Noticias

There are some interesting things happening around the Disney Villains brand as the company reveals a special panel at Destination D23 and a new survey about many of their obscure villains too.

Disney is in “Villain” mode at Walt Disney World.

We all know that the Walt Disney Company has teased a Disney Villains-themed land for the Magic Kingdom. But are announcements coming soon?

That is the question.

Recently, Disney released the panel list for their Destination D23 event in Orlando, happening on August 29 – 31, 2025. While there is no Parks and Experiences panel, there is a special Disney Villains panel discussing “new projects and attractions.”

This panel is on the last day of the event at 9:05 Am and is called “Disney Villains: Icons of Evil.”

“Join Disney Experiences (and some of your favorite troublemakers) for a panel discussion on how Disney Villains experiences come to life around the world. Hear...

There have been quite a few screen adaptations of the fictional escapades of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, with a whole bunch of different actors playing him over the years. While he's always at least somewhat misanthropic and sardonic, he's also always brilliant at solving mysteries in every interpretation. There are somewhat traditional versions of Holmes, like Benedict Cumberbatch's take in the BBC series "Sherlock," of course, but there are also some twists on the formula, like the animated mouse hero in "The Great Mouse Detective" and curmudgeonly detective-like doctor in "House." But perhaps one of the more creative adaptations of the Sherlock Holmes stories arrived in the form of "Elementary," a CBS drama that aired for seven seasons and starred Jonny Lee Miller as a contemporary Sherlock Holmes trying to make a go of things in New York City.

This iteration of the detective was somewhat troubled,...

Disney’s in a pickle over a Pixar animated series on Disney Plus—and one real-life baseball team isn’t laughing.

On May 10, 2025, Newsweek reported that the Portland Pickles, a collegiate summer-league baseball team based in Portland, Oregon, filed a federal lawsuit against The Walt Disney Company.

The suit, lodged in the U.S. District Court in Oregon on May 7, centers around trademark infringement tied to Disney’s animated series Win or Lose, which premiered on Disney+ in February 2025.

Rose City Baseball LLC, which owns and operates the Portland Pickles, alleges that Disney’s use of the name “Pickles”—specifically the fictional “Peaks Valley Pickles” team featured in the show—threatens to dilute and devalue the real-world team’s brand identity, which has been cultivated over more than a decade.

Image: Pixar

What Is Win or Lose?

Win or Lose is Pixar’s first original long-form animated series. Each episode...

Disney+ might be Disney's dominant form of home entertainment, but that doesn't mean it's the only card up its sleeve. Freeform just announced an entire month's worth of content coming to our screens this June.

Per Freeform's official press release, Disney fans are in for an absolutely packed summer as the network airs a boatload of movies, shows, and network premieres. The release made the following statement.

"Highlights include the world television premieres of Disney Pixar’s “Elemental” and Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Strange World” and a lineup of must-watch films from the Walt Disney film catalog, including animated classics like “Aladdin” (1992), One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) and Disney-Pixar films like “Finding Nemo,” “Brave” and A Bug’s Life."

Freeform is no stranger to airing our favorite movies from Disney and Pixar, but a full month's worth of content is certainly remarkable. In an age where streaming services are dominating over TV networks consistently,...

Just keep swimming! Freeform’s 30 Days of Disney will make a splash this summer with themed weeks full of feel-good favorites and nostalgic classics.

Highlights include the world television premieres of Disney Pixar’s Elemental and Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Strange World and a lineup of must-watch films from the Walt Disney film catalog, including animated classics like Aladdin (1992), One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961), and Disney-Pixar films like Finding Nemo, Brave, and A Bug’s Life.

Embrace your inner Disney princess during the first weekend with enchanting films like Princess and the Frog, Tangled, Beauty and the Beast, and the Freeform premiere of Disney’s The Little Mermaid (2023).

Gather the family together to celebrate Father’s Day weekend with films such as Onward, The Incredibles, and Pinocchio (1940).

Elemental

Join in on epic adventures as we dive into action-packed titles like The Jungle Book (2016) and the Pirates of the Caribbean movie marathon,...

Hayao Miyazaki undoubtedly has a whole roster of incredible movies to his name. But in the middle of plenty of blockbusters and two Oscar winners, one of his earliest and most inspiring works often gets forgotten. When you consider the rumor that even Steven Spielberg has been influenced by the movie, it becomes a must-watch.

Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro, the movie in question, was released in 1979, making it almost 46 years old this year. It was created years before Miyazaki co-founded Studio Ghibli. Despite how old it is, Castle of Cagliostro is still considered one of the best action-comedy anime movies.

Steven Spielberg considered Lupin III as “one of the greatest adventure movies of all time”

There is a long-standing rumor about Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro. Apparently, Steven Spielberg watched the movie during its Cannes Film Festival screening and was awed by its car chase scene. He considered...

