Disney movie review

REVIEW: Lightyear is the Pixar Story We Didn’t Know We Needed

15 June 2022 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

Ok, so no one really thought we needed a Buzz Lightyear backstory, right? I was of the same mind, and thought this was a very silly attempt at extending the Toy Story franchise beyond its natural life and wasting all of our time. At a recent Lightyear screening, I was proven very wrong. My Lightyear review will not contain major spoilers, but will discuss some on-screen things (which have previously been discussed in the press), so proceed at your own risk if you’d like to be surprised. I will not discuss the major reveal toward the end of the film, so that major spoiler is safe.

Going back to my initial frame of mind when I saw the first real trailer for Lightyear, as an extreme David Bowie fan, I was slightly offended that they used his “Starman“ in the trailer for what I thought was such a pointless film. At the end of the movie (which didn’t use the song at all by the way), I took back my offense. Like many, I assumed this was based on the life of the “real world” person Buzz Lightyear, and had nothing really to do with Toy Story at all. In the first frame, we are told that “…in 1995, a boy named Andy received a toy Buzz Lightyear, based on his favorite movie. This is that movie.” Already, that made more sense to me, and I wish they’d explained that going in, I think it would’ve been more accepted from the start.

The film itself is genuinely entertaining from start to finish. We learn briefly about Space Rangers and what they do. We see Buzz as a devoted ranger, his friend and fellow ranger Hawthorne, and their latest mission. Something goes wrong, and the entire team is stranded on a planet, which Buzz feels is his fault. He works to get them off the planet and test out the hyper speed crystal fusion fuel they need to get back home. The only problem with all of his attempted and failed tests, is that Buzz is gone for minutes, while years and years pass by on the planet he’s returning to.

Buzz Lighyear and Sox — © 2021 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

To help him with his guilt over stranding people on this alien planet, Hawthorne gives Buzz a “personal companion robot” named Sox. He is a robotic cat, who truly steals the show and gives it its heart. Even when things seem serious or dire, Sox can find a way to help and inject humor with his “loading” noises of just “meowmeowmeowmeow” or “beepboopbeepboop.” It really helps keep the movie firmly in the kids zone and something that Andy would’ve appreciated as a kid, I think. (Although I’m pretty disappointed we didn’t get Sox toys back in 1995 when Toy Story came out.) Sox is the friend and co-pilot we all need.

Again, I won’t give anything more in this Lightyear review than what I’ve said above away, but suffice it to say, Buzz learns some valuable lessons about friendship, accepting help, and what life is all about. I will also note that there is a lesbian couple in the film, garnering its being banned in Saudi Arabia. The storyline is very subtly displayed, and portrayed as just “normal” which of course, is how it should be. I like to think about 1995 Andy watching this movie and thinking nothing of it as well, just a couple, no other adjectives needed. I wish Pixar had been so bold back in 1995, and I wish the world would’ve been as accepting as most of it is today. Strides are finally being made however, and acceptance and inclusion is becoming the norm.

So while of course we didn’t need another Toy Story movie, I think we did need the lessons Lightyear doles out and I will happily add this to one of my favorite Pixar tales. And tails. I’m totally getting a plush Sox just as soon as I finish posting this Lightyear review. (Here are two options below!)

Sox the Cat on Shop Disney — Sox the Cat on ShopDisney

Lightyear opens in theaters on June 17. I highly recommend heading out to see it, if only for the Sox moments. Until then, you can also enjoy some backstory as Disney+ invites fans to explore the history of Buzz Lightyear and get a sneak peek at the making of the all-new film.

Pixar Animation Studios’ “Beyond Infinity: Buzz and the Journey to Lightyear” explores the evolution of an icon, tracing Buzz Lightyear’s route from toy to the hero featured in the new film. Check out the trailer celebrating the launch of the documentary on Disney+.

Featuring filmmakers, storytellers, artists and members of the “Lightyear” voice cast, “Beyond Infinity: Buzz and the Journey to Lightyear” details how Buzz’s original action-figure design was realized, and how that look was translated years later into a human hero. Delving into the cultural impact of the galaxy’s most famous Space Ranger and his significance to Pixar filmmakers, this doc grapples with what actually is beyond infinity. It is directed by Tony Kaplan and produced by Sureena Mann.

