Ron Clements Movies
As one-half (along with frequent collaborator John Musker) of the duo often credited with re-establishing Disney as the home of inspired family entertainment, writer/director/animator Ron Clements shot to fame in the late '80s and early '90s with such classics as The Little Mermaid (1989) and Aladdin (1992). Even when Disney faced hard times, Clements remained faithful to the company which provided him with his first big break -- a rare show of character in the cutthroat world of show-business. A Sioux City, IA, native, Clements worked for a few months at Hanna-Barbara before enrolling in Disney's Talent Development Program; by the time he was finished with his two-year apprenticeship at the Mouse House, he had gained valuable experience working with supervising animator Frank Thomas. Character animation duties came with such late-'70s efforts as The Rescuers and Pete's Dragon (both 1977), and four years later Clements became the animation supervisor on The Fox and the Hound. An early collaboration with Musker resulted in the ambitious, but flawed The Black Cauldron (1985), and though that film didn't fare so well, the duo hit a home run the following year with The Great Mouse Detective. Based on a short that Clements had made in his years prior to joining Disney, it served as a suitable precursor to what would become the studio's biggest hit in some time, 1989's The Little Mermaid.Written and directed by Clements and Musker and based on a beloved tale by Hans Christian Andersen, The Little Mermaid proved just the breakthrough hit that Disney needed to bring its name back to the forefront of family entertainment. The movie possessed all the magic and wonder of the company's best work and, in 1990, it won two Academy Awards (Best Song and Best Original Score). The team enjoyed continued success with the release of 1992's Aladdin, and that film was also awarded Best Song and Score Oscars. Though Hercules (1997) proved that their cinematic magic was still there, by the release of 2002's Treasure Planet (which Clements and Musker had pitched during their Little Mermaid years), the well seemed to have run dry. An inventive combination of Star Wars and Treasure Island, the film's richly rendered 2-D animation simply paled in comparison with such stunning Pixar efforts as Toy Story (1995) and A Bug's Life (1998), both of which contained as much heart as technical wizardry. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
After being summoned back to the Mouse House by Pixar founder John Lasseter in 2006, Alladin and Treasure Planet directors Ron Clements and John Musker join forces once again for this traditionally animated 2-D fantasy for the entire family, set in New Orleans. Former Dreamgirl Anika Noni Rose will voice the lead character Tiana, Disney's first African-American heroine in their long heritage of fairy tale animated features. Also in the voice cast is Keith David, lending his baritone chords to the film's villain, Dr. Facilier. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anika Noni Rose, David Keith, (more)
Robert Louis Stevenson's classic tale of adventure Treasure Island gets a science fiction update in this animated feature from Walt Disney Pictures. Jim (voice of Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a young man who grew up reading tales of pirates and adventures on the high seas, and longs for similar excitement in his own life. One day, Jim happens upon a dying man who hands him a map and warns him to "Beware the cyborg" shortly before he passes on. Upon careful examination, Jim realizes the map charts the course to Treasure Planet, a distant world where hundreds of space pirates have stashed their loot. Jim is certain this is the adventure he's been dreaming off, and joins the crew of the spaceship R.L.S. Legacy and Captain Amelia (Emma Thompson) as they set out to find the fabled Treasure Planet. While Jim signs on along with his friend Dr. Doppler (voice of David Hyde Pierce), he soon becomes close friends with John Silver (voice of Brian Murray), who works in the galley but has big plans. Jim discovers just how big his plans are when Silver reveals he's part cyborg and all pirate, instigating a mutiny and attempting to take control of the ship. Despite his friendship with Silver, Jim refuses to take part in the mutiny, and soon finds himself attempting to defend law and order against a spacecraft full of reckless men. Treasure Planet's voice cast also includes Michael Wincott and Martin Short; Johnny Rzeznik from the rock group The Goo Goo Dolls contributed new music for the soundtrack. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Brian Murray, (more)
Disney's animation team dipped into the rich well of ancient mythology for this musical comedy. The son of Greek gods Zeus (voice of Rip Torn) and Hera (Samantha Eggar), Hercules (voice of Josh Keaton) is stolen as a boy by the minions of Hades (voice of James Woods), lord of the underworld. Forced to live among humans, Hercules is turned into a half-god and half-mortal after drinking a forbidden potion brewed by Hades' right hand men, Pain (voice of Bob Goldthwait) and Panic (voice of Matt Frewer). Now Hercules has the remarkable strength of a god, but is trapped in the body of a human, and before he learns how to use his power properly he goes through a typically adolescent awkward period. In order to become a god and return to his home on Mount Olympus, Hercules must prove himself a true hero on Earth. With the assistance of Philotes (voice of Danny De Vito), a plucky satyr known as "Phil," the grown-up Hercules (voice of Tate Donovan) learns to use his strength to his advantage and becomes a famous and benevolent protector of those around him, successfully battling a variety of gods and monsters. However, Hades, wanting to cut Hercules down to size, sends his secret weapon after him -- Megara (voice of Susan Egan), a seductively beautiful woman under Hades' control, who is to win Hercules' heart and render him helpless against the forces of the underworld. Acclaimed British cartoonist Gerald Scarfe served as production designer for this project, while Alan Menken wrote the musical score. Incidentally, for the Spanish language version of the film, Latin pop singer Ricky Martin provided the singing voice of Hercules, two years before he became a chart-topping sensation in America with his hit single "Livin' la Vida Loca." ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tate Donovan, Josh Keaton, (more)
