Star Wars Galactic nights was truly a night to remember. Presented after-hours at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the event treated guests to a Star Wars-filled evening with a finale of amazing fireworks set to John Williams’ music. Scheduled on April 14, the second day of Star Wars Celebration, the evening “celebrated” 40 years of adventures set in a galaxy far far away. 

Upon entering Hollywood Studios guests received a guide to the evening’s festivities along with a special lanyard that would allow them to remain in the park after it officially closed. The lanyard had empty pie-shaed pieces that could be filled by accomplishing certain “missions,” like standing in line for a photo opportunity. (Actually having the photo taken was optional). What we didn’t realize, however, is it if you collected all the pieces, at the end of the night your badge would light up with the words May the Force Be With You. 

In addition to the usual props used in Disney PhotoPass areas, such as the speeder bikes, there were special photo opportunities set up throughout the park. A Wampa cave allowed visitors to pretend to reach for a lightsaber with the Force, and once in the PhotoPass system the images were flipped so it looks like guests are hanging from the ceiling a la Luke in The Empire Strikes Back. K-2SO posed for pictures, and one could choose to sit on the Emperor’s throne or try to brace the walls of a trash compactor. 

Disney also recently added BB-8 to the Launch Bay for photo opportunities. He’s so adorable. He beeps and whistles and swivels his head. Unfortunately, I learned the hard way that Darth Vader doesn’t like anyone to put their arm around him. Chastised but not Force choked, I left with life and limbs intact.  And I avoided getting my picture with Kylo Ren because I’m still not over The Incident. Patricide is hard to forgive. Too soon. 

I was so happy to see Chewie that I ran and hugged him but his furry arms so engulfed me all you can see is the top of my head in the photo (which I would share but I haven’t purchased any Photopass pictures yet). 

Also spread throughout the park were special drink stations that used light up ice cubes to give drinks particular colors: blue Lightspeed Margarita (tequila, Blue Curacao, sweet-and-sour), red Galactic Punch (vodka, Chambord, Peach Schnapps, lemonade, pineapple juice), and green Swamp Juice (rum, Blue Curacao, pineapple juice). The Swamp Juice was my drink of choice for the evening, because it was the most Yoda-ish.

In addition to the specialty drinks, food also received the Star Wars treatment.  Near the Theater of the Stars I purchased a pizza and didn’t even realize until I was halfway finished that the pepperoni was shaped like Yoda’s head. Yoda pepperoni. Can life get any better than that? For the Jedi it is time to eat as well, yes, hmm? 

For the wine lovers, there was also the opportunity to purchase glasses and bottles of wine from Skywalker Vineyards. I purchased a bottle for myself and one for my best friend and had them signed by the General Manager. Wine and Star Wars and Disney . . . these are a few of my favorite things.   

One of the most amazing things about the event was that there was no line for the Toy Story ride. As many times as I’ve been to Hollywood Studios, I’ve only been on that ride once at Disney World because the line is never under 70 minutes long. And also I’m too busy riding Star Tours. Speaking of Star Tours, we were also able to get on and off that ride very quickly. However three out of the four times we rode we had Kashyyyk and Naboo as our planets. Luckily one of the times times I got Hoth which is without a doubt the best segment of Star Tours. 

There were also exclusives to the event. Had to search around for a BB-8 shirt in my size but many shops carried the exclusive merchandise and cast members were ready at the door to show you what was available for the evening. I stocked up on Star Wars t-shirts and got a pin with the evening’s date on it. There was also a motorcade featuring several of the Star Wars stars including Warwick Davis and Vanessa Marshall and Anthony Daniels.

And at the evening’s conclusion, everyone gathered in front of the Great Movie Ride to witness a spectacular display of Star Wars projections and fireworks set to John Williams’ music. It is probably the only fireworks display that could ever top the fireworks over Cinderella’s Castle. With images from the films and that memorable music you’re really transported to a galaxy far far away.

It was certainly an evening to remember and a night of Galactic proportions.

