Kenny Ortega may have produced a movie boasting the "King of New York", but in my eyes, the Broadway production sits on a much higher throne. Disney's version of Newsies had great ideas, but failed to execute the dance and song of the brilliant Broadway show. From the opening curtain to the final bow I was enthralled, and completely fixated on the flawless stage performance. Months later, I sat down and watched the movie version. The 1992 family film failed to wow me, and received similar reactions from the public.
Jack Kelly (Christian Bale) and Davey (David Moscow) set out with their fellow newsies to bring the New York "papes" to the people. When Pulitzer (Robert Duvall) raised the price of the newspapers, a rebellion arose. The rest of the intriguing plot unfolds in a 2 hour running time. On a scale from one to ten, with ten as the best, I would give the film version a solid 6. Overall, I was underwhelmed by the dancing, acting, and fighting throughout the film. Their accents were articulate and exaggerated, but I was disappointed by many other aspects. My rating of the Broadway version would sit at a 10. Having won awards such as the Tony's in 2012, it held to that standard with a stunningly articulate performance. Newsies is a family movie with potential, but paled in comparison to the Broadway show.
Jack Kelly (Christian Bale) and Davey (David Moscow) set out with their fellow newsies to bring the New York "papes" to the people. When Pulitzer (Robert Duvall) raised the price of the newspapers, a rebellion arose. The rest of the intriguing plot unfolds in a 2 hour running time. On a scale from one to ten, with ten as the best, I would give the film version a solid 6. Overall, I was underwhelmed by the dancing, acting, and fighting throughout the film. Their accents were articulate and exaggerated, but I was disappointed by many other aspects. My rating of the Broadway version would sit at a 10. Having won awards such as the Tony's in 2012, it held to that standard with a stunningly articulate performance. Newsies is a family movie with potential, but paled in comparison to the Broadway show.