Atlantis: The Lost Empire is a 2001 animated feature produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures on June 15, 2001. An animated sci-fi mixed action movie, it was written by Tab Murphy, directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, and produced by Don Hahn. The 40th film in the Disney animated features canon, it is set in the year 1914, where an expedition crew goes off to find the lost city of Atlantis.
The film begins with an explosion and a massive wave washing over the island of Atlantis. Giant, robotic sentries defend the city, but the Atlantean queen is drawn into a glowing blue beam projected from the "Heart of Atlantis," a huge gem which powers the city's defenses. She leaves behind a young daughter, Princess Kida, as the city disappears beneath the ocean waves.
Thousands of years later, Milo Thatch is an aspiring, kindhearted, and dreaming linguist and explorer, although his employers, the staff of the Smithsonian Institution, has little use for him other than keeping the boilers running. Milo believes that his research has revealed the location of The Shepherd's Journal, a Viking manuscript that allegedly reveals the way to Atlantis. His dreams are to prove to the world, that his grandfather, Thaddeus Thatch, really did discover a clue that could lead to the discovery of one of the greatest mysteries of all. Most of all, his dreams are to have something to believe in. After his proposal is rejected, a mysterious woman, Helga Sinclair, invites Milo to see her employer and takes him to Preston B. Whitmore, an eccentric millionaire who, owing a debt to Milo's grandfather, has funded a successful effort to find the journal; now that it is in hand, he recruits Milo to read the book and lead an expedition to Atlantis.
Milo sets out with a crew headed up by Commander Lyle Rourke, a military man who led the expedition to recover the journal, Helga, and a crew of oddballs. Among the crew are Vinnie Santorini, the crew's Italian demolitions expert, Gaetan 'Mole' Moliere, the borderline crazy geology specialist, Dr. Joshua Sweet, the ship's medical officer, Audrey Ramirez, the tomboyish mechanic, Jedidiah 'Cookie' Farnsworth, the ship's Western redneck cook, and Wilhelmina Packard, the elderly communications expert. They set out in the Ulysses, a massive submarine. As the team approaches Atlantis, the Ulysses is attacked and destroyed by the Leviathan, a huge robotic defender of Atlantis. Milo, Rourke, and a small complement of crewmembers escape in small sub-pods and a cargo hauler and, reaching an underground cavern described in the Shepherd's Journal, continue ahead on foot and vehicle. They are tracked all the while by some Atlanteans.
Reaching Atlantis, the crew are greeted by Kida, now a young woman, although "young" is relative to her appearance only, as she is now many thousands of years old. Kida brings the group to meet her aging father, King Kashekim Nedakh, who wants them to leave as soon as they are able, since their presence cannot mean any good. Atlantis has fallen into ruins since disappearing into the earth, and Kida enlists Milo's help in deciphering the runes throughout the city, the Atlantean written language having been unknown to the people for centuries. Milo helps her discover the nature of the Heart of Atlantis, but can't tell how it works, since a page of the Shepherd's Journal is missing.
Rourke turns out to have the missing page and betrays Milo, he and Helga having known about the Heart all the while. Rourke turns the tables by forcing Milo and Kida to help him find the Heart of Atlantis so that he can take it back to the surface and make a fortune from its sale. He first thinks King Nedakh knows all about it, so he manages to beat him. Once found, the Heart merges with Kida, causing her to fall into a trance as her body becomes a glowing blue crystal. Rourke locks up Kida and prepares to leave for the caves. Before departing, he punches Milo and mocks him, breaking his beloved grandfather's picture, and tears of sorrow, heartbreak, and despair well up in Milo's eyes. But just before they leave, Vinnie, Audrey, Sweet, Mole, Cookie, and Packard have a dramatic change of heart, and go back to help Milo up. Rourke leaves, and prevents the crew from following him by blowing up the bridge. Later, in the palace, King Nedakh tells Milo all about the Heart of Atlantis, explaining why the crystal has a mind of its own and why Atlantis went underwater. Before his death, the King gives his crystal to Milo and tells him to save Atlantis and Kida. Milo is reluctant as first, pointing out that every bad thing on this mission happened because of him, but with courage and support from Sweet, he rallies the crew and the Atlanteans to stop Rourke and manages to restart several Atlantean vehicles to create an aerial fighting force to challenge the villains.
In the ensuing battle, Rourke is destroyed, Helga is killed, and Kida is liberated, but a volcanic eruption ensues. The city's total destruction is imminent until Milo and Kida are able to restore the city's systems to full power which include restarting the sentinels who again rise to protect Atlantis. The Atlanteans thank the visitors who helped save Atlantis and give them a huge treasure. The surviving crew, now insanely wealthy, returns to Whitmore's mansion to rehearse their cover story to hide the existence of Atlantis, while Milo stays to help Kida rebuild the Atlantean empire and made a memorial of the King and let join within the Heart of Atlantis.
The Emperor's New Groove is a 2000 animated feature film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures through Buena Vista Distribution on December 15, 2000. The thirty-ninth film in the Disney animated features canon, The Emperor's New Groove is a wacky comedy having more in common with a Looney Tunes or an M-G-M Tex Avery cartoon than a traditional Disney film. Produced by Randy Fullmer and directed by Mark Dindal over a six-year production timeline, The Emperor's New Groove was altered significantly from its original concept as a more traditional Disney musical entitled Kingdom of the Sun, to have been directed by Dindal and Roger Allers (co-director of The Lion King). The title of the film derives from that of the popular Danish fairy tale The Emperor's New Clothes.
While not a blockbuster, The Emperor's New Groove was successful enough to warrant a direct-to-video sequel, Kronk's New Groove, released December 2005, and an animated television series, The Emperor's New School, in January 2006.
The story revolves around Kuzco, the self-centered emperor of a fictitious jungle nation (loosely inspired by the Precolumbian Inca empire of South America), and one of his subjects, Pacha, a humble peasant and family man who is headman and representative of his village. Teenaged Kuzco is the self-proclaimed "King of the World" at this time; although he is not an overtly cruel tyrant, he does harbor a childish and selfish will to have everything go his way. After firing his ancient and power-hungry advisor, Yzma (pronounced "EEZ-muh"), he reveals to Pacha that Pacha's village is to be destroyed in order to build Kuzco's 18th birthday gift to himself: a gaudy summer-home called Kuzcotopia, complete with pool and waterslide. Pacha starts to protest, and is dismissed from the palace. Before the final construction order can be issued, however, Yzma and her muscular, easily-distracted lackey Kronk launch a poisoning plot against Kuzco. The plot is botched, resulting instead in Kuzco being turned into a llama, and then, unknown to Yzma, accidentally spirited out of the capital.
Kuzco ends up at Pacha's village and arrogantly orders the peasant to return him to the palace. At first Pacha lets the newcomer wander off into the jungle, but then repents and goes after him, rescuing the llama from a pack of black jaguars, an effort which ends with the two of them tied to a dead tree trunk and taking a plunge over an enormous waterfall. Recovering from this, Pacha says that he will take Kuzco home only if the Emperor agrees to build Kuzcotopia somewhere else; Kuzco pretends to agree, and they set out for the palace. The emperor only truly begins to change after the two of them are forced to work together to survive the collapse of a rope bridge, even returning the favor of saving Pacha's life.
Back at the palace, Yzma has staged Kuzco's funeral and taken over as ruler of the Empire. She only then learns that Kuzco is still alive, and she and Kronk set out to look for him. After a string of near-misses at a roadside diner, they find and chase the heroes, who appear to decisively give them the shake, leaving the lightning-struck pursuers plunging towards the bottom of a chasm. Kuzco and Pacha make it back to Yzma's secret lab beneath the palace, where it turns out that in violation of all laws of physics and common sense (as the movie itself explicitly notes) Yzma and Kronk have somehow gotten there first and now hold the antidote to Kuzco's condition. Yzma demands that Kronk personally kill the heroes. When he gets bogged down in a coversation with the good and bad sides of his conscience, Yzma viciously berates him for his stupidity, and, then in the last straw, insults his beloved cooking. Kronk changes sides, but his attempt to destroy Yzma fails and he is dropped through a trapdoor.
