Unlike July, which saw the three big releases of 2023 come to cinema screens, I’ve seen barely any new films released in August. Summer holidays tend to make me avoid multiplexes, and so things that sound at least somewhat intriguing, like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and Gran Turismo, I am still yet to get around to. Instead, thanks to a season celebrating Disney’s centenary at my work, this month has seen me watch a fair few Disney films both old and new. On top of rewatching some beloved classics on the big screen, I’ve also managed to tick off a few blindspots.
The highlight of my new discoveries was undoubtedly Soul. Released straight to Dinsey+ during the pandemic, Soul sort of passed me by back in 2020, despite winning Best Animated Feature at the Oscars. I was too busy diving into the endless piles of DVDs I own to care about signing up for yet another streaming service. But I have to say, being able to see Soul for the first time in a cinema really made me thankful I never got around to it. Unsurprisingly from Pixar, it’s equal parts moving and charming, and reminded me of the studio’s distinct ability to bury deeply profound material in seemingly innocuous packages. When Joe, a frustrated musician getting by as a high school music teacher, lands the gig of his life and subsequently, immediately dies, we follow his eternal soul into an otherworldly realm as he desperately tries to fight and swindle his way back to the land of the living. If that sounds a bit morbid, the soft creative animation style and humorous script ensure the end result is anything but. It’s a life-affirming adventure that celebrates the little and large things that give existence meaning. Pixar really made a jazz version of A Matter of Life and Death, and it not only works, it soars. The narrative may not be robust, but I'll be damned if it didn't have me emotionally hooked from beginning to end.
Less impressive of my new watches, Brave, a fairytale about an unruly Scottish princess who is forced by her mother to choose her future husband. When she instead runs away, and stumbles upon a mysterious witch hidden away in the woods, she makes a decision that will have serious consequences on those she loves. It's all perfectly 'okay'; great in some regards, in terms of animation and voice-acting for example, but lacking in others like weak narrative and lazy, predictable messages. The fairy-tale atmosphere only carries the plot so far, and I found that once it kicked on into more fantastical elements - witches and spells and bodily transformation - the narrative began to lose me. It's not that it becomes too ridiculous. After all, it's a Pixar cartoon aimed at younger audiences; that gives it space to get as creative as they like. It's just that the story beats became so plainly obvious from about halfway on that it never really felt that fresh or exciting. I adored the voice-cast, with Kelly MacDonald, Billy Connolly and Emma Thompson, and laughed at the occasional joke or gag. The messages it spreads are still wholesome ones, and no doubt go down well with the intended audience. It was just missing something to hook me. Maybe I just had my hopes too high; an Pixar film about my country had such promise. Alas, it's not one of the studio’s better works if you ask me.
As I said, there were a ton of great rewatches too. The best was probably The Lion King. Seeing that opening scene up on the big screen was pure movie magic. The whole film is always pretty damn incredible, but it begins on one of the highest points in Disney's long catalogue. That the rest of the film isn't entirely downhill from there speaks to just how well put together the whole thing really is. With strong voice acting and a compelling story - borrowing from Shakespeare always helps in that regard - it understandably remains a popular high point for the studio. And is definitely one to catch in a cinema if the chance ever arises. I also got to watch Bambi for the first time in years, and it’s still one of Disney's finer productions. I never realised how much Bambi owes to Fantasia, Disney’s ‘adult’ film that paired classical music with gorgeous imagery. With so many wordless sequences of nature set to Frank Churchill and Edward Plumb's playful, energetic score, it creates much of the same vibe as Disney's most mature effort from that era. By marrying that gorgeous animation to an easily digestible narrative, Bambi manages to blend Walt Disney's personal passions for more adult animation with the company's strength for family-friendly storytelling. The result is something pretty timeless; perhaps a little too cutesy for my tastes early on, but enriching and affecting once it kicks into a more mature gear (no spoilers, but I think you all know the part I'm talking about). It examines life and growing up plainly, overcoming potentially childish sentiments to give us something that remains pretty damn impressive eight decades on.
My last Disney highlight was actually one of their live action features. Getting to see 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea screened in a cinema, in dizzying widescreen and dazzling technicolour, was a real treat; a classic adventure film in every sense of the word. Richard Fleischer takes us on a journey to the murky depths of the Pacific Ocean, for this big screen Disney adaptation of Jules Verne’s classic sc-fi novel. With A-list stars and ambitious vision behind the camera, it’s the sort of crowd-pleasing family cinema I wish the House of Mouse would make more of nowadays. It’s also way more gnarly than anything they’d put out now, with complicated heroes and villains, and a genuine sense of menace underpinning the fantastical plot.
