A classic that gets a little lost in translation

Rating: 8/10 (4 November 2019)

I rewatched this film with two young girls and their mom, who had never seen this Disney classic (How did that happen? Well, two of them hadn't been born when it was released in 1989). This was a film of it's time in production, character and acclaim. It set the stage for a resurgent series of highly successful animated features from the Disney Studios with it's beautiful animation and it's lively tone. It reflected a "princess" culture that would be a hard sell in our 2019 understanding of the hopes and aspirations of young girls. It introduced some unforgettable characters and was a template for future Disney characterization mixes (princesses, larger than life villians, loveable sidekicks, scene stealing attendants). And, it garnered a lot of critical acclaim, winning Oscars for Original Song "Under the Sea" and Original Score for Alan Menken ("Kiss the Girl" was also nominated in Best Song category). On my first viewing in 1989, I probably would have given the film a 9 (superb) out of 10, but it didn't weather well, for me (it just hit some cultural dissonance with me). This time, but I still give it a 7 (good) out of 10. So, for an overall rating I'll split the difference with an 8 (great). {Animated Musical Feature}