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WATCH "SHOP" TILL YOU DROP
I have to confess that I really enjoyed Confessions of a Shopaholic. My daughter said the whole family would, and while there was some language, here is a contemporary romantic comedy pretty much as squeaky clean as a Doris Day movie -- maybe more so, since some of those hinted more than this one did.
Isla Fisher (Borat's real-life fiancee) channels Lucille Ball in a story improbable enough for Mr. Peabody, about a young woman who searches not so much for romance, but for a way to get more credit cards for the endless temptation in New York shop windows (sporting cleverly animated mannequins who are know her only too well).
Like Lucy Ricardo, she schemes to meet not Cornel Wilde, but the editor of a chic fashion magazine. Oopsy-daisy, she gets a job by mistake with a business publication that just happens to be edited by the guy who played British-accented Prince Char in Ella Enchanted. She weaves a web of complications that involve a marvelous supporting cast including John Goodman as his warmhearted best as Dad and Joan Cusack at her lovably kooky best as Mom.
Fred Armisen, known to Saturday Night Live viewers as President Obama's doppleganger, basically plays Larry Tate with John Lithgow as a McMann & Tate, re-create the business dynamic of almost any Bewitched episode (and all-too-commonly, real corporate life).
Confessions is as much a fairy tale comedy as Enchanted was, with Fisher looking like remarkably like Amy Adams and leading man Hugh Dancy as a less robust Patrick Dempsey. It's all very entertaining, candy-colored and gentle in its message of What Really Counts In Life.
My only issue is the lack of an audio commentary among the sparse bonus extras. To make up for it, you're invited to click here for a bonus video that is not on the DVD about designer Patricia Field, and enjoy this interview with Isla Fisher:
Are you a Shopaholic?
No I am not a Shopaholic, I don’t shop very well at all. I tend to buy things which end up not being quite right – whether it is a clothing item that does not match anything in my wardrobe, or some cooking apparatus that is utterly useless. I am just not that good at it.
Are you an impulse buyer?
I usually go into a store with a mission. My idea of a fun thing to do would not be to go to a mall and shopping.
In what way did you identify with the character in “Confessions of a Shopaholic”?
I identified with her in the sense that I would like to think that I am optimistic and energetic like she is. I would also like to think that I have a big heart, like Rebecca has. I don’t need to always identify with all the characteristics of my character, sometimes it is the differences that help you to lose your inhibitions when you are performing.
How did you make Becky so funny?
Becky can be a goofball and very funny and I have always felt comfortable tapping into my inner idiot. I have a side of me that doesn’t care. I really enjoy physical comedy, thinking of an idea and pitching it to the director. For example there is one scene in the movie in which I do a fan dance with Hugh. I thought of that years ago, I always imagined how funny it would be to have a scene in a movie where a girl seduces a guy by dancing. She thinks she is really sexy but actually she is repulsive. So I went to [director] PJ [Hogan] and suggested it to him and he said ‘oh I always have a dance in my movies, ok let’s do it.’
How tricky was it to do the scene when you dive across the boardroom table?
The scene was quite well planned…where my knees were going to go, where the props are…it was very specific. I slid safely and I wore kneepads. I made it look more dramatic than it was.
Jerry Bruckheimer describes you as the next Lucille Ball, what is like getting compliments like that?
That is very nice of Jerry to say that and also slightly terrifying to fill those shoes. But wow, I love her, she is very funny and fantastic. I grew up watching “I Love Lucy.
You seemed to have no trouble with the American accent for “Confessions of a Shopaholic”?
I was given a dialect coach on the film, which was a great luxury.
What was your favorite outfit in “Confessions of a Shopaholic”?
I liked the purple dress that Rebecca wears on the TV show – I thought it was classy. But I am not too into fashion because I am more of a jeans and T-shirt girl. Thanks to Patricia Field I have become more confident about the way I dress. But I am more comfortable in trainers or Ugg boots.
Is it true you requested five-inch stilettos for this part?
I did. I thought there's something funny about a Shopaholic impractically buying ridiculously high heels and tottering throughout the stores. I thought it would be amusing. But it was less amusing, of course, when I was actually doing it! Walking in them was tricky but they were so great for the character. They put her off balance and Rebecca is off balance because she doesn’t have a sense of who she is. At the start of the movie she does not know where she is going to end up.
Did your feet ache at the end of each day?
Yes! My feet ached constantly, they really did! In my every day life I would not wear shoes like those.
You do a lot of physical comedy in the role, so how was that?
The great thing about doing physical comedy for film is that if it doesn't work you're not exposed. It ends up on the editing room floor, so it gives you a lot more room to experiment I guess. But I really enjoy doing it. I'm very comfortable tapping into my inner idiot.
What was the most embarrassing thing to shoot?
It's interesting but when I'm in character I don't really feel any embarrassment. In real life I'm obviously a lot more shy, but once I'm on set and in costume and I'm hidden behind the person I'm playing I feel quite free to experiment. Except for Hugh [Dancy] probably, when I slapped him in the face with a fan.
Playing journalists seems to be quite a popular career choice for actors. How much did you enjoy it and what kind of research did you do?
My girlfriend from high school is a journalist so I spoke to her. But I also researched the shopping end of the character by visiting some overspend/under earner groups who essentially are Shopaholics and who, rather sadly, their lives have essentially become unmanageable because of their shopping addiction. But I don't want to focus on that side of it because the film is supposed to be escapist fun.
How was working with costume designer Patricia Field on your wardrobe?
She's incredibly imaginative. She's not married to any designers and she's open minded. Every single look tells a story. I really enjoyed working with her. I'm not a Fashionista. I don't have much experience in that world, but I felt I was kind of educated in the end and that even my own fashion style is now sort of braver. I enjoy dressing a lot more.
What are your shopping temptations?
Books... and more recently cook books. I think its wish fulfillment. I never have time to cook, so I just look through the books and imagine the dishes I would make if I wasn't going out for a business dinner.
You're part of a very famous comedy couple [with fiancé Sacha Baron Cohen], so how advantageous is that in terms of advising or testing each other? Or do you keep work separate?
Well actually Sacha was the reason I got into comedy. I was actually auditioning for a lot of dramatic roles and having no success at all. I was losing confidence in my abilities when he recommended that I do comedy. He felt I was really funny, so when someone as funny as him recommends that I listened and actually auditioned for “Wedding Crashers”, which ended up being my big break.
Which one of the two of you will be the first to do a dramatic role?
Oh gosh, I have no idea. I don't know. He's definitely a lot funnier than me.
Did it feel like you were actually taking on a novel hero with this. She obviously has a big fan base already and were you worried about the reaction from fans?
Extremely worried. When you're in the lead of a movie suddenly you're more responsible for the tone of the film and there's obviously the added pressure of taking on such a beloved character. But I was so fortunate in that I was truly the biggest fan of Sophie Kinsella's books. It's going to sound pretentious, but I'd had the vibrations of that character since I'd read it in my imagination. When I met with Jerry and discussed the role, I was so lucky he chose me, and then I just thought about it every day, in everything I did, whether I was driving my car, or cooking. Whatever I was doing, I was thinking about Becky Bloomwood and what she would be thinking. So, that's how I began.
What are you doing next?
I'm working on an animated movie that Gore Verbinski is directing, called “Rango” with Johnny Depp. It has a really nice schedule and a very creative experience. Normally with an animated movie you are in a booth and it is very sterile but Gore has us all acting out the scenes and he films it and then you go into the booth while the performance is still fresh in your mind and you repeat it. I have also been working on ideas for a couple of projects…Cookie Queen and Groupies. Groupies is about two girls who are in love with a rock band but the band has a restraining order out on them. Cookie Queen is a girl who sold the most Girl Scout cookies and built her entire adult life round that. Then a nine year old girl overtakes her record and the woman descends into madness as she starts selling cookies again to get her crown back. I sold Girl Scout cookies in Australia, but, as I recall, I ate most of my box. My mom had to bail me out.
You have traveled a lot. Do you think it is in your genes since you were born in Oman?
That is probably fairly accurate because we traveled a lot when I was a kid and I have probably always lived a nomadic existence and I am comfortable doing that.
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Jun 25 2009
THE WAIT IS OVER! PUFNSTUF THE MOVIE IS ON DVD!
Yes, it's 'way too groovy for it's own good but the original 1970 movie version of PUFNSTUF got a kicky Charles Fox score and shotgun editing that puts Moulin Rouge to shame. Plus a performance by Billie Hayes as Witchiepoo with such total unbridled abandon that little of the scenery is left without teeth marks.
It was produced at a breakneck pace by the Kroffts themselves for less than a million dollars and made a profit. While it's as technically cheesy as their TV shows, the movie benefits from a few more dollars for sets, costumes and casting. And it's actually very amusing, especially during the witch's convention.
It's interesting to compare Martha Raye's performance as Boss Witch to that of her Benita Bizarre character on the TV series THE BUGALOOS. On the latter, she plays is much more broad since she's the lead villain and essentially the "Witchiepoo" of that show. In "Pufnstuf," watch the experience of a seasoned pro as she underplays and gives the floor (and the rest of the set) to Billie Hayes. The two have great comic chemistry even though they only have a few scenes together. Hayes and Mama Cass Elliot are fun as witchy rivals, too.
Being stuck in 1970, the feature's camera work has more zooms than a whole season of THE JEFFERSONS, lots of jump cuts, processed negatives and moving frames, used to much more subdued effect in other movies of the same period like A BOY NAMED CHARLIE BROWN (the baseball sequence), WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (several Oompa Loompa songs) and even BEDKNOBS AND BROOMSTICKS (the flight scenes) that were infuenced by the pop art styles of the day. Ironically the editing that seemed so jarring then seems more timely now.
One question I have always had about the movie though: does Jimmy get home at the end or not? He sings a reprise of "A Friend in Me" and we see a shot of him on a rope swing from the "real world" for an instant before we see the cast sing the finale of "Living Island." Wha---? Maybe they were counting on a sequel. Or maybe Jimmy was imagining the whole thing and never left the real world at all so the two worlds co-existant. Hmm, I even asked Marty Krofft himself and he didn't seem to know or wouldn't tell me.
