Ted Sears
Occupation
Filmmaker
Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs Review
By Joshua Tyler
Essential
Some films are beyond cynicism. A real classic influences the hearts and minds of audiences, even generations after its creation. Some classics like The Wizard of Oz hold such value that they become indelibly etched in the minds of every American of every walk of life. Disney's Snow White is another such film that has earned that sort of place in our hearts.
Indeed, without Miss White and her band of little men, Disney's moneymaking empire of full-length animated films might never existed. Films that generation after generation of American children has laughed with and cried over might never have been. But Snow White is more than the grandfather of full-length animated films, it is a genuine classic in its own right.
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Peter Pan (1953) Review
Good
Peter Pan may be a boy who refuses to grow up, but his movie is really one of Disney's most adult "kids'" films.
Like Pinocchio, there are a lot of mature themes in Peter Pan. The elfin Peter is full of duplicity -- he'll lie to no end to get his way. Peter and the children he has brought with him to Never Land (they don't want to grow up either) visit a local Indian tribe, and with appropriate 1950s un-PC-ness, the smoke'm peace pipe and blow smoke triangles (cue song: "What Made the Red Man Red?"). Wendy and the kids are kidnapped by an extremely effeminate sailor (the immortal Captain Hook, Pan's nemesis). Even innocent Tinkerbell looks with frustration at how wide her hips are -- before she sells out her buddies in a play for her freedom from Hook.
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Alice In Wonderland (1951) Review
Very Good
It's a little sad to think that many kids today know Alice in Wonderland only from its references in The Matrix.Good news then that kids can see the definitive film version of the classic Lewis Carroll story, Disney's animated 1951 version. For the uninitiated, this musical rendition takes young Alice on a whirlwind ride down a rabbit hole and into a surreal fantasy land where cats vanish, hares have intense schedules, and the world is ruled by a playing card. Remarkably, Alice takes all this in stride; whether potions shrink her or make her grow uncontrollably, she doesn't seem to mind much. It's not until that Queen of Hearts shows up that things start to get dicey... what with the "Off with her head!" and all.
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Cinderella Review
Excellent
She talks to birds, lives in a secluded room, and makes little outfits for mice. What a wacko.
Nah, just kidding. We're talking about Cinderella, one of history's most beloved fairy tale characters, and an early star of Disney's animated feature canon, brought to life in this 1950 classic. In Disney history, Cinderella is a transition of sorts: the first major release in eight years (late-'40s titles like Make Mine Music are not as timeless), it kicked off a string of major successes that line home video shelves now, decades later. Business and legacy aside, what little girl doesn't love the magic of this movie?
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