For the Walt Disney Pictures’ 50th animated feature film, the company has departed from tradition in a number of ways.

Tangled is a retelling of the Rapunzel story (which, many people are only vaguely familiar with). To make the film appeal to more contemporary audiences, everything was tossed out except Rapunzel, her hair, and the tower.

In this Rapunzel story, as much time and attention are given to the male lead as our princess. The story begins with a thief named Flynn Rider (voiced by Zachary Levi from television’s Chuck) narrating the back story of a the missing princess who was stolen from her crib by an old woman who wanted the girl’s hair for its magical properties.

The girl is Rapunzel (Mandy Moore), who grows up in a secluded tower where her “mother” (Donna Murphy) tells her she must remain. Mother Gothel fills Rapunzel with stories of the evils of the outside, and forbids her from talking about leaving.

When Flynn stumbles across the tower while running from palace guards, he ends up reluctantly helping the girl escape from her imprisonment.

As far as story goes, Tangled has a lot to offer. It’s a fun romp and manages to tug on the old heart strings as well. Mother Gothel is far from the most terrifying villain Disney has dreamt up, but she’s realistic and twisted. And, of course, the story offers some anthropomorphized animals to add to the fun.

Flynn (Zachary Levi) and Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) from Disney's 50th animated feature film, Tangled.

The problem is that Tangled doesn’t feel like a Disney film.

Like Chicken Little, Bolt, and Meet the Robinsons, Tangled is done with computer generated (CG) animation. Yes, it’s beautiful, but it has the same look and feel of every other CG animated film on the market today. It could be another Shrek movie or How to Train Your Dragon. There is nothing here that says to me “This is Disney.”  It is a far cry from the beautifully hand-drawn work of last year’s The Princess and the Frog.

Like the other Disney princess films, Tangled is also a musical. But here, as with the CG animation, Disney seems to have lost its art. The five songs by veteran composer Alan Menken lack any memorable quality. Again, blame the direction from Disney. Director Byron Howard wanted Menken to depart from the heavy Broadway musical-type scoring. As a result, the music doesn’t sound like the classic Disney films.

As recently reported in the Los Angeles Times, Tangled will be the company’s last animated film based on fairy tale — a tradition that began with its first animated feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. (See “Disney Animation is closing the book on fairy tales.”)

Why would the House of Mouse shoot itself in the proverbial foot and kill off its princess franchise? For part of the answer, check out The Princess and the Frog. Last year’s film returned to the classic hand-drawn style of animation. It, too, retold a classic fairy tale, this one updated to 1920s New Orleans. The film included two Oscar-nominated songs by Randy Newman (and won for “Almost There”). And the film was nominated for Best Animated Film. Yet The Princess and the Frog did not resonate with audiences.

The film, which cost $105 million to make was not considered a commercial success. As of March 2010, The Princess and the Frog had grossed only $104 million domestically. Disney learned that, though the film appealed to little girls, films with the word “princess” in the title just don’t attract little boys. In Hollywood, where accounting rules rather than artistic merit, this meant that Disney had to change up its tried and true formula.

Good-bye Rapunzel. Hello, Tangled.

With as much screen time given to our adventurous anti-hero Flynn as the princess and her story, Tangled is the future of Disney storytelling. It appears that the studio has learned nothing from the era of Michael Eisner. He, too, thought he could forge a new direction for the company. He thought he knew better than Walt Disney. He failed to listen to the fans and focused too much on the bottom line.

As diversified as the Walt Disney Corporation is, one would hope they could see the value in letting artistic merit come before money. But maybe artistic integrity, like princesses and hand-drawn animation, is something that belongs to another era.

Jensen Ackles will supply the voice of the Red Hood in Batman: Under the Red Hood. Image courtesy of DC Entertainment.

In a couple of weeks, DC Comics fans will have a chance to take in the latest direct-to-DVD offering, the highly anticipated Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths animated feature. But the buzz today is coming from the next feature in queue for DC Entertainment.

According to The Los Angeles Times, details are emerging about the next animated feature, namely Batman: Under the Red Hood. The original comic book storyline will be adapted by animation legend Bruce Timm (as executive producer) and Brandon Vietti (as director). Vietti co-directed the 2007 animated feature Superman: Doomsday.

The Times is reporting that Bruce Greenwood will star as Batman. The cast will also include Futurama’s John DiMaggio as the Joker, Supernatural co-star Jensen Ackles as the Red Hood, and Jason Isaacs as Ra’s Al Ghul. In the role of Nightwing will be the legend-”wait for it”-dary Neil Patrick Harris star of CBS’s How I Met Your Mother and the Joss Whedon Web sensation, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.

Batman: Under the Red Hood will be adapted by Judd Winick and based on the “Batman: Under the Hood” storyline that Winick wrote in the Batman comic series with artists Doug Mahnke and Paul Lee. The story finds Batman contending with a figure from his past who has donned the identity of the Red Hood — a former alias of the Joker — in order to pursue his revenge against the Dark Knight and the Clown Prince of Crime.

