Once Upon A Disney #8: Make Mine Music

The Autumn nights are drawing in, and the stormy weather is blustering me back into the warm arms of the Disney Classics challenge. The good news? This week, there's no sign of pervy Donald Duck. The bad news? We're still about a month away from any Disney movie you will have seen/heard of. For now, we're stuck firmly in Walt Disney's 1940s 'package film' phase, with... 

Make Mine Music (1946)

As the title suggests, Make Mine Music is all about pairing animation with famous pieces of music, in a concert-like format. It describes itself as 'A musical fantasy in 10 parts.' "So it's a rip off of Fantasia?" you may say. Well, yes, it does use a similar conceit. However, Make Mine Music has a few key differences that made me enjoy it more than the former (blasphemous, I know): 

1. It's 75 minutes long, compared to Fantasia's staggering 126-minute runtime 
2. It has 10 short, snappy segments, where Fantasia has 7 long, draggy segments 
3. Its creative choices speak far more to a young audience, with a good balance of contemporary and classical music and kid-friendly stories

As I said, there are some kid-friendly stories – but true to '40s Disney form, there's also some troubling darkness. The first segment in the film, 'The Martins and the Coys,' in which a bunch of hillbillies engages in a violent turf war, was banned for the US home entertainment release, due to excessive gun use (we were chill with it here in the UK, apparently). 

I'm getting serious Gaston vibes and NOT loving it.

For me, though, the violence in this section pales in comparison to the terrifying crowd mentality on display in the later story, 'Casey at the Bat.' An animated version of Ernest Thayer's Victorian poem about a baseball player whose arrogance is his downfall, Disney interprets this particular verse far too literally:

From the benches, black with people, there went up a muffled roar, 

Like the beating of the storm-waves on a stern and distant shore.

"Kill him! Kill the umpire!" shouted someone on the stand;

And it's likely they'd have killed him had not Casey raised his hand. 

You get the picture. I was scared. 

On the lighter front, both of the Benny Goodman sections did a great job of capturing the joyous side of the 1940s. 'All the Cats Join In' follows groups of carefree teens as they drive through the streets, sip on milkshakes, and lindy-hop into the night. 'After You've Gone' has anthropomorphic instruments dancing to an ultra-fast jazz orchestra, and it's as fun as it sounds.

When someone decides to grease the dancefloor

However, my favourite segment of the whole film was the, quite frankly ADORABLE, 'Johnny Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet.' Set to the delightful tones of The Andrews Sisters – and anyone that knows me can attest that I love a close harmony group – it follows the story of two hats that fall in love in a department store window in Edwardian New York. When the hats get sold to different customers, they are desperate to reunite, to the annoyance of their owners. With the atmosphere of a later movie like The Aristocats and the storytelling of a Pixar short, this section is full to the brim with charm. 

Hats falling love? Check. Hats being able to give birth to baby hats? Check.

The two other major parts of Make Mine Music are Disney's kid-friendly retelling of 'Peter and the Wolf,' and the sillier but also devastating 'The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met.' Both sections expertly balance comedy with a genuine threat. The wolf in 'Peter' is pure nightmare fodder, if only for his teeth, and the whale's tragic demise in 'the Met' is truly heartbreaking. However, the lasting image from 75 minutes of Make Mine Music does end up being a whale singing an aria in a wig and suit, so the comedy goal is achieved. 

While it hits a few bum notes, Make Mine Music was certainly less painful than it could have been. If it's Fantasia for dummies, then I'm definitely a well-entertained dummy.

Sea World used to be far more sophisticated back in the day.

Villain rating:  4/5 for the wolf's killer eyes 

Best Song: All the Cats Join In

Disney Detail: The 'Peter and the Wolf' section is narrated by Sterling Holloway, who voiced Winnie-the-Pooh, the Chesire Cat, Kaa the snake, and Roquefort from The Aristocats. Yup, the cute mouse! 

Why it's a Classic: Although disjointed by design, Make Mine Music shows how Disney understands its place in entertainment, blending the joyous side of contemporary culture with the cosiness of nostalgia. This is carried forward throughout their feature films, with the writers unafraid to put modern jokes and references into traditional fairytale stories. 

