One of our favourite things about Disney's animated films here at We Want The D is how they can run the gamut from sprawling, musical epics to intimate, slice-of-life stories; and be equally entertaining and beloved regardless. This week, Vicky, Nolan and Jill watched what, on paper, could be simply seen as a romantic comedy with dogs. But Lady and the Tramp is so much more than just that. It has a timeless quality to it; the beautiful and fluid animation makes it seem like it could have been released within the past ten years, not in 1955; on the flip side, songs like "Bella Notte" sound like they were written a hundred years ago and not specifically for this movie. Sure, there may be some unfortunate baggage when it comes to racist cats...and restaurant owners...and police officers...and chihuahuas. But the charm of this movie and its huge cast of interesting and funny characters more than makes up for it's few shortcomings in our eyes. So grab a big plate of spaghetti, or bones if you prefer, and enjoy a beautiful night of discussion of another one of Disney's best.
As you D Lovers surely have realized by now, Vicky, Nolan and Jill are not afraid to go the distance to deliver hard-hitting commentary on the brightest and strangest of Disney films. Spanning the furthest reaches of outer space to the tropical beaches of Hawaii, this week on We Want The D we pull no punches on LILO & STITCH. Emotionally resonant sibling story and wig-wearing, Kevin McDonald-voiced alien be damned; we still raise the tough questions about Lilo's severe emotional and behavioral issues, Jumba's unexplained Russian accent, heavily contrasting animated settings, and jut who Cobra Bubbles reports to. Each of your hosts faced a lot of inner turmoil about just how to feel about this movie, so enjoy this installment of your favourite podcast where we try to figure it out.
We've watched a lot of strange Disney movies here on We Want The D; everything from old dads to dancing leprechauns have defuddled Vicky, Nolan and Jill over past episodes. But this week's film may take the cake. The Three Lives of Thomasina stars a cult television actor and producer, Jane and Michael Banks from Mary Poppins along with a host of other towheaded children, and a blandly beautiful blonde - almost all of whom are (badly) attempting Scottish accents. Oh yeah, and a cat that vanishes for large chunks of time, even though the movie is named after AND about her. That may not sound so strange to you yet, Dear Listeners, but we haven't even gotten to the cat afterlife, gypsy circus, or number of instances of animals being "destroyed." But don't worry, no actual animals were killed in the making of this film...we think. Lots of them were drugged, though.
If there's one thing Vicky, Nolan and Jill would like our Dear Listeners to take away from this week's episode of We Want The D, it's that no matter how much we may hate the movies you request, we still love you. That said, our hosts don't really love anything about Disney's THE FOX AND THE HOUND. Never before has a film that features cute baby animals and a message about the power of friendship (or something more that friendship...) been so reviled for its poor animation, phoned-in voice acting and overall dullness. It's a good old-fashioned hate-fest this week, so we recommend a palette cleanser of pictures of cute animals once you're done listening - just none of the ones from this movie.