#my top 10 favourite direct-to-video disney sequels

[that-shamrock-vibe]

Disney+ What To Watch: My Top 10 Favourite Direct-To-Video Disney Sequels

We’re on category four in my campaign to try brighten the dark times the world finds itself in at the moment due to the current pandemic. We’re now delving into the always controversial topic of Direct-to-Video Disney Sequels.

Just as a disclaimer, I am aware that the term “Video” is outdated these days and many people just say Direct-to-DVD, but I grew up when most of these Direct-to-Video movies were being released and whenever this topic is at its most controversial, the headline is usually Direct-to-Video.

Just to clarify, this is a list of the animated Disney sequels that Disney decided would be a good way of continuing the stories of some of their most classic animated features. Some were good, some were terrible, some even have more than one entry on this list.

As always, please remember that my thoughts and opinions are my own as I may be defending movies that others find ridiculous but I have reasons for liking all ten of these entries.

#10. Atlantis: Milo’s Return

I have to say the #10 entry and the honourable mentions are pretty much of the same level of enjoyment for me, but ultimately Atlantis 2 tipped it because I really had a fondness for the original movie and was surprisingly interested to find out what happened to these characters after the ending of it.

That being said I do understand the controversies with this movie, like other Direct-to-Video sequels, Disney came up with the idea of creating mini-backdoor pilots for potential animated shows disguised as feature-length movies. While some could get away with being mistaken for thought out sequels, Atlantis 2 is rumbled about 20-30 minutes into it when it is discovered that there are three stories in this movie and all are very loosely connected.

Now in a way, this does infuriate me as when I hear Atlantis is getting a sequel as a child I was very excited because I enjoyed the original so much, but as you get older and discover Disney’s true M.O, there’s only so much we as fans can fall for before the bull starts being called out.

All this being said, I did enjoy the three stories, the first one being this epic sea battle mimicking the leviathan battle from the first being, the second being more of a mystic western type of movie and the third actually bringing in Norse mythology several years before Thor was owned by the Mouse House. It’s just a shame that none of these stories were up to par with the first movie.

Even the animation style of this movie compared to the first takes a downgrade as most Direct-to-Video sequels did, while the animation styling was very precise in the first movie, this feels like it has had all of the life sucked out of it and left it feeling flat.

Complaints aside, I did enjoy seeing these characters back and the same voice actors were back to reprise their roles which was great. There isn’t a lot of development for these characters outside of Milo and Kida, but I guess in a movie subtitled “Milo’s Return” he does deserve the development and being married to Kida she also deserves the development.

They did do the fish out of water story slightly with her when she finally discovers what the surface world is like and throughout the movie it did kind of build it’s way for Kida to make her decision about the future of Atlantis and how it could mutually benefit the world and her kingdom for them to integrate. It’s a little bit like Killmonger’s Wakanda argument only Kida goes about it the right way.

The new characters introduced in this movie are not exactly memorable, to the point where I can’t remember any of their names aside from Odin...because he’s Odin...but also aside from the one Atlantean spear introduced in the second story that becomes a plot device in the third story, there is nothing really connecting the stories other than our main heroes.

The best new character for me was the rock-eating dog-like pet of Milo and Kida’s who befriends Mole due to their shared love of dirt. He’s a cute design and the fact he is a lava dog is quite creative, I’m just a sucker for cute animal sidekicks even in animation. I mean he’s no Bruni or Pua but being a simple throwaway side character was always on the agenda in this type of movie.

It’s a harmless movie, if you are like me and just want to see these characters in another story, or three, then this is probably the movie for you. The adventures are slightly pedestrian but just lite of what the earlier action sequences in the first movie were like and again, it’s not exactly a harmful movie.

So what do you guys think? Post your comments and check out more Disney+ What to Watch Top 10s as well as more Top 10 Lists and other posts.

[the-desolated-quill]

The Quill Seal Of Approval Awards - The Best of 2018

Hello and welcome, dear reader, to the greatest, most important awards ceremony in the history of entertainment. The Quill Seal Of Approval Awards. The award of recognition that everyone on Earth covets even though they don’t know it. For the Quill Seal Of Approval is a most esteemed prize for hard work and artistry. Better than the Golden Globes, more prestigious than the BAFTAs and guaranteed to be more diverse than the Academy Awards. You know your film, novel, TV show or video game has achieved legendary status when some random nobody on the internet says it’s the best in some obscure top 10 list that’s read by only a couple of people. That’s the true sign of success.

First, a few parish notices. Obviously this is my subjective opinion, so if you disagree with my choices, that’s fine. Go make your own list. (also remember that my opinion is 100% objective, scientific, factual and literal truth and anyone who disagrees is clearly a philistine and a dummy and a poopy-head whose mum smells of elderberries). Also please bear in mind that I haven’t been able to experience everything 2018 has to offer for one reason or another. In other words, please don’t be upset that A Star Is Born isn’t on this list. I’m sure it’s as amazing as everyone says it is. I just never got around to watching it.

Okay. Let us begin.

Inside No. 9 - Series 4

BBC2′s Inside No. 9, written by the League of Gentlemen’s Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, is an anthology series that’s often sadly overlooked, but it’s really worth a watch if you’re into shows like Black Mirror and The Twilight Zone, and this series in particular has been fantastic. We’ve had an episode written entirely in iambic pentameter, an episode whose chronology runs backwards, a live episode that really plays around with the format, episodes containing tragic and biting satire, and one especially twisted episode that brings out a side of Steve Pemberton we’ve never seen before. Series 4 has been a real treat from start to finish, with each episode beautifully written and expertly performed. Inside No. 9 deserves to share the same pedestal as Black Mirror, no question.

Black Panther

I’m sure everyone knows about my less than flattering views on the Marvel Cinematic Universe by now, which is what made Black Panther such a breath of fresh air for me. Stripping away all the convoluted crap, Black Panther has often been compared to The Dark Knight, and for good reason. Like The Dark Knight, this movie uses the superhero genre to tackle real social and political issues. In Black Panther’s case, exploring just what it means to be black in the modern world. Boasting an impressive cast of black actors, strong female characters, an engaging and complex antagonist, fantastic special effects and truly excellent direction from Ryan Coogler, Black Panther represents a new benchmark for Marvel, the superhero genre and the film industry in general. It proves how important and how lucrative diversity and representation in media can be, and it unintentionally shows how flawed the Marvel business model has become. The reason behind Black Panther’s success is simple. It’s because it’s bloody brilliant. And the reason it’s bloody brilliant is because Coogler was allowed to realise his own creative vision without Kevin Feige and Mickey Mouse breathing down his neck. Perhaps they should take note of that in future.

Deadpool 2

Of course Deadpool 2 is going to be on this list. Are you really surprised?

The Merc with the Mouth goes from strength to strength in the rare instance where the sequel is actually as good as, if not better than, the original. The first Deadpool was a great origin story for the character, but Deadpool 2 felt like an adventure ripped straight from the comics themselves. Crass, ultra violent and hysterically funny, Deadpool 2 is the crowning jewel of the X-Men franchise. Fan favourites such as Negasonic Teenage Warhead and Colossus return as well as new characters such as Domino, played by the exceptional Zazie Beetz, Cable, played by the astounding Josh Brolin, and Firefist, played by Julian Dennison who deserves all the success in the world because good God this kid can act!

But of course the star of the film is Deadpool himself with Ryan Reynolds once again proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that he understands this character back to front. Not only is he hysterically funny, capturing the character’s irreverent tone perfectly, he also absolutely nails the tragic underpinnings of Deadpool that make him such a wonderful character. In between the f-bombs and gore are moments of real drama and emotional pathos as the film tackles themes such as loss, discrimination, abuse and suicidal depression. All this whilst taking the piss out of 2017′s Logan. 

Oh yeah, and it also features the first openly LGBT superheroes in cinematic history. Fuck you Disney! NegaYukio and Poololosus for the win! LOL! No, but seriously, now that you have the rights to X-Men back, if you try and censor Deadpool in any way, shape or form, I will kick your arse.

God Of War (2018)

“BOY!”

Yes Kratos is back, having successfully destroyed the world of Greek mythology and now has his eyes on the Norse Gods. And he has a son now. What could possibly go wrong?

Seriously though, this new God Of War is simply exquisite. While I have long admired the God Of War franchise for its interpretation and adaptation of Greek mythology, the previous games in the series have never exactly been the most sophisticated when it comes to storytelling (and the less said about the casual sexism, the better. Yes Sony, I promise I understand the thematic reasons behind playing a minigame that allows you to have sex with Aphrodite in God Of War 3, but it still doesn’t change the fact that it’s sexist as shit). God Of War 2018 changes all that with an intelligent and engaging story that allows us understand and connect with Kratos at a more personal level than we’ve ever done before. Taking place years after God Of War 3, Kratos is older, wiser and trying to raise his son Atreus in the hopes that he won’t make the same mistakes Kratos did in his past. Not only is the story amazing, continuing the franchise’s themes of vengeance and the strained relationships between parents and their children, the gameplay is also a ton of fun with many memorable moments and boss fights.

