Reviews by Kyle Ellis

Like most of the other reviewers here, I am a massive Disney fan at 17. Not only growing up on movies like Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King, which are not only two of my favourite Disney movies but two of my favourite movies ever, but also watching shows like Darkwing Duck, Talespin, DuckTales and The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and singing along to their theme tunes. From my earliest memories as a child, I remembered wanting to be a mermaid with Ariel, being spellbound by The Circle of Life, wanting to fly on a magic carpet with Aladdin, wanting to stay in Neverland with Peter Pan, getting all nostalgic whenever I heard When You Wish Upon a Star, singing The Bare Neccessities at the top of my lungs(still do it actually), wanting to hug Quasimodo as he cried over Esmeralda, crying at Bambi's mother's death, being scared to death by Ursula's laugh and laughing at the witty banter between Prince John and Sir Hiss. The Princess and the Frog mayn't be the best Disney movie of the lot, but it is for me the best Disney film of the last decade. This is coming from someone who loved Emperor's New Groove, Lilo and Stitch and Fantasia 2000, but was disappointed in Home on the Range and save a few exceptions(ie. Bambi 2) most of the sequels.

One thing that springs to mind is the quality of the animation. I know some have complained of it being Saturday morning cartoon standard or direct to video sequel quality, but I found it absolutely stunning. The bayou scenes especially were exquisitely rendered and gave the film a warm richness, reminding me slightly of the Kiss The Girl scene from The Little Mermaid, and the backgrounds and landscapes reminded me of the splendour of the animation in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, a very underrated Disney film. The characters were also very well drawn, Tiana looking like a traditional princess and Dr Facilier looking as suave and charismatic as he sounds. The animation here is better than that of Titanic:The Animated Movie(which I am mentioning because that ripped off Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella, all but to name a few) and The Return of Jafar, both of which had in my opinion sloppy art direction. I know parents may complain of the voodoo scenes being inappropriate perhaps, but they were for me very vibrantly animated, intoxicating and both fun and scary.

Another complaint I read was the songs being generic and forgettable. Can I disagree here? I am not trying to say people who say that are wrong, no, no, no, what I am saying is that I liked them. I do admit I am not a Randy Newman fan but I loved his songs for Cats Don't Dance and thought I will give Newman a chance. The tunes here are appropriately jazzy and upbeat, maybe not as memorable as the beautiful music of Beauty and the Beast, the rousing Lion King numbers, the lyrical melodies of Sleeping Beauty or the haunting and almost operatic ones of Hunchback(Hellfire never fails to give me goosebumps), but goodness aren't they an improvement on Home on the Range? The only song I remember from that film, which I found disappointingly average despite the voice cast and Alan Menken, was Slim's yodel song and that was for the use of William Tell and Ode To Joy. I loved the sinister yet upbeat tone of Friends on the Other Side, the tenderness of Ma Belle Evangeline, the fun of Dig a Little Deeper and the celebratory mood of Down in New Orleans. I also feel Anika Noni Rose has a strong, powerful, beautiful singing voice that I felt could've been used even more.

The story is obviously enhanced and modernised to a New Orleans setting, I do agree there are some moments in the film that drag, but the film took a simple fairytale, enhanced it and on the whole made a charming and likable film out of it, and that isn't easy to do. The scripting isn't bad either, there are no lame pop culture references like there were in Doogal, and look how awful that was, and while maybe not as intelligent as films like Watership Down, there are some funny and moving moments. And I loved the characters. Both Tiana and Naveen have flaws(Tiana being ambitious and Naveen being spoilt), but they also have their charm and avoided being completely clichéd thanks to how they were animated, their motives in the film and the enthusiasm of Anika Noni Rose and Bruno Campos. Dr Facilier is a great villain, suave, charismatic yet menacing, he mayn't be the best of the lot, not being as complex as Frollo, as calculating as Maleficent, as funny as Ratigan or as scary as Ursula, he definitely leaves an impression, and Keith David's melodious and malevolent voice was perfect. Louis, the trumpet-playing alligator is a fun character, same with Charlotte who could have been clichéd but had some depth to her, while Ray the Cajun firefly is one of the better characters of the movie, being both funny and charming. It also helps he is voiced with real exuberance and sensitivity by the legendary Jim Cummings. His death I think is shocking and heart-rending, and Dr Facilier being dragged to the graveyard was suitably creepy.

Overall, not the best Disney movie out there, but it is great, one of the better films of theirs to come out in recent years. 9/10 Bethany Cox

I love animation and I love Christmas films. Not to mention that I adore Dickens' story. 2009's A Christmas Carol mayn't quite be a classic for the Yuletide season, but it is a worthy film and one of the more loyal adaptations of the story, maintaining not just the details but the spirit as well.

