When is a Disney movie not a Disney movie? When it’s this one! Film journalist Ben Travis and animation academic Sam Summers stop for an important detour on the Wilderness Years path to discuss 2006’s haunting reverie, The Wild – a film released by Disney, that counts in the UK’s numbered DVD ordering of Disney movies, and yet wasn’t animated by the studio itself. Joined by friend of the pod Jon Hornbuckle (who previously helped us dig into the mystery of The Wild’s status in Disney canon), we discuss how the film came to be part of Disney’s legacy, why its plot is so similar to Madagascar, and – most importantly – why the hell it looks like that. It’s a shorter episode than usual, but a film that simply had to be acknowledged as the final stretch of Wilderness beckons.

Next up: Meet The Robinsons

Disniversity is brought to you by Ben Travis (@benstravis) and Sam Summers (@samsummers0), with art by Olly Gibbs and music by Nafets. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @disniversity. This podcast is not affiliated with Disney.

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Welcome to Disniversity, the podcast crash course through the history of Disney’s animated classics, with film journalist Ben Travis and animation academic Dr. Sam Summers. Each week, we’ll be moving forward in time through the legendary Walt Disney Animation Studios catalogue, watching every feature film in chronological order – from Snow White to Moana 2. Watch along with us, and listen as we explore each film’s historical context, advances in animation and lasting legacy, and talk about how they stand up today.