Lady and the Tramp (1955)

Movie number 73: Lady and the Tramp (Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson & Hamilton Luske, 1955) 

The first half of the 1950s was a fairly prolific time for Disney animation. Although production of shorts was dwindling, 1955’s Lady and the Tramp was the fourth feature film released that decade. 

A departure from recent Disney animations - both Alice in Wonderland (Geronimi, Jackson & Luske, 1951) and Peter Pan (Geronimi, Jackson & Luske, 1953) were based on classic British children’s literature - Lady and the Tramp was a largely original story; initially inspired by story artist Joe Grant’s own pet Spaniel and incorporating elements of a story by Ward Greene.

The movie draws upon Walt Disney’s love of turn of the century small town America (Disneyland’s loving recreation of the era, Main Street USA, opened the same year) and after Dumbo (Ben Sharpsteen, 1941) is the only other Walt-era animated movie to feature an (almost) contemporary US setting. 

The tale of pampered Cocker Spaniel Lady (voiced by Disney regular Barbara Luddy) and street mutt Tramp (Larry Roberts) who fall in love over a plate of spaghetti is a fairly conventional story of star-crossed young lovers, one that dates back at least as far as Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. However, the novel use of canine protagonists, witty dialogue and inventive scenes, such as the famed pasta-fuelled kiss, lift the familiar story above the mundane.

Where Lady and the Tramp most impresses is in its outstanding animation. Thanks to the artists’ extensive research of real life dogs, the movie has a less ‘cartoony’ feel to other Disney animations of the era; neatly capturing the movement and personality of our furry friends and displaying the most realistic animation in a Disney movie since Bambi (David Hand, 1942). 

The first animated feature produced in the new widescreen CinemaScope format, this provided some problems for the artists accustomed to animating for the squarer Academy ratio of earlier films. With less opportunities for character close-ups and the need to fill otherwise empty space with scenery, the Disney artists created a beautifully detailed and idealised recreation of a late Victorian era America town, thought to be based on Walt’s boyhood home of Marcelino, Missouri. Viewed entirely from a dog’s perspective, the elegant backgrounds and superior character animation combine to make Lady and the Tramp one of Walt Disney’s most visually attractive feature films. 

Equally a treat for the ears is Oliver Wallace’s evocative musical score and a handful of superb songs co-written by Peggy Lee and Sonny Burke. The legendary Lee adds her considerable vocal talent to showstoppers He’s a Tramp and The Siamese Cat Song in one of the greatest Disney musical scores. 

As you may have guessed, I love Lady and the Tramp. Watching it again after a few years was a genuine revelation. It might not immediately come to mind as one of Walt Disney’s greatest movies, but it really should. It is a warm-hearted, intelligent romance; charming and nostalgic by turn. With its first rate animation, vocal performances and music it doesn’t put a paw wrong. If it’s a while since you revisited Lady and the Tramp, or indeed if you have never seen it, I can wholeheartedly recommend this lovely and lovingly crafted jaunt into America’s (idealised) past. 

7 Faces of Dr Lao (1964)

Movie number 72: 7 Faces of Dr Lao (Dir: George Pal, 1964).

George Pal first came to prominence in the 1930s with his series of animated Puppetoons shorts. Switching to live action, first as producer and then director he was responsible for a series of special effects heavy sci-fi and fantasy films, including The War of the Worlds (Byron Haskin, 1953) and The Time Machine (Pal, 1960) which are now rightly deemed classics of their genres. His 5th and final feature as directed was 1964’s 7 Faces of Dr Lao, based upon Charles G Finney’s 1935 novel The Circus of Dr Lao. 

Tony Randall stars as the titular Lao, an aged (7322 years!) Chinese gent and owner of a fantastical, magical travelling circus. When the circus stops at the dusty Arizona town of Abalone the townsfolk are taught some valuable life lessons from the highly unconventional exhibits include the mythical soothsayer Apollonius, Merlin the Magician, Pan the God of Love and the fabled Gorgon Medusa. All of whom are portrayed by Randall in a truly mesmerising performance. Aided by some outstanding make-up from William Tuttle who rightly won the Academy Award for his efforts. 

Some would rightly question the casting of white American Tony Randall as the Chinese Lao. Yet while the performance does exhibit elements of racial stereotyping it is not malicious. Right or wrong, such casting was perfectly acceptable in the era the movie was made and it would be unfair to castigate it for being out of step with more enlightened viewpoints more than 50 years after release. 

7 Faces of Dr Lao is an unusual movie; mixing elements of the western genre with gently moralistic Bradbury-esq fantasy, it is probably fair to say it is a little bit of an acquired taste. If you are a fan of Pal then this movie needs no recommendation. For others, a philosophical fantasy aimed at family audiences might be a hard sell. However, it’s status as one of Pal’s lesser known features is entirely unwarranted. The excellent performances, top quality make-up and effects and feverish, almost surrealist atmosphere of the movie make for a heady mix. In my opinion 7 Faces of Dr Lao is one of the finest fantasies ever committed to celluloid. 

