I don't think the story is poor It's only based on Anderson's fairy tale in a traditional good way while it Still has little new retelling plot altogether.
To be fair, the story of Thumbelina was a love letter to little girls, during a time when it was expected to marry up the money chain or to simply marry whomever they could to stay off the streets. This love letter told them that no they didn't HAVE to marry someone out of convenience. It was ok to hold standards and wait for just the right person for you. Thumbelina taught me that it is perfectly acceptable to say no to someone who wants to marry you, even if it sounds like the most contextual right thing to do. And with enough hard work and dedication, things will turn out ok.
I was another one who adored Thumbelina as a child... and having rewatched it recently, I couldn't help but think, "yikes, I used to like this thing?" I'd forgotten (or as a child, never noticed) that she'd only known the prince for one night before she was ready to marry him. I also realized that she might've only been a few days old when she met him and yet she fell head over heels in love (they specifically say he's 16), but I suppose there was no such thing as "too young to marry" in the animated films of that era. It's weird looking back on the older films. As a child, I was as a clumsy, nerdy girl who desperately wanted be beautiful and perfect like Cinderella, Thumbelina, and every flawless Disney princess... except Mulan. I specifically remember NOT wanting to be like her. I felt annoyed that she was more like a boy than (what I thought when I was 7) a girl should be. Then, I got a little older, and I remember hitting puberty (and what I call the "troll years." You know,where you're especially awkward, you've got braces, pimples, and curves in the wrong places), and wishing people could see beneath all that to the person inside. It was then (and for the life of me, I can't remember why) that I rewatched Mulan. When it came to the song "reflection," I broke down in tears. It was like someone had taken everything I was feeling and put it to music. Furthermore, as the movie continued, I was blown away by the example Mulan sets for young girls AND boys. She wasn't automatically capable. She wasn't a prodigy or a natural soldier. She WORKED HARD and was rewarded for it. She DEFIED expectations and rose above. Nothing was handed to her. As a young teen by that point, I remember thinking "that's who I want to be." I might not be the prettiest or the skinniest or the most graceful, but I can be a hard worker. I can control what I do, even if I can't control what others think when they see me. So as long as I'm content with the girl looking back at me in the mirror, I'm ok. Today, I'm almost sorry that Mulan falls under the label of "Disney princess." She'd be much better titled "Disney Role Model"
As a kid, I got the message of "Don't be with a superficial bully, who you have no interest or connection with, no matter how lonely you feel, or how scared you are of dying alone, or how much he offers you in exchange for being with him. It will only leave you cold and empty." from the whole suitor thing. That's still largely what I take away from Thumbelina today, even as I also recognize that the character herself could be more vocal and proactive. I chalked it up to heartache, helplessness in the face of the overwhelming amount of new information she had to process about the world outside of her childhood home, and depression. I also took away from it that I had a thing for fake-out death scenes, angst, and stories, where a man has to be saved instead of it only being the woman's role. I found it fascinating that at at least one point in the story, the Prince is the one that's helpless and at the mercy of the elements and the villain. Thumbelina is trapped by the coldness spreading within her heart, and her LI is trapped by the physical representation of that very same cold. Only an act of kindness - her taking care of the bird, him being rescued by the bugs - brings back the hope and direction they needed to find eachother again. And even then, it is with much reluctance from Thumbelina, as she doesn't want to get her hopes up only to have her heart broken again. She is encouraged to sing, to reach out, to care, and it is only when she believes in love again that they are reunited. I guess I found the abuse and depression allegory interesting, in hindsight. It was relevant to my life as a kid.
What I got from Thumbelina is to never give up because their is always someone out there for you. The messed up suitors represents how some guys are thinking about themselves and not considering what she wants. Which has been the ongoing theme. A lot of people look out for themselves and don't forget thumbelina's world has only been on the farm till now so her being naive is understandable. Also during the whole Mole forced marriage they played on her grief thinking the love of her life is now dead that shes being manipulated. But the bird being her friend was of NO help till the end but I guess the reason why was Thumbelina had to discover her own voice quite literally when she refused to sing at the end but singing brought back what she lost a big piece of her soul. Don't let other people talk for you and you have a voice to be heard and don't let others take away who you are!
