Reviews by Kyle Ellis

I thought Dinosaur was a lovely film. The computer animation is beautiful, and I thought the music score was wonderfully dynamic. The vocal ensemble, lending their voices to a very likable bunch of characters, do a very commendable job, especially Samuel E.Wright, DB Sweeney, Joan Plowright and Haydn Pannettiere. My complaints with the movie are that the carnotaurs were very frightening, and some parts do drag in the story particularly in the middle. Still, it is redeemed by some beautiful animation, likable characters and very interesting parts in the script. In conclusion, compared to what it could have been, not that bad at all, though it never was supposed to surpass Pixar delights like Toy Story. 8/10 Bethany Cox.

The original is one of my favourite Disney movies. This movie isn't terrible, but it is fair to say, it is the worst out of the Aladdin trilogy. If you want a really good DTV sequel, check out Aladdin and the King of Thieves (the best DTV sequel) or Beauty and the Beast:The Enchanted Christmas.

The characters were less appealing here.Most of the voice actors return, but all of them sound different. Aladdin and Jasmine were less mature here, as well as the Sultan. Jafar wasn't as frightening or as humorous as he was in the first movie, and Iago is sometimes annoying, unlike King of Thieves, when he is actually funny. Dan Castellanetta does a serviceable job as the genie(he is funny at times), but it just isn't the same without Robin Williams. The worst character was Abis Mal, I absolutely hate that character. He just grates on my nerves. The animation sometimes looks nice, but at other times, it has a rather nasty quality about it. Almost all the characters look poorly drawn, and I really didn't want to say this. Even the Genie wasn't up to top animation standard. It wasn't the backgrounds as such, some were very nice, it was the character animation that was the problem.

As for the songs, they aren't dreadful, but they are the weakest batch in any Disney movie. Iago's singing made my ears bleed, and "Second Rate" sounded as though Jonathan Freeman was struggling with the song. (No wonder, it is very hard)I don't know about you but the old woman in the chair bit I found creepy as a kid. The best song in my opinion is "there is nothing in the world quite like a Friend" which has a decent melody. Also Liz Callaway has a nice singing voice. I really liked the incidental music though, and the scene of the winged horses.

The story was the biggest problem, it went at such a slow pace. Also the villain back for revenge formula was over-familiar, and has been done so much better before. I also disliked the fact that Iago seemed to be the main character, when he was truly irritating here, and some of the dialogue is very lame, there was one part when Aladdin says something that is meant to be funny and he raises his eyebrows cheekily, but I found myself groaning than laughing. I'm sorry, that's my view. On a positive note, this film actually has one of the best climaxes in a DTV sequel, and the voice acting if different was decent especially Jonathan Freeman as Jafar.

This is a very disappointing sequel, especially when it was released two years after the original. but on the bright side, it isn't as bad as the Cinderella and Jungle Book sequels, which are both thinly plotted. 6/10. Bethany Cox

What can I say? An entertaining and fun movie. It is however a little too overlong, Thomas Haden Church is underused and some of the story leans towards the predictable side of things. However, it is very nice to look at, the scenery is colourful and the sets are splendid. Even the cinematography is very good. The music is fun and catchy, it is probably just me but after seeing this film I have had the main title song stuck in my head for days. The script is witty and quotable and the jokes are funny. And then the performances really do add to the sense of fun. Brendan Fraser gives a very likable lead performance, and Leslie Mann is appealing as Ursula. As the intellectual ape "Ape", John Cleese is fitfully amusing. But the star of the show is the sardonic and hilarious narration from Keith Scott. Overall, a fun and entertaining movie, not perfect, but I recommend it. 7/10 Bethany Cox

It isn't as good as the immensely charming original, but I enjoyed this very much. You do realise that this was released 13 years after the original, and a lot of the characters had to be animated again. I forgive them for that though, as the animation was surprisingly good, especially the scenes with Marahute, who blew me away at the sight of her. Though Bianca does look different than she was in the original film, she had chubbier cheeks here. Bob Newhart and Eva Gabor are great as Bernard and Bianca, although there was a significant change in both characters. John Candy was hilarious as Wilbur. If there is one element that is better than the original, but only marginally, it is that Wilbur is funnier than Orville. The plot was also very good, on a parallel with the original, but that was the intention, and the music by Bruce Broughton was appropriately fitting. Cody is very likable, but sometimes his dialogue is a bit unnatural, and I know that people commented on his accent. George C. Scott, a fine actor, was suitably menacing as McLeach, although his animation at times was a tad frightening. I really enjoyed this movie, it's not perfect, but it is one of the better animated sequels to come out. 8/10 Bethany Cox

I wasn't expecting to enjoy Brother Bear as much as I did. It is by far one of the better post-Tarzan Disney movies, along with Emperor's New Groove and Lilo and Stitch. I do think it is very underrated, apart from a couple of minor flaws there is hardly anything wrong with it. So what makes Brother Bear a delight? Well for one thing, the animation is simply gorgeous. Beautiful colours, stunning backgrounds and next to flawless character movement. Out of the post-Tarzan Disney movies, Brother Bear gets my vote as the most beautiful visually.

