what all the lyrics are. This isn’t a criticism, just how I’ve experienced some of his music.

My favourite piece is actually “Waiting on a Miracle”, which wasn’t one that hit the music charts after Encanto’s release. It’s the typical “want” song of the main protagonist, something that is essential for any musical, and it shows how isolated Mirabel is feeling within the Madrigals at that point; she isn’t sure if she’s good enough or where she fits in with the family. I’m sure that’s a relatable feeling for many people. It’s full of heart and emotion, and that’s why I like it. When I watched Encanto for the first time, this was the first point, first of many, where my eyes filled with tears. Miranda said he used a waltz timing for the song to signify that Mirabel is literally out of step with her family.

“Surface Pressure”, a reggaeton-style number, was one of those songs that did hit the music charts, the most popular in the soundtrack, at least in the UK, after the obvious one I’ve not yet mentioned. Halfway through the song it suddenly switches to a slower, calmer bit, which signifies Luisa’s longing to be able to relax, before speeding back up. I understand the point of it, that Luisa is explaining how she’s trying to stay cool and calm on the surface, but actually, underneath she’s struggling to cope, yet, personally I don’t like it that much; it’s ok and has a nice beat though.

Mirabel’s other sister, Isabela, gets her own song as well: “What Else Can I Do?”. I like this song, probably because it has a Spanish pop feeling to it. It shows Isabela figuring out that she doesn’t need to be perfect all the time, and that she can have fun and just be herself, with her gift and her life. It’s a joyous, optimistic song, and is in complete contrast to the chaos and destruction that follows it. It’s nice to have this high point before the big emotional scenes come just a few minutes later. I also like how it shows the two sisters actually getting on and bonding over something for once. Isabela’s room even gets in on the action, growing huge stage settings like they are performing in a stadium.

Then there’s the tearjerker, “Dos Oruguitas”, meaning “Two Little Caterpillars”, performed by Sebastián Yatra, who also performs the song in English for the soundtrack. This Spanish-language song plays during the scene where we see Abuela Alma’s full backstory, of her meeting her husband Pedro, falling in love, getting married, having children, and then ultimately being forced to flee their home and Pedro sacrificing himself to save everyone else. Miranda wanted the song to have a folksong sound to it, so that it would sound like something that had been sung on the streets for a hundred years. Miranda was very pleased to have Colombian singer Yatra on board for the number too, and liked his clear storytelling. Apparently, this song and scene was meant to be the prologue for Encanto, but this decision was scrapped as the team wanted to save the song as a storytelling device for later in the film, as Abuela wouldn’t have shared this pain until something devasting had happened which meant she needed to have the big emotional moment with Mirabel[6].

Even though it is in Spanish, so many people will not necessarily understand the lyrics, it is clear exactly what is happening thanks to the animation. I can’t even listen to it anymore without crying; it’s the emotional crux of the whole movie, and it sounds both sad at the start before becoming hopeful. It’s just beautiful. “Dos Oruguitas” was nominated for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards in 2022, where Yatra also performed the song as part of the ceremony, but sadly lost out to “No Time to Die”, by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell from the Bond film of the same name. Unfortunately, “Dos Oruguitas” did not match the fascination of “We Don’t Talk About Bruno”, with many questioning why that was not up for the award instead, as it likely would’ve won. Disney did not submit the song for contention, as they could not envision it becoming such a hit!

The big finale song of Encanto is “All of You”, where the family come together to rebuild their “casita”. It includes many of the themes from the previous songs in the movie, matching to each character that is singing at that point. It’s a very sweet song, and if I’m not already crying at this point, as soon as the villagers come in to the ensemble, to help rebuild the house, I’ll be gone at that point! It’s a good song to wrap up everything, though less catchy than others on the soundtrack. The credits song, “Colombia, Mi Encanto”, which also features briefly during preparations for Antonio’s gift ceremony, is a party song, and it does make you want to get up and dance – and even sit through the credits! Miranda was inspired by the genre and style of Colombian singer-songwriter Carlos Vives, so naturally, he was ecstatic when Vives agreed to perform the song too.

So that’s all the songs from Encanto, right? I can move on? Oh wait, no, there’s just one little song left to mention: “We Don’t Talk About Bruno”. “We Don’t Talk About Bruno”. with choreography being designed by Jamal Sims and Kai Martinez, was filmed as a live-action reference sequence and completed in one take, using Latin dancers to accurately represent the fusion of dance and musical styles that feature in the song. The animators were very excited to work on the animation for the sequence after seeing the live-action modelling, and studied it from every angle, to look carefully at the movement of clothing, as well as the shapes of the hands and feet. “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” is the “family gossip” song of the film, where everyone gets to share their opinion on Bruno, as Mirabel is pulled between different people to hear their side of the story[7]. If you think about it, it’s not actually a very nice song; you shouldn’t have a whole village talking badly about one person, but there you go! I don’t quite understand why “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” was the main song that really captured listeners and viewers, so much so that many of the original cast performed a version of the song at the 2022 Oscars Ceremony, but then I feel the same way about “Let It Go”. It is a very fun song; I like how everyone’s own section sounds different and connects to their character’s personality in particular, before everyone comes together for the ending. It also includes a lyric that I find hilarious for some reason, which is when they all sing: “Time for Dinner!”. Like I said, I like the song, but I haven’t gone mad for it!

The score was composed by Germaine Franco, who took the role very seriously. She even brought in instruments specific to certain regions of Colombia, such as a marimba from the Choco region, as well as a Colombian harp, and played all the instruments to get a feel for them. Franco tried out many different rhythms and musical styles from the various regions, and chose and layered the best ones for the movie[8]. Franco also had to ensure that the instrumental pieces connected and flowed into and out of Miranda’s songs well, and never detracted from them. The score was nominated for Best Original Score at the 2022 Oscars but lost to Hans Zimmer’s score for Dune (2021).

The Encanto soundtrack topped the Billboard 200 chart for nine weeks, and each of its original songs charted on the US Billboard Hot 100. In the UK, it topped the album chart for fourteen consecutive weeks, sixteen in total. “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” and “Surface Pressure” were the two best-selling tracks. “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” was the second number-one song for Disney in the US, after “A Whole New World” from Aladdin (1992), and was the first-ever to reach number one in the UK, where it sat comfortably for a number of weeks. The soundtrack album won the Annie Award for Outstanding Music in a Feature Film and the Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack and Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media. It was a huge success, surprising many, and became a big social media craze.

RECEPTION

Encanto was released for an exclusive 30-day theatrical run in the US on 24^th November 2021, after having its world premiere in Los Angeles on 3^rd November, and its Colombia premiere in Bogotá on 23^rd November. It was then released on Disney+ on 24^th December 2021, just in time for Christmas. The movie was paired with the short film Far from the Tree (2021), written and directed by Natalie Nourigat. It follows a pair of raccoons, a parent and child, seeing a Pacific Coast beach for the first time and figuring out its dangers and wonders together. It’s was inspired by Nourigat’s family visits to Cannon Beach. It’s a cute short and received positive reviews, stating it complimented Encanto well.

Encanto itself grossed a worldwide total of $256.5 million, with it becoming the highest grossing animation film of 2021, beating out Sing 2 (2021). It then achieved wider success after its release to Disney+ and received very positive reviews, with some even considering it one of the best Disney animated movies of all time. Critics loved the animation, the music, and were particularly pleased with its representation and depiction of Colombians and their culture, as Hollywood has not been kind in their depictions of Colombia previously. Encanto certainly received much less criticism for this aspect than more contemporary Disney animated movies such as Moana (2016) and Raya and the Last Dragon (2021). Many felt Encanto was a great example of Disney successfully moving away from their usual “formula”, with the brief reference to Colombia’s difficult past and displacement of locals a welcome surprise. There were, however, a few negative criticisms which mostly revolved around the lack of conflict and action within the movie. It did, to me, feel like nothing much happened at times when I first watched it; Encanto was not what I had been expecting. I think if you are prepared for a movie that is more about emotions than actions, then it is not a disappointing watch.

Encanto received countless awards, winning the Oscar for Best Animated Film, against strong competition from Pixar’s Luca (2021) and Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon (2021). It also won the BAFTA and Golden Globe for Best Animated Film. It did not, however, win the Annie Award for Best Animated Feature, surprisingly. That went to Sony Pictures Animation’s The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021).

The DVD and Blu-Ray of Encanto was released in 2022, but an interesting point to note is that the Blu-Ray and DVD covers call Encanto the 59^th Disney animated classic; mine does anyway. This is not true, as Encanto is actually the 60^th animated classic from Disney, being billed as that in multiple publications. Even on the Blu-Ray release, just before the movie itself, there is a graphic denoting Encanto as the 60^th animated classic. The reason for this is likely that Winnie the Pooh (2011) is not always included on lists of Disney Animated Classics, i.e., Walt Disney Animation Studios Films.

LEGACY

As Encanto was only released a few years ago, it has not had too much time to develop a franchise. Yet there is still plenty to talk about. Firstly, there have been talks around a sequel, Encanto 2, being in development. The latest update on this from Stephanie Beatriz seems to be suggesting that it is not currently in the works, due to Jared Bush and Byron Howard working on Zootopia 2, but that she would be very happy to work with them and Disney again on a sequel. There were also talks around a Disney+ series at one point. Stay on the lookout for whether either of these projects come to fruition.

Just a year after Encanto’s release, on 11^th and 12^th November 2022, owing to the popularity of the movie, the original cast performed a concert of the movie’s soundtrack in front of a live audience at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. This concert was filmed and released on Disney+ on 28^th December 2022. It was Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first time at the Hollywood Bowl, as he hosted the event. The show featured minimal staging, with projections and some scenery being used to create the “casita”. The voice actors sang their songs dressed similarly to their characters, but were not dressed in exact copies of the outfits. There was also a screen showing clips from the movie, as connecting dialogue was used to connect each song together, as it was just recreations of the main songs, and a couple of additional scenes, not a retelling of the whole movie. A local youth choir was even chosen to come on stage and sing “Dos Oruguitas” alongside Andres Cepeda – Sebastián Yatra was not available for the event. Carlos Vives was though, and he sang his song “Colombia, Mi Encanto”. There was a shortened version of “The Family Madrigal” used for the cast’s curtain call, before a small fireworks display ended the show.

The Disney Parks are seemingly ever-changing. At the D23 Expo that took place in Anaheim in August 2024, more details were announced for the Tropical Americas area that will be replacing Animal Kingdom’s DinoLand U.S.A at Walt Disney World. This new area will feature Encanto and Indiana Jones-themed areas and details of these new attractions were revealed. This new land will be constructed in phases with completion due to be in 2027. It will house the first attraction dedicated to Encanto and will take guests inside Casita on the day that Antonio received his gift of talking to animals. There will also be an Encanto-inspired carousel here, alongside the Indiana Jones-themed ride, in an area officially to be called Pueblo Esperanza.

There are multiple other Encanto offerings at the Disney Parks, though admittedly these are either at Walt Disney World or Disneyland, with lots of merchandise offerings as well. At Walt Disney World, in Magic Kingdom, a meet-and-greet location for Mirabel opened on 15^th September 2023, the beginning of the celebrations for Hispanic and Latin American Heritage Month. This is a permanent location for Mirabel, though, called Fairytale Garden. It replaces the area that housed a meet-and-greet with Merida, and is located on a pathway to the side of Cinderella Castle. Previously, Mirabel had only been available to see as part of the Disney Adventure Friends Cavalcade, a mini-parade that comes down Main Street U.S.A a few times a day. But now, Bruno has taken her place and joined this cavalcade. He has also been meeting guests with Mirabel during the Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween parties since 2024.

Elsewhere in Walt Disney World, there are scenes of Encanto that are shown during the Wonderful World of Animation show, and during the nighttime spectacular Fantasmic!, both at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It is possible Mirabel will feature on the finale riverboat scene during Fantasmic! with other Disney characters at some point in the future. At Epcot, an Encanto-themed food booth, Vibrante & Vívido Encanto Cocina, with empanadas on the menu, debuted at the 2023 Epcot Festival of the Arts. At the Epcot Flower & Garden Festival, the park features topiaries of the characters Mirabel, Antonio, Isabela and Luisa. There was also a projection show on Spaceship Earth that debuted during the same festival, featuring the song “What Else Can I Do?”. At the 2023 Epcot Food & Wine Festival, a whole merchandise collection themed to Encanto was released. I am sure the movie and its characters will be a regular feature at the Epcot Festivals in some form. On 10th June 2024, in the CommuniCore Plaza area of Epcot, the show ¡Celebración Encanto! debuted. It involves sing-alongs, dancing, and an appearance from Mirabel and Bruno towards the end of the show. It was meant to a limited time offering for Summer 2024 with multiple shows throughout the day, but this show became a full-time entertainment offering in 2025.

At Disneyland, from 11^th April 2022, a limited time projection show on the outside of the it’s a small world attraction debuted at the park. It ran until September of that year, but returned in February 2023 and seems to have returned again in May 2025 for the Disneyland 70^th anniversary event. A section on Encanto using “Waiting For a Miracle” features towards the beginning of World of Color – ONE, the nighttime show at Disneyland California Adventure. Mirabel also meets guests near Rancho del Zocalo in Frontierland at Disneyland. She has been listed as a specific meet-and-greet character as well during the Disney California Adventure Park Disney ¡Viva Navidad! celebrations for the holiday season. Encanto, and its song “Dos Oruguitas” also featured within the fireworks show Wondrous Journeys at Disneyland.

At both Disneyland’s Fantasyland, and at three locations at Walt Disney World Resort – Disney Springs, Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland and Disney’s Grand Floridan Resort – an Encanto package is available at the Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boutique for little ones to be made over into their favourite Encanto character. This is a big deal as none of the Encanto characters are technically Disney Princesses; this just shows the wide appeal of the film.

I could not find evidence of a meet-and-greet location for Mirabel, or any Encanto character, at Disneyland Paris, Shanghai Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland or Hong Kong Disneyland, so this may or may not come in the future. As for other Encanto characters, despite not being a villain, Bruno debuted as a meet-and-greet character at Disney California Adventure’s Halloween Party Oogie Boogie Bash in 2022. He returned there in 2023 and 2024, but seemingly not in 2025.

On the Disney Cruise Line, there is the An Encanto Celebration event which may have a limited run on the cruise ship the Disney Magic. This event debuted in 2023, although it is unclear if this has been happening in 2025. The Disney Treasure does have Encanto-themed staterooms though.

Finally, Encanto was put into the Disney on Ice show in 2023, with the characters coming on to the ice to perform their songs. They even built a “casita” set for the stage. The Disney on Ice team made sure to get the cultural styling right, including some Latin specific dance movements in their ice and aerial performances.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Encanto was a surprise hit, much like Frozen (2013), with its popularity potentially not even hitting its peak yet. Despite the fact there is very little action, no villains, and no magical conflicts, the music energised people and the story touched viewers. Maybe a quiet film centred around our inner thoughts and feelings was all the public needed after two years of being shut in our homes, not able to do anything. Maybe this was a rare moment away from the vast array of action, thriller and crime adaptations that have become the general norm in the film and television industry as of late.

Most importantly, those of Latin American heritage finally felt seen in a Disney movie. I don’t know how many times I read or heard people say that Encanto was finally a good representation of Colombian and Latino culture in Hollywood, and that they look forward to showing it to their children, so they don’t have to grow up in a world as they did where they could not see positive references to themselves or their families on screen.

It is clearly a big moment for many people and means so much more than just another Disney animated film. Encanto has real meaning, and I’m sure the praise and impressive universal success of Encanto has been very moving for all involved.

REFERENCES

[1] Credit: Disney, “Deleted Scenes”, from Encanto (2021) Blu-Ray Release (2022).

[2] Credit: Disney, “Familia Lo Es Todo”, from Encanto (2021) Blu-Ray Release (2022).

[3] Credit: Disney, “Our Casita”, from Encanto (2021) Blu-Ray Release (2022).

[4] Credit: Camille Jefferson, ‘A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Encanto’, news.disney.com, 26^th October 2021.

[5] Credit: Disney, “Discover Colombia”, from Encanto (2021) Blu-Ray Release (2022).

[6] Credit: Drew Taylor, ‘’Encanto’: How ‘Dos Oruguitas’ Was Brought to Life’, The Wrap (online), 19^th January 2022.

[7] Credit: Disney, “Let’s Talk About Bruno”, from Encanto (2021) Blu-Ray Release (2022).

[8] Credit: Disney, “A Journey Through Music”, from Encanto (2021) Blu-Ray Release (2022).

1st Sep 202319th Dec 2025 by The Disney Purist

#36 Mulan (1998)

BACKGROUND

After a couple of mediocre Disney animated releases following the incredible success of The Lion King (1994), Disney found their way back to their best with Mulan, released in 1998 towards the end of Disney’s “Renaissance Era”.

Mulan was the first Disney animated feature to have been produced primarily by Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida, within the grounds of the Walt Disney World Resort. Though this studio would be short-lived, Mulan was a big success for them, and led to the Florida department also animating Lilo & Stitch (2002) and Brother Bear (2003).

Quite unlike the “princess stories” that came before it, such as The Little Mermaid (1989) and Beauty and the Beast (1991), Disney’s Mulan is not focused on romance, but on finding your true self and choosing your fate, which, in Mulan’s case, means fighting in a bloody and violent war against some of the strongest and most brutal opposition. This is not something that the average Disney Princess would’ve been able to cope with. Mulan was the first Disney animated feature to be set in China, with a historic Chinese legend as its basis. Mulan was the first Asian Disney Princess as well.

Because of its release in the 1990s, arguably the most successful period of Disney Animation, Mulan is still talked about and remembered fondly by many. I’ve watched Mulan numerous times throughout my life, and, although I can’t count it as a “favourite” as there are many other Disney movies I would prefer to watch at any given time, it is still one I go back to for its touching moments, great music, and its powerful battle sequences.

PLOT

Mulan begins with an ink drawing of China and its landscapes, before inking in the Great Wall of China and its surrounding mountains. We then go straight into the animated story. A patrolling soldier on the Great Wall suddenly finds that the landmark is under attack by Hun soldiers. He lights a signal to alert the others on the wall, telling the Hun leader, Shan Yu, that all of China now knows he’s here. The Emperor is informed and asks that conscription forms be sent to all eligible men in China to fight against these intruders.

After that, we see Mulan for the first time. She is eating rice and inking notes on to her arm, something to do with proper values. Mulan soon realises she is running late, rushing to complete her chores on the family farm. Luckily, her dog, Little Brother, can help with some of them. Her father is praying to the ancestors that Mulan has a good meeting with the Matchmaker today, this being the meeting that Mulan is already running late for. She rushes off to her beauty appointments, where her mother has been going crazy waiting for her, with Mulan’s grandmother saying not to worry as they have a lucky cricket. Mulan finally arrives and is forcibly taken to get her hair done, her make-up done, and be dressed appropriately. It’s clear that Mulan is not too happy with all this fuss, and would rather not have to see the Matchmaker today. When she does meet the Matchmaker, the Matchmaker tells Mulan that she is too skinny and is “marked down” for speaking without permission. A list of other disasters happen, starting with the lucky cricket, who Mulan’s grandmother insisted she take with her, ending up in the Matchmaker’s tea, and culminating in the Matchmaker’s skirt catching on fire! Mulan is told that she may look like a bride, but that she will never bring her family honour.

Mulan returns home, saddened and unsure where this leaves her, as finding a good husband is the only real way that a woman of her age can bring honour to her family. Her father tries to comfort her, telling her that the last flower to bloom will be the most beautiful of all. Their conversation is interrupted by the Emperor’s Council, who start giving out army conscription scrolls to all families, stating that an eligible man from each family must attend army training so that they can fight the Huns who have invaded China. As Mulan is an only child, she knows her elderly, and injured, father will have to fight. Mulan pleads with the Emperor’s Council that her father not be forced to fight, thus speaking in a man’s presence, something women are not supposed to do here. Mulan is taken back inside. The atmosphere within the family is frosty at dinner, where Mulan tells her father that if he goes to the army, he will die. Her father responds that it is his honour to go and that at least he knows his place, whereas Mulan does not know hers. She walks away, devastated. After seeing her father fall using his sword for the first time in years, and her parents seemingly argue as she sits in the garden, Mulan knows what she must do. She takes her father’s armour, cuts her hair, takes the conscription papers and rides off. Mulan’s grandmother alerts her parents that Mulan has gone. Her mother says that they must go after her, but her father says that she’ll be killed if they reveal her. They know they must wait and hope she returns home safely.

The ancestors awaken after hearing Mulan’s grandmother’s prayer, that Mulan be watched over. The First Ancestor orders the Great Stone Dragon be awakened, that he will be Mulan’s guardian during this time. Mushu, a dragon who was a guardian but now just rings the gong to awaken the ancestors, is told to wake up the Great Stone Dragon. Mushu reluctantly goes, but the Great Stone Dragon is just a stone statue, and as Mushu hits the dragon with the gong, the statue crumbles to pieces. Mushu then decides that if he can go and make Mulan a war hero, then he’ll likely be made a guardian again. The lucky cricket from earlier, named Cri-Kee, goes with him. Mulan is found just outside the training camp, trying to figure out how to pass herself off as a man. Mushu comes to her, silhouetted as this great, all-powerful being, only to reveal himself to be a tiny red dragon, who Mulan mistakenly thinks is a little lizard. After some disagreements, Mulan agrees to trust Mushu.

They walk into the army camp, but Mushu’s advice makes matters worse, with her starting an all-out brawl with the other recruits. Captain Li Shang, the General’s son and designated trainer of the recruiters, orders the fighting be stopped, with him demanding that Mulan, now using the name Ping, explain what happened. They are all told to clean up the mess they’ve caused, and that tomorrow the real work will begin. The next day, Mulan is late again, but shows up in time to see their first task: to climb up a huge pole and retrieve an arrow, with two huge medallions, representing discipline and strength, in their hands. Nobody succeeds, and it does not get much better for Shang as they learn to shoot cannons, fish, run, dodge obstacles, and fight. Mulan is unfortunately the worst of all the recruits, with Shang not seeing any improvement and ordering her to leave the camp. Mulan knows that this will once more bring shame and dishonour to her family, so spends all night trying to get up the pole to retrieve the arrow. She succeeds just as the sun is coming up, where the other recruits have gathered to watch. She is allowed to stay and her, and the rest of the recruits, all start to do much better in all the tasks. Meanwhile, Shan Yu and the Huns continue to make gains in China on their way to the Imperial City. They plan to go through a village in the Tung Shao Pass, the quickest route to the city, and also where the Imperial Army is waiting for them. Shan Yu wants to attack them directly.

Mushu and Mulan, after an incident at the pond where Mulan is almost discovered to be a woman by recruits Yao, Chien-Po and Ling as she washes, overhear Chi-Fu, the Emperor’s Advisor, saying that Shang’s recruits will never see battle as they are not fit for war. Mushu takes matters into his own hands, and him and Cri-Kee forge a letter from the General, stating that Shang and the new recruits meet them at the Pass to help fight. They immediately head off to war, where they keep their spirits up by doing, what else, but discussing the women they hope will be waiting for them on their heroic return home. The camaraderie is cut short by the discovery of a burnt-out village, where hundreds of soldiers have been killed. This is where the “General” asked Shang to meet them; it turns out the Huns got there first. It is confirmed that the General, Shang’s father, is dead. Mulan seems disturbed by the horrors of war. Shang orders the army to move out again.

Whilst in the mountains, Mushu accidentally sets off one of their cannons, giving away the troops position. The Huns swiftly attack, firing flaming arrows in all directions. They are ordered by Shang to save the cannons and retreat to a safe place. They begin to fire cannons at the Huns, when all goes quiet. The Huns assemble themselves on top of the snowy mountain and charge at Shang’s troops. There is one cannon remaining. Yao is told to fire it at Shan Yu. Mulan sees the reflection of a snow-capped mountain in her sword and has an idea. She grabs the cannon and heads towards the incoming Huns. She struggles to light the cannon, but does so just as Shan Yu approaches her. The cannon hits the mountain and begins an avalanche, which engulfs the Huns. Shan Yu has just enough time to hit out at Mulan before he is overcome by snow. Mulan runs to safety, but sees Shang unconscious and about to head over the edge of the mountain. She goes to save him with her horse, Khan. The troops shoot an arrow over to them with a rope attached, managing to pull them to safety. Shang thanks Mulan for saving his life, when she sees she is bleeding and faints.

Mulan is seen by a doctor, where, naturally, he discovers she is a woman. Chi-Fu reveals her to all the other troops and orders Shang to kill her, as per the law. Shang doesn’t; a life for a life, his debt is repaid. Mulan is left alone in the mountains, with just Khan, Mushu and Cri-Kee for company. Mulan is unsure how she’ll be received back home, but they get ready to leave. Suddenly, Mulan sees the Hun Army alive, pulling themselves out of the snow. They are heading for the city, where Shang and the recruits have gone to proclaim victory in front of the Emperor. Mulan rushes over to warn them, but nobody will listen. Sure enough, Shan Yu and the Huns are already there, and forcefully take the Emperor, barricading themselves in the palace. Shang’s army plan to break down the doors to the palace, but Mulan has another idea. Yao, Chien-Po and Ling go with her, with Shang joining shortly after. Mulan has dressed the three men up as concubines, to distract the guards. Once distracted, Shang runs up to the balcony to fight Shan Yu and save the Emperor. Shan Yu and Shang fight, with Shang quickly overpowered. Chien-Po, Yao, and Ling, along with the Emperor, slide down one of the garlands of lanterns to safety, but Shang is unconscious. Mulan cuts down the garland and shows Shan Yu that she was actually the soldier from the mountains who “took away his victory”. He pursues her.

Mulan gets Shan Yu to follow her onto the roof. Mushu obtains a huge firework and straps it to himself. Mulan tricks Shan Yu and pushes him to the ground, where she uses his sword to pin him to the roof. Mushu lights the firework, which sets off, heading right for Shan Yu, where he is blasted into the fireworks station and presumably blows up. Mulan and Mushu jump onto a lantern and slide down a garland, falling onto Shang, and the stairs below to avoid the blast. Chi-Fu tells Mulan she’s a disgrace after the chaos she’s caused. The Emperor takes over, telling Mulan that, despite the mess, she has saved them all and that China is indebted to her. The huge crowd, who surround the Emperor’s Palace, bow to her. She is offered a position in the Emperor’s Council, but decides to head home instead.

Back home, Mulan presents her father with Shan Yu’s sword and the Crest of the Emperor as gifts to honour the Fa family. Her father doesn’t even care, pushing them to the floor and hugging her tightly, just pleased to have her home. Soon after, Shang arrives to return Mulan’s army helmet and is asked to stay for dinner. Mushu gets to be a guardian again, and all is right with everyone.

CHARACTERS & CAST

Mulan goes on a real journey of self-discovery throughout the movie. She begins by trying hard to be the “perfect bride”, so that she can bring her family honour by being matched to a worthy husband, despite not finding it easy to be elegant or graceful – or silent, almost subservient. Mulan is not at all like that. She is clumsy at times, outspoken, makes rash decisions, and is generally the opposite of how she’s supposed to be. When she chooses to protect her father by going to war, Mulan finds that not only did she make a brave decision by doing this, but that actually, being in the army seems to be exactly where she belongs and she feels this is the right path for her, even though it is not “right” for her to be there, and goes against Chinese law, apparently. Mulan is quite unlike any other Disney Princess; despite not actually being linked to royalty, she is part of the official list. Though some of the other Disney Princesses show moments of bravery, Mulan was the first to be a proper fighter and warrior, so the bravest of them all, in my opinion. It wouldn’t be until Raya from Raya and the Last Dragon (2021) that another official Disney Princess would be at all like her. I guess you could say Merida from Pixar’s Brave (2012) is similar to Mulan, but I like to treat Pixar and Disney as two separate entities. Mulan was the first modern feminist characters in any Disney film, but she is also likeable and funny, so has universal appeal.

