Mar 8Swiss Family Robinson: Movies that are Better Than the BookThe Walt Disney version of Swiss Family Robinson (1960) is a light-hearted adventure romp through a crazy island with a wild variety of animals. There is plenty of fun to be had as Disney stalwarts Tommy Kirk and Kevin Corcoran play their characters with relish and zeal. Janet Munro does…Movies4 min read
Oct 23, 2021Why Disney’s ‘Haunted Mansion’ Movie with Eddie Murphy is BadWhen Disney decided to leverage its parks intellectual property to make movies, the Haunted Mansion attraction was near the top of the list. It made sense for the resorts to make this move; after all, movies had been providing the parks with attractions since it was founded. Why not return…Haunted Mansion7 min read
Oct 18, 2021Emma Stone’s ‘Cruella’ Turns Villain to Fabulous Anti-HeroIf you haven’t seen Emma Stone’s “Cruella,” do yourself a favor and watch it now. It is a visually stunning, wonderfully told story that you shouldn’t have spoiled… Which means you may not want to read any further. Bookmark this page and come back when you’ve seen this fabulous film. Why I Waited to See ‘Cruella’ …Emma Stone Cruella3 min read
Feb 19, 2021The Hard Truth of Freelancing and the Gig EconomyAs a freelancer, I am often looking for work. Someone offered me a job that would have paid me $5 an hour. Of course, it was framed as something like: edit these 15 pages for $25. I asked my Facebook friends and family if I should take the job, and…Freelance4 min read
Dec 29, 2020Franchise Fatigue: Lazy Criticism Misses Story-Telling of Marvel and Star WarsThere is a certain subset of critics and pundits that like to bash the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, and Disney’s production of content related to them. These people tend to be “professional” film critics who write from the perspective of potential box office and the value of Disney stock…Star Wars3 min read
Nov 4, 2020Disney’s ‘Once Upon a Time’: Why Season 4 Failed“Once Upon a Time” on Disney+ does a good job of reimagining Disney characters and other stories. The complicated and surprising relationships are part of the fun. The writers have a truly difficult task of creating new back stories for beloved and iconic characters. These stories need to remain true…Once Upon A Time5 min read
Oct 5, 2020Disney’s ‘Once Upon a Time’: Family, Identity and Fairy TalesThemes and Observations from Season 1 — Spoiler Alert: If you haven’t seen Disney’s “Once Upon a Time” and plan to, I urge you to bookmark this page and come back after you watch the first season. It’s easy to binge watch as a television show that melds fantasy and reality into a coherent, if complicated, story. The Evil Queen’s Curse …Once Upon A Time6 min read
Aug 1, 2020The Starving Tom Cat Outside Our BuildingWhat Would You Do? — We have a starving tom cat outside of our building on this rainy day. His coat is still healthy, but we can see his hip bones and spine stick out of his fur while his sides near his back legs are sunken. He came running up to us as we…Kindness6 min read
Jun 25, 2020Why Disney Should Reimagineer Splash MountainWith Black Lives Matter and all the changes happening in the country, calls for changing Splash Mountain shouldn’t come as a surprise. While die-hard Disney fans will point out that Walt fought to get James Baskett an Oscar and that “Song of the South” was supposed to help preserve southern…Winnie The Pooh4 min read
Jun 22, 20203 Tips for Managing Creatives from Disney CEO Bob Iger’s ‘Ride of a Lifetime’Robert “Bob” Iger took over the Walt Disney Company in 2005 after Michael Eisner forced out of the company. During Iger’s tenure as CEO, the Walt Disney Company acquired Pixar, Lucasfilm, Marvel and 21st Century Fox. He resigned his role as CEO in Feb. 2020, but returned to the position…Bob Iger2 min read