Mousey Movie Review - Oz the Great and Poweful

Sometimes I worry that I might get labeled a Disney apologist. Maybe some of you might think I like everything with a Disney label on it. It’s not true. Sometimes if I don’t like it I simply do not waste words on it. But with Oz the Great and Powerful, I feel since I have posted a few trailers I have to share my thoughts.

Part of me thinks my thoughts do not matter on this issue. First, it is not like everyone agreed with my thoughts on last March’s movie John Carter. It’s not like I could save it. Second, since Oz the Great and Powerful has now dominated two weekend box offices I know my words will fall on deaf ears. But nonetheless just let me lay out my Mousey Movie Review of the latest visit to Oz.

It’s really not very good! Everyone that I have talked to except for one friend seems to agree, and I cannot believe those of you who saw it did not tell your friends (or me) so they could avoid it during weekend number two. You are mean America:

• Leading Men: John Franco playing Oz has a tough mountain to climb. Let us be honest, two men currently define the Disney leading man. First you have Johnny Depp who crushed two Marches ago with Alice in Wonderland. Second, you have Robert Downey Jr., who could bring emotion and character to paint drying. Franco simply does not match up to these high standards. At times I felt like I could tell that he was delivering lines in stale green screen sets. I just never fully bought him as Oz. Additionally, the writing behind the magician turned Wizard does not help. The writers never provide Oz with the true turn around in his character. He is just as flawed when the movie is over then when it begins.  

• Strange Looks: The CGI also does not help the movie. Yes there are plenty of breathtaking backgrounds. But some of those seem blurry and fake at times. Additionally the matching of live action to computer-animated images is poor. In one scene as the Wizard was holding China Girl you can see a gap between the fragile youngster and Oz’s hand. It simply does not always look right.

• Flying Monkeys: The best part of Oz the Great and Powerful is Finley the flying monkey voiced by Zach Braff. Finley amongst all of the characters is the most “real” and dare I say human. He is loyal, compassionate, funny, faithful, realistic, and warm. The fact that Finley has the best showing makes me sad since he is a CGI character with a voice over. Yet Braff seems to do a better job conveying emotion with just his voice where many of those around him fail with their entire selves.

• Fantasy Faire: In many ways I felt like Oz was a secondary character. To me the interesting characters were the witches Theodora played by Mila Kunis, Evanora played by Rachel Wiesz and Glenda played by Michelle Williams. Despite the fact that Oz is the one they state will bring the prophecy to free Oz from evil about, it really feels like the women are driving the action. Honestly, the battle for Oz feels like it could have been waged without the male lead. 

• Dark Ride: Oz’s arrival in Oz may have been one of the best moments to me. His journey through the river in his balloon feels like it could be a dark ride. Imagineers could easily craft an attraction that is part Alice in Wonderland at Disneyland and part Peter Pan’s Flight to offer us something really wonderful. Sadly, a 4-minute ride may do a better job depicting this story to its audience! I am not the only one that saw this as the Between Kid yelled out, “I would ride this”.

• White Elephant Gifts: The Between Wife changed her status after the movie to “The Wizard gives the worst gifts ever.” In the original MGM Wizard of Oz we have a gift scene in which objects represent something bigger like brains, heart, and courage. Here we have a similar gift scene, but the gifts really do not have a label that indentifies a bigger idea. For example, one gift could be labeled joy or happiness. Instead, the Wizard just basically says it is something that everybody could use sometimes and gives it to a grumpy character. Please Wizard, try harder when you shop!

• Bookends: This offering clearly pays tribute to the MGM classic The Wizard of Oz. Like this classic film, Oz the Great and Powerful opens in black and white and in Kansas. We see Oz’s problems in our world and he makes some mistakes in his relationships. In the original, we return to Kansas and we get those storylines wrapped up in a little bow. Here, not at all. In my mind, we got 3/4ths of a movie. And the fact that Oz really does not reform much just helps push that impression.

There are some really cute things here, like Oz working for the Baum Brothers Circus a tribute to Wizard of Oz creator L. Frank Baum. And I was pretty excited to see Oz the Great and Powerful. But for me it feel flat, felt slow and had numerous story problems. With a sequel confirmed, I have already made my viewing plans for the next installment. I will be renting the next Oz film!  Do you agree?

Mousey Movies - Chicken Little

Have you written off Disney’s 2005 Chicken Little?  I had, I found it okay, saw it in the theater and had bought it on DVD years later at a really discounted price.  It was crazy prized, I mean I would pay that just for the Disney Movie Reward points pricing.  Yet it simply was not a film I got excited about though I do love Scrubs’ Zach Braff.  Recently my kids pulled it out and I found myself shocked by all the Disney connections especially amongst the voice talent.

·     From the very opening Chicken Little pays tribute to other Disney movies as the narrator struggles with how to properly open his tale.  In that search that audience gets sound and visual lifts directly out of Lion King.  And he asks if he should use a book to open his story, instantly taking us to princesses and in my mind Sleeping Beauty.

·     Additional video is lifted from Raiders of the Lost Ark and shown at the Oakey Oaks movie theater in full live action glory.  The scene depicts Indiana Jones fleeing from a giant bolder and helps connect Disneyland fans to Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye.

·     Talk about a Disney flashback in this voice cast.  Joan Cusack plays Ugly Duckling, Abigail Ducktail Mallard.  I cannot but think of Jessie from the Toy Story franchise every time I heard her provide a line.  Wallace Shawn voices Principal Fetchit, who is slightly less grumpy than his Gilbert Huph from The Incredibles.  Don Knotts voices Mayor Turkey Lurkey.  Amongst his long and distinguished career, I remember his turn in Disney’s live action The Apple Dumpling Gang fondly from my childhood.  But my favorite two voices give me instant smiles.  Patrick Warburton voices an alien cop.  As someone who loves Soarin’ and Soarin’ Over California, among his other contributions, his voice instantly made me check to see if I had stowed my ear hat.  And Batman’s Adam West as the Hollywood version of Chicken Little was a complete surprise and brilliant.  I loved him in Meet the Robinsons but did not realize that he had done other voices for Disney.  Yeah, this voice cast is super Mousey. 

·     Story elements have a very Disney feel to it.  In fact one of the key themes is does Chicken Little’s father trust him, in fact at one point  he yells at him, “You can’t do this!”  Instantly my mind replaced the image of a father chicken with a father clown fish and I wandered mentally to Finding Nemo.  In fact, Chicken Little like Nemo and many Disney princesses comes from a one parent home.

I am still not in love with Chicken Little.  But I am coming to enjoy it more.  In fact I just have to say can you never go wrong with more Patrick Warburton and Steve Zahn.  As Zahn’s Runt of the Little states, “Just leave me some ammo, a little water, some chips if you have them.”  With those ingredients and a Mousey Movie, you have a night of family fun out here Between Disney.