Toon Talk: Top Ten of 2004 - Dec 31, 2004

Toon Talk: Top Ten of 2004
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(c) Disney

#6 - HOME ON THE RANGE
Walt Disney Pictures/Disney DVD

Expectations were low for this new animated release (which on first glance looked like a bovine take on Chicken Run), so imagine the joyful surprise when directors Will Finn and John Sanford hit this loony comedy/western hybrid out of the park. Immensely aided by an all-star voice cast and the twang-y tunes of Alan Menken and Glenn Slater, this fun-filled romp will have you crooning for your own ‘home where the buffalo roam’.


(c) Disney

#7 - DARBY O’GILL AND THE LITTLE PEOPLE
Disney DVD

Full disclosure: I had never seen this film before watching its recent DVD release, and I was thoroughly enchanted by its colorful fantasy, whimsical blarney and eye-popping visual effects, still effective in this age of hobbits and boy wizards. Add in the best bonuses on a single disc release, including ‘how’d they do that?’ featurettes, the full King of the Leprechauns episode from the Disneyland series and (holy smokes!) a brand new interview with Sean Connery, and you have one of the best catalog releases from any studio.


(c) Disney

#8 - THE LION KING 1 ½
Disney DVD

Like Home on the Range, another project that looked iffy on paper, but darned if they didn’t pull it off. A hysterically revisionist take on The Lion King, 1 ½ places sidekicks Timon and Pumbaa front and center, and don’t think but Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella run with it, with gut-busting results. Also the first video premiere to debut as a two-disc set, filled with even more wackiness such as an interactive safari ride and game show.