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As denizens of Blockbuster Video will be able to attest, the mid-1990s to early 2000s saw a massive glut of animated straight-to-video sequels and prequels to many of Disney's known animated features. There were sequels to "The Fox and the Hound," "Bambi," "Cinderella," "The Little Mermaid," "The Lion King," "Lady and the Tramp," "Atlantis: The Lost Empire," "The Emperor's New Groove," "Mulan," "Pocahontas," "Tarzan," "The Jungle Book," and even "Brother Bear." The sequels all came when there was a change of leadership at Disney, and the studio tripled-down on the mandate to make as much money as possible. 

The only people who watched these movies were nostalgic Disney-obsessed adults who viewed them as a scientific curiosity, and sought to use them as talking points in long-form online articles. Very occasionally, the films were rented from Blockbuster by anyone who happened to be seven years old when the sequel in question was released.

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,...

One of Tim Burton's first professional gigs after his stint at the California Institute of Arts was working as an animator, storyboard artist, and graphic designer at Disney. Burton was born and raised in Burbank, California, which is where Disney's offices are located, so he more or less grew up in the company's shadow. He worked at the Mouse House for a few years in the early '80s, working on films like "The Fox and the Hound," "Tron," and "The Black Cauldron." It should be noted that this was a notoriously bad time for Disney, and the financial failure of the ultra-ambitious and very expensive "Cauldron" (it cost $44 million) led to an open conversation about Disney shutting down its animation department. 

Of course, while Disney was floundering financially, they were freer to experiment artistically. I maintain that Disney's most interesting movies came at a time when their kiddie-flick successes didn't define them.

With breakout hits like “Big City Greens,” “The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder” and “Phineas and Ferb,” Disney Television Animation has been setting the gold standard in kids’ animation for

40 years.

Dtva was formed on the heels of challenging outcomes with features “The Fox and the Hound” and “The Black Cauldron.” Initially, Dtva was restricted from using established Disney legacy characters, but nevertheless had huge successes with new shows like “The Wuzzles” and “Adventures of the Gummi Bears,” both of which became popular in syndication.

As time went on, Dtva was able to use its limited rights to create shows like “DuckTales” and “Tale Spin,” which featured Disney characters. Today, the slate has evolved to include shows that travel across Disney’s streaming, linear and digital platforms, including Disney+, Disney Channel, Disney Xd, Disney Junior and Disney Channel YouTube. Short-form programs like “Chibi Tiny Tales,” which re-creates a selection of...

The late '70s were a dark time for Disney. Following the death of Walt Disney, the studio went through much experimentation (not all of which was successful), and the departure of animator Don Bluth and several other animators led to a mini-crisis at the studio. Still, this was a very interesting time for Disney, which released many movies unlike anything they'd made before or since, from the sci-fi adventure "The Black Hole" to the criminally underrated "The Black Cauldron."

Loosely based on the first two books in Lloyd Alexander's "The Chronicles of Prydain" series, the film follows a bard and a princess who try to destroy a powerful and ancient magical cauldron before the wicked Horned King uses it to rule the world. This is by far the darkest animated movie Disney has made, one that starts with an explanation that the Black Cauldron's power comes from an...

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?...

When Henry Selick's animated fantasy "The Nightmare Before Christmas" was first released in October of 1993, it wasn't an overwhelming hit. Made for a budget of $20 million, the film only opened to about $191,000 in its first weekend. It would eventually crawl its way to a respectable but not mind-blowing $50 million overall. Disney, the film's distributor, clearly had little faith in the project and released it under its Touchstone label, feeling it was too weird for little kids. Only a small segment of passionate teenage Tim Burton fans latched onto it (Burton designed the film and wrote the poem on which the script is based), and it was the weirdos and Goths who bought it on VHS and committed the film to memory. For a few brief, sweet years, "Nightmare" was little more than a legitimate cult phenomenon.

Something happened by the late 1990s, however, as Disney slowly discovered that marketing...

There’s nothing like lying in bed after a long day of work, doing your best to turn off your churning, tired thoughts, and suddenly having a traumatic childhood memory shoot into your brain. Bonus, it’s not anything bad. It’s a glimpse of some shockingly dark kids’ movie you watched when you were nine, and it still haunts you at the worst times.