Kuzco and Pacha take advantage of this distraction to steal the antidote, but Yzma manages to mix it in with numerous other identical potions and then summon the palace guards. While being chased, the duo tries to find the right potion through trial and error, turning Kuzco into a turtle, a songbird, a whale, and back into a llama again. Finally, they escape the guards and narrow the choice down to two potions, but Yzma catches up with them. In her haste to reclaim the antidote, she accidentally smashes the other vial and turns herself into a kitten. Following a struggle high on the palace's outer walls, she still manages to steal back the final potion, only to be foiled at the last second by the sudden reappearance of Kronk.
Kuzco returns to human form and sets out repairing the damage done by his arrogant behavior. In the end, he builds a tiny cottage near Pacha's village in lieu of his extravagant summer home, while outdoorsman Kronk becomes a scout leader, with kitten Yzma as an extremely reluctant member of his troupe.
Tarzan is a 1999 animated feature film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, and released by Walt Disney Pictures on June 18, 1999. The thirty-seventh film in the Disney animated features canon, it is based upon the Tarzan of the Apes series of novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs, and is the only major motion picture version of the Tarzan property to be animated. It is also the last "bona fide" hit before the Disney slump of the early 2000s making $171,091,819 in domestic gross and $448,191,819 worldwide, outgrossing its predecessors Mulan and Hercules.
Sometime in the 1900s off the coast of Africa, a father, his wife, and infant son escape a burning ship and arrive in the unexplored jungles of Africa, where they build themselves a treehouse in which to live ("Two Worlds"). Meanwhile, a gorilla couple named Kerchak and Kala lose their son to a leopard named Sabor. As they move to another nest area, Kala hears an infant crying and follows it back to the treehouse. She investigates the treehouse and discovers that it is ransacked and the parents of the baby dead. As she looks around the treehouse, she notices a trail of large, bloody cat-like pawprints marked across the floor. Frightened, she rears back and finds a recent photograph of the family together. Kala hears more infantile crying and finds the human baby in an overturned basket. Immediately reminded of her own lost child, Kala feels remorse for the baby boy. Suddenly Sabor appears out of nowhere, hungry for human flesh. After a short chase, Kala and the baby escape the treehouse and run into the jungle to rejoin the gorillas. Upon arriving, Kala's mate Kerchak, also the leader of the gorillas, does not like the baby because he is human. Kerchak orders Kala to abandon the child, but Kala protests. Kerchak sympathizes with Kala and allows her to keep the boy, but he makes it clear that the child is hers and not his. Kala names the child Tarzan and treats him as one of her own ("You'll Be in My Heart").
As time passes, Tarzan, now ten years old, tries to fit in with the other gorillas ("Son of Man"). He makes friends with a female gorilla named Terk and an elephant named Tantor. 8 Years later, Tarzan grows up into an adult and is attacked by Sabor the leopard. Tarzan kills Sabor and earns the respect of Kerchak. Suddenly a gunshot is heard from far away. As the gorillas leave, Tarzan follows the sound and sees three humans: Professor Porter, his daughter Jane, and their hunter guide Clayton. Tarzan saves Jane from some angry baboons and tries to communicate with her as he can't speak English. Meanwhile, Terk, Tantor, and some of their gorilla friends stumble upon the campsite of the Professor, Jane, and Clayton. Mesmerized by the many strange human objects, the gorillas begin to destroy the entire camp ("Trashin' the Camp"). Jane and Tarzan return to the camp and find it ransacked by Tarzan's friends. After some introductions, Kerchak angrily appears. Tarzan and the gorillas leave and Prof. Porter and Clayton arrive.
Back in the jungle, Kerchak instructs the gorillas to stay away from the strangers. Tarzan protests, saying that the humans are not dangerous, but Kerchak is unwilling to believe him. Kala tries to make Tarzan understand the danger, but instead Tarzan angrily asks her why she never told him that there were others who look like him.
After some time, Tarzan secretly returns to the camp and is introduced to Prof. Porter and Clayton. Together, the three teach Tarzan about the human world ("Strangers Like Me"). Repeatedly Tarzan is asked about the whereabouts of the gorillas, but he is unwilling to disclose their location because of Kerchak. One day while returning to the campsite, Tarzan sees everything being packed up. He asks Jane what is happening, and she tells him that a boat has come to take the three back to England. Tarzan does not understand why Jane has to leave, but Clayton explains that if he leads them to the gorillas they would not have to leave. Tarzan leads them to Kala and Terk, but Kerchak appears and is hostile to Tarzan and his company. As the others flee, Kerchak scolds Tarzan and he angrily flees. Kala senses the sorrow in Tarzan and decides to show him the treehouse where she found him. There Tarzan finds the picture of his mother, father, and himself as a baby. Now knowing where he must go, Tarzan puts on his father's old formal suit and joins up with Jane, who has become infatuated with him. They board a ship only to find the crew captured by some thugs. Clayton reveals that he wanted to find the apes and capture them in order to sell them in England. He locks Tarzan, Jane, Porter and the crew into the hold and goes back to shore. Tantor and Terk rescue Tarzan and the others and they go off to stop Clayton.
The gorillas are attacked by Clayton and his gang and one by one they're rounded up. Kerchak is mortally wounded by Clayton's rifle but Tarzan interferes. As Jane, Porter, Tantor, and Terk free the gorillas and lock up the thugs, Tarzan and Clayton fight amongst the trees. Tarzan throws some vines at Clayton, entangling him. He starts cutting the vines with his machete and Tarzan sees one of the vines wrapping around Clayton's neck. He tries to warn the hunter but Clayton cuts the last vine and plummets to the floor, resulting in a death by hanging. A dying Kerchak apologizes to Tarzan for doubting him and makes him leader of the gorillas.
Tarzan says goodbye to Jane and Porter as they board the ship, but Jane decides that she loves him and returns, later followed by Porter.
Mulan is a 1998 animated feature film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, and released by Walt Disney Pictures on June 19, 1998. The thirty-sixth animated feature in the Disney animated features canon, the film is loosely based on various versions of the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan (Fa Mulan), and was the first of three produced primarily at the animation studio at Disney-MGM Studios in Orlando, Florida. It was directed by Tony Bancroft and Barry Cook, with the story by Robert D. San Souci.
The most notable voice cast member of the film was Eddie Murphy, who provided the voice for the dragon Mushu. Other cast members included Ming-Na as Fa Mulan and B.D. Wong as Captain Li Shang.
The film out-grossed its predecessors, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Hercules in domestic income, taking over $120 million and over $304 million worldwide. It is among one of Disney's most popular and successful movies to date.
The Chinese legend of Hua Mulan centers on a young woman who disguises herself as a man to take the place of her elderly father in the army. The story can be traced back to The Ballad of Mulan. The earliest accounts of the legend state that she lived during the Northern Wei dynasty (386–534). However another version reports that Mulan was requested as a concubine by Emperor Yang of Sui China (reigned 604–617). The film may take place even later, as it prominently features landmarks such as the Forbidden City which was not constructed until the 15th Century. On the other hand, at the time of Northern Wei, the Xiongnu (called Huns in the movie) had been already absorbed into Chinese and other races and disappeared from the stage of history. However, according to the style of dress (traditional Han clothing), the film most definitely takes place sometime in the 15th century or before. The fireworks featured in the movie indicate that the movie is set during or after the Han dynasty, due to the fact that fireworks were invented in (206BC-AD 220).
Disney's Mulan casts the title character in much the same way as the original legend, a rough-around-the-edges daughter of a respected veteran, somewhat troubled by being the "sophisticated lady" her society expects. When the Huns, led by the ruthless Shan Yu, invade China, it is declared that one man from every family must serve in the Imperial army, so each family is given a conscription notice. Mulan's father has to serve in the army, but due to an old wound from a previous war he served in, he cannot walk properly. He is willing to serve in the army, but it is clear that he will not survive if he does. One night, after a brief confrontation and argument, Mulan cuts her hair with her father's sword and ties it up. She then takes his conscription notice, armor, and weapons; and thus rides away on her horse Khan to join the army.
At the same time, Mushu, an unusually small dragon who has been demoted to gong ringer for Mulan's ancestors, is asked to awaken the "Great Stone Dragon", a family guardian. The "Great Stone Dragon" is to be sent to bring Mulan back home. However, Mushu accidently destroys the "Great Stone Dragon", panics, but then realizes that this could be an opportunity to earn his place among the guardians again if he can make Mulan a war hero. Mulan's newly received good luck charm, a cricket named Cri-Kee tags along with Mushu as well.
Although Mulan starts out weak in comparison to her fellow soldiers, she works hard and is soon even stronger than the rest and becomes a respected part of her group, which is led by Captain Li Shang. During this training portion of the movie, fellow soldiers are introduced including Ling, Yao and Chien Po.
