Mission Statement (of Madness)

If you know me, of course, you know I'm a cartoon enthusiast. And what do normal folk usually think of when they think of animation? Disney, of course. They've been churning out wholesome cartoons for the whole dang family to enjoy for over a century now, and are pretty much synonymous with the mentioning of the medium. So with that being said, can it be safe to assume I grew up with Disney as so many people I know and love have?

Uhhhh... no.

Apart from watching the old Mickey Mouse shorts on the Disney Channel (try finding them on NOW) and a few of their at-the-time new series like Rescue Rangers, I can't say I especially enjoyed or was inspired by Disney. My interests instead lied with the unrelenting animation of the old Looney Tunes shorts, and the clever, witty and creative early shows on Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network. I'm thankful I grew up at just the right moment when cartoons were given a grand revival, and allowed to be wacky, fun, and most importantly ANIMATED.

But what about dear old Disney? I'm sure I must have seen some of the movies in theaters or on video, but if I did I don't remember them. And I never bothered to watch them growing up either. Not for any avoidance per say, but I always found Disney's desire to animate so close to life made their films kind of uninteresting. That being said, I can say I've never seen a lot of movies that people hold oh so dear. Alice in Wonderland? Nope. Lady and the Tramp. Nuh-uh. Peter Pan? No, not that either. Of the 49 films in the "official" Disney canon, I've maybe seen ten or twelve of them.

And so, during my new kick on indulging myself with all kinds of animation, why not start at the basics. I'm setting out to watch every Disney film in order, from Snow White to Princess and the Frog (which I'm sure I'll have a lot to talk about, I just want to watch it again). Every few days or so I'll watch a new one and do a write-up, focusing on both the animation and overall film itself, and advise on whether it still holds up and deserves a re-watch, or is best left to the annals of time. Perhaps in going through these Disney classics can I better understand the motives and actions of the company today. But probably not. I'm just hoping for some great cartoons. So lay it on me, Disney. Whaddya got?