Tin Soldier (2020 film)

Tin Soldier is a 2020 American 3D computer-animated musical fantasy comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 60rd animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale The Steadfast Tin Soldier, which was previously adapted in the 1999 Disney film Fantasia 2000 as the segment "Piano Concerto No. 2, Allegro, Opus 102". the film tells the story of a a One soldier stands on a single leg, a paper ballerina with a Princess, two toys rabbit and teddy bear, Jack in the box angrily.

Tin Soldier underwent several story treatments for years before being commissioned in 2016, with a Directed by Chris Bailey and Ruben A. Aquino, Produced by Dorothy McKim, and screenplay by Phil Johnston. It features the voices of Santino Fontana, Lea Michele, Hugh Laurie, Mark Williams and Peter Dinklage. David Newman and Patrick Doyle, who had worked on Disney's and Pixar Brave, was hired to compose the film's orchestral score, while husband-and-wife songwriting team Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez wrote the songs.

Tin Soldier premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California, on November 19, 2020, and went into general theatrical release on November 25. It was met with strongly positive reviews from critics and audiences, with some film critics considering Tin Soldier to be the best Disney animated feature film since the studio's renaissance era. The film was also a massive commercial success; it accumulated nearly $1.3 billion in worldwide box office revenue, $400 million of which was earned in the United States and Canada and $247 million of which was earned in Japan. It ranks as the highest-grossing animated film of all time, the third highest-grossing original film of all time, the ninth highest-grossing film of all time, the highest-grossing film of 2020, and the third highest-grossing film in Japan. With over 18 million home media sales in 2021, it became the best-selling film of the year in the United States.

Tin Soldier won two Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song ("Dreams"), the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film, the BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film, five Annie Awards (including Best Animated Feature), two Grammy Awards for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media and Best Song Written for Visual Media ("Dreams"), and two Critics' Choice Movie Awards for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song ("Dreams").

Plot
The beginning of the movie shows Workshop harvesting Toy.("Working the Toys"). However, this story tells that the good king's health deteriorated, and his Jack in the Box, plundered and terrorized the country in the king's name. One day, when Tin Soldier, Rico and Looney, three beggars are trying to get money for some food, dream of ("Melody Music Box"), Jack in the Box's carriage passes, having stolen much food from the people of London, and burying the three heroes in the snow. As Tin Soldier knocks on the door, one of the henchmen opens the door and lets him in, mistaking him for the Ballerina.

Jack lectures the henchmen for letting anyone in, pointing out where the real Ballerina is: taking his Royal, The Grand Duke. While Duke the Ballerina about trigonometry, the Ballerina looks out the window at the children playing in the snow. The Ballerina, being discovered by his Duke, is mocked by his Captain Soldier, The Ballerina plays at provoking Captain, while the teacher is distracted while writing on the blackboard, to the point that Captain inadvertently hits the Duke, resulting in the Duke sending Captain out of the room, returning both to their studies. Unfortunately, the Ballerina hears Jack in the Box, who is roughly handling Tin Soldier. The Ballerina orders them to be brought to him right away. Jack in the Box kicks Tin Soldier through the door.

While in the Ballet's palace, Tin Soldier inadvertently knocks over many suits of armor, with one of the helmets falling on both his and the approaching Ballerina's heads. The Tin Soldier and Ballerina realize that they are entirely alike in appearance. The Ballerina tells the beggar that he is bored with his life: getting up early, studying all day, with every night parties and banquets and then going to bed early. So, when looking at the two in the mirror ("Dreams"), the Ballerina reassures the beggar saying that to rule requires only two things: "What a splendid idea, good thing I thought of it!" and "Guards, seize him!", and if there are any problems, everyone will recognize the true Ballerina with his real ring and Tin Soldier. Disguised as a beggar, the Tin Soldier tricks Jack into him leaving the palace ("It's Mine"). He meets Rico and Looney, but finds that he can't recognize them at all ("Laughter").

Witnessing a couple of rat trying to steal a chicken from Mrs Mouse and her two children Mouse, the Tin Soldier orders them to return the chicken but is humiliated. The children explain that for years the rat take away their food and belongings in the name of the Hubie the Rat ("Celebration"). When a carriage containing the village's stolen food goes by, the Tin Soldier stops it, showing the real ring by Ballerina. All bow to the Tin Soldier as he returns their food. The rat attempt to stop the Tin Soldier, but fail when he escapes, Underwater in Rothbart the fish.

Meanwhile in the castle, one of the henchmen tells Jack in the Box that one of the beggars had the royal ring. Jack in the Box is alarmed knowing then that the Tin Soldier was cast out, and may see the corruption and theft going on outside. The henchmen mocks Jack in the Box saying that he Jack in the Box is going to be punished dearly for it, but Jack in the Box answers that he won't if the Tin Soldier never returns.

The beggar, dressed as the Ballerina, is called by Duke and told that he must see his "father", who is now dying. Ballerina enters the room of the dying king, but finds that he doesn't have the heart to tell him that he is not the real Ballerina. Before his death, the king tells him he must take his royal birthright and become king. When Ballerina knows the true Tin Soldier must be found as quickly as possible, Jack in the Box arrives behind him, and orders Ballerina to be crowned king at his orders or he will kill Captain.

