Zootopia 2

“Zootopia 2,” released last month, is every bit as fast and funny and socially agreed as the last film, which came out – if you can believe it – almost a decade ago. Given that amount of time, one couldn’t be blamed for noticing how both films happen to agree with certain Trumpian moments in history: The first film was released when Trump was the leading Republican candidate in the 2016 Presidential election, and now the sequel has been released near the end of his rowdy first year back in office. James Kendrick said in his review, “As I wrote nine years ago, Zootopia (2016) eerily presaged Trump’s penchant for eschewing facts and nuance in favor of fear-mongering and broad generalizations designed to strike fear in his political base. Nothing has changed, of course, and in fact those tendencies have been super-charged by his return to power and have found even more voice in scapegoating enemies that are more figments of his fevered imagination than actual threats—which is precisely what Zootopia 2 is about.”

The story location in the titular metropolis, which, as you may remember (and, if you don’t, the film gives a helpful recap at the beginning), is a fantasy city where every manner of mammals live together in complete peace. The city is divided into four districts that give ideal environmental conditions for the different types of animals that live there. The districts are separated by giant walls that keep the fighting environments (e.g., Tundratown and the Rainforest District) separate.

We start right were the first movie ended, with Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin), the determined, bright-eyed bunny who became the first rabbit police officer, and Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), a sly con-artist of a fox, working together as a team. Having hugely (but not completely) overcome their differences, they still feel the need to prove themselves in a police force that is not used to rabbits and foxes being counted among their ranks (police officers normally are larger animals like zebras, hippos, and, of course, returning water-buffalo Chief Bogo, voiced by Idris Elba). Kendrick is right when he said, “If the first film was about breaking through stereotypes and the importance of digging beneath assumptions, Zooptopia 2 doubles down on that message by expanding beyond the inherent tensions within the city itself and bringing in a group of animals that has been expelled entirely: reptiles.”

We find out that there are no reptiles in Zootopia because they were forcibly expelled a century ago due to a snake being accused of murder. Kendrick said, “Those accusations happen to come from the wealthy Lynxley family, a dynasty whose paterfamilias was responsible for designing the walls that made Zootopia possible. So, we have a monied, powerful, politically connected family with a vested interest in maintaining its power by pushing a (possible false) narrative that demonizes another group and requires their expulsion.” Sound familiar?

Kendrick admitted, “I won’t dig too deep into the narrative details because part of the film’s pleasure is the way the mystery unfolds; it plays like a good ol’ fashioned police procedural crossed with Hitchcock’s wrongly accused man hijinks, wrapped up in computer-animated mania.” Safe to say that Judy and Nick come upon a deep conspiracy that involves, in one way or another, a trafficked snake named Gary, voiced by Ke Huy Quan. The awkward, black-sheep youngest member of the Lynxley dynasty (Andy Samberg), which is in charge by his gruff father (David Strathairn). The horse movie-star-turned-Zootopia mayor, voiced by Patrick Warburton. Finally, a conspiracy-theory-confused podcaster-beaver named Nibbles Maplestick, voiced by Fortune Feimster.

Kendrick pointed out, “There are a lot of twists and turns and hyper-funny action sequences, but the movie is constantly moored by the heart-and-soul ethos embodied by Judy and Nick’s odd-couple chemistry, which works (as they eventually learn) precisely because they are different. The film embraces diversity not as a bumper-sticker slogan, but as an ethos that creates a better world through understanding and acceptance. If that sounds too mushy, don’t worry—the film isn’t above sending up touchy-feeliness, which we see in the emotional breakthrough moment when Judy, the insecure overachiever, and Nick, the insecure swindler, admit to each other all of their personal and psychological shortcomings, which is both immensely touching and absolutely hilarious (“It’s true! I do need a herd of therapy animals!”).”

Kendrick continued, “Such moments suggest that returning screenwriter Jared Bush, who again co-directed with Byron Howard (they previous collaborated on Encanto), sees his characters as more than plug-n-play figures, and it helps that Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman give Judy and Nick such life. Granted, the film’s emotional contours tend to be drowned out by some of the visual excess, including an unexpectedly spot-on homage to the climax of The Shining (1980), and some of the characters feel like they’re trying too hard to be memorable (I’m looking at you, Nibbles).” However, on the whole, “Zootopia 2” admirably balances visual desire and genuine emotion.

The only complaint I have with this movie is the villain reveal is just like the first one. However, I still find myself loving this movie a lot and I’m glad I saw it. If you haven’t seen this film yet, go to the theaters and see it. I’m glad I finally got a chance to see this in the theaters yesterday, as it was one of the movies that I wanted to see. You will love this movie as it still is funny and does have a good message for kids to learn about. Shakira is back singing and does have a little bit of dialogue. Actually, the cast in this movie is phenomenal. Wait until the end credits to know and stay for a post-credits scene. I wasn’t surprised that they came out with a sequel and I wouldn’t be surprised if they come out with a third movie because I can see this franchise going somewhere, if they continue to teach kids about not judging people and the cons of prejudice, which is what they need to know. I think the first movie is a little better, but this is one of the better sequels Disney has come out with. Don’t miss your chance to go to the theaters to see this film.

With that, we have come to the end of “Disney Month 2025.” I hope everyone enjoyed this month, and hopefully I made some good recommendations for everyone, as this is the year that I did the least amount of reviews. Who knows if next year will be the same or not? We’ll just have to wait and see. Have a great end to this depressing year and let’s ring in the new year with the hope that it will be better for everyone. I’m going to take a couple of days off before I start the new year back with my usual Friday reviews. See all of you in the new year.

Moana 2

The decision to continue the sailing ways of Moana – the strong-willed daughter of a chief of a Polynesian village – as an animated musical feature film instead of a TV series will be a major success when making money. The first “Moana” was a huge massive box office hit and is one of the most streamed films on Disney+ that more stories were an obvious decision.

Because the sequel, “Moana 2,” released last month, will make so much money, there will be either a third film or the original plans to create a TV series will be brought up again. Either choice will be another smart moneymaking decision.

The problem with making a sequel – whether or not it started out as a TV series – is that there are certain parts that can’t be done again. Rick Bentley said in his review, “In this case, the fact Moana is no longer an untested champion, the lack of a specific villain and a musical soundtrack that doesn’t have the same spirit leaves “Moana 2” a good movie but nowhere near as great as the initial offering.”