Another Star Wars Celebration has come and gone. And while there have been many opinions shared, both online and in my hearing (from the OMG it was the greatest thing ever to What a waste of money I’ll never go again!), I can only share my own experiences.

I knew going in that this con would be different. I suffered a personal loss the week before my trip began—my beloved dog Vader. Named so because of his solid black color and my love of, what else? Star Wars. So while reeling from that loss I knew my plans to attend Disney and the con were ambitious.

So I wasn’t surprised when the first day led to ugly tears. I missed the 40^th anniversary panel but did watch the moving Carrie Fisher tribute followed by the maestro himself, John Williams. Conducting Leia’s theme. Tears. Carrie Fisher’s death hit me very hard as well, and this was the first convention without our Princess. I am forever grateful I had the opportunity to pose for a photo with her at the last Celebration. I even petted Gary the dog. 

And here’s the wonderful tribute. Fans who attended the event received Leia posters.

The Last Jedi panel revealed the new eagerly awaited trailer, but naturally it raised far more questions than answers. I watched the trailer as it played on the large screen in the Exhibit Hall, and as the Lucasfilm logo appeared on the screen, everyone in the food court stood up, transfixed by the images as they raced by. We could barely hear the audio, but the cheers as the trailer ended were deafening. And upon a second viewing on my computer, I wonder if I heard Yoda’s voice? (I’m often accused of hearing Yoda’s voice, though). And now I feel like I need a YouTube fan video of Rey training, 80’s movie montage style. 

Panels weren’t easy to attend, with many people camping out or getting up extremely early for wristbands. Still, I managed to attend a few. One was a fascinating discussion by David Collins about Michael Giacchino’s work for Rogue One. Another was the Star Wars Rebels panel, in which we learned the upcoming Season 4 will be the last, and Warwick Davis of Willow and Wicket fame will perform the voice of Grand Admiral Thrawn’s bodyguard Rukh. 

The final day included the closing ceremonies, where nearly everyone I knew expected the next Celebration date and location to be announced, but Warwick Davis simply said wherever it may be. 

I also attended some exciting events after con hours. The Drowning in Moonlight Gala was a lovely tribute to Carrie Fisher, with music and a silent auction and people sharing their memories of the Princess.

The 501^st party featured Weird Al singing a variety of songs, including (of course!) Yoda and The Saga Begins. Everyone who attended received a bag of goodies, and Jawas kept trying to steal my purse. Utinni! Acrobats dressed like Twi’leks also performed stunts high above us. It was quite the party.

Disney held a special event called Galactic Nights. I working on my write up in a separate report, but it was worth the price of admission. We were able to get right on the Toy Story ride, which never ever happens. The park transformed into a Star Wars paradise, readying itself for the much awaited Star Wars land.

I can’t say it was the best Celebration ever. Grief makes celebrating difficult, but spending time with friends helped the pain a bit. And that’s one of the most important things about Star Wars to me. Through the years, I’ve met amazing people and had unbelievable opportunities as a result of my love for the movies. 

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Directed by Bill Condon; Written by Stephen Chbosky and Evan Spiliotopoulos; Starring  Dan Stevens, Emma Watson, Luke EvansEwan McGregor; Josh Gad; Gugu Mbatha-Raw; Ian McKellen; Emma Thompson; Stanley Tucci, Kevin Kline; Rated PG for some action violence, peril and frightening images; Running time 129 minutes; In wide release March 17.

The tale as old as time gets its live-action treatment as Director Bill Condon (Chicago, Dreamgirls, Twilight: Breaking Dawn) takes on  Disney’s only animated feature ever to be nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award. And just as they expanded their animated film by 40 minutes, so too did we expand our normal roster of reviwers, as a single reviewer could not take on something this epic.

Andy: Well, that was definitely Beauty and the Beast.

Bryan: Yeah. There weren’t any real new surprises in the material. The few that were added, though, were quite enjoyable and added quite a lot to the impact of the initial material.