The only thing that sucks more is sitting down with a kid’s movie as an adult, hoping to chill with your microwaved nuggets and some comfortable nostalgia, only to get punched in the face by a bag of emotions you did not ask for. Sometimes the movie does it on purpose, like Neil Gaiman’s Coraline, which understands that kids are built differently when it comes to spooky stuff. But most of the time it’s a thwack out of nowhere, an assault from some charming,...

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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...

At 5’2, Mickey Rooney may have been small in stature, but he had a huge personality and was one of the biggest stars in the heyday of the Golden Era of Hollywood. He had one of the longest careers of any entertainer, with a body of work that spans nine decades in the industry, including vaudeville, films, television, radio and the stage.

Rooney was born Joe Yule, Jr. on September 23, 1920, in Brooklyn, New York. At 17 months old, he made his stage debut in his parent’s vaudeville act, and made his motion picture debut in 1926. In 1927, he starred in the first of several short films in the “Mickey Maguire” series, and adopted the stage name “Mickey Rooney.” He made 78 of these comedies, and also received great notices in films such as “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (1935). Then in 1937, he made the film that would establish his star status. “A Family Affair” was...

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...

The Walt Disney Company is celebrating its 100th anniversary with a hefty new Blu-ray box set containing 100 of its best animated films.

Officially titled the Disney Legacy Animated Film Collection, the box set comes with three volumes that open up to feature the original theatrical artwork for each film. Additionally, the package offers digital codes to all 100 movies, a certificate of authenticity, a lithograph from the upcoming feature Wish, and a collectible set of crystal Mickey Mouse ears engraved with “Disney 100.”

Drawing films from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar, and the now-closed DisneyToon Studios, the collection offers a pretty comprehensive timeline of the company, founded in 1923. The box set features early classics like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, and Peter Pan, 1990s renaissance films like Aladdin, The Lion King, and Toy Story, and more modern offerings — many of which got the direct-to-Disney+ treatment thanks to Covid — including Soul,...

Since the Writers Guild of American and Screen Actors Guild are both still on strike, this year's Destination D23 convention down in Orlando, Florida didn't really have much of anything to showcase. Sure, the studio showed some footage from Disney's upcoming animated movie "Wish," and they announced that "Haunted Mansion" would be hitting Disney+ in October. But there was one other announcement that might be intriguing for anyone who is both a Disney fan and a physical media collector.

This fall, the House of Mouse will be releasing the Disney Legacy Animated Film Collection, which collects 100 animated films from both Disney and Pixar, reaching as far back as "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and up through this summer's "Elemental" from Pixar. All of the movies come in a big three-volume set that unfolds in collectible storybooks. The Disney100 Blu-ray box set also includes the original theatrical poster art for every movie within the storybook,...

Disney just announced the release of the Disney Legacy Animated Film Collection, featuring 100 animated films from Disney, Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar. It’s packaged together as a three-volume set that unfolds into your own storybook.

The set is festooned with original poster designs and comes with digital codes for every movie, alongside a lithograph from Disney’s upcoming feature “Wish,” a certificate of authenticity and crystal Mickey Mouse ears engraved with the “Disney 100” logo. The limited-edition collection will be available on Nov. 14, with pre-orders beginning on Walmart.com on Sept. 18. It has a retail price of $1,500.

What’s fascinating about the set is that it includes a wide array of classic Walt Disney Animation Studios features, along with beloved Pixar favorites and a smattering of films (many of them direct-to-video sequels to earlier masterworks) created by the since-shuttered DisneyToon Studios. That includes “Tinker Bell,” “Return to Neverland,” “The...

You is a Netflix series created by Greg Berlanti and Sera Gamble starring Penn Badgley.

This fourth season of You is showing itself to be a completely scathing, sarcastic and lethal portrait of the (high) London society in this highly entertaining plot about a stalker… and it is highly seductive.

A very different series that has managed, with intelligence and a great sense of literary irony, to give a new twist to the topic and a new slant about the established. It knows how to turn around what, supposedly, has upended the social game.

A twisted literary, cinematographic and televisual game that becomes more and more addictive as it evolves.

Don’t miss it

About the Series

What we do tell you is: The series treads the fine line of intelligent and cultured provocation, and at the same time gives the audience what it wants. It has an attractive lead star,...