You have to take Krofft productions for what they are, very quickly made with minimal budgets by lots of hard working artists and casts, and appreciate them on their own level. Pufnstuf is their crown jewel -- as a TV show it was lavish, as a movie, well, not so much, but still lots of kiddie matinee fun. Somehow I wonder, if a new big-screen, multi-million-dollar version of Pufnstuf comes around, if it will have the charm.
By the way, the wonderful musical soundtrack album is on CD here, but be warned that there is some strange editing that makes some short sections repeat, I guess to lengthen the album. Might be better to find a vinyl version on eBay.
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Jun 18 2009
"A ROY E. DISNEY PRODUCTION"
Who would have thought, back a few years ago, when there was much ado going on at the top of the Disney Organization, that the above words would actually appear on a Walt Disney Pictures release?
Morning Light is the true chronicle of a hand-picked team of young people who are given the chance to train and compete in the Transpac sailing event, which has been Roy E. Disney's passion since the mid-seventies.
I'm not a sailor but I have run marathons and triathlons and know the feeling of those comparably small triumphs (though I'll never win -- in fact one year i was passed by a man walking his dog!) The character of the individuals chosen, their work ethic and team spirit is very sincere and a far cry from the preening, backstabbing types that infect many TV reality shows. This follows a reality show format with lots of comments from the participants as well as a selection process where several are eliminated and are left to send messages from the mainland (where the food seems to be really good).
I found it much more compelling then the current crop of Hollywood sports movies in which a ragtag bunch of can't-possibly-win team members somehow come together under a down-and-out coach and eventually win as music swells... you know what I mean. The crew in Morning Light are a very likable group of people who you find yourself routing for (parent's note: there are a handful of words that earned this film a PG rating, but not nearly the kind of language also common on many reality shows).
The photography is stunning, especially the night shots, which I'm hoping are not computer generated since they are so breathtaking (say it ain't so, Roy). The score is good too, with contemporary music, songs and even a number by members of the crew at the end of the film. Where's the soundtrack album?
There are only two extras but both are rich in rounding out the full scope of this project. Hannah Montana's Jason Earles hosts one feature about the film's production itself, which sheds more light on the camera work, training and other elements. An ESPN special focuses on the elimination, showing more of the earlier hopefuls and clearly how some with "attitudes" were wisely given a polite dismissal.
In a sea of poor role models, kids can certainly do worse then getting to know this group of youths who not only worked hard and showed integrity but also went on to promising futures in careers or continuing education.
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Jun 10 2009
WE'RE GOING TO SEE "UP" AGAIN
I know everybody says it, but I have to repeat it -- How does Pixar knock it out of the park so consistently? UP is one of the deepest, loftiest, funniest and most inventive films of recent years with a spectacular, epic score by Michael Giacchino, who also continually tops himself. The whole thing was like a stick of buttah, no, not a stick, a box of four sticks of buttah.
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: May 30 2009
NOW IT'S TIME TO SAY GOODBYE...
I know I'm a little late, but I wanted to add my condolences and remembrances of the great Wayne Allwine, who I think brought a dimension to Mickey that was uniquely his own, especially in performances such as THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER.
He and Russi Taylor did several Mickey and Minnie sessions for stuff I worked on and it was always a marvel to see them connect professionally.
It was also a pleasure to see them at various Disney press events, though the way Wayne's less vigorous appearance in recent years did concern me, but that was their private business.
He once told me about a radio show concept he was passionately pursuing, apparently in association with Roy E. Disney, and he regretted that it did not get off the ground. If anything remains of this project, hopefully it will be salvaged and given a spotlight.
More than anything, Wayne was extremely dedicated to the magnitude of carrying on the legacy of doing Mickey's voice, kind of like becoming a Jedi master, only even more singular an honor.
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: May 25 2009
HATCHING AND NAPPING -- TWO MOVIES IN ONE
For those of us who remember, Disney used to piggyback movies a lot for theaters, especially in the 1970's, when you would see Lady and the Tramp with One Little Indian or Cinderella with One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing. It's kind of cool to have two recent wacky Disney Channel original comedies in the same package.
Dadnapped is the wackier of the two. It's almost a tween version of It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World with an familiar cast of Disney Channel regulars in a zany caper. Basically a young girl (Emily Osment) and her dad (George Newbern) bond because he, a popular kid's adventure series writer, is kidnapped. As is common with such comedies, the young characters are the most level headed and ultimately save the day, this time with trash, slime and dental floss for a gag-filled but nonviolent finale.
The actors are stars as far as frequent viewers of Disney Channel series are concerned. Most are given a chance to play roles outside the ones in which they are most frequently seen, particularly Jason Earles, who seems to be in more grown up role than on Hannah Montana, playing a character named, yes, Merv. Ooooooooo. When this movie was promoted on the channel, they drew attention to "Phill Lewis as you've never seen him before," so part of the attraction was clearly seeing these transformations, though David Henrie of Wizards of Waverly Place is probably still eager for an opportunity to play a non-nerd.
Dadnapped, being more or less a vehicle for the actors, is to my family a little less satisfying than Hatching Pete, which on the surface seems like a silly story about a teen who finds himself more popular in school from being inside a chicken suit at basketball games, but less popular as himself, is like the Spider-Man situation. There is an opportunity for some richness of character and relationships within the plot. Hatching Pete also benefits greatly from the boy-next-door appeal of Jason Dolley, who also scored well for Disney Channel as a lead in Minute Men.
As in Dadnapped, various Disney Channel actors (a sturdy stable not unlike that of the early Disney days) have roles in Hatching Pete, but in this film, the roles offer them a little more character range as well as changes of pace.
Both films offer some bonus material, though somewhat sparse. Dadnapped includes what amounts to a tag scene touted as an "extended ending" and a quite nice flash animated comic book style adventure featuring the character the Dadnapped dad created. Hatching Pete includes a short documentary about the mascot, which, according to my daughter, was not among the many interstitials from the Disney Channel.
Plus, an enclosed code allows you to unlock two music videos starring Emily Osment and Mitchel Musso -- again very much following a Disney tradition in promoting musical careers like Annette and Hayley Mills. It will be interesting to see where each of these performers go on their respective paths.
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: May 18 2009
X-MEN MARVEL DVD COMIC BOOK COLLECTION VOLS. 1 & 2
I'm not an X-Men x-pert by any stretch, but I have been watching superhero animation and live action for over four decades and I bear a striking resemblance to Professor, minus the mental strength. My qualifications, or lack thereof aside, the overall impression of watching episode after episode of this long-running television series is that it's engrossing, nicely executed and somewhat skewed to teens and above.
The hallmark of Marvel characters is angst -- introspective, flesh-and-blood superhumans plauged by self doubt, self loathing and a prideful sense of purpose. The X-Men, a dissimilar group of gifted mutants who seem to naturally gain their powers at a certain age, are largely shunned and misunderstood by the general public. The series begins from the viewpoint of teenaged Jubilee, who has just discovered her powers much her family's sorrow.
Each of the plotlines over Volume One and Volume Two have arcs that spread over several episodes, in addition to multi-part episodes that tell an extended story. The mutants have complicated relationships with each other that involve flashbacks and exposition (Wolverine fans will find his origin in Volume Two).
There's also a lot of romance and jealousy, even between the "good" X-Men, as opposed to the bitter, "bad" mutants. This interaction makes for entertaining storytelling that is briskly paced and well balanced between action and dialogue, unlike many such cartoons of the 60s in which we never really get to know anything about those heroes beyond basic powers and settings. These are pretty "adult," smoochy and intense goings-on for very young viewers, depending on what you might have already exposed them to (though it's certainly less intense than the live-action alternatives).
The program was produced by Marvel Productions using Japanese animators. There is a steady flow of movement in a decidedly anime style, without loads of facial expression, though the character designs are very faithful to the comic books (the package art is particularly good).
Voices were most likely recorded in Canada by an international cast. The best thing about the show to me, being into music, is the theme song, which is great. Excellent theme music is an important component of this genre, as well as a highly electric opening title sequence -- this one reminds me very much of the Rankin/Bass series of a few years earlier, ThunderCats.
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: May 05 2009
HOW ANNETTE HELPED BUILT WALT DISNEY WORLD...?
Well, that's my theory anyway, and it's described in an article here at the new D23 website, part of the new Disney-sponsored fan enterprise. The site does not require any registration or fee and is updated regularly.
I've also got a story on the Patron Saint of Mouse Tracks, Robie Lester, who was Tim and my inspiration for writing the book in the first place.
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Apr 29 2009
SHADOW OF A LOT OF DOUBTS
It sure used to seem like being Catholic was a whole lot more fun back in the '60's, when nuns sang, flew, outwitted Nazis and even shopping for "binders." They all had a guitar handy when extra musical spunk was needed.
In the movie Doubt, adapted and directed by John Patrick Shanley from his Pulitzer Prize winning play, none of the nuns fly, except occasionally off the handle. This is not to say that I took Doubt as a Hollywood shot at Catholicism.
But when you're a practicing Catholic, you always approach a drama about priests and nuns with caution. Let's face it, the Church has become the side of a barn in the past decade, but it's not easy for anyone to have to deal with a mean-spirited attack on one's beliefs -- but Doubt was not that sort of experience at all. You could have replaced the characters with police, schoolteachers, etc. because this is about much more than only the trappings of any specific religious order.
Doubt is like a Hitchcock film, right down to the Hermann-like musical score by Howard Shore. It also reminds me of Sleuth, in the viewers find themselves changing allegiances as the characters duel. It's riveting, powerful drama, but it's also rip-roaring entertainment. In the words of Willy Wonka, "The suspense in unbearable -- I hope it lasts."
In the truly outstanding director's audio DVD commentary, Shanley recounts a parade of distinct, detailed memories of his Catholic youth in 1964 Brooklyn. Many of the kids did things he did; many adults were drawn from real life. There is a fondness and affection for the people and the attributes of the Church -- as well as a bemused puzzlement about some things, which it highly identifiable. It was really shot in Brooklyn (and also in Riverdale, Archie fans!)
