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disneymoviethoughts · 7 years

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Thoughts I had while watching Cinderella

I’m going in order of when princess movies were released, so today’s movie is Cinderella! The cartoon, not the live-action version.

I know this is the ending, I just couldn’t find another GIF. Go with me.

Again with the old school intros. I love when it used to say "Walt Disney presents".

Although it does take a minute and a half to actually get to the movie. That's a long intro.

But I still love the book and the "once upon a time.."

He loved his daughter but he still named her Cinderella.

Honestly when you first see Lady Tremaine, Anastasia, and Drizella they just look mean.

I feel like I wouldn't have needed to wait until the father died for their true nature to be revealed. I see you.

"And she was bitterly jealous of Cinderella's charm and beauty". Sounds like someone else we know, eh, Evil Queen?

Cinderella's goodness is definitely something I've always admired.

Again with the birds though. It's like an early Disney princess requirement.

If a dream is a wish your heart makes, if I dream of Zac Efron will it come true?

Cinderella yelling at the clock tower is me every morning to my alarm.

12. Although I would not be that happy making my bed and getting dressed to do housework. 13. As much as I love Jacques and Gus Gus, it's odd that this is the only princess movie where the animals actually speak and the main character can understand them. 14. I would not give mice that I found in my house a name, let alone clothes. 15. Lucifer sleeping on a cat bed reminds me of my best friend and her cat. 16. This portrayal of a cat always cracks me up. I'm a dog person all the way. 17. "Lucifer mean" Jacques says, presumably not knowing that Lucifer literally means devil. 18. I would watch a movie with just Bruno and Lucifer fighting. 19. The passages that the mice have created throughout the house are seriously impressive. 20. Jacques choosing his own tail to sneak past Lucifer is classic. Just like this scene. 21. Do cats even drink milk? I've heard this is not a thing. 22. Gus Gus taking all the cheese is me at buffets.

23. It still makes me nervous every time I watch the mice run past Lucifer. 24. Ugh, if someone summoned me like that I would probably spit in their tea. 25. Cinderella is always so nice to them for no reason. I'd be like "do your own ironing”. Yet they still think she's the worst person in the world. 26. At least she doesn't put up with Lucifer's attitude. 27. Lady Tremaine's room is goals though. 28. I always have a hard time choosing the worst villain because they're all so awful in their own way. 29. Cinderella should just not do half of these things asked of her because you know LT wouldn't even notice. 30. I've always loved the king and Duke's scenes. 31. How did they put together an entire ball in half a day? This is not even enough notice for my friends to tell me we're going out. 32. I know I keep talking about different scenes but this one when she sings "Sing Sweet Nightingale" and all the bubbles come up is absolutely gorgeous and classic. 33. The king JUST told the Duke about the party five minutes ago and they already have invitations? The king knows how to get things done. 34. I'm not sure why the family thinks Cinderella can't get all her chores done. She's never given them a reason to think she wasn't efficient. 35. "Cinderelly" is such a cute song. 36. I wonder who voiced the mice. 37. It is impressive that a bunch of tiny mice could make her dress. 38. The stepsisters are complaining because they have nothing nice to wear but isn't the family in a dire state because they kept buying nice things? 39. I do love the lengths Jacques and Gus Gus are willing to go through and possibly risk being caught by Lucifer just to help Cinderella. 40. It's already 8pm when people start arriving to the ball. How late were these guys? 41. "Why, Cinderella, you're not ready child" so much sass. 42. She just wants to dance, you guys, jeeze. 43. I have ALWAYS hated when they rip up her dress. It makes me sick. It's really one of the worst scenes in Disney history because it's just so unnecessary. It was her MOTHER'S. 44. If they had just let her go, the prince wouldn't have even noticed her probably because she wouldn't have made a grand entrance or had a flashy dress. So this is really all their fault. 45. Where can I get myself a fairy godmother? 46. Bibbidi. Bobbidi. Boo. That is all. 47. Did you know that Cinderella's dress change was one of Walt's favorite scenes he ever animated? Same, Walt, same.

48. Honestly this whole movie has the most iconic scenes in any princess movie. 49. I can't stop smiling. I really love this movie. 50. It really looks like all these girls are just wearing the exact same dress in different colors. 51. The prince is so bored but I think that's what my face looks like on a daily basis. 52. It amazes me that people were always upset that Cinderella's step family never recognized her but I know when I get glammed up I look way different than when I have Dorito dust all over my face. 53. I really don't see how they can just let them dance away. Where are all the guards? 54. Just like when I watched Snow White, I wish it were as easy as dancing with someone to have them fall in love with you.

