Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Nick.com was nice enough to host all 10 episodes of The Legend of Korra for people like me who only saw the first two when they were released weeks early online and want to catch up before tomorrow's finale. I gotta say, I'm loving it immensely. I know the fanbase is crazy amped for it -as they were by the time I caught up for Book 3 of the original- and it hasn't disappointed me in any way. There's a few niggles I wanna find out (how did Team Avatar die? is the Fire Lord still important? WHAT HAPPENED TO ZUKO'S MOTHER?!) but nothing that detracts from the current experience.

I always felt that Avatar would've been even more amazing had it not taken almost half its length to get phenomenally fun. Don't get me wrong: I loved the first season. It set up their world rather nicely, they introduced how the world worked, what their goal was for the series and many of the important players were revealed by the halfway mark of the series. But I didn't get super into it until Book 1's finale at the Northern Water Tribe. From there, Book 2 got exciting: Earthbender joindeded Team Avatar, characters got a lot more depth, plot thickened, character clashes abounded, animation budget got better, everything.

But by Book 3, I was sold. They were telling a great story that worked on all levels, not just hints of greatness I saw in Book 1. It was very much a Nick show, meaning it inevitably was aimed at a younger demographic than mine. Not that this is a terribly bad thing: I still watch Pokemon, for cryin' out loud! It was the shift from the more episodic episodes of season 1, when they were hopping from the South Pole to the North Pole, to the focused nature of seasons 2 and 3, when there was a very clear goal in mind for each and the characters had a chance to push the plot themselves. Korra jumps right into that. Beginning as a 12 episode mini series and having the creators write all the episodes does wonders for the pacing and quality of the new show, though you don't get as much time to relax and learn about New Team Avatar as you did the old, how the world has progressed more than makes up for that. Not to mention there's still enough character moments to like each of the main and supporting cast.

By the time season 3 came around, their budget was as high as could be. The animation was smoother, the fight scenes more dynamic, the characters more well-rounded than before. The Last Airbender was all the proof they needed to give Korra a huge budget: it overflows with excellent production values. The animation is gorgeous (especially in HD!), they've perfected the mix between striking anime-looks and American-fluidity, the music is finally orchestrated and sounds gorgeous, and the tone is darker to reflect the slight upgrade in demographic and time skip. Korra, like it's predecessor, is a smart kids show: it entertains kids of all ages, as does the best of Disney.

Speaking of which, I shall begin (slowly) ranking another of my passions: Disney films! Beginning with the one that started it all:

Why was it so hard to find this logo!

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs shouldn't need any introduction, and I won't give it here. It's Walt Disney's first full-length animated feature film and you've prolly seen it before, let alone heard of it (and if you haven't: how? I mean, Disney's pretty good at having their films available, especially the Disney Canon - so fix that if you appreciate history, damn you). It's one of those historically important films that the majority of the World at large is aware of. Being the first one, it appropriately set standards that the following 51 films in the Canon would follow.

So now that I have no intention to do a longish pseudo-history lesson for this one, lemme quickly nail down the part I care about and nobody else: my opinions!
First off, it boggles my mind how they made this film. It cost over a million dollars their money. That was, back in '37, adjusted for '12, over 16 billion dollars. That's billion with a B. Billion! Gotta admire the talent the Nine Old Men had. Certainly legends to aspire animators. All of it was done by hand, went over four times the original budget, watercolor backgrounds, all those effects... I'm just floored. The fact that the animation from back in 1937 still holds up today in 2012 is insane. Much respect.

I absolutely love these guys. One-note characterization as its finest.

Secondly, the Dwarfs. For being basically one-note personalities, they sure are effective, aren't they? Each one exemplifies their name, and that's just fine. The two favorites definitely would be Dopey and Grumpy, based on personal experience. I'm a fan of Grumpy myself, but that's just because I like seeing a heart of stone melt. It's a fairy tale with a Disney twist. The majority of the Canon have musical numbers, most are based on preexisting stories, comedic relief in the form of a side character or two; most of these started here in one shape or form.

Huh. Guess I am doing a pseudo-history lesson. Sorries!

Anyway, I like it. I'm particularly fond of the fact that most of the film in in rhyme and is basically synchronized to the soundtrack. The music is also legendary: Heigh-ho, Whistle While You Work, Some Day My Prince Will Come, many can hum these in their sleep. Raise your hand if you're fond of The Silly Song? Totally a fan of instrumentals that fun.

I'm sure that's the moral, right?

As for the plot, we all know it: Snow White herself is the fairest one of all, the Evil Queen is just that, and the Dwarfs are there to entertain and endear themselves. Some of my friends don't care for Snow's voice, though I think it's because they don't realize it's part of the times. She has quite the vibrato and is quite soft spoken, and that's never bothered me. She's very distinct with those qualities and she's better for it, says I.

It's a classic film. Go see it. I like it. I don't consider it the best in the canon, but it's probably in the upper half. Hence the ranking of my opinions!

Disney Canon
1. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

I want one of those chipmunks. Sooooo badly.

Ya know what, might as well rank my Disney Princesses, cuz that's a thing for as long as I've known. I've had some admittedly over detailed conversations on this very topic, and I have no regrets.

Disney Princesses
1. Snow White

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Now if you excuse me, I await the ending of Korra. So excited!

Ciao!