Opening in theaters June 17, “Lightyear”—the definitive origin story of Buzz Lightyear (voice of Chris Evans), the hero who inspired the toy—follows the legendary Space Ranger on an intergalactic adventure. The film is directed by Angus MacLane (co-director “Finding Dory”) and produced by Galyn Susman (“Toy Story That Time Forgot”).

I hope you enjoyed this Lightyear review and it wasn’t too spoilery, I couldn’t not talk about how wonderful Sox the robot cat is. Let me know in the comments below if you see Lightyear and what you think!

Thanks to Disney D23 for the screening of Lightyear, as always, my opinions and thoughts are my own.

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REVIEW: MULAN 2020 is The Highest Budget Hallmark Movie

5 September 2020 by Chris Ryan 2 Comments

On Thursday, March 19th, 2020, I was scheduled to attend a press screening of Disney’s Mulan. I thought this would be a totally normal event – and the last screening I attended was not too long prior: The Hunt (a movie so egregiously bad I couldn’t even bring myself to review it). But on March 12th, I was informed that the screening had been cancelled as the release of the film had been postponed. Needless to say, a few other significant events have taken place since then.

Because of this, Mulan 2020 kept piquing my interest. I was already invested into the concept of the film: the original 1998 film is a classic, and while this one was certainly different, I thought the trailer looked really good. In any event, when the time finally came for its release, I couldn’t wait to take a look.

HONORING THE PAST

2020’s Mulan is a testament to Disney’s in-house production teams’ ability to make only one kind of film anymore: the high-budget, low-effort blockbuster. This is really all you can find looking back at their previous releases. From shot-for-shot live action remakes of their animated successes, to 22 superhero stories that they know will draw an audience just because of the Marvel name. They know that if the poster says ‘Disney’ on it, people will buy it, and because of that, they really don’t have to try.

So can you tell I wasn’t the biggest fan of Mulan 2020?

The movie also draws upon its recent predecessors stylistically. That is to say, even though the tone of the plot is very different, if this movie came on during a Marvel movie marathon, it wouldn’t be all too jarring. It’s shot in the same way: big establishing shots of the lush CGI world they built, faster-than-you-can-blink cuts during action sequences, and shots that are staged almost exclusively with trailers or promotional videos in mind.

I will give them this: in our home theater, we have a very good screen, and this movie was a great way to showcase that. Most of the recent releases on Disney+ are presented in 4K UHD with Dolby Vision, so even a shot of a bug crawling on the ground looks fantastic.

BE TRUE

One of the biggest headlines about this movie before it even came out was that it was a more ‘realistic’ telling of the Mulan legend. They nixed the songs, the dragon sidekick, and all the other cartoon-y choices that the 1998 version added themselves.

I was very interested in this as soon as this was announced. Yes, the soundtrack to the 1998 version is good, but it only has four songs anyway, so I wouldn’t miss them (sidenote, if you like the soundtrack of the original, do yourself a favor and research how much of a mess it apparently was to make). And while Mushu is a fun character, I’m always in favor of changing that type of thing for realism – I’m a big fan of how it was done in Aladdin on Broadway to change the monkey sidekick into three human friends of Aladdin.

However, maybe the biggest reason I was looking forward to a new take on the plot, was following the recent Lion King movie – a full blown shot-for-shot remake of the original with almost nothing added and almost nothing removed. A new telling of the story means that it’s more likely to justify its purpose as a live action remake, something that none of them have been able to do thus far.

Ultimately, this was not the result. The movie relies very heavily on its audience’s pre-existing knowledge of the original film, despite being so starkly and, honestly, harshly different from it. It’s loaded with visual references to the original. Something will happen, and the film will pause for a beat, and wait for the audience to say “Hey, that’s the thing from the original movie, I remember that!” Or the soundtrack, which, while not including the lyricized songs from the original, plays the instrumentals of them in emotional moments, so you again say “Aww, I remember that.”

I say it comes off as harsh because while the movie devotes so much time to profiting off of the audiences memory of the first, it’s also completely different plot-wise. While we hear the powerful instrumental of ‘Reflection’ from the first film, we watch our new Mulan use the force to kick arrows into the chest of a nameless enemy.

