A work of both learned, assured poise and triumphant freshman determination, not far away from other benchmark-status works like Snow White or Pixar's Toy Story.

All charmingness aside, this cute but rather thinly plotted yarn exposes the cracks that were present in the pre-renaissance Disney empire.

Against all odds, a tear or two is effectively jerked, and there was enough skill on display to encourage some hope for the new generation of Disney animators, who made their debut here.

Sometimes, all you need to make a movie is two characters from opposing backgrounds forming an unlikely bond. It’s not enough to make a great Disney movie, but it still gets the job done.