Forgotten Features: Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003)

The early noughties saw a myriad of new, computer animated features. Naturally, traditional animation found it difficult to compete. 2003 saw the release of Dreamworks’ CGI/traditionally animated hybrid Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, which, unsurprisingly, also found itself to be a little lost amid the sea of new age, CG flicks. As time has progressed, the film doesn’t seem to have appreciated in value any, in that it hasn’t garnered a huge fan base – rather it appears to have become something of a forgotten sunken treasure.

The film follows the eponymous pirate Sinbad, voiced by Brad Pitt, in his quest to retrieve the Book of Peace from Eris the goddess of discord (Michelle Pfeiffer) in order to save his childhood friend, Prince Proteus (Joseph Fiennes) from being executed in place of him. Marina (Catherine Zeta-Jones), Proteus’ fiancée, accompanies Sinbad to ensure he does as he promises, inevitably resulting in a romance between the pair.

The film appears to derive more inspiration from Greek mythology than from its initial basis, but nonetheless proves an enjoyable experience. The characters are somewhat rather two-dimensional, and the blossoming romance between Marina and Sinbad is very predictable – but this doesn’t really matter. It’s expected, yes, but this is hardly detrimental to the film itself. This is a fun adventure flick, one which ultimately delivers what it promises: action, drama, romance, comedy; it’s not perfect, but it is nonetheless captivating throughout.

The animation is particularly noteworthy, mostly due to the seamless blend of computer generated imagery and traditional techniques. It must also be noted that this was the final animated feature distributed by Dreamworks to contain traditional animation. With that in mind, it’s even more surprising to me that this film has been swept under the proverbial rug. One aspect of the film that deserves appraisal is the artistry and design of the characters, monsters and locations, particularly Eris and her realm Tartarus. Eris leaves haunting wispy trails behind her as she morphs from one pose into another, while Tartarus is enchantingly bleak, barren and mysterious.

The voiceovers are decent, although, as usual, I have an issue with the use of ‘big names’ in the role of main characters. Brad Pitt as Sinbad conveys himself as a little forced to me. On the other hand, Michelle Pfeiffer is surprisingly effective as the film’s seductively menacing antagonist, Eris. In addition, the score (composed by Harry Gregson-Williams) is magnificent, and perfectly encapsulates the action/adventure genre.

The only major issue I have with the film is its pacing in terms of the character development of Sinbad and Marina. Their romance is altogether rather underplayed and contrived, and seems to develop very abruptly. Yet, despite my having claimed this to be a ‘major issue’, it does not make the story any less convincing or enjoyable. There are other moments that seem just as contrived, and some which threaten to push beyond the boundaries of believability (okay, so I can take sea monsters, sirens and vengeful goddesses but, come on, a flying ship?!). Ultimately, however, these instances do not detract from the film’s enjoyableness and upbeat, energetic pace. What does disappoint, however, at least for me, is the film’s conclusion and Eris’ eventual defeat. The resolution is logical (if predictable) and generally satisfying, but it’s a little underwhelming considering the scenes of action that preceded it, making it seem a tad anticlimactic.

Regardless, this is worth seeing. Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas is smart, funny, fast-paced and full of action, and proves to be something of a hidden treasure in Dreamworks’ animated canon. Though it’s hardly what I’d call legendary, it’s not bad at all!

Forgotten Features: Fun and Fancy Free (1947)

Between 1943 and 1949, Disney produced a series of ‘package films’ comprised of various animated segments. The features which followed the ‘Good Neighbour’ films Saludos Amigos (1943) and The Three Caballeros (1945) focussed primarily on musical numbers and loosely connected short stories. The first of these was Make Mine Music (1946), a feature containing ten animated sequences inspired by various music styles and visuals. Its success led to a follow-up, 1948’s Melody Time, arguably the best of the package films. The remaining two package features, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr Toad (1949) and Fun and Fancy Free (1947), were comprised of two films, the latter telling the story of ‘Bongo’, a bear who escapes the captivity of the circus and falls in love, and ‘Mickey and the Beanstalk’, including the last speaking appearance of Walt Disney as Mickey Mouse. Sadly however, this consequently results in it being the most disjointed of the package films; the stories are not connected in any sense, and it’s a little too jarring and uneven to be considered ‘fun’.

To begin with, the film’s title has little to do with its content. While the 1949 release The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr Toad has an awkward and frankly unmemorable title, it is nonetheless clear on what it promises to deliver – adaptations of ‘The Wind in the Willows’ and ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’. Fun and Fancy Free, meanwhile, is an ill-thought through title, and one which reinforces the sprawling mess of a feature it precedes.