Once Upon A Disney #7: The Three Caballeros

Apologies for my brief hiatus, but I'll be honest – the next film in this challenge was not my favourite, and so I was putting it off. However, just like that piece of homework that you hoped would go away and never did, this movie ain't writing about itself. Not one to cheat on a self-imposed project, I've resolved that the sooner we crack on, the sooner we can get back to the true Disney magic. So, without further ado, let's dive into the exotic world of *gulp* ... 

The Three Caballeros (1944)

'Donald, get ready for more Samba music' 

In a nut (or taco) shell, The Three Caballeros takes Saludos Amigos to its logical extreme – when it really didn't have to. We're talking more Latin-inspired music; more Gauchos; more Donald Duck being borderline sociopathic, and just more minutes of profound strangeness. 

Like Saludos Amigos, the movie is made up of a series of short segments, but this time the narrative is loosely driven by Donald Duck receiving presents from his Latin American friends. The first is the most exciting gift you could hope for – a projector, on which you can watch a documentary about birds. So there's that. 

Next, we move on to 'The Cold-Blooded Penguin,' following a pretty cute little fella called Pablo, who just can't get warm in the South Pole, and decides to find balmier climes. By itself, it's a pretty entertaining short, but in the context of the movie, like Pablo himself, it doesn't really have a home. 

When you're at uni and too poor to turn the heating on.

Following the bird documentary and the penguin fable, we're treated to another short called 'The Flying Gauchito,' about a little South American boy who finds a flying donkey and decides to race him. So far, so bearable. But then things get really weird. Introducing... 

Donald the Creep. 

As it turns out, Donald Duck is one pervy waterfowl. The second half of the movie has Donald being guided around Brazil and Mexico, by his familiar cigar-smoking pal José Carioca, and a new beaked, gun-toting Mexican mate, Panchito Pistoles. Whilst José and Panchito are happy to dance with the locals and take magical carpet rides over Mexico, Donald has other ideas. 

'We've been dancing for 9 hours. When can we stop?'

From the minute he sets eyes on a singer in Baia (played by Carmen's sister Aurora Miranda), old Donny has chicks on the brain – and we're not talking the feathery kind. What starts as a comic-book 'lovestruck' reaction becomes an obsession with all females. This involves literally chasing after swimsuit-clad women on a beach and culminates in a strange fever dream around Miranda, which is very uncomfortable by today's standards. 

The creepiness is put into focus due to the fact that the women Donald is lusting after are real actors. Whilst the animated / live-action hybrid is impressively done, it does throw a light on the position women in Hollywood were put in at the time. It's shocking now to think that kids were being taught that women existing as the object of male sexual desire was just something to laugh at and shrug off. Although when you consider some '70s sitcoms, attitudes didn't change for quite some time. 

Going loco down in Acapulco  

#MeToo aside, The Three Caballeros has some interesting conceptual design, some sweet animation and romantic portrayals of South America, and seemed to do its job in capturing the hearts of a nation. But I will be relieved to get to a linear fairytale with some characters other than pervy man-birds. 

Villain rating: 4/5 (For Donald Duck being a complete creep). 

Best Song: Saludos Amigos

Disney Detail: Mary Blair, the lead designer on 'It's A Small World,' was a key animator on this movie, and the section on Mexican children's Christmas traditions oozes her colourful, cute style. 

'Maybe we'll get a properly good Disney movie inside!'

Why it's a Classic: To cut it some slack, it does showcase how Disney would use mixed media (live-action and animation) going forward, in movies like Mary Poppins and Bedknobs and Broomsticks. But it's pretty low on the rankings, tbh. 

Once Upon A Disney #6: Saludos Amigos

Yup, we've hit a weird spell in the Disney canon. Six weeks of weird. That being said, I'm strangely fascinated to see what the next few instalments bring, having hit a run of movies I've never watched before. And judging by this first one, we are most definitely going off-piste. 

Saludos Amigos (1942 / 1943) 

First thing's first – the reason for the two different release years. Saludos Amigos was released in Rio De Janeiro in August 1942 and the USA in February 1943. We can assume that this was both to honour the subject of the movie, and to test the waters with the Latin American audiences that were represented in it. After all, this film is a pure exercise in goodwill between the Americas, and it shows. 

'Do you know Joe Joe stumped his toe?' 

In the heart of WW2, Walt Disney Studios (along with the rest of the world) was going through some turbulence. Having lost a chunk of staff to fight in the war, and another load on strike, the studio was not well resourced. On top of this, many Latin American governments were linked with Nazi Germany, apparently. Never one to be defeated, Walt addressed these issues with some careful decisions. Firstly, the traditional 90-minute, heavily-resourced feature length animation was scrapped for a 45 minute mixed media film. Secondly, the movie would act as gesture of goodwill to win over Latin American officials to the USA side of WW2. 