Yeah, I guess we should talk about the force.

MULAN’S MIDI-CHLORIANS ARE OFF THE CHARTS

1998’s Mulan is a movie that empowers young girls to take a stand, and shows them that even if the world says they’re of less value, they can be just as strong and powerful as those that hold them down. You would think that, in (current year), 2020’s Mulan would try to do the same. And to an extent, it does, but it does so oh-so strangely.

From literally the very first scene, Mulan is described as using Chi. Now, I’m aware that chi is a real thing in Chinese culture. It’s described as an underlying principle in traditional Chinese medicine or martial arts. And, while it is a ‘force’ that is in tune with your energy flow, the movie treats it as a midi-chlorian-style ‘force that binds us’ that can be used to grant someone jedi-like abilities in dexterity.

It’s underlying message may be one of female-empowerment, but the movie pushes very heavily that Mulan can only succeed because she has some innate supernatural ability. She is a weak fighter – everyone in the Imperial Army seems to be. But by harnessing her ‘inner Chi’ she can be ‘just as good as the men.’ It’s very bizarre, and honestly belittles her character. She’s never able to take down opponents one-on-one: every single fight she takes part in ends with her “controlling her Chi” to do a flip-kick and toss a spear or an arrow back into them.

The film even does a Revenge of the Sith-level side plot where a villain who has mastered their Chi tries to influence Mulan into joining the ‘dark side,’ so that she can realize the full potential of her power.

THE HIGHEST BUDGET HALLMARK MOVIE

Obviously I felt strongly enough about this to make it the title of the review, but it’s true. The movie is all around just pretty mediocre. We followed up our viewing of Mulan by watching 2019’s The Lion King, which, let’s just say, I’m notably not a fan of. At least with The Lion King (while upsetting that it exists), it is still just ‘The Lion King’ so it’s a fun story with fun songs and is just fun in general. Mulan 2020 is really very different from the original film in about every aspect. This upsets me, because like I said before, that normally would be a reason that I would enjoy it. But it’s different in a few too many ways.

This is a humourless, bland, movie. There is action, the music is good. It’s very pretty to look at. Most of the costumes are nice. But I don’t think I would ever bother watching it again because most unfortunately of all, it’s just boring.

This Mulan is the equivalent of, instead of watching the original film, someone just describes to you the original Ballad of Mulan upon which it is based. The pacing is very strange, so it feels like someone just telling the story in a very haphazard way. And, despite starring seasoned vets like Donnie Yen and Jet Li, the acting is notably bad. Aside from Jason Scott Lee, every actor here gives the most lackluster boring performances of their career. For some, like Jet Li, it feels like the only filmed one take before he just walked off set and they had to use it.

Because of all of this, it truly feels like a Hallmark movie in both it’s plot and it’s production. The acting is subpar, the plot and writing is very low-quality, the special effects feel rushed, the list honestly goes on.

There’s more I could say about the plot alone, like how the villains (specifically the witch Xian Lang) are legitimately the only redeemable characters. Every member of the Imperial Army and of her own family dislikes and belittles Mulan, and she relentlessly follows them to the ends of the earth regardless. Meanwhile, the villains of the movie, donned in all black, with mysterious intent and magical witch in tow, provide a Palpatine-esque alternative that actually sounds way more appealing than what any of the other characters are offering Mulan.

IN CONCLUSION

I don’t want it to sound like this is a terrible terrible movie that is not worth anyone’s time. It’s not. It’s, at worst, “okay.” But it’s also the -nth “okay” movie that Disney has released in a row, and it’s tiresome at this point. This is objectively a better film than The Lion King, for example, but it’s so boring and bizarre that that’s like saying an ant bite is better than a bee sting – I’d still rather not have either.

What makes it worse, is that it’s thirty freaking dollars – or at least $29.99. Not including the Disney+ subscription that everyone who will watch this movie undoubtedly already has. Very, very few movies are worth that much, and there is absolutely no universe at all in which this one is.

REVIEW: The Rise of Skywalker

18 December 2019 by Chris Ryan Leave a Comment

To prepare for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, I watched all 10 previous Star Wars films – yes, including Solo and Rogue One, in the span of 4 days. 20+ hours of content, all leading up to this. And yes, it was worth it.

