It’s been an interesting few days watching Disney stuff. A few notes:
Bambi is a really, really good movie. I mean obviously, lol. But it seriously is just amazing. Everything about it is flawless. No need to bother listing things. It’s just awesome.
It’s short, I mean less than an hour and twenty minutes but it’s immensely satisfying and a watch makes me feel full. IDK how else to describe it; it’s such a complete experience.
The animation is gorgeous. It feels natural. I mean it doesn’t just look good, every movement has a natural weight and purpose to it. It’s daring and incredibly detailed. I just finished watching it tonight and was in awe at the visuals probably a half dozen times.
The music is amazing, the acting is amazing, the story is… timeless, IDK, it’s as good as it gets.
The characters are so fully realized and relatable that it’s honestly stunning.
It’s like seemingly everything else made by early Disney. It’s exceptionally efficient. Not one frame is wasted. Every line of dialogue is there for a reason. Every note is hit perfectly, and then they move onto the next one.
I can’t imagine the Disney of 2023 making anything even close to it on any level. Kinda sad to say that, but things are the way they are.
I watched the early noughties Three Musketeers with Mickey, Donald, Goofy and Pete and liked it. It was fun, and had a early Disney vibe I liked. Of course the quality was not on par with the early classics but it was entertaining.
I don’t remember Dumas’ story myself, but I was struck by how… Star Wars– esque is was. Here I refer to the original 1977 movie, not the series.
I’ve never heard anyone mention Three Musketeers as an inspiration for Star Wars but it definitely was.
Fun watch.
I watched the 2002 Peter Pan sequel, Return to Neverland, and… wow. Ok, we’re going to need to unpack this one. Wow.
WOW.
Yeah, I… need to think about this movie. And write about it; it reflects back a part of me that I thought was done and buried and I had… forgotten about… kinda.
Ok, too many things here. Not sure how I should proceed.
Jane, the protagonist, is uhm… me, and the entire movie seems to be a stylized and very personal recounting of my second visit to Disney World. It’s kinda… stunning, and confusing, and altogether flabbergasting, but… yeah. Holy fuck.
How… do they do this? How do they know so much, feel so much about me? It makes no sense, but there it is, on the screen. Every moment, every feeling, every action… I mean, when they want to show a part of me, nothing is held back. Nothing, nothing at all. They dig deep and it’s very raw.
It’s kinda scary, honestly.
Do you suppose that the female characters they base on me are closer to my real self, or the male ones? I’m not sure.
What am I, exactly? I mean, I’m a suburban white man, aged 43 years old. But I mean… it’s a mystery, isn’t it? I’m not a girl, honestly. At least I don’t think.
Verrrry confusing. But I’ll tell you this: I’m not transgender. There are no hormone treatments in my future. No unnecessary surgeries. No… they/them in my profiles. I’m a man, both in appearance and in thought.
But… yeah. I have a feminine side that is exceedingly strong and extremely well defined. In fact from what I gather from others my feminine aspects are more developed than what you will find in many if not most women. Or possibly even the overwhelming majority of them.
It’s a mystery, all of this.
I think it’s just… I’m not transgender, because that would imply transformation of some kind. I don’t need to transform anything to achieve femininity, I just… incarnate it, because I can bring it up from within the core of me, at any notice. I don’t need surgeries or drugs to get in touch with any kind of femininity.
I just live it, and be it. It’s as normal as breathing or walking to me.
Well… about the movie. It’s very good, and I think underrated. And… kinda hard to review. It’s like they ripped my heart and then put it on display, stylishly. Which… is OK. I must admit that I can’t help but find all of this incredibly interesting.
But… yeah. Jane is me, and that portrayal of me of that time, during that visit to Disney World, is so on the nose that it’s like looking into a mirror and seeing my old self staring back at me. It’s an amazing experience.
I’ve sure changed a lot since then. Grown a lot, and had many many new and incredible experiences.
But I had a lot of heart back then, didn’t I?
Yeah, I sure did.