disney – Adam's Blog

Ranking The Films From Walt Disney Animation Studios

November 28, 2025 AdamLeave a comment

There is not a company that has a bigger impact on the entertainment industry or possibly even on the entire human population than Disney. This is a company that has been providing family friendly content for generations now and in recent memory, mostly due to buying other studios and companies, are also now providing content for teenagers to young adults as well. However, one form of entertainment that it has been providing ever since that medium itself was invented, is animation. People tend to have very specific terms they referred to as what each era of Disney animation consists off.

There is the Golden Age where it all began from Disney, the Wartime Era which basically speaks for itself, the Silver Age which was the post-war phase but ended with the brutal passing of Walt Disney himself, the Bronze Age where Disney was as their absolute lowest point, the Renaissance Age which Disney was as their absolute highest point, the Post-Renaissance Era where it was mostly riding the wave of the previous one, and lastly, there’s the age which plenty of people debate whether or not we are currently living in it or it ended years ago, the era referred to by many as the “Revival” era.

The “revival” era mostly consists of the era which saw the tail end of classic 2D Disney animation pictures and it’s full transition into strictly 3D animation pictures. Most would argue that this took place at the start of the late 2000s and carried over to the early 2010s. While not quite the best era of Disney animation in my humble opinion, I think there is an argument to be make that this is the most reliably consistent era of Disney. This era has the kind of films that mostly consistence of solid B/B+ animated movies with an A/A+ animated classic movie thrown in there for good measure. Or at least it was…..until recent memory.

Due to the inconsistency of quality and multiple box office disasters, there has been serious consideration that we are no longer in the “revival” era and are not in a brand new and darker era entirely. While many people will debate when we first began to set foot in what I will call the so-called “post-revival era” or maybe just the “slop era”, I would say this started around 2018 but didn’t become so noticeable to majority of the general public until like 2023. Until someone out there creates a new name for this entirely divisive era of Disney and just global tension in general, that what I will refer to this era has.

Because of that, I want to rank some Disney movies here. Particularly I want to rank the films that has been part of the filmography of Disney since they translated to being known as the Walt Disney Animation Studios, starting with 2007 with the release of Meet The Robinsons and ending with their most recent feature, Zootopia 2.

Let’s not waste anymore time and get straight to ranking!

18.) Wish

There hasn’t been any Disney movie in the modern era that had as much pressure to prove itself as Wish did. Not only having to answer for all the past sins of the company’s mistakes in recent years but it also had to act as a perfect culmination of the past 100 years of all things related to Disney. Unfortunately, no matter what what you look at it, Wish is an absolute misfire that serves as one of the most dull and lifeless animated movies that Disney has ever made!

There has not been a Disney movie in this era that feels as mad libs as they come, constantly following similar plot beats and structure with nothing new added to it or a fresh and distinct vision of it’s own. It feels like if you ask ChatGPT to make a Disney princess movie to celebrate the release of the company’s 100th anniversary and this is exactly what you would get. The “wish” concept is not explored well in the slightest, side characters and tropes are only here just because that’s a stable with every other Disney movie, Asha is every 2010s “adorkable” Disney Princess rolled into one with nothing unique to her, Magnifico is probably the most underwhelming Disney villain ever, the songs range from forgettable to an absolute pain in the ear and it never 100% committees to it’s new animation style that is as inconsistent and half-baked as it comes.

The ingredients are there for Wish to be an instant Disney classic, acting as a perfect bridge between classic Disney 2D and modern Disney 3D motion pictures for a new generation. Unfortunately, the end results are disastrous. Wish doesn’t feel so much like a movie made to celebrate 100 years of Disney but more like a movie that was made just so there’s a Disney movie for it’s 100th anniversary. The fact I could barely remember a single thing about the movie just minutes after the credits roll really says a lot about how underwhelming and disappointing Wish was.

17.) Ralph Breaks The Internet

There were many folks that were claiming for a follow-up to the original Wreck-It Ralph as there were tons of potential for future sequels for it. Too bad no one involved with this sequel even bother to even fully utilized even a tiny bit of that potential. Ralph Breaks The Internet feels like a sequel which the creative team behind it either didn’t watch the first movie or didn’t understand the moral of it (which is baffling considering this was made by the SAME creative team as the first one).

Instead of expanding upon the video game world of Ralph and company, that gets tossed aside in favor of a generic, by-the-numbers story about surfing the web along with adding in all the most painfully cliche and outdated internet tropes imaginable. Ralph and Vanellope’s arcs are back to square one, 99% of the wonderful supporting cast of the original get sideline, nearly half the plot is non-existent and consists of filler, it’s themes, while not necessarily bad on their own, have no place in this universe, and the ending practically breaks the established lore and entire point of Wreck-It Ralph. There’s admittedly a handful of callbacks, references, and easter eggs I did get a chuckle at, particularly Sonic’s cameo and the Disney princess scene, and the animation is reliably great, but if that’s all your movie has to offer, then that will only get you so far.

Ralph Breaks The Internet doesn’t so much feel like a Wreck-It Ralph sequel but something similar to The Emoji Movie and Space Jam 2 (albeit it not nearly as bad as either one of those), a movie that seems to only exist for a company to pat themselves on the back to show off how much stuff they own to everybody and just to advertise it’s own products. That might work well for a PowerPoint presentation of a commercial but not so much for a feature-length movie. While there might still be potential for future adventures with Ralph and friends, you will definitely not get that with Ralph Breaks The Internet.

16.) Strange World

Here’s the 2022 Disney feature that flew under the radar for a lot of people and was one of the worst financial bombs in the company’s history. Even pushing all of that aside and some of the most obvious controversy surrounding it (A.K.A. the one not-straight main character in the movie), it’s easy to see why it didn’t seem to resonate with those that actually saw it.

Strange World is about the most aggressively mediocre modern Disney film ever made. It has characters tropes and plot beats you’ve seen done a million times before and done a million times better in other films, environmental messages that are quite preachy and will make you roll your eyes, and the ending is something that you could see coming from a mile away, which is a problem when the movie itself treats it like a big surprise. At least the world themselves are nice to look it and it is refreshing to see an openly gay character in a Disney movie that isn’t treated as a big deal or anything different to that of a straight character.

While I still stand by my piece I wrote in December 2022 about how it’s a shame that Disney basically left Strange World to die in theaters due to the overall lack of marketing of it, I just wish the overall movie was better and worth defending from all it’s dumb controversy. It’s every family friendly adventure you’ve seen before with not much new added to it and there’s nothing here that will make you want to watch it again anytime soon.

15.) Moana 2

The original Moana was an instant modern Disney classic when it came out back in 2016. After gaining such a cultural phenomenon as the years have gone by and receiving yearly stellar ratings on Disney Plus, an expansion of this beloved character seemed inevitable. What originally started out as a Disney Plus series, the follow-up to Moana and Maui would be reworked into a feature length film. And…….that is quite obvious when watching the end results for Moana 2.

This feels like a throw-back to those direct-to-VHS sequels that Disney would chun out following the success of their originals that play more like unmade Disney tv shows than actual theatrically released motion pictures. You have a “plot of the week” that occurs every 20 minutes, secondary characters that might’ve been interesting if they were given their season-length arcs like they were suppose to, and songs that play like water down versions of the original’s soundtrack (Losing Lin Manuel Miranda for Mafusa certainly didn’t help!). Thanks goodness the animation is still stunning, there’s some cute characters and gags (Moana’s sister is so adorable!), and Auliʻi Cravalho is as good as ever as Moana! And also, that mid-credit scene that was clearly meant to be a tease for the potential future!

There’s nothing inherently awful or offensive in Moana 2 but even that really goes to show just how much Disney has continued to lower the bar with their quality as each new release comes around. With a year that has seen so many great animated movies, we should all except much better for our adventures with our favorite Disney princesses. Is it watchable and even enjoyable at times? Sure! Does it come close to being as good as the original or a successful follow-up? Nope! I sure can’t wait for that Disney Plus documentary about how much of a mess this movie was from behind the scene!

14.) Frozen II

After the original Frozen took the world by storm, a sequel was inevitable. Even when Disney isn’t usually keen on making sequels that didn’t go straight-to-DVD, they just had to make a Part II to what is probably their most financially successful film to date. Just a shame that the people involved couldn’t come up with a more concrete, artistic reason to keep the Frozen brand going. There are certainly areas of improvement here such as the animation, character banter, song placement (Into The Unknown>>Let It Go), and even Olaf himself is quite funny here. However, in terms of script and structure, it’s quite inferior.

It feels the need to answer questions from the original that no one was really demanding answers to (Does anyone actually care about how Elsa got her ice powers?!) and in so doing so creates plot holes of it’s own (How is it that Anna is able to remember about what happened to her parents, her sister’s powers, and the forest when her memory got wiped when she was a little girl?!). It also doesn’t seem to know what to do with Kristoff (despite his solo song behind a standout) other than having him propose to Anna over and over and over again. All of which accumulates to a rather inconsequential third act that doesn’t feel genuine (Even with a dying snowman!) because it’s never clear what the actual stakes are throughout the movie (I honestly had no idea Arendelle was in any real danger until it was pointed out in the last 20 minutes) or even the overall point to it.

Frozen II feels like a sequel that is trying to do too much with too little and at times, feels like it’s being made up as it went along (which the people behind it outright unironically admitted in the behind-the-scene features). There’s still some enjoyment to be had for those that just want to spend more time with the characters and enjoy some good toons, but this sequel walks a fine line between ambition and aimlessness. It’s not that the heart isn’t there, it’s just frozen this time out.

13.) Raya and The Last Dragon

Raya and the Last Dragon is a film that gets so close to being up there with one of Disney’s absolute best! An action-packed spectacle with plenty of world building, colorful characters, and a moral surrounding learning to trust others in a time of crisis. However, despite the best intentions, it never quite gets there and feels like it needed an extra script rewrite or two. Raya‘s biggest strength also happens to be it’s biggest weakness, it’s just too ambitious for it’s own good.

The movie has a ton of characters and worlds they introduce that don’t feel as fully form as they should be because it has to make room for every single one of them, which leaves the whole thing feeling quite unfocused. The overall moral of trust, while well-intended, doesn’t really work because the film never provides a reason as to why the main character herself is wrong for not trusting others. Also, you are lying to yourself if the climax didn’t make you think of Guardians of the Galaxy. Even so, this movie still does provide plenty of entertainment on a surface level with gorgeous animation, enjoyable set pieces, good humor, and introducing the most action-packed Disney princess since Mulan.

Raya and the Last Dragon has a foundation that has potential to be expanded upon with future content such as a sequel, a Disney Plus series, and perhaps even an appearance in a future Kingdom Hearts game. While Raya doesn’t ultimately live up to its ambition, I wouldn’t be against seeing this heroine and her friends returning in the future.

12.) Big Hero 6

I could honestly copy and paste almost the exact same points from Raya and the Last Dragon and apply it to here as well. Big Hero 6, the first fully animated film from Disney based off a Marvel comic, is a movie that on paper sounds really great but the execution of it is just okay. Although, unlike Raya, there has been future content such as a tv show, streaming series, and a Kingdom Hearts III appearance that help expand upon the ideas and worlds even further.

The central relationship between Hiro and Baymax is great stuff and give the film the overall beating heart it needed. The action is well done and once the Big Hero 6 finally come together, it’s awesome and makes for a really fun superhero team. That being said, the journey to getting there can be a bit rough. The other members of the Big Hero 6 are very thinly written and aren’t that interesting on their own merits, none of the voice actors as those members stand out, it takes too long for the team to come together, and the twist reveal with the villain is one you can guess the moment that character first appears on screen.

Even with it’s flaws, Big Hero 6 has plenty of redeemable qualities to make up for it and has a very unique world of it’s own that thankfully got expanded upon further in future Disney content. It also has easily the best Stan Lee cameo of all time hands down! A middle-of-the-road Disney flick but still a solid one overall.

11.) Bolt

Here’s a movie that the majority of the human population and even Disney themselves kinda seem to forgot it exists. And whenever it’s mentioned, people tend to either give it a big shrug or flat out slam it. Quite frankly, I really don’t see why. I’m not gonna act like Bolt is a masterpiece or anything but for what it is, it’s perfectly solid.

Seeing the main character of Bolt having to learn to adapt to the “real” world after finding out the world he thought he was living it was just a big network television show is engaging, the action set pieces are thrilling, the animation was solid for the time, and I find the relationship between Penny and Bolt to be quite engaging, with even some heartfelt moments. Sure, the story is nothing you haven’t seen before and I probably could’ve done with a better voice actor for Bolt (No offense to John Travolta but…….he’s just not a voice actor), but I still dug this one.

Maybe it’s because of my nostalgia goggles and the fact that the animation community seems to want to take a dump on this movie whenever they can but like, I just find Bolt to be a cute doggy movie and that’s that. If you hate this movie, then good for you! But for me, I just like it! Nothing more, nothing less!

10.) The Princess and the Frog

Here seems to be the one Disney princess movie that doesn’t get discussed as much as the others and when it does, most seem to agree it’s pretty good but not their absolute favorite overall. A solid B/B+ entry for a company that is normally expected to crank out A/A+ bangers! That is more or less, how I feel about The Princess and the Frog.

There’s plenty to like about this movie. It’s very charming with it’s own energetic tone to it, they actually manage to make the relationship between the princess and the frog believable, the songs are nice, Tiana herself makes for a welcome addition to the cast of Disney princesses, and it does feel bittersweet to have this be one the very last Disney movies to be strictly 2D and consists of more traditional hand-drawn animation. However, it couldn’t escape criticism for it’s depiction of Louisiana voodoo and historical negationism of the Southern United States during the Jim Crow laws. I could care less about that but if you are serious about any of those, then you might dislike this movie.

The Princess and the Frog is not a Disney movie I go back to a ton but whenever I do, I have a fairly good time with it. It aims to be a solid B/B+ Disney princess movie and it’s able to meet those merits exactly as you would expect. And yes, it is definitely refreshing for Disney to finally have a black woman as one of their princesses. If only they would treat her with more respect and give Tiana her own show or sequel already!

9.) Meet The Robinsons

It’s easy to see why this movie can be considered underrated. This film came out during a time where Disney was in a really big slump, lagging behind their main competition in the animation department, and going through certain transactions and going on a shopping sphere to acquire other studios in order to appeal to more demographics. All of that and more is why no one gave Meet The Robinsons a chance when it came out in 2007. However, now that 18+ years have passed, I think it’s safe to call this an underrated gem that deserves to be looked upon more fondly.

The plot itself is rather paper thin and the time travel logic in this film contains more holes than swish cheese (even for a typical time travel movie). However, the film’s overall beating heart between it’s two main characters in Lewis and Wilbur with their personal journies along with it’s overall message of letting go your mistakes of the past in order to learn from them for you future is masterfully done here. This is also easily one of the funniest Disney movies of the 2000s and contains one of their most underrated and HILARIOUS villains in Bowler Hat Guy (Seriously, he is a laugh RIOT in every single scene he is in!).

Meet The Robinson is definitely a film that is easy to overlook with talking about main canon Disney movies due to it coming out at the wrong place and the wrong time. Since we are now in a different time and place now and the fact that this was basically the first film to come under the name Walt Disney Animation Studios, I think it might be time for everyone else to give this film the fair shot it deserves.

8.) Winnie The Pooh

Perhaps the most overlooked Disney movie in the revival era and (to date) the final movie in the Disney canon to be fully 2D and hand-drawn animated. While this might have to do with the fact that the movie underperformed vastly at the box office at the time it came out in 2011, Winnie the Pooh should not be glossed as it’s actually a really enjoyable and charming movie.

The whole Winnie the Pooh cast is exactly how I remember them as a kid and shows just how timeless of characters they actually are. In an age where franchises are always trying so hard to “modernize” their properties, it’s nice how this movie (along with 2015’s The P.E.A.N.U.T.S. Movie) decides to keep the characters the way they’ve always been and not feel the need to change them to try to fit in the more “modern” times. Sometimes it’s okay to leave things well enough alone. The voices matched the characters perfectly, especially Jim Cummings as Pooh and Tiger along with Tom Kenny as Rabbit, it has an incredibly sweet vibe to it, and has that nostalgic feel that even those who didn’t grow up with Winnie the Pooh will be able to get out of it.

While it’s a very brief and short movie (it’s only 63 minutes long!), this is definitely worth a watch if you have Disney Plus, a great fondness of Winnie the Pooh, or if that live-action Christopher Robin movie left you feeling a bit cold.. If this is truly the last 2D Disney movie we ever seen, at least it went how on a quiet but sweet note. Although, Disney should SERIOUSLY consider doing more traditional 2D style animated movies in the future! I sure PLENTY of folks would appreciate that.

7.) Frozen

The one Disney movie that no one or their mother could escape the impact of. If you ever met someone that claimed they have never heard of this movie or listened to Let It Go at least one time in their lives, they would be lying to you. Even if you can take out the massive impact this movie has had on pop culture (Although, I wouldn’t blame you if you can’t.), there is still much to like and enjoy about the original Frozen.