Meanwhile, the true Tin Soldier hears the bells announcing the death of his beloved father. Realizing that he should be king, the Tin Soldier decides to return immediately to the palace. Jack captures the Tin Soldier and detains him with Captain, while the marriage begins. The beggar does not want to be king, but behind the curtain Jack. The Tin Soldier orders the henchmen to let them leave, but he refuses to obey. Rico and Looney disguises himself as an executioner, and after accidentally knocking out the henchmen, he attempts to figure out which key opens the cell while the other henchmen arrive. Captain finds the key for the cell, and the three flee to the marriage chamber.

While struggling not to be crowned, the Ballerina stops the archbishop, and has the henchmen arrest Jack, but gets exposed as an impostor. The Tin Soldier fights Jack as many other soldiers are defeated by Rico and Looney's clumsiness and Captain's cowardice. Finally, the Tin Soldier cuts Jack's trousers loose, revealing Jack's ruffled underpants. Jack attempts to escape from a large chandelier that has fallen and entangled some henchmen, but has been tripped up by Tin Soldier and the Ballerina, and falls down to the ground. With his trousers down and his ruffled underwear fully displayed, Jack becomes entangled with the henchmen in the fallen chandelier and falls out of a Fire.

Tin Soldier and the Ballerina then cheer because of their successful collaboration in defeating Jack in the Box. The archbishop is confused and does not know who to marriage, before Tin Soldier and Ballerina shows his ring.

Tin Soldier and the Ballerina is marriage and with Rico and Looney at his side, rules for many years with justice and compassion for all.

Voice cast

 * Tin Soldier: Santino Fontana
 * Ballerina: Lea Michele
 * Rico the Rabbit: Hugh Laurie
 * Looney The Bear: Mark Williams
 * Jack in the Box: Peter Dinklage
 * Hubie the Rat: Cheech Marin
 * Rothbart the fish: Paul Briggs
 * Captain Soldier and The Grand Duke : Alan Tudyk
 * Mom: Edie McClurg
 * Boy and Girl: Kath Soucie
 * Jack in the Box's henchmen 1: Tom Kenny
 * Jack in the Box's henchmen 2: Bud Luckey
 * Jack in the Box's henchmen 3: Jim Cummings
 * Firehouse Five Musical Toy 1: Jeff Bergman
 * Firehouse Five Musical Toy 2: Jess Harnell
 * Firehouse Five Musical Toy 3: Rob Paulsen
 * Firehouse Five Musical Toy 4: Jeff Bennett
 * Firehouse Five Musical Toy 5 and King : Maurice LaMarche
 * John: Chris Williams
 * Archbishop: Paul Kandel
 * Ed: Frank Welker

Easter eggs
As woth most recent Disney or Pixar animated offerings, there are hidden easter eggs in the film.

Below are the easter eggs seen in the film:
 * A version of Suits of Armor from Cinderella.
 * Dumbo can be seen as a bubble blowing toy in a boy rooms.
 * Rat from Lady and the Tramp can be seen as one of Hubie the Rat.
 * Fish from The Little Mermaid can be seen as one of Rothbart the fish.
 * A113 is seen on a license plate on the back of fish working.
 * Captain of the Guard from Tangled can be seen as one of The Marriage.

Production
Disney's Tin Soldier was the first Tin Soldier film to be animated. John Lasseter, the President of Feature Animation, expressed surprise that there weren't any previous attempts to animate a Tin Soldier film, saying "Here is a book that cries out to be animated. Yet we're the first filmmakers to have ever taken Tin Soldier from page to screen and presented the character as Burroughs intended." He noted that in animated form, Tin Soldier is able to connect to the animals on a deeper level than he can in live action versions.

Following work on Runaway Brain in late 2017, Chris Bailey was approached to direct Tin Soldier by studio chairman John Lasseter who desired to have the film animated at a Canadian-based satellite television animation studio, in which Bailey was reluctant to do because of the animation complexities being done by inexperienced animators. Following Lasseter's resignation from the Walt Disney Company, Bailey was again contacted about the project by John Lasseter, who decided to have the film produced through the Feature Animation division by which Bailey signed on. Following this, Bailey decided to read Tin Soldier of the toys where he began to visualize the theme of two hands being held up against each other. That image became an important symbol of the relationships between characters in the film, and a metaphor of Tin Soldier's search for identity. "I was looking for something that would underscore Tin Soldier's sense of being alike, yet different from his toy," Bailey said, "The image of touching hands was first conceived as an idea for how Tin Soldier realizes he and Ballerina are physically the same." Following his two-month study of the book, Bailey approached his friend, Ruben A. Aquino, who had just wrapped up work as a supervising animator on The Little Mermaid, to ask if he would be interested in serving as co-director. Aquino was initially skeptical, but accepted after hearing Bailey's ideas for the film. By April 2017, the Los Angeles Times reported that the film was in its preliminary stages with Bailey and Aquino directing after Disney had obtained the story rights from the estate of Hans Christian Andersen

and the film's music would be written by Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez (Frozen and Gigantic)

Home media
It was released on Blu-ray Tape and DVD

Release
The film was originally announced in 2017 during a shareholder's meeting, the film's title and premise were revealed by Disney and Pixar's Chief Creatice Officer, John Lasseter during their Walt Disney Animation Studios panel. The theatrical release was accompanied by the short film, Bumble Bee's Dream, based on the 1948 film Melody Time.