And as an added bonus, we get two strong female characters that aren’t treated like discardable sex objects. That was nice of them.

Incredibles 2

The long awaited sequel to The Incredibles finally arrived in 2018 and it did not disappoint. Incredibles 2 was everything I could have wanted and more. Continuing on from the events of the first movie, we see Elastigirl take the spotlight as she fights the Screenslaver whilst trying to persuade the worlds’ governments to lift the ban on superheroes. Meanwhile Mr. Incredible takes a back seat as he tries to reconnect with his kids Violet, Dash and Jack-Jack and prove he can be a good, supportive dad. 

Continuing to draw inspiration from Fantastic Four, X-Men and Watchmen, Incredibles 2 is... well... incredible. Expanding the world he created, Brad Bird tells a smart, funny and compelling story that stands head and shoulders above the majority of superhero movie fodder we get nowadays. Elastigirl flourishes in the lead role this time around and the kids get a lot more development, the Screenslaver is a great villain that compliments the themes of the franchise wonderfully, and we get to see a whole bunch of new characters such as Voyd and the Deavor siblings as well as the return of old favourites like Frozone and Edna Mode. 

Honestly, the baby alone is worth the price of admission. Hopefully we won’t have to wait another fourteen years for Incredibles 3.

Marvel’s Spider-Man

Marvel’s Spider-Man is an amazing game. But of course you knew that already. It’s made by Insomniac Games, the same guys behind Ratchet & Clank. Of course it was going to be brilliant.

Simply put, this game does for Spider-Man what the Arkham games did for Batman. Not only is it a great game with brilliant combat and fun web swinging mechanics, it also has a great story worthy of the wall crawler. Unlike the movies, which seem to continuously yank Peter Parker back into high school with each new reboot as those the poor bastard were attached to the fucker on a bungee rope, this Spidey has been fighting crime for eight years. With great power comes many responsibilities as we see him struggle to juggle crime fighting, his new job as a scientist, his commitments to helping Aunt May at the F.E.A.S.T shelter and trying to win his ex Mary Jane Watson back after a six month split. It’s a brilliant story featuring many classic villains such as Shocker and Electro as well as lesser known villains like Screwball and the criminally underrated Mister Negative who finally gets to be the central antagonist in a Spider-Man adaptation. It’s fun to play, engaging, dramatic and really emotional at points. I cried real tears at the end. What a punch to the gut that was.

OOOOOH! And we might be getting to play as Miles Morales in the sequel! I sure hope so! :D

The Grinch

At this point I imagine many of you are scratching your heads. 

“Really Quill? The Grinch? Illumination’s The Grinch? This deserves the Quill Seal Of Approval? Are you sure?” Yes dear reader, I’m absolutely sure. Just hear me out.

It’s true that the majority of Dr Seuss adaptations are shit. While the live action version of the Grinch starring Jim Carrey has a cult following and is fondly remembered by some, it’s still pretty crap, and even Illumination themselves screwed up royally with their adaptation of The Lorax. But this new Grinch is truly excellent. For starters, the animation is gorgeous. This is clearly the format that works best for Seuss movies. Benedict Cumberbatch does a really good job voicing the character, giving him depth and complexity beyond just being a big old meanie. The film also has something no other Seuss film has ever had before. Subtlety. Illumination have clearly learned their lesson after The Lorax. They’re no longer bashing you over the head with a moral message. They’re not trying to over-complicate a simple story by adding pointless sub-plot after pointless sub-plot. In fact the bits they do add actually feed into the main core of the narrative, as opposed to The Lorax, which just confused things. And while there are cute Minion-esque sidekicks like there are in a lot of Illumination films, The Grinch limits it to two (Max the dog and a reindeer named Fred), they’re both legitimately funny, serve an important narrative purpose and don’t distract from the more serious and emotional moments.

In all honesty, I was debating between giving the Quill Seal of Approval to The Grinch or to Bumblebee (the first legitimately good Transformers movie), but I decided to go with The Grinch because of how it handles the character and the story’s message. A lot of people scoffed at the idea of giving the Grinch a back story (and to the film’s credit they don’t force the issue or over-explain where the Grinch came from) but it’s honestly what makes this new adaptation of The Grinch so special to me. He’s gone from being a Scrooge-like monster to an anxiety filled misanthrope who associates Christmas with being alone. It may sound like a jarring change on paper, but in practice it honestly works so well and adds a whole new dimension to the Grinch. It’s treated with absolute care and sincerity and the film really earns its emotional moments, particularly at the end when we see the Grinch sit down to have Christmas dinner with the Whos.

If you haven’t already, I highly recommend you give this new Grinch a chance. You might be pleasantly surprised :)

Doctor Who - Series 11

A woman?! In the TARDIS?! How absurd!

Jodie Whittaker made history as the first woman to play the Doctor and the new series doesn’t disappoint. Whittaker is predictably brilliant in the role, giving the character compassion, charm and wit. We also get a new bunch of companions (including the always brilliant Bradley Walsh as Graham) who all have some great moments in Series 11 and the relationships they form with each other is incredibly touching and fun to watch. But the writing, my God, the writing. Admittedly not every episode has been perfect, but it’s leagues above anything Moffat has given us during his disastrous reign. The majority of Series 11 has been well written and intelligent, tackling important and relevant social issues (something Doctor Who has always been doing and anyone who says otherwise is an idiot) and focusing on likeable and relatable characters rather than convoluted series arcs. We got to meet Rosa Parks, witness the partition of India, and ponder on the dangers of automation whilst the Doctor tries to save the world from bubble wrap. Oh, and the Daleks are scary again! I know! I couldn’t believe it either!

What makes this all the more remarkable is who the showrunner is. Chris Chibnall. A writer I’ve often criticised in the past for being derivative and shit, and yet somehow he’s managed to create some of the best Doctor Who I’ve seen in a long time. Not only has his writing improved dramatically since his Torchwood days, he’s also demonstrated a commitment to having diverse representation both in front of and behind the camera as well as in the scripts themselves. For the first time in what feels like an age, Doctor Who feels like Doctor Who again, and I’m ecstatically happy.

Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse

How come we don’t see many animated superhero movies in the cinema? Considering the medium from which superheroes came from, you’d think it would be a no-brainer. Presumably it’s because Disney have got such a strangle hold on the animation market, but that’s hopefully going to change thanks to Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (or, Sony’s Repentance for The Emoji Movie).

Let’s get the obvious out of the way. The animation is gorgeous. It’s pretty much an animated comic book and it stands out as one of the most unique looking animated films in recent memory. Spider-Verse is essentially a love letter to the legacy of Spider-Man as we see multiple different versions of Spidey, including Spider-Gwen, Spider-Ham and Nicholas Cage as Ghost Rider cosplaying as Spider-Man Noir, demonstrating not only the sheer variety of Spider-Men we’ve had over the years, but also exploring what connects them together. With all these different interpretations across many different universes, the idea of Spider-Man comes to the same thing. An ordinary person who experiences tragedy and becomes something greater. It’s hopeful and inspirational in a way Spider-Man films hasn’t been for a while now (Spider-Man: Homecoming sucked donkey balls. Period).

But let’s not forget that while the film explores the Spider-Verse, the main focus is Miles Morales who finally makes his cinematic debut. Not only is it a very faithful adaptation of Ultimate Spider-Man’s origin story, Miles himself is such a great central character for the modern age and arguably has more relevance to today than Peter Parker does. The characters are funny and relatable and the story is expertly crafted and impactful. But then what do you expect from the writers and directors of The Lego Movie? (if only Disney hadn’t interfered with Solo: A Star Wars Story. We could have had it all).

Mowgli: Legend Of The Jungle

This one kind of snuck up on me toward the end of December, but I knew the moment I saw it I had to include it on this list.

Mowgli: Legend Of The Jungle is an adaptation of The Jungle Book with Andy Serkis making his directorial debut. Yes the same guy who did the motion capture for Gollum in Lord Of The Rings and Caesar in the rebooted Planet Of The Apes movies and who totes deserves an Oscar for Best Actor (fuck you Academy Awards!), and he brings this same motion capture technology to this film. Unlike Disney’s Jungle Book, which merely rehashes the original animated film whilst somehow stripping all the charm from it, Mowgli sticks closer to the original Rudyard Kipling book. This isn’t a cheery musical. This film is often dark and intense as we see Mowgli (played wonderfully by Rohan Chand) struggle to find his place in the world. He knows he doesn’t belong with the animals in the jungle, but he doesn’t really fit in with the world of man neither. It’s an emotional and dramatic character piece brought to life by great writing, great acting and stunning special effects. 