The central conflict and relationship between Elsa and Anna is really well done and makes for a rather engaging sisterhood bond ship, the songs themselves are catchy and memorable, the voice work is stellar, the twist villain, while quite obvious, does teach a nice lesson to young girls to never blindly trust your prince because they can easily stab you in the back, and the way the film resolves it’s climax with true love between the two sisters is quite refreshing for a Disney movie. It still does suffer from some structure and pacing issues along with a rather half-baked, rushed backstory with Elsa and Anna (Did these two just not talk to each other for the last two decades or so?). It also seems to forget it’s supposed to be a musical towards the last third of the movie (the final song that plays before the credit rolls is the troll song).

Frozen is a movie that is admittedly hard to judge on it’s own and take away it’s insane impact it has had on the entertainment industry and pop culture as a whole. Just like James Cameron’s Avatar, it was a movie that was a tremendous success that everyone eventually got sick and tired of hearing about to the point that everyone just started calling it overrated. However, as we settle in 2024, and look back on the original Frozen 11 years later, it has aged quite nicely and doesn’t deserve to have it’s reputation frozen out due to it’s overexposure.

6.) Zootopia 2

When Disney recently announced their release slate of nonstop sequels, there was only one which I thought made perfect sense for a follow-up, that being Zootopia 2. Not only because how much money the first one made but the world of Zootopia just left PLENTY of room for expansion of future stories. Thankfully, Jared Bush was able to answer the call with a sequel nearly a decade in the waiting that is most certainly a worth follow-up to the original.

Nick and Judy still remaining a very likable duel and still remain INCREDIBLY shippable, the new character and expanded cast are able to blend greatly with the world of Zootopia, the animation and animal puns are still off the charts, and it’s overall message of unity and not judging others from what they look like or came from is one I think the whole world needs right now. Even if I would argue that the first film felt like it had more on it’s mind in terms of it’s social/political commentary, the characters and gags still work like gangbusters that it’s able to more than make up for it. Also, this is literally the first time in FOREVER where a Disney movie actually makes a twist villain work.

While I can’t say that Zootopia 2 is quite as good or fresh as the original, it is most certainly just as fun on the entertainment scale. As much as we complain about Disney’s overreliance on animated sequels, I feel like if the majority of them were as good as Zootopia 2 is, I don’t think we would be complaining about them as much. It just goes to show you that quality matters. If this film is a sneak preview for what’s to come with Disney Animation under the umbrella of Jared Bush, then I think this might be the start of a brand new golden era for Mickey Mouse and friends.

5.) Moana

On the surface, Moana does come across as a “Disney Greatest Hits” kind of a movie with the film hitting the majority of the same beats that most traditional Disney movies do. You got the traditional lead Disney princess, the traditional side character voiced by a well-known celebrity, the traditional animal comic relief, the traditional moral about growing up and finding your place, and of course, the traditional songs. However, there’s just something about Moana that helps it stand out greater than simply just that.

Maybe it has to do with the pitch perfect casting of Auli’i Cravalho as the title character, the engaging conflict Moana goes through, The Rock stealing the show every time he gets as Maui, the inspired songs, and having some of the most beautiful animation I’ve seen in any film. But what I think this movie excels as is having the perfect balance of everything. It has the right amount of characters, right amount of plot, right amount of action, right amount of drama, right amount of laughs, and the right amount of songs. It’s able to find the right balance of everything that one tends to expect in a Disney animated feature film but does it in a way that is almost as if we are seeing these things done for the first time however. Could have done with more of the pig and less the chicken though.

While Moana is far from the most groundbreaking Disney film, I still find it to be one of the more enjoyable and satisfying ones of the revival era. There’s a reason this film has had such recognition since it came out back in 2016. It’s just that good! And please, put Moana in a future Kingdom Hearts game.

4.) Encanto

This is probably the one that has grows on me the most the more I watch it and the more time has gone by. This was the 60th animated feature ever made by Disney and it resulted in the absolute triumph that was Encanto. While this is certainly not the most stake-heavy film on here, this is the one that is arguably the most personal, human, and relatable Disney film in this era.

It’s a movie about embracing your family regardless of their flaws and how deep down inside, everyone is different and special in their own unique way. You don’t have to be defined about what is set in stone for you but can be defined on who you chose to be. Throw in a very likable and charming main character in Mirabel, breathtaking animation, a wonderfully utilized setting, great supporting characters, and songs that only get better for me as time goes by (We Don’t Talk About Bruno FTW!) and you got an absolutely wonderful film.

Encanto is one of the most human and relatable Disney films to date which it’s cultural representation is able to perfectly match it’s quality. I can see this potentially being higher on the list in the future, but for now, it’s a solid #4. It’s sad how despite this not technically being the 100th anniversary film for Disney, it still feels much more worthy of it than Wish.

3.) Zootopia

If you want to see an example of a Disney movie being very mature and adult with it’s subject matter and contains social/political commentary that doesn’t come across as forced or preachy, Zootopia is basically what you get. In so doing so, it makes for a rather excellent film and one of the main top 3 of this current Disney canon.

The world building is brilliant, being able to smartly craft a unique world full of andromorphic animals with obvious changes to the real world that makes sense and fit well in it’s own established universe. The main characters of Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde are immensely likeable and the two play off of each other perfectly. It’s genuinely funny with plenty of fresh and unique humor that doesn’t consist of mindless slapstick comedy. The set pieces themselves are fun, inventive, and incredibly beautifully animated. The biggest accomplishment of all is the way the film’s commentates on modern and timely issues such as diversity, racism, sexism and other forms of prejudice but it never gets bogged down on it and actually does interesting things with it. It doesn’t just come across a simple rant on prejudice but more tries to highlight how that remains a problem and how exactly can be fixed. It actually gives answers and solutions to the things it’s talking about which helps the journey that the characters themselves go through. To be honest, if it wasn’t for the obvious twist villain and the underwhelming resolution to that specific arc, this might be even higher on the list.

Zootopia is one fun, smart, and beautifully made animated movie that shows that you can make a movie with timely and important themes without it bringing down the entire picture. Working as both an entertaining film for kids and a thought-provoking film for adults, this is genuinely terrific. Don’t screw up the sequel!

2.) Wreck-It Ralph

Video game movies tend to be very hit or miss. Whether it’s for straying too far from the source material or even sticking too closely to it, these are the kind of movies that never seems to live up to their full potential. While they have certainly gotten better over the years, I think most agree that the best video games movies are the ones that aren’t just adaption of video games but ones that are ABOUT video games. If you want to see a perfect example of that, look no further than Wreck-It Ralph.

This is a movie that is able to fully utilize it’s premise in every way possible. It has a fully realized world, charming leads, a tremendous supporting cast who all stand out, great humor, wonderful themes and morals, and has video game references that don’t feel obnoxious or pandering. This is also one of the very few times where the whole “the two main characters break up at the end of the second act but get back together during the climax in the third act” actually works because how genuine and heartbreaking it is since you really want the two to stay together. Let’s also not overlook the great vocal performances by John C. Reilly as Ralph, Jane Lynch as Sergeant Calhoun, and even Sarah Silverman (who I normally don’t like) as Vanellope. Sure, the main bad guy is nothing to write home about and I do wish I could have gotten a cameo of Mario but nothing could take away how awesome this movie is.

Wreck-It Ralph is just one of those movies that knows exactly what it wants to be and executes it in the best way it possible can. It shows that movies surrounding video games can work if you are able to come up with a strong central story and have engaging characters to help carry it the whole way through. If for some reason you still haven’t checked it out, I highly recommend you do. Just perhaps skip the sequel.

1.) Tangled

No offense to any other movie on this list but if I had to pick one movie that feels like it truly belongs in the Renaissance Era of Disney and up there with the likes of The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Mulan, and any other top-tier Disney animation feature, that would be this one. Not only is Tangled the very best movie of the revival era but it’s one of the best Disney movies ever made period!

Rapunzel is probably the best Disney princess of all time! She has the perfect amount of likability, relatability, charm, and pure feminine energy out of any Disney princess to date. (It also helps I have a thing for blondes and even brunettes.) Flynn Rider makes for one of the best side characters in Disney history and being a perfect counterpart to Rapunzel herself. I love seeing the chemistry between the two blossom and the overall journey they go through together. You also got amazing animation, a really well thought out and heartfelt story, some refreshing spins on the traditional Disney fairytales, superb character development, great voice work from Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi, hilarious animal sidekicks, and songs that are both memorable and extremely catchy. Even some of the minor things I can nitpick at (such as the somewhat obvious villain reveal) can’t bring it down because even then, there’s enough interesting things done with those so it’s hard to complain. Nearly everything about Tangled works and makes for a perfect Disney classic!

Even with how good some of the other movies in the revival era has been, none of them compare to Tangled. It works as a movie for kids, a movie for adults, a movie for the whole family, and even as a movie for anyone of any age. It functions greatly as a drama, a comedy, a musical, an animated movie, and just a a feature length film itself. No matter what way you put it, Tangled simply works in every way. It stands proudly as one of the absolute great works ever to come from Disney and is hands down the best movie of the revival era thus far.

Will Jared Bush Save Disney?

November 24, 2025November 24, 2025 AdamLeave a comment

Disney’s next feature film, Zootopia 2, is expected to hit theaters this upcoming week! And if early box office projections are anything to go by, this film is about to become the MASSIVE hit that both Disney and movie theaters desperately need for the Thanksgiving weekend and for the remainder of 2025! In China alone, the hype to the sequel of Disney Animation’s 2016 billion dollar grosser is UNMATCHED, the kind of hype that Hollywood hasn’t seen from them with one of their own movies since before the Covid-19 pandemic happened. It is currently tracking to make at least $200+ million in it’s opening weekend in China ALONE. Combined that with the $150+ million domestically and perhaps another $150+ million in other international areas, Zootopia 2 could make up over half a billion dollars in it’s opening weekend alone, which would make it the best opening weekend for an animated film of all time! If that is true, Disney will most certainly be able to end what has been quite an uneven year for them on the highest note possible with Zootopia 2 and Avatar: The Way of Water later next month, making up for their financial losses this year with films such as Snow White (2025), Thunderbolts*, Elio, and Tron: Ares. Right before we see Zootopia 2 come out in theaters, I want to turn our attention to the main behind the camera for Disney’s highly anticipated animated sequel, that man being Jared Bush.

For those who don’t know, Jared Bush has been a highly respected animator and artist who has worked for the Walt Disney Company since 2014. Since he’s been there, he has been responsible for some of the most beloved Disney films released for over the past decade. He wrote and co-directed the original Zootopia, he wrote the screenplay for the original Moana and it’s sequel, Moana 2, and wrote and directed Encanto. Even those that have been very critically of Disney for the past decade would admit that at least three of the four films I’ve mentioned are among Disney’s very best films in recent memory, some of which that stands proudly among Disney’s all-time best work in animation!

However, he now has a bit more power this time around with the company! Last year, it was confirmed that he was promoted to being the chief creative officer for Walt Disney Animation Studios after the previous CCO Jennifer Lee stepped down in order to put her focus on upcoming Frozen sequels, one of which is currently due for a release date in November 2027. This was a move clearly done to course corrected after the absolute mess that Disney has become since the brief era with former CEO Bob Chapek began.

Outside of the instant modern classic Encanto (which again was written and directed by Jared Bush himself) and the record-breaking smash hit that was Frozen II (which was co-written and co-directed by Jennifer Lee herself), the last five years have not been too kind to Mickey Mouse and friends whatsoever. That’s not to say the likes of Raya and the Last Dragon, Strange World, and even Wish don’t have their fans but those films were either completely forgotten about entirely from the general public by the time they came out or straight up IMPLODED at the box office in laughable fashion, resulting in over hundreds of million dollars lost for the higher ups at Disney! Because of that, they needed to make major chances with their main animation division and that starts with putting the man who has been largely responsible for the company’s most successful work in animated form that did not come for Pixar since 2014, that man again being Jared Bush!

And his tender has gotten off to a pretty good start, at least if box office numbers are anything to go by. While garnering mixed reviews at the time of release, Moana 2 ended up being a smash hit when it came out last November, grossing over a billion dollars in 2024, become the third highest grossing film that year and Disney Animation’s first billion dollar hit since Frozen II. Originally envisioned as a miniseries for Disney Plus, the follow-up to 2016’s Moana was reworked into being a feature length film, as a response to the multiple financial bombs and hundreds of million dollars lost that put a large dent in the company’s stock in 2023, the 100th year anniversary for Walt Disney, an anniversary that I’m sure everyone and their mother would love to forget about!

The next big film we have in Bush’s tenure is Zootopia 2, the film that I imagine he put the majority of the work in while he was the the current CCO for Disney Animation Studios and was given complete control over with little to no interference from the higher ups due to his solid track record. Because of that, I fully trust him to deliver an exceptional sequel that builds upon the original Zootopia in ways that are organic and respectful. Considering Zootopia 2 was always plan to be a feature film from the start, I imagine Jared had a much more creative vision for what he wanted a follow-up to Zootopia to be like, more so than he likely would have for a Moana follow-up before that got turned into a movie.

With both sequels to Moana and Zootopia being potential billion dollar grossers and then some, I don’t think Iger and company could not ask more from Jared Bush to start off his run as the main man in charge of Disney Animation Studios if they tried. He’ll be able to deliver the financial results that the company desperately wants and needs alone with continuing to expand some of the most beloved Disney brands throughout the past decade that will pave ways for future sequels and merchandise. Oh, and also keeping the movie theater going experience alive also helps too!

That really begs the question that I put on the title of this piece: Will Jared Bush save Disney? Is he the man that Disney has been looking for? Is he the creative consultant that the company needs to present themselves much more positively among the general public? Is he the one that can kickstart a brand new golden area for Disney, the era that matches the Renaissance era of the late 1980s to 1990s or even their box office juggernaut era of the previous decade? While I do think personally that Jared Bush is a very talented animator that can help guide the next generation of animators in ways that Disney legend Ron Clements is currently trying to do with the company, I still need to see more consistency and a greater look of his overall vision for me to make such a claim.

While Moana 2 was a big hit and I’m sure Zootopia 2 and future Frozen sequels will follow suit, I need to see more how he will help guide more original Disney projects for the future, being able to successfully launch brand new IPs instead of just banking on what has already worked and milking it until the cow is completely dry. While Bush has been successful in that regard in helping Zootopia and Moana becoming the successful IPs they have been since the 2010s along with making the lone 2020s Disney modern classic in Encanto, I need to see how other folks will fair in that regard under his supervision. While he was able to create new original Disney classics by himself, let’s see how he will fare in guiding others to do the same thing.

For me, the first big test with Mr. Bush will be with Hexed, Disney Animation’s next feature animated film that is expected to arrive for the holiday season in 2026. The premise we have gotten thus far for the film involves an awkward teenage boy and his Type-A mom discovering that what makes him unusual, might just be his magical powers that will turn their lives and a secret world of magic, upside down. This is set to be directed by Josie Trinidad (writer for Zootopia and Ralph Breaks The Internet) and Jason Hand (director of Moana 2). While the premise itself sounds like an interesting departure from recent Disney films, particularly with a strong emphasis on a relationship between a mother and son being the potential driving force, I will need to see more info on that to be fully convinced.

And as much as certain folks claim that original animated films don’t sell anymore and that’s why Disney has to constant rely on animated sequels and live-action remakes to keep themselves afloat, the success of K-Pop Demon Hunters this year proved otherwise. It showed that people will indeed watch original animated films if it’s done exceptionally well. Despite having only a handful of theatrical screenings, that Korean animated flick was able to set the whole on FIRE when it hit streaming during the summer this year, breaking viewings records for Netflix and selling out merchandise left and right in ways that no one saw coming. That animated musical left such an impact on pop culture throughout 2025, with it being beloved by both girls AND boys all around the world, selling out Halloween costumes with boys and girls all around the world dressing up as their favorite member of the Huntrix or the Saja Boys. I can’t recall seeing an original animated film musical that left such a massive impact on pop culture since Frozen in 2013. K-Pop Demon Hunters was the kind of original animated films that Disney used to be able to do in their SLEEP but haven’t been able to wide AWAKE in recent memory.

The reason that films like Strange World, Wish, and Elio were massive bombs had nothing to do with the fact that they were original animated films, it was because they weren’t particularly good original animated films or ones that Disney themselves had any faith in. Those three films put such a stain on the company’s reputation and left such a sour taste in many people’s mouths, making them look at Disney in a completely different way than they have prior. It also didn’t help that the behind the scenes drama for these films were so disastrous and the marketing was so lackluster that you have to wonder if Disney was purposely trying to sabotaged them in order to justify their recent creative and business decisions. Those original animated films failed because Disney had no faith in them, not because they were original animated films.

