Let’s face it, there’s not a lot of cheer in the world right now. Your favourite places are closed and you’re likely cooped up in bed with very little to do. What if I told you there was a way to bring magic to your bedroom while skipping the “Salagadoola mechicka boola, Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo!”
Disney+ has been live for a few months now. In light of the world needing a little cheering up, I’ve decided to compile a list of my favourite things to watch on the streaming service. This is by no means a definitive list and I can’t even fit my favourite movies on this list, but hopefully this will get the ball rolling for you. Hakuna Matata!
Just as a disclaimer: I am not being sponsored to write this article, but I sure wish I was. I am merely a life-long Disney fan, a Mouseketeer if you will! So, Disney, if you’re reading this, I wouldn’t say no to anything from your brand new Disney castle collection! Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it’s off to the list we go!
For the theme parks fanatic:
The Imagineering Story, 2019 – 2020
“To all who come to this happy place, welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here, age relives fond memories of the past and here youth may savour the challenge and promise of the future.” These words were spoken by Walt Disney on July 17, 1955—the opening day of Disneyland in Anaheim, California. On that fateful summer day, the world was exposed to a new type of entertainment that blossomed into the theme park empire that it is today.
Behind the magic of all the Disney parks, resorts, properties and cruise ships, are a team of individuals who can be described as part engineer and part dreamer, or “imagineers” as Walt Disney aptly named them. Through six episodes, The Imagineering Story guides you through the creation of the Disney Parks, their evolution and future, while exploring themes of creativity, imagination and magic. The series features archival footage from as early as the 1950s when Walt Disney was running the company and more recent documentation of current Executive Chairman and previous CEO Bob Iger’s visions for the future direction of the Walt Disney Company. Get a behind the scenes look at some of your favourite attractions and parks with interesting anecdotes from those who helped create and facilitate the magic.
For the princess in all of us:
The Little Mermaid, 1989
“When it’s my turn, wouldn’t I love, love to explore that shore up above? Out of the sea, wish I could be, part of that world.”
Journey under the sea with this timeless Disney princess classic. It will have you dancing and singing as a hot crustacean band plays music. Ariel, daughter of King Triton, longs to live above the water with Prince Eric, a man she fell in love with when she saved him from a sinking ship. She makes a deal with the sea witch, Ursula, to trade her voice for feet, and has three days to get a true love kiss. We see true love blossom and bloom to the legendary Alan Menken’s beautifully composed music. Menken is also credited for composing music for Beauty and the Beast and Tangled, both of which are available on Disney+. This is a tale that will inspire you to imagine your own fairy book ending.
If you love the animated film as much as I do, make sure to check out the live action musical version featuring Auli’I Cravalho as Ariel, Queen Latifah as Ursula, Shaggy as Sebastian and John Stamos as Chef Louis!
For those looking for a new series:
The Mandalorian, 2019 – 2020
Of course, I have to talk about the adorable Baby Yoda whenever I make reference to Disney+. Set in between Star Wars: Return of the Jedi and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, we follow the bounty hunter known only as the Mandalorian. On one job, he is ordered to capture a person and through many twists and turns, the plot takes off and yes, Baby Yoda is in there somewhere, without giving too much away. Used to living in a life of solitude, the Mandalorian has to come to terms with being in charge of the child while trying to protect Baby Yoda from the galactic forces of evil. Not only is this story adding new lineage to the Star Wars catalogue, but it’s finding its own niche separating it from the stereotypical lightsaber battles. You don’t need to be invested in the lore to enjoy the show. The Mandalorian is great for both fans and newcomers alike.
For those wanting something a little more realistic:
National Treasure, 2004
I’ll simply describe the National Treasure as Disney’s answer to Indiana Jones, this time set in the United States and starring Nicholas Cage. You can make your own judgments on how good this is. I personally love these movies (yes, they made more than one and they are both on Disney+). Cage plays Ben Gates, a historian who is told of a family legend dating back to the 1820s involvings the Freemasons, the Knights Templar and of course, some treasure. What’s the catch you may ask? The treasure map is on the back of the Declaration of Independence, one of the most protected documents in the United States. Not only is this a fun movie to watch, but I’d say that this is one of Nick Cage’s better performances.