Andy: I agree with that overall, but one of the things I’ve admired up to this point about the Disney live-action remakes is they always have something to add to the original film. They’re not simply retreads of the original, beloved material but instead they have some new take by changing the setting and story details, like with Pete’s Dragon. Or are trying to address problematic elements of the original, like with Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella. Or go to exceptional lengths with digital wizardry, like with Jon Favreau’s The Jungle Book. This just felt like they shot a live action Beauty and the Beast and added in a few new things. Kind of uninspiring. But, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?

Bryan: Yeah. Bill Condon tread very lightly on the property. I look at it as the anti-Snyder equation. He took what people loved about it and amplified it, for the most part. The musical numbers were all there, including some new ones. And it felt right. The cosmetic changes were the right ones. It is a little bit more feminist. It is a little bit more cognizant of the times. It does have a gay person in it. My only real complaint is that in the rush to create the hyper-realism of live-action, a few of the characters lost some of the charm they had in the original film. Lumiere in specific had so much character and charm in the original, and Ewan McGregor certainly brings the charm, but how much emotion and comedy can you get out of a photo-realistic gold candlestick with muted details?

Andy: This was my biggest disappointment as well. You had McGregor as Lumiere, Ian McKellan as Cogsworth, and Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts. The voice acting was spot on, but I wanted to see more of the actors in their characters. Compare this, again, with Favreau’s Jungle Book, and the animals in the film were so. . . human. And the household objects were relatively bland– so “Be Our Guest” felt less like a grand showstopping number and more like. . .  an underwhelming candlestick and teapot singing a song. Among the things they added, I wish they’d gone back to some of the source material like the deleted song “Human Again” and let the objects really cut loose.

Bryan: What was added, though, was beautiful. My favorite part of the film might have been the shots of old Paris from the windmills on the hill of Montmartre. It was breathtaking and the situation, that I don’t want to give too much away about, breathed a surprising mystery into the film that it needed if it was going to play it straight with the rest of the material.

Andy: Hands down, that was the best part of the film. I wanted more of those types of moments.

Bryan: One thing I found a little frustrating, but not enough to hold it against the film, was the final battle with the household. The original was so incredibly well-designed. It had to be. All of the action had to track because animators were drawing it all by hand. Every shot had to make sense, read clearly, and be, largely static. In this world of live-action, there are so many more considerations that aim to make the action life-like, but serve to muddle it. It works well enough, but it feels like more thought and design was put into play in the hand-drawn version. It’s that same reason that I felt “Be Our Guest” maybe didn’t have the amount of charm that I expected.

Andy: The original film is so beautifully paced and balanced. I think they got the idea that “more is more” with this production and so stuffed as much in as possible without asking what, if anything, they should cut, or if the added subplot (such as an extended scene of Gaston, Lefou, and Maurice searching through the woods for Belle) added anything.

Bryan: The actors in the film were, I thought, brilliant. I think Emma Watson brought a vulnerability and inquisitiveness to Belle that I admired.

Andy: She was brilliant. Belle has always been my favorite Disney princess, and she was perfect. Again, going back to updating the character to be a bit more feminist– I wish they’d gone even further. There could have been so much more about exposing Gaston’s toxic masculinity and balancing it with the Beast learnign to overcome his own. We got hints of that, but it never fully developed. But Watson was great. She was Belle, which is hard considering the expectations that come with this role.

Bryan: Kevin Kline brought a warmth and paternal spirit to the film that it needed. Dan Stevens brought everything he could to the Beast role and has, I think, taken motion capture to a new place. I almost felt like his Beast would have fit on Downton Abbey.

Andy: Again, spot on. This was Beauty and The Beast— their movie, and so Belle and the Beast were perfect. I think the visual effects and mocap team spent all their time perfecting him that they ignored the other characters. The Beast was amazing.

Bryan: Luke Evans was really an animated Gaston come perfectly to life (and his rendition of “Kill the Beast” was incredibly rousing.)  Josh Gad added a dimension to LeFou that the part desperately needed.

Andy: That mob song was one of my favorite parts of the film as well. Both of these “villains” got fleshed out in ways I didn’t think possible. They’re believable as real people and characters and not just cartoons there to provide drama and comic relief, respectively.