The troops complete their training, but Chi Fu - the Emperor's meddling, sexist adviser - refuses to let them see battle. However, Mushu and Cri-Kee forge a letter ordering Li Shang to take his men to the front lines. The troops set out to meet with General Li, Li Shang's father who has already left on a mission to protect the Imperial City from the Huns. However, Li Shang and his newly trained troops discover that the General and his men have been killed.
Captain Li Shang and his troops continue on over the Chinese landscape, disheartened by their loss when they are ambushed by Hun archers. The troops defeat the Huns with cannons. A calm comes over the land and Captain Li's troops believe they've won the battle but soon discover that they are significantly outnumbered when they see thousands of Huns, Shan Yu amongst them, surround the mountain ridge above them. Captain Li encourages his soldiers but they all realize that they are out manned and out armed. As they are setting up the last cannon to fire at the Huns, Mulan spots a precarious mound of snow on the upper mountain side. As the Huns charge down the mountain Mulan snags the cannon, runs with it, and (with Mushu's "help") fires the rocket at the snow mound. The collision of the rocket and the snow mound causes an avalanche which spreads over the charging Huns burying them under the snow. Just after the rocket is launched, Shan Yu cuts her in the midsection as he is swept away by the avalanche. Captain Li's soldiers take refuge under a rock while Mulan rescues Captain Li whose being swept away on his horse by the snow. When all of Captain's Li's troops are safe and it appears the battle has been won, Captain Li is expressing his gratitude to Mulan when Mulan grabs her stomach area and winces in pain. Medical help is summoned.
During treatment for her injuries, they discover that she is actually a woman. Captain Li is notified and is expected to execute Mulan for her impersonation but he spares her life and considers his pardon an exchange for Mulan saving his life. Instead Captain Li expels her from the army. Mulan decides to return home with her companions Cri-Kee and Mushu but as they move along through the mountain pass they hear Shan Yu's roars and look to see Shan Yu and several other Huns emerging from the snow that had blanketed them during the earlier battle. Mulan tries to warn Captain Li and his troops but they don't listen as they are heralded by citizens in a parade for their war efforts. Mulan also tries to warn the citizenry but they shun her. Mushu informs her that it's because she's a woman. As the Emperor addresses the crowd, the Huns, disguised as parade characters, kidnap the Emperor. Captain Li and his troops attempt to follow the Huns and the Emperor into the Emperor's palace but they are locked out. Mulan devises a play with the cooperation of Chien Po, Ling and Yao to dress as woman, scale the castle wall and more easily infiltrate the castle interior by pretending to be concubines. When the Huns lower their defenses in the presence of the "women", Mulan and her friends swiftly dispatch them all. During this attack the Emperor is safely removed from the palace by Chien Po, but Captain Li and Mulan are both trapped on the balcony with Shan Yu. Shan Yu is about kill Captain Li when Mulan gets his attention. The Hun recognizes her from the mountain battle and gives chase. Mulan lures Shan Yu onto the palace rooftop, where Mushu and Cri-kee propel a huge firecracker that hits Shun Yu and carries him off to his demise.
When the Emperor meets Mulan at the end of this battle, he tells her that he's heard of her (most likely from Chi Fu). At first the Emperor in an accusatory tone lists Mulan's sins...stealing her father's armor, running away from home, impersonating a soldier, embarassing the Chinese Army, and destroying his palace but then he softens his tone and says, "and you have saved us all!" The Emperor then bows to Mulan and her fellow soldiers and in succession the people of China witnessing the incident follow suit. The Emperor then offers Mulan a position in his staff but Mulan politely refuses the offer and advises that she wants to return home. This is impossible in the past as an emperor never bows down to other people no matter who they are and what they did. During this time the Emperor praises Mulan in a conversation to Captain Li and implies that Mulan is a very admirable woman (wife).
Upon her return, Mulan expects to be reprimanded but is instead embraced by her family. Soon after, Captain Li arrives telling Mulan she forgot her(father's) helmet in an obvious guise to speak with her. Meanwhile, the ancestors reluctantly agree to make Mushu a guardian once more.
Hercules is a 1997 animated feature produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures on June 14, 1997. The thirty-fifth animated feature in the Disney animated features canon, the film was directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, and stars the voices of Tate Donovan, Susan Egan, Danny DeVito, James Woods, Bobcat Goldthwait, Matt Frewer, Rip Torn, Samantha Eggar, Josh Keaton, Lillias White, Paul Shaffer and Charlton Heston. The movie depicts the adventures of Heracles (known in the movie by his Roman name, Hercules), the son of Zeus, in Greek mythology. The storyline also draws much of its inspiration from Superman: The Movie, as well as The Karate Kid and Rocky. Though Hercules did not match its predecessors, it still took over $103 million in domestic revenues and over $252,700,000 worldwide. The movie was later followed by Hercules: The Animated Series, focusing on Hercules during his time at the Prometheus academy and Hercules: Zero to Hero, a direct-to-video movie.
The film begins with a group of the five membeers of the gospel quintet "Sisters in God" telling the story of how the almighty Zeus came to power and prevented the monstrous Titans from ruling the world ("The Gospel Truth"). This leads to the day Hercules is born to Zeus and Hera, much to the pleasure of the other Gods... all except Hades, who receives word from the Fates that Hercules will one day rise to power and prevent Hades from taking control of the world. He sends his minions,Pain and Panic, to kidnap Hercules and feed him a potion that will strip him of his immortality; however, they are interrupted and, while Hercules becomes mortal, he retains his God-like strength.
Hercules grows up to be a misfit, challenged by his incredible strength and unable to fit in with other people ("Go the Distance"). His adoptive parents finally tell him that he was once a son of the Gods and that he must go to his father, Zeus. Zeus tells him that he must prove himself a true hero before he can join the others Gods on Mount Olympus. Along with his flying horse Pegasus, Hercules goes to Phil, an unhappy satyr who has failed to train a true hero yet; he decides to take on Hercules as his final attempt ("One Last Hope").
After training with Phil, the three of them attempt to save Meg, a damsel in distress, from a monster. A smitten Hercules barely succeeds and Meg returns to the forest, where she is revealed to be a negative girl who sold her soul to Hades in order to save her lover's life; in turn, her lover abandoned her and now Meg must do Hades favors in order to avoid an eternity in the underworld. When Hades learns that Hercules is alive, he is enraged and plots to murder him again.
When Hercules tries to save a town from a landslide, Hades sends a hundred-headed serpent after him, which he ends up defeating. He soon becomes a national, multi-million-dollar celebrity as a result ("Zero to Hero"). Realizing that his plans are jeopardized, Hades sends Meg out to discover Hercules' weaknesses, promising her freedom in return. Hercules is disappointed to learn that he isn't really a hero and then spends the day with Meg, who finds herself falling in love again ("I Won't Say I'm in Love"). When Hades intervenes, she turns from him, much to his dismay.
Phil learns of Meg's involvement with Hades and tries to warn Hercules, who ignores Phil. Discouraged, Phil plans to leave for home. Hades arrives and makes Hercules a deal: If he surrenders his strength for the next twenty-four hours, Meg will remain free of harm. After making the deal, Hades frees the Titans from their prison and sends them to attack Olympus; one Titan, however, is sent to kill Hercules, but ends up killing Meg. As a result, the deal is broken and Hercules' strength is returned. Hercules, along with Pegasus and Phil, saves Olympus from certain doom and Hades returns to the underworld.
Hercules arrives and demands for Meg to be revived, but Hades shows him that she is currently trapped in the River Styx, a river of souls. Hercules makes a deal with Hades, hoping to return Meg's body to the surface before he is killed within the river. Hercules jumps in and his lifeline runs out, but his amazing courage proves him a God, and he successfully returns Meg to the surface. Hades tries to talk his way out of the situation but Hercules punches him, knocking him into the Styx. The other souls grab him and pull him down into the stream.
Hercules revives Meg and goes to Olympus, but when Meg's entrance is denied, Hercules chooses to become mortal and stay on Earth with her. Nevertheless, Phil is remembered for being the one to train Hercules, who is still remembered as a hero ("A Star is Born"). Soundtrack
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (also known as The Bells of Notre Dame in some countries) is a 1996 animated feature produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released to theaters on June 21, 1996 by Walt Disney Pictures. The thirty-fourth animated feature in the Disney animated features canon, the film is loosely based on Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame. While the basic structure remains, the film differs greatly from its source material. 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 holds affections for her.