For the superhero in your life:
The Incredibles, 2003
Aha, you thought I was going to recommend a Marvel movie, didn’t you? Although I would definitely say to rewatch Captain America: Civil War, we’re going to kick it old-school with this Pixar classic. Join Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl in The Incredibles as they leave their superhero life to raise a family. Struggling to adapt to a normal life, Mr. Incredible gets a call back to action, but finds himself wrapped up in a ruse that requires the help of the entire family to save the day. The Incredibles is an homage to the Golden Age of Comics and proves that there is a hero inside all of us—all it takes is believing the good in people.
Honourable Mentions:
Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings, 2017 – 2020
I’m sure you’ve heard of people getting married at Disney’s theme parks, have you ever thought to watch the magic that ensues? Stephen “tWitch” Boss and his wife Allison, host Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings, a show that chronicles weddings that take place at Disney theme parks. The show gives viewers a behind the scenes look at what it’s like to get married at the “happiest place on Earth”. Each episode typically has two or three couples featured, each with their own unique twist on their special day. Some couples seek out extravagant proposals on Disney property, while others say “I do” in front of Cinderella’s castle after arriving in a beautiful white carriage. Some couples even make their vows in front of the Tree of Life at Disney’s Animal Kingdom park. You can always expect something magical to happen for these couples, from special celebrity guests, an exclusive firework show, to even a Stanley Cup appearance. If you’re a sucker for wedding shows or extravagant romance, Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings might be the next show you have to binge.
ONWARD, 2020
Although this film was released in theatres on March 6, Disney has already released the film on its namesake streaming platform to help bring some Disney cheer amidst the ongoing pandemic. In the film, Ian receives a birthday gift from his late father that allows him to bring back his dad for 24 hours using a magical wizard staff. Using the staff to perform a spell, only the bottom half of his dad comes back. Ian and his brother, Barley, embark on an adventure to bring back their father through a world once rife with magic before technology took it all away. This Disney/Pixar movie is fun and imaginative. It also references the importance of family, something that will hit close to home for many of us physical distancing. With an all-star cast of Tom Holland and Chris Pratt, this brand-new movie is a must watch!
For the Mouseketeer:
Steamboat Willie, 1928
The cartoon that started it all. Not only was this the first appearance of the now classic character, Mickey Mouse, but it also created a new standard for animation. Before Steamboat Willie, animation had never been synced with sound, but that all changed when Walt Disney released the short film about his animated talking mouse. Join Mickey, Minnie and Pete in this timeless classic that will be sure to put a smile on your face and have you whistling the tune popularized by the Walt Disney Animation Studios.
Andrew’s Top Pick:
Frozen 2, 2019
Look, I’m going to be honest with you. I was never onboard the Frozen hype train. That all changed in February 2019 when Disney released the teaser trailer for Frozen 2, promising a darker adventure, full of mystery—I was so intrigued, so I followed the movie until it’s release date. What I watched in theatres, and subsequently on Blu-Ray and Disney+, was a movie about the power of family. There were also immense feelings of joy, suspense and maybe a few tears here and there.
Frozen 2 picks up a few years after the events of the first film. The kingdom of Arendelle was prospering until one day when Elsa hears a voice calling to her seemingly out of nowhere. Suddenly, mysterious forces push everyone out of Arendelle. Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Sven and Olaf journey to an enchanted forest to find who is calling out to Elsa, encountering problems when they arrive.
“Andrew, why is this movie your top pick?” I’m glad you asked. For starters, I believe that the songs in this sequel are better than the first movie with some notable favourites: “Into the Unknown”, “Show Yourself”, and “Some Things Never Change”. Not only have the characters matured within the film, but we, the audience, have also matured since the first Frozen came out in 2013. It seems like the filmmakers were conscious of this and that’s why they were to make the movie feel a little more mature, while still keeping with the themes of a typical Disney movie. When Frozen 2 begins, the tone feels similar to the first film, but when they venture off to the forest, the whole movie dips into the unknown territory and proves itself as one of the best Disney sequels.
“Where the north wind meets the sea, there's a river full of memory, sleep, my darling, safe and sound for in this river all is found.”
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By: Joe Jodoin
Earlier last week, Napster-founder Sean Parker announced his plans to release a video streaming device that will allow people to watch newly released movies at home the same day that they are released in theatres.