Moana, voiced by Auli’i Cravalho, was an underdog in the first film. There was a natural tension created by her journey to free her island after being selected by the ocean to place a mystical relic back in the goddess Te Fiti. “Moana 2” takes her on a new journey to lift a curse that has isolated her people from the other islands. She’s confident there are other people beyond her island but finding them means facing and overcoming many deadly trials.

Joining Moana on her journey are her faithful sidekicks, Hei Hei (Alan Tudyk) the chicken, Pua the pig, expert repairwoman Loto (Rose Matafeo), grouchy Kele (David Fani), Moni (Hualalai Chung), and demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson). They must sail to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure that she’s never done before.

Because she demonstrated such heroism in the first film, no one thinks that she will fail. Bentley said, “The addition of a worried little sister adds some tension to Moana’s brave expedition, but those moments play toward the sappy side.”

Bentley continued, “The bulk of the journey is a very linear trip across the water interrupted by various dangers that must be faced. There is no drop in animation quality from the original as the team has created a blend of colorful characters (suitable for merchandising) and built stunning worlds for them to exist. The design of the water is so close to the real world it is almost as if a heavenly hand had been involved.”

What is missing is an antagonist. Moana and her team have to survive a clam and deal with the evil Matangi (Amhimai Fraser), a storm demigod who appears to be the villain of the film but is actually working for Nalo (Tofiga Fepulea’i).

Bentley pointed out, “Matangi would have been an acceptable villain, but writers Jared Bush and Dana Ledoux Miller use her only as a filler.” Nalo doesn’t make an appearance until the mid-credits scene. Bentley said, “Not showing Nalo to the end is like watching “Peter Pan” and Mr. Smee is the villain until the closing credits.” Saving the reveal of the bad guy in “Moana 2” for the end is nothing but setting up for more stories of Moana to come.

Bentley noted, “It is also odd that Fraser’s Auckland accent comes through in her performance as it sounds very out of place compared to the rest of the cast. Not enough had been established about the world of Moana to make such an accent appropriate.”

The other flaw of “Moana 2” is that composer Lin-Manuel Miranda didn’t create the music for the sequel. The Grammy-winning team of Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear have written the songs for the film. Their songs are good but not memorable.

Bentley said, “The curse of a hit movie is that there is a reason the production had so much success from original ideas to unexpected surprises.” “Moana 2” has enough good characters, great action and nice musical numbers to be entertaining but it can’t solve the problem that just hurts so many sequels where they always look like a step down when compared.

Don’t get me wrong, when my mom, siblings, and I went to the theaters to see this a few weeks ago, we loved it. However, we do admit that it is not as good as the first one, but we are glad we saw it. I was surprised that they decided to make a sequel as I felt the first one stood on its own and didn't need one, but since we got a sequel, I'm glad. I will say this was a better sequel than “Frozen 2.” If this is still playing in the theaters, I would say go see it because this is not a waste of time. You will love it, but just not as much as the first one.

Alright everyone, we have now come to the end of “Disney Month 2024.” I hope everyone enjoyed this as we have now reached the end of the year. I did a little less reviews this year compared to last year, but that’s fine as each year is unpredictable of how many reviews I will do. Hopefully everyone enjoyed these reviews as I will plan on what excitement I have in store for everyone next year. Have a great end of the year and let’s ring in the new year with some hopes and plans that will help everyone out.

I will see everyone next year as I will take a few days off before starting back up with my regular Friday reviews.

Disenchanted

Last night I saw the much talked about sequel, “Disenchanted,” which came out on Disney+ last week. For a movie that was in talks and fell into development for a decade, how does it fare out compared to the first movie? Let’s find out.

Peter Gray started his review by saying, “With Hocus Pocus 2 proving a sizeable success, The Princess Diaries 3 now officially in the works, and both Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan discussing their interest in a Freaky Friday sequel, the House of Mouse is more than proving itself in the business of revisiting original titles for the sake of nostalgia, fan demand, monetary possibilities, or a combination of all of the above.”

Joining the list is “Enchanted.”

Gray said, “15 years on from Kevin Lima’s expectation-exceeding musical comedy – the very one that arguably catapulted Amy Adams to global stardom – Disenchanted comes along to dispel the fairy-tale cliché of “Happy ever after”, and present its forever-optimistic princess Giselle (Adams, effortlessly slipping back into the character) in a life removed from the magic of both her homeland and her newfound oasis; respectively, the animated land of Andalasia and the concrete jungle of New York City.”

Gray continued, “Whilst much of the appeal of Enchanted was that Giselle, the perfect encapsulation of a goodie-two-shoes princess, was a fish-out-of-water in a big city.” It makes sense that screenwriter Brigitte Hales would look at the story of what comes after happily ever after. Gray mentioned, “The reality isn’t nearly as appealing for a Disney audience though (or Disney+ in this case), so Giselle, silver fox beau Robert (Patrick Dempsey, not looking entirely engaged throughout), their young baby daughter, and Robert’s now-teenaged daughter Morgan (Gabriella Baldacchino, replacing Rachel Covey from the original) uproot their Manhattan digs for a fresh start in Monroeville, a fictional town that appeals to Giselle’s eye due to its seeming fairy-tale aesthetic.”

Moving into a larger home that’s in need of a good repair – nothing a little song-and-dance won’t fix – and immediately starting on the backfoot when it comes to Monroeville’s queen bee Malvina, played by Maya Rudolph (enjoying eating the scenery), Giselle is worried the fairy-tale she wanted is more a nightmare. Isn’t just her day then that Giselle’s former prince lover, now king, Edward (James Marsden) and his bride, Nancy (Idina Menzel, thankfully given the chance to let out a tune this time), come for a visit and bring a magical wishing wand as a gift. Do you think that the wishing wand will seriously be a part of this story?

Wanting a fairy-tale land resembling Andalasia means Giselle’s wish turns Monroeville into a fairy-tale land, turning Malvina into the traditional evil queen of the Maleficent type, and Giselle into the evil stepmother she’s always made sure she never became. This decision to put two villainesses against each other is full of possibilities, and Adams is having a lot of fun when she leans into the eviler side of Giselle – her movements and vocal pattern change instantly – but this story only ever feels half-done, with “Disenchanted” apparently too focused on its song numbers.

