2 Short Movie Reviews: Two Underrated/Under-remembered Classics · 4:58am Dec 26th, 2017
When it comes to holiday and animal movies, there are a great many near timeless movies devoted to either. If you're a 90s kid like I am, or you came from and even earlier decade, you probably remember titles like "Frost the Snowman" and "The Lion King". While a great many of these films are indeed great works of fiction in both acting, story telling, and visual effects; there are two that I feel slipped through the cracks.
Tell me, when you think back to those old stop motion Rankin/Bass Christmas specials; which ones come to mind first? Maybe "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" where we see the origin story for the gift giving saint? Or "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer", probably one of the original underdog movies we saw as a kid that told us being different can be okay? Heck, there were even more after the original films like "Ruloph and Frosty's Christmas in July". That last film I mentioned guest starred another lesser-known holiday entity that later got his own movie, "Jack Frost" (1979).
The plot opens on another holiday entirely, Groundhogs' Day. The groundhog in question, Pardon Me Pete, runs back into his hole when he sees a shadow which means there will be six more weeks of winter; and oddity considering a nearby reporter notices the weather outside shouldn't produce big shadows. As the groundhog explains before turning in for more shut-eye, the shadow actually belong to Jack Frost whom he has an agreement with. Jack makes more winter, Pete gets another month of shuteye hibernation.
Like most Rankin/Bass specials, it is there to explain something. We flashback to the medieval era and meet our protagonist, Jack Frost. Jack Frost (complete in his rather ridiculous elf suit) is an ice elemental who creates everything from blizzards to snowfall with his presence and whistling. He can cast a shadow and interact with the world around him, but he can't be seen. Jack has a soft spot for an impoverished Russian town under the rule of a cruel Cossack, always making sure the snowfall there's gentle and helping out with the frost fairs the town puts on. Since the Cossack king Kubla takes almost all their real money, the town uses the ice Jack makes to forge temporary snow money to do their business in secret.
Jack crushes on a kind hearted young woman Elsa Elisa after she voices how grateful she is for him helping the town out and wishes she could see him. Jack brings his case to Father Winter, who tells him the only way that can happen is if Jack became human. He can grant that, however it will only be temporary and last as long as winter does as it will be fueled by Jack's powers. In that time he must court, be able to provide for, and have Elisa agree to marry him. Two other winter elementals go down to help him out and we get sort of a gender-flipped Little mermaid scenario with Jack as a tailor "Jack Snip" trying to a friend and woo Elisa while having to deal with Kubla, as well as a childhood friend turned knight of Elisa returning to town to do the exact same thing.
The fair is your usual for Rankin/Bass. The stop motion, while simplistic, I think holds up pretty well to today as early age is better than old CGI. The songs, while not as iconic as something like Rudolph or Frosty's fairs, actually are pretty catchy. We even get a villain song that is delightfully hammy! Plus the story subverts a lot of conventions. The knight, Sir Ravenal, is not a villain nor does he ever tried to sabotage Jack Snips. He's just a kind hearted knight in literal shining armor whom happen to have his eyes on the same girl and helps out the group. I won't spoil the ending but it's not something you would expect from the sort movies. Overall it's a solid children's movie that holds up pretty well for anyone who's nostalgic for the sort of things. I make a point to watch it every Christmas, and I think others should do.... Or if you miss Christmas, could watch it on the Groundhog's Day; would fit.
And now shifting gears from a legitimate children's film to something that looks like a children's film, but good God you would be mistaken... "The Bear" is a live-action nature film based off the novel "The Grizzly King", following a young bear growing and having various misadventures. Now if that sounds like a rip off of "The Lion King", don't even try. The movie is from 1988 and the book it draws from was made all the way back in 1916!
And unlike the Disney affair, which is a great movie in itself, this movie doesn't pull any punches and does show quite of lot of nature in itself without much anthropomorphizing business. There is gore, there is blood, characters die, while still managing to have a happy ending. Not something that's very easy.