Familial relationships are incredibly important to Mulan. Mulan has a particularly close relationship with her father, Fa Zhou, despite being constantly scared to let him down. Fa Zhou loves Mulan regardless of what she does or doesn’t do, as is clear at the end of the movie when he throws the gifts from the Emperor on the ground and hugs her instead. Mulan’s grandmother, Grandmother Fa, is quite feisty, like her, so they get on well, with Grandmother Fa not seeming to care that Mulan isn’t a quiet, gentle woman. She is also very funny, especially at the end when she says that Mulan should’ve brought home a man; when Shang arrives, she shouts: “Sign me up for the next war!”.

Mulan had to be portrayed with great honour and dignity, given her story. Mark Henn was the Supervising Animator for Mulan. Henn had a history of designing other Disney female protagonists, such as Jasmine in Aladdin (1992) and Belle in Beauty and the Beast (1991). Mulan is voiced by Ming-Na Wen, who used her natural voice for Mulan, and for Ping obviously had to lower the register so she’d come across as a man! Ming-Na Wen was very happy to portray the character of Mulan on screen as she had grown up with the story of Mulan and wanted to be just like her as a child. Recently, Wen has starred as Fennec Shand in some of the Star Wars Disney+ series (2019-2022) and as Melinda May in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D (2013-2020). She has also reprised the role of Mulan numerous times.

For Mulan’s comic sidekick, Mushu, he thinks he knows best a lot of the time, but ends up getting Mulan into trouble more often than not. His suggestion of Mulan punching and slapping Yao to show that she wants to be friends, as well as her ridiculous walk into camp, are just two examples of his misguided advice. He begins by being quite selfish, as he only wants to help Mulan so that he can be a guardian again, but once she is discovered to be a woman, Mushu admits that he was only risking her life to help himself and that his intentions were not good, feeling somewhat repentant. From that point on, he does start to be more helpful, proving himself invaluable in her plan to defeat Shan Yu. Because of the need for comedic relief in and amongst all the serious moments in the movie, Disney knew they needed someone funny to record the voice. In the end, Disney approached Eddie Murphy, who decided to take the role, with Supervising Animator Tom Bancroft getting lots of inspiration for the character from sketching Murphy’s facial expressions and gestures in his recording sessions[1]. I think Mushu is the funniest of all Disney “sidekicks”; he has the some of the best one-liners, and you’d still be entertained by this movie even if it was cut so that only Mushu’s lines remained. Eddie Murphy began his career as a stand-up comedian, before moving into a cast member position on Saturday Night Live in the early 1980s. Murphy went on to star in numerous movies, predominantly comedies, including the Beverly Hills Cops series (1984-present) and Dreamgirls (2007). Murphy went on to provide the voice for Donkey in the Shrek franchise (2001-2010) for DreamWorks after voicing Mushu.

Mushu was originally going to be a very different character as can be seen from the deleted song “Keep ‘Em Guessing”. It was a song that introduced Mushu to Mulan in the form of quite a jazzy, Broadway-esque number. It almost reminded me of Billy Flynn’s song “Razzle Dazzle” in the musical Chicago. With Eddie Murphy’s humour, it was decided that this was no longer necessary and that Murphy could sell the character in just a few words instead. That may have been disappointing for Murphy as he can sing well.

Another character that was designed quite differently at the start of production was the evil villain Shan Yu. It was planned that Shan Yu would’ve had a spiritual connection, whereby Shan Yu could be connected to his falcon’s sight, seeing whatever the bird saw even if he was not around. It was decided that this storyline moved the focus away from Mulan, so it was cut. I think it was the right choice because Shan Yu is still just a menacing without this idea. Shan Yu is incredibly terrifying. He is huge, has a scary, deep voice, and is so sure of his abilities that he wins every battle he faces. Well, until the end. And that end battle with Mulan is one of the best battle scenes in any Disney movie. Shan Yu is voiced by Miguel Ferrer, who appeared in multiple television shows and movies, including voice-over roles throughout his career. He starred as Owen Granger in NCIS: Los Angeles from 2012 to 2017, and his breakthrough role was as Bob Morton in RoboCop (1987). Ferrer sadly died in 2017 at the age of 61. Ferrer was brilliant as Shan Yu in this movie; his voice completely makes the character.

Captain Li Shang is Mulan’s commanding officer in the army. He has a strong army legacy to protect as we learn early on that his father is the General of the Imperial Army, and because of this, Shang seems quite cold and serious at the start of their training camp. Once the new recruits start to prove themselves more, Shang becomes kinder and warmer to them all. When Mulan rescues Shang, we see that Shang has a lot of respect for Mulan, or Ping as he knows her. After Ping is revealed to be Mulan, you can see how conflicted Shang is by the fact that he is now supposed to kill her because he saw Ping as a respected comrade. Once Mulan defeats Shan Yu, Shang is clearly in awe of her, but can’t describe how he feels. It looks like all is lost for the two of them, who are interested in each other, as Mulan heads home and Shang acts awkwardly. Luckily, he shows up at her home, though, and is invited to dinner, beginning their romance. I like it when Shang is awkward with Mulan at the end; it makes him seem much more human when he starts babbling and the only thing he can think to say to her is: “you fight good”!

Shang is voiced by BD Wong, who played Howard Weinstein in the Father of the Bride movies, and Dr. Henry Wu in the Jurassic Park franchise (1993-2022). More recently, Wong has been performing in television series such as in Mr. Robot as Whiterose (2015-19) and as Wally in Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens (2020-23).

Mushu may be the designated comic relief in Mulan but I can think of a trio that do just as much for that in the film: Yao, Chien-Po and Ling. They are three recruits that Mulan meets at army training. Their friendship gets off to a difficult start as a fight between Mulan and Yao ripples throughout the camp, but once they see that Mulan is a worthy soldier, they start to warm to her, and the three become a group of four, which is nice to see. They are also the only three recruits who stand by and trust Mulan to defeat Shan Yu at the end. Yao is perhaps the leader of the three; he certainly speaks his mind more and has the fists to back up his words! Yao is small, but fierce, and can take, as well as give out, the punches. Chien-Po is the calm, gentle one of the group, despite being huge; he is the stereotypical “gentle giant”. He doesn’t get violent at all, and likes to meditate to calm down others, like Yao, when they get angry. Chien-Po also likes to talk about food a lot. Ling is the lanky, skinny one, who likes to laugh and tell jokes; he’s always been my favourite of the three.

Yao is voiced by Harvey Fierstein, known for his distinctive gravelly voice. He is not only an actor, both on screen and stage, but also a playwright. He wrote and starred in the play Torch Song Trilogy which was also adapted into a film in 1988. Fierstein played Edna Turnblad in the musical Hairspray on stage in 2002-04 and again 2008-09, and Teyve in the musical Fiddler on the Roof in 2004-06 and again 2009-10. My favourite role of his, though, is as Robin Williams’ brother in Mrs. Doubtfire (1993). Fierstein may not be in the film for long but he definitely makes an impression! Gedde Watanabe voices Ling. Watanabe has had roles in both film and television, including voice roles. He played the role of Nurse Yosh Takata in ER from 1997 to 2003. Chien-Po is voiced by Jerry Tondo, with Mulan being his most well-known screen role.

The Emperor is an authoritative, but kind figure. He certainly has leadership qualities, but does not abuse his power. He doesn’t even flinch when he finds that his kingdom has been saved by a woman, and instead thanks her for her service to all, leading everyone in bowing to her. He is a gentle, caring person. The Emperor is voiced by Pat Morita, Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid series of films (1984-1994). Morita died in 2005, but worked right up until then. Mr. Miyagi is frequently referenced in the Netflix series Cobra Kai (2018-present). The Emperor’s self-important assistant, Chi-Fu, is voiced by James Hong, who went on to voice Mr. Ping, Po’s adoptive father, in the Kung Fu Panda series of films (2008-present). Most recently, Hong played Gong Gong in Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022), which won the Oscar for Best Film in 2023.

Some other voice artists that appear in Mulan are Miriam Margolyes and George Takei, who voice the Matchmaker and the First Ancestor respectively. Margolyes has had a prolific career, on screen and stage, including numerous voice performances. She played Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter film series. Margolyes has also begun to make various travel-related documentary series. As well as watching her incredible acting, you can also see Margolyes generally being funny, and rude at times, on various television chat shows! Takei voices the stressed and constantly harassed First Ancestor. Takei played Commander Sulu in the Star Trek franchise (1966-present), and has recently performed on stage in the musical Allegiance, which is inspired by his own personal experiences.

The dubbing for Mulan was an important part of the process for Disney, especially for this movie, as it is set in the very real country of China, so wanted to represent the languages with the best actors for the job. Actor and martial artist Jackie Chan was chosen to dub the voice of Shang for all three Chinese dubs; Chan had voiced the role of Beast in the Mandarin dub of Beauty and the Beast (1991). Singer and actress Coco Lee was chosen to dub the voice of Mulan in the Mandarin version. The part of Mushu was particularly difficult to find as they needed a comic figure to voice the role in the foreign versions of Mulan, so naturally, they looked to comedians to fill the position. Taiwanese television host and actor Jacky Wu was chosen to dub Mushu in the Mandarin version of Mulan[2]. Coco Lee and Jackie Chan also recorded music videos singing their characters’ respective songs: “Reflection” and “I’ll Make a Man Out of You”.

PRODUCTION

The original story for Mulan is based on the story, The Ballad of Hua Mulan, which became well-known during the Tang dynasty, in 618-906 AD. The tale tells of Mulan finding that her father has been drafted into the army, but knows that he will not survive the war. She joins instead, leaving her family home before anyone can notice she’s left. Mulan journeys everywhere with the army for twelve years. On her return, she is summoned to see the Emperor, where she receives the highest honour, being promoted to the top rank of the army. Except Mulan only wishes to go home, where she goes back to being “a normal woman” again, but does reveal to her army comrades that the man they fought beside was actually her. This story was then adapted into a play in the 16^th Century by playwright Xu Wei, titled “The Heroine Mulan Goes to War in Her Father’s Place”. A book was later published by Chu Renhuo in the 17^th Century, titled “Romance of Sui and Tang”. It was a new interpretation of the story, with Mulan being captured on the battlefield, and returning home to find her father had died and her mother had remarried. Mulan is ordered to become a concubine but instead takes her own life[3]… I have no idea why Disney wouldn’t choose that story to base their movie on, instead of choosing the original legend!

Though it is debated whether Mulan was in fact a real person, as it cannot be verified, it is also certain that, though Shan Yu is not a real historical figure, that the Huns did invade China during the specific time and place that the movie, and story, is set. It was also correct of Disney to state that crickets are a symbol of luck in Chinese culture, though the cage that Cri-Kee is placed in would not have been around during the time period of Disney’s Mulan. Tea-drinking is something else not from the correct dynasty. Also, Chinese dragons do not breathe fire as Mushu does, but if Mushu had not been able to breathe fire, it would’ve been difficult for Mulan to have gotten out of some situations she finds herself in in the movie! There is also evidence that women warriors did actually exist during this period of Chinese history, meaning that if Mulan had been a real person, she would not have needed to disguise herself. However, the original story states that she did, so Disney have stuck true to the legend with this plot point[4]. Some artistic and dramatic licence will always be taken in any movie or television series that is based on a story, real or otherwise.

But initially, Disney were not planning to stick to the well-known, celebrated Chinese legend. The first idea was for Mulan to be a romantic comedy of sorts, with Mulan being betrothed to Li Shang. In one of the deleted scenes, titled “The Betrothal”, Mulan would’ve been preparing to meet her future in-laws, and whilst the fathers were organising the “terms” of the betrothal, i.e., how many farm animals she is worth, Mulan was getting a sneaky peek at her husband-to-be, Shang – only for him to say to Mulan that she is worth at least five pigs, in a jokey way, which annoys her and she storms off. So, the awkwardness of Shang was always going to be a character quirk, apparently! Mulan would also have been presented with Ying and Yang necklaces for her and Shang; this idea later reappeared in the sequel to Mulan. Later, Mulan would’ve run away from home to take control of her own life. When Story Supervisor, Chris Sanders, who went on to direct Lilo & Stitch (2002), came on to the project, he wanted to scrap this idea and go back to the original story, though some of the romantic tension still remained between Mulan and Shang. It was felt that Mulan deciding to go to war for her father, instead of herself, was a more important plot point[5].

Another sticking point for the story team on Mulan was how the opening should be. The first thought was for traditional shadow puppets to be used, in order to ease the audience into this time and place, with shadow puppets being a historical method of story-telling. It would’ve told the story of why the Great Wall of China was built, to give some backstory to the history of war within China. It was cut as it did not move the story forward and was not entertaining enough. So, a new idea was conceived: to have Mulan daydreaming about her perfect life. Mulan would’ve been dreaming of a carefree life, where she could ride horses, be brave, defeat Shan Yu when he tries to break through the Great Wall, bringing peace to the Middle Kingdom; men would love her for her unique personality. After Mulan narrated her perfect life, where she didn’t have to fit into the societal role of women in China, she would’ve been interrupted by her mother asking her to get tea for her father, bringing us in to how women actually fit in society. Finally, the Emperor receiving a spiritual vision of Shan Yu taking over China, and being told that only the most loyal and devoted subject could save them, was another opening idea[6]. I’m happy with the opening idea they chose, with the ink painting, as it sets the correct atmosphere of the movie being set in Ancient China, and it gets straight into the action of Shan Yu invading China.

As this was the first Disney animated movie to be based in China, the team at Disney knew the importance of doing good research into the area, its art, geography, architecture, and its culture. Ten of them went to China for a three-week research trip, where they saw icons of China, with a big focus on the Great Wall of China. They found that when they walked the Wall it was so quiet that all they could hear were the sound of flags blowing in the wind, as there were so many around, so the number of flags in the film was inspired by that moment. They were also inspired by the headstones of their ancestors, making the ancestors are key part of the story. The team looked at the architecture of China, with their roof edges that curl upwards, designed to lift the onlooker’s eye up to the Heavens, as well as family homes that have rooms that are unconnected and in completely separate buildings, as we see in Mulan’s family home. They took hundreds of pictures of the landscape, to ensure accuracy in the geographical locations in Mulan, and knew how important this story is to the Chinese people, wanting to do right by them and their culture[7].

For the artistic design of the film, Disney did struggle at first to find the right art style to base the film on, as not only were they making a film about China, but it was to be set in Ancient China. They started out with watercolours for the backgrounds, but found that it was too difficult to train all the artists up to do it the same and to do it well. In the end, they chose to work with Hans Bacher, the Production Designer. He studied Chinese art styles and knew Chinese art to be quite flat, with an intense focus on the beautiful landscapes and less about the characters; the art is supposed to be about where you are, not what is there. It meant choosing a graphic and simple approach, without too many details. Their design choice was summed up neatly into this mantra: poetic simplicity. The artists also were able to use the China pavilion at Epcot’s World Showcase at the Walt Disney World Resort for inspiration for some of the Chinese architecture and landscaping; it would’ve been right on the doorstep of Disney Feature Animation in Florida, so a very useful resource for the animators and artists!

As there are multiple scenes of fights and martial arts, they brought in B.H. Barry, who became their martial arts advisor, taking them through the correct movement and positioning of action sequences. This was particularly useful for the training sequences in “I’ll Make a Man Out of You”, as well as the climactic battle scene with Mulan and Shan Yu[8].

During the 1990s, Disney had started to take small steps into the world of computer-animation, but had yet to do anything particularly ground-breaking, unlike studios such as Pixar. However, Mulan includes numerous CG elements, more so than in any other Disney animated movie that came before it. Just a few small details that used computer-animation were the swaying bamboo, the flaming arrows, the almost-7000 lanterns that appear in the scene around the Emperor’s palace, as well as many banners and flags blowing in the wind. Some of the bigger, more obvious uses of computer-animation come from the larger crowd scenes. For the Huns charging down the snowy mountain, the production team were inspired by the wildebeest stampede scene within The Lion King (1994). The CGI team began this scene by creating horses running, before putting Huns on top of them. Each Hun had different options in terms of their weapons, clothing, and even hairstyle. The terrain was then built up based on a sketch of the background, and a simulation of the Huns riding downhill on the horses was run. This sequence was tweaked until the mood was correct, that it looked like absolute chaos, and terrifying to see play out in front of you[9].

MUSIC

The music of any Disney movie is vital to the mood and atmosphere of the movie, as well as the story. But the Disney “Renaissance Era” movies were well-known for having some of the best and most iconic songs. Composer Stephen Schwartz, who had worked on the music for Pocahontas (1995) and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) alongside longtime Disney collaborator Alan Menken, originally wrote three songs for Mulan but left to work on The Prince of Egypt (1998) for DreamWorks, the studio that former Chairman of Walt Disney Studios Jeffrey Katzenberg had gone to co-found in 1994. This led to Disney threatening to remove Schwartz’ name from the publicity for the two Disney movies he had worked on[10]. Luckily for Schwartz, though, The Prince of Egypt did very well financially and critically, with Schwartz winning the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1999 with “When You Believe”.

But back to Mulan. Lyricist David Zippel, who had contributed lyrics to the soundtrack of The Swan Princess (1994) as well as Disney’s Hercules (1997), which included the Academy Award-nominated song “Go the Distance”, and singer-songwriter Matthew Wilder were asked to write the songs for the movie. Five of their songs made it into the movie, with the Mushu song, “Keep ‘Em Guessing”, being cut during story development. Zippel and Wilder stated that they were able to collaborate well together, with “Reflection” being the first song written for the movie. “Reflection” describes Mulan’s inner thoughts as she returns from her disastrous meeting with the Matchmaker and fears she will always dishonour her family. It’s a beautiful scene and a lovely song, but for me, I feel I have heard it too many times in my life, so it is not one of my favourite Disney songs, though I know that it is to many others. I do like the movie version, sung by Broadway superstar Lea Salonga, who originated the role of Kim in the musical Miss Saigon, and also provided the singing voice for Princess Jasmine in Aladdin (1992). I very much dislike Christina Aguilera’s pop version of “Reflection”, which can be heard as the second song in the End Credits; it was also released as a single and is seen as the song that launched her singing career. Lea Salonga was very enthusiastic about providing the singing voice for another Disney princess, but did learn early on that Mulan is a very different character to Jasmine, with “Reflection” being quite a sad song, and not the love ballad that Jasmine’s “A Whole New World” is.

Another very popular song is “I’ll Make a Man Out of You”, which is sung by Shang during the army training montage. I very much like this song, and the sequence that accompanies it, especially when Mulan starts to become a good recruit and it becomes incredibly powerful and hopeful. Donny Osmond provides the singing voice for Shang. Osmond very much enjoyed singing this song for the movie[11]. “A Girl Worth Fighting For” is not the most beautifully sung song, but it is very funny, and a good comedic song to have, especially as the movie turns quite dark shortly afterwards as the army come across a burnt-out village and hundreds of killed soldiers. The men are all singing about what women they are hoping are waiting for them when they return home as war heroes, with Mulan finding this incredibly awkward to have to listen to, and its made even worse when she’s asked to tell the guys what her ideal woman would be!

The other song that is actually played within the movie is “Honor To Us All”, and this is my favourite of all of them. It is used for the montage of Mulan being dressed up for her Matchmaker appointment, and as I like that scene, I think it’s made me like the song! It details the requirements that “perfect brides” be, with the song being quiet, sweet, and graceful to match the attitudes of the women that are heading to the Matchmaker – well, all except Mulan. “True To Your Heart” is the final song in the movie which is heard right at the end of the film, mostly during the End Credits. It’s ok to listen to, but I’m not going to sit through the whole credits just to hear it, as I have done with other movies’ End Credits song! “True To Your Heart” is performed by Stevie Wonder and pop and R&B group 98°. The message of the song is quite nice though, and matches Mulan’s journey.

For me, the score is where the movie really shines. Composer Jerry Goldsmith composed the score for Mulan. Goldsmith also composed the original score to the Disneyland attraction Soarin’ Over California, an iconic piece of music from the Disney Parks. Goldsmith composed scores for numerous blockbuster-hit movies such as five films in the Star Trek franchise (1979-2002) and three in the Rambo franchise (1982-1988). The score uses a full orchestra, as well as synthesizers in certain songs, such as “Haircut”, when Mulan is disguising herself as a man and leaving home, my personal favourite instrumental in the movie, with my sister and I rewinding our VHS tape so many times just to hear it over and over again! Goldsmith’s score includes a mixture of gentler, more calming music, along with action-packed pieces, where we can feel the tension and fear of the characters in their encounters with Shan Yu. The tracks that play during Mulan’s final battle with Shan Yu, “Boo”, and his eventual defeat, “A Lucky Bug”, are also very good, and makes the battle scene one of the best Disney battles for me. The music that follows when the Emperor is praising Mulan, “Gratitude”, and her reuniting with her father, “The Pendant”, are very moving too. The soundtrack was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Musical or Comedy Score, but lost to Stephen Warbeck’s score for Shakespeare in Love (1998).

RECEPTION

Mulan was released in June 1998, and grossed $120 million in the US and Canada combined during its initial release. It made $304 million worldwide, making it the second-highest grossing family film of the year, after Pixar’s A Bug’s Life (1998)[12]. Unfortunately, but perhaps not unsurprisingly, Mulan received a lukewarm reception in China, making only $1.3 million at the box-office, a sixth of what Disney had hoped the revenue would be. The Chinese people deemed Disney’s Mulan “too Westernised”, though some did appreciate Disney’s attempts at trying to understand and portray Chinese culture accurately[13].

But overall, the movie did well and received mostly positive reviews, with many enjoying the artistic quality of the film, as well as the feminist icon of Mulan. Mulan received some of the best reviews for a Disney animated film since The Lion King (1994), with some critics even saying that Mulan matched Beauty and the Beast (1991) and The Lion King (1994) in regards to its story-telling. Mulan also dominated at the 26^th Annie Awards in 1998, winning ten of the twelve categories it was nominated for, including Outstanding Animated Technical Feature, Outstanding Achievement in Voice Acting for Ming-Na Wen, and Outstanding Achievement in Music.

However, a movie that is based in China but developed by an American company is never going to escape controversy, though there was more discussion over Disney’s portrayal of the story of Mulan when the live-action movie was released in 2020, rather than when the 1998 film was first released. This is because Mulan (2020) goes further in terms of its feminist storytelling, retelling the story in a new way, to match the expectations of today’s society. For example, the romantic subplot between Mulan and Shang, which I don’t think is overly relevant in the 1998 film, was entirely removed, along with the character of Shang. This was also partly to do with the implications of the #MeToo movement, and how a recruit being in a relationship with her Army General would not be appropriate. A new character Commander Tung, based on Shang, was introduced instead, however the removal of Shang, and therefore the LGBTQ implications of his relationship with “Ping”, was disappointing for some. The 2020 live-action remake also cut the character of Mushu, who was deemed to be both culturally inaccurate and offensive. Shan Yu’s character was also replaced with a new character, leader of the Rourans, Böri Khan, who is intent on avenging his father’s death, giving him more of a human quality and less of a typically villainous side. Böri Khan was portrayed by Jason Scott Lee, who voiced David in Lilo & Stitch (2002) and most recently starred as Benny Kameāloha in the Disney+ series, Doogie Kameāloha (2021-23).

In some ways the 2020 live-action movie received more criticisms than the 1998 version. The actress who played Mulan, Yifei Liu, was accused of supporting police brutality in Hong Kong after quotes from her were circulated online. There were then calls for the Mulan film to be boycotted. Yifei Liu did not appear at the D23 promotional event in 2019, where a five-minute clip of the movie was shown to fans. Also, though the film features an all-Asian cast, something that the 1998 film had tried to do and succeeded partially in doing so, like the 1998 film, the 2020 film was criticised for its lack of diversity in the production team which included not hiring an Asian director; New Zealand director Niki Caro was chosen instead. There were also comments when the trailer was released stating that the architecture and costuming did not match the time period or geography of the original story. Mulan (2020) did receive mostly positive reviews though, with many stating that it is one of the better Disney live-action remakes. It was released on Disney+, for a fee, on 4^th September 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is now free to watch on Disney+[14].

LEGACY

As well as the live-action adaptation, Mulan also received the “direct-to-video sequel” treatment with Mulan II being released in 2004. Mulan II follows on from the events of Mulan, with Shang and Mulan engaged to be married. They must navigate their relationship whilst on a mission to take the Emperor’s three daughters to a neighbouring kingdom, Qui Gong, to be wed to princes there. Mulan is against the idea of arranged marriage, whereas Shang just wants to fulfil his duties. Mushu’s status as guardian is at risk as if Shang and Mulan marry, his ancestors will become hers, so Mushu will lose his job, leading Mushu to try and break the two of them up. Many of the original actors returned to reprise their roles, though voice actress April Winchell, voice of Clarabelle Cow, and daughter of Paul Winchell, original voice of Tigger, voices the Matchmaker instead of Miriam Margolyes, and voice double Mark Moseley voices Mushu instead of Eddie Murphy. Some other interesting names to voice characters in Mulan II are Sandra Oh, of Grey’s Anatomy (2005-14) and Killing Eve (2018-22) fame, as Princess Ting-Ting, and Charlie’s Angels’ (2000-03) Lucy Liu performing the role of Princess Mei. I like this sequel a lot, with the song “Like Other Girls” being a highlight.

At the Disney Parks, Mulan has been featured many times over the years. At Disney’s MGM-Studios at Walt Disney World, now Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris, the Mulan Parade ran from June 1998 as a marketing and promotional tool for the movie. It replaced the Hercules Victory Parade, and was the last of the movie tie-in parades at the Disney Parks. The parade was different across the three parks, with Walt Disney World’s running for around 3 years, the Disneyland one only going for about a year and mostly being seen at night, and Disneyland Paris’ being just one float.

At Disneyland Paris, there was a stage show titled Mulan, La Légende, that took place in the Videopolis Theater. It featured a brief retelling of the movie, alongside acrobatic and juggling displays. It was a roughly 30-minute show that ran about five times a day, opening in April 1999 and closing sometime in 2002. I remember seeing this show on my first visit to Disneyland Paris sometime in December in the early 2000s, though I don’t recall much of it, only that we were eating chips inside the theatre, trying to find somewhere warm to sit as it was so cold outside!

Another defunct attraction related to Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Mulan is The Magic of Disney Animation pavilion, as the movie was animated in Florida at The Disney Feature Animation Florida Studio, which was first set up in 1989, and was considered an annex to the official Disney studio in Burbank. It was originally based in trailers roughly where Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is today, with just 40 artists. In 1998, the studio was moved into its own $70 million building, located just behind The Magic of Disney Animation pavilion. The number of artists was expanded to around 400. The Florida Studio was responsible for primarily making Mulan, Lilo & Stitch (2002), and Brother Bear (2003), though the artists did do pieces for many of the other Disney features released during the Florida studio’s lifetime. The Florida studio itself closed in January 2004 but The Magic of Disney Animation, which opened with the park in 1989, outran the lifetime of the Florida Studio, therefore, the chance to actually see artists at work was not as prominent or marketed after 2004, when an opening film was played that heavily featured Mushu telling the history of Disney Animation alongside a Cast Member or Animator, before guests were led into an exhibition-type space with some original artwork available to be seen. The Magic of Disney Animation pavilion closed in July 2015, where it became Star Wars Launch Bay[15]. This lasted mostly as an exhibition area and meet-and-greet location for characters like BB-8, Chewbacca and Darth Vader, until 2025, before making way for a new version of the Disney Animation pavilion to come to Disney’s Hollywood Studios once again.

Nowadays, Mulan continues to be a prominent meet-and-greet character at all the Disney Parks, seeing as she is part of the official Disney Princess line-up. At Walt Disney World, as well as the movie being featured within the Fantasmic! nighttime show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios with its own section, you can also meet Mulan at the China pavilion in Epcot’s World Showcase. At Disneyland, Mulan is predominately available for meet-and-greets alongside Mushu during their annual Lunar New Year events, which includes the Lunar New Year Procession. Mulan seems to be available for meet-and-greets occasionally at Disneyland Paris. It is unclear how often Mulan is available for meet-and-greets at Hong Kong Disneyland, Shanghai Disneyland or Tokyo Disneyland, but she seems to have been spotted in Shanghai and Hong Kong Disneyland in the last year or two.