After the opening titles of Saludos Amigos, which are actually quite similar to the beginning of Dumbo (love an animated map), it soon becomes clear that this movie isn't quite what we're used to. Rather than one linear story that runs throughout, Saludos Amigos is made up of four sections, representing four different locations that the animators travelled to. And speaking of the animators, this is the first – and possibly only – Disney movie where we get to see them in the flesh. 

'They've totally stopped staring at you now, Gary, don't worry'

Between cartoon sequences, Saludos Amigos acts as a kind of educational tourist guide, using documentary footage of Walt himself and his team of animators as they fly to different parts of South America, observe local culture, and get their inspiration for each animated clip. 

Firstly, Donald Duck visits Lake Titicaca, in a sequence which is surprisingly self-deprecating on the American tourist, pointing out all their annoying habits and ignorance of Peruvian culture. This section and the later part starring Goofy both play on the character's existing slapstick personalities, and act as a gateway to understand the unusual concepts the audience is being introduced to (we can assume very few USA citizens have visited Latin America at this point). Goofy's Texan cowboy is comically compared to an Argentinian gaucho, in a short segment that could run as a TV spot on its own. 

Bros before Gauchos

The Chilean section of the movie keeps to a more traditional Disney-style narrative, albeit in a much shorter timescale. Pedro the plane (which looks a lot like the characters in Pixar's Planes) goes on a perilous mission to deliver mail, which sees him caught in a storm. Just when we think he's run out of fuel and 'died,' he comes chugging back to his mother and father plane parents. What can be more Disney than that? 

When you haven't paid for extra luggage on Easyjet

Saludos Amigos leaves its most proud section til last – Aquarela do Brasil. Introduced as the finale segment, it's a graceful celebration of Brazil, from the beautiful wilderness, all the way to the party atmosphere of Rio De Janeiro. The opening of this section begins with some very clever animation which captures the process of painting, creating a moving watercolour of the Brazilian jungle. The story then revolves around Donald Duck as he meets a new character that Disney will carry forward into their next movie – the cigar-smoking parrot José Carioca. Donald and José proceed to get on like a house on fire, drinking together and enjoying the Rio carnival. 

Saludos Amigos is a departure from previous Disney movies, but it's truly fascinating to see the animators at work, and the documentary footage is so well restored that it's almost impossible to imagine that it was made over 75 years ago. The movie succeeds in celebrating Latin America with reverence (even if a little advertorial at times) and educating audiences about a world just beyond their state lines. And looking at next week's movie, there's more where that came from.

This is gonna get messy

Villain rating: N/A

Best Song: Saludos Amigos title song (by default, as the only original song in the film) 

Disney Detail: This is the first movie in the Disney animated canon to include Donald Duck and Goofy (obviously Mickey was previously included in Fantasia). 

Why it's a Classic: It opened US eyes to the sophistication and beauty of Latin America in a way that hadn't been done before. Film historian Alfred Charles Richard Jr.Saludos said that 'Amigos did more to cement a community of interest between peoples of the Americas in a few months than the State Department had in fifty years.'

Once Upon A Disney #5: Bambi

From elephants flying to deer... well, y'know... we're taking a hop, skip and a jump into this week's Disney Classic: 

Bambi (1942)

Savage.

Yes, it's a downer this week. I normally try to avoid Bambi for its tear-inducing plot, but it wouldn't be a challenge unless we went through some tough times together. To be honest, I'm more apprehensive about our next streak of films (Saludos Amigos anyone? Yeah, I thought not). 

The last of a Disney's first string of absolute bangers, Bambi has a dreamlike, almost balletic quality, far removed from Dumbo and more akin to Fantasia. The opening sequence, which sets the secluded forest setting through a series of nature vignettes, reminded me of Fantasia's Nutcracker segment, each animal and plant offering its characteristics to the music. 

In fact, Bambi is the first Disney movie not to include any human characters – at least not on screen – focussing entirely on the natural world. The story disarmingly simple (deer is born, loses mother, grows up and takes his place as Prince of the Forest), it instead focusses on the passing of time in nature, namely the seasons. The movie could almost be told without any dialogue at all, and long stretches of the film do just that. 