However, if Disney actually has full faith in Hexed and other future original animated films going forward and Jared Bush is giving full reign to deliver in high quality films and stellar box office results like he’s done so far, then I will be happy to claim that the man did in fact save Disney and should be deserving of the majority of the credit for the company’s resurrection. All they have to do is find the right people for the job and not allow studio executives to butt in and mess their whole film up and they might be successful in launching original animated films and kickstart brand new franchises with fully original IPs.

To answer the question for this piece, while I do think we need to see how Jared Bush does settling into his new role as CCO and seeing how his overall vision for the company plays out in the next few years, I do believe he is the right man to lead the charge to get Disney back on top for the foreseeable future. The man has been solely responsible for the company’s greatest work since he joined them in 2014 and I fully expect him to continue delivering great work as both director and CCO. He may have some stumbles along the way but I think if everything comes together in the next 3-5 years once he’s comfortable in the full driving seat, Jared Bush might just put his name out there as being not just an exceptionally animator but as the man that saved Disney.

Let’s hope he puts just as much focus on creating new stories as much as the company will be demanding him to put focus on upcoming sequels and remakes. Let’s hope that he allows Jennifer Lee to take her time on Frozen III and IV so it doesn’t become a rushed mess like Frozen II was (I already have a whole piece about the history of that film). Let’s hope he’s able to usher in the next generation of animators that he will be able to pass the baton to successfully once he retires. More importantly, let’s just hope he is able to lead Disney to become the animation company that we all remember them being from our childhoods. As much as I can’t guarantee that any of this will happen, given his recent track record, Jared Bush does at least give me some faith that he will be one day be referred to as the man that saved Disney.

Now, if only he could stop that live-action Moana remake from happening (which he is writing btw).

Yeah, Disney is screwed!

(FYI, did you know that the original Moana won’t be even 10 years old by the time this remake comes out?!)

(No joke! The live-action remake is coming out in July 2026 next year whereas the original animated film came out in November 2016!)

(Not even 10 full years and they are ALREADY making a live-action remake of Moana! Even before they get around to doing a live-action Tangled with Sabrina Carpenter as Rapunzel or a live-action Frozen with Anya-Taylor Joy as Elsa!)

(I guess this is our punishment for not showing up to the theaters for Black Adam!)

(Curse you Dwyane Johnson and your “hierarchy of power”!)

(Bro actually thought he was cooking there?!?!?!)

(I surely can’t wait until he finally gives up on acting and wrestling and becomes our president in 10 years!)

(That’s actually gonna happen, isn’t it?!)

(Just like Sonic predicted!)

(And that will be our punishment for not showing up to theaters for The Smashing Machine!)

(We’re all f**ked!)

Ranking All The Marvel Disney Plus Series (Updated W/Marvel Zombies)

October 3, 2025 AdamLeave a comment

With Marvel Zombies now out, we now have 18 different Marvel series/specials that is available to watch exclusively on Disney Plus. These are content made strictly for this exact streaming service with the hopes of telling more stories with established characters that isn’t strictly in film format. When it comes to the overall quality of the shows, it’s results have been…..mixed to say the least. Even with a handful of good things to come out of it, they have their own limits and restrictions that have prevented them to be as engaging with some of the very best that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has offered throughout their history.

In hindsight, they have basically the exact opposite problems as Marvel Netflix. Where as the Netflix series often felt too long and bloated with filter, the Disney Plus series often felt too short and rushed. Despite there being plenty of good things to come from both Netflix and Disney Plus, most of them have struggled to hit that proper balance to have all these shows live up to their fullest potential.

Which one of these is able to be better than the others? Let’s find out by ranking all the Marvel Disney Plus series and specials up to this point!

19.) Secret Invasion

There was not a single Marvel D+ series (and perhaps any other MCU entry) that fell as hard as Secret Invasion. While the idea of having a series focused strictly on Nick Fury and the famous Secret Invasion comics are intriguing ideas on paper, the execution could not have been anymore disastrous. It’s poorly structured, well known characters are killed off in the most anti-climatic way possible, the Skrull storyline feels incredibly wasted, the behind-the-scenes reshoots are very obvious, and Nick Fury doesn’t seem to change one bit over the course of the whole series. Not to mention, the pointless retcon of Rhodey being a Skrull since Captain America: Civil War is just lame. This has about every single problem these Marvel Disney Plus series has had and made infinitely worse. The only saving graces are the scenes between Nick Fury and his wife along with G’iah being a neat MCU addition (until she’s able to unlock every single superpower known to demand because……….reasons?!?!?!). Everything else about Secret Invasion is a segment of everything that can go wrong with the MCU when it’s fallen into the wrong hands!

18.) IronHeart

The Disney Plus series that was already finished two to three years ago and got put in the back burner because of complaints of too much MCU content being piled on is finally here and…..it’s clearly obvious why it has been hidden for so long. While the cast is a lot of fun together and have solid chemistry, it is bogged down by clear behind-the-scenes drama, a directionless plot, ties to the MCU that feel incredibly forced, and characters that are given nothing to do. It’s like it’s trying to give Riri the same arc that Tony Stark had in Iron Man 3 but with none of the work or effort put into it. While it does end on a promising note for the future and is certainly more cohesive than say Secret Invasion, IronHeart is another forgettable Marvel series that is best left forgotten! And with the little to no marketing attached to this project and it collecting dust for the past two to three years, it seems as tho Disney and Marvel would agree!

17.) Echo

There are parts of Echo that make it come so close to capturing the same magic that the best of the Marvel Netflix series has. The backstory with Maya and how she became to be a vigilante is intriguing, every scene with Kingpin is glorious, the action is as brutal as it has been with the MCU, and the tone/style feels like it was ripped straight out of the Marvel Netflix run. It’s just a shame it’s central story is not told in an organic way with obvious reshoots and bizarre pacing that get in the way entirely. Plus, it’s overall representation of Cherokee Nation is barely touched upon, almost as if Marvel didn’t want to go too deep into it so they don’t offend anybody. The seeds are there for future “Spotlight” stories to expand upon greatly but Echo still can’t escape the trappings of most of these Disney Plus series, making it fairly underwhelming and disappointing. PLEASE stop making these just five or six episodes and make an actual proper tv show!

16.) Moon Knight

This has the ingredients to be a stellar series from it’s terrific cast to it’s psychological thriller elements to it’s exploration of someone with a dissociative identity disorder (DID). Unfortunately, Moon Knight is never able to make for the best of those ideas, despite Oscar Isaac trying his hard out as Marc Spector and May Calamaway being a welcome presence as Layla. It’s intriguing ideas are barely explored upon and mostly just results in a typical chase story with the character hunting down boring McGuffins while introducing lore and mythology that will leave you scratching your head. Not to mention, for a show called Moon Knight, there’s barely any actual Moon Knight in it. It is at least weird and bizarre enough that it might delight some folks who just want exactly that for their Marvel streaming series but it’s not enough to save the show from it’s undeniable shortcomings.

15.) The Falcon & The Winter Soldier

It’s cool to see many of the side characters from the Captain America movies that got sidelined get more to do in their own series along with giving an intriguing arc for Sam Wilson as the newer, progressive Captain America. Just too bad the series is held back by weak villains with odd, nonsensical motivations and an overall structure that feels more suited for a movie rather than a streaming series (something which many of the Disney Plus shows have greatly suffered from). You are lying to yourself if you didn’t find most of the endings to the episodes rather erupt because it just feels like the start of one scene and not the end of the other. I respect The Falcon and the Winter Soldier for what it stands for but certainly not in the way it goes about it. If there is ANY Disney Plus show that would have benefited MUCH better as a movie and NOT a mini-series, it’s this one.

14.) What If?

What If?! was probably the Marvel series with the most unlimited potential for captivating tales and expanding the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Creating scrappy stories of Marvel superheroes told throughout the multiverse and through multiple different variations point of view? That sounds like a series that could last for MANY seasons! Unfortunately, it’s unable to even scratch the surface of that limitless potential throughout the course of it’s three seasons by playing it as easy and safe as humanly possible! There’s a handful of intriguing episodes and fun character swaps along with some returning cast members from the live-action movies/series reprising their roles. Unfortunately, it’s held back by stiff animation, beat-by-beat storytelling, and a feeling of aimlessness rather than ambition with how it’s uses the multiverse (Something which the multiverse saga itself has greatly suffered from!). Instead of going crazy, it goes lazy and tame as hell. There’s some entertaining episodes here and there and plenty of fun to be had but man, it could have been SOOOO much more!

13.) Eyes of Wakanda

Here’s a little side project that has been in the works for awhile which puts the spotlight on the charismatic side characters that assist King T’Challa. It’s always neat to spend more time in the world of Wakanda and the side characters from the Black Panther movies are just as fun here as they are in the movies. But just like with a good number of Disney Plus shows, it still feels like it barely scratches the surface on what it’s trying to do. There’s not many episodes, it’s tackling on it’s subject matter feels very shallow and surface level, and the show moves at such a fast pace that it can be hard to jump into this fascinating world if you are not engaged with it already. I do put it above other animated D+ series like What If…? because it at least is more creative visually and animation wise but Eyes of Wakanda left me wanting more in the ways that I do not believe was intentional.

12.) Marvel Zombies

The newest addition to the Disney Plus Marvel canon doesn’t so much feel like it’s own series but more of a specific story arc made for Marvel’s What If? that for whatever reason got cut from the original show and had been sitting on the back burner for the past four years until it suddenly didn’t. The good news is that it deliver the goods in putting some of MCU’s heroes old and new together into this zombie world filled with blood, gore, and carnage, making for perhaps the best use of Marvel Studios animation to date. The bad news is that it still can’t reach it’s full potential because of how slim the whole experience feels and really feels like it only exists just to have more Disney Plus content on the streaming service. If a Season 2 happens, I’ll watch it but for now, I’m very on the fence on this one.

11.) Ms. Marvel

Ms. Marvel gets off to perhaps the best start out of any of the Marvel Disney Plus series. With showcasing a classic coming-of-age story, neat visuals, intriguing family dynamics, and a hugely charismatic and charming lead character in Kamala Khan, played wonderfully by Iman Villani. It’s mostly the second half when the dull as hell villains get thrown into the picture that don’t really mess with the style and tone of the show where it falters quite a bit, almost as if Team A was put in charge of the episodes given early to critics while Team B handled the rest because Team A decided to go home. Thankfully, there’s just a bit more of the former in the latter to make this show overall worthwhile, with the entire experience being held together by Villani’s incredible turn as Ms. Marvel herself. If this gets a Season 2, please put more focus on Kamala and her family and friends and not so much on everything else.

10.) The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

Perhaps the most inconsequential of all these series but still has heart and charm when it counts. The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special makes for a cute holiday tale in the MCU which sees the lovable galactic misfits celebrating Christmas in a time where things are most dire for Peter Quill! This is the special that gave Drax and Mantis more time in the spotlight than ever before, along with the delightful presence of Kevin Bacon himself. It’s mostly slim and something you can tell was made rather quickly without too much thought being put into it but no doubt James Gunn’s passion and love for the characters from his successful films is on full display here. Also, you are a robot if you didn’t at least get a bit misty eye at the ending with Peter and Mantis. Just saying!

9.) Daredevil: Born Again

After a seven-year long wait to see our favorite Netflix hero/vigilante back in streaming form, the unofficial fourth season of Netflix’s Daredevil, i.e. Daredevil: Born Again, is able to deliver in the sum of it’s parts, if not as a cohesive whole. The reshoots and reworking from the show’s original premise does feel distracting at times, with it desperately missing the trio spark that Matt, Karen, and Foggy had together in the original series. Thankfully, the character work between Daredevil and the newly elected Mayor Fisk is ace stuff, the cast of old and new are great in their roles, and it ends on a haunting cliffhanger that sets the table for an exciting second season and the Punisher spin-off. I just hope Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead have more free realm next time around and don’t feel restrained with having to rework all of the moving pieces that should have been figured out in the first place. Born Again may be more of the same but in this case, more of the same might just be what we all need.

8.) Hawkeye

While far from the most ambitious Marvel Disney Plus series, Hawkeye is one that does to take full advantage of it’s lower stakes and able to meet exactly the kind of endpoint it is aiming for, making a charming Christmas superhero tale that doesn’t try to be anything more than what it is. This of course helps introduces the immensely lovable Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop and gives Jeremy Renner his full time to shine as Hawkeye, which Florence Pugh’s Yelena eventually joining in on the ride. It does suck though that Kingpin doesn’t get much to do there and his only real purpose is to set up the Echo series. However, considering the MCU is clearly not done with Wilson Fisk yet and he’ll play bigger roles later on down the road, I can let it slide. Nevertheless, this was a good time and worth revisiting again during this wonderful holiday time.

7.) Agatha All Along

The latest series in Agatha: All Along is easily one of the most unique and creative Marvel has been in it’s Disney Plus era. It’s able to act as a proper follow-up to WandaVision while perfectly embracing it’s queer vibes and camp value that makes for the right watch at the right time of the season. The entire cast is awesome (Kathryn Han and Aubrey Plaza were literally MADE for each other), Jac Schaeffer is able to direct and show run the HELL out of every episode, and there’s so many unique surprises and reveals that will delight the most diehard of MCU fans. There are certain aspects and directing choices that won’t appeal to everyone (particularly some of the musical choices and being more “queer” than most MCU prosperities) but for those who believe the MCU is at it’s best when they are at their more weird and experimental, Agatha: All Along makes for a very special treat!

6.) Werewolf By Night

Marvel’s first ever attempt at doing a special sees an interesting take on the horror genre and universal monsters. With the old-school black-and-white style, gorgeous cinematography, haunting score, and plenty of blood and violence to be found, Werewolf By Night is everything you could want out of a special Halloween special and perhaps even more than that. Even judging it strictly based off of werewolves, this is probably the best werewolf content in the last decade or so. I never thought someone as Michael Giacchino, someone who is most well known as being a musical composer, could make such an unique stamp for his first every directional debut but he really manages to blow my socks away. This is something I can see myself watching every Halloween and never getting tried with it. Just stick to the original black-and-white format please!

5.) She-Hulk: Attorney By Law

While not quite the best Marvel Disney Plus series, this is the one that plays the most like an actual television show as oppose to a six-part mini series or a feature film cut in pieces. It’s able to tell a funny, fourth-wall breaking story about a woman struggling with her daily life, dating life, and superhero life all at the same time while introducing plenty of welcome cameos such as Wong, Bruce Banner, Megan Thee Stallion, and especially Daredevil. Tatiana Maslany is absolute perfection as Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk, able to be super convincing as both a cute, vulnerable lawyer and a beautifully buff green hulk. It might be too “meta” for some and will certainly causes the heads of every incel out there that it’s poking fun at to explode, but nevertheless, She-Hulk: Attorney At Law is definitely one of the most fun and enjoyable series in the Marvel Disney Plus library.

4.) Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man

It might’ve took three times (four if you count the PBS-friendly Spidey And His Amazing Friends) but Disney has finally been able to crack the code on how to make a solid Spider-Man cartoon. Blending the traditional comic book panel traits of the character’s well-known origin while incorporating new distinct traits of it’s own, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is able to find the right balance of exploring the thrills of being Spider-Man and the chills of being Peter Parker, something which The Ultimate Spider-Man and Spider-Man (2017) failed to do. The newer cast of characters the show chooses to explore are (mostly) intriguing, it’s callbacks and references all feel earned, the theme song is dope as hell, and it’s able to use it’s alternate timeline and multiverse concept to not just reuse plot assets of the MCU or recurring fan favorite characters but also show how Peter’s life would’ve been different in the MCU if things play out a different way and he made all new friends and allies in the process. There are some strange creative decisions I’m not a fan of and the animation style won’t be to everyone’s taste but for the most part, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is a winner and is perhaps (by default) the best Spidey show since The Spectacular Spider-Man. I’m definitely intrigued to see Season 2!

3.) WandaVision

The very first of the Disney Plus series gives one of the best and most interesting characters in the whole universe, Wanda Maximoff, her own time to shine. What starts off becoming a fun homage to 90’s sitcoms becomes more of a character study of Wanda where she has to deal with the sins and consequences over the actions she has committed up to this point, while learning to move on from the pain and grief she feels with the loss of her Vision. The entire cast is great here with Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda, Kathryn Hann’s Agatha, and Teyonah Parris’s Monica being the standouts with Paul Bettany as Vison being pretty good as well. The finale does suffer with the whole big CGI fight feeling quite forced and certain payoffs to certain things will be underwhelming to hardcore Marvel fans but as a whole, WandaVision still makes for a creative, fun, and engaging series that is one of the most interesting of the Disney Plus shows thus far.

Ralph Bohner was hilarious btw!