In terms of the other Mulan characters, Mushu, Shang and Shan Yu are much rarer to spot in the Disney Parks, and are more likely to be brought out for Special Events. I remember seeing Shan Yu at the Epcot China Pavilion many years ago and I was too scared to go over to him; my sister ended up taking my autograph book over to him and getting it for me! I also remember meeting Mushu a few times, but never Shang.

At Shanghai Disneyland, as part of their daily parade, Mickey’s Storybook Express Parade, there is a section dedicated to Mulan, with the front of the float showing Mulan sitting atop her horse, Khan, and drummers, stone lions, and a temple featuring at the back. There are also soldiers and flag-bearers walking in front. Finally, also at Shanghai Disneyland, in their equivalent of the Storybook Land Canal Boats, the Voyage of the Crystal Grotto has a scene of Mulan, on the lefthand side about halfway in, just after the Tangled scene; it depicts Mulan standing in a pagoda, with Khan on a bridge just behind her.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Mulan was an important part of the Disney “Renaissance Era” as it was the first time that they had featured an Asian princess and an Asian story in one of their animated movies, meaning that a whole community were now represented, and not just as a beautiful, elegant princess, but as a strong, brave female warrior.

Mulan may not be one of my favourite Disney films, but I do still enjoy it, and feel that it has an important message to be yourself, and not feel trapped or confined to other people’s expectations of what you “should” be. It’s your life, and you should choose how to live it, no matter what anyone else thinks.

Disney did receive some criticism for their portrayal of Mulan both in their animated and live-action films, but this is not uncommon, especially these days when everything seems to be under constant scrutiny. Disney did their best, and the live-action film does appear to have gone some way to correcting misrepresentations in the story and culture.

Despite this, Mulan continues to be an incredibly popular Disney animated movie, and it celebrated its 25^th anniversary in 2023, with a new range of merchandise being released to mark the occasion. This, and its constant representation in Disney media and its theme parks, show the relevance of Mulan and her story, even by today’s standards.

REFERENCES

[1] Credit: Disney, The Movie Surfers Go Inside Mulan (1998).

[2] Credit: Disney, “International Mulan”, from Mulan (1998) 2-Disc Special Edition DVD (2005).

[3] Credit: Sabrina Barr, ‘Mulan: The real story behind the legendary Chinese warrior’, The Independent (online), 4^th September 2020.

[4] Credit: Rebecca O’Neill, ‘Disney’s Mulan: 5 Things In the Movie That Were Historically Accurate (& 5 That Were Not)’, ScreenRant.com, 16^th June 2022.

[5] Credit: Izak Bulten, ‘Mulan (1998): 10 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About The Disney Classic’, ScreenRant.com, 13^th September 2020.

[6] Credit: Disney, “Deleted Scenes”, from Mulan (1998) 2-Disc Special Edition DVD (2005).

[7] Credit: Disney, “The Journey Begins”, from Mulan (1998) 2-Disc Special Edition DVD (2005).

[8] Credit: Disney, The Movie Surfers Go Inside Mulan (1998).

[9] Credit: Disney, “Production”, from Mulan (1998) 2-Disc Special Edition DVD (2005).

[10] Credit: Jim Korkis, ‘Remembering “Mulan”’, CartoonResearch.com, 26^th August 2022.

[11] Credit: Disney, “Music”, from Mulan (1998) 2-Disc Special Edition DVD (2005).

[12] Credit: Jim Korkis, ‘Remembering “Mulan”’, CartoonResearch.com, 26^th August 2022.

[13] Credit: Constance Grady, ‘The history of Mulan, from a 6^th-century ballad to the live-action Disney movie’, Vox.com, 4^th September 2020.

[14] Credit: Suyin Haynes, ‘The Controversial Origins of the Story Behind Mulan’, Time (online), 11^th September 2020.

[15] Credit: Jim Korkis, ‘Disney Films Done at Disney Feature Animation Florida’, YourFirstVisit.net, date unknown.

25th Aug 20231st Oct 2025 by The Disney Purist

#10 Melody Time (1948)

BACKGROUND

After an adequate start to post-war movies with the Disney animated release Make Mine Music (1946), the Studios continued to release “package features” through the rest of the 1940s.

Make Mine Music was followed in 1947 by Fun and Fancy Free, a feature consisting of just two longer animated stories, instead of the numerous but shorter segments that appeared in Make Mine Music.

However, in 1948, Melody Time was released, which was another movie just like Make Mine Music, in that it consisted of multiple unrelated animated sequences, loosely connected by the theme of music.

Melody Time was the last music-themed Disney “package feature” of the 1940s. It comprises seven separate sequences.

These seven sections are:

“Once Upon a Wintertime”
“Bumble Boogie”
“The Legend of Johnny Appleseed”
“Little Toot”
“Trees”
“Blame It on the Samba”
“Pecos Bill”

Melody Time is not one of the best Disney animated classics for me. I had only watched it once before this week and I didn’t think much of it then. This time round, it only confirmed my original opinion, and I can now say confidently that Make Mine Music is my “favourite” of these two Fantasia-like “package features”, although I did not completely like either of them; Make Mine Music just happens to have slightly more songs and animated sequences that I enjoy. I actually struggled to like any of the Melody Time shorts.

STORY #1: ONCE UPON A WINTERTIME

Melody Time begins with an Opening Credits sequence, which also features the title song of the film. All the upcoming artists and musicians are first credited, with their names written over the top of the animated sheet music for their specific section. We are also told that this time, unlike in Make Mine Music, we have a “Master of Ceremonies”: Buddy Clark. Buddy Clark was a popular singer within the Big Band era, specifically within the 1940s. He had multiple hit songs, including “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”, which he sang with Dinah Shore. Dinah Shore sung “Two Silhouettes” for a sequence within Disney’s Make Mine Music. Clark sadly died in a plane crash in 1949, shortly after recording a radio broadcast with The Andrews Sisters, who also performed songs for both Make Mine Music and Melody Time. The credits continue to be listed over animated sheet music, before moving across to see an animated paintbrush paint a theatre stage, as well as masks. The masks represent Buddy Clark and his background singers for the title song “Melody Time”. This song was written by George David Weiss and Bennie Benjamin. Benjamin and Weiss had also written for Fun and Fancy Free (1947), Disney’s film release before Melody Time. The curtains of the theatre are then pulled back and the show begins.

“Once Upon a Wintertime” is the first segment to be introduced. The short begins with a brief scene of a picture of a couple before seemingly going back in time to see the couple on a sleigh ride in the snow. The couple go ice-skating together on a frozen lake, and are soon joined by a rabbit couple who mimic the human couple. Both couples are so in love, even drawing love hearts in the ice. The girl is not so steady on her feet and struggles to skate alone, however, her partner is only too confident on his skates, racing away and coming back, skidding ice all over her. Naturally, she is annoyed and soon falls down on the ice, before skating away in a huff, as does the female rabbit. However, both are unaware that they are about to skate over thin ice, which begins to break away; the two girls float away on a block of ice, about to go over a waterfall. The men aren’t particularly useful at attempting to rescue their girls, and they end up being rescued by quick-thinking birds, squirrels and horses, which is odd. But the couples make up, and the humans get back in their sleigh and head home together.

As far as the story goes, it is a strange one; I don’t know why the man had to be so useless here, when we know in a real life-or-death situation that forest creatures are not going to be able to save you. It’s not much of a public service announcement on the dangers of skating on random patches of iced-over fresh water! But that’s not the main issue I have with “Once Upon a Wintertime”. That is actually with the animation, which is a difficult thing to admit, as the overall design of the short was developed from concept art by legendary Disney artist Mary Blair, who would go on to produce art for Disney movies, such as Alice in Wonderland (1951) and Peter Pan (1953), as well as attractions such as it’s a small world. I didn’t like the colour choices or the rounded, less realistic look of the humans, though I did like the look of the animals and the wintry landscapes. The short does also have a “Christmas card”-feel to it, which I believe was the aim. The song is just ok for me. It was written by Bobby Worth and Ray Gilbert who had both worked on previous Disney “package features” including both writing the song “Blue Bayou” for Make Mine Music (1946). The song is performed by Frances Langford, a popular singer, radio performer and actress in the 1930s and 1940s.

STORY #2: BUMBLE BOOGIE

The second short of Melody Time is “Bumble Boogie”, which follows a little bee just trying to get on with his day but finding himself being attacked and bullied by flowers, as well as a piano-looking snake-like creature. It is quite surreal animation, with the “animals” being designed after whichever instrument is featured in the music at that point. It mostly does consist of piano keys, but there are also trumpet-looking flowers which appear. In the end, the bee seems to win out over everything, but again, it wasn’t great. Luckily, it was only three minutes long, being the shortest of Melody Time’s seven pieces.

The music choice is an arrangement of Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Flight of the Bumblebee”, arranged by Jack Fina, and performed by Fina on piano, along with Freddy Martin and His Orchestra, and is titled “Bumble Boogie”. It was a huge hit for Fina, who had previously joined Freddy Martin’s band, but formed his own band in 1946. Freddy Martin and His Orchestra were a band formed in 1930s, who continued to perform right up until the 1980s, when band leader Martin died in 1983. “Flight of the Bumblebee” was considered for Fantasia (1940), when Disney planned to add in additional new material and re-release it, however, that plan did not come to pass[1]. I like the piece of music, so I did enjoy the arrangement, but, although I thought the bee in the animation was cute, it was all a bit of a mess of colour and noise, to be honest!

STORY #3: THE LEGEND OF JOHNNY APPLESEED

“The Legend of Johnny Appleseed”, the second-longest segment of Melody Time with a runtime of about eighteen minutes, is the third short. Buddy Clark begins by mentioning some of the symbols of great American pioneers, such as Paul Bunyan’s axe and Davy Crockett’s rifle, before getting to those of pioneer Chapman, which were a tin pot hat, a bag of apple seeds, and the Bible. The story is then passed over to the “Old Settler” to narrate the legend. The story shows Johnny happy and content growing apple trees at his home, singing and picking the apples from his trees. One day, he sees a group of settlers heading West. Johnny wants to join them but thinks that as all he knows is apple trees, he wouldn’t be any use over there. His angel comes to him and tells him that of course the pioneers will need apples, as they are a very versatile food. Johnny takes a tin pot hat, the Bible and his seeds, and heads out West with renewed confidence. After some time, Johnny comes across a good area of soil and begins planting. The animals of the area are not sure about Johnny, but they soon warm to him as they see he has no hunting equipment so they are not in danger. Many years later, Johnny’s trees have continued to grow, with those settlers now living by the orchards and having festivals in his honour, where they cook all sorts of foods using his apples. One day, an elderly Johnny takes a rest by a tree and dies, with his angel coming to take him to Heaven. Johnny doesn’t think his time on Earth should be coming to an end, but the angel encourages him to plant apples trees in Heaven, and Johnny goes willingly.

Although Johnny Appleseed is based on real-life early pioneer John Chapman (1774-1845), who planted apples trees over areas such as Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana, Walt Disney asked that their version of his story be adapted from the legends surrounding him. Again, Mary Blair’s designs were translated onto the screen, this time they were of a folk-art style, which I quite liked. Disney animators Milt Kahl, Ollie Johnston and Eric Larson were directing animators for Johnny, and Winston Hibler wrote the narration. Hibler would go on to contribute lyrics to such songs as “Following the Leader” from Peter Pan (1953) and “I Wonder” from Sleeping Beauty (1959), alongside Ted Sears.

Dennis Day, the performer of this segment, actually provides the voices of the characters (Johnny Appleseed and Johnny’s Angel), as well as all the singing, and the narration. Dennis Day was known as “the singing star” on Jack Benny’s radio show from 1939. Verna Felton, legendary Disney voice artist, portrayed Dennis’ character’s mother on the programme. Day was a versatile voice actor, easily able to do accents and impressions well[2]. The music here was written by Kim Gannon and Walter Kent. The two co-wrote many songs together, including the holiday song “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”. Kent also wrote the song “(There’ll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover”. I didn’t mind watching “The Legend of Johnny Appleseed”; it was alright.

STORY #4: LITTLE TOOT

Next up is “Little Toot”, a little tugboat who spends a lot of time messing about and playing around, despite the fact his antics constantly disrupt his dad working and that he continuously halts traffic around the harbour; Little Toot doesn’t seem to understand the importance of being a tugboat. Little Toot is told off by his father and tries to be good, even helping his dad bring in a large ship, however, he causes more harm than good, with the ship crashing onto dry land. Little Toot is taken away by the “harbour police” and exiled in the open ocean. On a very stormy night, whilst trying to stay upright in the waves, Little Toot sees a stranded ocean liner. He sends out an SOS call, which is heard by other boats, including his dad, but before they can even get there, Little Toot has attached himself to the ship and started tugging it to the harbour. He returns as a hero. I quite liked this story; it reminded me a lot of another short called “Pedro”, which appears in Disney’s Saludos Amigos (1942), except that story is about a little plane, instead of a little boat.

The story “Little Toot” was published in 1939 by former Disney animator, Hardie Gramatky, who worked for Disney between 1929 and 1936. The Disney short features The Andrews Sisters singing the story. The Andrews Sisters were a singing group who had previously sung the story of “Johnnie Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet” for Make Mine Music. Capitol Records produced a record of the “Little Toot” story and song which became the first children’s record to hit the one million sales mark on Billboard.

STORY #5: TREES

The fifth segment is called “Trees”. It is a sung version of Joyce Kilmer’s poem “Trees”, with the music being written by pianist and composer Oscar Rasbach. The animation consists of multiple drawings of trees, set in different types of weather and times of day. A few animals, like deer and squirrels, also make an appearance, but there is no story here; it is just meant to be nice to watch. Because of this, I lost interest in this segment quite quickly. Plus, due to the nature of singing through a poem, I could barely understand it at times. Though the poem may be popular, I feel like it should’ve been spoken through instead to ensure it was fully comprehensible to all. I also did not like the wailing singing voices trying to imitate the windy, stormy weather. Luckily, this segment is the second-shortest of the seven in Melody Time, at only four minutes, so I didn’t have to sit through it for long. “Trees” was also planned to be included in a new version of Fantasia (1940) like “Flight of the Bumblebee”.

STORY #6: BLAME IT ON THE SAMBA

“Blame It on the Samba” is the sixth short, and this time it features the familiar characters of Donald Duck and José Carioca. José Carioca first appeared in Saludos Amigos (1942) alongside Donald Duck. This short is quite psychedelic with its imagery, and has a very basic story: Donald and José are walking through the forest, looking quite glum, when they come across the Café Do Samba, and are treated to samba music to cheer them up by the Aracuan bird. The Aracuan bird was first introduced in The Three Caballeros (1944), where Donald and José also appeared. Pinto Colvig, who was the original voice of Grumpy and Goofy, provides the voice of the Aracuan bird, reprising his role from The Three Caballeros and the Disney short cartoon Clown of the Jungle (1947)[3]. Throughout the segment, the birds are dancing and mixing cocktails, but the animation is incredibly abstract as within one of those cocktails is Ethel Smith performing on an electric organ with Donald and José dancing on top of it. The animation is bizarre at times, but the music is fun, and it’s always good to see familiar characters within these types of films!

This segment was originally supposed to be part of a third “package feature” based on and within Latin America, as Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros had been. However, as that third film never happened, it was used in Melody Time instead. Organist Ethel Smith had even come in the Disney Studios to record the music in 1945, but then had to return to the Studios again in February 1947 to film the live-action portions that would feature in the new feature film, Melody Time[4]. The Dinning Sisters singing group perform the vocals to this song. They were very popular around the late 1940s, and were considered to be Capitol Records’ answer to The Andrews Sisters. The music was written by Brazilian composer and pianist Ernesto Nazareth and lyricist Ray Gilbert.

STORY #7: PECOS BILL

The final short, and longest of the film at around twenty minutes, is called “Pecos Bill”, the fictional cowboy from American folk stories. It begins with a typical animated desert landscape, complete with cacti and tumbleweeds. We then get to a live-action section, of cowboys sitting around a campfire. The song “Blue Shadows on the Trail” has been playing during this animation, and it turns out these cowboys have been singing it. The song was performed by Roy Rogers and The Sons of the Pioneers. The Sons of the Pioneers are a Western singing group, still performing today. They have appeared in movies as well as on the radio. Roy Rogers, then called Leonard Slye, Tim Spencer and Bob Nolan founded the group, however when Slye change his name to Roy Rogers, he left the group in 1937. Roy Rogers was a singer and actor. He appears in this segment alongside his horse, Trigger, who featured in many of Rogers’ films and television appearances. At this campfire, Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers tell the story of Pecos Bill to Bobby Driscoll and Luana Patten, who have not heard the story. These two child stars appeared together in the Disney films Song of the South (1946) and So Dear to My Heart (1949)[5]. Driscoll would go on to star in Disney’s animated film Peter Pan (1953) as the title character.

We then move into the animated retelling of Pecos Bill’s story. After falling out of his family’s wagon into the Texas desert, he is raised by coyotes. Bill also starts to learn from all the other animals, such as jumping like a jack-rabbit and hissing like a snake. One day, a young Bill comes across a small, ill horse, and saves him from being eaten by vultures. Bill names his new horse Widowmaker and becomes one of the best cowboys ever, as it is a profession where he can work alongside his horse. We are then told of all the wonderful things that Bill did for Texas, such as bringing the rain from California into Texas to stop a drought and this is how the Gulf of Mexico came to be. He also needed water one day and dug the Rio Grande to get some! One day, he comes across a female cowboy, Slue Foot Sue and instantly falls in love with her. Widowmaker, Bill’s horse, is not impressed at being ignored while Bill “courts” Sue, and is even more annoyed, and jealous, when he finds that the two are getting married. As part of the wedding celebrations, Sue wanted a dress with a bustle and to ride to the ceremony on Bill’s horse, however, although she got the dress she wanted, Widowmaker was not happy to have Sue on his back and bucks her off him. Unfortunately, due to her bustle, Sue doesn’t just fall to the ground, but hits it and bounces up continuously, getting higher and higher each time. Bill calmly gets ready to use his lasso to get Sue down, but it misses – thanks to Widowmaker stepping on the end of the rope. Eventually, Sue bounces up so far that she ends up stuck on the moon. Bill went back to the coyotes, filled with sadness, but never forgot Sue. Every night, Bill mourned her by howling up at the moon, with the other coyotes joining in, and that is why coyotes howl at the moon, answering the question that Luana Patten asked during the campfire. The segment ends with another verse from “Blue Shadows on the Trail”, and that is the end of the film.

Both the song “Blue Shadows on the Trail”, as well as “Pecos Bill” were written by Eliot Daniel and Johnny Lange. Eliot Daniel went on to write the song “Lavender Blue” for So Dear to My Hear (1949), which was Oscar-nominated, and then compose the theme from I Love Lucy (1951-1957). Johnny Lange was a songwriter, whose song “Mule Train, was also Oscar-nominated and featured in the film Singing Guns (1950). I found this short to be very long, and didn’t feel like we needed the live-action segment before it, though I did like the song “Blue Shadows on the Trail”. The actual story of Pecos Bill wasn’t too bad, but I’m not a big fan of Westerns or stories about cowboys!

PRODUCTION

After Fantasia (1940) was released, Walt Disney, and the Studios, received some backlash, as, although the whole point of the film was to make it as close to a concert as you could see in a movie theatre, this approach was considered too “high-brow” for audiences and reviewers. So, when the Disney Studios decided to make Make Mine Music (1946), another “package feature” similar to Fantasia with heavy emphasis on its musical choices, they decided to use more popular genres and musicians to appeal to a wider audience. This is the same approach that was used for Melody Time[6].

The reason a “package film” was necessary was because the Disney Studios had suffered financially both because of World War II and its impact on both domestic and foreign markets, as well as the 1941 animators’ strike which affected the Disney Studios badly, both in terms of finances and their reputation. “Package features” were cheaper to make, as they weren’t overly focused on the animation design, and also quicker, which satisfied Disney’s distribution contract with RKO to release their animated features.

It was also good because though they had ideas for stories, these stories did not contain enough material to fill a full-length feature film, so by having multiple sections, or shorts, within one movie, they could still use these story ideas in and amongst other, potentially shorter subjects. For example, for Melody Time, Walt stated in a short essay that he wrote for the 1948-49 volume of Film Review, that they liked the idea of doing full animated features on the legendary Pecos Bill and Johnny Appleseed, but as they were both mostly based in legends, with little life-story or factual evidence to back up their deeds, there was not enough material for a full movie. By using these two stories within a film like Melody Time, it satisfied their want to tell these two specific tales that otherwise may have remained untold, at least in an animated medium. Walt did also make it clear, though, that these types of “multiple episode cartoon fantasy” would not replace Disney’s classic animated picture[7]. One more “package feature” would be released by Disney the year after Melody Time in 1949: The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, which did only feature two stories; one based on The Wind in the Willows novel by Kenneth Grahame and the other on the short story by Washington Irving, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. It was originally titled Two Fabulous Characters, with both that movie and Melody Time being announced by Disney as being in production in 1947.

Despite this optimism for the “package feature” format that was primarily used by Disney in the 1940s, it was not favoured by Walt Disney himself, as they aren’t particularly creative or inventive, and they lacked the usual Disney magic of story-telling. The 1940s was not an easy decade for anyone working at the Studios. In January 1947, a screening of the work-in-progress “Pecos Bill” short was being shown to Walt Disney in its pencil form. It had been worked on by Ward Kimball and Milt Kahl. According to Kimball’s family, even though the piece was not finished, Walt found the “Pecos Bill” piece uplifting, saying it was the most encouraging thing he’d seen at the Disney Studios for six years. It is believed Walt meant that he could still see the talent within the animators and had hope that in the future they would be able to make great things again[8].

RECEPTION

Melody Time premiered on 27^th May 1948 at the Astor Theatre in New York City’s Times Square. It was then released internationally over the next couple of years. Unfortunately, Melody Time received mixed reviews, much like the other “package films”, due to its variety of material and the natural fact that not every section would appeal to everyone. Within US critics, though, many did agree that “The Legend of Johnny Appleseed” and “Pecos Bill” were the two highlights of the movie, as they were both legendary heroic figures within American folklore. Some reviewers were not so kind, with Bosley Crowther of The New York Times writing that Melody Time was a “gaudy grab-bag” of shorts, with some good and some bad[9], though that is basically the standard response to this movie.

Many of the shorts within Melody Time were later released separately on different Disney media, like “Pecos Bill” was released as a stand-alone short in February 1954; “Once Upon a Wintertime” in September 1954; and “Johnny Appleseed” in December 1955. This gave the “better” pieces a wider audience and meant viewers did not have to watch the entire film to find them. Luckily, with the success of Cinderella (1950), the animated “package features” were no longer required; audiences had made it clear that they wanted a full story, not a mish-mash of short sequences, from Disney.

It would not be until 1998 when Melody Time was first released on home video in the US, despite the sequences within Melody Time having been available to watch on previous Disney compilations. When Melody Time was re-released on VHS and released for the first time on DVD, the US version of the movie was censored, much like Make Mine Music was. This censoring removed any and all cigarettes from Pecos Bill’s mouth within the whole short of “Pecos Bill”, which meant large portions of the short, such as those with the cyclone and the “painted Indians” were cut, as Bill had a cigarette dangling in his mouth throughout. The Indians scene perhaps should’ve been cut for other, more obvious reasons… Foreign releases were uncut[10]. However, despite this earlier censorship, the original, unaltered version of Melody Time was released on Blu-Ray in 2021, as well as on Disney+.

LEGACY

Due to the style of movie that Melody Time is, it did not receive a sequel and it is highly unlikely that it will ever receive the “live-action” treatment from Disney. The only other movie that Melody Time helped create was the last “package feature” to be released during Walt’s lifetime: Music Land (1955). It was never released on home video, and only played in 1955, and once more at the 1970 Tribute to Walt Disney retrospective at the National Film Theater. Music Land (1955) is not the animated short of the same name, released in 1935 as part of the Silly Symphonies catalogue, but a film that took four segments from Make Mine Music and five from Melody Time, thrown together and released on 5^th October 1955. It was only made to satisfy Disney’s contract with RKO, who needed one more release under that contract before Disney could use their own distribution company, Buena Vista Distribution. From Melody Time, Music Land used these shorts: “Once Upon a Wintertime”, “Bumble Boogie”, “Trees”, “Blame It on the Samba” and “Pecos Bill”[12].

Surprisingly, some of the Disney theme parks do feature references to some of the sections of Melody Time, with the biggest one being the quick-service restaurant, Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe, which appears in Frontierland at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, as well as in Westernland within Tokyo Disneyland.

At Magic Kingdom, Pecos Bill Cafe opened in 1971, with two separate dining locations: the Cafe and the Mile Long Bar. In 1998, the two locations were combined into one restaurant, with it being renamed Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn & Cafe. The location features many references to the Disney short “Pecos Bill” as well as the legends surrounding him and all the things he created for Texas, such as digging the Rio Grande. The Disney-created backstory of the restaurant states that Pecos Bill was convinced to open his own “watering hole” in 1876, with gifts being left by those who came here, which were later adorned on the walls of the restaurant. Some gifts include Paul Bunyan’s axe and Johnny Appleseed’s pot-hat. Bill’s long-lost love, Slue Foot Sue, even left her gloves to him, signed “To Bill, All My Love, Slue Foot Sue”; they can be found within a frame hanging on the wall.

Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn & Cafe mostly served burgers, with a full toppings bar, until 2015, when the menu changed to serve “Tex-Mex”-style dishes, such as tacos, nachos and fajitas. I suppose this menu fits in better with the overall theming of the area, but I preferred when they had burgers! Posters advertising the restaurant can be seen within the queue for the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad attraction[13]. Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn & Cafe opened at Tokyo Disneyland on 15^th April 1983 when the park first opened. It also serves Mexican food.

There is apparently a script of Melody Time that can be seen in one of the windows behind the bus stop queues at the All-Star Movies Resort at Walt Disney World, however, I have not found a picture of it online to confirm it, nor did I see it any of the numerous resort walkthroughs that I found on YouTube. I guess no-one thinks bus stops are interesting enough for their travel vlogs. Rude.

Finally, a very brief scene, literally a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, from “Once Upon a Wintertime”, with the guy skating love hearts into the ice, can be seen during the Wonderful World of Animation nighttime show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort. It is almost at the very end of the show, within the compilation of scenes from various movies that follows the Encanto scene; it is on the screen furthest left of The Chinese Theater – in case anyone wants to find this scene one day!

At Disneyland and at Tokyo Disneyland, another reference to the movie can be found within the queue line for Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin, there is a poster detailing on audition for “toons only” on Tuesday for the “upcoming Disney pic MELODY TIME”.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Melody Time is not my favourite of the Disney’s 1940s movies; I didn’t find much of it that I really liked, which surprised me, as I thought there would have been at least one short that I did like. I guess “Blame It on the Samba” was ok, but the imagery was too abstract for me, so despite the familiarity of Donald and José, I wasn’t bothered when it finished! Most of it was just “alright” for me, but I know that other people may disagree with me, and in particular might love “Pecos Bill” or “The Legend of Johnny Appleseed”. As I’m not American, perhaps that folklore just doesn’t hit me in the same way.

Regardless of anyone’s feelings about Melody Time, this and its other “package film friends” were a necessity to keep the Disney Studios financially stable. It worked and it meant Disney could move on to better things from the 1950s onwards.

I don’t think Melody Time should put anyone off Disney “package features” as some of their other ones are much better and I do really like those. Sadly, Melody Time is just not one of those “other ones” for me.

REFERENCES

[1] Credit: Michael Lyons, ‘Music with Character: The 75^th Anniversary of “Melody Time”’, CartoonResearch.com, 28^th April 2023.