55. Okay but how did Cinderella really not know he was the prince? Surely when men get dressed up they don't wear royal looking outfits. They probably just wear suits. 56. "I don't even know your name, how will I find you?" I will edit my previous comment and say that no matter how dolled up you are, you are still recognizable when you're in every day clothes. That has always bothered me and I'm glad they fixed it in the live action adaptation. 57. Why do the horses chasing Cinderella look like they belong in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow? 58. Do you think the animals were upset they weren't humans anymore? 59. "But sire, this shoe may fit any number of girls" lol I missed that the previous times I've watched this. You go, Duke. 60. The king replied to that, "bring them all in" so I guess it's a good thing Cinderella had the second shoe otherwise the prince may not have placed her from all the other girls whom the shoe fit. 61. I love how Lady Tremaine guessed it was her just because she was humming. 62. LOL the Duke SHUDDERED when he saw Anastasia and Drizella. 63. The scene where Jacques and Gus Gus get the key from Lady Tremaine's pocket to give to Cinderella was always one of my favorites and I was sad they took it out of the live action. 64. The stepsisters' feet are alarmingly large. 65. Tripping the footman so he would drop the slipper is first class level of petty. 66. "I have the other slipper" YAAAAS girl you tell them. 67. Lol and then they just get married okay. 68. Once again I have to say I love this movie. It's just so uplifting and smiley.

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droo216 · 7 years

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Drew’s Great Big Beauty and the Beast Review

SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS

THERE IS NO GOING BACK

THIS IS A SPOILER-FILLED REVIEW

IT IS ALSO VERY LONG

AND THERE ARE LOTS OF SPOILERS

SO PLEASE BE AWARE

THAT THERE ARE SPOILERS HERE

BEFORE YOU START READING

Let me start off by mentioning how much this movie means to me. I've kind of made my niche on the internet by dreamcasting Disney movies as if they were live action. I've made a ridiculous number of edits, I mean I've spent hours, days, probably weeks on this stuff at this point, and many of these edits have been focused on Beauty and the Beast. Live action versions of Disney movies are like... my Thing. And, to be totally honest, this really is only the second faithful adaptation. Alice in Wonderland was a total reworking of the Alice story, not really a cartoon-to-live-action like this. Maleficent completely retold the story from a different angle by making one Disney's most vicious villains not only sympathetic but good. Cinderella is so close (and so good, I might add) but visually it's vastly different from its animated counterpart, especially when it comes to Lady Tremaine and the Fairy Godmother, and it's not a musical. The Jungle Book is the closest we've seen to a real and true “live action remake” as opposed to a live action reinterpretation. But here we are. Disney did it. They took one of their most beloved animated classics and straight-up made it into a live action movie without cutting any songs or really very much at all...

And oh boy, did they knock it out of the park.

I love this movie. This is what I’ve been waiting for.

I love Emma Watson as Belle. I think she's a wonderful choice, I completely buy into her as Belle. She's beautiful and intelligent and spunky. Her singing is fine. She's not Kristin Chenoweth or Sutton Foster, but Belle doesn't need to be. She's also not Meryl Streep or Daniel Day-Lewis, you know, Emma doesn't go through a massive transformation and disappear into the role, but she doesn't need to because she's already so much like Belle. Still, I don’t find myself watching it thinking about Emma playing the role, I think of her as Belle, which is the goal of acting really. I love that this Belle is so active. I love that she is continuously trying to find a way to escape from the castle. The addition of the laundry machine and teaching the young girl how to read is so good because it actually shows us Belle's intelligence. In the animated movie, we know Belle's smart because we're told Belle's smart. She reads books and, sure, she acts rationally and she certainly shows the poise of an intelligent person, but this new scene gives us an active example of her intelligence and creativity while also demonstrating the oppressive and small-minded nature of the townspeople. Emma's Belle is charming and smart and lovely, and I think she captures the essence of Belle perfectly.