Before I get too far, I’ve ALREADY seen some spoilers floating around online, so I’d like to be clear that I will not be spoiling anything in this review. But if you’d like to be extra cautious and not read anything, just know that I liked it.

..Spoiler.

A Fitting End to the Greatest Story of Our Generation

Since The Force Awakens was released, the sequel trilogy has been my favorite of the three. Something about it has felt so much more full of life and fully realized than either the original nor the prequels ever did. Doing this full marathon ahead of time only strengthened that belief for me.

A lot of people like to find issue with 2017’s The Last Jedi, but I personally loved it. I do recognize some things I think Rian Johnson attempted that didn’t work out as well as others, but I don’t think that those mistakes were to the detriment of the story as a whole.

The Rise of Skywalker, to me, was a fitting end to this trilogy. I think they identified some of those things that didn’t work out so well, and paid them off tenfold.

I think it’s also just a good movie. Star Wars to me has always been successful at being a well made film on top of an interesting story and exciting action. The music, the visual atmosphere, the direction, are all excellently done. Also, it was funny. Like, really funny. When watching this full marathon of movies, C3-PO is one of the only constant characters through the full length of the story, but I never thought he was particularly notable. In this movie, not only is he a major player, he’s very funny!

I have seen a very large amount of new 2019 releases this year, so I don’t think this was a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination, but I do believe that it was the best Star Wars has been executed on the screen, and I’m willing to defend that position (though most of that defense contains spoilers).

Succession of Skywalker

The Rise of Skywalker is a movie with a lot happening. Despite that, it never felt rushed, and it never felt like there was more than the director could handle.

One of my gripes with Last Jedi was that for the majority of the runtime, it juggles three story arcs of varying importance, and only one of them was really very exciting. Constantly switching between these unrelated events did make it feel very clunky at times. Skywalker did not have this issue.

It perfectly handles the amount of characters it has to carry (akin to Kevin Feige’s management of the MCU entourage), and is able to introduce new stakes without it seeming incredibly far fetched or rushed to try and clean them up.

Legacy of Skywalker

I will not be going into incredible detail, because I know that personally I would consider anything about Star Wars a spoiler, otherwise I could go on and on about specific moments that I think were incredibly masterful. It paid tribute to the legacy of the original films and of Carrie Fisher. It definitely was an honest homage to what Star Wars has become.

I know that some people will not like this movie. With a fanbase of this scale, you can’t please everyone, and Disney/Lucasfilm is already on thin ice to most people because of Last Jedi and because of general lack of faith with JJ Abrams. That upsets me, honestly, because I do think that, to genuine Star Wars fans, this is a fantastic finale. It is, in every aspect, a Star Wars movie. For every great moment in the previous movies, this one single film has a version of that and it was amazing.

A vocal group of Star Wars fans believe that the story should’ve ended with Return of the Jedi, and that everything since has been a mistake, and will never be as good as the originals. Obviously this is an incredibly narrow minded view, but I think it’s especially frustrating, because the amount of care and respect that has gone into the sequel trilogy is truly immeasurable. Skywalker is the culmination of those efforts.

I think the best recommendation that I can make is that if you go into the theater expecting to not like this movie because it’s not the three movies you saw from the original trilogy back in the day, then you won’t like it. Skywalker doesn’t try to recreate Return of the Jedi. It doesn’t even try to recreate The Empire Strikes Back. Skywalker is its own story and will define its own path.

Thankfully, I will be seeing it again very soon, and am very excited to do so. I think this quote from the Last Jedi sums the film up well:

“We are what they grow beyond”
– Master Yoda

REVIEW: Ralph Breaks The Internet…And A Lot of Other Stuff

19 November 2018 by Suzannah Otis 3 Comments

Let me preface this by saying I don’t think of this as a review that I’m writing. I usually say in my movie review posts that I’m no movie critic, so take all of this with a giant grain of salt. That said, I do like to think of myself as a critical thinker, sometimes…and thinking critically about Disney movies is about as scholarly as I get at this point in my life. Think of this more as a discussion of the movie, if we saw it together and talked about it on the way home from the theatre (because this is pretty much the conversation my husband and I had on the way home). I will also say, because I’m just going to discuss things, there probably will be spoilers. But really, there’s no “King Candy was Vanellope’s dad!” (he wasn’t – he was Turbo, remember?!) level of spoilers here, it’s pretty much the movie it portends to be in commercials, except for one part of the end, so be forewarned. If you want the kind of review that will say “It was great, go see it!” then you should probably head on over to some other blog now, I will not be offended.