Gray noted, “Whereas the first film only lightly peppered musical numbers to enhance its magical elements, Disenchanted is practically a full-blown musical of sorts, churning out nearly a dozen songs over the course of its 118 minutes; none of which prove remotely memorable.  Longing for the absolute joy that was such a number as the first film’s Central Park ditty :That’s How You Know”, the closest Disenchanted comes to any type of magic is in the campy battle of who’s more evil of Giselle and Malvina when they duet on “Badder”, a midway set-piece that truly livens up a sequel that’s arrived a few years too late.”

Despite there being a type of joy held when watching “Disenchanted” because of how precious Amy Adams is in her role, and films such as this is there to simply entertain on the safest area are always welcome feed for parents wondering what to let their children watch, it’s that Adam Shankman’s film fails to leave an impact that truly becomes a disappointment. The magic in happily ever after is nowhere to be found here. This makes it, literally, disenchanting.

As you may have thought, this film is not as good as the first one. I had heard rumors of this sequel for a long time, and it kept getting delayed because of the pandemic, and I feel they could have worked on this film to make it better. This is just a stereotypical Disney trope sequel that is not as good. Check it out if you want, but you will not like it compared to the first one. At least it is on Disney+, so you don’t have to worry about wasting your money.

Thank you for joining in on my review today. Look out next month to see what I will end the year off with.

Frozen II

Tonight I finally got to see “Frozen II,” which came out two months ago, and I will let everyone know my thoughts on it.

I think everyone could predict that a sequel was going to be made. In 2013, “Frozen” made $1.3 billion at the global box-office making it the highest-grossing animated film ever (not adjusted for inflation). Critics fell in love with the film and it won Academy Awards for best animated feature and best original song (Let It Go).

In the sequel, the main story is hugely untouched. Matthew Toomey stated in his review, “Inspired by a research trip through the forests of Scandinavia, writer-directors Chris Buck and Jennifer have returned with a fresh, creative story.” Songwriters Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez come back and make seven new songs including the hit Into the Unknown. Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff and Josh Gad have all reprised their roles as the film’s protagonists.

If you don’t seem to remember everything that happened in the first movie, there’s a hilarious moment at the end of the first act when Olaf, reprised by Josh Gad, gives a quick-note version. It happens with the magical Queen Elsa (Idina Menzel) and the brave Princess Anna (Kristen Bell) putting together their strengths to save their small kingdom from the villain Hans. The story was loosely inspired by Hans Christian Anderson’s fairy tale, The Snow Queen.

Toomey said, “The five-person writing team have done well to craft something distinctively different for the sequel.” Very close to the Kingdom of Arendelle is an enchanted forest. Its people, who look like Native Americans, can call upon the elements of air, water, fire and earth as part of their everyday work. However, the forest has been surrounded by a thick mist for more than 30 years after the war that “enraged the spirits.”

Queen Elsa has been told this story as a child but it’s only now become important because of a musical voice that’s calling to her (Toomey admitted, “I was humming it too on leaving the cinema”). Following the story to the enchanted forest, Elsa is able to use her magic powers to break the mist and, working with her friends, goes in to look for the voice. Following what the wise troll told – “the truth must be found.”

“Frozen II” is not as good as the first one but still has a lot to give. Toomey admitted, “Josh Gad wins big laughs as the deep-thinking Olaf, there’s a cute frog that will win audiences’ affections, and, while I can’t believe I’m saying this, there’s a scene stealing performance from a gust of wind (although it might be tough to sell merchandise based on that character!)”

The story is also great. It’s a nice, strange, magical world where you’re not completely sure what is around each side. The character interaction is also great with the film focusing on the theme of siblings growing up and making their own sense of independence. There are some great, often emotional, conversations spoken between Elsa and Anna that many will relate to.

Toomey noted, “A research study published in 2016 showed that for Disney animated features involving princesses, male characters produced the majority of the dialogue in almost all cases (the only two exceptions were Tangled and Brave).” The first one came up a little short (59% of the dialogue were said by men) but if “Frozen” and “Frozen II” are any sign, female-focused stories are in high demand.

This movie felt like it was borrowing from “The Lord of the Rings” and “Pocahontas,” but I still liked the movie for the characters, the sibling growth, the songs, the animation, and especially Olaf. He cracked me up a lot throughout the movie, so it’s still a good one to watch. If you haven’t seen this movie yet and you liked the first one, check this one out. It’s not as good as the first one, but it’s still a good sequel to see.

Now I’ve finally seen every movie I wanted to see that was released in 2019, now to move on to movies that will be released in 2020. Stay tuned this Friday for the continuation of “Bruce Lee Month.”

The Lion Guard: Battle for the Pride Lands

I found out that last month, the season 3 premiere of “The Lion Guard” started with another hour-long movie titled “The Lion Guard: Battle for the Pride Lands.” I watched this today On Demand and I have to say, it was a nice special that had some nostalgic touches for people who watched the first two “The Lion King” movies and perfectly explains the events that occurs in the second film.

The basic story of this is that The Lion Guard has grown and matured while protecting the Pride Lands from another attack that is made by the animals from the Outlands. The members include Kion (Max Charles), Bunga (Joshua Rush), Fuli (Diamond White), Beshte (Dusan Brown), Anga (Bryana Salaz) and Ono (Atticus Shaffer). Kion and Simba (Rob Lowe) make a plan to have all the best warriors of the Pride Lands join the Lion Guard in defeating Scar (David Oyelowo) once and for all. All of this is being reported to Scar by Ushari (Christian Slater) and Janja (Andrew Kishino), although Janja is having second thoughts about the Lion Guard, remembering what Jasiri (Maia Mitchell) once said to him.

For those who are fans of this series will definitely like this special. You have great cameos in here from the original movie, like Mufasa (Gary Anthony Williams), Nala (Gabrielle Union), Kiara (Eden Riegel) Rafiki (Khary Payton) and his apprentice Makini (Landry Bender), Zazu (Jeff Bennett) and Timon and Pumbaa. Other familiar voices will be John O’Hurley (who you might remember from “Seinfeld” and host of “Family Feud”), Common, Phil LaMarr and Michael Dorn.

Another added touch on this special is that it shows how Scar got his nickname and how he got his Scar. I’m not going to give that away because that would be spoilers.

Overall, I would say that if you have seen the past two specials of “The Lion Guard,” then you should see this one. It nicely picks up from the second special and you will really love this one, especially for those who are fans of “The Lion King.” I think this series is running strong, despite that I haven’t seen any episodes, but only the specials. I want to wait a bit before I see the live action remake to see how horribly they did that.

