Hello friends, happy Friday! I hope you’re all doing well. Today I’m back with my Disney Movies project, watching all the movies in chronological order. Today I’m back with the last few years of the 70s! Let’s jump right into it!

Continuing where we left off last Friday is 1977 – 1979.

From August to September I watched the next 14 movies, and damn was there a lot of space! Near the end it got very sci-fi heavy. I’m hoping we’re leaving the Westerns behind, because I’d rather lean into sci-fi than a western. A lot more goofy and kooky films, some better than others… but I think for the most part I really ended the 70s on a high note!

Freaky Friday: Okay, I have to admit, this film was actually really good. I had my doubts that this couldn’t live up to the 2004 remake, because that film is the one I grew up on and it can do no wrong, it’s absolutely one of my favourite movies ever… like I wanted to be Lindsey Lohan’s character Anna when I was 10, but I digress! Back to the 1977 version, the original, it was silly and goofy, but actually a lot of fun. Annabel can’t stand her mother and her mother can’t understand why Annabel can’t be more lady-like and neat. When they both wish to have the other’s life, well doesn’t their wish come true. I thought the way they switched was a little kooky and flimsy, but I dealt with it. It was really interesting to watch this film to see what the remake picked up on. There were a lot of elements that were the same, but slightly switched up. Like for example, taking a test in school, running errands, it definitely felt more of its time as her mom is a housewife, not a therapist who is a best selling author. Annabel is a pro water skier and I thought the mom would have to pro water ski still as Annabel, like Tess had to pretend to play guitar… I think I would have liked that more, but it was almost the same. I also noticed, and appreciated that the remake aged up the character Anna was into (Jake), because in this we just see her mom thirsting after a high school boy and it’s kinda creepy. This became more of a compare and contrast, but on its own, this movie does hold up; it’s funny, it’s charming and I loved seeing all the interactions with the characters when they were switched, as well as seeing the mother/daughter relationship bond grow closer. This one wasn’t as emotional, but I am way okay with that. In the end, I’d watch this again… although it will never take the place of the 2004 version… sorry! (1977)

The Littlest Horse Thieves: It’s a mouthful of a title, but was actually a heartwarming film. I have no idea why this isn’t on Disney+ because it’s a pretty charming movie. Did it need to be an hour and 45 minutes? No. I found myself in and out of the story because it kinda lagged in places, but was really good in others. This film revolves around these work ponies. They’re retired and the mining company plans to destroy them as they are no longer useful. When three kids get wind of it, they try to steal the ponies to save them, only to be caught. Now it’s up to the mine company to figure out what to do with them. I mean, they do come in handy, especially the one, Flash. The plot was just very wholesome, with children coming to the aid of these ponies. I liked that you didn’t have to pay too much attention to get the gist of what was going on. It was simple, and to the point, which didn’t help with it dragging a bit, but made it really easy to follow along. This film was actually filmed in London, and the acting was rather good. There wasn’t any goofiness, it was a pretty straight movie. I think if they did try to add humour it would have taken away the tone they were going for, as this was more on the serious side. All in all, a solid film that I’m not going to actively seek out again (because it’s not on Disney+) but if it was on, I’d find it endearing to watch again. (1977)

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: This movie is my childhood; I wore the heck out of this VHS, and I did so proudly! I am a huge fan of Winnie the Pooh so rewatching this felt like a treat. Also it’s been a while since an animated movie has come up, so a double treat! I haven’t seen it since I was a kid, so I was kinda interested to see what my adult brain would think of this… and I loved it just the same. The playfulness of childhood innocence is so beautiful to watch. Everyone always says Eeyore is the grumpy one… but man is Rabbit ever grumpy… Eeyore is just sad. I thought it was funny to watch the back and forth between Rabbit and Tigger. Tigger was so oblivious to Rabbit’s anger that it just worked. The one thing I did notice was the fact that Pooh always seemed to be getting himself in sticky situations and being the cause of mishaps; he’s like the annoying friend you can’t help but love because despite that, he’s still a loveable bear who just wants his friends to be happy. I loved that this read like a storybook, even using the book as a prop, with a narrator who told most of the story, and could talk to the characters, and the pictures that came to life; it was such a unique way to tell a story, making it feel really immersive. The songs were all so catchy and even though they broke out into song quite a bit, it never felt like a musical, just a group of silly animals and Christopher Robin having fun. This was so short, an hour and 15 minutes, obviously as a kid it felt longer, but all the stories just flowed into each other while it covered all the different seasons and all the things they got up to all year round. I couldn’t exactly remember the order in which things happened, but I did remember them all, some with more clarity than others, but it was a delight to rewatch. I don’t have much more to say about this, other than I loved this and I will continue to rewatch this as I grow older because it’s just so fun and silly. (1977)

