Mike and Sulley Meet in Monsters University

The folks at Pixar are known for crafting films that tell wonderful stories full of humor and heart. Rarely has the mix been better than in Monsters, Inc., the 2001 movie set in a world in which monsters power their city by collecting the screams of children in our world. These monsters, while wildly diverse in physical traits, are largely average Joes, particularly the huge, blue-haired James Sullivan (John Goodman) and the short, one-eyed Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal). An unusually close encounter with a toddler challenges their world-view and ultimately deepens their friendship, with far-reaching consequences for their society at large.

While I did not expect Monsters University to have the emotional and spiritual depth of the film that preceded it, I was excited to hear that more than a decade after they first appeared, these unconventional buddies would be gracing the big screen again, this time in a prequel. From a purely visual standpoint, I knew it would be great fun, since this particular world offers so many opportunities to exercise artistic creativity. I also relished the thought of seeing these fantastic friends in action again. While I don’t think this will attain the classic status that Toy Story 2 has, I found it a very enjoyable return to familiar territory.

While I would consider Sulley the slightly more main character in Monsters, Inc., Mike moves into greater prominence here. In fact, the movie begins with him as an adorable youngster rejected by his classmates for his small size, braces and overall nerdiness. A trip to the scare factory gives him a sense of direction, and his arrival at Monsters University is the result of intensive study. His passion for the material knows no bounds, but can this rather goofy fellow actually be scary? How will he stand a chance against the raw talent of someone like fellow freshman James Sullivan, a true jock among monsters?

In many ways, this is a typical college comedy about a nerd and a popular person learning from each other. Many of the jokes borrow from other films in that genre, but the creators put a fun Pixar spin on them that makes the movie great fun to watch. As in the first movie, the monsters display all sorts of creative characteristics, and here, the emphasis is on teamwork – finding ways to make those traits come together in productive ways. This is best demonstrated in the members of Oozma Kappa, the uber-dorky fraternity of misfits that Mike and Sulley join so they can enter a campus-wide contest to prove to the austere university headmistress, a dragon voiced by Helen Mirren, that they deserve to be students there.

At first, Mike and Sulley are rivals too blinded by their own pride to form a useful partnership, while their teammates are merely ineffective and lacking in proper leadership. Eventually, however, they learn to develop their strengths and use them to everyone’s benefit. Two-headed Terri and Terry and super-flexible Art are fun, but particularly prominent are the beautifully bland Squishy, his sweetly overbearing mother (in whose home the fraternity is housed) and Don, the fraternity’s middle-aged founder. Together, they make a lovable bunch of underdogs.

While there’s at least one line in the original movie that seems to clash with the storyline presented here, the film generally does a good job of meshing believably with Monsters, Inc., and the nods to that movie are fun, particularly running jokes like Mike’s tendency to get obscured in photographs. Not only do we see the evolution of Mike and Sulley’s friendship, but of their rivalry with Randall (Steve Buscemi), the sneaky chameleon-like lizard who causes them no end of trouble at the factory. His progression is an interesting study in the dark side of desiring popularity.

While neither the movie nor the charming short involving a blue umbrella’s quest to find happiness are the most memorable of Pixar’s efforts, they are thoroughly enjoyable, and the visual spectacle of the film is more pronounced than ever. The backdrops are particularly impressive. While many of the jokes seem to aim more at an adult audience as they draw on previous films, there’s nothing objectionable for parents to worry about, and there’s plenty of slapstick to keep the youngest kids entertained. A tribute to friendship and the value of hard work and overcoming prejudices, Monsters University is a fun and colorful summer flick.

An Impetuous Princess Learns to Be Brave

When it comes to movies, this year is dominated by The Hobbit, a film I have been eagerly anticipating ever since Return of the King came out in 2003. However, that won't hit theaters until December, so I had to have another release to tide me over in the meantime. Happily for me, another summer meant a new Pixar movie, and one that seemed to go especially well with The Hobbit to boot.

Unlike previous Pixar flicks, Brave is set in the distant past, and it happens to take place in the bonny land of Scotland, which I have always found singularly alluring. When the first trailers began to surface, I was swept away in the majesty of the animation and the lilting score and intrigued by apparent indications of an epic scope with scenes reminiscent of Lord of the Rings. I found myself anticipating this movie more highly than any Pixar film preceding it.

Now that I have finally seen it, I am not prepared to unequivocally state that it is my favorite of Pixar's offerings, but it is an excellent film that does ignite that adventurous side of me. It's the tale of Merida (Kelly MacDonald), a Scottish princess with an unruly mop of fiery red hair that matches her personality. She is a whirling dervish who has always been more interested in archery and running free through the forest with her horse than training to be a proper queen. When her parents announce to her that they have invited representatives of the neighboring clans to a tournament in which the princes will vie for her hand, she is appalled.

Merida has no interest in monarchy or matrimony. All her life, she's felt trapped by the role for which she is being prepared, and she is desperate for a way out. When her cleverness and skill fail to provide her with the chance to carve out her own destiny, she turns to magic in the depths of the forest... and gets more than she bargained for.

Merida is a feisty lass, and while this setting is more antiquated than most, she feels quite modern in her attitudes. Of all the previous Disney princesses, she reminds me most of Ariel in her persistent defiance, though Mulan also comes to mind as she has the heart of a warrior. She also feels younger than most Disney princesses; I didn't catch an age, but she doesn't strike me as much older than 14, so it's little wonder she's freaking out about the adult responsibilities about to be forced on her. She also feels very teenagerish in the snippy way she treats her mother, and that relationship is more central to the tale than any other.

Emma Thompson is perfectly regal as the elegant Queen Elinor (and this Austen geek loves that she shares a name with Thompson's character in the 1995 version of Sense and Sensibility, for which she wrote the exceptional screenplay). Her voice is still recognizable, but there's a bit of a brogue in there. Her accent is not as strong as Merida's, but that is partly because the queen is so refined; that hint of a Scottish lilt felt like perpetual wink to Elinor's wilder side.

By contrast, Billy Connolly's brogue as King Fergus is robust and unrestrained as he weaves his gleefully embroidered tales about his close encounter with a belligerent bear. This peg-legged king is a natural-born storyteller, and while his sweetly unruly spirit leaves him in frequent sympathy with his daughter, it's clear that the queen really rules the roost in this family. As much as I love the journey of understanding that Merida and Elinor take together, this boyish rascal is my favorite character.

The film is absolutely gorgeous to look at, particularly in terms of landscapes, and Patrick Doyle's Celtic score complements that beauty perfectly, as do the songs that are incorporated as background. The central plot is not quite as grandiose as I expected, occurring closer to home rather than taking Merida on a lengthy journey through the Scottish highlands. Nonetheless, this film feels very much in the realm of fantasy and adventure, and as such, it has a slightly somber feel to it that is atypical for Pixar. Consequently, it isn't as funny as most, particularly in terms of dialogue, though it does have its moments, and there is considerable physical comedy, particularly involving Merida's mischievous little triplet brothers and the rather ridiculous neighboring clan leaders and their sons.

Preceding the movie is the short La Luna, which fits in well with the theme of a communication gap between parent and child and a youth's creative way of facing obstacles. In this case, it's a wide-eyed boy helping his father and grandfather complete a wondrous nightly task involving the moon. Though no actual words are exchanged, the inflection in the muttering voices makes it easy to infer the gist of the conversation. It's worth it to stay to the end of the credits, too, as the filmmakers offer a short additional scene as a reward.

In the beginning, Merida is not so much brave as she is impetuous, but by film's end, she has a much better handle on what genuine bravery involves and how best to express it. She, and maybe those in the audience, also come to understand that being brave does not always have to mean going it alone and that learning to work alongside those you love, however deep your differences, may be one of the most courageous acts of all.

The Smurfs Is Silly But Fun to Watch Once

Like many children of the 1980s, I grew up with the Smurfs. The cartoon about the little blue fellas were never my favorites, partly because Gargamel, the sorcerer always out to get them, gave me the willies, but I still watched the antics of Papa Smurf and the dozens of younger Smurfs by his side. Recently, I indulged in a bit of nostalgia when my friend Julie and I watched the recent feature film, and while it’s probably not a movie I would watch again, it was a fun trip to take once.

The movie is a mix of live action and computer animation, and its premise is reminiscent of Enchanted as several Smurfs, along with Gargamel and his cat Asrael, go through a portal and find themselves in New York City. Gargamel has evil plans for the travelers, while the Smurfs just want to get home. Helping them in their quest are a young couple, workaholic ad man Patrick (Neil Patrick Harris) and sweet-natured Grace (Jayma Mays), who is expecting a baby soon.

Slapstick abounds here, particularly in a raucous scene that takes place in a toy store, and the movie makes numerous references to other films, with my favorite being an extended nod to Gandalf’s conference with the moth in Fellowship of the Ring and subsequent rescue. Hank Azaria is a very campy Gargamel; I doubt he’d seriously scare too many kids, especially since Asrael seems by far the smarter of the two, but he poses enough of a threat to keep things interesting.

