Disney is
the unmitigated master of the feels.
They know what stories will elicit the most tears; joy, sorrow, fear,
etc. And which ones will conjure up excitement, tension, and remorse. They are manipulators of the highest degree,
taking anyone who chooses to join them on the emotional journey each movie
presents without ever having to leave their theater seat or
couch. They’ve been doing it for
decades, from Snow White all the way through to Toy Story 4. When it comes to drawing out the tears no one
does it quite like Disney. I’m sure each
one of us has their own story of how hard they cried during a Disney
offering. Who could sit there stone
faced while Bambi and Simba tried to grasp the death of their respective
parents? Who didn’t sit with a dry eye
as Woody and the toys held hands as they accepted death in Toy Story 3? I want to share with you the ten times Disney
turned me into blubbering sack. To make
this exercise a little more interesting, I will not be referencing the BIG tear
inducers. No talk of Bambi’s mom, no
mention of Mufasa, and nothing from the first 10 minutes of UP. These are universally recognized as perfect
crying storms, so I want to go over the ones that are a little smaller, and a
little more personal.
10) THE FORCE AWAKENS – “Good to meet you Poe.”
To be honest, I’m not a huge fan
of the new trilogy. But I wasn’t a fan
of the prequel trilogy either. So, I
guess my love of Star Wars begins and ends with the first three movies, which I
don’t think is improper. When it comes
to the new trilogy (at the time of this writing we’re still 8 months away from
episode 9; so this opinion may change) they just never felt like “Star Wars” to
me. There is definitely some magic that
is lacking if not altogether absent.
However, for the very briefest of moments there was a split second in
TFA that not only felt like “STAR WARS!” it gave me boundless hope that maybe
this truly was the movie I was waiting for after slagging through Episodes 1
-3. And this precious moment came in the
first twenty minutes of the movie. It
filled me with so much excitement that tears couldn’t help but leak. I was transported instantly to my youth and
the promise of adventure and excitement.
Stormtrooper FN2187 has just seen
battle and it utterly grossed him out.
Aboard the ship he was stationed was an honest to goodness Resistance
pilot who needed escaping from The First Order as much as he did. Summoning a great deal of courage FN2187 help
Resistance pilot Poe Dameron escape in a TIE fighter. As they daringly escape Poe takes away FN’s
number and gives him a name, Finn. Finn,
who was never called anything but his number is excited not only because they
are actually escaping but because he has an actual name. As they sail across the vastness of space
with their enemy in pursuit, laser blasts sniping at them, the beeps and
whistles of their ship calling for their attention, Finn breathlessly yells
“Good to meet you Poe.” To which the reply back is, “Good to meet you too
Finn.” And the comradery of war, the
botherhood forged in dark times emerges.
Its why we cry when Sam picks up Frodo on the side of mount doom. Ordinary people, facing incredible odds, but
remaining human.
9) A MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL – “A gift for me?”
There are only two ways to watch
movie versions of Charles Dickens “A Christmas Carol”; ‘Scrooged’ with Bill
Murray, which has no place on this particular list, and ‘A Muppet Christmas
Carol.’ Personally, I prefer the latter
version. As a lifelong Muppets fan, I was
intimidated and hopeful when I first sat to see ‘Christmas Carol.’ It was the first movie that Brian Henson had
directed and more importantly it was the first Muppet movie made after the
passing of their creator Jim Henson.
Could the Muppets survive without the guidance and wisdom of their
founder? This movie would tell us. Not only did this movie delight the bejeezus
out of me, ever since its release in 1992 it has become a tradition to watch
this movie every Christmas. Part of why
I love this movie so much is the brilliant casting of Michael Caine as Ebenezer
Scrooge. On the commentary for this
movie Brian Henson talks about Michael’s approach to the film. That the only way he saw this working was for
him to perform as if he was doing it for the Royal Shakespeare Company. With all the silliness happening around his
character, no one would believe the stakes if Scrooge wasn’t a real
person. And good grief does it work. This Scrooge is definitely not the same
person at the end of the movie as he was in the beginning. Case in point, early on Dr. Honeydew and
Beaker play local charity organizers looking for donations to the poor. Scrooge being the miser and angry soul he was,
tossed them out of his office with some of the most hateful words he could
offer. Less than 24 hours later, after
his transformation, Scrooge encounters them again but this time opening his
heart to make a sizeable donation. Moved
by this generosity, Beaker removes the scarf he’s wearing and gives it to
Scrooge as a Christmas gift. To which
Scrooge, astounded, asks, “A gift? A
gift for me?”