All that being said, our two male leads really steal the show for me. I've seen the movie twice now and each time, one of the leading gentleman really jumped out. The first time I watched, Luke Evans felt like the true shining star of the film. His Gaston reminds me of Jason Isaacs as both Captain Hook and Lucius Malfoy. He isn't just vain... this guy is a legitimate narcissist, it seems like his mind has truly been twisted by the war. This Gaston is even more evil than the one we left behind in the world of animation. Gaston has always been terrifying because of his charisma. The way he's able to charm the people of the village is chilling and this time around we see even more of that trait, paired with a darker and more violent streak particularly illustrated by Gaston tying up Maurice and leaving him for the wolves. Plus, both times I saw the movie the audience gasped in horror when Gaston stomped on Belle's lettuces.

The second time I saw the film, I was specifically watching for Dan Stevens's performance as the Beast and man, this is good stuff. The Prince at the beginning is such a drama queen. He's so over-the-top with his costuming, wig, even his gestures are extremely theatrical. The make up at the beginning is particularly brilliant, burying the Prince's face in streaks of blue and silver so he still feels like an obscure figure that we don't quite see. When Belle first meets the Beast, this is all still evident. The way he hides in the shadows, even his lines of dialogue, it's all very dramatic. And then as the movie progresses, you can see this flair for melodrama fade away as he becomes a more grounded person. He becomes gentler, kinder, and his intelligence, which has always been there, comes forward. By the time we see the Prince again at the end, you can tell that this is the same man but he has been changed. The animated film's human Prince always felt disconnected from the Beast for me. Sure, they made the eyes the same, but it was hard to see much else because we just see so little of him, so he always felt rather vanilla. That's not the case here. When the Prince transforms back to a human at the end, this feels like the same character we have watched throughout the film. I'm sure this is aided by the incredible motion capture and CGI work, because the Beast is animated superbly, but Dan's performance is just stellar.

The objects are perfect. There's only one shot that I think feels odd (when Belle is carrying Lumiere with Cogsworth walking in front as they lead her to her room) but other than that one moment, I never second guess them as objects. They feel and act real. Lumiere's movements in particular are incredible, right down to his close up at the start of “Be Our Guest.” I was worried about Plumette before seeing the movie because the bird design is so unusual, but it makes sense since they needed her to be able to fly to get around, and doesn't feel out of place at all in the movie. Mrs. Potts and Chip are also beautifully animated, they always feel like real and solid objects with weight to them. Their relationship is wonderful, so loving and caring. Chip's line, “OK. I'm older” is one of my favorite little moments of the whole thing. Cadenza is a wonderful addition to our cast of characters and I did not expect his relationship with Garderobe, but they were an excellent surprise. And Frou Frou! I love that Frou Fou is Garderobe's and that he becomes Cadenza's bench and is therefore the link between the two throughout their years in the curse. They're just so sweet.

Maurice has been an under-reported character in all of this, and that's a shame because Kevin Klein knocks this role out of the park. He is absolutely wonderful as Maurice. He is fatherly and kind but he has also clearly made mistakes as a parent and that is kind of embraced and understood in the storytelling. He is sincere at all times in a role that is pretty exaggerated in the animated film. If Maurice's arrival in the tavern had been played exactly like the original, it would have felt campy, but Kevin Klein's earnestness grounds the moment in reality. Not to mention his quips about snow in June and “apparently that's what happens around here when you pick a flower” are delivered brilliantly.

Let's talk Lefou. I don't like this Lefou, and here's why. Every other character in this film feels developed in a natural way. It feels like we are learning more information about these characters that has always existed, we just didn't fit it in the first time around. Lefou, on the other, doesn't feel like a character who has been developed but a character who has been rewritten. They clearly got the seed of an idea to make him gay but felt squeamish about making him evil and gay (and rightfully so), so they wrote this redemption arc that feels forced and really doesn't actually go anywhere... Lefou's turn during the battle with the castle objects doesn't actually do anything, so the whole thing feels arbitrary. After seeing the film the second time, my friend and I spent probably an hour and a half just talking about Lefou and came up with a brilliant solution to this whole mess of a character... more on that in a moment...

Incorporating the Enchantress into the story is very compelling. I think it's very obvious who Agatha is throughout the movie, but it gives the sense that she wants the spell to be broken, she wants the Beast to learn his lesson, which is very interesting. Having her arrive after the spell has completed and actively reverse it is a riveting choice, and I actually felt like we were missing a moment with her where she realizes that she made a mistake. When she was watching the separated loved ones reunite, it seemed like there was a seed of remorse that was not addressed.

