The Latecomers

Show Notes Toy Story 3 was one of the best closings to a trilogy in cinematic history - so let’s totally ignore that fact and make another one! But actually, the fourth story of toys is pretty good. A sympathetic villain, two new understandings of what life means, and the power of being wanted all combine in a clever, funny, heartwarming film that almost makes you forget that there was absolutely...

Show Notes Why would you follow a naming convention? Ralph wouldn’t know anything about that because wrecking and breaking are obviously different things. We watched Ralph Breaks the Internet this week and marvelled at the princess power and the deeply unsettling embodiment of insecurity. There’s a good amount of growth for some pretty emotionally stunted characters which is gratifying to see in a...

Show Notes The Parr family is back and this time it’s a matriarchy! Picking up right where the previous movie left off, supers are still a strain on city infrastructure but rich people get what they want and everyone knows that the best way to get trust is to use a woman, and so we enter the age of a working mother and a stay-at-home father. We love a supportive king - Bob proves his incrediblenes...

Show Notes This week we get ready for spooky season with Coco. If you aren’t colorblind, this movie is a color wonderland full of neons and contrasts. We wonder how it is that our protagonist never really questioned the lineage that constrained his passions, how many times Miguel yelled Dante to get us to think to of The Inferno, and why Disney thought they could get away with trademarking a whole...

Show Notes Sequels can add to or detract from a franchise. Cars 3 is a surprisingly warm and fun entry into a series that until now we watched out of obligation but not out of excitement. After the train wreck (pun intended?) of Cars 2, the amount of dread we had going in almost guaranteed hatred. But this movie pulled back on Mater and sped ahead with heart. The third in a series is not often the...

Show Notes Let’s sail the open sea this week with Moana. She is the leader of her people and as the leader, sometimes you have to defy your parents and set sail into certain death. Certain that is if you don’t have the favor of the sea. Fortunately, our intrepid explorer has just that. She also has a healthy take-no-shit attitude when it comes to petulant demigods with inferiority complexes and a...

Show Notes Nature or nurture - we delve into the age old question this week with Zootopia. Dumb bunnies, sly foxes, shrewd shrews, sloths in sports cars, a cheeto loving cheetah  and so many more make up the fabric of this social commentary comedy with sight gags galore, smart writing that might go over the heads of children in the micro, but is pretty clear in the macro. And also, that bunny and...

Show Notes This week we return to the sea to help our sidekick friend as she becomes the main character - it’s Finding Dory. Can you have main character energy if you forget everything, or at least some things, but not all things and not forever? What is this fish’s deal? A little Dory went a long way here but she’s got some great support so it’s not all the same forgetting schtick. We wonder, wow...

Show Notes This week we learn that sometimes even great minds go terribly terribly wrong as we watch Pixar’s The Good Dinosaur. You’ve never heard of it, well all the better for you. Dinos have become agrarians and people have become dogs and every goofy animated character sits on a background that is so beautifully rendered that it is difficult to tell it isn’t real. It’s unclear why this movie w...

Show Notes A movie about a child with creatures in her head sure leads to a diverse conversation. This week we watched Inside Out and talk about film ROIs, the definition and classification of emotions, the dangers of toxic positivity, and what disgusts us. Recommendations: Planet of the Dinosaurs (Amazon Prime); Wrong Turn (2021) (Amazon Prime) Next up: The Good Dinosaur (2015) Email us at lateco...

Show Notes We get to hang out with Baymax in the source of my favorite gif to send to literally anyone - Big Hero 6. Young Hiro loses his brother after already losing his parents and takes his grief a bit far in this Marvel property that absolutely does not present as such. Though he has invented possibly the most powerful invention of the century, he is still 14 and does not have control over his...

Show Notes We’ve come to the bane (or joy) of millions of millennial parents who simply wished their kids would Let It Go with Frozen this week. The power of ice, isolation, and sisterly bonds all come together to strengthen Anna and Elsa’s bond. Men, small, smelly or manipulative, come in second in this Disney Princess Musical, a refreshing change, even though there is ultimately some kissing. Bu...

Show Notes We head back to school to see the origins of the epic friendship between Sully and Mike in Monsters’ University. One has a dream, the other an expectation and neither can be successful without the other - and the brothers of Oozma Kappa - they’re OK. Some good friends and great character design make this serviceable prequel pretty fun watch. Next up: Frozen (2013) Email us at latecomers...

