Fantasia 2000 Directed by Don Hahn, Pixote Hunt, Hendel Butoy, Eric Goldberg, James Algar, Francis Glebas, and Paul and Gaetan Brazzi Starring Steve Martin, Bette Midler, Penn and Teller, Angela Lansbury Achieving balance is one of the great high-wire acts of family films. Some filmmakers attempt to make universal pieces of entertainment, to appeal to …
Cinderella II: Dreams Come True Directed by John Kafka Written by Jill E. Blotvogel, Tom Rogers, Julie Selbo Starring Jennifer Hale, Corey Burton, Russi Taylor, Holland Taylor How low can expectations get? Because mine, regarding the Disney direct-to-video/DVD sequels, are as low as is humanly possible. I don’t actually expect legitimate quality from these films, …
For any fan of Disney films, discussing their many direct-to-video sequels is truly going, to quote the line, where no man has gone before. This is the final frontier, and on the new episode of Mousterpiece Cinema, Josh and Gabe begin to explore it with 2002’s follow-up to a movie that didn’t seem to need …
It’s a momentous week at Mousterpiece Cinema headquarters, as your three hosts–Josh, Mike, and Gabe–come together for the first time! And they’re joined by a very special guest, Kate Kulzick from The Televerse podcast at Sound on Sight. What’s the special occasion? This week, your hosts and their guest tackle one of the biggest classics …
Fantasia Directed by Samuel Armstrong; James Algar; Bill Roberts and Paul Satterfield; Ben Sharpsteen and David Hand; Hamilton Luske, Jim Handley, and Ford Beebe; T. Hee and Norm Ferguson; & Wilfred Jackson Starring Deems Taylor A few weeks ago, I read a great article by Drew McWeeny of HitFix wherein, while describing how his two …
You have been waiting for this moment for days, weeks, even months. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, this is a very important, landmark episode of Mousterpiece Cinema. For the first time, you will hear the magic words that make Michael blow a gasket, virtually. Actually, let’s up the ante. You will hear TWO different sentences that …
The Wild Directed by Steve ‘Spaz’ Williams Written by Ed Decter, John J. Strauss, Mark Gibson, and Philip Halprin Starring Kiefer Sutherland, James Belushi, William Shatner Every movie, every television show, every book, every play, and every musical needs to have internal logic inherent in its creation. No matter how ridiculous the premise is—a man …
Lady and the Tramp Directed by Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske Written by Erdman Penner, Joe Rinaldi, Ralph Wright, Don DaGradi Starring Barbara Luddy, Larry Roberts, Verna Felton Whether you’re a Disney nut like me, a film buff, an animation buff, or just interested in 20th-century Americana, you’d do well to read Neal Gabler’s …
Do you have to be a dog person to like a Disney classic such as 1955’s Lady and the Tramp? Do you hate dogs if you don’t? These are just a couple of the questions that Josh and co-host Gabe Bucsko asked and answered while discussing the iconic film on this week’s episode. And sure, …
Over the four-day Presidents’ Day weekend in the United States, Walt Disney Pictures unveiled the latest release from the beloved Japanese animation company Studio Ghibli, 2012’s The Secret World of Arrietty. Now that a week has past, Josh and Michael can delve deep into this secret world, adapted from the well-known British kids’ novel The …
The Secret World of Arrietty Directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi Written by Hayao Miyazaki and Keiko Niwa Starring Will Arnett, Amy Poehler, Carol Burnett I’ve become an old man in my young age. I imagine I’m not the only one, of course; you, dear reader, may feel like you’ve become twice as crotchety as your friends …
Tales of the Night Written and directed by Michel Ocelot France, 2011 French director Michel Ocelot is perhaps best known for his animated films Kirikou and the Sorceress, that film’s sequel, and Azur & Asmar: The Princes’ Quest. His latest feature Tales of the Night is an anthology film made up of six short allegorical …
What makes a Disney movie a true Disney movie? I asked this question while discussing The Black Cauldron with Michael Ryan on the podcast, and I’m still not sure there’s an easily quantifiable answer. Some of the film’s identifying features—a fair princess, a young man who becomes a warrior of some kind fighting off strange …
In the history of Walt Disney Pictures, few films have as well-known a reputation as 1985’s The Black Cauldron. Unfortunately, The Black Cauldron has a…well, black mark on its record; it’s known as one of the biggest flops for the studio and the animation department’s lowest point. But is The Black Cauldron as bad as …
Just as we kicked off 2012 with the first-ever full-length animated film on Mousterpiece Cinema, is there any better way to kick off the month of February with what’s possibly the most quintessential film from Walt Disney Pictures? Of course not, so with Michael Ryan taking the week off, Josh and co-host Gabe Bucsko dive …
Mary Poppins Directed by Robert Stevenson Written by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi Starring Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, David Tomlinson I think it’s a bit dangerous to call movies classics; that title can be a heavy crown for any film to wear, whether it’s your favorite or one you’ve never heard of before. Sometimes, …
The Brave Little Toaster Directed by Jerry Rees Written by Jerry Rees and Joe Ranft Starring Deanna Oliver, Jon Lovitz, Thurl Ravenscroft Originality is so rare these days that we latch onto anything that doesn’t smell of being laughably, obviously derivative. Of course, when I say “we,” I mean film buffs because there’s no denying …
This week on Mousterpiece Cinema, Josh and Michael ask the important question: who plays with appliances as a child? This and other burning questions arise as they discuss The Brave Little Toaster, an indie animated film Walt Disney Pictures snatched up after its 1987 release. Both of your hosts were shocked by this cult favorite, …
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Directed by David Hand Written by Ted Sears, Richard Creedon, Otto Englander, Dick Rickard, Earl Hurd, Merrill De Maris, Dorothy Ann Blank, and Webb Smith Context is everything. Looking at anything in the appropriate context can change your view, or at least enrich it. When people in the 21st …
Happy New Year, everyone! 2012 is a banner year for Mousterpiece Cinema, because the Disney movie podcast you know and love is now being presented to you by the amazing movie website Sound On Sight! Why not start off this new year than with a look back at where it all began for Walt Disney …
Beauty and the Beast Directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise Written by Linda Woolverton There is an inexorable, inexplicable quality about some great movies, as there is about great art in general. Sometimes, yes, we can pinpoint exactly what makes a movie work so well, why it becomes one of our favorites, why it …
Tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme, beauty and the beast. Yes, friends, just in time for its 20th anniversary, Josh takes a look back at the pinnacle of the Disney Renaissance, 1991’s Beauty and the Beast! After the last couple of weeks, and with the holidays right around the corner, nothing …
Home on the Range Written and directed by Will Finn and John Sanford Expectations are a dangerous thing, but what’s even more dangerous sometimes is living up to them. In 2004, before John Lasseter and Ed Catmull joined the Walt Disney Company in a more official capacity than just running Pixar, the Walt Disney Feature …