Me when I go near a cold swimming pool 

The way that the movements and colours of the forest are accompanied by the romantic orchestral score is where Bambi truly shines. From the percussive, reflective Little April Shower, to Bambi's first time on ice, to the tense, Jaws-like score when the hunters come for his mother, the music and animation are perfectly in tune, lulling us into this dream of a movie. 

Keeping the kids awake are Flower and Thumper, who, along with the owl and some of the other woodland creatures, inject some humour and lightness into what might otherwise turn into a dangerously serious film.  Much like the Timon and Pumbaa effect on Disney's later re-imagining of the story, The Lion King. Their adorable antics remind us that we're meant to be having fun, as well as bawling our eyes out. That, and Disney obviously got the 'insert cute baby animals' memo after Dumbo.

Thumper had too many mulled wines

THAT heart-wrenching moment aside (no, I'm not going into details), even as Bambi ends on a triumphant note, there's a stoicism about it that left me with a bittersweet feeling. Maybe it's the knowledge that the seasons will change again, and more tragedy will come, or it could be the awareness of the sinister threat that still lurks out on the meadows. Either way, Bambi catches an elusive, melancholy atmosphere that I haven't felt in any of the Classics so far. 

Villain rating: 2/5

Best Song: Little April Shower 

Disney Detail: Whether this was deliberate or not, there's one scene where Thumper is ROFLing, and it looks like he goes through the exact same sequence of movements as one of the girl bunnies in a much later Disney movie – Robin Hood.    

Why it's a Classic: Setting the blueprint for The Lion King, Bambi's mother dying is a classic Disney moment and showcases the studio's mastery to bring us to tears through animation. Also, Thumper. 

No caption needed

Once Upon A Disney #4: Dumbo

From one of the longest Disney Animated Classics to one of the shortest – this week we're heading to the circus and taking flight with... 

Dumbo (1941) 

I remember watching Dumbo on repeat as a kid, literally wearing out the VHS, so there must have been something there that I really connected to. I'm not sure whether it was the bright colours, Dumbo's cuteness, or simply that my attention span was best suited to a maximum of 1 hour and 4 minutes of entertainment. Whatever the case, I was not alone. 

After the traditional period pieces of Snow White and Pinocchio, Dumbo is Disney's first feature-length story with a contemporary, American 1940s setting. From the jazzy opening number, 'Mr. Stork,' sung in fashionable close harmony, to the stylised animation of the circus workers as they prepare Casey Jr. to puff down the track, Dumbo evokes the feeling of the time in simplistic style. 

When your dirty laundry situation gets out of control

This simplicity is largely down to Dumbo being an tactically economical piece, to try and make up for Pinocchio and Fantasia losing money at the box office (who'd have thought kids wouldn't be flocking to watch abstract shapes dance to classical music?!). But it seems this sparing nature was a blessing in disguise. Dumbo's succinct, fast-paced story captured audience's hearts to become Disney's highest grossing film of the decade. 

The fresh, optimistic vibrancy of Dumbo was just what was needed at the time, when the real world was getting darker by the day. Beginning with new life (and adorable animals) as the Stork delivers babies to grateful mothers from across America's zoos and circuses, we hone in on a circus in Florida and a particularly sympathetic-looking elephant. You guessed it – Mrs. Jumbo. 

Having longed for a child for years, Mrs. Jumbo's prayers are answered when the Stork delivers her a parcel. When Dumbo first appears and unfurls his unusually large ears, he instantly becomes Disney's most adorable character to-date and you just want to reach through the screen and give him a big hug. Watching him bond with his mother is one of the most charming scenes of the movie, perfectly scored to convey their pure love for one another without a word being spoken. 

I'm crying, you're crying, we're all crying

So when Dumbo is met with mocking adversary from the other elephants, and Mrs. Jumbo is unfairly separated from her son by the circus owner, Disney manages to build up and break our hearts within about 30 minutes. 'Baby Mine,' when Mrs. Jumbo cradles her baby through the gates of her elephant prison, just gets more tragic every time I watch it. Like, I think it might even top Bambi for saddest Disney moment (but I may review that next week). 