Andy Serkis has expressed a desire to do an adaptation of George Orwell’s Animal Farm, and after watching this movie, I would love to see that. If you haven’t already, go watch Mowgli: Legend Of The Jungle. It’s available to stream on Netflix and it’s truly amazing.

And that’s it for 2018. Congratulations to the winners of this year’s Quill Seal Of Approval Awards. Unfortunately we’re on a limited budget here on The Desolated Quill, so I can’t offer any sort of trophy or medal or anything. What I can do though is write the words ‘I’m an awesome cookie’ on a post-it note and stick it on your forehead. Will that do?

[televisor-reviews]

Top 10 BEST Films Of 2018

Taking this extra year to look at the film market of 2018 has given me the space to really look at the year as a whole as, what I’d describe as, really extreme. It wasn’t great, but it wasn’t awful, and I wouldn’t really say it was mediocre either. There were lots of movies I loved but just as many I hated with surprisingly few I thought were just okay. Both the best and worst lists were pretty hard to put together because there were so many movies I really wanted to put on them. Cutting Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom from my worst list was a serious heartbreaker for me. But that only means that I’m particularly quite happy with how both turned out, there’s some seriously game changing films on this list. And keep in mind that, despite how much I tried, I still couldn’t watch every movie from the year: so as amazing as I’m sure A Star Is Born and Best F(r)iends are, I just didn’t get around to them. If you’d like a list of every movie from 2018 I have seen (in order from best to worst), it can be found on my Letterboxd here: https://letterboxd.com/animatorreviewa/list/every-2018-movie-ive-seen/

#10. Searching Back in 2014, the world was introduced to a new form of filmmaking that told a story via the screen of the main protagonist’s computer in Blumhouse’s Unfriended. Kind of like a modern day found footage film. And while I was one of five people who really liked Unfriended and its 2018 followup Unfriended: Dark Web, I think Searching is the penultimate of what this newfound sub-genre is able to accomplish. Similar to what Cloverfield was able to do for found footage, Searching was able to use the computer screen film style to heighten the tension and breaks down a part of the audience’s suspension of disbelief to create a horrific experience for anyone who witnesses it. Which also puts a ton of pressure on the lead, John Cho, as even a moment of bad acting can break this fragile fourth wall. Pressure that Cho overcomes like it was nothing. All of this combines into an incredible experience that keeps its audience on the edge of their seats and constantly on the brink of a heart attack. I’m almost certain that Searching will be considered an important piece of 2010′s film history. #9. Bad Times At The El Royale In 2011, Drew Goddard set himself apart as a director with a very unique and interesting vision with his landmark piece A Cabin In The Woods. In 2018, he did it again with, in my opinion, an even better film, Bad Times At The El Royale with a fascinatingly put together and complicated story featuring some of the best acting from such a star studded cast I’ve seen in years. From Jeff Bridges playing against the Big Lebowski type most are familiar with to Jon Hamm definitely playing towards his Richard Jewell typecast to Dakota Johnson making up for all three Fifty Shades Of Grey movies with quite possibly her best performance. Bad Times At The El Royale is one of the most uniquely made mainstream movies I’ve seen in a while with several scenes told several times from different perspectives and each character breathed life into them with such interesting backstories. My only real problem is that the whole thing with half the place is in Nevada and the other half is in California doesn’t really go anywhere but it’s made up for as soon as Chris Hemsworth shows up to ham the hotel up. Incredibly entertaining and amazingly fascinating, this is a movie that threatens you with a good time. #8. The Favourite I appreciate that powdered wig period pieces are coming back into style with shit such as Beauty And The Beast (2017), The Age Of Adaline, and Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. But among the failures of this once well respected sub-genre are good stuff too, for instance, The Favourite, a movie that actually remembers that British people spell some words with a “u”. One of my personal Favourite cliches of films nowadays is having a cast in which literally everybody is an asshole, see #9 and #1. And what I really like particularly with this is that old time-y movies about royalty can be really intimidating to hurdle, even now I have to hype myself up to watch something like Downton Abbey. But this overcomes it by being really entertaining with some great performances from the entire cast, especially Emma Stone showing once again why she deserves an Oscar! And the directing from Yorgos Lanthimos is so good, it actually makes me want to check out The Killing Of A Sacred Deer. The Favourite is a magnificently smartly fun picture that can satisfy both the most bored audience member and the most pretentious film critic. #7. Love, Simon Look, we all have biases. Some lead people to rave about how BlacKkKlansman is the best movie of the year because of how well it portrays black culture and their relationship with the police and evangelical racists. Some lead people raving about Crazy Rich Asians because it had the balls to fill its cast with Asians and Asian Americans. For me, an (at the time) openly bisexual 18 year old who masks most of my anxiety and fears with a very thin facade of comedy, Love, Simon really spoke to me while also entertaining the hell out of me. The script knew exactly when to be funny and when to be serious, when it should have a heartfelt scene and when it should go on a random tangent, and even when it’s trying to be funny or go on a tangent, it gives incredible insight into the main protagonist’s psyche. And for those moments, the context is everything. I remember cringing pretty hard at the whole “coming out as straight” bit in the trailer, but laughing my ass off when it showed up in the film. And Nick Robinson, who plays the titular character, kills it and I think he’s going to go places very soon. All of this culminates at the end, when the emotion is high and I (along with the rest of the theater) are on the edge of our seats, and Love, Simon got me to shed some tears. #6. Ralph Breaks The Internet Of the two million Disney movies released in 2018, this sequel is the highest one ranking on my list. And of the one million animated films released in 2018, this is actually the lowest one ranking on my list. Which kind of surprises me because you wouldn’t think so on the surface. On one hand, it’s just a sequel to a video game movie that lost Best Animated Picture to Brave, how is Wreck It Ralph 2 doing better than the emotional rollercoaster that was Christopher Robin or the long awaited and ton of fun that was The Incredibles 2. But then again, anyone who knows me knows that Wreck It Ralph is one of my favorite Disney cartoons, so how does it barely creep above the smart while not being funny at all Smallfoot or the only surface level hilarity that is Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation? Well, in some sense it’s much better than the original: with superior animation, a cooler concept, and finally realizing that the focus should be entirely on the real star, Princess Vanellope Von Schweetz. On the other hand, it doesn’t even come close to matching up: the humor is a tad sub par, too much is really going on, and considering the very cool concept, it should’ve done more with it. But did I still watch it a ton as soon as I could: absolutely. So who really won here: me for being a little disappointed or Disney who made a very entertaining film? The sixth spot feels about right to me. #5. Annihilation Between J.J. Abrams’s batshit crazy Nazi-zombie experiment Overlord, Steven Spielberg bringing his amazing talent to Ready Player One, Netflix throwing their hat into the “ripping off Big Hero 6″ ring with Next Gen, and do I even need to mention Marvel, 2018 was a damn good year for sci-fi in the middle of a decade that was, as a whole, great for the genre. And while Annihilation isn’t the last we’ll see from science fiction on the list, it is the one that’s here largely because of that. Flatly, I love how the science in this movie works; in general, I tend to prefer my sci-fi very grounded and that is how Annihilation works. I could kind of see how something like this bubble can exist and everything inside it really working this way. But what I really love about this film’s science is that it is a borderline horror flick. Once Natalie Portman walks through into the anti-Wizard Of Oz, the shit that goes down is horrifying. All of a sudden: up is down, left is right, and nobody knows what time it is and I loved it! This kind of gaslighting horror that I don’t see a whole lot of lately really throws the audience through a loop because for once, we don’t know what’s going on either. And for a film to really go so far just to confuse people, I have to at least respect. And to do it so well with some amazing acting on just about everybody’s part, I must love! Annihilation is a serious experience that I wished I was able to catch on the big screen. #4. Sorry To Bother You In 2018, Donald “Childish “Lando Calrissian” Gambino” Glover released his major #1 single, This Is America. Whether you love it or you hate it, you have to admit that it was saying a lot in such a unique way. The world that music video took place in was a nonsensical cartoon to somehow represent the plight of African Americans in the United States. I’m not gonna pretend like I totally understand because I definitely don’t; the point is that the portrayal struck a nerve with a lot of people and, personally, it did feel like a proper way of showing it. And Sorry To Bother You does something very similar, portraying the African American plight in a humorous, cartoonish, and unrealistic way to counteract the very serious, down to earth, and realistic parts. Do black people need to completely show themselves as white to get anything done; maybe not but we all know that people in general are much friendlier and nicer to those who sound like their ideals, usually meaning white. Are we, as a nation, (spoilers) turning poor (and considering how blacks are predisposed to being lower middle class because of reasons relating to how capitalism works, most of the blacks of the world) people into horses; I sure hope not but big companies and better off citizens do tend to think of the working class as just objects to do shit for them. Sorry To Bother You brings up a lot of the problems prevalent in modern society, especially those that directly relate to African Americans, in a palpable and entertaining way is ingenious and amazingly well done thanks to the overwhelming talent of Boots Riley and I cannot wait for his next big project. It’s definitely the best racial relations film of the year, beating out other great films like Monsters And Men, If Beale Street Could Talk, and The Oath. #3. Isle Of Dogs 2018 is a year that really threw me through a loop as far as films went. When I went to see Isle Of Dogs, I was certain that it’ll be the best movie of the year, absolutely no competition. Then, later on, when the #1 film came out, I was certain that would be it. Then the #2 spot came out and made me question everything all over again. Anyway, Isle Of Dogs is Wes Anderson being very Wes Anderson-y while combining it with the same kind of claymation he used in the fantastic Fantastic Mr. Fox and the traditional culture of Japan that’s oh so lovable. And as much as I love the Anderson style, the animation used here, and how Japanese culture is portrayed, involving my favorite animal brings my appreciation over the top. I am so down to get a million more films in which the theme of the picture is that dogs rule. This really is the kind of film that I love just about every aspect of, and though it might mostly be on a surface level way, I really don’t have anything bad to say about this film. It’s almost boring how much I enjoy this, I don’t have much to say except please watch it. It’s so good! #2. Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse Back in 2012, the world as a whole was introduced to a pair of directors mostly known for animation named Phil Lord and Chris Miller when they directed the surprise hit 21 Jump Street and its followup 22 Jump Street. The world then got to know them a little bit better when they seemingly single-handedly jumpstarted the beloved The Lego Movie franchise. Then in 2018, everyone learned that no matter how crazy, Lord and Miller know what they’re doing when their firing spelled doom for the financial flop that was Solo: A Star Wars Story. So when the pair brought their producing and writing talent to a Sony Animation made Spider-Man movie just a year after The Emoji Movie, I think most people were expecting to enjoy it if only because that snippet at the end of Venom was really well animated. But I don’t think anyone was expecting an Academy Award winning film. Whenever I went onto my Twitter for a solid month, all I saw were people exclaiming how Into The Spider-Verse was their favorite movie of the year and then again for another month after the Oscars took place. All of a sudden, Disney Marvel, Warner Bros. DC, and Fox X-Men (rest in peace), have a brand new and major competitor... and for good reason, this movie is incredible. I immediately accepted it as easily the best Spider-Man movie ever, but took a few watchings for me to accept it as the second best film of the year and a few more to accept it as my Phil Lord and savior. It is so much fun, so entertaining, so enjoyable with such great characters, amazing writing, and hilarious comedy all wrapped with a brilliantly animated bow. Another film I really have nothing bad to say about, this is just a fantastic film through and through. Before we get to #1, here’s some Runners Up:

