We Want The D

There's a question that lies at the centre of this week's episode of We Want The D that has our hosts divided. Can a movie that is so dumb in so many ways be saved by the fact that ducks walk funny and make funny noises? It's a question that could only be raised by 1970s Disney, and specifically in this case by MILLION DOLLAR DUCK. This may be the only time in We Want The D history where critics at the time of this movie's release were harsher on it than our hosts are - but we can't say we blame them. So pull out your 60s/70s Live Action Disney bingo cards and get ready for some classic bad parenting, animal hijinks, and extended car chase sequences with men in suits.

Every so often Vicky, Nolan and Jill will encounter a Disney movie that raises an interesting philosophical question for them to really sick their teeth into. TUCK EVERLASTING, another in the "adaption of a beloved children's book none of us have read" series, could have raised interesting questions around what it means to live a "worthwhile" life or if living forever is truly living if you just mostly sit around a cabin with your immortal parents and immortal mopey older brother. And sure, we give about the same amount of time to exploring those questions and themes as the movie does (that is, not much). But mostly we're hung up on the age old question of just how creepy is it when a guy who looks seventeen but is actually 104 is obsessed with a girl who looks twelve but is actually played by a twenty year-old actress. Also whatever Ben Kingsley is doing in this movie is incredibly distracting. All that and more on this week's We Want The D!

Vicky, Nolan and Jill tackle the Disney/Pixar March Madness bracket that's been making the rounds online. Find the bracket here to follow along, and share your own results with us on Twitter or Facebook!

It shouldn't really be a surprise that back in the 60s Disney had two multi-film franchises set on college campuses that featured an administration and authority-defying lead, but here we are. But while one franchise featured the boyish charms of cool kid Kurt Russell, THE MISADVENTURES OF MERLIN JONES takes a slightly different tact by having frequent We Want The D favourite Tommy Kirk take on the titular role of the "scrambled egghead." A character who is willing to accuse a judge of diamond theft and murder, and kidnap and hypnotize a chimp without its consent...all in the pursuit of science, we guess? Also featuring the singing "talents" of Annette Funicello, who demonstrates an incredible ability to wait in a car.

Let's be honest, D-Lovers, Disney hasn't had the best track record when it comes to movies that tread the line between fictional film and nature documentary. As it turns out, however, all it really took to pull one such feature off was a director with a vision, an actor with the gumption to pretend to eat dozens of mice, and what must have been an inhuman tolerance for shooting outdoors in the arctic for more than two years. NEVER CRY WOLF is insane on paper, and maybe a little insane on screen, but it's all part of what drew Vicky, Nolan and Jill into this story of survival. These diamonds in the rough are few and far between when it comes to 1980s Disney, but this is one of the brightest we've watched yet.

We Want The D goes to the movies once again this week, as Vicky, Nolan and Jill have a spoiler-filled discussion on Disney's latest offering, A WRINKLE IN TIME. Stay tuned at the end (or skip to it if you plan on seeing the movie and don't want to be spoiled) for a bonus look at two recently released trailers for upcoming Disney films as well (starting at around 1:10:22).

We admit it, D-Lovers, there's no good reason that our hosts are talking about another Western-themed Disney movie this week. But there's also no good reason for Disney to have made a sequel to The Apple Dumpling Gang, especially one that does not feature the titular gang, so at least we're in good company. Best Vicky, Nolan and Jill can figure, THE APPLE DUMPLING GANG RIDES AGAIN is just an excuse to get classic comedy duo Don Knotts and Tim Conway in a bunch of fun costumes and have them run around causing trouble while the barest semblance of a plot happens around them. In the process they've swapped out Donovan, Dusty an the ragamuffin kids for a supporting cast of gross moustaches, fabulous hair, and really long guns. It's hijinks galore this week on We Want The D.

Nostalgia. It's something that Disney peddles and trades in as part of their bread and butter. What other company can put their classic titles in a vault for years on end, then bring them out whenever they feel like it and make millions off them all over again? But nostalgia is a fickle thing, as one of our hosts learns this week when we watched TALL TALE. A movie with so much potential thanks to a pretty solid concept and a really solid cast (anchored by none other that Patrick Swayze) that nonetheless decides to go in a more nonsensical, aimless direction. But how can a movie that falls so short be connected to such warm memories? It's a mystery we hope to solve, this week on We Want The D.

Judgement Day. Empire Strike Back. The Dark Knight. The Godfather Part II. All of these movies have something in common: they are sequels that far surpass the original. But first on that list should be Disney's THE RESCUERS DOWN UNDER, which continues to follow the adventures of the glamourous Miss Bianca and the dependable Bernard as they travel around the globe, saving children from larger-than-life danger. Down Under just does everything better - the adventure is bigger, the sidekicks are funnier and more charming, and the villains - oh my god the villains. Add in some gorgeous, groundbreaking animation and its easy to see why this overlooked gem of the early Disney Renaissance is a beloved classic to those in the know. And now you are too, dear listeners.

It's finally here, what may be the most hotly anticipated (or painfully dreaded, depending on your perspective) episode of We Want The D. We won't keep you long, because as you may suspect, the written word can't really do justice to this Disney Channel Original Movie. Just know that yes, this movie did necessitate ninety-plus minutes of discussion from Vicky, Nolan and Jill - putting our hosts dangerously close to releasing an episode longer than the actual movie they watched.