The box itself would cost $150 to purchase and install, while each viewing of a movie would cost $50. This may seem expensive at first, but there are many scenarios where such an option would be significantly cheaper than a trip to the movies.
Famous and influential directors such as Steven Spielberg, J.J. Abrams, Peter Jackson and Martin Scorsese have come out in favor of the device, and actually serve as shareholders in the company. However, directors such as Christopher Nolan and James Cameron are very much against it, since it would negatively impact the ways movies are made and experienced.
Screening Room is so controversial amongst the industry because the pros and cons are pretty much equally balanced. One of the main benefits would be that it aims to capture an audience that doesn’t already go to the theatre, such as families. A family of four would usually need to spend more than $50 on tickets alone, while also needing to spend money on fuel and concessions. If my five roommates and I all split the money to watch a new movie together on a Friday night, it would turn out to be relatively cheap and easy compared to a trip to the theatre.
It would also serve to eliminate all the problems with going to the movies. You wouldn’t have to worry about waiting in lines, trying to find good seats, or even running late and missing part of the movie. You also wouldn’t have to deal with other audience members, who may be talking or texting on their phones. Bathroom breaks would also be possible, due to the ability to pause the movie, and you would have a 48-hour window to finish the movie in case there is an emergency (although you are only able to watch the movie once within this time period).
There are also reasons why Screening Room is feasible for theatre owners and the studios. Twenty of the $50 would go to the studio that made the movie, and when you rent a movie, you will receive two free tickets to a movie theatre. Since theatres make their money off concessions (and not the tickets), this provides encouragement for people who don’t normally go to the theatre. People should then feel more comfortable about buying snacks, since they got their tickets for free. It also provides people with a chance to see movies that aren’t playing in a theatre near them. I recently had to go to Mississauga to watch three movies, which I would have rather watched at home.
Let’s break it down. If I wanted to see a movie with my mom, we would spend $50 on a movie and get two free theater tickets. The two tickets would be worth $24 each, so we would really be spending only $26, which adds up to only $13 a person. This is only slightly more expensive than going to a theatre, yet I would have the comfort of watching the movie in my own home.
A lot of people hear the $50 price tag and immediately dismiss the service as too expensive, and the $150 cost for the box itself doesn’t help, but in the long run it could be worth it.
This device would also not be useful for people who are happy to wait for a much cheaper option to watch their movies, such as a digital download or on DVD. I’m someone who always needs to see movies as soon as possible in good quality, but people like me are a rare breed. Screening Room also plans on being the one and only video-on-demand box on the market, which will encounter problems since other companies offering VOD services have contracts with major studios. This issue would need to be resolved before the product hits the market.
Finally, Screening Room would not only change the way movies are seen, but the way they are made too. Filmmakers such as Cameron and Nolan are against this device, because they specifically design their works as movies that need to be experienced in the cinema. Whether this is because the movie is shot on film, or because of surround sound, or 3D, an artist should have the right to have people see their movies in the way they intend them to be seen. Studios also specifically make movies that people will want to see in theatres, because that’s how they make most of their profit. If audiences transition to mostly watching movies at home, things like bombastic action, special effects and sound won’t matter as much.
In an age where more and more people are investing their money into home theatre systems, Screening Room may seem like a path to the future. However, this is also an age of piracy, Netflix and Blu-ray, where people have many cheaper alternatives to accessing infinite amounts of media and entertainment. While Screening Room is attracting a lot of attention and controversy right now, if it ever does hit the market, I doubt it will be anything more than a niche product, aimed to attract families and movie obsessives. Don’t expect to see all the movie theatres getting torn down anytime soon.
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By: Sasha Dhesi
On Nov. 6, Netflix quietly released its newest original series to join the ranks of its predecessors: Aziz Ansari’s and Alan Yang’s Master of None. The show follows the life of a struggling 30-year-old actor living in New York City named Dev Shah, played by Ansari himself. The show explores a variety of topics, ranging from family and relationships to the appropriateness of Eric Cartman impressions on first dates. The show also stars other well-known comedians such as Noël Wells of Saturday Night Live fame and Eric Wareheim, one half of the eccentric comedy troupe, Tim and Eric.
The entire show is shot in the anamorphic format, making it feel like an indie film as opposed to comedy. Altogether, the show manages to be funny while keeping the viewer enthralled by its subtle character growth and beautiful imagery, a rare gem in television.
