When I was young I read all of L. Frank Baum’s Oz books over and over. There are a lot more than one might expect, and I devoured them all. So I can understand why some people are so entranced with the series that they keep returning to it, though it’s interesting to me that most of the subsequent Oz books after the first one are so rarely plumbed for adaptation. Disney’s the latest to jump on the Oz bandwagon; the company is set to release a prequel to the famous story: “Oz: The Great and Powerful.” I’ve heard about … Continue reading →

Disney’s done it again with “Wreck-It Ralph.” This is a movie anyone can love, and it’s definitely another one to which it would be great to bring your kids along. The central protagonist, Ralph, is actually a villain, not a hero. He’s the guy in an arcade game who wrecks a building, for the hero (and titular character in his game), Fix-It Felix, to repair. Ralph has spent 30 years as the villain, and that wouldn’t be so bad if at night, when the lights in the arcade go off and the denizens of the games go off the clock, … Continue reading →

Charles Perrault’s “La Belle au bois dormant” (literal translation “the Beauty sleeping in the wood”) is a bizarre little tale. Some people might find Walt Disney’s adaptation of the story as soporific as the curse upon Aurora, but at least it has narrative consistency. So many of the things that happen in Perrault’s story leave (modern) readers scratching their heads, and that’s on top of the hefty dose of terrible messages for women, something that didn’t come as a surprise after I read the 17th century Frenchman’s take on Cinderella. Up until the point of the teenage princess’ pricking of … Continue reading →

Beyond reviewing the movies, I try not to report on too much Marvel news around here. I’m a big comics geek, so I could easily talk for ages about the company. Marvel’s only owned by Disney; the news isn’t directly related to the House of Mouse, even if it is technically a member now. Yet, I just can’t resist this latest piece of news about the Marvel movie franchise. “Avengers” director/co-writer Joss Whedon is back to take up both of the same mantels for the sequel, due in 2015. For the average movie or Disney fan, this might not seem … Continue reading →

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 →