Byron Howard
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Filmography
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Connections, in both directions
We see a holistic compound run by a hippie yak (Tommy Chong), a tiny shrew of a mob boss (Maurice LaMarche) who is a funny tribute to Don Corleone from "The Godfather" and wolves who suffer from chain-reaction howling.
Heavy with pop allusions and references to other crime underworld movies, including The Godfather and Chinatown, Zootopia is impressive in its visual conception and scope: At once straightforward and densely layered with wit and incident, it manages a lively clip and the odd fresh joke.
The screenplay hits that sweet spot where it manages to appeal to kids with its bright colors (brighter if you sensibly forgo the unnecessary 3-D option), cute characters and slapstick humor while keeping older views amused as well with its amiably crackpot mystery narrative and pop culture jokes that are actually funny instead of annoying (even a spoof of something as old as "The Godfather" manages to inspire some unexpectedly big laughs).
This tiny creature is the deadliest crime boss in Tundratown, a la "The Godfather", voice et al --- who has no problems "icing" his enemies.
It manages to nimbly balance its lesson teaching with its storytelling, mixing in references to “The Godfather” and “Breaking Bad” that come off witty, not like cheap throwaways.
The film's setting and themes have echoes of "Zootopia," with hints of prejudice, social justice and ethical dilemmas abounding.
Aside from a few barbed quips and a delicious opening scene that riffs on Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction diner sequence (with a little Reservoir Dogs vibe thrown in for good measure), The Bad Guys is most notable for the way it wastes a premise and ends up feeling like a second-rate Zootopia wannabe.
The Bad Guys shared a theme with films like Wreck-It Ralph , Megamind , Despicable Me , and most importantly Zootopia .
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse appears to have been an inspiration, while Zootopia and (more coincidentally, we’re guessing) Turning Red also come to mind in terms of how downright amazing The Bad Guys looks.
This one belongs to that spirited bunch like “Zootopia” and “Megamind.”
Yes, humans are the dominant species here; The Bad Guys is nothing like a retread of 2016’s Zootopia, though the two movies do share some thematic motifs regarding stereotypes and the impacts they have on us.
Anthropomorphization is tricky territory although, God knows, Disney has lots of anodyne experience going all the way back to that cheery little mouse who first appeared in Steamboat Willie in 1928.
Disney has traded in anthropomorphic animals all the way back to its origins with the “Alice Comedies,” Oswald the Rabbit, and “Steamboat Willie.”
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
Directed by David Hand
influenced Encanto (2021)
Visuals Themes
The lineage of Disney castles goes all the way back to Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs — but there’s never been one like La Casa Madrigal in Encanto .
84 years and 59 films since Walt Disney Animation Studios first changed the very landscape of cinema with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs , the studio deftly proves the magic is still alive and well in the house that Mickey built.
From Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs to Raya And The Last Dragon , Walt Disney Animation Studios has spent the past eight decades perfecting its signature riff on the classic hero’s journey.
Reminiscent of Toy Story, Zootopia is a film that brings a majestic crew of distinct characters to life.
"Zootopia" is one of the funniest and most precious animated films to come along since the "Toy Story" trilogy.
So it's not "Finding Nemo" or "Toy Story" or the kind of movie that will inspire new characters in human-sized form to walk around Disneyland.
It often seems like “Zootopia” is trying to be more “Toy Story” than “Frozen”; there’s even a nudge-nudge cheap shot diss of “Let It Go.” It’s edgier than most Disneys, but also not as smooth at integrating commentary into the silliness.
This very funny, and very likable holiday treat from Walt Disney Animation Studios was partly inspired by co-director Bryon Howard’s love of Disney’s 1973 Robin Hood , which replaced familiar human characters with talking animal counterparts.
In theory, Zootopia’s residents have evolved past distinctions of predator and prey, which might explain the small matter of cartoon biology: Whether tiny mice or hulking rhinoceroses, all animals have front-facing eyes, upright postures and opposable thumbs — a throwback to the delightful character design featured in Disney’s “Robin Hood” (1973), which reimagined a human world populated entirely by animals, integrating characteristics of each species into the ways different creatures move.
“Encanto,” Walt Disney Animation Studios’ latest computer-generated confection, is the studio’s 60th feature-length production (there’s even a special version of the Steamboat Willie logo that plays in front) and the first since 1945’s post-war package film “The Three Caballeros,” to take its inspiration from the people and culture of South America.
The fox and hare investigate a yoga retreat run by a hippie yak (Tommy Chong) with a halo of flies; they track down a Hispanic-accented jaguar (Jesse Corti, in what I'd hope is a tribute to the accent of the bored jaguar in Nick Park's "Creature Comforts").
Disney has been down this road before with “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” although this time, there’s not a single human character to be found, while the adult-skewing jokes (mostly references to other movies) aren’t nearly so inappropriate for kids.