The film’s opening in Smurf Village is idyllic, and we get to see all sorts of little blue creatures with specific specialties. Only a few of them wind up in New York City: newcomer Gutsy (Alan Cumming), a stout-hearted, kilted Scotsman (whose presence among a bevy of mythical Belgian creatures remains unexplained); irascible Grouchy (George Lopez); indispensable Brainy (Fred Armisen); lone female Smurfette (Katy Perry); sage patriarch Papa (Jonathan Winters) and disaster-prone Clumsy (Anton Yelchin).

While Clumsy is arguably the central Smurf character, as he spends most of the movie feeling ineffective and unwanted before mustering his resolve for a daring rescue, Smurfette grows especially close to Grace, the first female she’s ever encountered aside from herself, and Papa is instrumental in helping to ease Patrick’s apprehension about fatherhood, with Winters’s warm reading my favorite of the voice performances. Harris and Mays are extremely likable here, and the way the Smurfs’ presence deepens their hosts’ relationship is very sweet.

I wouldn’t call the animation remarkable, and those Smurfs still look pretty weird against a live action backdrop, but it works, and the humor is hardly sophisticated, but I laughed. The movie does not take itself too seriously; this is as much for adults as for kids, with a hefty side of, “Boy, wasn’t this show we watched every Saturday goofy?” Yes. Yes, it was.

Not-So-Merry Men Abound in this VeggieTales Video About Hurt Feelings

What do you do when it feels like you're being neglected and rejected? That's something kids face a lot as those around them misunderstand them or simply aren't attuned to them, and it's the subject of Christian children's company Big Idea's latest computer-animated VeggieTales video, Robin Good and His Not-So-Merry Men.

The video begins, as most do, with a countertop scene. This one finds Larry the Cucumber distraught because his hamster has abandoned him. Meanwhile, Bob the Tomato opens a message from a young viewer who is battling hurt feelings of his own, and he deems it a good time for a couple of stories.

The first tale is fairly short and told all in rhyme, recalling such previous segments as The Story of Flibber-O-Loo and The Snoodle's Tale, but this one is set in a contemporary world rather than a fantastical realm inspired by Dr. Seuss. Junior Asparagus, here a kid named Lenny, is turning eight.  This time, his character has an energetic little sister by the name of Libbie, which amused me since that is the name of one of my best friends. Also amusing me was a random reference to Abraham Lincoln, my favorite president.

Lenny, however, is not amused in this tale, and that's because it seems everyone has forgotten his birthday. He spends the day in an agony of mopeyness waiting for just one person to say something about his special day. What's going on? This is a cute story that contains a sweet song of reassurance by Lenny's mom and a twist at the end that is both fun and educational.

Of course, it's also a bit of a downer for most of it because it's just Lenny feeling sorry for himself and keeping all his angst bottled up. The takeaway message is that even when you're having a terrible day, God is still there for you, and that should bring comfort. However, another message kids might glean is that instead of stewing silently over having been slighted, they should address their problems openly.

Granted, when someone is ignoring your birthday, you don't want to say anything because you hope that eventually, they will remember, and it doesn't really count if you told them. But generally speaking, "failure to communicate" can contribute to all sorts of hurt feelings. As a fundamentally non-confrontational person, this is something I have struggled with myself. Expressing myself openly has never been my strong suit, and as with Junior, that reluctance to speak up has led to unnecessary anxiety and confusion.

The main story is a parody of Robin Hood, territory VeggieTales has touched before in the shorter segment on Minnesota Cuke and the Search for Samson's Hairbrush. However, that was only a brief sojourn. Here we've got a full-blown tale in which Robin Good, played by Larry, leads his band of Not-So-Merry Men by waylaying travelers in the forest and soliciting funds from them to redistribute to the poorest in the kingdom of Bethlingham. When donations run almost dry, his buddies rebel and turn to thievery instead, something Robin refuses to do. He's got scruples, but he's also got a lot of resentment bubbling up inside him. Can he overcome it to help a friend in need? The message here is about the same as in the first, with an added theme that making other people feel better tends to make you feel better yourself.

This is an enjoyable twist on familiar characters. I love the setting, the different take on the usually sinister Sherriff (played here by Bob) and the bits of zany humor, particularly a discussion between Robin and the Sherriff that is reminiscent of Abbott and Costello's "Who's On First?" routine and a series of rather groan-worthy ham puns. The tale includes mostly music along the same lines as Mom Asparagus's lullaby, which is nice, though the one that got my attention the most was the peppy duet between Robin and the corrupt prince, played by frequent antagonist Mr. Nezzer in one of his meaner incarnations. It's a fun and ultimately encouraging story, but again, because we spend so much time with Robin, and later the Sherriff, moping, it's not quite as upbeat as most of these videos tend to be.

Between stories we've got the traditional Silly Song, which is another offering by Boyz in the Sink, the boy band made up of Larry, Junior, Mr. Lunt and Jimmy Gourd. This song has a radio-ready feel to it similar to their previous offerings, a very distinct sound from most of the Silly Songs. What we get is an ode to bubble wrap, an item that just tends to make people grin. Yes, it's good packing material, and they're using it because the band members are getting some fancy new digs and are settling in, but it's best known for just being fun to pop. The novelty never seems to wear off. I actually saw this song quite a while ago, since Big Idea posted it on YouTube well in advance of the video; I like it, and the subject makes me smile, though it hasn't really stuck in my brain the way my favorites like The Hairbrush Song and I Love My Lips have.

All told, it's a solid video, and I think the Robin Hood story makes a great framework. It wasn't really the lesson I would have expected to go with that tale, but it works well. At the same time, the humor isn't quite as pronounced in this video as usual because the main characters spend so much time down in the dumps. The message is also a bit heavy-handed, with the same words about God being bigger than any hurt being repeated multiple times. Still, for children going through that sense of isolation, that might be just the reassurance they need.

Jerry Seinfeld Spreads His Wings in Bee Movie

I am not especially fond of bees. While I am not allergic, I was stung several times as a youngster, and I did not like it. In fact, I developed such a strong aversion to bees that for a time, I was half-afraid to step out the front door in the summer. I suppose that may be one reason I never got around to seeing Bee Movie, the 2007 computer-animated comedy featuring the voice talents of Jerry Seinfeld and Renee Zellweger, but I did finally catch it this week. While it had its entertaining moments, generally I don’t think I was missing too much.

Seinfeld, who co-wrote the movie, stars as Barry B. Benson, a young bee about to settle into the job that will be his for the rest of his life. Barry doesn’t much like this idea, so he flees the restrictive hive and immerses himself in the frightening whirlwind that is the world of humans. While on his excursion, he befriends sweet-natured florist Vanessa Bloome (Zellweger) after she rescues him from her aggressive husband Ken (the always-funny Patrick Warburton).

This is just the tip of the iceberg as far as familiar names go; the voice cast is loaded with A-listers, including Matthew Broderick, John Goodman, Chris Rock, Kathy Bates and Oprah Winfrey. Some, including Sting, Ray Liotta and Larry King, play versions of themselves, and these spoofs are among the movie’s funnier moments. In fact, generally speaking, the scenes that made me laugh most involved either celebrities lampooning themselves or tributes to famous moments in classic films. My favorite: Barry getting the third degree from his parents as he lounges in the pool a la The Graduate.

The story reminded me a bit of The Giver and other such tales where one member of a seemingly perfect society starts to wonder if conformity is really the best option. The movie whacks the message about the value of individuality and bee-ing yourself over the audience’s head in much the same way that Ken keeps trying to whap Barry with a magazine. It’s heavy-handed, and the constant barrage of adding “bee” to the beginning of words gets a little old. Some good puns can be found, but most of them don’t deliver much of a punch.

The sweetest element of the movie (aside from the honey that is such an important part of the plot) is the friendship that develops between Barry and Vanessa, both oddballs who are tired of feeling disenfranchised. Their partnership leads the tale to its exciting climax, which pays homage to the wackiness that is Airplane!. It’s all pretty absurd, even more so because you sort of get the sense sometimes that the writers and directors are taking the movie more seriously than they should. Still, it’s rather fun to see the world from a bee’s-eye view, if only for an hour and a half.

Celebrate Halloween and Christmas With Ichabod and Mr. Toad

The Wind in the Willows and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow are two classic pieces of literature, but I wouldn’t have thought to put them together. Disney did, though, and the result was the 1949 package film The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. It’s unusual in that it tells just two stories; the package films typically include several different segments, each of which is shorter than either tale told here. What it amounts to is about half an hour per story, so there’s room for some decent development even though neither one is individually of feature length.

The main thematic tie between the stories seems to be that they are literary classics, one from England, one from America. Other similarities can be found; for instance, both integrally involve a holiday and a horse-drawn cart. Mostly, though, the tie between the two is that these are books that could be sitting on the shelf next to each other. Basil Rathbone is the sophisticated narrator of the first part of the film, which focuses on the reckless Mr. Toad, and his warm voice is perfectly suited to the task. Bing Crosby feels like less of a natural narrator for the second half, which deals with Ichabod Crane, but the role allows him to do some singing, which is the task at which he really shines.

