Hump Day Classic Movie: The Black Cauldron (1985)

Before Disney princess marketing took over absolutely everything, Disney sometimes put out darker pictures. But nothing, I think, quite as dark as the Black Cauldron. Even with a Disney spin, this movie earned a PG rating from the MPAA. The first PG rating for Disney's animated division. And audiences were not quite as willing to embrace that darker vision.

Very loosely based on the Chronicles of Prydain series by Lloyd Alexander, the movie bombed at the box office. I personally think it's one of the better movies from the mid-80s that Disney put out. It's not a musical, although there are elements of music throughout. It's a little rough around the edges, but I like the dark tone of the film. The creepiness. For fans of animation, this is a must-see film.



You can see a clip on youtube here: http://youtu.be/OlT3XbfU6e8

Hump Day Classic Movie: Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)

In today's world of CGI, this movie might seem unimpressive. But considering it was made in the 1980s, what the filmakers managed to to accomplish in Who Framed Roger Rabbit is pretty amazing. Blending live action with cartoons had been done before, but never quite this well.

Apart from the technological achievements, I think this movie is also pretty clever. Playing up the film noir and giving a wink to the history of cartoons, the plot, characters, and concept are original and often very adult.

This is one of my favorite movies from the 1980s. If you haven't yet seen it, you should give it a try.