[2] Credit: Jim Fanning, ‘Did You Know? 10 Tuneful Facts About Walt Disney’s Melody Time’, D23.com, 24^th May 2018.

[3] Credit: Jim Korkis, Everything I Know I Learned from Disney Animated Feature Films (2015), ‘Melody Time’, pp. 28-30.

[4] Credit: Jim Fanning, ‘Did You Know? 10 Tuneful Facts About Walt Disney’s Melody Time’, D23.com, 24^th May 2018.

[5] Credit: Jim Korkis, Everything I Know I Learned from Disney Animated Feature Films (2015), ‘Melody Time’, pp. 28-30.

[6] Credit: Jim Korkis, The Vault of Walt Vol. 5 (2016), ‘The Disney Package Features’, pp. 65-73.

[7] Credit: Jim Korkis, ‘Walt Talks About the Disney Package Features’, MousePlanet.com, 2^nd December 2015.

[8] Credit: Lucas O. Seastrom, ‘Hope for the Future – A Story about Walt Disney’s Melody Time’, The Walt Disney Family Museum Blog, 25^th July 2018.

[9] Credit: Bosley Crowther, ‘Disney’s Newest Cartoon Array, ‘Melody Time’, Opens at Astor – Seven Scenes Featured’, The New York Times (online), 28^th May 1948.

[10] Credit: Jim Korkis, Everything I Know I Learned from Disney Animated Feature Films (2015), ‘Melody Time’, pp. 28-30.

[12] Credit: Jim Korkis, ‘Walt Talks About the Disney Package Features’, MousePlanet.com, 2^nd December 2015.

[13] Credit: Lydia Storks, ‘The Secrets You Didn’t Know About This Popular Disney World Restaurant’, AllEars.net, 26^th March 2021.

18th Aug 20231st Oct 2025 by The Disney Purist

#16 Sleeping Beauty (1959)

BACKGROUND

Aesthetically beautiful, yet financially disastrous. That was the legacy of Sleeping Beauty.

Sleeping Beauty was created by those at the Disney Studios to be “a masterpiece”, to look like “a moving tapestry”. These were high bars for the animators to reach, but it is undeniable that they did succeed in making one of the most artistically stunning Disney animated features. But to achieve greatness like this costs money – and it cost them.

At $6 million, Sleeping Beauty cost double the amount of money to make than the previous Disney animated films of the 1950s, with production spanning the majority of the decade as well. Because of the already high spend, the movie was unable to recoup its costs, at least initially. This financial failing led to Disney Animation replacing their traditional Ink-and-Paint method with Xeroxing for their 1960s movies in order to lower their spending. It also meant that another fairytale-inspired Disney movie would not be made again until after Walt Disney’s death, that being The Little Mermaid (1989).

Sleeping Beauty has done well from subsequent re-releases, both theatrical and home, but now faces a different kind of criticism; that around the “passive princesses” of Disney’s oldest royalty, namely Snow White, Cinderella and Aurora. Many now dismiss this film, stating that Aurora is a bad role model, with some parents even going so far as to claim that they won’t let their children watch Sleeping Beauty because of this.

I’ve always liked Sleeping Beauty; it was my childhood favourite, where my three or four-year-old self apparently referred to it as “Pippin’ Boopy”, as I’m constantly reminded by my parents. I still class Sleeping Beauty as my second-favourite Disney animated film, so I clearly do not agree with the modern-day criticism surrounding this film, or the other “princess films”.

Though Disney’s Sleeping Beauty has a basis in the Charles Perrault fairytale La Belle au Bois Dormant, as well as Tchaikovsky’s ballet, The Sleeping Beauty, Disney made several changes to these storylines for their own movie, making it unique.

PLOT

The movie begins with a traditional Disney storybook opening – it’s my favourite of all them; the book is decorated with loads of jewels, and I even bought the notebook of it from the Disney Store a couple of years ago when they were making replicas of all the famous Disney storybooks. Anyway, a narrator reads the opening pages of the book, saying that for many years a king and a queen had longed for a child, and one day, their wish was granted with the birth of a baby girl. They named her Aurora, after the dawn, for “she filled their lives with sunshine”. They decide to throw a party, a christening for the new princess, where everyone in the kingdom can attend.

We see the kingdom parading to the castle, where hundreds of guests have arrived to see baby Princess Aurora. During the ceremony, the three good fairies, Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather, arrive to bestow gifts on the princess. Flora goes first, giving her the gift of beauty. Fauna follows with the gift of song. But just as Merryweather is about to bestow her gift, she is interrupted by a wind blowing open the doors and lightning crashing. It’s Maleficent, the Evil Fairy, with her raven, Diablo. Maleficent is upset at not having received an invitation to this supposedly-open-to-all party. Merryweather informs her she wasn’t wanted, at which point, Maleficent claims she’ll leave. Queen Leah, Aurora’s mother, asks if Maleficent is offended by this, to which she responds that she is not, and wants to bestow her own gift on the child. Except it’s not a gift, but a curse; a curse that states before the sun sets on Aurora’s 16^th birthday, she will prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die. King Stefan, Aurora’s father, orders his guards to seize Maleficent but she disappears. Merryweather is asked to undo Maleficent’s curse, but Maleficent’s magic is too great, so Merryweather alters the curse, stating that should Aurora prick her finger, she will fall into a deep sleep, to be awaken by true love’s kiss.

King Stefan is still concerned so orders all the spinning wheels in the kingdom to be burnt. As the fairies watch over this bonfire, they know it’s not enough to stop the curse from being fulfilled and think about how they can help. Suddenly, Flora has an idea: to turn Aurora into a flower, until Merryweather counters by saying Maleficent will just send a frost. Then, Flora has another idea: the three of them will take the child away to the forest to raise her themselves, without magic; this being something Maleficent wouldn’t expect them to do as she has no concept of helping others. The King and Queen need some convincing but allow it, heartbroken at being apart from their only child, but seeing it’s the only way.

Sixteen years pass, and the kingdom starts to rejoice at the thought of seeing Princess Aurora again. They know that Maleficent’s curse has not been fulfilled as her lair, the Forbidden Mountain, continues to thunder with her anger. Maleficent asks her goons if they have found Aurora yet, but they have not, saying they’ve checked everywhere, including in every cradle. To which Maleficent laughs, because for sixteen years they’ve been looking for a baby. The goons are confused and laugh with her, only for Maleficent to call them idiots and fire at them with her magic. Maleficent instead sends her raven to look for a maid of 16.

At the Woodcutter’s Cottage, deep in the forest, we come back to Aurora, now 16 and using the name Briar Rose. She is lonely with just Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather for company, and she dreams of love. On this day, her 16^th birthday, Briar Rose is sent out to pick berries, while the fairies organise gifts for her: a handmade dress and birthday cake. Flora decides she’ll do the dress, whilst Fauna makes the cake, much to Merryweather’s dismay as she seems to have been the only one to cook or sew for the sixteen years they’ve looked after Aurora! Merryweather tries to convince them they can use magic as the sixteen years are over, but Flora insists they mustn’t until the end of the day. Merryweather becomes Flora’s dummy whilst she makes the dress, with Merryweather saying it looks awful.

In the forest, Briar Rose is singing. She tells the animals that she met a prince and that they danced all evening, only for her to reveal that it was just a dream. Little does she know that a prince has been riding through the forest, Prince Phillip and his horse Samson. He tries to follow the sound of her voice as he is entranced by it, except Samson gallops too quickly and sends Phillip falling into a stream. The forest animals want to make Briar Rose happy, so they dress up as a prince, stealing some of Phillip’s clothes to make the perfect disguise. They dance together, but Phillip has followed the thieving animals and steps in to dance with Briar Rose instead. Briar Rose is reluctant to speak with him as he is a stranger, but he encourages her to, saying they met “once upon a dream”. Briar Rose is asked her name. which snaps her out of her dreamlike state. She runs home, saying that she’ll never see him again, before inviting this stranger to the cottage that evening to see her.

Back at the cottage, Flora and Fauna’s birthday gifts aren’t going to plan, with an annoyed Merryweather going up to collect their wands so they can do things properly. Flora is still concerned about being discovered, so tells them to close every door and window, and block up every hole before they begin. Flora and Fauna successfully make a beautiful dress and birthday cake, with Merryweather cleaning up the house. Merryweather hates the dress being pink, so makes it blue instead with her magic, annoying Flora who changes it back. The two start a colour-changing war, which alerts Maleficent’s raven to the area, as he sees the magic coming up through the chimney. He waits, as Briar Rose returns home. She’s excited to tell the others about who she met, but the three fairies aren’t so happy, and tell her that she is betrothed to Prince Phillip – who she doesn’t know she met that day – and that she is Princess Aurora and will be returned to her parents and kingdom this evening. That’s enough for the raven who flies off satisfied with what he’s heard. Aurora is heartbroken and runs up to her bed and cries.

At the castle, King Stefan and King Hubert, Prince Phillip’s father, are discussing Aurora’s return, with Hubert saying how he’s already had a castle built for the two of them, which upsets Stefan who hasn’t seen his daughter for sixteen years and doesn’t want her leaving straight away. He is also concerned that all these big reveals might shock her, to which Hubert is insulted, asking what is wrong with Phillip that might cause him to be a shock to her. Stefan tries to calm the situation but fails, with Hubert challenging him to a swordfight – instead of grabbing his sword though, Hubert picks up a swordfish, and the two laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation. They call for wine to celebrate, and see that their minstrel is drunk under the table, having drunk most of the wine for himself! Phillip returns to King Stefan’s castle at this point and tells Hubert he’s found the girl he’s going to marry and that it’s not Princess Aurora, just some “peasant girl”. Hubert is horrified and tries to get Phillip to think about it, but he doesn’t and rides off to the cottage in the woods to meet with her again.

Aurora has been brought to the castle by the fairies, who give her a crown to wear as she is a princess after all. Aurora is still devastated, so the fairies leave her alone and wait outside. They’re just as upset that Aurora can’t marry the man she wants to, when they hear some strange noises. Aurora has been lured away from the room by a strange orb of green light. The fairies follow, but they’re too late: Maleficent has managed to get Aurora up to the castle tower and to touch the spindle of a spinning wheel. The fairies put a sleeping Aurora in her bed, and decide that, instead of telling the kingdom that they failed in their duty to protect Aurora from the curse, they’ll put the whole kingdom to sleep until she wakes. Whilst doing this, Flora hears Hubert mumbling about Phillip and “once upon a dream”, alerting Flora to the fact that Phillip was the man Aurora met in the woods. They hurry to the cottage, hoping to see him and get him to kiss Aurora and break the spell, but it’s clear that he has been captured by Maleficent by the time they get there. They bravely decide to go to the Forbidden Mountain to rescue him.

At the Forbidden Mountain, Maleficent is celebrating her win, and tells Phillip that the “peasant girl” he met was actually Princess Aurora and that she is asleep, waiting for her true love’s kiss, but he shouldn’t worry as she’ll release him in a hundred years’ time so he can be with his love again, knowing that he will likely not live to that age, leaving Aurora asleep forever. Maleficent leaves the cell, and the fairies come in and free him. Flora arms him with the Shield of Virtue and the Sword of Truth to help him on this journey to save Aurora. Unfortunately, as they are about to leave, Maleficent’s raven spots them and alerts the goons. They pursue the four, with the fairies magicking their obstacles into harmless items, such as rocks into bubbles, arrows into flowers, and tar into a rainbow, to get them out of Maleficent’s lair. Merryweather even turns the raven into stone. They are on their way to Stefan’s castle, much to Maleficent’s shock, and she tries everything to stop them, destroying bridges, sending rocks tumbling on to them, and summoning a forest of thorns to encircle the castle. But it’s not enough and Phillip, with the fairies help, gets through easily, so Maleficent goes over to sort this herself, turning herself into a huge dragon. Phillip and Dragon Maleficent battle, with Flora enchanting the Sword of Truth so that it will kill Maleficent on impact. Phillip throws the sword and sure enough, Maleficent is killed.

Phillip and the fairies rush up to Aurora’s tower, with him kissing her and breaking the curse. Aurora awakens, overjoyed that the man she met is Prince Phillip, the man she was betrothed to from birth. The rest of the kingdom awakens, and just as Hubert is about to tell Stefan that Phillip won’t marry Aurora, the two make their grand entrance into the hall. The two dance together, seemingly all the way into the clouds, and the storybook closes.

CHARACTERS & CAST

Although she is the title character and the one the whole movie revolves around, Princess Aurora is only seen in the movie for about eighteen minutes in total, roughly a fifth of the entire runtime of the film[1]. Because of this, we don’t get to see a lot of personality from her, but it is clear that Aurora is kind, elegant, graceful, and a hopeless romantic. Typical of a Disney princess, she likes to sing, specifically with forest creatures, such as birds and squirrels, but this is because the fairies have tried to keep Aurora from harm by not letting her speak to anyone, so the animals are the only ones she can talk to, away from her guardians. All of this means that viewers are quick to dismiss Aurora as simply a pointless character and a terrible example of a good female role model. I disagree with this because there is nothing wrong with dreaming of romance, and there is also nothing wrong with being kind and considerate of others. Her character lives in the 14^th Century; I’m sorry to have to point out that there wasn’t going to be much career progression for her at that time, princess or not! She doesn’t go out on a big adventure, like more contemporary Disney princess, but that’s because she’s spent her whole life being protected from the impact of Maleficent’s curse; she’s not given the opportunity to do this.

Aurora’s character design was based on a few people, with one apparently being Audrey Hepburn. This was more in terms of her posture, to give Aurora poise, elegance and grace. Her design was also inspired by Aurora’s live-action reference model, Helene Stanley, who had ballet experience, and can be seen dancing in Aurora’s costume in behind-the-scenes footage. Her voice artist was also a strong inspiration for the character. Mary Costa had been chosen in part for her operatic singing voice, which is integral to the story as Aurora is given the “gift of song” from birth. Walt Disney loved Costa’s voice and encouraged her to “paint with her voice”[2]. Disney had been auditioning women for the part for three years by the time they found Costa. Mary Costa had the perfect fairytale speaking voice too, but she had to put on an English accent to work with the European fairytale setting, as Costa was born in Tennessee and had a natural Southern accent. Marc Davis watched Costa’s recording sessions to include her natural expressions and gestures into the character of Aurora. Costa would go on to become a successful opera singer.

Again, many people like to ignore Prince Phillip as well, saying that he is just a typical Disney prince, with not much going for him in way of a personality; he’s just there to marry the girl at the end of the movie. Though I might agree with this comment for Prince Charming and Snow White’s Prince, I disagree for Prince Phillip. Unlike the other two princes, I think Prince Phillip actually gets to say quite a lot and certainly does more for the story. Prince Phillip is charming and handsome, but also kind of funny, in both his conversation with Aurora in the woods, as well as later with King Hubert. Prince Phillip even gets some action scenes, getting to fight off Maleficent and rescue the girl, though he does get a lot of help from the three fairies here. Woolie Reitherman directed the whole sequence of Phillip escaping Maleficent’s lair, and that includes the dragon battle. Reitherman got some stick in the company for the fact that Phillip gets through all the thorns even on his horse and for elements of it not being “logical”, but Walt didn’t care; he loved it. This sequence is considered to be one of the biggest climatic scenes in Disney history, so Reitherman must have done something right! It is such a huge part of the movie that it has even been built in LEGO and can be seen outside the LEGO stores at both Disney Springs in Walt Disney World and Downtown Disney at Disneyland.

Prince Phillip, and his horse Samson, were animated by Milt Kahl. Most animators did not like animating the princes, thinking they are a bit bland and boring, but I’m hoping Kahl didn’t mind designing Prince Phillip. I definitely think he’s different to the other Disney princes that came before him. Prince Phillip is voiced by radio performer and pop singer Bill Shirley, who also provided the live-action reference modelling for the character, even acting out the final battle scene on a makeshift horse contraption! Disney chose Shirley for the role because of his singing range and his youthful voice. Bill Shirley would later go on to dub the singing voice of Freddy Eynsford-Hill in My Fair Lady (1964). Regardless of what anyone says, I like Prince Phillip and Princess Aurora; I like them as characters and as a couple.

Then there is Maleficent, considered to be the best villain in Disney history to many, who has spanned her own personal legacy from this movie, but more on that later. Maleficent doesn’t have a backstory in Sleeping Beauty, so we don’t know why she wants to curse a baby or why it’s so important to her that Aurora dies. I personally don’t need one, I just like villains being evil for evil’s sake, but if you need one, Disney made the live-action Maleficent (2014) to do this. Maleficent is an evil fairy, who dabbles in dark magic. She lives in her fortress, the Forbidden Mountain, with a gaggle of hopeless goons, who just irritate her, and her beloved raven, Diablo, the only thing she can trust. Maleficent is cruel and terrifying, but has a grace and elegance to her, like Aurora. She is formidable and stern, and her magic allows her to do anything she wants, like turning herself into a dragon, which makes her even more scary. I’m a big fan of Maleficent as a character.

Marc Davis, as well as animating Aurora, also worked on Maleficent’s design. He wanted her gown to look like flames, which it does by having triangular wisps coming from it. Davis also gave her a bat-wing shaped collar and horns of the devil to show how evil she is[3]. Davis didn’t particularly like the fact that Maleficent is such a straight, sharp, calm character, so when he got to design Cruella de Vil for Disney’s next animated feature, One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961), he was pleased to be able to do more with the expressions and make Cruella very over-the-top! Marc Davis had ample inspiration from Maleficent’s voice artist, Eleanor Audley, who had a particularly powerful and impressive voice. According to Mary Costa, many of the voice actors would go to watch Audley’s voice recordings because they loved how expressive she was[4]. Eleanor Audley had voiced the role of Lady Tremaine in Cinderella (1950) and would later voice Madame Leota for Disney Parks attraction The Haunted Mansion. Marc Davis also animated Maleficent’s raven, Diablo, using footage of ravens from Disney’s True-Life Adventures series as guidance.

For the three good fairies, originally Walt Disney wanted the trio to all be the same, but the animators, Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, fought for them to all be likeable but different – and they got their way, thankfully, because the fairies bouncing off each other’s personalities gives the movie some comedy. Flora, who wears red, is the bossy one, the leader of the group, even though she may not be the smartest or have the best ideas. Flora is voiced by veteran Disney voice artist Verna Felton, who had worked on numerous Disney movies, even by this point, such as being the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland (1951) and the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella (1950). Some have alleged that Verna Felton also provides the voice for Queen Leah, Aurora’s mother, however, it has also been said that the voice artist for Queen Leah remains unknown, as there are no specific records detailing who this actually was.

Fauna, the green one, is the sweet but ditzy fairy. Apparently, Fauna was based on a woman that Frank Thomas met in Colorado, who was sweet but not “quite all there”. She is funny because she makes lots of mistakes, and doesn’t seem to fully understand what’s going on all the time. Her silliness is apparent during her baking scene, when she has to ask what a “tsp” is and literally folds whole eggs into cake batter! Fauna is voiced by Barbara Jo Allen, who portrayed Vera Vague on radio around this time. She would also voice the Scullery Maid in Disney’s Sword in the Stone in 1963.

Finally, we have Merryweather, in blue, who is the feisty one who always speaks her mind. Merryweather is voiced by Barbara Luddy, who also had a long history with Disney voice acting, starting with Lady in Lady and the Tramp (1955), in the movie before Sleeping Beauty. Merryweather is quite the contrast to the proper and posh Lady. She is probably my favourite of the three but I like them all together. I do agree with Merryweather though about making Aurora’s dress blue instead of pink. I used to think that her pink dress was great, but one day, I realised that blue looks so much better with Aurora’s blonde hair, and she also ends up blending into the pink floor in the final scene of the film in the Great Hall…

For the last of the characters, we have King Stefan and King Hubert, kings of neighbouring kingdoms who seem to have forged a strong friendship. They only have a couple of scenes together, but the main one, where they are talking over a banquet, the “Skumps” drinking scene, is very funny, and was used to liven up the film a bit as it isn’t the most humorous of Disney movies. The two have a bit of a pointless argument, which escalates to petty insults, a lacklustre declaration of war, and a sword fight with a fish, but they see the silliness of their actions and quickly move on! It was animated by John Lounsbery, with the lute-playing minstrel being animated by John Sibley to add some slapstick humour to the scene[5]. King Stefan is generally calmer than King Hubert, more softly-spoken, whereas King Hubert is bolder, yet mostly jolly. King Hubert is voiced by Bill Thompson, who is another cast member in Sleeping Beauty who had a history with Disney. Thompson voiced characters such as Mr. Smee in Peter Pan (1953), the White Rabbit and Dodo in Alice in Wonderland (1951), and various voices, including Jock, in Lady and the Tramp (1955). The part of King Stefan seemed at one point to have gone to Hans Conried, the voice of Captain Hook in Peter Pan (1953) as his voice features in a deleted song, but actually went to Taylor Holmes, who had roles in movies such as Mr. Esmond Sr. in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), and as Ebenezer Scrooge in the Vincent Price-narrated 1949 television version of A Christmas Carol. Taylor Holmes died eight months after the release of Sleeping Beauty.

PRODUCTION

Production on Sleeping Beauty was advertised as being six years in the making, but in actual fact, work on the story began as early as 1951, meaning that the movie took almost a whole decade to make. As other Disney films of the 1940s and 1950s had been either “hit or miss”, Walt Disney wanted to go back to his fairytale roots, especially as Cinderella (1950) had boosted the studios financially and showed Disney were back at their best post-war. Walt wanted Sleeping Beauty to be similar to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and Cinderella (1950) in terms of story, but wanted the imagery to be unique and beautiful.

Even though work on Sleeping Beauty’s storyline began in 1951, work on the movie took a while to progress as the Disney Studios were incredibly busy in the 1950s, with numerous live-action films in the making, as well as three television series, and the construction of Disneyland theme park. The story was also problematic as the original Charles Perrault tale that Disney used as the basis of the film was only a few paragraphs long, and Walt did not want the story to be fleshed out with elements like gags, that had been featured in Snow White, or subplots like in Cinderella. By 1952, the storyboard was well-refined enough and the movie ended up being pretty much exactly as was storyboarded at this time[6].

The earliest recorded version of Sleeping Beauty as a fairytale is from the 14^th Century, where it was called Perceforest. There was then an Italian version written in 1634 by Giambattista Basile, called The Sun, the Moon and Talia. The tale got to Charles Perrault who published La Belle au Bois Dormant in 1697, which is the most well-known version of the fairytale, and the one that Disney used as a loose basis. But the differences are that Perrault’s tale has the curse go on for 100 years, whereas the Disney film takes place over one night, and the prince just being in the room, without a kiss, is enough to wake her, but the Disney film talks of “true love’s kiss”. There is also an additional part to Perrault’s tale after the awakening where the prince’s ogre mother tries to eat the new bride and their children. Gross. Perrault’s fairytale was updated by Brothers Grimm in 1812 under the name Little Briar Rose. Then, the Grimm’s version was adapted for Russian ballet, scored by Tchaikovsky and called The Sleeping Beauty. The ballet also uses the idea of the 100-year curse, but nowadays has a kiss to awaken Aurora. There are multiple good fairies in the ballet, but only one helps the curse be broken, the Lilac Fairy, and Maleficent is sometimes known as Carabosse[7].

In terms of changes being made to the story, there were multiple different approaches and scenes that were cut from Sleeping Beauty during production. One of these was an alternate opening, which would have had similar dialogue to the final film and still have a storybook opening, but the song was different, a song called “Holiday Song”, which sounded more like a traditional Disney film song. It followed all the regular townspeople attending the christening, as we are told in the final film all of high or low estate were invited. The final film doesn’t really show that, with everyone attending looking to be quite noble and majestic, but this type of song wouldn’t have fit with the artistic choice of the final film. Other songs of this type were also cut, such as “It Happens I Have A Picture”, where the two kings sang of their children’s virtues. This is where Hans Conried can be heard auditioning for King Stefan, along with Bill Thompson. This sounded similar to the final “Skumps” scene.

In the cottage when the fairies are making the birthday cake and dress with magic, words were written to match the “Magical Cleaning” instrumental that is played in the scene to create the song, “Riddle Diddle”. I hated it; it was strange and must have been meant to resemble a spell with the magic words, but it takes away from the instrumental which is one of my favourites. Another song that was close to its final version was “Go To Sleep”. It wasn’t as calming as the kept song “Sleeping Beauty” but the tune was relatively similar, just slightly louder.

Some other deleted scenes include one of Aurora dressing as her maid servant to attend a nearby fair, as she has been kept inside the palace walls all her life to keep her away from Maleficent. Maleficent’s bird, in this version a talking vulture, who reminded me of Iago from Aladdin (1992), is told to follow Aurora and lead her to Maleficent. Maleficent disguises herself as a gypsy woman and tells Aurora she’ll meet a “tall, dark stranger”. She offers to give Aurora a gift of a spinning wheel but before she can, a “tall, dark stranger” comes in and leads Aurora away. Maleficent’s vulture is told to tell Maleficent when she is alone again, but he gets distracted and misses her. Another scene is of Aurora being cursed. In this case, she sees an old woman on a spinning wheel in the tower, and is told to make a wish on this woman’s wishing wheel. Aurora makes a wish to see her true love again, touches the spindle, and is cursed. Maleficent’s original arrival into the christening was going to be slightly different but not overly. She would’ve been referred to as “Mistress Maleficent” and is announced into the room, instead of appearing in a rush of wind and storm[8].

Once the story was decided, the artistic look for Sleeping Beauty then had to be confirmed. Walt Disney specifically chose artist Eyvind Earle to complete the concept art and backgrounds for the movie, as he had a stylised look in mind for the film. Earle particularly favoured Gothic, pre-Renaissance and Medieval styles of art, which was perfect to achieve Walt’s plan of a “moving tapestry”. Earle even got ideas for the art from Persian tapestries, as well as using ideas from the book Très Riches Heures by Duc de Berry. Despite this older art style, Earle managed to make the style feel contemporary. Earle was a hard-working, but quiet, man at the Disney Studios, where he began working in 1951, starting as an assistant background artist on the short The Little House (1952). He then moved on to working on the films of the 1950s, like Peter Pan (1953) and Lady and the Tramp (1955). Earle has said that he either painted or at least touched every background in Sleeping Beauty, where he taught his assistants how to recreate his exact style, including landscaping, like bushes and trees, and his method of painting in layers[9].

This very detailed, sophisticated approach, though, caused some clashes of ideas between the animators and Eyvind Earle. Because of the stylisation of the backgrounds, the animators were concerned that they would overtake their character animations. It also became an annoyance to them that they had to make their design choices fit in with Earle’s overall artistic choice for the film. One example of this is that Merryweather’s scene where she is doing a balletic-type dance whilst cleaning, where she seems to be floating, was “spoilt” in the animator’s mind by her having to have a black bodice, as it “anchored her to the ground” and made the scene work less well than envisaged[10]. Clean-up and Ink and Paint had to be meticulous to deliver the artistic results that Earle and Walt Disney wanted. This was not necessarily a problem, however on this specific movie, these processes were taking so long that by 1957, people were being taken off jobs in other departments and put on Sleeping Beauty. Disney animator Floyd Norman was one of those people, with his department being assigned clean-up of the three good fairies. He also reiterated that there was annoyance at Earle for having some ornate and complex backgrounds, with fears of them upstaging the characters[11].

But this wasn’t the only area that contributed to budget and time issues. Another was “Sequence 8”, which is the scene of Aurora in the woods, where she dances with Prince Phillip right up to the song “Once Upon a Dream”. Eric Larson, who animated characters such as Figaro in Pinocchio (1940) and Peg in Lady and the Tramp (1955) directed this sequence. It was the first scene that was worked on for the movie, but it took ages to complete. The animators wanted to prove they could make this look amazing, however, due to the precise drawings, only eight drawings on average were completed in a day, meaning that they only had one second of footage after three days – and this is a long sequence.

