The Toon Talk Top 10 of 2005
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This often underrated animated joy, previously available on DVD only on a poorly transferred release, finally gets due treatment with this two-disc celebration. Added pleasure: a “new�? musical number (“If I Never Knew You�?) that increases, not detracts, from the film’s quality.
A whole treasure chest filled with gems of all shapes, sizes and colors, from the simple charms of The Little House and the Alice Comedies; to the goofy antics of Humphrey, Ferdinand, Lambert and all those guinea pigs; to the inspired wit of A Symposium of Popular Songs. Required viewing for any cartoon connoisseur.
It is not often that a supporting character gets his own sequel, let alone one that is so hysterical … and heartfelt. The Emperor’s New Groove’s Patrick Warburton yet again turns in a performance of understated flair - his Kronk gives muscled-headed ex-evil henchmen a good name.
Not merely reissues, but remastered to look and sound better then ever, this pair of modern masterpieces are more then historical benchmarks in animation, but two of the most finely-crafted tales of friendship, loyalty and mortality ever put on film.
Bill Paxton’s sophomore directorial effort got lost in the perplexing box office shuffle that was 2005, unjustly so. One hopes that this true-life inspirational story of the little golfer that could (and did), starring Disney favorite Shia LaBeouf and breakout tot Josh Flitter, will find new life on DVD.