Bryan: And all of the secondary characters filled their roles well, even when you wonder why they’re bringing in such heavy-hitters for nothing parts–I’m looking at you, credenza played by Stanley Tucci.

Andy: And his “wife” the operatic wardrobe played by diva Audra McDonald. Absolutely fantastic. This is a great film, and my only reservations are that it doesn’t quite live up to its source material and the additions, while welcome, don’t make up for the deficiencies created elsewhere. It needed to lose about a half hour and pick up its pace a bit, but kids and adults alike are going to love this. It delivered on the payoff moment for me, which is Belle singing “I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. . . “ It worked, as did most of the film. Amazing effects and production design loses some of its lustre with some less-spectacular character design. But it’s by no means a bad film, and is a welcome addition to the collection of Disney’s live action remakes. 7.5 out of 10

Bryan: This film was charming. It charmed me. It made me cry. Repeatedly. Yes, it capitalized on all of my previous feelings of the original film, but it worked. Well. Condon did a great job and I’m giving this an 8 out of 10.

For years now we’ve been in the midst of the age of reboots and sequels. Every successful franchise from the eighties and nineties is finding its way back to the silver or small screens. Later this year we’ll see Power Rangers in theaters and yet another Transformers movie. These franchises owe their success to a combination of youthful naivety and adult nostalgia. 

For my part, growing up I wasn’t really into your Transformers, Power Rangers, or He-men… I was a Disney kid. Give me DuckTales, Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers, or The Adventures of the Gummi Bears over G.I. Joe any day.

While resurrecting my favorite shows wasn’t the first stop leaving memory station in its way to nostalgia town, it was was inevitable really. Inspector Gadget has already seen a reboot, The Magic School Bus is on its way (helmed by the ineffable Kate McKinnon) and finally, we’re getting our first look at what will be Disney XD’s new DuckTales show. 

Previously, we’d been treated to art design samples (pictured above) and an cast announcements couched within a love letter to the original theme song, but were only able to imagine what those elements might make when put together. Questions swirled. Would this be a complete reimagining, disregarding the events of the original series or would it pick up where the previous show left off? Would Scrooge be tailored to suit more modern sentiments, no longer the poster-duck for extravagant capitalism? Would the tapestry of interesting side characters like Magica De Spell, Flintheart Glomgold, Gyro Gearloose, and Launchpad McQuack be present? More importantly, will there be an abundance of the greatest DuckTales character, mother-quackin’ GizmoDuck?

Today, this most glorious of days, some of those questions have been answered. It appears that the new DuckTales will not reference any of the events of the previous series. It also appears, that at least to some extent, Donald Duck is present, not just an absentee parental figure who abandons his nephews with a curmudgeonly old man, never to be seen or heard from again. Some of the voice acting is spectacular. David Tennant as Scrooge McDuck is fresh while still paying homage to the original characterization and Launchpad sounds almost identical, while Huey, Dewey, and Louie have more distinct voices that will take a little getting used to but might help to differentiate them as individuals rather than clones of one another. It also appears that Scrooge is beyond his adventuring days and perhaps the addition of the boys into his life gives him a reason to wipe the literal dust from that part of his life once more. 

Still, many questions remain unanswered. What is the nature of the adventures they’ll have? Will we ever find out who Huey, Dewy, and Louie’s real parents are? And seriously where is GizmoDuck??

DuckTales will air on Disney XD Summer 2017.

In less than a month, Disney’s live action remake of the wonderful, beloved animated film Beauty and the Beast hits theaters (March 17, but who’s keeping track?), and the film has already inspired a line of clothing at Hot Topic.

I’m not sure if I’m really the right demographic for the clothing, since I think I’m a bit, ahem, older than all the models on their site, but I love Beauty and the Beast and I already own two dresses with Belle prints. So, I went a little crazy and bought an item. Or four.

I don’t even like the color yellow. I own nothing in that color, but I’ve always wanted a Belle ballgown and right now this is the closest option I have. It’s on order, so we’ll have to see how it looks. But onscreen it’s stunning.