After watching this, I would like to see a remake of Thumbelina and be retold in a better way. My childhood self thought the scene with Godfrey's character; i thought he was putting Thumbelina in a fashion show.
As a child, I grew up with both Disney movies and classical music, so Fantasia was awesome to me. The dinosaurs were great because I freaking loved dinosaurs as a kid. The Sorcerer's Apprentice was probably my favorite, though. I feel like the music fits best with what is shown on screen out of everything in the movie. Which isn't surprising, given that the piece was literally based on the poem The Sorcerer's Apprentice. It's also just a very famous poem in Germany, but I think Fantasia was what inspired me to learn it once I was old enough to read. Also totally agree with you on Mulan. Me and my siblings were huge fans of that movie.
0:02 "Animation has the potential to tell stories beyond the capabilities of live action narratives. It is through animation that we learn about how the world works even before we truly enter it." Love that you said that, would love even more for you to elaborate on that. My dad always gives me crap about predominantly watching animation and gets outright furious if I try to cite it as a valid source of examples in relatively serious discussions. If I try to say "all artists reflect reality in their art, albeit in an abstract and/or more directed way to make it easier to understand and more... inviting to learn", he unjustly calls fowl and asks "How would you know? You've never experienced real life because you're too busy watching cartoons", as if being fictitious (or rather 2 layers of fictitious since he has much less issue with Live Action) somehow invalidates them from having any meaningful weight. Also, I'm 26 and have lived on my own since I turned 21, and I went to community college and have worked several temp jobs ending in a permanent job I've had for over 5 years now. But apparently, that doesn't count as sufficient real life experience because my job requires so few weekly hours, I deliberately took only 1 or 2 classes a semester in college to make work load manageable but eventually kind of unofficially dropped out because I had no intentions of working towards a degree for various reasons, lack a driver's license and car for multiple reasons (one of which his fault), have not had any long-term romantic relationship, and have not at any point lived outside my hometown- nor had much of any significant life accomplishment. Whereas by the time my dad was my age, he was married, had 2 kids, went to college that ended in getting a degree, was in the army, and had lived in at least 3 different cities. Or maybe it's because I don't actively read the news or keep up with current world events to a significant extent (because it tends to feel like the same handful of disappointing occurrences over and over no matter how much time passes) whereas he does (perhaps one can't have valid reasons for not keeping up nor wanting to keep up with current news?). But I digress. Does the fact I have largely watched animations instead of doing the things my dad considers valid life experience mean I am deficient in "real world" exposure and the ability to judge how well art/fiction reflects it?
Elfos64 There are certainly a lot of lessons to learn from animation and most art. But there can also be a danger to escape into the worlds of these stories and neglect our own. I’m not saying you’re doing that because I don’t know but it’s just something to think about. The stories and lessons learned should help enrich our own story and life not take away from it. So ask yourself which one they are doing for you. 😊 I love animation and have learned a lot of lessons from various forms of it!
@@Elfos64 wow That’s just sad. That’s worst then the usual disrespect animation gets as a medium. Besides who the hell wants to deal with reality all the time, sometimes people need a way out of it for even a minute.
Thank you for answering Mikey's call to action in such a thoughtful way 😀 - as much as I love following him and other video essayists, most are men, and I find it difficult to find good film critiques made by women. Your experience of these movies is very similar to mine in a very personal way and I find your analysis enlightening. If you - or any of the other commenters - know of any other good film/literature analysis channels run by women, I would love to hear about them ❤️
It was one of my first dysneys, I never tire of watching it! As a child though I used to stop the video before the end, the last bit was too dark for me.