2.) Loki

Everyone favorite villain turned anti-hero in Loki is the best of the live-action Marvel Disney Plus shows thus far. There hasn’t been a live-action series thus far that took full advantage of the multiverse concept like this one did. It’s able to introduce the complete bonkers elements, universe building, and just plain “out there” concepts that Marvel set out to do with Phase 4 but never once loses focuses on the characters and their adventures throughout. Tom Hiddleston’s Loki is more interesting and engaging than ever before showing off his “anti-hero” side than every other movie or show that he’s been in. Sophia Di Martion’s Sylvie makes for a great counterpart and stands out well as her own version of the God of Mischief. Owen Wilson is able to make the character of Mobius more charming and likable than he has every right to be. However, the one that arguably shines the most despite only showing up in the final episode is Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror! He not only helps make the character such an entertaining presence when he comes onscreen but also makes the series stick the landing in the end (Just a shame about………well yeah!). If more Disney Plus projects and post-Endgame content were on this level of quality, we would have had very little to complain about Marvel throughout the 2020s.

1.) X-Men ’97

In an era where it seems like the hype around superheroes and revivals have died down, here comes in X-Men 97, that was able to make it’s way to Disney Plus and show everyone how these things are suppose to be done. This was about as good of a revival as it could get, perfectly translate the traditional values and roots that the X-Men are known for in modern times while still being able to capture that Saturday morning cartoon vibe. The 2D animation is stunning and feels perfectly in line with it’s 96′ series counter part, the action sequences are filled with energy and excitement, and there is plenty of time given to each cast member of the X-Men to shine. And it was SUPER nice to see my boy Scott and my girl Rogue being done justice for once. Oh, and the glimmers of seeing Spider-Man 94′ back again brought a tear to my eye! No offense to the last several shows I listed but I think most would agree that X-Men 97 was far in a way the best Marvel Disney Plus show to come out thus far. It’s so good that I would love to see more Marvel revivals of beloved shows done in a similar matter. Come on, Disney! Greenlight Spider-Man 98 already! You know you want to!

Top 15 Best Movies of 2010

June 30, 2025 AdamLeave a comment

Can you believe it’s already been 15 (!!) years since 2010?! I remember that year like it was yesterday!

2010 was the year of many things for me! It was when I became an official teenager, it was when I became more social and open with the public, it was when I got introduced into a brand new decade, and of course, it was when I discover my passion for films, art, and cinema! That’s right! 2010 was officially the year which I got into movies!

It’s not that I NEVER got into movies beforehand or didn’t enjoying going to see them in movie theaters (or at least before I watch The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie for the first time in theaters back in 2005) but the very beginning of the 2010s was where movies became my official hobby and #1 source for entertainment!

And I believe the main reason why 2010 was the year which got me interested in movies has to do with the number of FANTASTIC films that came out that year! And considering the fact this particular year offer so much great cinema just RIGHT after a massive strike that crumbled the industry for a short period of time, I don’t think you could’ve ask 2010 for a better year of movies than what it offered!

To celebrate this magnificent year of motion pictures, I’m gonna share my picks for the top 15 films that came out in 2010! Not strictly a top 10 but a top 15! It was just THAT good of a year for films!

However, before I get on with that! Here are at least ten honorable mentions:

Honorable Mentions:

Animal Kingdom
Batman: Under The Red Hood
Easy A
Hot Tub Time Machine
Incendies
The Kids Are All Right
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’hoole
Megamind
Salt
Shutter Island

And now!

15.) Let Me In

While there are those that remember Matt Reeves fondly for his work on Felicity, Cloverfield, The Batman, and some of the recent Planet of the Apes films, his 2010 remake of Let Me In should NOT go unnoticed whatsoever. This is an excessively bleak, gory, and tragic tale of a boy and a vampire, while also leaning into themes surrounding childhood trauma, first love, and losing one’s own humanity to the cruel nature of life itself. While some might find the film too slow for their likings, those that are patient and support a good slow burn film will find plenty to enjoy here.

14.) Buried

Yeah, to those that claim that Ryan Reynolds has no range as an actor and can only play Deadpool in every movie he is in, you might want to watch this movie and shut the HELL up! If you want to watch a film that PERFECTLY captures the cluster phobic horrors of being trapped and buried alive in a log cabin box with only 90 minutes given to possibly get yourself out of it, look no further than Buried! Despite it taking place in only one location, this is able to be bold, inventive, and have you thinking just pure seconds after the credits roll! If only Mr. Blake Lively would take more roles like this in the future!

13.) Winter’s Bone

If it wasn’t her role as Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games or Mystique in X-Men: First Class that got you into Jennifer Lawrence, there’s a good chance that Winter’s Bone was the film that did just that. It’s JLaw’s sensitive, striped-down performance that’s full of strength and sincerity which acts as the pure heart of this film. Lifted by non-stop tension, a compelling character-driven plot, and top-tier writing to boost it up a notch, Winter’s Bone is an engagingly bleak drama that is carried by one exceptionally great performance from it’s lead!

12.) The Town

Ben Affleck was able to make a stellar first performance behind the director’s chair with 2007’s Gone Baby Gone. He was able to carry his potential behind the camera and not just in front of it with ease with The Town. This is a film that just hits all the beats it needs to make for a really well made and thought out crime drama epic! It’s thoroughly entertaining, the cast is perfect, and every scene involving action and drama is done masterfully. While not quite my favorite movie directed by Mr. Affleck, The Town makes for one worthy addition to the man directorial collection!

11.) The Fighter

If there is one thing I love more than a good underdog story, that would be a good underdog story involving sports. The Fighter is a great underdog boxing drama that grounds itself through the point of a view of a rather dysfunctional family. With well developed and engaging characters, spot-on direction, a compelling narrative the whole way through that includes proper stakes, this film makes for one emotional gut punch that sticks with you from beginning to end. And this also happens to be the one film I actually enjoyed made by the one director who shall NOT be named!

10.) True Grit (2010)

I don’t who convinced who to give The Coen Brothers as $170 million dollar budget to make a remake for True Grit but I’m sure glad they did because this made for quite a standout remake in all of the best ways possible. Acting as a well-made and compelling spaghetti western, a faithful adaption of it’s source material and a remake that more than justifies it’s existence, True Grit shows The Coen Brothers at their absolute best and the most engaging to a mainstream audience. And who would ever guess in a million years that a 13-year old Hailee Steinfeld would act circles around legends such as Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and Josh Brolin?! Even if you are one of those “remake bad” folks, the 2010 remake of True Grit is one that might just impress you!

9.) Kick-Ass

Before Deadpool was able to change the scenery for Marvel and comic book movies by giving the greenlight to studios to make their superheroes, there was Kick-Ass that was able to carry that slack before the merc with the mouth did. This is a comic book adaption that is able to make it’s edgy and rather meanspirited material and added a bit of heart and fulfilled enjoyment to it! And for as cool as Aaron Taylor Johnson is in the titled role, it’s Nicolas Cage and Chloe Grace Moretz that steals the show completely as the father-and-daughter superhero duo. Even if there are times where the film can get too nihilistic, this is still a complete blast and makes for an absolute must watch for fans of comic book movies and superheroes.

8.) 127 Hours

It’s quite simple! You either want to see James Franco getting his arm stuck in a boulder and trapped for 100 minutes until he is forced to cut it off completely or you don’t! If you do, there’s a truly remarkable story to be witnessed about a real guy who was forced to no give up on himself even when odds were all completely against them! If you don’t, well……at least you get to see James Franco cut his arm off! Or better yet, you can just watch Deadpool do it himself in his own feature film! Regardless, for it’s thin yet realistic premise, 127 Hours is about as good as it can possibly be!

7.) Tangled

If I had to pick one movie that feels like it truly belongs in the Renaissance Era of Disney and up there with the likes of The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Mulan, and any other top-tier Disney animation feature, that would be Tangled. You got amazing animation, a really well thought out and heartfelt story, some refreshing spins on the traditional Disney fairytales, superb character development with Rapunzel and Flynn Rider, great voice work from Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi, hilarious animal sidekicks, and songs that are both memorable and extremely catchy. Even some of the minor things I can nitpick at (such as the somewhat obvious villain reveal) can’t bring it down because even then, there’s enough interesting things done with those so it’s hard to complain. Nearly everything about Tangled works and makes for an instant Disney classic!

6.) Scott Pilgrim Vs The World

For as much as it was unfortunate that Edgar Wright was unable to make the Ant-Man movie he wanted with Marvel Studios, we should all be grateful he was able to make a own magnum opus of his own within the comic book movie genre with Scott Pilgrim Vs The World. This was quite simply a comic book movie that Edgar Wright was born to make! His directing style and visuals fit masterfully in the world of Scott Pilgrim, the whole cast is perfect and fit their roles like a glove, the soundtrack is incredible, and don’t get me started on those kick-ass and creative as hell fight sequences! If there is one comic book film without a Marvel or DC logo that deserves it’s recognition and appreciation for it’s place within the realm of comic book movies, that would be Scott Pilgrim Vs The World!

5.) How To Train Your Dragon

On paper, How To Train Your Dragon movie seems like every traditional hero journey and human-animal bonding flick you have ever seen. However, not only does it do just about all of those traditions so well, it’s done in an extraordinary way that it feels like you are watching this story on fold for the very first time. Hiccup makes for a very likeable protagonist that’s easy to root for and his relationship between his pet dragon, Toothless, and his soon-to-be lover/partner in Astrid are so engaging, acting as the beating heart of the film. And don’t get me started on it’s stellar animation and flying sequences that blew my mind when seeing it in theaters and still blows my mind to this day. How To Train Your Dragon is prove that just because you are telling a familiar story does NOT mean you have to tell it in a familiar way. If you add enough freshness and novelty to it where it feels like you are seeing this story being told for the first time ever, then you have succeeded entirely.

4.) Black Swan

As all over in the place Darren Aronofsky can be in terms of quality, when he hits, he hits about as hard as 90% of directors in Hollywood! Simultaneously gorgeous, haunting, and at times erotic, Black Swan is an excellent psychological thriller that is aided by chilling imagery, superb directing, excellent cinematography, a multilayer and complex script, a mesmerizing score, and two outstanding performances from Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis. It’s a film that I don’t want to spoil much of because anyone who still hasn’t seen it yet should go into it COMPLETELY blind. But for those poor souls that still have yet to check this masterwork out, watch Black Swan ASAP!

3.) The Social Network

Acting as a defining, generational milestone of filmmaking, The Social Network is able to be as engaging and increasingly relevant at every single turn of it’s length. One of the most narratively innovative screenplays of the 21st century that is able to execute nearly every single idea/concept in it’s head to the swiftest brush level of perfection as you could get. You have a director in David Fincher at the top of his game here, you have a cast, especially Jessie Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield, that give it their all, and it is disturbing to see how Facebook is still able to impact our daily social lives in the best and worst ways possible. I know the term modern classic gets thrown a lot nowadays but The Social Network is one of the rare exceptions where it earns that term in every way imaginable. The fact this is only #3 on this list goes to show just how complete MASTERPIECES these next two are to me!

2.) Toy Story 3

If you want to talk about Pixar being at the absolute TOP of their game, the best example of that is with Toy Story 3. There is just no other Pixar film that hits me, moved me, entertained me, and satisfied me more than this one. Acting as a perfect culmination of the entire Toy Story franchise up to this point, Toy Story 3 is a perfect showcase of what happens when the kids grow up and are ready to move on to other things. It’s all about learning to let go of the past and embracing the future while also never forgetting the fond memories that you made along the way. It’s able to be the funniest, darkest, and most emotional of all the Toy Story movies, the stakes are at their highest and feels the most personal, it has perhaps the best villain in all of Pixar with incredibly misfit Lotso, and who can forget the final sequence that made grown men and women bawl like a baby! Taking at it’s own unique thing, being an impactful film about growing up and evolution, Toy Story 3 is Pixar, animation, and cinema at it’s absolute finest!

1.) Inception

I always go back and forth on #1 and #2 depending on my mood but for right now, I’m gonna go with Inception as being the best film to come out of 2010. This is easily one of the very best sci films every made and one of the rare films where it’s brilliant ideas is able to be brilliantly executed in every possible way. The creativity on display is astonishing, the premise involving Inception is put to perfect use, the world building is some of the very best I’ve seen in any film, the action is top notch, the effects are breathtaking, the characters are all compelling and engaging, every actor is perfect in their roles, the score is absolutely mesmerizing, and it has one of the most satisfying endings I’ve seen in any film. This is one of the films where no matter how many times I watch it, I still get a fresh, unique, and intriguing experience that I got when I saw it in theaters for the first time back in 2010. This blew mind 15 years ago and it still blows my mind now. Perfectly written, acted, and directed, Inception is the best film of 2010 and one of my personal favorite films period!

Ranking The Pixar Movies (w/Elio)

June 22, 2025June 22, 2025 AdamLeave a comment

Here it is! My ranking of every single Disney-Pixar film from worst to best!

Everyone tends to have their own opinion of what constitutes as the very best and very worst work from Pixar! It’s one of the few studios to where you can name nearly any film as the absolute best or worst and it’s quite hard to argue with that! Whether we are talking about Toy Story 2 or Cars 2, I don’t think there’s a single Pixar film that doesn’t have at least one diehard fan defending it to their dying breath! Heck, I’m pretty sure there’s at least one lone soul out there that has The Good Dinosaur as their favorite Pixar film!

Even so, there’s no denying that this is a company that has a huge impact on the way we all view animation and even cinema in general! If someone claims there has never been one Pixar movie that left a lasting impression on, they are lying through their teeth! To put it simply, they are one of the very best to ever make movies! And yes, while their quality has been quite inconsistent for the better part of the pats 15 years, there always comes at least one giant gem that reminds us all that when it’s done well, Pixar is easily one of the best animation companies out there!

Now that Echo is now out in (rather empty) theaters, let’s rank all 29 movies they have released thus far!

29.) Lightyear

If there is one Pixar film that I find to be downright INFRUIATING, that would be Lightyear! Because on paper, this should be an EASY film to get right! Especially since it has ALREADY been done right in the form of Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins. Instead, for what is suppose to be Andy’s favorite film, it’s actually the most bland, generic and run-of-the-mill Buzz Lightyear film you could possibly imagine. The first 2/3rd’s play out as the most conventional space adventure ever that leads to a third act that contains one of the dumbest plot twists in Disney history (You wouldn’t believe me if I told you!). It’s so bizarre seeing Pixar spent so much of the Toy Story films building Buzz’s legacy and history as a space ranger only to just toss that aside completely for his feature film. Not even the excellent animation and the awesome sidekick in Socks could make this space opera even remotely appealing. Lightyear should have been a slam dunk for Pixar but instead, it’s far in a way their weakest film to date. As much as Pixar (and John Lasseter) doesn’t want to admit it but, if you want to see a proper Buzz Lightyear film, just pop in Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins and call it day.

28.) The Good Dinosaur

The second worst Pixar film is probably one you either forget exist or didn’t even know it existed at all. The troubled production that The Good Dinosaur faced during the development of it is as clear as daylight when watching it. It’s got a neat and exciting premise (Dinosaurs never becoming extinct and living among human beings!) that it does nothing with. It’s got wonderful animation but there’s no creativity to it whatsoever. It’s got a story about a relationship between a young mute boy and a dinosaur that is told in the most dull and predictable way imaginable. And that’s not even going into the inconsistent tone, shockingly poor voice work (The kid’s voice for the dinosaur just doesn’t fit whatsoever!), and even a scene where the kid and a dinosaur are basically… high on drugs. (Yes, really!) It’s certainly more watchable than other bad animated films out there and there’s a few moments when the visuals are allowed to do the talking that are effective, but The Good Dinosaur is a dull, mediocre, and plain forgettable mess.

27.) Cars 2

Here is probably the first Pixar film that pretty much everyone agreed was bad. No one was really clamoring for a Cars 2, not even fans of the original Cars, but considering this was John Lasseter’s passion project along with one of Disney’s most successful toy brand, there just had to be a sequel somehow. This time around, Mater is put to the forefront and it doesn’t work for the same reason that most comic relief characters don’t work then they are given the spotlight, they just don’t work as their own character. You also have a bizarre premise surrounding spies and espionage, an overly complicated plot, and an incoherent narrative that it makes you forget that first film was literally about a race car learning humbleness. At least it still looks good with nice new locations added and some entertaining action scenes but those aren’t anywhere good enough to justify this sequel’s existence. While I can conceive that Cars 2 is slightly over hated, it’s also not a film that is deserving of being defended in any way.

26.) Brave

Pixar had finally shown a big crack in the armor with Cars 2 a year prior and their next film, Brave didn’t really do much to win back audience’s trust. Much like The Good Dinosaur, it’s just a confused mess with ideas you’ve seen many times before and done many times better in other films. Take every cliché you’ve seen done in every other Disney princess movie and every other “nature” Disney movie, use those cliches in the most half-baked way possible, thrown in some family and relationship dynamics that feels unbelievable forced, and put all of that in a blender and you get Brave. It’s well-animated and it was sure nice to see Pixar finally make a film with a female protagonist for once but all of that is put to waste in this lackluster bore fest. Brave may not be quite the worst Pixar film ever made, as it does at least feel more like a coherent vision than The Good Dinosaur and at least slightly more interesting than Cars 2 or Lightyear, but this is the one Pixar film I will always feels the least compelled to rewatch.