The film was produced by Don Hahn, and directed by Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale. The songs for the musical film were composed by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz and featured the voices of Tom Hulce, Demi Moore, Tony Jay, Kevin Kline, Paul Kandel, Jason Alexander, Charles Kimbrough, Mary Wickes and David Ogden Stiers. A direct-to-video sequel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame II, was released in 2002.
The movie opens in Paris with Clopin, a gypsy puppeteer, telling a group of children a story about the bellringer of Notre Dame ("The Bells of Notre Dame"): One night long ago, four gypsies tried to enter Notre Dame but were stopped by Judge Claude Frollo, the Minister of Justice. One gypsy woman, carrying a bundle, attempts to flee, but is caught and accidentally killed by Frollo. Frollo then realizes that her bundle is a deformed baby, which he attempts to drown; he is stopped by the Archdeacon, who tells him to care for the child to save his soul from Hell. He reluctantly agrees, naming the baby Quasimodo, "...which means 'half-formed.'".
Twenty years pass, and Quasimodo is now facially deformed and with a crooked back. For the past twenty years, Frollo has locked him in the belltower to "protect" him from the cruel and wicked world below. Quasi is watched over by his three guardian angels, in the form of stone gargyoles: Victor, Hugo (puns off of the name of the author of the origanal book) and Lavern. On January 6, the day of the "Festival of Fools", Frollo realizes Quasi's desire to join the crowd. Frollo warns about how the world will reject him, but Quasi dreams of joining them nevertheless ("Out There").
Meanwhile, Phoebus, Captain of the Guard, returns to Paris after helping "the war effort" for many years. He helps save a gypsy dancer, Esmeralda, from being arrested before meeting Frollo. Frollo tells of his plans to kill the gypsies in Paris by destroying their sanctuary, known as the Court of Miracles. As the Festival of Fools begins, the two of them head into town to join the crowd. At the same time, Quasi sneaks out of the tower in disguise and watches the Festival, where Clopin is performing ("Tospy Turvy").
Amidst the festivities, Quasi briefly meets the beautiful Esmeralda and is fascinated by her. When she dances on stage, Phoebus is fascinated as well, and Frollo is seduced yet disgusted. When the time comes to crown the ugliest member of the crowd as the King of Fools, Quasi is chosen and then crowned (the humorous behavior of the crowd leads Quasi to think he is being honored). Moments later, the crowd ties him down and throws food at him. Despite Quasi's appeals for help, Frollo does nothing, much to the disgust of Esmeralda, who saves Quasi from the crowd before disappearing into Notre Dame. Frollo orders a city-wide search for Esmeralda, believing she is a witch, while an ashamed Quasi promises never to disobey Frollo again.
Phoebus flirts with Esmeralda in Notre Dame, although her pet goat Djali doesn't approve. Frollo finds her but is unable to act because she has claimed sanctuary and is supported by the Archdeacon. While alone, Esmeralda sings of a better world for the gypsies ("God Help the Outcasts"). She then finds Quasi in the bell tower, and Quasi falls in love with her because she is kind to him. He helps her escape Notre Dame before singing of his love for her ("Heaven's Light").
Meanwhile, Frollo is disturbed by his own lust for Esmeralda and fears eternal damnation as a consequence ("Hellfire"). When informed that Esmeralda has escaped, he goes hunting for her around the suburbs. He and his guards begin burning down houses and assaulting people who they suspect of harboring gypsies. Phoebus intervenes during one of these inquisitions and is shot by Frollo's soldiers. Left by Frollo for dead, Phoebus is saved surreptitiously by Esmeralda. Meanwhile, in the cathedral, the gargoyles reassure Quasi that Esmeralda return his love ("A Guy Like You"). Moments later, Esmeralda arrives and asks Quasi to keep Phoebus safe; he dislikes Phoebus but agrees out of love for Esmeralda. He is then heartbroken at the obvious affection they display toward one another.
That night, Frollo arrives and tells Quasi that he is going to storm the Court of Miracles the next morning with one thousand soldiers. Quasi and Phoebus venture out and find the Court, but are believed to be spies and are captured by Clopin and the gypsy guard ("The Court of Miracles"). Their "trial" and execution is stopped by Esmeralda, but Frollo, having followed Quasi to the Court with soldiers arrives at the same time. Frollo orders Quasi to be locked in the belltower and arrests everyone else, announcing that Esmeralda will be burned at the stake the following day.
The next day, to the seeming disgust of the large crowd, Frollo is preparing to burn Esmeralda in front of the cathedral. Quasi, his determination restored by the encouragement of the gargoyles, breaks free of his chains and snatches her from the pyre, taking her up to the belltower and claiming sanctuary. Phoebus and the arrested gypsies break free, incite the citizenry against Frollo's unjust rule, and together storm Notre Dame against Frollo's men. In the confusion, Frollo manages to break into the cathedral where he finds Quasi weeping over the unconscious Esmeralda. Frollo attempts to kill Quasi, promising to "end his pain," but Quasi fights back.
Quasi and the semi-conscious Esmeralda escape onto the balcony, and Frollo follows. Frollo corners them and is raising his sword to kill them both when the gargoyle he is standing on fractures, and Frollo plummets to the burning city below. Quasi falls from the tower himself, but is caught and saved by Phoebus. Quasi then "gives his blessing" to Esmeralda and Phoebus's relationship. The three of them exit the cathedral triumphantly, but the crowd is still wary of Quasi because of his appearance. When a young girl shows no fear of him, the crowd accepts and honors him with a spontaneous parade, while Clopin sings a reprise of "The Bells of Notre Dame."
Pocahontas is the thirty-third animated feature in the Disney animated features canon. It was produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and was originally released to theaters on June 16, 1995 to selected cities by Buena Vista Pictures. The film is based loosely on the encounter between the colonists of Jamestown, Virginia and the native Powhatan tribe, and in particular presents a highly emotionally charged and dramatic account of the meeting between Pocahontas and John Smith. A musical with music by composer Alan Menken and lyricist Stephen Schwartz, the film's anthem, Colors of the Wind won the Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Song. It was followed by a direct-to-video sequel, Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World in 1998.
In 1607, a ship carrying a group of over 100 British settlers sets sail for North America. Also on board is handsome Captain John Smith (voice of Mel Gibson), and the greedy Governor Ratcliffe (voice of David Ogden Stiers). They are going to America in search of gold and other riches (which Ratcliffe wants all to himself), and, quite possibly, to fight Natives (Virginia Company).
When we are introduced to the Powhatan tribe (Steady as the Beating Drum), they are in a celebratory mood, and with good reason. The Powhatan tribe have just conquered a rival tribe. We next see the chief's beautiful daughter, Pocahontas, who is standing on a cliff, the wind blowing leaves around her. Her best friend Nakoma calls here from a canoe in the river below and tells her to come back to the village. Pocahontas, accompanied by her animal friends, Meeko, a racoon, and Flit, a hummingbird, leaps off the cliff, into the river where she overturns the canoe, and has a brief splashing fight with Nakoma before they turn the boat over, and row back to the village.
Upon reaching the village, Pocahontas and Nakoma see Kekata, the village's elder and medicine man, paint two of bear paw prints on the chest of a handsome warrior named Kocoum, who Chief Powhatan says fought much bravely than the other warriors. Later, in Powhatan's hut, Pocahontas learns that Kocoum has asked for her hand in marriage. She tells her father that Kocoum seems so serious as she looks outside and sees that Kocoum is practically ignoring the children around him. Her father says it's a good choice for her and gives her the necklace that her mother wore on her wedding (Steady as the Beating Drum Reprise). Confused, Pocahontas gets in her canoe with Flit and Meeko, and travels to an enchanted glade that only she knows about (Just Around the Riverbend). We are then introduced to a talking tree called Grandmother Willow, who instantly recognizes the necklace Pocahontas is wearing. Pocahontas tells her about her father wanting her to marry Kocoum, and Grandmother Willow agrees that Kocoum is too serious. She proceeds to tell Grandmother Willow about this dream she's been having: She is running through the woods, and right there in front of her is an arrow. As she looks at it, it starts to spin. It spins faster and faster until suddenly, it stops. Pocahontas suddenly hears the wind, and when she does not understand what it is telling her, Grandmother Willow begins to sing a little song, and tells her to listen with her heart (Listen With Your Heart). Pocahontas climbs to the top of a tree, and sees strange clouds.