The film was dedicated to a real nun, and members of the Sisters of Mercy were on hand for extensive interviews to assist the cast and crew with technical and interpersonal matters (Meryl Streep was amazed at their candor, only underscoring how even an actress as brilliant as she is finds them mysterious and indefinable). Streep naturally is amazing. Listen to Shanley's commentary about her in the vary last scene, after which Amy Adams told the director, "Now I now why she's Meryl Streep."
Adams is excellent, as always, in the kind of role she absolutely nails in film after film -- the somewhat displaced elfin fairy princess who finds herself in a harsh, real world and struggles with its effect on her astonishingly sincere innocence, not unlike her roles in Junebug and Enchanted (she even has a "Oh my goodness, I'm getting angry, what's happening to me?" scene very much like Giselle). Her position between two intense superactors mirrors her character perfectly.
Phillip Seymour Hoffman goes head to head with Streep in incredible scenes that the director made every possible effort to keep kinetic, with interruptions, windows and furniture plus canted angles that reminded me of Batman because I'm such a child of the '60s.
And speaking of the 60's, I had to wonder if people jumped to the same conclusions about "inappropriate behavior" as quickly back then as they do now because it is so much more discussed and reported upon. On the recent Howdy Doody DVD set, Buffalo Bob would pick up a child and put him or her on his lap and nothing would be thought of it; but today that would invite much alarm and action.
But that seems to part of the magnetism of this particular drama: every viewers colors it with his or her personal viewpoint and it invites lively discussion. The DVD includes a short doc about the story from stage to screen, a panel discussion with the cast (including the electrifying Viola Davis), a look at the musical scoring, and fascinating profile of the Sisters of Mercy (which you can see right here).
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Apr 13 2009
REUNION AT THE "SCHOOLHOUSE"
When I first heard about SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK! EARTH!, I thought the DVD was a collection of existing animated songs from a series I must have missed a few years back. To my surprise and delight, it is not only a brand-new production but features a majority of the original talent behind the beloved series.
Those of us who loved Saturday Morning TV remember fondly these short interstitials between the cartoons and Krofft shows, teaching math, grammar, social studies and more with catchy songs and ingratiating animation.
In this new DVD, the co-creators were involved creatively (something that should happen MORE when recreating classics like this): Executive Producer George Newall and Animation Director Phil Kimmelman, as well as Producer Radford Stone. Outstanding animation studios like Kurtz and Co. and Michael Sporn Animataion lovingly recreated the look and movement of the original series, except perhaps for some image clarity created by today's technology. The segments joined the songs feature three bears with more flowing animation; the contrast against the song segments which only underscore the lengths taken to be true to the original series.
And almost all the musical talent returned! Master trumpeter and Merv Griffin Show TV sidekick Jack Sheldon, whose "Conjunction Junction" voice is a vital part of the series legacy; Tony-winning composer/lyricist/singer Lynn Ahrens, who has become one of the biggest names on Broadway (Seussical, Ragtime) and of course, Musical Director Bob Dorough, who wrote and performed most of the songs both here and in the original. Even the great Bob Kaliban, who not only did voices for Schoolhouse Rock! but also co-starred on camera on the wonderful but short-lived series Drawing Power, returned!
Some very distinguished newcomers have also joined the fold: one song is sung by Tituss Burgess, currently playing Sebastian on Broadway in The Little Mermaid. And not only do the composers of the new songs for the London and Broadway stage versions of Mary Poppins (Anthony Drewe and George Stiles) offer a song, Stiles is one of the singers. Plus, Hannah Montana costar Mitchel Musso performs in a video that adds environmental lyrics to the classic "Three is a Magic Number."
The sound track album was released on Walt Disney Records, but only by download through iTunes or amazon. Here's hoping this is the first of many new Schoolhouse Rock! DVDs.
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Apr 10 2009
REMEMBERING ROBIE
I was my pleasure to slap together this article about the beloved Disneyland Story Reader, Robie Lester:
http://d23.disney.go.com/articles/040909_NF_FEAT_RobieLester.html
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Apr 09 2009
LIKE A "BOLT" OF THE BLUE...
Bolt is the story of a dog who, in a “Truman Show” way, is convinced from birth that he lives the life of a fictional TV show and proves his real-life worth to the world and himself. Bolt is a movie that was convinced by the U.S box office receipts that it was an underachiever when in reality it is one of the finest of Disney's recent animated features. Much speculation has surrounded the reasons for the grosses, two being the marketing angles and its competition on the same premiere weekend.
It's a smash in the United Kingdom and is sure to hit big on DVD, especially in this nicely-packaged edition. If you're fortunate enough to have a Blu-Ray player, the magnificent artistry described in the bonus features will be especially apparent. There is a fine series of mini-documentaries about the making of the film and a very funny new short, Super Rhino, starring the breakout character, though the pop culture reference at the film's conclusion will become as dated as a Monkees throwback. I suppose that's okay because it's a short and not the film itself.
And the film itself is very entertaining. While there is always comment about whether the voice work of John Travolta and Miley Cyrus was any better than that of an actor who specializes in voice work, they did not phone in their performances. Travolta enthusiastically treated this role as if it was his big break, when he could have done otherwise. And it's nice to hear the duo sing together.
The supporting characters, and their voices, steal the movie, which is nothing new in Disney films, including those from Walt's day. In addition to Disney artist-turned-voice artists Mark Walton (you have to love the guy when you see his reaction on the bonus material after getting the role) as Rhino the Hamster, Susie Essman is marvelous as Mittens (which was our cat's name too!). Even Diedrich Bader, whose voice work deserves more acclaim, makes the most of a very small role in the early portion of the film.
There are three versions of Bolt on DVD/Blu-Ray. The Blu-Ray version offers the movie in dazzling, wondrous glory on a Blu-Ray disc along with the extras, plus a standard DVD of the film plus a digital disc for free downloading. If you want the extras on standard DVD, you'll need the Deluxe DVD edition, which includes all of the above except Blu-Ray. There is also a standard single-disc DVD edition.
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Apr 02 2009
TONS OF BEHIND-THE-SCENES MATERIAL, INCLUDING THE TALKING MUFFINS!
When Lilo & Stitch first premiered on DVD, there was quite a bit of bonus material already, but this new "Big Wave" 2-disc edition really does pay off the package claim that there are more than two hours' worth.
Much of that time is taken up by the feature-length documentary that literally follows the creative team, particularly writer/directors Chris Sanders and Dean Deblois, from initial concepts to a glamorous premiere at Cannes (where, by the way, we get to enjoy a continental breakfast with Chris Sanders as he brings his baked products to life on the tray).
It also contains the original climactic scene in which Stitch wildly pilots a 747 through the city. This seemed completely out of the realm of reality at the time to the filmmakers, but then 911 happened and it was totally changed. (I was working on the graphic novel version at the time and was sent a new script in order to change it, too.)
Making an animated film is not all sunshine and talking muffins, though. Sanders and Deblois are also seen in the midst of a disagreement, capturing a moment that does not appear to be staged. A lot of what the two explain on the audio commentary is also supplemented with the generous supply of deleted scenes on the discs.
One of the most interesting comments the filmmakers share is that they consulted with someone at Pixar who suggested a very pivotal plot point with the "Ugly Duckling" book. This was before the Disney•Pixar merger but clearly Pixar's influence was felt. In fact, Lilo & Stitch may be one of the most Pixar-like of the Eisner era Disney films because it has a very odd storyline. Perhaps this was because it was made in Florida, 3,000 miles away from day to day "input," just as Pixar remains six hours away.
The only thing that seems to have been shoehorned in the film was the teen pop song at the end, which Sanders and Deblois dart with comic sarcasm in their commentary. The music video of this song, by the A-Teens, are among the few items not repeated on this new edition. Most of them were, in part, added to the documentary feature.
Chris Sanders' presence on the bonus materials is well worth noting. He was let go from Disney after a publicly-known creative stalemate with John Lasseter about American Dog, which was reassigned and renamed Bolt and ironically released at the same time as this edition. But it speaks highly of Lasseter's integrity and character as a human being, as well as a person who cares about Disney, that Sanders' important role in Disney history was not obscured or removed because of ego or corporate complication.
It would it be terribly wrong to eliminate the contributions and commentary of anyone who has made a contribution to the Disney organization and history and even more heinous if they were attributed to someone else.
Committing such an act would be a disservice to Disney and the people who are part of its heritage, be it past or present. It would be like saying Ward Kimball animated Steamboat Willie because Ub Iwerks left the Company. This would reflect poorly on professionalism, ethics and respect for the contributions of Disney people, past and present (remember Walt's quote about people?).
To the immense credit of everyone connected with this edition of Lilo and Stitch, such a tremendous, unconscionable act did not occur in this particular instance. It's a fine new DVD release, which truly delivers a lot of new material and lives up to its claim of "much, much more."
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Mar 23 2009
GOOD THINGS FROM THE GARDEN
Producer Sean Lurie (pictured) and Director Klay Hall were in Florida yesterday at a nice little grand opening ceremony for the new Pixie Hollow garden at the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival. The fairies themselves made a special appearance, with Epcot VP Dan Cockerell, but will return to Magic Kingdom where they "live," while topiaries of each as well as nice settings and activities will be part of the Epcot feature.
Tink's doing a sort of Joey Heatherton pose here. Lurie and Hall were promoting the second of four Disney Fairies animated features; the upcoming one is called Tinker Bell and The Search for Curly's Gold (just kidding, it's Tinker Bell and The Lost Treasure).
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Mar 22 2009
NO STRINGS, JUST AN UNPARALLELED CLASSIC
Pinocchio is largely hailed as one of Walt Disney's most masterly creations, and one of the all time great movies, period.
The animation is astonishingly fluid, evocative and filled with true character. The music has set standards that are still used today, including the use of an electronic instrument for a magical effect. The story is unforgettable -- and pretty scary in spots.
As the generous 70th Anniversary Platinum Edition bonus material explains, the film was not a huge success in its initial release and several reasons are speculated upon. I would venture that Disney has always had better luck with the more romantic animated features, even as recently as Treasure Planet. But who knows? It's certainly earned its keep by now, many times over, and comes to DVD and Blu-Ray disc in a new multi-disc edition.
