The Muppets Directed by James Bobin Written by Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller What is so special about Kermit the Frog? What is about Kermit, Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, the Great Gonzo, and others that make us treasure them so dearly, so closely? I don’t ask because I don’t get it–just a couple of days …
Some say the Christmas season is the most wonderful time of year, but there’s at least one person who would disagree: Ebenezer Scrooge, that old skinflint from Charles Dickens’ classic tale, A Christmas Carol. This week’s Mousterpiece Cinema kicks off December by looking at the most recent adaptation of this story, from Walt Disney Pictures …
It’s time to play the music, it’s time to light the lights. It’s time to meet The Muppets on Mousterpiece Cinema tonight! Yes, friends, after a 12-year hiatus, the furry felt creatures that sprung from the imaginations of such visionaries as Jim Henson are back on the big screen. Is the new movie a return …
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 …
Pete’s Dragon Directed by Don Chaffey Written by Malcolm Marmorstein Being original is hard. I don’t think we appreciate that as much as we should in modern popular entertainment. Being original is hard mainly because everything has been done. With very few exceptions, every type of story has been told countless times. Unless you’re Charlie …
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 …
What is the old saying? “The night is darkest before the dawn, but the dawn is coming?” That has never seemed as true as it does this week, when Josh sees what an ambitious failure looks like: why, it’s 1977’s Pete’s Dragon, of course! Yep, friends, if you want another patented Mousterpiece Cinema rant, this …
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 …
The Nightmare Before Christmas Directed by Henry Selick Written by Caroline Thompson Hype is a dangerous thing. I know there are some people out there who believe that hype or overhype is something for which we can only blame ourselves. A movie, TV show, book, or album isn’t overhyped; we overhype it, so if we’re …
We’ve all heard the song “Home on the Range” before, but have you seen the Disney movie called Home on the Range? Oh, you might know about this movie, the 45th animated feature from Walt Disney Pictures, with Roseanne Barr and Dame Judi Dench as the voices of cows. But have you seen it? If …
Boys and girls of every age, wouldn’t you like to hear something strange? It’s Halloween time, and what better way to celebrate this spooky holiday than by watching the 1993 Disney film The Nightmare Before Christmas? Josh revisits this now-iconic stop-motion animated film about what happens when Jack Skellington, King of Halloween Town, decides that …
Ratatouille Written and directed by Brad Bird Genius is a blessing and a curse. Who doesn’t have that moment where they wished they knew the answer to a question, whether it’s to sound important, put someone else in their place, or just show off? But being a genius has one obvious pitfall: once you prove …
The Lion King Directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff Written by Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, and Linda Woolverton They were Skittles. I remember this part distinctly. I was in the front row of the theater on Friday, June 24, 1994, throwing Skittles at the big screen with the other kids I was seeing The …
What kind of ingredients does it take to make a great podcast episode? For starters, make sure you have a great topic. This week’s episode of Mousterpiece Cinema has just the movie to create a great episode: 2007’s Ratatouille from Pixar Animation Studios. Next, put in two dashes of honesty, a pinch of analysis, and …
Hakuna matata, everyone! On the heels of its successful 3D re-release and Blu-ray transfer, Josh travels to Pride Rock this week and reviews The Lion King for a brand-new episode of Mousterpiece Cinema! Listen to him rant against 3D transfers of old movies, rave about Jeremy Irons, and appreciate the Blu-ray disc for this 1994 …
Waking Sleeping Beauty Directed and narrated by Don Hahn Written by Patrick Pacheco I have a really great memory when it comes to completely unimportant information. I remember seeing Who Framed Roger Rabbit in theaters in 1988. I remember the day I found out I couldn’t go to see Jurassic Park in theaters–I was too …
Dumbo Directed by Ben Sharpsteen Written by Otto Englander, Joe Grant, and Dick Huemer We all assume that money can cure all our ills, from pretty much the day that we understand what money is. If we have money, we can buy anything we want, we can live in luxury, and we can make what …
This week on Mousterpiece Cinema, Josh discusses a rare type of movie indeed: a fascinating documentary about some pretty awesome movies. Yes, this week, he’s reviewing 2009’s Waking Sleeping Beauty, which is all about how such classics as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and The Lion King were all made during a wild …
This week, Mousterpiece Cinema takes to the skies, as we commemorate the 70th anniversary of the fourth full-length animated feature from Walt Disney, Dumbo! What’s in store is a very special episode, as Josh is joined by his very first guest, fellow Disney aficionado Gabe Bucsko. What did they think of the new Blu-ray for …
Atlantis: The Lost Empire Directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise Written by Tab Murphy I imagine something that matters most to many of the people fortunate enough to work for the Walt Disney Company, especially those in Walt Disney Feature Animation, is the legacy they get to not only leave behind, but create. Sure, …
So Dear to My Heart Directed by Harold D. Schuster and Hamilton Luske Written by John Tucker Battle Nostalgia fuels the Walt Disney brand. No one can deny this, and when the various movies, TV shows, CDs, toys, and attractions under the Disney umbrella work, it’s not a bad thing. Nostalgia is why I go …
This week on Mousterpiece Cinema, Josh goes on an adventure to the lost city of Atlantis to discover yet another Disney movie he’s never seen before! Yes, friends, this was Josh’s first time watching 2001’s Atlantis: The Lost Empire; he had to fight off mercenaries, mysterious undersea creatures, and other mystical beings, but he survived …
Hold your breath, everybody: this week on Mousterpiece Cinema, we’re submerging ourselves deep in nostalgia with 1949’s So Dear to My Heart, one of the first hybrid live-action/animated movies from Walt Disney and Buena Vista Distribution. This movie is meant to be a heartwarming story about family, friendship, and hard work, but was Josh’s heart …