Fans of Joe Dante's 1984 Christmas horror comedy film "Gremlins" may know that screenwriter Chris Columbus initially wrote the script as a mere writing sample. The script was so elaborate — and so horrifying — that it wasn't meant to be even possible. The website CutPrintFilm published an oral history of "Gremlins" in 2016, and a lot of the film's behind-the-scenes details were revisited. The story goes that Columbus wrote a straight-up horror movie that had a lot more violence and had Gizmo — the adorable central mogwai — transformed into the murderous gremlin, Stripe.

A behind-the-scenes feature on the 2002 DVD special edition of "Gremlins" revealed that Steven Spielberg had somehow got his hands on the script, and had expressed interest in actually making it. Spielberg changed a few things about it, however, to make it less horror-forward. Notably, Gizmo was to stay cuddly and marketable throughout, and the character of Lynn Peltzer (Frances Lee McCain...

It is said that the typical gap of time for nostalgia to take root in the public consciousness is 20 years. Consider how the '70s were rife with rose-tinted fondness for the '50s, with the popularity of "Grease" and "Happy Days." Nostalgia for the 1980s hit hard in the early 2000s, although it never truly left if the success of shows like "Stranger Things" is anything to go by. We're now two whole decades on from the beginning of the new millennium. While we once again embrace emo rock and digital cameras, perhaps it's time to look back on the Disney film that ushered in a new era for the company, and may have killed it in the process.

In November of 2002, Walt Disney Feature Animation released "Treasure Planet." Based on the novel "Treasure Island" by Robert Louis Stevenson, the sci-fi adventure tale was the long-time passion project for...

From an early age, animator Don Bluth was a great admirer of Disney and has said in interviews that as a child, he would practice drawing by copying old Disney comic books. This childhood activity led to him being hired by Disney to work on their feature film version of "Sleeping Beauty" in the mid-1950s. After a stint doing missionary work and animating for various TV shows, Bluth returned to Disney in the mid-'70s to work on the company's version of "Robin Hood." Bluth worked on various animated features for Disney, eventually rising to the role of animation director for the 1977 film "Pete's Dragon." Over the course of working for Disney, however, Bluth became kind of disillusioned with the way the company owned all of their animators' work, and how animators were all trained to draw and animate the same way. Bluth left Disney in 1979 to form his own production company.

Director Don Bluth began his career working on several productions for Disney's animation department, notably as animation director on "The Rescuers" and on "Pete's Dragon," but also as a character animator on films like "Robin Hood" (1973) and "Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too." It was when he was working on the 1981 flick "The Fox and the Hound" that Bluth's career at Disney began to sour. Arguing with the Disney brass as to how to train new animators, and who should retain artistic control on a project, Bluth ended up quitting the studio...

The post How Disney Successfully Prevented Anastasia's Success appeared first on /Film.

The importance of friendships has been exacerbated over the past twelve months. Where our own walk along the train tracks or trip to The Prancing Pony has been replaced by a Zoom quiz, or shouting match with multiple windows full of people holding a wine glass. All struggling to find a new way to tell you what they’re having for dinner, ten months into the same conversation.

And so cinema has been there when we needed it most. A holding card for the real world, a place to find comfort while hanging out with the best friendships forged on film. Whether that’s chasing One-Eyed Willie’s treasure, or dancing to Cyndi Lauper’s ‘Time After Time’.

While we’re on the subject of ‘Time’, and the fact we’ve had plenty of it on our hands, it has afforded us the opportunity to make some new cinematic acquaintances,...

Great animators are also actors, comedians, and scientists. They study the way animals move, the flow of long grass, the grace of scudding clouds, the expressions humans make when they are frustrated, hungry, happy, or in love. And Glen Keane is one of its masters.

In the Disney 2D era he was known for drawing fierce creatures like the the terrifying Bear in “The Fox and the Hound,” Willie the Giant in “Mickey’s Christmas,” and Snidely Whiplash villain Rattigan in “The Great Mouse Detective” — and, the fiercely memorable Ariel in “The Little Mermaid.”

“I was supposed to do Ursula,” he said on the phone. “I loved animating power and strength and weight. I was watching Jodi Benson record with Howard Ashman coaching her, trying to get her to sing from a personal, intimate desire of wanting the impossible, to believe the impossible is possible. As I watched that, I felt,...

Great animators are also actors, comedians, and scientists. They study the way animals move, the flow of long grass, the grace of scudding clouds, the expressions humans make when they are frustrated, hungry, happy, or in love. And Glen Keane is one of its masters.

