Disney is no stranger to Broadway adaptation, although typically its one of their classics being adapted for the stage. So INTO THE WOODS, a Sondheim musical that puts a dark spin on classic fairy tales, is a bit of an outlier. On paper it seems like a natural pairing, but in practice it seems like something may have gotten a little lost in translation - and not just nine songs and forty minutes of run time. Join Vicky, Nolan and Jill as they try to articulate just how this movie falls short, br...
Jun 07, 2018•1 hr 1 min
A thought experiment for you, D-Lovers. Given the title of Disney's 1975 movie, ONE OF OUR DINOSAURS IS MISSING, what do you think the plot could be? If you're anything like Vicky, Nolan and Jill, you may have come up with some ideas based on past experience. Maybe a monitor lizard is pelted by gamma rays and gets bigger. Maybe some weird combination of rudimentary claymation and green screen is used to tell some wacky tale of a Dinosaur going to college, or even more likely, gambling. But nope,...
May 31, 2018•1 hr 5 min
No point in burying the lead - Disney's MR. MAGOO is a terrible movie. Just truly awful. We won't waste your time describing the countless ways this movie fails to be more than an exercise in torture - after all Vicky, Nolan and Jill spend an hour doing so in the podcast you're about to hear. But just know that this movie has a seven (7) on Rotten Tomatoes. A seven. And that's not one of those really low scores because there's only three or four reviews - twenty-nine professional critics contrib...
May 24, 2018•1 hr 1 min
Vicky, Nolan and Jill just can't get enough of that high seas adventure, so we're getting back on the boat and going back to where it all began with Disney's TREASURE ISLAND. Not only was this the movie that launched a thousand(ish) attempts to create pirate movies that all inevitably flopped, until a certain franchise based on a theme park ride over fifty years later; not only is it the first fully live action film Disney ever made; but most importantly its the movie that created many of the tr...
May 17, 2018•1 hr 3 min
There were some high hopes going into this week's episode of We Want The D. This Wonderful World of Disney original movie seems to have a lot going for it: It was one of Keira Knightly's earliest leading roles; it's a Robin Hood story, which have generally been well-received on this podcast; and it came highly recommended from a loyal and beloved listener. But it's all for naught, no matter how much Vicky, Nolan and Jill may have wished they liked this movie. It's too difficult to look past how ...
May 10, 2018•1 hr 1 min
This week on We Want The D we're heading back into the Disney Dark Ages with DRAGONSLAYER; a movie so outside the realm of Disney's brand they didn't even put their title card in front of it. This movie makes a lot of mistakes: trying to blend Disney's family friendly image with a dark fantasy movie replete with bloody virginal sacrifices; casting an actor who later defined his career by playing weirdos and oddballs as a heroic and romantic lead; being badly written. But for all those mistakes a...
May 03, 2018•1 hr 20 min
Welcome, D-Lovers, to the 150th episode of We Want The D! We've loved going on this strange, hilarious, sometimes disturbingly graphic journey with you, and we hope you've enjoyed accompanying us; whether you've been with us since episode one or if this is your first episode. We appreciate each and every one of you, so it's no wonder we turned to you, the listeners, to help us decide which Disney movie to watch for this milestone episode. We're excited to keep going from here, with more fun and ...
Apr 26, 2018•1 hr 47 min
Make no mistake, D-Lovers, there's plenty to talk about when it comes to HANNAH MONTANA: THE MOVIE, the theatrical film based on the Disney Channel property so massive, the House of Mouse convened a special conference of sixty old white dudes (probably) to discuss how to best market a teenage girl. The concept is silly, the themes are counter-productive, and the sitcom-y, slapstick humour doesn't quite translate to the big screen. But Vicky, Nolan and Jill really just use this episode as an excu...
Apr 19, 2018•1 hr 19 min
There's a question that lies at the centre of this week's episode of We Want The D that has our hosts divided. Can a movie that is so dumb in so many ways be saved by the fact that ducks walk funny and make funny noises? It's a question that could only be raised by 1970s Disney, and specifically in this case by MILLION DOLLAR DUCK. This may be the only time in We Want The D history where critics at the time of this movie's release were harsher on it than our hosts are - but we can't say we blame...
Apr 12, 2018•1 hr 5 min
Every so often Vicky, Nolan and Jill will encounter a Disney movie that raises an interesting philosophical question for them to really sick their teeth into. TUCK EVERLASTING, another in the "adaption of a beloved children's book none of us have read" series, could have raised interesting questions around what it means to live a "worthwhile" life or if living forever is truly living if you just mostly sit around a cabin with your immortal parents and immortal mopey older brother. And sure, we g...
