A Boy and His Dog

I'm almost through watching this classic 70's nihlist sci-fi film (it's taken me almost a semester to watch it). I think there's a lot to commend in this picture, particularly the lack of sentimentality about the lead Vic and his dog Blood. Vic is basically a trigger-happy rapist in waiting, while Blood undercuts everything you've ever believed about what dogs think of humanity. I think the film's cult status stems in large part from the director's refusal to bow to pressure and turn this film into safe family fluff, a la Buck Rogers and The Black Hole. A Boy and His Dog is probably the last great classic of 70's sci-fi film, before Star Wars and Alien came around and ruined everything.

Disney and Sci-Fi\Fantasy

To me, Disney has a rather checkered record with science fiction and fantasy. C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien hated Disney animation so much that they tried to forbid their books being adapted by these companies (Lewis failed posthumously, but Tolkien succeeded [also posthumously] through getting Ralph Bakashi to adapt the films). The Black Hole, Disney's main sci-fi film, had some great special effects, but it was a cheerless affair (one I am currently watching now). Sleeping Beauty had some great animation, but also contributed to gendered stereotypes of women. Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast were good in and of themselves, but not true fantasy or sci-fi as we understand it today. Perhaps my biggest problem with Disney adaptations, however, comes from Disney's atrocious handling of The Black Cauldron. The company butchered Lloyd Alexander's masterpiece, turning what should have been a sure-fire hit into a failure, one predicated on a combination of two books into one over-loaded plot. I fear that ultimately Tolkien and Lewis were right. No matter how well intentioned, Disney's additions to science fiction and fantasy have ultimately dumbed down the field.