The blue dress, inspired by Belle’s little town, quiet village dress, features a print of Beauty and the Beast iconography and … books! Belle’s love of books is what instantly made her my favorite Disney princess, so I ordered this dress, too. While I don’t think I can get away with wearing it at the office, I have a Disney trip coming up as well as DragonCon late in the summer.

The coat is something I know I don’t need. But it also has books! And roses! Two of my favorite things. Again, it looks lovely in the pictures. Lots of details and an elegant look.

The burgundy cape is reminiscent of the blue one that Belle wears to venture outside in search of her father, and again when she leaves the castle and encounters wolves. So did the designers confuse Belle and Little Red Riding Hood for a minute? She does wear a burgundy cloak over the pink dress in the Something There sequence, but it has fur trim (hopefully faux, especially considering her furry companion). So perhaps they combined the two and came up with this, but I couldn’t justify purchasing it. Not a lot of use for capes in Atlanta.

The “cold shoulder” dress is perfect for springtime, with roses and cameos along the hem. The neckline is similar to the one on the Hot Topic BB-8 dress that I purchased, so I took a gamble and purchased this one as well. You never know until you try it on, right?

The print on the peplum top is designed in such a way to make the Beauty and the Beast connection very subtle, perhaps allowing it to be worn in a wider variety of settings. I didn’t buy it since I’ve never found a peplum that works for me, but it’s an adorable top.

As the pictures show, the clothes are available in junior and plus sizes, and there’s an option for Beasts and/or Princes as well!

The suit jacket, perfect for dancing in a ballroom, features gold embroidery.

So whether you’re going to prom, DisneyWorld, a convention, or reading a book and avoiding all the Gastons of the world, there are several fun fashion options if you want to display your love of Beauty and the Beast.

This morning the latest trailer for Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” premiered on “Good Morning America.” Not only does it look amazing but the films score in the trailer alone pulls at your Disney kid’s heart strings. Something that seem different as well is that they are going with the original story line of Maurice (Belle’s father) picking flowers in the Beast’s garden and thats why he’s taken prisoner. There of course are other difference in the original fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, like the fact that Belle has brothers and sisters but I don’t think Disney’s live action adaptation of one of their most classic films will go that far. I feel it’s more of a nod to the original source material. Anyways enough reading, enjoy the trailer and let us know what you think in the comment section below.

“Beauty and The Beast” hits theaters and invites you to be their guest on March 17th, 2017.

Ever since the rumors of a new live action “Mulan“ film starting swirling, people have been concerned about the potential casting.  Was this Chinese story going to be portrayed by actors of Chinese descent or was it going to be whitewashed?  (Let’s face it: Hollywood does not have a great track record as of late.)  When Disney officially announced that “Mulan” would be released November 2018 and that they would be launching a global search to find a Chinese actress to play the titular role, we all breathed a collective sigh of relief.

It seems as though we breathed that sigh too soon 

In “An Open Letter to the Creators of Disney’s Live-Action Feature Film ‘The Legend of Mulan’” posted on Angry Asian Man, an anonymous writer claimed to have read the spec script by Lauren Hynek and Elizabeth Martin.  What they saw isn’t pretty.  Allegedly, the film won’t be about the bravery of Mulan but rather about…well… “A white merchant’s business brings him to the heart of a legendary Asian conflict — he unwittingly helps save the day while winning the heart of the Asian female.” 

Have you spotted the problem yet? 

To be clear, this is coming from a single, unconfirmed source but the mere fact that it’s so believable is a problem.  Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver have been brought on board to rewrite the original spec script so this could very likely never make it on screen but if it does, I will absolutely not see this film even though “Mulan” is one of my favorite stories of all time.  I suspect I will not be alone in this.  Let’s break down some of the reasons why this is such an awful idea.

