We Want The D

It's not déjà vu you're experiencing, D-Lovers; Disney really did make another adaptation of  A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court a mere three years after the one we watched a few months ago. They really did return to the same location in Budapest. They really did use one of the same lead actresses. Really, the only thing they did differently is instead of a kid who travels through time (a...

The deep in our dive into the Disney canon we're getting used to seeing some familiar faces in front of and behind the camera. Fred MacMurray, Vincent McEveety, Kurt Russell, Harry Morgan - when their names pop up we know we're in that special era of 1960s/1970s live action Disney. Of course, there were other signs that could have tipped us off in CHARLEY AND THE ANGEL. An old dad, an extended car...

Smell that D-lovers? There's something in the air, something that portends of things to come...the start of three picture deal between a mega-star in the making and a movie studio on the cusp of its all en-compassing takeover of the entertainment industry. It smells delicious, but dangerous. What could it be, that smell coming from the kitchen? Ah, that's right - it's THE GAME PLAN. That's what Th...

In this modern era of countless sequels, reboots and remakes, the question that often arises is "are any of these movies necessary?" It's a question our hosts feel qualified to answer now that our Summer of Sequels has drawn to a close. Our answer? Nah, probably not. And Disney's direct-to-video POCAHONTAS II: JOURNEY TO A NEW WORLD is exhibit A. The original Pocahontas is a pretty dull movie Disn...

Who could have imagined that a made-for-tv series of films would end up being such a core pillar of our Disney film podcast? It's been quite a journey we've gone on with Mal, Evie, Carlos and Jay along with the rest of the gang from Auradon and the Isle of the Lost. There's been up and downs; bad choreography and certified bangers; chaste hugs and hammy performances; horny lakes and showdowns betw...

It's the penultimate entry of the Summer of Sequels, so it felt appropriate to return to Agrabah for one last magic carpet ride with Aladdin and the gang. Including a returning Robin Williams voicing Genie, who they really let off the leash for this one. But for all those obscure impressions and an actually halfway decent story, ALADDIN AND THE KING OF THIEVES is still a Disney direct-to-video seq...

Weird to think that Disney went a little Mark Twain crazy in the 90s, isn't it? But they went whole-hog on film adaptations of quite a few of his novels, and this week on We Want The D we tackle TOM AND HUCK, their take on The Adventures of Tom Sawyer starring a couple Tiger Beat cover regulars. Yup, JayTayToe is back and he's brought tragic victim of how Hollywood treats child actors Brad Renfro...

This deep into the Summer of Sequels, our hosts have learned to be on the lookout for some common pitfalls. Cheaper animation, inverted plot points and lazier songwriting are just a few examples of the trappings Disney likes to adorn their sequels with. Luckily for our Mary Poppins-loving hosts, MARY POPPINS RETURNS avoids many of these elements and is altogether a pretty decent follow-up to the b...

It's been a busy summer of remakes for Disney, but it's finally over (at least for now) with the release of their updated version of THE LION KING. That's right all the words, notes and even some voices that you loved from the beloved animated classic, now with 100% more photorealistic looking animals. It's so similar, you'll gasp in wonder, exclaiming "what's the point?" as Timon and Pumbaa slurp...

No Summer of Sequels would be complete without a visit to the absolute depths of the Eisner-instigated era of sequels. While sequels to Disney's animated classics were generally relegated to direct-to-video releases, the odd time they decided to go the theatrical route, and Peter Pan sequel RETURN TO NEVERLAND is one such case. These movies also tended to be, well, more or less identical to their...

Our hosts' journey through the complete Disney filmography has always been one of discovery. Old favourites seen in new lights, modern classics being scrutinized, and yellow-face skeletons found in closets. But Vicky, Nolan and Jill often have the best time when they discover a diamond in the rough. On paper, THE BISCUIT EATER sounds like pretty standard 70s Disney fare, subcategory "boy and his d...

This week is a very special installment of the Summer of Sequels with a movie we're sure you've all heard of and have been looking forward to - RETURN TO SNOWY RIVER! ...What's that? Never heard of it? That's strange. How could you not have heard of this sequel to one of the 1983 Golden Globe Best Foreign Film nominees? Sure, Disney had nothing to do with THAT movie, so we have not and will not ev...