Another pro was the awesome soundtrack. The orchestral music is lovely, and Phil Colins's songs are every bit as catchy, fun and memorable as the ones he did for Tarzan. The film also has a heartwarming story, concentrating on the friendship between Kenai and Koda and there is a nice moral. There is also a lot of symbolism, that was incorporated into the narrative very well. The characterisations are strong, with Joaquin Pheonix superb as the voice of Kenai, and Koda(voiced by Jeremy Suarez) is a simply adorable character. Plus the MacKenzie Moose, voiced by Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis were hilarious. There are some funny parts in the script, but quintessentially it is a heartwarming one, maybe even some tearjerkers.

I have very little to complain about this movie. Though had this movie been a tad longer, we could have had some more development in the secondary characters. My only other qualm was although the songs in general were awesome, the song sung by Tina Turner at the beginning wasn't quite in the same league. Other than that, this is a great underrated movie, not Disney's best, but you know what, it is well worth the look. 8.5/10 Bethany Cox

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this movie. It isn't my all time favourite Disney movie, but it is very entertaining and touching. The concept may be a little old fashioned, and the film could have been longer, but A Goofy Movie does have a very good message, good characters and a good balance of humour and sentiments while providing an accurate take on life as an adolescent. The animation is really lovely, the backgrounds are beautiful to look at and the colours are audacious. The music is funky and nostalgic, and the story is sweet and realistic, even if it is quite ordinary but I don't particularly see anything wrong with that. I also loved the sight gags, the funny things Goofy says and the touching moments especially in the latter half of the film. And the characters are great, Goofy can't do anything right, then again he was like that in the original cartoons and that's why we love him, and Max is an appealing and not bland teenager. It was also nice to see Pete, and Roxann is really sweet and cute. I also thought Max's and Roxann's relationship was really sweet. Also the voice acting is great, Bill Farmer is amusing as Goofy and Jason Marsden is on the money as Max as is Jim Cummings as Pete. Overall, entertaining and touching. 8/10 Bethany Cox

OK, first things first. I am not sure what Charles Dickens would say if he found his best book "Oliver Twist" has inspired an animation. I hate to say this, but surprisingly the project worked quite nicely, if a little predictable and uneven at times. The animation isn't bad at all, actually very clean and smooth mostly, and neither is the story, both of which are the redeeming merits of an enjoyable movie like this one. The characters were also well done in general. My favourite was Georgette, what a genius the casting director was to cast Bette Midler. Jenny and Oliver- who was adorable- were appealing also, but Sikes at times was a bit frightening, and Fagin's part was quite poorly written. Now the script was the letdown, very uneven at times, and unintentionally funny, and this marred the well-told narrative. Some of the characters were uninspiredly written, and Tito was a little hard to understand. On a positive note, I loved the songs, especially "Why Should I worry?" which is delightfully catchy. May I also say that Billy Joel did a great job with Dodger, who was one of the better characters. And it has a wonderful contemporary atmosphere. All in all, an enjoyable and well-told film, that was let down by the script. 8/10. Bethany Cox

I really like this movie. The only real drawback I have with it is that despite the lovely incidental music, the opening credits were a bit too long. Another drawback is that the adult animals aren't quite as compelling as the child animals in terms of written quality. Despite these qualms, this still an immensely charming and beautifully animated film. The animation is beautiful, full of rich and colourful backgrounds, that aren't quite as good as Lion King and Bambi, though the bear is a triumph of character animation. The songs are heartfelt, especially "Best of Friends", but they aren't showstoppers like the ones in Beauty and the Beast. I had no problem with the voice talents. Mickey Rooney, Kurt Russell, Jeannette Nolan, Jack Albertson, (Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory)Pat Buttram and Paul Winchell bring their really cute characters to life in the equally charming story of ever-lasting friendship. I will say I found the ending when Copper saves Tod's life and vice versa very moving, as well as the scenes in the forest-Widow Tweed taking leave of Tod is a real tearjerker. It did actually show that friendship isn't always forever, which is true to some extent, but loyalty is. I have heard complaints about Boomer and his friends slowing the film down, but I honestly thought their antics were really funny, and actually added to the charm that the film already had. This was one of my favourites, and still moves me, but in conclusion to me now, it is a charming film that is vastly underrated. 8/10 Bethany Cox