A friend of mine with a Blu-Ray player highly recommends this version. ("You mean YOU don't have a Blu-Ray Player??" he says.) The image is spectacular in his opinion, as it was in the Sleeping Beauty Blu-Ray, so much so that you can even make out the painter's brush strokes! If you get the Blu-Ray version, you still get a standard DVD with the Audio Commentary by Leonard Maltin and master animator Eric Goldberg. It's as knowledgable and interesting as you might expect, though I do wonder whehter the claim that Mel Blanc's only Disney work was the omitted voice of Gideon -- isn't he Cousin Orville in the Carousel of Progress, or is that J. Pat O'Malley?
Anyway, you do not get the second disc in standard DVD format unless you buy the standard DVD package, so the choice is up to you depending on your need for extras and if you are looking to transition to Blu-Ray.
One little piece of trivia not found anywhere on the discs: you can hear a few notes of the deleted song, "Three Cheers for Anything" in the scene in which the boys sail for Pleasure Island. My way of saying thanks for reading this blog!
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Mar 19 2009
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, 45 RPM RECORDS!
The 7" 45 rpm record turns 50 this year and part of the fun is listening to three concurrent multi-episode documentaries you can stream on BBC Radio 2.
THE SINGLE STORY
Witty, acerbic David Quantick presents a look at how the 45, developed because of a corporate rivalry not unlike VHS vs. Beta. Lots of cool archival stuff and celebrity interviews. Each new segment starts on Tuesdays and can be streamed anytime for a week after.
FROM EDISON TO iTUNES
Critic, writer and one-time label boss, Paul Morley charts the rise and rise of the record labels and looks ahead to a more uncertain future. This is a music lover's portrait of the music industry, told through the many iconic and generation defining record labels that helped mould it. New segments each Saturday.
THIRD REICH & ROLL
Magnetic tape was developed by the Nazis? That's what writer/performer/humorist Stephen Fry (Jeeves and Wooster, A Bit of Fry & Laurie) reveals in this series, which introduces new segments each Monday. Magnetic recording tape technology was recovered after WWII, first utilized and financed by Bing Crosby, and exploded into innovation by Les Paul -- and that's just the beginning.
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Mar 18 2009
DISNEY DOGGIES ON DVD
Dogs are crowd pleasers. That's one of the reasons Beverly Hills Chihuahua was a surprise hit at the movies last year. And rather than a lot of head scratching about why other, more "lofty" films didn't fare as well, perhaps it's because high concept films -- ones that have a premise so simple and fun-sounding that usually the title tells it and the trailer is loaded with signature gags.
The good news is that Beverly Hills Chihuahua is on a par with Disney light comedies of days past, the kind that weren't classics but were as pleasurable as popsicles and left happy childhood memories, though somewhat more elaborate and technically lush.
Director Raja Gosnell has no illusions that he's filming Brecht or Proust -- he literally begins his commentary (thanks for having one!) with a self-deprecating anecdote. But what emerges from his detailed explanations of the intricacies of filmmaking with dogs and special effects, as well as the talents involved, are skill, professionalism and enthusiasm.
One of the most interesting aspects of the film technique, making the dogs seem to have conversations and interact together, is similar to combining live action and animation. The dogs are usually filmed individually, then composited in the film lab to appear together. In editing, specific poses and movements are pinpointed and then the mouths and brows are animated.
Although most dialogue is pre-recorded, the voice actors' improvisations are added and the characters developed. George Lopez's comedy inventiveness was such that Papi's character was expanded from a minor role. In fact, the whole film evolved from a more straightforward, serious story to a comedy (a fact proven by deleted scenes on the DVD).
Drew Barrymore, who deserves more recognition for her capabilities as a voice actor, manages to convey sympathy for a fairly whiny little pooch. Her expressive, just-slightly-but-not-too-overwrought vocal range would have made her a fine radio actress in the 1940s.
Disney has also reissued the original Air Bud in a special edition DVD with a "Buddy" dog tag an audio commentary in which the voices of the Air Buddies and their parents provide kid-friendly comments.
Air Bud spawned several sequels as well as the Air Buddies series, again proving how dogs deliver the goods to audiences and corporate accountants. This first film does not seem to anticipate the others, so it is somewhat less light, emphasizing the boy's back story and the emergence of Buddy as a basketball star, which is based on fact. What is probably not quite as factual are the Ugly Dachshund-style scenes of comical destruction -- you know, paint and wall paper and like that -- that gave Dean Jones and Suzanne Pleshette so much wacky trouble.
It would have been nice if the script had refrained from so many of the words that many parents wish were not so prevalent in family films. Interestingly, the more current films are not so rich in such language. Perhaps, back in 1997, Air Bud was still scripted in response to the success of The Bad News Bears and similar films. This isn't that kind of film, though. Lots of people really talk that way, including many kids, but not all of them do, and it would be nice to raise the bar in a film like this.
My son sure liked Air Bud, so it looks like we'll probably be looking at the sequels soon.
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Mar 10 2009
Good Grief, Simon Cowell!
My sharp-eyed daughter noticed, as the credits for the new DVD of You're the Greatest, Charlie Brown were racing by, that Casey Carlson was a voice actor in that special.
The imdb.com listing credits her as the voice of Marcie, as well as an American Idol contestant. But how can she be 20 years old if the Peanuts special first aired in 1979?
Either the imdb is wrong (and there are two Casey Carlsons) or she's got some kind of Benjamin Button thing going on. Or, it's like that Twilight Zone with Ann Blyth and she was also really Cleopatra, too.
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Feb 28 2009
The ultimate Disney fantasy film?
How different is High School Musical 3 from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs or The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes?
Not much when you think about it. They all depict what has been referred in the past as Disney's "idealization of life." The High School Musical films let you live for a while in a school without the harshness of real-life student politics, teacher issues and especially the dark, cynical vision so often seen on television, films and books inexplicably accepted as "kid-friendly."
Therein lies its charm. Whatever your opinion of the High School Musical series, you can't help but marvel at how young people have taken to it -- despite its omission of language, sex and bitterness that some in the industry insist are requirements to "get the kids." If only prime time TV would get the message perhaps it would not be at an all time low in viewership.
Since this, the third film, was given a more generous budget, much of the money shows up on the screen, especially in the lavish production numbers like "I Want it All," and particularly "Scream,' in which director Kenny Ortega pays tribute to Fred Astaire by flipping over the school hallway (and Zac Efron). The cast are as charming as ever. I was particularly happy to see the character of Mrs. Darbus (Alyson Reed) get a brief but nice opportunity to explore more warmth and depth than afforded in the previous chapters.
And since this is the farewell film for the main "students" (though some of the others may emerge from the background in the 4th film planned for TV), there are at least three finales. These kids sing their goodbyes a lot before a curtain literally falls over the whole thing, never to be quite the same again until, perhaps, the High School Musical reunion movie we can certainly look forward to in about 8 to 10 years (wonder who'll be "available" to reprise their roles?)
In the tradition of frothy musical fun, the story is secondary to watching the characters cavort. Sharpay, who despite learning her lesson in each film and "turning nice," goes back to square one repeatedly -- like Wile E. Coyote. This time, she gets a British assistant to facilitate villainous monologuing because her brother is leaning on the "nice kids" side this time.
The whole thing is a lot of fun. My daughter and her friends are starting to get too cool for HSM but still enjoy this movie, much as they're not into Miley so much but they like her sitcom just fine (Monkee career warning, Miley.)
The DVD offers bloopers and short documentaries about the production and the farewell nature of the project, plus an extra reprise of "Right Here, Right Now" not seen in the theatrical version. A 2-disc edition also includes a digital download.
Though it's always debatable whether any group of ambitious young performers in a film or TV series are as chummy as they are publcized to be, I can't help but believe their mixed feelings about leaving HSM behind. It's what they knew, it's what "made" them, and the future is exciting but pretty scary.
Just like graduation. Or corporate re-orgs.
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Feb 26 2009
"Presto" wuz robbed! But this book is reward enough, really.
No surprise that WALL-E won Best Animated Feature at the Oscars, but I was really routing for Presto to pick up the Animated Short award. However, the public really gets the best award this week, when the much-anticipated THE ART OF PIXAR SHORT FILMS hits the bookshelves and online retailers.
There have been several fine books about Pixar's relatively brief yet extraordinary history and artistry, as well as "Art of" books on the features. None of these books take such a detailed, thorough and image-rich look at this extremely important aspect of "how Pixar does it."
Amid Amidi, co-creator of the essential website Cartoon Brew, gives roughly half of the moderately coffee-table-sized volume over to an intense chronicle of Pixar's story told through its shorts, which are truly instrumental in the development of Pixar's features, technology and especially their creative team. What is especially impressive is seeing the degree of loving detail that goes into these mini-masterpieces, which can be as short as 3 minutes and 20 seconds (For the Birds).
I can really appreciate the difficulty of writing the establishing section, distilling highly technical systems and challenges in understandable terms while avoiding the obvious out of respect for the readers. As each short appears in the book, historic narrative is woven in order sustain the context of the films and their impact. For that reason, the very early film sections (devoted to Andre and Wally B., Luxo Jr., and Knick Knack) are somewhat lengthier. Once the Pixar organization is "up and running" as far as the text is concerned, than each entry focuses on the films, their directors, artists and particular challenges.
At this point, each film is examined for one or more artistic landmarks or histories: Geri's Game for its remarkable human animation; the evolution of For The Birds from a Cal Arts project; the singularly unique vision so much a part of the director's personality and background in Boundin'; the sometimes contentious partnering of two very different directors at the helm of One Man Band and the transformation of a sound designer to a director for Lifted.
The remaining shorts (Presto was not released in time for inclusion in the book) are all based on features: Mike's New Car, Jack-Jack Attack and Mater and the Ghostlight, but are no less meticulous and easily stand on their own.
The entire book then becomes a sumptuous portfolio of concept art, storyboards, production stills and wire frames. Again, seeing it all at once is staggering. As you peruse the pastels, pencil sketches, pen & marker renderings and finished scenes, the personalities of each artist, including John Lasseter himself, come through loud and clear -- Pixar has a style, but one that is the sum of its parts rather than a stern adherence to established creative restrictions.