The Rescuers: Two animated films in a row, how exciting! Now, I know I have this on VHS, but there were only elements about this that felt familiar to me. I’m sure I’ve seen it before, but there was nothing really from the plot that stood out; the only things I remember were the mice. So in this film, we have a mice society called the Rescuers who go out and save people (I thought they were mice detectives, so I wasn’t too far off). When a distress message in a bottle shows up, Bianca with her new sidekick Bernard agree to go and help Penny, a little girl who has been kidnapped. For the most part Penny’s story was really sad. Like no one wants to adopt her, she has no home, and now some evil crook wants to use her to find a diamond, I felt so bad for her. Yes, she does get a happy ending, but man was it rough for a while. The villain, madame Medusa was a cross between Cruella and Ursula and was just as evil. All she wanted was this diamond and she’d do whatever it took to get it. They really portrayed her as a terrible woman, from her looks down to her actions. I hated watching her, but that was the point. They gave her a sidekick, Mr. Snoops, who felt like a caricature of a nerdy dumb guy who was I guess was supposed to be under Medusa’s spell.  They never really say what happened to them. I guess we’re just supposed to think they’ve stopped chasing the diamond, that part was weirdly left hanging. All in all, it was a quick movie that was kinda wild for a kid movie, like how all the mice from the bayou were drunk… I feel like they’re stereotyping there… but I thought I’d like this more than I did. This was just an okay watch, there wasn’t anything truly special about it. Would I watch it again? Probably not, but I guess it could have rewatchability aspects. (1977)

Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo: Herbie is back, and so is Dean Jones reprising his role as Jim Douglas as he’s out to take Herbie for one last race. Him and his partner Wheely, played by Don Knotts, take Herbie to race in France, where not only does the car get caught up in a diamond hijinks, but he also falls in love in the city of love. This was such a goofy movie, but I actually liked how this played out. I was kinda confused in the beginning because we see Herbie, then it cuts to the diamond, then back to Herbie, and again the diamond and it wasn’t really clear how the two plots were going to cross paths, but they did a good job with it. I guess having that diamond, did something to Herbie because he gets completely lovestruck after that, and it was a lot of silly shenanigans, but it was also really entertaining to watch, too. Then on top of it, Herbie is still going to participate in the race, so we’re left wondering if he still will, and if he’ll win. This movie just had a lot going for it to keep the plots moving and engaging. The way Jones and Knotts played off each other was great. As I’ve said before, Knotts is a fantastic comedic, slapstick actor who has amazing facial expressions. With Jones comedic wit, mixed with Knotts physical comedy, it was the perfect balance. The run time on this was a little long, but it was fast moving because something was always happening so this didn’t completely feel like it was dragging. Some parts lagged a little more than others. Even though this had some of the same antics as before, this film felt more believable in some way that I can’t explain. Maybe because Herbie spent more time driving around and less time doing things a car can’t do, that this worked better, but it was still a joy to watch. In the end, this is probably my favourite of the Herbie movies so far, and one I’d watch again. (1977)

