Toon Talk Special: 50 Greatest Disney Animated Moments: Part 1 of 2
Page 4 of 4
#30 - The Silly Song
Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs - 1937
(c) Disney
The dwarfs entertain their new houseguest with this joyful and, well, silly song. A perfect showcase for these characters and their distinct personalities, each dwarf gets their share of the spotlight: Happy yodels and dances a soft shoe, Bashful (eventually) recites a nonsense verse, Sleepy deals with a pesky fly. The scene is loaded with gags reminiscent of the shorts of that time period, such as Dopey and Sneezy's infamous pas de deux with Snow White. When their dance comes to a hilariously "explosive" end, amid the gales of laughter, our heroine sighs "That was fun!" How right you are, princess.
#29 - Flying to Neverland
Peter Pan - 1953
"All it takes is faith and trust ... (and) a little bit of pixie dust ... " With these words of instruction (pixie dust provided by Tinkerbell, of course), the boy who never grew up Peter Pan leads the Darling children on a spectacular flight over London. Just like every kid has ever dreamed of, they glide above the clouds, the twinkling lights of the city far below them. Landing on the hands of Big Ben, Peter directs them to take the second star to the right and straight on 'til morning ... "Come on everybody, here we go ... !!!"
#28 - Part of Your World
The Little Mermaid - 1989
Starting a tradition of "I want" songs for every hero and heroine that followed her, Ariel (multi-talented Jodi Benson) wishes to break free from the depths of the sea and to walk among the humans who's "gadgets and gizmos galore" she has been collecting in her underwater grotto. With her flowing red hair, cascading in the water, she sings of her desire to be "out of the sea, wish I could be part of that world." The moment ends with the little mermaid staring longingly out into liquid space, her dream just above the surface.
#27 - "Anita, Dah-ling!"
One Hundred and One Dalmatians - 1961
(c) Disney
You first see a silhouette in the window, then the door bursts open, and there she is. Black and white spiked hair, her face a skeletal mask, wrapped in an over-sized fur coat and trailing green cigarette smoke: it's her. "That devil woman." Cruella de Vil. Posing and sashaying around Roger and Anita's house, poking her bony fingers at a growling Pongo and mocking her hostesses' suburban housewife existence, she zeroes in on a framed portrait of the beloved dalmatian couple, smoke swirling around the image like a target. "Such perfectly lovely coats" she sneers. You know exactly what this woman is and what she wants to do, all in a scant two minute scene. "If she doesn't scare you, no evil thing will."
#26 - The Whales
Fantasia 2000 - 2000
(c) Disney
In the Disney artists' vision of Respighi's "Pines of Rome", the aurora borealis shines above, and we are introduced to the most stunningly real sea life ever animated. A mother and father whale, with their spunky offspring, majestically rise from the ocean, these huge mammals flying up in the air, into the night sky, their immense shadows gliding across the nearby icebergs. They are joined by the rest of their pod, as they soar over mountain tops and lightning illuminated clouds, bursting through as the music swells and they continue their incredible journey into the heavens above.
Stay "tooned" for the top 25, coming to Toon Talk next Friday, April 27!
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-- Kirby C. Holt
Took Talk: Disney Film & Video Reviews by Kirby C. Holt is posted whenever there's something new to review.
The opinions expressed by our Kirby C. Holt, and all of our columnists, do not necessarily represent the feelings of LaughingPlace.com or any of its employees or advertisers. All speculation and rumors about the future plans of the Walt Disney Company are just that - speculation and rumors - and should be treated as such.
-- Posted April 20, 2001