You can't help feeling that, if Pixar did nothing more than produce short films, they would still be an industry flagship.
I was especially taken with each director literally having a personal "stamp" for approving the film art (in the case of One Man Band, a shared stamp). The stamps reflect their style just as the films do.
This is a book worth revisiting for reference and inspiration. It's also recommended if you happen to have the Pixar Short Films Collection DVD from last year that collects all of these film on one disc, along with several audio commentaries.
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Feb 23 2009
LET'S DO THE TIMEWARP AGAIN WITH PHINEAS & FERB
Other than a penchant for inspired madness and mad scientists, there is no overt relation between Disney's Phineas & Ferb cartoon series and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. But you'll see a connection if you read the credits at the end of the five two-cartoon episodes on the the new Phineas & Ferb DVD, "The Daze of Summer," the second in the DVD series.
Comprised of shows selected from both seasons, almost every cartoon in the collection features a very impressive cast of voice actors and others known for their on-camera work. But series creators Jeff "Swampy" Marsh and Dan Povenmire (who also voices the neurotic, insecure Doofensmirtz) must be big-time Rocky Horror fans because the voice of P & F's clueless dad is none other than Richard O'Brien, one of the Rocky Horror creators as well as "Riff Raff" in Rocky Horror (and the Childcatcher in the London stage version of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang). Performing other voices in various shows are Rocky Horror alums Tim Curry and Barry Bostwick.
There are also many young actors from various Disney Channel TV series doing voices, most prominently High School Musical's Ashley Tisdale as the Dr. Bellows/Mrs. Kravitz-like Candice, the tattletale sister who is never believed my mom (Caroline Rhea). She even gets a solo song, "Queen of Mars," in a two-part episode. Other Disney Channel faves include Mitchel Musso, Alyson Stoner, Brenda Song and Brian Stepanek, as well as top Hollywood voice actors Corey Burton (narrating a film about platypuses) and Tom Kenny (best known as the voice of Spongebob).
Every episode of Phineas & Ferb fulfills the wishes of many pre-pubescent boys: it's always summer vacation, the two brothers can create practically anything, visit almost anywhere and always outwit their sister. There is always a parallel story in which their pet platypus, Perry, saves the world from destruction. Both plots usually somehow tie together. I know it doesn't make sense, but you have to see it to get it. The show's creative team really pulls off a rich, gag-filled maze of story in every show, which makes them fun to re-watch.
The episodes are as follows:
Jerk De Soleil
Candice's allergic reaction to parsnips gives her an "Audrey II" voice, while Doofensmirtz tries to solve his vocal problems.
Toy to the World
The boys create a new toy. There are references to Willy Wonka and searing, sad-but-true jabs at corporate "yessing."
A Hard Day's Knight
The family takes a London vacation.
I, Brobot
Phineas and Ferb create an army of Phinadroids and Ferbots.
It's a Mud, Mud, Mud, Mud World
The brothers try to cheer up their sister with a monster truck show.
The Ballad of Badbeard
On a camping trip, the boys sail for adventure while Candice hallucinates after touching moss and becomes part of a Perry mission. (Parents note: Candice has the grooviest 60's-style psychedelic experience since Jackie Gleason in Skidoo.)
Greece Lightning
Candice is again compared to a hideous beast and Doofensmirtz unleashes an urbane robot monster named Norm.
Leave the Busting to Us
Candice enlists a TV reality show crew to expose her brothers' latest creation: a theme park in the backyard.
Unfair Science Fair / Science Fair Redux
Two carttoons edited together, with Candice eventutally being crowned Queen of Mars. A fitting finale.
The DVD also includes a series of interactive games themed to a science fair.
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Feb 17 2009
"What exactly is it that you DO do?" The birth of Disney Weddings
Disney Weddings began with a short memo from Michael Eisner to then-Disney Resorts VP Bob Small with little more than the words, “Change the way everyone looks at weddings.” A nine-minute video presentation was created to showcase how the weddings might take place, using a progression of slides featuring Jim Henson's Muppets, Disney Characters, Disney film stills and Disney Resort images as the song, “Somebody’s Getting Married” from The Muppets Take Manhattan was heard.
Ironically, this video was created before -- and presented after -- the untimely passing of Jim Henson. The writer/producer of the video, upon hearing the sad news over the car radio, drove for several minutes in stunned shock before realizing his car was on the wrong side of the street. He survived and so did the video, which was screened privately to the reported delight of Michael and Jane Eisner, along with Disney executives. The weddings program was launched.
The writer/producer of the video, a bald, thirty-something yet remarkably tanned and athletic-looking man who co-wrote a book about Disney Records, was not invited to the presentation. A young, eager junior executive had taken control of the project and did the presentation herself (she at one point wished to scrap the Muppets concept as too show-bizzy, un-businesslike and trivial in favor of her own Martha Stewart-style vision, but time and good sense prevailed). She is no longer with the company. The weddings program continues to flourish.
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Feb 13 2009
WHAT? ME WORRY?
Actually, this has nothing to do with MAD's Alfred E. Newman. It's just that the song. "Why Should I Worry?" from Oliver & Company reminds me of the famous line. The song is sung by Billy Joel in his voice role as Dodger, a tough-talking-but-with-a-heart-of-gold dog who befriends "Oliver" the kitten, in this updated, uptown, upbeat animated feature that takes Dickens' Oliver Twist to the streets of New York.
It's fascinating to watch this film with all the hindsight of what came after it. At the time, both Michael Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenberg, as freshly minted Disney executives, had been wondering if animation was even an option for where they felt Disney was going. Fortunately Oliver & Company was a substantial enough success in its initial release to generate a reissue -- which is referenced in two bonus features that must have originally been promos (and have not been revised on this 20th Anniversary Edition or the earlier DVD release).
Oliver & Company was the first Disney animated feature with a pop radio-ready musical score that is almost entirely of its time period (unless we go back to the package features of the '40's like Make Mine Music), and was featured on the very last vinyl LP record ever in wide release on the Disney label.
The exceptions in style are the lovely "Good Compnay" and the campy "Perfect Isn't Easy," a Broadway style number co-authored by Barry Manilow. It is performed by his old friend Bette Midler as the "Sharpay/Veronica Lodge/Snoopy's girlfriend"-like poodle, Georgette (though I somehow felt that character could have been even broader considering the comic talent behind it).
With talents like Midler, Joel, Ruth Pointer, Cheech Marin and Huey Lewis, it was clear that this was the "new" Disney, with a cast largely from the Touchstone stable (including a young Joey Lawrence as Oliver, who would "whoa" his way to hunkdom on the Blossom TV series). In a way, Oliver & Company was almost a Disney/DreamWorks hybrid before there was a DreamWorks.
You can also spot differences in the animation, as if some of the masters and the best apprentices did some, and some of the newer artists were just getting their feet wet. There is some truly outstanding character animation in this film, yet it is not widely recognized for it, nor for its role in bridging and sustaining Disney feature animation before The Little Mermaid initiated the second "Golden Age."
The new DVD is virtually identical to the earlier release, except for a new game feature. The film print could have used some new attention, since it appears kind of grainy considering its relatively young age. There are of course, new menus to the film and features. Oh, and you can get two cute plush puppies by mail if you purchase this and Space Buddies for a limited time.
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Feb 11 2009
WHY MARK EVANIER -- AND HIS BLOG -- ARE SO COOL
If you are at all interested in classic comedy, great television, animation, show business or life in general, you should take a look at Mark Evanier's blog at www.newsfromme.com. There is also a lot of previous material that is fascinating.
Mark grew up in the Hollywood area during several phases of entertainment, either in his youth as a spectator (including watching tapings of "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In," or as a participant (as a writer/producer and in countless brushes with greatness).
My thanks to Mark for turning me on to Shokus Internet Radio (www.shokusradio.com) and the various BBC online things to listen to.
Shokus Radio is a paradise for baby boomers who love classic TV, music and comedy. See here for the schedule, then click and enjoy. If you'd like to save shows to hear whenever you want, you might want to look into something like Audio Hijack. Then you can set the timer like a TiVo.
There are about seven BBC Radio stations, but my favorites are BBC 2 (music and variety, www.bbc.co.uk/radio2), BBC 4 (comedy and drama, www.bbc.co.uk/radio4) and BBC 7 (new and classic comedy and drama, www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7).
Pretty much all of their programs can be enjoyed for up to seven days after the initial broadcast. The best thing to do is go over the programming lists or schedules, pick some shows here and there and see what suits you.
Thanks, Mark!
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Feb 09 2009
HOW MUCH ARE THOSE DOGGIES IN THE SPACE SHIP?
Over the last year or so, we've seen chimps, houseflies and robots in space, so why not the Buddies? Another in a series of modestly produced family comedies starring cute adorable puppies, Space Buddies pretty much delivers on its title.
First we meet all the cute puppies and their owners (the puppies' voices are furnished by skilled young actors, including Liliana Mumy, daughter of Lost in Space legend Bill Mumy. How do they find themselves near rockets? They stowaway on a school field trip. How do they get those precious little doggie space suits? A special spacesuit-making device that just happens to require no dexterity for its operation. And how do they manage to blast off? That would be telling.
The human story angles rest upon the shoulders of Bill Fagerbakke, playing with as much conviction as he can muster a aeronautic scientist -- a switch from his roles on Coach or Spongebob Squarepants. For plot reasons, he keeps a pet ferret in his shirt pocket (I don't want to spoil the ending, but it has something to do with Amy Sedaris).
Diedrich Bader, who specializes in spaced-out eccentrics and, like Fagerbakke, has a fine career in voice acting (he even narrates Disney CD read-alongs) plays a deluded Russian cosmonaut who just happens to be accompanied by yet another cute puppy (you can never have too many) with a Russian accent voiced by Jason Earles, whose fearless physical comedy buoys many a Hannah Montana episode.
According to a recent Bonnie Hunt Show, there's a pet shelter in Los Angeles that makes prospective owners agree never to dress their dogs if they adopt them. Maybe they can manage to resist the urge by watching the little Space Buddies' tails wag in the space costumes in this film. And stay tuned, Santa Buddies is coming soon! Arf!