25.) Elemental

I was quite generous to Elemental when I reviewed it a few years ago, but unfortunately, time has NOT been kind to this whatsoever. Although it looks gorgeous and has themes that certain folks might be able to engage with, it’s whole love story narrative isn’t particularly special, touching on every single rom-com cliche you’ve seen a million times before and done a million time better in other films. Not to mention, Wade is quite annoying for a good chunk of it and doesn’t become endearing until the last third of the film. It’s certainly not a terrible film and I’m glad it was able to find an audience while gaining strong legs at the box office back in 2023, Elemental is just one Pixar film I don’t see myself going back to anytime soon. Good for you if you like/love it but it’s just not for me!

24.) Elio

Here’s yet another recent original Pixar movie that is cute enough in it’s own right but feels rather safe and obligated that flopped at the box office in it’s first week but will likely gain legs and recognition over time! There’s nothing that Elio does particularly bad but there’s not much it does to stand out among the very best of Pixar! It’s got a rather beautiful world, an engaging relationship between the lead human boy and his alien friend, and it’s message about finding acceptance is one that will likely resonate with audience. But, it’s still bogged down by a rather predictable narrative, plot turns and morals you can see coming from a mile away, and a very weak main bad guy. Like with 90% of Pixar movies, Elio has it’s charms and thrills but you can definitely feel the troubled production onscreen. Still would rather see more films like this than Cars 4 or Toy Story 5/6!

23.) Incredibles 2

Everyone and their mother had been waiting years for an Incredibles 2! With the original being one of the greatest superhero films ever made, everyone wanted to see more adventures with this super family! And after a 14-year long wait, we got a sequel that is aggressively…..just fine! There’s plenty of things to like about it! The animation is great, the action sequences are a lot of fun, it’s quite funny throughout, each character get a moment or two to shine, Michael Giacchino’s score is on point, and it was cool to see Elastic Girl get more of the stoplight this time around. Unfortunately, all the good things that are presented are hindered by a weak narrative with a plot and themes that has been done a million times before in other superhero films with nothing new added to it. It also has probably the most predictable plot twist in animation history with the main villain of the Screenslayer, who pails EMBARSSINGLY to Syndrome! For those that just want to spend more time with the characters from the original, you will likely be satisfied. However, for everyone else, you will likely be underwhelmed. To put it simply, Incredibles 2 is too late…14 years too late!

22.) Toy Story 4

Everyone was worried about a Toy Story 4 and for good reason. After the perfect way that Toy Story 3 wrapped up, where exactly was there left to good? As it turns out, that’s exactly what Toy Story 4 is about and why it’s able to function despite the worst possible circumstances. It’s an interesting experiment of how to continue on with your new story after your previous story basically ended. The real key trick here it doesn’t so much functions as a “true” finale to Toy Story but more as an epilogue. You also got some great new characters, Bo Peep’s welcome return, and an ending that wraps up Woody’s story very well (if not quite divisive). I could have done without the “inner voice” jokes with Buzz tho. Toy Story 4 is like the equivalent of watching a friend perform a very dangerous stunt after they claimed they were done doing them a long time ago. While you are happy they succeeded by sticking the landing, you would rather they would NOT attempt that again!

Unfortunately, because Toy Story 5 is yet coming out, it can no longer justify as being a satisfying epilogue to the franchise! It’s now of more as just…..a footnote! Because of that, it falters in the rankings!

21.) A Bug’s Life

Here we have the film that takes the crown for being the most generally “okay” Pixar film that they have ever released. What makes it all the more ironic that this came out just around the time that DreamWorks’s Antz did, which would also take the crown for being the most generally “okay” DreamWorks film that they have ever released at the time. How is the story? It’s okay! How are the characters? They’re okay! How is the animation? It was okay for the time! How is the sound? It’s okay! How is the main villain? He’s….actually pretty awesome and probably one of the best Pixar villains ever, and also happens to be voiced by a real life villain himself! No, I will not mention him by name! There’s not much to say about A Bug’s Life other than what I’ve been saying throughout. It’s just okay!

20.) Onward

Here’s a Pixar film that has grown with me quite a bit. Originally, I found Onward to be quite lackluster, feeling like it felt short of it’s ambition and it’s overall message was undermined by it’s ending. However, after seeing recent original Pixar films that have failed to surprise me in any meaningful way, I now admire Onward for the bold narrative decisions it chooses to make. It has a fascinating premise with an emphasis on Dungeons & Dragons, a fun universe to explore with the two main brothers, and a very recognizable cast of celebrities that seems like they are having fun in their roles. And while I was originally disappointed by the ending, I now find it commendable and quite frankly….heartwarming with the journey that the two main characters take to rediscovering their true father. I still don’t think this sticks out like Disney films such as Zootopia and the whole premise being about resurrecting a dead dad’s lower body/crotch stills feel quite weird but for what it’s worth, Onward is worthy of at least one watch and leaves room for a VERY promising sequel!

19.) Monsters University

I don’t know how many people in the world were clamoring for a Monsters Inc. prequel that put focus on Mike and Sully’s early days in college but we got exactly that in 2013 with Monsters University. This is similar to Lightyear, where the first two acts plays out as predictable and straightforward as you could imagine with a third act that’s literally the exact opposite of that with a wild turn that either makes or breaks the film. Whereas Lightyear‘s third act completely broke the movie beyond repair, Monster University‘s third act makes the whole movie worth it, with a heart hitting message about how not everything is set in stone for everybody and there are other options for you out there if you are unable to follow the traditional path. While everything before then is enjoyable enough, the final 30 minutes of Monsters University saves the entire movie of being another useless prequel. I still would have liked to see a sequel of Boo all grown up though.

18.) Cars 3

I never would have thought the most unnecessary of the Pixar sequels to come out in the 2010s was actually one of the better ones. In a area of legacy themed sequels, Cars 3 is able to stand out uniquely on it’s own. This makes for a rather interesting tale about Lightning trying to compete in the age of younger, modern racers while also being able to teach a younger, modern racer in the meantime. The animation and racing sequences have never been better, Lightning McQueen’s arc is odd but also compelling, Cruz is a nice new addition to the series, and the way it ties back to the legacy of Doc Ock is very well done. Jackson Storm himself is a pretty bland villain and there’s too many “old” jabs at Lightning but for what it’s worth, Cars 3 makes for an enjoyable sequel in the way that Cars 2 failed badly at.

17.) Finding Dory

Here’s another solid “good enough” B/B+ movie to an A++ predecessor! While Dory was a beloved character in the original Finding Nemo, there was the question of whether or not she would be good enough to carry her own film considering she was the comic relief of that movie! Thankfully, unlike Mater, Dory has an engaging story of her own, where she looks to find her long lost parents while fighting her short term memory crisis. The animation is beautiful, the journey that Dory goes on to find her parents is both fun and funny, and the new characters that are introduced fit into this movie’s world quite well. There’s too much nods and winks to the original with a climax that’s a bit too ridiculous for what it’s worth but Finding Dory manages to exceed quite well when it comes to laughs, character drama, and even emotion. Just keep swimming Dory! Keep swimming indeed!

16.) Cars

There are plenty of folks that decried the original Cars when it came out in 2006 because it was no Toy Story or Finding Nemo. However, when looking at the film for what it’s trying to be, it’s actually a sweet, moving, and just plain nostalgic road trip movie that acts as a great tribute for Route 66. There’s also a nice story here where Lightning McQueen learns the value of life and there’s more to it than just winning a race. Plus, you are lying if you claim that Doc Hudson isn’t a great character, the sequence of him driving in his “prime” form wasn’t breathtaking and the ending of Lightning going back to help Mr. The King finish the race wasn’t brave and heartwarming. It’s world of cars may not make the most logical sense and does come across as a more kid friendly version of Doc Hollywood, but Cars is still an enjoyable film that doesn’t deserve the scorn it’s gotten over the years. While it’s far from the best Pixar film, this is certainly one of the ones I’ve felt the most nostalgia for. Also, R.I.P. to the great Paul Newman!

15.) Luca

If there’s one film out there that I would describe as being the perfect “summer” movie, look no further than Luca. It’s a delightful and relaxing film about two best friends as human beings trying to spend their summer outside of their own comfort zone as actual fish. I don’t think I have seen an animated film that was able to capture the fun and spirit of summer vacation than this one! There’s just something so unique of seeing two best friends hanging out with a girl, who later becomes best friends with them! If you ever wanted to see a Pixar film in the style of traditional Studio Ghibli movies but in 3D, this is basically what you get. The first 20 minutes or so aren’t great, but once the kids get up to the surface, it’s a really fun time and makes for a perfect way to take time out of the summer heat.

14.) Turning Red

One of Pixar’s most divisive films to date is also one of their most important ones they’ve ever released. I can’t recall a film in the Pixar library that is has open and honest with itself as Turning Red. It take risks and tackles subject matter that at least 99% of other animation studios are probably afraid of tackling for a supposed kids film, it has a strong thematical and emotional core that holds the whole thing together near perfectly, and has animation that serves it’s purpose and executed in all of the intent and purpose imaginable. This is a wonderfully, lovable movie about an awfully, cringe-able time period that we all have or will have to go through. There are definitely some things you can criticize (The mother is way too much of a Karen for my liking!) and I’m not sure it makes for the most comfortable watch for those quite sensitive to it’s subject matter, but Turning Red is certainly a film that anyone that has gone through that awkward stage of their lives can get something out of. Just a shame this movie is remembered not for it’s overall quality but for resurrecting 9/11 memes!

Thanks Mr. Enter! Thanks!

13.) Monsters Inc.

Talk about a film that’s able to take a familiar idea but executing it in a way that makes it feel fresh and new. Even if you know it’s premise and ideas by heart, Monsters Inc. is able to exceed greatly on that front thanks to an exciting world in Monstropolis, some incredibly inventive set pieces (especially the end sequence with the doors), two very likable leads in Mike and Sully, and of course, a strong central and sweet relationship between the two monsters and the little human girl that is Boo. The main villain is pretty service level and I don’t recall remembering much about any character that is not Mike, Sully, or Boo, but Monsters Inc. is still a very enjoyable watch that holds up strongly to this very day.

12.) Inside Out 2

The nine-year long awaited sequel might fall just shy of it’s predecessor but that shouldn’t discredit Inside Out 2 as being a really affective and worthwhile sequel. This is arguably the first Pixar sequel not related to Toy Story that seems to have more on it’s mind to justify it’s own existence other than branding and merchandising. Going from seeing Riley as a youth moving to San Francisco to a teenager looking to make it into the high school hockey team with the popular girls while making time for her current friends, this sequel takes the logical next step into showcasing the inner turmoil of taking the next step to puberty with anxiety, envy, ennui, and embarrassment entering the picture, portrayed perfectly by newcomers Maya Hawke, Ayo Edebiri, Adele Exarchopoulos, and Paul Walter Hauser. While it’s still able to delivers the laughs, thrills, and emotional beats of the original, there’s not quite a moment that is as tear-jerking as Bing-Bong or as laugh out loud funny as “GIRL! GIRL GIRL!”. Even if that in of itself prevents it from topping the original, Inside Out 2 is able to act greatly as a natural continuation and expansion of the first movie’s story and themes. This is probably the one Pixar series that I wouldn’t mind seeing more sequels to! (Oh and please bring Lance Slashblade in Kingdom Hearts 4!)

11.) Wall-E

There seems to be two sides to Wall-E: those that thought the film was absolute perfection from beginning to end or those that adored the first half but only liked the second half. I would say I’m part of the later category. The first half to Wall-E offers some of the best visual storytelling I’ve seen in any animated film, daring to go almost complete silences and let the animation and visuals do all the talking. Then comes the second half that while very good, feels more conventional compared to the first half, with more emphasis on dialogue and character exchanges to tell the other half of the picture. Thankfully, it all still works greatly because Wall-E is arguably the most lovable robot in all of action and his relationship with Eve is incredibly engaging. The film perfectly encapsulates innocence, purity, and hope in a world that is dying all around you. It might’ve just missed my top 10 but make no mistake, Wall-E is still a wonderful animated film regardless!

10.) Toy Story

Not only the one that started it all for Pixar but the one that started the trend of 3D animation! The idea of toys coming to life when the kids are not around is executed to absolute perfection with a cast of characters that are all iconic in their own ways. Woody and Buzz makes for possibly the very best characters in Pixar history, the script is airtight, it’s paced marvelously, and there’s just not a dull moment to be found here. The overall formula of these movies have become more noticeable throughout the years and there are parts of the animation that don’t hold up. Plus, there’s also that one annoying little plot hole about how Buzz acts like a toy when humans are around even BEFORE he knows he is a toy. However, NOTHING can take away the amazing accomplishment that was the original Toy Story, even 30 years later!. The fact this is only #10 on the list is just more of a showcase of the amount of fantastic films that Pixar has made.

9.) Ratatouille

I can’t help but feel like this is the most overlooked Pixar film to date! In a sea of Pixar masterpieces, this one tends to get lost in the shuffle when talking about the best of the best from Pixar. Ratatouille might be the most thematically rich and inspiring film in Pixar’s library, showing how anyone has their own talent no matter who they are or where they came from. Patton Oswalt is perfect as the lovable lead rat that is Remy, the whole supporting cast of characters are great, it’s themes and messages are perfectly inspiring, and who can forget the pitch-perfect speech at the very end which is an absolute all-timer. It does suffer a bit from the main of character of Linguini being arguably the least good character in the film but his chemistry with Remy is so spot on and the film around him is so great that it really doesn’t matter. This is a food porn film at it’s absolute finest! Rock on, Brad Bird!

8.) Soul

This make for possibly the most human and relatable film that Pixar has ever made! Soul goes into great depth in showcasing the meaning of life and why it’s worth living to the fullest, even when you are not where you want to be. You aren’t going to last forever and there will be a day where you suddenly die like Joe does. Until that time comes, make sure your life was one that was worth living, because you may just NEVER get a second chance to do so. Jamie Fox is perfect as Joe and has perfect chemistry with Tina Fey as 22, the ideas are executed in the most creative ways imaginable, the animation is incredibly impressive, it’s extremely funny throughout, the whole building is exceptional, and the message of finding satisfaction in your life is one that anyone can relate to no matter what age they are! If you need a film that can lift your spirits, help recognizes the talent that you have within yourself, and shows why life is indeed worth living, look no further than Soul!

7.) Up

If we are judging strictly on the opening of this film alone, this would probably be #1. Up has the most perfect first ten minutes of any film that I’ve ever seen, perfectly showcasing the origins of Carl as a young kid to an adult along with being the love of his life that was Ellie. Just like Wall-E, it goes from that silent form of storytelling to something a bit more conventional. Thankfully, the rest of the film is done so well that it really doesn’t matter. Carl’s arc of moving on from his past to enjoying the rest of his life while he can is incredibly well done, the side characters such as Russell and the dogs are a lot of fun, the sequences with the flying house is breathtaking, and Kevin might just be the funniest animal side character in animation history. (I always DIE laughing at the “Squirrel” bit!” I know some like to dog (no pun intended) on this movie as being overrated because the film never quite lives up to the first ten minutes of the film! However, the rest of Up is still so fun, engaging, and emotional that I can’t help but still love it to death!

6.) Coco

This is one Pixar film that has only gotten better in age for me, especially in the wake of my grandma’s passing (RIP, Grandma!). Not only is Coco a perfect representation of Mexican culture, especially with the traditional holiday of Day of the Dead, but it makes for a perfect human story of a flawed family that love each other despite their beliefs and traditions wearing them down. The animation is some of the very best ever put to film, the family dynamics are great, the world of the afterlife is brilliantly realized, and it has perhaps the most emotionally draining final act in Pixar history (I am always sobbing at the section of Miguel singing and playing his guitar to Coco)! Even the incredibly obvious bad guy reveal that has been redundant now can’t bring it down because of how it connects perfectly to the themes of the film involving the cons of pursuing greatness. While there are comparisons to be had with The Book of Life, Coco strands strongly not just as it’s own thing but has yet another home run for Pixar.

5.) Finding Nemo

If there’s an animated film that perfectly captures every parent’s worst nightmare of losing their own child, it’s Finding Nemo! What might seem like a simple story of a father trying to find his son is able to be told in the best way possible! That is thanks to INCREDIBLE world building that’s full of side characters who are all memorable no matter their screentime and perfectly exploring the ins and outs of the deadly deep blue sea. It is world building at it’s FINEST! You also got a great emotional father/son core with Marlin and Nemo, a perfect counterpart with Dory, and a hard hitting message of never taking the ones you love for granted and it’s better to be safe then sorry. Oh, and this movie is like REALLY funny! (The scene in the dentist office KILLS me every time!) No matter how many times I watch Finding Nemo, it always manages to be fun, fresh and exciting all the same! If that’s not the best compliment to give a film, then I don’t know what is!

