I’m watching my way through Disney animated feature films, and I have reached the 50’s. Cinderella got its own post.
Alice in Wonderland, 1951. I grew up reading Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. After watching this, I wanted to re-read the books, to clear my head- what was there, what wasn’t? Was the Cheshire Cat evil in the book? I missed the baby turning into a pig, and the mouse. The Walrus and the carpenter was just a poem in the book, and I didn’t like that scene.
Alice is a reactionary protagonist, who drifts through the bizarre world and makes comments, like an Everyman touring Fantasia. The world is a dream-world, and the animators had fun with that. Quite a lot of high pitched choral singing. Alice does not have a side-kick. She does have an English accent. I had to look up the voice actor, to see if she also played Wendy (she did). I think that the studio assumed everyone had read Alice, so could riff on it, and that the male voice actors were seen as the stars to Alice’s straight man with cartoonish slapstick. Favorite bit, “I give myself very good advice, but I very rarely follow it” and mome raths running around.
Peter Pan, 1953. Disney+ has a warning in front of this movie, and wow, yes, it needs it. Its depiction of native Americans is awful, and probably why I don’t remember seeing the movie all the way through before. I think they removed some bits on the VHS version. Was that song in the original play? Why did they cut “Never Smile at a Crocodile” but leave that atrocity in? At first I thought the father was supposed to be a bad man, the real Hook, but he’s not really. Yes, he has a temper tantrum and puts the dog outside, but he gives her water, apologizes and explains to Nana gently that she is a dog, not a nursemaid. Tinker bell is awesome, the joke about her hips being too big is not. What ages are the kids? Is Wendy 12 or 10? I think Michael is 4 and John 9. This story is not framed as a dream, but Neverland is a magical fairy realm in the sky that is shaped by imagination, where lost children stay children forever, and if the kids hadn’t decided to come back, the parents would have found an empty room. There’s some darkness to Barrie’s story that others have explored. It is a good thing they show children you need pixie dust to fly. Hook is unapologetically a villain (killing a pirate who was annoying him, planning on drowning a girl, bombing Peter Pan). Smee is an adorable evil henchman who just wants to go out to sea and attack ships like a normal pirate.
Lady and the Tramp, 1955. This movie also has a warning, because of the Siamese cats (and a lot of cartoonish stereotypes of a lot of nationalities). I remember having the album of this movie, without having seen the movie, so having to guess what was happening by song lyrics. The beginning, with the couple getting Lady as a puppy, seems very disconnected from the rest of the movie. It’s from the human’s perspective. In fact, none of the dogs talk until Jock starts singing about 10 minutes in. While all the other dogs talk in an accent related to the nationality of their breed, Lady has a soft southern accent, not a Spanish one. Tramp, being an all-American mutt, also escapes the stereotypes. Tramp doesn’t appear until 15 minutes in. He shows up, warns Lady that she will be thrown out when the baby arrives, and then rescues her from the evil aunt and her evil cats, sweeping her off her feet with a romantic dinner and a night of freedom, to come crashing back down when she’s in the pound, finding out she’s just the latest in a string of bitches. So, I know it’s just a cartoon, but where the hell is the baby when the aunt is in the pet store ? (details a parent catches, I guess). I wonder if this movie inspired a push for no-kill shelters? This movie is traumatic! I would say it’s the first instance of what I call “don’t be dead” if you don’t count Snow White ( they skipped that in Peter Pan with Tinkerbell)
Sleeping Beauty, 1959. This is the first movie to come out after Disneyland opened. Time for another princess! Lovely music- I remember being told as a child it was based on a ballet but also they reference Charles Perrault. The style is very different from the previous few movies. I am watching this and not remembering it. Imagine telling an 8 year old he was going to marry a baby someday. I love Merriweather, she’s adorbs. Oh, those goblins! What was Maleficent doing for 16 years? I would like to think she had other projects. I think Merriweather did most of the work in the cottage. Prince Phillip has much more personality than the previous princes. Aurora has the same Druidic powers as Snow and Cinderella. I really wish I had animal helpers and a wand! Love at first sight? Teenagers, am I right? Fairies have a warped sense of what is right- they decided to put the whole castle to sleep? What about the rest of the country? The main characters are the fairies, really, they are the ones who act. Prince Phillip is merely a tool for their magic.the only thing he contributes is his kiss ( and teenage love). There are some strong Christian overtones I didn’t catch as a kid- the sword of righteousness? I love the pink vs. blue fight. They should make a dress that changes color for cast who play Aurora at the parks.
Thus ends the 50’s. There are only 3 movies in the 60’s, and they were all treasured childhood books.