Thumbelina does have issues, I agree. I really don't like her passivity - even as a child, I think it annoyed me. Though you could argue she is less "getting immediate enjoyment out of her captivity" and more pretending to go along with it for her own safety. If someone kidnapped me the way the frogs kidnapped her, I'd be scared out of my life. I would not want to anger them. Remember she is tiny, not very strong. I see the story as more of her learning to stand up for herself than anything else (remember how she finally says no to the Mole?) She has a quality many women share, of being quiet and friendly so you don't excite violence against yourself. See The Take's view on Cinderella as a similar example. As for the Fairy Prince, Cornelius - honestly, even as a child I saw a major difference in how he treats Thumbelina as opposed to Toad, Beetle, & Mole. He notices her, says hello (though I won't forgive him for cutting up the book!), apologizes for scaring her, and immediately goes to defend her from a perceived threat larger than both of them (the old dog isn't one, but he didn't know that.) And then they go for a ride on his bee, and talk some more, and share a song / dance. It's an actual date. As Disney-ish romance meet-ups go, it's a long one. He tells her about his home, and asks if she'll go meet his parents. Where are Toad, Beetle, and Mole are CLEARLY out to have Thumbelina as an object, for their own selfish desires. Yes, they pledge undying love and marriage to each other right away - because it is a fairy tale. They are in love. Cornelius is a Fairy Prince, of course Thumbelina is going to marry him. Also, this a movie for children, who are easily distracted. All they need to know is Thumbelina & Cornelius are in love & going to get married. They don't want or need to see that relationship grow - that's more for adults to enjoy. Children just need to know it exists. They can learn how to make an actual relationship grow and work later. And remember, the poor guy almost dies (more than once!) just looking for a girl he just met. He even gets frozen in a block of ice. Why? Because they have destined True Love, just like Buttercup & Westley have in Princess Bride, or Aroura & Phillip have in Sleeping Beauty. No, it does not make real sense. It is a fairy tale. Also, you could argue their marriage at the end takes place much later than the rest of the events of the movie.
I agree with everything you said about fantasia! I think it might be part of the reason why I appreciate animation as an art form instead just as a tool for entertaining children. I completely agree about the short the Sorcerer's apprentice not fitting in with the rest of fantasia and it was my least favorite of the pieces in this film.
Great addition to what Mikey started. I had no idea Fantasia had such an elaborate theatre experience. On the topic of Thumbelina... wow, just wow. o.0
Haters gonna hate Thumbelina I get that, it only have a raspberry award but lovers gonna love such as like me I so love Thumbelina full length animated feature with my truthful opinion.
omg same feelings on Fantasia, I was amazed by it and also did Ballet. The dinosaur scene + some others REALLY stuck with me my whole life. But, the the most famous one with Mickey I never really loved.
I agree with you 100% on Fantasia. I also found The Sorcerer's Apprentice segment to be out of place and my second least favorite segment. The Rite of Spring and The Dance of the Hours were my top favorites.😁
Does anyone else remember this movie "Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland"? For me, I saw this when I was young then forget what it was called. Had no idea how to find it. So it sorta became this fever dream for me. I didn't realize this movie had such a impact on me. In a good way. Shaping parts of things I liked, styles, aesthetics, vibes. The Door to nightmare land & all the obscure, weird, sublime, dreamscape uncanny, Eerie creativity to it all really is just so well made. I highly suggest watching this movie if you have never seen it. Also "X-Men the Animated Series" If you would have told a kid version of me in the 90's that things would be the way they currently are now: I wouldn't have believed you and gone back to enjoying "X-Men the Animated Series". The story of mutants was so universally relatable. They touched on difficult topics yet in captivating ways. (That's what MARVEL is to me) Media abstractly taught me life lessons, touched on difficult situations, found intelligent ways to tell stories. So much so that when I've gone back & rewatched them as a adult. I realized how well they told & crafted stories that anyone can enjoy & appreciate them. (Pretty much anything created by Don Bluth or Written by Roald Dahl had such creative range) Growing up in the 90's there was such a wide range of Stories, art styles, topics they touched on, unique Character's, creatures. They embraced the weird, odd, macabre things. I loved how things used to embrace these things, the difficult things. Good stories used to be told, in very creative intelligent ways. Nowadays everything feels or comes off like a cheap cop out, shallow live action version of nonsense. I miss the Era of creativity, of animated series, or use of Practical effects, filming techniques and use of miniatures. Things used to make us utilize our intelligence, tap into parts of the human condition that abstractly connects us to any character no matter what kind of character, creature, specie's, talking object they are. (Just felt like I had to express this) Regardless: I am very greatful I got to grow up throughout the 90s and experience all that came along with that.
