Happy Christmas in July! To celebrate, we're revisiting the same franchise that we chatted about this time last year with Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992). Once again Kevin's parents have left him behind on a family vacation, only now he isn't in his suburban Chicago home and instead finds himself wandering the mean streets of New York City. Unfortunately for Kevin, but fortunately for our funny bones, the disaster artists formerly known as The Wet Bandits are also lurking about the local toy store. This film has pizza in limos, our beloved Tim Curry, and some pretty insane stunts, but does it manage to hold the same charm as the first movie? Or are we looking at a bad copy & paste job? Let’s find out together!

Ready to go back to Pride Rock? This week we're continuing our month of sequels with The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (1998). Simba and Nala are all grown up in the second installment of this series, only now they face a struggle between ruling over the kingdom and keeping an eye on their rebellious daughter Kiara. When the young lioness finds herself wrapped up in an unexpected romance with Scar's chosen successor Kovu, the differences between their two prides end up coming to a head. Considered one of Disney's better direct-to-VHS movies, we have to ask: does this animated adventure actually earn its keep? Or was it left in the shadow of the original? Let’s find out together!

Who else is ready to go mattress surfing? You'd better strap in because we're starting our month of sequels with The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004). Princess Mia is back in action to learn some new royal duties, this time in the beautiful country of Genovia where everyone is vying for a chance at the throne. Threatened with only 30 days to get married before she's forced to abdicate, Mia battles against the clock and her heart when an unlikely romance reveals itself. It's Chris Pine's theatrical debut and boy does he know how to make an entrance. Is his fluffy hair and the enemies to lovers plot enough to make this a successful sequel? Or did we prefer the original after all? Let’s find out together!

This week we're exploring some "growl power" with one of our favorite DCOMs from childhood: The Cheetah Girls (2003). It's the story of an exceptionally talented and diverse girl group at a Manhattan performing arts school who want to make their dreams of fame and fortune come true. Unfortunately their path to success is riddled with creepy record producers, inflated egos, and personal life struggles that put the girls and their plan at risk. The chokehold this movie had on our generation of pre-teen girls was like no other and it definitely has all of the early 00s throwbacks that we remember. But does the music and storyline still hold up nearly 20 years later? Or should we hang up our matching cheetah bandanas for good? Let’s find out together!

It's a jungle out here at Chasing Childhood this week as we review the first installment of a major 00s franchise with Madagascar (2005). Through a series of unfortunate events, four animals (a zebra, lion, hippo, and giraffe) from the Central Park Zoo wind up ship wrecked on the island of Madagascar where they battle against each other and the dangers of the wild. This animated comedy is 100% star studded and filled with some insane voice acting and clever references to other media. Despite how often we replayed this movie as kids, we have to ask: is the humor still cackle worthy now that we're viewing it through an adult lens? Or are we about to "move it move it" back onto the shelf? Let’s find out together!

It's getting a little scaly this week! To keep with the theme, we revisited a famous childhood video game about a purple dragon named Spyro (1998) and followed it up by reviewing one of Disney's most successful CGI films with Dinosaur (2000). How much do you know about the Spyro trilogy? We explore his original title, the famous voices that showed up in-game, and what it's like to play on a PS2 after so many years. Then we jump back in time to meet Aladar the dinosaur and his lemur family before watching their adventures as they join up with a dino pack to find safety. Do either of these cold blooded heroes earn (or keep) our love after 20+ years? Or would we rather get eaten by a Carnotaur? Let’s find out together!

It's a doggone good episode this week as we host another Disney versus battle! In one corner we have the original One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) and up against it is the live action prequel/reimagining of Cruella (2021). We all know the general plot for this famous Disney classic; a nasty fashionista named Cruella De Vil has a bunch of Dalmatian puppies kidnapped with the express interest of turning them into a fur coat! Talk about gross, but is that the real story? Maybe. As always, we have to ask: will one of these spotted tales reign supreme at the end of the day? Or is there a reason for why we avoided this franchise as kids? Let’s find out together!

We're opening our maps this week and jumping right into a DreamWorks original with The Road to El Dorado (2000). It's the story of two Spanish con artists who accidentally wind up shipwrecked with only their horse sidekick and a map of the road to El Dorado, the fabled city of gold. When they finally discover the people of El Dorado, they're mistaken for visiting gods and have their friendship, and con, pushed to the limit. The buddy-comedy talents of Kevin Kline and Kenneth Branagh are a shining feature, but we definitely have some questions about the inappropriate themes in this movie. Are the humor and music enough to keep us interested? Or can we set this one back on the shelf for good? Let’s find out together!

It wasn't us! Well, maybe it was. This week we're blasting off into outer space with RocketMan (1997). Frank Randall always wanted to be an astronaut, but his often bizarre and quirky personality never did make the cut... At least until he was the only computer technician able to join NASA's first manned mission to Mars. Despite being an underrated and under-promoted piece of the Disney franchise, this movie truly gets to the heart of what it means to be a space hero. Of course, we have to ask: are the wild and zany antics in this plot enough to keep us still laughing today? Or has our sense of humor grown up a little too much? Let’s find out together!

Hang onto your habits! This week we're breaking into song and taking a look back at Sister Act (1992). Lounge singer Deloris is up to her eyeballs in trouble and headaches when she witnesses a mob hit that lands her in the witness protection program at a nunnery. She shakes up the sisters, reinvents their choir, and learns more about herself than she could ever imagine. It's a beloved film and often considered one of the funniest movies from the 90s, but we have to ask: is the creative plot enough to keep us entertained 30 years later? Or are we skipping mass this time? Let’s find out together!