I prefer the first tale, which is much livelier, in part because each of the characters is played by a different actor and there is quite a bit of dialogue. Toads seem to be inherently troublesome creatures, more so than frogs, which have a bit of a reputation in fiction for steady dependability. After all, look at Kermit the Frog (at least, when he’s not blowing a gasket). The contrast is strongest in Arnold Lobel’s Frog and Toad series, and silly, sulky Toad with his peculiar whims would certainly have a kindred spirit in Mr. Toad. They’re not bad fellows, but trouble seems to follow them, and sometimes they bring it upon themselves.

The story of Mr. Toad is set in the idyllic English countryside, where the eccentric millionaire is constantly wreaking havoc with his dangerous obsessions. It’s up to his faithful, long-suffering friends to keep him out of trouble and to try to prove his innocence after he runs afoul of the law. Toad is rather obnoxious but lovable nonetheless. Severe Angus MacBadger (Campbell Scott), who oversees his affairs, is a fun character, particularly because of his pronounced Scottishness, but he is less prominent than the even-keeled Rat (Claud Allister) or my favorite character, mild-mannered Mole (Colin Campbell). Other characters, including Mr. Toad’s horse and a freakish-looking villain named Mr. Winky, come into the picture, but this is the core quartet. It’s a raucous romp and a touching story of friendship set partially against the beauty of a pristine English Christmas, and it’s quite satisfying.

I’m not quite as fond of Ichabod’s story, partly because it’s just plain creepy. It makes me chuckle that in a film that includes a Christmas story, Crosby, who is so associated with the upcoming holiday, narrates the tale set at Halloween. It also strikes me as funny that the Christmas story comes first. The animation of a fiery New England autumn is quite appealing, but the human characters aren’t quite as enjoyable to look at as the animals in the first story. Ichabod in particular is a bit goofy-looking, though this would not necessarily be a drawback if he were a more likable character. Unfortunately, this gangly schoolteacher is a lazy womanizing glutton who can’t wait to hitch his wagon to the richest girl in town so he can live like a king for the rest of his days. Hence, although he’s the protagonist, he doesn’t exactly inspire a great deal of affection from me. It doesn’t help that there’s so little actual dialogue in this story, and what’s there is mostly voiced by Crosby. This makes the characters in this segment feel much more distant, leading to a definite sense of detachment.

The meat of the story is the rivalry between Ichabod and burly Brom Bones, who both want the pretty heiress Katrina Van Tassel for a wife, though love doesn’t seem to be a factor for either of them. They both appear to see her as more of a prize than a person. Brom reminds me a lot of Gaston from Disney’s much later Beauty and the Beast except that he is not quite so immensely popular. Still, he makes a potent adversary, and his dramatic ghost story is enough to give Ichabod a major case of the heebie-jeebies. Me too. The headless horseman scene that follows is truly terrifying, no matter what your interpretation of the incident is.

I’m not sure that this is the most natural pair of stories to put together, but it works well enough, and each is memorable in its own way. While I personally don’t want anything to do with Sleepy Hollow except around Halloween, I’m happy to pay a visit to Mr. Toad any time of year.

Family Bonding and Friendship Come to the Forefront in The Wild

Several years ago, Dreamworks released Madagascar, and shortly thereafter, Disney released The Wild. Both were computer-animated films about a ragtag group of animals who escape a New York City zoo and are forced to fend for themselves in the wild. Both groups included a lion and a giraffe. On the whole, the premises looked so similar that they sort of canceled each other out in my mind and I didn’t watch either of them, but I finally got around to seeing The Wild recently. While I occasionally found it a bit manic for my tastes, for the most part, I thought it was a fun movie.

The Wild, directed by Steve Williams, is a quest story in which daddy issues play a major role. In that regard, it is rather like Finding Nemo, but in this case, the father, a lion named Samson (Kiefer Sutherland), has several plucky sidekicks aiding him in his search every step of the way. Samson delights in regaling the other zoo animals with tales of his early years in the wild, back when the ferocity of his roar sent the most monstrous wildebeests running for cover.

His son Ryan (Greg Cipes), who can’t produce anything more than a kittenish snarl, does not appreciate the tales so much, and after a particularly humiliating incident, he decides to run away and find his roar. By the time he has a chance to rethink his plan, he’s already on a truck headed out to the harbor. Neither he nor Samson, who dashes off to the rescue, can imagine the perilous journey that lies ahead.

The movie’s early scenes showing the rapid transformation the zoo undergoes at night and the amusing ways in which Samson and his companions interact with the big city in which they find themselves are entertaining. While one scene involving a peculiar sport the zoo residents play dragged a bit for me, I loved the homage to Star Wars that accompanies the friends’ arrival in the city at large, and I also found the incorporation of animals reflective of the escapees amusing. For instance, the runaways catch a glimpse of Geoffrey, the Toys ‘R’ Us giraffe, on a sign as they run through the city streets.

Joining Samson on his mission are four close friends. The closest is the squirrel Benny (Jim Belushi), who is annoying but fiercely loyal. He also harbors a not-so-secret crush on Bridget (Janeane Garofalo), a dignified giraffe. I found this plot point pretty odd until I recalled the romance between Donkey and Dragon in Shrek and figured that if I could accept that, this wasn’t too much of a stretch. Ultimately I enjoyed the way their interaction with each other changed over the course of the movie. Many of the stand-alone comedic moments belong to Nigel (Eddie Izzard), a koala from a London zoo who is plagued by the popularity of a plush toy in his image. Of the four, the snake Larry (Richard Kind) made the least impact on me, but he still gets a few good gags in.

The movie includes several prominent nods to The Lion King, from a glimpse of the marquee for the Broadway show in the city to the general prevalence of wildebeests in the plot. The opening in particular offers many visual parallels with that Disney classic, as does the climax, revolving around a deranged wildebeest played by William Shatner – the only voice actor, incidentally, who I recognized at once. Meanwhile, another element of the climax reminded me of one of my favorite scenes in Return of the Jedi, though I don’t think that was a direct homage.

The visuals in the movie are excellent, from the natural landscapes to the bright lights of a New York City night, and most of the animals have a very realistic look to them. The lions and wildebeests often seem as if they were lifted out of The Lion King and given computer-animated embellishment. Some of the smaller characters, particularly the snake and the pigeons, look a bit cartoonish and silly, but in most cases, the animation is impressive. I wasn’t particularly fond of the soundtrack, mostly, I guess, because I tend to find it distracting when songs designed for radio are deposited in animated movies. I suppose I shouldn’t feel that way, since I often enjoy their use in live-action films, but I generally didn’t feel like the songs added much. The exception is the wildebeest song that is essential to the plot, though frankly, I just found that one pretty weird.

Overall, I liked the themes of father-son understanding and self-discovery, along with the importance of having friends who will stick with you no matter what happens. Some of the humor gelled with me and some of it didn’t; at times, I think there was a little too much going on and the jokes got lost in the shuffle. Mostly, though, this is a well-crafted movie whose characters complement one another well and conquer their fears through the power of love. Factor in the top-notch animation, and it’s easy to be wild about this family-friendly film.

You're Never Too Young to Be Old in Howl's Moving Castle

This fall, I’ve been enjoying the Disney releases of some of master Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s movies. They’re very unusual, rich in artistry and imagination and full of surrealistic images. One of the weirder ones is Howl’s Moving Castle, originally released in 2004.

Sophie (Emily Mortimer) is a young woman who works at a haberdashery. One day, she runs afoul of the Witch of the Waste (Lauren Bacall), a woman of monstrous girth who puts a curse on her. Sophie soon realizes that she has instantly aged about 60 years. Instead of young and slim, she is elderly and stooped, and she can’t stay at home in this condition. So it is that Sophie, now looking like an old crone (Jean Simmons), makes for the countryside and eventually seeks refuge inside Howl’s Moving Castle.

Howl (Christian Bale) is a mysterious sorcerer who comes and goes at will. He’s mildly intimidating but mostly kind, and he is happy to welcome Sophie into his home as a housekeeper. His household also includes a cheeky but sweet boy named Markl (Josh Hutcherson) and a wise-cracking fire demon named Calcifer (Billy Crystal) who could be the key to restoring Sophie to her former self.

In her travels she also meets a scarecrow with an enormous smile pasted on his face. Although this cursed fellow who she dubs Turniphead is mute and can only get around by hopping, using the post on which he is stuck as a pogo stick, he proves a valuable ally after she earns his loyalty by saving him from a compromising situation. She also comes into contact with the Witch of the Waste again, and how these two continue to relate to one another is one of the oddest but most touching elements of the movie.

Much of the movie takes place inside Howl’s castle, which wanders over the countryside on mechanical legs and features a magical device that allows its door to open upon one of several terrains, depending on which way the dial is pointed. One of the landscapes added into the mix is a glorious meadow, and there are a couple of idyllic moments in which Sophie sits placidly by a lake, so relaxed that the years seem to drop off her.

In these scenes, we see Miyazaki’s love of nature, but overall, that’s not a huge focus here. The movie does not feature as much cold industrialism as Castle in the Sky, but it does seem to encroach, and some scenes are pretty dark. Additionally, there’s at least one subplot that doesn’t quite seem to fit in. The movie is two hours long, and I wonder if he wasn’t cramming a bit too much into it.

