We Want The D

Welcome back to Bob's Lake, D Lovers! Vicky, Nolan and Jill could think of no better way to celebrate the sequel to our kinda-sorta live show than doing our very first Disney sequel; so let's give a warm welcome back to the Szalinski family (except for Amy who vanishes about five minutes into the movie) with Honey, I Blew Up the Kid! You may wonder what inspired a sequel that basically just does the inverse story of the original, but if you thought it was because someone thought of the idea "giant baby" and shoehorned it into an existing property, you wouldn't be that far off. The end result is a sequel that doesn't quite compare to its original (or arguably its own direct-to-video sequel), but certainly has its charms. More Rick Moranis is always a plus, especially when paired with a very impressive toddler performer; the Nick and Keri Russell romance has just the right of dark sexual undertones to it; and watching a fully-grown man dressed up as a toddler in an over-sized sports jacket is more entertaining than you might think. So enjoy the sounds of nature and the great outdoors and celebrate the last days of summer with your favourite podcast hosts in this week's episode of We Want The D!

We Want The D is back after a short hiatus, and what better way to reward our beloved listeners' patience than with another classic Disney film from that odd 60s/70s era of weird animal movies. The Cat from Outer Space has the distinction of not only being one of the most out-there Disney movies we've watched so far conceptually, but also the most boring realization of it's off-the-wall concept. The only thing amazing about this movie is how straight everyone plays the fact that this movie is supposedly about a CAT from OUTER SPACE. No madcap antics or zany adventures to be had here, just long sequences of illegal sports betting and some pretty dismal green screen plane stunts. Oh, and the casual animal cruelty we've come to expect from Disney films of this ilk. Vicky, Nolan and Jill are glad to be back in your ears, but can't say they're glad to have watched this movie.

For all the inexplicable strange movies we've watched on We Want The D, and all the ones yet to come, it's hard to imagine that any of them will match the off-the-wall absurdity of this week's Disney film. There's a zany energy to this movie that doesn't compare to anything else the House of Mouse has produced, but that doesn't mean that it's missing the core or heart of what makes a great Disney movie. Which is what made watching MEET THE ROBINSONS such a delight for Vicky, Nolan and Jill. It's a movie that knows how to have fun; with its sense of humour, with its character designs, with its dialogue. It's equal parts a wild ride that drags you along whether you like it or not, and a heartwarming story about family and moving on from past failures and sadness. It's a movie that fully realizes the ethos of Walt Disney, beloved creator - though maybe not so much the ethos of Walt Disney, tyrannical studio head.

We're about to get as cultured as hell on this week's mini episode of We Want The D. Join Nolan, Jill and special guest/resident art expert Cat for a look at the surreal Walt Disney/Salvador Dali collaboration that took over half a century to bring to life: Destino.

We Want The D has Olympic fever! (Not to be confused with the fever many of the athletes will come down with at the Rio Games.) To celebrate this historic athletic competition that supports good sportsmanship and fosters international relations, Vicky, Nolan and Jill are taking a look at Disney's COOL RUNNINGS. For some, a cult classic; for others, a problematic film that makes jokes out of serious competitors. Our hosts will have to reconcile their fond memories of this movie with the knowledge that Disney execs were constantly calling for watered down accents or that John Candy's worn features may not have been all make-up. Tempered though our reactions to this movie are in hindsight, its still an undeniably fun movie to watch, discuss, and try to guess Disney's dream cast before they decided they'd rather pay all the actors scale.

As much as Disney movies may have delighted and entertained us throughout our lives, what makes these movies so special is their ability to scare the pants off us. In this mini-episode of We Want The D Vicky, Nolan and Jill are reopening old wounds and facing old fears as we recount the scariest moments from some of our most beloved or not-so-beloved Disney films from our childhood.

It's easy to imagine a reality where Disney's Around the World in 80 Days went down in history as a classic. After all, it stars noted and beloved martial artist and actor Jackie Chan, the versatile British comedian and performer Steve Coogan, and features enough cameos in the second half that it almost made our hosts' heads spin. But, alas, that is not the reality, as this live action cartoon ended up bombing hard at the box office, despite all it had going for it. Where did it all go wrong? Could it have been the choice to let one of Adam Sandler's buddies, whose last film was The Waterboy, direct an action-packed, globe-spanning adventure? The decision to change protagonists partway through probably didn't help much. It's unclear whether getting all the British actors to act approximately 200% more British helped or hurt the film in the end. Join Vicky, Nolan and Jill as we try to get to the bottom of what went wrong this week on We Want The D.

EXPLICIT CONTENT WARNING. We Want The D is always marked explicit everywhere you listen, but this (not so) mini episode deserves a second warning. Probably a third and fourth, too. Because Vicky, Nolan and Jill are fulfilling the request of multiple listeners to explore the world of Disney Fan Fiction, and boy howdy if it isn't every bit as crass, hyper-sexualized and downright disturbing as we hoped and feared. Needless to say, this is a non-family friendly episode of a podcast that not very family friendly to begin with. You're gonna need headphones for this one. Keep out of reach of children and those with heart conditions. MOM, DON'T LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE.

This week on We Want The D, Vicky, Nolan and Jill face a brand new challenge - how do you talk about a movie that is actually just several episodes of a television show from the late 1950s edited together for a theatrical release? To our hosts' dismay, the answer is "with difficulty." The series the movie is cut from, Disney's very popular 'Zorro,' came out long before the golden age of television, so the resulting film is a bit lacking when it comes to impressive set pieces, non-expository dialogue, or basically any scene that was filmed in anything but a wide shot of a studio backlot. Sure, there's sword fights, a singing sergeant and some very odd sign language; but it doesn't really add up to much. At least not much worth talking about.

Welcome to another debate-filled mini episode of We Want The D. Things only get a little heated this week as Vicky, Nolan and Jill put forth their picks for the best Disney Princess pairing. There's a lot to consider when trying to figure out which relationship is the most stable and has the best chance of not ending in divorce or otherwise acrimoniously, but you can rely on your diligent hosts to look at every angle and discuss our opinions without resorting to too much speculation on what goes on in the royal bedrooms. We promise, only 50% or less of this episode is dedicated to weird sex talk.