MOVIE: Atlantis – Milo’s Return (2003)

by benmweilertNo Comments
Atlantis: Milo's ReturnYear: 2003Rating: GLength: 70 minutes / 1.17 hours Back before movies went straight to streaming instead of having a theatrical release, Disney leaned into “Direct-to-Video” sequels of some of their famous films. While this was mostly something that happened during the VHS era of the 1990s, Atlantis: Milo’s Return (2003) certainly seems to fit that bill. The real problem with these slapdash sequels is the quality, but Milo’s Return is even worse than that in the sense that it’s not even a movie as much as it is three TV episodes in a trench-coat. The ‘80s and ‘90s were full of Saturday morning cartoon tie-ins to big movies. Even if movies like Ghostbusters (1984) and RoboCop (1987) weren’t appropriate for children, they still pumped out TV shows for kids to watch. This made more sense for Disney, with shows from their ‘90s renaissance being the perfect match for kids to watch at home on TV. But when Atlantis: The Lost...
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MOVIE: Disenchanted (2022)

by benmweilertNo Comments
Disenchanted Year: 2022 Rating: PG Length: 119 minutes / 1.98 hours It’s interesting how the “direct-to-video” sequel has changed now that streaming is the ubiquitous delivery method. Movies that studios still want to capitalize on but don’t want to spend money on putting in theaters. Disney has taken this route with many of its animated films in the 1990s, releasing multiple sequels to beloved classics. Even The Disney Channel used to be a place for them to put cheap movies. Now, with Disney+, we see movies like Disenchanted (2022) filling the space that used to be occupied by VHS releases. It’s unfortunate because these sequels could be much better than they are. I loved the self-aware nature of Enchanted (2007). That Disenchanted held most of the same cast was encouraging, but clearly not the magic needed to recreate the energy of the original. The parody (and adherence to) traditional Disney princess stories in Enchanted made it a fun tongue-in-cheek film to watch. This sequel felt...
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