What's Playing the week of September 27, 2006

Is it not strange the movie predilections of little boys? Unfortunately the movies this week are on VHS and not DVD. I do not have a large collection of DVD's (less than 200) and can't believe I haven't parted with my VHS tapes yet, numbering around 50. The nice thing about VHS is that you can turn off all the equipment and come back later to play without having to reload and then scene select like a disc. That's about the only benefit. But I have a built in 8 head VHS in my surround sound system so at least its not going to waste like I thought it would.

This is week number two for Mighty Mo watching Disney's 101 Dalmations. He loves that movie right now. I guess I do to. It was always one of my favorites for some reason. For one reason, the music is not only tolerable but catchy. Who hasn't sung a bit of the Cruela De Vil theme? Well at least it doesn't drive you crazy enough to gauge your eyes with a spoon like Angela Landsbury's oscar winning "Beauty and the Beast" song. Yuck.

As a (hopefully) mature adult having watched 101 Dalmations about that many times now, Disney did a great job of capturing the English spirit, I think of especially the Collie who arrives to bring the puppies out of the snow storm and into the barn. The stoic form and half closed eyes remind me much of English officers in Bridge over River Kwai or Lawerance of Arabia. I feel this Collie could be an English Colonel.

Disney in the sixty nailed this sort of animation on the head before phasing out their long cartoons in the 1970 and really up until Little Mermaid in 1989. Are you going to tell me that The Aristocats, Robin Hood and The Rescusers, the only Disney cartoons released in theater in the 1970's are true Disney classics? Please.

The second movie playing on the 60 inch Plasma flat screen this week is another Disney classic, Beauty and the Beast. I think some of you just threw up in your mouth a little bit. I did. Twice when I realized that I actually bought AND kept this VHS tape. Well really this movie came up in the queue because Mighty Mo did not want to stop watching the 101 Dalmation tape and at the end of the movie is a preview of B&B coming soon to theaters, yes the tape is that old.

This is actually a good movie, not withstanding the aforementioned song by Angela Landsbury. It has been considered the Greatest Animated Movie Ever Made. I don't know about that. The songs are actually quite catchy if forgetable once the movie is over. Mighty Mo is very aware that Gaston is the Bad Boy and not quite sure what to think of the Beast. At 3 years old he doesn't quite get that the Beast changes into a Fabio clone at end of the movie when the spell is broken.

What comes next? Who knows the fantasies of little boys.