Once Upon A Nostalgia

Hello fellow Disney lovers! Happy Monday! In today’s episode we review “Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey” from 1993. Did you know this was a remake? We didn’t either! The original came out in 1963 and was based on a book from a few years prior about a woman and her pets. We try to remember the plot in part one, but we kept mixing up this one and it’s sequel. Also, Joel had never watched this in English! So we get to hear his opinion on the voice actors and how they compare to the Spanish version. We both were very impressed with the animal acting and how they got the animals to do some of these stunts. Avery does some research on the training methods just to make sure no animals were harmed during filming. Listen to find out if some did or not. Overall, we both thoroughly enjoyed this film as children and still enjoy it to this day. We hope you go along on the adventure with us and listen to our podcast!

Happy Monday Everyone! We hope you all had a wonderful Easter yesterday...we decided not to theme this episode because, well, there aren’t many Disney Easter movies. This movie does have eggs in it though, so does that count? Anyways, this week we are discussing “Dinosaur” from 2000. Joel actually chose a movie not released in the 90s! Barely. Avery had never seen this movie and guesses the plot from the movie poster. It wasn’t a complicated plot to guess. This episode is full of references to many other tv shows and movies which are brought up...including a wikipedia synopsis that sounds like The Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme song, how there’s a Disney version of all of Don Bluth’s films, and how one of the main characters in this movie looks exactly like Voldemort. Seriously, look it up. Avery was shocked at how scary and violent this movie was, even Joel remembers not watching this often because of how sad it made him feel as a child. This movie is definitely an emotional rollercoaster. So grab your tissues and some snacks before watching this film, and then laugh with us after while listening to this week’s podcast! Enjoy!

The year is 2004. Avery and Joel were just wee middle schoolers trying to get through this thing they call life, and all of a sudden, the most amazing computer animated Pixar film is released in theaters. Joel gets the DVD and takes it to Mexico when he visits his family. He puts it on repeat. Avery starts babysitting her next door neighbor’s two little girls and this is the movie they watch every weekend. This movie was both our favorite growing up and is STILL one of our favorite Pixar movies. It is Avery’s for sure. Not only does this movie portray honest family relationships and touch on adult subjects such as, cheating scandals, suicide, death; but it also shows the bond of family and the love between parents and kids. This movie definitely has stood the test of time. It has strong female characters, hilarious side jokes, and action throughout the whole thing. And of course, who doesn’t love Edna Mode? So listen and enjoy as we discuss our love for “The Incredibles.”

Surprise surprise, Joel chose Another movie from the 90s. This time it’s “Heavyweights” from 1995. He gave Avery some pretty obvious clues in our last episode, however, she couldn’t guess the movie...why? Because she had never seen this! How could she have missed out on such an iconic film?! Shout out to those who someone missed out on this and GO WATCH IT NOW. This movie is hilarious and filled with quotable moments, laugh out loud jokes, and just overall action and humor throughout. As always, we watched this again with a critical eye and caught a few red flag moments. It has a few offensive moments, which we discuss in the episode. We also talk about some personal things like Joel not getting his Driver’s License until he was 19, our knowledge of vice presidents, and our thoughts on stereotypical costumes. This was a very fun episode and we really get into talking about this movie. So listen and laugh along with us! Enjoy!

Welcome to our second episode of DisNOT. There were just so many more movies from our childhoods that we wanted to discuss, but weren’t made by Disney, so once a month we’ve decided to choose a movie that seems like it is Disney, but DisNot. This month Avery chose one of her favorites, another Don Bluth creation, “An American Tail” from 1986. Both of us commented immediately on the beautiful animation. This movie is a visual masterpiece. The details in the skylines, ocean scenes, and especially the shots of New York are unlike any other animation at this time. Joel had never seen this movie and loved all the hilarious side characters, but also pointed out some troubling scenes that would’ve been nightmare fuel for lil Joel. Avery remembers only bits and pieces of this movie, her true favorite movie of the series is the sequel: Fivel Goes West...but we had to start with the original, duh! This movie is a rollercoaster of action, emotion, and beauty. So for those not familiar with this movie we definitely recommend giving this a re-watch or watching it for the first time along with Joel and rekindle your childhood memories and the magic of this wonderful movie!

In this weeks episode we talk about how awesome Phil Collins is...oh yeah, and also the movie “Tarzan” from 1999. Of course Joel chose another 90s movie. This movie truly hit us both in the nostalgia feels. Joel watched his VHS tape so much that it actually got staticky from being rewound so much. We discuss how the music is just TOO GOOD, some timing issues within the film, how Disney adapted the book, and how this movie helped Joel make a friend. Listen to this episode and get ready to laugh and roll your eyes at the same time! Enjoy!

In this week’s episode we review the longest named movie of all time (jk) so we shortened it to CON: LWW. Listen to the episode to hear the correct pronunciation for that. Anyways, this film came out in 2005 which was prime movie-theater-going-time for Avery, but not for Joel. He missed out on the theater experience but discovered it several years later and was one of the inspirations for Joel’s love of fantasy, myths, and magic. He gives this movie credit for helping him discover other world’s and opening his mind to this genre of film and television. Needless to say this is a very important film for Joel. Avery read the books when she was a young girl, but honestly, doesn’t remember much from the books. We both are pleased that the films separate the movies individually and didn’t try to shove the whole series into one movie. However, it is sad they never completed the movie series. Good news though! Netflix has picked up the rights and are planning on doing a television series based on the books. So we are definitely excited for that! This movie has been forgotten by many after so many years, so if you haven’t seen it or it’s been awhile since you’ve seen it, then give it a watch and listen to our podcast!

In this week’s episode we go to an underrated animated movie from 2003, “Brother Bear.” This was the last Disney movie to get a straight to VHS sequel, probably because they realized all the sequels sucked and they needed to stop ruining good films with sequels. Anyways, Joel has fond memories of this movie, especially the comedic moose...or is it meese? Just kidding, we know the plural of moose is moose. Stupid English. Avery realizes she is unsure whether she has actually seen this film or just the preview, but she realizes the truth in part two, so listen to find out! We really analyze this film and all it’s messages and deeper meanings. This movie really tries to teach the watchers good life lessons, all while being hilarious and emotional at the same time. So if you want to go on an emotional rollercoaster with us, then watch Brother Bear and listen to this podcast!

Happy Valentines everyone! Our movie choice this week might not be Valentines themed, but it's still a sweet story that everyone can enjoy. This week we chose the 1961 animated classic, "101 Dalmatians." We also discuss the 1996 live action version just for comparison. Both Avery and Joel remembered most of the story, even though neither of us had seen this movie since our childhoods. We talk about how old Cruella might be, to spaying and neutering pets (Joel has a gross story for this one), to how the book compares to the movie. Both of us really enjoyed this film, especially the Twilight Bark. So cool. We share some behind the scenes fun facts and of course, as always, our opinions, judgements, and compliments. So if you haven't seen this one in awhile, then go watch it and enjoy our podcast as we discuss "101 Dalmatians."

Welcome to our first DisNOT episode! We are introducing a new theme once a month where we watch a movie from our childhoods that may seem like Disney, but DisNot (Get it??) For our first choice, Joel picked one of our favorites, “Anastasia” from 1997. Of course Joel picked one from the 90s. Both Joel and Avery absolutely love this movie and know it pretty much by heart. From the character development, to the background animation, to the music...it doesn’t get much better than this. Avery has some cute memories that she shares regarding one of the songs and Joel teaches us the dark reality and history of the story. So go ahead and “Russ-ian” to your living rooms if you haven’t seen this one, or want to see it again. We highly recommend it!