Atlantis: The Lost Continent (1961)

Atlantis: The Lost Continent (George Pal, 1961). 

Special effects maestro turned director George Pal followed his acclaimed adaptation of H G Wells' The Time Machine (1960) with the mythical fable Atlantis: The Lost Continent.

Out sailing with his father, Greek fisherman Demetrios (Anthony Hall) rescues the shipwrecked Atlantean Princess Antilla (Joyce Taylor). On returning the Princess to the mythical kingdom, Demetrios is imprisoned and forced into slave labour. It turns out the technologically superior Atlantiaeans are a sadistic lot, inflicting punishments on their captives such as turning them into man-beast hybrids. Demetrios rebels, attempting to win the affection of the princess in the process. He then must free the other slaves and exit Atlantis before its inevitable demise. 

After the excellent Time Machine, Atlantis: The Lost Continent was seen as something of a disappointment. Actually, the movie is a fun and pretty wild ride but lacks the gravitas of earlier Pal classics such as The War of the Worlds (Byron Haskin, 1953) tom thumb (Pal, 1958) and, as mentioned, The Time Machine. 

Shot largely on the MGM backlot, it features some impressive visual effects, most notably during the empire’s spectacular fall which serves as the movie’s climax. The cast is made up of faces largely unfamiliar to modern audiences, save for maybe John Dall as baddie Zaren and Edward Platt as the sympathetic High Priest Azar. While the performers do a proficient enough job they do get a little lost among the spectacle. 

With influences of Jules Verne-esq sci-fi and the then popular sword and sandal movies, Atlantis: The Lost Continent has a somewhat uneasy footing in both genres. One gets the feeling this started off as a far more ambitious project than it ended up. As a special effects laden sci-fi adventure it pales in comparison to superior epics Journey to the Center of the Earth (Henry Levin, 1959) and Jason and the Argonauts (Don Chaffey, 1963). 

Yet, I have a lot of affection for the movie. Pal produced far better films both before and after Atlantis. If you are fan of George Pal you will definitely enjoy this. If you are not a fan of Pal, you should be; go check out his better movies then go watch Atlantis. Ultimately it is little more than matinee fluff, but it’s matinee fluff on a grand scale. 

Toy Story 4 (2019)

Movie number 70: Toy Story 4 (Dir: Josh Cooley, 2019)

Since the first movie was released, way back in 1995, the Toy Story franchise has proven to be one of the most robust, not to mention most lucrative, Hollywood franchises of all the time. The original film, a Pixar Animation Studios production released through Walt Disney Pictures, was a massive critical and commercial success, spawning a further two equally successful sequels, three theatrical shorts, two TV specials and a spin-off Buzz Lightyear movie and Saturday morning cartoon. After the fairly definitive conclusion of Toy Story 3 (Lee Unkrich, 2010), audiences could be forgiven for thinking that the series had run its course. As such, the prospect of a fourth entry seemed to many to be unnecessary, albeit not entirely unwelcome.  

Toy Story 4 reunites Woody, Buzz, Jessie and the gang and introduces new character Forky. Forky, made by the toys' new owner Bonnie from a plastic spork, pipe-cleaners and other discarded items, is determined to throw himself into the trash where he believes he belongs. Determined not to let this happen, Woody places himself in charge of the spork, a decision which results in the pair becoming separated from Bonnie and their pals. As lost toys they encounter the sinister doll Gabby Gabby and her ventriloquist dummy cohorts and Woody is reunited with old flame Bo Peep. 

Happily Toy Story 4 is a sequel which lives up to its mighty predecessors. First time director Josh Cooley and screenwriters Stephany Folsom and Andrew Stanton have created a movie that is by turns witty, exciting and ultimately moving, as viewers have come to expect from the series. Perhaps it is a little less dramatically involving than previous entries. While it has its moments of sadness, there is nothing as heartbreaking as Jessie's recollection of her former kid in Toy Story 2 (John Lasseter, 1999) nor as traumatic as the parting of ways at the conclusion of Toy Story 3. This is definitely Toy Story in lighter mode, but the movie suffers not because of this. Its message is certainly as poignant as others in the franchise and comes with a climax that that seems pretty darn final. Possibly not the conclusion that many fans would want, but maybe the conclusion that they need and one that arguably serves the story. 

It goes without saying that the computer generated animation in Disney/Pixar's Toy Story 4 is beautiful. Inanimate objects brought to life with such believability is credit to the studios highly talented collective of animators and writers. Once again, the vocal performances, notably Tom Hanks as Woody, Tim Allen as Buzz, Annie Potts as Bo and Tony Hale as Forky, are exemplary. 

This latest episode of the Toy Story saga thankfully does nothing to tarnish what is arguably the most consistent franchise of them all, while its finale suggests that this really will be the last we see of the gang. If this is the case then more's the pity, although Toy Story 4 definitely provides them with a high on which to go out on.