The "strange clouds" that Pocahontas has seen are the sails of the settlers ship, on which we see Ratcliffe in his cabin with his assistant, Wiggins, and his spoilt pug dog, Percy. Once ashore, John Smith climbs up some rocks to get a better look at the island. Hiding in the bushes, Pocahontas seems smitten by Smith. Meeko sneaks out, and catches Smith's attention. Smith gives him a biscuit. When he goes to the bush where Pocahontas is, Flit attacks, and Smith drops many more biscuits which Meeko scarfs down.
The settlers arrive to America, "The New World"The tribe is aware of the new arrivals, and Kekata throws some powder onto a fire. The smoke takes on many frightening shapes and sounds, and Powhatan tells Kocoum to take some warriors to observe the strangers.
The settlers start digging (Mine, Mine, Mine), and John Smith walks the land, unaware that he is being followed. Smith comes to a stream. He cups water in his hand, and sees a reflection in the water. Regardless, he washes his face, then hides behind a waterfall. When he sees a figure approach, he leaps out, armed, but lowers his weapon when he notices it's a woman. Pocahontas runs off, but Smith catches up with her. He extends his hand to her and when she takes it, the wind-carried leaves form a bond between the two. When Smith asks her who she is, the wind swirls around Pocahontas, and she hears Grandmother Willow telling her again to listen with her heart, and she tells Smith her name is Pocahontas.
In the meantime, the warriors are watching the settlers digging. However, when Percy spots one of them, a panic ensues. In the ensuing guns and bullets versus bows and arrows battle, one warrior, Namontak is shot and wounded by Ratcliffe. The Natives retreat, and Powhatan declares, "These white men are dangerous! No one is to go near them!". Meanwhile, John Smith and Pocahontas are getting to know each other. Meeko mistakes John's compass, for a biscuit, and steals it. However, the two encounter a problem when John thinks of Pocahontas and her people as "savages". Pocahontas thinks Smith does not know about the nature of the world. Pocahontas then sings one of the film's most popular songs, "Colors of the Wind". However, their time together is abruptly cut short when Pocahontas hears a distant drumming sound, and runs away.
A few days go by, and John can't seem to get Pocahontas out of his head, and decides to track her down. Ratcliffe sees Smith is gone, and sends two other settlers (one of whom is voiced by Billy Connolly) to find him. Nakoma also finds that Pocahontas is hiding something. Smith locates Pocahontas just as Nakoma tells Pocahontas to trust her with her secret. Pocahontas tells her not to tell anyone, and she and John sneak off. They head to the enchanted glade where John learns that his friends won't find any gold, so they came all this way for nothing. Pocahontas introduces John to Grandmother Willow. John hears the voices of the two settlers Radcliffe has sent, and he and Pocahontas hide. As the settlers pass the tree, Grandmother Willow lifts her root, and trips them, and the settlers are sure they see the tree lower its root. Grandmother Willow then snaps her vines, hitting their rear ends, and they run away. John and Pocahontas agree to meet again that night. Pocahontas wants to meet him again, and Grandmother Willow wants to as well, but Pocahontas is afraid it's too dangerous. She gets the idea that the arrow in her dream is pointing to John, and not Kocoum.
When Pocahontas returns to the village, some brothers of the Powhatan tribe have arrived to help them destroy the white men. Pocahontas tries to convince her father to try and talk the men out of fighting. Her plea falls on deaf ears. Smith arrives back at the settlers' fort, and tries to convince Ratcliffe that there is no gold, because a Native told him. Ratcliffe sees this as a lie, and warns Smith that there is a severe penalty for treason: death by hanging.
That night, Nakoma catches Pocahontas sneaking off again, and tries to convince her not to go out there again. Pocahontas tells her best friend she must do this, and runs off through the cornfield. Nakoma finds Kocoum sitting on a rock, sharpening his knife, and tells him that she thinks Pocahontas is in trouble. Meanwhile, a young settler named Thomas (voice of Christian Bale) sees Smith sneaking off. Ratcliffe tells him to follow him, and gives him a rifle to use on any Natives.
John and Pocahontas meet in the enchanted glade, Smith tells her what his men are planning to do. A mysterious creature, which turns out to be Percy stuck in an old bit of tree appears and chases after Meeko, who has become quite a thorn in his side. Upon seeing the face of Grandmother Willow, Percy faints. Grandmother Willow manages to convince John that the both of them can bring peace between their two worlds. Pocahontas and John start kissing, and we see that from a corner of the glade, Thomas is watching, with an astonished look. From another corner we see that Kocoum is also watching, astonished. Kocoum finally snaps and lets out a deafening war cry, and attacks John. Pocahontas tries to pull Kocoum off him, only to be tossed aside. John is saved when Thomas appears and fatally shoots Kocoum, who pulls the necklace from Pocahontas' neck as he falls to the ground dead. Pocahontas, angry at Thomas for killing Kocoum, flies at him in a rage but John manages to hold her back. As voices approach, John tells Thomas to run. Having heard the gunshot, a group of Natives arrive, John is taken prisoner, and Kocoum's dead body is carried off. Percy trembles at this sight, and he follows Meeko and Flit as they follow Pocahontas back to the village. Back at the village, Powhatan announces that Smith will be killed at sunrise, and out of anger, he blames his own daughter's foolishness for Kocoum's death (If I Never Knew You).
Thomas runs back to the fort and breaks the news of John's capture. Ratcliffe sees this as a perfect excuse to get his greedy hands on the gold that the Natives don't have, and announces that they will attack at dawn (Savages). Meanwhile, Pocahontas returns to the enchanted glade, and tells Grandmother Willow what's happened. Meeko gives Pocahontas John's compass, and as she stares at it, the needle, which looks like an arrow starts to spin, and Pocahontas recognizes it as the arrow from her dream, and realizes she was right about the arrow pointing at John. As Pocahontas stands up, the sun starts to rise. The needle then stops. It is pointing in the direction of the sun, and Pocahontas races back to the village.
The settlers arrive at the village just as Smith is about to be killed. Pocahontas arrives just in time, and throws herself over John, telling her father that if he kills John, he will have to kill her too. After proclaiming her love for John, she shows her father that this is where the path of hatred has brought them. Powhatan declares: "From this day forward, if there is to be any more killing, it will not start with me". Smith is freed. However, Ratcliffe, who's eager to get rid of the Natives once and for all, orders the settlers to fire, but, seeing that Smith's release is an act of peace, they refuse. Angry, Ratcliffe snatches a rifle, and aims at Powhatan. John pushes the chief aside, and he gets shot instead. The settlers now see Ratcliffe for what he really is, and they gang up on him. Thomas grabs the rifle from Ratcliffe, and orders the settlers to chain and gag him. Later, he is seen being loaded onto a rowboat and taken back to the ship, chained and gagged.
John is only wounded, but must return to England if he is to survive. Pocahontas and her people arrive, carrying baskets of corn. Percy is now dressed like a Native, indicating that he has decided to stay in Virginia. The animals return Pocahontas' mother's necklace, and Pocahontas promises John, "No matter what happens, I will always be with you. Forever". As the boat sails away, Pocahontas comes to the edge of the cliff, and waves her hand goodbye to John, but it doesn't look like she's in pain. She looks like she has hope that he will return someday, back to her again.
The Lion King is a 1994 animated feature film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 32nd animated feature in the Disney animated feature canon, and the third highest-grossing animated feature film ever released in the United States.
The film focuses on a young lion in Africa named Simba, who learns of his place in the "Circle of Life" while struggling through various obstacles to become the rightful king. It is frequently alleged that The Lion King was based on Osamu Tezuka's 1960s animated series Kimba the White Lion, although many of the filmmakers deny this. The filmmakers do, however, acknowledge the influences of the Shakespeare play Hamlet, the Bible stories of Joseph and Moses, and the 1942 Disney animated feature Bambi.
The Lion King is a musical film, with songs written by composer Elton John and lyricist Tim Rice, and a film score by Hans Zimmer. The score and one of its songs went on to win Academy Awards. Disney later produced two follow-up movies, a sequel, The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, and a semi-prequel, The Lion King 1½. The story of The Lion King takes place in the fictional Pride Lands of Africa, where a lion rules over the other animals as king.