On the whole, however, this is an enjoyable movie populated with fantastical characters and celebrating the power of love. It’s also an interesting commentary on the perspective that old age grants; though Sophie is barely an adult at heart, the wisdom she develops as a result of her curse is most beneficial. Themes of redemption and sacrifice also run strong. Meanwhile, Crystal’s excellent voice work helps to keep the movie light-hearted, as most of Calcifer’s interjections are good for a laugh.

While I didn’t like it quite as much My Neighbor Totoro, I think I prefer to Castle in the Sky and would probably put it at about the same enjoyment level as Ponyo. It’s a strange and surreal movie; you’ll have to accept the magical qualities of this world going into it. If you can roll with the strangeness, however, you may just find Howl’s Moving Castle a moving film experience.

Disney Princesses Celebrate Inner Beauty

One of the most popular sub-groups within the world of Disney characters is the Disney princesses. This is a group that includes Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan (despite not technically being a princess), Tiana and the brand-new tenth member, Rapunzel, who joins the last three in being a late addition to the group. The Princesses have an extensive line of merchandise, including toys, clothes, calendars, books and videos. I recently watched one of these, Princess Stories Volume Three: Beauty Shines From Within.

Given the title, I was surprised to see that Belle, the protagonist of Beauty and the Beast, does not appear on this DVD. Instead, it focuses upon Ariel, Cinderella and Jasmine. Meanwhile, a game in the bonus features involves Ariel, Jasmine and Mulan. The DVD includes three shorts, each of which can be accessed separately, though I watched them straight through. Each includes an introduction by the starring princess in which she directly addresses the audience while speaking from inside of a magic mirror. These segments veer toward condescending and moralizing, and the quality of animation isn’t quite as good. However, I found two of the three main stories quite enjoyable.

Giggles - In this episode of the Little Mermaid television show, Ariel’s tendency to get the giggles annoys an ornery blowfish who speaks in rhyme and uses his magical powers to cast curses. Consequently, he puts a spell on her that causes avalanches to occur whenever she laughs. What’s more, if she tells anyone of her affliction, the effect will be heightened. This is a fun story, and I especially like the way stodgy Sebastian, who initially also is irritated with Ariel for giggling during class, tries to get the princess to lighten up after he notices her somber demeanor. He even sings a fun song about the joy of laughter. The story builds to a satisfying climax that leads to deeper understanding between Ariel and her antagonist.

Cinderella Story - Cinderella is perhaps the most famous of all fairy tales, so even children who have not seen the Disney movie will probably be familiar with the story in one form or another. Hence, this segment, which is simply a recap of the movie, is likely to bore many kids, especially since it has a stilted quality to it. Cinderella narrates a bit, then a page turns and we see a few seconds of a scene, then she narrates some more. The effect is jarring, and I can see a lot of kids wanting to skip past this one.

Eye of the Beholder - This is an episode of the Aladdin television series featuring recurring villain Mirage, an extraterrestrial sorceress with the power to change other people’s appearances. Somewhat reminiscent of the musical Once On This Island, this is the story that best fits the theme of the video as Mirage makes a wager with Phasir, a blind, benevolent magician, that Aladdin will stop loving Jasmine if she ceases to become beautiful. After Mirage tricks her into using some magical skin cream, Jasmine begins transforming into a snake-like creature. Aladdin joins her, Genie, Abu, Iago and Carpet on a quest to find the mystical antidote that grows on a faraway tree, demonstrating at every turn how wrong Mirage is about the frailties of love.

More tales can be found in the Princess Story Builder Game in the special features. Viewers have the opportunity to pick one of three stories, one set in Agrabah, one in Atlantica and one in Ancient China. At several points in the story, kids can use the remote to indicate which of three choices they would like to have the character make. This then directs the course of the tale, though I’m not sure just how much actually changes as I tried each story only once. The stories also incorporate games that require answering three questions correctly in order to progress to the conclusion. These are fun but also rather tedious because there is so much lag time, and it’s easy to lose patience with it.

While I think that an original story in the place of the Cinderella recap would have made for a more interesting video, the Ariel and Jasmine stories are engaging, and apart from the lag time involved at decision points and game segments, the story builder is a fun game. This DVD could be better, but I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to young Disney Princess enthusiasts.

Children Bond Amidst Bleak Industrialism in Castle in the Sky

I’ve been working my way through the films of acclaimed Japanese writer-director Hayao Miyazaki, and after the isolated, bucolic beauty of My Neighbor Totoro, I was startled by the industrialism and violence of Castle in the Sky, originally from 1986 but recently released by Disney in America with dubbing by English-speaking actors. This movie is considerably darker and longer than Totoro and involves an epic quest to discover a legendary floating city along the lines of Atlantis but concealed in the clouds.

Our heroes are Sheeta (Anna Paquin), a mountain girl whose mysterious amulet makes her the target of kidnapping by two different groups of unsavory characters, and Pazu (James Van Der Beek), the working-class boy who finds her floating above the quarry where he lives after she escapes her would-be captors. It doesn’t take the children long to realize that the necklace is the reason she is endangered, and they soon make the connection between it and the lost city that Pazu’s father, an explorer, once claimed to find. Both seek the city for answers about their heritage, but they will have to contend with slimy government official Muska (Mark Hamill) and his minions, who are after the knowledge and power the island houses, as well as a ramshackle band of pirates led by cantankerous matriarch Dola (Cloris Leachman), who has her eye on its fabled treasure.

This is a bleak movie. It has a futuristic feel to it, as so much of it takes place in the sky aboard “airships.” Given Miyazaki’s love of nature, I expected to see more of it, but we are offered only fleeting glimpses. Granted, what he does show us, particularly in the pristine garden that greets the children after they finally reach the island of Laputa, is stunning. Mostly, however, it’s cold fortresses, crumbling mines and lots and lots of propellers. Unlike Totoro, the world of this movie was not one I wanted to visit, particularly since explosions seem to rock the landscape about every ten minutes.

Hamill is flat-out creepy as he voices the slick Muska. For the most part, his manners are genteel, but underneath that cajoling exterior is roiling malice. It doesn’t take too long to realize that of the two villainous factions pursuing Sheeta, his is the more malevolent. Leachman is hilariously ornery in her role as the unkempt pirate queen who reminds me of hillbilly Ma Gogan in Pete’s Dragon. The pirate family is ultimately a twinge more warm-hearted than that dastardly crew, and Dola, her husband, who usually wears only an undershirt above the waist and whose build and enormous mustache make him look like the Lorax, and their many borderline dopey sons are consistent sources of much-needed comic relief.

The heart of the movie, however, is the deep friendship that develops between the elegant, ethereal Sheeta and the earthy, rough-and-tumble Pazu. They bond quickly, particularly during their time with a slightly daffy elderly miner Pazu calls Uncle Pomme (Richard Dysart). It is at this point that they realize just how strong Sheeta’s connection to Laputa is and what a potentially dangerous object she carries. Shades of Lord of the Rings entered my mind as Uncle Pomme uttered dark warnings about the amulet’s powers falling into the wrong hands. While Sheeta feels guilty for dragging Pazu into a dangerous situation, he seems to thrive on the adrenaline rush, and the movie includes an amusing number of instances in which he falls, dangles or crash-lands. He has great physical strength and little foresight. It isn’t really until the climax that he learns to think things through a minute before he leaps.

My Neighbor Totoro left me feeling warm and fuzzy, wanting to run out in a rainstorm and twirl around or give someone a great big bear hug. Castle in the Sky has a very different tone to it. While there is happiness in the conclusion, it is elegiac, and the final image strikes loneliness into the soul, as does the state in which the children find the island and the assertions Muska makes about it. The film seems to be largely a fable about the dangers of superior power unchecked by compassion. The central friendship brings it down to a more relatable level, while the antics of the pirates keep us from getting too bogged down in despair. Hope does peer out through the crevices of this movie. However, at times it feels almost as elusive as the titular castle.

A Mean Teacher Poses a Great Challenge in Eloise Goes to School

When I was in elementary school, I was a definite oddball, and I used to wish I could just do my learning at home instead where I didn’t have to worry about getting picked on by other kids. In the 45-minute-long cartoon Eloise Goes to School, the title character is approaching school from a different perspective. This free-spirited child is used to running wild through the Plaza Hotel to her heart’s content, with only her stuffy tutor cramping her style. When he gets fed up with her antics and quits, she decides – with a little goading from the other kids who live in the hotel – that it might be time for her to try a traditional school environment.

I have never read any of the Eloise books, but I’ve really enjoyed the movies and specials inspired by them. The cartoons imitate the style of Hilary Knight’s illustrations and prickle with a fun, slightly messy energy reflective of the main character. Mary Mouser voices Eloise, a gregarious six-year-old who is always bouncing off the walls. Lynn Redgrave is her good-natured but weary British nanny, as frumpy and easy-going as Mary Poppins is prim and no-nonsense. Under Nanny’s permissive gaze, Eloise is used to getting her own way and is undeterred even by the stern warnings issued by hotel manager Mr. Salamone (Tim Curry). How will such a squirrely girl thrive in a structured school environment?