In the Disney 2D era he was known for drawing fierce creatures like the the terrifying Bear in “The Fox and the Hound,” Willie the Giant in “Mickey’s Christmas,” and Snidely Whiplash villain Rattigan in “The Great Mouse Detective” — and, the fiercely memorable Ariel in “The Little Mermaid.”

“I was supposed to do Ursula,” he said on the phone. “I loved animating power and strength and weight. I was watching Jodi Benson record with Howard Ashman coaching her, trying to get her to sing from a personal, intimate desire of wanting the impossible, to believe the impossible is possible. As I watched that, I felt,...

At 5’2, Mickey Rooney may have been small in stature, but he had a huge personality and was one of the biggest stars in the heyday of the Golden Era of Hollywood. He had one of the longest careers of any entertainer, with a body of work that spans nine decades in the industry, including vaudeville, films, television, radio and the stage.

Rooney was born Joe Yule, Jr. on September 23, 1920, in Brooklyn, New York, so his fans around the world are celebrating his 100th birthday! At 17 months old, he made his stage debut in his parent’s vaudeville act, and made his motion picture debut in 1926. In 1927, he starred in the first of several short films in the “Mickey Maguire” series, and adopted the stage name “Mickey Rooney.” He made 78 of these comedies, and also received great notices in films such as “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (1935). Then in 1937, he made the...

Over the Moon, an animated feature heads to Netflix in October, showcasing an aesthetically impressive, awe-inspiring tale of wonder and randomly-erupting musical sequences that’s out to prove that Disney+ isn’t the only place on which its genre flourishes.

The film focuses on the exploits of a young Asian-American girl, who—having been entranced by a myth about a goddess who accidentally floated away from her true love to be exiled on the moon—embarks on a cosmic endeavor of building a rocket for a lunar visit of her own. Despite the problematic practicalities of its plot mechanics, Over the Moon appears destined to become a family-aimed crowd-pleaser, and also serves as valuable representation for a demographic that’s infrequently set in a protagonist capacity in Western features.

On that note, do check out the trailers for Over the Moon just below!

Over the Moon Trailers

The final trailer...

It was only a matter of time until Disney ran out of classic animated movies to remake into live-action films, and we’ve been wondering how the studio would shift gears when they inevitably decide that a remake of The Fox and the Hound probably isn’t going to cut it. Now it seems like we may […]

The post Live-Action ‘Aladdin’ Spin-Off in Development at Disney+ to Center on Billy Magnussen’s Character appeared first on /Film.

After 11 years, Disney is pulling the plug on Disney Family Movies On Demand — with the service’s shutdown coming just days before the launch of the Mouse House’s Disney Plus.

Disney Family Movies, which cost between $5-$10 per month, has been available via pay-tv providers in the U.S., including Comcast Xfinity, Charter Communications, Verizon Fios, Cox Communications, Altice USA’s Optimum and AT&T’s U-verse.

As of Oct. 31, 2019, Disney Family Movies will no longer be available, according to a notice on Comcast’s site. Recent movies featured on the subscription VOD service included “The Princess Diaries,” “Enchanted” starring Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey, “National Treasure: Book of Secrets” with Nicolas Cage, and Tim Allen-starrer “The Santa Claus 3: The Escape Clause,” as well as “Pinocchio,” “Honey, I Blew Up the Kid,” “Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch,” “Encino Man” and “Oliver & Company.”

The end of...

Disney unveiled the complete list of films to premiere on its streaming service Disney Plus via a lengthy Twitter thread Monday. With its powerhouse catalog including Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars, and National Geographic properties, the full magnitude of the Disney empire will be seen once the streaming service launches. Along with Disney originals previously announced like “Star Wars” live action series “The Mandalorian” and “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series,” viewers in search of nostalgic watches can find dozens of titles from Disney, Disney channel, Disney direct-to-home video and Fox joining the streaming service come Nov. 12.

Feature films start off with the 1937 version of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” and continues with quintessential feature films such as “Fantasia,” “Dumbo” and “Cinderella.”

Fantasia (1940) pic.twitter.com/pHbtWWseNH

— Disney+ (@disneyplus) October 14, 2019

Check out some of the pre-Lindsay Lohan titles like “Parent Trap” and “Freaky Friday” starring Jodie Foster and Barbara Harris.

Disney has shared a new trailer for their upcoming Disney+ streaming service and it’s over 3-hours long! I don’t know if you want to spend over three hours seeing what Disney+ has to offer when it launches, but you have the option!