The character development is very well done across the board, but I think something this movie did that was important and contributes to its success is the development of the spell itself. I think this was one of the most brilliant moves the film made. The eternal winter around the castle explains the sudden weather changes in such a short period of time while still using the seasons as an emotional storytelling technique like the animated film. The wolves are also clearly part of the curse here – I would have actually liked to have seen them included in the finale sequence, either transformed into humans like the objects, or else disappearing like mist with the rest of the eternal winter. Having the castle crumble every time a petal falls from the rose is so smart as well; it explains why the objects know every time a petal fall while also representing their and the Beast's disintegrating humanity. But the best part of the curse's development was definitely the memory loss. Adding the simple line to the opening narration about removing the people of the castle from the minds of the people who loved them was absolutely inspired. This one quick line explained a huge loophole that the animated film left regarding the presence of a massive castle in the woods and a royal family that apparently the entirely world did not know about. But even better than that, it created some wonderfully emotional reunions at the end. My friend beside me gasped so loudly when our favorite teapot exclaimed, “Mr. Potts!” and the moment with Henri Cogsworth and his wife(?) was so hilarious and, in my opinion, subtly hinted at our second LGBT character in this universe. Which brings me to the Lefou thing.

Here's what my friend and I came up with: in the opening sequence, we see Cogsworth lurking in the shadows telling the Prince that “it's time,” we see Lumiere handing the Prince a candelabra, we see Mrs. Potts chasing after Chip... in the midst of all this, we could also show a masked jester entertaining a few people at the ball. When the Enchantress arrives, a lot of people run out – presumably that's where Mr. Potts and Mrs. Cogsworth escape and why they're not included in the spell – and the jester leaves with them as well. At the end, the Pottses are reunited, the Cogsworths are reunited, and then Lefou recognizes his old beau, Chapeau the violinist/coat rack, and joins the finale back in his jester outfit. It makes total sense for Lefou to be “the fool” of course and explains why he falls into the abusive friendship he has with Gaston, since it would parallel the relationship he probably would have had as a jester for the similarly self-centered Prince. This adds two quick two-second shots to the opening scene, one of the masked Lefou juggling or something and one of him fleeing when the Enchantress shows up, and about twenty seconds at the end for the reunion and revelation and, in my opinion, is so much less problematic than writing our first ever LGBT Disney character as an evil sidekick with a forced redemption arc – this way, he had his memory erased, just like everyone else. Just our little idea but I think it could have blended into this world quite smoothly. Alas, here we are.

Moving on! The finale is absolutely gorgeous. The whole ending sequence is my favorite thing about the whole film. The fight scene is fantastic and then from there to the end, everything is so marvelous. We know the objects are going to be okay in the end, but seeing them all finally lose the battle they've been fighting and become motionless household objects is... emotional! Then the Prince's transformation is brilliant, giving the perfect nods to the original film, and each character's subsequent change back to their human state is perfect (Cadenza's teeth!), especially when Mrs. Potts and Chip go sliding down the steps. And then when she says, “You smell so good,” oh my gosh. Whoever contributed that line is a genius. I go all warm and fuzzy just thinking about it. Then we have the wonderful and funny reunions and then the final dance sequence, where Emma is beautiful and Dan is looking good in bright sky blue and rococo curls in his hair. Audra McDonald sings flawlessly and we have that beautiful moment between Mrs. Potts and Maurice that made my little shipper heart do a backflip, even if there is a Mr. Potts now. I'm still not sure if I'm on board with the growl, but I adore the line about the beard – apparently it was written for the original film and Paige O'Hara even recorded it! But it interrupted that finale sequence so they never used it. I think it works perfectly here, it's so cute.

The first time watching, I felt the pacing was so odd in the film, with some abrupt transitions that didn't quite work. I felt that less so the second time, maybe just because I was expecting it, and sometimes I actually liked the sudden change. I also don't fully understand the shuffling of scenes at the beginning. The animated film goes (1) “Belle,” (2) Belle and Maurice at home, (3) Maurice leaves for the fair, (4) Maurice arrives in the castle, (5) Gaston proposes, (6) “Belle (Reprise),” (7) Philippe comes back and tells Belle to the castle. The movie rearrange this so almost all of the village scenes happen together, reordering that sequence as 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 4, 7. Because of this we end up going from Maurice's whole scene in the castle, back to the village for about thirty seconds with Philippe and Belle, then right back to the castle again. This made the whole sequence of events feel rushed even though each moment was given about the same amount of time, or more, as the original film. Additionally, I felt some of the filming choices from a cinematography point of view were weird. There were several times that we were zoomed in on a character, usually Belle or Gaston in the village, and it felt like the shot was kept tight to hide something but then there wasn't anything to hide... it’s a hard thing to articulate, but I definitely noticed it through both viewings.