I’ll just jump right in and say, I’m not really sure what I was expecting. I saw the preview at the D23 Expo in 2017, with the Disney Princesses scene, and the fact that Disney as a company allowed itself to be poked fun of in that way was refreshing. Honestly, that was my favorite part of the movie too. The problem I had with it, is that it just kind of went all over the place, with no real coherent story, or “moral” as the first movie had. I feel like the take away with Wreck it Ralph was that life is what you make of it, you can change your circumstances, it’s good to be bad, and winning is everything. Hmm, wait, I may be getting some of those wrong, but anyway…This new storyline, 6 years later (which they mention a LOT for some reason), has a very vague take away. Don’t be insecure? Don’t smother your friends? It’s okay to leave friends and responsibilities behind if you get bored in life. I dunno. I feel like my review is now also all over the place, but the point I’m trying to make is that the avenues they decided to go down in a movie that is supposed to be discovering and sharing all or parts of the internet today, could’ve been done a lot better. Or at least made more sense.

They touch briefly on the phenomenon that is “trending” and “getting likes” and how that is currency in today’s world. Then we momentarily learn about comments and how comments online are bad and you shouldn’t read them. I just felt that in today’s day and age when online bullying is still a thing and places like instagram are virtual breeding grounds for creating, fostering, and magnifying insecurities, fomo, and feeling “less than,” they fell short of actually making a statement about how bad that is and how it’s not reality. I have luckily not had my children affected by online bullying (that I know of), but I have seen a good mood turn into one of feeling like crap when my daughter just scrolls through instagram. I’ve certainly felt that myself. That’s a hard message to learn, as a child or an adult, that what you see online isn’t all there is to life – that joy doesn’t come from the likes you receive, the views you get, or the followers you have. On a personal level, I’ve definitely seen that what it takes to be “successful” in this online world is creating a brand and being that non-stop forever until you don’t really know where that ends and you begin. Sure, some have been able to balance it, but it is a harsh reality that some people may never find a way out of. Certainly I didn’t expect or need an animated documentary on the pitfalls of the internet in 2018 and how to combat them. I just thought more care could’ve been taken with a platform as large as this, about the downside of instant internet fame of today. That said, I guess the Disney synergy of countless online presences might prevent that message, since they want you to buy the things and wear the styles and eat the cute foods (or take photos of them anyway).

One of the other subplots was the concept of a virus; how a virus exposes an insecurity in a system and can destroy it from there. A very interesting way to explain that and make it have “real world” consequences. (And really, viruses are one of the easiest and most preventable dark sides of the internet – I mean, get virus software and don’t click on links you don’t know, ya know?) Translating it into a literal “insecurity” and showing the effects of insecurity on friendship and self-worth was a strange way to go, in my opinion. I guess the overarching message was, it’s okay to have friends with different interests, and just because they have other interests/friends, doesn’t mean they don’t like you. And that makes sense, that’s great. But it took a lonnnng time to get there, with a lot of random winding roads along the way (which I guess could be a metaphor for the never-ending distracting nature of the internet itself, but that would be a stretch…). At the end of the day, it had a lot of overlap from “Haha this is just characters from a game discovering new things” to “Wait, is this reality? Did a video game character just buy something on ebay? And did another video game character just leave her game never to return, cause she was bored?” I should know, however, from dealing with the Cars universe and Pixar, not to over-analyze things or read too much into things, or try to make logical sense out of an animated film primarily made for children.

Which brings me to my next point, I really don’t know if young kids will find this entertaining. There is quite a bit of waxing philosophical from the main characters and while I guess young kids could miss that and just think “haha that guy has big eyeballs and a funny name” or something, it just didn’t have the same entertainment value in my mind, and most kids aren’t going to make the connection from computer insecurity to human insecurity. I will definitely be interested to hear what my 10 year old thinks when he sees it.

