Even the weirder artists of the twentieth century have been attracted to the allure of Hollywood filmmaking, and Salvador Dali was no exception. In the fall of 1941, the surrealist painter hosted a masquerade party at Pebble Beach during one of his regular visits to the town. Called "Surrealism Night in An Enchanted Forest," the fundraising event, intended to assist European refugee artists, brought out a number of stars, including Bob Hope and Ginger Rogers. It was here, the story goes, that Dali became attached to a major studio production called Moontide. The great German emigre Fritz Lang was hired to direct the movie, and asked Dali to create a three-minute nightmare sequence for the film. Unfortunately, after the incident at Pearl Harbor later that year, Twentieth Century Fox deemed the project too bleak. Lang was replaced, and Dali's nightmare sequence went with him.

Although inspired by the movies, Dali didn't always have the easiest time making them. He would get another chance to inject his hallucinatory vision into American cinema with the hypnosis scene in Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound, but it's his unrealized projects that truly indicate the scope of the painter's ambition. So many ideas, such little time. Dali: Painting and Film, a breathtakingly unique exhibit currently on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, surveys Dali's completed cinematic works in addition to tidbits from the ones that never came to fruition. Marvelously structured to show how his paintings were intentionally cinematic, the exhibit contains all the obvious highlights from Dali's movie career alongside lesser-known productions. The importance in film history of his collaborations with Luis Bunuel remain uncontested; two large screens in separate rooms showing Un Chien Andalou (where the opening eye splicing retains its original gross-out impact) and L'Age D'Or attest to that. Fewer visitors, however, might know about Dali's collaboration with the Marx Brothers on a deliriously strange movie that sounded too good to be true.

I don't remember how old I was the first time I saw Walt Disney's 101 Dalmatians, but I do know that I fell in love with the film from the first time I saw it. I didn't know, as a kid, that the abstract line art and blocks of color used in the film were a ground-breaking departure for Disney's animation department, or that the film was the first to use a Xerox copier to transfer the animator's line art onto the cells for the film.

I didn't appreciate, back then, the incredible amount of work it took to put all those little black spots in just the right places, or the sheer artistry of the brilliant opening credits sequence. Back then, I saw the film as my own kids see it today -- just a great story, full of suspense and humor, full of cute, cuddly spotted puppies, and anchored by one of the greatest villains ever to grace a cinema screen, Cruella De Vil.

Song of the South has always been something of a blemish on the Disney name, due to its racist undertones. However, it can't be denied that the film is a piece of film history. It's got a reputation not unlike The Birth of a Nation, the 1915 film school staple that is widely hailed as one of the most important films of all time on one hand...but could be taken as a recruiting film for the Ku Klux Klan on the other. Song has taken a lot of flack over the years, due to its portrayal of Southern plantation blacks. The film has never been released on video in the United States, and this is from a company that releases, and re-releases, and re-re-releases everything. That may soon change, though. Disney President Bob Iger recently announced that the company has been giving some serious thought to making it available.

Iger states "We've decided to take a look at it again because we've had numerous requests about bringing it out. Our concern was that a film that was made so many decades ago being brought out today perhaps could be either misinterpreted or that it would be somewhat challenging in terms of providing the appropriate context." Song of the South was originally released in 1946. If you're not familiar with its characters, you've surely heard its most famous song, "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah." Splash Mountain at the Disney parks is based on the film. A mix of animated content and live-action, Song tells the story of a young white boy, Johnny, who goes to live on a Georgia plantation. A black servant entertains Johnny with the stories of Brer Rabbit, Brer Bear and Brer Fox, which are actual black folk tales. Remus' stories include the saga of the "Tar Baby," a phrase which today is considered a derogatory term for African-Americans.

The film doesn't refer to the characters as slaves, and it isn't as offensive as a lot of the controversial material from America's unfortunate past. Many don't see how it's any more upsetting than, say, Gone With the Wind. But the fact that Song is a children's film surely adds to the concern. The demand for the film can't be denied -- nearly 115,000 people have signed an online petition asking Disney to make the movie available to the public. Buena Vista Home Entertainment, which distributes Disney films for home viewing, cites it only as a possibility, stating: "Song of the South is one of a handful of titles that has not seen a home distribution window. To this point, we have not discounted nor committed to any distribution window concerning this title."