Pete’s Dragon: I have fond memories of loving this as a child, although watching it now, I couldn’t really remember the plot of this. I remembered bits and pieces, so it’s crazy to think I loved it as much as I thought I did, without remembering it. Anyways, this was a part live action, part animated movie, as Pete’s dragon, Elliot is animated, which makes a lot of sense because how could they create a good enough looking live action dragon at the time. I think they blended the two pretty good for the 70s, sure it was choppy in parts, but so were the green screens, but it honestly didn’t bother me because they’ve had worse. But this film is about a boy named Pete and his dragon, Elliot. Elliot showed up because Pete was in trouble, he was running away from this family who bought him to be their slave. Pete and Elliot find themselves in a small town, where no one believes there’s a dragon, and everyone thinks Pete is a menace, everyone but Nora, who kindly takes him in and eventually decides to adopt him. There were moments throughout that were really sweet, and I think what I resonated the most with as a child was wanting my own pet dragon that no one else could see. Wouldn’t that be cool? This was a romp of a film, with silly thing after silly thing… with a lot of singing. I completely forgot this was a musical. I’m not a fan of musicals, so watching them burst into song, randomly, was really irritating, but looking past that, this film still had a lot of heart. The actors really had to put on a show and really act in this because they’re reacting to a dragon that isn’t there. It was really funny to watch at times. I didn’t love this as much as I used to, but I can see the appeal it has. This was just over 2 hours long… and I don’t think it needed to be that long. The first half really flew by, the second half really started to drag. I feel like they could have told this story in an hour and a half. It was already a basic plot, they could have cut songs and scenes down to make it work. But in the end, it was decent movie, that was light and entertaining, I don’t know if I’d watch it again of my own free will, but I wouldn’t be opposed if I had to watch it again. (1977)

Candleshoe: This was such a fun movie, all the antics and man is Jodie Foster ever whip quick with her lines, she’s hilarious! This was another movie where she plays a tomboy (is this a theme for her?) but she and David Niven steal the show that’s for sure. This is about Harry, an ex-con artist who finds Casey and wants to use her hustling skills to help him find treasure he believes is hidden in the Candleshoe estate in England. He comes up with this elaborate plan to pretend that Casey is the owner’s long-lost granddaughter. At first Casey goes along with it, but as she spends more time with the makeshift family, she has a change of heart. This was so engaging, I had such a fun time watching this. Foster is just so entertaining the way she delivers her lines, her acting is just so good. Then, like I mentioned you add Niven and all the silly costume changes he had to do pretending to be multiple people was so much fun to watch. Every time a new ‘character’ came up that he had to play I couldn’t get enough of it. Helen Hayes also had a worthy performance, she wasn’t as comedic as she’s been in past movies, but she did play a great Lady and grandmother. The pacing was great, the only time it really felt like it dragged was during the fighting scene where they went on for a good twenty minutes bad guys verses good guys until the treasure could be found. Aside from that, this film had a lot of heart, when it wasn’t being comedic, and could really pull at the heartstrings, especially in the end. Overall, great performances, funny and captivating plot and it didn’t drag on for a long time, I’d consider this a great win in my books, and something I’d think about rewatching in the future. (1978)

Return From Witch Mountain: This film was better than the first one. I had a lot more fun with this. I still don’t get the whole flying saucer deal, like what does that have to do with being a witch? but this one had more structure than the first. The first felt all over the place, whereas this one had a good beginning, middle and end. In this one, Tia and her brother Tony return to the real world after spending time at Witch Mountain (which on a side note, why isn’t there a movie about being at witch mountain, I think that would make for a great film, but I digress). They’re on their way to a hotel when the taxi they’re in runs out of gas. While the cab driver is gone, Tony gets a feeling that someone is in trouble. He saves a man, but in the process gets abducted by these weird, quite greedy, scientists who are amazed by his abilities. They realize they can get him to use his skills to get what they want. Meanwhile, his sister Tia is worried about what happened to him. She can sort of feel him telepathically, and so she tries to go out looking for him… with the help of this ragtag group of “bad boys” in a gang. I kinda thought that was hilarious, it was this group of sweet boys who want to be seen as ‘bad’ but really they’re just good kids who end up looking out for Tia. I actually found myself pretty captivated by this plot; sure there were a lot of cheesy storylines again, but they weren’t as bad as the first. The way they had the two siblings pinned against each other was clever because I never knew what was going to happen. I genuinely took an interest in how it would all play out. I found myself laughing out loud a bit for certain scenes. This one was a lot of fun. I don’t even think you need to see the first one to understand this one. Everything is spelled out pretty well that it doesn’t leave you questioning things. The only thing that really had me scratching my head was the addition of Mr. Yo-yo. I get why they added him, to progress the plot, but there were times it felt really forced, but all in all it wasn’t bad. The acting was also better, the kids were older, it felt less wooden. In the end, I may rewatch this one, because it was put together better; although it’s still missing the witchy aspect if you ask me. (1978) 