Thank you for joining in on today’s review, stay tuned this Friday for the continuation of “Russell Crowe Month.”

The Lion Guard: The Rise of Scar

Today I watched “The Lion Guard: The Rise of Scar,” which came out in 2017, on “On Demand” since I read that this was another short hour long movie, so I decided to talk about it today.

“The Lion King” is known as one of Disney’s greatest films, the fourth major hit in a five-year run that mixed top-notch animation technology with one of the best soundtracks. The film is about a young cub Simba who is exiled from Pride Rock through the work of his evil uncle Scar. After making some new friends, Simba returns to fight for his family’s name and his own recovery. After a few direct-to-video sequels, Disney Junior started “The Lion Guard” in 2016, a spinoff about Simba’s son Kion, voiced by Max Charles. The show is a hit with the Disney Junior main audience with enough nostalgic references for parents who grew up with the original. Kion and his Lion Guard are going up against their dangerous challenge when evil forces in the Pride Lands plan to bring back Scar. Dr. Zaius said in his review, “The elongated near hour long episode is part of a DVD set, The Lion Guard – The Rise of Scar, available now.”

Dr. Zaius continued, “The DVD begins with the feature-length episode The Rise of Scar, as well as four other episode from the series: “The Trouble With Galagos,” “Janja’s New Crew,” “Baboons!,” and “Lions of the Outlands.”” “The Rise of Scar” is directed by series regular Howy Parkins and written by series creator Ford Riley. The Guard led by Kion includes its usual pack, Bunga and honey badger (Joshua Rush), Beshte the Hippo (Dusan Brown), Fuli the cheetah (Diamond White) and Ono the egret (Atticus Shaffer). The usual problem they deal with is with the evil hyenas. However, the hyenas have a new friend, Ushari the snake, voiced by Christain Slater (the man who looks like Jack Nicholson’s son). He overhears that there is a certain way that can be done with a volcano that can bring Scar back and help them finally win against the Lion Guard.

The cast includes famous celebrities from Slater, to Rob Lowe and Gabrielle Union as Simba and Nala, to Khary Payton from “The Walking Dead” as Rafiki, Landry Bender as Rafiki’s apprentice Makini and Mandrill, Gary Anthony Williams briefly as Mufasa and Golden Globe nominee David Oyelowo as Scar. Anyone who has kids, they probably love the show, and they will undeniably love this DVD. “The Rise of Scar” has plenty form parents to enjoy as well. Dr. Zaius noted, “Ushari reminded me of classic Disney villain Kaa (The Jungle Book), and so many characters and references are made to the original film that you can’t help get drawn in.”

As I have stated before with the other Lion King animated releases, this one is running strong and is good for kids who are into “The Lion Guard.” I haven’t seen the show, but it looks like it is going strong and is a huge hit, so I would definitely say to see this one because it is a huge nostalgic throwback and everyone will love it. Either see it On Demand or rent it or buy it.

Thank you for joining in on today’s review, look out this Friday to see what I will review this month.

Ralph Breaks the Internet

Tonight, my brother and I went to see the latest sequel from Walt Disney’s Animation Studios, “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” which came out six days ago. How is it compared to the first movie? Let’s find out:

It’s hard to believe that “Wreck-It Ralph” was released before “Frozen,” but it did. “Wreck-It Ralph” was released in 2012, while “Frozen” came out a year later. “Frozen” was a gigantic hit that put Disney Animation Studios on par with Pixar, but “Wreck-It Ralph” was a great movie that kept Disney Animation’s streak running high after the hit of “Tangled” two years earlier. Don Kaye is right when he said in his review, “Ralph’s deft and witty blend of adult nostalgia for 1980s 8-bit arcade video games, combined with a wonderful visual palette and a story that could enrapture little ones, proved to be a unique and satisfying combination.”

After six years we get a sequel to “Wreck-It Ralph,” and it’s safe to say that “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” despite having a little hint of corporate requirement around it is an entertaining, pleasant and emotional sequel. It takes our protagonist – the especially strong yet completely immature Ralph (John C. Reilly) and the spirited, disobedient and glitchy racer girl from the Sugar Rush game, Vanellope (Sarah Silverman) – on a mission in a different area, giving the sequel to not repeat a lot from the first film while still having both grow as characters.

As “Ralph Breaks the Internet” starts, Ralph and Vanellope have been best friends for six years while loving their games and jobs at Litwak’s Family Fun Center and Arcade. One of them does, however. Kaye mentioned, “While Ralph luxuriates in the simple pleasures of his “life” as a video game villain (who now has friends and is accepted in the community), Vanellope is growing tired of running the same races over and over again and yearns for something different.”

A small mistake by Ralph to change things up in Sugar Rush ends up with the game being broken and a steering wheel – really impossible to find for the old arcade game – needs to be replaced. Kaye said, “At first it seems that this might condemn Sugar Rush and its denizens to the scrap heap, but Mr. Litwak’s (Ed O’Neill) introduction of wi-fi to the arcade opens up the internet to our heroes, and with it the chance to find a replacement steering wheel on something called eBay. So into the modem and out along the phone lines shoot Ralph and Vanellope, into the vast digital megalopolis known as the World Wide Web.”

Kaye continued, “Other films -- most notably last year’s misguided The Emoji Movie -- have tried to portray the Internet and its various edifices in similar fashion, and there’s no small irony in an entertainment behemoth like Disney attempting to do the same (we’re somewhat surprised that there isn’t a Disney Plus skyscraper already lurking within).” However, unlike a film like “Ready Player One,” which gave the endless amount of corporate IPs as holy things of our imaginations and youths, the filmmakers behind “Ralph Breaks the Internet” (mainly the returning three directors and writers of “Wreck-It Ralph” Rich Moore, Clark Spencer and Phil Johnston) gladly, if faintly, admit that the Internet primarily is there now to shop.

This is shown in the annoying little green pop-ups, voiced by Bill Hader, that always try to take our heroes to malware sites and other online scams, but there’s also a clever little jab at the parent company also when Ralph and Vanellope walk into the Disney site (OhMyDisney.com) and encounter so many characters from Marvel, Pixar and Lucasfilm. The funniest part is when Vanellope walks into the Disney Princesses dressing room and meets every single main female animated character from this studio (Jennifer Hale, Kate Higgins, Jodi Benson, Paige O’Hara, Linda Larkin, Irene Bedard, Ming-Na Wen, Anika Noni Rose, Mandy Moore, Kelly Macdonald, Pamela Ribon, Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel and Auli’I Cravalho), with many of them (almost all voiced by the original actresses) proving to be either stuck in or madly different from the characters audiences are used to.

