37. TarzanThe last two DAFs lacked a real visual punch; “Tarzan” more then makes up for them. With its deep, rich, colorful backgrounds and lively character designs, the animation is just splendid and a wonder to be hold. The wonderful animation is probably the main reason to see this, though there’s certainly nothing wrong with the story.
Many liberties are taken but this is an at least semi-faithful adaptation of the first novel. It’s brought to life in a energetic fashion with several exciting moments, though the story does have something of a been-there-done-that feeling to it.
The voice cast is pretty decent, with Minnie Driver’s Jane being one of Disney’s most appealing female characters. I found the voice of Tarzan to be awfully uninteresting, though, and Rosie O’Donald’s casting is pretty gimmicky.
It would be easy to make fun of Phil Collin’s music, since, hey, it’s Phil Collins, but the songs are actually pretty good and probably the last thing of any worth he’s done. I would compare this to “Aladdin” in that, why the film doesn’t really do anything spectacularly different, it is still very entertaining. [Grade: A-]
38. Fantasia 2000
A worthy follow-up to the original. I’m not sure how necessary the inclusion of the celebrity hosts were and I could have done without seeing “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” again. This one is also decidedly less experimental then the original.
Still, the images and music are matched nicely. “Rhapsody in Blue” is without a doubt my favorite segment. The rich use of color and the fluid animation matches the laid-back melody of the song perfectly and I suppose the story of everyday people breaking away from their boring lives to live their dreams appeals to me on some level. “Pines of Rome” and “Firebird Suite” are both beautiful, sweeping segments filled with gorgeous CGI animation. I would have loved to have seen them on the IMAX screen were their large scale probably could have been appreciated more. Beethoven’s Fifth is a nice segment and the closest you get to the tone of the original film.
“The Steadfast Soldier” has very nice animation and is highly enjoyable in a typically Disney sort of way. “Carnival of Animals” is colorful, playful, funny, goofy, short and sweet. I liked it a lot. “Pomp and Circumstance” is definitely the lame-duck segment this time around. Pairing Donald Duck with Noah’s Arc and the graduation march just doesn’t quite gel with me. It’s also one of the few cases were I feel that the traditional animation is limiting the scope of the story. Though not as intense an experience as the original, “Fantasia 2000” is still damn good and carries on the spirit of first film, at least. [Grade: A-]
39. The Emperor’s New Groove
Different from what you’d expect from Disney and I can’t help but feel that’s part of the movie’s strength. It’s a hilarious buddy comedy full of highly quotable dialogue and lots of great gags. The movie feels a lot like a Looney Toons skit, tossing out any air of seriousness in favor of just good-old goofiness.
However, the filmmaker’s were smart. To prevent the film from burning out on its own energy, they pace the story with several softer scenes, like of Pacca’s family life, in-between the humor. The result works very well, and the film keeps it up until the end.
The cast is nice. Patrick Warburton is the most memorable, get’s all the best lines, has the best delivery, and is just the funniest member of the cast. This is probably the best thing David Spade has ever done. It’s also nice to hear from Eartha Kitt. John Goodman gives a solid performance though it hardly breaks any new ground for him.
Sting’s music was originally far more involved but it’s been scaled back to just one song now. This is a good thing because, as far as aging British pop stars go, Sting doesn’t have the talent of Elton John or the luck of Phil Collins. (I feel the latter’s success on “Tarzan” was more of a fluke on Collins’ behalf.) The one song of his that did make it into the final cut is awful but luckily just plays over the end credits. “The Emperor’s New Groove” has a rapid fire wit about it and got the most laughs out of me since Genie in “Aladdin.” [Grade: A]
40. Atlantis: The Lost Empire
As a change in direction, an attempt to do a sci-fi action/adventure film, “Atlantis: The Lost Empire” gets some points for being a little different. Sadly, the movie is pretty mediocre.
On the positive side, there is an excellent voice cast including names like Michael J. Fox, James Gardner, Leonard Nimoy, James Varney, and veteran voice actress Cree Summers. While many of the supporting characters are quite interesting and amusing, they are perhaps just too many of them for the cast to be properly developed. We never get any sense of brotherhood among the group and few of the characters seem to be designed beyond basic gimmicks.
