Critic consensus:Ambitious but flawed, The Black Cauldron is technically brilliant as usual, but lacks the compelling characters of other Disney animated classics.

Numbered reviews:1. THE BLACK CAULDRON hitches up its pants, says good-bye to Mom at the door, but then decides to go no further than the front yard
2. A mite disappointing, but certainly watchable enough.
3. Easily digestible (and forgettable).
4. A flawed, but ambitious film that was obviously aiming to draw as many adults into the theater as children.
5. John Hurt's gravelly voice of the Horned King steals the show.
6. Middle road Disney animation, unmemorable.
7. [The Black Cauldron is] too dark and scary for younger children, and it's too silly and childish for older viewers to embrace.
8. This is the 25th full-length animated feature from Walt Disney studios, and professionally put together as it is, many of the ingredients may seem programmed to those who have seen some of the others.
9. By the end of The Black Cauldron I was remembering, with something of a shock of nostalgia, the strength and utter storytelling conviction of the early Disney animators. The Black Cauldron is a return to the tradition.
10. The backgrounds are as richly textured and detailed as in any other Disney film.


Critic consensus:Elegantly animated and deeply touching, Bambi is an enduring, endearing, and moving Disney classic.

Numbered reviews:1. sad beyond belief, but lovely to look at and listen to
2. ... introduced us to a Hobbesian world where bad things could happen to the adorable, and sent thousands of children blubbering into theater lobbies around the world.
3. A brilliantly animated, heart-tugging parable.
4. Beautiful in every sense of the word. I consider it the finest Disney Classic out there.
5. Overrated by people who never read the original book and think kids' voices with speech impediments are cute.
6. The circle of life is shown to dramatic effect in the changes of the seasons, and the growing of the animals from toddlers, to adolescents, to adults.
7. In colors that would surprise even the spectrum itself, Disney's cartoon craftsmen have re-created a woodland that shimmers and glows and darkens altogether magically.
8. It still brings tears to my eyes. Disney at its finest.
9. Bambi is probably one of the best movies ever made, if not THE best.
10. Among the best Disney animated features


Critic consensus:The Holiday, while sweet and somewhat touching, lacks any surprises and eventually overstays its welcome.

Numbered reviews:
1. Winslet, who's never done a Hollywood romantic comedy before, turns out to be a natural, blushing prettily and smiling so broadly the camera seems ready to embrace her.
2. ...It's the women who come out the worst in Meyers's sexist worldview, where men are hopeless and women are helpless.
3. While Meyers overwrites and has a tendency to dwell on her stars goofing around, her best material makes the less-successful stretches worth sitting through.
4. Admittedly, this is a chick-flick. Guys may groan but gals are gonna love it. Like 'Love, Actually,' it's the Christmas comedy you've been waiting for.
5. ...The surprises would be surprises only if this is, like, your fourth movie ever.
6. ...The story goes on at untoward length.
7. Admitting that it's formulaic doesn't make it any less so, but it's enjoyable in a mushy, easily digested sort of way.
8. Like her near namesake, Meyers has quite a way with B-O-L-O-G-N-A.
9. It's actually one of the most educational chick flicks of the decade...
10. Watching The Holiday is a little like ordering a sticky cinnamon bun: You know the gooey, warm sweetness will taste good, but you'll feel guilty eating it.