Apr 05, 2018•1 hr 15 min
Vicky, Nolan and Jill tackle the Disney/Pixar March Madness bracket that's been making the rounds online. Find the bracket here to follow along, and share your own results with us on Twitter or Facebook !
Mar 31, 2018•42 min
It shouldn't really be a surprise that back in the 60s Disney had two multi-film franchises set on college campuses that featured an administration and authority-defying lead, but here we are. But while one franchise featured the boyish charms of cool kid Kurt Russell, THE MISADVENTURES OF MERLIN JONES takes a slightly different tact by having frequent We Want The D favourite Tommy Kirk take on the titular role of the "scrambled egghead." A character who is willing to accuse a judge of diamond t...
Mar 29, 2018•1 hr
Let's be honest, D-Lovers, Disney hasn't had the best track record when it comes to movies that tread the line between fictional film and nature documentary. As it turns out, however, all it really took to pull one such feature off was a director with a vision, an actor with the gumption to pretend to eat dozens of mice, and what must have been an inhuman tolerance for shooting outdoors in the arctic for more than two years. NEVER CRY WOLF is insane on paper, and maybe a little insane on screen,...
Mar 22, 2018•1 hr 19 min
We Want The D goes to the movies once again this week, as Vicky, Nolan and Jill have a spoiler-filled discussion on Disney's latest offering, A WRINKLE IN TIME. Stay tuned at the end (or skip to it if you plan on seeing the movie and don't want to be spoiled) for a bonus look at two recently released trailers for upcoming Disney films as well (starting at around 1:10:22).
Mar 15, 2018•1 hr 28 min
We admit it, D-Lovers, there's no good reason that our hosts are talking about another Western-themed Disney movie this week. But there's also no good reason for Disney to have made a sequel to The Apple Dumpling Gang, especially one that does not feature the titular gang, so at least we're in good company. Best Vicky, Nolan and Jill can figure, THE APPLE DUMPLING GANG RIDES AGAIN is just an excuse to get classic comedy duo Don Knotts and Tim Conway in a bunch of fun costumes and have them run a...
Mar 08, 2018•1 hr 1 min
Nostalgia. It's something that Disney peddles and trades in as part of their bread and butter. What other company can put their classic titles in a vault for years on end, then bring them out whenever they feel like it and make millions off them all over again? But nostalgia is a fickle thing, as one of our hosts learns this week when we watched TALL TALE. A movie with so much potential thanks to a pretty solid concept and a really solid cast (anchored by none other that Patrick Swayze) that non...
Mar 01, 2018•1 hr 19 min
Judgement Day. Empire Strike Back. The Dark Knight. The Godfather Part II. All of these movies have something in common: they are sequels that far surpass the original. But first on that list should be Disney's THE RESCUERS DOWN UNDER, which continues to follow the adventures of the glamourous Miss Bianca and the dependable Bernard as they travel around the globe, saving children from larger-than-life danger. Down Under just does everything better - the adventure is bigger, the sidekicks are fun...
Feb 22, 2018•1 hr 10 min
It's finally here, what may be the most hotly anticipated (or painfully dreaded, depending on your perspective) episode of We Want The D. We won't keep you long, because as you may suspect, the written word can't really do justice to this Disney Channel Original Movie. Just know that yes, this movie did necessitate ninety-plus minutes of discussion from Vicky, Nolan and Jill - putting our hosts dangerously close to releasing an episode longer than the actual movie they watched.
Feb 15, 2018•1 hr 33 min
We Want The D knows more than most that Disney has made some harebrained movies over the years. Heck, they pretty much have a whole period dedicated to movies with mundane supernatural elements that involve long gambling sequences. But perhaps no movie has challenged our hosts to wonder what is going through the heads of Disney executives more than The Country Bears. It's one thing to make a movie based on a theme park ride, but Country Bear Jamboree isn't really a ride, and they don't even both...
Feb 08, 2018•1 hr 6 min
We all know the story of Davy Crockett, D-Lovers. Frontiersman, soldier, hunter, state representative, Alamo rememberer. His real-life exploits have been fuel for story and legend for over a century. And in 1955, Disney took three episodes of television they made about him, did some light editing (including some grainy nature documentary footage they found literally on a cutting room floor) and released it in theatres as DAVY CROCKETT, KING OF THE WILD FRONTIER. This sparked a bit of Crockett-ma...
Feb 01, 2018•56 min
Making live action movie versions of classic television cartoons may be all the rage now, but in 1999, there weren't too many examples. Maybe that's why Disney's attempt at bringing INSPECTOR GADGET to life feels like a total miss. Sure, Matthew Broderick channels the bumbling detective well enough for the most part, but Dr. Claw was never this hammy and showed much much less face that Rupert Everett. And Penny was certainly never as sidelined as she is in this movie. And we may be wrong here, D...
