The Foxy Film Fan

In yet another painful 2020 betrayal the Mulan remake tricked me into watching a Star Wars movie. The trailer promised fun highly stylized fight scenes and unfortunately that's all Disney's newest live-action remake has to offer.   Mulan is no longer a clumsy-yet-brave heroine who takes the place of her father in the military despite being unremarkable. Now she's essentially a Jedi who has been hiding the forbidden fighting abilities which flow through her veins since she was a child. Instead of watching Mulan grow into a warrior, the audience watches her grapple with whether or not she should reveal that she basically has superpowers. It's difficult to discuss Mulan  without at least making note of lead actress Liu Yifei's controversial political opinions. The actress voiced support for Hong Kong police, who were beating Chinese citizens as they peacefully protested to bring democracy to their country.  Bearing this in mind, it makes it difficult to take Yifei...

Disney's vault of animated films are widely renowned classics of a bygone era where children's movies were thought provoking and fun for the whole family. Live action remakes of these classics are shambling hollow shells of what they once were, and Disney's live action remake of Lady and the Tramp  is no different. The real-life dogs used in the film are instantly transformed into horrific monsters dwelling in the depths of the uncanny valley the moment they open their bizarre CGI mouths and begin to speak, and the cats who frame poor Lady for demolishing her family's home are a hideous pair. The original music is left unscathed, save for the controversial Siamese cat song from the 1955 animated version which is replaced with a terrible jazz song that fails to blend in alongside the rest of the film's musical number. In every way imaginable, Lady and the Tramp  (2019) lacks subtlety. From the way the pair of cats demolish every inch and corner of Lady's ...

"Zootopia" (2016) Disney has always been the reigning champion of animated movies. Ever since the release of Snow White  their films have captured the hearts and minds of children and adults alike. Recently, however, there had been a decline in the adoration toward their animated features; Big Hero 6 , Wreck-It Ralph , Brave , and Inside Out  have all been viewed as good releases without the sort of memorable adoration the likes of Toy Story  and Finding Nemo  achieved. Zootopia  came along to change that, utilizing the brilliance of tracing back to the history of the same animation style as classic Disney releases The Fox and the Hound  and Robin Hood  rather than opting for realism or attempting to copy the cartoonish appearance of films such as Madagascar . The return to Disney's old visual style combined with the beauty of modern animation makes for an absolutely stunning visual feast, filled with bright colors, unique and endearing characters...

The Jungle Book (2016) This article will delve into the ending of both Disney's animated Jungle Book  and the new live-action adaptation, so if you have not seen either of these films yet and would like to avoid spoilers I advise that you don't read this article. If you recall, the original Jungle Book  ended with protagonist Mowgli finally resolving his dilemma of searching for his true identity by joining the village of men. Initially he resists, longing to stay with his animal friends because he's convinced that this is where he belongs and loathes the idea of essentially growing up and finding his rightful place as a man. He's persuaded, however, when he sees a young girl who he longs to meet and speak with, someone who he can't be with if he's opts to continue playing and hiding in the woods rather than taking a leap of faith and finally embracing adulthood. The original Jungle Book 's ending is inspirational, it's a story to children about...

Moana (2016) With the usual string of terrible family films like Norm of the North , Trolls , another installment of the Ice Age franchise, and plenty of other quickly forgotten animated features, it's always a breath of fresh air when Disney released something new. Moana  is no exception. With fun and catchy musical numbers, an admirable protagonist, and even a few jokes at Disney's own expense ("If you wear a dress and have an animal sidekick, you are a princess."), it's difficult to not enjoy this charming family film. Admittedly, there are instances in the plot which reveal that this is not Disney at its most imaginative. Some elements in the story seem redundant and reminiscent of jokes and scenes from other Disney movies, but the film really makes up for these elements with its two charming protagonists, a sincerely comedic character, and its absolutely stunning animation. Even if you are not particularly interested in family films, if you have a pa...