Talking The Mickey

We've run away to join the circus with yet another Disney Animated Classic to review and we've gone all the way back to 1941 to review the shortest film in the Disney Canon, in Dumbo.  Unlike the eponymous elephant, we have plenty to say as we tackle a film that includes one of Walt's greatste creations of a beloved and adorable children's character with some outright ugly representations and tactics by Walt & co.  Join your favourite Disney Podcasting team - Ellie, Ethan, and Ian – alongside our special attraction, Dan from the Lil' Bitch Pod, as we analyse Dumbo..  Ellie swoons over baby Dumbo, Ethan and Ian discuss the crows at considerable length, Dan tries to make some sense of Pink Elephants on parade, Ian wishes everything didn't fade out so abruptly and we're all a bit worried that we've broken Dumbo for Dan and we consider if this wouldn't have been a better choice as a package film.

So, catch up on some great Disney content and then join the conversation (@talkthemickey), Instagram (@talkingthemickey), or on our Facebook page (@talkingthemickey).  If you comment, you may end up among our 'shoutouts of the week.'  

Do you want the one dollar version or the five dollar special?  We're back after a long 10 day absence to take the good ship Disney Plus for a jaunt around the harbour.   Join your favourite Disney Podcasting team - Ellie, Ethan, and Ian – alongside our stowaway, Debbie,, as we analyse Blackbeard's Ghost.  Ellie picks on the special effects, Ethan tries to get his kitten to co-operate, Ian points out the failings in the film's internal logic (there were plenty) and Debbie shares some lovely childhood memories about the film before we all agree that the track meet is a very special 20 minutes of Disney magic.

So, catch up on some great Disney content and then join the conversation (@talkthemickey), Instagram (@talkingthemickey), or on our Facebook page (@talkingthemickey).  If you comment, you may end up among our 'shoutouts of the week.'  

To infinity and beyond!  Catch us on a very exciting crossover episode this week as the TTM & BFE teams combine to provide a deep dive into the toy box for the 25th birthday of Toy Story later this year.   Join your favourite Disney Podcasting team - Ellie, Ethan, and Ian – as and our our party guest from Best Film Ever, Liam, as we analyse a film that doesn't feel anywhere near 25 years old (according to Ian & Liam anyways). We've all got our moving buddies and we're headed to Pizza Planet (only 1 toy allowed).  It's an existentially critical 27th episode as we discuss:

Catch up on some great Disney content and then join the conversation on Twitter (@talkthemickey), Instagram (@talkingthemickey), or on our Facebook page (@talkingthemickey).  If you comment, you may end up among our 'shoutouts of the week'

Can a film be greater than the sum of its parts?  Not this week.  This week, nobody got to pick as the executive producer determined that it was time for another package film - and we are savage.  Ellie, Ethan, and Ian try to overcome Georgia's absence without losing our respective heads by discussing the 11 year journey to move Wind in the Willows from buying the rights to hitting the screen, the screen animators strike of 1949, we struggle to name more than 1 likeable character in 2 different segments, and Ellie admits she's addicted to nostalgia while Ethan suggests that Toad might be addicted to something else.  

Catch up on some great Disney content and then join the conversation on Twitter (@talkthemickey), Instagram (@talkingthemickey), or on our Facebook page (@talkingthemickey).  If you comment, you may end up among our 'shoutouts of the week'

Syndrome says that if everyone is super then no-one is super. How does this apply to Pixar’s track record of making super high quality films? This week, we’ve actually let Ethan pick a film again after his debacle with “The Wild” and it’s a good one in “The Incredibles.”  Ellie, Georgia, Ethan, and Ian discuss Pixar’s first all-human narrative.   Ethan regales us with tales from context corner and the semi-autobiographical nature of Brad Bird’s screenplay, we debate the internal logic of running back into a burning building, ask whether Frozone ever needs to urinate or if freezing things does the trick, we take a look at the gender politics behind the weight gain behind Mr and Mrs Incredible, Georgia just wants to know how the mask physics work while Ian maintains that Syndrome is a much more sympathetic villain than he's made out to be. 

 Catch up on some great Disney content and then join the conversation (@talkthemickey), Instagram (@talkingthemickey), or on our Facebook page (@talkingthemickey).  If you comment, you may end up among our 'shoutouts of the week'

They say that some things never change but this week we're journeying into the unknown with Elsa, Anna, and a bunch of characters who mattered in Frozen 1 but largely stand around this time in Frozen 2.  This week's pick does some serious retconning of the Frozen Universe and we try to keep track of a whole new mythology in this financial boondoggle of a sequel.   Ellie,  Georgia,  Ethan, and Ian ask how can Anna's character be so on the nose with her sister but completely different around KrIstoff?   If the fire spirit can't be over fired or the wind spirit can't be over winded, how can Elsa be over frozen?  Finally, how much of this film was just highlight packages of Frozen 1?  We also went around the table (virtually), and gave our thoughts on who should be cast in the upcoming live adaptation of Peter Pan, now that Jude Law has signed on.  Catch up on some great Disney content and then join the conversation (@talkthemickey), Instagram (@talkingthemickey), or on our BRAND NEW Facebook page (@talkingthemickey).