Black Panther This was the year I got a little spent on superhero movies. Considering how I still put Into The Spider-Verse as my #2, clearly not that much, but I just wasn't super amazed by what Marvel, DC, or X-Men had to offer. But I don’t think I even disliked any: Avengers: Infinity War was fun but incredibly unfocused, Teen Titans Go! To The Movies was hilarious but was still just a poor child’s version of Teen Titans, and Deadpool 2 had some great action but not nearly as entertaining as its predecessor. Black Panther was the only one that really left a real mark on me, but even still, it’s not the best film of the year to handle black culture. Even as far as Ryan Coogler films go, I think I’d rather watch Creed or its sequel Creed 2. It’s good but I don’t think it deserved a best picture nomination. Instant Family Hear me out, the movie in which Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne adopt Dora The Explorer and her two bratty siblings directed and written by the same guys behind Daddy’s Home 2 and Horrible Bosses 2 is the feel good movie of the year, is incredibly hilarious and underrated, and even got me to shed a tear by the end. There is no excuse to let Daddy’s Home flourish and this beauty and die, I implore you to please watch it. You will not regret it, let it get big on home media, get more of these made! Vice I get that not everybody gets the Adan McKay style of making a dramedy like in The Big Short or Bombshell, but I do and I love both Christian Bale and Amy Adams so Vice was really up my alley! I just thought of it as a really enjoyable movie with a message I was predisposed to agree with. What really throws this into being a great movie to me is that Christian Bale really is that good in this, maybe one of the best performances in his career. I don’t know, I thought it was funny so I enjoyed it well enough. Won’t You Be My Neighbor? I think most people agree that this was easily the best documentary of the year. As much love as I have for Fahrenheit 11/9 for being my first theatrical documentary and Behind The Curve for being one of few docs that are incredibly entertaining, I had to eventually break down and admit that Won’t You Be My Neighbor (once again) made me cry because I grew up loving Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood that much. Especially now that we’re past A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood leaving not nearly as big of a mark as people were expecting and we’re still watching and talking about this documentary, I think this actually has the lasting impact it earned. Green Book It won best picture, I guess I’ll talk about it. As a movie, Green Book is fine. It’s well made with some good acting, I’ll allow it being considered good. Is it racist? I’d say probably not but it does definitely feel racist. Kinda like that scene from The Office where Michael Scott does his Chris Rock impression; you know he’s not racist and he doesn’t mean for it to come across as it but it still absolutely does. Considering the message of the story is “don’t be racist/homophobic,” I’m pretty sure that it’s not racist/homophobic, it just doesn’t know how to say it without coming across as such. My real big issue is with it winning the same year that had Roma and Can You Ever Forgive Me?, it had no business even being nominated. But outside of all of that, Green Book is an okay movie. Mid90s The 2010s owes a ton to Jonah Hill and I don’t think most people realized that. He told studios how to translate old properties to a modern audience with 21 Jump Street, showed how comedians can combine their sense of humor with the serious setting around them in The Wolf Of Wall Street, and most importantly to this entry, showed how coming of age stories should be told in this day and age with Superbad. Ever since, for better or worse, coming of age films have been trying to recreate that magic. The closest to get it right, in my opinion, is The Edge Of Seventeen but still goes wrong by being much much better, but Mid90s does some really great stuff as well. I appreciate any theatrical film that’s willing to be filmed in a way that doesn’t look theatrical at all. And I also appreciate the likable but very flawed characters portrayed. Mid90s really left a mark in my mind and is a great start to Jonah Hills directorial career. Aggretsuko: We Wish You A Metal Christmas And for my pick of short film of the year, let’s talk about what might be my favorite Netflix series, Aggretsuko! As a cradle between season one to season two, this does a great job at portraying these super relatable characters in a very entertaining scenario all set during Christmas! Maybe it’d make more sense to give this honor to something more impactful like A Sister or clever like I’m Poppy: The Film or even a nice surprise like Harvey Birdman, Attorney General, but no. I refuse. I enjoyed A Very Merry Aggretsuko Christmas much more. Book Club Considering how I’ve spent literally every Worst Of list talking about how awful Fifty Shades Of Grey is, even that year it took off I ended up watching and bitching about Fifty Shades Of Black, I’d like to talk about what is easily the best film to come out of this franchise. Book Club is basically a bunch of old lady celebrities getting together, reading the Fifty Shades books, and talking about their sex lives. It’s like a feature length Gilmore Girls movie and I loved not only the idea, but the film itself was hilarious. I enjoyed the hell out of it. Black Mirror: Bandersnatch As a die hard Black Mirror fanatic, of course I was excited for a full Black Mirror movie with, from what I’ve heard, five hours worth of footage. Especially since its story was told in such a fascinating and unique way, I was interested as hell into this and I loved it! I’ve loved select your own adventure books and games for a long time now, from Detroit: Become Human to Gravity Falls: Dipper and Mabel and the Curse of the Time Pirates' Treasure!: A "Select Your Own Choose-Venture!". So one set in the well established and amazingly well put together world of Netflix’s British Twilight Zone, sounds incredible and it was! It’s just so cool! Bumblebee Laika didn’t have a movie in 2018, but I feel like we still did with Bumblebee. Getting Travis Knight, the director of Kubo And The Two Strings, objectively their best picture, to do a Transformers entry is ingenious! If anyone should know how a creature like this would move and how to differentiate any one robot from another robot, it’s an acclaimed director from Laika. Now that we’ve finally pried this franchise from Michael Bay’s claws and Paramount playing it smart with their directors, maybe we’ll finally get a series of good Transformers films... or maybe Transformers 7 is cancelled and all hope is lost. #1. Hereditary I think the 2010s get a bad wrap when it comes to horror. All too often I hear Gen X-ers proclaiming how, “there’s no good scary movies anymore!” Completely forgetting hits like The Cloverfield Paradox, A Quiet Place, and The First Purge. Every new trend of a certain genre can usually be traced back to one major film: 1930s had Frankenstein, 1980s had Halloween (BTW, the 2018 one is also great), 2000s had The Blair Witch Project, etc. I think this new trend of mixing slow and suspenseful with big jump scares and everything is dark can be thanks largely to The Conjuring. While that franchise might have started the trend, I feel pretty certain that Hereditary perfected it. Every scare is at least mildly horrifying, the loops it throws you through is abundant, at no point are you sure what’s going on, and by the end, you find yourself breathing much heavier than you remember doing. Hereditary is a trip and a half that I loved going through again and again. I think when people think back to what was the best horror film of each decade: 1930s Dracula, 1980s The Shining, 2000s The Ring, 2010s Hereditary. I loved this movie in all its horrific glory.