To make matters worse, when Walt first saw the sequence he thought it was dull and asked that more forest animals be included to liven it up. It had already cost $10,000 to complete. Because of the loss of budget control, Larson was removed from directing the sequence, something that he was irritated by as he had not been told they were going over budget. Luckily, the sequence is one of the most important and most beautiful, so although it caused some troubles financially, now it shows the artists’ talent[12].

MUSIC

Walt also wanted Sleeping Beauty to stand out from his other movies not just artistically, but musically as well. Originally, they tried some normal Broadway-type songs, such as “Holiday Song” and “It Happens I Have A Picture”, as I’ve mentioned, but it was decided these didn’t fit in with the stylised beauty of the production. The only original song to stay in was “Once Upon a Dream”, which is actually from the “Garland Waltz” within Tchaikovsky’s ballet. It was written by Sammy Fain and Jack Lawrence. Fain contributed to the scores of Alice in Wonderland (1951) and Peter Pan (1953) for Disney, and Lawrence had written “Never Smile at a Crocodile” for Peter Pan. “Once Upon a Dream” is the iconic song of the whole movie, appearing in the scene where Phillip and Aurora dance in the forest, as well as in the final scene when Aurora and Phillip dance in the hall after Aurora’s awakening. I love it, it’s a beautiful, romantic song, and I don’t even mind when the whispery choir comes in to finish it after hearing Mary Costa and Bill Shirley begin in!

Apart from this song, many viewers have found the remaining songs to be “forgettable”. I find “Hail to the Princess Aurora”, the opening song of the kingdom arriving at the coronation, to be less enjoyable, but it does resemble royal occasion music, so it works in that respect. I like the calming music of “The Gifts of Beauty and Song”, when Flora and Fauna bestow the two gifts on baby Aurora, and I also like “Sleeping Beauty”, when the fairies are putting the kingdom to sleep after Aurora is cursed, for the same reason. But I will admit, they aren’t particularly memorable if you’ve only watched the film once or twice. “I Wonder”, sung beautifully by Mary Costa when Aurora is walking through the forest, is a nice operatic tune, typical of Disney princesses singing with birds. I like it, but it’s hard to sing along to! The other song is called “Skumps (Drinking Song)”, which is a silly song to match one of the few comic scenes in the movie. It is “sung” by King Stefan and King Hubert as they await Aurora’s return to her home and are celebrating, but end up arguing instead.

But the major highlight of Sleeping Beauty’s music is its score. George Bruns, who was an in-house composer for Disney and went on to score multiple Disney animated films such as The Sword in the Stone (1963) and The Jungle Book (1967), was selected to compose the score for Sleeping Beauty, using Tchaikovsky’s original ballet score as a basis. Bruns said that it would’ve been easier for him to have composed a new score for Sleeping Beauty instead of having to use Tchaikovsky’s score, however, he did say that he had a lot of choice of melodies and motifs. Bruns conducted the Berlin Symphony Orchestra to record the score, with recording taking place in Germany from September to November 1958. It used state-of-the-art six channel stereo equipment. The score ended up being nominated for an Academy Award[13], losing to Porgy and Bess (1959), which happened to be co-written by Ken Darby, who had worked for the Walt Disney Studios as a composer in the 1940s.

My favourite piece within the score is “Magical House Cleaning/Blue or Pink”, when the fairies are baking and sewing for Aurora’s birthday. It’s a lovely piece of music to accompany a fun scene; my sister and I used to watch that scene multiple times when we were younger. I also like “Awakening” as it’s a romantic tune for when Phillip kisses Aurora awake, and signifies hope returning to the kingdom after evil has been slayed, and “Battle with the Forces of Evil”, which plays during Phillip’s epic battle with Maleficent. But really, the whole score is nice, and for this reason a year or so ago, I decided to watch a version of the ballet The Sleeping Beauty on television and I loved it. It’s interesting to see where the pieces I know from the Disney score actually fit within the ballet. For example, when Aurora touches the spindle and falls asleep in the ballet, Disney uses this melody for the scene where the fairies go to their cottage to find Phillip before Maleficent. When Maleficent first appears at the christening of Aurora in the ballet, this music appears in the film as “Forbidden Mountain”, when the fairies go to Maleficent’s lair to rescue Phillip. Strangely enough, the music Disney used in their film for when Aurora is led by Maleficent to touch the spindle is the same music as the White Cat and Puss-in-Boots dance in the ballet; they are wedding guests of Princess Aurora and her Prince.

RECEPTION

Sleeping Beauty was released on 29^th January 1959 in Technirama 70. The movie was released alongside the roughly thirty-minute theatrical short Grand Canyon, which was a live-action documentary, showing imagery and photos of the Grand Canyon, set to Ferde Grofé’s “Grand Canyon Suite”. It ended up winning the Academy Award in 1959 for Best Short Subject.

Multiple Disney productions were released to promote Sleeping Beauty before its release, such as The Peter Tchaikovsky Story, which was an episode of the television series Walt Disney Presents, released in 1959. It begins with Walt discussing Sleeping Beauty and all its advancements in sound and format, mentioning Technirama 70. He says that Sleeping Beauty took six years and $6 million to make. Walt then mentions that the team were inspired by Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty ballet when making the film. The episode then goes into a live-action dramatised version of Tchaikovsky’s life, from childhood to him writing The Sleeping Beauty. This section would later be released as a standalone programme. After this, Walt shows the first images and clips of Sleeping Beauty, including the sequence of Aurora and Phillip in the forest[14]. Another promotional television programme, this time for Disneyland on ABC, was called Four Artists Paint One Tree, broadcast in 1958. It was about how artists have different ways of showing or drawing the same image, but it showed a few images from Sleeping Beauty, including designs of Aurora, and the backgrounds by Eyvind Earle[15].

Despite these promotional activities, the reviews for Sleeping Beauty were not great, though many critics did appreciate the artistic quality and the use of Tchaikovsky’s original ballet score in Disney’s own score. However, it was considered to be less heartfelt and touching than Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), with some even claiming that Sleeping Beauty and its characters were simply a carbon copy of all those in Snow White, which I feel is unfair. Some also found the lack of memorable songs disappointing.

The biggest issue was just how much Sleeping Beauty cost to make, as it did not recoup its costs in its initial run despite a relatively successful box-office result. This led to Walt Disney taking much less of an interest in his animated movies for a while, deciding instead to focus on other pursuits. However, Sleeping Beauty is now considered a financially successful movie for Disney, after numerous re-releases and home releases, becoming the second most successful film of 1959, with the top one being Ben-Hur (1959)[16].

LEGACY

Sleeping Beauty was a driving force behind the sudden obsession, as I’d call it, of Disney making live-action remakes of their animated films, as it led to the release of the 2014 movie, Maleficent, though this one is slightly different to some of the later remakes, as it tells the story of Sleeping Beauty from Maleficent’s point of view, with her being given a backstory around being betrayed by her love, Stefan. Angelina Jolie was chosen to portray the evil Maleficent. Though the film received mixed reviews, it did well financially, and led to a sequel, titled Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019). A third film is said to be in early development currently. I have not watched either, because I don’t want Maleficent to become weak in my eyes with a sad childhood love story.

Also in the movie world, Maleficent’s daughter, Mal, is the main figure in the Disney Channel Original Film Series, Descendants (2015-present), which spanned a total of three films, three short films, an animated spin-off television series, multiple novels, and potentially two further spin-offs. Maleficent features in the first Descendants film, but is only mentioned in the remaining two, after Mal turns her mother from a dragon into a lizard, which she keeps as a pet. It’s a clever series, and one I don’t mind watching, because it feels completely separate from the Disney franchises as it is a fairly comedic take on the characters. Maleficent is portrayed by Kristin Chenoweth, known for originating the role of Glinda in the musical Wicked, amongst numerous other screen roles, with Mal being played by Dove Cameron, who starred in the Disney Channel television series Liv & Maddie (2013-17) and has recently had starring roles on stage as well as beginning a promising singing career.

Characters from Sleeping Beauty have also appeared in Disney video games, such as Kingdom Hearts (2002-present) and Disney Infinity (2014-2016). The three good fairies had a recurring role in the Disney Junior television series Sofia the First (2012-2018).

But the Disney Parks is where Sleeping Beauty has had more impact, with her castle being the symbol for both Disneyland and Disneyland Paris. Sleeping Beauty Castle was also the focal point for Hong Kong Disneyland, which looked similar to Disneyland’s one. It only lasted from 2005 until 1^st January 2018 when the castle was closed for a redesign for the park’s 15^th anniversary, reopening in November 2020 as Castle of Magical Dreams.

Herb Ryman was tasked with creating a visual concept of Disneyland in 1953, with Walt wanting a castle to be the symbol of the whole place. Ryman was inspired by Neuschwanstein castle in Germany; he could not have used the movie as inspiration as that would not be released for another six years. Walt wanted the castle to have a blue roof to make it look taller, as the castle is only 77 feet tall. This feature would be used on all other Disney castles, with every Disney Park getting a castle to be the visual beacon of the area[17].

Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland opened with the park on 17^th July 1955, and is one of the rare occasions when a Disney Park opened an attraction based on a film that had not yet been released. It wasn’t originally designed to be Sleeping Beauty’s castle, with it being referred to as “The Medieval Castle”, “Fantasyland Castle” and even “Robin Hood Castle”, to tie-in with the live-action Disney film, during early planning stages. Walt Disney referred to the castle on his television show in December 1954 as “Snow White’s Castle”.

But on opening day, it was named Sleeping Beauty Castle, with the space inside completely empty, with no plans to become an attraction. That didn’t stop some curious guests from managing to get inside the castle through an unlocked door on opening day and sitting on the balcony though! It soon became clear that guests wanted to go inside the castle so Walt Disney asked Ken Anderson to come with him inside the castle to see what they could do with the space. They were not aware that the castle was full of about a hundred feral cats, who had left fleas everywhere! In the end, the cats were cleaned up and rehomed, despite “quicker options” being available to remove them. Disneyland’s castle became such an icon that the silhouette of it became the logo of many divisions of the Walt Disney Company, including its movie division.

The internal area was officially dedicated by actress and child star Shirley Temple as the Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough attraction on 29^th April 1957, complete with a 25-cent booklet available to purchase at the end of the experience to tell the story of the still-unreleased Sleeping Beauty film[18]. This walkthrough consisted of storybooks, telling the guests parts of the story, with dioramas representing some of the movie’s scenes, using special effects such as Pepper’s Ghost. The dioramas displayed were: spinning wheels being burnt; the fairies bestowing gifts on Aurora; Aurora being cursed; the kingdom being sent to sleep; and Aurora asleep. Then there was an interactive part where guests could peep through keyholes and see goons staring back at them. These were soon removed as they blocked traffic as guests waited to try them out, causing queuing on the stairways. Then there was a scene of Maleficent summoning her goons, which did not end up in the film, as well as a bottomless pit, and a scene of Maleficent celebrating her curse. The final scene of course shows the final kiss, but just as guests went to go down the stairs to leave the attraction, a silhouette of Maleficent would pop out from the shadows and laugh. This scared guests and stopped them moving, so this feature only lasted a month before being removed. Concept art from Eyvind Earle was used for this attraction to match the styling to the movie.

As the walkthrough was developed before the release of Sleeping Beauty in 1959, many guests starting questioning the dioramas as they did not follow the plot of the movie after its release. In 1977, the walkthrough was redesigned, with miniature sculptures being used, resembling the window displays on Main Street, U.S.A. It also followed the movie more closely. In October 2001, the walkthrough was closed, with some speculating that this was due to safety concerns after the September 11^th attacks. This was apparently not the case but actually due to much needed maintenance on the castle and the declining popularity of the attraction[19]. Finally, in November 2008, the walkthrough was reopened after a further redesign, with this version looking back at the designs of the original walkthrough from 1957 for style inspiration. The storybooks and diorama scenes are still included but follow the film closely, unlike 1957’s version. They also are enhanced with special-effects.

At Disneyland Paris, the opening of that park showed their icon, Sleeping Beauty Castle, or in French, Le Château de la Bella au Bois Dormant. It is the most fantastical in appearance, but is the most similar to the castle that appears in the movie, even having square topiary trees around it, matching the artistic style of Eyvind Earle in the film. The Imagineers were also influenced by Mont St. Michel in France. The castle is 148 feet tall[20]. This is supposedly a favoured Disney Park castle by many. I disagree as I feel it looks a bit tacky, with the pink paint and gold trim being a bit garish, but I agree that it is better than Disneyland’s tiny castle, but not as good as Cinderella Castle.

The castle also features a walkthrough attraction titled La Galerie de la Belle au Bois Dormant, or Sleeping Beauty Gallery, which details the movie’s story through huge ornate tapestries and stained-glass windows. It was beautiful inside that gallery, and I really enjoyed seeing it when I last went to Disneyland Paris. Maleficent in her dragon form can also be found as an audio-animatronic being moody and blowing smoke at you in La Tanière du Dragon, or The Lair of the Dragon. This is located beneath the castle in the “dungeons”. Both these attractions opened with the park and castle on 12^th April 1992.

On the Disney Cruise Line, specifically on the Disney Dream, their restaurant Royal Palace is themed to some of Disney’s classic Princess films, including Sleeping Beauty. This theming is achieved through portraits of princesses, like Aurora, on the walls, and other elements unique to the movies.

Princess Aurora can be found as a meet-and-greet character in multiple locations in the Disney Parks. At Walt Disney World, for example, she can sometimes be found at Princess Fairytale Hall and the character dining experience, Cinderella’s Royal Table, in Magic Kingdom, and at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall character dining meal in Epcot, as well as at a dedicated meet-and-greet in the France pavilion of World Showcase. An interesting fact about Cinderella’s Royal Table is that the restaurant was originally named King Stefan’s Banquet Hall, from its opening in 1971 to 1997, despite Walt Disney World’s iconic castle being named after Cinderella and not Aurora. It was a confusion that bothered guests so much that it led to the name being changed, only 26 years later!

At Disneyland Paris, Aurora may be available for photos at the Princess Pavilion. At Disneyland, she may be seen at Royal Hall in Fantasy Faire in Fantasyland. At Shanghai Disneyland, Aurora may be found at Storybook Court, within the castle grounds or at Royal Banquet Hall, the castle’s dining area. There is a restaurant called Aurora at the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel. It is a fine dining restaurant with views of Shanghai’s impressive Enchanted Storybook Castle. At Hong Kong Disneyland, Aurora may be one of the characters around at Royal Banquet Hall, the castle restaurant, or in and around the castle. At Tokyo Disneyland, Princess Aurora is likely to be around the castle at some point.

Prince Phillip and Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather are most likely to only be available for meet-and-greets at certain special events, however, they do all feature in Walt Disney World’s Festival of Fantasy parade in Magic Kingdom, along with Dragon Maleficent. This specially designed float actually caught fire back in 2018, and was out of action for a while, before returning in 2019. Maleficent can also be found in her dragon form at Fantasmic! in Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World, where she appears in more of a puppet-form. At Disneyland, there used to be a very impressive animatronic Maleficent dragon which debuted around 2009 in the show. Unfortunately, in April 2023, the Maleficent dragon caught on fire, destroying it entirely. Fantasmic! at Disneyland was suspended until May 2024, where it returned without a replacement dragon – for now. Maleficent in human form is likely to be available for meet-and-greets around Halloween, but may also appear at Special Events, or even randomly at certain parks.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Sleeping Beauty may have had a difficult history, but it deserves to be remembered for its romance, charming characters, enchanting score, and brilliant Disney story-telling. Its characters are frequently featured in Disney Parks and in other Disney media products. Their popularity has lasted a long time, and it remains one of the most popular franchises, with Princess Aurora being one of the signature Disney Princesses.

So, stop reading so much into Sleeping Beauty, and all this talk of Aurora being “passive”, and enjoy the film for what it is: an artistic masterpiece from Disney Animation that has not been equalled since.

REFERENCES

[1] Credit: Jim Fanning, ’11 Royal Facts You Might Not Know About Sleeping Beauty’, D23.com, 24^th January 2019.

[2] Credit: Jim Fanning, The Disney Book: A Celebration of the World of Disney (2016), ‘The Secret Princess’, p. 57.

[3] Credit: Disney, Once Upon A Dream: The Making of Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty (1997).

[4] Credit: Anna Tims, ‘How we made Sleeping Beauty’, The Guardian (online), 17^th June 2014.

[5] Credit: Disney, “Picture Perfect: The Making of Sleeping Beauty”, from Sleeping Beauty (1959) 50^th Anniversary Platinum Edition 2-Disc DVD (2008).

[6] Credit: Disney, “Picture Perfect: The Making of Sleeping Beauty”, from Sleeping Beauty (1959) 50^th Anniversary Platinum Edition 2-Disc DVD (2008).

[7] Credit: Alex Reif, ‘From the Vault: The History of “Sleeping Beauty”, LaughingPlace.com, 6^th October 2014.

[8] Credit: Disney, “Alternate Opening” “Deleted Songs” “Deleted Scenes”, from Sleeping Beauty (1959) 50^th Anniversary Platinum Edition 2-Disc DVD (2008).

[9] Credit: “Eyvind Earle: The Man and His Art” from Sleeping Beauty (1959) 50^th Anniversary Platinum Edition 2-Disc DVD (2008).

[10] Credit: Disney, “Picture Perfect: The Making of Sleeping Beauty”, from Sleeping Beauty (1959) 50^th Anniversary Platinum Edition 2-Disc DVD (2008).

[11] Credit: Anna Tims, ‘How we made Sleeping Beauty’, The Guardian (online), 17^th June 2014.

[12] Credit: Disney, “Sequence 8 from Sleeping Beauty (1959) 50^th Anniversary Platinum Edition 2-Disc DVD (2008).

[13] Credit: Jim Fanning, ’11 Royal Facts You Might Not Know About Sleeping Beauty’, D23.com, 24^th January 2019.

[14] Credit: Disney, “The Peter Tchaikovsky Story” from Sleeping Beauty (1959) 50^th Anniversary Platinum Edition 2-Disc DVD (2008).

[15] Credit: Disney, “Four Artists Paint One Tree” from Sleeping Beauty (1959) 50^th Anniversary Platinum Edition 2-Disc DVD (2008).

[16] Credit: Disney, “Picture Perfect: The Making of Sleeping Beauty”, from Sleeping Beauty (1959) 50^th Anniversary Platinum Edition 2-Disc DVD (2008).

[17] Credit: Sophie Jo, ‘Once Upon a Dream: The History of Sleeping Beauty Castle’, The Walt Disney Family Museum Blog, 19^th December 2018.

[18] Credit: Wade Sampson, ‘A Walk Inside Sleeping Beauty Castle’, MousePlanet.com, 23^rd July 2008.

[19] Credit: Disney, “Original Disneyland Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough Attraction”, from Sleeping Beauty (1959) 50^th Anniversary Platinum Edition 2-Disc DVD (2008).

[20] Credit: Jim Fanning, The Disney Book: A Celebration of the World of Disney (2016), ‘Castle of Dreams’, p.180.

11th Aug 20231st Oct 2025 by The Disney Purist

#8 Make Mine Music (1946)

BACKGROUND

Make Mine Music was the first Disney animated feature to be released after World War II.

The war and the 1941 animators’ strike had caused numerous problems for Walt Disney and the Disney Studios, however, even after the war ended, the Disney Studios still struggled financially, and with European markets closed off to them as a direct result of wartime relations, a new direction was needed to get the Disney Studios back up and running, therefore, it was decided that a “package feature” was their best option.

Disney had released a few “package features” previously, with the formula of Fantasia (1940) being used, although not in quite the same way. The Disney “package features” that followed Fantasia, beginning with Saludos Amigos (1942), were cheaper to make than Fantasia, and more of a “needs-must”. Fantasia was developed as an experiment into how far animation could go. It was devised as a proper concert, something that would be an event, an occasion, more sophisticated than just going to see a movie. The “package features” that followed were not that.

A “package feature” is basically multiple segments of varying length, with a vague connection, being bundled together to make a full-length feature. Make Mine Music was the third of these to be released after Fantasia, and comprises ten separate sequences.

These ten sections are:

“The Martins and the Coys”
“Blue Bayou”
“All the Cats Join In”
“Without You”
“Casey at the Bat”
“Two Silhouettes”
“Peter and the Wolf”
“After You’ve Gone”
“Johnnie Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet”
“The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met”

I wouldn’t be surprised if you have not heard of Make Mine Music as it’s not particularly celebrated. It’s one of those animated features that has been mostly forgotten, at least in its entirety; some of these shorts were released separately or shown on television, so it is possible that Disney fans may be familiar with some of the movie, if not all of it.

I’d only watched it once before this week, a few years back when I was on a quest to watch all the Disney Animated Classics. I didn’t like it much then, and watching it again this week, I had similar feelings; it wasn’t very entertaining for me, though I did like some of the shorts, but others were just boring. The film is only 75 minutes long, but at times it felt longer, almost like it would never end!

STORY #1: THE MARTINS AND THE COYS

Make Mine Music begins with the standard Opening Credits, which uses the outside of a concert hall at night as the location, with the written credits appearing on posters. It then shows a theatre programme, calling the film “A Musical Fantasy”. This programme is used to introduce the upcoming ten shorts, detailing the style or genre, its musical accompaniment, and the title. The opening song, “Make Mine Music” was written by Ken Darby, who went on to collaborate on the music, alongside Alfred Newman, for films such as South Pacific (1958), The King and I (1956), and Camelot (1967), and Eliot Daniel, who wrote the theme from I Love Lucy (1951-1957). This song was performed by the Disney Studio Chorus.

First up is “The Martins and the Coys”, though I keep wanting to say “The Martins and the McCoys” for some reason. Maybe because the whole story idea was based on The Hatfield-McCoy feud; two warring families, one from West Virginia, the other Kentucky, which went on from 1863 to 1891, because of events during the American Civil War. “The Martins and the Coys” is described as a “rustic ballad”, and it does follow two feuding families, who live in the mountains, with them living directly opposite each other, with only a small valley and stream separating the two sides. Basically, the two sides shoot at each other for days, killing all but one family member each. They then go up and sit on the clouds as ghosts and watch over the remaining relatives. Weird.

The last two family members, Grace Martin and Henry Coy, set out to destroy each other, but end up falling in love, thus ending the feud and angering their ancestors. However, the married couple keep on fighting, as couples do, so the feud is not actually over! The narrative song is performed by The King’s Men group and was written by Al Cameron and Ted Weems. This isn’t my favourite of the shorts, and the only thing I came out of it thinking was that Grace Martin looked a lot like Katrina Van Tassel in the Sleepy Hollow section of The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)! It had a country-feel to it, in terms of both the animation and the music, so I guess it was a success in creating the right mood.

STORY #2: BLUE BAYOU

Next is “Blue Bayou”. It follows two egrets flying through the Everglades with the moonlight shining on them. It’s quite a basic idea, though the animation is quite magical, and the music is gentle and calming. It’s a bit of a contrast to “The Martins and the Coys”. The song was written by Bobby Worth and Ray Gilbert, who had both worked with Disney before. Worth contributed songs to Fun and Fancy Free (1947) and Melody Time (1948), the two subsequent “package features”, and Gilbert wrote the lyrics to the Oscar-winning song “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” from Disney’s “banned” film Song of the South (1946). The song was performed by The Ken Darby Singers, Ken Darby’s choral group. I quite like this segment, though it probably helped that it was one of the shorter ones in the film! The animated sequence was originally intended to accompany Debussy’s Clair de Lune in Fantasia; I would’ve liked to have seen that version[1].

STORY #3: ALL THE CATS JOIN IN

Following that is the “jazz interlude”, as it is introduced, called “All the Cats Join In”. The story is simple, a group of young boys and girls head over to the local malt shop to dance, eat ice cream, and drink soda. Much of the animation for this short is “hand-drawn” by an animated pencil in front of your eyes, which is quite an interesting look for the segment. The musical accompaniment was written by Alec Wilder, who had written songs for artists such as Frank Sinatra and Peggy Lee, and Ray Gilbert. It was performed by Benny Goodman and his orchestra. Benny Goodman was a popular bandleader during the 1930s and 40s, with him even being known as the “King of Swing”. The singers are The Pied Pipers, a singing group formed in the 1930s. Again, I like this sequence. The music is catchy and the animation is clever. The only strange part for me was when the girl at the start of the piece is getting ready to go out, showering and dressing, with Disney actually animating her stepping out of the shower and into her underwear; it was surprisingly risqué for a Disney movie!

STORY #4: WITHOUT YOU

Then, there is “Without You”, described in the “programme” as “a ballad in blue”. It certainly is that, with the song recounting a tale of lost love. The animation is more abstract, so if it weren’t for the song, it would just be a story about being depressed! It begins looking through a window on a rainy day, before looking at the night sky, some park landscapes, and then back into the room. It’s a bit strange and definitely melancholy, with the first part of the short mostly using colours like blue and grey, before moving into light pink and purple, which suggested the sun coming up and a new day starting, but I don’t really know to be honest. It wasn’t easy to follow, and I didn’t like the animation, though I liked the song, even though it is sad. The song was written by Ray Gilbert, and performed by Andy Russell, known for being one of the most popular “crooners” at the time in the US. He was bilingual, so performed songs in both Spanish and English, having hits with “Bésame Mucho” and “What a Diff’rence a Day Made”.

STORY #5: CASEY AT THE BAT

“Casey at the Bat” is the fifth short in the film, with it being a musical recitation of the 1888 Ernest Thayer poem of the same name. Casey is a popular baseball player who believes his own publicity. So much so, that when it comes down to him being the final batter, and needing to win the game for his team, he arrogantly ignores the first two pitches, thinking he’ll easily get a good swing on the third and final pitch, but instead, he strikes out and angers the crowd, losing the game for his team and town. Entertainer Jerry Colonna provides the narration for the short. Colonna’s voice will sound familiar to Disney fans as he would go on to voice the March Hare in Disney’s Alice in Wonderland (1951).

STORY #6: TWO SILHOUETTES

Next is “Two Silhouettes”, which is literally two silhouettes of ballet dancers. Two little cupids join in with the dance at times, such as lifting the prima ballerina up onto the “clouds” to dance a solo. David Lichine and Tatiana Riabouchinska are the two ballet dancers featured in the short. They had previously served as the dance models for Ben Ali Gator and Hyacinth Hippo in the “Dance of the Hours” sequence for Disney’s Fantasia (1940). Their dance was rotoscoped, meaning that their live-action movements were traced over frame-by-frame to turn them into animation. The song was written by Charles Wolcott, who wrote music for many Disney shorts and films, such as Saludos Amigos (1942) and The Three Caballeros (1944), and performed by Dinah Shore, a popular singer of the “Big Band” era. I personally didn’t like this short much at all, even though I like ballet, because I felt like the dance was basic and not very entertaining. I didn’t like the song either, but at least it was short.

STORY #7: PETER AND THE WOLF

Then, there is an animated sequence of “Peter and the Wolf”, using Prokofiev’s musical composition of 1936. It is narrated by Sterling Holloway, Disney’s original voice of Winnie the Pooh, who begins by explaining that each character we will see in the short is represented by a different instrument, i.e., Peter by strings; the cat, Ivan, by clarinet; the bird, Sascha, by flute; the duck, Sonia, by oboe; and the Wolf by horns and cymbals. The story states that Peter wanted to go into the woods to capture the wolf that terrorises their town. His grandfather tells him to stay inside, but he disobeys, armed with only a toy gun. The animals, Sonia, Ivan, and Sascha, come to help Peter. They find the wolf, only for Peter to realise that his gun won’t do anything to it. Sonia is presumed killed in the chaos as they all try to run up a tree to protect themselves from the wolf.

Sascha tries to distract the wolf but almost gets eaten itself. Somehow, Peter and Ivan manage to ensnare the wolf’s tail in a rope and hoists it up into the tree to tie it to the branch. The town hunters come by shortly after to capture the wolf, but seeing that Peter has already managed to do this, they bring the wolf back to town and celebrate Peter’s heroism. A surprise ending also shows that Sonia is in fact alive and was not killed by the wolf after all. This short is perhaps the most well-known of the ten that feature in Make Mine Music, and for many a highlight of the film, but I didn’t enjoy it so much. It felt the most like traditional Disney storytelling, but the animation wasn’t for me, though I liked the music.