I totally agree about the sorcerer's apprentice. I loved and still love this movie. I had waited for the fantasia snowglobe to go on sale at my local Disney years ago. The one with death mountain, some young pegisai, some of the centaurs. My ex smashed it in the street when i had to file a restraining order. Now online they are like 500 bucks. And totally not in my budget for a while now lolll. The pastoral scenes, and the pegisi are some of my favorites. I kinda wish you could find a copy with sunflower in it to explain what was wrong with it to my kids. I just stumbled across this series of being defined by the animation we grew with and I loved it.
Ugh, I’ve always hated Thumbalina and I still can’t say why childhood me despised it so much. Adult me? Sure, that’s easy. I like this series. I like how it’s introducing me to so many video essayists. Thanks for contributing. I’ll check more of your stuff out.
This was delightful. Thank you so much for sharing this reflection on your childhood favorites. Even as a child, you were wonderfully critical of things. When I saw Thumbelina, I don't remember even being uncomfortable, but I should have been. I also loved Fantasia and that Micky Mouse scene was always the most boring bit to me too!
Just remember that The Sorcerer's Apprentice was the catalyst to the whole project. If Walt had not invested so much money and time into creating it, he never would have been driven and inspired to make it part of a greater whole. It's a beautifully animated sequence, it introduced the new Mickey-with-eyeballs design, and the music is good, so I like it. I also agree that the rest of the film is more interesting and ambitious. And I did think it was a terrible idea to make TSA part of Fantasia 2000. Enough is enough!
I'd kinda like to see a deep dive on and then perhaps a comparison of all the old musicals like with Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly and Hans Christian Anderson and Shirley Temple etc etc etc... I remember watching all these cartoons right along side things like good ship lollipop and brigadoon and white Christmas etc etc etc... of the titles that later ended up having cartoons like thumbelina, I wonder how they compare to the musical... and I wonder how musical cartoons compare in general to show tunes/musicals/broadway plays and movies/etc in general... just how much has the cartoon industry evolved from and borrowed from the play and early film stage?
wow, it really put things into perspective what terrible role models young girls have/use to have. I basically have to break down my entire inner psyche because most of what I have been told or grown up on is wrong.
Poor thumbalina. As a fellow bug and pixie I'm appalled at those awful Beatles. She really needed to be raised better. Im guessing don bluth made this this way for subtext but yeah it's kinda a weird choice
Dang Thumbalina is animated so beautifully but the story is so poor :/ such a shame
Hope M exactly :/
What about Thumbelina 1992 Version?
I don't think the story is poor
It's only based on Anderson's fairy tale in a traditional good way while it
Still has little new retelling plot altogether.
Don Bluth had written a script in a week when the original writer failed to turn up her work and it shows
To be fair, the story of Thumbelina was a love letter to little girls, during a time when it was expected to marry up the money chain or to simply marry whomever they could to stay off the streets. This love letter told them that no they didn't HAVE to marry someone out of convenience. It was ok to hold standards and wait for just the right person for you.
Thumbelina taught me that it is perfectly acceptable to say no to someone who wants to marry you, even if it sounds like the most contextual right thing to do. And with enough hard work and dedication, things will turn out ok.
I was another one who adored Thumbelina as a child... and having rewatched it recently, I couldn't help but think, "yikes, I used to like this thing?" I'd forgotten (or as a child, never noticed) that she'd only known the prince for one night before she was ready to marry him. I also realized that she might've only been a few days old when she met him and yet she fell head over heels in love (they specifically say he's 16), but I suppose there was no such thing as "too young to marry" in the animated films of that era.
It's weird looking back on the older films. As a child, I was as a clumsy, nerdy girl who desperately wanted be beautiful and perfect like Cinderella, Thumbelina, and every flawless Disney princess... except Mulan. I specifically remember NOT wanting to be like her. I felt annoyed that she was more like a boy than (what I thought when I was 7) a girl should be.