This is a fun story that demonstrates just how unusual Eloise’s upbringing has been. The contrast between her typical life and the stifling private school environment in which she finds herself is striking. While Eloise comes to appreciate just how good she had it, it’s sweet to see various household staff and residents, from the jovial doorman to the mopey elevator operator, confess to finding the hotel a bit bland without her. While we see less of the hotel in this special than is typical for this series, it remains very much a part of the story.

The regular voice cast is terrific as always, but Doris Roberts is the standout here as the intimidating teacher at the school Eloise attends. Anyone who has seen Everybody Loves Raymond can attest to Roberts’ ability to make people cower. Here, she doesn’t bother to mask her antagonism with sugary words. This teacher is flat-out harsh, and while Eloise’s inability to sit still makes her an easy target for her wrath, other students fall victim to her meanness as well. Is there anything Eloise can do to make the classroom a more pleasant environment, or will she be forced to admit that traditional school is just not for her?

Raising the stakes in this little experiment is the fact that Eloise has reluctantly accepted a wager from a mean-spirited boy who also lives at the hotel. If she gets kicked out, she will have to surrender her pet turtle to him. She certainly doesn’t want that to happen, but how can she stand by and watch her teacher bully her new friends? The story raises interesting questions about when it is appropriate for a child to question the methods of an authority figure and what the best way is to do that.

While some of Eloise’s behavior in this special is not exactly exemplary, Eloise Goes to School is an engaging tale showing how doing things in a drastically different way can provide a valuable learning experience for all involved.

Flying Whales and Lovelorn Ducks Make Fantasia 2000 Even Better Than the Original

Back in May, my brother graduated from college. When I peeked out the door that morning to see how the weather was shaping up, storm clouds loomed ominously, making Pomp and Circumstance from Fantasia 2000 feel doubly appropriate for the day. Not only is the song instantly associated with graduations, but in Disney’s 38th animated feature, it serves as the backdrop to a quirky riff on the story of Noah’s Ark, and we seemed to be in for a similar soaker. I’m not sure what happened to those rainclouds; by the time we got to the ceremony, the weather was gorgeous. Still, I’ve had that Disney segment rolling around in my head ever since, so I was happy to rewatch Fantasia 2000 recently.

When Walt Disney first conceived of Fantasia, which became the company’s third animated feature film, he intended to revive it periodically, retaining some segments and inserting new ones. That concept died after the rather unconventional movie using animation as a means of exploring classical music failed to prove as popular as he’d hoped, but six decades later, a sequel finally hit theaters. All new material except for the iconic Sorcerer’s Apprentice, the movie also features introductions by several celebrities and glimpses of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, which performed the music. Some of the presenters, particularly Steve Martin and magical act Penn and Teller, are comical, while others, like Quincy Jones and Angela Lansbury, give more serious introductions. Bette Midler’s is perhaps the most educational of the intros, while James Earl Jones’ thwarted dignity in his amuses me, as does Mickey Mouse’s panicked conversation with conductor James Levine.

As with the original, some segments stand out more than others, but each has a distinct style and tells a compelling story without the need for dialogue. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice remains just as engaging all these years later as Mickey, apprenticed to glowering wizard Yen Sid, seizes his chance to try on his boss’s magical hat and calamity, mostly involving multiplying, marching brooms carrying buckets of water, ensues. Exciting and entertaining with a built-in lesson on the dangers of meddling in complex matters without permission or assistance. Meanwhile, Pomp and Circumstance becomes a showcase for Donald and Daisy Duck as these two lovebirds sail on Noah’s Ark, each unaware that the other has survived the flood until they reunite at last once the boat strikes land. The familiarity of the song, the sweetness of their relationship and the humor involved with having so many different types of animals contained in one place makes this a standout segment, starting with the glorious animation of the Lion King-like summons that draws the creatures to the ark.

Carnival of the Animals does not have the diversity of animals one might expect from the name, but it is a delightful romp involving a serious, well-coordinated flock of flamingoes troubled by a prankster with a yoyo. One of the shortest and funniest segments, it shows the havoc a yoyo would wreak amidst a flock of these otherwise elegant birds. Instead of birds, butterflies and bats are the subject of the abstract short set to Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5. Colorful and stylized, it does not feature any distinct characters but weaves a joyful tale nonetheless. This first segment makes a nice match for the final segment, Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite, as they both involve the tug of war between light and dark, creation and destruction. In Firebird, a vile volcano sends magma rampaging through a tranquil wilderness as an elk and a gentle wood sprite watch in horror. This segment reminded me quite a bit of the forest fire portion of Bambi, and it is probably the darkest part of the movie, though the scenes of restoration are quite lovely.

Another harrowing tale is Hans Christian Andersen’s The Steadfast Tin Soldier, set to Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No . 2 in F Major-I. I was familiar with this story as a child but always found it terribly depressing; Disney gives it a much more conventional happy ending. One of the most strictly narrative of the segments, it features a plucky toy soldier, a beautiful toy doll and a hideous jack-in-the-box that would give just about any kid nightmares. Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue has a bit of a down tone to it, filled as it is with hard-luck cases wandering the streets in economic despair; after all, this is the Depression. The characters have a very interesting look to them, all one flat color or another, a reflection of the cartoons of Al Hirschfeld, a contemporary of Gershwin. Despite the air of disappointment and agitation hanging over New York City throughout much of the segment, there is also life and excitement, which we largely see from the perspective of one zesty character who is entirely too confident in his ability not to fall off of scaffolding. Ultimately a very fun piece.

My hands-down favorite, however, is The Pines of Rome, composed by Ottorino Respighi. In this mystical short, a family of humpback whales traverses the arctic by air rather than sea – though they never venture far from the water until the gloriously animated finale. The little whale who hasn’t quite mastered the newly acquired gift of flight prompts some laughter with his clumsy movements, but generally this segment feels solemn, with a beauty that almost brings tears to the eyes, particularly when the family joins with the larger pod. The short begins in disaster, yet there is the sense that these majestic creatures are moving toward something greater. Truly epic.

I’m not exactly an aficionado when it comes to symphonic music. I think I’d only heard about half of these songs in other settings, and as much as I enjoy them in this context, I haven’t sought the others out elsewhere. Still, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if some of those for whom Fantasia 2000 serves as an introduction to this type of music ended up immersing themselves in classical music. A triumph of art and silent storytelling, this is also a movie that can serve as a powerful introduction to some of the most notable composers of the last few centuries. Here’s hoping it won’t take another 60 years to see the next one.

Magical Mickey Is the Highlight of 1940's Fantasia

When I think about the 1940 film Fantasia, the first image that pops into my mind is Mickey - who, incidentally, celebrates his 83rd birthday today - as the impish Sorcerer’s Apprentice who, in a combination of curiosity and laziness, sets a platoon of bucket-carrying brooms loose and nearly floods his master’s headquarters. That Mickey in his pointy blue wizard’s hat continues to be an iconic image, and the segment is the only one from the original film to be included in Fantasia 2000. Watching the first Fantasia again recently confirmed both that I prefer the latter film and that this magical tale is my favorite of the eight sections.

Fantasia offers an ambitious mix of classical music and artful animation. Some of the pieces run quite long despite being edited from their original form. While some, like Sorcerer’s Apprentice, have a strong narrative, others, like the light show that is Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, are much more abstract. The comments of composer Deems Taylor provide useful context for each of the pieces; his live-action introductions are generally pretty dry, but they give some valuable insights into the music, mostly played by the Philadelphia Orchestra and conducted by Leopold Stokowski.

My brother, who is an artist, suggests that Fantasia was largely a playground for animators and that some of the pieces really were more fun for them than they would be for most viewers. I confess that there are some segments I don’t find much fun at all. The above-mentioned Toccata and Fugue in D Minor mostly strikes me as a bit boring, but I don’t mind watching it. However, I flat-out dislike The Rite of Spring, which is one of the darkest Disney projects I have ever seen. Aside from a couple of cute baby dinosaurs, there’s really nothing but rampant destruction here with behemoths eating each other against a lava-soaked landscape and eventually falling down dead. If I’d watched this as a five-year-old, I’m pretty sure I would’ve been traumatized. I have a similar reaction to Night on Bald Mountain, which shows a night of grim revelry among a satanic figure and his minions, though at least that one is softened somewhat by the fact that it is immediately followed by the heavenly Ave Maria.

On the other hand, I love the silly spectacle of Dance of the Hours, a tune that always seems to be used for comical purposes. Here, it’s several lumbering animals performing a ballet. Among them are hippos and ostriches, two of my favorite creatures. This segment is pure whimsy. I also appreciate the beauty of the salute to the seasons found in the Nutcracker Suite, which anthropomorphizes natural images to show the world coming alive at different points in the year. I especially enjoy the frosty intricacy of the winter scene and the humor of the dancing mushrooms. Finally, while this segment seems a bit overlong and while the casually cruel Greek gods are a turn-off, I mostly enjoy The Pastoral Symphony, particularly the cavorting Cupids and the adorable baby Pegasuses and their stately parents. There’s a lot of nudity in this segment, but it never really seems titillating and certainly is in keeping with classic works of art depicting mythical creatures.