With Universal's latest move, is it time for Disney to make a play for a park in the United Kingdom?

Right now, theme park fans are buzzing about the coming opening of Universal's Epic Universe. The early word is that this new Orlando park is going to be a smash from the start, bringing brand new worlds to life based on Nintendo, How to Train Your Dragon, the Universal Monsters and more. 

Disney is still planning a lot of additions to Disney World and taking a "long view" on how to combat Universal. However, Universal has now thrown down a larger gauntlet with a new park for England!

Set to open in 2031, this new park located in Bedford has some initial artwork, although not much more details on what it will contain. There are roller coasters and the like and it'd be a no-brainer if there's a Harry Potter land for England.

The Princess and the Frog sequel series has been scrapped at Disney+. Titled Tiana, the streaming exclusive would have brought back Anika Noni Rose as the voice of Disney's first Black princess, Tiana.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, Walt Disney Animation Studios has officially pulled the plug on Tiana as it abandons making original long-form content for Disney+. Sources close to the project revealed that despite best efforts, including several changes to the creative team, the animation studio couldn't get Tiana where it needed to be given its budget. The decision to scrap Tiana in its entirety comes as a bit of a surprise, given that Disney recently found success at the box office with Moana 2, which was announced alongside Tiana back in 2020 as a Disney+ series before ultimately being reworked into a feature-length animated sequel.

RelatedDescendants 5 Casts the Children of Robin Hood, Dr. Facilier & Mr. Smee

As Descendants 5...

As Disney aficionados can tell you, the 1980s were a rough time for the company's animation department. They had a sizable hit in 1977 with "The Rescuers", but Disney just couldn't recapture the magic. The 1981 film "The Fox and the Hound" cost a hefty $12 million, but brought in only $14.2 million domestically, which was not horrible, but not great. Notoriously, the 1985 fantasy epic "The Black Cauldron" lost a bucket of money, made for $44 million (!), and earning only $21.3 million. "The Black Cauldron" was such a bomb, there was some buzz that Disney might shutter their animation department altogether.

At least Disney racked up a modest hit the following year with "The Great Mouse Detective," a $25 million hit from a $14 million budget. That film was a Sherlock Holmes story, but posited that Holmes' apartment was the home of an anthropomorphic mouse named Basil (Barrie Ingham), a clever creature that, in observing Holmes, became a star detective for mice.

Few animation companies have the longevity and cultural sway as Walt Disney. The studio’s meteoric rise is the quintessential American dream, and its films are as ubiquitous as water. Classics like The Lion King, Sleeping Beauty, and Mulan have entranced audiences worldwide for decades. Yet, no company is without its issues. Back in the 1980s, Disney was embroiled in its so-called “Dark Era.” Its films had lost their charm, and audiences sought their family-friendly thrills elsewhere. The studio’s beloved storytelling had stalled; its profits stalled. The animation department was especially hard hit, and only two of the period’s films have since joined the company’s pantheon of classics. The Fox and the Hound debuted in 1981; The Great Mouse Detective hit theaters half a decade later.

While there were many reasons for the studio’s brief decline, one of the most prevalent was its unfortunate tendency to bleed talent.

Walt Disney Animation experienced an interesting era between 1970 and 1989 in which the studio began taking more risks with the films that they had released. Following the end of the “classical” era, but before the beginning of the “renaissance,” Disney started to produce slightly edgier, darker films that tackled more adult themes, such as Robin Hood, The Fox and the Hound, The Sword in the Stone, and The Great Mouse Detective, among others. While The Rescuers is not always considered to be on the same level as Who Framed Roger Rabbit or Oliver & Company, it's a surprisingly entertaining heist adventure that showed Disney’s willingness to make an action-heavy heist adventure. The Rescuers benefited from the gloriously villainous Madame Medusa, who is easily one of the most underrated characters in Disney’s entire canon thanks to the terrific voice work by Geraldine Page.

If you’re a fan of animated Sherlock Holmes adaptations like The Great Mouse Detective, you need to check out Sherlock Hound. This animated series originally aired in 1984 and is now available on Prime Video. In this adorable series, the famous detective Sherlock (voiced by Larry Moss in the English dub) is an anthropomorphic dog. Hayao Miyazaki, the animation legend behind Kiki’s Delivery Service and Ponyo, was the original director attached to the series and worked on many of the episodes. Other directors on the series include Kyosuke Mikuriya who is known for Lupin the 3rd. Even the episodes Miyazaki didn’t direct still retain his style. Like Howl’s Moving Castle, the world of Sherlock Hound includes steampunk elements that give it a distinctive flair.

