When superstar Pixar animators and new Disney hotshots John Lassetter and Ed Catmull announced last week that Disney, now their parent company, is putting the kibosh on their extremely lucrative and truly crappy straight-to-DVD sequel line, my first thought was "What took so long?"
Those movies are truly lame. Have you seen Lady and the Tramp 2: Scamp's Adventure? Don't. The only things dumber than the story is the music, which is grating at best. And don't even get me started on Return to Neverland, the sequel to Peter Pan, which is set against the charming backdrop of the Nazi regime's blitz on London during WWII. You know, because you're never too young to learn about the Third Reich. Good times!
Dan Kois over at Slate does not share my opinion - he thinks Bambi 2 was better than the original, which made me laugh out loud - but we do agree on one thing: unlike today's more modern fare (Shrek 3, Surf's Up, Ratatouille), the Disney sequels make a concerted effort to emulate the rich, soft, glowing animation of their predecessors. They're proud to be cartoons, and aren't trying to fool the audience into thinking that they "look real." The plots are less slick, move at a slower, more child-friendly pace, and the conflicts are kept to a minimum. Unfortunately, though, they're not interesting or good, and are more like the bastard cousins of the originals, than prodigal sons.
The films of Hayao Miyazaki are the closest thing to a middle ground that I can think of - sparkling animation, great stories, strong lead characters (some are even girls!), with nary a whiff of fart jokes or sexual innuendo. Disney was smart to buy them up.
