Geek Culture & Nostalgia
First, a big congratulations to Melissa Dunphy for winning the coveted Best Costume of the Year Award that I just invented because this costume is so awesome. Also, I was secretly planning something like this last year but chickened out. I was going to make it out of a muscle suit.
I love the minor animation releases Disney puts out in between their huge ones like Beauty and the Beast and Snow White. They’re usually some of my favorite Disney movies. Robin Hood, The Aristocats, Three Caballeros, and now The Black Cauldron. To celebrate its 25th Anniversary, Disney has re-released it on DVD (no Blu-ray, sadly), and I got to see it again for the first time in years.
I know it represents a very low period in the history of Disney animation, but it’s a fantasy that’s a bit darker than the usual from Disney, and it has some great moments. It’s based on the “Chronicles of Prydain” book series from Lloyd Alexander and features the awesome John Hurt as the Horned King.
It looks like 2010 still has some tricks up its sleeve when it comes to Blu-ray releases. I’m eagerly awaiting How to Train Your Dragon, Scott Pilgrim, and now, Despicable Me. It’s being released on DVD and Blu-ray on December 14th, and it’s actually pretty packed with bonus features.
I don’t know how, but I completely missed out on The Pirates of Darkwater when I was a kid. It aired on Fox Kids in the prime of my cartoon-watching days, when I was about six years old. I thought Pirates were pretty cool, but still, I totally missed this one.
Luckily, thanks to WB and their Warner Archive, I now have the entire series on DVD.
Henry Selick. Henry Selick. Henry Selick. It sucks that he never gets the billing he deserves on his films. He’s always overshadowed by Tim Burton’s name, and a lot of people I’ve talked to think that Burton directed his movies. But that’s not important, I just needed to get that out there.
James and the Giant Peach is a fascinating biproduct of the success of The Nightmare Before Christmas. I’ve never found it as entertaining as Nightmare, but I am a huge fan of Selick and stop-motion animation in general, so I still enjoy it.
Disney is continuing their dedication to the Blu-ray format by releasing James and the Giant Peach, available as a Disney Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack.
