The Disney studio struggled in the 80s. Only one movie rose above, becoming a classic with fans and merchandising and recognition. Looking back on my childhood, I think part of the issue was it was hard to see these movies more than once. But also, they were just bad.
The Fox and the Hound, 1981 I had to force myself to watch this. First, the music is awful. It’s like they asked the actors to start singing about a topic like an improv show, without music. Then there’s the subtext of racism, with Big Mama having to give “the talk” to Todd, the loss of innocence that is seen as inevitable here. The best you can expect is that your former friend won’t kill you. There was no warning before the movie, but… kids, don’t pick up baby animals you find outside, don’t carry puppies by the collar, don’t abandon domesticated animals in the woods, even if it’s a nature preserve, don’t shoot your neighbors car even if he was shooting at you. I found the comic relief to be tiresome, the pace to be slow, and the general feeling that this was a re-run. Of course, compared to some cartoons running at this time make it look like artistry (watch an episode of Spider-woman on Disney+, I dare you).
The Black Cauldron, 1985. Another book to movie where I ask, did you READ the book? The book by this title is the third in the series. I think this was the first Disney movie where the credits were at the end, not the beginning. Instead, at the beginning they have the voice of Gandalf (John Huston) giving the backstory. I can see why Disney wants to forget they made this- it is 80’s to the core, the decade that brought you such childhood trauma as the Neverending Story, Gremlins and ET. So… to sum up, the lich king wants the black cauldron so he can cook up an army of the undead. An oracle pig can help him find it, so Taran the assistant pig keeper is launched into an adventure. The rest of his D&D party include Princess Elionwy, the bard Fflewddur, and the talking creature Gurgi. Taran finds a magic sword owned by the high King of Prydain (on his sarcophagus) that can basically fight for him. It’s all he’s ever dreamed of, but he sacrifices it to save the day. It’s like they took Sword of the Stone and mashed it with the animated Hobbit and a partial episode of the smurfs. At one point, the bard is turned into a frog and gets stuck in a witch’s cleavage. The three witches were turned into uncaring monsters instead of being the guardians of the cauldron. I recommend going to read the books instead of watching this.
The Great Mouse Detective, 1986
Ugh. This was a mess. It dragged on, the plot was awkward, the villain was a weird rat who didn’t like rats, the hero a mouse who lived under Sherlock Holmes house, the sidekick a sad copy of Watson. There were some very weird decisions about the world of these talking mice- cats and dogs couldn’t speak, the queen mouse was 60 years old, the mice had a parallel world to the humans? The young girl was used as a rescue object for much of the movie. There was a really awkward mouse burlesque number, and the villain had two songs, but the detective did not sing. There were.many tired tropes, like the elaborate execution setup while the villain walks away. It was like a 15 minute tv short dragged out for too long. Vincent Price played the rat, the voice actor for Scrooge McDuck played a toy maker.
Oliver and Company, 1988
I didn’t hate this movie, a retelling of Oliver Twist. Let me start by saying I love Billy Joel who plays the Dodger. This movie is sooo 80’s, New York City, boom boxes, knee warmers, neon. The animation is deliberately loose and sketchy. The character Fagin is animated like the old “instructional” Goofy shorts with over exaggerated faces and pratfalls. It starts out wordless, like Lady and the Tramp, with the main character not talking until Dodger talks. There are some callbacks to the older animal movies, with dog breeds matching nationalities. Georgette the spoiled poodle (glad they didn’t make her do French accent), played by Bette Midler, has a great song, and I remember the “Why Should I worry” song. The final chase scene lost my suspension of disbelief with a car driving down the subway stairs. When the character Rita sings it is jarringly obvious that it’s a different voice. Speaking of voices, Fagin is voiced by Dom Deluise, and Tito by Cheech Marin. I feel like the quality has gone from “bad tv cartoon” to good kids movie.
Favorite quote : “Isn’t it unwise to use your entire vocabulary in one sentence?”
The Little Mermaid, 1989. I remember going to this movie prepared to hate it- I mean, the Andersen story is horrible and tragic, with agony and death and the basic lesson of “be careful what you wish for”, and they are making into a happy musical romance? But it worked- relatability, pacing, music, villain, struggle, and plotting. The movie is longer, a real feature film, with an overture, cohesive score and songs that are memorable, singable and good. The plot of a parent letting his daughter grow up (without dying, but mother died after having so many kids) is going to hit all audiences, because even if you aren’t a parent, you have been a child. The first movie I have seen multiple times already on the list since…(looking back on my notes) Robin Hood, 1973.
So there’s the 80’s for Disney animation- it took me two months to complete.
Olaf summary of ending, singing “I’m married and I have……feeeeet!”
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