Man, that
gets me right in the feels. Here’s a man
through his own doing alienated himself from friends and family and probably
hadn’t received a gift in years if at all during his lifetime. I love Michael Caine’s reaction to this
simple gesture, and the pure emotion that is gratitude for something that is as
simple as a red scarf. The tears by this
point are already flowing, and then he has to go and drive the nail home by
going, “Thank you. Fifty times. And a Merry Christmas!” If you aren’t in the Christmas spirit by the
end of this movie then there really isn’t anything else that can help you. There are tons of great jokes, writing, and
performances in this movie. The songs
are absolutely heartbreaking, including the one Robin sings at their Christmas
dinner. If you can get your hands on the
director’s cut of the film you’ll hear the devastatingly beautiful song, “When
Love Is Gone.” All these great moments
in the film are why this is such a beloved film in my house, but for me, the
waterworks start flowing with Scrooge’s thanks.
8) THE
RESCUERS DOWN UNDER – Bernard hangs on.
This movie came completely out of
nowhere. The first “Rescuers” film came
out of Disney Studios in 1977. It can be
argued if it is regarded as a classic or not, I think people remember moments
of it more than they remember the whole film.
I personally consider it as a classic.
Thirteen years later Disney produces its sequel, “The Rescuers Down
Under” in which two mice, Bernard and Bianca travel to the Australian Outback
to save a young boy named Cody who was kidnapped by a poacher looking to use
the child to kill the last Australian Golden Eagle in existence. In the first “Rescuers” we were treated to
the awful Madam Medusa who kidnapped little Penny to reach a giant
diamond. When writing “Down Under” I
can’t imagine the story meetings that took place to create the even worse
McLeach. Not only is McLeach worse than
Medusa in just about every conceivable way, he was voiced by George C. Scott,
who has a rather colorful history himself.
At the films climax Bernard, Bianca, and their guide Jake are trying
desperately to save Cody who has been tied up with rope and tossed into a wild
river. Their only real hope is to
untether either him or the eagle. All
seems hopeless and Cody starts going down, Bianca and Jake let the rope go but
get the eagle free. At this point we
have no idea where Bernard or Cody are.
The eagle then snatches Cody up from the river and takes to the
skies. As the rope around Cody is
loosened everyone is still looking for Bernard.
Cody lifts up the last bit of rope that kept him bound and hanging tight
on the end of it is the brave Bernard.
Talk about
the never-say-die spirit. This little
mouse has no super strength, no athletic ability, nothing that would allow him
to lift an eleven-year-old boy out of a raging water, but still he holds
on. Still, he will try to save him. Because that’s who Bernard is. Bernard doesn’t quit and he’ll either lift
this kid out of the water or go down with him.
That is courage, that is self-sacrifice, and every time Cody lifts him
up and says “C’mon little guy” I burst into uncontrollable tears. Bernard is the brave you only hear about in
old tales and folklore. Which is why his
role in this movie is amplified; because even though he’s courageous enough to
follow someone in the jaws of death, he can’t work up the nerve to ask Bianca
to marry him. What a great bit of
writing that is. The whole movie he
can’t find the ability to humble himself to ask this beautiful woman to marry
him. But he’ll follow a kid to the gates
of hell and still try to pull him back out.
Only after this self-sacrificing act does Bernard find it within him to
ask Bianca to be his wife. Of course,
she says yes. Because she loves him, and
because he’s a good mouse, and a hero.
7) MONSTER’S
UNIVERSITY – “We weren’t friends before.”
For my money, Monsters U was a far
more complex and fulfilling story than Monsters Inc. I know, I know, that’s heresy because first
and foremost, Monster’s U doesn’t have Boo in it. I’m not saying I’m correct, but it is my
preference. I think the emotional
journey Mike and Sully go through is a much larger one in this prequel, and I
think the stakes are just as high if not higher. We have a young Mike Wazowski eager to prove
his monster worth by becoming a world class scarer, and a young James Sullivan
hoping to use his natural ability to frighten to just coast through his classes
and continue to uphold his family name. Through
their needless rivalry with each other they both end up kicked out of the
Scaring Department and now must fight with their new fraternity brothers in a
series of contests in order to regain entry into the program or face leaving
the school entirely. Facing the terrible
alternative at the final competition, Sully decides to cheat and secure the
win. Of course, like most cheaters,
Sully gets caught. Mike is devastated
because he always thought that if he just worked hard enough, if he just wanted
it bad enough, he too could be a world class scarer. But of course he just can’t. He doesn’t have it. Sully does in fact have what it takes to be a
world class scarer, but he lacks so much confidence that he chooses to cheat
and lie with every opportunity.