“Ralph Breaks the Internet” also goes into the world of violent online games through a trip to Slaughter Race, where they meet the tough but sympathetic Shank, voiced by Gal Gadot, and her racing team, and even shortly into the dark web, but awful areas like 4Chan or Gab are noticeably not in there. Kaye said, “When Ralph finds he has a knack for funny viral videos that can be posted to raise money to buy the Sugar Rush part (the cost of which has ballooned to $27,000 -- of course -- on eBay), he begins posting them on Buzzztube, where the hive mind allure of such videos, as well as some of the ugly vitriol and hate that any social media expression can inspire, is also neatly satirized.”

At almost two hours, the movie starts to feel long just when the third act starts, and some of the plot feels like it is stretched like they were unnatural just to keep the story going. However, the usual action-packed finale ends up a surprising and completely emotional finale where our two characters – both of whom are given actual life by the perfect animation and lead actors’ amazing voice work – have completely improved in different ways even as their friendship grows.

Gadot, Taraji P. Henson (as Buzztube main algorithm Yesss) and Alan Tudyk (as the bossy search engine KnowsMore) are nice additions to the cast, but other returning actors like Jane Lynch and Jack McBrayer only have cameos. Kaye ended his review by saying, “The animation and visuals are spectacular and eye-filling as always, the electronic world that these characters move through is endlessly imaginative, and like its predecessor, Ralph Breaks the Internet weaves enough sophisticated humor into the kid-friendly antics to keep adults watching as well -- instead of surreptitiously surfing the Web on their phones.”

I have to admit, I might consider this better than the first movie. The first movie wasn’t completely new, but this one felt somewhat original with the content it was given. However, it was still entertaining with some real legitimate drama in there. Definitely go to the theaters to check this one out, especially if you loved the first movie. I would say this is one of my favorite Disney sequels.

Thank you for joining in on tonight's review. Check in this Friday for the conclusion of “Vietnam War Movie Month.”

Tangled Ever After/Frozen Fever

If you are a fan of “Tangled,” you will not want to miss the chance to see “Tangled Ever After,” a short released in 2012. If you saw “Beauty and the Beast” when it was re-released in 3D, this was shown right before the feature. That was the only way you could see this film unless someone posted it on YouTube or somewhere you could see it online for free.

“Tangled Ever After” lasts for 6 minutes. It stars Zachary Levi and Mandy Moore reprising their roles from the movie. This sweet short shows Rapunzel marrying Flynn. Maximus has a small problem with the rings and has to run all around town. He ends up in a dress, with a hat on, and looking downright funny!

Mandy Robinson admitted in her review, “As a fan of the original movie 'Tangled,' I was so glad to see this flick stay true to the original.” It is the same characters and just a nice addition to the story Disney girls already adore! If you could find this short somewhere online, I highly recommend everyone does. Check it out because you will be glad you did!

Now we come to the next short that came out earlier this year. After the award-winning, world-favorite performance, here comes the latest short. “Frozen Fever,” the 2015 animated short that was seen in theaters before Disney’s live-action remake of “Cinderella,” gives “Frozen” fans exactly what they want – and, exactly on purpose, nothing more than that for the time being, at least.

Robbie Collin said in his review, “The centrepiece is Making Today a Perfect Day, a tuberculotically catchy new song from the writers of Let It Go, sung by Idina Menzel’s snow-queen Elsa as she arranges birthday celebrations for her sister Anna (Kristen Bell). Elsa is valiantly fighting off a viral infection – “a cold never bothered me anyway,” she trills, in a line that will give parents everywhere neck-moistening flashbacks to rival Martin Sheen’s in the prologue to Apocalypse Now. But the pressures of cake-decorating and present-hiding are taking their toll, and when she sneezes, beautifully designed, spooky-cute little snow-creatures, like Arctic cousins of the tree spirits in Princess Mononoke, pop into existence around her head.”

The song itself seems determined to be as much of a birthday-party addition as the ice-blue and moss-green polyester dresses that have been coming out of Disney Stores everywhere since last November. “For everything you are to me and all you’ve been through,” Elsa sings, “I’m making today a perfect day for you.” Collin admitted, “It’s a lip-smacking confection, dusted with pure icing sugar, and suggests that songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez are capable of coming up with something special for the forthcoming feature-length Frozen sequel.”

As the song goes one, Elsa and Anna go back to moments from their previous movie – jumping alongside paintings in Arendelle Castle’s galleries, skipping on the balcony of the astronomical clock where Anna and Hans sang Love is an Open Door, and leaping down the now-legendary “why have a ballroom with no balls” hallway. There are cameos from Olaf the snowman (Josh Gad, a former correspondent on “The Daily Show”), Sven the reindeer, Oaken the shopkeeper (Chris Williams) and even Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) with one or two others. Collin mentioned, “Most of the things that made Frozen Frozen are seen, glimpsed, or referenced: only the outfits are completely new, magicked up with an elegant swish of Elsa’s fingertips.”

Because “Frozen Fever” is happy to diversely rest on and revive past beauties, there’s no sign of where “Frozen 2” might be headed other than a passionate reappearance of the general “yay sisterhood” theme. Seeing Elsa and Anna back again for eight minutes is great for the fans, pulled off with no little confidence, and with a surprisingly touching payoff where the roles of older and younger sister are temporarily and nicely reverse. However, to maintain a second movie, you think they’ll have to be separated again, and their relationship put to the test.

If you haven’t seen these two shorts, I highly suggest that you see them when you get the chance. Find them online if you can, or I’m sure they are available somewhere. However, these get a high recommendation from me. You will love them, I promise you.

Well, now we have come to the end of “Disney Sequel Month.” I hope all of you enjoyed my reviews and I hope I made some good recommendations. Happy New Year’s Eve guys! I’ll see all of you next year for more exciting reviews.

The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar

“The Lion King” still is one of the great animated films of all time. So great, in fact, that it had two direct-to-video sequels, a TV spinoff and a Broadway musical, all with unstable degrees of success. Now, Disney is giving an all-new cartoon special that aired at the end of last month, “The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar,” which takes place after the original film and in the middle of its sequel “The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride.” Thankfully, it looks like the series is back on track for a new generation.

