Is It True That Disney Never Makes Original Films?

I recently heard a comment that made sense, at first. The comment was along the lines of, “Walt Disney never made an original story.” I thought, “Yes, that’s right, he made movies from existing stories such as the fairy tales of Snow White, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, and from books like Pinocchio and The Jungle Book.” Fast forward to our lifetime, and the films were very similar to this – think the tales of Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and ancient legends of Hercules and Mulan.




On the surface, this comment sounded true. But I now realize, it wasn’t!

The same person said once that Walt Disney’s films were controversial at the time of release, because he had made his own unique version of the traditional stories. Prior to his films, there were multiple versions that circulated around. Snow White might have had a different ending, or Cinderella might have had an extra subplot or an additional detail. People were quite comfortable with these varying versions of the tales.

And here came along Walt Disney saying, “Here’s my version, and that’s what the story is now!”

So now I see, this person who said both these things contradicted himself somewhat.

My argument is that, in creating unique, standout stories - loosely based on existing stories, Walt Disney was indeed being original and creative. Aren’t all artists inspired by something in the first place?


I will leave you with this quote:

Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it.

~C. S. Lewis

Movie Review: Big Hero 6.

When Disney Enterprises purchased Marvel a few years ago, there was plenty of new creative material to add to Disney's production schedule. Some examples are The Avengers 2: The Age of Ultron (2015) and it's associated superhero stories. But they also now owned the rights to a whole library of comic books and graphic novels.John Lasseter saw some pitches from Disney creatives  and decided to make Big Hero 6 - an action comedy with a big heart.

Baymax and Hiro.

The creative aspects of this movie are splendidly excellent.The visual design is delightfully colorful but also classy and appealing. It has an aptly dramatic and emotionally moving score created by Henry Jackman (X-Men, First Class & Wreck-It Ralph.

This movie is well-crafted in it's writing - it is very funny. Many of the jokes are to do with the robot Baymax's unique way of thinking and saying things. Technical aspects like Baymax running out of battery power also give the audience lots of laughter.

There are grand, almost spiritual themes explored such as self-sacrifice and serving others. 

There is a theme of "the darkness within" as a character wrestles with the desire to seek vengeance on another character.  covers deep and personal themes of loss, family, friendship. 

I really enjoyed it. As a Disney movie, I found this was better than Frozen and way, way better than Wreck-It Ralph. There was fun and exciting action that adds to the story-line The movie also appeals to a slightly more mature audience than the other recent Disney films. This is due to the sophisticated story-line and more relate-able characters.

One thing I would say at this point is that it is refreshing  to see a young teenager depicted as the main character instead of a older teenager or young adult. This gives a different perspective to the story. It is also nice to see an animated Disney movie set in a modern city world, rather than a fairy-tale kingdom (Tangled, Frozen) or a fantasy Video Game world (Wreck-It Ralph. There was nothing wrong with those settings for those stories - but this dynamic is something I enjoyed with Big Hero 6.

I'm looking forward to finding out which other new stories Disney brings us - whether they be from Marvel's story bank or elsewhere. And I boldly declare it - we are definitely in a new golden age for Disney animation!

And one last thing - if you like extra scenes in the credits, then stay in the theater through the credits, and I don't think you'll be disappointed!

Interstellar and Star Wars

I saw Interstellar at my local multiplex recently. Director Christopher Nolan had impressed me with Inception in 2010 as an original film which was far more engaging and challenging to the mind than most big budget movies. I also appreciate the Dark Knight trilogy which he has directed - even if my Batman fanboy friends don't enjoy them as true Batman stories.

Interstellar was, as one friend of mine put it, a movie that sticks in your head. It follows a farmer in the US, 50 or so years in the future from now. The biggest industry in that time is farming, since the world had run out of food (apparently resulting in world wars). Matthew McConaughey deftly portrays a father who needs to go very far to save humanity from disappearing.

