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Hi everyone. My good friend Tigerfan45 has requested that I do an opinionated blog judging two films released close by with similar themes. Here are some that I came up with, but there are some that I won't be able to put down like "Lion King vs Kimba" or "Aladdin vs The Thief and the Cobbler since I have not seen them and don't have any motivation to do so. But if you have any requests for any that I haven't put down, comment what you'd like and I'll see what I can do.


The Great Mouse Detective vs An American Tail[]

Squeaky

1986 little mice


For those of you who remember the history of the Disney Renaissance, Disney was moping about not being "the number one animation studio." Even though technically, both GMD and AAT were both successful for their studios in general, AAT made more money than GMD. Naturally, I loved both movies as a kid, mainly because any movie centering little mice was my taste. Sadly though, AAT wore off for me when I turned 13. In terms of drama, I suppose AAT does do better, but in terms of keeping viewers' interest-GMD does a lot better at that. Also, GMD has a better villain. Ratigan actually sets the whole plot in motion and has been praised for his voice actor, Vincent Price. Warren T on the other hand, has little to no impact on the main story itself. He does trick Fievel into working at the sweatshop and send his minions after Fievel later on, but that's about it. Nothing else about Warren T keeps interest. I guess Fievel's story to find his family does seem sympathetic for an audience, but I have more fun with a mysterious intriguing detective like what GMD offers. I guess because I'm an adult, my interest has expanded to animated movies other than mice, and also still keep a mouse film if I have a strong enough reason-like for GMD the fun intriguing adventure, or The Rescuers movies for their sweet storied and interactions with the human kids, and The Secret of NIMH for its dark magical environment. But sadly, I don't for AAT. I don't dislike it, I just don't see it THAT special But hey, a lot of little mice fans seem to like both seeing how Fievel and Olivia are an "imaginary couple". If Woody and Buzz can put their feud behind them, these two mouse can too. And since GMD was successful enough to give Disney hope for a better future in animation, I guess I can't complain. But if Disney would focus more on their passion on making animated films and less on glory, they wouldn't have those so-called embarrassing moments.


Antz vs A Bug's Life[]

Antsy

Stop bugging me!


This is one of the most notable times where Disney and Dreamworks try to make "cartoon carbon copies" of each other. These two were released a little too close together, and they were both obviously about ants. I personally enjoy A Bug's Life more because of the family-friendly designs of the bugs, and that they look more similar to realistic ants. I know I'm probably being a little hard on Antz, but I thought the ants' designs looked more adult-ish and not very good looking. I haven't really seen Antz enough to determine anything else between these two. But since I've seen A Bug's Life more, I'm probably going to have to say A Bug's Life does a really good job at it. Plus you see a lot more bug-themed jokes, like in the "big city" with the mosquito drinking a bloody mary, and so on. That's how I think of it.


Finding Nemo[]

Dundundun

Can't you SEA the obvious themes?


Another time when Disney released similar themed movies was Shark Tale and Finding Nemo. I'd definitely say FN is the better one. It has a heart-warming story involving a father conquering his ocean fears to save his son. It tests Marlin's love for Nemo and how far he's willing to go despite the constant dangers. Also it's details look very realistic to the oceanic plants and animals, looking just like you're in the ocean. Not that ST is that bad, but its not that incredible of artwork. It designs don't look realistic to fish like we see. Heck, I don't even know what kind of fish Oscar is. Also, the designs are a little disgusting. In addition, I do like the whole "modern underwater utopia world" idea, but that's obviously been seen more in Snorks, Freddi Fish, and most notably Spongebob Squarepants. It's story I find more similar to Aladdin's in the sense that the main character who is considered a loser wants to be glorious and lies to get it, and has the "be yourself" message. I don't ST is that bad, just not that special compared to FN.


Madagascar vs The Wild[]

Zoo bop

The movies are ZOO similar.


Maybe Antz, A Bug's Life, Finding Nemo, and Shark Tale have moderate differences from each other, Madagascar and The Wild have WAY too many similarities. Both have a lion as the protagonist, both take place in New York City and their zoos, and both are about zoo animals exploring the wilderness. Uh yeah, not a bright move. Madagascar came first and was the more successful film, and I am personally one of those who like Madagascar more. Madagascar had more kid-friendly animation, and a lot of humor that made it so good. It was more about zoo animals trying to survive in the wilderness without their original comfort zone. The Wild didn't exactly do a lot to keep me interested, and their animation looked a little too adult-ish ugly-though not as ugly as the Image Movers computer animation. I will admit though, the wildebeest's desire to become carnivores did seem kinda funny. I also did like those sewer gators. But that's about it. Besides, at least you know that Madagascar came from a known animation studio. I mean, I know The Wild came from Disney but not from Walt Disney Animation Studios or from Pixar. Um....where from Disney did it come from? Yeah, it feels just thrown out for the heck of it. I think maybe if The Wild took place in a different zoo, had a different story, different zoo protagonists like a tiger or an elephant, and came from a different studio it could have been better. But truthfully, I don't think The Wild is awful, just not as developed as Madagascar.


Dinosaur vs The Land Before Time[]

Longneckers

Dinos.


As requested, I put down two animated films about dinosaurs. Dinosaur from Disney and The Land Before Time. As much as I love dinosaurs, I didn't become a huge fan of either. However, if I had to pick one to be better than the other, then that would definitely be The Land Before Time. The title emphasizes that it takes place in the beginning of time when dinosaurs lived. It also showed a group of different kinds of young dinosaurs who work together to get to the Great Valley, put their differences aside, and talk about their wonders of life. Also, the main character Littlefoot had to learn to move on from his mother's death-even though a mother's death makes me want to cry, it was the kind of emotional story that shows maturity. The Disney Dinosaur on the other hand is an absolute waste! The title was pathetic and lazy. "Dinosaur"- that's it. Not "DinosaurS", not "The Life of a Dinosaur"-no effort in the title. In addition, Dinosaur had the exact same story as Tarzan AND the exact same problems I had with Tarzan; over-advertising, too many promotions, an obvious family of adopted primates, a stick-in-the-mud leader who had no personality who is killed by the villain in the end-UGH!! Yeah, The Land Before Time wins by default here.


Flushed Away vs Ratatouille[]

Rats squeaker

Rats in the sewer...or rats in the kitchen?


Here's one I forgot to put down before. I love rats, so I didn't really have much a big preference as to which one would be better. That is, until I saw them both. I prefer Ratatouille more because of the incredible story, creativity involved in its environment, and sharp comedy. I really liked how one rat could bring his world and the one environment they wouldn't be welcomed in together-food service. There's not too much for me to say about Flushed Away, but it was pretty good as its own film, different animation as opposed to the CGI you see in Wallace and Gromit or Chicken Run. It was creative to see a rat version of London in the sewers using a lot of garbage, much like "The Buzz on Maggie". I will admit though, the rest of the humor kind of wore off a little too fast, as well as its obvious story. There just wasn't really a lot to its "sewer quest" like what you would see in films like "Shrek", "Ice Age", or "Finding Nemo". But that doesn't make Flushed Away a bad film. It certainly good enough to watch, especially compared to its boring holiday competitor, "Happy Feet". I guess in terms of emotion, moderately paced humor, and character I would prefer Ratatouille.