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Feb 04 2009
IT'S THAT POPPINS WOMAN!! SHE DID IT!!
When we recently went to see Walt Disney's landmark 1964 musical fantasy transformed into a Broadway musical, I approached it much the same as when I first saw Superman the Movie in 1978. The earlier version was such a part of so many lives it seemed inconceivable that anyone could make it work as a live musical.
Superman managed to succeed beyond expectations, and so does Mary Poppins on Broadway. The movie and the show are related yet compliment each other. Not an easy task.
How this was accomplished is chronicled in a new documentary on the new two-disc Mary Poppins 45th Anniversary Edition DVD.
The original stage stars, Ashley Brown (who knew she wasn't really English?) and Gavin Lee discuss the process from audition to production, along with the talented artists who brought Poppins alive on stage.
Well worth the DVD set alone is the ENTIRE "Step in Time" show-stopper filmed right from the stage, complete with one of the most talked about marvels in the show: Bert's miraculous dance around and over the stage proscenium. Lee explains the evolution of the stunt in the accompanying documentary.
We also were able to glimpse one of the sweeps in "Step in Time," the immensely talented Sean McCourt, who plays several roles in the stage Poppins as he did for years in Wicked. We were fortunate enough to learn of his contributions from a backstage Wicked presentation he hosted with equally gifted colleague Anthony Galde, who still plays multiple roles in that show.
The most warmhearted and reassuring thing about the new 45th Anniversary bomus material is the generous attention afforded to the cooperative relationship between Richard M. Sherman and the new songwriters, George Stiles and Anthony Drewe (Robert Sherman's health prevents the activity).
And while you may think it's a no-brainer that Mr. Sherman was included to some extent, consider that after the duo successfully wrote songs for The Tigger Movie, they were summarily replaced for the next Pooh film. In the case of Poppins, clearly every courtesy was accorded the score and the two legends who created it. It's especially wonderful to see all three songwriters on screen, two in England, one in California, singing together.
For even more detail about the story of the Poppins flight from book to screen to stage, take a look at the massive and beautiful book co-written by expert historian Brian Sibley, Mary Poppins: Anything Can Happen If You Let It.
Magnificent stage artwork from the stage version rounds out the new bonus material on the recent DVD, for the info of those who have the earlier versions. Most everything contained in the 40th anniversary edition is still here except for a game and a piece-by-piece reconstruction of a "Jolly Holiday" excerpt.
But it still includes the wonderful audio commentary with Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke and Richard Sherman -- and who wouldn't want to "watch" the movie with them? My only quibble: a guide folder to the discs would have been nice.
And if you still have the single-disc Gold Classic edition, you may want to keep that one because it's the only one with the complete "Hollywood Goes to a World Premiere," a short theatrical film with delightfully cheesy narration ("the vivacious Annette!") as well as the after party audio material. The newer two releases use this footage for a similar bonus, but it's nice to have the original.
(By the way, the connection between Superman and Mary Poppins may have seemed a strange juxtaposition, but both of them not only can fly, but they spin around real fast, too!)
Whether you feel the new release is worth your while or not, I am pleased to see Mary Poppins reissued as often as possible. This is a very important film, not a relic of the past, and reissuing brings it to the public's attention each time and hopefully introduces it to another legion of fans. Here's to keeping everything higgledy-piggeldy around here!
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Feb 02 2009
A BOY AND HIS GOURD
When my dad was a kid, he and his pals invented a nonsense language. It was something to the effect of "Get the vitchim in the gourd with the ooh-bawe-deh-de and the gupsnare in the go-zack-ee." Throughout his life, when he was feeling whimsical or couldn't think of better words, he would occasionally pepper his sentences with things like," You kids better get that vitchim in the gourd..." or "That's gonna need a vitchimized gourd over there..."
You can just imagine, then, how I would love to know what he would do with a movie named The Secret of The Magic Gourd. Chances are he'd take the gupsnare out of the ooh-bawe-deh-de and play it on the vitchim.
Anyway, that's not why you clicked. The Secret of the Magic Gourd is a very lovely film and deserves more notice in the U.S. than it is getting. The first of Disney's Chinese co-productions, the film did respectable business in China, where it is titled "Bao hu lu de mi mi."
In the interest of lip synchronization, the young boy's name is changed from "Bao" to "Raymond" and the Gourd's name is "Bailey," from the Chinese "Hu lu" (could it be that the website hulu gets its name from here?
The story, from a classic Chinese children's book, is a dreamlike, present day tale in which a boy learns to be careful what he wishes for -- a theme explored with horror in "The Monkey's Paw" and The Twilight Zone and with humor on I Dream of Jeannie. Some of the wacky antics caused by little Bailey in his earnest attempts to please his "master" reminded me very much of "Jeannie."
U.S. film and TV makers might take a closer look at Gourd, with its traditional family, caring teacher and pleasant friends. No bumbling dysfunctional parents (or lack thereof), no caricatured authority figures or no snarky, hip-holding preteens here. The kids aren't always nice to Raymond but they do stick with in the end.
Speaking of hip-holding preteens, the presence of High School Musical star Corbin Bleu is very likely a device to allow youngsters the privilege of watching this movie without eye-rolls and loud sighs from older siblings. But don't underestimate him -- Bleu does a very creditable job. His natural likeability shines through his vocal performance. That's not easy when you've also got to act as well as focus on replacing dialogue recorded and animated for another language.
The film largely rises and falls on whether you like Raymond and especially Bailey, and it succeeds thanks to skillful work by the entire American cast, including Bleu and singer/actress Megan Hilty, under the guidance of Disney veteran Rick Dempsey, who also co-wrote the lyrics to the end title song, "Worlds of Wonder."
The English script also avoids an overabundance of pop culture references and slang. Bailey might say one or two Americanized things here and there, but he's not a boogie-ing gangsta gourd, as I'm sure the Chinese version of the Gourd is not either.
Speaking of music, the fine original score by Peter Kam is one of the things I enjoyed most about The Secret of the Magic Gourd, yet I've not seen it available either in an English or Chinese soundtrack album. I'd also like to see an English version of the book.
The bonus material is primarily Chinese promotional documentary footage with English subtitles. It would have been nice to see Bleu and the cast working on the dubbing, a very special kind of acting that takes special talent to carry off properly. All in all, though, the word "nice" is the best way to describe the film, and I look forward to the future co-productions.
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Jan 27 2009
WHY RICARDO MONTALBAN IS -- AND WILL ALWAYS BE -- COOL
Take a look at the remarkable recollection writer/ producer Mark Evanier recounts on his superior blog and you'll see just one example of the kind of family bond and values of the late Ricardo Montalban. I really can't add anything beyond that except some other factoids you probably won't see anywhere else.
Senor Montalban was related by marriage to one of our dearest Mouse Tracks friends, the lovely Teri York. Her son Gil Smith, an acclaimed photographer by the way, is married to Anita, one of the four Montalban children. Gil is very involved in the Ricardo Montalban Theater in Hollywood -- which was originally the famed Lux Radio Theater where Cecil B. DeMille and most of the biggest stars and greatest voice actors of all time re-enacted movies in a one-hour format. Unlike ao many imaginary locations concocted for golden age radio, this theater was for real and still stands -- only now it is dedicated to The Ricardo Montalban Foundation and hosted the Nosotros American Latino Film Festival and other events.
One of the stars who appeared frequently on Lux Radio Theater was the Oscar-winning Loretta Young. Senor Montalban's widow is Loretta's half-sister, Georgiana. Theirs was one of the longest Hollywood marriages in history.
The Montalban connection to other Hollywood/Disney royalty doesn't stop there, either. Georgiana's half-brother-in-law was Norman Foster, who directed Walt Disney's Davy Crockett shows as well as episodes of Zorro. Take THAT, Kevin Bacon!
And speaking of Zorro, as Tim Hollis remarked today, "Now NO ONE will ever know that Zorro was really Don Diego de la Vega!" (Senor Montalban played Captain Esteban in the 1974 TV movie version, The Mark of Zorro.)
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COMMENT FROM TIM HOLLIS (1/16): "Yes, but what I actually had in mind was that segment of the 25th anniversary show in 1978, where they showed repeated clips from the old b&w show in which Montalban tried to tell people about Zorro's identity and they laughed at him. Then, he calls in Ed Asner as Lou Grant and claims he has a big scoop for his newspaper. Lou/Ed is unimpressed."
GREG: Oops! My bad. Tim was referring to Senor Montalban's role of Ramon Castillo on the Disney Zorro TV series. As Albert Mouse said, "I've learned that I still have a lot to learn!"]
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Jan 15 2009
PATRICK McGOOHAN'S "VILLAGE" & DISNEY'S "VILLAGE"
The immensely talented Patrick McGoohan has passed away, prompting an observation from me that you are free to scoff and guffaw upon: his landmark TV series The Prisoner was created and produced in 1967, shortly after the actor/writer/director performed in the exceptional Walt Disney productions The Three Lives of Thomasina and Dr. Syn.
Disneyland
Undoubtedly Mr. McGoohan must have visited Disneyland during those days, and I cannot help wondering if his idyllic-yet-totalitarian vision for The Prisoner was based in part on the relentlessly happy Disney theme park environments that belied the rigidity beneath. The doors opened automatically, everything was sparkling clean.
Walt Disney World Village
When I joined Disney over two decades ago, there was a place in Florida called "Walt Disney World Village" which was renamed Disney Village Marketplace and is currently Downtown Disney Marketplace. The directional signs leading to the area called it "Disney Village," but those inside Disney simply called it "The Village." The irony was not lost on me. Or maybe it was just me.
"The Village"
Anyway, the real location for the TV "Village" was Portmeirion in Wales. Want to vacation there? Book a lovely getaway package right here. Maybe you'll luck out and be there when "the flavor of the day is STRAW-Bree." Only be on the lookout for those giant white balloon thingys that used to chase those who tried to escape. You can even order those weird telephones they used on the show!
