Jim on Film:Enchantment: A Survey of Disney's Feature Film Live-Action Musicals
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Enchantment: A Survey of Disney�s Feature Film Live-Action Musicals
While Disney revolutionized the art of integrating music with story in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, it�s interesting that his first real musical didn�t hit screens until 1961. He had used music in Song of the South (which I have never seen for obvious reasons) and So Dear to My Heart, though, at least in the latter, the music was never integrated into the storytelling. It�s even stranger that the man who brought Snow White, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, and numerous other great animated musicals to the screen would also produce the curiosity that is Babes in Toyland.
Interestingly, the only really successful Disney musicals have been Summer Magic and Mary Poppins. Not only was Babes in Toyland a flop, but the financial failures of The Happiest Millionaire and The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band abruptly ended the studio�s excitement for musicals. In the history books, Bedknobs and Broomsticks and Pete�s Dragon are written off as failures in relation to Mary Poppins, though that could simply mean that they earned back their costs without the mega-profits of Mary Poppins. Popeye was a failure, for obvious reasons, and Newsies had one of the shortest theatrical releases I�ve ever witnessed. Neither of the Muppet musicals were phenomenal successes, though I believe they were considered solid grossers. What this means is that, statistically, Enchanted has a better chance of being a strong movie with a poor box office.
In celebration of Enchanted, which I�m very excited about, I present a survey of Disney�s theatrical film musicals.
Babes in Toyland�Poor Babes and Toyland. It really is a movie only a Disney fanatic could love. Ward Kimball had actually been set to direct, had even been flown out to New York City to tap into Broadway talent, but, according to John Canemaker in Walt Disney�s Nine Old Men and the Art of Animation, was relieved of his duties when Walt Disney felt Kimball was getting a little too big for his britches. That is really too bad because, when considering the fun Ward Kimball made of science and space exploration in his series of television specials, Babes and Toyland really could have been something great.
The problem is that the film is far more cartoonish and sugar-coated than anything Disney ever did in the animation world. Even the most playful and fantastic of the Silly Symphonies series didn�t wallow in sweetness like Babes in Toyland. In terms of the plotting, Ray Bolger�s Barnaby is so cardboard, he never presents a real threat, and Annette Funicello never seems fully disturbed by the events at hand. Similarly, Tom and Mary�s emotions never seem believable. They have all the chemistry of Sunday School teachers (due to the script and the staging, not necessarily the actors). Without earnestness, the audience doesn�t really become involved, and for anyone above the age of nine who is not a Disney fan, the corny tone and histrionic presentation is almost embarrassing to watch.
What highlights the film does have are from its musical numbers. Annette�s �I Can�t Do the Sum� is very fun, as is Ray Bolger�s �Castle in Spain.� Gene Sheldon and Henry Calvin are also great in �Slowly He Sank Into the Sea.� The opening number �Lemonade� is enjoyable because it gives Annette Funicello a chance to showcase her dance abilities, the only opportunity she had to do so in film or television. As for other cast members, Ed Wynn is a hoot as the Toymaker and Tommy Kirk is delightful as his assistant Grumio.
While the soundtrack has never been available in stores, as of 2005, it was available at Disneyland from the music shop with the machine that burns discs and prints cases.
Summer Magic�Summer Magic is a musical of sorts. In comparison to Disney�s animated musicals�look at Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Cinderella�the songs are generally not used to develop characters or plot (much like many of the earlier MGM musicals), which, by this point in musical film history, was an unusual choice to make.
The songs largely function to comment on the situations. For example, �Fliterrin�� is a song about moving, a moment where all the characters get together and sing about moving as they face the prospect of leaving their comfortable life. The song could be completely removed from the story without affecting its flow. �Beautiful Beulah� is another such song. In it, Nancy has written lyrics to express her excitement over moving to Beulah, Maine, after she has received word that her beloved yellow house is still vacant. Similarly, �Summer Magic� and �On the Front Porch� could have been excised without much damage to the flow the story. �Summer Magic� does establish the beauty of the country and the family�s contentment in finding the yellow house. �On the Front Porch,� lyrically establishes nothing, but in its staging, it visualizes Nancy�s response to Julia and Charles Bryan�s budding romance, which is a vital plot point.
Only three songs function as traditional musical storytelling songs, which is an admittedly odd set-up considering there are so many more possibilities within the film. �Pink of Perfection,� for one, is Nancy and Gilly�s ode to cousin Julia. This is an important song because it establishes how these two are going to react to Julia, both in the scene in which they make her afraid of bears and moose as well as later on, when Nancy spouts out hurtful words in her exasperation with Julia�s attitude and her ability to net Charles Bryan. �Femininity� is essentially a plot point, showing how goofy little Lallie Joy is able to seduce Gilly for a fully happily-ever-after ending. A little looser in terms of plotting, �Ugly Bug Ball� gives Osh Popham his only opportunity to display for the audience his love of storytelling, the whole reason, Mrs. Popham surmises, he has allowed the Careys to move into the yellow house without Tom Hamilton�s permission.