4.) Toy Story 2

Toy Story 2 is wildly considered to be one of the greatest sequels ever made and I have to agree 100%! It takes everything people loved about the first movie and expands upon it in every single way. With even more memorable characters, much stellar animation, hard hitting emotion, an incredible soundtrack, having Woody and Buzz go through reverse arcs that work perfectly, and timely themes anyone at any age can relate to, Toy Story 2 is one of the sequels that manages to be as good as the original, if not even better Also, the opening with Buzz Lightyear might legit be the best opening for any movie ever! (It gives me goosebumps EVERY single time!) I love this film when I was a young kid watching this film on repeat on my VHS and I still love it to this day! It’s so hard to believe that this was the film that nearly broke Pixar due to it’s very troubled production! But by the end, not only did Toy Story 2 NOT kill Pixar, it made them stronger.

3.) The Incredibles

I don’t know how it took until five films for Pixar to make a film with actual human characters but they finally did that with The Incredibles. Even in an era where superhero films have dominated pop culture for such a long period of time, The Incredibles still stands out as being among the very best that the subgenre has offered. Not only because it’s able to subvert the very tired tropes of most superhero films but it’s also able to embrace the very best and traditional tropes that comes from them as all, managing to execute them even better than over 90% that have ever come out. The characters and family dynamics is a lot of un, the themes are all ones that feels completely timeless even nearly two decades later, the action and set pieces are absolutely fantastic, the animation holds up very well, every member of the super family gets their own moment to shine, and how can anyone not love the main bad guy of Syndrome. It also has the funniest Pixar short ever with Jack Jack Attack! (That “BS” joke only gets funnier the older I get!) There’s not a lot I can say about The Incredibles that hasn’t been said by everyone else already. It’s just awesome!

I don’t need to tell you why The Incredibles is in the top 3 of my favorite Pixar films! It’s just THAT good!

2.) Inside Out

People were starting to doubt Pixar before this film came out with a handful of films that ranged from fine to aggressive mediocre throughout the early 2010s, but then Inside Out came out in the summer of 2015 and blew everyone away! This is an example of a film that takes an unique idea and does everything it possibly can with it. It showcases how negative emotions can be just as healthy as positive emotions and how to keep them all in check and finding the right balance is the most important thing of all. Plus, anyone that has gone through the struggle of moving and having to adjust to a new place/culture will certainly get a LOT from this film! The animation is beautiful, creative, and imaginative, the mind of Riley is as unique as any world in the realm of Pixar, each character is fully realized and engaging, the humor is great, the score is mesmerizing, the voice cast is prefect, nearly every idea and concept is flawlessly executed, and the emotional moments hit as hard as you could possibly imagine. (*sniffs* Bye bye Bing Bong! *sniffs*) While it’s not quite my favorite Pixar film, there’s a strong argument to be made that Inside Out is objectively the very best Pixar film! And I would NOT argue with you there!

1.) Toy Story 3

While I can concede that Inside Out is probably the best Pixar film overall, there is no other Pixar film that I would rather rewatch than Toy Story 3. There is just no other Pixar film (or possibly ANY animated film) that has hit me, moved me, entertained me, and satisfied me more than Toy Story 3. Acting as a perfect culmination of the entire Toy Story franchise up to this point, Toy Story 3 is a perfect showcase of what happens when the kids grow up and are ready to move on to other things. It’s all about learning to let go of the past and embracing the future while also never forgetting the fond memories that got you were you are now. It’s able to be the funniest, darkest, and most emotional of all the Toy Story movies, the stakes are at their highest and feels the most personal, it has perhaps the best villain in all of Pixar with Lotso, and who can forget the final sequence that made grown men and women bawl like a baby! It might’ve took 11 years to be made but at the time and even now, Toy Story 3 is that rare long awaited sequel that was able to succeed EVERY expectation that I had for it! Yes, it’s a shame that Disney and Pixar didn’t stop the series right here, but taking at it’s own thing, being an impactful film about growing up and evolution, and as being a fitting conclusion to the “golden era” of Pixar, Toy Story 3 is Pixar, animation, and cinema at it’s absolute finest! This film has been one of my all-time favorites since seeing it in 2010 and it still is over 15 years later!

Top 10 Worst Disney Live-Action Movies/Remakes (Updated w/Snow White & Lilo & Stitch)

May 25, 2025May 25, 2025 AdamLeave a comment

There is a lot of controversy surrounding Disney nowadays. Whether it’s due to their inconsistent quality of recent years, overreliance on nonstop sequels, spin-offs, and remakes, constantly milking a property dry until the very last drop of milk, overworking their employees and staff, and their participation of the so-called “culture war”, you just can’t seem to have a reasonable conservation about Disney without one side going absolutely BALISTIC over it! However if there is one opinion that seems to united the majority of the human population, it’s the fact that the Disney live-action movies/remakes…..kinda suck.

Unless it’s something involving Pirates of the Caribbean or National Treasure, live-action movies/remakes from Disney generally do no work on multiple levels, with only the box office successes for a good chunk of them being the core reason as to why they still get made. That’s not to say that EVERY single one of them has been a disaster. Live-action remakes/movies such as Cinderella (2015), The Jungle Book (2016), Pete’s Dragon (2016), and Christopher Robin have had their fair share of fans but more often than not, these kind of corporate projects tend to have more backlash attached to them than acclaim.

I normally don’t like to “worst of” lists because the real world is already depressing enough and the last thing I want to do is throw more fuel into the already politically fueled toxic garbage fire that has plagued our world for the better part of a decade. However, in this case, I figured it would be fun to talk about Disney’s massive missteps in the live-action/remake department because everyone else seems to have fun doing it. And unlike most worst of lists out there, I highly doubt my picks will be that controversial among most reading this lists. But, who knows?

Dishonorable Mentions:

102 Dalmatians

Alice Through The Looking Glass

Aladdin (2019)

Cruella

The Little Mermaid (2023)

Mufasa: The Lion King

Now onto the main list.

10.) Dumbo (2019)

The first 1/3 of Tim Burton’s Dumbo (2019) is a solid and faithful adaption of the original, that’s able to translate the aesthetics and heart of the animated original pretty well while standing proud on it’s own two feet. Unfortunately, there’s another 2/3’rds of the movie, which consists of nonstop filler to justify it’s modern movie runtime, that is about as boring, tedious, and repetitive as the majority of these Disney live-action remakes are. Also, what the heck was Michael Keaton trying to do with his performance here? Between this and Alice in Wonderland (2010), maybe it’s for the best to keep Tim Burton AWAY from these kind of movies.

9.) Lilo & Stich (2025)

The newest addition to these infamous pack of live-action remake flicks have two elements going for it: the superb casting of Maia Kealoha as Lilo herself and the lovable little misfit that is Stitch himself. Nearly everything else about Lilo & Stitch (2025) falls flat here. The changes made here feel like they are done for the sake of change, beloved supporting characters from the original are sidelined and feel more like a footnote than anything else, the editing is so bizarre and distracting that puts it on par with the fence scene from Taken 3 (Remember that?!) and the ending that involves Nina making a big life changing decision does not gel well at all with the message of ohana that the original explored so well (Regardless of what the post credits scene might have to say about!) Also, Jumba is the real villain in this one, yeah! Not even some decent performances, a couple of laughs, and Stitch himself can save Lilo & Stitch (2025) from being a dud. Unfortunately, if the stellar opening box office weekend is any indication, my opinion (along with plenty of others online) doesn’t matter.

8.) Mulan (2020)

Many people have this one at the top of their list for worst Disney remakes and it’s easy to see why. Mulan (2020) attempts to do a live-action adaption of the beloved animated classic with a much more serious tone and changes to the lore to make it stand out as it’s own thing. Unfortunately, Mulan herself is reduced to being an overpowered superhero with a bizarre chosen one storyline, completely undermine the point of the character and her arc from the animated original. And don’t get me started on the over-the-top action scenes, the clash in tones, the laughable main villain, and the very wooden performance from our lead (Less said about the initial controversy surrounding the lead actress, the better). I do give it points for ambition and trying to do something different to make it work on it’s own terms but when looking at the overall picture, Mulan (2020) is simply a dud and makes for one of the most heartbreaking live-action Disney remakes released thus far.

7.) Peter Pan & Wendy

While David Lowery was able to make one of the absolute best Disney remakes with Pete’s Dragon (2016), he unfortunately also settled with one of the absolute worst ones with Peter Pan & Wendy. Once again, this live-action adaption of two beloved characters in Peter Pan & Wendy tries to add new wrinkles to their origins, only to miss the point entirely and ruin the entire central metaphor of the story that it’s adapting. It’s certainly one of the more well-shot and photographed of the Disney live-action movies/remakes and Judy Law is EVERYTHING as Captain Hook but unfortunately, director David Lowery just did NOT have the sauce (Did I do that right?!) that he had with Pete’s Dragon.

6.) Beauty & The Beast (2017)

While this might not technically be the worst one, I can’t think of a remake that goes to show just how utterly pointless these Disney remakes are than Beauty & The Beast (2017). Despite having excellent material to work with and a star-studded cast, there is no new interpretation of the material that is presented throughout it’s bloated runtime that you didn’t already see be masterfully done in the animated original. It’s just the exact same story but longer, with unnecessary additions, confusing character motivations, ugly characters designs, and a new song you completely forgot the moment the movie is over. And don’t even get me started on the blink-and-you-miss-it gay characters (that would soon become a trend for the next seven to eight years with Disney movies). I won’t go as far to say that this ruins the original Beauty & The Beast in any way but all it does is make me want to go back to the original Beauty & The Beast over and over again and forget about this one entirely.

5.) Alice In Wonderland (2010)

Here’s the one that started this dark, corrupt path of Disney’s most lazy and creatively bankrupt packages of so-called “motion pictures”. Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland (2010) tries to add his own spin on the classic animated tale, with a more bleak and twisted feel to it. Unfortunately, the final version to come off as cruelly murky, violent, and unpleasant to watch as a result. While you can see there’s an attempt at making Alice a more three-dimensional character and expand upon the world building of the Wonderland itself in the most Tim Burton-way possible, it gets too bogged down by it’s own bizarre direction, feeling like it belongs more in the world of The Nightmare Before Christmas than it does with Alice in Wonderland. You can always give a movie props for trying to do something different but like Mulan (2020), it’s the WRONG kind of different!

4.) Snow White (2025)

Even if you are that one sane individual that was smart enough to live under a rock over the pre-release discourse nonsense surrounding the live-action reimagining of Disney’s first ever animated motion picture, Snow White (2025) is FAR from the fairest of them all. Much like with 90% of live-action remakes, it can’t decide how far it wants to go with it’s new ideas or how much wants to walk with the same path line as the original. The style is all over the place for to be a nostalgic pleasing throwback, the new elements that are added in feel more like baggage than depth, the reshoots and rewrites are painfully obvious, and Gal Gadot gives by far one of the worst performances in any Disney film ever. Surprisingly, the best part about this disastrous remake is Rachel Zegler herself, fitting the role of Snow White as best as one could in live-action. (If only she knew when to give herself some restraint.) Too bad the rest of the film sucks so much that it justifies all the hate that these live-action remakes/movies get. While not quite #1, Snow White (2025) is a culmination of nearly everything wrong with these Disney live-action remakes and is (hopefully) a wake-up call to Disney to finally leaves these kind of films in the past and put that money to something more wiser.

3.) Pinocchio (2022)

If I were to describe the Disney live-action remake that feels the most soulless and creatively bankrupt, that honor would go to Pinocchio (2020). Robert Zemeckis takes the original animated classic and strips it completely of it’s magical charm, with a script and direction that feel as wooden as Pinocchio himself. The visuals effects are generally poor, Tom Hanks is awfully miscast as Gepetto, and the changes to the story undermine the movie’s central message at every turn. This is a remake that just feels like a remake that exists for the sake of existing, feeling the need to update and give the modern treatment for no reason whatsoever. Say what you will about any other remake on this list but at least you can understand where they were going for and understand it’s reasoning for existence from a business and even creative standpoint. I could not tell you why anyone thought that Pinocchio (2020) was a movie that needed to exist And I don’t think even Disney themselves could tell you either.

2.) Maleficent

11 years later and I’m still completely baffled how Disney was able to screw up what should have been an absolute WINNER for them in Maleficent, one of their finest and fairest foes throughout their history. Despite what the title would suggest, the Maleficent that we all know and love from Sleeping Beauty is NOWHERE to be seen throughout the entirety of the film. For whatever reason, Disney felt the need to overcomplicated things and give Maleficent a reason as to why she is as evil as she is, while unintentionally confirming she actually has a heart of gold and isn’t as vile as she makes herself to be. The fact that I just typed that out loud should go to show you how little this movie understands the character of Maleficent. Throw in hard to see cinematography, sluggish pacing, bizarre plot holes, and some of the ugliest CGI creatures I’ve ever seen and you a real crappy picture here. Poor Angelina Jolie and Elle Fanning are wasted here in a film that fails to capitalize a fraction of their talents. But hey, at least, they weren’t stupid enough to do it again with Cruella and Mufasa, right?! *runs away to go cry in the corner*

1.) The Lion King (2019)

There is NO live-action movie/remake to date that perfectly capitulates how bad, cynical, lifeless, and emotionally cold these kind of movies are than The Lion King (2019). Everything that made Jon Favreau’s prior Disney remake with The Jungle Book (2016) work is done COMPLETELY wrong here. There is no inspired direction, no engaging narrative, no unique art style, no convincing looking animals, no standout moments of it’s own, and no justifiable reason for this film’s existence to be found at any given moment. It only exists to remind you how great they got it right the first time around in animated form and for NO other reason than to make a bunch of dollar signs. (And it sadly worked!) Don’t get me started on the way it butchers beloved moments of the original in the most HILARIOUSLY awful way possible (Mufasa’s death scene KILLS me every time!) or doing everything in it’s power to be a complete by-the-numbers retelling of the original with no new ingredients of it’s own. The Lion King (2019) is a culmination of everything wrong with these Disney live-action movies/remakes and why they continued to be the most lazy, artistically bankrupt and pure spite of films that Hollywood is still releasing to this day.

Top 10 Biggest 2025 Summer Movies- Box Office Predictions

May 2, 2025May 16, 2025 AdamLeave a comment

It’s now officially May which means it’s now officially the summer movie season! The time of the year where the big blockbusters of the year are front and center in movie theaters everywhere now that the kids are out of school! Because of that, it’s time to do a list of what I believe will be the top highest grossing films of the summer!

With Hollywood continuing to struggle in the movie theater business post-covid, only God knows how many more summer movie seasons await. Although, theaters have been picking up great momentum in the box office as of late with the likes of A Minecraft Movie, Sinners, and the very successful re-release of Star Wars: Episode III- Revenge of the Sith, it’s unclear how long they will be able to carry that momentum throughout the rest of the year and even the future.

I think the 2025 summer movie season will give a big indication as to whether or not Hollywood is still recovering from the post-covid era of struggling to get people’s butts into theater seats or will this be the beginning of a resurrection for summer movies! We can only cross our fingers and hope for the best!

And considering I’ve been seeing multiple people put their own predictions of the top 10 biggest summer movies in terms of profit, why not throw my own hat in the ring and do my own list of this?! Keep in mind, these are the movies that I believe will be the highest grossing of the summer, not the ones that I desperately want to be at the very top. If that were the case, then Superman (2025) would be #1 and Jurassic World Rebirth would be dead last on this list. This list is not a matter of anticipation or movies I think will be objectively the best, this is a list of the movies that I believe will be the most to least successful in terms of the top 10 movies of the summer.

Also, this is a ranking based on box office numbers worldwide and NOT domestic. That list would be harder and more complicated for me to judge. This is how I feel the box office numbers will hold for summer movies WORLDWIDE from May to mid-to-late August. Could I be dead wrong on every single one of these? Absolutely! But hey, it’s fun to be able to make predictions, right?!

Time to jump right in and put my predictions on what I believe will be the top 10 highest grossing films of the summer!

10.) Karate Kid Legends

Release Date: May 30th

Box Office Projection: $300 Million

Reason: The Karate Kid franchise has had some solid popularity as of late with the smash hit Netflix series Cobra Kai, that just concluded its sixth and final season. With Legends acting as the first film entry of the franchise since The Karate Kid (2010), we see both Jackie Chan (the star of the 2010 film) and Ralph Macchio (the OG Karate Kid) coming together to train a new student in the ways of kung fu. I’m not sure how much fans out there have been eagerly awaiting for this combo or even another entry but if it’s able to capture a tiny bit of the magic of Cobra Kai, I can see Karate Kid: Legends being a solid crowd pleaser and a satisfying coming of a full circle for die-hard fans.