A sneak preview of Batman: Under the Red Hood will  appear on the Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths DVD when it is released on February 23.

Tiana considers whether to kiss Prince Naveen in The Princess and the Frog. (Disney Pictures, 2009)

Over the years, I’ve heard many naysayers declare that fairy tales – such as those made popular in Disney films – are poor role models for young girls. They say that impressionable girls expect to have their problems solved for them by Prince Charming, and such girls are often disappointed. But in the new Disney film, it turns out that it’s the prince who needs to be rescued.

In The Princess and the Frog, audiences meet Tiana, a woman who believes in hard work and making her own dreams come true. Not only is she the first African-American princess, she’s the first fairy tale princess who lives in a real city in a real time.

Set in 1920s New Orleans, the story follows Tiana (voiced by Tony Award winner Anika Noni Rose), a young woman who has learned the value of hard work from her father. When her dreams of opening her own restaurant turn sour, she wishes on the evening star for a little help and gets a frog in return.

The frog is a visiting prince named Naveen (Bruno Campos) who has been tricked by the local voodoo “shadow man,” Dr. Facilier (Keith David). His transformation has given Dr. Facilier the opportunity to replace the prince with a fake in an attempt to gain Naveen’s fortune.

A misguided kiss to restore Naveen transforms Tiana into a frog as well. Soon, the two frogs are lost in the Louisiana bayou, searching for a way to become human once again. Along the way they make new friends, including a trumpet-playing alligator named Louis (Michael-Leon Wooley) and a Cajun firefly named Ray (Jim Cummings).

Some of the encounters along the way (like the frog hunters) seem thrown in for laughs rather than story. Others moments seem rushed, as if the story was edited down too much. I would love to have spent more time with the evil Dr. Facilier or the enchanting Mama Odie (Jenifer Lewis). Each of these characters deserved more time on screen.

The Princess and the Frog looks and feels like a classic Disney animated feature. Why? Because it’s hand-drawn. That’s right, no computers. Hand-drawn animation helps makes this film a work of art.

Though I am often moved by the films of Disney’s Pixar team, there is a quality to hand-drawn animation that sets it apart. It may not be three-dimensional or as realistic as other animated features claim to be. But art isn’t always about realism. Sometimes it’s about adopting a certain style.

Case in point is Tiana’s dream sequence, “Almost There.” As she sings to her mother, Eudora (Oprah Winfrey), about her vision for the restaurant her father always wanted, the artwork in the film changes to reflect the art deco style of the picture she carries with her. While the art in this particular sequence didn’t appeal to me, I appreciated what the artists were doing. They used a different style of art to communicate story setting and give a nod to the art of the time.

The music, too, is another return to a traditional Disney animated feature. Having tolerated a drought of music-driven stories from Disney, I was relieved to discover that The Princess and the Frog would be a musical. To the filmmakers’ credit, they entrusted the jazz-influenced songs and score to none other than Academy Award winner Randy Newman.

Even after a single viewing, I found myself humming numbers like “Almost There,” “Friends on the Other Side,” and “Dig a Little Deeper.” These songs are on par with some of the best Disney has offered. I imagine that after repeated listening, the soundtrack will become one of my favorites.

So, how does it stack up as a Disney princess film? As a guy, it’s difficult for me to compare The Princess and the Frog to the others princesses. With the exception of Beauty and the Beast – which is at the top of my list for all Disney animation – the princess movies rarely resonate with me on an emotional level. They are beautiful, yes. And each is a work of art in its own romantic way. But I prefer the comedy of the Jungle Book or the adventure of Aladdin.

Even so, I do recognize the love and respect that went into this film. It has a good message about working hard to make your dreams come true. But, as my wife pointed out, The Princess and the Frog doesn’t deliver that heart-swelling ending when it becomes clear that true love does conquer all.

Even though the message of the film may be more practical than passionate, I believe The Princess and the Frog is wonderfully romantic film. And Tiana has earned her place alongside the other classic Disney princesses.

The Princess and the Frog is a well-written and moving tale about making dreams come true. But it falls just short of being an “instant classic.”

Presented by Walt Disney Pictures, The Princess and the Frog is the 49th animated feature film from Disney, a tradition established nearly 75 years ago with the release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The film is rated G by the MPAA.

Family Guy: Something, Something, Something, Dark Side coming to DVD and Blu-ray on Dec. 22, 2009.

It’s going to be a great holiday season for fans of Family Guy and Star Wars fans when Family Guy: Something, Something, Something, Darkside comes to Blu-ray and DVD on December 22, 2009. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment is launching the second DVD premiere feature from the creators of Family Guy after 2005’s enormously popular Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story.

The new feature is a follow-up to the 2008 Star Wars spoof “Blue Harvest.” This time around the Griffin clan packs lightsaber sharp wit as they parody the classic sequel The Empire Strikes Back. Luke (Chris), Leia (Lois), Han Solo (Peter) and Chewbacca (Brian) evade the dreaded Imperial Starfleet led by the cunning, conniving (and curiously short) evil lord Darth Vader (Stewie), setting up a new secret base on the remote ice world of Hoth. With the rebellion in trouble, young Skywalker must take the advice of his mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi (Herbert) and learn the ways of the “farce” under Jedi Master Yoda (Carl) to save the galaxy once and for all.