After the weird trippy pink elephant acid-trip (which all goes a bit Fantasia again) Dumbo gets right back on track to hit home with its key message: 

This line, delivered by Timothy Mouse, who is basically the Jiminy Cricket equivalent for this movie, underlines the reason that Dumbo was seen as such a morale-boosting film at the time. The down-beaten underdog, Dumbo realises he has all the tools he needs at his disposal – his wing-like ears that literally tripped him up can act as wings. With his naturally aerodynamic anatomy, some encouragement, and a catchy song, he can turn his luck around and put all the wrongs right. Mainly setting his mum free and getting her first class treatment while the haters ride in coach. Boom. 

As well as being a colourful and fascinating reflection of 1940s America (including the not-so-subtle portrayal of pre-Civil Rights black people), Dumbo is pure heart, and proof that sometimes less really is more.

Pure nightmare fuel

Villain rating: 3/5

Best Song: When I See An Elephant Fly 

Disney Detail: This week, it's a lack thereof – nearly every human character in Dumbo is faceless, throwing the characterisation to the animals (and perhaps symbolising the faceless force that exploits them for entertainment). Or maybe that's just 2019 talking.

Why it's a Classic: The image of Dumbo flying through the air is up there with Tinkerbell for the most classically Disney, even inspiring one of the first rides at Disneyland. 

Once Upon A Disney #3: Fantasia

Hands up who's ready for some experimental musical brainfood? I knew it. Let's dive right into...

Fantasia (1940) 

The Walt Disney Animation Studio were clearly having a very busy year in 1940, releasing Pinocchio in February and Fantasia just 9 months later. Whilst it might seem that Fantasia was the less ambitious project of the two – with no animated dialogue or 90 minute story thread to worry about –  it made up for it by its risky and experimental form.

There wasn't enough budget to pay the electricity bills 

It's hard to imagine a film like Fantasia – essentially a 2 hour long animated classical concert for kids – getting green lit today. The 2000 version, which was more of a nostalgia piece, clocked in at 1 hour and 15 minutes, supposedly in response to kids' actual attention spans. However, it's commendable that Disney was trying to use their power over children's eyeballs to educate them about the rich history of music and encourage audiences to paint pictures with their imaginations.

The opening section is hardly an ease into this "new form of entertainment'", starting us off with extremely abstract imagery to accompany Bach's 'Toccata and Fugue in D minor'. Presumably, this is the point at which very young kids (or their grandparents) could nod off and leave the rest of the audience in peace.

Trippy AF

To be fair to the compere, he does warn us at the beginning that we are in for three different types of experiences throughout the programme:

"First there's the kind that tells a definite story. Then there's the kind, that while it has no specific plot, does paint a series of more or less definite pictures. Then there's third kind, music that exists simply for its own sake."

As the second and third pieces unfold, we start to enter more manageable ground. The dancing flower fairies accompanying 'The Nutcracker Suite' – which, according to the narration, was not a popular ballet at the time – give way to the most memorable section of the whole movie, 'The Sorceror's Apprentice,' in which Mickey behaves like a complete tool and floods his boss' workplace, rather than do his job. But he does look fly in that hat and robe.

Before there were robotic vacuum cleaners

From then on, the stories animated on screen are so coherent with the music they are paired with that you sometimes struggle to remember they weren't purpose-written scores, but already exist as world famous classical pieces. Highlights include:

• The epic imagining of the creation of life on earth, right up to the extinction of the dinosaurs, set hypnotically to Stravinsky's 'The Rite of Spring' 
• The adorable unicorns and pegusus and beautiful scenery in the Grecian pastoral section 
• Hippos, emus and elephants posing to 'Dance of the Hours' in tutus. Classic.

She probably stills lands her soubresauts lighter than me #balletjoke

When Fantasia builds up to its demonic crescendo with the truly dark 'Bald Mountain' and echoes into the distance with its ethereal 'Ave Maria,' you can just imagine the effect it would have had on 1940s audiences, pulled away from the harsh realities of war for two hours of cerebral, dreamlike entertainment.

While I would favour a more traditional 90 minute Disney fairytale, there's something mystical about Fantasia, that worms its way into your head piece by piece. Maybe it's that meditative state you often sink into when you immerse yourself in a long piece of classical music. Or maybe it's the sense that the animators have been given real freedom to let their imaginations flow without the restrictions and pressure of a traditional feature film. Either way, it's a fascinating piece of art worthy of all the celebration it gets.

