Nearly Perfect

Rating: 8/10 (1 January 2011)

I can't call this a perfect movie, but it might be the movie that captures the Disney magic most fully. The story was one of the most beloved fairy tales already. What this movie did was add amazing visuals, which I credit largely to the stylings of Mary Blair. Her concept art give this movie and Peter Pan such a magical, dreamlike quality that they take me into their worlds every time I watch them. There were some sequences that were done so amazingly well I never tire of seeing them--the chase after the ball, the tearing of the dress, the dance with the prince, and the final sequence with the fitting of the slipper. I think some of the sequences that feel like filler involve the mice and the cat, and I also think the animation is on a lower level for some of those characters. The songs aren't the strongest, but do end up being memorable. The bottom line is that this is a movie that has kept its appeal for many, many years, and still brings the magic even today.