Show Notes A wholesome movie about the friendship between a grown man and a child - no, really. We watched the video game adventure Wreck-It Ralph. Ralph and Vanellope share multiple things - a desire to be appreciated and drive to show what they can do as well as the sense of humor of a six-year-old boy. For a movie full of fart jokes and swearing retro video game characters, there is a ton of he...

Show Notes This week we roam the Scottish Highlands with the spunkiest redhead you’ve ever met - and her mom - it’s Merida and bearida in Pixar’s Brave. Will-o'-the-wisps, witches, and feminism mix in medieval times and bring us a beautiful tale of the natural friction between mother and daughter, new generations and tradition, and  toddlers and self control. And there are magical bears! The beaut...

Show Notes A movie no one knew existed that wraps us in the warm hug of nostalgia - we watched the 2011 Winnie the Pooh. A honey hunt, a honey prize, and a honey trap (not that kind) all come together in the pages of a book, which is of course a character in itself. A short and lovely entry which exists out of time, sandwiched by Pixar films in chronology, this movie gives a sweet child-centric ex...

Show Notes The second in the Cars trilogy makes its appearance this week and we have a few questions - chief among them is - WHY? Don’t fall into the trap I did and think the opener is a movie within the movie - it is in fact just the movie because why wouldn’t the sequel to Cars be a Bond film? Don’t listen to Lassiter when he says this is about friendship since Lightning McQueen is in this movie...

Show Notes Back to Disney’s fairy tale roots this week with Repunzel - I mean Tangled - wherein all that hair never tangles. We’ve got a childlike princess who manages to avoid being childish and a boy who is clearly a diamond in the rough leading us through a legitimately fun hike. What makes these characters special is the character not the accoutrement and yes, the hair counts as accoutrement....

Show Notes This week - the ultimate end to a trilogy that will still not be left alone - Toy Story 3. It’s the end of an era with Andy, so what is next for our beloved toys? If our villain - who looks cuddly and smells like strawberries but has hate and hurt in his heart - gets his way, they will be sacrificed to toddlers. And if that doesn’t work they will literally be incinerated. A children’s m...

Show Notes This week we join Tiana in New Orleans to build a business and fall in love, not in that order. We may go ahead and overlook any possible overt racism in service of a froggy love story but there will be Zydeco and beignets. The music and the look of this movie really does feel respectful of a time and place and people and it’s a fun place to spend a couple of hours. Next up: Toy Story 3...

Show Notes It’s time to cry - we watched Up this week and we cried. Then we talked about Up, and we cried. So if you need a catharsis, join us to watch this absolute masterpiece and then listen to us break down during the breakdown. This movie has so much heart that it could carry you all the way to Paradise Falls. And bonus - there is a realistic and non-stereotypical Asian character, finally! Re...

Show Notes We’re headed to the final frontier with the embodiment of a PC in search of his Mac lady love in WALL-E. Turns out you can make a largely silent film about a non-organic character and kids will love it! Let’s talk about loneliness, the need, or lack thereof, of robot romance, and what makes a being sentient. Recommendations: Monarch (Apple+); Agent Carter (Disney+) Next up: Up (2009) Em...

Show Notes The Truman Show meets Homeward Bound this week with Bolt from 2008. Back to Disney Animation this week with an adventure about a couple of tortured animals trying to get to people who will hopefully not torture them anymore. We discuss why Hollywood would allow such a crazy expensive show to exist and how bad ass a fat hamster can really be. Also why people do terrible things to animals...

Show Notes If you can’t get into The French Laundry, we have a close runner up this week with Ratatouille. Pixar is trying to get all of us to be cool with rodents in the kitchen and darned if they don’t get us on their side. If you find yourself named after food, be careful that you don’t also find out that you are part marionette. Remy takes his place in rat history next to the legend - Templeto...

Show Notes This week we gain a family with Meet the Robinsons from 2007. Science and jokes make up this bright boisterous offering - the second fully CGI Disney animation, but it looks significantly better than the last - it also makes more sense, is funnier, and has compelling characters and real motivations. So all in all is better in every way - but it’s not just a Chicken Little hate fest that...