Frozen II Plays It Safe
Frozen II succeeds as a brand extension for Disney, but limps over the line as a movie in its own right.
The Aladdin Remake Isn’t Exactly Magical, But It Soars Thanks to Old-Fashioned Star Power
If you were expecting a captivating disaster from Aladdin, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Beauty and the Beast (2017)
For Disney fans, a live action remake of Beauty and the Beast is either a new sacrament …or sacrilege.
Life, Animated (2016)
Life, Animated is too intent on crafting an inspirational story of triumph over adversity.
Moana (2016)
Moana wraps a Polynesian folk tale around a charming children’s film, populated with animal sidekicks and musical numbers. When these two threads are woven together well, the film sings like Disney’s best.
Queen of Katwe (2016)
Disney’s underdog Ugandan chess story digs a little deeper into the difficulties of overcoming disadvantage.
Pete’s Dragon (2016)
The simplicity of Pete’s Dragon’s story and themes alike leaves it desperately reliant on fostering a sense of childlike wonder that it can’t hold onto.
The BFG (2016)
A perfectly serviceable film with excellent farting, but held back by nauseating 3D, a changed ending, and as scary as a cupcake.
Lions, Tigers and …Racism? Zootopia Offers Laughs and Plenty of Subtext
Growing up watching children’s television in the early ‘90s, it was practically impossible to get through a week without being treated to a parable – or if you were unlucky, a lecture – about prejudice and xenophobia. Cartoons would obliquely or explicitly address issues of racism, religion and even AIDS in the context of a…
Spirited Away (2001)
Spirited Away is not my favourite of Hayao Miyazaki’s films – that title goes to My Neighbour Totoro, now and forever – but it is perhaps his best. The story told here is deeply steeped in Japanese mythology yet imbued with resonant universality. As a child, who hasn’t fretted at being abandoned by their parents,…
ccpopculture 