Better Late Than Never Vol. 6

It's that time of the year when all the highly anticipated movies start to arrive and I try to watch a couple I missed during the summer.

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil is a Misleading Misfire

My what big horns you have.

While there have a been a few live-action Disney remakes that have been surprisingly good, I can't say the same for sequels of live-action Disney remakes. When was the last time 102 Dalmatians and Alice Through the Looking Glass were talked in a positive light? If you were expecting Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, to break that curse, you are sadly mistaken.

Cinema Spotlight VI - Jon Favreau (Part 9): "The Jungle Book"

This isn't the first time Disney's tried to do a live-action re-interpretation of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book. Back in 1994 Stephen Sommers did his take on the classic story of Mowgli in Disney's first live-action remake by making Mowgli a grown-man and the animals never talking. As a kid, it was a traumatic experience, re-watching years later its a film that would have fared better with a PG-13 rating instead of being advertised as fun for the whole family. If anything, it prepared Sommers to apply his action/adventure skills with The Mummy movies. As for Disney's animated version from 1967, its cute with a catchy soundtrack (who doesn't know The Bare Necessities), and plenty of memorable characters from Baloo, Bagherea, Kaa and Shere Khan.

Cinema Spotlight VI - Jon Favreau (Part 10): "The Lion King"

I re-watched the original Lion King the night before watching the live-action remake. (I know that technically it's not live-action since everything from the settings and characters are created with computer generated effects but for the sake of this review, I'm calling live-action). The Lion King was another childhood movie I grew up watching in Spanish. I'd seen the sequels, spin-offs, sing-alongs, and television shows in English but never the original until that night. The animation is gorgeous, the songs are unforgettable, and the characters are memorable. Is it any wonder why it rank's high as one of Disney's best?

Aladdin is a Fun Ride on this Magic Carpet Ride.

I grew up watching Aladdin in Spanish and didn’t see the original in English until years later. I knew who was Robin Williams courtesy of Flubber which served as my introduction to the late comedic genius along with Ferngully: The Last Rainforest. When a live-action Aladdin movie was announced I was intrigued and a little excited on thinking who could don the role of Williams' eponymous Genie. The one detail that was perplexing was the selection of Guy Ritchie as director; not exactly known for kid-friendly work and his last movie King Arthur: Legend of the Sword didn’t fare well to say the least. Does the movie succeed on being a diamond in the rough or a filthy street rat?  

Dumbo is Delightfully Dull

Upon re-watching Dumbo, Disney's fourth animated feature, a few things like the crows haven't aged well but how can you not love Dumbo who is just so cute. He never talks but still conveyed plenty of emotion and his friendship with Timothy Q. Mouse added to that. It's quite shocking how cruel the circus treats him from jeering at this ears, being separated from his mother, and suffer humiliation as a clown. It's also really short, clocking at an hour and ten minutes. Strangely, the idea was conceived as a short before deciding to be a full-length picture. A decision that saved the Disney company after the financial disappointments of Pinocchio and Fantasia despite their critical acclaim.