For a film with only four real characters involved, it’s a blessing that they’re all wonderfully acted. Best of the lot is Kirk Douglas in a true star-making turn. While he’d made a good reputation for himself already with films like Champion and Detective Story, this was the film that helped cement him as a box office star. From minute one he’s buoyant with personality, grinning that iconic grin with sheer delight as he throws his physicality into every scene. Opposite him, James Mason gives a chilling turn as the deranged yet sophisticated Captain Nemo. His is a complex antagonist, and Mason really conveys that through subtle gestures. An eye flicker or a brow furrowing may be the only hint of the mental turmoil going on behind his calculating exterior. Finally, Paul Lukas and Peter Lorre have great chemistry as a duo of European scientists caught up in all this adventure. Lukas plays the more composed of the two, while Lorre gets to infuse his typical snivelling sidekick role with a softer, more endearing touch. The four of them make this film a pleasure to sit through. Excellent casting all around.
Outside of the cast, there’s still plenty to enjoy. Aside from enjoying the performance, the film as a whole is just a pleasure to take in. Franz Planer shot some of the best looking classic films I’ve seen, and this is another jewel in his filmography. The underwater sequences are especially impressive, capturing both the dangers and ghostly beauty of the ocean bed. Nautilus, the underwater vessel that hosts most of the action, is stunningly realised too. Part rustic, part futuristic, it perfectly captures the 19th Century vision of sci-fi. This is technological advancement to people who couldn’t comprehend where science would take them, and thus let their imaginations run wild. Admittedly, the film isn’t without flaws either. There can be lulls in the action during the extended scenes on Nautilus, and by the final third these scenes felt a touch repetitive. The plot isn’t always the most robust, often feeling like an easy way to jump from set piece to set piece. But what fun the set pieces are. The giant squid battle is a particular highlight, but there’s fun to be had elsewhere too. If you don’t mind a bit of hamminess, this is a perfect adventure for all the family to sit down and enjoy. Disney really used to throw all their effort into these sort of films. Now, with seemingly endless CGI superhero fests and live-action remakes, this sort of tangible adventure feels like a relic of the past. And a sorely missed one at that.
There were some non-Disney watches too. L’immensità is the latest European drama starring Penélope Cruz, who it’s safe to say is on one hell of a run these last few years. While this Italian drama can feel aimless - a thought-provoking, often touching domestic drama that never really feels like it lands anywhere - Cruz is always a moving delight. She effortlessly conveys a fractured personality, anchoring her erratic behaviour to a very real sense of compassion and pity. Also great is is young Luana Giuliana as her eldest child, a trans boy wrestling with his identity in a family environment and era that isn’t quite ready to take him seriously. It’s a striking performance especially from one so young. The autobiographical nature of the piece is hard to shake (director Emanuele Crialese is a trans man himself) and results in some narrative flow issues. Rather, Crialese looks to evoke a feeling, at which he is only moderately successful. Occasional fantastical flourishes began to lose me a touch, although still managed to capture a mood even if my appreciation of the contemporary Italian pop culture references was minimal. All in all, glad to have seen it, even if it didn’t exactly leave a lasting impression.
Elsewhere, Scrapper, the feature debut from Charlotte Regan, is a charming delight of a film. It follows the life of Georgie, a 12-year-old working class girl in East London who is attempting to live independently after the death of her single mother. When her estranged father suddenly shows up - literally jumping the fence into her life - the two embark on a touching journey of self-discovery as they adapt to a situation neither feels entirely comfortable with at first.
If that plot sounds dour, Loachian even, the end result is anything but. Regan infuses this corner of East London with lightness, humour and colour. The world teems with an energy and excitement that, while it may give way to pathos on occasion, never once vanishes. She throws in fantastical flourishes that place us into the mind of her bubbly protagonist. And her two central stars help to elevate the material. As the reluctant father Jason, Harris Dickinson reminds audiences why he’s one of the most exciting young talents working in Britain at the moment. And young Lola Campbell as protagonist Georgie is a breath of fresh air for British cinema screens. She has all the confidence and charisma of youth, and the two slowly develop a genuinely touching chemistry. Dickinson is an actor who can say so much by doing so little, and I find his is a face that can keep me watching out for every little flicker of emotion.