The consensus among my peers in recent years is that To Kill a Mockingbird is Baby’s First Anti-Racism Story with a heavy dollop of white saviorism.
Category: Legacy
If you are like me, you see “Jim Henson” on the poster, and you expect something at least a little manic and silly and postmodern. Something Muppetsy.
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Ocean’s Eleven (2004)
I’d never argue it’s one of the best, but Ocean’s Eleven is undoubtedly one of the coolest movies I’ve ever seen:
Everyone who is panning this should watch Olaf Presents or Once Upon a Snowman to see how dismal Olaf shorts can be.
Read the expanded review here
It’s great for all the reasons you remember: Seuss’s verses are wonderful and whimsical; Jones’ animation is colorful and playful (the faces!); Karloff is perfect as the narrator and Grinch; Ravenscroft’s baritone insults are a hoot; and the warm holiday ending is a great payoff on a fun reverse-Santa story.
I’ll probably be watching this every winter for the rest of my life.
Read the full review here.
This is the rare childhood favorite that just gets better and better as I get older.
The challenge with Winnie the Pooh-type whimsy is that if you don’t calibrate the tone just right, it can be an unbearable slog, tedious and treacly and dopey.
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Santa’s Workshop (1932)
Note: I viewed both the 2019 remaster on Disney+ and the earlier version on YouTube
Santa’s Workshop is a historically important, technically accomplished, visually appealing animated short that’s quite the holiday delight. There’s tons of energy and color in the motion of making and delivering Christmas gifts, with some great sound design. Using Schubert as backing music adds a lot of richness.
Unfortunately…
I’m docking a rating point for both the blatant racism (blackface doll, scrubbed away in the 2019 remaster), and the subdued racism (“Oriental”-looking dolls). I get that the 1930s were a different time, but even with that context it’s tough to watch.
Another point docked for Disney not giving us an easy way to view the original. I understand the appeal for this to be a timeless toon, and therefore the need to have a modern version that reflects our values better. Frankly, as a parent, I’m grateful for it, because I can show it to my kids with minimal guilt.
But I am super NOT okay with Disney doing anything to obfuscate this process or make it difficult for enthusiasts/historians to watch the original.
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A Christmas Carol (1971)
Richard Williams’ 1971 Oscar-winning short is an astonishing adaptation, animated with beautiful, pencil-drawn grace and showcasing the creepier side of the story.
This is my favorite Christmas Carol adaptation and one of my favorite Christmas movies, period.