It removes the focus from Mulan

One would think that something titled “The Legend of Mulan” would focus on the titular character.  After all, the story goes back over a thousand years and has always been about Mulan.  If the main character ends up being some random white merchant who helps save the day, it’s not about Mulan anymore. Disney would be denying the chance for young girls and young Asian children to see themselves on the screen as the hero and instead provide just another white guy hero.  We have enough of those.  The Mulan from the animated film was engaging and relatable with a selfless and honorable motivation.  That’s a character that these kids should be able to see and look up to.  If audiences can’t even see a woman in the leading role when her name is in the title than where will they be able to see such a story?

It encourages the White Savior trope

Hollywood seems to be under the misguided impression that people won’t go see films unless there’s a white guy at the forefront.  This is exacerbated by the idea that the white guy should be the one to save everyone.  Part of “Mulan’s” charm is that it’s about a woman overcoming challengers and rising up to help save her people.  It doesn’t need a white person to come in and save them.  This isn’t whitewashing per say but it’s inserting whiteness into a story that neither needs nor wants it.  Chinese people should be able to see themselves as the hero not just in a story but also in a story about their own history.  If we want to watch a white guy navigating Chinese culture, we can just go watch Marco Polo on Netflix. 

It’s damaging to present Asian men as being unworthy of being the love interest

Marjorie Liu’s tweets already explained this better than I ever could but she’s 100% correct that it’s damaging for both young Asian boys and girls to continuously see this on the screen.  For boys, they see themselves as being unworthy of love and girls are given the mistaken impression that love has to involve whiteness.  This is not to say that interracial relationships should not be shown on the screen.  I myself am the daughter of a Chinese mom and a white dad.  I am all for more biracial representation in the media but it should not be at the expense of our young Asian men.

It’s just flat out awful

The original cartoon version of “Mulan” was fantastic and the only non-Chinese character in it was a dragon.  If Disney’s intention is to adapt the film, why mess with a classic?  Do you know how many of us swooned over Li Shang?  In what world how much sense does it make to take away a handsome, Chinese warrior and replace him with a boring, white merchant?  (None.  The answer is none.) 

It’s hard enough for Asians to see themselves as the heroes in American films.  The “Mulan” film would be a fantastic chance to introduce the next generation of Asian Americans to a hero who overcomes adversity and expectations and saves China… all because she wants to make sure her father doesn’t have to go out to war.  The story is already perfect.  Leave it alone.  

Bria LaVorgna is a geek who doesn’t remember a time when she didn’t love Star Wars and thrives on the nerdy life.You can find her on Twitter.

PETE’S DRAGON (8 out of 10) Directed by David Lowery; Written by David Lowery and Toby Halbrooks; Starring Bryce Dallas Howard, Robert Redford, Oakes Fegley, Oona Laurence, Wes Bentley, Karl Urban, Isiah Whitlock Jr. Running time 102 minutes; Rated PG for action, peril and brief language; In wide release August 12, 2016.

The reimagining of the movie about a boy named Pete and his dragon Elliot hits theaters this week. Reaction to the trailer has been so divisive you’d think they flipped the genders of all the main characters, but the question remains: is it any good?

Given this film’s pedigree, we assembled two of our robots, both of whom love the original film, to see if this is a “Brazzle Dazzle” film or if it should just turn invisible.

Andy: Ok, first off. . .  wait a second. I need a moment.

Bryan: Likewise…

Andy: Shut up. No, I’m not crying. You’re crying.

Bryan: Of course I am.

Andy. (Ok. Ok. Wow. Composed. Acting like an adult. . . .) So, Bryan, how familiar are you with the 1977 animated/live-action mix film Pete’s Dragon?

Bryan: I’m pretty familiar with the 1977 classic. I loved it dearly and wore out the VHS recording my grandmother had made off of the Disney Channel. It began my obsession with traveling medicine shows and words like “Terminus.” Because of my love for the original, the trailers for this version made me skeptical, but I think that was foolish of me. And that’s the whole point of Robert Redford’s role in the film, to show the jaded adults how wonderful life as an adult with a sense of wonder can be.

Andy: I was also immediately skeptical, but that was shortsighted of me as well. Anyone who knows anything about the original film or has any love for it, put it away. Forget everything you know about it. This film has exactly three things in common with that on: they’re both called Pete’s Dragon, there’s a boy named Pete, and he has a dragon named Elliot. Everything else? Completely different. In fact, it’s not even worth talking about all of the ways it is different because it’s completely irrelevant. But what could be more simple and basic than just a boy and his dragon?