Then, I got a little older, and I remember hitting puberty (and what I call the "troll years." You know,where you're especially awkward, you've got braces, pimples, and curves in the wrong places), and wishing people could see beneath all that to the person inside. It was then (and for the life of me, I can't remember why) that I rewatched Mulan. When it came to the song "reflection," I broke down in tears. It was like someone had taken everything I was feeling and put it to music.
Furthermore, as the movie continued, I was blown away by the example Mulan sets for young girls AND boys. She wasn't automatically capable. She wasn't a prodigy or a natural soldier. She WORKED HARD and was rewarded for it. She DEFIED expectations and rose above. Nothing was handed to her. As a young teen by that point, I remember thinking "that's who I want to be." I might not be the prettiest or the skinniest or the most graceful, but I can be a hard worker. I can control what I do, even if I can't control what others think when they see me. So as long as I'm content with the girl looking back at me in the mirror, I'm ok.
Today, I'm almost sorry that Mulan falls under the label of "Disney princess." She'd be much better titled "Disney Role Model"
Mulan technically isn't a Disney ''princess'', although some may view her in that light. Nice personal story, by the way.
what's wrong with being a Disney princess tho?
I'll never understand how Gilbert Gottfried kept getting singing roles.
I KNEW I heard Iago!!!
As a kid, I got the message of "Don't be with a superficial bully, who you have no interest or connection with, no matter how lonely you feel, or how scared you are of dying alone, or how much he offers you in exchange for being with him. It will only leave you cold and empty." from the whole suitor thing. That's still largely what I take away from Thumbelina today, even as I also recognize that the character herself could be more vocal and proactive. I chalked it up to heartache, helplessness in the face of the overwhelming amount of new information she had to process about the world outside of her childhood home, and depression.
I also took away from it that I had a thing for fake-out death scenes, angst, and stories, where a man has to be saved instead of it only being the woman's role. I found it fascinating that at at least one point in the story, the Prince is the one that's helpless and at the mercy of the elements and the villain. Thumbelina is trapped by the coldness spreading within her heart, and her LI is trapped by the physical representation of that very same cold. Only an act of kindness - her taking care of the bird, him being rescued by the bugs - brings back the hope and direction they needed to find eachother again. And even then, it is with much reluctance from Thumbelina, as she doesn't want to get her hopes up only to have her heart broken again. She is encouraged to sing, to reach out, to care, and it is only when she believes in love again that they are reunited. I guess I found the abuse and depression allegory interesting, in hindsight. It was relevant to my life as a kid.
What I got from Thumbelina is to never give up because their is always someone out there for you. The messed up suitors represents how some guys are thinking about themselves and not considering what she wants. Which has been the ongoing theme. A lot of people look out for themselves and don't forget thumbelina's world has only been on the farm till now so her being naive is understandable. Also during the whole Mole forced marriage they played on her grief thinking the love of her life is now dead that shes being manipulated. But the bird being her friend was of NO help till the end but I guess the reason why was Thumbelina had to discover her own voice quite literally when she refused to sing at the end but singing brought back what she lost a big piece of her soul. Don't let other people talk for you and you have a voice to be heard and don't let others take away who you are!
Well Jacquimo can be too cheerful
In Thumbelina's situations but he does really mean well to be a true good friend to her.
After watching this, I would like to see a remake of Thumbelina and be retold in a better way.
My childhood self thought the scene with Godfrey's character; i thought he was putting Thumbelina in a fashion show.
There is an old remake called the adventures of tom thumb and thumbelina. it could still be emade but the marriages and catcalling are toned down
I'LL WATCH FANTASIA WITH YOU A DOZEN TIMES. It's just pure magic for the eyes.
As a child, I grew up with both Disney movies and classical music, so Fantasia was awesome to me. The dinosaurs were great because I freaking loved dinosaurs as a kid.
The Sorcerer's Apprentice was probably my favorite, though. I feel like the music fits best with what is shown on screen out of everything in the movie. Which isn't surprising, given that the piece was literally based on the poem The Sorcerer's Apprentice. It's also just a very famous poem in Germany, but I think Fantasia was what inspired me to learn it once I was old enough to read.
Also totally agree with you on Mulan. Me and my siblings were huge fans of that movie.
