Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreamsis a 2007 Americandirect-to-videoanimatedmusical filmproduced byWalt Disney PicturesandDisneytoon Studios.It was the first and only film released for a plannedDisney Princess Enchanted Talesseries of direct-to-video films, each featuring new stories about theDisney Princesses.It was released on September 4, 2007, byWalt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.
Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams | |
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Directed by | David Block |
Written by | Shirley Pierce |
Produced by | Kurt Albrecht Douglas Segal |
Starring | Erin Torpey Linda Larkin Corey Burton Gilbert Gottfried Lea Salonga Barbara Dirikson Jeff Bennett Roger Craig Smith Russi Taylor Tress MacNeille Tara Strong Zack Shada Flo Di Re Frank Welker |
Narrated by | Susanne Blakeslee |
Edited by | Kevin Locarro |
Music by | Jeff Danna(score) Amy Powers Russ DeSalvo Denise Gruska Shirley Pierce |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment |
Release date |
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Running time | 56 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
The film features new stories aboutPrincess AurorafromSleeping Beauty(1959) andPrincess JasminefromAladdin(1992).
Segments
editKeys to the Kingdom
editKeys to the Kingdomfeatures characters fromDisney'sSleeping Beautytaking place after the original film.King Stefan,Queen Leah,King HubertandPrince Philliphave left the kingdom for two days for a Royal Conference, leavingPrincess Aurorato reign over it in their absence.The three good fairies,Flora, Fauna and Merryweather offer to help her, but Aurora declines their offer because she believes she can do it alone. Merryweather gives Aurora her wand in case she needs any assistance and warns her to be very careful with it. The fairies also gave King Hubert his speech, which he forgot. With the assistance of the castlemajordomo,Lord Duke, Aurora's tasks include planning banquets, dealing withpeasants,and organizing servants who look after the kitchens and the gardens. Aurora believes she can do her job without the use of the wand, but later at night before bed, Aurora can't help but play with it and uses magic to make herself a big yellow ballgown. Eventually, after a long day dealing with complaints, Aurora gives in and uses the wand to help a localfarmerin need of newchickens,pigsandcows.Her magical inexperience leads to unusual consequences, including massive chickens, green pigs, and transforming the farmer into aduck.When Stefan, Hubert, Leah, and Phillip are about to enter the castle from a royal conference, Lord Duke warns them about giant chickens, green pigs, and cows. After Aurora realizes that using the wand was a mistake, she promptly comes up with ideas to solve the problems on her own just before her parents, Duke, Hubert, Phillip, and the fairies arrived, only to see that they were no giant chickens, green pigs, and cows. At the end of the first segment, they attend the royal banquet, hosted by Aurora.
More Than a Peacock Princess
editMore Than a Peacock Princessfeatures characters fromDisney'sAladdinand takes place sometime afterAladdin and the King of ThieveswithIagoand presumablyCassimreturning to Agrabah.Princess Jasmineis tired and bored with her usual princess duties. She is no longer satisfied with overseeing shop openings and assisting in the sale of a camel at the local market place. While having her portrait painted as a "Peacock Princess," Jasmine loses patience and says she wants more responsibility.The Sultangives her the job of "Royal Assistant Educator" at the Royal Academy. Jasmine is thrilled until she meets her pupils. They misbehave, draw on the walls, pillow fight, and throw books. She calls her pet tigerRajahto scare the children into behaving, but they ignore him before chasing him and Jasmine into the mud and up a tree. Jasmine gives up. Later that night, her lady-in-waiting tells her that she needs patience and perseverance and that with these tools, she can do anything she wants. The next day,Hakeem,the stable boy, seeks Jasmine's help. The Sultan's prized horse,Sahara,is missing from the Stables and if he isn't located, Hakeem will lose his job. Jasmine takes it upon herself, withCarpet,Abu,andIago's help, to find Sahara and return him to the Palace. Upon returning with Sahara she is able to gain the respect of the students at the school and her father.