Bryan: At the heart of either version of Pete’s Dragon is a lost child with no one that loves them and a dragon that wants to protect them. In this version, we’re given a touching story set in the Pacific Northwest in some indistinct period of the ‘80s. I think it’s a smart move that they moved the time period, location, and tone of the film, but kept that beating heart, transplanting it into a Spielberg film. Visually, story-wise, and tone. It owes all of it to Spielberg.

Andy: I hope someone is writing checks to the Spielberg estate over so completely ape-ing his style (see also JJ Abrams, The Duffer Brothers). I think it just shows that the generation of filmmakers working today loved and learned from one of the masters of modern storytelling. Overall, that’s a good thing. I think they also owe a huge debt to John Lasseter and the folks at Pixar who have also pioneered balancing gorgeous digital animation with simple storytelling that tugs at the heartstrings.

To wit, Elliot’s character design is fantastic. While the 1970’s Elliot had the look of Disney animation of the era, this Elliot is a masterwork of digital effects. Speaking of a mashup of Spielberg and Lasseter, it’s like they took a four legged sauropod from Jurassic Park and mixed it with Sully from Monsters, Inc. and gave it the personality of a puppy. The way Elliot and Pete howl at the moon with each other is just heartbreaking and beautiful, reminiscent of a previous on-screen Elliot and his pal E.T.

Bryan: The film is simple, just like the old Disney cartoons of yore. The story is as simple as the trailers make it seem and there’s nothing wrong with that. By boiling the story down to its essence of character, we’re given a refreshing breath of fresh air in the movie theater. Can you imagine how good a superhero film might be if they were allowed to fall back on the simplicity of “Here’s a simple premise, how would the character react honestly…”? Pete is understandable, a barely verbal avatar for any age of child watching the film. Pete is, himself a dream, but somehow he’s real. Redford offers us the view of the non-jaded, completely uncynical adult, and the rest of the adults come around to his perspective.

There’s a wonder in this world and it’s magic and dragons and we yearn for it to be as real in ours.

Andy: I think another master stroke is the addition of Natalie, a young girl character. Because we have kids and adults of all ages and genders being depicted in this situation, everyone gets a “way in” to the story. You mentioned Redford earlier– what a master stroke getting him in here!  

Bryan: Another fascinating thing about this movie is that it gets along without a bad guy. Karl Urban plays the closest thing we get to it, but he’s not a bad guy, he’s merely doing the wrong things for completely understandable reasons. And he’s on the same team as the protagonists by the end of the film. It’s remarkable to make the situation the villain, rather than a guy twirling a mustache.

Andy: And while I miss Jim Dale’s literal mustache twirling from the original, making the situation the villain is so much more poignant, if only for the simple fact that it weaves an incredibly subtle message about how we relate to our natural environment. Hearkening back to the 80’s sets us this dynamic where you have Karl Urban’s character and his fellow loggers who want to exploit the natural environment, where the kids, the park ranger, and Robert Redford’s hippie ass want to leave it free. In interviews about the film, Redford talked about his love of Bambi as a child and how that made him a conservationist. No doubt he is hoping Pete’s Dragon does the same for this generation.

Bryan: Pete’s Dragon took me by surprise. Like the soft, vulnerable underbelly of a dragon, it revealed a chink in my armour. I cried through this film. It was a catharsis that hearkens back to a different era of making films. My complaint about the film is that there are times where it drags, but that pacing felt deliberate. It could have been sped up slightly. And the music was a bit… hamfisted, though totally appropriate. 8 out of 10.

Andy: There were moments that made me — a jaded adult who wanted to hate this movie for paving over something I loved from my childhood — cry. My 8 year old son literally cheered at a climactic moment where Elliot saves the day. My inner 8 year old did too. While this isn’t as perfect a film as some, there’s magic here. One final thing: don’t bother with the 3D. The film’s luscious dark greens and blues as they explore the beautiful forests with canopies so dense they block out the sun gets washed out by wearing those sunglasses in the theater. You’ll want to see the subtleties of the lighting. 8 out of 10.