STORY #8: AFTER YOU’VE GONE

Next, there is another strange animated sequence, this time featuring anthropomorphised musical instruments, like a clarinet, double bass, and piano, each meant to represent one of the Goodman Quartet and Benny Goodman himself, who perform the music. The instruments are running around on different abstract shapes and landscapes; at one point, the clarinet and double bass seem to be about to wrestle or box. I don’t know; it was odd and I didn’t like it! But again, it was short, less than three minutes long, so it wasn’t difficult to sit through! The jazz music was quite nice, and is an upbeat version of the 1918 song “After You’ve Gone”, written by Turner Layton and Henry Creamer.

STORY #9: JOHNNIE FEDORA AND ALICE BLUEBONNET

Second to last is “Johnnie Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet”. It is a tale of two hats who fall in love whilst sitting in a window of a department store. However, one day, Alice Bluebonnet is bought, and later so is Johnnie Fedora. This sequence follows Johnnie as he spends his life trying to find Alice again. At one point, he sees her in the city, but as he tries to follow her, he becomes battered and lost on the streets. When all looks lost, and it seems that Johnnie is about to be washed down into a sewer, he is rescued, with two holes being cut into him, so that he can fit on this man’s horse. It would seem bad, however, sitting on the top of the next horse is Alice; the two are finally reunited. The musical narration is provided by The Andrews Sisters, a close harmony singing group, who had hits with songs such as “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” in 1941. The song was written by Ray Gilbert and Allie Wrubel. Wrubel collaborated with Ray Gilbert on the song, “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah”. Some reviews said that they found this short silly, but I liked it and thought it was sweet.

STORY #10: THE WHALE WHO WANTED TO SING AT THE MET

Finally, the grand finale, “The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met”, an “opera pathetique”. The story goes that a whale has been spotted singing in the ocean. Many experts try to disprove the phenomenon, or figure out how it may be possible. One man, Tetti-Tatti, believes that the whale must have swallowed an opera singer and sets out to “rescue” him. The whale, named Willie, who really can sing and is desperate to be discovered, swims right up to Tetti-Tatti, who tries to shoot him with a harpoon, believing that due to Willie’s impressive range of voices he must have swallowed three singers. It seems that Tetti-Tatti has realised that he is just an impressive whale, and takes him to the Met, where he performs opera in front of mesmerised crowds, who adore him.

However, this was all just a dream, and we return to the ocean where Tetti-Tatti succeeds in shooting poor Willie, who unsurprisingly dies from his wounds. The Narrator tries to encourage us by saying that Willie is now singing in Heaven, where one of the final shots shows a “Sold Out” sign on the Pearly Gates, proving that Willie did still get his dream. That does little to take away from the fact that that is quite a dark ending to a Disney movie, especially one that didn’t seem to be heading that way, with its unconnected, mostly harmless short cartoons! It was quite a good story up until that point, but I guess having a whale sing at the Met would’ve come with numerous challenges, so we actually ended up with the most realistic ending for a change.

Anyway, all the voices, including the singing, in this short are provided by Nelson Eddy, who had performed in numerous operas, including those by Gilbert and Sullivan with the Savoy Company in the 1920s. He then appeared in movies, including eight starring alongside soprano singer Jeanette MacDonald, in the 1930s and 1940s. To perform as Willie the Whale and sing all the parts, including tenor and bass, as he was predominately a baritone, Eddy used home recording equipment to manipulate his voice to fit all the necessary registers. The short contains excerpts of multiple opera pieces, including “Largo al factotum” from The Barber of Seville. Walt Disney told reporters that the Disney Studios could not obtain the rights to use music from the opera I Pagliacci, leaving Eddy to write a “phony one himself, complete with sobs”[2].

PRODUCTION

After World War II, the Disney Studios did not bounce back instantly, unsurprisingly. Many staff members had been called up to the army to fight, the US had to recover from the impact of it, and foreign markets were still closed to Disney, with some European countries taking years to pick themselves up after the hardships of war. It was decided, because of this, that a new animated movie had to be quick and cheap to make, compared to Disney’s pre-war full-length features. A “package feature”, also called anthology features, omnibus features, or compilation features, was deemed the best medium for Disney to go with.

The idea for Make Mine Music was essentially based on Fantasia, i.e., non-related animated sequences being set to music, with a loose narrative connecting them together. They had been working on the ideas for animations based on Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf”, as well as the story of “The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met”, but alone, they would not make a full feature, which is why other sequences were developed and assembled together to create Make Mine Music.

Walt Disney was still sensitive about some of the criticism he’d received after the release of Fantasia, namely that the use of classical music had been too “high-brow” for many audiences, and had therefore not worked for everyone. Based on this feedback, Walt Disney decided that for Make Mine Music they should use popular tunes instead, using well-known acts for the time to perform the songs, such as Benny Goodman, Dinah Shore, Nelson Eddy and the Andrews Sisters[3].

RECEPTION

Make Mine Music was released to theatres in the United States in August 1946. It received mixed reviews at best. Bosley Crowther of The New York Times wrote in a review at the time that the movie contained a mixture of “delightful” subjects, with others being “ponderous and dull”. Reading his review, it seems like Crowther liked around half of the sequences, with “After You’ve Gone”, “All the Cats Join In”, “Casey at the Bat” and “The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met” being his preferred ones. Benny Goodman and his orchestra’s performances in “After You’ve Gone” and “All the Cats Join In” were the biggest highlight for Crowther. The other shorts were deemed to be confused and silly at times[4].

His review echoed the thoughts of many viewers back then, and his words still ring true today. It is near impossible for a movie containing so much diverse material and varying musical styles to have universal appeal; there will always be some who like certain aspects, and others who like a different one. As an example, my favourite short was actually “Johnnie Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet”, which many thought was silly, but I suppose I liked it for its musical theatre style of music and its romantic storyline, though I am aware it is about two hats falling in love, which is a bit odd! I did also like “Casey at the Bat” and “All the Cats Join In”, as many others did, however, I personally did not like the animation style in “Peter and the Wolf”, although appreciated the use of Prokofiev’s music, or “The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met”, which I just found weird and not amusing at all. But the good thing about a movie like this is that there is something for everyone – providing they have the willpower to sit through the whole movie to find it.

Make Mine Music was later entered into the 1946 Cannes Film Festival, which ran from 20^th September to 5^th October 1946, where it won the award for Best Animation Design. This was the first Cannes Film Festival to take place, though it could be considered a relaunch after the first attempt to put on the Festival in 1939 was halted because of the imminent outbreak of World War II, when German troops invaded Poland on 1^st September, the official start date of the event.

However, Make Mine Music’s triumph at the Cannes Film Festival did nothing to help the Disney Studios financially, and further releases of two more “package features” in the coming years, did nothing to help Walt Disney’s reputation, where he was thought to have lost his vision and direction, even being called “a hack filmmaker”. Luckily, the release of Cinderella (1950), a return to the magic of Disney animation and storytelling, would recover his reputation and the financial stability of the Disney Studios, with the movie becoming their biggest money-maker since before the war[5].

Many of the sequences from Make Mine Music were released separately on other Disney compilation and anthology releases, such as “Peter and the Wolf” and “The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met” featuring on the Walt Disney Mini Classic series and Favorite Stories Collection. The actual film was released on VHS and DVD in 2000 in the United States, however, the full sequence of “The Martins and the Coys” was removed from the movie, for scenes of “comic gunplay”, along with “sexual imagery” from “All the Cats Join In”, which I can only assume is the scene of the girl getting dressed. The movie was released on Blu-Ray in 2021, but it was still the 2000 censored version of the film, disappointing some.

Luckily for me, I’m British and live in the UK so I have a copy of Make Mine Music on DVD from 2006, and it is the full version, not the same censored version that was released in the US six years earlier. I distinctly remember where I bought the DVD as well, from an HMV in Milton Keynes, in 2015 or 2016. I’d been trying to watch all the Disney Animated Classics, and though I had the help of the streaming app Disney Life, basically the UK, and maybe other parts of Europe, version of Disney+ before that appeared, it must not have featured any of the six “package features” of the 1940s because I purchased all of them at that time.

But it’s a good thing I did, because Make Mine Music is actually the only feature within the official Disney Animated Classics list that is still not on Disney+. In 2021, Make Mine Music’s 75^th anniversary, a few people commented on this omission, trying to figure out why it is not there, and asking Disney to put it on the service. It is still not on the UK version of Disney+, as of the time of writing, so I can only assume it is not on the US Disney+ either.

Some thought it could have been due to offensive content within the movie. After all, “The Martins and the Coys” and parts of “All the Cats Join In” were removed from the US version of the film as far back as 2000. It could have suffered the same fate as Song of the South (1946) and been hidden away for all eternity, though Song of the South has never been re-released in any format, not even on home video, whereas Make Mine Music has[6]. Perhaps it’s a rights issue, maybe around some of the opera music in “The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met”, as Walt Disney stated around the time of Make Mine Music’s release that they had not been granted the rights to use music from the opera I Pagliacci.

Basically, no-one knows, and this not knowing and wondering if or when it will come to Disney+ has apparently driven people crazy, or it had done in 2021; maybe they’ve all forgotten about it now! Even if it was on Disney+, these few people waiting for it might watch it once, realise it’s not as great as they thought, and never watch it again. It’s the rarity that’s making it so interesting – and I can say all this with a big smile on face, knowing that my copy of Make Mine Music is sat neatly and comfortably in my alphabetised DVD cupboard. And people think I’m weird for still having DVDs – well, who’s laughing now?

LEGACY

Due to the style of movie that Make Mine Music is, it did not receive a sequel and it is highly unlikely that it will ever receive the “live-action” treatment from Disney. However, the short, “Casey at the Bat”, did get a sequel, another animated short entitled “Casey Bats Again” which premiered in June 1954. Here, shortly after Casey’s infamous strikeout, Casey finds that his wife is pregnant, and is excited to have a boy to teach how to play baseball. But, despite having a total of nine children, all of them end up being girls. Casey is dismayed. His friends tell him that his girls are just as good at baseball as he is, and so, Casey starts up a women’s baseball team, called “The Caseyettes”. Casey is concerned about his daughters losing a big game, so during the game, he goes in to bat, disguised as a girl, obviously, replacing his eldest daughter. As Casey is about to strike out again, his daughter comes up behind him and hits a home run, winning the game for everyone.

Make Mine Music’s short sequences were released separately and shown elsewhere after the movie’s initial release, with the only other movie that Make Mine Music helped create being the last “package feature” to be released during Walt’s lifetime: Music Land (1955). It was never released on home video, and only played in 1955, and once more at the 1970 Tribute to Walt Disney retrospective at the National Film Theater.

Music Land (1955) is not the animated short of the same name, released in 1935 as part of the Silly Symphonies catalogue, but a film that took four segments from Make Mine Music and five from Melody Time, thrown together and released on 5^th October 1955. It was only made to satisfy Disney’s contract with RKO, who needed one more release under that contract before Disney could use their own distribution company, Buena Vista Distribution. From Make Mine Music, Music Land used the shorts: “All the Cats Join In”, “After You’ve Gone”, “Johnnie Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet” and “Casey at the Bat”[7].

Surprisingly, some of the Disney theme parks actually do feature references to some of the sections of Make Mine Music, with the biggest one being the quick-service baseball-themed restaurant, Casey’s Corner.

When Disneyland Paris opened in 1992, the location at the end of Main Street, which at Disneyland and Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom at the time was a Coca-Cola-sponsored location called Refreshment Corner, was instead named Casey’s Corner, and themed to both the 1888 poem “Casey at the Bat” by Ernest Thayer and the Disney short cartoon of the same name that features in Make Mine Music.

When Magic Kingdom’s northwest side of Main Street was renovated, Casey’s Corner was then brought to Walt Disney World, with the food location opening on 27^th May 1995. It is heavily baseball-themed, with signage shaped like baseballs, Cast Members wearing vintage baseball player costumers and umpire-style aprons, vintage baseball memorabilia throughout the area, as well as two fibreglass statues of baseball players outside the restaurant. Disneyland Paris’ Casey’s Corner has these same pieces of theming.

At Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, it used to have bleachers to sit on, with a screen running sports-themed Disney cartoons on a loop in front of the seating location. I remember it was always busy to sit inside there – it still is – but I think I managed to get a seat in their once or twice. In 2014, this area was removed and replaced with more traditional seating, with the outdoor seating being doubled. Casey’s Corner at both Disney Parks feature red and white chairs and table umbrellas, as well as vintage Coca-Cola light fixtures, to signify the locations’ Coca-Cola sponsorships[8].

Casey’s Corner serves traditional hot dogs and fries, with the Magic Kingdom spot also serving fan-favourite corn dog nuggets, amongst other typical baseball game-themed fare. They also have more premium hot dogs nowadays, with a Chipotle Barbecue and Chicago-style hot dogs being on the menu currently. Casey’s Corner in Paris has less options, but does sell ice-creams. I have been to both; Casey’s Corner at Walt Disney World has much nicer hot dogs, but then it is in America and not France.

An added bonus to Walt Disney World’s Casey’s Corner is that a pianist is scheduled to perform just outside the restaurant daily, at various times throughout the day, playing a mixture of ragtime tunes, Disney classics, and may even take requests. Disneyland Paris used to have a pianist in this location, however, I cannot confirm if they still have one there.

A poster of Willie the Whale, singing in the opera I Pagliacci, can be seen in the queue area of Mickey’s PhilarMagic at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland, and at Disneyland California Adventure. It would seem that Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland, although having a version of Mickey’s PhilarMagic at their parks, do not seem to have this poster in their queue.

Also at Disneyland Paris, on the Storybook Land Canal Boats attraction, previously, guests could see a miniature scene of “Peter and the Wolf”, along with an excerpt of Prokofiev’s music, during this ride. However, in October 2023, it was announced that two new areas would be coming to this attraction in 2024, known as Le Pays des Contes de Fées in French. These are one for Frozen, and another for Winnie-the-Pooh. It would seem that the Frozen scene has been the one to replace the “Peter and the Wolf” scene.

Finally, a very brief scene, literally a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, from “After You’ve Gone”, with the anthropomorphised clarinet, can be seen during the Wonderful World of Animation nighttime show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort. It is almost at the very end of the show, within the compilation of scenes from various movies that follows the Encanto scene.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Make Mine Music is not terrible or unwatchable; it’s just a bit boring in places, although certain scenes are relatively enjoyable. It also served a purpose: to keep the Disney Studios afloat, so that they could make “better” animated movies when staff numbers were back to normal, and when foreign markets were able to show Disney movies again.

Without Make Mine Music, and the other “package” features, it was possible that the Disney Studios may have gone bankrupt, and then the world would have been without so many iconic and beloved classic animated movies.

So, let’s all give thanks to the lacklustre, but very necessary, Make Mine Music.

REFERENCES

[1] Credit: Jim Korkis, The Vault of Walt Vol. 5 (2016), ‘The Disney Package Features’, pp. 65-73.

[2] Credit: Jim Korkis, The Vault of Walt Vol. 5 (2016), ‘The Disney Package Features’, pp. 65-73.

[3] Credit: Jim Korkis, ‘Walt Talks About the Disney Package Features’, MousePlanet.com, 2^nd December 2015.

[4] Credit: Bosley Crowther, ‘THE SCREEN IN REVIEW: ‘Make Mine Music!’ Animated Cartoon by Walt Disney, in Which Casey Once More Swings Bat, Arrives at Globe’, The New York Times (online), 22^nd April 1946.

[5] Credit: Jim Korkis, The Vault of Walt Vol. 5 (2016), ‘The Disney Package Features’, pp. 65-73.

[6] Credit: Josh Spiegel, ‘’Make Mine Music’ Turns 75 Today, But It’s The Only Disney Animated Film Not Streaming On Disney+’, SlashFilm.com, 20^th April 2021.

[7] Credit: Jim Korkis, ‘Walt Talks About the Disney Package Features’, MousePlanet.com, 2^nd December 2015.

[8] Credit: Jim Korkis, ‘A Friday Visit with Jim Korkis: Casey’s Corner’, YourFirstVisit.net, date unknown.

4th Aug 202330th Sep 2025 by The Disney Purist

#44 Brother Bear (2003)

BACKGROUND

Brother Bear is another of Disney’s animated features that has been overlooked, underrated and/or forgotten.

The 2000s were not a great time for Disney animation; their famous, though costly, 2D, hand-drawn animation style was being overtaken by the new, modern computer-animated medium, with studios like DreamWorks and Pixar becoming more and more competitive, to the point that many of Disney’s animated releases of the 2000s, even now, pale in comparison to the releases of those other studios.

Brother Bear is considered by some Disney fans to be very underrated, but, like I said, due to that time frame, many people do not remember watching this film when it first came out, and therefore, do not feel the need to watch it now; it’s done, it’s gone, forget about it.

I did watch Brother Bear around the time it first came out. I can’t remember if my family watched at the cinema or not when it was first released, but I’m thinking we did. I didn’t like it when I first saw it. I was still in a phase of only liking the “princess fairytale films” at that time, and it just didn’t interest me. But at some point, probably about a decade later, I rewatched many Disney animated films that I previously hadn’t liked, and I was surprised to find that I did like Brother Bear quite a lot, particularly the music.

Another decade has since passed, and I like Brother Bear even more now. I love the story and find it to be very touching and emotional, with some parts reducing me to floods of tears! Many others would think it a good movie too, if they took the time to watch it, but more and more often, modern audiences would rather return to a Disney movie they are familiar with than go back to an older one and try to change their opinion of it.

Unfortunately, not only did Brother Bear not manage to capture the hearts of its viewers, but it also signalled the end of 2D animation, with this being the second to last one to be released – until a very brief revival between 2009 and 2011 – and the final Disney animated film to be made at the Disney Animation Feature Florida studio, which closed in 2004. Not exactly a legacy any movie wants to have.

PLOT

Brother Bear begins with an Inuit storyteller, translated by an invisible narrator, recounting the story of him and his two brothers, and how the everchanging lights in the sky are the spirits of their ancestors, who change and guide this world.

The movie then goes back to those three brothers: Kenai, the youngest, Denahi, the middle brother, and Sitka, the eldest. They all go to catch fish before Kenai’s big “coming-of-age” ceremony, where he will be given a totem by the shaman-woman, received from the Spirits. This totem will be shaped as an animal and provide whoever receives it with the core value that they should live their life by, and in doing so, they become an adult. Kenai, however, is so excited by his upcoming ceremony that instead of tying up the fish properly in a tree, to stop the bears eating it, he runs off, having tried and failed to tie the basket up.

At Kenai’s ceremony, he is bestowed with the Bear of Love totem, something that he doesn’t think is “manly enough” for him, even saying during the ceremony how he’d like to trade totems with someone else; sorry, Kenai, no trades allowed! Kenai is teased by Denahi about his totem, and on their arrival back at their camp, they realise that the fish have been eaten, and even their basket has been dragged off by a bear. Denahi blames Kenai for being stupid and not tying the fish up properly, saying it took him days to make that basket, so Kenai angrily grabs a spear and hunts for the bear to get Denahi’s basket back. The two brothers shortly go after him, to make sure he is safe. It’s a good thing they do, as Kenai finds the bear but is soon attacked by it, with Denahi and Sitka having to come to his rescue, though all of them are overwhelmed by the strength of the bear. Denahi and Kenai at one point become trapped in ice, with the bear heading straight for them. Sitka plunges a spear into the ice on the edge of the mountain, causing him and the bear to fall straight down to the river below. The bear survives, as do Kenai and Denahi, however, Sitka never resurfaces, having sacrificed himself to save his two younger brothers. Sitka is laid to rest, but Kenai decides that him and Denahi must kill the bear who caused Sitka’s death. Denahi doesn’t want to, telling Kenai he “doesn’t blame the bear”. Kenai angrily goes on alone, having also thrown his “stupid totem” away, which is picked up sadly by Tanana, the shaman-woman of the tribe. Denahi decides to follow him, to stop Kenai from making a big mistake.

Kenai tracks the bear to the top of a mountain where a fight ensues. As the bear lunges at Kenai, he stabs the bear with his spear. Denahi is lower down the mountain and only hears a bear roar, and a scream from Kenai, but rushes up to the top to see what has happened. At this point, a large beam of light appears before Kenai – it is the Great Spirits. Sitka appears, morphing from his spirit animal of an eagle into his human form, to show Kenai how disappointed he is by his choice to kill the bear. The Spirits transform Kenai into a bear, so he can learn from his error of judgement. Confused and dazed after his encounter, Kenai sees Denahi coming towards him, but thinks he’s still human, so it’s a shock to see Denahi go to attack him. Denahi thinks Kenai has been killed by the same bear that killed Sitka, not having seen his “transformation” into a bear. Kenai stumbles off the mountaintop, into the river below, and washes up on shore.

The next morning, he is visited by Tanana. Kenai is confused about what happened yesterday, but sees his reflection in the stream and finally realises that he is a bear. Naturally, he freaks out, and has to be calmed by Tanana, who tells him that Sitka must have done this for a reason, and that if he wants to be changed back, Kenai will have to go to the point where “the lights touch the earth” to discuss with Sitka. Tanana then leaves and Kenai is alone, with his thoughts – and the sounds of animals talking, which, obviously, he has not experienced before. He comes across two moose, and tries to explain that he is not a bear. The moose, Rutt and Tuke, think he’s crazy and run away from him. Then, Kenai gets himself caught in a bear trap, which is when he meets young cub, Koda, who tries to help him, but Kenai doesn’t want help. When Kenai’s plan to get down fails, Koda makes a deal with him – if he can get Kenai down from the trap, then he will take Koda to the salmon run. Kenai reluctantly agrees, not expecting Koda to be able to do it, but by simply pushing over the post in the ground, Kenai is released. Koda then sees a hunter – Denahi – and tells Kenai to run. They hide in an ice cave and wait for Denahi to leave. Kenai plans to go off on his own, breaking Koda’s deal, even though Koda tells him he has been separated from his mother. That is, until Koda tells him that the salmon run is right next to the point where “the lights touch the earth”. Kenai agrees to take Koda to the salmon run and they set off quickly.

Koda’s incessant talking irritates Kenai, but eventually, he starts to have a little bit of fun on their journey. They encounter the two moose brothers again, who tell them that their tracks will certainly lead the hunter to them all. But Kenai has an idea; they should all ride on woolly mammoths! One night, Koda tells Kenai all about the Spirits; it turns out humans and animals have both been told the same thing about them. Koda says that his grandparents are up there, and Kenai tells Koda that his brother, Sitka, is up there too. Koda looks up to the sky and thanks Sitka for Kenai, as Kenai said if Sitka wasn’t up there, he wouldn’t be here now; Koda always wanted a brother.

The next day, the two get off the mammoths to make the next turn to the salmon run, but Koda doesn’t exactly know which way to go, and the two argue. Koda walks off, and Kenai, feeling guilty, follows him to a cave, where they see paintings of man fighting bears. Koda tells Kenai that humans are scary, especially with those spears. Koda and Kenai set off again, with Koda recognising the area that they are in, which is handy, because the two rams they plan to ask for directions get distracted by their own echo while they’re talking to them… They just have to get over a lava pit and then they will be at the salmon run. Kenai gingerly starts to step across, with Koda way ahead, when they begin to be chased by Denahi again. Kenai sets off a geyser in Denahi’s face to distract and slow him down, so that the two bears can run ahead. They start to walk on a log, which Denahi tries to dislodge. Kenai throws Koda to safety before jumping across himself. The log falls, but the bears are safe, angering Denahi. He jumps across, hoping to make the great leap, but he doesn’t and falls to the river below, despite Kenai’s attempts to help him up to the ledge. Denahi lives though.

The two bears finally make it to the salmon run, but the number of bears there is overwhelming for Kenai. The other bears soon realise that Kenai doesn’t know how to do anything bears do, even catch fish, so they have to teach him. Koda finds that his mother is not yet there, but thinks she’ll turn up eventually. Kenai wants to leave to find the Spirits, but is convinced to stay. That evening it’s storytelling time, and this is where Koda gets to tell everyone the exciting story of how him and his mother where separated, as she protected him from hunters. Kenai quickly realises that the hunters were him and his brothers, so the bear must have been Koda’s mother. Koda thinks his mother is still alive as he saw her get out of the water, but Kenai knows that he later killed her. Consumed with guilt, he leaves the bears to figure out what to do. Koda soon finds him, and Kenai knows he has to tell Koda the truth. Koda is so upset that he runs away, right up into a tree, despite Kenai’s attempts to apologise. Kenai climbs the mountain and calls for Sitka. Denahi is lost and cold, but soon sees an eagle, who leads him up to the mountain, where Kenai is. Denahi starts to attack Kenai, with Koda coming to the rescue, after hearing how Rutt and Tuke, though they argue, would never want to be without their brother. Koda takes Denahi’s spear, and as Denahi looks like he’s going to hit Koda, the eagle returns, revealed to be Sitka, and turns Kenai back into a human, with his totem also being returned.

Koda is scared by this new turn of events, not sure who Kenai is. Denahi realises that the bear he has been tracking was in fact Kenai. The two reconcile, but Kenai realises that it is his responsibility to look after Koda now that he has been orphaned. Kenai asks Sitka to turn him back into a bear, with Denahi ok with this as he will always be his little brother, even saying that Kenai looks better as a bear! Koda is reunited with his mother’s spirit – albeit briefly – and is overjoyed to find Kenai a bear again. Sitka returns to the spirits, Denahi returns to his tribe, and Kenai and Koda go back to the forest. We then see that Kenai returns to the tribe, with Koda, for his final ceremony, where he gets to finally put his handprint – or bear print – up on the wall with all the others, because, as the Narrator tells us, this was a story of “a boy who became a man by becoming a bear”.

There is also a brief End Credits scene, where Koda informs the audience that no fish were harmed in the making of this film, shortly followed by a bear chasing a clearly distressed fish at the salmon run area!

CHARACTERS & CAST

Kenai is at the heart of this film, as it is his journey to becoming a man that we are following throughout the course of the story. He begins the story in a difficult place; he is the youngest of three brothers, where he is constantly teased by Denahi, and is desperate for his coming-of-age ceremony to begin so he can prove he’s more of a man than his brothers. He isn’t satisfied with his totem the Bear of Love, and when bears eat their fish, Kenai feels the only way to prove he’s a man is to kill them, despite his brothers’ protests. This doesn’t work and only results in the death of Sitka. Kenai then wants to avenge his brother’s death by killing the bear that caused his death, and because of his stubbornness and lack of understanding, he does this, but instead of feeling better, only feels guilty. Still, he’s not happy about being transformed into a bear as punishment and spends the first half of the movie being very moody about it, and rude to Koda, who is just trying to find someone to protect him as he’s lost his mother. Eventually, though, Kenai learns to be a brother to Koda, and even confesses to killing Koda’s mother, showing the guilt and shame he feels about it. The Spirits accept Kenai has learnt his lesson and change him back into a human, only for Kenai to ask to be turned back into a bear, to be a proper brother to Koda, showing that he is accepting responsibility for the young cub, and proving himself a man.

Because of the importance of Kenai within the story of Brother Bear, and the fact that he had to be both a flawed character, yet one capable of compassion and change, Disney were very careful in their casting of the role, auditioning over 100 actors for it. In the end, they felt that actor Joaquin Phoenix was a good fit, especially after seeing his performance in the film Gladiator (2000), where he played Commodus and was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards in 2001. He then won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as the Joker in Joker (2019) and reprised the role in Joker: Folie à Deux (2024). It may seem a surprise that Disney hired Joaquin Phoenix to voice a role in their film, as Phoenix is known for playing quite dark characters, but Phoenix stated that he liked the character of Kenai, saying that he is flawed, and even unlikable at times, but that makes him very relatable as nobody is perfect. The animating team of Jim Jackson, who worked on Human Kenai, and Byron Howard, who drew Bear Kenai, thought Phoenix had great range when working with him on the character, and felt his performance enhanced the character design. Human Kenai was designed to already have a bear-like stance, basing his structure on the form of a standing bear. He was also given thick hair like a bear.