Again, the Princesses part was funny, as a commentary on Disney characters as well as I guess a dig at millennials, when all the princesses get new “costumes.” Maybe just I saw it as a dig at all the “Disney instragram uniforms” you see in stylized photos with carefully placed branding. I am reaching the “get off my lawn” age of internet usage, so it could be that. I’d love to see Disney turn that scene into a series of shorts like they’ve done with the new Mickey Mouse cartoons. Any time a giant corporate entity can see the smart humor to be found within its own walls, that’s a good thing.

I also really enjoyed the post-credit scene as well, so stay tuned for that. It was cute (but I also expected it to end sooner than it did and really leave us hanging).

Overall, it was a fun but very very generic glossed-over look at the internet. Many internet horrors were of course not mentioned, as I wouldn’t expect in a family film, but I don’t know, maybe more of a warning about how you shouldn’t actually try to make a ton of money doing stupid things on video, and how that hard truth isn’t necessarily a good thing would’ve been wise to add. The fun innocence of the first film definitely lost its luster, which again, could be a metaphor for the real internet. I’m not sure it would be a multiple-viewing title in our house, which is our usual mark of success.

I’d love to know what you think! If you have seen Ralph Breaks the Internet, did you love it or agree with anything above? Let’s discuss!

Disclaimer: I attended a complimentary screening, but my opinions are (obviously) my own.

REVIEW: Zootopia is a Whole New World of Disney Animation

3 March 2016 by Suzannah Otis 1 Comment

I will admit it, when I first heard about and saw snippets about Zootopia, I wasn’t super excited. “Another movie about animals that can talk,what will make this one any different,” I thought. I then saw the sloth DMV scene at the D23 Expo, laughed, and thought it had some promise. I do love Jason Bateman, and hearing him as the voice of Nick Wilde for over an hour couldn’t be too bad, right? Once home from the D23 Expo over the summer, I kind of forgot about it until recently, when I was able to attend a screening. I had seen a few little promo pieces about it, and saw that they were trying to make the Zootopia universe relatable by changing common things we were used to with “Z” words (zoogle rather than google, zuber rather than uber, etc.) I was then worried that it would be too corny, trying too hard. But really, that’s only in the marketing. In the actual movie, I was relieved to see, the gags and puns are little rewards for keen-eyed observers.

As a side note, I’ve found, in recent years, Disney marketing does tend to go a little overboard on the jokes of site gags found within its animated films, as if trying to ensure these things catch on and “go viral.” While I totally understand this is a necessary evil of marketing on this scale, it’s no less annoying, to me personally, and really makes me wish I could just watch things sight un-seen and make my own judgments from there. But then again, I’m not a typical movie-going Disney fan. I don’t laugh at all the jokes I’m supposed to, and do tend to like more subtle attempts at both humor and any moral-of-the-story lessons. So, maybe it’s just me.

In any event, I was proven wrong in my pre-judgment of Zootopia. Very wrong. I loved it and I think it has the true distinction of being engaging and relatable to everyone and every age. In addition, the universe created for the film and the city of Zootopia is absolutely amazing and so infinitely detailed, I want to live in each of the distinct little areas of their world. The opening scene of the movie tells all the backstory you need to know about both our main character, Judy Hopps, and the world of Zootopia itself. The different neighborhoods are perfect homes for the various types of animals best suited to that environment; Sahara Square for desert animals, the Rain Forest District for those used to jungle environments, Tundratown for polar bears and other cold-weather animals, along with Bunnyburrow, where Judy is from, and Little Rodentia, for the tiniest mammals (the scenes in this area are among my favorite in the movie), while the downtown area Savanna Central, is a bustling city environment where animals from every climate and environment come together to work and live.