0:02 "Animation has the potential to tell stories beyond the capabilities of live action narratives. It is through animation that we learn about how the world works even before we truly enter it." Love that you said that, would love even more for you to elaborate on that.
My dad always gives me crap about predominantly watching animation and gets outright furious if I try to cite it as a valid source of examples in relatively serious discussions. If I try to say "all artists reflect reality in their art, albeit in an abstract and/or more directed way to make it easier to understand and more... inviting to learn", he unjustly calls fowl and asks "How would you know? You've never experienced real life because you're too busy watching cartoons", as if being fictitious (or rather 2 layers of fictitious since he has much less issue with Live Action) somehow invalidates them from having any meaningful weight.
Also, I'm 26 and have lived on my own since I turned 21, and I went to community college and have worked several temp jobs ending in a permanent job I've had for over 5 years now. But apparently, that doesn't count as sufficient real life experience because my job requires so few weekly hours, I deliberately took only 1 or 2 classes a semester in college to make work load manageable but eventually kind of unofficially dropped out because I had no intentions of working towards a degree for various reasons, lack a driver's license and car for multiple reasons (one of which his fault), have not had any long-term romantic relationship, and have not at any point lived outside my hometown- nor had much of any significant life accomplishment. Whereas by the time my dad was my age, he was married, had 2 kids, went to college that ended in getting a degree, was in the army, and had lived in at least 3 different cities. Or maybe it's because I don't actively read the news or keep up with current world events to a significant extent (because it tends to feel like the same handful of disappointing occurrences over and over no matter how much time passes) whereas he does (perhaps one can't have valid reasons for not keeping up nor wanting to keep up with current news?).
But I digress. Does the fact I have largely watched animations instead of doing the things my dad considers valid life experience mean I am deficient in "real world" exposure and the ability to judge how well art/fiction reflects it?
Elfos64 There are certainly a lot of lessons to learn from animation and most art. But there can also be a danger to escape into the worlds of these stories and neglect our own. I’m not saying you’re doing that because I don’t know but it’s just something to think about. The stories and lessons learned should help enrich our own story and life not take away from it. So ask yourself which one they are doing for you. 😊 I love animation and have learned a lot of lessons from various forms of it!
Did anyone try and tell him movies in general are fictional or.....
@@starrsmith3810 He doesn't like when I cite any movie, animated or otherwise, he just gets especially mad if I cite animation.
@@Elfos64 wow
That’s just sad. That’s worst then the usual disrespect animation gets as a medium. Besides who the hell wants to deal with reality all the time, sometimes people need a way out of it for even a minute.
Thank you for answering Mikey's call to action in such a thoughtful way 😀 - as much as I love following him and other video essayists, most are men, and I find it difficult to find good film critiques made by women. Your experience of these movies is very similar to mine in a very personal way and I find your analysis enlightening. If you - or any of the other commenters - know of any other good film/literature analysis channels run by women, I would love to hear about them ❤️
this is v late but jenny nicholson and lindsay ellis are both favorites of mine!
I like CellSpex and The Fangirl
I havent seen thumbelina in years but it just feels like a crazy ass fever dream when i look back at it.
Cinderella was also my favorite movie as a child!
I also loved Thumbelina! I would watch it at my Grandparent's house a lot.
I love Thumbelina too regardless of everyone hated don bluth's cartoon.
Finally Fantasia gets some love!!!!!!
Still one of the best movies ever made!
It was one of my first dysneys, I never tire of watching it! As a child though I used to stop the video before the end, the last bit was too dark for me.
Thumbelina does have issues, I agree.
I really don't like her passivity - even as a child, I think it annoyed me.
Though you could argue she is less "getting immediate enjoyment out of her captivity" and more pretending to go along with it for her own safety. If someone kidnapped me the way the frogs kidnapped her, I'd be scared out of my life. I would not want to anger them.
Remember she is tiny, not very strong.
I see the story as more of her learning to stand up for herself than anything else (remember how she finally says no to the Mole?) She has a quality many women share, of being quiet and friendly so you don't excite violence against yourself.
See The Take's view on Cinderella as a similar example.