The two of them find themselves in
a predicament later on, where they are stuck in the human world, and more than
just facing the real demons who are chasing them, they now face the
psychological demons that have haunted them their whole lives. Sully breaks down and admits that even though
he’s this big tough monster, full of muscle, tenacity, and a massive roar, he’s
really a scared child. He’s under
incredible pressure to live up to his family’s proud history and the thought of
failure absolutely frightens him. Mike
is listening to this monster who for the entirety of the movie has been his
rival, has been a jerk to him and received poor attitude from him, why would
this monster want to admit this now? He
asks as much, “Why are you telling me all this now?” Sullen in the face and even a little
frightened about what it might mean to admit something true he tells Mike, “Because
we weren’t friends before.”
And Hillal loses it. Tears like Niagara. Friendship is a strange bond to forge. Most of the time its effortless as we
gravitate towards people with similar interests and beliefs as us. Sometimes it can be hard and messy and made
only under the most extreme of circumstances.
Friendship is so often underappreciated.
We take it for granted when we have it and then notice its absence
wholly when its gone. Watching two
people go through duress, admit that they’ve treated each other poorly, but
still wind up as friends; that’s beautiful.
That’s poetry. Damn you Pixar.
6) SAVING MR. BANKS – Colin Ferrell as Travers
Goff
I wanted to include something Mary
Poppins because I love the story so much, but the more I drilled down on why I
love that story; because of the redemption of George Banks and his relationship
with his children, the more I realized that its really Travers Goff’s story I’m
moved by. Author of Mary Poppins, P.L.
Travers and her relationship with Walt Disney in the producing of her books
into picture is that of legend. This
movie doesn’t even fully do their conflicts justice. While we know about P.L. and her partnership
with Disney what was less explored was her relationship with her father. Travers Goff, her father, is played with
utter brilliance by Colin Ferrell. How
good is he? Before this movie I was a
casual fan of his, enjoying his part in movies like Daredevil and From
Bruges. After this movie I am an
unabashed fan. I will see him in
anything. Don’t even get me started on
the magnificence of his performance in FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND
THEM. I could go on for hours about what
he did for that movie. However, this
movie he plays the super fun, super imaginative, and ultimately super
irresponsible father to the legendary author.
Travers fights very real demons, namely alcoholism, which keep him from
holding down a job. Because of his
inability to kick the hooch he constantly lets down his wife and throws their
financial security into…what’s worse than jeopardy? Super jeopardy? He throws their financial security into super
jeopardy. But he never allows his daughters
to see this and is constantly coming up with games for them play, adventures to
partake on, and stories to hear. It is
clear his young P.L. loves her daddy with all her heart and he loves her. Even with all the darkness he constantly
brings down upon them with his actions their love is unparalleled. In the end Travers succumbs to TB and passes,
but that’s not the most heart wrenching scene.
For me its when young P.L. surprises him at his work and watches as he,
heavily intoxicated, makes a complete ass of himself and gets fired. Again.
He sees his daughter, and the look of complete shame that overcomes him
is heart wrenching. As a new father at
the time of this movie’s release I understood his fear, his doubt, and his
failure all with one glance. It brought
me to tears and I firmly believe that Colin Ferrell should have received award
recognition for this performance.
5) THE GREAT
MOUSE DETECTIVE – Olivia says goodbye and Dawson joins the team.
“The Great Mouse Detective is one
of the most underappreciated movies, and is my absolute favorite animated
Disney movie, pretty much ever. Not only
is it great fun but Vincent Price is the villain! It doesn’t get any wilder than that. His character Professor Ratigan is concocting
a plan to take over as the new king of all mousedom (despite his being a
rat). It includes a faux mechanical
version of the Queen and he requires Hiram Flaversham, a local toymaker, to
build it. So he kidnaps Hiram in the
middle of the night, leaving his young daughter Olivia all alone. She seeks out the help of greatest detective
in the kingdom, Basil of Bakerstreet.
Through many trials and tribulations which see the group successful in
rescuing Hiram, Basil and Olivia of course grow closer as they share the
adventure. By the end, the logically
cold and distant Basil has started to care for the young lady and when it comes
time for them to say their goodbyes it can be a tear jerker for sure. Layered on top of that is the relationship
Basil begins forming with Dr. Dawson who first stumbled across the young Olivia
in the streets of London. He also joins
in the hunt as more the caretaker of Olivia and then begins to earn his stripes
as a detective as they journey continues.
