I think it can be agreed-upon that Walt Disney had no sense of humor. I mean, he thought that Donald Duck was funny. This may be why so much early Disney stuff is badly un-funny. Even things that should have been hilarious end up being slightly somber. But this is usually "camouflaged" by the fact that Disney's films (way back when) were so "different" that the lack of comic flair was just not noticed. The special effects, songs and acting talent tending to overwhelm the senses. The glare of Disney Magic made it difficult to see that what was missing here was a good laugh.
I saw this film as an eight-year-old and thought it was daft. As an old man, I can see what's wrong with it. It's as if the Disney studio simply had no one who could make a funny film-- and Disney's lack of a sense of humor probably contributed to that situation. It's sad, really, The cast of this film could have, and should have, been able to pull of some real hilarity-- but the guy who made this seems to have been unaware of the nature of comedy.
"In Search of the Castaways" is like a case-study on how NOT to do comedy. I mean, all the ingredients of a rollicking, ethnically targeted laugh-fest are there-- pompous Englishman? Check. Goofy Frenchman? Check. Naive little kids? Check. Silly young fellow with more courage than brains? WOOF! Now put that all together with a script that features unthinkable adventures, unimaginable stupidities, unholy stereotypes and unwavering optimism and you should have it all.
But it's as flat as a pancake. No juice. It may be funny now, to modern audiences, but that's for the wrong reasons. It should have been funny then, and it would have been if somebody with some comic talent had been in charge.
This movie should be studied in film school to demonstrate how comedy works by looking at the opposite. The timing is WAY off. The gags don't land because they are "way too soon" or "way too late." Serious-- even somber-- concepts are plunked down right before the laugh should appear. Way to blow it, Einstein!
No, this movie is a classic, but it's more of a cautionary tale than anything else. It could be a test to see if a director can do comedy. Show this, then ask how they would fix it. If they don't know-- you've got your answer.
I saw this film as an eight-year-old and thought it was daft. As an old man, I can see what's wrong with it. It's as if the Disney studio simply had no one who could make a funny film-- and Disney's lack of a sense of humor probably contributed to that situation. It's sad, really, The cast of this film could have, and should have, been able to pull of some real hilarity-- but the guy who made this seems to have been unaware of the nature of comedy.
"In Search of the Castaways" is like a case-study on how NOT to do comedy. I mean, all the ingredients of a rollicking, ethnically targeted laugh-fest are there-- pompous Englishman? Check. Goofy Frenchman? Check. Naive little kids? Check. Silly young fellow with more courage than brains? WOOF! Now put that all together with a script that features unthinkable adventures, unimaginable stupidities, unholy stereotypes and unwavering optimism and you should have it all.
But it's as flat as a pancake. No juice. It may be funny now, to modern audiences, but that's for the wrong reasons. It should have been funny then, and it would have been if somebody with some comic talent had been in charge.
This movie should be studied in film school to demonstrate how comedy works by looking at the opposite. The timing is WAY off. The gags don't land because they are "way too soon" or "way too late." Serious-- even somber-- concepts are plunked down right before the laugh should appear. Way to blow it, Einstein!
No, this movie is a classic, but it's more of a cautionary tale than anything else. It could be a test to see if a director can do comedy. Show this, then ask how they would fix it. If they don't know-- you've got your answer.