FINDING DORY (8 out of 10) Directed by Andrew Stanton and Angus MacLane; Written by Andrew Stanton; Starring Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Ed O’Neill, Kaitlin Olson, Hayden Rolence, Ty Burrell, Diane Keaton, Eugene Levy, Idris Elba, Dominic West, Bob Peterson, Kate McKinnon, Bill Hader, Sigourney Weaver; Running time 97 minutes; Rated PG for “mild thematic elements”; In wide release June 17, 2016.

If Dory would have seen this movie, she would have immediately forgotten it. Unfortunately so will a lot of viewers. Beautiful and brilliant, it’s also a little bit dark for a children’s movie. And while it’s full of the Pixar-brand cocktail balancing laughs and heart, it’s less substantive and more, well… forgettable. And not just for fish with short term memory problems.

Despite those failings, it’s still brilliant and an excellent film. But it’s more “The Good Dinosaur” and less “Inside Out“– fun and beautiful to look at, but not quite as deep as some of Pixar’s best work. It also falls short of this year’s smash hit “Zootopia,” but not by much. It suffers from sequel-itis, but those who love “Finding Nemo” will find even more to enjoy here.

Our story begins with Dory remembering something for a change: her family. Once again travelling across the ocean with Marlin and Nemo, they go on a quest to find them. On their way they (all-too briefly) reunite with Crush the sea turtle, meet a nearsighted whale shark named Destiny, a beluga whale with a broken sonar, a couple of territorial sea lions, and Hank the octopus, played by Ed O’Neil. Hank steals the movie and is really the only reason to watch.

While both Albert Brooks and Ellen DeGeneres do a great job reprising their roles, the movie doesn’t really get going until Hank shows up almost halfway through. His character arc and the visual gags he pulls off rival the best of other Pixar films. For most of the film, Marlin and Nemo are separated from Dory, leaving Hank as Dory’s grumpy sidekick. And Hank outshines Marlin as being both exasperated and eventually inspired by Dory’s unique optimism and determination.

Regardless of these critical nit-picks, “Finding Dory” is a really enjoyable ride. Kids will love it, especially those who grew up with Nemo, Dory, and Marlin. If this is your jam, you’ll have a great time. 

And make sure you stay through the credits. Not only do the credits contain lots of fun gags involving Hank, but there is an after-credits scene featuring some familiar friends. Also make sure you get there in time to see the short before the film– Piper. It pushes the limits of digital animation and looks almost photo-realistic.

8 out of 10

In a recent article over at Vanity Fair, Disney and Marvel sent a stern warning to the state of Georgia – drop your anti-gay discrimination bill or we will pull productions from your state. Marvel filmed “Ant-Man” in Georgia, and reportedly spent over $100 million in the state during production, and AMC famously films “The Walking Dead” there as well. While AMC didn’t specifically say that they would pull productions as well, if they did, it would be a huge hit to the state’s economy.

The bill in contention is HB 757, also known as a “Religious Liberty Restoration Bill” that would allow pastors to deny marrying same-sex couples – a freedom they already have – as well as allowing anyone who has a “sincerely held religious belief” to deny service to whomever they choose based off their religious bias. It would effectively enshrine discrimination in state law and would be used to mainly deny service to LGBT people. Governor Nathan Deal has criticized the law and said he would veto it which would return it to the legislative branch for an override.

A Disney spokesman made this statement earlier today:

“Disney and Marvel are inclusive companies, and although we have had great experiences filming in Georgia, we will plan to take our business elsewhere should any legislation allowing discriminatory practices be signed into state law.”

AMC quickly followed up as well:

“As a company, AMC Networks believes that discrimination of any kind is reprehensible. We applaud Governor Deal’s leadership in resisting a previous version of this divisive legislation and urge him to reject the current version as well.”

Governor Deal has until May 3 to veto the bill or allow it to become law.