The two sequences are introduced and bridged by Jiminy Cricket, who inexplicably acts as the host. Firstly, he plays a record which tells the story of Bongo, an interesting if altogether rather slow cartoon. He then heads over to the house of ventriloquist Edgar Bergen, who relates the story of ‘Mickey and the Beanstalk’ to Luana Patten and puppets Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd. The cartoon itself is fairly enjoyable in its entirety (although I personally find Mickey Mouse cartoons a little too sugary – and this is no exception), but its pacing is severely inhibited by the jarring live action intermissions and unfunny one-liners which become quite tiresome after a while.

Altogether, this film is something of an oddity. I mean, what is this, exactly? Whereas the other features of this era at least adhered to and embraced a particular theme throughout, this offering just feels bizarre, unconnected and weak. That is not to say that the sequences themselves, individually, are not enjoyable, but they do not work well together to form a feature. That, and the live action interstitials are just plain annoying and unfunny. Needless to say, by the film’s conclusion, I was left feeling rather cold and unsure of what I had just watched. It just feels like a thinly veiled bridging sequence; granted, that’s essentially what it is, but there’s little attempt to disguise it. Ultimately, it’s worth viewing at least once but in retrospect, Fun and Fancy Free proves to be anything but.

Forgotten Features: Home on the Range (2004)

In 2004, it seemed the hand-drawn animated film was soon to be a thing of the past. Disney had decided to abandon the traditional techniques as practised by Walt Disney in favour of computer animation, a decision which likely stemmed from the declining interest in the former, and the simultaneous stiff competition posed by the latter. While Brother Bear (2003) is widely perceived to be their swansong in this field (prior to the revival of these techniques in 2009), the very last traditionally animated ‘moo-vie’ of the period, Home on the Range (2004), a film about three cows’ attempts to capture a cattle rustler, proved to be an udder disappointment (sorry, I couldn’t resist). But was this film really just a load of bull?
 

When the ‘Patch of Heaven’ dairy farm is under threat of being sold to outlaw Alameda Slim, three dairy cows set out on a mission to capture him and use the reward money to save their farm. The plot is noticeably simple. While this doesn’t make the film particularly ‘bad’, it does make it profoundly unmemorable which is a shame considering the film’s rousing score (courtesy of Alan Menken) and excellent voice acting (as grating as Roseanne Barr can be). Speaking of which, therein lies another of the film’s flaws, and one which I rarely identify in a Disney movie – the characters appear to be based on the actors who play them, as opposed to the actors having been appropriately selected to play characters who are already established. Protagonist Maggie is essentially Roseanne Barr in cow form, while Buck is Cuba Gooding, Jr. reincarnated as a horse. In addition, it seems to be a rather uncharacteristically menial role for Judi Dench, who voices Mrs Calloway. Put simply, the entire ensemble seems lazily crafted, derivative and two-dimensional. Nonetheless, the cast seems to work together and they make the most of a tired and frankly uninspired script.

Despite the weak and unoriginal plot, the film does have its moments, although the humour is at times juvenile, crude or just plain silly. Again, this is not necessarily bad, but it’s not for everyone. The yodelling sequence, although hardly the epitome of intellectual humour and wit, is fun and unexpected, though it does ultimately reduce the villain to a less-than-menacing single joke. The crude humour is, at times, a little excessive and, to some, might seem puerile, but it doesn’t degrade the film substantially. Ultimately, the film is amusing. It’s not hilarious, but it manages to raise a few smiles, at least.

Yet, despite it being a comedy, there are also several attempts to create pathos. Naturally, this largely flounders not only due to the film’s genre and comic theme, but also due to the characters and story being rather bland, formulaic and uninteresting. Bonnie Raitt’s rendition of ‘Will the Sun Ever Shine Again’ is beautiful, and is the film’s one redeeming feature in this respect. However, it nonetheless seems incongruous and not in-keeping with the film’s ridiculous, outlandish tone. One of the film’s highlights is its soundtrack, which manages to truly capture the essence of the classic western. It’s just a shame that the film itself is nowhere near as grand as the score misleadingly indicates.

The animation is average, but far from the worst I have seen. In fact, the animation quality itself is acceptable – it’s the style that’s questionable. One might argue that it suits the setting and comic, light-hearted genre, but ultimately the ‘geometric’ designs simply make it even less engaging – the drawings have edge but lack warmth and character.

Overall, the film is a bit flat. It’s not nearly as bad as some say, but it’s distinctly weaker than most other Disney features. As previously stated, there are elements that work very well – the music is fantastic, the voiceovers are decent, and it is, generally, funny. It must be said, however, that the film is merely an average experience. An amusing farce it may be, but a little patch of heaven, it is not.