In recent years, more animated Disney films have received live-action theatrical remakes, but a few untouched beloved classics might work better as live-action TV shows. The response from critics and audiences to Disney's live-action remakes varies, but with the right filmmaking and creative team behind live-action projects, fan-favorite films getting such a transformation is exciting. So far, many of the remakes don't stray too far from the original plot of their animated inspirations. However, with the TV format, the story of films like The Black Cauldron and The Great Mouse Detective can be expanded upon across a limited or multiple-season series.

Live-action TV series also benefit certain movies over others when it comes to films with big casts, such as Meet the Robinsons or Encanto — stretching out a story over multiple episodes allows for more attention toward breakout supporting characters. Additionally, the vast setting of these films can be transformed into breathtaking live-action sets,...

Quick Links Princess Eilonwy Appeared in Disney’s Box Office Bomb The Black Cauldron Princess Eilonwy Bucked Older Disney Princess Trends Not All of Disney’s Best Heroines Are Princesses

Disney has amassed a vast library of princesses since the debut of its first in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937. These princesses range in popularity from well-known and highly promoted by Disney through merchandise and other avenues to highly obscure and forgotten. There's no clear metric directly from Disney for why it chooses to showcase some over the other. But it can be assumed it's based on the performance of the princess-in-question's movie. Indeed, some of the princesses included in the official Disney Princess brand aren't technically royalty.

One of these lesser-known princesses is Princess Eilonwy from The Black Cauldron (1985). Well-known as a major box office bomb for Disney, the film has become a cult classic among Disney...

While there are a lot of Disney characters who easily stand out on their own, there are some iconic Disney duos that show how much fun a pair can be. Disney has always loved exploring friendship in their animated movies and they have done so successfully since the beginning of their run. However, even in their long history, some Disney duos rise above the rest and showcase those truly special pairings that have delivered laughs, heartbreak, and charm to audiences over the years.

Including all the Pixar movies alongside the animated Disney roster, there are a lot of notable pairs to choose from. There are some friends who clearly go back a long way, like Mike and Sully in Monsters Inc. Some start out with a lot of tension only to find common ground, like Moana and Maui. Of course, some Disney duos are just fun to watch sharing the screen,...

Quick Links Writers John Musker and Ron Clements Have a Storied History With Disney Disneys Moana Is a Repackaged Version of The Little Mermaid Disneys Moana 2 Is Repeating a 1990s Disney Sequel Trend

Disney is known for its fairy-tale-based films, and often, these films involve princesses and dynamic heroines. While the studio started out telling traditional tales based on classic stories, over the years, it has branched out to incorporate more culturally representative storytelling. 2016's Moana took inspiration from Polynesian myths and set its action in the ancient island nations of Polynesia. The film featured a story by a team of artists and writers, including Disney veterans John Musker and Ron Clements, with songs by composer Lin-Manuel Miranda.

When Moana first premiered, it definitely appeared to be a new and fresh film to add to the Disney canon. But as the film progresses, many familiar tropes begin to appear.

Happy Halloween from The B-Side! Here we talk about movie stars! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones that they made in between.

Today we talk about one of the greats––Vincent Price! Our guest this episode––as with every Halloween episode––is Gavin Mevius, co-host of The Mixed Reviews Podcast of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective. Make sure you listen to their own comprehensive episode on Vincent Price as well!

Our B-Sides today are: The Baron of Arizona, Champagne for Caesar, War-Gods of the Deep, and finally Cry of the Banshee.

We talk about Price, his interesting life and family history, and the diversity of roles he took on, some reflected in the above B-Sides. Price’s Nic Cage-like professional prolific-ness and “respect for the dollar” comes up, as does the real-life Charles Van Doren quiz show scandal from the ‘50s (the...

Freeform is giving big Disney energy all November long with so much goodness one can’t afford to miss a night. 30 Days of Disney returns with themed weeks that make it easy to kick back and enjoy the magic of Disney with friends and family.

The programming event features a lineup of beloved films from the entire Walt Disney catalog, including Disney Animated classics like Lilo & Stitch, Aladdin, and Beauty and the Beast and Disney-Pixar titles, including a Toy Story movie marathon, Wall-e, Inside Out, and modern fan favorites Soul and Turning Red.

Disney’s most beloved musicals will have viewers singing along to favorite songs this Nov. 4-8, with films like Aladdin, Moana, Encanto, and Frozen/Frozen 2. Favorite Disney villains will take evil to new heights, and they are beloved for it. From Nov. 11-15, watch out for Ursula from The Little Mermaid, Scar from The Lion King, and...

Paul Mazursky's 1986 comedy "Down and Out in Beverly Hills" is a sharp indictment of ultra-moneyed yuppie culture, which was running rampant during the Reagan administration. Culturally speaking, the mid 1980s saw a redoubled effort to enrich the already-wealthy and encourage rich people to become obsessed with conspicuous consumption. Many, many films and TV shows about Beverly Hills were released at this time, delving deep into the cockroach nest where America's wealthy classes gathered and cannibalized each other.