Villain rating(s): 

T-Rex: 4/5
Satan: 5/5

Best Song: The Sorceror's Apprentice

Disney Detail: The Ancient Greek character and scenery designs from the Beethoven 'Pastoral Symphony' section were clearly used as inspiration for Disney's much later Hercules (especially Zeus and the cute baby pegasus)

Why it's a Classic: Mickey Mouse in the wizard hat. Icon.

Once Upon A Disney #2: Pinocchio

Goodbye dwarfs and magic mirrors, hello wooden puppets, smoking 10-year-olds and man-eating whales. You guessed it – the second Walt Disney Animated Classic is none other than...

Pinocchio (1940) 

'Shall I make him sing The Greatest Showman?'

Three years after the critically acclaimed triumph of Snow White, Disney had to raise their game, and with the outbreak of WW2, audiences were in need of a new dose of escapism. Pinocchio, with its Alpine European setting and chocolate box houses, seems to capture a more simple, idyllic time with rose tinted glasses. However, as the twists of the story unfold, Pinocchio is far from an innocent fairytale. 

In fact, Disney's second feature film is a not-so-subtle moral fable, and a pretty dark one at that. The set-up: our titular character acts as a biblical Adam, created as a blank canvas by adorable old puppet master Geppetto and brought to life by a divine force (in this case, the very glamorous Blue Fairy). It's up to Pinocchio to make the right choices and embody three values to become a 'real boy' – Bravery, Loyalty, and Honesty. Seems simple enough. 

'It's LeviOsa, not LeviosAR'

Enter a positive rogue's gallery of villains to stop him at every turn. Like, SO many. In Snow White, she manages to escape death once and then have a nice little vacation with the dwarfs for an hour or so before the evil stepmother finds her again. In Pinocchio, he literally skips about two metres out of the front door before he's accosted by a sneaky-ass fox luring him into an exploitative theatrical career. That 'Hi Diddly Dee' song is catchy though. 

From then on, our little wooden-headed boy just doesn't catch a break. From death-threats by theatre owner Stromboli, to being lured into a slave trade that turns naughty boys into donkeys, this film is extremely perilous, and explores some shockingly adult themes. Do you remember when Pinocchio and a group of children get uproariously drunk and take huge drags on cigars? Yeah, they did THAT. 

Always let your conscience be your guide 🎶

Pinocchio carries much more complexity than Snow White, in both the volume and motivations of the characters, and the heaviness of the plot. One crucial element holds it together though, and that's a little green insect – Jiminy Cricket. Jiminy acts as narrator, moral compass, and sidekick to Pinocchio (or 'Pinoch', as he cheekily calls him), and seamlessly guides us through the story. He adds a brightness and level of hope to what might otherwise seem a genuinely bleak movie. As long as Jiminy has faith, so do we. And he also sets the stage for Disney sidekicks to come, from Timothy Mouse, to Sebastian, to Olaf. 

'Consider yourself, one of us!' 

Story and characters aside, the sheer detail in the animation has already come on leaps and bounds since Snow White, no more so than in the opening scenes in Geppetto's workshop. The intricacies of each cuckoo clock going through its motions at the same time, their mechanisms providing contrapuntal rhythms along to the score, is mind-boggling, even to watch in the present day. The subtleties of Pinocchios' movements as a puppet, and how these change throughout his journey, is inspired. And let's not forget the how the waves wash over the characters and seem to engulf the entire screen in that terrifying Monstro sequence. 

I can hear this image

Despite – or perhaps, because of – the darkness throughout Pinocchio's story, the final scene is one of the most iconic in the entire Disney canon. The image of Geppetto crying over the child he thinks he's lost before he even got to know him, followed by that sparkle of light as he's reanimated and becomes a 'real boy,' is truly magical. And not just because it's a sweet moment in itself, but because it's a fitting payoff for a turbulent and dangerous journey of self-discovery, where Pinocchio really did have to prove his worth. Wishing Upon A Star gets you part of the way, but sheer grit completes the quest. 

Villain rating(s): 

Honest John: 3/5
Stromboli: 4/5
Coachman: 4/5
Monstro the Whale: 5/5

Best Song: When You Wish Upon A Star ✨

Disney Detail: In the very opening scene where the Pinocchio book is opened, the books in the background include 'Peter Pan' and 'Alice In Wonderland,' two other stories that were adapted by Disney during his lifetime.

Why it's a Classic: Aside from having the most iconic song in Disney history, Pinocchio is a beautifully crafted classic fairytale which delights, scares and truly makes you believe in magic.