I’m sure you’ve noticed it’s Academy Awards season. Offered for your consideration: the greatest family films to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. (more)
With the success of Martin Scorsese’s Hugo—winning a Golden Globe for Best Director and now several Oscar nominations—Scorsese conquered a genre nobody suspected was on his “to do” list: the family picture. (more)
We honor Dr. Martin Luther King as we honor our exceptional Presidents—with a federal holiday. (more)
Disney’s Thirtieth Animated Feature – 1991 (Original Release) 2012 (3-D Release)
As a woman, a feminist, and as the mother of a little girl, I must say I’ve always loved Beauty and the Beast. (more)
Need a great idea for your next birthday party, one that works for pre-schoolers to tweens? (more)
Disney’s Twelfth Animated Feature – 1950
The 1950s were a magical decade for Disney. (more)
Disney's Eleventh Animated Feature - 1949
We’ve made a point of covering the classic Disney features in the order of their production, but in honor of Halloween, we’re allowing Disney’s 1949 feature, Ichabod and Mr. Toad to jump the line. (more)
Disney’s Tenth Animated Feature – 1948
Melody Time is a package film in the style of Make Mine Music: seven different shorts that rely on songs and rhyme to tell their tales. (more)
Disney’s Ninth Animated Feature – 1947
Fun and Fancy Free is another post-war package film, made up of two short narrative films—Bongo and Mickey and the Beanstalk—that were originally planned as separate feature films. (more)
Disney’s Eighth Animated Feature – 1946
Make Mine Music was Disney’s fourth “package” film, a feature-length film made up of a series of shorts. (more)
Disney’s Seventh Animated Feature – 1944
Having seen The Three Caballeros as a child, a college student, and a fully-grown adult, I can confirm that it has more layers than you may think it does. (more)
Disney's Sixth Animated Feature - 1942
The year was 1941, before our entry into WWII, and the Department of State commissioned a goodwill tour of South America for Walt Disney and his creative team. (more)
Disney's Fifth Animated Feature - 1942
Short and sweet, Walt Disney’s 1942 animated feature Bambi is a magnificent film, well worth your time, energy, and dollar. (more)
Disney's Fourth Animated Feature - 1941
When I was a little girl, my parents put up wallpaper in my room. It was decorated with characters from Disney films. (more)
Disney's Third Animated Feature - 1940
Back in June, when we ran Regina Robbins’s essay on Disney’s Dumbo, I included a short sidebar on 1940’s Fantasia. In retrospect, I believe I gave this film short shrift. (more)
Disney's Second Animated Feature - 1940
I’ve shared my thoughts on Disney’s first animated feature, Snow White and found it still has a lot to say to today’s kids. In this installment, I look at Disney’s second feature, Pinocchio, released in 1940 and based on the 19th century Carlo Collodi tale of a marionette who becomes a real boy. (more)
Disney's First Animated Feature - 1937
Does Disney’s Snow White hold its own among today’s “girl power” films? (more)
A Look at a Classic Film and Theater Review
The Wizard of Oz has been everyone’s favorite movie since its debut in 1939. We’ve all seen it. It’s one of those rare, ambitious films where the whole is greater than the sum of its admittedly extraordinary parts. (more)
A Round-Up of Movie Moms, Step-Moms, and Not-Ready-To-Be Moms
In honor of Mother’s Day, I pay tribute to a baker’s dozen of cinema’s strong, self-sacrificing but never self-pitying moms. (more)
The Iconic Actress as Role Model
Addie Swartz, founder of B*tween Productions, started the Beacon Street Girls book series as a response to what she calls “oversexualized media.” (more)
Films Find a Second Life As Children's Favorites
Star Wars and 5 Other Latter-Day Children’s Pictures: In case you hadn’t noticed, the original Star Wars, or rather, Star Wars IV – A New Hope, is a children’s picture. (more)
The Great Elizabeth Taylor Was a Star From the Very Beginning
One of the more amazing aspects of Elizabeth Taylor’s story is just how long a career she enjoyed. (more)
Squares One and Two: Work Hard; Be Nice
That’s the motto (and teaching philosophy) of a personal hero of mine: Rafe Esquith, subject of Mel Stuart’s wonderful 2005 documentary, The Hobart Shakespeareans. (more)
