No, I don't refer to Walt Disney himself, but the organisation he founded back in 1923, which has since become one of the most famous movie organisations worldwide. Therefore, it gives me great pleasure to wish a very happy anniversary to Walt Disney Pictures.
Many people around the world have grown up with Disney and I can honestly say that, I'm one of those people. I have great fond childhood memories of some of the many projects that Disney has brought us. I can remember when we, my family, taped Pinocchio, Dumbo, Mary Poppins, Robin Hood, Sleeping Beauty and The Sword In The Stone off the TV; most of them from ITV, except Robin Hood which was off BBC1.
Remember this?
I also had some of the original VHS tapes, one of being Fantasia, which I believe may have been the first feature film I ever saw (my memory's rather bad). I can recall the time when we saw The Lion King in cinemas when I was 4, and The Hunchback Of Notre Dame two years later - I even had the figurines.
Kids have often intimidated characters from their favourite films/shows, hence the Power Rangers-type playfights you see on school playgrounds. This was especially the case with me - each time we put-up/took-down our Christmas tree each year, I used the tinsel to dress as King Arthur in The Sword In The Stone. Talking of playfights, my older brother and myself sometimes re-enacted the sword fights from Peter Pan - I mainly played the role of Captain Hook with that hook glove, a pirate's hat and a Hot Wheels track for a sword, while my brother acted as the titular protagonist using a pencil for a sword - considering the lengths of the characters' swords.
Since its formation, Disney has expanded its portfolio not only with its films, but also TV shows - some of which I recall watching during early mornings on ITV - Gargoyles, Recess, that TV spin-off of Aladdin, video games - my personal favourites being the game versions of the Jungle Book, Hercules and Maui Mallard in Cold Shadow, the latter which I feel would've made an awesome film, and let's not forger the theme parks based around the world. As strange as this sounds, I have to admit - Disney Land is one of those places I never went to. As a kid, I was not that choosy about where we went to on our summer vacations. Maybe for my honeymoon, I might consider it - see what my future bride thinks.
Noting from what was stated on the above news story from the BBC News, Disney has recently faced a little bit of financial difficulty. Apparently, the 61st film in the Animated Canon, Strange World (which, guiltily, I still have yet to see), was unsuccessful at the box office grossing less than half of how much it cost. Lightyear's box-office gross of $226.4 million seems to not be enough to surpass a $200 million budget. I reckon this might have been the case since Onward came out, only a few weeks before we had an international lockdown for some widespread virus. In addition, one reason might be due to the public turning to streaming services.
Nevertheless, and I'm aware that an occasion like this is supposed to be a happy time, I do have confidence that Disney will have its financial issues solved, especially considering that it has created a monopoly with other production companies - Pixar, LucasFilms, Marvel and even 20th Century Fox. All it needs to do is think of new and original ideas for films. I myself have some suggestions for what they could make, whether it be through Animation Studios, Pixar, or as a live-action film, you name it. However, that's another story for another article for now.
If I had to pick a favourite film of mine by Disney...
My favourite live action film is
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (1954)
Firstly, out of the many roles Kirk Douglas played, his role as Ned Land is one that I think is very overlooked. Much like in Spartacus, his character rebels against what James Mason's Captain Nemo's up to. Also, he's kept quiet about how well he sings - I'll never understand why I've never seen A Whale Of A Tale featured on any of the Disney compilation CDs.
As for the whole film itself, 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea is based on the novel by Jules Verne, who is one of my favourite writers. Not only is the story imaginative with the "monster" in question being a submarine and let's not forget that squid attack, but it's also very mature - not that it's got profanities, but I refer to the conversations that the characters have. I also like Captain Nemo's antagonistic motivation; that he's sick of humanity and things getting in his way, enough said for now.
If I had to pick a favourite Pixar film, that would be...
Coco (2017)
Firstly, I found Coco's visuals to be awesome, i.e. the scenes where Miguel is interacting with the dead - faces resembling skulls, and the Mexican songs being sung. The concept is also great - Miguel secretly idolises a long dead musician named Ernesto de la Cruz and plays a guitar, despite the fact that his family has long banned music from their lives. What's also cool about this film is the character of Imelda who I feel the most emotions for - watching those scenes with her and Miguel, I always sense that she's got dementia and it's something that I can relate to, since I myself have had older relatives suffer from that condition.
As for the character of Ernesto, I shan't give too much away, but it does go to show that even childhood idols may not always be what you expected them to be. This is especially the case from a TV drama I recently watched called The Reckoning.
But my favourite Disney film of all time is...
Pinocchio (1940)
Not the recent live-action movie, but the original. Now I have talked a fair bit about Pinocchio when I wrote Entered The Festivals - Awaiting Further Info, so I'll keep this brief. I talked about how dark the movie is, how it goes to brave lengths with certain scenes - but let me elaborate a little bit on that one. Most kids' films, especially by Disney would normally defeat their villains and rescue their characters who are on the good side. That's not the case with Pinocchio. Instead, the bad guys, i.e. Stromboli and the Coachman continue doing what they do when aid protagonist escapes from their clutches. During the Pleasure Island sequence, when we see what's happened to the kids who've literally made jackasses of themselves, it's like "oh no, those poor boys are never gonna see their parents again".
Speaking of which, alas, child exploitation and human trafficking remain relevant to today's society. The same goes for scam artists and this is one thing I learned from the movie and one thing I failed to mention; never fall for scams. Note this incredible scene where Honest John tricks Pinocchio into accepting a trip to Pleasure Island. The way Honest John advertises the Island - "that happy land of carefree boys, where every day's a holiday!", plus Paul J. Smith and Leigh Harline's score that goes with it are awesome!
Speaking of music, the movie has a top-notch soundtrack. It even has one of my favourite songs of all-time, When You Wish Upon A Star, which provides a theme of hope and is very beautifully sung by Cliff Edwards. I also still get emotions from the piece of music used in the ending - talking of which, whereas The Lion King has my favourite Disney opening, Pinocchio has my favourite Disney ending, again which I shan't give away.
So may I wish Walt Disney Pictures a very happy 100th anniversary and may I wish it good luck for the future that's ahead.
Jonathan David Ellison's Filmography Displayed below is my filmography. This includes college/university projects and projects produced through my freelancing experience. Being that writing is my main priority; I have separated these projects into categories, starting with the films I wrote the scripts for (including early drafts). Feel free to browse through. (NB. This page will be updated every now and then) As Script-Writer Title Year Genre(s) Director Organisation(s) Other Credits Uni 2010 Comedy, Mockumentary Joe Dreijers, Jon Ellison, Charlie O'Neil, Rory Skinner South Leicestershire College Editor Synopsis Joe, a high school student, is ashamed of his history and intends to apply for a university in order to change his ways. Format Short Film Link Unavailable Notes Produced as a project for OCR National Diploma in Media. I was the writer for the first draft. Deceived By A Smile 2011 Drama, Thriller Joe Dreijers, Tom Knight Kronickle Films, South Leicestershire College Ca...
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