The weird phone
We'll miss McGoohan, particularly his unique voice -- my siblings and I often mimicked his line from the movie Silver Streak: "Don't put yerr foot on the pedalll!"
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Jan 14 2009
2009 -- THE YEAR OF PETULA!
The heavenly Petula Clark graces several notable new DVD and CD releases this year. I found the best prices for her Portrait of Petula 1969 TV special DVD and the new Open Your Heart: A Collection of Love Songs CD (with 11 unreleased tracks) here on Deep Discount (with free shipping). We have Collectors' Choice Music to thank for these two releases, though, whose recent catalog proclaims, "Petula Clark ROCKS!"
Plus, the lavish 1969 musical adaptation of Goodbye Mr. Chips starring Peter O'Toole and Ms. Clark finally makes it DVD bow on Jan. 27. Deep Discount and amazon both have good prices. The soundtrack album was released some time ago on a mammoth CD package (music & lyrics by Leslie Bricusse, conducted by John Williams, both Oscar nominated for this score).
Goodbye Mr. Chips fell at the tail end of the 1960s parade of large-scale, lengthy musicals that would hopefully would be hits like Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, West Side Story, Oliver! and My Fair Lady. Chips was not a big smash but was a wondrous showcase for the pairing of Clark & O'Toole, both of whom were acclaimed for their performances. (One review remarked that, in the film, Ms. Clark looked like a young Mary Martin.)
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Jan 12 2009
ESCAPE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN WITH THE AVENGERS
We've been watching Disney's first two "Witch Mountain" movies in anticipation of the new Race to Witch Mountain coming to theaters in March. On the audio commentary for the Escape to Witch Mountain Special Edition DVD, director John Hough repeatedly references the cinematic techiques he brought to the film from his years on the British adventure/fantasy series The Avengers. He says he was on the series for five years; the iMdb lists him for the Tara King years.
Hough identifies numerous scene compositions he used for the classic TV show that also appear in Witch Mountain, like profiled actors against a fireplace, characters reflected in car mirrors and his technique of filming the heroic characters with standard angles and villains in odd and tilted angles. I never noticed it before, but it's true!
Escape to Witch Mountain may seem somewhat quaint over three decades after its release -- and is likely to pale technically with the new movie -- but it was groundbreaking in its day, especially for a Disney film, especially because 75% of it was filmed on location, avoiding matte shots whenever possible (but not completely) and because of Hough's direction.
The original stars, Ike Eisenmann and Kim Richards, both of whom have roles in the new movie. They even have official websites, click their names above to see.
As for me, I especially loved how the beloved Eddie Albert vacillated between rustic crustiness ("I ain't no bus line!") and intense, brow-furrowed intellectualism ("I notice you two...are very smart for your yearrrrss") in the original movie. Must have had too many of Lisa's hots-cakes, I guess.
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Jan 08 2009
SHERMANS HONORED BY U.S.
This deserves repeated mention even if it appeared elsewhere earlier. Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman were among those awarded the 2008 National Medal of Arts. Other 2008 recipients included Stan Lee and Olivia DeHavilland. It is the highest award given to artists and arts patrons by the U. S. Government.
"Great job on those Pete's Dragon tunes, you guys!"Here is the actual caption for the above photo from the nea.gov site: 2008. National Medal of Arts recipient Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman, whose career includes the song scores for Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and more than 30 Disney films. Here with President Bush, they were commended for music that "has helped bring joy to millions." Photo by James Kegley.
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Jan 07 2009
THE GREATEST HITS OF...WOOLWORTH'S?
Even though Woolworth's discount stores are a just a memory to in the U.S. (some of us even worked for them, but that's another blog entry), it's still a fixture in England, though their days are numbered in the U.K. too.
What I didn't know was that Woolworth's U.K. had several extremely successful budget labels and even manufactured their own records for many years on such labels as Little Wonder, Little Marvel, Victory, Crown, Eclipse, Embassy and Chevron (?).
During and well after the postwar WWII period, when pop knockoffs became the Woolworth stock in trade, guess what vocal group backed up countless records? If you're a Disney record collector, you've guessed The Mike Sammes Singers, who are given a nice mention in a fine BBC 2 radio documentary called "The Wonderful Sound of Woolies."
Click here for the webpage currently streaming the one- hour show. BBC 2 premiered it on Dec 30 and usually keeps its programs available for about seven days afterward.
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Jan 03 2009
HAPPY NEEUUWW YYEERRR!
Yes, yes, of course, that's the way Red Skelton (as Father Time) said it in the Rankin/Bass classic special Rudolph's Shiny New Year.
This is the actual Father Time animation figure
as it appeared in 2006 on www.rankinbass.com
Rudolph's Shiny New Year was an especially fine show thanks to a great cast, nice Johnny Marks songs under the baton of the great Maury Laws, and Romeo Muller's ingenious plot device of having an island where previous years go, including one where fairy tales live. It's a premise sure to be "borrowed" for a movie in the future, to be sure.
Speaking of Rankin/Bass, here's hoping Arthur Rankin finds justice and Warner does the right thing in 2009. Apparently, he is owed a couple million dollars from the ThunderCats days and some persons at Warner admit the error but refuse to pay because of the statute of limitations. In the words of my late Aunt Sadie, "Is that nice?"
The folks at Warners have done quite nicely financially with the Rankin/Bass library, thank you very much, and making restitution would, as the ThunderCats would say, is "the right thing to do."
There's more on this story at Rick Goldschmidt's official R/B website.
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Jan 01 2009
"Bedtime Stories:" Sandler & Bing?
Went to see the new Disney comedy epic Bedtime Stories and liked it very much -- more than I even expected to. Without giving away the denouement, it occurred to me that the romantic disagreement between Adam Sandler and Keri Russell's characters was remarkably similar to that of Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney in White Christmas.
Maybe it's me, or maybe I've seen this kind of "Oh! And I thought he was so thoughtful of others -- and you turned out to be as greedy as all the rest!" thing that is a movie plot staple.
Anyway, Bedtime Stories is a fun family movie (with some reservations about poopy and booger humor so tantamount to many family films of today). One other question once you've seen the movie: Are zoning issues usually easy enough to resolve so quickly? Of course, it is a fantasy film.
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Dec 28 2008
Good Night, Eartha Baby
The great entertainer Eartha Kitt passed away from cancer and left behind an extraordinary legacy in every form of show business on the big and small screen and especially live performing, whether to a small intimate cabaret to a thousands in huge venues including Epcot as a star narrator of Candlelight Processional.
Animation fans know her voice work well as Yzma in The Emperor's New Groove (and The Emperor's New School TV series). It won her the Annie award from ASIFA-Hollywood (twice maybe?). She also starred for Rankin/Bass in their most recent holiday special, Santa Baby.
And speaking of "Santa Baby," it's one of those holiday song classics that will be played forever -- and though vamps from Madonna to Minnie Mouse have put their spin on it, it is the Kitt version that continues to stand the test of time.
I've met Ms. Kitt a few times, when she was interviewed on a radio talk show I produced years ago; at a touring performance of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella as the Fairy Godmother (only she could have stepped out of the cottage for a curtain call like her -- kicking out a shapely leg first); and when I interviewed her for the Disney annual Passholder magazine, Mickey Monitor. I'll never forget hearing that unmistakable voice say "mmmmnnnthenk yew" when I offered a compliment or three.
Eartha Kitt also rose above a harrowing childhood, navigated a successful career before, during and beyond the civil rights movement, and lived to see this year's landmark election. I can only imagine what she might have said when the election results came in, being a woman who had been shunned by Lady Bird Johnson for opposing the Vietnam war.
Perhaps she said, "mmmmmmmnnnnnnthenk yew."
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Dec 26 2008
DVD Review: THE LITTLE MERMAID II: RETURN TO THE SEA
Animated primarily in Australia and Canada, this is the second in a trilogy of Mermaid movies; the first of course, being the theatrical megahit and the other two made for home video.
Return to the Sea takes no chances with its presold audience by having the daughter of Ariel experience a similar adventure as her mother with perhaps even more intense defiance (Ariel's issue with her father in the first film is freedom, Melody's problem in this film is with Ariel's reluctance to open communication). Without dropping a spoiler, there is even a plot development quite similar to the current Broadway version that does not happen in the original film.
The wonderful Pat Carroll returns -- instead of playing Ursula, she offers a different characterization as evil sister Morgana -- along with Jodi Benson, Buddy Hackett, Kenneth Mars, Rene Auberjonois and Sam Wright. Replacing Ben Wright (who passed away in 1989), Jason Marin and Christopher Daniel Barnes are Kay Kuter, Cam Clarke and Rob Paulsen as Prince Eric, and Flounder, respectively.
Most of all, it should be pointed out to Disney records fans that several very good friends of Mouse Tracks were involved with this film: Executive Music Producer Bambi Moé, singer Desireé Goyette and songwriters Michael and Patty Silversher (who wrote all the original songs from the film, "Down to the Sea," For a Moment" and "Here on the Land and Sea." You can enjoy their work in the movie and also if you can get the out-of-print soundtrack CD.
The Special Edition offers the same material as the 2000 release, adding a new game called "The Little Mermaid II Underwater Mar-Venture Challenge." My favorite is a very nice reading of the DVD storybook by Jodi Benson.
The Little Mermaid has proven a very prolific story source. In addition to the movies and various publications, there was an animated TV series. It would be nice to see all those 31 episodes packaged for DVD too.
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Dec 17 2008
DVD Review: THE CHEETAH GIRLS: ONE WORLD
To a baby boomer like me, The Cheetah Girls are a variation on Josie and the Pussycats. But much as I loved the Josie comics and the Hanna-Barbera cartoon, the creators of the movie version failed big time where Disney succeeded -- very likely because the Josie movie took the "edgy" route and turned its back on both its family audience and the fans of the franchise.
The Cheetahs, on the other hand, have been highly consistent initiative for Disney Channel and Walt Disney Records. While not the "lightning in a bottles" that Hannah Montana and High School Musical have been, instead this peppy pop threesome have been perhaps the longest running enterprise in the Disney catalog of tween attractions, with three TV movies, five albums and three tours. Actually the concept began as a book series in 1999.
