The Lion King (2019)

(Source: Amazon.com)

I will admit, this is one of Disney's remakes I waited for with much anticipation, and one of two I can definitely say I "loved" rather than simply "liked" (or in the case of Maleficent, did not care for at all). The original animated film this is based on is arguably tied with Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast for my title of "favorite Disney film", and this version can be said similarly for Disney's recent live action remakes. I grew up watching the animated Lion King across various forms of home media, going from the VHS, to the DVD, to my current Blu-Ray copy; matter of fact, I have seen the film so many times I know the story beats by heart along with its production history. Understandably, when I heard it was going to be another one of Disney's remakes, I was more excited for this than I was for Aladdin.

When I saw it fairly recently, I left the theater with a massive smile on my face seeing one of my favorite films with a new coat of paint; it remained faithful to the original (down to casting James Earl Jones as Mufasa once again), the songs were just as I remembered them and mixed elements of their stage versions, and managed to expand upon the story of the original in certain places. However, while I was more than satisfied with the finished product (and the burger I ate while watching it), I do have some flaws I would like to address.

The first piece of criticism that needs to be addressed was James Earl Jones' new interpretation of Mufasa. While initially, I was excited to see the original voice actor returning (considering he is one of my favorite actors, and Mufasa is one of my favorite characters), I was unfortunately disappointed seeing it in action. In the original film, Mufasa's voice had this booming power and regal tone to it, showing Jones was putting a massive amount of passion in the character. In this version, his delivery was flat, emotionless, and felt quite cheap. Unfortunately, that kills the mood in certain iconic scenes carried over from the source material, and sadly destroys their impact. Scenes such as him lecturing a young Simba under a starry sky, and the latter seeing his father's ghost later in the film lose the power and emotion they once had because of that flatline delivery. One could obviously see that Jones was not reprising his role for the fond memory of doing the original, but simply for a paycheck. A similar criticism can be given to Mufasa's brother, Scar; particularly regarding the new version of the villain song, Be Prepared.

I will preface this criticism saying that I liked the new Be Prepared; matter of fact, it sent chills down my spine moreso than the original and stage versions. The new version increases the intensity of the song, increasing its impact and the intimidating nature of the antagonist. However, like Doomsday's appearance in Batman v Superman, it also felt like it was tacked on to appease the fans since it was initially planned to be cut from the remake. This is definitely shown through the song's length and the lyrics, since over half of it is simply the phrase "be prepared" repeated multiple times. The song itself is also significantly truncated in comparison to previous versions, clocking in at slightly over two minutes as opposed to the three minute original. That and the hacked-together nature of the song disappointed me, because Be Prepared is my favorite song from the original film, and the one I was looking forward to seeing most. However, I love how it left me speechless as the number ending, simply mouthing "whoa" and attempting to process what I saw moments before. Moving past the negative aspects of the film, there are some massive positives that need to be recognized; for starters, those regarding the new Timon and Pumbaa.

Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen managed to gracefully uphold the legacy left by their predecessors, Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella. Matter of fact, there were times where the two managed to sound almost identically to the originals. Additionally, their versions of Hakuna Matata and the "live bait" scene kept me laughing. While the comedic aspect of the remake has been drastically reduced, I am  glad that Timon and Pumbaa still delivered on the laughs, and stole the show just as they did in the source material. I am going to give a slight spoiler, but my favorite scene with these two was when they were singing The Lion Sleeps Tonight, and their neighbors were looking at them like they were saying "oh god, not those guys again." Their expressions alone caused quite a few laughs from the audience.

In regard to the aforementioned reduction in comedy, while this take is substantially darker, it also means the emotional impact is increased. While I could emotionally connect with the characters in the original, there were moments where I was nearly to the point of shedding tears in certain moments in the remake. A prominent example of this was during the infamous stampede sequence; I tried to hold back tears as Mufasa put his own life on the line to Simba, but when Scar threw him off the cliff, I simply lost it. I do not remember the last time a scene in a film had that much of an emotional impact on me, but good job Lion King for pushing me to that point. I still cannot listen to the stampede's instrumental without having flashbacks of that scene, so thank you for that.

