The first time I saw any footage of Pixar's Cars, it was in a teaser trailer that showed a talking sports car and a redneck pickup truck reminiscent of the mechanic (Cooter) from Dukes of Hazzard. Sure, it piqued my interest, but the trailer was -- to be polite -- bizarre, and it never really told what the movie was about. Was Pixar about to release its first box-office bomb? Of course not. Pixar always delivers, and the final version of Cars illustrates that perfectly. It may not be as memorable as Finding Nemo or The … [Read more...]

The Little Mermaid was a landmark film for Disney, both because it revived the studio's animation department and because it reminded moviegoers that animated films could hold a special place in their hearts. After The Little Mermaid, Disney rode an animated wave that saw such hits as The Lion King, Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast, all of which invigorated the animation market and re-introduced consumers to the Disney magic. Ironically, since those Disney powerhouse films, the studio has had relatively limited success, … [Read more...]

Not sure if you've noticed, but as sweeps weeks have kicked into high gear the networks have started airing commercials for next season's sure-fire hits. And, well, they all look the same. If it's not a medical drama it's a courtroom drama, and if it's neither of those it's guaranteed to be a so-called reality show in which the only "real" thing on the contestants' bodies is the makeup. It's one of the key reasons a show like Dinosaurs coming out on DVD is such a coup: it reflects a time when the sets were plain but … [Read more...]

You know a movie's trying to be a "me too" when the first line of its DVD cover says "Following in the tracks of March of the Penguins...." However, it's not every "me too" product that actually inspires just as much goodwill as the one it's trying to emulate. And Deep Blue, a new aquatic documentary by Buena Vista Home Entertainment, manages to do just that. Although the "plot" of March of the Penguins is decidedly absent from Deep Blue, the cinematography is just as astounding. The documentary follows a variety of … [Read more...]

Visiting the Disney MGM Studios used to be an animation fan's dream. In one behind-the-scenes tour you could watch animators sketch scenes and characters from the next great Disney film, then wander into the inking and painting departments to see the sketches come to colorful life. Gradually those pen-and-paper stations gave way to PC terminals, but not long after that, they were blocked-off entirely for fear of competitors stealing trade secrets and/or ideas. When I last toured the Studios, in August 2005, Disney was … [Read more...]