[that-shamrock-vibe]

Disney+ What To Watch: My Top 10 Favourite Direct-To-Video Disney Sequels

#7. The Return of Jafar

I give this movie credit for not only being the first Direct-to-Video sequel Disney released but also trying to continue one of Disney’s most loved properties without the inclusion of potentially the original movie’s strongest asset which was Robin Williams as the voice of the Genie.

That being said, I have often said that if you take this movie out of continuity and go straight from the first movie to the third movie, there will be nothing lost in terms of story or development.

While Aladdin is one of Disney’s only properties to have its own trilogy and a television series tied in, there is unfortunately never an extended part of the franchise that compares to the original movie.

Having said that, this movie does deliver on the promise of its title which is showing the return of Jafar, one of Disney’s best villains.

An undisclosed length of time has passed from the first movie and Iago has managed to escape the prison of Jafar’s lamp and attempts to find a better life for himself away from Jafar who he dumps in a well.

Aladdin meanwhile is first seen robbing new antagonist Abis Mal and his cronies which sets the new bumbling villain on a vendetta against the street rat.

In the marketplace, Iago crosses paths with Aladdin and Abu after angering the entire marketplace and begs for a second chance claiming he has changed. This causes tension at the Palace though as when it is revealed that Aladdin is harbouring Iago, the Sultan and Jasmine find it hard to forgive him based on his actions in the first movie.

Meanwhile Abis Mal comes into possession of Jafar’s lamp and the Red Genie emerges promising Abis Mal riches and glory if he assists him in defeating their mutual enemy Aladdin.

What follows is a somewhat moderate evil scheme where Jafar apprehends the Genie and enlists Iago as his minion once again, Abis Mal and his cronies apprehend the Sultan and frames Aladdin for his supposed murder which leads to him almost being executed before Iago has a change of heart.and frees the Genie so he can save him and their friends before they devise a battle plan to defeat Jafar.

The ending of the movie is definitely one of the most dramatic in these direct-to-video movies not only with a Maleficent-style arena showdown where the heroes try to destroy Jafar’s lamp but are constantly thwarted, but also the culmination of Iago’s redemption story where he gets badly beaten by his former master but is still able to knock the lamp into the lava finally putting an end to Jafar...aside from a future one-off appearance in the Hercules animated series.

The final scenes of the movie see Aladdin being offered the role of the Sultan’s new royal vizier but rejecting it in order to travel the world, to which Jasmine decides to travel with him.

This sets up the television series that follows complete with Homer Simpson returning to voice the Genie and the same poor animation of this movie.

There is nothing really likeable about this movie. Aladdin had a certain edge to him in the first movie that Mena Massoud managed to capture for the live-action remake, here though he becomes the standard Disney hero with nothing more to him other than being the good guy.

Jasmine is relegated to simply being the girlfriend and Abu, Carpet and Genie are very poor comic relief.

But the movie being titled The Return of Jafar should mean that Jafar is the main character is Jafar and for the most part he is, but I don’t know if it is to do with the animation or the fact that he is partnered with Abis Mal but there is something slightly goofy about him in this movie. This works for him when he is later partnered with Hades but despite here knowing he is the one in charge even though he is the servant officially he doesn’t dominate the same presence as in the original movie.

The songs are really bad, not only is Homer Simpson singing (yes I know he has an actual name but its Homer Simpson as the Genie) a pale imitation of “Friend Like Me”, but also Gilbert Godfried effectively singing a love ballad is possibly more earsplitting than Cats.

With all this said, why is this #7 on my list? Well not only is this the first direct-to-video Disney sequel but this was also one of the first VHS’ I was a part of buying, I was excited to see Jafar back given that he is one of my favourite Disney Villains and I was happy to see the Aladdin series continue despite never quite living up to the original.

So what do you guys think? Post your comments and check out more Disney+ What to Watch Top 10s as well as more Top 10 Lists and other posts.

[that-shamrock-vibe]

Disney+ What To Watch: My Top 10 Favourite Direct-to-Video Disney Sequels

#9. The Hunchback of Notre Dame II

I suppose it’s pretty pointless suggesting whether or not anyone actually asked for this sequel as I do theorise that no one actually asked for any of these direct-to-video sequels. But with it seeming pretty bizarre to “Disnefy” such a dark story as The Hunchback of Notre Dame, but giving it a sequel which does a 180 swerve away from the dark tones of the original story and instead gives us a minor heist story with a side of romance does seem a tad bizarre.

That being said, as a kid watching this movie I did find a lot of enjoyment in it. Not only was it nice to see a lighter side of Paris without the shadow of Frollo hanging over it, but seeing how far Quasi has come from being the monstrous bellringer to being more accepted within the community was also rather nice.

The story is somewhat straight forward. It’s Le Jour D'Amour aka the Festival of Love and a con-artist circus troupe arrives in town led by the villainous Sarouche who has plans to steal a valuable bell located in Notre Dame. He sends his ward Madellaine to dupe Quasimodo but the two end up falling in love with each other which makes Madeline turn against her evil master and eventually start a life with Quasi.

That being the main story, it seems weird that while there is no side-story aside from the love story between Quasi and Madellaine which weaves into the main story, there is no real focus on the returning characters such as Phoebus and Esmeralda who were massive parts of the first movie.

Sarousch as a main villain is nowhere near as good as Frollo was but I give the movie credit for continuing the trend of realistic villains as Sarousch being a con-artist and travelling circus performer is very true to real-life particularly at the time these movies were set.

The main issue I have with this movie is Phoebus and Esmeralda’s son Zephyr. I think I’ve mentioned in these posts before how as a child I related to a lot of the kid characters in these movies and saw them as gateways to experience the movies from their perspectives. Zephyr I found annoying even back when this movie was released. He is that wide-eyed and fun-loving archetype that Haley Joel Osment particularly is good at portraying, but the fact he is so heavily in this movie to the point where he’s noted as the tritagonist of the film is slightly grating.

I mean don’t get me wrong, it is great to see Phoebus and Esmeralda be developed as parents, we just never see them really be parents outside of worrying about Zephyr’s safety when he gets himself kidnapped by the villains.

It would have also been nice if they established Quasi as his godfather or something to that extent, rather than simply being his parents’ friend.

Considering six years went by from the release of the first movie to this, it’s also good to see that reflected in-canon as Zephyr could easily pass for a kid aged 7-10 years old.

The voice talents of Tom Hulce, Demi Moore and Kevin Kline all reprise their roles as the main three heroes of the first movie, while Jennifer Love Hewitt and Michael McKean are added to the voice cast as Madellaine and Sarousch respectively.

It’s also worth noting that while Jason Alexander and Charles Kimbrough return to voice Hugo and Victor, Mary Wickes sadly passed away before the first movie was released and Jane Withers stepped in for the sequel to voice Laverne. The change is very noticeable but fortunately the gargoyles are barely in this one and as such there’s not a lot of attention on it.

It does sound redundant to say the animation is also lacking the quality of the original because practically every Direct-to-Video Disney sequel lacks the quality of animation the first movie had, but considering how the visuals were so striking in the first movie from the Festival of Fools to the Court of Miracles and seeing Notre Dame both during the day and burning in the climax in the movie. I even stated that my favourite shot of the movie was Quasimodo swinging through the Notre Dame courtyard and seeing that vivid colour pallet adding to the darkness of the movie.

Here, it’s very much animated for little kids, and I guess that’s what the target audience of the movie is for considering it’s a very soppy and basic love story with one of the main three characters being a little kid.

But I guess with the grandness and the vision the first movie tried to convey, effectively downgrading and giving in to the Disney formula just feels like the risks the first movie took meant nothing.

The songs aren’t even that memorable here. The first movie had potentially the best Disney Villain song along with a church choir providing the soundtrack for the movie, here it is your typical Disney soundtrack of the Post-Renaissance era.

The problem I have with it is the problem I have with a lot of these sequels in that there is nothing new in terms of substance.

Where this comes here is the fact that the first movie had great themes of prejudice and not judging based on appearances...that seems to have been carried over here only rebranded with the tagline “It’s what’s on the inside that counts”, they even use a literal metaphor in the movie in terms of the main bell of the movie.

It’s a good message for kids, there’s nothing harmful in this movie, but the first movie wove in these messages so much better.

I want to end on a positive as I did favour this over several others, so I will say that unlike a lot of Disney sequels like Atlantis 2, this did not feel like a backdoor TV pilot, it is definitely trying to be a follow-up movie in its own right

So what do you guys think? Post your comments and check out more Disney+ What to Watch Top 10s as well as more Top 10 Lists and other posts.

