Movieman's Guide to the Movies
The Final Word on Physical Media
Toy Story of Terror is another solid entry in the franchise with some great humor and some decent, kid-friendly, terror. It’s also wonderful that they manage to get the cast back even in limited roles rather than go the cheaper/easier route with voice imitators.
Bedknobs and Broomsticks, while having its fans, isn’t the most well-known Disney musical taking a backseat to the likes of Mary Poppins, but it’s still fun and energetic led by the wonderful Angela Lansbury along with some nice musical numbers.
Tarzan seems to be the ignored stepchild amongst Disney’s animated titles (talking 80s and 90s), taking a backseat to Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Aladdin or The Little Mermaid but it’s a fun and finely animated flick with some good voice casting and incredible sequences.
Escape from Tomorrow is notable for one reason and one reason only: getting made, on the fly, and under the nose of the Disney Corporation and for that, it’s a commendable flick, but the story breaks down though the cast do well enough all things considered.
The Pirate Fairy actually isn’t a bad little film that, albeit geared more toward the younger age group, has some good animation and voice work plus the story is well written. While I might not revisit it anytime soon, it’s still a slight recommendation for families.
The Jungle Book 2 is yet another weaker additions in Disney’s arsenal of needless sequels and although this did get released theatrically, it was originally planned as a DTV release which this should have been relegated to along with all the rest. It’s not terrible and younger viewers might enjoy it as it’s a breezy flick that is only 65-minutes long (sans credits), but adults might not find much to enjoy.
Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Year is a fun animated movie aimed for little tikes but the animation is pretty basic and this new Blu-ray released by Disney is really weak.
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It truly is sad how Disney has treated Mickey’s Christmas Carol with an awful video transfer and only satisfactory audio which itself wasn’t upgraded at all. There are no features to speak of other than some decent animated shorts.
Monsters University might be one of the weaker outings from Disney/Pixar since Cars, yet there’s enough here to make it an enjoyable experience for the entire family. The return of Billy Crystal and John Goodman is great, the animation is still absolutely amazing and the story is good even if it heavily borrows from other college films, although I suppose one could argue it was paying homage to those movies.
Monsters University might be one of the weaker outings from Disney/Pixar since Cars, yet there’s enough here to make it an enjoyable experience for the entire family. The return of Billy Crystal and John Goodman is great, the animation is still absolutely amazing and the story is good even if it heavily borrows from other college films, although I suppose one could argue it was paying homage to those movies.
The Little Mermaid makes a triumphant debut with this “Diamond Edition” Blu-ray containing a fair amount of features and fantastic audio/video transfers making it the best this film has ever looked and sounded.
The Sword in the Stone is still a nice story all these years later and an entertaining film as a whole. The Blu-ray released by Disney, however, isn’t fun. While the audio track isn’t very dynamic and the video is downright disappointing, the features also have much to be desired with Disney not bothering putting any new material such as a retrospective and/or impact the movie has had.
Hood does look dated in its animation style but it’s still a rollicking good time the entire family, especially with young children, will enjoy. The story of course is familiar but getting that Disney spin makes it stand out.
Oliver & Company was panned by the critics back in 1988 but in recent history has found a strong fan base… and for good reason. The movie features a wonderful, Disney-fied twist on an old story and some decent voice acting.
Mulan is one of the better Disney animated films from the late 1990s and an inspiration for little girls. The sequel on the other hand… not so much. It’s not a disastrous film by any stretch but it is the typical DTV flick which Disney released during that era.