The design of this movie is amazing. Breathtaking. Thousands of beautiful costumes and such detail – human Cogsworth's buttons have the Roman numeral numbers on them! Not to mention the object designs. Lumiere's candlestick form is clearly inspired by the Broadway production, which was an absolutely brilliant choice. Garderobe's wardrobe form is A THEATRE, it has box seats and a stage with curtains as her mouth piece! Even the villagers are designed with such care, memorable and reminiscent of the original in many places – the man with the scissors and the guy with the mustache, the Baker is very similar to his animated design... I would have liked to have seen blonde silly girls to contrast them more distinctly with Belle, but they are what they are. The set design, from the village to the absolutely incredible castle, it's all so, so good. I love the little flowers painted on the doorway to Maurice's cottage and I loved the magnificent, baroque-meets-gothic design of an extremely unique castle. I know people are up in arms about the yellow dress, I know it's not perfect, but it doesn't stick out so horribly in the movie and it moves so beautifully in the ballroom scene. And honestly, I've never cared about the yellow dress, the blue dress is the one I've always loved and I just think the live action interpretation is glorious. It does not feel like a costume, it feels worn-in, it feels natural, like it's just Belle's favorite dress, and I just love it so much.

Speaking of detail, they named the village. And they named it Villeneuve. As in Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, the original author of the fairy tale. Come on. That's fantastic.

Let's see, some of my other favorite moments that jumped out at me that I wanted to mention... the whole “Gaston” scene in the tavern is awesome, maybe my favorite scene besides the finale sequence. I love that Lefou is going around paying everyone off to boost Gaston's ego, I love the dance, I love the use of Tom, Dick, and Stanley as cronies throughout the entire movie, I love lifting the young woman and then lifting Lefou, the whole song is fun and funny and exciting and the new lyrics are just amazing - “Then I shoot from behind!” “Is that fair?” “I don't care!” ...That's exactly what's going to happen in the final battle. Ugh. So good.

The moment in “Something There” where the Beast moves to Belle's end of the table, she puts down her spoon, and they both sip their soup out of the bowl... that hit me in a way the animated movie never has before. It's amazing symbolism. He can't eat with the spoon, she's not going to lap it up like an animal, so they find a way they can both eat the same way. They're meeting each other halfway. That's some good stuff right there.

OH, and I can't believe I haven't mentioned “Be Our Guest!” Come on. They went hard with that. They put on a full Broadway production on the table in front of Belle! The way it just kept growing bigger and bigger was delightful. Plus I love that the grey stuff is designed after Be Our Guest Restaurant's grey stuff, complete with the silver and grey chocolate caviar beads.

Replacing the animated film's bookstore, which never really made sense in a town of people who think reading makes someone weird, with a small shelf holding a dozen old and worn books that Belle has read over and over is just such a wonderful touch. I love that Belle's favorite play is Romeo and Juliet because she's barely read anything else and I love that the Beast's reaction is to roll his eyes at her selection. I would have liked to have seen the giving of the library be a little more deliberate and a little less off the cuff, and I definitely missed the “promises you don't intend to keep” line, but I'm so satisfied with the choice to make the Beast a reader. Having “a very expensive education” totally makes sense, and what else would he have had to do with all that time? They each develop the other's literary taste! What's better in a relationship than that?

The new songs are lovely as well. “How Can A Moment Last Forever?” is so much better than “No Matter What,” I wish it could logically fit into the musical instead because it's really, really good. “Days in the Sun” is so sweet, it's nice to have those moments with the young prince and each of the objects and even Belle, and honestly I can't stand “Human Again” so I'm good with this one, plus the lyrical nod to “A Change in Me” is nice. But “Evermore” is clearly stealing the show as far as the new songs are concerned. What a great song. I still think they could have done a little tweaking to the lyrics in order to still use “If I Can't Love Her” but if we're going to write a new song for the Beast, I'll take this one. (But can we not digitally lower Dan Stevens's voice next time? It sounds like a computer singing at some points.) I also loved all of the new/old lyrics that were incorporated into the songs we were familiar with. They felt fresh without being forced. The new “Gaston” lyrics are definitely my favorite, but the new lyrics that Mrs. Potts sings in the finale are touching. Plus, using the Broadway songs as underscoring was really nice, especially “Home.”

