Diverging from the blatant revisionism of Disney’s recent live-action fairy tales, director Kenneth Branagh brings a pleasingly straightforward adaptation of the “Cinderella” fable to the screen. Though inspired by Charles Perrault’s classic telling, Branagh is clearly using Disney’s beloved 1950 animated version as a template, following that film’s model quite closely (right down to Ella’s […]
disney
Posted inMusic
ALBUM REVIEW: “Cinderella”
“Cinderella” Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Walt Disney Records music.disney.com After a particularly brutal winter, no score is better suited to usher in the spring than Patrick Doyle’s shimmering, beautiful work for Disney’s new live-action “Cinderella.” Re-teaming with director Kenneth Branagh for their 11th film together, Doyle’s score is brimming with classical orchestration and transforms into […]
Posted inMusic
Pixar scored
Only four composers have written scores for the 14 feature films produced by Pixar Animation Studios. Randy Newman, Michael Giacchino, Thomas Newman, and Patrick Doyle have each left their mark on a Pixar flick — and collectively won 10 Grammy Awards and three Academy Awards and earned another 10 Academy nominations for the films’ music. […]
Posted inMovies
Film Review: “Maleficent”
When it comes to all-time great movie entrances, you can’t do much better than the first appearance of the sorceress Maleficent in Walt Disney’s 1959 animated masterpiece, “Sleeping Beauty.” With a bolt of lightning, the witch appears, crashing a royal christening to deliver a promise of certain death to an infant, seemingly because the king […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Theater Review: RBTL presents Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast”
Disney’s animated adaptation of the French fairy tale “Beauty and the Beast” hit movie theaters in 1991. It is an important Disney property for several reasons. It was the first animated film to ever score a Best Picture nomination at the Academy Awards, and it was also the first Disney animated feature to be turned […]
Posted inMovies
Film Review: “Saving Mr. Banks”
It is often said that history is written by the victors, and that viewpoint goes a long way in explaining the slightly bitter taste left in my mouth by “Saving Mr. Banks,” John Lee Hancock’s (“The Blind Side”) otherwise charming retelling of the behind-the-scenes battle to make Disney’s “Mary Poppins.” It’s expected that liberties will […]
Posted inMovies
“Frozen”
Once upon a time in the kingdom of Arendelle, there lived two young princesses: Anna (voiced by Livvy Stubenrauch as a child, and Kristen Bell as an adult) and her older sister, Elsa (Eva Bella, and later, Idina Menzel, of “Wicked” fame). Elsa was born with the power to manipulate and create ice and snow, […]
Posted inMovies
“Escape From Tomorrow”
When it premiered at Sundance last January, “Escape From Tomorrow” quickly gained notoriety based in large part on the unusual way in which it was filmed. To capture his unique vision of the corporate culture’s dark underbelly, director Randy Moore shot his movie without permission in the Walt Disney World and Disneyland theme parks. In […]
Posted inMovies
“Zero Charisma”
Also released on On Demand last week, “Zero Charisma” is a dark, satirical send-up of nerd culture that deftly sidesteps stereotypes or passing judgment on its characters. From first-time directors Katie Graham and Andrew Matthews (who also wrote the screenplay), the film focuses on how geeky interests have become mainstream, and what it truly means […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Video Game Review: Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX
No rose-colored nostalgia glasses here: I never played the original “Kingdom Hearts.” Well, that’s not entirely true. At various points when the game first game out, I attempted it, but I don’t believe I ever made it off Destiny Island, the game’s opening world. I can vividly remember how excited I was for the game; […]
Posted inMovies
“Oz the Great and Powerful”
As the new movie “Oz the Great and Powerful” demonstrates, L. Frank Baum’s fantasies about the magical land of Oz remain a source of enchantment for filmmakers and audiences. Dramatic and cinematic adaptations of the stories date back to the early years of the 20th century and continue through the present day, with such works […]