At the beginning of the film, Rafiki the mandrill shaman presents Simba, the newborn cub of King Mufasa and Queen Sarabi, to a gathering of animals at Pride Rock. Meanwhile, Mufasa's brother, Scar, realizes that he is no longer the heir to the throne and plots to kill Simba and Mufasa.
Scar plants curiousity in Simba about the elephant graveyard, a place beyond the borders of the Pride Lands where Mufasa has forbidden Simba to go. Simba takes his friend, Nala, to the elephant graveyard. There, the cubs are chased by Shenzi, Banzai and Ed, Scar's hyena minions. Mufasa rescues the cubs. Scar, plotting further, gathers more hyenas and later engineers a wildebeest stampede down into a gorge where Simba is. Mufasa rescues his son from the stampede, but after an attempted climb to safety, Scar throws him back into the stampede to his death. Scar makes Simba believe that the young cub was responsible for his father's death, and Simba flees the Pride Lands, ashamed and guilty. Scar assumes the throne.
Simba and Nala with their new cub, held by RafikiSimba collapses in a distant desert, where he is found by Timon the meerkat and Pumbaa the warthog. The duo adopt and raise the cub in the jungle under their carefree "Hakuna Matata" lifestyle. When Simba is grown, he encounters his childhood friend Nala, who relays that Scar's tyrannical reign has devastated the Pride Lands. She requests Simba to return and take his rightful place as king, but Simba refuses, still guilty about supposedly causing his father's death. After some advice from Rafiki and the ghost of his father, Simba returns home, joined by Nala, Timon and Pumbaa.
Once back at Pride Rock, Simba confronts his uncle and the truth about Mufasa's death is revealed by an overly confident Scar. A fierce battle breaks out between the lionesses and the hyenas while Simba fights Scar. In the midst of their fight, Scar tries to blame everything on the hyenas, which angers them. Simba eventually triumphs over his uncle and kicks him down to where the hyenas are waiting. The hyenas surround their fallen leader and kill him. With the rightful king in place, the Pride Lands are restored. Rafiki lifts Simba and Nala's newborn cub high into the air, thus continuing the circle of life.
Clockwise from left: Ed, Scar, Shenzi, Banzai, Rafiki, Mufasa, Simba, Sarabi, Zazu, Timon, Pumbaa, Sarafina and Nala
The Little Mermaid is a 1989 animated feature film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and first released on November 15, 1989 by Walt Disney Pictures. The twenty-eighth animated feature in the Disney animated features canon, the film is based upon the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale "The Little Mermaid." The film grossed over $111 million in the U.S. and an additional $99 million worldwide, and is given credit for breathing life back into the animated feature film genre after a string of critical and commercial failures
An upcoming stage adaptation of the film is planned with additional songs by Alan Menken and new lyricist Glenn Slater and is expected to open on Broadway in 2007 or 2008. The book for the musical has been completed by Doug Wright.
The film follows the story of a beautiful, headstrong sixteen-year-old mermaid named Ariel, who is dissatisfied with life under the sea. Ignoring the warnings of her father, King Triton, and the court musician, Sebastian the crab, Ariel and her best friend, a fish named Flounder, often sneak up to the surface of the ocean. There, they collect human artifacts with the help of a goofy seagull named Scuttle, whose supposed expert knowledge of human culture is far from accurate; he identifies a fork as a hairstyling device called a "Dinglehopper", and a smoker's pipe as a "Snarfblatt", a musical instrument. Ariel knows that contact between the humans and merpeople is forbidden, but she longs to be part of the human world.
Worried about his daughter's behavior, Triton assigns Sebastian to look after her and report on her activities. Sebastian discovers that Ariel has been collecting all of the items she finds from the surface in a secret underwater grotto, but he decides not to tell Triton for Ariel's sake.
Unknown to anyone, all of this is being observed by Ursula, an evil octopus-like sea-witch, who for many years has been seeking a way to exact her revenge upon King Triton for banishing her from the kingdom. She sees Ariel as the perfect pawn in her quest to rule the seas.
That evening, Ariel and Flounder (with the concerned Sebastian in tow) travel again to the surface to watch a fireworks celebration for Prince Eric's birthday. Eric is presented with a giant stone statue of himself, commissioned by his guardian Grimsby, who is pressuring Eric to get married so he can become king. The birthday celebration is cut short when a violent storm destroys the ship. Eric is lost at sea and almost drowns before he is saved by Ariel, who falls in love with the handsome young prince. Ariel drags him through the ocean and onto a shoreline. She disappears just as he is awakening, but Eric is enthralled by the memory of her beautiful singing voice. Sebastian, fearful of the consequences for both Ariel and himself, decides to conceal these events from the King as well, including the fact that Ariel has fallen in love with Eric (whether she actually loves or fancies him remains unknown).
Ariel's dazed behavior the next morning causes her father to become suspicious, and Triton attempts to extract from Sebastian the name of the man she is in love with; paranoid that Triton already knows the truth, Sebastian reveals Ariel's secrets in a panic. When King Triton learns that his daughter is in love with a human, he becomes furious and destroys Ariel's grotto, including the stone statue from Eric's birthday party, which Flounder (and a reluctant Sebastian) had arranged to be placed there.
Ursula decides that now is the time to make her move, and she assigns her pet eels Flotsam and Jetsam to bring Ariel to her underwater cave. There, Ursula makes a deal with the princess to transform Ariel into a human for three days. Within these three days, if she plans to remain a human, she must get from Eric the "kiss of true love"; otherwise she will transform back into a mermaid at sunset on the third day. If this happens, Ursula will own her very soul and wither her down into a polyp, to join her garden of other lost merfolk. Sebastian tries to stop her, aware of the sea witch's trickery, but Ariel is bitter and blames him for telling her father about her love for Eric.
As agreed, Ursula makes a potion to change the little mermaid. As "payment", she takes Ariel's voice and makes her unable to speak, knowing that Eric remembers Ariel only by her voice. Ursula's spell splits Ariel's tail into two legs. Sebastian and Flounder drag Ariel to the surface in the iconic scene where she breaks into the sky and gasps for air. Her friends then take toward the beach. She learns to stand shakily. In a matter of minutes, Eric comes along and sees her. His initial hopes that this familiar-looking girl is the one he is looking for are dashed when he learns that she can't speak--he is seeking the one with the beautiful voice. He has no idea who Ariel is and what she has done for him, and she is unable to tell him.
While Ariel is enjoying life with Eric in the human palace, Sebastian, Flounder and Scuttle try to get Ariel and Eric to kiss and break the spell. Ursula, however, is trying to prevent them from doing so. Taking the guise of a beautiful young woman named Vanessa, Ursula appears onshore, singing in Ariel's voice, which is housed in a magic nautilus shell around "Vanessa's" neck. She casts a spell of enchantment on Eric, who plans to marry her immediately, much to Ariel's dismay.
The ceremony is set to take place at sunset, which is when Ariel's deal with Ursula ends. Unknowingly to "Vanessa", Scuttle spots her while staring in one of the boat's portholes and sees the reflection of Ursula in the mirror. He rushes towards Ariel and explains the situation. Sebastian rushes to inform Triton, while Scuttle, Flounder and Eric's sheepdog Max stall the wedding by causing all sea and air animals to distract the wedding party. Scuttle and his fellow seabirds pull at "Vanessa's" hair and nautilus necklace. After a flock of seagulls fly between her causing her to stumble, Max bites her bottom and she becomes susceptible to revealing her true identity. When "Vanessa" is distracted, the nautilus shell around her neck is broken, and Ariel's voice is restored. Realizing that Ariel was the girl who saved his life, Eric rushes to kiss her, but he is too late; the sun sets and Ariel transforms back into a mermaid. "Vanessa" transforms back into Ursula and she grabs Ariel as she disappears into the sea.
Triton catches up with Ursula and attempts to destroy the deal she made with Ariel, but is unable to do so. Before Triton's eyes, Ursula's contract swirls around Ariel and she begins to wither into a polyp. While she is transforming, Ursula offers Triton a deal: she will accept his soul in the place of Ariel's. Triton sacrifices himself for his daughter and is transformed into a helpless polyp.