All throughout the movie he never quite felt like part of the team. Oftentimes seeing himself as more of a
hinderance to Basil, most of the time being the cause for them getting into
trouble. By the end though Basil welcomes
Dawson in partnership with him, to which Dawson joyfully accepts. I love this movie so much. Its just more of that Disney message that
really affects me; that anyone in your life can be family. I saw this movie when I was 6 years old, and
I constantly return to it for entertainment and emotional gratification over 30
years later.
4) RATATOUILLE – “A great artist can come from
anywhere.”
“Anyone can
cook.” Hot damn is that just the best
saying you could ever tell anyone? Young
or old. I have a hard time thinking of
anything better to say to someone throughout their life. That simple message has stuck with me for
years. “Anyone can cook.” When first uttered at the beginning of this
amazing movie you don’t really think about the importance of that phrase. It’s the title of a cookbook and is quite
honestly, something you would see in the bargain bin at a dollar
bookstore. “Anyone can cook.” But then later in the movie, after watching
Remy and his trials you begin to understand the brilliance of this
message. Anton Ego, world famous food
critic has come to the restaurant of the book’s author, Gusteau’s, after its
sudden and unexpected shift in management.
Its head chef is a rat, named Remy who has had quite the adventure over
the course of this film. Remy’s dream is
to cook, which is fulfilled through the most brilliantly absurd ways. But because the restaurant is garnering
attention, Anton feels it is his duty to bring it down to size. His revelation in the wondrous taste of the
food is quite possibly the best 15 seconds in film history. It also encapsulates precisely what it means
to receive a meal so delicious that only emotion can describe it. When he then finds out the origins of the
chef who made his meal he quite literally shook. All his beliefs now come into question. He must now admit to himself that he
understand what Gusteau was trying to say.
“That not everyone can become a great artist. BUT a great artist CAN come from anywhere.” That’s powerful. That’s the message a lot of us in our youth
needed to hear, and its what so many of our youth today need to hear. It doesn’t matter where you come from, how
humble your beginnings, if its in you, if you have the desire: Anyone can cook.
3. CARS 3 – Doc’s Colors –
The CARS
movies get an undue amount of bad juju thrown their way. So much so that they are often referred to as
the weakest of the PIXAR offerings.
Which is unfair because all three of the movies are absolutely
entertaining, endearing, and heartwarming in so many respects. CARS has a special place in my heart, I love
the characters so much. Even though I
really hate the idea of car racing. I’m
just not interested in that world. I’m
not a gear head and the only car I’m interested in is the one that gets to me
work on time. Watching Lightning McQueen
go on a three movie journey has been quite special. In the first movie he was an unlovable dill
hole. The 2nd movie he was
dealing with world famous and trying to be a good friend. In the 3rd he was dealing, with
what quite a bit of PIXAR movies these days are dealing with mostly; passing on
the torch.
The
generation of racers he belongs to are becoming obsolete. Newer cars, with newer technology are
becoming the stars of the show.
Lightning is finding himself in a world that is familiar and new all at
the same time. He’s also having a hard
time letting go. He’s still allowing his
racing ability and his determination to win define who is. All the while he’s missing the most obvious
protégé to pass his knowledge on to in his trainer Cruze Ramirez. In CARS 3 we are dealing with the death of
Lightning’s mentor, Doc Hudson. There’s
so much great stuff about Doc in this movie, it is quite literally a tear fest
from the middle of the 2nd act.
But what knocked me out emotionally was the end. That last few minutes of the movie. Lighting is now the mentor for Cruz who is
tearing up the racing circuit. Under
Lightning’s tutelage there is no limit to where she can go or what she can achieve. Lightning honors this role and his personal
mentor by changing his color from that oh so famous red we know him for, to the
subdued blues of Doc Hudson. When
Lightning rolls out in Doc’s colors I damn near lost it. I sobbed like a baby in the middle of a half
filled theater. What a great way to
honor not just the character but the man who voiced the character, actor and
racing legend Paul Newman. Those who
leave us are never gone as long as we remember them. This little gesture honored a character, a
man, and a legacy. Damn you again,
PIXAR.