The Cat from Outer Space: I’m not sure what to make of this movie; it was clunky and all over the place. A cat crash lands out of a space ship in a military base and then what I thought was the point of the film, getting the cat back to his ship… didn’t quite seem like the plot at all. We’ve got Jake the talking cat, who has a magic collar and has less than 36 hours to repair his ship and get back home. He enlists the help of Frank, a scientist, to help get him there, but what ensues is a bunch of goofy gags and weird chases to not really get him home… unless home is the United States. It was comedic in some parts, and kinda lame in others. Because so much was happening I just found it hard to focus on this movie. I think this tried to do too much at once and so it left me with not wanting to pay attention at all and left me bored instead. I tried hard to stay focused but there wasn’t a single plot that I thought was really worth it, nor were there any characters who made watching this any fun. The acting was alright, but it was all generic and like I said, nothing stood out. The cat who played Jake was adorable and acted its little heart out. The way they had it sneezing was interesting, like it was a very well trained cat, all the queues and directions it took really worked to make it believable he was talking and interacting with Frank. That might be the redeeming thing for this movie because otherwise it was a complete wash. I’m sure kids would love it and think a talking cat from space is funny, but watching it as an adult kinda takes the fun out of it. Would I see myself rewatching this, no, and it’s not because it’s bad, it just lacks direction. (1978)

Hot Lead and Cold Feet: I went into this like I do every movie I find out is a western… with a bit of apprehension… and this was just ok. I wasn’t expecting much and I didn’t get much, so my expectations were met, essentially. This felt like a one man show here, as one actor Jim Dale, plays two of the main characters… and a third who’s only there in the beginning. So Jasper has died and left his fortune to his sons… twins Billy and Eli. But the two don’t get along; one is a rough and tough bad guy, the other a do-gooder helper. The two decide to battle it off to see who will win the fortune. So this film was a lot of the two (or one if you will) facing off against each other, with an evil mayor thrown in for good measure… but it didn’t really make it any more entertaining for me. I will say, by the end I was curious to see who was going to pull out, and if Eli would stay to help his brother Billy. That’s about as much as I cared about. Don Knotts was also in this… but only for a short bit. He definitely tried to play out the small role they gave him, but I feel like he could have been utilized more, but they were more focused on the one man show. I saw a review on Letterboxd where it said this was ‘mildly amusing but mostly forgettable’ and that couldn’t be anymore true. There were parts of this that had piqued my interest, but for most of this it was just boring. It’s a plot that we’ve seen before so there was nothing really original about it and the acting was just ok. It’s not something I would go back to, nor is it something I’m going to remember to go back to. This movie isn’t even on Disney+ so that doesn’t help with rewatchability. (1978)

The North Avenue Irregulars: Why isn’t this movie on Disney+?! I actually really enjoyed this one, it’s one of those rare Disney movies that isn’t aimed at children, and sure it got a bit ridiculous by the end, but it was such a fun watching experience. This stars Edward Herrmann, and boy was he ever young in this! I couldn’t take in how boyish he looked and by god how tall he was, too! He did such a great job of playing the new reverend in town. So the premise of this is Reverend Michael has just shown up in town and all the ladies are all over him, that was so funny to me. He’s expected to get the church in order, but when one of the church lady’s husband uses the last of the church money on a bet, Michael learns of the towns secret gambling problem and wants to put a stop to it. The town’s police are in on the gambling, so he’s out of luck there, that’s when the church ladies come into play. He enlists them to find out where their new hideout is to bust them. This film was nothing short of a good laugh. The plot was hilarious, the acting was really good, and it wasn’t boring in the least. The ending was a bit much, but I can’t expect anything less than a dramatic ending. Watching these ladies try and take down a gambling ring was a lot of fun. Sure they were a little eccentric and a little stereotypical, but I could look past that to see the fun and weirdness that was this movie. I can say with all honesty that I could see myself watching this film again because it has the potential to be just as good the second time around. Sure, I’ll already know the ending, but the lead up to it is what’s worth it… plus Edward Herrmann. (1979)

