In Disney’s 36th animated feature Mulan the title character arrives quietly in the story, taking everyone by surprise, at a time when no one expects it. The film Mulan did the same thing. Following on the heels of Disney’s “event” films, Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Hercules, Mulan was a complete original in […]
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Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of Disney’s “Aladdin”
November 25th, 2017 
Michael Lyons “Ten thousand yeeeeears will give you such a crick in the neck!” So said the Genie in the character’s now iconic first appearance on screen in Disney’s animated blockbuster “Aladdin.” With that character’s appearance, animated films changed forever- all of them from all studios wanted to copy “Aladdin’s” knowing, whiz-bang, pop-culture humor and sensibility. Few, […]
Heavens to Murgatroyd: Laff-A-Lympics turns 40
September 6th, 2017 Michael Lyons September has always heralded the somber end of summer and the inevitable start of the school year. For several generations however, the sad farewell to vacation days and re-emergence of three ring binders came with only one glimmer of light: the beginning of a new Season of Saturday Morning TV. Forty years ago this September, […]
Oh Deer: Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of Disney’s “Bambi”
August 8th, 2017 Michael Lyons The late, great animation historian John Culhane vividly remembered seeing Bambi when he was a young boy. The movie’s most impactful scene (maybe one of the most impactful scenes in all movie history), the death of Bambi’s mother was playing out on the screen. “Bambi’s screaming ‘Mother!’ ‘Mother!’,” Culhane recalled in a 1998 interview. “A […]
FLASHBACK: Disney’s “The Rescuers” 40th Anniversary Tribute
June 5th, 2017 Michael Lyons Forty years ago this summer, the landscape in Hollywood changed forever. A film was released that rocked the moviegoing experience for both the industry and audiences. Oh sure, it may seem as if this is referring to George Lucas’ Star Wars, the flashpoint of summer blockbusters, but it also applies to another summer ’77 movie […]
