Writhing in Development Hell, a term Hollywood uses when a project is stuck in limbo for too long before it is either abandoned or greenlit, can be a death knell for a project. Fortunately, Disney’s Haunted Mansion was eventually greenlit, and audiences will see the results at your local multiplex this weekend. Considering that the [...]
Peter Song’s Elemental, the twenty-seventh Pixar film, looks and feels gorgeous. It explores the relationships between the elements critical to human life, such as fire and water, which don’t mix well in reality, and finds a way to connect. Ember Lumen (voiced by Leah Lewis) and Wade Ripple (voiced by Mamoudu Athie) are strongly developed; [...]
The first two episodes of the eight-episode limited series "Hawkeye" drop on Disney+ this Wednesday. (Or late Tuesday night, depending on your time zone) Each of the MCU limited series has had a unique flavor and "Hawkeye" continues this tradition but goes in a direction many might not expect. And although the first two episodes [...]
An interesting thought occurred to me as I sat down to watch Craig Gillespie’s “Cruella.” I am not a studied acolyte of the works of Dodie Smith. Or of Bill Peet’s animated classic, let alone Glenn Close’s two turns as the nefarious Cruella de Vil. So, it would seem natural that my indoctrination to this [...]
The difficulty of appreciating a film like “Raya and the Last Dragon” does not lie with the animation or the characters. Both are strong aspects of the film, which opens in theaters and on Disney Plus with Premier Access today. The challenge isn’t with the fact that I was not too fond of the movie. [...]
I could start this review out with a cliché that somehow connects this soulless reviewer with a discussion on Disney-Pixar’s “Soul,” premiering on Disney Plus Christmas Day. However, I am not soulless. I might be a sourpuss, but I am not soulless. “Soul” is the story of Joe Gardner, voiced by Jamie Foxx. Joe is [...]
Joachim Rønning returns to the Disney fold with "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil," featuring Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning and Michelle Pfeiffer. The film is not memorable. I stared at a blank, white page on my computer for a great, long while as I started to think about how to open my review of “Maleficent: Mistress of [...]
Enter to win a family four pack of tickets to ALADDIN Tuesday, May 21 Harkins AZ Mills IMAX 7 PM A thrilling and vibrant live-action adaptation of Disney’s animated classic, “Aladdin” is the exciting tale of the charming street rat Aladdin, the courageous and self-determined Princess Jasmine and the Genie who may be [...]
Tim Burton's 2019 re-imagining of the 1941 animated Disney classic is a weird piece of cinema. Not weird in the Tim Burton way, but in the why-did-they-make-this and who-is-the-intended-audience way. It's also a surprisingly scathing commentary on the corporate behemoth Disney itself has become. With the original having a runtime of just 64 minutes, it [...]
The sequel to "Wreck-it Ralph", Ralph Breaks the Internet, is out in theaters now! (You can read our review HERE) Just prior to its release we had a quick chat with Michelle Robinson who was the “Character Look Development Supervisor” for the movie. Michelle has a long history with Disney Animation and has worked on [...]