I'm just so delighted with this movie. Everything from the original is there but now there's more. The stove is there. The coat rack is there. The footstool is there. They just paid so much attention to detail and did this movie the justice it deserved. I'm already prepared to call this my favorite movie. Easily. By miles. It's beautiful and just absolutely everything I was hoping it would be.

#disney #disney meta #beauty and the beast #beauty and the beast 2017 #beauty and the beast spoilers #drew answers #drew talks disney #LONG POST #SO SORRY

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aion-rsa · 4 years

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To Sing or Not to Sing in Disney Live-Action Remakes

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Since Disney began rolling out live-action adaptations of its animated classics in 2015, the past five years have seen roughly one new release per year, each one confronting the question of whether or not to attempt the musical numbers—arguably the most emblematic element—without the aid of animation and trained singers.

In the case of movies like 2020’s live-action Mulan, many directors have eschewed the earworm-y songs and complex musical set pieces altogether, with the argument that it’s simply too difficult to manage the tonal shifts from stories that have become a bit darker in translation with songs that are bright and palatable enough for young audiences. But even those movies that have taken direction from successful movie musicals have not always recaptured the magic of Disney musical numbers. Here, we analyze which movies were right to ditch the music, and which get points for trying.

A note on judging: I defined “musical numbers” as featuring singing and some form of choreography, so snippets of songs were out. I didn’t include any ending credits songs (a common factor among these adaptations) in my count since they’re audio-only. Each movie I ranked by High/Middle/Low Notes, which is by no means by any professional musical standards and should be pretty self-explanatory.

Cinderella (2015)

Musical Numbers: 0

Success: High Note

As the first live-action adaptation, there were of course questions of whether Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella would have its actors crooning “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” or CGI mice working along to “Cinderelly Cinderelly”—whimsical moments for the kiddos, but tougher to suspend disbelief for when it’s real people in front of the camera.

“I don’t know how to write that kind of thing really,” screenwriter Chris Weitz told Cinema Blend in 2015, “and I think that that’s something that, for me, it’s much easier to do that with an animated film. That’s why many of the Disney animated films are musicals. With live action, sort of getting into and out of those moments of song is really super tricky.”

Instead, Weitz and Branagh opted to score the iconic melodies—which are just as recognizable in instrumental form as sung—to key emotional moments. Lily James’ Cinderella also receives a new mantra: have courage and be kind. It’s a rough translation of the lyrics from “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes”: no matter how your heart is grieving / if you keep on believing / the dream that you wish will come true. But instead of it being a subconscious desire that gets solved while one snoozes, the mantra reminds the heroine to consciously hold strong to her faith in the goodness of other people, and she will eventually be rewarded for that belief.

The movie reflects this in how it recreates the fairy godmother’s (Helena Bonham Carter) “Bibbity Bobbity Boo” scene without the actual song (it plays over the credits) but maintaining the whimsy. Magic replaces music, and the movie does not suffer for the lack. (Let’s also not forget that Ever After, the beloved 1998 adaptation starring Drew Barrymore, didn’t need music to be affecting, either.)

Crucially, it is Ella’s singing that saves her: The king’s men are about to leave her home, having failed to make the glass slipper fit either of her stepsisters, when her voice comes drifting from the attic—thanks to the mice, who may not be able to sing, but who are still clever enough to open the latch on the window. Her crooning of the English folk song “Lavender’s Blue” (when I am king dilly-dilly / you shall be queen) alerts the men to her presence, and is how Kit identifies her even before the slipper meets her foot.

This Cinderella has to do (almost) everything herself, from helping out with chores even before she is forced to wait on her stepmother and stepsisters to charming the prince to securing her own freedom, and is the better for it.