Overall, this is one of Disney's remakes I would highly recommend seeing; it is faithful to the original while also giving the viewer something new (along with references to the stage musical), it retains all songs and their charm from the original (something Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast did not), and is also beautifully animated. However, if you are going in expecting James Earl Jones to give another stellar performance as Mufasa or something as comedic as the original, then you will be somewhat disappointed. Myself, I am definitely looking forward to seeing it again when it is released on Amazon Prime Video; I absolutely loved it despite its flaws.

What did you think of the film? Feel free to discuss your thoughts in the comments below, and also please like and follow for future Reviews and Retrospectives posts.

Top 5 Disney Songs from the Stage Musicals

For a bit of context, whenever Disney makes a stage musical based on one of their films, they will usually include all or at least two of the following:

• All or most of the songs from the source material
• Songs written for the original film but cut (such as Human Again in Beauty and the Beast, and Proud of Your Boy in Aladdin)
• Songs written exclusively for the stage production

I have covered the first two in previous reviews, so it is fitting that I should cover some of the songs written exclusively for the stage versions. I will be discussing when this song takes place in the show (so there will definitely be spoilers), the impact it has on the overall story, and my overall thoughts on the number. As was the case with the previous two reviews of this nature, I will only be doing one song per production, so each show gets their chance in the spotlight (pun intended). I will also be including links to the songs for you to listen to, so you can develop your opinions on which ones you like as well. 

#5: I Need to Know, Tarzan

(Source: TLMBroadway193)

Plotwise, this song takes place during the scene where the young Tarzan is trying to determine who (or what) he is, after a fallout with the gorilla tribe's leader, Kerchak. This song could serve as the customary "I want" number in a musical, something the original 1999 film lacked. Tarzan is trying to determine where he belongs and his place in the world, unaware of his humanity at this point in the story. He is later comforted by his adoptive gorilla mother, Kala, whom essentially informs him that even though they look different, they are indeed one in the same. I like how this song is used to develop Tarzan as a character, and sets up his development for the rest of the production (considering it directly precedes the iconic Son of Man from the original movie).

#4: Esmeralda, The Hunchback of Notre Dame

(Source: Adam Ostrowski)

At this point in the production, we have learned of the desires of both Quasimodo and his adoptive father, Archdeacon Frollo. Essentially, they have the same desire, "the gypsy known as Esmeralda". Matter of fact, Frollo's desire for Esmeralda is so insane, he decides to burn down a majority of Paris simply to locate her; it essentially sounds like a stalker horror gone completely wrong. It serves as a turning point for the majority of the main characters; Phoebus turns on Frollo, Esmeralda decides to stand up for herself and the gypsies, we begin to see Quasimodo rebelling against his master, and Frollo (of course) goes insane. The song serves as a powerful finale for the show's first act, leaving the production on a powerful (and somewhat bleak) cliffhanger. Like the song preceding it (Hellfire) and The Lion King's Be Prepared (coincidentally, Frollo's actor played Scar in The Lion King), this is definitely one song that will send massive chills down your spine. 

#3: He Lives in You, The Lion King

(Source: TheSonicMaster123)

After reuniting with Nala and being persuaded to return to the Pride Lands to reclaim his throne, Simba is left confused on what he should do. He still believes he is the one who killed Mufasa, which makes him reluctant to return home. Essentially, this song takes place during the scene where Simba sees his father's ghost (one of my favorite Disney moments), and gives a powerful message; even though some are gone physically, they still live on in all of us. The message and Swahili vocals alone make this song one of my favorites, in addition to it taking place during my favorite part of The Lion King. Matter of fact, this song is so good, it serves as the opening for The Lion King II as an analogue to Circle of Life. It is one that reinvigorates and is a powerful showstopper before the final confrontation with Scar.

