April 19, 2024
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THE B-LIST: Talking mice, prophets, thieves — and as un-Disney as you can get

By Angie Barry
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"The Thief and the Cobbler" features a kooky cast of characters including Princess Yum-Yum, King Nod, Zigzag the Grand Vizier and Phido the Vulture. (OrangeCow.com)

I love Don Bluth, DreamWorks and the smaller animation companies because I'm a sucker for the underdog.

These films may not have the biggest box office returns or budgets.

They may not be household names.

They may be a little weird, or creepy, or heart-breaking.

But dang if they don't make me feel all the feels and cry oceans of tears, even when I'm singing along.

Continuing with last week's theme, here are a handful of non-Disney films that should be seen, loved and passed down to the next generation:

6. "THE SECRET OF NIMH" (1982, Don Bluth). Adapting a beloved children's book starring talking animals is typically a safe bet. But anyone expecting twee cuteness is going to be surprised. Relatively faithful to its source material, "NIMH" is one of the darker cartoons out there, and stands out thanks to its central heroine: not a plucky kid, but a widowed mother of four. As Mrs. Brisby (the tragic Elizabeth Hartman) proves, maternal instinct is a powerful motivator — but a magical amulet doesn't hurt, either, when you're facing evil rats, hungry cats and destructive humans.

5. "AN AMERICAN TAIL/FIEVEL GOES WEST" (1986, Don Bluth/1991, Amblimation). The first is one of the most emotional coming-to-America immigrant stories out there; the sequel is a rousing Western adventure. Fievel is a young Jewish-Russian mouse just trying to find his family and a place to belong, aided by his ginger cat buddy Tiger. Political and historical, these feature some fab songs and fun voice-over work from the likes of Jimmy Stewart (in his last role), John Cleese, Madeline Kahn and Dom DeLuise.

4. "THE PRINCE OF EGYPT" (1998, DreamWorks). Is this the most beautiful animated film ever made? Quite possibly. You don't have to be religious to enjoy the gorgeous artistry, sweeping songs, and stellar cast of this instant classic. An extremely mature film that spares none of the violent details of the Book of Exodus, yet somehow remains family friendly. (Ironically, the film was banned in Egypt, due to its visual depictions of holy Islamic prophets.)

3. "THE ROAD TO EL DORADO" (2000, DreamWorks). The closest we'll get to a cartoon Bob Hope/Bing Crosby "Road to..." film, "El Dorado" features a pair of schemer/dreamers — the con men Tulio (Kevin Kline) and Miguel (Kenneth Branagh) — who leave 1500s Spain with a map to the City of Gold. But when they find El Dorado, the pair are mistaken for gods and have to dodge a sacrifice-happy high priest if they want to keep their skins, let alone the gold. It's hysterical, with some of the quippiest dialogue ever. The bouncy bromance proves KenBran and Kline have great chemistry even when they're mere voices. The soundtrack is penned and performed by Tim Rice and Elton John. It's a heckuva winning package.

2. "ANASTASIA" (1997, Don Bluth). Who doesn't want to believe Anastasia, daughter of the last Tsar of Russia, survived the horrible massacre of the royal family? Expanding upon that "lost princess" fairy tale, Bluth takes a dollop of historical fact and mixes it with a necromantic baddie, one of the most handsome animated heroes (mmh, Dmitri...), the bright lights of Paris, beautiful fashion and a handful of songs that are at times haunting, at times catchy. Forget "Frozen" — this is the princess film I want to see on Broadway.

1. "THE THIEF AND THE COBBLER" (1993, Richard Williams). A lowly cobbler falls for an Arabian princess and faces down a nefarious Grand Vizier (Vincent Price, in his last role) and one-eyed warlord, while a gold-hungry thief continually crosses his path. Lest anyone accuse this of being an "Aladdin" knock-off, "Thief" was in pre-production in 1964. Yep, you read that right. Famous for its tortuous development, this is a weird little film. The visuals are half M.C. Escher, half Persian. The characters are often grotesque. It's definitely not for everyone, and the completed versions available are vastly different from Williams' original vision. But "The Thief and the Cobbler" is an intrinsic part of my childhood, so dang strange that it's unforgettable once seen — and about as far from Disney as you can get.

• ANGIE BARRY is a page designer and columnist for The Times. To suggest future topics for The B-List, which covers pop culture, history and literature, contact her at abarry@shawmedia.com.