Tag Archives: Disney films

Wall-E (2008)

Let me begin this review with a very simple, yet profound reaction to Disney/Pixar’s latest venture ‘Wall-E’. Wow. We sat down to watch it early Friday morning, the very first showing. The daughter was settled comfortably between us and the theater was pretty packed by the time the previews began to air. I’ll admit, I had some reservations about Wall-E from the first time I wrote about it right up until the moment the first flicker of film filled the screen. Boy am I happy to say how wrong I got it. The Story Wall-E is a trash compacting robot. … Continue reading →

Disney’s 10 Best Non-Animated Features

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We’ve talked about the best animated features, but Disney makes non-animated features as well. Some are great, some are classics and some are just films that could have been so much more. We’ll talk about the bad movies later, but for now, let’s look at my top ten picks for best non-animated features. 10. Rocketeer (1991). In this utterly charming, live action pulp comic, Bill Campbell plays a young Cliff Secord, a pilot who stumbles over a rocket pack and uses it to stop the Nazis. Sure, it’s pure cheese, but it’s sharp cheese. 9. Sky High (2005). Heroes are … Continue reading →

Tinker Bell the Movie – Finally!

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My daughter is going to be in seventh heaven this Fall when Tinker Bell the movie finally makes it’s debut. You can pre-order it at Amazon right now and trust me, I already have. What’s unique about Tinker Bell? If you’ve read any of the novels that began with Gail Carson Levine’s wonderful Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg and has continued through several Fairies of Pixie Hollow novels including The Trouble with Tink, Rani and the Mermaid Lagoon and so many more, then you know that the world of Tinker Bell is expanded beyond that of Peter … Continue reading →

Parker, Pirates & Potter: What A Summer Awaits Us

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Yesterday, Spiderman 3 opened all over the country and kicks off what is likely to be a hot summer of great movies. It’s been many years since I saw a summer at the box office that awaits us this year. Among those top features are Peter Parker returning in the third installment of Spiderman, Harry Potter in the fifth film in this beloved series Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix and for Disney fans, already excited by Meet the Robinsons from earlier this spring will be delighted to see Jack Sparrow, Elizabeth Swann and Will Turner coming back … Continue reading →

The Santa Claus 3: The Escape Clause

I saw the first commercial trailer for this film today and I have to admit, I started grinning like an idiot. The first film in this franchise, The Santa Clause came out in 1994, an unbelievable 12 years ago. In that film, as you may recall, Scott Calvin is a divorced toy executive who is trying to spend Christmas Eve with his son Charlie. The disconnected dad is more than a bit startled when Santa falls off his roof in the middle of the night and even more so when he and Charlie finish delivering the presents – and find … Continue reading →

The Disney Fairy Tale vs. The Original Fairy Tale

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Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess who lived in a very big, foreboding castle. With the death of her father, her evil stepmother took rule of the castle and the rest, as they say, is history. Or is it? Disney has completely revamped the traditional fairy tale and while these sanitized tales are fantastic for children and adults alike (and even in some cases, make the characters more enjoyable), many people are unaware of the roots of these stories. Much darker and more literal, these tales forego the musical interludes and cut right to the chase. For … Continue reading →

What Your Kids Can Learn From Disney Films

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It may sound completely ridiculous, but whenever I face a really trying task, I still remember this little song I learned as a child. The song spoke of how every job that must be done held an element of fun. If you could find this element, the job would become a game. Now, while every task that I undertake may not exactly become a piece of cake, I’ve found that the creed still serves me well and when I do find that little element, the job goes from being seemingly impossible to completely do-able. That little nugget of knowledge came … Continue reading →