Ansari shines throughout the entire season: his portrayal of Dev comes naturally and it’s difficult to believe that he really isn’t a struggling actor stuck doing Go-Gurt commercials as opposed to the author/comedian/actor trifecta that he’s known for. This can be said for most of his co-stars: Wells exudes the ‘cool girl next door’ persona her character Rachel has, and Wareheim brings a certain quirky charm that flows nicely with the show. The only real sore point in terms of acting would be the casting of Dev’s parents, whose awkward presence on screen breaks the show’s sense of realism, but considering that the actors are Ansari’s actual parents, I’ll let it slide.
Master of None’s sense of humour is something that television has sorely missed since the days of Seinfeld. It’s dry focus on the minutiae of life and the callousness of the characters make the show much more relatable than most of the sitcoms out today. The plot itself, though, is undeniably choppy. Each episode is its own self-contained storyline, and things are solved without the audience seeing. The show jumps from problem to problem and lacks a cohesive feel throughout, even when binge watched while eating chips, as I did last weekend.
Master of None is wildly successful in creating a diverse cast without ever feeling forced. The cast accurately reflects New York City’s multicultural population and makes an almost pointed statement to other well-known sitcoms about a bunch of friends in New York City. This also allows for the show to explore new topics like the generational gap between immigrants and their westernized children, an episode bound to hit home for anyone whose parents have a similar backstory. The show also casually touches on the effects of racism, and even dedicates an episode to discuss Asian-Americans in the television industry and the rampant use of brownface that still occurs today. The show manages to make episodes with serious tones like these, but also has episodes on first dates and the etiquette of texting. These ten episodes tackle a broad range of topics.
Overall, Master of None is a well-done show that many people will relate to, and many more will find hilarious. The show’s cast of heavy-hitters makes it a delight to watch, and its mix of serious to light topics means it has something for everyone. So if you have about five hours to spare any time soon, I would recommend checking out Master of None.
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After raising more than $1,000,000 for the Prevent Cancer Foundation in 2014, Awesome Games Done Quick is back, and this time it’s bigger than ever.
For those not in the know, AGDQ is an annual event that kicked off Jan. 4, in which hundreds of gamers get together to fight cancer by playing video games. The only difference is that they play these games really fast.
Created by the people at Speed Demos Archive, AGDQ is a place where “speedrunners” show off their knowledge and technical mastery of some of your favourite video games, all while raising money for charity What started off with 20 people in AGDQ organizer Mike Uyama’s basement back in 2010 has quickly evolved into a 600 person event that has attracted the attention of more than 100,000 consistent viewers in the span of only five years.
Despite all of this, I’m sure to some reading this, the idea of “speedrunning” a video game might sound like a strange form of competition – let alone something that could be entertaining – but the times these gamers have achieved shows off what makes the event so great. Games that would normally be completed in several hours like the classic Megaman are expected to only take 25 minutes, while hugely successful puzzle-platformer, Portal, will be finished in 18 minutes or less. It’s rare to see a full-length game beaten faster than you can order a pizza, but that’s what makes AGDQ so exciting. It quickly becomes easy to find yourself engrossed in all the marathon has to offer, as the limits to which these times are pushed seems practically endless, bringing the “how did they do that?” factor at an all-time high.
With over 150 games across the span of the marathon, viewers are offered more than enough selection, as the event features a variety of genres and game types. As such, these runs are not just limited to old-school games from decades ago; even newer titles like Dark Souls II, a game known for its crushing difficulty, are already lined up to be completed at an astonishing rate during the marathon.
While there are clearly exciting games to choose from, such as the four person race of Goldeneye on the N64, or the two person 100 percent completion race of Super Metroid, to me the events finale is the one game you just can’t miss. Closing off the entire marathon is a 100 percent completion of the classic The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time that manages to collect everything in the game – something that would normally take 30-40 hours – in less than five hours.
All this will take place between Jan. 4 and 11, totalling a 160-hour stream length that you can tune into now on the video game streaming site Twitch via the “Games Done Quick” channel. While much of the marathon is exciting and sometimes bewildering to watch, what makes the event so incredible is that it is doing all of this for a good cause. Like many fans, I’m excited to see AGDQ top $1,000,000 once again, proving that even a small, passionate community of gamers can do some pretty incredible things.