With Hamilton dropping on Disney Plus on July 3rd, the team at Talking the Mickey weren’t going to throw away our shot to drop a review in time for July 4th - it felt quite apropos, after all. Ellie, Georgia, Ethan, and Ian discuss the challenges – and benefits – of the live musical experience vs the filmed approach, discuss our own suppositions about what Hamilton had in store for us, consider what other chart-topping song King George’s refrain reminded us of, and determine if there’s room for a retelling of Aaron Burr’s story with an all Kiwi cast. Come join a New Zealander, 2 Brits, and a Canadian talk about one of American’s founding fathers and then join the conversation on Twitter (@talkthemickey), Instagram (@talkingthemickey), or on our new Facebook page (@talkingthemickey) and have your comments featured on next week’s episode on Frozen 2.

This week we are Film Stories' reigning British Film Podcast of the Week and to celebrate we're "Goin' Down The Bayou' as Georgia's choice takes us to Mardi Gras and the city of New Orleans with "The Princess and the Frog."  Ellie,  Georgia,  Ethan, and Ian discuss a lot of people getting angry over a theme-park ride being rebranded, Ethan shares a personal story or two about his own experiences with the film during a difficult time in his life, Ellie is concerned at Lottie's attitude towards men, Georgia's bringing us Context Corner this week, and Ian's convinced every song in this 'glorified rom-com' (his words) is some sort of Jungle Book rip-off - with the exception of "Friends on the Other Side" which sounded a little too Aladdin for his taste.  Catch up on some great Disney content and then join the conversation (@talkthemickey), Instagram (@talkingthemickey), or on our new Facebook page (@talkingthemickey).

LOOK OUT FOR OUR BONUS EPISODE ON HAMILTON, DROPPING JULY 4TH

It's time to go on an Incredible Journey.  Ellie's moves us up 1 year from Newsies into 1993 with Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (itself a remake of a 1963 film)   Ellie,  Georgia,  Ethan, and Ian debate the merits of 2D animation vs voiceover and live animals, we go into great detail on the lengths the production team went to in order to ensure animal safety.  We all get a little emotional about the thoughts our respective pets may have in their heads and we deduce that Ethan might just be a soulless robot (but he likes cats - take that all you cat people).  Catch up on some great Disney content and then join the conversation (@talkthemickey), Instagram (@talkingthemickey), or on our new Facebook page (@talkingthemickey).

We've also got some MASSIVE news to share about the podcast. So listen up.

Also, a massive thanks to our friends over at Feedspot who informed  us that they have included us in their "Top 60 Disney Podcasts You Must  Follow in 2020" rankings where we currently sit at #13 (and I believe  hold the ranking of the top film review Disney podcast in that list).   If you've got a podcast to promote, why not head over to Feedspot and  see how they can help you.  Catch our ranking at  https://blog.feedspot.com/disney_podcasts

Headlines don't sell papes; Newsies sell papes!  It's a shame Newsies didn't sell many cinema tickets.  Ian's pick brings us back to 1992 and the first time most of us saw Christian Bale on our screens in the role of Jack Kelly in Newsies   Ellie,  Georgia,  Ethan, and Ian ask how Bill Pullman's character is able to spread the word of the Newsies strike through his own newspaper - are his Newsies not on strike?  Is Oscar Winner Robert Duvall the worst thing about this film and was Razzie (and Oscar) winner Alan Menken unfairly criticised for a pretty good soundtrack.  Did we ever find out what borough Spot Conlon was from and finally, did Davey even really learn how to be a Newsie on his half a day on the job?  We also went around the table (virtually), and gave our thoughts on who should be cast in the upcoming live adaptation of Hercules.  Catch up on some great Disney content and then join the conversation (@talkthemickey), Instagram (@talkingthemickey), or on our BRAND NEW Facebook page (@talkingthemickey).

Also, a massive thanks to our friends over at Feedspot who informed  us that they have included us in their "Top 60 Disney Podcasts You Must  Follow in 2020" rankings where we currently sit at #13 (and I believe  hold the ranking of the top film review Disney podcast in that list).   If you've got a podcast to promote, why not head over to Feedspot and  see how they can help you.  Catch our ranking at  https://blog.feedspot.com/disney_podcasts