Judy Hopps is, at the end of the day, a glass half full kind of bunny. She is an eternal optimist, not only in life, but in her own self-confidence. Despite the motto of Zootopia being “where anyone can be anything,” there is a sort of unwritten rule that in certain situations (when bunnies want to become police officers for example), that isn’t really the case. Judy is determined to prove them wrong, and most importantly, prove to herself that she can be and do anything, and do it well. What follows when Judy does graduate as the first bunny from the police academy, is, at the heart of it all, a buddy comedy. I can actually picture the storyline of Zootopia (minus some animal-specific aspects) translating to a live-action film with humans rather than animals, and that’s perhaps the best compliment for the writing and strength of the plot.

Another major-yet-more-subtle subplot to the movie is the idea of prejudice, profiling of different types of people (or animals in this case). As mentioned above, the animals in Zootopia may claim to be evolved and accepting of all different types of species and allowing them to be anything they want, but there are several lines and situations within the film that directly correlate to our own real-world racial profiling and embarrassingly stereotypical actions – “other bunnies can call each other cute, but other animals can’t call a bunny cute” for example. This may go over the average kid’s head as a funny throw-away line, but adults watching know where it’s coming from, and if it sparks conversation among parents to their kids, all the better. In any event, I love when “kids movies” don’t pander to kids and leave modern and important themes out of the mix. It is possible to have a fun story, animated characters, and important life lessons in one film. Zootopia does that with ease.

I won’t drone on with (much) more analysis of plotlines and characters, but I will say (again) that I loved Zootopia, I loved the message that it tells, and how it tells it. There was not a princess in site, and there was absolutely no feeling of “oh, this is a female empowerment theme” because the whole point of the story is literally, anyone can do anything, and that they should, if they want to. That we shouldn’t judge others based on preconceived notions, and although someone may do something differently than us, it doesn’t mean it’s any less right or valid. And I loved that take-away. I took my 7 year-old son to the screening I saw, and I love that he was exposed to those messages probably without even realizing it. Judy Hopps failed a few times, but kept going, learning all along the way. Nick Wilde lived his life one way because he thought that’s how he had to, and learned that he could and should do more. I hope it sticks in his little sponge-like brain to – as pop sensation Gazelle (played by Shakira) sang in the movie – “Try Everything.”

This was a movie I instantly wanted to see again, and cannot wait till I can do just that. The animation itself is gorgeous, robust and detailed. The character acting is great too, Idris Elba as the Chief of Police is so fun to listen to, as is J.K. Simmons as the mayor, and Nate Torrence as the lovable police station cop, Clawhauser.

I’m excited for Zootopia to be released and have a presence in Disney parks. A meet and greet has already been announced for Disney California Adventure, and Judy and Nick will join the “Move It! Shake It! Dance & Play It!” Street Party at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World, both happening this spring. My son has already asked for a Zootopia backpack and lunchbox, so that means the movie has reached Star Wars level approval ratings in our home.

I’d love to hear what you think if you see Zootopia this weekend!

Disclaimer: I attended a free screening of this film in order to write this review. As you can see, my thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Good Dinosaur Blu-Ray and DVD with 2 Hours of Bonus Features

22 February 2016 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

On Tuesday, February 23, Disney Pixar’s The Good Dinosaur releases on Blu-Ray, DVD, and Digital HD and it will be packed full with 2+ hours of bonus features! Bonus Features include:

BONUS:

Digital HD*, Blu-ray Combo Pack & Disney Movies Anywhere (DMA)

THEATRICAL SHORT – Sanjay’s Super Team – Sanjay loves the world of cartoons and comics, while his father tries to draw him into his Hindu traditions. Reluctance quickly turns into awe-inspiring adventure as the boy embarks on an amazing journey, returning with a new perspective they can both embrace.

TRUE LIES ABOUT DINOSAURS – We know – it’s preposterous to think Apatosaurs spoke English. Learn more about what separates the fictional dinosaurs of “The Good Dinosaur“ from what scientists know about real dinosaurs.

RECYCLOSAURUS – Pixar takes creative competition seriously. Maybe a little too seriously. Watch as “The Good Dinosaur” crew competes to see which department can create the best dinosaur ever…using only discarded items from the studio’s “free table.”

THE FILMMAKERS’ JOURNEY – Finding your way from an idea to a film takes a lot of exploration. Director Peter Sohn and his fellow filmmakers talk about the challenging, inspiring, and unexpectedly emotional experience of making “The Good Dinosaur.”