2. WRECK-IT-RALPH - “I’m bad, and that’s good.”
The easiest
road to Tear Town is whenever a character sacrifices themselves for love. Love of friends, love of community, love of
the greater good. THE IRON GIANT is the
supreme example of that. Well…THE IRON
GIANT and Jesus Christ of course. But
the sacrifice of a character means nothing if it isn’t earned. Has this character endeared us in any
way? Have they always been self-sacrificing
and this is just another link in a chain of their appropriate behavior? Were they huge jerks who finally saw the
error of their way? Did they learn anything
about themselves and the world and that’s what motivated their decision? It’s a tricky act to follow through on. If its too cheesy the audience rejects
it. If it isn’t earned through trials
and tribulations than the movie falls apart.
The character Ralph in the movie of his own namesake, is by definition and
origin, a bad guy. Someone who is
designed and programmed to behave selfishly and negatively to others in the
video game he inhabits.
Ralph is the
villains of a game Fix It Felix Jr., and all he wants is a little recognition
for himself. To change his code and try
being a good guy. But he just can’t. His childish and immature attitude about what
it means to be a good guy continuously drives him to make horrible decisions
that in the end are designed to benefit only him. He ends up befriending a little girl named
Vanelope in her video game, a racing game called Sugar Rush. Through many faults of his own, Ralph’s actions
lead to the break down and total apocalyptic destruction of Sugar Rush, but
because Vanelope is considered a glitch in the system she cannot leave the game
and will be forced to die as a virus Ralph unleashed destroys her world. The only hope is for Ralph to destroy a layer
of Mentos on top of a diet soda volcano in order to create a scalding beam that
will attract and obliterate the virus.
As he attempts to do just that the baddie of Sugar Rush, King Candy,
beats Ralph mercilessly and then ties him up in a hold, forcing Ralph to watch
as the viruses move closer and closer to Vanelope. This guy is making Ralph watch his only
friend in the world die. In what he
knows must be done he throws King Candy off of himself and flings himself at
the candy rooftop, determined to sacrifice himself to save his friend.
All this
would be enough, but Disney knows just how to sucker you when you least expect
it. You see, at the beginning of the
movie Ralph is part of a group therapy meet whose affirmation is, “I’m bad, and
that’s good. I will never be good, and
that’s not bad. There’s no one I’d
rather be than me.” A pretty mundane
saying, especially when a group of uninterested characters parrot it back
without much thought. But as Ralph is plummeting
to his most assured death he begins to say this mantra to encourage himself, to
affirm that this choice is the right choice.
That he is going to give himself so that his friend can live. Holy crow does this force the water from my
eyes like a leaky shower head. In that
instant Ralph truly does cease being a bad guy and understands that being a
hero to just one person, is enough to make you a good guy.
1. A BUG’S LIFE – “Ants don’t serve grasshoppers.”
Before there
was Captain America getting the stuffing beat out of him and then standing back
up going, “I can do this all day.”
Before
Captain Marvel stood every time she was knocked down by someone bigger and
stronger than her.
Before Harry
Potter stood up to Voldemort and defeated him.
There was
Flik.
Not
particularly strong, way too bright and far too imaginative. Eager to help, desperate to make a
difference, attempting to change up the norm, a little ant named Flik set in
motion a mantra I still use to this day when the going gets tough. If you don’t know the story of A BUG’S LIFE
by now, shame on you. I’m not going to
review the finer details of it. I’ll
just jump straight to the end. Hopper,
the leader of the grasshoppers understands that the ants he forced into
servitude for himself and the other grasshoppers outnumber his small gang a
hundred to one. The only way to continue
ensuring their picking food and giving it to them is with a show of sheer force. Flik’s determination to get out from under
their rule has fallen apart and now Hopper is seriously PO’ed. He has the crap kicked out of Flik in front
of the whole ant colony and Flik’s friends.
Its wince inducing bad. Flik is
almost killed at this beating.
Mercifully the thrashing stops and Hopper addressing the ants, telling
them how stupid and weak they are. When
from behind him the weak voice a single ant rasps out, “You’re wrong.”
Everyone
turns, and watches as weak kneed, bruised and beaten Flik, stands back up. He doesn’t cower when once back on his
feet. He doesn’t cover his head and
hide. He stands with his chest out, eyes
determined, and all together fearless as he tells Hopper “Ants don’t serve
grasshoppers.” Flik’s speech inspires
the colony and as one family show their true strength and drive the grasshoppers
from their home once and for all. But
all of that initiated by the simple words of a lone brave ant. An ant who stood up, even though he was
weaker. Even though he was smaller. Even though he had no chance of winning on
his own. He stood and told off his persecutor. He declared his beliefs and in his bravery
instilled doubt and fear into his enemy.
All with four simple words.
“Ants don’t
serve grasshoppers.”
