We Want The D

Our series on Mary Poppins continues with SAVING MR. BANKS, a Disney movie about how Walt Disney made a Disney movie. This is some meta-level stuff so it merits some meta-level discussion from Vicky, Nolan and Jill and boy do they go deep. Not only does this movie have enough to talk about on its own merits, from its stacked cast to its somewhat disjointed flashback structure; and not only is it insane that a super image-conscious brand and corporation would be so bold as to make a movie heavily featuring their iconic figurehead; but it also tells the story of how our beloved Mary Poppins went from waning children's series to timeless classic, told through the eyes of the author who was about to lose ownership of her creation, both legally and symbolically. There's so shortage of conversations to be had this week, we hope you enjoy!

We're kicking off our series on all things Mary Poppins with a Disney documentary focusing on two of the most instrumental figures not only in the making of the legendary film, but in Disney history in general. Robert and Richard Sherman were brothers who could not be more different, except in their general distaste for one another. But that animosity didn't stop them from being the greatest songwriting duo Disney ever employed, this side of Menken and Ashman. Join our hosts as Vicky, Nolan and Jill celebrate their work and pick apart their personal relationships with the help of an all-star panel of talking heads, and a soundtrack to die for.

As the scariest time of year draws to a close, our hosts are discussing what may be the most terrifying subject we've seen yet - the innate fear in all of us of having to walk home alone at night. That's right, it's time to look at Disney's take of the legend of Sleepy Hollow and the Headless Horseman...which because it came out in the 1940s was paired with the story of an anthropomorphic toad that was sent to jail for joyriding in a stolen car. Also very scary! So join us on our journey merrily on our way to nowhere as we debate the true fate of Ichabod Crane, the nature of mania, and share some stories of our own scary walks home.

Long time D-sciples will know that Disney hasn't really stockpiled a plethora of Halloween-themed movies in their theatrical catalog, but rather than let this spookiest time of year go unacknowledged, Vicky, Nolan and Jill are returning to the well of Disney's televised movie offerings. After being nigh-on inundated with requests, we had no choice but to go with MR. BOOGEDY and its sequel BRIDE OF BOOGEDY, movies that may very well have scarred many children in their time. But watching these as adults - hoo boy. One is too short, the other too long. One has about four sets, the other has about four unnecessary characters. One has a joke vacuum cleaner, the other has a true-crime wax museum. The sheer insanity of these movies would be frightening in their own way, if they weren't just so gosh-darn silly.

We're kicking off this spooktacular season with a mini-episode looking at the most gruesome, disturbing, karmic deaths in the Disney animated canon. Note this episode was recorded back before we had watched some of the movies referenced, so no you did not travel through time while listening to this episode!

It's time for another edition of 1960s/70s Disney live action Mad Libs! You know the one, it's Ron Miller's favourite game. The one where you just fill in the blanks between the phrases like "illegal gambling," "extended car chase," and "adult romance plot." In the case of THE NORTH AVENUE IRREGULARS we get some real doozies, though - "cool new Reverend," "Treasury Department, and "church explosion" to name just a few. And for as predictable as this era of Disney has gotten for our hosts, that last one was a real surprise - showing that even after all these episodes watching all these movies, we may never get a bead on the strange mind of Ron Miller.

Hold on to your peanuts and crackerjacks, D-Lover, we're going back old to the old ball game this week on We Want The D. Rather than a scrappy underdog story that Disney tends to love for their sports movies, however, MILLION DOLLAR ARM centers mostly on a successful sports agent who hit a bit of a rough patch, and may have to sell his very large LA home or perhaps even his luxury sports car if he can't find two young Indian boys to exploit for his own personal gain. In an unexpected twist, this film is actually based on a rather wholesome story that Disney had to dirty up a bit to make dramatically interesting; but the results are mixed, to say the least. We'll try not to hold that one strike against them.

When Mother Abbess from The Sound of Music told us to "climb every mountain" she probably wasn't talking about the Matterhorn; or as it's called in Disney's THIRD MAN ON THE MOUNTAIN, the Citadel. But don't try to tell young(ish) Rudi Matt that, even though his own father was killed while climbing its treacherous slopes. No sir, climbing is in Rudi's blood, so no amount of stern gazes from a hard-faced uncle, cautious lessons from his father's old partner, or flirtatious looks from his super-great sweetheart will deter him. It's another on-location stunt-spectacular of classic live action Disney and our hosts couldn't be more pleased.

Disney hits more than a few stumbling block with the early-80s entry THE LAST FLIGHT OF NOAH'S ARK. Just entering the period where they attempt to create less kid-friendly fare, instead they let the children and animals fade into the background while focusing on an unconvincing love story between Elliott Gould and French Canadian actress Geneviève Bujold, a pair of Japanese Stragglers, and a truly awful, just awful song. What could have been basically Six Days, Seven Nights nearly two decades early turns out to be one of the most confounding movies we've watched so far.

As students head back to school after summer vacation, our hosts are heading back to Medfield Collage along with Dexter Riley, Schuyler, Dean Higgins, Girl and the rest of the gang in Disney's THE COMPUTER WORE TENNIS SHOES. But like students in a 8:30AM lecture, Vicky, Nolan and Jill are having a little trouble focusing on this movie's particular brand of hijinks, and wind up going on some detours into Game of Thrones, Canadian women's magazine Chatelaine, the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards, and Austin Powers to name just a few.