Cast
edit- Susanne Blakesleeas Narrator
Keys to the Kingdom
edit- Erin TorpeyasPrincess Aurora
- Cassidy Ladden as Princess Aurora (singing)
- Corey Burtonas King Stefan
- Barbara Diriksonas Queen Leah,Flora
- Jeff Bennettas Lord Duke, King Hubert, Arguing Neighbor #1, Farmer
- Roger Craig Smithas Prince Phillip
- Russi Tayloras Fauna
- Tress MacNeilleas Merryweather
- S. Scott Bullockas Arguing Neighbor #2
More Than a Peacock Princess
edit- Linda LarkinasPrincess Jasmine
- Lea Salongaas Princess Jasmine (singing)
- Jeff Bennett as The Sultan, Painter
- Gilbert GottfriedasIago
- Frank Welkeras Abu, Raja
- Flo Di Re as Aneesa
- Zack Shadaas Hakeem
- Tara Strongas Sharma
Songs
edit- "Keys to the Kingdom" - Lyrics and Music by Amy Powers and Russ DeSalvo, Performed by Cassidy Ladden
- "Peacock Princess" - Lyrics and Music by Amy Powers and Russ DeSalvo, Performed by Lea Salonga and Gilbert Gottfried
- "I've Got My Eyes on You" - Lyrics and Music by Amy Powers and Russ DeSalvo, Performed by Lea Salonga
Production and cancelled series
editThis film was originally intended to be the first of a series of spinoffs "in which short stories about the various princesses from the Disney canon were paired according to some thematic overlap".[1]Originally, the first film in the series was to be titledA Kingdom of Kindnessand feature a completely different Aurora story as well as a story aboutBellefromBeauty and the Beastrather than Jasmine. Trailers were released for this installment on various Disney DVDs, but it was never released. The second film in the series, referred to simply asDisney Princess Enchanted Talesin previews on various Disney Princess related DVDs, was originally scheduled for a 2008 release. It was to have a newCinderellastory as well as a newMulanstory. It too was never released, due to poor sales ofFollow Your Dreams.[2]
The fan blog Antagony & Ecstasy speculates that this specific project was the catalyst for newly appointed Chief Creative Officer for Disney animated projectsJohn Lassetershutting down all DisneyToon Studios sequel projects that weren't too far into production.[1]
Initially, after the release ofFollow Your Dreams,there was planned to be an entire series ofEnchanted Talesdirect-to-video film installments.[3]However, afterDisneyToon Studiospresident Sharon Morrill stepped down in June 2007, and the animation studio units under the Walt Disney Company underwent into acorporate restructuringas the Pixar leadership assumed more control, the film series was cancelled.[4]
Critical reception
editCommon Sense Mediaassessed that the film had "perseverance lessons for princess fans ages 3-6" and gave it a rating of 2 out of 5 stars. It noted the prevalent themes of "follow your dreams and never give up", the "plucky, brave and determined" role model nature of the princess protagonists, and the notion that "as a Disney property, this film inevitably works as brand reinforcement for the Disney Princess line of products."[5]CineMagazine gave the film a rating of 2 out of 5 stars, noting: "It is unfortunate that the two stories have such varying quality. If it had been a little more balanced then [the film could have] become a great movie. Now it remains weak due to the Sleeping Beauty segment being entirely mediocre and barely worthy of Disney". It concluded that this project was focused on turning a profit than upholding artistic integrity ".[6]
Antagony & Ecstasy described it as "the first in an aborted attempt to create a new series of cheap-even-by-the-standards-of-cheapquels videos", and concluded "I cannot entirely hate this dreadful little cast-off. It's too short; it's too ebulliently random; and it might very well be the reason that the Disney sequels were finally strangled to death."[1]AnimatedReviews said "This is Disney Product with a capital P"[7]and "I thought Disney had turned a corner in getting away from this low-level quality, but this is just poor, poor, poor".[8]It added "Personally, I’d like to see this kind of thing where it belongs" which is on a television show called "Disney Princesses,with a new episode with a different Princess every time ", as opposed to dressing up things like this,Cinderella II,andBelle’s Magical Worldas movies.[7]
DVDizzy said "It is hard to praise a pairing of two half-hour" movies ", created with standards not much higher than those of a Saturday morning cartoon, that are being marketed as a full-length movie".[9]In a review of the DVD, InsidePulse said "The special features with the games are aimed at girls and Lord knows you won’t enjoy them unless you’re under the age of...6 years."[10]It added that it "does provide a modicum in fun in that it lets us see these winning characters again and more of their lives. But in contrast to the excitement and entertainment of their big screen outings, their lives here are a bit boring and didactic."[11]
Mary Costa,the original voice of Aurora, was not fond of this film and felt that it did not work.[12]
Awards
editYear | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Refs |
---|---|---|---|---|
2008 | Amy Powers,Russ DeSalvoandJeff Danna | Annie Award for Music in a Feature Production | Nominated | [13][14] |
References
edit- ^abc"Disney Sequels: Not Just One More Silk in Daddy's Caravan".Blogger.June 15, 2013.RetrievedJanuary 1,2015.
- ^Hill, Jim (June 20, 2007)."Say" So Long! "to direct-to-video sequels: DisneyToon Studios tunes out Sharon Morrill".Jim Hill Media.RetrievedJuly 4,2014.
- ^Hill, Jim (June 20, 2007)."Say" So Long! "to direct-to-video sequels: DisneyToon Studios tunes out Sharon Morrill".Jim Hill Media.
- ^Baisley, Sarah (June 21, 2007)."DisneyToon Studios Prexy Morrill Steps Down".Animation World Magazine.RetrievedMarch 7,2015.
- ^Nancy Davis Kho (August 29, 2007)."Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams Movie Review".Common Sense Media.RetrievedJanuary 1,2015.
- ^Meijer, Monica (November 6, 2007)."Disney Princess Betoverende verhalen: Volg je droom - Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams (2007)".Cinemagazine.nl(in Dutch).RetrievedJanuary 1,2015.
- ^abSimon, Ben (September 20, 2007)."Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams".Animated Views.RetrievedJuly 4,2014.
- ^Simon, Ben (September 10, 2009)."Disney Princess Enchanted Tales(with Bonus Disc) ".Animated Views.RetrievedJanuary 1,2015.
- ^Joy, Renata (September 3, 2007)."Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams DVD Review".DVDizzy.com.RetrievedJanuary 1,2015.
- ^Cox, Danny (November 30, 2009)."Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams– DVD Review ".Inside Pulse.Archived fromthe originalon January 28, 2010.RetrievedJanuary 1,2015.
- ^Bonanno, Luke (September 2, 2009)."Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams Special Edition DVD with Bonus Disc Review".DVDizzy.com.RetrievedJanuary 1,2015.
- ^Mary Costa Interview - Page 2.Retrieved January 17, 2015.
- ^"48th Annual Annie Awards".annieawards.org.Retrieved2020-10-12.
- ^Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams - IMDb,retrieved2020-10-12