San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
A look back at the studio’s classics with A-list voice talent upon its 60th release
With Walt Disney Animation Studios’ release of its 60th animated feature, “Encanto,” on Wednesday, Nov. 24, fans have a prime opportunity to revisit some of the studio’s best-known films currently streaming on Disney+.
Many of the movies are considered both childhood and cinematic classics. Who can argue with the technical innovation of 1937’s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”? Or the musical brilliance of 1989’s “The Little Mermaid”? And what about the important representation firsts in 1998’s “Mulan” and 2009’s “The Princess and the Frog”? But amid so many lauded animated achievements, some movies get left behind in discussions of the Disney canon. Here are six animated films you may have forgotten but whose charms make them worth a second viewing:
“The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad” (1949):
Disney’s 11th animated movie is technically a “package film” of two separate cartoons. Both segments are based on beloved works of literature and feature old Hollywood star power.
The first half is taken from Kenneth Grahame’s 1908 children’s novel “The Wind in the Willows,” which gave the world the rich and reckless automotive fiend known as Mr. Toad. Actor Basil Rathbone introduces this segment, narrates the tale and also voices the policeman. Rathbone’s plummy tones are delicious, but it is Mr. Toad who steals the show. This segment also inspired the Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride attraction at Disneyland.
The second half is based on the 1820 short story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” by Washington Irving, which gave America one of its first homegrown bogeymen in the figure of the Headless Horseman. Actor-singer Bing Crosby introduces and narrates the segment while also voicing superstitious schoolteacher and dandy Ichabod Crane as well as his romantic rival Brom Bones. Crosby makes the material his own and croons his way memorably through three songs. The New England-gothic animation also still feels crisp and atmospheric.
“The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh” (1977):
Disney’s “Winnie the Pooh” universe started with this collection of tales set in author A.A. Milne’s Hundred Acre Wood. Arguably, the Disney depictions of the lovable bear Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, Kanga, Roo, Rabbit, Owl and Eeyore have become even more well-known than the original E.H. Shepard illustrations in Milne’s books.
The film links three earlier short cartoons by the studio: 1966’s “Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree,” 1968’s
would probably be better remembered if it hadn’t been followed by megahit “The Little Mermaid,” which started a new golden age of Disney animated features. The story updates Dickens to 1980s New York and turns the title character into a stray kitten (voiced by Joey Lawrence), with Billy Joel as a mutt version of the Artful Dodger. Other voice performers include Dom DeLuise, Robert Loggia, Sheryl Lee Ralph (with singing voice by Pointer Sister Ruth Pointer), Richard Mulligan and Roscoe Lee Brown.
Bette Midler’s turn as haughty poodle Georgette is the film’s highlight, with a big number, “Perfect Isn’t Easy,” penned by Jack Feldman, Bruce Sussman and her longtime friend Barry Manilow. In a perfect 1980s move, Huey Lewis sings the opening song “Once Upon a Time in New York City.”
Special mention to Cheech Marin, who brings a lot of ad-libbed comedy to his role as Chihuahua Tito. Marin and Midler play off each other like a canine Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn.
“The Emperor’s New Groove” (2000):
Two words: Eartha Kitt. Sure, there’s some fun animation and a goofy plot about a selfish emperor being turned into a llama, but any opportunity to listen to the purring voice of the groundbreaking actor-singer is enough to highly recommend this take on a classic tale. Probably best known for her sexy, slightly cynical recording of “Santa Baby” — and for breaking ground as the first Black actress to play Catwoman on the 1960s “Batman” television series — Kitt is clearly having a ball playing witch Yzma.
If there’s anything Disney has taught us, it’s that playing the villain often provides fabulous opportunities for performers to let loose, and this film is no exception.
John Goodman, David Spade and Patrick Warburton also provide voice work for the film, and Tom Jones even lends his voice for the theme song. But cabaret and Broadway star Kitt singing “Snuff Out the Light” is a hard act to follow. If “The Emperor’s New Groove” only existed to introduce children to the legendary Miss Kitt, then it’s more than proved its worth.