In “The Lion Guard,” which will start as a cartoon series in January, we meet Kion (Max Charles), the second-born cub of Simba (Rob Lowe) and Nala (Gabrielle Union). However, while Kion’s older sister Kiara (Eden Riegel) is on the path to become the Queen of Pride Rock, Kion himself has yet to find out who he will grow up to be. That is until he unleashes the power of the Roar, which indicates his leadership of the Lion Guard – sworn protectors of the Pride Lands.

Max Nicholson said in his review, “Perhaps the most enticing part of the special is how it introduces new lore into the Lion King world while also shedding new light on old characters.” As Simba explains to Kion, the previous Lion Guard was led by Scar, who, as it turns out, also had the power of the Roar. However, when the Guard refused to help Scar overthrow Mufasa, Scar used the Roar to destroy them and, in doing so, lost the Roar completely. Basically the Roar is the Force of the Lion King universe. It can be used for both good and evil.

From the start, it’s cool to see the show pay tribute to the original Lion King. In addition to placing Scar and Mufasa into the history of the Lion Guard, the series includes fan-favorite characters like Timon (Kevin Schon), Pumbaa (Ernie Sabella), Rafiki (Khary Payton) and Zazu (Jeff Bennett). Though most of the original voice cast is not back for this special, it does include many A-listers: Rob Lowe, Gabrielle Union and Ernie Sabella. However, the showstopper here is James Earl Jones, who returns to voice the spirit of Mufasa in a small but central role. Nicholson mentioned, “That's not to mention the little references to the movies, like Timon and Pumbaa's bug-eating habits and Kion's mention of "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," which he and his family call "the talk."”

As for the new characters, well, they’re definitely targeted at a younger audience, particularly Kion’s honey badger friend Bunga, voiced by Joshua Rush, whose crazy incidents are rasping from the start. Meanwhile, the series’ main villain, a teenage hyena named Janja, voiced by Andrew Kishino, doesn’t come off nearly as the same threat as Scar or Zira. Nicholson said, “Mainly, he just gets laughed out by his henchmen while various insects crawl all over him.”

However, it’s important to say that “The Lion Guard” is an original work from Disney Channel’s sister network Disney Junior, which means the series is mostly targeted towards children. Nicholson said, “Obviously, I can't speak to how much a kid will enjoy The Lion Guard -- I suspect a lot -- but I doubt that most adults will want to tune in week to week.”

Nicholson went on to say, “In terms of the special, though, I'd say The Lion Guard is worth checking out, especially if you're a longtime fan of The Lion King.” For TV, the artwork is beautiful, and the hand-drawn line quality definitely gives a sense of nostalgia to the series (Nicholson noted, “despite the occasional CG element or Flash-looking animation”). The special also has three original songs (composed by Beau Black), which are both catchy and a lot in maintaining with Elton John and Tim Rice’s songs from the original film.

As a followup to “The Lion King,” Disney Junior’s “The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar” is a fun-filled, if younger-targeting, hour of television (unlike the original movie, which was meant for children and adults). All of the favorite characters and locations are here, including some of the original people, and the art direction and music is solid. Nicholson noted, “There's even some interesting history to the eponymous Lion Guard that fleshes out characters like Mufasa and Scar.” That said, some of the new characters don’t quite taunt with the classic look of the 1994 movie, and the special doesn’t have a convincing villain, although small children will still likely enjoy the special.

My family watched this special together and all of us absolutely loved it. Like I have mentioned before in my other posts about “The Lion King” sequels, this one is strong as well. If you missed the special when it aired, you should see it again if it airs again. If not, try and find it somewhere, like On Demand, or somewhere else. You will love it, I promise you. I'm not sure if I will be watching the series yet, but we'll see.

Well, since I misjudged when I was going to post the reviews, for the final day of “Disney Sequel Month” tomorrow, I will be reviewing a couple of shorts that you could say are sequels to the recent movies, even if they are shorts.

The Little Mermaid - Ariel's Beginning

We now have finally arrived at “The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning,” released in 2008, which doesn’t have the warm energy of “The Little Mermaid,” and the songs aren’t nearly as memorable. However, the animation, while obviously cheaper, is as animated as ever, and in the world of Disney direct-to-video sequels, one out of three isn’t bad.

Actually, as the title tells, “Ariel’s Beginning” isn’t a sequel to Disney’s classic work, but a prequel, revealing an early adventure of Ariel. (David Cornelius said in his review, “There's no telling where this fits in with the 1992 "Little Mermaid" TV series, itself a prequel, but it doesn't really matter here.”) The story opens when Ariel is just a little mermaid; her parents are happy rulers of Atlantica. However, Disney can’t go a year without killing off one of the parents, so really soon the queen, voiced by Lorelei Hill Butters (speaking) and Andrea Robinson (singing), is killed when a pirate ship crashes. (Cornelius informed, “Don't worry, parents: it's delicately handled off-screen.”)

Strangely, this is the last we’ll see of the pirates, that gives no other importance of the story. Instead, we watch as King Triton, voiced by Jim Cummings, heartbroken over the loss of his beloved wife and desperate to hide himself from anything that will remind him most of her, orders the music is banned from the kingdom.

Fast forward a few years. Ariel, voiced by Jodi Benson, is a rebellious teen, the most problematic of the king’s seven daughters (Tara Strong, Jennifer Hale, Grey DeLisle and Kari Wahlgren). The manipulative Marina Del Ray, voiced by Sally Field – a sort of downgraded Ursula – is the princess’ nanny, a job she hates. She’d rather kick the beloved crab friend Sebastian, voiced by Samuel E. Wright, out of the kingdom and take over as Triton’s representative. At Marina’s side is Benjamin, voiced by Jeff Bennett, a soft-spoken manatee who’s friendlier to be a villainess’ right-hand man.

With Ariel, she sneaks out one night, meets our favorite fish friend Flounder, voiced by Parker Goris, and finds an underground nightclub that Cornelius says, “where music thrives, a sort of speakeasy where tunes are the vice of choice. A hip calypso/jazz band tears up the joint, and surprise: Sebastian's the lead singer!” Ariel tells her sisters, who also want to enjoy the music. This, for a Disney cartoon, is very rebellious in its own little way, with girls sneaking out to do some dishonest excitements – especially since we’ve seen the original movie and know Triton will eventually allow music back in the kingdom, meaning the girls are right to convince their father that this isn’t wrong.