Jan 25, 2018•1 hr 9 min
It's time for another classic We Want The D double-header, where Vicky, Nolan and Jill take a Disney original and it's later remake and pit them head-to-head. This time we're pitting FREAKY FRIDAY from 1976 against what we have dubbed STREAKY FRIDAY from 2003. It's a hell of a match-up in all categories. Jodie Foster vs. Lindsay Lohan. Barbara Harris vs. Jamie Lee Curtis. Gomez Addams vs. Leroy Gibbs. Soul Patch vs. Jewfro. There's some battles for the ages in these two wacky hijinks-based romps...
Jan 18, 2018•1 hr 24 min
As podcast listeners, we can assume that you, our beloved D-Sciples, are pretty technologically savvy. But imagine trying to explain to your grandparents what a podcast is, or how to listen to one. Can you imagine their confusion and disinterest? If you're having trouble, might we suggest a viewing of Disney's TRON? A movie made in the early days of home computing about the inner drama of programs, their enslavement by an all-powerful, chess playing Master Controller, and their steadfast belief ...
Jan 11, 2018•1 hr 3 min
It's been awhile since we checked in with one of our favourite Disney performers, so this week on We Want The D our hosts are reconnecting with our beloved Hayley Brando Mills as she goes on a fantastic adventure with famous French lech Maurice Chevalier, the smarmiest teenage boy you've ever seen, the most British Lord you can imagine, and a little boy who is also present. IN SEARCH OF THE CASTAWAYS is a ton of fun with pretty impressive action sequences, charming Sherman Brothers songs, and lo...
Jan 04, 2018•1 hr 17 min
For the third time in 2017 we're heading to France to visit some of Disney's most beloved characters. That's right, even in the direct-to-video sequel, the gang's all here. Belle! Lumiere! Cogsworth! Babette (for like two seconds)! Beast! A Jewish Axe! It's Christmas time at the cursed castle, so its time to dust off the estate's help that are trapped in storage AS WELL as in the form of an inanimate object and spread some holiday cheer. Because if anything will help your beastly master seduce t...
Dec 21, 2017•1 hr 3 min
The holiday season is upon us once again, but unfortunately for Vicky, Nolan and Jill the well of theatrical Disney Christmas movies has already run pretty dry. Desperate for anything even tangentially related to Christmas, our host have turned to C.S. Lewis, an author who really put the "Christ" back in "Christmas" with THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE. That's right, in their desperate search for a Lord of the Rings-esque high fantasy franchise of their own, Disney...
Dec 14, 2017•1 hr 20 min
It's remarkable to think that Disney has been making theatrical films for nigh on eighty years, and they still haven't cracked the formula - sometimes they put out bona fide classics, sometimes they put out real stinkers. So it's always a surprise when we go deep into the Disney Canon and pull out something from their early years, and it turns out better than our hosts expected. This week on We Want The D, Vicky, Nolan and Jill watch the second fully live action movie the House of Mouse ever pro...
Dec 07, 2017•1 hr 2 min
We'll try to keep this brief, D-Lovers - there's not much that can be said here that our hosts don't already say in this week's episode. Suffice to say, we highly recommend watching Disney's QUEEN OF KATWE before pushing play on this week's episode. Go ahead, it's on Netflix, we'll wait. We promise you won't regret it. Trust us, if Vicky, Nolan and Jill are anything to go off of, you'll want to spend the next sixty-plus minutes raving about what you just saw to anyone who will listen, and we've ...
Nov 30, 2017•1 hr 14 min
Help us out here, D-Lovers - some of you must have seen Disney's ESCAPE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN before and can explain how this movie spawned a few sequels and a remake starring The Rock. Because based on what is on paper (and film print), Vicky, Nolan and Jill can't quite figure this one out. Sure Tia's got great bangs, Tony can blow a mean mouth organ and Jason O'Day has a personality that lends itself to imagining a wild backstory (less depressing than his real one, at that). But all that AND a ran...
Nov 23, 2017•1 hr 1 min
On the surface, Disney's THE BIG GREEN is about as paint-by-numbers an underdog kids' sports movie can get. All the stereotypical plot points with none of the charm, this could have been another ingracious entry into We Want The D's dreaded bottom ten, but was saved by the oddly relevant portrayal of Small Town America on the decline. The setting of this week's movie is a Town that Voted Trump, a town where nine out of ten parents found themselves out of work when the local factory (of what?) cl...
Nov 16, 2017•1 hr