CONS: There are few cons actually here. I did feel the film was too long, I personally think 80 minutes is a perfect length for telling the story, this was nearly 100 minutes. In order to do this, while they were musically and visually stunning, there were two scenes that didn't quite work for me and could have been omitted, one being the extinguishing of Ghost of Christmas Past, the other being the carriage chase. As impressive as they are, they don't enhance the storytelling much and feel odd in their placement too. The film does occasionally drag as well, particularly towards the end.

PROS: However, there is much to enjoy here. The story has a classic feel in how it is told, and it has the heart and sentiment of the original story. The dialogue is delightful and almost word-from-word from the original story as well. There are three outstanding things though. One is the vocal cast, Gary Oldman is excellent as is Colin Firth, but it is Jim Carrey's show all the way, while his distinctive acting style is here it is also naturally understated. Two is the score, I like Alan Silvestri a lot, and his score here is beautiful and compliments the spirit and meaning of Christmas wonderfully. Most impressive are the visuals, which in the colours, backgrounds, 3D effects and character designs are outstanding.

So all in all, while not a movie to treasure perhaps, it is definitely worth watching. 7/10 Bethany Cox

I wish people would stop comparing this to Harry Potter, because this is a dark and hugely entertaining film, that both kids and adults will enjoy. I am not saying Harry Potter isn't entertaining, it just is a little unfair to compare movies that are completely different, with the fact they are fantasy being their connection. The film itself looks just stunning, with beautiful sets and costumes.(the house in this film reminded me of the house in The Others) Young children will find Mulgarath a bit too sinister, especially in his ogre form, but he was essential to the plot. I think how he died, getting eaten in the form of a crow by the good goblin(can't remember his name) a bit disappointing, as I've known villains to die better than that. The script is very like Princess Bride in terms of wit and imagination, with the book and all the other basic ingredients. The story is very imaginative, with a boy finding a book and accidentally unleashing the evil goblins who want the book for themselves. What made this movie was the cast, Freddie Highmore, Mary Louise Parker, Nick Nolte, Joan Plowright and Martin Short, all giving first rate performances. While not his best work, James Horner's score was appropriately fitting to the action. Another thing, before I round off, is that I found the ending with the father and daughter reunited really poignant, I almost cried at that bit. All in all, a beautiful and inventive movie, with a 8/10. Bethany Cox

I admit, I did not like this movie first time, but when I saw it today for the first time in three years I was surprised. While bearing little resemblance to the 1960s show, which is just timeless, this is a decent and colourful contemporary tribute.

There are flaws still with the film. The plot is very thin, and sometimes is made up of disconnected scenes. The script has some knowing lines but there are parts where the jokes only come across as average. Also it is a little too short so while the characters still maintain their simple charm, they weren't developed properly.

That said there are a vast majority of things that compensate. For one thing, the visuals are absolutely striking and colourful. Then there is the brilliant soundtrack, that is sunny and really pleasant to the ears. But what made the movie was the film was the voice cast, with fun supporting turns from Jim Broadbent, Bill Nighy and Lee Evans(who I have found annoying in the past). Tom Baker is deliciously malevolent as ZeeBad and Ian McKellan is exceptional as always. But Robbie Williams's cheeky and charming performance as Doogal is the nicest surprise.

All in all, has its failings but it is decent and colourful. It is a shame really it was bastardised by its god awful American counterpart Doogal, which is little more than lame pop culture references and redeemed only by the quality of its animation and the in general talented voice cast(but Jon Stewart was completely wrong for ZeeBad) though they did deserve much better. 7/10 for Magic Roundabout. Bethany Cox

While not perfect, this Disney sci-fi drama is one of their better films of the 70s. Some of the special effects may be dated by today's standards, but some weren't that bad, and the film does meander towards the end. But essentially this film is really quite charming, with a nice story, lovely music and a well written narrative. The direction is also good, and the cinematography is on the most part beautiful. But it is the performances that make Escape to Witch Mountain worth watching. Kim Richards and Ike Eisenmann are surprisingly good as Tia and Tony, while Donald Pleasance is a very good Lucas Deranian. It is Ray Milland who steals the show though, in a deliciously evil performance as Aristotle Bolt. Aside from the performances, this movie does have a lot of nostalgic value that holds up on repeated viewings. Followed by a follow-up movie Return from Witch Mountain and an inferior but average 1995 remake this is a very nice film that has enough thrills to delight kids and adults. 8/10 Bethany Cox

When I heard that there was a sequel to the charming 1975 film, I was a little worried. But after seeing it, I enjoyed the film. The effects are outdated, the plot is nothing particularly special and the script has some weak spots. But it is definitely worth watching, as the film skips along nicely, is well directed and there are some humorous scenes with the juvenile group. Not to mention the lively car chase. But the acting is the best asset of this film. Jack Soo is hilarious in his supporting role and Kim Richards and Ike Eisenmann reprise their roles and very well might I add. Christopher Lee is a finely sinister lead villain, but it is the legendary Bette Davis's picture all the way, as the actress brings a touch of colour into a film that could have easily been bland, and with that colour it made the film worth watching. 7/10 Bethany Cox