Ursula takes Triton's crown and trident and declares herself ruler of the ocean. Enraged, Ariel attacks Ursula; the Sea Witch throws her aside, and Ariel's rage turns to pleading fear as Ursula levels the glowing trident at her. Eric suddenly arrives, though, and throws a harpoon at Ursula; it misses, but it distracts Ursula long enough for Ariel to get free. After Flotsam and Jetsam are unable to drown Eric thanks to Flounder and Sebastian, Ursula decides to remove Eric herself, aiming the trident for a destructive blast. Ariel rushes to stop her, and causes Ursula to destroy her pet eels. An enraged Ursula transforms into a giant big bad monster. Ariel and Eric can only cling to one another in fear as Ursula summons a storm. The two are ripped from one another, and Ursula forms a massive whirlpool that drags wrecked ships from the bottom of the sea. Ariel clings to a rock to avoid them, and watches in dismay as one crashes down on Eric. Her own problems increase, though, as Ursula spots her and blasts her off of the rock, sending the little mermaid into the bottom of the whirlpool. Ursula fires blast after blast at her, but Ariel narrowly dodges each one. Ursula then laughs and raises the trident for a final blow, and Ariel gapes in horror. But neither one is aware of Eric--the prince has taken control of one of the shipwrecks, and he rams the ship's splintered bowsprit through Ursula's heart just before she can destroy the princess. The trident's power then backfires and the Sea Witch ironically dies an explosive death by the power she craved most. With her last breaths, Ursula uses her tentacles to pull the ship down along with her, unaware that Eric has jumped overboard and made it safely to shore.
With Ursula gone, the polyps in Ursula's garden, including Triton, are all changed back into merpeople. Noticing how sad his daughter is and how much she truly loves Eric, Triton decides to give Ariel what she wants. Ariel watches in astonished delight as she is changed permanently into a human, and walks gracefully to shore before her proud father's eyes. She runs into Eric's arms, and the two finally kiss.
In the next scene, she and Eric are seen kissing on their wedding day. Both humans and merpeople turn out for the wedding, and Triton accepts Eric as a part of the family. Eric and Ariel sail away into the sunset to live happily ever after.
Aladdin is a 1992 animated feature produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, and released by Walt Disney Pictures on November 25, 1992. The thirty-first animated feature in the Disney animated features canon, it relates a version of the story of Aladdin and the magic lamp from The Book of One Thousand and One Nights. As is usual with Disney film adaptations, many aspects of the traditional story were changed for the movie. 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.
It was directed by Ron Clements and John Musker. The musical score was created by Alan Menken, and the lyrics were written by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice. Alan Menken received the 1992 Academy Award for Original Music Score of Aladdin. The main soundtrack song "A Whole New World" (sung during the closing credits by Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle) won a Grammy Award as well as the Academy Award for Best Song in 1992.
Voice actors included Robin Williams as the Genie. Although this was not the first time in which a major actor provided voice-over work for an animated film, it was the first major American animated feature film in which particular attention was paid to a celebrity cast member, such as a major movie star, in the film as part of its promotion. This has led to a subsequent increased attention to the casts of later productions, such as Toy Story and Shrek, as a major element of animated film marketing.
Aladdin was followed by two direct-to-video sequels: The Return of Jafar (1994) and Aladdin and the King of Thieves (1996), and an animated television series, Aladdin, set between the two sequels. The film begins with a merchant in the mystical city of Agrabah, telling the story of a magical lamp and how it changed a young man's life ("Arabian Nights"). The story begins on a dark night, where Jafar, the grand vizier to the Sultan, attempts to access the Cave of Wonders, a magical trove where a magical lamp containing a genie is hidden. He and his talking parrot, Iago, learn that the only way into the Cave of Wonders is through the metaphorical "Diamond in the Rough."
Meanwhile, street urchin Aladdin is fleeing guards with his pet monkey Abu after stealing a loaf of bread ("One Jump Ahead"). He eventually gives the bread to two homeless children before being knocked to the ground by a prince, who is on his way to attempt to marry Princess Jasmine. Jasmine, the teenage daughter of the sultan, must be married before her upcoming birthday, but she rejects every prince she meets, wanting to be married for true love. Jafar, meanwhile, uses the Sultan's ring to discover that Aladdin is the one needed to enter the cave, and has him jailed; he then tells Jasmine that Aladdin, whom she had met in the streets and developed a rapport with, has been executed.
A disguised Jafar leads Aladdin and Abu to the Cave of Wonders. Aladdin and Abu enter and encounter a magic carpet before Aladdin finds the lamp. Abu attempts to steal a ruby and the cave collapses with them inside. When Aladdin awakens, he rubs the lamp and unleashes the magical, humorous genie, who reveals that he will now grant Aladdin three wishes ("Friend Like Me"). As they leave the cave, the sultan scolds Jafar while Jasmine plans to fire him once she is ruler of Agrabah. Iago suggests that Jafar become Jasmine's husband in order to gain power.
The genie grants Aladdin his first wish: making him a prince so that he can marry Jasmine. They parade to the sultan's home, much to Jafar's dismay ("Prince Ali"). As Prince Ali, Aladdin turns Jasmine off with his arrogant behavior, but he later takes her on a magic carpet ride through the sky, showing her his true feelings ("A Whole New World") and she soon realizes that he is the same boy she met in the streets. Aladdin returns her home with a kiss before Jafar sends the guards to drown Aladdin. He uses his second wish to save himself from drowning.
A hypnotized sultan then orders Jasmine to marry Jafar, but Aladdin arrives and reveals Jafar's plot. Jafar escapes, but discovers that Aladdin now has the lamp. Meanwhile, the genie hopes for Aladdin to set him free with his third wish, but Aladdin refuses, fearing that he may need the third wish for something else. Iago then steals the lamp and brings it to Jafar, who becomes the genie's new master and uses his first wish to become sultan. Jafar then wishes to become "the most powerful sorcerer in the world" and, using his new-found powers, the now all-powerful wizard sends Aladdin to the ends of the earth in one of the palace towers ("Prince Ali Reprise").
Aladdin uses the magic carpet to return to Agrabah, where Jafar is keeping the Sultan and Jasmine as slaves. Aladdin fights Jafar, but Jafar transforms himself into a giant snake and begins to strangle Aladdin. When Jafar boasts that he is "the most powerful being on Earth," Aladdin reminds the former vizier that he still isn't as powerful as the genie since it was the genie who gave Jafar his powers in the first place. This immediately prompts the power-hungry sorcerer to use his third and final wish to become a genie himself. However, after his wish is granted, Jafar discovers that, as a genie, he has no free will and he is sucked into a new lamp, pulling Iago along with him.
In the aftermath, Aladdin and Jasmine attempt to be married but are unable to now that Aladdin isn't a prince. Instead of wishing to be a prince, Aladdin wishes for the genie's freedom, much to the genie's happiness. Inspired, the Sultan changes the law so that Jasmine can marry anyone she chooses and she, of course, chooses Aladdin. The genie leaves to explore the universe while Aladdin and Jasmine begin a new life together.
Beauty and the Beast is a 1991 American animated film, the thirtieth animated feature to be produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation. The film was originally released to theaters on November 13, 1991 by Walt Disney Pictures and Buena Vista Distribution. The animated film, one of the best-known of the Disney studio's films, is an adaptation of the well-known fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, about a beautiful woman kept in a castle by a horrific monster. It is the first and only animated picture to ever be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. Beauty and the Beast features the voices of Robby Benson (Beast), Paige O'Hara (Belle), Richard White (Gaston), Jerry Orbach (Lumière), David Ogden Stiers (Cogsworth), and Angela Lansbury (Mrs. Potts).
Beauty and the Beast ranked #22 on the American Film Institute's list of best musicals and #34 on its list of the best romantic American movies. On the list of the greatest songs from American movies, Beauty and the Beast ranked #62. The film has been deemed "culturally significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.
Overview
The movie was adapted by Linda Woolverton from the story by Roger Allers, based upon the version of Beauty and the Beast by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont (uncredited in the English version of the film, but credited in the French version as writer of the novel). It was directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, and the music was composed by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, both of whom had written music and songs for Disney's The Little Mermaid.
It was a significant success at the box office, with more than $171 million in domestic revenues alone and over $377 million in worldwide revenues. This high number of sales made it the third-most successful movie of 1991, surpassed only by summer blockbusters Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. It was also the most successful animated Disney film at the time.
Beauty and the Beast won Academy Awards for Best Music, Original Score and Best Music, Song for Alan Menken and Howard Ashman's "Beauty and the Beast", sung in the film's most famous scene by Angela Lansbury, and at the end of the film by Céline Dion and Peabo Bryson. Two other Menken and Ashman songs from the movie were also nominated for Best Music, Song are "Be Our Guest" and "Belle". Beauty and the Beast was also nominated for Best Sound and Best Picture. It is the only animated movie ever to be nominated for Best Picture.