To promote the upcoming DVD, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment has made available the following special trailer:

If you’re interested, here are the specs:

The two-disc Blu-ray with digital copy is presented in full screen 4×3 aspect ratio featuring English 5.1 Dolby Surround, Line 21, English for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, English, Spanish, and French stereo and subtitles. Special features include:

• Digital Copy
• Audio Commentary
• Deleted Scenes
• B ehind-The-Scenes Featurette – “The Darkside of Poster Art”
• Animatics
• Pop-Up Video

The DVD is presented in full screen aspect ratio featuring English 5.1 Dolby Surround, Line 21, English for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, English, Spanish, French, and Brazilian stereo and subtitles. Special features include all those listed above except Digital Copy.

Carl (right, voiced by Ed Asner) unwillingly leads Russell (Jordan Nagai) through the wilderness of Venezuela to Paradise Falls in Disney/Pixar's feature animated film Up.

This past weekend, my family received the DVD of Up from the Disney Movie Club. We watched again the heart-warming story of Carl, the lonely old man who in the twilight of his years decides to fulfill his wife’s life-long dream of adventure. By tying their home to a thousand balloons, he uproots from the urban sprawl and heads to South America.

The film is a masterpiece of animation and storytelling, with some of the most endearing characters you will ever see. It is also perhaps the most moving film – animated or otherwise – to be created since Jimmy Stewart stopped making movies. If you can watch the first ten minutes of the film without crying, you have no soul.

Naturally, the beauty of this film started me thinking about the Academy Awards. In the history of film, only one animated feature has ever been nominated for best picture, and it didn’t win.

When the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) announced in 2001 that it would create an Oscar category specifically for animated features, it was about a decade too late. Beauty and the Beast had earned a Best Picture nomination in 1991 (and remains the only animated feature to do so). But it didn’t receive the recognition it deserved.

Fast forward to 2009. This year, the AMPAS announced that the Oscars will include 10 nominees in the Best Picture category, returning the Academy Awards to the heady days of yesteryear when television program length wasn’t a factor. (The last year to host 10 nominees was 1943, when Casablanca won for Best Picture.)

Since 2001, animated features have certainly been given their due. Beginning with Shrek in 2001, the AMPAS has recognized some truly noteworthy films. Four of the eight winners so far have been Disney/Pixar features (Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, and WALL-E).

While this is certainly something to be proud of, it is also a bit like saying “You’re the smartest kid… in your class.” It’s great that animated film is finally being recognized in some way, but it isn’t enough. This category should showcase animated features, not become their prison.

This year, the front-runner to be nominated and win Best Animated Feature seems to be the Disney/Pixar film Up. This wonderful film has captured the hearts of people everywhere, and is already considered a favorite of many Disney/Pixar fans. For the first time since Beauty and the Beast, we have an animated film that is worthy of the title Best Picture. And for the first time in more than 60 years, we have a wider list for nominations.

For these reasons, I contend that it is not enough to nominate Up for Best Animated Feature. It is time to once again nominate an animated film for Best Picture. I call on the voters of the Academy to make Up a nominee in the Best Picture and Best Animated Feature categories. Show your support for animated film by placing it alongside the other great films of 2009.

The 82nd Academy Awards nominations will be announced on Tuesday, February 2, 2010, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2009 will be presented on Sunday, March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

In the old days, horror movies were not about shocking audiences with disgusting displays of blood and gore. The monsters were the central theme, with characters like Frankenstein’s monster, the Wolf Man, Dracula and the Mummy.

I have always loved these classic monsters, in part because of a rare holiday treasure from my childhood known as Mad Monster Party? (Originally, the film had a question mark is part of the title. Why? I have no idea. Maybe because monsters aren’t supposed to have parties.)

This stop-motion animated film came from Rankin/Bass, the same people who brought us Christmas classics like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Santa Claus is Coming to Town.

The story follows meek Felix Flankin (voiced by Allen Swift) who is invited to a party by his uncle, Baron von Frankenstein (voiced by horror veteran Boris Karloff). Dr. Frankenstein intends to reveal his last great invention and name his successor before he retires. All the monsters are invited, and each one assumes that he (or she) will be put in charge. Even the Monster’s Mate (voiced by Phyllis Diller) is vying for the job.

There is singing. There is dancing. It is funny, not scary. It has more in common with those Rankin/Bass Christmas specials than it would with anything by Tim Burton. Mad Monster Party shows Halloween monsters at their most innocent and loveable.

Enjoy this collection of scenes from the film with Ethel Ennis singing the theme song.

If you want to pick up a copy for your collection, Mad Monster Party is available on Amazon.com.

Mad Monster Party is also #9 on the FilmGuru.Net Top 10 Halloween Comedies.