Disney Archives - Page 3 of 7

16 June 20218 January 2022

Review: ‘Luca’ is all about the power of friendship

Disney and Pixar have a long track record of making movies about fish out of water characters. You know the story, a shy or sheltered child who longs to explore meets another child who is out in the world and shows them things they could never imagine until they have a falling out, only to reconcile and have a happy ending.

Luca, the latest film from Pixar, is very much a film that, in the broad strokes, you’ve seen before. In the details though, you are going to find that Pixar warmth, charm, and heart.

15 June 20218 January 2022

Tribeca 2021 Review: ‘Wolfgang’ chronicles the life of the first celebrity chef

We live in a world of celebrity chefs. A world in which there are entire television channels and a subgenre of documentary dedicated to chefs and food. There were chefs on TV before all this began, but one chef incited the world of food celebrity: Wolfgang Puck.

If you’re a fan of food television, there isn’t a name more synonymous with it than Puck. If you’re going to make a documentary about the first real celebrity chef, then you definitely want the team who made Jiro Dreams of Sushi and Chef’s Table to make it.

26 May 20218 January 2022

Review: ’Cruella’ is stylish, funny, fun, and one of the best Disney live-action updates to date

Disney’s recent series of live-action remakes and updates of their library of classic animated films have been, to be generous, let’s say, a mixed bag. That’s not to say that they are unpopular, but most of them feel to me like they are unnecessary. This is especially true with the direct remakes, such as The Lion King or Dumbo.

Cruella takes a page from Maleficent‘s book. Rather than being a simple update of a film we already know and love (and already have a remake of), and tells the origin story of Cruella De Vil, the dog murdering villain from 101 Dalmations. This gives it more freedom to be its own thing, and the results are that it manages to capture the spirit of an animated film while adding the production value of a live-action film starring two Oscar winners.

In short, it’s one of the best of these movies so far.

9 May 202111 January 2022

Review: ‘Star Wars: The Bad Batch’ is off to an exciting start

In case you aren’t in the know, the Star Wars universe has seen some excellent storytelling in the last several years. Most of it, though, hasn’t been from movies or the much-lauded show about not-Boba Fett and Baby Yoda, but rather in the form of an animated universe clone troopers. The Bad Batch, the latest animated series from Disney+ and creator Dave Filoni, continues to prove that Star Wars is at its best on TV.

20 March 202111 January 2022

Review: ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ premiere is a big tease for things to come

How do you follow in the footsteps of a giant? How do you live with the sins of your past? These are two of the questions at the heart of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, the new series on Disney+ that follows Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan, reprising their roles as Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes, respectively.

6 March 202114 January 2022

Recap & Review: ‘WandaVision’ Series Finale, in which our heroes stories are resolved. Mostly.

This week WandaVision comes to a close with a nearly hour-long episode, fittingly titled “The Series Finale”. This episode will bring the story to a close (mostly, this is Marvel we’re talking about), but is it successful? There’s only one way to find out.

Heads up, I wrote the recap a little differently this week, with a section dedicated to each character. It was definitely easier to write, and I hope it’s easier to read.

1 March 202111 January 2022

Review: ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ is action-packed, heartfelt, and relevant. In other words: another hit for Disney.

Animation is a medium in which is not limited by imagination. If you can think of it, you can make it happen on screen. The best animated stories have bright, imaginative worlds populated with endearing, relatable characters, and a story that appeals to young and old alike; and most importantly a theme that makes the whole thing work in our world, too.

Raya and the Last Dragon is one of these animated stories. Set in a world inspired by a variety of south-east Asian cultures, and following a young woman on a quest to repair a world torn apart by lack of trust, this movie is the real deal. Shocking, I know.

26 February 202114 January 2022

Recap & Review: ‘WandaVision’ Episode 8 dives into Wanda’s personal history

This week is the penultimate episode of WandaVision, and at a solid 10 minutes longer than the previous episodes, there is a whole lot of plot to get through and a whole lot of loose threads left for the finale to tie up. Let’s get right to it!

20 February 202111 January 2022

Recap & Review: ‘WandaVision’ Episode 7: A villain revealed!

We’re in the home stretch with WandaVision and the pace is starting to pick up. There’s a lot to unpack this week so let’s get right to it.

12 February 202111 January 2022

Recap & Review: ‘WandaVision’ Episode 6: Sibling shenanigans and raising stakes

Last week ended with the appearance of Wanda’s brother Pietro, but now played by actor Evan Peters, who played a version of the character featured in the Fox X-Men movies. It was a hell of a twist, and this week starts to deal with that. A little bit.

5 February 202111 January 2022

Recap & Review: ‘WandaVision’ Episode 5, In Which Things Start to Take a Turn

Episode Five of WandaVision, “On A Very Special Episode…” went live on Disney+ this morning and boy howdy it is another big one, full of twists and turns and revelations both inside and outside of Westview. Let’s take a closer look.

29 January 202114 January 2022

Recap & Review: ‘WandaVision’ Episode 4 finally starts to tell us what is going on. Sort of.

This week we finally get a look at what has been happening outside of the sitcom reality that Wanda and Vision have been living in, and it’s just as interesting as what has been happening inside.

22 January 202114 January 2022

Recap & Review: ‘WandaVison’ Episode 3: The 1970s start to show some cracks in the walls

Another week, another sitcom era. Wanda and Vision find themselves in the 1970s this time around, and Geraldine is back, too.

15 January 202114 January 2022

Recap & Review: ‘WandaVision’ Episode 2: the 1960s start to open up some possibilities

Last time we had an episode of a 1950s sitcom, this time we get one from the 1960s. WandaVision continues to be super weird and super fun.