I think the point is that animated films cannot assume parental tolerance of moronic cartoonishness. Pixar knew this and Disney have clocked on.

It’s difficult being the latter though – being enormous (and enormously successful), Disney ‘haters’ are legion. Journalists dipping their quills in bile carp on about the inappropriate ‘rollercoaster’ of it all, that it is ‘so scary’ or ‘preposterously dark’ but if you’re in the movie business, you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t.
As it is, it is a very faithful and true adaptation of the book – Dickens wouldn’t be turning. If it had ‘lightened’ up, had a few more cheap laughs, thrown in an inane song or two, critics would have bemoaned the ‘lack of connection’ to the original text, the ‘Disneyfication’ of it all – of course – that Dickens would no doubt be ‘turning in his grave.’

I think the only reviews (aside from this one) to take into account on this feature are those of your personal acquaintances.

There is far too much bitter cynicism in movie journalism these days.

“youll be telling me Fievel from An American Tail: Fievel Goes West isnt American next”

Fievel isn’t American, he’s from Russia. Didn’t you ever see An American Tail? He and his family comes over to America from Russia on a boat to escape the cats cause they were told “There are no cats in America..” Fievel and his family were immagrants. So yeah…Fievel is definately Russian, not American.

If you actually do know someone who hates Unforgiven and The Searchers I wouldn’t bother talking to them, they are clearly stupid and the conversation will be extremely dull. Unless the person looks exactly like Angelina Jolie in which case there are other reasons for talking to her!

As for my original statement that started all this:
“Things that make me shudder:

Disney
Animation
Christmas
3D
Jim Carrey”
To qualify it there are a few animated films I like but on the whole I don’t enjoy them. If someone said lets go and see an animated film, I would need some persuading. As for the other things on the list; there are a few good Christmas movies, three or four good Jim Carrey movies. I am yet to be convinced by 3D and I think Disney are inherently evil! (not just high school evil)

there are people who say they dont like westerns, which i think – and you can disagree with me – is a pretty ridiculous thing to say
when i say, for instance, that i dont like zombie movies, im talking complete nonsense, because i do like 28 Days Later and Dawn of the Dead. but in the back of my head i just dont think i like zombie films. yet i have enjoyed some of them, which means i do like zombie films.

if someone said to me ‘i hate Unforgiven and I hate Young Guns and I hate The Searchers…’ firstly, i would think they were an idiot, but secondly i would respect their opinion on individual movies. individual movies that just happen to be in a genre.
equally, when someone says ‘i hate musicals’ they are often just full of crap.

i agree with you that animation and westerns are two different things, and to take an example someone gave above, An American Tail: Fievel Goes West is a movie in the animated medium in the western genre.
for you to say animated movies isnt your thing is fine, as youre expressing that you like it sometimes but it doesnt really do it for you.
its more people who say ‘i hate all animation’ who im getting at.

if you like you can edit this argument and just quote me on the bit above where i say: ‘Im talking complete nonsense.’

can i finish?! can i finish?!
im finished.

As far as your westerns analogy. It doesn’t quite work. Westerns are a genre, animation is a medium. I just don’t appreciate it the way some people don’t like music or sculpture or football. Would you say to someone who doesn’t like football “you have watched some crap games and are out to prejudice an entire sport”.

I am also beginning to develop a dislike of 3D and overused CGI.

Not as much as Zombie movies though.

Any Hollywood studio chiefs reading this, please never make another one.