Prominent among these was Mazursky's film about a rich family, the Whitemans, that recently became wealthy thanks to a wire hanger manufacturing empire. The family are all empty and unhappy. Matriarch Barbara (Bette Midler) is attempting to fill her emptiness with increasingly strange renditions of New Age spirituality, while patriarch Dave (Richard Dreyfuss) is filling his own emptiness by having an affair with the family's live-in maid, Carmen (Elizabeth Peña). Their child...

Animation is a genre with the unique opportunity to create fantastically terrifying villains because there are so few limitations on what the medium can visually achieve. The 1980s were a pivotal time for animated movies, as new technologies were broadening the horizons of what studios and creative teams were capable of. Some of the best animated fantasy films of the 20th century were made in the '80s, and a work of fiction is only as good as its villain. Balancing out the hero and often providing comic relief, the antagonists of these films often stole the show.

The mark of a good villain is one that's nuanced and complex.

Every evil Disney villain is fondly remembered by audiences who grew up watching animation movies from the iconic studio. However, it's not just Disney villains that stand apart within animation. The mark of a good villain is one that's nuanced and complex.

Batman is well-known for having one of the best rogues galleries of all superheroes. Each villain represents a distinct aspect of Gotham City's darker themes, such as obsession and corruption, making their confrontations with The Dark Knight deeply compelling. Their complex relationships with Batman often blur the lines between heroism and villainy, as can be seen in both Penguin and Harley Quinn each of whom has been granted their own TV shows.

While both Oswald Cobblepot and Dr. Harleen Quinzel are beloved characters, the Caped Crusader has an abundance of other villains worthy of their own time in the spotlight. Even some of the lesser-known, goofier villains have what it takes to become the stars of an unforgettable series.

Egghead Is the Worlds Smartest Criminal With a Comic Flair Real Name: Edgar Heed

Although he was originally created for the Adam West Batman show in the sixties, Egghead has gone...

Kids watch some terrible movies. I should know, I have two of them. A24, the independent film and TV studio that has become synonymous with quality, is out to change that.

On September 4, A24 published the 288-page “Hey Kids, Watch This!,” a collection of more than 100 movie recommendations for families. None of them, by the way, are A24 films. The curation was performed by a group of “discerning critics, animators, and directors,” according to a press release. IndieWire’s own chief film critic and reviews editor David Ehrlich contributed a primer on how to talk about movies with your kids.

“Hey Kids, Watch This!” covers both hits and deep cuts. How deep? Has your preschooler seen Yuri Norstein’s 10-minute short film from 1975, “Hedgehog in the Fog”? Right, mine neither. Are the ’70s not ancient enough for your young-Old-Hollywood head? How about the 100-year-old film “The Adventures of Prince Achmed” from German director Lotte Reiniger?...

A24 has published a new book, Hey Kids, Watch This!, a thoughtfully selected guide to films suitable for children and adolescents, perfect for budding cinephiles.

The book is not just designed for children but also for adults, bringing families together to enjoy classic stories curated by critics, animators, and directors. Discovering films as a child used to involve nostalgic trips down the aisles of a video rental store. Nowadays, films are chosen from the comfort of a couch.

The 288-page book is beautifully designed and illustrated and split neatly into four sections: PreSchoolers (2-4), Little Kids (5-7), Big Kids (8-9), and Tweens (10-12). Spanning decades, genres, moods, plotlines, nations, and languages, the only thing that ties the 100+ film recommendations together is that they can easily be found on most streaming services.

The book is packed with movie history and forgotten films. There is a chapter on high-brow experimental films that...

John Carpenter's 1986 action-comedy "Big Trouble in Little China" is an odd duck. The plot involves an ancient wizard named Lo Pan (James Hong) who aims to kidnap, marry, and then sacrifice a green-eyed woman to break a curse he is under. The woman in question is Miao Yin (Suzee Pai), the fiancée of Wang Chi (Dennis Dun), who, fortunately, knows a little bit about evil wizards and ancient Chinese warriors. It will be up to Wang to rescue Miao Yin from Lo Pan. Also kidnapped is the green-eyed Gracie (Kim Cattrall), beloved by the dumb-as-rocks blowhard Jack Burton (Kurt Russell), essentially Wang's sidekick.

The gag of the movie is that Jack doesn't really seem to understand that he's a sidekick, and behaves like the action hero. Indeed, the whole movie seems to be a martial arts movie told from the perspective of the American guest star. Russell was featured...

Quick Links House, M.D. Shares Basic Character Types with Sherlock Holmes House Explores Sherlock Holmes' Drug Usage House is the Perfect Homage to Sherlock Holmes' Origin

This article contains discussions of drug use and addiction.