Ultimately, I think that Fantasia is more abstract than its 2000 counterpart, and there also seems to be little effort to gear its contents toward children. Aside from the hapless apprentice, the dancing animals and the baby flying horses, this really seems more suited for adults. While I admire the artistry and find sections of it delightful, I definitely prefer the later version. However, both aptly demonstrate the magic of Mickey.

Halloween Gets a Fairy Tale Twist in Scared Shrekless

Last month saw the release of Puss In Boots, a spin-off of DreamWorks' four-movie Shrek franchise. While I have yet to see it, I did watch a new-to-me Shrek special, Shared Shrekless, on Halloween.

Shrek has proven fertile ground for featurettes of this nature. It's fun to see familiar characters in a specific seasonal situation, and in this case, the characters are doubly familiar since they are largely the classic inhabitants of fairy tales who have been twisted slightly to appear in their current form. The Shrek Halloween special is very much along the same lines as the Christmas special Shrek the Halls, with a gaggle of woodlanders interrupting Shrek's celebration for a night of storytelling.

While gruff green Scottish ogre Shrek (Mike Myers) is overwhelmed and ornery in the Christmas special, here he is more in his element and happy to challenge his friends to a spooky story scare-off in the now-abandoned Duloc castle. Because of the brief time allotted for the special, we don't have time for very many stories, but each of the stories we do hear has a distinct tone.

Shrek's story, a spoof of The Exorcist starring a demented Pinocchio (Cody Cameron), is creepy but perhaps the least memorable. The funniest is the Psycho-flavored one told by Donkey (Dean Edwards) and Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas), who spend the whole time one-upping each other as they try to make each other's fictional selves endure ever more humiliating horrors.

However, the clear standout - for me, anyway - is the blood-curdling tale told by Gingy (Conrad Vernon), just as it was in the Christmas special. Both stories involve a ladylove; in the first, she is undone by an unlikely villain, but here, the romantic interest is also the antagonist, a freakish Frankencookie whose excess of sugar in the production process has rendered her a smothering nightmare of a girlfriend. Kristin Schaal, who I know best as mildly psychotic uber-fan Mel on Flight of the Conchords, seems a perfect choice to convey that sugary-sweet stalker vibe.

I found the animation to be excellent, with all of the fairy tale characters and locations getting an ominous edge. The eerie trees bending to the force of a late-night wind and the cobwebbed ruins of Lord Farquaad's domain are particularly unsettling, and the new animatronic Welcome to Duloc display is frankly terrifying. Most of the original voice cast returns here, with the main exception being Eddie Murphy, but I didn't notice a difference in the voices as I was watching, and Donkey is my favorite character, so I'd say Edwards is an outstanding replacement.

In addition to the main special, which runs just over 20 minutes long, the DVD includes the five-minute-long Thriller Night, which is a spoof of Michael Jackson's Thriller video. It's fun to see so many Shrek characters, starting with those who met their demise in the movies, mimicking those iconic dance moves, but my favorite part of this short is the beginning, which finds a very disgruntled Shrek emerging from a theater playing a movie clearly modeled after The Sound of Music. I especially love Donkey's enthusiasm for yodeling puppets.

I'm one of those folks who scares easily, so while I enjoy getting into the fun of Halloween with some timely movies and specials, I prefer those that are geared at a family audience. Scared Shrekless fits the bill perfectly, and the grumpy ogre seems a better fit for Halloween than Christmas. Hence, while the special isn't exactly up there with It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown for me, it's one I would be happy to give a repeat viewing in Halloweens to come.

Two Sisters Find Friendship in an Arcadian Wonderland in My Neighbor Totoro

Last year, I watched Ponyo, acclaimed Japanese filmmaker Hiyao Miyazaki’s latest feature, a take on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid. I found it strange but charming and looked forward to familiarizing myself with more of the films helmed by this man I’ve so often heard praised as a giant in the realm of fantastical animated movies. Just recently, I went further back in his catalog with My Neighbor Totoro, originally released in the 1980s, though I watched the 2005 version released by Disney and dubbed by American actors, including sisters Dakota and Elle Fanning as movie sisters Satsuki and Mei Kusakabe.

Satsuki (Dakota) and Mei (Elle) have just moved into a ramshackle house out in the country with their father (Tim Daly), a professor who is kind and fun-loving but rather absorbed with his work. The purpose of the relocation is to be closer to the girls’ ailing mother (Lea Salonga), who resides in a nearby hospital. It’s obvious from the start that this is a close-knit family, and the children and their dad take genuine delight in exploring the house and surrounding wilderness together.

While Satsuki is strikingly mature for her age, she is almost as prone to giddy exhibitions of glee as her hyperactive little sister. Both of them absolutely love their new playground, and the notion that their home and the surrounding forest might be haunted intrigues them much more than it frightens them. They have the proper spirit for such a place, and soon their appreciation will be rewarded as the entities populating the forest reveal themselves.

The animation is breathtakingly gorgeous. Its idyllic countryside setting surrounded by thick stands of trees and shallow ponds looks so lifelike and appealing that I spent the whole movie wishing I could step into it. The girls’ exuberance is entirely understandable. What kid wouldn’t want to live in a place like that? The beauty of some scenes, such as the sequence in which the sisters and their dad spend the day thoroughly exploring their idyllic surroundings and the moment when the duo get caught in a torrential downpour, is enough to recommend the movie even if it weren’t attached to a charming story.

Oh, but it is. Satsuki and Mei are absolutely lovable in their childlike wonder and devotion to each other. Mei does get rather exhausting at times simply because her energy is so boundless and her lung capacity matches it, but this contributes to some of the sweetest moments involving Totoro (Frank Welker), the enormous gray creature she finds asleep in the woods one day. Drowsy Totoro, so named by Mei after the noises he makes upon seeing her for the first time, has a gentle ursine quality to him. He has a ferocious roar, but mostly he just seems like an overstuffed teddy bear. At first, when Mei relates her account of their meeting, Satsuki thinks her imagination is running away with her. However, she soon begins to hope that she might meet Totoro for herself.

This movie features several fantastical beings, but the title character is the most engaging. While he does not speak in any intelligible tongue, the girls nonetheless forge a tentative friendship with him, and he allows them glimpses into his world in mystical moments that remind me of the wintry flight of fancy taken by the boy at heart of the silent film The Snowman. Their interactions are tender, funny, magical and sometimes just a bit frightening. This is a powerful entity, but his intentions are not malicious. This, then, is a simple story of friendship and respect as the girls overcome apprehensions to reach out to Totoro and he repays the favor.

Visually, the calm, lush countryside of this movie appeals to me more than the roiling seascape of Ponyo, and when the spirits of the house and forest are absent, the movie has a purely natural look about it, whereas Ponyo always seems a bit surrealistic. The fact that only the sisters can see the mysterious beings living around them almost begs the question of whether they are even there or if this place is just a fertile breeding ground for childhood fantasies. However, enough tangible evidence of their presence exists that I would come down on the side of their being real. They look quite as strange as the sea creatures in Ponyo, but there is beauty in the eccentricity, whether they’re gasping over the tiny dust balls that scurry out of the way when they enter a room or marveling at the enormous flying bus-shaped cat that serves as a shuttle to the spirits. Through it all, a sense of innocent fun prevails, particularly when Joe Hisaishi’s cheerful score, reminiscent of a mid-century program like Leave It to Beaver, kicks in.

My Neighbor Totoro is a feast for the eyes, a treat for the ears and a joy for the child in all of us. Everybody should be so lucky as to have a neighbor like Totoro.

A Ghost Is on the Loose at the Plaza Hotel in Eloise's Rawther Unusual Halloween

The Plaza Hotel is the stately building at the heart of the Eloise series of picture books and the movies and specials that have followed from them. It’s an elegant structure whose abundance of rooms and passages would make it a potentially very spooky location on Halloween. The animated special Eloise’s Rawther Unusual Halloween turns the Plaza into a genuine haunted house for the occasion.

Eloise (Mary Matilyn Mouser) is the energetic six-year-old who lives with her nanny (Lynn Redgrave) at the hotel. She pretty much has free run of the place, though she irritates certain guests and staff, particularly the persnickety Mr. Salamone (Tim Curry), whose job it is to make sure everything at the hotel operates smoothly. In this 45-minute-long tale directed by Wesley Archer, he is especially stressed out because the man who intends to buy the Plaza Hotel is staying for a couple of days. Naturally, he meets Eloise almost immediately, and they don’t exactly hit it off. Could this one little girl ruin his plans for the hotel?

Eloise, meanwhile, has other things on her mind. Ever since her nanny told her a creepy story about Diamond Jim Johnson (Brad Garrett), the prominent citizen who died en route to the Plaza Hotel’s grand opening and who allegedly returns each year “with a hunger that can never be satisfied,” the little girl has been obsessed. At first the story startles her. Then, after she is sure that she sees Diamond Jim for herself, fear gives way to indignation. No one believes her, and when strange things begin to happen in the hotel, they blame her. Will tracking down this ghost and giving him a piece of her mind put an end to all the shenanigans?

