#194. Bon Voyage! (1962)

 

 

Over the last few weeks, I'd been toying with the idea of watching every single live-action Disney movie (of which there are currently over 300), much in the same way that I'm planning on seeing their entire animated catalogue. But while the latter still seems like a reasonable challenge to me, wading my way through Bon Voyage! has almost single-handedly killed my interest in the former.

 

Like, did this seriously pass as children's entertainment back in the '60s? Was the landscape really so barren for kids at the time that they were willing to endure 130 minutes of empty hijinks and forced family values? 'Cause I truly can't imagine a single person, young or old, watching this movie for the first time today and not being at least somewhat bored. It's aimless, it's tedious, it's overlong, it's full of frustrating conflicts, and it's tepid at best on a comedy level.

 

Granted, the travelogue element is pretty pleasant, and I guess I should give Fred MacMurray credit for trying to liven the material up a bit (even if his performance isn't all that funny or dynamic), but I found nearly everything else to be a chore. And I can't say that it's left me especially eager to get to The Shaggy Dog or The Absent-Minded Professor any time soon.

 

Grade: C

 

#30. Oz the Great and Powerful (2013)

 

 

Prior Viewings: 1

 

Caught this one at the theater with my family back when it came out, and I can still recall the experience being mildly disappointing. Watching it again over a decade later, it's easy to see why (the CGI-heavy visuals aren't really to my taste, and I always thought Franco and Kunis were distractingly miscast), but the positives suddenly stood out to me a lot more.

 

For one, after fifteen years of soulless Disney remakes, it's nice to see one that isn't a simple knockoff. This is a movie that has a unique story to tell and actually dares to take a few risks, even if those risks are often unsuccessful. Beyond that, I was more compelled by the underdog story this time, and I found that Weisz and Williams were both so awesome in their roles that they mostly undid the damage caused by the other two leads (which: I've changed my mind on Kunis; she's perfectly fine).

 

But I think the real saving grace here is Sam Raimi. This is far from his best or most characteristic work, but I was surprised to finally recognize just how much of his style can be felt throughout, from the dark visual tones to the campy sense of humour. Gives the movie some needed texture and bite, and it made for a more enchanting adaptation than I remembered. 

 

Grade: B