As for the Fairy Prince, Cornelius - honestly, even as a child I saw a major difference in how he treats Thumbelina as opposed to Toad, Beetle, & Mole.
He notices her, says hello (though I won't forgive him for cutting up the book!), apologizes for scaring her, and immediately goes to defend her from a perceived threat larger than both of them (the old dog isn't one, but he didn't know that.)
And then they go for a ride on his bee, and talk some more, and share a song / dance.
It's an actual date.
As Disney-ish romance meet-ups go, it's a long one. He tells her about his home, and asks if she'll go meet his parents.
Where are Toad, Beetle, and Mole are CLEARLY out to have Thumbelina as an object, for their own selfish desires.
Yes, they pledge undying love and marriage to each other right away - because it is a fairy tale. They are in love. Cornelius is a Fairy Prince, of course Thumbelina is going to marry him.
Also, this a movie for children, who are easily distracted. All they need to know is Thumbelina & Cornelius are in love & going to get married. They don't want or need to see that relationship grow - that's more for adults to enjoy.
Children just need to know it exists. They can learn how to make an actual relationship grow and work later.
And remember, the poor guy almost dies (more than once!) just looking for a girl he just met. He even gets frozen in a block of ice. Why? Because they have destined True Love, just like Buttercup & Westley have in Princess Bride, or Aroura & Phillip have in Sleeping Beauty.
No, it does not make real sense. It is a fairy tale.
Also, you could argue their marriage at the end takes place much later than the rest of the events of the movie.
The bird is just so annoying though, I can't even.
@@alwaysapirateroninace443
sort of kind of I guess
I feel your Thumbelina part so much. I loved it as a kid and then saw it as an adult and was so mad. It was just horrible.
I agree with everything you said about fantasia! I think it might be part of the reason why I appreciate animation as an art form instead just as a tool for entertaining children. I completely agree about the short the Sorcerer's apprentice not fitting in with the rest of fantasia and it was my least favorite of the pieces in this film.
The Lion King also taught kids a lesson: You can't change the past, but the past can hurt
And that you can run from it or learn from it
Great addition to what Mikey started. I had no idea Fantasia had such an elaborate theatre experience. On the topic of Thumbelina... wow, just wow. o.0
I'm wondering how many more of my childhood favs were as bad as Thumbalina...
Thank you for this.
It's nothing like my childhood.
I appreciate it for exactly this reason.
Haters gonna hate Thumbelina
I get that, it only have a raspberry award but lovers gonna love such as like me I so love Thumbelina full length animated feature with my truthful opinion.
omg same feelings on Fantasia, I was amazed by it and also did Ballet. The dinosaur scene + some others REALLY stuck with me my whole life. But, the the most famous one with Mickey I never really loved.
I agree with you 100% on Fantasia. I also found The Sorcerer's Apprentice segment to be out of place and my second least favorite segment. The Rite of Spring and The Dance of the Hours were my top favorites.😁
Im still mad he only did two videos 😭 thank you so much for adding to it
i loved thumblina
Thank you for this excellent entry in the Lessons Animation Taught Us series!
Does anyone else remember this movie "Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland"?
For me, I saw this when I was young then forget what it was called. Had no idea how to find it. So it sorta became this fever dream for me. I didn't realize this movie had such a impact on me. In a good way. Shaping parts of things I liked, styles, aesthetics, vibes. The Door to nightmare land & all the obscure, weird, sublime, dreamscape uncanny, Eerie creativity to it all really is just so well made. I highly suggest watching this movie if you have never seen it.
Also
"X-Men the Animated Series"
If you would have told a kid version of me in the 90's that things would be the way they currently are now: I wouldn't have believed you and gone back to enjoying "X-Men the Animated Series".