The Jungle Book (2016)

Musical Numbers: 2

Success: Low Note

“What’s a song?” young Mowgli asks before one of The Jungle Book’s two main musical numbers. “You never heard a song before?” Baloo (Bill Murray) gasps. “Everyone’s got a song.” And then he jumps—both literally, as the CGI bear, and figuratively, for the actor—into “The Bare Necessities.” It’s not a skilled rendition by far, but compared to the uncanny auto-tuning in other entries, it actually sounds like him.

The same goes for “I Wanna Be Like You,” wherein Christopher Walken channels his best King Louie: It loses the hyperactive energy of the animated version, but it’s undeniably him doo-wopping his way through the song. Both numbers demonstrate how The Jungle Book ultimately succeeds over later film The Lion King (both directed by Jon Favreau): The CG animals at least resemble the people voicing them, so even though they’re imperfect, they’re still personal.

Beauty and the Beast (2017)

Musical Numbers: 10

Success: Middle Note

The only thing that saves Beauty and the Beast is “Gaston.” This adaptation beats the others in the musical numbers count, but almost all of them fall short of both the animated original and the Broadway musical. (The new numbers expound on the former, interestingly, with very little overlap with the latter.) This video essay from Sideways best illustrates the movie’s fatal flaw: Casting actors who are not singers as the leads. Emma Watson’s Belle has one of the most recognizable Disney “I Want” songs, and her voice is entirely flattened out by auto-tune. In songs like “Evermore,” where Dan Stevens is supposed to convince us that there’s still a man hidden beneath the Beast, he’s stripped of any longing.

The actors who are trained singers, like Audra McDonald as Madame de Garderobe, or who have proven themselves in movie musicals previously, like Ewan McGregor as Lumière, get too little screen time. “Be Our Guest,” charmingly mimicking the entire hospitality industry in its attempts to change with the times with clever new lyrics and dazzling CG animation, winds up feeling like a heartless attempt at copying the original’s magic. The best way I can sum up Beauty and the Beast’s music overall is that the opening prelude theme has more character than half the numbers.

Thank goodness, then, for “Gaston.” It arrives at the perfect point to perk up both its boorish antagonist (Luke Evans) and the audience. That’s mainly due to Le Fou (Josh Gad, bringing a mix of his Broadway experience and his goofy Olaf-from-Frozen charm) and the slyly meta details that he is literally paying everyone in that tavern to start singing Gaston’s praises. As Le Fou keeps surreptitiously tossing coins to ladies to sing over Gaston’s muscles, to men to dance around and mock-duel him, and to the chorus of patrons to keep generating new refrains, Gaston eventually is encouraged enough to take the lead and keep this drinking song-slash-tribute going on ad infinitum until Maurice (Kevin Kline) bursts in. Well, all good things must end.

Aladdin (2019)

Musical Numbers: 5

Success: High Note

Guy Ritchie’s adventurous adaptation is the most successful of the bunch, even though it too falls short of being entirely as convincing as one of the Genie’s schemes. The movie’s stubborn adherence to Robin Williams’ rendition of “Friend Like Me”—again, the Sideways video has more in-depth analysis—does a disservice to Will Smith, who unlike the other actors in this list does have the chops to take on this iconic role. It’s especially baffling that there is a different cover, with Smith in his element, playing over the credits that very much slaps.

It’s not as if Ritchie treated every element of the animated Aladdin as untouchable: “One Jump” gets recontextualized as Aladdin (Mena Massoud) touring Jasmine (Naomi Scott) through the city. As she tags along on his petty thievery, skilled sleight of hand, and ingenious misdirection, she gets to know the street rat better than any dialogue could have achieved. That number is shot a bit frenetically, which comes through in the spoken-word style of singing, but it’s still undeniably fun.

“Prince Ali” has this same gleeful energy, and gives the Genie a little more wiggle room. There’s a great “drop the beat” moment partway through that could have been ad libbed or could have been built in, but either way it’s completely unexpected. Several dance sequences conjure A Knight’s Tale in their anachronistic style but still strengthen the movie by showing just how much Genie can make people do his bidding in service to his master.

Alas, “A Whole New World” is entirely forgettable, and shot so dark that you miss all of the details that made the magic carpet ride such a thrill for the princess and for audiences. Ditto Jasmine’s “Speechless” number and its tragic refrain. If the Broadway adaptation taught us anything, it’s that you don’t mess with a good thing.