During We Want The D Minnie Mouse-isodes, the listeners are represented by two separate yet equally important groups. The host who diligently researches and presents stories from Disney's colourful history, and the hosts who get to listen and crack jokes. These are their stories. DUN DUN. Winter, 2018. The geodesic dome known as Epcot. A weary Disney World employee makes his way into the abandoned...

While it shouldn't really be a surprise to see how many unnecessary sequels Disney churned out over the years, they still manage to throw us a curve ball every once in awhile. Because who could have imagined that they'd make a direct, made-for-tv sequel to the Hayley Mills' version of The Parent Trap, appropriately titled THE PARENT TRAP II? Let alone that they'd make it 25 years later when the tw...

The 90s were generally a pretty good decade for Disney, what with the renaissance of their animated features and some beloved sports movies and such. As we've seen before, however, there were some real clunkers in the mix as well. But perhaps none that land with such a dull thud as A KID IN KING ARTHUR'S COURT - a movie so bad it almost makes you wish it had been made in 60s/70s era Disney. At lea...

A little over a year ago, Vicky, Nolan and Jill were delighted to make the acquaintance of Merlin Jones, the scrambled egghead of Medvale Collage. Now, during the Summer of Sequels, our hosts couldn't be more excited to return to this campus of extremely old students for more of Merlin's wackadoo adventures in Disney's THE MONKEY'S UNCLE. Like all good sequels, this one gives us more of what we cr...

It's a banner year for Disney's live action remakes and it's all our hosts can do to keep up. This revisit of animated classic ALADDIN had some ill-tidings leading up to it, from a delay-causing casting process to find the right leads to some worrying early footage and images of Will Smith's take on the Genie. Is this destined to be yet another hollow recreation that trades on nostalgia dollars, o...

We're kicking off another summer series here on We Want The D! What could be better than spending the season focusing on one beloved Disney franchise? Easy - focusing on many! In the Summer of Sequels we'll be tackling the theatrical, direct-to-video and TV movie sequels to some of Disney's best and worst and everything in between. We're kicking things off with the direct-to-video sequel to a thea...

Welcome to another Minnie Mouse-isode, where we're showcasing yet another important figure in Disney's history. This week, we learn that while Ron Miller seemingly couldn't produce an on-brand Disney movie to save his life, he wasn't necessarily the bumbling fool who lucked into a cushy job thanks to marrying Daddy Walt's firstborn daughter we often view him as. Except for the luck part, he defini...

Vicky, Nolan and Jill learned a lot of lessons from this week's movie.  We learned that with a head-strong attitude and plucky spirit, one can stand in the background of some of the most pivotal moments in American history. We learned that even when working on the Sabbath and keeping a sharp eye out for passing constables, it's important to always handle molten silver with care. And we learned tha...

It's our 200th episode! One that features all the hard-hitting, considered analysis you've come to expect from We Want The D. Is Disney's TARZAN a triumphant conclusion to the renaissance, or a sign that it was truly over? Was Rosie O'Donnell born to play Turk, or was her casting capitalizing on her Ellen-like popularity in the 90s? Does this movie have a younger target audience in mind than usual...

The story set up in the Disney TV Movie LIFE-SIZE is pretty grim. A young girl, two years out from the death of her mother, has still not properly processed her grief. Her father, rather than be there for his daughter, has thrown himself into work. As we all know, that's a recipe for any pre-teen girl to start dabbling in the occult (or metaphysics). So it's no surprise that things go from bad to...

Ol' Walt used to get inspiration for his movies from all sorts of places. His daughters beloved books, timeless folklore, heck even a mountain one time. So it's not all that surprising that when he happened to catch a performance of the Vienna Boys' Choir during his travels, he called up the studio with the latest hot idea. The result is ALMOST ANGELS, a film that is part mild early-60s Disney out...

If you're familiar with this movie, or the classic children's novel its based on, you probably know what is in store here. Much like our hosts, who all pretty much knew what they were getting into when they sat down to watch this movie. It's hard not to be saddened by Disney's BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA, it's sort of built-in to the story; what with poor lil' Josh Hutcherson having trouble bonding with...

This week's episode would come with a big ol' spoiler warning for the latest in Disney's line of live action remakes, except for the fact that this new version of DUMBO is pretty predictable for anyone who has, y'know, seen a movie before. Yes, unfortunately the only surprise to be had in this film is that it somehow made it to theatres under the Disney banner, while functioning as a part-parody,...