In 2002 the United States Library of Congress deemed the film "culturally significant" and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry. In October 8 of the same year, Disney released the film as a Special Edition DVD.
This film inspired a Broadway stage musical, which earned tremendous commercial success in its own right and a Tony Award, and became the first of a whole line of Disney stage productions. It will close in June to make room for another production, The Little Mermaid. There are also Disney versions of the story published and sold as storybooks and a comic book based on the film published by Disney Comics.
In 1995, a live-action children's series called "Sing Me A Story With Belle" started on syndication, running until 1999.
In November 11, 1997, a midquel called Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas was released directly to video. It was quickly followed by another midquel titled Belle's Magical World that was released on February 17, 1998.
Plot summary
One cold winter's night, an old beggar woman stumbles up to a prince's castle. She begs the prince for shelter from the cold and offers a single rose to give him as payment. Being selfish and heartless, the prince refuses her simply because she is ugly. The old woman warns him that true beauty is within one's heart, not in one's appearance. After the prince refuses again, the woman reveals herself to be a beautiful and powerful enchantress and, as punishment to the cruel and selfish prince, she transforms him into a beast and unleashes a ghastly spell on the castle that transforms the servants into anthropomorphic household items and the castle grounds into a dark, forbidding place. This spell can only be broken if the Beast learns to love another and receives the other's love in return before the last petal of the enchantress's rose withers and falls, or else he will remain the Beast forever. A magic mirror is the beast's only window to the outside world. As the years go by, The Beast falls into depression as he wonders who could ever love such a hideous monster.
The main story starts ten years later. The "beauty" of the title is a girl called Belle who lives with her father, Maurice, in a small French village in Provence (Belle). Maurice is known for his Rube Goldberg-type inventions. Even though the townspeople note Belle's beauty, they consider her odd because of her passion for books. Her beauty has attracted the attentions of local hunter and the hero of the village, Gaston, but Belle considers him "rude and conceited" and therefore politely ignores him.
One day, Maurice decides to take his latest invention to a fair outside the village. On the way, he becomes lost in the woods. When wolves chase him, his horse Phillipe bucks him off in fear. Maurice flees from the wolves and eventually comes to the Beast's castle. The servants of the castle welcome Maurice, but when the Beast discovers him, he rapidly loses his temper and has him locked up in a tower dungeon, accusing him of trespassing, and believing that he has come to laugh at the "beast" (referring to himself)
Back in the village, Gaston proposes to Belle. He explains to her that she is going to be his "little wife", have six or seven "strapping boys, like me", to quote the character, and makes a number of other chauvinistic comments, such as how she will rub his feet and rid them of his callouses and bunions after he comes home from work, and how she, being a good wife will cook and clean for him. After she throws him out, humiliating him in front of the entire village (Belle Reprise), she is astonished to find her father's horse without his master. She traces her father to the castle. Once there, she offers to take the place of her father as the Beast's prisoner; the Beast agrees and sends Maurice back, much to the distress and heartbreak of both Belle, because she was not allowed to say goodbye to her ill father, and of Maurice, because he has "lived his life", and does not want his daughter exposed to the Beast.
The Beast, realizing that Belle could break the spell, allows her to have her own room and permits her to go anywhere in the castle she likes, except the West Wing - the Beast's quarters, where he keeps the enchantress' magical rose.
Later, Belle, still sad after seeing her father leave the castle, doesn't want anything to do with the Beast, and turns down his "invitation" to dinner. At this, he rages to the servants that "if she doesn't eat with me, she doesn't eat at all!"
The famous ballroom dance sequence from the second act of Beauty and the Beast.When Belle eventually leaves her room, the various household items, including Lumière the candlestick and Cogsworth the clock and head of the household, entertain their guest with a fancy French dinner and all the comforts a team of servants can provide (Be Our Guest). The household items are, of course, eager for Belle and the Beast to fall in love so that they can become human again. Unfortunately for them, Belle and the Beast don't get along very well, mostly due to his appalling temper and selfish nature.
Back in the village, Gaston is sulking in the village tavern over his rejection by Belle earlier that day. His lackey, LeFou, rallies the villagers to cheer him up (Gaston). Suddenly, Maurice bursts in and calls for help to save Belle from the Beast. He is ridiculed and thrown out. Gaston comes up with a plan to force Belle to marry him by threatening to throw her father into the asylum (Gaston Reprise). Meanwhile, Maurice has decided that if nobody will help him, then he'll return to the Beast's castle alone. Shortly after he leaves, Gaston and LeFou come to the house with the men from the asylum. When they find that both Belle and Maurice are gone, Gaston makes LeFou wait by the front porch until they come back.
During a tour of the castle, Belle, bowing to her inquisitive nature, discovers the West wing a dark, lonesome, shadowy and disturbingly scary place. There, she sees evidence of the Beast's rage and self-hatred: The room is littered with slashed furniture, broken mirrors and a ripped-up picture of his pre-enchanted human form - where she notes his penetratingly blue eyes. Entranced by the enchanted rose, Belle moves to touch it, only to be stopped and confronted by an enraged Beast. She flees from the castle, only to come across more wolves in the forest. At the last moment, the Beast shows up and defends her, but is badly hurt after winning the fight. Grateful to him for saving her life, Belle takes him back to his castle, where they start to become friends.
Over the following days, the Beast becomes more human in behavior, showing more kindness as Belle sees a side of him she never saw before (Something There). He displays his kindness when he announces he wants to give her something special, acting on Lumière's astute suggestion to give her the castle's enormous library, which thrills her beyond belief. The improving relationship reaches its climax with a fine dress dining engagement and ballroom dance while Mrs. Potts sings the movie's title song (Beauty and the Beast). He then takes her to the balcony where he nervously manages to ask her if she is happy staying in the castle with him. She readily agrees, but hesitantly tells him that her happiness would be complete if she could see her father once more, even for a moment. When he gives her his magic mirror that will show her anything she wishes to see, she asks to see her father. He is lost and sick in the forest, having been unable to find the castle again. The Beast, having fallen in love with her, does what he thinks is right and releases her to go rescue him. Belle finds her father and she takes Maurice back to their house in the village. Upon their arrival, a lynch mob arrives to take Maurice to the asylum. Gaston offers to clear up the "misunderstanding" if Belle agrees to marry him, but she still refuses.
Eager to prove that her father is not crazy, Belle shows them an image of the Beast with the magic mirror and refers to him as her friend. When Gaston calls the Beast a monster, she accuses Gaston of being the monster. Gaston quickly convinces the villagers that the Beast is a threat and a menace to the community and leads the mob to the castle to pillage it, rallying with the cry "Kill the Beast!" (The Mob Song) Belle and her father are locked in their cellar but are later released by an enchanted teacup named Chip who hid inside of Belle's bag. Although most of the mob is fought and driven off by the enchanted artifacts of the castle, Gaston reaches the Beast and attacks him. The Beast, disheartened by the belief that Belle will never come back, doesn't fight back. Gaston is about to defeat him on the castle's roof when Belle appears. The Beast, reenergized, turns to fight Gaston. However, as the Beast is about to finish him off, Gaston pleads that he will "do anything". These words strike a chord with the Beast, and the Beast realizes he can no longer find feeling in himself to kill. He releases Gaston and tells him to "Get out!" While the Beast and Belle are reunited, Gaston stabs the Beast in the back with a dagger. Gaston then loses his footing on the roof and tumbles from the castle, taking the magic mirror with him. After he is gone, Belle whispers to the dying Beast that she loves him just before the last petal falls from the rose. This temporarily leaves the servants in grief and despair, having lost both their master and their hopes of regaining their original form. Suddenly, the Beast begins to glow and rises into midair and reverts back to his former, human form. Beast moves towards Belle, who is not sure as to who the new man is, until she looks into his eyes and recognizes them as the same as the piercing blue ones of the Beast's. With the spell now broken, the gloomy castle becomes beautiful again and the enchanted objects of the castle turn back into people who closely resemble their object counterparts.
The next day, a celebration ball is held, and Belle and the prince are married. Lumière and Cogsworth try to let bygones be bygones, but they get into an argument over who knew first that Belle would break the spell (it was Lumiere). Maurice makes friends with Mrs. Potts, and with one last glance at the new stained-glass window, the film ends (Beauty and the Beast Reprise).