I’m not sure what it is, but the animation just doesn’t feel very lively. It lacks a sharpness and clarity that many past Disney features had. There’s nice use of CGI and I like the look of the Atlantian civilization. The plot twist about halfway through doesn’t really work either. The final action scenes, however, are nicely done and the best part of the film. This film more or less proves that Disney is at it’s best when doing sweeping, dramatic musicals and that Indiana Jones style adventures aren’t really their thing. [Grade: C]
Many liberties are taken but this is an at least semi-faithful adaptation of the first novel. It’s brought to life in a energetic fashion with several exciting moments, though the story does have something of a been-there-done-that feeling to it.
The voice cast is pretty decent, with Minnie Driver’s Jane being one of Disney’s most appealing female characters. I found the voice of Tarzan to be awfully uninteresting, though, and Rosie O’Donald’s casting is pretty gimmicky.It would be easy to make fun of Phil Collin’s music, since, hey, it’s Phil Collins, but the songs are actually pretty good and probably the last thing of any worth he’s done. I would compare this to “Aladdin” in that, why the film doesn’t really do anything spectacularly different, it is still very entertaining. [Grade: A-]
38. Fantasia 2000A worthy follow-up to the original. I’m not sure how necessary the inclusion of the celebrity hosts were and I could have done without seeing “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” again. This one is also decidedly less experimental then the original.
Still, the images and music are matched nicely. “Rhapsody in Blue” is without a doubt my favorite segment. The rich use of color and the fluid animation matches the laid-back melody of the song perfectly and I suppose the story of everyday people breaking away from their boring lives to live their dreams appeals to me on some level. “Pines of Rome” and “Firebird Suite” are both beautiful, sweeping segments filled with gorgeous CGI animation. I would have loved to have seen them on the IMAX screen were their large scale probably could have been appreciated more. Beethoven’s Fifth is a nice segment and the closest you get to the tone of the original film.
“The Steadfast Soldier” has very nice animation and is highly enjoyable in a typically Disney sort of way. “Carnival of Animals” is colorful, playful, funny, goofy, short and sweet. I liked it a lot. “Pomp and Circumstance” is definitely the lame-duck segment this time around. Pairing Donald Duck with Noah’s Arc and the graduation march just doesn’t quite gel with me. It’s also one of the few cases were I feel that the traditional animation is limiting the scope of the story. Though not as intense an experience as the original, “Fantasia 2000” is still damn good and carries on the spirit of first film, at least. [Grade: A-]
39. The Emperor’s New GrooveDifferent from what you’d expect from Disney and I can’t help but feel that’s part of the movie’s strength. It’s a hilarious buddy comedy full of highly quotable dialogue and lots of great gags. The movie feels a lot like a Looney Toons skit, tossing out any air of seriousness in favor of just good-old goofiness.
However, the filmmaker’s were smart. To prevent the film from burning out on its own energy, they pace the story with several softer scenes, like of Pacca’s family life, in-between the humor. The result works very well, and the film keeps it up until the end.
The cast is nice. Patrick Warburton is the most memorable, get’s all the best lines, has the best delivery, and is just the funniest member of the cast. This is probably the best thing David Spade has ever done. It’s also nice to hear from Eartha Kitt. John Goodman gives a solid performance though it hardly breaks any new ground for him.
Sting’s music was originally far more involved but it’s been scaled back to just one song now. This is a good thing because, as far as aging British pop stars go, Sting doesn’t have the talent of Elton John or the luck of Phil Collins. (I feel the latter’s success on “Tarzan” was more of a fluke on Collins’ behalf.) The one song of his that did make it into the final cut is awful but luckily just plays over the end credits. “The Emperor’s New Groove” has a rapid fire wit about it and got the most laughs out of me since Genie in “Aladdin.” [Grade: A]
40. Atlantis: The Lost EmpireAs a change in direction, an attempt to do a sci-fi action/adventure film, “Atlantis: The Lost Empire” gets some points for being a little different. Sadly, the movie is pretty mediocre.
On the positive side, there is an excellent voice cast including names like Michael J. Fox, James Gardner, Leonard Nimoy, James Varney, and veteran voice actress Cree Summers. While many of the supporting characters are quite interesting and amusing, they are perhaps just too many of them for the cast to be properly developed. We never get any sense of brotherhood among the group and few of the characters seem to be designed beyond basic gimmicks.
I’m not sure what it is, but the animation just doesn’t feel very lively. It lacks a sharpness and clarity that many past Disney features had. There’s nice use of CGI and I like the look of the Atlantian civilization. The plot twist about halfway through doesn’t really work either. The final action scenes, however, are nicely done and the best part of the film. This film more or less proves that Disney is at it’s best when doing sweeping, dramatic musicals and that Indiana Jones style adventures aren’t really their thing. [Grade: C] 
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