EVERY PART OF THE DINOSAUR – The filmmakers talk about the special animation challenges of “The Good Dinosaur” – including figuring out how to animate a dinosaur who’s really a boy, and a boy who’s got the spirit of a dog.

FOLLOWING THE T-REX TRAIL – Follow the filmmakers as they travel to a working cattle ranch and meet the McKays, a close-knit family whose work ethic, generosity, and stories inspired the T-Rex ranchers of the film.

COMMENTARY – Commentary from director Peter Sohn, story supervisor Kelsey Mann, supervising animator Mike Venturini, director of photography/lighting Sharon Calahan, and supervising technical director Sanjay Bakshi.

DINO BITES – Montage of original animated pieces produced to promote “The Good Dinosaur.”

HIDE AND SEEK – A short animated clip produced to promote “The Good Dinosaur.”

DELETED SCENES:

The Attack – An idyllic introduction to the family farm is cut short when a savage predator attacks the newborn Arlo. With an introduction by Director Peter Sohn.

Building the Silo – An admiring Arlo is thrilled to follow along as his father builds a silo for the family farm. With an introduction by Director Peter Sohn.

Waiting for Poppa – Arlo awaits the return of his beloved father on a stormy night, only to be greeted with tragic news. With an introduction by Director Peter Sohn.

Blu-ray 3D & DVD:

THEATRICAL SHORT – Sanjay’s Super Team

Digital Exclusive:

JUST LISTEN – Trace the development of the unique soundscape of “The Good Dinosaur,” from the wilds of British Columbia as Sound Designer Craig Berkey collects sounds, to the recording studio where Jeff and Mychael Danna use instruments from around the world to create the music.

Lots of behind-the-scenes fun, which I know I always find interesting – both for the technical aspects of how the films are created, and the stories behind the story so to speak; how the writers and animators came up with the choices they made within the film. Pick it up Tuesday everywhere!

I missed reviewing The Good Dinosaur when it came out in theatres, because I was getting married at the time and getting to screen it just didn’t work out timing-wise. However, I did get to see it on our mini-honeymoon on the Disney Dream cruise ship (I love that you get to see first run movies on board!). I went into the film thinking I would cry uncontrollably, and it would become another Pixar-heart-wrenching-actually-more-like-heart-ripping-soul-gutting storyline that they are now famous for, where, parent or not, you are rendered a blubbering mess because of the storyline they’ve laid out in front of you. And yes, I did cry. Well, almost. My eyes welled up a bit. But that was it. Trust me, I was more shocked than anyone that I didn’t really care for the story…or the characters.

I’m not sure if it was the design of the dinosaurs, which seemed almost plastic or rubber in nature, or the strange side-stories with western “cow-rustling” dinos, or perhaps just Arlo’s personality…but whatever it was, it just didn’t win me over. I felt like there were a lot of mixed messages there, as a parent, from the dad – telling his son to “make his mark” despite him being miserable and not wanting to hurt (or be hurt) by other creatures, then having a sort of change of heart – only when he saw his son’s life was at risk. Maybe I’m over-analyzing, but as a mom, I just wasn’t a fan. And the personality that came out of that upbringing was a whiny, complainy, Arlo, who wasn’t much fun to watch. Of course, he learned to make his own way, and befriended Spot in the process, doing the right thing and making his own kind of mark.

In stark contrast to my dislike of the dinosaurs animation, was my love of the animated backgrounds. They were just breathtaking. A kind of homage to National Parks across the country, you could definitely see characteristics of many parks found within the film. I could watch the movie again and again because of that.

The world around them, nature and its power, became a character in itself, and again, that part I loved. As a side note, when I showed my 7 year-old the movie that had come in the mail for us to review, I asked if he wanted to watch it and he said no because he didn’t want to cry. So I guess it affected him, which in a way, I am happy about. You always wonder in this day and age, if your children are desensitized to the importance of family, so I was glad to see he was affected in that way. (And he is my son after all, and I cry at (almost) anything.)

What did you think of The Good Dinosaur? Is it one of your new favorites? Or did you have issues with it too? I’d love to hear from you below!

Disclaimer: I was provided with a Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack for review. My opinions (as you can see!) were not affected by this and my thoughts are my own.