Robin Williams's dizzying and hilarious voicing of the Genie is the main attraction of Aladdin, the third in the series of modern Disney animated movies that began with 1989's The Little Mermaid and heralded a new age for the genre. After a sultan (Douglas Seale) gives his daughter, Jasmine (Linda Larkin), three days to find a husband, she escapes the palace and encounters the street-savvy urchin Aladdin (Scott Weinger), who charms his way into her heart. While the sultan's Vizier, Jafar (Jonathan Freeman), weaves a spell so that he may marry Jasmine and become sultan himself, Aladdin discovers the Genie's lamp in a cave, rubs it, and sets the mystical entity free, leading the Genie to pledge his undying loyalty to the dazzled youth. Aladdin begins his quest to defeat Jafar and win the hand of the princess, with the Genie's help. Monsters, Disney's trademark talking animals, and a flying carpet all figure into the ensuing adventures, but Williams' Genie, who can change into anything or anybody, steals the show as he launches into one crazed monologue after another, impersonating figures from Ed Sullivan to Elvis Presley. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brad Kane, Scott Weinger, (more)
Disney's The Little Mermaid was the first in a series of blockbusters that restored the venerable firm's reputation as the world's premiere animated-feature factory. The title character is a precocious teenager named Ariel, the daughter of Triton, king of the Sea. Against her dad's wishes, Ariel journeys beyond her own world to the surface, where she falls in love with Prince Eric, a handsome human. Foolishly, the little mermaid enters into an agreement with evil sea witch Ursula in order to become human herself. The wistfully melancholy ending of the original Hans Christian Andersen story is dispensed with in favor of a joyously happy ending-but not before a spectacular climactic confrontation between Ursula and Triton. The obligatory Disney comic relief is handled by such freshly minted characters as Sebastian the Crab, who, courtesy of voiceover artist Samuel E. Wright, sings the film's Oscar-winning "Under the Sea." Other voices are provided by Broadway star Jodi Benson (as Ariel) and such Hollywood reliables as Buddy Hackett, Pat Carroll, Kenneth Mars, and Rene Auberjonois. The enormous box-office take of The Little Mermaid made possible such future Disney cartoon ventures as Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jodi Benson, Pat Carroll, (more)
The first Disney animated feature to make extensive use of computer technology, The Great Mouse Detective was based on the children's novel Basil of Baker Street by Eve Titus. The titular hero is Basil, a Holmes-like rodent (complete with deerstalker) who solves crimes in the company of his friend and chronicler Dr. Dawson. Basil and Dawson are retained by the daughter of a mouse toymaker who has been kidnapped by the diabolical Ratigan. The villain hopes to force the toymaker to construct a fake version of the queen who will grant power to the bad guy--or at least, for that part of the world behind the walls of London. Though nearly eliminated by Ratigan, Basil and Dawson trap the villain in the fast-moving mechanisms of Big Ben. By relying on computer animation, Disney was able to keep the budget of Great Mouse Detective down to a manageable size, thus earning back the losses incurred by the studio's previous cartoon feature, The Black Cauldron. Among the talented voice actors utilized in The Great Mouse Detective is Vincent Price, who plays guess what part? (Hint: he ain't Basil). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Val Bettin, Eve Brenner, (more)
The Disney animated feature The Fox and the Hound tells the story of a friendship between traditional enemies. Tod is a fox whose parents have died. His best friend is a hunting dog named Copper. As Copper grows up, he learns that it is his job to hunt foxes. Tod's caretaker Widow Tweed takes Tod to live in a game preserve where he falls madly in love with Vixey. Copper and his owner eventually enter the preserve to hunt Tod, and eventually Copper must decide between duty and friendship. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mickey Rooney, Kurt Russell, (more)
Two fantasy novels by Margery Sharp were combined for in the Disney animated feature The Rescuers. The title characters are a pair of mice, Bernard and Miss Bianca. A little girl named Penny has been kidnapped by Miss Medusa. When the human law enforcement officials fail to locate the child, Bernard and Miss Bianca take over with the help of several colorful animal companions. In classic Disney tradition, the comedy element is offset by moments of genuine terror. Voices are provided by Bob Newhart (Bernard), Eva Gabor (Miss Bianca), Geraldine Page (Madame Medusa), Jim "Fibber McGee" Jordan, John McIntire, George "Goober" Lindsay, Joe Flynn (who died in 1974, not long into the four-year production), and a host of others. It scored at the box office, more than compensating for the $8 million investment and the half-decade of work it took to complete the film. In fact, The Rescuers remains one of the most popular of the Disney cartoon films produced after the death of Uncle Walt. A heavily-computerized sequel, The Rescuers Down Under, appeared in 1990. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