I agree, Interstellar does indeed stick in your mind. From a passionate speech on the powerful value of love from Oscar- winner Anne Hathaway, to the courageous, colourful and fast paced climax, the film puts pictures - and music from Hans Zimmer - in your memory.

Which brings me to Star Wars. With the teaser trailer for Episode VII: The Force Awakens online this week, it makes me draw a comparison between the two. Interstellar accesses deep emotions and covers epic themes of humanity, family and destiny. To me, Star Wars should do the same thing. Anakin's descent into the dark side and ultimate redemption has set a benchmark for the types of stories the Star Wars films should cover. But I wonder if the producers at Disney are on the same wavelength as me?



I'm not a Disney basher... all the time. I find many of their family movies heartwarming and entertaining (see my review for Saving Mr Banks, for an example). One thing I find, though, is that Disney likes to make money. So much so, they don't keep the integrity of their characters throughout all licensed products. You can find Belle from Beauty and the Beast presented with 5 different faces along different product lines of toys, books and DVDs. I just hope that they respect the Star Wars fans better than they respect young girls who buy princesses and fairies.

Back to Interstellar. Upon the credits rolling, I felt inspired. Inspired that stories can change me - change the world. I hope that we see more such movies - and maybe some called Star Wars.

Saving Mr Banks - Movie Review

Saving Mr Banks tells the story of Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) and his attempt to bring the Mary Poppins film to the screen in the early 1960s. The other lead is Pamela Travers (or Mrs Travers, as she insists on being called), the author of the Mary Poppins books, portrayed remarkably by Emma Thompson. Remarkable indeed- for whenever has her acting work disappointed? She bring a raw emotional core and her expert comical delivery to this unique movie.

Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks in Saving Mr Banks.

Saving Mr Banks is a bit similar to the 2006 film The Queen starring Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II. The similarity I am fascinated by is the fact that these movies are almost biopics, but not quite. The Queen tells the story of Queen Elizabeth while she is dealing with the aftermath of Princess Diana’s death in 1997. So it is a film about a certain part of her life. Saving Mr Banks is the first “almost biopic” of Walt Disney, however we do not see much of his life - we see photos of his kids and much of the outcomes of his company’s success.But what we see is his interactions with Mrs Travers. This film is much closer to a biopic on Mrs Travers - the film alternates between 1961 L.A. and 1906 rural Australia, where the writer grew up.

Colin Farrell and Annie Rose Buckley in Saving Mr Banks.

This movie was quite emotional for me. Not the Walt Disney stuff, I enjoyed that and I loved all the little references to Disney culture and characters. The story in Australia depicting Pamela’s father and his descent into irresponsible alcoholism brought me to tears - thinking about times I have failed my parents. And thinking about the uncertainty of life at the moment. I spent a few minutes during the second act of this movie in tears. This was something quite cathartic for me. It was painful and healing at the same time.

So after a quite different review for me, I will make the statement that the people at Walt Disney have not lost the art of producing well-written stories that touch the heart of people all around the world. During Saving Mr Banks I laughed, cried, felt deeply and reflected upon my own life. This is what the art of film is meant to do. 

By Jonathan 

Movie Review - The Delivery Man starring Vince Vaughn

By Jonathan Parsons

Just the other day, I was lamenting to a friend the fact that no one in the movie business is making good natured, innocent-eyed comedies anymore. I was referring to the romcoms I was brought up on - PG-rated fare like While You Were Sleeping, Sleepless in Seattle and Runaway Bride. I feel that most comedies these days are given an MA rating (or R in the USA) for sexual references or coarse language. These factors might draw some audiences, but they turn me off for the most part. I was complaining all about this issue, and then this little movie came along.

The Delivery Man, starring Vince Vaughn (Wedding Crashers) and Cobie Smulders (TV’s How I Met Your Mother, The Avengers) has a quirky and complex premise. David Wozniak (Vaughn) is a grown man who works delivering meat for his family business. It turns out that his young adult sperm donation practice has led him - due to a clerical error - to be the biological father of 533 children. David now has the related court case looming and a girlfriend (Smulders) who is quite disappointed in him, for a variety of reasons.