The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again: In which, I’m not really sure why this needed a sequel? I didn’t mind the first one, but it didn’t really feel like it needed a follow up. This one just kinda meandered around for an hour and half with plots that felt half complete. There was a lot going on that I found it hard to keep track of what the actual plot was. Don Knotts returns as Theodore with his pal Tim Conway as Amos and these two are now the star of the show… only they’re not that great at it. Their comedy is sub-par and it’s honestly just gag after gag with them with no time to breathe between all the shenanigans. First they’re mistaken as bank robbers, then they’re on the run, but end up at some military camp, where there’s a whole underground operation happening and they get caught in the middle of it all. Some parts are funny, but mostly it’s just a silly spin on a western, a spoof, if you will, that’s what it felt like. There are all these side characters who felt like caricatures of characters who walked around to provide comedy and not really plot or development. They just came in and did stupid things for a laugh and would leave. Also, there was this very strange sexual undertone, not just with Millie’s character, but Hitchcock too, and it felt super strange for a kids movie. Like the hyper fixation on their good looks and charms was weird. It just felt like this was all over the place and I didn’t have the greatest time watching this. I found it so hard to stay focused because after the third and fourth gag you realize there’s no actual substance to this and even though it’s just supposed to be goofy, it’s just not good goofy. I don’t expect to watch this one again, once was enough. (1979)

Unidentified Flying Oddball: A wacky title for a wacky movie. I have to say, I surprisingly didn’t hate this, it wasn’t great, but it wasn’t bad either. It was definitely more entertaining than I thought it’d be. Apparently this is based off a Mark Twain book Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, I’ve never read or heard of it, but what a strange concept for a film. I think the reason I liked this as much as I did was because I could suspend all my beliefs on this one. So the premise here is Tom, makes a robot clone of himself so they can fly this aircraft into space at NASA, only Tom gets stuck in the aircraft with his robo-clone and they both end up in space. They’re set to be up there for 30 years, but while up there they manage to time travel back to earth during King Arthur’s time. It’s there that Tom uses his 20th century technology to help King Arthur defeat Sir Mordred. Like I said, it’s a wacky plot that at no point during this did I have any idea where this was going to go. It did drag a bit near the end with the whole battle scene, but the first hour sure did go by quickly. The characters were ones that I’ve read about and know about and they were obviously played out for laughs, which given the plot, that worked for this film. There were parts that were better than others, and for some reason every time I saw Merlin on the screen, he reminded me of Count Olaf from a Series of Unfortunate Events with how elaborate he looked, it was truly in kid fashion. All in all, like I said, it’s not a bad film, it’s just very kooky and will definitely not appeal to everyone. Would I watch this again, probably not, but I’m not mad that I saw it this one time. (1979)

The Black Hole: If you like Sci-fi, then there’s a high possibility you’ll enjoy this movie. I am a Sci-Fi lover and thoroughly enjoyed this, mind you it was slow paced, but there was enough there that kept me wildly invested. After an 18-month long search into space for life form, a ship and its crew are returning to Earth. Upon their return, they come across a ship that has thought to be lost. It’s dangerously close to a black hole, so they decide to board the lost ship in order to help it out. Only when they get there, there are no crew members, all robots who are ruled by Dr Reinhardt. Things seem fishy as the crew explores more and more of the ship, soon realizing Dr. Reinhardt’s true plans. This film was Sci-Fi all the way with a touch of horror as the crew learn the truth and try to save themselves. Even though this could be extremely slow at times, I like that in Sci-fi because you kinda need that in order to explain what’s happening. Without a slow pace, it’s very easy to miss something important and this film did a great job of keeping things interesting while explaining things without also giving everything away; it’s a fine balance, but this movie did a good job. The way they incorporated the robots was a lot of fun. Vincent was hilarious and stole a lot of the show; he was sarcastic and spoke in mostly in sayings and quotes, which I thought was different, funny and memorable. This had a very 80s feel, I know this is 1979, so very close, but it felt like it could fit into the big Sci-fi wave that was the 80s. I look forward to more like this because it was well made, well acted and had a great plot. I’m really happy to be ending the 70s on a positive note! (1979)

Have you seen any of these movies? Let me know in the comments below!