House has characters inspired by the iconic duo of Sherlock Holmes, Holmes and Watson. House delves into Holmes' drug usage more substantially than Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's stories. House pays homage to Acd's inspiration from a doctor for the character of Holmes.

The detective stories of Sherlock Holmes are some of the most well-known stories of all time, and they've received frequent adaptations since their original publication. Most people, when thinking of Sherlock Holmes adaptations, would think of TV shows and movies like Elementary, BBC's Sherlock or even Netflix's Enola Holmes, which mostly follows Holmes' younger sister. Even some more unconventional adaptations, like Disney's The Great Mouse Detective, which follows Basil of Baker Street,...

Walt Disney Studios has released some of the most beloved and iconic movies to date. Some of these films remain part of pop culture and are just as popular now as they were when they were first released, or even more. The '80s was a particular and defining decade for Walt Disney. Movies like The Great Mouse Detective and The Little Mermaid are credited with beginning the Disney Renaissance, marking the return of critically and commercially successful animated films for the studio. And some of Disney's live-action films of this era, like Return to Oz and Tex, proved the studio was ready for more mature and dark content.

During the '80s, some Disney films almost bankrupt the studio, while others were panned when they were first released but were able to find a loyal cult following later on. Audiences now think of Disney and remember classic films like...

The Dark Age of American Animation For close to a century now, Disney has been synonymous with American animation at large. If you go back and watch a Disney animated feature from the 1940s or ‘50s, you’ll notice just how fluid and lushly drawn the animation itself often is and how it manages to hold up to the test of time. Even a more modest production from that period proved magnificent, like ‘Lady and the Tramp’, which was so lavishly produced that it was shot in ultra-wide CinemaScope. Contrast the Disney output of this period, basically up to the time of Walt Disney’s death in 1966, with the animated Disney ventures that came afterward. While movies like ‘Robin Hood’ and ‘The Rescuers’ are not exactly bad per se, the jump from hand-drawn animation to computer animation is noticeable. Things to do: Subscribe to The Hollywood Insider’s YouTube Channel,...

If you’ve been following Disney Parks news at all lately, you’re well aware of the June 28th opening of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in Magic Kingdom (with Disneyland’s version opening later this year). With the opening only days away, let’s take a look at the inspiration behind Disney’s newest attraction, with a few fun facts about the 2009 film The Princess and the Frog.

Groundbreaking Firsts

The Princess and the Frog is well known as being one of Disney’s last full-length feature films to be animated using traditional two-dimensional hand animation (with the last fully hand-animated film being 2011’s Winnie the Pooh).

But let’s focus here on the number of FIRSTs brought to life in this film. Princess Tiana represents Disney’s first African-American princess.

Image: Disney

The Princess and the Frog is also the first Disney Princess-based film set in America, and the...

After a several decade-long career, famous director and animator John Musker is slowly preparing to retire. The 70-year old director is responsible for revitalizing Disney in the late 80s and 90s, so he is definitely one of the most important animators in history. His classic works include The Great Mouse Detective (1986), The Little Mermaid (1989), Aladdin (1992), Hercules (1997), and Treasure Planet (2002), but he has also worked on The Princess and the Frog (2009) and Moana (2016); although he won’t be returning for the sequel, Musker definitely left his mark on that movie as well.

The director recently attended the Animayo International Summit in Gran Canaria, where he promoted his new short film, I’m Hip!, but he also talked to El País about his beginnings at Disney, as well as about his opinions on the current state of things at the House of the Mouse.

At the time when Musker came to Disney,...

Director John Musker criticizes Disney's live-action remakes as lacking original appeal and expression compared to animation. Musker's comments insinuate that Disney is trying to resell old products like Moana as sometime new. The plan to remake newer animated films like Moana for profit risks losing the magic and appeal of the original storytelling.

The original director of The Little Mermaid has criticized Disney's efforts to remake its animated films, and his comments foreshadow some problems with the upcoming live-action Moana. John Musker, who directed the 1989 animated version of The Little Mermaid, seems to have a less-than-favorable outlook on the live-action version that came out in 2023, stating that "live animals in a zoo have more expression" than the characters seen in the film. Still, Musker's criticisms didn't end here.

The famed Disney director is also known for his work on other animated classics. In addition to The Little Mermaid, Musker is...

While John Musker's name won't necessarily be instantly familiar to a lot of you, he's written and directed iconic Disney movies such as The Great Mouse Detective, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Hercules, Treasure Planet, The Princess and the Frog, and Moana.

However, despite his lengthy working relationship with the House of Mouse, the filmmaker has now lashed out at the studio's recent offerings. Like many fans, Musker believes Disney needs to dial back the political messaging in its movies, something even Disney CEO Bob Iger has strongly hinted will take a backseat moving forward.

"I think they need to do a course correction a bit in terms of putting the message secondary, behind entertainment and compelling story and engaging characters," he told Spanish outlet El País (via Toonado.com). "The classic Disney films didn’t start out trying to have a message."