[that-shamrock-vibe]

Disney+ What To Watch: My Top 10 Favourite Direct-To-Video Disney Sequels

#8. Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure

It is rare that a movie or television series can give me cravings, but the sequel to Lady and the Tramp interestingly enough makes me hungry for spaghetti and meatballs every time I see it.

After recently seeing the live-action version and the change to the ending that that movie did, it is slightly interesting to ponder if this movie should have even happened in the first place.

The movie’s plot kind of follows the same messages as the first. No more than seven months may have passed from the ending of the first movie to here where the Brown family and their dogs are singing about how perfect their suburban lives are...all except Lady and Tramp’s only male puppy Scamp who dreams of being a street dog rather than being domesticated. His antics get him into trouble with his family and leads to a falling out with his father...who seems very keen to hide his past as a street dog from him.

Scamp then runs away from home and meets another puppy Angel who is part of a group of Junkyard Dogs led by Buster who preaches about how against the domestic life he is. However, after being told to steal food from his family he is confronted by Tramp who it turns out used to be friends with Buster before deciding to get into the domestic life.

After a brief run in at the pound, Scamp decides to go home and convinces the other junkyard dogs that they can have cushy lives rather than being ruled by Buster who is left under a pile of junk.

The movie does a kind of reverse on the first movie as Scamp is born domesticated but wants to be a street dog before realising that the best place for him is with those who love him.

It’s weird to think that Disney are trying to preach the message of not knowing how good you have something until you don’t have it anymore to kids when realistically if kids were to follow this kind of logic they would obviously have to run away from home and get involved with a bad crowd. While a tragic everyday occurrence, this isn’t the type of thing you would expect Disney to promote, especially back in the day.

Lady and the Tramp II is also one of the few direct-to-video sequels that almost maintains the animation quality of the first movie, which the original was notable for having.

The clear romance between Scamp and Angel is similar to that of Lady and Tramp in the first movie. With Angel having Tramp’s origin story from the live-action remake it leads to a more compelling character, but it is clear that the Junkyard Dogs aside from Buster are better suited to domestic life so it is a no brainer when they end up with families at the end.

It’s slightly weird that in this sequel they decide to properly show us Jim Dear and Darling’s faces, particularly as their roles in this movie are either to be the disciplinarians or worrying over Scamp. Aunt Sarah and Si & Am make brief appearances in this movie but don’t serve any major purpose other than showing disdain towards Scamp.

As with a lot of sequels the songs aren’t as good as the original movie, but fortunately here the original movie didn’t have the best soundtrack save for a couple of songs.

The main issue with the movie is an issue I will bring up again in later choices but while I do understand how Tramp wanted to shield his kids from the mistakes of his past as many parents do, given that Scamp has such a passion for the street life it would be just as easy to tell Scamp about his cautionary tale and as warn him away from it, because not telling him only deepened Scamp’s resentment and resolve.

Despite being the main focus of the first movie, Lady is very much pushed to the side in this movie aside from being the worrying mother. Because the story is very Tramp centric it’s only really Tramp who is developed.

Also having the backstory of Tramp as a junkyard dog would have maybe worked if maybe one of the pound dogs from the first movie was part of the group here, as it stands it does seem as if Buster is just a shoe-horned in antagonist.

If you love dogs as I do then it’s a cute movie, there are mature themes with regards to a child running away from home and the impact on the family, but there’s also the fact of the movie being rather static rather than developing and moving forward. Scamp may learn a lesson but the movie is simply about Scamp learning a lesson rather than feeling hard done by and the family realising they need to mutually change it’s just Scamp learning about taking his life for granted.

I may not be familiar with Charmed but I do know that Alyssa Milano voicing Angel as a leading lady halfway through the show’s run was clearly a way of capitalising on bringing her fanbase over.

As it stands, the movie isn’t bad, much like a lot of my choices it is not a harmful movie and even does focus on mature and sensitive themes. It’s just a question that we didn’t really need to see Scamp long for something he thinks he wants only to realise his best place is where he already is.

As a dinner time movie when I was 10-11 though it was a fun couple of hours, and like I said my fondness for meatballs probably came from this movie.

So what do you guys think? Post your comments and check out more Disney+ What to Watch Top 10s as well as more Top 10 Lists and other posts.

[that-shamrock-vibe]

Disney+ What To Watch: My Top 10 Favourite Direct-To-Video Disney Sequels

#5. Stitch! The Movie/Leroy & Stitch

I couldn’t really talk about these movies separately and I can’t fully give an accurate appreciation for this movie without talking about the animated series.

Both movies are only just over an hour long and so could be seen as a two-part movie with the TV series serving as the connecting story.

I remember seeing the first movie when it originally came out and the tease for the movie of “We all know that Stitch is Experiment 626, but what ever happened to the other 625?” was very tantalising for me to find out, even though it is not necessarily a question that needed answering it was still interesting to see.

The story begins with disgraced former Galactic Alliance Captain Gantu arriving aboard the ship of disgraced scientist Dr. Hamsterveel who was once the partner of Jumba while creating his experiments. The rodent villain, who serves as the main antagonist for the remainder of the franchise, instructs Gantu to abduct Jumba in order to obtain the first 625 experiments so he can take over the Galactic Alliance.

However, Jumba acts quickly and hides his experiment container but one slips through the net and is obtained by Gantu. This is revealed to be the comedy relief Experiment 625 whose primary function is to make sandwiches.

So it is up to Lilo and Stitch to save their friend by discovering the experiment container and releasing one experiment in order to try and save Jumba. Experiment 221 goes rogue though and uses his electric mimicry powers to reek havoc on the town.

Upon retriveving said experiment, Stitch discovers he finally has true family in said experiments and decides to protect Sparky despite Hamsterveel demanding all 624 experiment pods.

The plot could be seen as doubling down on the original Lilo & Stitch story where rather than Stitch, it is now the 625 experiments everyone is after in the movie. But while the first movie focused strongly on the relationship of the sisters, Nani is barely in this movie aside from going on a date with David and trying to assist Cobra Bubbles in negotiating for Jumba’s release.

The climax of the movie effectively sets up the rest of the franchise as this movie acts as a backdoor pilot to the animated series that followed with the explanation of how the series would be shaped. The 623 remaining experiment pods are accidentally scattered in and around the town with some activated and the others waiting to be so.

It’s up to Lilo and Stitch to find all the experiments, find their “one true home” and stop Hamsterveel and Gantu from owning anymore outside of Experiment 625.

The movie is shamelessly a television pilot just as The Return of Jafar was, but this series at least set up as a mission central series whereas Aladdin was more of an adventure series.

Leroy & Stitch is the finalé of the Experiments arc in the franchise but surprisingly not the final instalment in the franchise overall as I have recently learned.

Unlike Stitch! The Movie I have only recently discovered Leroy & Stitch after finally completing the animated series thanks to Disney+. It does seem weird that an almost 30 year old is still interested by this series but I desire closure and had dipped in and out of the series when it first aired.

Before talking about this movie, I just want to give a brief rundown of the series.

Overall I found the Lilo & Stitch animated series enjoyable if not formulaic as a “Experiment of the Week” type of series. It also seemed to have a specific moral for every episode that either the Experiment of said episode played a part in exploring or they were teachable moments.

The series very much seemed aimed at the younger audience, but there were both innocent lessons about “being true to yourself” and “not being in a hurry to grow up” then there were more wider stretched morals to do with pollution for Earth Day and other holidays were also highlighted.

The series ends with Leroy & Stitch where Lilo, Stitch, Jumba and Pleakley have been summoned for official commendation by the Galactic Alliance and Wizard of Oz style are all individually rewarded. Jumba is given his old lab back, Pleakley becomes a lecturer of Earth at a space university, Stitch is made captain of a high-class battleship and Lilo is assigned to continue to monitor the 624 Experiments who have all found homes on Earth.

However, upon learning that her friends would be leaving Earth and her, Lilo uses emotional manipulation to keep them on Earth. This lasts I think a day before Lilo realises that she needs to not be selfish and let her friends go off and be happy. Admittedly this is rather an emotional scene seeing all four of these characters go separate ways, particularly when you see the moment between Lilo and Stitch with no dialogue and instead Stitch returning the Ugly Duckling book from the first movie to the shelf.

However, Hamsterveel plays his final hand by tracking down Jumba to get him to create a new version of Stitch who is completely evil named Leroy. Leroy is then cloned into a Leroy army and is assigned to capture all of the experiments on Earth to destroy them and take over the universe.

The climax of this movie is pretty much epic in standards of these direct-to-video sequels. It’s the standard heroes vs. villains battle but because of what has developed throughout this movie and both Gantu and Experiment 625, now named Reuben, joining the good side, It’s Hamsterveel and his Leroy army against all 626 experiments (apparently) including Reuben and Stitch in this grand football arena.