This picture is from the Disney- owned brand named Touchstone Pictures and also Dreamworks Pictures. Touchstone brought to us series like Home Improvement and movies such as Sister Act and Pretty Woman. More recently, they released Dan in Real Life - a comedy which definitely fits into the warm and memorable category I described in my introduction. I feel The Delivery Man fits into this category too. I really enjoyed it. And, funnily enough for a movie labelled a comedy, it is highly funny! My friend and I were laughing in the same places - and different places too. It was just funny. I think you would like it, unless you felt you were above this type of film, you were put off by the premise, or you don’t speak English!

This film showcased a host of young adult actors who played David’s children. The acting was world class. The casting was brilliant, with many personalities and types fitting perfectly to the characters.

I can not remember much memorable music - except for the score in one comedic scene.That’s a shame - but one I can live with for such a great movie. The themes of taking responsibility, keeping your word and family love are important themes for us to explore.

I give this movie 3 ½ stars out of 5.

It is good enough to enjoy once or twice, but I won’t be buying it on DVD.

Movie Reviews Behind the Scenes

Movie Reviews - Behind the Scenes

By Jonathan C. Parsons

Rise of the Guardians Movie Review

I really enjoyed this Dreamwork's Animation Christmas movie. Click on the above link to see my review over at the Light FM website.

I wrote this review very soon after I saw the movie in the cinemas. I find it much easier to write a review as soon after I see the movie as possible. For Les Miserables, below, I wrote the review almost two weeks after I saw the movie, so it wasn't as fresh in my mind.

I looked at heaps of images to find the right one for this review, and went with the official poster eventually. I am not happy that it is so small - you can't really see the faces well. That's my fault, I guess. I guess I should use the "size" filter on Google images next time.


Les Miserable Movie Review

As I said above, I wrote this review much later than I saw the film. It made it difficult to write the review, so in the future I will be writing the review straight after seeing the movie.

I likes this movie a lot, which I hope comes across in the review.

I was re-reading this online the other day and I noticed that the flow is not very good in parts of the review. It is a balance between writing for meaning, and writing so it is good writing!

Writing movie reviews for public publication is difficult, but I'm glad I do it. I'm contributing to good in the community and giving people ideas for entertainment.

Movie Reviews

In early 2012, I volunteered to write movie reviews for a favourite radio station's website. I have lots of fun writing them - and of course viewing the films!

This is a list of links to all my movie reviews over at Light FM's website:

The Muppets (2011)
In this, my first review, I was experimenting and working out my style.

http://lightfm.com.au/movie-reviews/movie-review-muppets

Any Questions For Ben (2012)
From the creators of "The Castle" and ""Thank God You're Here", I enjoyed seeing Melbourne on the silver screen.

http://lightfm.com.au/movie-reviews/movie-review-any-questions-ben

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011)
An Academy Awards' Best Picture nominee, this film follows a family whose lives were turned upside down by the New York World Trade Centre Attacks on September 11th, 2001.

http://lightfm.com.au/movie-reviews/movie-review-extremely-loud-incredibly-close

The Amazing Spiderman (2012)
I wrote this review right after I saw the movie. I loved it so much I raced to the computer and got it down.

http://lightfm.com.au/movie-reviews/movie-review-amazing-spiderman

Finding Nemo 3D Re-release (2003, 2012)
This was the first 3D movie I reviewed. I love this movie. I got a lot more out of it as an adult than as a teenager when it came out.

http://lightfm.com.au/movie-reviews/finding-nemo-3d-movie-review


After you have read one or two reviews, please leave a comment on this page - I would love some feedback on my reviewing style.

Update: For a more recent review, this time for a music concert, click for My "Owl City Concert Review" link.