Disney+ also posted all of the films and TV shows coming to the streaming service on a super long Twitter thread, which I included below the trailer. As you’ll see there’s a ton of stuff that will be available that will make Disney fans happy. Gargoyles and several other classic 90s animated series are among them along with a lot of old weird films that have been pulled out of the Disney vault.

If you don’t want to watch the trailer or scroll through the Twitter feed, I shared the full list of titles for you. Check everything out below and let us...

Those who grew up watching The Fox and the Hound should get ready to sob all over again. According to our sources – the same ones who revealed an Aladdin sequel was in development, and that Ewan McGregor is returning as Obi-Wan – Disney is reportedly in the early stages of developing a live-action remake of the 1981 animated classic for a new generation of fans. Though nothing has been confirmed by the studio as of yet, the film is likely to land on the Disney Plus streaming platform, from what we’re told.

For those unfamiliar with the original, the heartfelt movie featured the story of two unlikely pals trying to preserve their friendship despite their budding animal instincts and the nagging pressure from society that urged them to be enemies. The original flick subtly taught children a useful lesson about prejudice and how society often determines behavior.

The voices of Mickey Rooney,...

You remember the opening. Of course you do. For a generation of kids who grew up watching the film in theaters or on DVD, it’s damn near iconic. The sun rises above the African savanna. The chant begins: “Naaaaa-nts ingonyama bagithi Baba.” Antelopes look up from their munching; meerkats spring to attention. From far and wide, animals fly and gallop and lumber and march, each of them drawn toward something. Everything becomes a blur until we swoop above the fray and — “the cirrrrrcle/of liiiiiife!” A majestic lion stands atop a ridge.

The project involves major Hollywood talent including writer James Felder and producer Walter A McDaniel.

Endeavor Content has picked up international rights to $20m Chinese animated feature Monkey King – A Hero’s Journey To The West, which involves major Hollywood talent including writer James Felder and producer Walter A McDaniel.

Felder, whose credits include animated series Ultimate Spider-Man and The Avengers, has scripted the feature, based on the Chinese classic Journey To The West, about the simian superhero and his sidekicks Pigsy, Sandy and the White Horse.

McDaniel, a comic book artist who has contributed to films including Deadpool and Batman,...

The Toyman Toy Show in St. Louis has been going strong for almost 30 years now and just keeps getting bigger and better! The fun now takes place nine times a year at The Machinists Hall 12365 St Charles Rock Road in Bridgeton, Mo 63044. There are over 120 vendors at the Toyman Toy Show spread out over 220 tables. all selling vintage toys, comics, dolls, diecast cars, movie memorabilia, and more as well as cosplayers and artists. It’s an unbelievable amount of fun for only $5!

The next Toyman Show is this Sunday, May 5th from 9:00am to 3:00p and actor Keith Coogan will be there. A Facebook invite can be found Here

Keith Coogan was born on January 13, 1970 in Palm Springs, California. The grandson of legendary character actor Jackie Coogan, Keith began his acting career doing TV commercials — his first gig was as a stand-in in a McDonald’s TV spot — as...

When you think of Kurt Russell films, there’s the litany of iconic roles that spring to mind. “Big Trouble in Little China,” “Escape from New York,” “The Thing,” and “Tombstone” feature what some might call Peak Russell. But even through his heyday of action films and dramas, he’d throw audiences a bit of a curveball and show up in a film where you’ll say, “Wait, Kurt Russell is in this?” Films like “The Fox and the Hound” and “Sky High” are a couple examples of this weird phenomenon.

Continue reading ‘The Christmas Chronicles’ Trailer: Kurt Russell Is Santa Claus In This Surprisingly Action-Filled Family Film at The Playlist.

Annecy, France — Legendary Chinese director Stephen Chow, the man behind 2004’s dark-horse hit “Kung Fu Hustle,” is in development on ‘The Monkey King’ with Pearl Studio, the Shanghai-based animation company announced Thursday at the Annecy Intl. Animation Film Festival.

The studio also unveiled that young actor Albert Tsai, Tensing Norgay Trainor, the grandson of Tensing Norgay, the first man to reach the summit of Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary, and Tsai Chin will be joining “Agents of Shield’s” Chloe Bennet in its upcoming feature “Abominable.”

The announcements came as Pearl detailed its upcoming slate of animated feature productions, backstory and ambitions, straight from the mouths of animation legends Jill Culton and Glen Keane.