It’s remarkable to see all of these different experiments who are uniquely designed and have their own individual powers and abilities. They didn’t shy away from just showing a couple of experiments from the series, they legitimately showed, I believe, every experiment from the series as well as a couple introduced in this movie.

I’ve discovered that within this franchise, if Lilo’s name is in the title you will have a heap of development for her and the human characters, if it’s just Stitch then it will be more about the aliens and to be fair this movie is about the aliens.

Lilo does have some development particularly towards the start with learning how to let go, but Nani doesn’t really do anything in this movie other than teach her sister this life lesson and I don’t even think David is in this movie, that relationship had every opportunity to develop but ultimately went nowhere.

The best part about this movie is the best part about the franchise which is Stitch. Not only does he once again bring the emotion when saying goodbye to Lilo towards the start of the movie, but the level of excitement he has for being the captain of this specific battleship is infectious.

Also there’s a brief scene between Stitch and another experiment Angel who is the only experiment Stitch does not call “cousin” because there is a romantic interest there, it’s similar in length and depth to Star-Lord and Gamora’s “reunion” in Avengers: Endgame but because I did watch the series I understand the subtext here.

While the thing that actually saves the day could be seen as a little bit too childish, it’s Lilo & Stitch, I am fully accepting of this type of wrap up compared to how Lilo & Stitch 2 wrapped things up.

Discovering this closure years later has instilled in me why I love this franchise so much. There may be individual morals and messages throughout the animated series and individual movies, but overall the Lilo & Stitch franchise is about embracing family because it can be a standard family unit or it can be an expansive family that comes in all shapes and sizes.

Technically all of these 625 experiments are Stitch’s siblings but “cousin” is a Hawaiian term to refer to friends and neighbours as they feel like a big family. Jumba is technically Stitch’s father being his creator which not only plays into the emotions of Lilo & Stitch 2 when Jumba can’t save his creation but also makes for several nice moments throughout the franchise when Jumba tries to help Stitch.

Jumba and Pleakley are continuously referred to as Lilo and Nani’s uncle and aunt which could be seen as groundbreaking with Pleakley being one of Disney’s first transvestite or transsexual characters.

The sisterly bond between Nani and Lilo I have only really ever seen replicated with Tadashi and Hiro in Big Hero 6. Before anyone says anything Elsa & Anna had a different sibling dynamic, I’m referring to the type of bond Nani and Lilo had.

There is not enough credit or attention on this type of family dynamic particularly in a family genre such as Disney Animation.

Honestly, not talking comedy, my favourite line read in this movie comes from Pleakley at the end when the four are once again in front of the Grand Councilwoman and rather then feeling guilted into giving up their dreams, they do it willingly with Pleakley exclaiming “I want to go home” meaning Earth.

Also the two experiments that don’t officially have a “one true home” find it in this movie. Reuben not only gets his name but is also offered the position of Gantu’s right-hand when he is reinstated as Captain of the Galactic Federation. Again watching the series you do see the bond these two have formed.

Stitch meanwhile states his “one true home” is with Lilo, both of these endings are what we already knew but the very fact it is stated is a nice way to end their stories.

The fact this is a wrap up of a series that is the spin-off of a movie that genuinely could have just stayed as a standalone feature but decided to be more speaks volumes for the popularity of this franchise. Lilo & Stitch is one of the largest franchises in the Disney proper brand maybe with the exception of Winnie the Pooh and the original Mickey and Friends lineup.

So what do you guys think? Post your comments and check out more Disney+ What to Watch Top 10s as well as more Top 10 Lists and other posts.

[that-shamrock-vibe]

Disney+ What To Watch: My Top 10 Favourite Disney Classics

#8. The Rescuers Down Under

Okay, so I will state now that most of my choices pre-date my existence due to the fact that the Disney Classics era ended seen years after my birth and there is a 55 year back catalogue behind it.

It’s also worth noting that The Rescuers Down Under is the only sequel in the Disney Classics era and, despite many people believing it was simply a Direct to Video release, was actually a cinematic instalment that nestled in between The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast.

But from my own personal opinion, The Rescuers Down Under is leaps and bounds above in terms of quality and entertainment than what it’s predecessor The Rescuers was. Not only does giving the movie a more global feel with our heroes flying from America to Australia add a level of grandeur to the story, but the technology that went into the movie, the side characters and to some extent the villain are all elevated.

On the subject of technology, The Rescuers Down Under was the first feature film to be completely digital rather than using a camera, you can tell the change and sharpness in animation from the original Rescuers and even The Little Mermaid.

Also in terms of story and character, there is no real need to see or remember the first The Rescuers in order to enjoy this movie. Yes if you want the full gravitas of Bernard and Bianca’s relationship then it is good to see how they met but they’re the only returning characters outside of the Rescue Aid Society chairmouse and what you see with him in this movie was his character in the first.

In terms of side characters, Cody as the child in distress for this movie was, for me as a young boy watching this movie, more engaging to focus on than the first movie with Penny who was annoying as bell. Yes as I have gotten older Cody has also become annoying but as a child he was still my eyes into the movie as he was relatable being a boy, caring about animals, being creative. What did Penny do? Talk to her teddy bear...I didn’t do that.

As for the villain, I would say Medusa is more memorable than McLeach, however, as time has moved on from 1977 to 1990 and even now in modern day 2020, poaching is more of a real world threat than greedy pawnshop owners and as such McLeach definitely has a greater sense of danger just on his own. Medusa needed to alligators to be intimidating whereas all McLeach needed was a gun.

In terms of side characters, I largely remember these characters. In the first movie you had the albatross Orville whereas here it’s his brother Wilbur. Orville I do not remember serving a purpose other than flying Bernard and Bianca around whereas Wilbur had that very surreal side-story of those nurse mice and that rather insane doctor mouse trying to “heal” him.

Also Wilbur is outshone here by the giant golden eagle Marahute who looks amazing, gorgeous, stunning, majestic. Every great word to describe her is used and you hate McLeach more for wanting to hunt her and steal her eggs.

As for the comedic relief, I loved and still love the scene in McLeach’s dungeon where Cody meets the animals that McLeach had captured and they try to escape but before this have a really great dialogue. Frank the lizard gave me a laughing fit the first time I watched the movie because his mannerisms and noises were so similar to me it was unreal.

I also enjoyed how Krebbs the koala was the cynical one while Red the kangaroo was the more level headed of the group. The dynamic between the three of them and Cody was really good.

Finally there’s Bernard and Bianca...I didn’t think much of them in the first movie so the only way to go for me was up here and...yeah they do their job. It is great how the leading characters are mice dealing with real world threats and the side-story of Bernard trying and failing to propose to Bianca was recently ripped off in Frozen II and no one seems to give this movie credit for it.

Then for the overall story, okay kidnapping is obviously wrong, endangering a child in any circumstance is dark and real-world, but there is something about the effect that Cody’s abduction has in this movie to how Penny’s abduction was that seems more dark and grounded and you feel particularly for the mother in that harrowing scene when the marshal hands her Cody’s found backpack.

So overall I feel this movie is hugely underrated due to being one of few Disney Renaissance movies that aren’t Disney Princess orientated and also coming in between The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast so being lost in that particular sea but I encourage anyone who has Disney+, if you want something to watch then watch this because you won’t be disappointed.

So what do you guys think? Post your comments and check out more Disney+ What to Watch Top 10s as well as more Top 10 Lists and other posts.

[that-shamrock-vibe]

Disney+ What To Watch: My Top 10 Favourite Modern Day Disney Animated Movies

Alright so this is going to be my list for my Top 10 Favourite Modern Day Disney Animated Movies.

By "Modern Day", I am referring to any movies from Walt Disney Animation Studios starting in the year 2000 up to the present day. Effectively twenty years of Disney Animation that for some people may be considered classics.

I will be including movies that made up some of Disney's last 2D animations the studio is so famous for as well as the new era of 3D animations that seem to he the new direction for the studio.

As always, please keep in mind that my thoughts and opinions are my own and should be treated as such. Just because I rank these movies a certain way does not mean I am saying that's the universal truth, it is simply my truth.

#10. Wreck-It Ralph

I never saw this movie when it was first released in cinemas, however I also never saw a lot of hype surrounding the movie's release or reaction after the fact.

You would think, that because this was the norm movie type that Disney was producing as the noughties primarily tried moving away from the Disney Princess formula and instead tried to convey simple family friendly movies, that a 3D animated buddy movie that dives into the nostalgia of adult kids as well as appealing to younger audiences would be a hit.

Well, I enjoyed the nostalgia factor and the crossover value of seeing all of these different video game characters inhabiting what is literally the same cyberspace. We already knew that the 2D animated movies were contained in the same reality and, while the sequel would suggest that they are linked with the Wreck-It Ralph universe through cyberspace, having all of these classic real world games that Disney do not own the rights to like Sonic, Mario and the like was just a lot of fun to see.