The story of mutants was so universally relatable. They touched on difficult topics yet in captivating ways. (That's what MARVEL is to me) Media abstractly taught me life lessons, touched on difficult situations, found intelligent ways to tell stories. So much so that when I've gone back & rewatched them as a adult. I realized how well they told & crafted stories that anyone can enjoy & appreciate them. (Pretty much anything created by Don Bluth or Written by Roald Dahl had such creative range) Growing up in the 90's there was such a wide range of Stories, art styles, topics they touched on, unique Character's, creatures. They embraced the weird, odd, macabre things. I loved how things used to embrace these things, the difficult things. Good stories used to be told, in very creative intelligent ways. Nowadays everything feels or comes off like a cheap cop out, shallow live action version of nonsense. I miss the Era of creativity, of animated series, or use of Practical effects, filming techniques and use of miniatures. Things used to make us utilize our intelligence, tap into parts of the human condition that abstractly connects us to any character no matter what kind of character, creature, specie's, talking object they are.
(Just felt like I had to express this)
Regardless: I am very greatful I got to grow up throughout the 90s and experience all that came along with that.
I totally agree about the sorcerer's apprentice.
I loved and still love this movie.
I had waited for the fantasia snowglobe to go on sale at my local Disney years ago. The one with death mountain, some young pegisai, some of the centaurs.
My ex smashed it in the street when i had to file a restraining order.
Now online they are like 500 bucks. And totally not in my budget for a while now lolll. The pastoral scenes, and the pegisi are some of my favorites. I kinda wish you could find a copy with sunflower in it to explain what was wrong with it to my kids.
I just stumbled across this series of being defined by the animation we grew with and I loved it.
Ugh, I’ve always hated Thumbalina and I still can’t say why childhood me despised it so much. Adult me? Sure, that’s easy.
I like this series. I like how it’s introducing me to so many video essayists. Thanks for contributing. I’ll check more of your stuff out.
Well. I liked thumbelina.
Time is different because Disney now owns Fox and Thumblina, and Anatsisa.
This was delightful. Thank you so much for sharing this reflection on your childhood favorites. Even as a child, you were wonderfully critical of things. When I saw Thumbelina, I don't remember even being uncomfortable, but I should have been. I also loved Fantasia and that Micky Mouse scene was always the most boring bit to me too!
Thank you so much! I'm glad I'm not the only one that wasn't a big Sorcerer Mickey fan :)
Just remember that The Sorcerer's Apprentice was the catalyst to the whole project. If Walt had not invested so much money and time into creating it, he never would have been driven and inspired to make it part of a greater whole. It's a beautifully animated sequence, it introduced the new Mickey-with-eyeballs design, and the music is good, so I like it. I also agree that the rest of the film is more interesting and ambitious. And I did think it was a terrible idea to make TSA part of Fantasia 2000. Enough is enough!
Thank you !!
in thumblina i reemmber she saved the swallow by keeping him warm or something. but man that really got to me
Well, Thumbelina was a few days old.
You need more subs!
Ghost Shrimpe That's very kind of you to say, thank you
I'd kinda like to see a deep dive on and then perhaps a comparison of all the old musicals like with Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly and Hans Christian Anderson and Shirley Temple etc etc etc... I remember watching all these cartoons right along side things like good ship lollipop and brigadoon and white Christmas etc etc etc... of the titles that later ended up having cartoons like thumbelina, I wonder how they compare to the musical... and I wonder how musical cartoons compare in general to show tunes/musicals/broadway plays and movies/etc in general... just how much has the cartoon industry evolved from and borrowed from the play and early film stage?
the one scene that i didnt care for is the one where they expalin the intructments and such right in the middle
14:41 were you watching Mulan in Russian? Hehehe
Alex watches Mikey yassss ^^
Great video. Never watched Thumbelina, feel like I've dodged a bullet ;)
Waching thumbelina as a adult make me fell sad how bad the story is.
Somting that I wished that the move was like the Rescuers or the swan princess .
i loved thumbelina growing up and yeah...jesus christ.
i liked mulan and stories with heroes and such. i would always pretend to be the hero
wow, it really put things into perspective what terrible role models young girls have/use to have. I basically have to break down my entire inner psyche because most of what I have been told or grown up on is wrong.
I never liked that stupid bird.
14:39 на русском...
что вообще происходит
Poor thumbalina. As a fellow bug and pixie I'm appalled at those awful Beatles. She really needed to be raised better. Im guessing don bluth made this this way for subtext but yeah it's kinda a weird choice
Thumbelina is a waste of a good Bluth.
I think I always loved the movie's style but the story sucked