Believe it or not, there was a time when Disney's live-action movies were actually worthwhile, not the big jokes they are these days. Since I'm a Disney buff, I've seen some of their classic live-action movies, so I know what I'm talking about. Which ones do you think were the best.
Note: for the purpose of this discussion, let's leave out the ones that were done by subsidiaries like Touchstone or Miramax. I also think we should leave out the movies like Pete's Dragon or Mary Poppins which involved both live-action and animation.
Here's a few of my favorites:
1. Watcher in the Woods--If you don't think Disney can do scary movies, rent this one sometime. Bette Davis pulls off a stellar performance and the pacing is well done. Plus, it's not overdone with gore like many of today's horror films.
2. Pollyanna--Haley Mills at her best. Her performance is actually a great way to make a character likeable without making her annoying at the same time. It's even better than the Parent Trap, imho.
3. The Three Lives of Thomasina--A story told from a cat's pov about the three families that took care of her. The fact that it has a great opening song doesn't hurt either.
4. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea--Oh yeah! This is one of the best adaptations around. Captain Nemo is played in a rather menacing way, rather than the anti-villain you see in other versions, but it's pretty good.
5. Treasure Island--yes they did the original story and they recycled it in space. And both versions are done well.
19 Sep 2010, 12:49 pm