Not content to simply establish a staggeringly creative, lushly animated universe, the film also reveals itself to be a compelling, unexpectedly intense detective noir much more akin to Who Framed Roger Rabbit than Frozen – albeit with plenty of side-splitting sequences (it’s a shame that the sloths at the DMV bit was spoiled ahead of time by trailers, but the version up on screen is somehow even more howlingly funny) and blink-and-you’ll-miss-it sight gags (the transportation system of choice is Zuber, according to one billboard).
It’s a lot like another Disney project, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, in that way, though Zootopia offers enough inventive merit and different thematic material of its own to avoid coming across like a case of repeating old tricks.
Slowly, "Zootopia" slides into a neo-noiry mystery, something out of Toon Town from "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" with a genetic science-fiction component that would be ridiculous in any movie not featuring talking animals.
There is use of a non-lethal gun (you’ll understand when you see it – otherwise it would be a spoiler), erratic driving, angry villain threats for killing/death/dying that would be compared to “Zootopia level intense,” electrocution, and mild peril with a near-death experience (also pretty predictable).
The gastropod sounds great, while the latter looks like Gazelle from “Zootopia.”
Even the transitions from one scene to the next has a pop song playing, which makes even less sense considering the Sing universe is a more robust Zootopia .
But once you listen to the songs, you gotta see the movie, which the roughly two-year-old did, and it joined in the heavy rotation in our house that included Moana (2016) and Zootopia (2016).
There was nothing particularly special about it, especially given that the superior Finding Dory , Kubo and the Two Strings , and Zootopia came out the same year.
A kind of jukebox musical set in a world populated by oddball anthropomorphic animals (released just a few months after “Zootopia”), it is charming and upbeat.
Thank the voice talent I just recited, the sincerity of the Mouse House’s intention, and screenwriter Charise Castro Smith for imbuing Encanto with soft tones of regional folklore or fairytales, much like writer Adrian Molina did for Coco while touching on different themes.
There has been a distressing amount of discourse as of late charging that Disney’s latest animated musical, Encanto , is nothing more than a carbon copy of Pixar’s 2016 offering Coco , as if the mere presentation of cartoon characters with darker complexions amounts to retread.
See Adrian Molina‘s work on Coco.
The animation is a riot of colors wrapped around the graceful sway of South American dancers, some of the most glorious animated dance since Walt Disney’s “Fantasia.”
When muscular Luisa (voiced by Jessica Darrow) sings “Surface Pressure,” a song about carrying hidden burdens, it’s accompanied by a kaleidoscopic, “Fantasia”-like dream sequence.
Encanto no evita jamás ese folclore y singularidad colombiana aunque pueda parecer que cae en la postal turística de clásicos de la productora de Walt Disney como Saludos Amigos (1942) o Los tres caballeros (1944).
The whole movie has a mercurial, mood-hopping free-form vibe that, at its best, suggests Disney with a touch of “Yellow Submarine.”
Miranda's prolificacy brings to mind Howard Ashman, the Disney lyricist who delivered hit after hit for a trifecta of Disney classics — "The Little Mermaid," "Beauty and the Beast," and "Aladdin" — until his death at the age of 40.
You could, if you wanted, date the age of contemporary girl power back to two Disney films: “The Little Mermaid” (1989), with the self-actualizing retro moxie of its title heroine, and then, the following year, “Pretty Woman,” which put its stamp on the age of hip princess feminism as surely as “Sex and the City” did eight years later.
Manuel's effervescent songs recall his "Hamilton" work, especially a finale that sounds like a sequel to "Satisfied," and they're almost as satisfying.
It’s only appropriate that “Encanto” — fueled by eight original songs by “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda — turns into that most special thing of all: A triumph in every category: art, songs and heart.
Meanwhile, the bilingual songs by “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda aren’t especially memorable, although they showcase a stellar voice cast and provide lyrical heft for some extravagant production numbers.
The "Hamilton" creator Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote and produced eight original songs for "Encanto," with a score from Germaine Franco.
From a big-screen adaptation of his Tony Award-winning musical In The Heights in June to his directorial debut with the stellar triumph Tick, Tick… Boom! in November (plus an Emmy win in September for the Disney+ live recording of Hamilton ), Miranda wraps up 2021 by collaborating with Walt Disney Animation Studios and the Oscar-winning directorial duo behind Zootopia .
The first song, for instance, introduces every single member of the Madrigal family and their powers, personalities, and what Mirabel thinks of them, with an infectiously catchy Latin pop beat and fast-paced lyrics that set the stage much like the opening song of Hamilton .
The approach also allows for some of the most distinctive and imaginatively conceived animated sequences since 1997’s Hercules .
Without the mass hysteria predicted by Bill Murray in "Ghostbusters"?
This in itself makes this film something of an oddity in the Walt Disney Animation Studios canon since other than Robin Williams’ iconic Genie in Aladdin, breaking the fourth wall or anachronistic humor has usually been left for Mickey’s competitors.
Their large, colorful home, lovingly called La Casita, feels as if it operates according to the same charming magic that enchanted the objects in 1991's "Beauty and the Beast."