Dale Risher

A new girl at a high school tries to navigate the social clicks. I am not the target demographic for this film. I had avoided watching this film for years because I really did not want to watch high school girls being mean to each other for an hour and a half. The amount of second hand embarrassment and second hand anger that this film invokes is almost to the point of nauseating. I also understand that this movie is very close to truth in the teenage girl life and I've seen some of it. This film seems to glorify that behavior and has entered into popular culture in that light. Despite the "happy" ending, that isn't what most people remember about the movie. If you are curious about the memes and references or happen to be the target demographic then check it out.

A Disney+ original miniseries animated by Disney Animation Studios and Kugali Media. Written and directed by African creators. Set in a futuristic Lagos, Nigeria, the story follows Tola the daughter of a wealthy businessman and her robot lizard bodyguard. While I appreciate the inclusion of native dialects, the Pidgin English and Yoruba phrases gave me the gist of the conversation, but left me feeling left out of it. The animation is well done and the world that is presented feels lived in and unique. Having only six episodes to work with, the characters felt underdeveloped and any character arcs didn't feel earned. I also felt that the set up with the robot lizard bodyguard would lead to more action than we got. Kudos to Disney for allowing the voices of African creators to be heard, please keep doing so! However, I'm not sure I was the target demographic here and maybe you might find more enjoyment out of this series than I did.

Mickey Mouse, voiced by Chris Diamontopoulos, is back in brand new shorts. The animation style is a unique Spongebob, Ren and Stimpy blend that can take a bit to get use to. I really do not like the new Goofy design. However, each episode had be smiling from beginning to end and a few added some laughs to go with the smiles. The multitude of Disney references were fun and the high-jinx the Mickey and the gang get into are really entertaining. If you need a smile check out these new shorts. They are must sees in my opinion.

A yokel alien and his trusty stead travel the galaxy spreading joy. I really enjoyed this series. Wonder is a fun character that follows the Looney Tunes trickster archetype with a positive twist. Wonder's relationship with his stead, Sylvia, is the heart of the series. The action on the screen can get a bit over the top and might be a bit much for some viewers. The main villain is comedic, which works well within the narrative, but a more serious villain does show up during the second season. Some of the gags in the series are great and I keep coming back to them for another laugh. A highly recommend series, go check it out!

First, I need to address the ghost in the room. It is a little weird that a middle aged male ghost is best friends with a middle school aged girl. With that being said, the relationship between the two is the heart of the series. There is great representation for a mixed Euro-Thai family, the Jewish community and the LGBTQ+ community. Most episodes contain two eleven minute shorts and each short contains a song. These song range in genre from episode to episode, some are hits, while most are misses. The theme song is a banger though. Some writing conveniences, a second season romance that didn't feel earned and some inconsistent character development keep this show from being truly great. I do think this series is worth your time.

While you can not deny the historical importance of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, (It is the first full length color animated motion picture and was the highest grossing film of all time until Gone with the Wind came along two years later) it really doesn’t hold up to modern audiences. The outdated depiction of a woman’s role in society is most prominent. The songs are great and mostly timeless, however, with the exception of two (“Wishing Well” and “Someday My Prince will Come”) they add nothing meaningful to the story as the music should in a musical. Plus the two mentioned are redundant, as they both show Snow White’s desire for her prince. I love the Dwarfs! Grumpy is the only character with a story arc in the movie. Snow White’s voice is annoying to me, Walt Disney even stated that he wished he could have re-recorded the voice actress but ran out of money. If you are curious, check it out

A Disney Plus sequel to the Descendants trilogy features Red, the daughter of the Queen of Hearts, as she attends Auradon Prep and meets the daughter of Cinderella and Prince Charming, Chloe. The two then inadvertently time travel back in time with the goal to change the Queen of Hearts surly demeanor. The only returning characters here are the Fairy Godmother, played by Melanie Paxson and Uma, played by China Anne McClain. The rest of the previous film cast is only shown in flashbacks. There was a nice moment in tribute to Cameron Boyce who played Carlos and sadly passed before this film. The higher budget did allow for better sets and “Life is Sweeter” is a bop. Most of this film is weighed down by setting up for future movies instead of focusing on this story. When the main problem was solved I was in disbelief because it seemed too easy. Props to Jeremy Swift who plays Merlin the closest to the actual Disney version than any other character to date in this franchise. Disney lore also seems to be rewritten a little bit here and that undermines what the original movies set out to accomplish. If you are a superfan of the series, then check it out.

In this Disney Channel original threequel, evil springs forth from the good side of the bridge, while on the bad side some more kids come to help the good guys. This story was inevitable with the set up from the previous Descendants movies. However, this film felt very cliche in the telling of that story and could have benefited from a few rewrites. The songs were forgettable, the choreography was hit or miss and the editing and direction caused the movie to drag in several places. The writing wasn’t subpar from the second movie. In several places during the film I felt the actors improvising lines to keep the film moving forward. The special effects had a bigger budget in this film, as did the set design. Both showed improvement from the previous film. This movie is not something I would recommend unless you are a die hard fan of the franchise.

In this Disney Channel original sequel, Mel is having difficulties adjusting to life as a good guy and returns to the Island of the Lost. Her boyfriend Ben and her friends go after her but have to deal with Uma, the daughter of Urzula, Harry the son of Captain Hook and Gil, the son of Gaston. The problems the previous movie had were dealt with here. We do not deal with the parents of the kids at all, so the tone has a more even feel. “Chillin’ Like a Villain” is a bagger of a song and the choreography for “You and Me” with the water was very creative. We also get a little more Dianne Doan as Lonnie. However, this is still a Disney Channel movie and as such you have to lower a few expectations. Set design, while creative, had noticeable budget constraints and some acting was wooden or inconsistent. There were also quite a few plot conveniences. On the whole, I would recommend a single viewing.

This Disney Channel movie is a mashup of Disney IP content. Belle and Beast have united the many kingdoms across Disney lore into the United States of Auradon. To do so they also banished the villains to the Isle of the Lost. Many years later the villains send their children to Auradon to steal the Fairy Godmother’s magic wand. This film suffers from a mixed tone. The scenes with the villains contained over the top acting, especially from Kristin Chenoweth who played Maleficent. The scenes with the kids seemed to target an older demographic of middle to high school students. The love story gets bogged down with love spells and misunderstandings that take away from the chemistry the young actors share on screen. There are some good performances from the cast including: Dove Cameron as Mal, Cameron Boyce as Carlos and Kathy Najimy as the Evil Queen. I also enjoyed Dianne Doan and Lonnie and wished she had a bigger role. The sets are also well constructed, only to be let down by poor CGI backdrops. I’d recommend a viewing if you are a Disney fan or want to watch the series of movies.