Newsies
Next year will mark the thirtieth anniversary of Disney’s attempt to revive the musical. Before the “Hamilton” craze and “The Greatest Showman”, musicals had hit a slump. Except for shows like the stalwart “Annie”, the musical was seen as a fossil best left in our memories of the greats like Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire. Then along comes “Newsies”, a historical musical about the New York paperboys of 1899 in their campaign to fight back against the major newspapers who were trying to put the squeeze on them. Spearheaded by “Dirty Dancing” guru Kenny Ortega with music by the now legendary Alan Menken (The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin), this was to be Disney’s first live-action movie since the 1977 hit “Pete’s Dragon”.
Upon its release, the reviews of “Newsies” were mixed. Many panned Ortega’s choreography as messy and muddled. Many pointed out Christian Bale’s basic dancing skills and their shortcomings. While others complain about the concept of stopping and starting musical numbers for short-acting vignettes. Despite its all-star cast, (Robert Duval, Bill Pullman, Ann-Margaret, and then child actor, Christian Bale) Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 39%. Most called it spirited but underwhelming at best. Audiences seem to agree as the film was pulled from many theaters after a poor opening weekend grossing two million dollars domestically from a 15-million-dollar budget. In short, it was Disney’s lowest-grossing live-action film to date.
It seemed like a grizzly finale, but it was not the end of the story. Home video releases and repeated airings on the Disney Channel created a fan base for the movie. Kids seemed to enjoy Menken’s energetic score and without the critics whispering in their ears, seem to fancy the high-energy gymnastic blend of Irish jig and modern dance. The “Newsies” benefitted from the “boy band” culture that the Disney Channel had spent years cultivating, and the film grew in popularity. So much so that Disney set out to develop a school version of the musical that could be produced in local communities. But in the development process, something special grew out of the artists there and Disney shifted its eye to a Broadway release instead. No one saw a failed Disney movie as a good premise for a Broadway Musical, but the “proof is in the pudding”. “Newsies” boasted seven new songs by Menken and Feldman and became a huge Tony Award-winning hit (Best Score, Best Choreography) and gave more than 1,000 performances before launching a national tour and being filmed for a limited filmed theatrical release in 2017. Over a course of 26 years, it had come full circle.
So what does this mean for the original movie? Was it a project that had to grow into a vital property, or was it an overlooked gem whose potential did not become fully appreciated until it was discovered by the right audience? The answer lies in the fact that the original source material can still be found and enjoyed on the Disney+ streaming platform right alongside its Broadway counterpart. There are some differences between the two shows, but the original holds its own. With throw-back Hollywood sets, beautiful attention to costuming details, and some fine performances by Bale and Doogie Howser alum, Max Casella, this film is an overlooked gem lovingly crafted with historical interests worth talking about. It was not what critics expected it to be at the time it was released and that was its crime. Ortega tried some new conventions that were not fully seen or appreciated but ultimately have proven to be successful. Pacing-wise, the original does not move along as briskly as its staged alter-ego, and the elaborately large sets sometimes swallow up the energy of the dance numbers. However, the same heart that catapulted the thrilling Broadway show to superstardom was there in the beginning. If one takes the time to look for it.
Content Overview
Language: infrequent use of gosh and darn
Sexual Content: There are some subtle and some less subtle innuendos. Some vaudeville dancers are wearing revealing costumes.
Violence: There are several fistfights, and kids do get beaten by henchmen and other kids. While the fights aren’t bloody or gruesome, they are still rough and kids do get hurt.
Objectionable content: Tabaco is used but kids and adults. One of the boys is taken to an orphanage and it is clear the children are abused.
