We Want The D

This week on We Want The D, Vicky, Nolan and Jill had the unenviable task of attempting to talk about Disney's animated film THE RESCUERS without completey ignoring it in favour of its far superior sequel. Luckily, it's not as if this episode's movie is bad or anything (aside from the songs, at least) - it's just not as good as what would come later. But considering this is the last Disney picture to come out before the so-called 'Dark Ages' there's actually quite a lot to love. Miss Bianca the mouse is every bit as suave and stylish as you would expect from such a fashion icon, Madame Medusa is every bit as villainous and grotesque as you would expect from a classic Disney baddie, and Penny the orphan is just as adorable and orphan-y as the best of the many, many Disney orphans. And if nothing else, we're now one step closer to talking about one of best sequels in movie history. So join us, D Lovers, and discover just what two little mice can do.

Fear not, D Lovers: The sounds of birds chirping and squirrels squeaking aren't a result of Vicky, Nolan and Jill being shrunk to three quarters of an inch tall and forced to traverse a backyard in order to be embiggened by their madcap, inattentive, brilliant inventor of a father and his miraculous shrink machine. It's just the sounds of nature as our hosts recorded these week's episode amongst the great outdoors at a cottage getaway. The relaxing and beautiful scenery did nothing to suppress our hosts' feelings regarding this unexpected classic in the Disney canon, however. The adoration for Rick Moranis, 80s costuming, and Lil' Russ Thompson's mullet can barely be contained. HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KIDS may be a movie that operates on a small scale, but it delivers big adventure, so relax in your muskoka chairs and grab your s'mores for this special cottage edition of We Want The D!

Disney films have spanned numerous genres over their long history. From fairy tales to epic adventures, slapstick comedy to teen melodrama, and bright and colourful musicals to whatever the hell The Three Caballeros is. In 1995, Walt Disney Pictures released their first proper film in a genre they had only previously dabbled in - the war film. Operation Dumbo Drop is set during and in the thick of the Vietnam War, known for its brutal combat and horrific actions on both sides of the conflict. America's very involvement was controversial at best, but none of the nuance and complex circumstances of the war deterred Disney from telling this so-crazy-it-must-be-true story of the U.S. Military attempting to curry favour with local villagers by providing them with elephants. The premise is crazy, the fact that Disney made a movie about the Vietnam war is crazy, and the fact that they cast Ray Liotta as one of the leads is crazy - and that's not even getting into any of the craziness of the actual film itself. If that doesn't pique your interest in this week's episode of We Want The D, we don't know what will.

Apologies for the colon massacre in this week's title, D Lovers, but we think about colons the same way TJ Detweiler thinks about recess - there's no such thing as too much. Which is why there is no fourth grader better suited to foil the world-devastating plans of Evil James Woods in this big screen adaptation of the One Saturday Morning classic. This is just one in a niche group of Disney films that were adapted from television series, which means our hosts' knowledge of the subject going in ranges from near-total ignorance to near-total adoration. In the end, it's the nostalgia for simpler times that win our hosts over. When you could count down the seconds until summer vacation, when hanging out by a pond casually tossing rocks with your friends was more than enough entertainment, and when mutual understanding and respect between student and principal could be forged through defeating megalomaniacal villains and roving gangs of ninjas. As summer draws to a close, join us as we celebrate the ultimate recess with TJ, Spinelli, Gretchen and the rest of the gang, right here on We Want The D.

There is a lot of excitement from our hosts this week on We Want The D. All three are bursting at the seams to not only talk about their love for the classic animated stories of Winnie the Pooh, Christopher Robin, and their friends in the Hundred Acre Wood, but each have very specific takes on what they love best about the collection of shorts that make up Disney's The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. For Vicky, it's all about her love of the title character as not only her spirit animal, but a fashion icon. For Nolan, it's all about love for the charming songs the Sherman brothers turned out for the film. For Jill, it's copyright law. Of course. It's more than just Tiggers that are wonderful in this week's episode, so grab your hunny pots and condensed milk, and join us for another episode of We Want The D!

Welcome, D Lovers, to the first ever We Want The D Head-to-Head battle! In this corner, featuring a young British actress failing to maintain two variations of an American accent, a scandal-ridden Irish actress looking for redemption by playing a physically abusive ex-wife, and an American actor known for playing a cowboy and a scoundral trying his hand at playing an ex-husband and father who is a cowboy and a scoundral - it's 1961's THE PARENT TRAP. And in the opposite corner, featuring a young talent who in a few years will be riddled with scandal and who-knows-what-else, a beautiful angel taken from us far too soon, and...Dennis Quaid - it's 1998's THE PARENT TRAP. That's right, we're taking two versions of the same Disney movie, and seeing which one owns the hearts and minds of Vicky, Nolan and Jill. It's a battle you don't want to miss!

For any D Lovers out there above the legal drinking age, Vicky, Nolan and Jill are proud to share with you the first ever We Want The D drinking game! Any time you hear Vicky say the subtitle of today's episode, take a drink. Actually, on second thought, don't. Not only because mass consumption of alcohol isn't in line with the Disney ethos (unless you're a baby elephant), but because we don't want to be responsible for the almost certain alcohol poisoning that would occur if anyone actually attempted to play along. So consume your beverages at a reasonable pace, and listen in as we discuss the movie that introduced the world to Anne Hathaway, that provides further evidence of Julie Andrews' ethereal presence, and is a perfect embodiment of what an awkward time the early 2000s were - THE PRINCESS DIARIES.

We made it, D-Lovers! Twenty-five episode of We Want The D seems as good a place to celebrate a milestone as any, and we're doing so by watching one of Disney's most beloved animated classics, The Jungle Book. The film is a master class in taking many of the elements that Vicky, Nolan and Jill have complained about in past movies, and making them a delight. It's not such a big deal if a movie is just a sequence of events loosely tied together by a simple plot if each one of those sequences is a smorgasbord of gorgeous animation, impeccable voice work, timeless songs, and honest-to-goodness funny jokes. So we would like to thank you, our listeners, for tuning in for the past 25 weeks, and hope that you will stick with us as we continue this adventure in the Disney catalogue. And we want to thank Disney, of course, for providing the fuel - whether it causes us to burn with confusion or anger, or shine with delight and wonder, it's always an adventure worth taking.

We gotta admit, D Lovers, we're a little nervous about the possible reactions to this week's episode, where we discuss Disney's RETURN TO OZ. We Want The D is forging into Cult Film territory here, and like the depiction of Oz in this movie, that's a subject that can turn once bright and colourful worlds into drab and scary places filled with all manner of unfamiliar and horrific creatures. Jill is probably safe, but Vicky and Nolan may be searching for a wind-up soldier of their own to hide from hordes of unhappy fans, descending on them like so many hunched-over men on rollar skates. We'll just have to hope you'll understand our confusion at this kind-of-sequel to a beloved piece of film history. So come over the rainbow with us (or float downriver in a chicken coop), as we RETURN TO OZ.

There were exactly 364 days separating the theatrical releases of Disney's The Little Mermaid and this week's film. What a difference a year can make - specifically, the difference between a film that would jumpstart a flailing company and launch them to new, dizzying heights, and one that would take eight years to get released on home video. It's not hard to see why Disney may have wanted to sweep this movie under the rug. Aside from one very catchy song, this film is a mess of lazy animation, stunt voice casting that rarely works out, and a story so loosely based on Dickens' Oliver Twist that the only similarities are four of the characters' names. This week on We Want The D, Vicky, Nolan and Jill watched OLIVER & COMPANY - and for all the savoir faire the characters claim to have, this movie has none.