Disney Movies: Aladdin

Aladdin was released on November 25, 1992 and is the 31st Walt Disney Animated Classic.

The Disney version was taken from the story The Book of One Thousand and One Nights. Several characters and plot elements are also based on the 1940 version of The Thief of Bagdad. As is usual with Disney film adaptations, many aspects of the traditional story were changed for the movie—for instance, the setting is changed from a mythical Islamic "China" to a fictional Arabian City, Agrabah. It was released at the peak stretch of the Disney renaissance era beginning with The LIttle Mermaid. It was the most successful film of 1992, with over $217 million in domestic revenues and over $504 million worldwide.

Previous Disney Movies featured:
The Great Mouse Detective
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Mulan

Hercules

Disney Movies: Hercules

Hercules was released on June 14, 1997 and is the 35th Walt Disney Animated Classic.

The movie depicts the adventures of Hercules, the son of Zues, in Greek mythology. A demigod, mortalized by Hades and his minions as an infant, tries to find what it takes to be a true hero in order to regain immortality and his rightful place among the gods.

This movie has not yet been released on DVD.


Previous Disney Movies featured:
The Great Mouse Detective
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Mulan

Disney Movies: Mulan

Mulan was released on June 19, 1998 and is the 36th Walt Disney Animated Classic.

The movie is loosely based on the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan, and was praised for its stunning visuals and for portraying an independent and dominant female, and earned over $300 million in worldwide box office.

This is the first one we have featured that we actually own on DVD.



Previous Disney Movies featured:
The Great Mouse Detective
The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Disney Movies: The Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Hunchback of Notre Dame was released on June 21, 1996 and is the 34th Walt Disney Aninmated Classic.

The film is loosely based on Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The plot centers on the Gypsy dancer, Esmeralda; Claude Frollo, a powerful and ruthless judge who lusts after her; Quasimodo, the protagonist, Notre Dame's kind-hearted but deformed bellringer, who adores her; and Phoebus, the chivalrous if irreverent military captain, who hold affections for her.

Roger Ebert awarded the film four stars out of four and hailed it as "the best Disney animated feature since Beauty and the Beast - a whirling, uplifting, thrilling story with a heart-touching message that emerges from the comedy and song." Near the end of his review, Ebert compared the film favorably to other entries in the Disney Renaissance era, such as Aladin, The Lion King and Pochahantas.

We do not currently own this movie on DVD but do have a VHS copy packed away somewhere.

Previous Disney Movies featured:
The Great Mouse Detective

Disney Movies: The Great Mouse Detective

With the addition of the Disney Character of the Day to our blog, I thought I would add random Disney Movies (hopefully I can keep this up!). The first movie is The Great Mouse Detective which was released on July 2, 1986 and is the 26th Walt Disney Animated Classic.

It is based on the children's story Basil of Baker Street by Eve Titus, it draws heavily on the tradition of Sherlock Holmes with a heroic mouse who consciously emulates the detective and is set in London, England in 1897. This film did fairly well at the box office and got warm reviews from critics (including a "two thumbs up" rating from critics Siskel and Ebert), a welcome change after the previous Disney flop The Black Cauldron.

We do not currently own this movie on DVD but do have a VHS copy packed away somewhere.