"They wanted you to get involved in...

Prioritize entertainment over messages for more compelling stories with engaging characters - John Musker advises Disney. Disney's live-action remakes focus on risk reduction, rather than appealing elements like character expression, according to John Musker. Disney live-action remakes continue, with Mufasa: The Lion King, Snow White, Lilo & Stitch, Hercules, Moana, Bambi, Robin Hood, and The Aristocats all now in the works

Disney director John Musker, who is best known for helming such classics for the beloved animation studio as The Little Mermaid and Aladdin, has criticized the House of Mouse for prioritizing a message over entertainment and storytelling. Speaking with the Spanish outlet El Pas during a recent appearance at the Animayo International Summit in Gran Canaria, Musker explained that, while you can tackle certain agendas, they need to come after sympathetic characters and a compelling story.

I think they need to do a course correction a bit in terms of putting the message secondary,...

John Musker, who has directed several animated Disney movies, is not a big fan of the modern live-action remakes. One problem he has with the new films is that they focus on political messaging above the quality of the writing, according to the filmmaker.

I think they need to do a course correction a bit in terms of putting the message secondary, behind entertainment and compelling story and engaging characters," Musker said, per El Pas. The classic Disney films didnt start out trying to have a message. They wanted you to get involved in the characters and the story and the world, and I think thats still the heart of it. You dont have to exclude agendas, but you have to first create characters who you sympathize with and who are compelling.

Related 20 Saddest Disney Deaths, Ranked Sometimes, for the sake of better storytelling, Disney forces the audiences to say goodbye to their favorite characters.

Animated filmmaker John Musker — who directed such Disney films as “The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin” and “Hercules” — called out the Walt Disney Company for prioritizing political messaging over story in its recent films.

“I think they need to do a course correction a bit in terms of putting the message secondary, behind entertainment and compelling story and engaging characters,” Musker told Spanish outlet El País at this year’s Animayo International Summit in Gran Canaria, Spain.

“The classic Disney films didn’t start out trying to have a message. They wanted you to get involved in the characters and the story and the world, and I think that’s still the heart of it,” Musker added. “You don’t have to exclude agendas, but you have to first create characters who you sympathize with and who are compelling.”

Musker has collaborated with fellow director Ron Clements on several Disney animated features,...

The Fox and the Hound explores the hardships in long-lasting friendships, something that is quite relevant today. The Disney film follows a bittersweet story that still offers a ray of hope after the most heartbreaking moments. The Fox and the Hound also tackles the nature vs. nurture debate through Copper's character development in a thought-provoking manner.

The Fox and the Hound is, for many, one of Disney's darkest animated films. A classic story about unlikely friends, The Fox and the Hound was released on July 10, 1981, and follows a young red fox named Tod and a hound puppy named Copper, who form an unexpected friendship. But as they grow, they realize that they aren't meant to be friends, and instead, the Copper will soon have to hunt Tod because that is his duty and what he was brought in for.

The Fox and the Hound explores themes of loss, friendship,...

Summertime is the best time to transport yourself into a nostalgic world, as Freeform celebrates 30 Days of Disney with legendary Disney films starting June 1. Viewers can relive their childhood with films from the full Disney catalog, including Disney-Pixar’s Inside Out, National Treasure, Avatar, Spider-Man (2002), and many more.

The programming event will also feature the world television premiere of Disney-Pixar’s animated film Lightyear. Other Freeform premieres include Disney-Pixar’s Soul and Disney Animation’s Fantasia (1940 and 2000).

Throughout each week in June, fans can reminisce with special summer marathons that will stir up fond memories and reconnect them with the films they cherish.

During the first weekend of June, you can check out your Disney “faves” with classic films like Disney Animation’s Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and The Little Mermaid (1989). During the second weekend, check out your Pixar faves with movies like Inside Out, Coco, and Cars.

Celebrate...

In a new trailer from Disney+, Idea Man highlights Jim Henson's prolific career and humble beginnings. The trailer teases clips of Henson behind the scenes, and interviews with collaborators and costars.

Disney+ has just released the trailer for a new documentary following the life of famed puppeteer Jim Henson. Jim Henson: Idea Man is directed by Ron Howard, who previously won the Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Picture for A Beautiful Mind. Disney describes the film as such: "Jim Henson: Idea Man takes us into the mind of this singular creative visionary, from his early years puppeteering on local television to the worldwide success of Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, and beyond. Featuring unprecedented access to Jim's personal archives, Howard brings us a fascinating and insightful look at a complex man whose boundless imagination inspired the world."