#2: A Million Miles Away, Aladdin

(Source: DisneyMusicVEVO)

After Aladdin and Jasmine meet, the audience learns of their desire to escape their current situations; Al wants to break away from being a street rat, and Jasmine does not want to be in an arranged marriage she has no consent to. They both decide to run away from Agrabah and start life anew, having only each other's company. A Million Miles Away discusses their plan and what they hope to expect from it, while also being a beautiful romantic ballad for the two. Matter of fact, this song also sets up their later meeting and A Whole New World, as hinted by Aladdin's short reprise at the beginning of the aforementioned song. I wish this song (or some equivalent to it) was used in the 2019 remake of Aladdin, as it would have further built their relationship. I love the song because it furthers the characters' development, it has a beautiful melody, and it hints at their relationship later in the show. Not having a duet like this in the remake was definitely a missed opportunity for the production staff.

#1: If I Can't Love Her, Beauty and the Beast

(Source: disneysoundtrack89)

Of course, my number one pick on this list is from my favorite stage musical, Beauty and the Beast; specifically, the finale of the show's first act. Taking place after Beast scares Belle out of the castle, the former begins to lament on possibly losing his only chance to break his curse. If he does not change his ways soon, "he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time". The song serves as the beginning of Beast's character development, along with being somewhat of an apology to those he's affected. It makes you want to cheer for the success of this character, and see him through his wish to regain his lost humanity. Like A Million Miles Away in Aladdin, If I Can't Love Her should have also been in its respective live action remake. Having this song and Evermore would have made perfect bookends to Beast's character development. (On a side note, I am glad that production I saw at Shawnee Mission Theater in the Park thought similarly. Instead of performing  If I Can't Love Her's reprise like usual, they performed Evermore instead. While I understand they were paying tribute to the recently released remake by doing so, it was definitely a smart move and gave Beast another well-deserved ballad.)

What are some of your favorite songs from Disney's stage musicals? What are some of your favorite musical numbers in general? Feel free to leave a comment below and discuss! Additionally, feel free to give me a follow for future updates on the blog. 

Spider-Man Far From Home (Minor Spoilers)

(Image Source: iMDb)

While I am elated that Spider-Man is in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I feel Sony and Marvel's handling of this incarnation of the character has been a mixed bag. Don't get me wrong, I think Tom Holland's take on the character is pretty solid with plenty of room to grow. I understand this version of Peter Parker is relatively new to the hero business, and still has much to learn about being a superhero. However, as of now, I rank this take on the character between his predecessors, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield; he nails both sides of the character, the quirkiness of Peter Parker and the witty heroics of Spider-Man. Unfortunately, Marvel and Sony have been touting him more as Iron Man Jr., rather than a hero of his own. This was my biggest complaint with Spider-Man Homecoming, and it is definitely one of the bigger faults of Spider-Man: Far From Home. It seems Marvel definitely wants to make him one of the new faces of this franchise, but if they want to do so effectively, they need to let Spider-Man stand on his own and not in the constant shadow of Tony Stark. I think Jon Favreau's character (Happy Hogan) says it best, he's not the next Iron Man and he is never going to be Iron Man. With that little rant out of the way, how does Far From Home hold up as an installment of the MCU and as a Spider-Man solo film? Honestly, while it was solid in both regards, I felt it was simply another "filler" episode like Ant Man and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
Acting as an epilogue to the MCU's Infinity Saga, Far From Home takes place after the events of Avengers: Endgame. The film does well in setting up a Post-Avengers world through the perspective of Peter Parker, and giving us a taste of the world in Phase 4 (and possibly beyond). The basic premise surrounds Peter and his classmates taking a class trip to Europe; unfortunately, the vacation is hijacked by SHIELD commander, Nick Fury, and a mysterious person known as Quentin Beck. Similar to how Homecoming paid homage to John Hughes' "high school comedy" films of the 1980s, Far From Home seems to pay tribute to the National Lampoon Vacation series, most notably National Lampoon's European Vacation. The viewer joins Peter and his classmates as they travel across the European countryside, visiting notable locations such as Venice, Prague, and London. It is interesting to see Spider-Man in a location outside of his usual New York, and offers something new to longtime fans of the character. While I enjoyed the change in scenery, it adds very little to the overall production; the filmmakers could have kept it in New York and the plot would have remained mostly the same. They still would have kept Peter feeling lost after Endgame, his budding romance with Zendaya's version of MJ, and the conflict surrounding Nick Fury and Quentin Beck's overall mission. Speaking of Quentin Beck, his version of Mysterio was an amazing visual spectacle, but was unfortunately lacking as a character. While I understand Gyllenhal was attempting to portray him as supposedly the opposite of his comic book counterpart, it unfortunately comes off as pretentious. However, I suppose that simply adds another layer to Mysterio, adding to his overall "illusion". I will say I liked the interactions between Parker and Beck, with the latter acting as another mentor to him in his time of need.
In regard to Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury, he was once again at the top of his game and was easily my favorite character in the film. (Marvel, can we please get a Nick Fury movie? That would be amazing!) I also enjoyed some of the supporting cast, such as Zendaya's MJ, but I felt there was one subplot involving them that Marvel was being a bit pushy with. Thankfully, that particular one ends along with this film.
Overall, Far From Home is solid as both an installment in the MCU and as a Spider-Man film; however I feel it was a lacking and unnecessary one. It felt more like a filler episode than a major chapter, aside from the mid-credits scene which is one of the few noteworthy parts of this film, and sets up the character's overall future. If you are looking to marathon the MCU in its entirety, this one can be considered optional since it does not contribute much to the overall narrative. The action scenes were pretty solid, I will give them that. It is worth watching out of curiosity, and seeing where the franchise is going after Endgame. Hopefully, the inevitable Spider-Man 3 fixes many of these missteps and gives us a fitting conclusion to Peter's high school years. What did you think of this movie? Feel free to discuss in the comments below, and be sure to follow for more updates from Reviews and Retrospectives.

