A couple of thoughts came to mind while reading this post.

[snip]
> "The Return of Jafar" was the next concession. It was a sequel to a new movie, which is much more acceptable than fabricating a sequel to a decades-old classic, and it reassembled the original vocal talents, most notably Robin Williams whose Genie character made instant history.
>
> Then we get another Aladdin sequel, this time without Robin Williams.
[snip]

I thought this sounded funny, and just confirmed with www.imdb.com-- The Return of Jafar did NOT feature Robin Williams. The voice of the Genie was done by Dan Castellaneta (of Simpsons fame). This was a major disappointment. Robin Williams DID return as the Genie in the third movie, Aladdin and the King of Thieves, and as a result, the third movie was much more enjoyable than the second. (I actually consented to watch the third movie with my little sister more than once, while the mere thought of watching the second one again turns my stomach to this day.)

> "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" was the last Disney animated film that I thought was truly inspired. I liked "Hercules" and "Mulan," but they aren't inspired. They're craft, not art, and as such it's only a matter of time before the formula becomes too stale to stomach. Unless *somebody* in that great big studio finds a way to be creative again. In any case, I suppose the deluge of direct-to-video refuse is unstoppable now.

I did enjoy Hunchback, although I also felt that this was the beginning of the downslide for Disney. When I took my brother and sister to see it in theatre, I remember feeling uneasy about the movie-- it just rubbed me the wrong way. I still can't put a finger on it... I have never read the original book (a problem I hope to correct someday) so that wasn't it. I just felt that it wasn't on the same level as the other recent Disney works (or the classics, for that matter). But that's just the way I saw it.

On the whole, I have to agree with the general themes of this post-- I find the crass commercialism of the "modern" Disney to be disgusting. And after reading this thread, I am terrified to go to the Tiki Room at Disneyworld. I have fond memories of Disneyland... I am sad to hear that Mister Toad's Wild Ride has been replaced, though. My brother LOVED ride when he was ten and I was fourteen... I learned to live it just because he kept talking me into going on it with him. :-)

Don "Reminiscences have drawn me away from the focus of this post, but oh well..." Monkey