Now obviously the idea of a gaming cinematic universe is currently on the books with Paramount, but the idea of Disnsy having it's own mini gaming universe could be interesting.

The only problem with that is, the only interesting characters are the main four characters plus the villain King Candy.

What that means is that these Easter Eggs of classic gaming characters are either a distraction or simply in the way. But I do understand why they were there in terms of world building.

I also do maybe wish we had some of these other games in action. For instance, when Turbo becomes that super virus at the end and begins deleting the entire video arcade cyberverse, instead of just seeing all the characters gather in the lobby, it would have been great to see maybe Mario escaping his universe or Sonic super speeding out of Silver Hills as it obliterates.

That lost emotion aside, the reason this movie does hit me emotionally is one scene when Disney Pure pull a Disney Pixar move and blatantly and brutally tug at the heartstrings when Ralph destroys Venelope's race car.

I understand why it's done, but it does flip what used to happen in these Disney movies when the liar reveal story unravels and the woman is upset with the man but then the man comes good in the end. It's very tired at this point even in 2011 when this movie came out.

I mean I am guessing it is supposed to put the viewer in the mindset of either feeling sorry for Ralph or disgusted at Ralph so that his redemption is that much better but as a 25yr old at the time of seeing this on a plane journey to Australia, it almost made me turn the movie off I was that annoyed.

I did enjoy the outsider aspect to Ralph's character, and in fact a lot of my choices on this list will be in support of outsiders because that's the direction clearly or indirectly taken by Disney after the Renaissance era.

But the fact he was shunned by the civilians of his game for being the villain but found kinship almost in Venelope who was deemed an outsider in her game for being a glitch was very good. In fact the first half of this movie definitely ranks high for me...but as soon as that liar revealed twist hits it becomes repetitive for me.

As for King Camdy. I give the writers credit as this was a rather genius creation in every aspect except one...the voice.

Now I like Alan Tudyk, I know he's one of the big name voice actors of the last decade and that he voices K2SO in Star Wars who is one of my favourite Star Wars characters...but his choice as King Candy sounds distracting similar to that of the Mad Hatter...because of the characters look as well as the king all you need do is change clothes and they're the same character.

Venelope I enjoyed not just because it was Sarah Silverman finally landing a hit but also because Disney have never really done a character like Venelope. Baring in mind this was 2011 before the likes of Frozen and you have a pseudo princess character who effectively has a glitchy superpower but who is also an outsider and seems to be the mentor of the movie. While some Disney Princesses also have that mentorship role, Benelipe does it in such a way that you don't realise she's the one teaching Ralph the lesson because not even she realises it.

Also Jane Lynch as Sergeant Calhoun was amazing, these characters not only looked like alternate universe versions of the actors voicing them but with Jane Lynch you have never seen her play this type of character before. She's always the comedic whether it be dark or light and sometimes the dramatic but action hero? Never and I loved it.

This was a movie at the time where I had the opportunity to see it for free (after paying for the flights) and I was glad I did. I'm not sure whether or not there are people that still haven't seen it but if you have Disney+ you're in the same boat as I was so I would recommend it.

So what do you guys think? Post your comments and check out more Disney+ What to Watch Top 10s as well as more Top 10 Lists and other posts.

[that-shamrock-vibe]

Disney+ What To Watch: My Top 10 Favourite Direct-To-Video Sequels

#6. Lilo & Stitch 2 - Stitch Has a Glitch

I have to admit, my #6 and #5 choices are exceedingly close for reasons that will become clear tomorrow, but I’ve put this sequel at #6 because not only did they for some reason do away with the brilliant family dynamic that the first movie had and replaced Lilo’s original voice actress with Dakota Fanning, but also the ending is so convoluted that it can only be Disney.

But this direct sequel, surprisingly not the first to be released, was a rather enjoyable movie.

The movie opens during a hula class where the teacher announces an upcoming annual competition is to be held where each dancer must bring her own unique dance. After realising her mother won the competition as a child, Lilo enlists Stitch and the two decide on a powerful dance that they believe will win Lilo the showcase.

However Stitch begins glitching which makes him uncontrollably destroy everything leading Lilo to believe he is returning back to his old basic programming ways which comes to a head after he inadvertently wrecks the costumes for Lilo’s dance competition, but Lilo has enough and decides just to believe Stitch has gone bad and wants nothing more to do with him.

But in reality, Stitch’s glitching it due to a complication when Jumba first created him and couldn’t finish the process of charging his molecules hence his instability. Jumba realises this but tells no one aside from Pleakley who keeps nagging until he lets up but they both decide not to tell anyone.

The night of the dance competition arrives and Stitch goes to support Lilo where she finally sees what is happening to him but accidentally gets hurt in the process and so Stitch decides to leave Earth for his Ohana’s safety.

But due to the glitch he crashes his ship and due to his circuits burning out, we get one of the more heartstring pulling moments in Disney which is immediately followed up by, as I said, one of the most convoluted.

I’m not saying it’s a bad scene, it’s acted well, the emotion is there and it, like the entire movie, looks amazing, but it is pretty much a cop out or a quick fix as to the emotional consequence of the film and it’s never explained as to how it happens...it would take the same amount of time as the characters say they don’t understand why as for Jumba to give a scientific explanation.

There’s only one explanation it stands to be which is the moral of Lilo’s dance and yeah it’s cheesy, corny and is the definition of Disney Magic, but it’s a movie where half it’s main characters are aliens and contains a weird sub plot where Pleakley is trying to get David to make Nani jealous by Pleakley pretending to be his new lover. It’s that level of stretched believability but it does work for the franchise.

Now that being said, I would say the biggest problem in this movie is a lack of communication, and I compare it to Lady and the Tramp 2 as that movie suffered from Tramp not communicating with Scamp properly either, but here you had Stitch not properly talking to Lilo about his condition, Jumba not telling Lilo or Nani about Stitch’s condition, and David not properly communicating with Nani about his feelings.

Having said that, Stitch is one of my favourite characters and the harmlessness of this movie and how cute Stitch is with his responses and reactions to certain situations does truly make me feel for the little blue fuzzball.

Even the scene at the end concludes with a cute remark from Stitch which is apparently his catchphrase.

But what about the rest of the movie? Well the sisterly bond is still there it just isn’t the main focus of the movie like it was the first one, whereas the first movie was about both Lilo and Nani fighting in their own way to keep their O’hana together, this movie saw more mentions and memories about their mother.

The scene on Lilo’s bed where Lilo admits her reason for wanting to win the contest is very touching, but Nani’s response in comforting her allows Lilo to effectively validate the troubles of strife that she is putting herself through to provide for them.

David meanwhile goes from being the cool and friendly love interest of Nani in the first movie to now being in a relationship of sorts with her but struggling to define it, leading to Pleakley’s “help” which were comedic at first but then get quickly ridiculous.

Jumba’s role is purely as the scientist who can’t seem to share his findings and it still leads to some development, like the fact that we effectively get a prelude to the original movie as Jumba’s flashback seemingly leads straight into the opening scene of the movie.

Stitch is definitely one of my favourite characters and arguably one of Disney’s best purely because he does have that infantile personality where everything is either new or difficult for him and so he learns pretty much like a child learns which is why him and Lilo are so good together.

Honestly the scenes from when he tries to redeem himself by performing all of those good deeds around town to when he is seemingly left alone in their treehouse are very relatable scenes for me being someone who has screwed up in life and angered those I love constantly.

You feel for both these characters, you’re happy when they’re happy, you’re sad when they’re sad and when they fall out.

The comedy is great, the emotion is powerful, the drama is relatable, the voice cast is brilliant and the story is rather solid from start to finish.

But probably my favourite thing about this movie is the fact that it doesn’t actually have a villain. Stitch’s glitch makes him an unwilling antagonist of sorts but you never see him as the villain, the movie is really about Stitch fearing he is becoming bad again which seems to hammer home when Lilo brands him as such.

The two Lilo & Stitch movies don’t really need a villain because they’re not movies where the good guy must defeat the bad guy, they are movies about Ohana, about how family doesn’t necessarily have to be the generic idea of family that society has instilled. It can be two sisters who adopt an alien who unofficially comes with add-on aliens.

The entire franchise does encapsulate that but the two movies with the Lilo & Stitch titles really explore that without making it seem like they’re trying to, it’s just there. It’s an everyday family struggle just with added sci-fi elements just as The Incredibles portrays an everyday family struggle with superhero elements.

I won’t say this is the best sequel out there, and to be fair it’s #6 you can kind of guess this isn’t my favourite, but discovering it later on than it was released I think helps me appreciate it more. At the age of 12/13 I would not have appreciated the familial theme of this franchise and may have even written the movie off as simple like many critics did, but ultimately this movie does do what many sequels fail to do which is capture the tone of the first movie in terms of look, style and themes.

So what do you guys think? Post your comments and check out more Disney+ What to Watch Top 10s as well as more Top 10 Lists and other posts.