“The Monkey King” is penned by animated-animal feature experts Ron Friedman and Steve Bencich, whose past credits include “Brother Bear” and “Chicken Little.” The film is an effort to bring to the world, a character described...

Dave Michener, a veteran Disney animator, story artist, and director from 1956 up until his retirement from The Walt Disney Studios in 1987, has died at 85. He passed away on February 15 at his home in Los Angeles from complications due to a virus, according to his wife.

Over the course of his 31-year career with Disney, Michener contributed his artistic talents to such Disney classics as Sleeping Beauty, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day, The Aristocats, Robin Hood, The Rescuers, The Fox and the Hound, and finally The Great Mouse Detective (for which he received a co-directing credit alongside John Musker and Ron Clements).

Michener was born in Los Angeles on November 5, 1932. His father was a famous architect who helped design many of the iconic buildings in the Miracle Mile district of the city. His uncle was the best-selling author James Michener.

Dave Michener, an animator and story artist who worked at Walt Disney Studios for more than 30 years, died on Feb. 15. He was 85. His wife Donna said he died at his Los Angeles home from complications due to a virus.

He co-directed “The Great Mouse Detective” alongside John Musker and Ron Clements.

Michener worked at Disney starting in 1956 until his retirement in 1987, contributing to classics like “Sleeping Beauty,” “One Hundred and One Dalmatians,” “Mary Poppins,” “The Jungle Book,” “Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day,” “The Aristocats,” “Robin Hood,” “The Rescuers” and “The Fox and the Hound.”

The animator started his career at Disney right out of college when he was hired by Walt Disney himself, who had seen one of his art exhibits at the Chouinard Art Institute. Michener went on to produce and direct character animation for the Epcot Center in Orlando, Fla. in the 1980s, followed by similar...

Disney has its fair share of detractors, but few of them would point to the animation studio’s craft when criticizing the occasional sameness of its fairy tales and princess stories. Video essayist Jorge Luengo Ruiz has put together a six-minute video highlighting some of the best shots from more than 40 animated Disney offerings, from “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” all the way to last year’s “Moana.” Both the video and a list of the featured movies are below. (via Film School Rejects)

Read More: ‘Inner Workings’: How Disney Innovated the Oscar-Contending Hybrid Short (Exclusive Video)

Read More: How Disney’s Animated ‘Zootopia’ Became the Galvanizing Movie of 2016

“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” (1937)

“Pinocchio” (1940)

“Fantasia” (1940)

“Dumbo” (1941)

“Bambi” (1942)

“Cinderella” (1950)

“Alice in Wonderland” (1951)

“Peter Pan” (1953)

“Lady and the Tramp” (1955)

“Sleeping Beauty” (1959)

“One Hundred and One Dalmatians” (1961)

“The Sword in the Stone” (1963)

“The Jungle Book” (1967)

“The Aristocats” (1970)

“Robin Hood...

In last weekend's most hilarious Golden Globes presentation, Kristen Wiig & Steve Carell equated Fantasia and Bambi with utterly traumatic childhood experiences. Which begs the question...

What cartoon sends you spiralling into depression? 

Jose: Dumbo! As a giant eared child, it brings back so many traumas. 

Eric:  Dumbo.  When caged Mama's trunk reaches for Dumbo's trunk: merciless!

Nick: The Legend of Bagger Vance.

Kim: Toy Story 3 was a pretty traumatic viewing experience for me; I came out of the theatre with my eyes almost swollen shut from crying. (The holding hands when they all thought they were going to die, you guys!) If I harken back to a movie that sent me off the edge as a kid, I'm going to go with The Secret of Nimh. I know it Ends happily, but that movie is Dark. 

Jorge:  Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle throws me into a deep pit of out-of-body melancholy.

Top 10 dogs on filmTop 10 dogs on filmAmanda Wood8/26/2016 10:00:00 Am

We humans have been sharing the silver screen with all manner of beasts for as long as movies have existed. But no animal quite manages to capture our hearts and our cameras as much as the good old-fashioned pet dog. Dogs have played major and minor characters in practically every genre, their loyalty and selflessness making them ideal sidekicks and heroes.

Today is National Dog Day, so here at Cineplex we're in full celebration mode. As you might have guessed, we're big on dogs here, so this is undoubtedly one of the most exciting days of the year for us. There are no shortage of amazing, adorable, and impressive dogs in movies, so we obviously had to mention some of our favourites to commemorate the day.

