Dynergy; or, Death of a Mouse?

Forgive a bad pun, but... The Walt Disney Company is one hell of a family. Note, The Walt Disney Company is. Not necessarily "Disney"... Is Disney dead? Well, that is certainly a loaded question if there ever was one. To even begin to unpack such a question, first of all... It all depends on what …

The Chris Sanders Trilogy

You know what's fascinating? Director Chris Sanders has never directed sequels to his own animated features. In his lengthy career, he has directed three all-animated features total: Lilo & Stitch for Walt Disney Animation Studios (then "Feature Animation"), and then How To Train Your Dragon and The Croods for DreamWorks. His latest feature is a …

‘Raya’, Director Changes, and Leadership

Recently, Walt Disney Animation Studios dropped some big details on their upcoming original adventure movie Raya and the Last Dragon. Image via Entertainment Weekly. Originally announced to the public during the 2019 D23 Expo, after years of reports circulating about it, Raya and the Last Dragon was to have been directed by Paul Briggs and Dean Wellins. …

Disney Canon Conundrum

A year ago, I took a look at my own view of Disney animated feature films and explained my particular views on what is known as the Disney animated features "canon". What is the "canon"? An official line-up of sorts determined by The Walt Disney Company themselves, a line-up that says what counts as a …

This Decade in Disney Animation: My Retrospective, Part 2

A recap... Instead of looking at the last ten years' worth of Walt Disney Animation Studios output, I decided to start off at where I thought their "revival" period began, and why it began in the first place. This entire decade is very much part of and a byproduct of the studio's resurgence as a …

This Decade in Disney Animation: My Retrospective, Part 1

This decade was a period of all-around success for Walt Disney Animation Studios. Much has been written about how the studio had entered a new revival, a Renaissance perhaps. I wouldn't say that the entirety of the 2010s encapsulates the revival of Walt Disney Animation Studios, for it was going on before this decade came …

THE BLACK CAULDRON’s Brief Re-issue

The history of The Walt Disney Company is filled to the brim with stories. There are plenty of well-known stories regarding their animated features, their live-action endeavors, the theme parks, the cartoon shorts, and several other works of media that they put out. Today, I'm going to talk about The Black Cauldron... Again... The Black Cauldron …

The Typography of Disney Animation Logos #10: Transitional Features

Now we work our way through the mid-1980s, and closer towards Disney's rebirth... Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Pinocchio Fantasia Dumbo and Bambi Saludos Amigos, The Three Caballeros, and Make Mine Music Fun & Fancy Free, Melody Time, and The Adventures of the Ichabod and Mr. Toad Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, and Peter …

Disney Snobbery

Sometimes, being the kind of Disney "fan" I am is full of contradictions... Cliche as it is to say, the work of The Walt Disney Company has millions and millions of fans, and not everybody is going to view that massive, gargantuan body of work the same way. That is obvious, isn't it? Even when …

Ralph Mirrors My Past

You know, I'll be brutally honest here... There are days where I question my love for Disney. Now don't be alarmed, I'll always love Walt Disney's work - from the majority of his animated features to his television show to his best live-action movies to Disneyland itself - and it'll always be a pivotal part …