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Quick Links Disney Animation Was Struggling When The Great Mouse Detective Premiered in 1986 Despite His Later Downfall, Michael Eisner Played a Huge Part in Revamping Disney Animation The Great Mouse Detective Was One of the First Disney Films to Use Computer Animation Disney's previously struggled with animated flops like Pinocchio and Fantasia, but later recouped their expenses with subsequent successes. The 1970s and 1980s of Walt Disney Animation has come to be known as Disney's "Dark Era." The Great Mouse Detective was a major financial success compared to The Black Cauldron released the year prior.

The passing of Walt Disney in 1966 signaled a slow decline of Walt Disney Animation in the following years. While Disney Studios would continue to pump out both live-action and animated endeavors, including some well-remembered movies like Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) and The Aristocats (1970), the 1980s brought a steeper decline in box office receipts. Films such as...

Family-friendly entertainment comes in all shapes and sizes, with movies aimed at this demographic covering a wide range of stories. Some are fairly realistic, while many others are more fantastical in nature. As standards adapt and change, plenty of films also push the boundaries when it comes to what's considered suitable for young audience members. Some adults even find themselves spooked when revisiting their childhood favorites.

What scares one person might be quite harmless to another, but it's not an uncommon experience to find that the stories people loved as kids contain some truly terrifying or even downright disturbing moments. In some cases, the horror might be unintentional, but sometimes, it does serve a greater purpose in the story, such as raising the stakes. From Pinocchio's distressing donkey transformations to Alan's nightmarish ordeal in Jumanji, here are ten excellent family-friendly movies that might be more frightening than remembered.

The...

Chef Gusteau will be turning in his grave – the restaurant which inspired Disney’s Ratatouille can’t seem to find some of its wine. It’s very expensive wine, too.

Here at Film Stories, we can’t get enough of two things: wine, and crime stories featuring anthropomorphic rodents.

Oh, and films, I suppose. They’re very much the third of the three, though.

You can imagine our excitement, then, when our Sauvignon Blanc -infused rewatch of The Great Mouse Detective was interrupted by a chilling bit of true crime trivia. La Tour d’Argent, one of the oldest restaurants in Paris and inspiration for 2007’s Ratatouille, has lost rather a lot of wine. It has, they suspect, Been Stolen!

According to the BBC, the missing vintages were spotted last week during a routine inventory of the venue’s wine cellar, thought to be “the largest cellar in Paris”, and...

With this year being the 100 year anniversary of The Walt Disney Company and the release of their latest animated title, Wish, we wanted to know what animated Disney film has been your favorite over the years? We stuck to films specifically released by Disney, so no Pixar titles are included. What struck me while compiling the list is the progression of their films. From the innocence of their early work to what many consider their heyday in the early 90’s to the emergence of the CGI era. For many of us, Disney films defined our youth, but which is the one that has remained with you all these years? As always, if you don’t see your favorite listed, please click “Other” and let us know what it is in the comments section as well as any fond memories you have of these timeless classics.

What is your favorite Disney Animated Film?...

Oliver & Company is mostly forgotten, but it was actually paramount for Disney. The movie saw a return to the company’s animated musical style and introduced extensive computer animation. Due to a few standout elements, Oliver & Company is now more fondly remembered.

Disney has had several classic and beloved animated movies over the years, with many of these still being revered by multiple generations. It's no wonder the company is so keen on remaking its classic animated films, as there are numerous movies to choose from in this category. On the other hand, Disney has also had some more overlooked animated projects, one of which was actually fairly important in the grand scheme of things.

Oliver & Company is a nostalgic movie for some, but it's mostly been forgotten next to what came afterward. Nevertheless, it paved the way for more successful Disney movies to make their strides...

As Disney has been enthusiastically reminding us all year, 2023 marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio by Walt and Roy Disney. Walt was an animator whose previous company, Laugh-o-Gram Studio, which he founded with Ub Iwerks, had just gone bankrupt. Meanwhile Roy was still suffering from tuberculosis. Yet the studio they founded would come to be ranked number 53 on the Fortune 500 list of the biggest companies in the United States in 2022. More impressive still, the company has achieved the ever elusive mystique of being a brand adored and respected around the world.

The Walt Disney Company (as it has been known since 1986) has expanded into all sorts of areas over the years, from theme parks to superhero movies to streaming documentaries, but the heart and soul of the endeavour is still, at the end of things, Walt Disney Animation Studios, which was put into...

Belle's father, Maurice, from Disney's Beauty and the Beast is reimagined as a hardcore raver in a creative video edit shared on Instagram. The video edits a scene from the original film in which Gaston pays Monsieur D'Arque to detain Maurice so that he won't object to his planned marriage to Belle. While the 1950s and '60s are often considered Disney's "Golden Era," 1991's Beauty and the Beast came during a time when the company was churning out some underrated movies, including The Fox and the Hound and The Great Mouse Detective.