Sitka is the leader of the family, having received the totem the Eagle of Guidance. He is strong, masculine, and can speak to his brothers honestly and calmly, to keep them on the right path and to help them grow as people. Sitka is designed to be larger than both brothers to show his leadership quality. Sitka may not feature too much in the movie itself, but he makes a lot of difference to the story. By sacrificing himself to save Kenai and Denahi from the bear, he sets off a chain of events, where both brothers try to come to terms with his death, but in different ways. This then leads to Sitka making the decision, with the help of the Great Spirits, to turn Kenai into a bear to learn the error of his ways. Sitka, in his eagle form, arrives just in time at the end of the movie to give Denahi and Kenai a chance to reconcile with him, and to see the great transformation that Kenai has had, by making a brave, but necessary choice, proving the lesson was learnt. Sitka is voiced by D.B. Sweeney, who also voices Aladar in Disney’s Dinosaur (2000).

Denahi is the middle brother, given the Wolf of Wisdom totem, who transforms from being a fun-loving brother at the start of the movie, teasing Kenai and play-fighting him, into a tormented man, who thinks that one bear has caused the deaths of both of his brothers, living him lost and alone. I can see why he set out on a quest to destroy that bear – even though it was actually Kenai! Jason Raize, who originated the role of adult Simba in the Broadway musical of The Lion King, voices Denahi in his first and final film role. Raize sadly died in 2004 at the age of 28.

Denahi also appears at the start of the movie as an elder telling the story of him and his brothers to the children of his tribe, though it is not specifically stated that this is him. The narration is first spoken in Inuit, before being translated into English. The Inuit narration is provided by Oscar Kawagley, who was an anthropologist, actor, and Associate Professor of Education at the University of Alaska until his death in 2011. The English narration is provided by Harold Gould. Gould had many roles in both television and film, including as Miles Webber on The Golden Girls (1985-92) and as Grandpa in Freaky Friday (2003), which starred Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis. He passed away in 2010.

The final human character in Brother Bear is Tanana, the shaman-woman of the tribe. She is responsible for collecting each member of the tribe’s totem when they come of age, and for performing important ceremonies. Tanana also tries to keep all members of the tribe on the straight and narrow. She looks so disappointed when Kenai refuses to accept his totem, and is determined to make sure that Kenai sees through whatever lesson Sitka is trying to teach him by transforming him into a bear. Tanana then does not appear again until the end of the movie, when Kenai gets to formally show himself as a man by adding his print to the wall with all the others; it’s clear she’s proud of him in that moment. Joan Copeland voices Tanana. Copeland began her career in the theatre, and then began working on screen in the 1950s, including in various soap operas. I love her voice performance as Tanana, making her both spiritual, wise, and funny.

Koda is the sweet, but talkative, bear cub that Kenai teams up with. I feel sorry for Koda, especially at the start of his time with Kenai, because Kenai is clearly not interested in Koda’s stories and is so rude to him by basically telling him to shut up all the time. He just wants some company and someone to talk to; he’s been on his own for a few days, give him a break! Alex Kupershmidt, who animated Stitch, animated Koda. He wanted Koda to seem like a four or five-year-old kid, whose attention is constantly switching and who gets excited about the smallest things. Some people have said that they find Koda annoying, but I don’t; I think he’s cute and cheeky. Koda goes through an immense tragedy, by finding out that his mother was killed and isn’t coming back, so you have to have sympathy for him. And even though Kenai isn’t always kind to Koda, he does care for Koda a lot, enough to revert back to being a bear of his own free will. They fight, but brothers do fight and that’s ok.

American actor Jeremy Suarez voices Koda. Suarez began his acting career by appearing as Tyson Tidwell, son of Cuba Gooding Jr.’s character, in Jerry Maguire (1996). Suarez also featured in The Bernie Mac Show (2001-06) as Jordan Thomkins. For both his performances in The Bernie Mac Show and Brother Bear, Suarez was nominated for awards. For his voice acting role as Koda, Suarez was nominated for the Outstanding Achievement for Voice Acting award at the Annie Awards, but lost to Ellen DeGeneres, who had just voiced Dory in Pixar’s Finding Nemo (2003). Jeremy Suarez gives a confident performance as Koda, and the team at Disney liked how he was easily capable of providing them numerous different takes and points of view. At one point, when Joaquin Phoenix and Suarez were recording together, Phoenix referred to Koda’s friend as “Binky” instead of “Bucky”; Suarez quickly improvised a funny response and this was kept in the movie. I particularly like this scene.

Then there is the big grizzly bear, Tug. He might seem like he’d be aggressive, but he is a gentle giant, and a friend to all the bears, big and small. Tug only features during the salmon run scene, but Tug was going to be a bear called Grizz, who would have accompanied Kenai on his journey to the spirits instead of Koda. The partnership was working well, with Grizz being a boisterous, loving character, but it was fiercely debated whether the character should stay or be replaced with a younger, affable kid brother instead. In the end, directors Aaron Blaise and Bob Walker lost this fight, but were determined to keep voice actor Michael Clarke Duncan, who voiced Grizz, involved and wrote the part of Tug for him instead. Michael Clarke Duncan is perhaps best known for his role as John Coffey in The Green Mile (1999), where he was nominated for many awards including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He has performed in various other roles, including numerous voice roles such as in Cats & Dogs (2001), Air Buddies (2006), and Kung Fu Panda (2008). Duncan sadly passed away in 2012.

A couple of other interesting voice actors for two of the bears at the salmon run are Greg Proops, perhaps best known for appearing in both the UK and US versions of the improvisational comedy series Whose Line Is It Anyway? (1989-present); and Estelle Harris, who is the voice of Mrs. Potato Head in the Toy Story franchise (1999-present).

Then there are the two moose, Rutt and Tuke, the comic relief of Brother Bear. Disney thought it would be good if animals had different dialects as humans do, so they thought it would be funny to have two obviously Canadian moose in the movie! Broose Johnson and Tony Stanley animated the characters, and felt that moose were funny-looking animals anyway, with their huge ears, big hoovers and antlers, large noses etc., so they had ample choice of how to animate the characters in a comedic manner, but also keep them realistic. The moose ended up being more dumb than they’d originally planned, but I find Rutt and Tuke funny, with some of their lines being my favourites in the film[1]. Their brotherly arguments are hilarious at times, and I feel the movie needs this comic relief, even if others felt the two were irritating. Disney had originally only designed the characters to be pure comedy, however, they found that them being brothers was actually very important to the overall message of the movie, with the two’s arguing convincing Koda that he does need Kenai as his brother, and goes to save him from Denahi at the end of the film.

Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas, both Canadian actors and comedians, voice Rutt and Tuke. They based their performances of the moose on their personas of Bob and Doug MacKenzie that they had used in SCTV, a Canadian sketch comedy show, in sketches in the 1980s[2]. The duo would be revived in the late 2000s. Moranis has appeared in movies such as Little Shop of Horrors (1986) as Seymour Kreiborn, and as Wayne Szalinski in Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989) and its sequel Honey, I Blew Up the Kid (1992). Thomas has performed in various roles in television and film, including The Simpsons from 1997 to 2006 and the comedy film Rat Race (2001).

MUSIC

After Phil Collins’ success and enjoyment writing the songs for Disney’s Tarzan (1999), when Disney approached Collins to ask if he would like to work with them again on Brother Bear, he agreed quickly and got straight to work on the music. It was a slightly different process to that of working on Tarzan though, as the storyline for Tarzan was based on the novel, whereas Brother Bear was an original story idea, so although songs may have been written for certain scenes, these scenes could be rewritten or removed entirely, leading to different material being needed. But Collins was flexible and found that this made the process all the more collaborative.

One example of this is at the salmon run scene. Originally, Phil Collins wrote a song called “Fishing Song” or “Eat, Swim, Fish, Play”, as he had been given the concept that this was to be a frat party-like atmosphere at the salmon run, so he wrote a song to match that. However, Disney decided that they did not feel this song fit in with the scene correctly, and wanted it to be rewritten. Phil Collins called producer Chuck Williams’ house at one point, and his wife answered, telling him she was sorry to hear his song had been cut. Collins had no idea at the time of the call, but he wasn’t too disappointed and wrote “Welcome” instead over the summer. It became a soulful song with a strong message about family. Co-composer of Brother Bear’s score, Mark Mancina, who had also scored Tarzan (1999) and went on to work on Moana (2016), felt that the lyrics in “Welcome” were some of Collins’ best in the film. I do like “Welcome” as a song and think it fits in much better than the “Fishing Song” would have done, in terms of matching the overall message of the movie[3].

Another song that was rewritten was “On My Way”, which started out as a song called “This Can be My Destiny”, sung from Kenai’s perspective. It was deemed to be too gloomy and negative, so instead “On My Way” was written for the journeying scene to become an optimistic, joyful song instead, showing Koda and Kenai becoming friends. “On My Way” is not my favourite of the Brother Bear songs, but it works.

“Transformation” was apparently a difficult song for Collins to write as it was different to anything he’d done before, and it had to fit a beautiful and grand scene, which started off as being designed to be kind of scary, but then morphed into a positive and spiritual experience, so Collins had to match this mood. Obviously, it was first written to have English lyrics; this version, sung by Collins, does appear on the Brother Bear soundtrack, however Mancina thought it would be a good opportunity to bring in the Bulgarian Women’s Choir, who their vocal arranger and conductor Eddie Johnson had worked with before. The lyrics were translated into Inuit by a native speaker and then performed by the choir. It is a much more powerful song, this version that is in the film, and it is my favourite piece of music in the whole soundtrack, and probably my favourite scene too.

Though Phil Collins had sung every song in Tarzan (1999), because he was meant to be recounting Tarzan’s inner thoughts and feelings through the songs, it was decided that that was not the right approach for Brother Bear, and that a mixture of voices might be better. For the song “Great Spirits”, which features towards the beginning of the film to introduce the tribe and its spiritual connections, then-CEO Michael Eisner wanted a woman to sing the track. Tina Turner was approached and she was very happy to sing it for the movie. That is another great song in the film, and it starts the film off with a bang.

Though Collins sings in “Welcome”, it was decided that it would be good to have the group The Blind Boys of Alabama feature as the backing singers, to basically provide a voice for all the other bears at the salmon run. The Blind Boys of Alabama were founded in 1939 and the gospel group is still going today. Disney felt that the group provided a purity and soulfulness to the piece, which I definitely agree with it. There are two different versions of “Welcome” on the soundtrack, one that includes The Blind Boys of Alabama, which is featured in the film, and another that is Phil Collins’ cover of it.

The other songs that Phil Collins wrote are the End Credits song, which was also the film’s first single and had a music video filmed, called “Look Through My Eyes; and “No Way Out”, which has only one version in the film, but two on the soundtrack. “Look Through My Eyes” sums up the whole message of the movie, and for that reason it is good, but because it doesn’t feature in the movie at all, I don’t personally have any emotional attachment to it and can’t link it to any character, so it’s not one of my favourites.

“No Way Out” is very much the opposite, as this song is featured during the confession scene, where Koda is being told by Kenai that his mother was killed, by him. This scene was fully recorded and mostly animated and was going to be played as it was, without the song, which would feature in a separate scene. It was then decided to combine the two for the film[4]. Some have said that they would have rather seen the confession fully, without the “distraction” of Collins’ song, but I disagree. It’s a very powerful song, and to have just snippets of the conversation playing on top of the song makes me feel even more sad than just hearing Kenai say his piece in silence. The shorter version of “No Way Out” is the one that is heard in the movie, and is quieter and calmer, compared to the more upbeat, rock version, which is the longer version and features as the second End Credits song.

As part of Collins’ agreement to write the songs for Brother Bear, he also wanted to write the score, something that he had been close to during his work on Tarzan. Collins and Mancina therefore worked quite closely together on the score, with Mancina not afraid to tell Collins that what he had come up with wasn’t right!

The directors had said that they wanted the score to be completely true to the Inuit culture and the time period of the film, however, Mancina, Collins and the rest of the music team said it greatly limited their musical and instrumental choices, as it would have just primarily involved drums and the older versions of that instrument didn’t always necessarily sound great! Instead, they came up with hybrid sounds by mixing the sounds of many instruments, using them in a complimentary manner to the usual orchestral sounds[5].

The score doesn’t detract from any of the action on screen and compliments it. I particularly like the moments in the score where it links to the Spirits, such as reusing some elements of “Transformation”, or when it involves the Inuit ceremonies. But for me personally, the songs speak more to me and give me more of an emotional connection to the story than the score does in this particular Disney feature.

PRODUCTION

Brother Bear is an original story idea from the Disney Studios. After The Lion King was released in 1994, Michael Eisner, then-CEO of Disney, asked if anyone had any more ideas for “animal films”. He himself liked the concept of a movie about bears that would be set in North America. Co-director Blaise was very interested in drawing bears, and had been to Alaska, and loved the area, so he used this as inspiration to develop the story. The other director, Bob Walker, come into the team about a year into development, with him, Blaise and producer Chuck Williams, developing the plot together. Walker had grown up around animals and was interested in how they think and feel.

The team were asked to look at legends and myths involving bears, especially those based in Native American teachings. They found that many of these stories involved transformations of humans into animals to teach them important life lessons, with many legends being about bears. Some such stories included one around the origin of bears, where a boy decides to separate from his tribe and live in the woods. He tells them that if they fast for a week, they can join him. The tribe members complete this task and walk into the forest, where their bodies start to grow hair. This is how bears came to be. Another story is of a boy rescued by animals when he is trapped in a cave by his uncle. The boy is then taken in by bears and raised with them. The uncle soon comes across his nephew while hunting, and asks for forgiveness. Providing the uncle promises to be kind to the bears who saved his life, he does forgive his uncle. One further story is that four hunters and a dog were pursuing a vicious bear, and chased it all the way up a mountain and straight into the sky, where they became stars. The constellation they became is “The Big Dipper”[6].

As physical transformation works particularly well in animation, with Pinocchio (1940) and Beauty and the Beast (1991) involving some very impressive transformation scenes, they decided this was a good direction for the story to go, especially as every main character of any good movie starts off flawed and then has to learn something about themselves and others. This works even better if the main character has to become something else to be taught something important.

For research into the locations, the team went to many areas of North America, including Alaska, Canada, Wyoming and Californian National Parks, such as Yosemite. From all these locations, they wanted to create one overall picture of North America for the movie, meaning that Brother Bear is not solely based in one location. Specifics such as big sequoia trees, ice glaciers from Alaska and geysers from Yellowstone all make it into the movie, with other individual locations also being able to be spotted within the film. They not only looked at the different structures and rock types, but also at the layers of atmosphere in the areas.

The backgrounds on Brother Bear are particularly stunning, with Disney wanting them to have a realism to them, reminiscent of painting outside, en plein air, instead of referencing photographs. For some inspiration, they did also look back at Bambi (1942) to get an idea of how Bambi’s backgrounds made the viewers feel like they were actually in the forest. The difference for Brother Bear, though, is that Bambi was set in the concentrated area of the forest, whereas Brother Bear is located in a much larger space. To get a further artistic feel to the backgrounds, the artists looked to the work of landscape artist Albert Bierstadt, who happened to be a favourite of Michael Eisner’s.

Another interesting point that I didn’t realise when watching the movie is that the first part of the movie has a different aspect ratio to the point where Kenai wakes up as a bear. This is to show Kenai’s narrow viewpoint when he is a human, with a small screen, which then widens into CinemaScope with richer colour and sound to show the changes to how Kenai views the world now as a bear.

Disney’s portrayal of Inuit culture is seemingly accurate in terms of their references to ceremonies, music, and the overall transformation story[7]. Disney used photo references of Inuit tattoos, face paintings, and clothing to make design choices for their characters. The team also studied their architecture, where their use of animal bones featuring in their movie, as well as their ceremonies, including the manhood ceremony and funerals[8].

Despite the majority of the movie being hand-drawn animation, some elements of the movie did use computer-generated imagery, such as the scenes of the salmon run and the caribou stampede. For the bears, Disney had live drawing sessions with bear cubs, to capture the true form and behaviour of bears for the movie. They also went to Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground at Walt Disney World in Florida for drawing sessions three times a week for two months. During their research trip in Alaska, the team also took the opportunity to sketch bears in their natural habitat. They flew into Geographic Harbor in Alaska, and saw 20-30 bears from the air, but they had all scattered once the team had landed. They sat for hours, hoping that at least one would come back, and one did; a huge male who walked down to the river just about six feet in front of them. There was also an incident at their campsite when they almost walked into a mother and her cubs one night[9]!

RECEPTION

Brother Bear was released on 1^st November 2003 in the United States, becoming Disney’s 44^th animated feature. It did well at the box office, bringing in a total of $250 million at the box office, however, the reviews were mixed. Brother Bear was compared unfavourably to The Lion King, Disney’s best “animal film” to many audiences. The Lion King Platinum Edition DVD was released a month earlier, in October. Disney probably thought the two releases would complement each other, not realising that one may overshadow the other. On top of that, Pixar’s Finding Nemo, which had been released in May 2003, brought in over $800 million at the box office, showing that again Pixar were “beating” Disney[10].

In terms of critical reviews, some felt that Brother Bear may resonant with some viewers, calling it “sweet”, with a strong message about tolerance and understanding. Others liked the visual animation, but stated that the story was not strong enough and lacked originality. Many enjoyed the music in Brother Bear, but the comedic elements were a bit hit or miss, with some liking them and others hating them! One reviewer in the Los Angeles Times even stated that Disney have to try harder, and compared the movie unfavourably to Disney’s earlier hit of Lilo & Stitch (2002). Little did they know that things wouldn’t get much better for Disney until around 2010, even after they ditched their 2-D animation style[11]…

Brother Bear was nominated for Best Animated Film at multiple awards ceremonies in 2004, including the Academy Awards, the Critics Choice Awards, and the Annie Awards, where it was also nominated for other animation awards, however, it did not win any award, and lost out to – you guessed it – Finding Nemo…

When Brother Bear was released on DVD in 2004, some versions included the brilliant 45-minute-long documentary “Paths of Discovery: The Making of Brother Bear”, which is a very interesting look at the production process. But it did also include some strange additions, such as “outtakes”, in a similar style to those that Pixar had done on some of their earlier films such as A Bug’s Life (1998) and Toy Story 2 (1999). The outtakes were not particularly funny, unlike the Pixar ones, though Stitch did make an appearance in one. Another strange addition was a full commentary of the movie being provided by Rutt and Tuke. Not the voice actors, but the actual moose characters…

LEGACY

Despite Brother Bear’s lacklustre critical reception, it did receive the direct-to-video sequel treatment, with Brother Bear 2, which was released in 2006. It follows on a few months after the events of the first film, and details Kenai’s relationship with his childhood sweetheart from his past, and her impending marriage to someone else. Jeremy Suarez, Rick Moranis, Dave Thomas and Michael Clarke Duncan all returned to reprise their roles, however, Patrick Dempsey replaced Joaquin Phoenix as Kenai. Mandy Moore, who would later voice Rapunzel for Disney’s Tangled (2010), voices Nita, Kenai’s love interest.

There was some discussion around a television series based on Brother Bear being developed at one point, which would have revolved around Koda and Kenai adopting other orphaned animals into their family. The series was not picked up by Disney Channel executives. There was also talk of a spin-off involving Rutt and Tuke, the moose, but this never happened either[12].

At the Disney theme parks, Brother Bear is rarely featured in attractions, meet-and-greets, and even merchandise, due to the film’s lack of popularity, especially in comparison to other Disney animated movies. However, Koda and Kenai have appeared at Disneyland, Disneyland Paris and Walt Disney World. Most recently, the two bears appeared on a flotilla at Disney’s Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort for Earth Day and the 25^th anniversary on 22nd April 2023. They appeared again for Earth Day in 2024. The two have not appeared at Disneyland and Disneyland Paris as recently, seeming to be more likely to appear at Animal Kingdom, however, they may appear at special events.

I didn’t think there was any attraction at any Disney theme park that was related to Brother Bear, but I actually found two, both at Disneyland California Adventure Park. The Redwood Creek Challenge Trail, a children’s play area, first opened at the park in 2001, and received a Brother Bear-themed overlay in 2003. Kenai and Koda did use to have a meet-and-greet location here at that point too. Most of the Brother Bear theming was removed when the area was rethemed to Pixar’s Up (2009) in 2011, however, one element does still remain and that is Kenai’s Spirit Cave, where you can put your hand on a monitor and it will tell you what your spirit animal is. Also in the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail, The Magic of Brother Bear Totem Ceremony used to be performed. It was a 20-minute show, based outside, with a costumed Kenai and Koda, two moose totem poles that spoke, meant to be Rutt and Tuke, and a Cast Member leading the ceremony, where a totem was given by the Spirits. This show ran from 2003 until apparently the winter of 2009, however, I didn’t find anything official to confirm the end date of the show.

There is likely to be some reference to Brother Bear, and other Disney nature-based films, at a new Walt Disney World resort, named Disney Lakeshore Lodge, set to open in 2027. This is basically a revamp of the original plans for Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Lodge, with construction initially beginning in 2020. It was later put on hold.

The only other thing related to both Disney theme parks and Brother Bear is The Magic of Disney Animation pavilion at Disney’s MGM Studios – now Disney’s Hollywood Studios – at Walt Disney World. The Disney Feature Animation Florida Studio was first set up in 1989, and was considered an annex to the official Disney studio in Burbank. It was originally based in trailers roughly where Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is today, with just 40 artists. In 1998, the studio was moved into its own $70 million building, located just behind The Magic of Disney Animation pavilion. The number of artists was expanded to around 400. The Florida Studio was responsible for primarily making Mulan (1998), Lilo & Stitch (2002), and Brother Bear, though the artists did do pieces for many of the other Disney features released during the Florida studio’s lifetime. The Florida studio closed in January 2004, meaning that Brother Bear was the third and final animated film to have been made there[13].

The Magic of Disney Animation pavilion opened in 1989 and guests could see real Disney animators working on actual Disney animated features. There were also character meet-and-greets, shows about the workings of hand-drawn animation and Disney animation history, and an opportunity to learn how to draw some of the most popular Disney characters yourself at The Animation Academy. I had many a meltdown as a child coming out of those, because my drawings were not as good as my sister’s – I’m not much of an artist! The Magic of Disney Animation outran the lifetime of the Florida Studio, therefore, the chance to actually see artists at work was not as prominent or marketed after 2004. The Magic of Disney Animation pavilion closed in July 2015, where it became Star Wars Launch Bay. This lasted mostly as an exhibition area and meet-and-greet location for characters like BB-8, Chewbacca and Darth Vader, until 2025, before making way for a new version of the Disney Animation pavilion to come to Disney’s Hollywood Studios once again.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Brother Bear is, for me, an underrated movie. I’m not sure enough people have given it a chance over the years, and I’m thinking more should go back and watch this one, especially now that Disney+ makes viewing all these Disney animated features so easy to do. I like the humour in it, though I know some people claim it’s a bit “too much” or too forced, and I love the music. The story is moving for me, especially the Transformation scenes, both the first and the last one, with the themes of forgiveness, understanding, and brotherhood being very prominent. It’s a simple message, but one that is too often forgotten – that we are all the same inside, even though our outsides are different, and that understanding other people’s points of view can make for a much more peaceful world.

I would encourage anyone who has not seen Brother Bear for a few years, or since they were a child, to go back to it and see if it has a different effect on you. I know it did for me. Even the less popular Disney animated features deserve to be remembered.

REFERENCES

[1] Credit: Disney, “Paths of Discovery: The Making of Brother Bear”, from Brother Bear (2003) 2-Disc Special Edition DVD (2004).

[2] Credit: Jim Korkis, ‘In Their Own Words: The Directors of “Brother Bear”, CartoonResearch.com, 30^th April 2021.

[3] Credit: Disney, “Deleted Scenes”, from Brother Bear (2003), DVD (2004).

[4] Credit: Disney, “Deleted Scenes”, from Brother Bear (2003), DVD (2004).

[5] Credit: Disney, “Paths of Discovery: The Making of Brother Bear”, from Brother Bear (2003) 2-Disc Special Edition DVD (2004).

[6] Credit: Disney, “Bear Legends: Native American Tales”, from Brother Bear (2003), DVD (2004).

[7] Credit: Disney, “Paths of Discovery: The Making of Brother Bear”, from Brother Bear (2003) 2-Disc Special Edition DVD (2004).

[8] Credit: Disney, “Art Review”, from Brother Bear (2003), DVD (2004).

[9] Credit: Jim Korkis, ‘In Their Own Words: The Directors of “Brother Bear”’, CartoonResearch.com, 30^th April 2021.

[10] Credit: Mari Ness, ‘The End of an Animated Era: Disney’s Brother Bear’, Tor.com, 3^rd November 2016.

[11] Credit: Kenneth Turan, ‘Old school ‘Brother Bear’’, Los Angeles Times (online), 25^th October 2003.

[12] Credit: John Witiw, ’10 Things You Didn’t Know About Brother Bear’, CBR.com, 30^th March 2021.

[13] Credit: Jim Korkis, ‘Disney Films Done at Disney Feature Animaton Florida’, YourFirstVisit.net, date unknown.

21st Jul 20232nd Oct 2025 by The Disney Purist

#46 Chicken Little (2005)

BACKGROUND

After the disappointing releases of Treasure Planet in 2002, Brother Bear in 2003, and Home on the Range in 2004, Disney Animation decide to do away with their traditional, 2D hand-drawn animation style and launch headfirst into the world of computer-animation with their first fully computer-animated movie, Chicken Little, which was released in 2005.

Despite the technological advancement, and the fact that Disney’s competitors, such as Pixar and DreamWorks, had had huge success with this style for numerous years by this point, for Disney, it did not go well.

Not many people think much of Chicken Little, saying that it was not a good introduction to CG animation for Disney. I’ll admit that it does look strange, almost like you’re watching the half-finished computer simulation of a movie, and that it doesn’t feel very “Disney”, but I actually quite like Chicken Little. I think it’s a very funny film and I enjoy the music, so I can easily get past things not looking “quite right” and focus on the plot, which has a mixture of comedic, exciting, and emotional moments.

Chicken Little did not signal the start of a new successful wave of animated movies for the Disney Studios, as Meet the Robinsons (2007) and Bolt (2008), the next two movie releases in this same medium, would also fall a bit flat, especially in comparison to Pixar. But by 2010, with the release of Tangled, a film that did incredibly well, Disney seemed to show that they were fully at home with CG, with their following movies continuing to be notable.

But back to Chicken Little.

PLOT

Disney’s Chicken Little is loosely based on the original story of the same name, though “Henny Penny” is another name for it, especially in Europe. Where the first version of the story came from is unclear, however, the first person to record the story was a Danish scholar called Just Mathias Thiele, who began collecting Danish folktales, and published his first collection of tales in 1818. “Henny Penny” first appeared in his 1823 collection.

As Thiele’s version of the story was not translated into English until 1853, English speakers and readers would’ve been familiar with American illustrator John Green Chandler’s version instead, which he published as a pamphlet titled “The Remarkable Story of Chicken Little” in 1840. Chandler’s version became widely published and very popular, with the use of the term “chicken little” to describe a scaremonger becoming adopted colloquially in the 19^th Century.

The basic plotline follows a small, anxious chicken, called Chicken Little, who believes that the sky is falling, after a “piece of the sky” hits the chicken on its head – it’s actually just an acorn. But Chicken Little is so scared that the world is ending, that it goes to tell all the other animals that he passes by, warning them of the imminent danger. Eventually, Chicken Little and a group of animals, all with rhyming names such as Goosey Loosey and Turkey Lurkey, come to Foxy Loxy, who invites all of them into its den as shelter. Instead of protecting them, Foxy Loxy kills and eats them all…In later versions of the story, this ending would be changed to them finding a king who reassures the animals that only rain falls from the sky, to avoid any chance of childhood trauma[1]!