There are far too many movie dogs to include in this list, so...

Corey Feldman has a lot to be thankful for on his 45th birthday. The former child star, who turned 45 on Saturday, recently released a new double-album titled Angelic 2 the Core, which had been in the works for over a decade. "I feel very grateful and very lucky to be alive still, to have any kind of semblance of normal life," he tells the AP. "I am blessed to have a beautiful child, a beautiful home, a beautiful girlfriend and a beautiful career ... I don't take any of it for granted." This is the fifth album Feldman has released under his recording moniker,...

Corey Feldman has a lot to be thankful for on his 45th birthday. The former child star, who turned 45 on Saturday, recently released a new double-album titled Angelic 2 the Core, which had been in the works for over a decade. "I feel very grateful and very lucky to be alive still, to have any kind of semblance of normal life," he tells the AP. "I am blessed to have a beautiful child, a beautiful home, a beautiful girlfriend and a beautiful career ... I don't take any of it for granted." This is the fifth album Feldman has released under his recording moniker,...

Disney is one of the most recognizable symbols in the entire world. It doesn’t matter if you’re American, there is a Disneyland Paris, Disneyland Hong Kong, a Shanghai Disney resort, a Tokyo Disney resort, and a Hawaii Disney resort and spa in addition to the original Disneyland in Anaheim and the Disney World resort in Florida.

The magic that is Disney and all of its cartoons is a magic that transcends culture, entrances people, compels them to drive hundreds of miles in a vehicle that’s been through a life of love and hard-earned miles, and draws people back into reminiscing about their childhoods. Disney is basically synonymous with happiness. Those who grew up watching the classics learned a lot of valuable life lessons. Though there are many, here are just 6 things fans took away from the Disney classics:

The Circle of Life Moves Us All

Of all of the Disney classics,...

Disney is one of the most recognizable symbols in the entire world. It doesn’t matter if you’re American, there is a Disneyland Paris, Disneyland Hong Kong, a Shanghai Disney resort, a Tokyo Disney resort, and a Hawaii Disney resort and spa in addition to the original Disneyland in Anaheim and the Disney World resort in Florida.

The magic that is Disney and all of its cartoons is a magic that transcends culture, entrances people, compels them to drive hundreds of miles in a vehicle that’s been through a life of love and hard-earned miles, and draws people back into reminiscing about their childhoods. Disney is basically synonymous with happiness. Those who grew up watching the classics learned a lot of valuable life lessons. Though there are many, here are just 6 things fans took away from the Disney classics:

The Circle of Life Moves Us All

Of all of the Disney classics,...

Burger Fiction has released a video supercut featuring emotional scenes in movies that have made audiences cry. A video like this would make a great promo for Kleenex or any kind of tissue brand. This is a great list of film scenes and I’m sure many of you have shed some tears while watching some of them. Now relive those emotions all over again while watching this video. I've included a list of all the movies featured in the video under the embed:

Film List (in order of appearance):

The Iron Giant (1999)

Toy Story 3 (2010)

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

Armageddon (1998)

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

Up (2009)

Titanic (1997)

Cast Away (2000)

Marley and Me (2008)

Old Yeller (1957)

The Neverending Story (1984)

The Fox and The Hound (1981)

Bambi (1942)

The Lion King (1994)

The Champ (1979)

The Green Mile (1999)

My Girl (1991)

Monsters, Inc. (2001)

The Wrestler (2008)

Good Will Hunting (1997)

Schindler's List (1993)

About Schmidt (2002)

Interstellar (2014)

The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

Forrest Gump (1994)

Field of Dreams (1989)

The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (2003)...

Ever since the beginning of cinematic history, tears have greased the dramatic wheels of some of the most memorable moments to ever grace the screen. So why not put all of those moments together, into one, sadness fueled montage that'll make you cry as if you'd skinned your knee? Prepare yourself, for the saddest clip reel ever: Thanks to the good folks at Burger Fiction, this reel known as "This Supercut Will Make You Cry," does exactly that trick. All of your favorite, sorrow soaked moments are here. You want to see The Iron Giant's "Superman" moment? It opens the video. Feeling like watching the end of Marley and Me? Pony up the Kleenex, buckaroo! Is Disney your favorite purveyor of cry baby moments? There's both Disney And Pixar moments that make this list, including a trifecta from The Fox and the Hound, Bambi, and The Lion King. All...