Mouser does a fine job of capturing Eloise’s boundless energy, and Redgrave brings just the right mix of warmth and easy-going authority to the one person who can keep a rein on Eloise’s mania. Curry, who played a similar live-action role in Home Alone 2, is excellent as always, and Garrett, who never fails to crack me up on Everybody Loves Raymond, sounds robust with a splash of melancholy as the ghost whose presence stirs up all the trouble. The rest of the voice work is great as well, but these four are the stand-outs.

The animation is modeled after the illustrations by Hilary Knight. I love the stylized credits, but the rest of the movie is great as well. There’s a certain simplicity to the animation style that fits the movie’s picture book heritage. The depiction of the ghost, with his bluish-black tint and translucent quality, is especially interesting. Aside from him, there’s a lot of pink in the color scheme, since that is Eloise’s favorite color. This special also involves two of her best friends, both of whom are very feminine, so I’m not sure this special would appeal to most boys very much, though they might well enjoy it if they gave it a chance. There’s certainly a lot of mild mayhem to keep the plot moving.

I’m always on the lookout for Halloween movies that are primarily cute rather than scary. Eloise’s Rawther Unusual Halloween, released just this year, definitely fits the bill as a short but sweet bit of ghostly fun.

The Town Egghead's Priorities Shift in The Last Days of Eugene Meltsner

I’ve always been a sucker for super-nerdy types in television and movies. In the Christian video series Adventures in Odyssey, Eugene Meltsner (Will Ryan) fits that role perfectly. This brainiac whose eyes are perpetually hidden behind his thick glasses is always tinkering with something, and in The Last Days of Eugene Meltsner, the gangly geek’s mind is preoccupied with a big project. The deadline looms before him, and he does not have the patience to deal with kids messing around with his equipment. However, after giving young Dylan and his sister a taste of his newest contraption, he abruptly changes his focus. What’s going on?

This is an episode that incorporates several fantastical inventions that allow the characters to travel to another place – or at least pretend that they are doing so. We see them traversing the desert hitched up to a team of ants and zooming through the bloodstream in a tiny submersible. Mr. Whittaker (Hal Smith), the kindly proprietor of beloved local hangout Whit’s End, and Dylan have a pulse-pounding virtual adventure, while Eugene has a real one as he gets caught in a bank heist and finds unexpected stores of heroism.

This is an interesting video because of what it reveals about Eugene, who is one of the central characters but is most often used for exposition or comic relief. Here, he’s right at the heart of the episode, and other characters, particularly a cousin named Bernard who works as a janitor, discuss his history, which includes being orphaned at an early age. This exploration is great, since Eugene is such a terrific character, and it’s nice to see him so involved in exciting exploits that include disarming a bomb and dangling from the side of a building.

On the other hand, I found this episode a little harder to connect to than others I’ve watched. It’s hard to say just why. The animation and voice work is perfectly up to snuff, with Ryan being the cast standout this time around as Eugene undergoes a rapidly changing series of emotions. He gets most of the laughs of the episode but also the pathos. Bernard is a fairly engaging side character, but none of the others really entertained me that much this time around. Whit, on the other hand, continues to be a steady source of wisdom and common sense.

Eugene quotes a psalm at one point in the episode, and its theme of treasuring each day because life could end tomorrow carries throughout the story. He seems to take it as an indication that nothing he does matters unless its results are immediate. His abandonment of his experiments is, in effect, a rejection of what makes him so special. Hence, the episode’s focus is using one’s gifts for good and not giving in to despair. It’s a good message, but I’m not sure it comes across as well as it could, particularly since the episode ends on a comical note that robs Eugene of a bit of his dignity.

The Last Days of Eugene Meltsner is a fun video for fans of Eugene, and it also invites contemplation about how one’s priorities might shift when faced with mortality. While I didn’t find it quite as entertaining as some of the others, it is still a solid episode.

Dylan Tries to Prove Whit's Innocence in Adventues in Odyssey: Shadow of a Doubt

Back in the 1990s, my grandparents introduced me to the Christian video series Adventures in Odyssey, which focuses on the residents of a small, close-knit community where extraordinary things always seem to be happening. That video was a spoof of science fiction, specifically Star Trek, and other videos have similarly spoofed particular genres. In Shadow of a Doubt, we get a nice blend of mystery and courtroom drama.

John Avery Whitaker (Hal Smith), the kindly Captain Kangaroo type who runs the malt shop Whit’s End, has been arrested under suspicion of being the Cat Burglar, a shadowy diamond thief. The evidence is stacked against him; his face is on surveillance footage, his fingerprints are on a glass at the scene of the crime and his faithful assistant, geeky Eugene Meltsner (Will Ryan),discovered some diamonds buried behind the shop. It doesn’t look good for Whit, but local kid Dylan Taylor (Victor DiMattia), who considers Whit a true friend and mentor, can’t believe he could ever commit such a crime. With a camcorder in tow and his trusty hound dog by his side, can Dylan clear his name in time?

This half-hour-long 1993 video written and directed by Mike Joens and Ken C. Johnson is fairly typical for the series in that it involves several established, realistic characters interacting with minor, overblown ones. Most of the really funny moments have to do with these quirky minor characters; in this case, that means the overzealous drill sergeant of a detective who comes to arrest Whit and the hot-headed prosecuting attorney who makes a case against him in court. The video also pokes fun at sensational journalism and people’s reactions to it in a series of newspaper clipping montages that remind me of the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

The animation is pretty standard for a direct-to-video series. It’s not blow-you-away great, but it’s perfectly serviceable, and some of the characters have a very appealing look to them, especially Whit and Eugene. The suspenseful music by John Campbell adds to the fun. The voice work is good as well, and I especially enjoyed the interplay between brawny, booming Investigator Stark and his diminutive partner, Reed, who rolls his eyes frequently and speaks in a flat, higher tone. Whit, arguably the central character in the series, speaks in his usual folksy, comforting manner, though there’s an edge of panic that creeps in now and then as he realizes how few people believe him.

The one thing that surprised me about this installment is that the video never quotes from the Bible or even mentions God. In Star Quest, for instance, the passage about the importance of each part of the body is crucial to the climax of the episode. Whit, Eugene and Dylan act in a manner consistent with the other videos, but it is a recollection of a pertinent childhood memory from his dad that helps bolster his faith in his old friend. Still, although this episode is not as overtly Christian as others in the series, it’s a funny, exciting episode that celebrates the value of supporting your friends in their darkest hours.

Mark Twain and Hannah Montana Merge in Princess and the Pop Star

More than a decade ago, the Christian computer-animated video series VeggieTales introduced LarryBoy, a cucumber superhero who has since gotten three full-blown videos, along with several lower-quality videos and a number of tie-in books and toys. With action-packed storylines appealing especially to boys, the LarryBoy videos have found an honored place in Veggie lore and helped pave the way for more cinematic side-trips like the expeditions of Minnesota Cuke, an adventurer whose exploits offer a tip of the fedora to Indiana Jones.

With last year’s Sweetpea Beauty, VeggieTales began branching off into videos specifically aimed at girls. While previous installments have featured female protagonists, never before had the packaging and merchandising so thoroughly indicated that particular focus. This summer, we have Princess and the Pop Star: A Story of Trading Places. When LarryBoy first appeared, we were merely getting Larry dressing up in a costume. He didn’t want to be plain old Larry; he wanted to be special. He wanted to be a superhero. There are some echoes of that in this video, in which Princess (a name, not a title) Poppyseed (Laura Carrot) dreams of meeting her lookalike idol, Vanna Banana, and of becoming a pop star like her.

Princess lives on a humble farm with her inventor father, practical mother and chaotic siblings, and she resents her chores and her lack of glamour. Mostly, though, it drives her crazy that she can never get any privacy. The biggest offender when it comes to infringing on her space is her adoring little brother Pepper. When his exuberance causes Princess to miss out on the chance of a lifetime, she reaches a breaking point. Meanwhile, Vanna is unhappy too. Shuttled here and there by her manager mother (Madame Blueberry) and a gaggle of personal assistants, she yearns for the life of a regular kid. She wants some time away from the spotlight. Most of all, she craves the warmth of a loving family. When the two girls bump into each other on the playground, they compare sob stories and notice their striking physical similarities. If each wants exactly what the other one has, why not trade places?

This is an upbeat video that marks the first time that the main storyline stars a character who is a female child. For the third time in the past year or so, childlike Larry the Cucumber is cast in the role of parent; it seems like they are trying to mature him a bit, or at least the characters he portrays; he’s still pretty silly in the countertop scenes, though at least he is attempting to proactively answer a youngster’s question. Aside from Larry and the double Lauras – one of whom is played by a different actress with much more of a pop star sound – the only other major Veggie characters to make an appearance in this story are Madame Blueberry and Jimmy Gourd, who plays a television personality, though Pa Grape has a cameo on a charming Little House on the Prairie parody that I especially appreciated since I recently watched the first season of that classic 70s show on DVD.