Disney’s movie begins right at the point where Chicken Little is telling the people of Oakey Oaks that the sky is falling, causing chaos and mayhem across the whole town. Eventually, everyone calms down enough to hear Chicken Little’s story, where he takes them to the scene of the crime. He stands under the big oak tree, saying that a piece of the sky fell and hit him on the head, explaining that it was hexagonal shaped, like a “Stop” sign, but that it was blue and had cloud on it. Everyone is confused, as no such piece is found anywhere near them. Chicken Little’s father, Buck, comes over and says that it was just an acorn that would’ve hit him on the head. Chicken Little is embarrassed that his father doesn’t believe him and tries to explain again, except he’s so flustered that he is incoherent and looks ridiculous in front of the news crews and journalists who have surrounded him.

A year later, Chicken Little and Buck are still humiliated by the incident, with numerous items of merchandise having been made since it happened; they even pass a billboard for a movie detailing the whole event, titled “Crazy Little Chicken the Movie”, as well as bumper stickers, on the drive to the bus stop. Chicken Little vows to make his dad proud and make everyone forget what happened, but Buck is not convinced and tells him to keep his head down instead. Chicken Little is optimistic of the new day, despite various issues getting to school, such as missing the bus; getting stuck in gum on the street; losing his trousers; and having to use a shaken-up soda bottle to get into the school, eventually making it to school and constructing some shorts out of his math homework! But he ends up locked in his locker by a careless janitor and is late to class again.

In “Mutton Class”, we meet Chicken Little’s friends: Abby Mallard, a duck; Runt, a pig who is the “runt of the litter”, despite being huge; and Fish, who is literally a fish out of water, with a scuba helmet on his head full of water so he can breathe! They are teased by popular kids, Foxy Loxy and Goosey Loosey. They then go to gym class, where they are playing dodgeball, popular kids vs. unpopular kids – nice. Chicken Little arrives just in time to help his friends get through the game, with him telling Abby about his plan to do something great to make everyone forget what happened, but Abby tells Chicken Little he needs to talk to his dad so they can both find closure. Chicken Little isn’t so sure. At one point, class is stopped, which allows Foxy and Goosey to bully Chicken Little, throwing him up against the wall, where he slides down on to the fire alarm, setting off the sprinklers, which causes not only his dad to be called to the principal’s office, but also for his paper shorts to disintegrate!

On their way home, Chicken Little tells his dad he’s going to join the baseball team, something that his dad had done during his school years and had done so well for the school that he was given the nickname “Ace”. But as Chicken Little is so small, Buck doesn’t think it’s such a good idea. Chicken Little does it anyway, and though he is constantly benched, his friends train him to be better. During the final championship game, due to multiple injuries in the team, Chicken Little gets the chance to bat. His coach tells him not to swing, so Foxy Loxy can come up to bat afterwards and save the day, but Chicken Little believes he can do it. The first two swings he misses, but surprisingly to everyone watching, including the outfield players who expected an “easy out”, his third swing hits! Chicken Little is so stunned that he forgets to run, before running the wrong way. He sorts himself out and starts running the bases, going for a home run. The outfield fumbles the ball multiple times, before getting it stuck on a bull’s horns, so they pick the bull up and run him to the final base. The two groups collide, spraying mud and dust everywhere, so it looks like Chicken Little was nowhere near the base. But the mud is brushed away and Chicken Little’s toe is just on – the team wins and Chicken Little is the hero!

This goes a long way to helping Chicken Little’s status in Oakey Oaks, and building a relationship with his dad, who has struggled since Chicken Little’s mother, Chloe, died. But as Chicken Little is getting ready for bed, something comes through his window and hits him – it’s a hexagonal bit of sky again! This time, he doesn’t let the piece get away from him, and gets his friends to come over to look at it. They all admit it’s real and strange. Fish gets on top of it, and presses some button, which makes it take off, with him on it. Chicken Little, Abby, and Runt follow the glow stick that Fish was holding all the way to the baseball field, where a spaceship lands. Two tentacled aliens come out of it. The friends go in to rescue Fish. They quickly run off the ship as they find a map of the galaxy, with planets seemingly “crossed off” as though they have been destroyed, with Earth next. The aliens return to the ship to find their alien child missing, and think the friends have taken it, so start to follow them. The friends run to the schoolhouse and ring the bell, alerting the town to another disaster. The aliens see that they will be spotted and get into their ship, taking off quickly. As the townspeople are so slow to follow Chicken Little to the site of the spaceship, they miss it, and he looks crazy again, even though Abby, Fish, and Runt stick up for him.

The next morning, Buck is dealing with calls and hate mail, apologising to everyone for his son’s mistake. Chicken Little is upset, and meets up with his friends, where Abby reiterates that him and his dad really need to talk more. Suddenly, a little three-eyed orange alien comes out of nowhere, freaking everyone out! Fish talks to it, where they learn he is called Kirby and that his parents left him and he’s lost. Then, the sky really does start to fall, as a whole galactic armada of aliens come to Oakey Oaks and invade the town, destroying buildings and vaporising the townsfolk. Chicken Little realises that this is a rescue mission for Kirby and tries to return him to his parents. At the same time, Buck comes to get Chicken Little so they can escape, admitting that he was right about the sky falling. Chicken Little tries to explain the situation but he won’t listen, and they end up sheltering in a cinema, where Chicken Little finally tells his dad how he’s never there for him and doesn’t trust him. Buck tells Chicken Little he’s sorry for making him feel that way and that he does love him, giving them that “closure moment” that Abby was so desperate for them to have. Chicken Little also tells Abby that he likes her and kisses her, as him and his dad set off to return Kirby. They climb up to the top of Town Hall and try to explain to the aliens what happened, but they believe Kirby was kidnapped, so the two are vaporised.

Inside the ship, a “Wizard of Oz-like” booming voice tells them to return Kirby – they do – and that they will be destroyed, with guns and pointy weapons surrounding them. Kirby tells his father that what the two said was true, with his wife also saying how it was a misunderstanding and to put the guns away and put them down, as well as turn off the “big voice”. Despite the big tentacled suits they wear, they are actually small, fluffy aliens! The aliens return everyone back to Oakey Oaks, and apologise for the confusion. It turns out they come to Oakey Oaks every year, “on the way to the in-laws”, to get the best acorns, with one of the ship’s panels constantly falling off, which explains what happened to Chicken Little a year ago. Buck and Chicken Little discuss what movie they’ll make of him now, with Chicken Little hoping they stay true to the story.

One year later, a new movie is released, but it is not at all true to the real events! Chicken Little is a big, muscly intergalactic hero; Abby is a model-like companion; Fish is a talking tech guy; and Runt is a cool navigator, with the whole thing becoming an intergalactic mission! But everyone at Oakey Oaks is happy, with Chicken Little and Abby now a couple, and Chicken Little and his dad getting on better than ever.

CHARACTERS & CAST

Initially, and throughout most of the movie, I suppose, Chicken Little is a social pariah in the town of Oakey Oaks. People think he’s crazy, so they move away from him in the street, whisper things about him, and generally avoid him whenever they see him; it’s quite upsetting to see. At school, he is bullied, partly for his small stature, and for his infamous “the sky is falling” incident. It’s not an easy life for Chicken Little, yet he tries his best to remain upbeat and positive, saying that “today is a new day” and instead of moping around that life isn’t fair, he comes up with the plan to join the baseball team and works hard at it to try and become the town’s hero instead of the resident oddball. Chicken Little is boosted by his three closest friends: Abby, Runt and Fish; they help keep him optimistic and protect him from other people’s mean comments. After the baseball game win, Chicken Little is proclaimed a winner by the townsfolk, yet when he tries to tell them about the aliens, even with three other witnesses to corroborate his story, he goes back to being the same weirdo they knew before. But again, this doesn’t stop Chicken Little, and even with his father’s disapproval and lack of support, he manages to show the town that he was right, and helps save them all.

Originally, Chicken Little was going to be a girl, and a very anxious one at that. In a deleted opening scene, she was going to be sat in bed, terrified of noises that were going on in the house, to find it was just her dad going downstairs[2]. But Chicken Little became a boy as it was decided that it was more difficult for boys to be small than girls. Chicken Little is meant to be around 12 or 13 years old, but just small for his age, so the animators gave him classic “cute” proportions, like a bigger head and large eyes. To match his age, not his size, Disney were looking for a slightly older voice, with a teenage ring to it, and they settled on actor Zach Braff. Braff made his voice higher-pitched to match the character, so didn’t use his regular voice, but the team loved how fast he could talk, and felt it suited the character of Chicken Little – there are certainly moments when he is rambling super-fast! Zach Braff is best known for his role as J.D. on the television series Scrubs (2001-2010), but more recently, Braff has moved into directing, having directed the 2023 movie A Good Person, starring Florence Pugh and Morgan Freeman.

Chicken Little’s Hollywood “counterpart”, the big muscly hero, “Ace”, who is almost the complete opposite of Chicken Little, with the Hollywood movie of his story clearly having been subject to a lot of artistic and dramatic license, is voiced by actor Adam West, who performed many voice-over roles for animated series, such as in The Fairly OddParents (2001-17), The Simpsons (1989-present), and Kim Possible (2002-07). West also portrayed Batman in the series Batman (1966-1968) and the theatrical film (1966). He died in 2017.

Buck Cluck is Chicken Little’s father, who has been struggling to raise Chicken Little as a single father, since the death of his wife, Chloe. He wants to do what’s best for Chicken Little, but instead of being supportive, to avoid drama with the other Oakey Oaks residents, he plays down Chicken Little’s comments, being the first to tell everyone that the sky didn’t fall on Chicken Little, but just an acorn, embarrassing his son in the process. I think he’s trying to do what’s best for Chicken Little, by telling him that it’s ok to just keep your head down and not say anything controversial, but by doing that, he just makes his son think he doesn’t care about him, or believe anything he says. At times, Buck comes across as dismissive, and even a bit mean, only seemingly wanting to have anything to do with his son again after he wins the baseball game, a sport that Buck had a lot of success in when he was in high school, but being quick to shut down anything Chicken Little says about aliens. But by the end of the movie, they have reconciled, with Chicken Little telling his dad about how he feels, and Buck feeling guilty for making his son think he didn’t love him or care about him, and vowing to do whatever he can to support him – like carrying a lost alien child over to the “mothership” and risk being vaporised and destroyed by them!

Garry Marshall voices Buck, as they felt that Marshall was very good at getting across “angst”, which is perfect for Buck as he is overwhelmed most of the time! Marshall does a good job with this role. Marshall was a screenwriter, actor, and producer, but is perhaps most known for his directing work, having directed the likes of Pretty Woman (1990), Runaway Bride (1999), The Princess Diaries (2001), and its sequel The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004). Garry Marshall died in 2016.

Abby Mallard is Chicken Little’s best friend. She is going through those awkward pre-teen years, comparing herself to other people based on her looks, which isn’t helped by bullies calling her “ugly duckling”, though that does suggest to the audience that she will become a beautiful swan later in life. Abby is a very caring and loyal friend, to Chicken Little, as well as Runt and Fish, with them being a little group that don’t care that they aren’t popular. For much of the movie, Abby is concerned by Chicken Little’s difficult relationship with his father, and encourages Chicken Little to find “closure”, something that she keeps reading about in her teenage magazines! Abby later becomes Chicken Little’s girlfriend, as once Chicken Little and his father get “closure” on their problems, he seems to become quite bold and kisses Abby in that most romantic of settings: during an alien invasion. She doesn’t care though and is clearly thrilled. They make a cute couple.

Abby Mallard is voiced by actress Joan Cusack, who the Disney team felt brought a warmth and sincerity to Abby with her voice acting. Cusack is currently the voice of Jessie in the Toy Story franchise (1999-present), but is also known for her roles as Debbie in Addams Family Values (1993); as Ms Mullins in School of Rock (2003); and voiced the part of Mrs. Krum in the Netflix-released Klaus (2019). Jodie Foster, Helen Hunt, and Laura Dern were also considered for the role of Abby[3].

Runt of the Litter and Fish Out of Water are Chicken Little’s other two friends. Runt is actually a very large pig, and towers over everyone else at school, but he is still the “runt” of the litter as his family is even larger! Runt is very anxious a lot of the time, getting easily stressed out over things, like when they go into the alien spaceship and are then chased away by them. Runt is funny though, and likes to sing and perform, having a go at “Wannabe” by The Spice Girls alongside Abby at one of her sleepovers. Fish is a goldfish who has to wear a scuba helmet filled with water so that he can survive on land. Fish can actually walk around using his back fins. Though he does not speak, Abby, Chicken Little and Runt can understand what he’s saying. Fish is quite intelligent and brave, not fearing anything; he isn’t bothered that he ended up on a strange alien spaceship, for example. Fish was brought in and out of the story multiple times during development, but it was decided he would stay as a character to give an uplifting, fun balance to the group. Actor and comedian Steve Zahn voices Runt. Zahn had done voice acting work before, such as voicing Monty the cat in Stuart Little (1999) and Stuart Little 2 (2002). Steve Zahn has also acted in movies and television series, such as Marvin in Daddy Day Care (2003), Tucker in Dallas Buyers Club (2013), and Mark Mossbacher in Season 1 of The White Lotus (2021). Dan Molina, the film editor for Chicken Little, “voices” Fish.

As for the other characters in Chicken Little, there are many more, so I will only mention a few. Actress and comedian Amy Sedaris voices the school’s main bully, Foxy Loxy. Foxy thinks she’s the star of the show, and that anyone who isn’t popular is just a loser. She is the main antagonist to Chicken Little, along with her sidekick Goosey Loosey. Yet at the end of movie, her brain waves become “scrambled” after the aliens put her back in Oakey Oaks after being vaporised. This turns Foxy into an all-singing, all-dancing, sweet girly girl, the complete opposite to her mean, tomboy persona. Sedaris has had a mixture of voice and in-person acting roles, but most recently for Disney, she appeared as Peli Motto in The Book of Boba Fett (2022) and The Mandalorian (2019-2023).

Don Knotts voices the friendly, but easily distracted and not very smart, Mayor Turkey Lurkey in the movie. He was most known for his role as Deputy Sheriff Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show back in the 1960s, and had numerous acting roles in the 1970s and 80s.

Some other interesting voice actors who performed in Chicken Little are: Catherine O’Hara, of Home Alone (1990) and Schitt’s Creek (2015-20) fame, voices Tina, the mother of little lost alien Kirby; and Fred Willard, who died in 2020, but acted as Ed Harken in the Anchorman films (2004-13) and as Amy’s father in Everybody Loves Raymond from 2003 to 2005, is Melvin, the father of Kirby, and husband to Tina.

Patrick Stewart has a surprise appearance voicing Mr. Woolensworth, the Mutton teacher at school, and Wallace Shawn, the voice of Rex in the Toy Story franchise (1995-present) voices Principal Fetchit.

MUSIC

The soundtrack on Chicken Little is a bit different to other Disney animated movies, as the majority of the songs are actually popular songs, although some are covers, such as Runt and Foxy Loxy singing Elton John’s “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” during the End Credits, “We Are the Champions” by Queen being sung by Chicken Little after his baseball game, and “Wannabe” by The Spice Girls being performed by Abby and Runt. Other songs that were included in the movie’s soundtrack are R.E.M’s “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” being played during the alien invasion, which I think works very well and I particularly like this inclusion; Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive”, being used as motivation for Runt driving during the invasion; Diana Ross’s “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”, being used at the end of the Hollywood movie – and therefore, the end of the actual movie; and “All I Know” by Five for Fighting, which is an emotionally sad song to mirror Chicken Little’s mood after a difficult car ride home from school with his father, when he doesn’t want Chicken Little to join the baseball team. Another song, only used in the End Credits, is “Shake a Tail Feather”, performed by The Cheetah Girls, who were popular on the Disney Channel at the time of the movie’s release.

For the movie, Patti LaBelle’s song “Stir It Up” was re-recorded with Joss Stone. Patti LaBelle was happy to work with Disney on a song for one of their movies. I really like this song, and I think it’s energetic and boosts the mood when Chicken Little has been benched on his baseball team, but tries hard to train himself up to be better.

The only original song written for Chicken Little is the anthem of the movie, “One Little Slip” by the Barenaked Ladies. This song is used during Chicken Little’s difficult journey to school after missing the bus, with this in-progress sequence being shown to the band to inspire them to write the song. It is uplifting and hopeful, showing Chicken Little’s attitude to life – that he’s just going to keep going, and get everyone to forget about what happened previously. It’s a very good song, I like it a lot, but it is a shame that it is the only original song written for the movie.

The score for Chicken Little was composed by John Debney, who had previously worked on Hocus Pocus (1993), The Emperor’s New Groove (2000), The Princess Diaries (2001) and Snow Dogs (2003) for Disney, but has composed scores for many other movies, including more recently, Marry Me (2022) and Hocus Pocus 2 (2022). The score mixes emotional scenes with the action and science-fiction elements that feature within the plot[4]. I do not remember any specific parts of the score that I like within Chicken Little, unfortunately, but I love “One Little Slip”, “Stir It Up” and “It’s the End of the World as We Know It” – they are my favourite songs in the whole soundtrack, though the Chicken Little soundtrack does not compare to those of many other Disney movies, due to its lack of originality; it’s just not as memorable.

PRODUCTION

This was not the first time that the Disney Studios had adapted the story of “Chicken Little”, as there was a short film released, also titled Chicken Little, in 1943, during World War II, which is more similar to the original folktale than the movie is.

It follows a barnyard community, where Foxy Loxy wants to make everyone do what he says, even though Cocky Locky is the leader around the barnyard. Foxy Loxy decides that Chicken Little, a stupid little chicken, will be the best person to influence. Foxy Loxy throws a bit of fence on Chicken Little’s head, so that he will tell everyone the sky is falling. Cocky Locky quickly debunks it, however, Foxy Loxy then spreads gossip that Cocky Locky has gone crazy, with the message making its way around to everyone. Chicken Little, encouraged by Foxy Loxy, proclaims himself as the new leader and gets everyone to follow him to “the cave” as shelter, which is actually Foxy Loxy’s den. Once they enter the den, all the animals are soon eaten – despite the Narrator telling the audience that’s not how it ended in his book. Foxy Loxy simply says “Don’t believe every thing you read, brother!”.

Legendary Disney animators such as Ward Kimball, Milt Kahl, Ollie Johnston and John Lounsbery worked on the short, with radio actor Frank Graham providing all the characters’ voices, as well as that of the Narrator. This short was clearly meant as an allegory of the war and about the powers of propaganda. In the initial release, Foxy Loxy was even shown to be reading a copy of “Mein Kampf”, Hitler’s manifesto. In later releases, the book’s title was simply changed to “Psychology”[5].

Disney’s 2005 movie of Chicken Little began development in the early 2000s. Director Mark Dindal had just finished working on The Emperor’s New Groove (2000), a challenging movie, with many story changes and difficult relations, when he came up with the concept for Chicken Little, though Dindal’s original idea was very different to the movie that Disney released.

The first idea was that Chicken Little, originally a girl, which is in line with Chandler’s version of the story of “Chicken Little”, would have joined a summer camp, in the hopes of impressing her father, who she had a difficult relationship with. Whilst at the camp, Chicken Little would discover that the camp counsellors were literally wolves in sheep’s clothing, who were trying to fatten up the camp-goers with plans to eat them. Chicken Little would have managed to save the day and win everyone’s approval. However, when this concept was brought to then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner, he stepped in and said that Chicken Little should be a boy, not a girl, as market research had stated that boys were less likely to watch a movie about a girl, whereas girls would watch movies about boys. This does not seem to be a point that bothers Disney any more, given some of their most popular releases of recent times, like Frozen (2013), Tangled (2010), Encanto (2021), have been “about girls”. But Chicken Little being a small boy was also seen to be more interesting to the story than a small girl, as boys have a harder time being short than girls.

In 2003, David Stainton took over from Thomas Schumacher as president of Walt Disney Feature Animation. Stainton hated the early version of Chicken Little, calling it a “trainwreck” and told the team to completely re-work the story. It was also at this point that it was decided that the movie would be shifting from traditional 2D animation to computer-animation, despite their little experience in the medium. Relations between Disney and Pixar were difficult at this time, with their working collaboration due to end in 2006, so it was thought that by making Chicken Little in CG, Disney could prove that they no longer needed Pixar’s involvement and could make computer-animated movies without them[6].

During production on the movie, there was some debate over how to begin the movie, especially as it was uncertain how many people already knew the tale of “Chicken Little”. As a way to provide some background to the movie the viewer was about to watch, the team decided that they could do a storybook opening, as a nod to the original Disney 2D animated fairytale opening sequences, and as a way to quickly tell the audience about Chicken Little and the sky falling on his head. This was just one alternate opening that was cut[7]. The actual opening is a parody on other famous Disney opening scenes, where it begins with a beam of light, magic sparkles and the clichéd “Once Upon A Time”, before showing a clip of The Lion King’s (1994) opening sequence, and then seeming to go for a traditional storybook opening. But Buck, Chicken Little’s father, who is “narrating”, hates that idea, and decides we should go straight to the day “things took a turn for the worse”, taking us right into the action. I love this version of the opening; I think it’s really clever and funny.

Not everyone at Disney Animation had any experience of using 3D animation at this time, so much training was needed to get everyone up to speed on the new style. They did find, though, that there were opportunities to draw on screens at some points, making it more similar to what the animators had been used to. They found that with the computer-generated character models, because they were like digital puppets, with lots of movements and joints, the animators could control each area and make their movements more subtle and detailed than is generally possible in 2D animation. The team said that Walt Disney loved new technology and he would’ve embraced this new medium[8].

To add further complication to the process, eleven months before Chicken Little’s release date, it was decided that the movie would be released in some theatres in 3D, technology that hadn’t even existed when the film first went into production, and something that had not had enough time to yet prove its popularity with audiences, with some 3D releases around this time having received mixed reviews.

RECEPTION

Chicken Little premiered in 3D at 84 theatres around the United States. The release of The Polar Express in Christmas 2004 showed that audiences would go to see films in 3D, so Disney thought they should try it, though it was a bit of a leap of faith. Disney deployed 84 state-of-the-art REAL D projection screens for these screenings, and even assigned an engineer to each 3D screen for the opening weekend of Chicken Little[9].

To promote Chicken Little’s release, two inflatables of a giant Chicken Little head appeared at both Disney’s MGM Studios (now Disney’s Hollywood Studios) at Walt Disney World Resort and at Disney’s California Adventure in Disneyland. At California Adventure, the head was visible from the Esplanade, whereas at Disney’s MGM Studios, it appeared over the building that then housed Playhouse Disney – Live on Stage! The building now hosts Disney Junior – Live on Stage! These inflatables may have drawn park-goers’ attention, but they were branded “creepy”, with some saying that it was disturbing how they could be seen from some distance within the parks[10].

Chicken Little was released on 4^th November 2005 in the United States, making $300 million worldwide, however, it was torn apart by critics, with many disliking the storyline, and finding the movie unamusing, though believing that it would still be appropriate for entertaining very young children, but lacking the universal appeal of some of Disney’s previous animated movies.

LEGACY

Chicken Little did spawn two different video games, with one being based on the storyline of the movie, and the second one being inspired by the superhero movie and the characters within it, such as the action hero “Ace”. But, due to the lack of popularity around the movie, Chicken Little and its characters have not been particularly prevalent at the Disney Parks, though Abby Mallard and Chicken Little both appeared as character meet-and-greets as part of promotional activities for the movie in and around 2005/2006. At Disney’s MGM Studios, their meet-and-greet location was within the Magic of Disney Animation attraction. They also both starred in the Disney Stars and Motor Cars parade at that time[11].

Apart from promotional activities, Abby and Chicken Little have not been seen regularly at the parks, these being the only two characters from the Chicken Little movie who appear as walkaround characters at the Disney Parks. I did not find evidence of them ever appearing at the parks in Asia, however, they were available to meet at Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and at Disneyland Paris. The most frequent sightings I could find were at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World, where both Chicken Little and Abby Mallard greeted guests in July 2013 for “Long Lost Friends Week”, and then again in early 2019 for “Mickey and Minnie’s Surprise Celebration”. Chicken Little was the Disneyland Honorary Grand Marshal of the Day in 2005 during Disneyland’s 50^th Anniversary, and was seen at a Halloween event at Disneyland Paris in 2007, however, Chicken Little, and Abby, may have been spotted more recently than that at those parks. It is likely at some point the two will show up randomly at some special event!

The only award that Chicken Little won during the 2006 Award Season was Worst Animated Film at the “Stinkers Bad Movie Awards”, though it was nominated at the Kids’ Choice Awards, Critics’ Choice Awards, and Annie Awards for Best Animated Feature. Chicken Little lost to DreamWorks’ Madagascar (2005) at the Kids’ Choice Awards, and to Aardman’s Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) at the other two. This must have been disappointing to those who worked on Chicken Little, as the movie was in development during some very turbulent times at the Walt Disney Company. Chicken Little may have been reviewed by CEO Michael Eisner at the start of production, but by the time of its theatrical release, there was a new CEO: Bob Iger.

Potentially because of the little success received by Chicken Little, Iger made sure to keep the working relationship with Pixar Studios going. On 24^th January 2006, Disney announced their intention to purchase Pixar, which was completed on 5^th May 2006[12]. A direct-to-video sequel for Chicken Little, which would have potentially focused on Abby and how she felt about her physical appearance, was soon cancelled by John Lasseter after the deal went through, as Lasseter became the Chief Creative Officer at both studios[13].

FINAL THOUGHTS

Unfortunately, Chicken Little is either disregarded or completely forgotten by Disney fans, because of its disappointing reviews. I still say that I like it. I don’t think it looks spectacular, but as Disney’s first attempt at making a fully computer animated movie, it wasn’t terrible. I think it’s funny, and has its touching moments too. I like the music, and though I don’t love the characters, I did find that I at least liked them. It seems incredibly unfair that so many people love to hate Chicken Little, because so much hard work and effort went into the movie, during a particularly difficult time at the Disney Studios.

Though Chicken Little is not a perfect example of a computer-animated movie, it was one step closer to creating the brilliant movies that Disney Animation make today.

REFERENCES

[1] Credit: Mari Ness, ‘The Sky Is Falling! Maybe! “Henny Penny” or “Chicken Little”’, Tor.com, 5^th May 2016.

[2] Credit: Disney, “Deleted Scenes”, from Chicken Little (2005), DVD (2006).

[3] Credit: Jim Korkis, Everything I Know I Learned from Disney Animated Feature Films (2015), ‘Chicken Little (2005)’, pp. 136-138.

[4] Credit: Disney, “Hatching Chicken Little”, from Chicken Little (2005), DVD (2006).

[5] Credit: Devon Baxter, ‘Disney’s “Chicken Little” Cartoon from 1943’, CartoonResearch.com, 22^nd June 2016.

[6] Credit: Jared Bruett, ‘Disney’s Chicken Little Was in the Wrong Place at the Wrong Time’, GameRant.com, 10^th November 2020.

[7] Credit: Disney, “Deleted Scenes”, from Chicken Little (2005), DVD (2006).

[8] Credit: Disney, “Hatching Chicken Little”, from Chicken Little (2005), DVD (2006).

[9] Credit: Buck Wolf, ‘’Chicken Little’ Wings It in 3-D’, ABC News (online), 7^th November 2005.

[10] Credit: Author Unknown, ‘Chicken Little Blow Up Disney’s MGM Studios’, ThemeParksandEntertainment.com, 20^th June 2020.

[11] Credit: Author Unknown, ‘Chicken Little stars arrive at the Studios’, WDWMagic.com, 18^th June 2005.

[12] Credit: Jim Korkis, Everything I Know I Learned from Disney Animated Feature Films (2015), ‘Chicken Little (2005)’, pp. 136-138.

[13] Credit: Drew Taylor, ‘Disney’s ‘Chicken Little’: Inside the Troubled History of the Studio’s First CGI Feature’, Collider.com, 9^th November 2020.