Just because a movie is made to be appreciated by kids doesn't mean that it can't have a deeper, more subtle meaning too. That's one of the reasons that recent family movies like "Frozen," "Inside Out," and "Big Hero 6" appeal strongly to adult fans too. Many animated and live-action children's movies share the same surface-level themes, like the value of kindness, bravery, and believing in yourself. (Also that your Fairy Godmother is on her way -- maybe she's stuck in traffic.)

But if you dig a little deeper, some of those same movies also take a sly stance on social and political issues. A few have even been criticized for promoting a specific "agenda." Did you catch the subliminal messaging in these seven children's movies?

'Finding Nemo' (2003)

In Disney Pixar's underwater charmer, "Finding Nemo," the Great Barrier Reef is home to a colorful cast of aquatic characters.

The new year is upon us, and it’s time to clean up Netflix once again. Don’t fear too much though, as much as we hate to see some of our favorites leave Netflix, they do a pretty good job at adding some great new content. We lose Almost Famous, A Clockwork Orange, American Psycho, The Graduate, Planes, Trains and Automobiles and all the Rocky movies – and we get Intolerable Cruelty, Training Day, The Rundown and a new Netflix Original for Degrassi: The Next Class.

All Title Dates are Subject to Change

Netflix U.S. Release Dates Only

Available 1/1/16

2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)

Along Came Polly (2004)

American Girl: Grace Stirs up Success (2015)

Angry Birds Toons: Season 1

Bring It On: Fight to the Finish (2009)

Bring It On: In It to Win It (2007)

Catwoman (2004)

The Celebrity Plastic Surgeons of Beverly Hills: Season 1

Constantine (2005)

Forensic Files: Collection 2

Friday Night Tykes: Season 1-2

The Good Road...

Your holidays are probably already packed, but if you want to rewatch "Gladiator," the original "Conan the Barbarian," "Mission: Impossible," or any "Bourne," "Rocky," or "Rambo" films, get that action fix before New Year's Eve: These favorites are leaving Netflix streaming in January.

Holiday films "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" are also being yanked, as are several Disney classics, including "Dumbo" (1941), "The Aristocats (1970)," "The Fox and the Hound (1981)", "The Great Mouse Detective" (1986) and "Pocahontas" (1995).

Also say goodbye to classics "A Clockwork Orange: (1971)," "The Graduate" (1967), "Rosemary's Baby" (1968), "Serpico" (1973) and "Lawrence of Arabia" (1962).

What's Leaving Netflix in January 2016

Leaving Jan 1, 2016

"A Clockwork Orange" (1971)

"Almost Famous" (2000)

"American Psycho" (2000)

"American Psycho 2" (2002)

"The Bourne Identity" (2002)

"The Bourne Supremacy" (2004)

"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (2005)

"Coach Carter" (2005)

"Conan the Barbarian" (1982)

"Corpse Bride" (2005)

"Coyote Ugly" (2000)

"Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior": Season 1

"Four Brothers" (2005)

"Gladiator" (2000)

"The Graduate" (1967)

"Grandma's Boy" (2006)

"Harriet the Spy...

Two weeks ago, composer James Horner died after his private plane crashed in Southern California. He was 61, two decades younger than John Wiliams but with a resume not unlike the Maestro’s. A composer whose understated presence made his career more legend than legendary, Horner possessed an under-the-radar kind of genius that, short of two Oscar wins, seemed obvious only in hindsight. Braveheart, Glory, Titanic, Field of Dreams, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and The New World are all stunning examples of strong thematic composition, yet even Horner’s smaller ventures — in scores for Wolfen, Cocoon, or Battle Beyond the Stars — raised genre fare above B-movie status.

Horner could make the most out of the smallest things; he often had to, especially if that overnight deadline for Aliens is to be believed. He had deftness with nuance and complexity while always inviting the audience into those ideas, and...

Some of our most troublesome moments as children took place when one of our favorite characters died in Disney movies. Mufasa slipping to his untimely death? Tragic. But did you ever notice that Disney employs the "falling method" in more than one movie. No? Well, now you can't unsee how many times characters fall to their demises in these classic films. Typically, however, it's just the villains, which no one minds! The mashup created by Frank Ireland super-cuts all of the ways Disney managed to kill a villain without showing the gory aftermath or even the hero doling out the final blow. Films included are Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty, The Fox and the Hound, Beauty and the Beast and many, many...