I've never seen any animated short as charming or epically beautiful as Destino. Granted, the short film wasn't simply an animation feat but the collaboration of two historic names -- Salvador Dali and Walt Disney. It makes sense, really. Dali was a man known for creating fluidity on canvas with his surrealist paintings. Disney was a man known for his animated vision. Obviously, bringing the pair together would result in an epic moving picture, and it did -- although it took sixty years to come together.

Before the father of Mickey ever concocted the idea to animate my personal favorite, Sleeping Beauty, with the use of real artists, Disney had teamed with Dali to create Destino. It was the pairing of two visionaries, one that soon became a financial burden and scrapped during World War II. In 2000, the dormant project was revived by Walt's nephew, Roy, and finished by French animator Dominique Monfrey. It was nominated for an Oscar that it should've won, and aired at a number of short film festivals in 2003 and 2004.

I have no idea what has taken so long, but the film is now getting its British premiere at the Tate Modern in London, as part of the Dali & Film exhibition -- running from June 1 to September 9. If you've entertained the possibility of travelling to the British Isles this year, that will be the time to do it. Even after multiple screenings and Oscar nods, the film still hasn't been widely released.* So, unless you're patient enough to keep waiting -- maybe another 60 years -- now's the time to go and see it.

*Thank you, Mike, for the heads up on the DVD. There won't be a 60-year wait, but feel free to ignore this if you want an excuse to travel to London. And thanks to Lisa, who rightly pointed out that Roy's a nephew, and not a son. -MB

The movie download sites are going to have to find new ways to compete, as they aren't going to be duking it out with boasts of who has what studio's films for much longer. Pretty soon both will offer the same movies from all the major distributors. Just one day after Disney announced that it would be releasing its movies on CinemaNow, Warner Bros. has made an announcement that its films will be available on the website, too. Warner Bros. is already selling movie downloads through Movielink, having joined in the original deal announced on April 3, and the studio now joins MGM and Sony as having relationships with both of the sites. Warner's titles, which include TV shows, went on sale today.

Well since I haven't yet gotten a response from yesterday's post, I will assume that either none of our readers has tried CinemaNow or Movielink, or none will admit to being ripped off. Maybe now that the Harry Potter films are available on CinemaNow, a fan may check the site out and report to us about it. Please.

I hope I didn't get anybody's hopes up with that headline. Disney is not going back to concentrating on hand-drawn animation. What I mean by them going back to the drawing board is they seem to be starting over with some hopefully fresh ideas for their movie studio. According to an article in the New York Times, the company is not happy with its production of live-action films lately, so it plans to look for new genres and types of stories to develop. One thing the story says is that Disney will probably not be making any more sports movies for awhile since Glory Road was not the success that previous releases Remember the Titans and The Rookie were for the studio. In addition to rethinking things at Walt Disney Pictures, the company has already decreased the output from their Miramax division (I've hardly noticed it's still around), and it will likely be cutting production at Touchstone Pictures.

This news might seem desperate and drastic to an outsider, especially since Disney is entering a good-looking summer filled with Cars and Pirates, but I guess they are in need of a little shake-up sooner than later in order to ensure a healthy life after this year is over. Disney is basically a dying brand at the box office these days. Every hit they have now is first either at Pixar, Bruckheimer or Walden Media, who produced their last blockbuster, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise may have a branded association with Disney's theme parks, as it is based on one of their rides, but when I think of those films, I think of Bruckheimer's name before Disney's. What else does the studio have to call its own? A remake of Swiss Family Robinson?

Unfortunately, the article also points out that Disney is going to be trying for more PG-ratings than G, and while that may prove more profitable, it sounds to me like a bit of wrong thinking. I'm not saying that Disney needs to try for a G-rating either, I just think that any studio should aim for a good story first, and worry about what it will be rated later.