During the Second World War, many of Walt Disney’s animators were conscripted to serve in the US armed forces. Those who continued to work at the studio were more often than not required to animate propaganda films, including a series … Continue reading REVIEW: Melody Time (1948)
Reviewing Luca, Pixar’s latest animated feature, sadly leads to a case of damning with faint praise. For most other animation houses around the world, describing a film as ‘reasonably good’ or ‘moderately entertaining’ might be a case for celebration: if nothing … Continue reading REVIEW: Luca (2021)
Disney’s live-action adaptations of their animated back catalogue has now expanded so much as to come full circle: returning to the ghoulish villain Cruella de Vil, famously played by Glenn Close in the two 101 Dalmatians remakes in 1996 and … Continue reading REVIEW: Cruella (2021)
The Walt Disney Animation Studio, pound for pound the most reliable entertainment bet in Hollywood, has struck gold again with Raya and the Last Dragon. This beautifully presented fantasy adventure should be a good bet to revive the fortunes of movie … Continue reading REVIEW: Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)
Walt Disney’s ongoing run of live-action adaptations of their past animated hits reaches a fresh height in creative futility with Niki Caro’s Mulan, a non-musical riff on the company’s 1998 hit. It would be deeply unfair to claim this remake is … Continue reading REVIEW: Mulan (2020)
With the various coronavirus lockdowns and restrictions keeping many cinemas around the world shut, Hollywood’s various studios and distributors have been understandable reluctant to release many films in 2020. Those cinemas that have remained open, however, have struggled with a … Continue reading REVIEW: Hocus Pocus (1993)
I have always been fascinated by Disney’s ‘dark’ period, which commenced with The Black Hole in 1979 and wound up with the catastrophic failure of The Black Cauldron in 1985. Disney has always leavened its family films with elements of … Continue reading REVIEW: Night Crossing (1982)
Nikki Ferris (Hayley Mills) travels with her musicologist aunt (Joan Greenwood) to the Greek island of Crete. There she meets the charming stranger Mark Camford (Peter McEnery), and gets pulled into a life-or-death adventure against a murderous thief (Eli Wallach). … Continue reading REVIEW: The Moon-Spinners (1964)
In 1925 Alaska a diphtheria outbreak sends musher Leonhard Seppala (Willem Dafoe) and his dogs on a last-ditch mission to bring home an anti-serum. For 12 year-old lead dog Togo, it may be his final journey. The 1925 diphtheria outbreak … Continue reading REVIEW: Togo (2019)
Twenty-five years ago film history was made when Walt Disney released Toy Story, the debut production from Pixar Animation Studios. It was the first computer-animated feature film ever produced, and not only was it a commercial and critical success it … Continue reading “To infinity, and beyond!” | Toy Story (1995)
