Fife-1 Reviews

The Hunchback of Notre Dame II (2002 Video)

I liked it :-)

[24 March 2002]

Of course I don't expect Disney direct-to-video sequels, with their little budgets, to look and feel as spectacular as the originals. In fact, of all of them that I have seen, I still think Beauty and the Beast Enchanted Christmas looks the most like a theatrical motion picture, probably because it was not staffed out to any Japanese animation factories (though it does have some stiff moments that look like they were left to the junior animators.)

Being as I am not a Disney collector, I must say my interest is in the characters and the story, which plays a little like a long Saturday morning cartoon - very easy and predictable. (I guess they figure that if there's no trip to the movie theater, adults won't have to sit through these sequels if they don't want to.) But even for someone my age (29) it had some unexpected and touching moments, not to mention a nifty joke or two. I also just can't get over how sweet Quasimodo can be when Tom Hulce plays him. That in itself is worth a viewing. I also dig Madelaine. She's not yer typical Disney chick. I even risk saying she's right up there with Belle on the cool meter. She and Quasimodo have some great scenes.

I did miss some of the musical aspects of the first film. But the song "Ordinary Miracles" has stuck with me pretty good. I think the score just needed more recorders in it. :-) That's what I really missed, that 1490's kind of sound.

And so for all the positives, I have to look past the harsher lines and colors, some lack of detail (though I have to mention the backgrounds were pretty nice), and absence of big-budget digital post production. I've done enough animation myself to know how much work went into this little movie, and what counts to me is that the characters are all there, satisfying to see again. It also fills a little hole left in my heart by the first movie. Without giving away what happens: it was very sweet, to say the least.

No, Hunchback of Notre Dame II is not for film critics, but I think all you regular people will enjoy it!

Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas (1997 Video)

A sweet movie

[10/10 · 16 March 2001]

I first saw Beauty and the Beast: the Enchanted Christmas in 1997 right after its release. I remember liking it then and thinking it was kinda fun and cute. Recently I watched it again and enjoyed it even more I think. No, it's not the original, as you might have noticed most of these reviews attest to, but it is an exceptional technical effort for direct to video. 20 years ago much of the the animation in the theaters wasn't even this good. The character work was outstanding and the original voices made the whole thing. Cogsworth and Lumiere were in great form and Forte and Fife added an interesting dynamic. The grandest instrument - the pipe organ - must use the least of instruments - a piccolo - to get his dirty work done, though Fife (Paul Reubens) is a somewhat unwilling accomplice... not too bright either, but perhaps the most interesting of the new characters. Tim Curry was perfect as the evil Forte, who is - of course - evil just for its own sake. He's kinda ugly and mean so it's easy to hate him. The CGI animation on him is good, but a little misplaced. I think it was just an experiment in animation that didn't quite work all the way, though it was perfected in the movie The Iron Giant where the main character - though animated by computers was given a hand-drawn look.

I think kids and adults (with a taste for some fun and a good suspension of disbelief) can enjoy this one. I actually think the story could have been a little longer and more involved, especially toward the end. There was a bit of character reconciliation which I figure must have taken place off screen, and a rather truncated musical number between Lumiere and Cogsworth which could have expanded to include everyone else. A couple of the songs were not bad for the budget that this thing was made on. The humor came across well, and even the Beast had a couple of funny moments, and it was nice just to see some old friends.

Though it pretty much leaves out the true meaning of Christmas, I think The Enchanted Christmas is a fresh approach to holiday fiction and it has a good message on hope and caring and stands well as a chapter in the Beast's journey back to humanity.