9.) F1

Release Date: June 27th

Box Office Projection: $400 Million

Reason: Ngl, if this movie were set to come out before Sinners, I probably would not have put this on the list. However, after the surprising success of that film, which will certainly get as strong of box office legs as it possibly can, it proves that audiences still have hunger and desire for original films. Add that to the star power of Brad Pitt (recent controversy aside) and director Joseph Kosinski coming high off of Top Gun: Maverick, I can see F1 being the exact kind of smash hit that Hollywood needs for these kinds of films. The only question is whether or not the studios will let this one grow as the summer goes on and the mega July blockbusters start coming into play.

8.) Thunderbolts*

Release Date: May 1st

Box Office Projection: $450 Million

Reason: The first main blockbuster of the summer just came out in theaters and is set to at least kick off the summer box office better than last year’s The Fall Guy did. With strong reviews and early positive word-of-mouth, Thunderbolts* can most certainly outperformed early expectations and make enough in the long run to be able to make a profit. It’ll be entertaining to see how the media and YouTube will try to spin this film as being an actual failure because it didn’t make a billion dollars overnight or what was once considered “good enough” for a MCU/superhero movie is no longer good enough anymore. The only downside, other than a sudden Multiverse of Madness second week drop off, could be seeing how this is able to stack up once the likes of Mission: Impossible and Lilo & Stitch comes around and if Disney and Marvel will have cold feet early and dump it to Disney Plus once Fantastic Four is out.

7.) Elio

Release Date: June 20th

Box Office Projection: $575 Million

Reason: Last year saw Pixar’s most successful and crowd-pleasing film ever at the box office with Inside Out 2, the highest grossing animated film at the time of it’s release. However, they now face a different challenge with Elio, a new and original animated flick that has been delayed multiple times. With no Woody, Buzz, or Lightning McQueen in sight, it will more than certainly have to rely on its stellar quality to make folks want to see it in theaters rather than wait for it on Disney Plus. If Pixar and Disney can pull off the same strategy they did with Elemental and Inside Out 2, by keeping it in theaters as long as they can and saving the physical/digital releases until Fall, then I can see this making a solid 575 million dollar signs, which would most certainly be good enough. Again, this will all likely matter if the finished film is actually any good.

6.) Mission: Impossible- The Final Reckoning

Release Date: May 23rd

Box Office Projection: $600 Million

Reason: Tom Cruise is here to “save” cinema one last time with Mission: Impossible- The Final Reckoning, acting as the potential final entry to the near three decade-long running Mission: Impossible film franchise. However, I still can’t help but feel like this one is gonna underperform it’s skyrocket expectations at the box office. While making $600 million sounds like a notable success on paper, the film’s reported $400 million budget and coming off of the underwhelming (at least in terms of box office) Dead Reckoning will give The Final Reckoning a near-impossible mission to accomplish. Also, facing immediate competition with Lilo & Stitch won’t make things much easier either. I’m always rooting for this franchise but it has all odds against itself this time around. Hopefully, there’s enough of Tom Cruise running to save this film this time around.

5.) How To Train Your Dragon (2025)

Release Date: June 13th

Box Office Projection: $650 Million

Reason: After the mixed-at-best results of Disney live-action remakes since 2010, DreamWorks and Universal has decided to take their stab at it by adapting the beloved animated How To Train Your Dragon in live-action form. With a sequel already being announced and set for a 2027 release date, it’s clear that DreamWorks and Universal are expecting this one to perform well. If it’s able to live up to the promise of being a faithful transition to the animated film and avoid any Snow White-level of controversy, then How To Train Your Dragon (2025) should most certainly make the money it needs to and act as a proper re-introduction to DreamWorks’ most acclaimed animated film series to date.

4.) The Fantastic Four- First Steps

Release Date: July 25th

Box Office Projection: $750 Million

Reason: I don’t care what YouTube says or what outrageous out of context quote got social media in a pansy, this film is gonna do numbers at the box office and be Marvel’s most successful film released in 2025. Even with those that have been sour on Marvel and previous Fantastic Four incarnations, they will still owe it to themselves to see Marvel Studios themselves take their first stab at adapting Marvel’s first family onto the big screen. With the build-up to Avengers: Doomsday looming and Thunderbolts* being a potential box office success, The Fantastic Four- First Steps should have no problem in carrying that momentum from Marvel and set the stage for Doomsday and Secret Wars nicely. If I look like a foul in two months, so be it. But for now, I can’t help but have positive expectations for this one!

3.) Superman (2025)

Release Date: July 11th

Box Office Projection: $825 Million

Reason: There’s plenty of reasons to be positive and negative about Superman (2025). This is a film that sees Superman returning to the big screen in his first standalone film since 2013, the start of a brand new cinematic universe, and what will likely be viewed as the film that gives the superhero genre the shot in the arm it needs. And it’s whole “This is the movie the world needs right now!” marketing should most likely play a positive impact. However, conflicting reports of the film being released overseas along with not knowing the exact expectations that Warner Bros has for this film could hurt it in the long run, which could make James Gunn’s DC universe over before it even begins. Still, this should be one of the most talked about and discussed movies of the summer regardless and will likely attract enough audience to give it a watch on the big screen.

2.) Jurassic World Rebirth

Release Date: July 2nd

Box Office Projection: $900 Million

Reason: I don’t know how they keep making these films and why they always make so much money at the box office. That being said, this franchise is always able to draw big crowds both domestically and overseas. Coming off the (rather quiet) billion dollar grosser of Jurassic World: Dominion (which was supposed to be the final film in the franchise), Jurassic World Rebirth will see Universal try to squeeze whatever remaining dollars it has left with the Jurassic Park IP. I got nothing to say other than if it offers enough dino action and Black Widow and Blade kicking enough ass together, this should be one of the biggest hits of the year. The only question is whether or not it’s able to follow his predecessors and achieve the billion dollar mark, especially after Dominion just barely was able to accomplish that. Although if my prediction is any indication, I’m gonna go with a no on that one.

1.) Lilo & Stitch (2025)

Release Date: May 23rd

Box Office Projection: $1.1 Billion

Reason: You might be calling me crazy for putting a Disney live-action remake as not just the #1 spot but the one that will be able to achieve $1 billion at the box office. I mean, how could Disney possibly recover after Snow White (2025), right? Well, they were able to recently achieve billion dollar grossers with Inside Out 2 and Moana 2 along with a solid 700 million dollar hit in Mufasa (*insert Sonic fan punching the air). Plus, this is being sold as the cute family friendly big movie of the summer, regardless if you have seen the original animated Lilo & Stitch or not. All it needs to do is deliver exactly what it says on the cover, avoid any negative press of any sort, and give itself a good long theatrical window. Do all of that and I pretty much guarantee that this will be the #1 movie of the summer and will be yet another billion dollar grossing hit for Disney. If I end up being wrong, so be it. But if I’m not, then you can all eat cake!

As for other movies that missed the list:

I think Ballerina will avoid the fate of Furiosa if Keanu Reeves plays a significant role in the movie but it likely won’t make as much as the last few John Wick flicks.

28 Years Later and Megan 2.0 should appeal greatly to fans of the horror genre and previous installments of their respected IPs but I can’t help but feel it will get lost in the shuffle with them being released so close to other big movies.

The Naked Gun will either sneak under the radar as the one standout comedy flick of the summer or be buried and forgotten like the rest of the remaining comedy genre.

The Bad Guys 2 will certainly gain numbers during the fall if it’s able to continue the streak of perfect DreamWorks sequels but I left it off the list because it’s coming out right as the summer movie season comes to a close.

Freakier Friday is………a thing I guess. It might make noise for a week or two but then be completely forgotten about along with Haunted Mansion.

The Insane Development History Of Frozen 2

November 24, 2024 AdamLeave a comment

Moana 2 is soon to hit theaters just in time for Thanksgiving, like most Disney films around this time of year! This is an upcoming animated sequel that has been receiving it’s fair share of hype while also sharing it’s fair share of skepticism as well. The main reason for the latter is not only so much of Disney’s rather iffy track record with sequels but more of the development history that has been reported with Moana 2! That development history being about how the film was originally going to be a streaming series for Disney Plus until it was reworked to be a theatrical sequel, around nine months prior to release. Disney may deny publicly otherwise but this was clearly done in the response of last year’s Wish being a massive flop at the box office, leading them to release their next film on a familiar IP in the hopes of making quick bucks to make up for losing hundreds of millions of dollars of that failure! And if early projections says otherwise, they might get exactly what they were hoping for, with having potential to making Inside Out 2 level box office numbers worldwide!

As much as I am looking forward to Moana 2, I feel like I’m more interested of hearing what went on from behind the scenes that lead to the development state that it’s been in than I am of the actual film itself. Not only because of the recent horror stories about the development of big animated films such as Across the Spider-Verse, Kung Fu Panda 4, and Inside Out 2, but what we learned over the years about what happened to another recent Disney sequel with an insane development history. That film I am referring to is no other than Frozen 2!

Frozen 2 released around five years ago. Despite not getting the same amount of praise that the first movie did, it went out to become a MASSIVE box office success, grossing over 1.4 billion dollars worldwide, becoming one of the highest animated grossing films of all time, only passed by Disney’s own The Lion King (2019) (Yes, that technically counts!) and Pixar’s Inside Out 2. And while those successful numbers are quite crazy, I don’t think it was anywhere near as crazy than the reported development history from it. A reported development history that was confirmed by no other than the Disney Plus exclusive documentary of Frozen 2 titled, Into the Unknown. The documentary that basically straight up admitted that the entire film was basically being made up on the fly, with the entire cast and crew being crunched and rushed for time in order for the film to make it’s Holiday 2019 release slate.

Now, I know the big question that most folks likely have is how Frozen 2 could have been rushed exactly? After all, the first film came out in 2013, six years before the sequel and it was confirmed by Disney that a sequel was in the works in 2015. That would have at least been four to six years of development time in between each movie. Well, just because something was ANNOUNCED to being in the works does NOT mean that’s when the active development of the film started.

Before they could get around to Frozen 2, Disney Animation have to work on films that were already planned for release slates beforehand such as Zootopia, Moana, and Ralph Breaks The Internet. There was also having to deal with the mess involving John Lasseter being forced out of Disney and Pixar after sexual allegations came about him in 2017, forcing Jennifer Lee to take over as Disney’s CCO the following year in 2018 and up until this year, where she stepped down to focus solely on Frozen 3 & 4 and will now be succeeded by Jared Bush. Because of all that and likely more, I would imagine Frozen 2 didn’t start any actual development until either late 2017 or early 2018. And even then, that was likely only the pre-production, with the actual production not starting until even later than that.

One last element you have to keep in mind was that 2019 was originally set to be Bob Iger’s last year as CEO of Disney before he would step down and let someone else take over. Of course, we all know that plan completely fell apart so hard to the point that Iger had to come back to fix the mess that he inherited/created but before that, 2019 was suppose to be the swan song for his time at Disney, with Bob Chapek acting as his successor. Because of that, he wanted to go out with a complete bang if not for the audience but also all the higher ups and stockholders as Disney.

In 2019, Disney had an ABSURD slate of theatrically released films from their IPs they owned that were set to come out that year, many of which had potential to be billion dollar grossers. You had the Marvel Cinematic Universe which was set to end the Infinity Saga with the likes of Captain Marvel and Avengers: Endgame. You had Star Wars that was set to end the Skywalker Saga with The Rise of Skywalker. You had Pixar releasing yet another installment of their most critically acclaimed franchise with Toy Story 4. You had the live-action (or not) remakes/adaptions of beloved Disney animated classics such as Aladdin and The Lion King. And of course, you also had Disney Animation themselves releasing their long-awaited sequel to one of their most successful films ever in Frozen 2. Because of that, Disney was able to end the pre-covid era of cinema with SEVEN billion dollar grossers that year, with every single one of these films that I’ve mentioned cracking at least one billion dollars worldwide. While not all of these were critical successes, they certainly were successes in the eyes of the higher ups and shareholders at Disney.

Once you take into the context of the sky high expectations that fans of the original Frozen had along with the Disney corporation demanding that the sequel be out by the Holidays of 2019, you likely get a sense that this was going to be a nightmare of a film to make with so much pressure in and out for everyone involved. And if the Into the Unknown documentary is anything to go by, that was exactly the case for Jennifer Lee, Chris Buck, and everyone else making Frozen 2.

I’m not going to go into every single specific mentioned in this documentary but there are PLENTY of points worth bringing up in the form of cliff notes. I will also share a link at the end of this article with Schaffrillas Productions’s video about this exact documentary and even repeat a few points he stated during it. But here we go:

The crew didn’t fully know the plot or even premise of the film at the start and would only figure out major key things later on down the road.
They initially had no idea who the voice was that kept calling Elsa, with many conflicting opinions on who the voice was and what it was suppose to mean for Elsa.
Songs were written before knowing how they would play a role in the story.
Show Yourself languished in development hell and almost got cut from the movie entirely because of how vague it was and unsure what it was suppose to mean for Elsa and the audience.
Lost in Woods came together really well, with little to no issues making it.
By the time the first trailer came out, no animation had actually been completed for the film outside of the bits shown off in the trailer. This was literally just NINE months before Frozen 2 was set to premiere.
The very first test screening that took place in May 2019 gained very mixed reactions from the audience. While adults liked it, kids were very confused about it.
This led to numerous rewrites to make the movie clearer towards kids and to answer questions that the crew still didn’t really know the answer to.
Additional rewrites included scenes of extra comedy, most notably the stand out sequence where Olaf is recapping the events of the original Frozen.
The ending got changed constantly, with the crew only deciding that the voice would be Elsa’s mom just a FEW months before the movie was supposed to be released.
Tons of scenes and shots that had been worked on for months got thrown out entirely because they were considered to be too “boring” for younger audience.
The crew were constantly crunched throughout development, especially in the final few months For ex.) Editor Jeff Drahiem had to constantly wake up at 3 AM to clock in and work from 14 to 15 hours a day during the final stretch of development to make sure the film got done on time.

So, yeah! I think you can understand why the reported development history of Frozen 2 was just INSANE! What makes it even more insane is how Disney had the audacity to release a full documentary of this, where the cast and crew are being as directly honest as they come with their experience of working on Frozen 2. What was likely treated as an absolute triumph with Disney patting themselves on the back for the movie turning out as we all it did instead basically explained entirely why the film turned out as uneven and all over the place as it did to many people that watched it.

And yet, none of that really mattered to Disney or even anyone working on Frozen 2 because the film turned to be a complete success anyway. It still made over a billion dollars, it still sold plenty of merchandise during the holiday season, the franchise is still moving forward with additional sequels, and Disney is still repeating the same song-and-dance routine they did back then and do this very day. The fact that the production was rushed and the crew was overworked to complete exhausting doesn’t matter at all. All that matters is that the movie made money and that’s the only thing that Disney cares about.

To make matters even worse is the fact that Disney did not learn their lesson at all from Frozen 2 and continues to double down on their mistakes to this very day. So much so that it’s not shocking in the year 2024 to hear stories about a big new animated film from ANY animation studio having a rushed and crunched development cycle! From Across the Spider-Verse to Wish to Kung Fu Panda 4 to Inside Out 2, animators are getting crunched and overworked beyond repair in this day-and-age with likely little to no extra aid or even remorse to go along with it. It’s all that and more of is what is leading the animation industry to go on strike in order to get the respect and fair payment that they deserved.

Which honestly makes me concern for how Moana 2 will turn out. While I’m sure the film will be as visually stunning as the original and the cast and crew will give it all their best efforts, I can’t help but feel like we are seeing yet another rushed development cycle for an upcoming Disney sequel, especially in the wakes of this originally starting as a Disney Plus series and only being announced that it was turning into a movie just NINE months before the film is set to release. Regardless of how the actual quality of the film turns out, I DREAD having to hear the behind the scene stories as to what everyone was put through in order for Moana 2 to meet it’s Thanksgiving 2024 release slate.

I will say one thing! After hearing about the development history for Frozen 2, it has given me a TON more respect towards animators and the people that worked on this film. They are all clearly giving it their all and trying their very best to make the best film they possibly can. It’s only the mega corporations and higher ups that keep giving them ridiculous deadlines that keep holding them back from realizing their full potential. I honestly think it’s because of them that the finished film actually turned out to be watchable and even mostly enjoyable. It just makes me wish they were able to get the proper amount of time they needed and a better work life balance which could have led Frozen 2 to be as much of a classic as the original was.

Now, we must all embrace ourselves for Moana 2 and the Disney Plus documentary for it that will to come out next spring, where we will discover that they couldn’t figure out who the main villain was suppose to be until the day before the actual premier of the film. I sure can’t wait to watch the Moana 2 documentary subtitled How Far I’ll Go about six months from now.

Seriously! Look at this poor man, he look so nervous!