A scene from Disney's Beauty and the Beast gets totally reimagined in a new video, putting Belle's father into the middle of a rave. Released in 1991, Beauty and the Beast remains one of Disney's most beloved and acclaimed animated movies. The story follows a prince cursed to live out the rest of his days as a hideous...

Fans of animation are bound to perk up while watching Pencils Vs Pixels. The new documentary is a celebration of all the intricacies involved in 2D hand-drawn animation. It also unwraps the Disney Renaissance that emerged in late 1980s and early 1990s, which gave birth to a major animation boom, which later fueled the computer animation revolution that exists and thrives today.

The documentary, directed by Phil Earnest and Bay Dariz, is narrated by Ming-Na Wen (Mulan). It features a stellar posse of legendary artists who brought what are now considered classic films to life. If you appreciate in-depth and illuminating documentaries, Pencils Vs Pixels is a great go-to as it guides audiences through the last few decades of animation and into the future possibilities of the medium that's yet to come. Phil Earnest and Bay Dariz shared more about the documentary in this exclusive MovieWeb interview.

Showcasing the Animators...

"Pencils Vs Pixels" is a new documentary that celebrates 2D hand-drawn animation and the journey from Disney Renaissance to computer animation revolution. The film features renowned animators and Hollywood names such as Seth MacFarlane, Pete Docter, John Musker, Glen Keane, and Sergio Pablos. "Pencils Vs Pixels" provides insights into the evolving methods of animation and explores the future of this art form.

From Strikeback Studios and Hideout Pictures comes the trailer for Pencils Vs Pixels, a new documentary that showcases the animators that bring your most favorite characters to life. The documentary is a celebration of 2D hand-drawn animation and the transformative journey from the Disney Renaissance to the computer animation revolution... and the inspiring future yet to come. Check out the newly released trailer for Pencils Vs Pixels below:

Alongside the trailer, you can also check out the official synopsis for Pencils Vs Pixels below, which details the scope...

The size and scope of the world of Disney provides a plethora of characters to choose from for the tabletop card game Disney Lorcana, and there are many good classics already covered in The First Chapter and the revealed characters for Rise of the Floodborn. Some iconic characters still need to have a chance to show their skills, however, and given the time of year that this second set arrives, it would be fun to see some seasonal options represented. Tapping into a few of the stories fitting for the holiday season when Rise of the Floodborn releases would provide more opportunities for marketing as well; although, given the evergreen nature of the game, it is probable that Ravensburger and Disney will stick with non-seasonal variants.

Disney Lorcana's second set reveals some characters that have already gained a lot of excitement among the online community, particularly the new Hunny Wizard version of Winnie the Pooh.

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Disney fans and physical media collectors, rejoice! This November will see the release of a gargantuan 100-film Blu-ray collection called the Disney Legacy Animated Film Collection. The catch? It’ll cost you $1,499.96.

The boxed set officially releases on Nov. 14, but preorders are currently available exclusively at Walmart’s website.

Disney Legacy Animated Film Collection $1,499.96 Buy Now

The collection is packaged as a three-volume set, featuring animated films from Disney, Walt Disney Animation and Pixar. But unlike other behemoth boxed sets, this one isn’t filled with lame direct-to video snoozers but beloved titles that includes classics and recent favorites. For example, the long-running list includes all the “Toy Story” movies, both of “The Incredibles,” “The Black Cauldron,” “Frankenweenie” and “Robin Hood.” It even includes films as recent as this...

The second set of cards coming to Disney Lorcana has officially been announced and will be titled Rise of the Floodborn, suggesting that many of the characters included will have the reimagined styling fitting for Floodborn cards. Floodborn glimmers are examples of where characters have been touched by a mixed-up and chaotic ink that gives them more powers and changes the traditional features of the characters from their original versions. This second set of cards will have more than 200 cards including stories of Zootopia, The Great Mouse Detective, Jungle Book, and more.

A Rise of the Floodborn reveal announcing what's coming Disney Lorcana's second set, as well as the new Disney100 Edition, was made early in the morning of September 12, 2023. The set is scheduled to make its official launch on December 1, with early releases to local game stores just prior to that. Many fan favorites will be joining the game,...

If you’re a Disney fan who wants each and every animated movie they’ve ever made in one place, then you’re in luck. The Walt Disney Company announced the Disney Legacy Animated Film Collection, which features 100 animated movies from Disney, Walt Disney Animation Studios, and Pixar on Blu-ray. Everything from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to Elemental is included, encompassing nearly one hundred years of storytelling.

Related Disney and Pixar’s Elemental comes to Disney+ on September 13th

The Disney Legacy Animated Film Collection is a self-standing, three-volume set that will be available for pre-order on September 19th, but only on Walmart.com. There will be a limited amount of sets available, so each will include a numbered certificate of authenticity. The set will also feature digital codes for each title, along with a collectible lithograph from Disney Animation’s all-new musical comedy Wish, and a collectible...