I think the theme is generally well done. Both girls are likable but not entirely contented. Of the two, Vanna seems more serene and wise, while Princess is a bundle of angst and ambition. While Vanna is the one who comes up with the switcheroo to begin with, Princess is the one who is unwilling to let go of the ruse when the jig is up. Presumably the intention was for this to be a short-term thing, just a couple of days that would allow Vanna a break and Princess a shot at her dream, but the corn-fed youngster seems to think that filling Vanna’s shoes permanently is an actual option. As much as anything else, this is a video about contentment with one’s circumstances, which makes it a tad repetitive since we got that same theme only two videos ago with It’s a Meaningful Life. Princess needs to realize how blessed she is to have such a large, loving family and appreciate her unique place in it. Vanna, on the other hand, could use a reminder of what a privilege it is to have her life and of the capacity she has to touch people’s lives as a result.

On the other hand, especially after watching the special feature in which Mike Nawrocki talks about how they were trying to convey an idea that God has a special plan for each person, I wonder if the message is a bit mixed. The lesson as stated on the cover is “being yourself,” and both girls have legitimate complaints about their lifestyle. Vanna wants to feel like a beloved daughter instead of a commodity; Princess wants a little space to dream her big dreams. I think part of being yourself is realizing where changes might be made and acting on them. That’s not to say the video discourages this; it does encourage clearer communication with one’s parents, especially on Vanna’s end. But I do think there’s a danger of confusing contentment with complacence. It seems to me that following God’s will often requires stepping outside of one’s comfort zone. For the target audience, it’s appropriate to urge them to simply count their blessings and try to be the best they can be right where they are, but I don’t think kids should feel pigeonholed either. With enough practice, Princess could grow up to become a singer, and Vanna could hang up her microphone and raise a family out in the country. However, that would be years down the line, and it would have to be the result of conscious decisions rather than insertion into another person’s life.

I love the cozy Poppyseed farm, which has a rambling, lived-in appearance. This is not a rich family, but neither would I call them poor. They have enough, and their land looks like a marvelous playground. I’m less enamored with the flashy Vanna segments. Obviously, this video takes its inspiration from two major sources: Mark Twain’s The Prince and the Pauper and the mega-popular Disney Channel series Hannah Montana. Twain’s tale is a classic that has been adapted time and again, but I have my doubts that Hannah Montana, the saga of a pop star trying to live like both Vanna and Princess without mixing up her very different identities, has that kind of staying power. With that show having concluded in January, it’s already moving into the realm of yesterday’s news, since its trendiness was its main draw. Because of that, this video feels just a bit dated right out of the gate, which is not a complaint I have had about any previous VeggieTales videos. I just wonder if they were trying to be a little too topical.

Like most of the videos in the series, this one has a Silly Song. Entitled Astonishing Wigs, it allows uppity Archibald Asparagus the opportunity to expound upon the history of wigs as fashionable items. Archibald is one of my favorite characters, and given his absence in the story, I’m especially glad to see him here, and his extravagant style cracks me up as always. As a song, it’s decent but not that melodious. My main complaint, though, is that at one point, a trio of bewigged pigs gets up and sings. Aside from Barbara Manatee, a television character within the world of VeggieTales who we hear but never actually see, and a couple of invertebrates, I can’t recall any instance of talking animals in this series, and the pigs just feel out of place. Dozens of children’s stories involve talking pigs; including them here just feels old hat and not really VeggieTales’ style. I doubt I would have objected to their presence if they had just acted like regular pigs wandering around in mild confusion over the heavy objects on their heads; it’s the singing and dancing that annoys me. Otherwise, though, the song is enjoyable.

Naturally, with two main characters who love to sing, this video is heavy on the music, and while we maybe hear one of the songs a couple more times than necessary, Vanna’s hits are very catchy and definitely have the Hannah Montana sound to them. At the same time, they don’t feel out of place in a Veggie video. The girls’ individual songs asserting their longings both establish the characters well, and Vanna’s is quite poignant. Meanwhile, the final song ties the video together and expresses the main theme well. With as many times as it gets repeated in the video, I suspect that Vanna’s most popular song will get firmly lodged into the minds of many young viewers. I know I can’t get it out of my head.

I bought my DVD at Walmart, where it came packaged with a bonus DVD entitled Girl Power! This DVD includes the contents of three older videos with female leads: Madame Blueberry, Duke and the Great Pie War and Esther: The Girl Who Became Queen. While the latter two feature heroic characters, Madame Blueberry is petty and greedy at the beginning of her tale, not to mention too easily manipulated. She does eventually come to her senses, but I’m not sure the video is really an example of “girl power.” However, the only other video that would really fit is Sweetpea Beauty, which presumably is too new for them to want to put in a package DVD.  Besides, Madame Blueberry also includes Annie, the soft-spoken, bespectacled young leek who is the one Veggie who reminds me most of myself, and her role, while small, does fit the theme better than the title character’s. Incidentally, if these female-focused videos continue, I hope Annie gets a starring role soon.

For longtime Veggie fans, this bonus DVD will most likely be superfluous, though even if you weren’t getting a bonus, you’d probably still pay less at WalMart than just about anywhere else. For those new to the series, however, this is a great way to get acquainted, as you’re basically getting four videos for the price of one. While VeggieTales has a number of female side characters, Madame Blueberry and Petunia, from Duke and the Great Pie War, are really the only fairly major characters aside from Laura and perhaps Mom Asparagus. While an oddball female character from Esther has made appearances in subsequent videos, Esther herself hasn’t, and I wonder why that is. I would think she could be a valuable addition to the ensemble.

Princess and the Pop Star isn’t perfect, with its excessive trendiness and its mildly mixed message. Nonetheless, the video is fun and heartfelt, and the relationships between Vanna and her mother and Princess and Pepper are particularly touching. Having immersed myself in the Trixie Belden series this year, I found that Princess’s boisterous home life, complete with a plethora of chores and a tagalong little brother, made me think of Trixie, while Vanna’s longing for a deeper connection with her mother reminded me of Trixie’s best friend Honey. One hopes that after the events of the video, these girls will remain friends and share their worlds with each other, even as each becomes more satisfied with her own. There’s nothing wrong with a healthy curiosity about how other people live, but perhaps after watching this video, young viewers might be more inclined to look at their own lives from an outsider’s perspective and see the advantages familiarity has caused them to overlook.

LarryBoy Gets a Big Head in Leggo My Ego

Several years ago, the creators of the computer-animated Christian video series VeggieTales decided to branch out into slightly different territory with a series of regular 2-D animated videos starring superhero LarryBoy, an amalgam of Batman’s gadgetry and Larry the Cucumber’s goofiness. His faithful butler, portrayed by Archibald Asparagus, provides another tie to the Batman series, though these videos also borrow from Superman by placing him in the news room and introducing characters comparable to Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane. The third of these videos is Leggo My Ego.

Aside from an opening song, which frankly isn’t all that memorable, there’s no music in this video, and the flat style takes some getting used to. It has a retro feel to it, like the original Alvin and the Chipmunks cartoon or Powerpuff Girls. The look is a lot simpler than that of the regular series, but it’s still fun to watch. I do find it a little curious that the landscape is populated by characters who resemble established Veggie characters but aren’t. There’s a pair of what I take to be beets who function much like Jimmy and Jerry Gourd, particularly in regard to their huge appetites, and instead of a Scottish carrot for a cop we have a Swedish gourd named Olaf. Vicki is a bit punchier than Petunia usually is but basically serves the same role she does in several Veggie videos.

The main story is pretty short at just about 20 minutes, and it’s not very complicated. A dastardly pair of villains plans to take over Bumblyburg, and to do that, they have invented a substance that shrinks citizens. The gas cloud is activated when LarryBoy says something that belittles one of his friends. The villains goad him into these assertions by playing on his insecurities, and the more he diminishes others, the easier it gets. The story demonstrates the link that often exists between low self-esteem and egotism, emphasizing the fact that tearing others down to make yourself seem more important is a very bad idea.

There’s some humor to be found in the spectacle of the various characters becoming teeny-tiny, with voices to match, and The Alchemist, despite his rather imposing name, is a pretty wimpy excuse for a villain. His mother is the one pulling all the strings, and I almost get the sense that if it weren’t for her, he wouldn’t be in the super-villain business at all. He’s really not very good at it. In fact, like LarryBoy, he mostly seems to be overcompensating for the lack of appreciation he feels from others – in this case, his own mother. While she is more intimidating, she too is more comical than scary. The dynamic between the two reminds me of Gru and his mother in Despicable Me.

The video is filled with slapsticky moments like LarryBoy getting caught in an explosion of cotton candy and annoying his Superhero School classmate to the point that she sets a gale-force wind on him, tearing apart the classroom. It’s fun, but the humor here generally isn’t as clever as it is in the main series. That’s especially true in the short Cuke of All Trades, a silly cartoon that goes along with the theme of Larry not feeling very appreciated. It’s his birthday, but instead of being celebrated, he’s left in charge of a bakery and a candle shop while the owners head off on enigmatic errands and customers suddenly swarm in. This is a very predictable short, though I found it fairly amusing.

Leggo My Ego has a great title and some entertaining elements, and it seems likely to fare well with a very young audience. However, I don’t think it has quite the multi-generational appeal that most of the videos in this series do. Considering how few of the videos were released, I’m guessing I’m not alone in thinking that.