The movie follows a brown bear cub (and just to clarify, Grizzly bears are brown bears, just mostly a regional name) whom is orphaned from his mother and wanders the wilderness at the same time several hunters are going through the region. The cub, named Youk in the novel and summary, finds another adult bear in the form of Kaar, a massive adult male who's the apex of the region. At first Kaar once nothing to do with the cub, but Youk's persistence and helping tend to Kaar's wound after he's shot by one of the hunters causes him to come around. As Kaar is teaching Youk the "How-Tos" of being a bear, like fishing and tree use, the hunters become more dead set on hunting Kaar after one of their horses is mauled by an unseen predator and the assumed he did it. Between having to survive, fend off the hunters and their dogs, and what else is stalking Youk in the forest; Kaar has to fight hard to protect his ward and Youk needs to grow fast to keep up.
This really really sounds like a kiddie movie, but as I said earlier do not mistake it for such. While no animals were, very thankfully, harmed in the movie other than a few fish, they managed to pull it off to make it look convincing. There is a scene were Kaar has to fight off a large pack of dogs attacking him from all angles and by the end of it, it really does look like he killed most of those dogs and got really chewed up himself. There is lot of fake gore in this film. One particular scene that might make some people very squeamish want to look away in the aftermath of when one of the hunters find the dead horse. The thing is clawed up and eviscerated, partially eaten. And when one of the bears or other animals take a hit, be it from another animal or for being shot, it looks pretty convincing.
It's very comforting to know none of the actual bearers or other animal costars were hurt (again 2 salmon aside), because all of them give a great performance. 95% of all the animals you see on screen during the time they are on screen, are played by actual trained animals. Kaar for instance is betrayed by famous bearer actor, "Bart the Bear". The only times it's not or when it's absolutely necessary and they do a pretty good job hiding it. Such as one quick shot when Kaar is cornered by the hunting dogs, where you can tell for safety they had a prop bear or bear suit; just for extra safety. And any time the trained animals are on screen, they to a really great job! A vast majority of this movie has no dialogue, the only lines we get are from the hunters. So for the good 3/4ths of the film we're with the bears, it's all body language. They manage to get across what they are thinking without it being too human-like, such as a rather adorable scene with Kaar going about his business and shaking a tree to get at the berries, resulting in Youk fumbling around with a sapling trying to follow suit.
And one thing I really like the movie, there is no villain. The human hunters are antagonists yes, and there are dangerous animals out there; but no one is outright malicious. It's just animals doing what animals do and hunters doing their profession. It would be so extremely easy to ham-fisted some anti-hunting message in there, but the message about hunting, if there is one, is handled much more gently. I attribute this to the book's origin as its author, James Oliver Curwood, actually was a hunter. He had an encounter with a large bear in the wilderness where his gun was away and it had him cornered, after roaring at him it spared him and walked away. That incident inspired him to give up bear hunting, support early conservation movements, and write the book. One hunter is based off Curwood and we see a recreation of said scene in the movie.
There are some awkward scenes, including an out of focus scene with Kaar demonstrating what an adult male adult female parent do in the distance; but they are extremely outweighed by the good ones. And, in the end, it shows nature for yah; something not a lot of pro-ecological films do.
Jack Frost - 7.5/10
For a well-made children's movie that does what it sets out to do and I really think needs to get more press.
The Bear - 9/10
For and actually mature story that balances good plot development with realism.
Check 'em out!
Ooh, interesting. I'll have to keep them both in mind...
Holly crap, someone else has actually seen the Bear, I'll definitely check out Jack Frost now that you've recommended it.
Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas Day.
I remember Jack frost was a fun one. I like The life and adventures of santa claus by rankin bass
Oh how I love the Rankin/Bass movies! When I first saw Jack Frost, I absolutely fell in love with it and Jack's character was so well done!
Never saw any of those. I'll definitely check them out.
I kinda missed out on the Rankin/Bass stop-motion movies. Ironically, my favorite animated movie of all time (The Last Unicorn) is a Rankin/Bass movie. I was more into the Asterix movies (since they played on TV every Holiday season) and only one of them (which was really average) was released in the 90s.
Say, ever saw Jungle Emperer Leo? It was a movie based on Kimba the White Lion. Discovered this one (in a bargain bin) and it's a really good one.
I've never heard of these. Thanks.
I do know Jack Frost since it's a fair known tail from British culture, but I do admit I never show this old movie.
However I can say I did see the Bear. My grandfather often showed it until the VHS went bad.
I have that Jack frost movie on VHS.