Munir's Disney Retrospective - Animated Classic #35: Hercules (1997)

Last Week’s: Munir’s Disney Retrospective - Animated Classic #34: The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)

After two darker and more "mature" affairs, Disney opted for a more lightweight and colourful tone for its next project. Borrowing heavily from Aladdin's wacky tone, Hercules is a fast-paced action romp with lots of jokes and funny punches in nearly every scene. It's a complete departure from its more heavy-natured predecessors, but that doesn't mean it's bad. On the contrary, Hercules, from the same team that created The Little Mermaid and Aladdin, comes off marvellously, as a very funny but at the same time touching Disney film. It also a very interesting film to dissect with its very linear aesthetic and carefully and uniquely constructed characters. The film's a great addition to the Disney studio and great entertainment for the whole family.

Munir's Disney Retrospective - The Renaissance, Part 2 (1995-1999) Introduction

Last Week's: Munir's Disney Retrospective - Animated Classic #32: The Lion King (1994)

After the roaring success of The Lion King, its successor had the uphill battle of surpassing or at least matching its unprecedented acclaim. Of course, that didn't happen and in the following years the films that were released were met with a more lukewarm response and decreasing revenue. That, however didn't mean that Disney Animation was going 'downhill' or that they had lost the magic but, as with any studio that's reached its peak, the only place to go was down. Another factor for this decline was the fact that, in this period of time, Pixar came into existence, forever changing the animation industry. Nonetheless, the second part of the Renaissance is filled with beautiful movies that, while not as good as its four big predecessors, still offer plenty of charm, superb animation, endearing characters and wonderful stories. The last part of the Renaissance may not have been as brilliant as its beginning, but it still remains a high point in the studio's history.

Tomorrow: Animated Classic #33 Review: Pocahontas (1995)