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“Alice” in Turmoil

Today Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” adaptation hits the screen, but not all the buzz surrounding the film is positive. Disney executives recently stirred up controversy over the film when they announced that they’ll release it on DVD only 12 weeks after its debut in theaters. The short, unprecedented gap between the cinema and home release of “Alice in Wonderland” begs the question whether many fans will bother to see the movie in theaters. Why fight crowds and pay exorbitant ticket prices when one can buy or rent the film after a small wait? That’s exactly what has many theater … Continue reading →

Alice in Wonderland (1999)

This version of the Lewis Carroll children’s classic was filmed for television and includes the characters found in both “Alice in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking Glass,” the sequel. As a Carroll fan (I’ve even read “The Hunting of the Snark”) I was curiouser and curiouser to watch this film, but I’m sorry to say, I was disappointed. It all began with Tina Majorino, the young lady chosen to play Alice. While I generally consider her to be a great actress, I didn’t feel that she gave us the performance we needed. She was fourteen when she made this film … Continue reading →

Disney Movies Now Available on Netflix Streaming

Having a hard time finding some of Disney’s older films to watch?  Don’t like the crowds at theaters, but don’t want to have to pay to buy a new Disney DVD when it’s released?  Then you should love the news that broke last week: according to the LA Times, Disney and Netflix just reached a deal that will give the online rental and streaming site exclusive rights to Disney films.  The deal takes effect in 2016, at which point Netflix will be able to stream any new films under the Walt Disney Corp. umbrella –which includes Marvel and Star Wars … Continue reading →

Finding the New Fantasyland

As if it thinks it wasn’t getting enough buzz already, Disney World execs are trying to up the hype surrounding the Fantasyland expansion. They’ve launched a website – Finding Fantasyland – to increase both the expansion’s mystique and guests’ interactivity with the wait. The site contains a mysterious poem: “A fantastical land exists, a curse hides it from our view. A hero is needed to break the spell, that hero could be you.” The only other hint about what is going on is a colorful map of the upcoming Fantasyland. It gives blurbs about each of the new parts – … Continue reading →

Disney on Ice 2012-2013 Season

A new year means a new group of Disney on Ice shows debuting for the public. All right, I know we’re over halfway through the year, but so many interesting things have been happening with Disney so far in 2012 that this got pushed back to the list. Plus, it’s unlikely that, given how new most of these shows are, they’re going anywhere for a while. Speaking of shows that aren’t going anywhere: Disney on Ice: 100 Years of Magic is still going strong. It started in 1999 to commemorate the Disney legacy, and although it’s sometimes toured under a … Continue reading →

Which Peter Pan is the Best?

Charming is one word that we could apply to just about any Disney animated film, and even though 1953’s “Peter Pan” certainly is that, it’s devoid of charm when compared to the play/novel on which it was based. One of Walt Disney’s greatest strengths was his ability to take an older story and reinvent it for modern audiences. Doing so for “Peter Pan,” however, just replaces what is a wry and sweet sense of humor with silly slapstick, which seems cheap in comparison. A primary reason why Barrie’s book, and presumably his play, is so charming is its witty, very … Continue reading →

Hints of More Disney on Broadway

Music makes Disney great. Who could imagine wishing for a star, longing for a prince to come, or wanting to be a part of a new world without the uplifting swell of the famous scores accompanying those stories? As I’ve implied before, part of Disney’s magic comes from its music, and when that music isn’t strong the movie’s better off not trying to be a musical. It’s no surprise that, given the high quality of most of Disney’s musical movies, many of them have migrated to Broadway. While “The Lion King” continues its reign as Disney’s most popular musical theater … Continue reading →

How Old Are Your Favorite Disney Films?

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I have a special little cupboard where I keep all of our Walt Disney children’s classics. OK, it is a pretty big cupboard and it is loaded with both DVDs and VHS tapes. Truth be told, I started collecting Disney movies long before I ever had children. Heck, I was collecting them long before I ever met my husband! I love the Disney classics and even some of the more recent children’s movies made by Disney/Pixar and I love that my kids are enjoying them too. The funny thing about Disney movies is that I could probably tell you where … Continue reading →

Mulan (1998)

This thrilling Disney masterpiece is based on a legendary figure, Hua Mulan, whose escapades are depicted in a famous Chinese poem called “The Ballad of Mulan.” It’s unknown whether this ballad was a historical record or an allegorical piece of fiction, but either way, it makes one whale of a Disney film. Mulan is the only child of her parents, and her only hope to redeem the fact that she is a girl is to marry well. We begin the film with her preparations to meet with the matchmaker, a woman who holds a position of much importance in the … Continue reading →

Peter Pan (1953)

In this classic film by Walt Disney, we meet the Darling children: Wendy, John, and Michael. Wendy is the oldest and at the age of eleven, her parents have decided that she’s too old to sleep in the nursery. It’s to be her last night there and tomorrow she will move to her own room. All three children are devastated by this; every night Wendy tells them stories about the sprite Peter Pan, and if she’s not in the nursery any more, they won’t get their stories. What they don’t know is that one more person will be upset if … Continue reading →