The production values are first rate. But you will wait in vain to hear a good reason for this movie's existence.
Comment
10/30/09
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Walt and El Grupo (2009)
71
%
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Reviews Counted:17
Fresh:12
Rotten:5
Average Rating:6.5/10
Theatrical Release:Sep 9, 2009 Limited
Synopsis: Theodore Thomas, son of the late Walt Disney Studios animator Frank Thomas (1912-2004) and director of the acclaimed 1995 documentary FRANK AND OLLIE, helms this second foray into Disney history.... [More]
Director: Theodore Thomas
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Reviews for Walt and El Grupo
1 - 17 (sorted by date)
Top CriticAt a time when Hollywood doesn't remember last year, is obsessed with the bottom line and is run by men who often have no sense of history, Walt & El Grupo evokes a better time.
10/22/09
Top CriticWhile skimming over the troubled waters of impending war and ongoing labor unrest, it’s both a vicarious vacation and a crash course in animation.
10/21/09
A bland tourist souvenir, the equivalent of an authorized biography rather than an independent one.
10/18/09
You get a taste of what the Disney group went through and saw, and you see how that work translated into rough sketches and designs.
10/01/09
[Thomas] may need more distance from the subject -- Walt & El Grupo could shed about 20 minutes -- but there's no questioning his sincerity or his instinct for revealing anecdotes.
09/24/09
This may be the first documentary that contains not a single American, living or dead, who is anything but merry of disposition. That cheer carries over to the on-the-spot gusto of el grupo’s sketchbooks -- a more accurate tribute than the final cartoons.
09/21/09
Top CriticA lively, well-edited documentary brimming with insight, warmth and humor while captivating audiences both young and old.
09/13/09
Provides a framing device for the Disney creative process as well as the issue of the place of art in geo-politics.
09/11/09
A relentlessly upbeat vanity project destined for the Disney family archive.
09/11/09
Top CriticThe trouble is that there's no real drama here; Walt is painted as a kind, benevolent soul whose very presence gave a lift to the poor citizens and their dreary lives below the equator.
09/10/09
While Walt & El Grupo could use trimming, it also is visually stunning.
09/10/09
Top CriticHardcore Disney fans will appreciate how serious-minded and intimate this movie is, but for others, Walt & El Grupo might feel like an expensive vacation slide show, assembled by strangers.
09/10/09
Walt & El Grupo is the best kind of labor of love. A documentary made with affection and intelligence...
09/10/09
Top CriticThis Disney-sanctioned documentary on Papa Walt and company’s 1941 visit to South America is a dull, dry bit of mythmaking.
09/09/09
This historical film has to be seen for the glorious way it takes you back through time, making you feel as if you are part of Disney's entourage.
09/08/09
Walt is both humorous and moderately revealing about the backstage machinations of the Disney machine.
09/08/09
Top Critic1 - 17 (sorted by date)
Latest News for Walt and El Grupo
September 10, 2009:
Critics Consensus: 9 Looks Great, But The Plot's Weak
This week at the movies, we've got post-apocalyptic conflict (9, with voice work by Elijah Wood and Jennifer Connelly); Antarctic intrigue (Whiteout, starring Kate Beckinsale... More...
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