The Lion King (2019)

Musical Numbers: 7

Success: Low Note

Finally, the Disney movie that asks why anyone would think a remake is necessary. Without the aid of stunning animation, “Circle of Life” and “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” fall short of the epic scale of their predecessors, so both early numbers are just underwhelming. Though Chiwetel Ejiofor is a great choice for the voice of Scar, it’s clear that director Favreau and collaborator Tim Rice did not know what to do with “Be Prepared.” Running into the same issue of tonal shifts, they adjusted it to be part spoken-word monologue, part song; but the number itself is so confused that one might get halfway through it before realizing where in the movie they’re supposed to be.

The CG-animated animals lose all character, and it’s incredibly uncanny to watch their mouths open and close without enunciating lyrics. Auto-tuning flattens out supporting characters like Seth Rogen’s Pumbaa, though somehow his and Timon’s (Billy Eichner) cover of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” is still incredibly charming. And then there’s “Can You Feel the Love Tonight.”

Donald Glover (a.k.a. Childish Gambino) and Beyoncé Knowles were perfect casting for adult Simba and Nala, but the tracks they’re given to work with just don’t match the energy of the original. If you’re going to tone down every single song to either meet an untrained singer where they’re at or to match the other newly low-key numbers, then why have Beyoncé at all?

Elton John’s GQ interview around the film’s release better delves into all of what went wrong with the soundtrack, but even just this quote is pretty damning: “Music was so much a part of the original and the music in the current film didn’t have the same impact. The magic and joy were lost. […] I wish I’d been invited to the party more, but the creative vision for the film and its music was different this time around and I wasn’t really welcomed or treated with the same level of respect. That makes me extremely sad. I’m so happy that the right spirit for the music lives on with the Lion King stage musical.”

Mulan (2020)

Musical Numbers: 0

Success: Middle Note

Five years after Cinderella’s release, the live-action Mulan cycles back to its formula—doing away with all of the songs in favor of instrumental tracks—out of the same considerations of tone.

“It will not be traditional ‘break into musical’ [songs],” producer Jason Reed explained to Collider during a 2018 set visit. “They’re not going to stop their workouts to do a big musical number to camera. However, there are a number of songs that are iconic for the movie and tell a great version of the story and they are very helpful to us in how we’re putting the movie together. It gets a little easier in animation to keep the tension and the reality in place and still have people break into song and sing to camera. We made the decision that we wanted to keep the world—even though it’s a fantasy—more grounded, more realistic so those emotions really played and the threat is very real. So we are using music in a slightly different way.”

Unfortunately, Mulan tries to have its cake and eat it, too, when it comes to the animated film’s beloved soundtrack. A scene with Hua Jun and the other men at the training camp puts the lyrics to “A Girl Worth Fighting For” into their mouths as dialogue, except it comes out jarringly sing-songy. There’s a throwaway line about making them into men that should have just been dropped; it’s mister I’ll make a man out of you or it’s nothing.

But the biggest misstep is with “Reflection”—which, to be clear, is transformed from humble “I want” song into epic instrumental strains backing sequences in which Mulan first disguises herself as Hua Jun, and then throws off her disguise to triumphantly ride back into battle to save her fellow soldiers.

There’s just one big problem: Because Mulan never sings “Reflection” and articulates her ambivalence about the face staring back at her, it doesn’t actually mean anything to the plot of this movie when the refrain plays. That doesn’t stop it from tugging at the heartstrings, but that’s solely a chemical reaction based on music ingrained in our brains twenty-plus years ago. Having two covers of “Reflection”—Christina Aguilera recording a new version, and Liu singing the Mandarin version—play over the credits fills in those lyrics for anyone who doesn’t know them, but it’s retroactive.

Interestingly, Disney brought back Christina Aguilera to record a new number, no doubt trying to tap into audiences’ nostalgia for her rendition of “Reflection.” Personally I would have loved to see Lea Salonga return for “Loyal Brave and True,” but Disney was banking on its former Mouseketeer and pop star to further tie audiences to the original.

What Reed had wrong was that the animated Mulan did manage to balance the drama and grim reality of war with tension-breaking musical numbers. We need look no further than “A Girl Worth Fighting For,” the soldiers’ cheery, jibing ode to their rewards for victory, abruptly stopping short when they come across the burned-out village—a stark reminder that they are nowhere near the end of the war. Now, this live-action Mulan clearly wasn’t set up for that same tone-shifting, but it still tricks emotional resonance out of disconnected musical cues.

Mulan is available now on Disney+.

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