Here’s the video from Schaffrillas Productions:

Inside Out 2 (2024) Movie Review- Emotional Boogaloo

June 21, 2024 AdamLeave a comment

Pixar is in quite a fascinating spot at the moment and even for the better part of the last 15 years! Even when delivering a handful of quality and/or downright excellent films over that time period, they’ve always seemed to be in a position to prove themselves with ever new entry they’ve released since the 2010s rolled around. It doesn’t matter that they put out Inside Out, Coco, Soul, and Turning Red during that time because Cars 2, Brave, The Good Dinosaur, and Lightyear all exist as well. This mindset especially takes center stage whenever they put out a sequel that is not Toy Story related (and even then, the last few they put out in Toy Story 4 and Lightyear got plenty of folks barking). Despite the majority of them turning out to be a success from both a critical and financial standpoint (Finding Dory, The Incredibles 2, and Toy Story 4), they always tend to get heavily scrutinized for either not being as good as the original or just for the pure fact that they even exist at all. This thought process going into each non-original Pixar installment is very infuriating to me.

I understand in this day and age where people have more of an eye of what’s going on from behind the scenes then ever before and the corporate politics that come into play are as incredibly obvious as they come but at the end of the day, you have to judge each film as their own thing and not based on how much you detest the creativity black hole in Hollywood. I bring this up because for all the good that there is to be found in Inside Out 2, I can only imagine we will see those exact counter arguments against it that you would not find for other sequels made by other animated studios.

As for the movie itself, it’s about as good of a sequel to the original Inside Out as you can get, and in some ways is even better than the first one. It still does it’s job in taking the series to the next level, where we follow Riley taking the next steps into her life, not only becoming a teenager but being more aware of the world that surrounds here. It still has that same heart, it still has that same music, and it still has the same emotions but it is also has the same form of creativity that the very best of Pixar films have. If the original Inside Out is one that resonated the most with children, then Inside Out 2 is one that I can see resonating with teenagers and adults. Even if I slightly prefer the first one, the sequel is more than a worthy companion piece to it that should not be dismissed in any way, shape, or form.

Premise: Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), Fear (Tony Hale) and Disgust (Liza Lapira) have been running a successful operation by all accounts. However, when Anxiety (Maya Hawke), Envy (Ayo Edebiri), Ennui (Adele Exarchopoulos), and Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser) shows up, they aren’t sure how to feel.

Even if you take into the account of the numerous amount of sequels that Pixar has made for the past 15 years, I’ve argued that Inside Out was the first Pixar film outside of Toy Story that had more than enough material to justify making multiple sequels out of here. Mostly because, just like with the Toy Story sequels, Inside Out 2 seems most interested in taking the characters to the next step on their journey along with continuing the themes involving growing up, getting older, and finding your place in the world along the way. Those themes ring true to not just the story with Joy and her fellow emotion companions but also to Riley herself.

While Joy and the emotions of old and new that come into play do have a main significant role in the film, the main beating heart reigns with Riley. Not that it wasn’t the case in the first movie but here, we clearly see that Riley is now in the part of her life where she must gain controls of her emotions instead of letting the emotions control her. As she is now hitting the age of a teenager, she has now become more aware of the imperfect and flawed world around her. She loves hockey and her friends but if she can’t make the right choices, then there’s a chance that neither one of those factors can happen. It’s only when finding control of her emotions where Riley can determine the outcome of whether or not she can make the new hockey team, and still connect with friends of old and new. Whereas the first Inside Out saw the original emotions due the heavy lifting for Riley because she was still at the age where she didn’t know any better, Inside Out 2 shows the character having to learn to keep the original and new emotions in check, and having to do so at the most crucial part of her life.

That makes the arc that Joy goes through be a perfect counterpart to Riley’s own growth. Much like with Woody in Toy Story 2, Joy must come to terms with the fact that she can’t control Riley, no matter how hard she tries. As you get older and get more experience in the real world, it gets harder to stay positive and optimistic because you are now more aware of the consequences that you can go through when things don’t work out. And this usually always come during a time where you must develop your own self conscious and have better control of your emotions. Even if she can’t make Riley into what she wants her to be, Joy must do everything she can to be there for Riley whenever her own kid needs her. It’s parallels like these that help make Inside Out 2 stand out as a really affective and worthwhile sequel.

It’s not just Joy that gets the spotlight but the other emotions get their time to shine as well. This time around, it sees the original group of emotions with Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger, and Disgust go on this adventure together as they must get back up to the tower to stop Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment, and Ennui from controlling Riley. Each one of them get their own standout moments and it’s interesting to see them all develop different emotions within them the way that Joy was able to in the original Inside Out and even now.

And of course, you got to mention the new players in Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment, and Ennui. Anxiety is definitely the biggest standout as the leader of the group and taking matters into her own hands. Much like with the way the first film portrays Sadness, I respect the fact that the film doesn’t look to portray Anxiety as a villain but more as an antagonist. She’s not trying to do everything because she’s evil but because she thinks that is the right thing to do, even if her methods are rather flawed. Envy is cuter than a bag of kittens, Embarrassment is able to get his own G.O.A.T. moment as perhaps the most relatable of the new emotions, and Ennui is just the perfect description of Generation Z always on their phones in a nutshell.

The voice cast from top to bottom is stellar all around! Amy Poehler brings just as much joy (no pun intended), charm, and energy as she did in the first film, the new additions of Maya Hawke & Ayo Edebiri as Anxiety and Envy are such an absolute blast as well, and even if the (unfortunate) departing of Bill Hader as Fear and the (fortunate) departing of Mindy Kailing as Disgust is noticeable, both Tony Hale and Liza Lapira fit into the roles rather well, with Lapira in particular standing out much better than Kailing. Also, a big shoutout to Adele Exarchopoulos as Ennui. And Ron Funches as Bloofy. And Yong Yea as Lance Slashblade. And pretty much anyone else I didn’t mention. Moving on!

The animation is as breathtakingly beautiful as you would expect for a Disney film in 2024, the expansion of Riley’s mind is explored as well as it can be, the music is as soothing as before, and while there’s not quite a sad bit on par with Bing-Bong or a funny bit on par with “GIRL ALERT!”, the film does provide enough unique beats of emotion and comedy of it’s own that it more than makes up for it. The standout sequence in particular is one that I imagine will be the main talking point of this movie and the moment that I imagine the folks behind Pixar took inspiration from Uncut Gems. I’m sure Adam Sandler would be proud of that.

The nine-year long awaited sequel to Pixar’s surprise hit in 2015 is as every bit of affective, earnest, and heartful as it’s predecessor. This is arguably the first Pixar sequel not related to Toy Story that seems to have more on it’s mind to justify it’s own existence other than branding and merchandising. Going from seeing Riley as a youth moving to San Francisco to a teenager looking to make it into the high school hockey team with the popular girls, this sequel takes the logical next step into showcasing the inner turmoil of taking the next step to puberty with anxiety, envy, ennui, and embarrassment entering the picture, portrayed perfectly by newcomers Maya Hawke, Ayo Edebiri, Adele Exarchopoulos, and Paul Walter Hauser. There are nits to be picked such as having a familiar plot and structure as the original and a wrap-up that perhaps is a bit too squeaky clean by Pixar standards but as a whole, Inside Out 2 is able to act greatly as a natural continuation and expansion of the first movie’s story and themes.

As much as plenty of folks have been down on Pixar as of late with it’s abundance of sequels, I sure hope that Inside Out 2 is good enough for them that they can let it all slide and appreciate the film the way it was suppose to be appreciate. I can only hope these same folks get their butts in theaters around this time next year for Elio and whatever original film that is slated to come out in March 2026. Only then will they have a right to complain! But for me, after two films this great, I would welcome a third film with open arms!

Bring on Inside Out 3 if you may! (Oh and please bring Lance Slashblade in Kingdom Hearts 4!)

Top 10 Biggest Summer Movies- Box Office Predictions

May 2, 2024 AdamLeave a comment

It’s now officially May which means it’s now officially summer movie season! The time of the year where the big blockbusters of the year are front and center in movie theaters everywhere now that the kids are out of school! Because of that, I figure I’d so something that I’ve yet to do on this blog, do a list of what I believe will be the top highest grossing films of the summer!

2023 was an absolute DISASTER at the box office during the summer time! That is largely due to the massive budgets from the majority of the big movies that came out that year along with just the overall inconsistent-to-poor quality of those big movies. And considering the fact there will likely be no Barbenheimer to save the summer, 2024 will likely be just as challenging for summer movies!

Even so, I think the 2024 summer movie season will give a big indication as to whether or not Hollywood is still recovering from the post-covid era of struggling to get people’s butts into theater seats or will this be the beginning of a resurrection for summer movies! We can only cross our fingers and hope for the best!

And considering I’ve been seeing multiple people put their own predictions of the top 10 biggest summer movies in terms of profit, why not throw my own hat in the ring and do my own list of this?! Keep in mind, these are the movies that I believe will be the highest grossing of the summer, not the ones that I desperately want to be at the very top. If that were the case, then Furiosa would at least be in the top 3 and Despicable Me 4 would be dead last on this list. This is list is not a matter of anticipating or movies I think will be objective the best, this is a list of the movies that I believe will be the most to least successful in terms of the top 10 movies of the summer.

Also, this is a ranking based on box office numbers worldwide and NOT domestic. That list would be harder and more complicated for me to judge. This is how I feel the box office numbers will hold for each film WORLDWIDE. Could I be dead wrong on every single one of these? Absolutely! But hey, it’s fun to be able to make predictions, right?!

Time to jump right in and put my predictions on what I believe will be the top 10 highest grossing films of the summer!

10.) Furiosa

Release Date: May 24th

Box Office Projection: $350 Million

Reason: I have all the faith in the world that George Miller will deliver with this film but I’m just not sure it’s one that most general audience will be interested in. Despite the massive praise that Mad Max: Fury Road got back in 2015, it only made a little over 380 million dollars worldwide, with a net loss somewhere between $20-$40 million. And considering this is basically a prequel spin-off surrounding a character from Fury Road but played by a completely different actress and with no Mad Max to be found in the marketing, that doesn’t inspire much confidence for Furiosa to top or even match that. I love to be proven wrong and the cult following of Fury Road will show up to this one but I wouldn’t be surprised if this ends up being the most frustrating Hollywood flop since last year Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning, especially with the rumored film budget being over 200 million dollars! Hopefully this prevails and we get more Mad Max films from George Miller with the time we still have with him!

9.) Bad Boys Ride or Die

Release Date: June 7th

Box Office Projection: $400 Million

Reason: This is likely the summer movie I’m the most curious to see how it performs. This is a sequel to a movie that was one of the last solid hits to come out before covid hit. If it’s able to hit all the right beats just like Bad Boys For Life did, then I can see this doing similar numbers to that and perhaps even top it. The only big question is whether or not everyone has forgiven Will Smith for slapping Chris Rock on stage yet?

8.) The Fall Guy

Release Date: May 3rd

Box Office Projection: $425 Million

Reason: The first big movie of the summer is set to arrive tomorrow and I think this will largely benefit from being that first big movie of the summer. It also helps that it’s an awfully good over-the-top action flick that puts the spotlight on stunt doubles. If the word of mouth is good enough this weekend, I can definitely see this being a genuine crowd pleaser and may even make more folks demand that the Academy act a stunt category to the Oscars. I seem to be higher on this movie than most folks that I’ve seen but I think The Fall Guy will do more than fine and dandy at the box office.

7.) A Quiet Place: Day One

Release Date: June 28th

Box Office Projection: 450 Million

Reason: Coming after the first two terrific installments, this is the one main horror franchise that has left the audience more intrigued to see what happens next. The only potential downside is that this acts as a prequel to those first two films with a completely different cast and director. The big looming questions is whether or not audiences love A Quiet Place for it’s memorable characters and recognizable actors or for it’s genuine scares, set pieces, and world building. If the quality for Day One is in the same ballpark as those first two Quiet Place movies, then I can certainly see it being in the same ballpark as the first two films in terms of box office results.

6.) If

Release Date: May 17th

Box Office Projection: $475 Million

Reason: There are two main factors here that will make If a good hit at the box office. First, it will be the biggest family friendly movie to come out in May (give or take The Garfield Movie) and will have enough time to stand out as that until Inside Out 2 and Despicable Me 4 come out. Secondly, it has the star power duo of Ryan Reynolds and John Krasinski. Those two factors alone are almost certain guarantee that this movie will do bank once it comes out in the next two weeks. It likely won’t be the biggest movie of the summer starring Mr. Blake Lively but it will definitely help for him to have a summer to remember.

5.) Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Release Date: May 10th

Box Office Projection: $500 Million

Reason: The next big summer entry is set to come out in theaters next month and looks as if it will be as visually delighting and narratively compelling as it’s rebooted predecessors. Disney has been doing everything in their power to promote this film by showing off the elements that folks loved the most about the previous three films. That in of itself will guarantee a strong first weekend, especially since it’s avoiding Memorial Day competition with Furiosa and The Garfield Movie. Just like with A Quiet Place: Day One, the biggest challenge that Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will have to overcome is make people just as invested in this new cast and crew as they were with the previous ones. If it does that, then this will likely be in the top 5 movies of the summer.

4.) Twisters

Release Date: July 19th

Box Office Projection: $600 Million

Reason: It might be a bold claim on the surface to predict this one making 600 million and being one of the biggest movies of the summer but hear me out. The original Twisters is adored by many, it has the star power of Glen Powell, coming off his great work in Top Gun: Maverick, and everyone just loves a good disaster flick. The trailers have been doing it’s best to sell audiences on exactly what they want to see out of a disaster movie and that alone will likely get plenty of folks into the theaters. I could be dead wrong in claiming this but even if this does get bad reviews, I don’t see that scaring away audiences because this is the definition of a “critic proof” movie. By that note, this will likely be the most successful “critic proof” movie since The Super Mario Bros Movie. Hopefully, the discourse over the Rotten Tomato score won’t be as insufferable.

3.) Inside Out 2

Release Date: June 14th

Box Office Projection: $750 Million

Reason: Disney has been in quite a slump as of late with their theatrically released films, especially in terms of animation. Despite all the flops released last year, Elemental had some staying power and made just enough to be guaranteed a profit, making that and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 the only Disney movies to NOT be considered a financial disappointment. And considering this is a sequel to one of the most beloved Pixar films in recent memory, Inside Out 2 will be able to do some of the best numbers with Disney Animation since 2019, especially if the reviews are stellar. The recent track record alone might prevent it from reaching the same success as the first one but if it delivers, Inside Out 2 should be able to be the most successful theatrically released Pixar film since Toy Story 4 and possibly even the most successful theatrically released Disney film overall since Frozen 2.

2.) Deadpool & Wolverine

Release Date: July 26th

Box Office Projection: $900 Million

Reason: Many folks have claimed this will be a guarantee billion dollar hit but I think everyone needs to come back to reality for a moment. After many big movies underperformed last year, including two MCU installments, we might need to pump the breaks on such bold claims. As much as Deadpool & Wolverine is one of the most anticipated movies of the year and will likely be one of the biggest movies of the summer, that’s won’t guarantee 7 digits as prior big Marvel movies did. The R-rating alone (A reminder that there has been only ONE film to ever make a billion dollars!) along with the inconsistent quality of recent Marvel movies/shows will likely prevent it from reaching that billion dollar mark, with audiences still needing more consistent quality Marvel flicks to be fully won back. The promise of seeing Huge Jackman as Wolverine once again in yellow spandex, the buddy-cop routine with him and Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool, and the absolute guarantee of multiple easter eggs, cameos, and fan service will make Deadpool & Wolverine one of the biggest movies of the summer almost certainly. When it comes to if it will be the first Marvel movie since Spider-Man: No Way Home to make a billion dollars, that more than remains to be seen in my eyes.

1.) Despicable Me 4

Release Date: July 3rd

Box Office Projection: $1.1 Billion

Reason: I don’t understand the appeal of these movies and I likely never will but one thing is certain though, this franchise certainly has an audience. Coming off a third entry that made a billion dollars and a second Minions movie that almost made a billion dollars, there is no reason to believe that Despicable Me 4 won’t be in that exact same territory in terms of box office success. Whether you like or hate them, Illumination Animation certainly knows how to get kids and families to theaters with their films and this will certainly be no exception. As I said before, the quality of any of these films is irrelevant and I highly doubt any kind of negative reviews will impact the box office results here. If I had to pick one big movie that is the saftest bet to make a billion dollars and be the highest grossing movie of the summer, it would be Despicable Me 4. I wish that was not the case but hey, there are plenty of folks out there that do. So, what do I now?

Other notes:

As for the other movies that got let off the list!

The Garfield Movie nearly came close to topping Furiosa the 10th spot but unless it’s able to make noise at Memorial Day, I can see this being shipped to digital really quickly. It might do enough for a profit but not Hotel Transylvania and Spider-Verse numbers.

Alien: Romulus looks like a return to traditional roots for the series in the form of Prey but it will likely have to pay for the sins of Prometheus and Alien: Covenant (Damn you, Ridley Scott!).

The Bikeriders seems fun but won’t leave much impact until it hits streaming service like it originally was suppose to.

Horizon: An American Saga could likely come and go depending on it’s quality.

And if the trailers for Borderlands is anything to go by, this will likely be one of the biggest bombs of the summer. Why, Eli Roth?! Just why?!