In the lollipop-colorama that is The Cheetah Girls: One World, the group has just the sort of glamorous international moviemaking experience that little girls make up on the living room floor with their Barbies. The movie definitely hits that target, as well as introduce many Americans to the idea of Bollywood and a little bit of Indian culture (though if Big Bird visited India in one of those specials we might have learned a little more).
Hmm... the plot. Chanel, Dorinda and Aqua meet hunky guys but don't get too serious, get a chance to be Bollywood stars but choose friendship and loyalty instead and sing a crispy, crunchy package of catchy songs -- on camera rather than "in their heads" which is creditable since few modern musicals allow their audiences to stretch their imaginations like old time ones did.
The movie also causes some speculation that it is just a part of an overall Disney/Bollywood corporate incentive to bridge the two industries for a fiscal win-win. It may or may not be a coincidence that the first Disney animated film created for India, Roadside Romeo, came out around the same time this film premiered.
It's interesting to note how the filmmakers managed to give this movie a somewhat opulent look with a limited budget, by filling the screen with color at every opportunity and filming a lot of outdoor scenes with heavily dressed settings (as in the marketplace sequence which looks much more "art directed," with each color perfectly complimenting the other, that the eclectic real thing possibly could). It's a nice-looking production.
The DVD features a new song sequence and bloopers, but what most impressed me was ability to watch the entire film with "Cheetah Spots" in which the performers comment on camera every few minutes and the film image become an inset. It's a nice alternative to an audio commentary and is perhaps easier for the intended audience to enjoy. You can also tell who is talking because you see them. These "spots" additionally reveal which choices Disney Channel viewers voted on to take place in the film: what props might show up, etc, which is a clever way to involve the fans.
Still, I can't help thinking how Josie and the gang might have fared in a similar production. We'd probably be watching movies with them today, instead of seeing the movie DVD in the bargain bin.
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Dec 16 2008
THE ARCHIES RECORD THEIR FIRST ALBUM IN ALMOST 40 YEARS!
Ron Dante, the original singing voice behind the number one song of 1969, "Sugar, Sugar," and all of the other Archies megahits, performs on multiple tracks as if the last four decades never happened -- with Danielle van Zyl and Kelly-Lynn singing for Betty and Veronica (the great Toni Wine, who sang for them on many of the original records, is touring with Tony Orlando and she'll most likely be at Epcot this May when Tony returns).
In addition to all-time holiday pop hits like "Jingle Bell Rock" and the Springsteen-style "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," this new CD features two new songs: "Archie's Christmas Party" and "Christmas in Riverdale." And sitting in for Jughead on drums for this album is none other than Keith Thibodeaux, who played Little Ricky on I Love Lucy!
This album is available on the official Archie Comics site and at Ron Dante's website (he has other great CDs available as well). By the way, Ron's a Disney fan too, and has been spotted at Disneyana conventions.
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Dec 12 2008
DVD Review: PRINCE CASPIAN
This second in the Chronicles of Narnia series was not the box office bonanza that The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe was, but that may have been more due to its competition from Indiana Jones. A bit darker and more of a war epic than its predecessor, Prince Caspian benefits from sweeping visuals (more actual locations than before) and a fine international cast.
Among the excellent, network-quality bonus features is a comparison between the book text and the settings realized on the screen, hosted by C.S. Lewis' stepson Douglas Gresham (who also hosts the radio drama version available here). Caspian is a shorter, less detailed novel in the Narnia series, so much so that the BBC TV adaptation found it necessary to combine it with Voyage of the Dawn Treader (which should be especially great as a Disney/Walden movie).
The current epic film develops the characters of the four Pevensie children to a degree but focuses primarily on Caspian, played by Ben Barnes, a very capable actor and far more personable on the commentary than he is in the film. One wonders if he was cast by the studio for his Tiger Beat possibilities as well as his acting.
The first portion of the book, in which we meet Caspian's professor and nanny, who illegally discuss the Miraz-taboo subject of Narnia, is given short shrift to get to the action at the expense of deepening the audience's empathy for the young prince. Thanks to the Lucas/Spielberg school of film storytelling, set ups such as this are becoming rare in film blockbusters. When the device works, it's fine, but often it's too much too soon, sort of like starting MGM's The Wizard of Oz during the cyclone.
The film is actually very encjoyable on the home screen, where the attention is able to focus and the characters are able to move into the foreground. The extras are also well worth the price of the DVD, with a particularly beautiful mini-documentary about the river on which the climactic battle takes place, with townspeople offering their opinions of the region and the event that the moviemakers brought upon their sleepy village.
And yes! There is an audio commentary, as mentioned before, featuring director Andrew Adamson and all the lead cast members. It's a sheer delight, chock full of facts and fun, especially the gentle kidding the young cast tosses at one another, like the constant reference to the hyperdramatic "blue steel" poses (a reference to the steely pout of the male models in the comedy Zoolander). Ironically, Barnes image on the DVD cover is total blue steel.
The 3-disc collectors edition includes a disc that connects with iTunes so you can download the entire film at no extra fee (unlike the Journey to the Center of the Earth DVD package, which requires a small charge). It's a nice extra and also interesting because it signals a transition point from one media provider to another -- and certainly Disney is carefully monitoring how many people enjoy the downloads. Of course, an epic like this gets kind of puny on a iPod, but it's sure convenient!
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Dec 06 2008
CHARLES M. SCHULZ EMAIL
I'm reluctant to forward "chains" of emails, but a good friend sent this exception one today. Rather than forwarding it, I paraphrased it below for you. Whether the whole piece, or just the quote at the end, originated with Charles M. Schulz may or may not be so, but it's a great truth. Peanuts is a wealth of great truth. Please forgive me if you've already seen this before in some form or other.
The following is the philosophy of Charles Schulz, the creator of the 'Peanuts' comic strip. You don't have to actually answer the questions. Just read it straight through, and you'll get the point.
1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five Miss America pageant winners.
4. Name ten Nobel or Pulitzer Prize winners.
5. Name the last half dozen best actor and actress
Academy Award winners. 6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.
How did you do?
The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.
Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:
1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult
time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and
special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
Easier?
The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care.
Let those people who have made a difference in your life know about it.
"Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia."
- Charles M. Schulz
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Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Nov 20 2008
CAROL BURNETT BRINGS BACK THE STORYTELLER RECORD
During the early days of Disneyland Records, the Storyteller series presented story and songs from movies with a narrator taking the role of one of the characters.
Sometimes it would be an actual cast member, like Cliff Edwards narrating Pinocchio as Jiminy Cricket and Buddy Hackett on The Love Bug LP, or a "second cast" narrator (Darlene Gillespie as Alice, Dal McKennon as Bagheera, Bert or Emelius Browne; Ginny Tyler as Little Boy Blue, Robie Lester as Mayo and Mike Sammes as George the Alligator from, respectively, Alice in Wonderland, The Jungle Book, Mary Poppins, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Babes in Toyland, The One & Only, Genuine, Original Family Band and The Happiest Millionaire Storytellers). In most cases, the narrator would basically use narration to link the songs, which often featuring a different performer singing in the same role.
Well, on the recent Annie 30th Anniversary double-disc album, disc two features Carol Burnett narrating the story from the ill-fated Broadway music Annie 2, since it is likely the only way most of us would experience the musical. She narrates as Miss Hannigan, whom she played in the 1982 movie version and her performance harkens back to the best of the golden age Storyteller albums. (The CD even includes a storybook inside retelling the first Annie story.)
Annie lyricist Martin Charnin introduces all this on disc two, interrupting at one point to explain three songs with the same melody but with vastly different lyrics, sung by the three "Annies" who alternated played the role in the sequel musical.
Disc two also includes three additional Annie songs, the last of which comes from a holiday TV special and sung for this album by four "Annies" (Andrea McArdle, Kathryn Zaremba, Amanda Balon and Marissa O'Donnell) and four "Hannigans" (Carol Burnett, Sally Struthers, Kathie Lee Gifford and Alene Robertson)
And that's just what's on disc two. Disc one contains the complete original Annie score by the national touring company, including Conrad John Schuck (Law & Order SVU, Holmes & Yoyo, McMillan & Wife, The Munsters Today) as Warbucks. It's the most elaborate recording of Annie ever recorded, and this one disc would have been plenty enough to satisfy the average enthusiast, but master Broadway cast album producer Robert Sher doesn't settle for the expected, he pushes to offer listeners and fans the maximum possible, and thus spent many months putting this album together throughout the country and the world.
One other Disney note: the cover and interior storybook and notes are illustrated by Philo Barnhart, veteran animator for Disney, Hanna-Barbera, Filmation and Bluth, all in the style of Little Orphan Annie creator Harold Gray.
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Nov 08 2008
"What exactly is it that you DO do?" PART 27B: Donald Duck in "The Legend of Castaway Cay"
This was a really fun little project I worked a couple of years ago with the talented art director Susana Gay at Disney Design Group. The two comic panels either appeared completely or in artistic fragment on Disney Cruise Line merchandise: photo albums, towels, etc.
My silly little story and dialogue harkened back to those books and comics in which the Disney characters visited Disney parks and attractions, even the Universe of Energy. The "Buenarian Bubble Fish" that Donald's nephews are seeking is a nod to the oft-used "Buena Vista" name Disney attached to things.
The final frame resembles an actual three-dimensional visual gag on one of the Disney Cruise Line ships in which you can see Donald attempting to paint the ship. The whole comic story had to be written to pay off that final frame.
I don't know who the artist was but it the art is a triumphant tribute to Carl Barks. And it even is slightly out of register, just like a vintage comic book page!
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Oct 22 2008
Disney 2009 Record Cover Calendar
They were selling these at the Disney Studio Store -- it's a mini-calendar with images of these classic Disney records:
Selections from Fantasia
Sleeping Beauty
More Jungle Book
Pinocchio
Bambi & Thumper (45 rpm)
Lady and the Tramp
Cinderella
Dumbo
Jiminy Cricket's Mouse Club Songs (78 rpm)
Snow White
Alice in Wonderland
Walt Disney's Christmas Concert
Amazon is selling used copies here.
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Aug 02 2008
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