Disney Challenge: Under the Sea

Winter is fading away and spring will soon be here!! It’s time to head to the beach for some Spring Break action. Watch along this month as we make some waves!!

Week 1: The Little Mermaid

Oh Flounder, don’t be such a guppy!

Growing up, I watched all of the Disney movies, new and old. But like any kid, I mostly stopped once I was a teenager, since cartoons were “kids stuff.” The Disney Renaissance happened during that time, so I missed The Little Mermaid on its initial run of popularity. It wasn’t until much later that I jumped back in, but this is now one of my favorites from that era. I also think it’s the one that really revived the musical aspect of these movies, thanks to Alan Menken. I still sing Under the Sea on a regular basis.

We got no troubles, life is the bubbles!!

Week 2: Finding Nemo

“Well, actually, that’s a common misconception. Clownfish are no funnier than any other fish.” Maybe because the movie started out by murdering 400+ of Nemo’s siblings?

We’ve made it to April before we hit the first Pixar movie? I’m happy we’ve made it. I think the quality over the past 20 years has skyrocketed and, despite *still* removing at least one parent from the story, it’s maintained here. Also, I LOVE Ellen DeGeneres, so this was an easy choice for me. Dory came along at a tough point for me, so I will always have an emotional attachment to the character and the movie.

That sea monkey has my money.

Week 3: Finding Dory

A Pixar sequel? Their track record isn’t great, so I’m not sure how I feel about that. Oh wait, read the previous paragraph where I mentioned my love for Ellen DeGeneres, and you’ll know how I feel.

Sure, Cars 2 was a train wreck that even Mater couldn’t walk away from (if only Mater would have been in that wreck) but that doesn’t mean that all sequels are bad. This one was great! Far less bleak than the early genocide in Nemo, and a much cuter pairing between Dory and Hank the octo…septopus. And the voice casting was superb—shouts to whomever voted for reunion of The Wire cast as sea lions.

BECKY IS A MOOD.

Week 4: Lilo & Stitch

I’ve been looking forward tot his one for weeks now. It’s definitely a lot funnier than I remember, and the music was great as well! Oh, and both of Lilo’s parents are dead…

It’s a bit all over the place as it starts in space, and then moves to…Hawaii? But once it finds its groove, it starts getting better. It’s a story about outcasts, and finding your place in a world that calls you weird. And it’s about how family is what you make it.

“This is my family. I found it, all on my own. It’s little, and broken, but still good. Yeah. Still good.”

Week 5: Atlantis: The Lost City

This is another one that slipped between the cracks for me. It came out during a time when I wasn’t really watching animated movies, and honestly, didn’t seem that interesting.

I’ve since watched it a few times, and while I really enjoy the exploration/Raiders of the Lost Ark aspects of it, it falls apart for me in the third act. The mythology is handled well, but suddenly there’s Atlantean technology with wave riders and lasers? Really seems like someone stepped in at the last minute and asked Disney to inject it with some “action” that would help to sell toys.