Tag: Disney

Where’s the Jam in Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur?

Even after giving Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur multiple watches, I can’t find too much that’s shows the love for the classic material.

Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur PosterWhen Disney Animation is bringing even more Marvel Comics properties under its fold, not every title will take. It doesn’t offer everything I adored from the Devil Dinosaur comic book. Although the producers behind Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur have all the right intentions to give new life to this property for a modern audience, I miss the energy Jack Kirby put into that work. That is, this young woman is no Tarzan Boy (and yes, Baltimora’s song comes to mind in this comparison).

This take doesn’t truly recount where the reptile comes from. Nor does it refer to Moon Boy, whom the dinosaur previously partnered with before entering a wormhole to meet Lunella Lafayette (Diamond White). She’s an aspiring inventor who needs to cut back on her Red Bull consumption. While her home life is reasonably stable, sometimes her parents just don’t understand what she wants to do. Throughout the series, she says she’s ready to work for Tony Stark rather than be stuck in school.

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Disney’s Legendary Gargoyles Are Back in Business and Their Future with Dynamite Comics

The art by George Kambadais beautifully recalls everything I adore from Disney’s Gargoyles cartoon, and even more!

Dynamite Comics GargoylesDynamite Comic‘s grande plan may well be to bring the complete catalogue of Disney Afternoon cartoons back in sequential art form! It’s cheaper than trying to reboot everything, and so far, we have Gargoyles and Darkwing Duck. Both even have along with facsimiles of their previous fruns. The former had an eleven issue run by Marvel Comics and the latter for eight by Joe Books.

The reason for the delay in saying anything is that I hoped I could track down the latter series to read and give a full review rather than partial. I didn’t find any at this comic book trade show in my city or at Fan Expo Vancouver, but I will say the reprint showed how absolutely fun and nostalgic that publication is. I need to attend a larger show to find them. Continue reading “Disney’s Legendary Gargoyles Are Back in Business and Their Future with Dynamite Comics”

An Animated Christmas Carol 12 Day Countdown to the Holidays

Thankfully, the animation medium has been kind in terms of how often Charles Dicken’s holiday classic has been reinterpreted. By my estimate, out of the many available to view versions that’s out there, I can make a list of my twelve favourite animated Christmas Carol adaptations.

A not so Animated Christmas Carol CoverThankfully, the animation medium has been kind in terms of how often Charles Dicken’s holiday classic has been reinterpreted. There isn’t that many when compared to how many times it’s been remade in live-action! By my estimate, out of the many versions that’s out there, I have a list of my twelve favourite animated Christmas Carol adaptations to enjoy every year. I have even included television specials. To be current, I considered Netflix’s animated release, Scrooge: A Christmas Carol, and unfortunately have to say this merry CGI musical is better off skipped.

Had Charles Dickens known about the legacy his tale had upon the entertainment industry, I’m sure the copyright law would have been changed to ensure his estate would get some payment. Sadly, his works are in the public domain. Thankfully, many productions acknowledge this author in the playbill, but in terms of his descendants getting royalties, I’m sure they’re all screaming, “bah, humbug!”

According to Collider.com, the earliest version is Marley’s Ghost (1901), directed by Walter R. Booth and produced by R.W. Paul. This work is impossible to find. Next is most likely Harold M. Shaw’s 1914 silent film short, and many more takes were made before Alastair Sim gave us the most beloved take with the 1951 motion picture. I have to give credit to the 1938 production; this actor made the character memorable, and he’s included in this list of animated works. They are ranked going from least to best:

The Stingiest Man in Town PosterThe Stingiest Man in Town
(Rankin/Bass, 1978)

This studio’s take is a departure from their cheerier stop-motion holiday works. In this earlier time, their holidays specials were on air every time December rolled around, and kids grew up watching Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman.

Although this work is a departure from style, and that the work was done at Topcraft, a Japanese animation studio, this title is worth noting because many of the animators would later be key staff members for Studio Ghibli! In regards to why this take is memorable is because of Tom Bosley. He lends his voice to play a bug named B. A. H. Humbug to narrate the story. Anyone who remembers this actor from Happy Days (He plays Howard Cunningham) will appreciate this take.

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Just How Familiar Can Disney’s Strange World Get?

To discover strange new worlds than live in a Strange World must means being open to new possibilities in this studio’s latest.

Strange World PosterSpoiler Alert

Disney Animation Studio‘s Strange World is visually gorgeous, but something is missing to make it a film worth remembering. I believe that’s because it’s not as true to those dime novels using ancient mythology to define where the adventure is at. Some pulps involve taking adventage of the era’s current interest in some archaeological dig or is simply high fantasy. Other publications offer sci-fi adventure.

Unfortunately, the Jules Verne influence in this motion picture was not to my liking becuase the trailers suggested an Edgar Rice Burroughs direction. Had I been able to yell at the top of my lungs like Tarzan, I’d be happy. But instead, what we have here is a story about Searcher Clade (Jake Gyllenhaal) ecstatic about discovering an energy-producing plant, and Jaeger, his father (Dennis Quaid), has gone off the deep end. Well, sort of. The elder believes there’s more to find in the unexplored regions of this world since their civilization never expanded past the borders of one city. But without any acknowledgment about why they like to explore, part of this film’s concept falls on deaf ears.

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Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Full Trailer Drop and Analysis.

The Dial of Destiny can either mean the search for Stargate’s Dial Home Device, or just another instrument that can turn back time.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of DestinyIndiana Jones is back, and his latest quest concerns a mysterious Dial of Destiny. It’s tough to say if that’s an archaeological relic or some ancient alien tech, but I’m hoping for the former, since the fourth film wasn’t beloved by every fan.

Although the trailer does not hint at much, we see him remembering things from the past and perhaps putting more emphasis about missing those adventures on the high seas. His concern for present events doesn’t seem to matter. As for his future, it’s nice to know he’s there to either be involved in some mess concerning the Apollo 11 landing and the return of those famous astronauts. Perhaps it is about some conspiracy that NASA does not want in the public eye.

But for those who’ve followed the lore concerning the US Government giving (former Nazi) German scientists amnesty after World War II ended, the plot being advertised is no surprise at all. But as for how historically accurate this tale will depend on rocket engineer Wernher von Braun getting involved. Amusingly, he’s an accepted Disney spokesman; He appeared in the 1955 television special Man and the Moon to explain why humanity must reach for the stars. He’s worked at NASA and as for whether he’ll influence Voller (Mads Mikkelsen), also a former Nazi, to do covert things for him, nobody knows for sure. This character might be played by Thomas Kretschmann, the only other German actor listed in the early credit reveal.

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