The actual story is quite slim: the girls get caught; Ariel and Sebastian run away, Marina gets power hungry, etc. Cornelius said, “What a movie like this needs, then, is a collection of great songs to keep pushing us through the so-so story. Unfortunately, what we get instead is a series of bland originals (for the life of me, I can't remember how a single one goes, let alone leave the movie humming); the only real keeper here is a cover version of the old school calypso favorite "Jump in the Line (Shake, Senora)," which is peppy and fun, even if the movie repeats it throughout the feature, as if to dilute its kicky glory.”

Screenwriter Robert Reece previously worked on “Cinderella III,” while co-scripter Evan Spiliotopoulous helped write “The Lion King 1½.” For all their mistakes, both those films delivered a nice amount of in-joke play, and that sense of for-the-fans fun is in here. “Ariel’s Beginning” works best when it lets go with the flashing humor, as in one excited part where Marina struts her stuff, allowing the filmmakers to parody an iconic shot from “The Little Mermaid.” This sort of knowing goofiness is much welcome, and it prizes the intelligence of kids who will excite the chance to spot the references. Cornelius credits, “Better still, first-time director Peggy Holmes has a knack for quick-paced physical comedy, as she fills the screen with mugging characters, appealing visuals, and a nice, steady flow.”

Cornelius goes on to say, “But that goofiness often gets buried too often underneath a blah story that's much too run-of-the-mill to allow the emotional oomph of the characters' plights to truly impact.” Triton’s sadness is less about character and more about plot, which is good enough if you just want to make a harmless movie collection of video shelf filler to make a few dollars until the next direct-to-video work comes around, but not enough if you want to allow your project to transcend the dreary expectations of the genre. There’s enough going on in “Ariel’s Beginning” that works – kids will enjoy it enough while parents won’t object a lot – but there’s just not enough to make it memorable.

Most Disney direct-to-video sequels are terrible, this we know. “Ariel’s Beginning” goes into the second category, the sequel that’s watchable yet not completely memorable. Cornelius ended his review by saying, “Most grown-up fans will do fine to merely Rent It, but, keeping parents in mind, I'll add that kids will want to rewatch it enough to make a purchase worthwhile. Factoring in the solid transfer and decent extras, I'll call it Recommended.”

In the end, if you didn’t like the second movie, this prequel is for you. I personally thought this was better, but I can see why all the critics would say that Marina is a cheap follow up to Ursula, one of the best Disney villains. However, I say check it out because it’s actually enjoyable and you will love it, especially if you have little kids.

Check in tomorrow when I talk about “The Lion King” pilot movie to their new cartoon series, which will be the final pilot movie in “Disney Sequel Month.”

Cinderella III: A Twist in Time

For many years, Disney set the level with family movies. Edward Perkis stated in his review, “They were the iPod and everyone else was, well, one of those mp3 players that has two percent of the market.” That began to change with the appearance of Pixar, Dreamworks, and a few other studios that constantly created inventive, smart, amazing animated films. It also helped that Disney mixed out some serious trash during the same time. However, Disney has got to make money somehow, and they have a large logbook of beloved characters. This is pretty much why films like the 2007 direct-to-DVD “Cinderella III: A Twist in Time” exist.

The Disney direct-to-DVD sequel list has a basic pattern. Take a familiar character and have their son, daughter, or other related relative or close friend, and put them through a situation which resembles the original theatrical release. Which is why in “The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea,” Ariel’s daughter is stuck on land, but really wants to be a Mermaid. Similarly, “Lady in the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure,” Tramp’s son wants to be a junkyard dog. Sequels to “The Lion King” and “Peter Pan” also followed that formula. You really have to applaud the writers of “Cinderella III: A Twist in Time” for giving a small amount of creativity into the story of this sequel.

The movie starts one year after the Prince (Christopher Daniel Barnes) has slipped the glass slipper on Cinderella (Jennifer Hale) and everyone is celebrating their happy life and love in an opening musical number. Perkis mentioned, “This is a full blown musical animated feature and the songs are only mediocre. That sounds bad, but some of the sequel music has been downright awful, so this is a step-up.” Cinderella’s step-sister Anastasia (Tress MacNeille) spies on the celebration and ends up stealing the Fairy Godmother’s (Russi Taylor) wand and giving it to her mother (Susan Blakeslee). The evil Lady Tremaine uses the wand to reverse time to the famous slipper fitting scene in the first movie and causes the slipper to fit Anastasia, leaving Cinderella crying on the side for not marrying the Prince.

The rest of the movie and songs deal with Cinderella trying to meet up with the Prince to show that true love and not the slipper were what brought them together. Anastasia begins to doubt that a love brought about by trickery is rewarding. The main mice from the first movie, Gus (Corey Burton) and Jaq (Rob Paulsen), are back for comic relief and fight with their old enemy, Lucifer the Cat (Frank Welker).

Perkis said, “On the very low standards of direct-to-DVD sequels, this movie isn't as awful as some. The plot is somewhat inventive and there is a healthy dose of humor.” Some characters, mainly the Prince, the King (Andre Stojka), and Anastasia, go through personality growing in the year between the original movie and the events of this movie. Anastasia also goes through a vocal transformation, since her musical lack of skill is a comic point in the original, but she has a nice vocal number in this sequel.

Perkis admitted, “This movie wasn't created and released for middle-aged men (at least not straight men). If you have an animation loving daughter in the target age range of this product (three to nine years old) then you can probably add two stars to my rating.” It’s quick (runtime of an hour and 14 minutes) and while the animation is an obvious downgrade from what you see in theaters, it’s a step (or two) up from bad TV animation. It will keep your children entertained until “The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning” was released the next year.

I’m sorry, but this film is not good at all. I know that people loved this movie over the second one, since this one holds a 71% on Rotten Tomatoes, but I don’t see anything good about this one. It’s really bad and I feel like they tried to redo the first movie, like a lot of the sequels were doing, so I say avoid this one at all costs. However, if you see this one and like it over the second, then that’s fine, but my advice would be not to watch this one.

Check in tomorrow when I finally talk about “The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning” in “Disney Sequel Month.”

The Fox and the Hound 2

There was a time not that long before this where sequels to classic Disney movies were a bad idea. At the end of their stretch, however, they got a little better. That was pushed by the success of the “Lion King” sequels, and it had dropped down into other franchises like “Lilo & Stitch.”

