Leonard Maltin on Disney Films

December 20, 2011 in All Posts by Babes in Disneyland

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Leonard Maltin, one of the country’s best-known film critics and historians, to discuss Disney films for children past, present and future. Maltin is now in his thirtieth season with television’s Entertainment Tonight. Long before he became a familiar face on television, his annual paperback Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide established his reputation as a film expert.

Leonard Maltin’s movie guide is the ultimate reference for movie buffs. And while Maltin’s guides have been in print since 1969, his comprehensive annual movie guide is more relevant than ever. With services like Netflix, Blockbuster Movie Pass, and other streaming, on-demand, and mail-order rental services, we have amazing access to movies from the past that were once difficult or even impossible to find and play in our homes. With Maltin’s book in hand, it’s easy to select great movies and expand your film viewings.

Leonard Maltin is a big Disney film fan–from Walt’s early films to John Lasseter’s films of today. We talked about the importance of exposing children to Disney films of the past–think True Life Adventure Films, Silly Symphonies, and everything with Haley Mills. While you may be concerned with showing your children with outdated themes, it’s important to keep in mind that film is a wonderful way to explain how society’s values, morals, expectations and even technologies have changed and evolved over time.

Think it might be tough to get your kids to watch an older film? Maltin recommends starting with a movie your kids know–say “Mary Poppins.” The children in “Mary Poppins,” Karen Dortrice and Matthew Garber, were also in a lesser-known Disney film, “The Gnome Mobile.” It’s easier to get kids to watch an older movie if they recognize the actors in the film. From there, your kids can see Karen Dortrice again as the little girl in one of my favorite from childhood (it was an oldie when I was young!), The Three Lives of Thomasina. Also consider showing the kids “The Shaggy Dog” (the original version). All kids love a shaggy dog. Much of the cast from that movie are also in the “Absent Minded Professor” and “The Son of Flubber.” From there, the list of movie associations with the actors goes on and on. We recently added all of these films to our movie queue.

As we look toward the future of Disney movies, Maltin, with the rest of us, is excited about the future of film and what Disney will bring us next. He, like many of us, is hopeful that Disney will continue it’s tradition of hand-drawn animation (despite the unfortunate performance of “Winnie the Pooh” at the box office), in addition to its computer animated films. And like many of us, he happily awaits the rerelease of animated classics on the big screen–the very best way to experience film.

If you are looking for an amazing gift for the film lover in your life, Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide is an absolute must. I recently gave a copy to a friend of mine and he was so excited to receive it! He immediately opened it up and began going through it. The New York Times best seller is available on Amazon and in bookstores everywhere. My own personal copy has gotten a lot of use as we look to expand our movie repertoire.

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