Hiya!
I’ve written a lot about Disney before. That’s because I love Disney animated films. Growing up, it was a big part of my life. I may be a whole lot older now but I still pop in my scratched up DVD copy of The Little Mermaid now and again. Which reminds me, I really have to go out and get the Blu-Ray version in the near future. Anyway, it was The Little Mermaid that sparked my interest in the animated features the House of Mouse would produce.
I watched a lot of them and, while I do enjoy most of them, there were some that really didn’t tickle my fancy. I can’t even say they were terrible, but they do commit a worse sin in my opinion: they’re forgettable. These films are ones that I don’t even raise any emotions in me. At least with Brother Bear or Home on the Range, I have a strong feeling of dislike for them. But these films, I don’t hate them enough to say I hate them but I don’t even like them enough to care. They straddle that weird line so I usually even forget they belong in the Disney library of films.
So, with that said, here are five animated Disney films that I don’t care for.
1. Big Hero 6
A Disney movie with Marvel superheroes? Where have I seen that before?
Apparently, there is a Marvel comic series called Big Hero 6 and not many people knew about it. Okay, that doesn’t mean that Disney can’t use the property and make a good movie out of it. But the movie just felt so dull and flat for me. I do know there are some touching scenes involving Hiro and Baymax because Baymax was the final creation of Tadashi, Hiro’s dead brother. The thing is I didn’t care for it and I honestly can’t put my finger on why. It just didn’t strike an emotional chord with me and since their bond is the primary crux of Big Hero 6, I didn’t care for the film as well.
It also didn’t help that the rest of the Big Hero 6 team just felt like add-ons since they didn’t help push the plot forward. Their roles could’ve been easily be rewritten to fit a smaller cast of characters but Disney couldn’t because it wouldn’t be called Big Hero 6 if that happened, could they? If they were more involved with the central conflict, they would’ve felt more important. But, because of how unnecessary they felt, Big Hero 6’s cast was much like Baymax: bloated and full of air.
2. The Jungle Book (1967)
Or, as I like to call it, “the movie where the Bare Necessities song came from.”
I can’t say The Jungle Book from 1967 is a bad film. The problem is it hasn’t aged all that well, especially if you’re like me and you were weaned on The Little Mermaid and other animated films created during the Disney Renaissance. Remember that animated films produced during Disney Renaissance was generally a marked improvement of earlier films because Disney finally had competition with Don Bluth. As I grew up during this resurgence of creativity from Disney, a lot of the earlier films looked rather bland by comparison. This includes The Jungle Book.
Also, the Jungle Book’s story is pretty forgettable and the animation looks jerky. It may have looked fantastic way back in 1967 but I’m viewing through eyes that have gotten accustomed to the flowing animation of the Disney Renaissance, remember? And, as catchy as the Bare Necessities is, I don’t think anyone really likes it enough to learn the lyrics, do they?
3. Tarzan
Yes, this was made during the Disney Renaissance. It’s actually one of two films from that period that I don’t care for.
I wasn’t all that enthralled by the animated Tarzan movie for a variety of reasons. One of those reasons is actually the soundtrack. I know Phil Collins is known for being some renowned musical genius or something but I don’t care for the music. It’s all too dramatic and, if you really look at it, doesn’t really blend in with the story that being shown on screen. There are superficial connections, like when they show Tarzan growing up while Son of Man blares in the background. But it’s just a generic uplifting song and doesn’t exactly fit the fun or action that’s happening on the screen.
I also didn’t like the character designs a whole lot. I don’t know why but there was generally something off putting about all of the characters’ faces. Tarzan’s face looked too long. Jane’s mouth looked a little bit too low on her face. It’s just weird! Since I couldn’t get over the designs, I never got invested in the story, which was very predictable to begin with.
4. Pocahontas
It’s not historically accurate in any way… but that’s not why I don’t care for Disney’s version of Pocahontas.
A little of my history is involved to explain why I don’t really care for this film. As much as I love the Disney Renaissance period, I wasn’t actually there to experience them as they came out in the movie theaters. In fact, I was born around the same time as Pocahontas was released, so I never did watch it when it was fresh and new. However, after my first exposure to Disney films like The Little Mermaid and Aladdin, I went through a phase where I just wanted to watch all Disney animated movies. But, since I would equate the more adventurous and more child friendly animated features as Disney films, Pocahontas confused me.
There wasn’t all that much to like about the film when you’re a kid. There wasn’t any weird talking animals that did funny things. There wasn’t any real adventure or action scenes. There is, however, a lot of more adult themes like racism and multiculturalism and other topics that young children don’t really understand yet. So, when I did watch Pocahontas, nothing was there to really grab my attention. Now that I’m older and I do understand the more mature subjects, I still look at the film with that childlike mindset when I was indifferent of the film. Sorry, but I can’t just shake that feeling anymore.
5. Dinosaur
I honestly keep forgetting this is a Disney film!
I will admit that the film is beautiful to look at. Disney was actually very creative since Dinosaur may use CGI for the animals and creatures, most of the backgrounds were real. I will have to give them points for showing some beautiful scenic spots all around the world. But that’s pretty much the only real good thing I can say about Dinosaur. This was a movie that I do remember watching when it came out and even then, I didn’t find it interesting.
A lot of it has to deal with the realistic animation. They just look weird to me. I remember being somewhat horrified at how the characters looked. There was just something off about them. I understand now that it’s kind of like the uncanny valley effect but it’s not like I’ve seen a real life dinosaur before, so why would the uncanny valley affect me? Maybe it’s because they did anthropomorphized their features to make them look just a smidge cartoony so children wouldn’t be terrified of the huge beasts. Maybe it was the mixing of real life backdrops with animated characters. I don’t really hate Dinosaur but it just doesn’t scream Disney quality.
Byee!
Are there any Disney movies you don’t really care for? Let me know what they are in the comments section below!
3rd World Geeks 