However, there’s still a lot to overcome with the direct-to-DVD sequels, and “The Fox and the Hound 2,” released in 2006, doesn’t quite do this. It’s not nearly as bad as “The Little Mermaid II” or “Mulan II,” but it’s nowhere close to as good as the original.

This sequel follows the same path we saw in sequels to “The Lion King,” “Tarzan” and “Bambi.” Instead of being a proper sequel that takes place after what happened in the first film, or being a prequel to the original, this takes place in the middle.

Tod the fox (Jonah Bobo) and Copper the hound (Harrison Fahn) are friends as pups. They haven’t learned yet that they are meant to be sworn enemies. With the life-threatening danger shown at the end of the first film, it would be hard to put something that dangerous in a story telling the middle part of their lives. Kevin Carr noted, “Instead, the writers gave the movie its own spin of friendship angst that seems more appropriate for a show on the CW network than in a Disney cartoon.”

Tod and Copper go into the county fair to encounter a singing group of dogs. Dixie, voiced by one of the greatest singers and star of her own show, Reba McEntire, is the star of the show, singing the lead and stealing the show. However, when Copper runs into her during one of her meltdowns, the band decides he should be the new lead singer. This brand new fame causes Copper to end his friendship with Tod, leaving him to be his weak backup. Soon Tod and Dixie team up to set things back to the way they were.

Part of what gave the original that charm was the country care with which it was put together. The animation style worked for the then-falling look of the studio textures. The story was small and independent, and it managed to stay real even though it had talking animals.

This sequel tries to be bigger than it should be, going for an epic style but never going farther than the county fair. This story is a little weak, feeling a bit forced. Carr stated, “In several ways, it reminded me of “Lady and the Tramp II” in both its look and flavor. However, there’s no real danger in the show, which softened any emotional attachment I felt.”

The guest star voices of the film include McEntire, who sings a few too many songs on the soundtrack, as well as Patrick Swayze and comedian Jeff Foxworthy. Carr mentioned, “This isn’t exactly the A-listers in animated voices. Still, for a family film, you can do a lot worse.” Kids who are fans of Disney dogs should like this film well.

“The Fox and the Hound 2” is never going to leave the mark as the classic, but it isn’t terrible. It falls somewhere in the middle when you look at the Disney DVD sequels.

I have to admit, as a sequel about a fox and a hound dog as friends that takes place in the middle of the story, the plot felt random. Copper can sing? Where did that come from? This felt really weird and I don’t think that I can figure out what they were thinking when they made this movie. What’s safe to say is that this one can be avoided since I wouldn’t recommend it. Seeing how this is a sequel to one of my most watched, if not “the” most watched, Disney movie, pass it. Or if you want to watch it, only watch it once.

Alright everyone, the wait is finally over. Tomorrow I will be looking the third and thankfully final sequel in the “Cinderella trilogy” for “Disney Sequel Month.”

Brother Bear 2

Now we arrive at another good direct-to-video sequel, “Brother Bear 2,” released in 2006. Traveling to a banquet of berries far off, bears Kenai (Patrick Dempsey) and Koda (Jeremy Suarez) are stopped by Nita (Mandy Moore), a human who Kenai once fallen in love with when they were kids. Looking to break a curse that’s preventing her from marrying, Nita requests the bears help her cross the countryside. On their journey, the connection between Nita and Kenai starts up again, leaving Koda to think if Kenai should really live as a bear, or would he be better if he was human again.

Brain Orndorf said in his review, “Admittedly, it was an animated production glued together by scraps from other Disney hits, but 2003's "Brother Bear" knocked me down in ways few of the Mouse House's offerings have been able to do since I was 10 years old. It was a splash of thrilling autumnal colors, jubilant character development, and confident storytelling that ignored many Disney crutches (chiefly a villain, along with singing and dancing), and preferred to lead with its heart. Over the years I've revisited the film several times, and today find it to be one of the stronger entries in Disney's towering animated empire.”

Though it’s not racking up huge box office numbers in America, “Brother Bear” did well enough on DVD to make a direct-to-video sequel, which is both a promising and terrible idea. While the first film was an animated feature, the sequel is simply a cartoon.

Orndorf noted, “First and foremost, "Bear 2" is missing the majestic hand-animated woodsy vistas to backdrop Kenai and Koda's adventure; the nuanced and trembling voice work from Joaquin Phoenix; the layered, widescreen score by Mark Mancina and pop song interstitials from Phil Collins (Melissa Etheridge substitutes here); and a penetrating story about friendship and the mystical wonders of life that elevated "Bear."”

What we’re given in the end in “Brother Bear 2” are elements that show a downgrade in effort from the first film, but still gives time to be spent with favorite characters. The film remains a charmer, even with a delicate acting job from Patrick Dempsey and a Saturday morning cartoon level of animation. “Brother Bear 2” is a small amusement, and the filmmakers have lightened up the material considerably to interest to a younger crowd. Orndorf mentioned, “Let's put it this way: the original film took its time with the Inuit characters, respecting traditions (even the invented ones), and placing emphasis on careful animation to express the splendor of the spiritual world.” “Brother Bear 2” brings in lesbian comedian Wanda Sykes to play a village elder.

Regardless of the relaxed standards, “Brother Bear 2” still affects with its story of resting romance, intelligently finding ways to challenge Kenai’s decision in the last film to become a bear. Agreeably voiced by Mandy Moore, the addition of Nita adds the only difference the film needs. Orndorf said, “Again, the absence of a mustache-twirling villain is truly something praiseworthy.” Equally hard to resist are returning moose Rutt and Tuke, who Orndorf says “played to the McKenzie Brothers hilt” by Dave Thomas and the greatly missed Rock Moranis. Since the theme of love is in the air, the boys have their own moose’s they’re in love with, played appropriately by some more “SCTV” cast members, Andrea Martin and Catherine O’Hara.

Orndorf admitted, “As money-grabbing animated product goes, "Brother Bear 2" rests nicely on a lowered expectation level, and is hardly an offensive affront to the first film.” The texture and polish is greatly missed, but the characters are so strong and engaging, it’s still entertaining.

In the end, this is another direct-to-video sequel that I recommend watching. If you loved the first one, then you should see this one because it’s watchable and entertaining. You will like this movie, I promise you. No, I’m not making it up, it’s actually good.

Check in tomorrow when I look at a sequel to one of the Disney movies that I watched a lot as a child for the next installment in “Disney Sequel Month.”