Dragon Ball Z Retrospective Part 1: Saiyan to Cell Arcs (Heavy Spoilers)

While normally with these retrospectives (such as History of Aladdin and the Fullmetal Alchemist retrospectives), I would look at each piece of media in order of their release. However with this look at Dragon Ball, I will be going out of order and start with what is widely considered the "most popular" series in the franchise. Additionally, 2019 also happens to be the thirtieth anniversary of Dragon Ball Z's debut on Japanese television; western audiences would have to wait almost a decade before receiving this influential anime.

Dragon Ball Z, like its predecessor, focuses on the adventures of Son Goku; however, it focuses purely on his adult years, five years after defeating Piccolo Jr. in the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament. At this point in his life, Goku is now married with a young child named Son Gohan, the latter being the secondary protagonist and the character with the most development in this series (he also happens to be my favorite character in Dragon Ball as a whole, simply because I could relate to Gohan in some ways). However, his life would soon take a drastic turn with a shocking revelation from a man revealed to be his brother; he is not of the planet Earth, but a Saiyan from a destroyed planet named Vegeta. He was sent to Earth as an infant to conquer it, but due to suffering a head injury from falling into a ravine, he forgot his initial mission. Additionally, we learn of Goku's birth name, Kakarot. (Toriyama, were you reading Superman comics when writing this backstory? This seems eerily similar to the story of Kal-El.) In an attempt to recruit Goku in rejoining the few remaining Saiyans, his older brother Raditz kidnaps young Gohan. Desperately outmatched, Goku teams up with another enemy, the aforementioned Piccolo Jr (whom we will refer to as "Piccolo" for the remainder of this post and the one detailing the Buu arc) to defeat Raditz and rescue Gohan.

The battle against Raditz is one of my favorite moments in this series, because it shows how far Goku is willing to go in regard to saving the planet and his loved ones; even if it means literally sacrificing himself. Upon defeating Raditz and sacrificing himself to save Gohan, the viewer is left with another shocking revelation, two Saiyans more powerful than Raditz are on their way. Goku's friends decide to revive him with the Dragonballs (seven magical orbs that can grant any wish, for those uninformed) closer to their arrival; meanwhile, Gohan is kidnapped once again (poor kid) by Piccolo in order to train him to fight. Goku decides to make the journey to a being known as King Kai to prepare himself as well, learning two techniques in the process; a power-enhancement move known as the Kaioken, and a last-resort known as the Spirit Bomb. Goku may have been born a Saiyan, but it does not mean he has to follow their lifestyle of being ruthless warriors; this is prominently shown during his battle against the Saiyan prince, Vegeta and his lackey, Nappa. While the Saiyan arc is one of my favorite parts of Dragon Ball Z, it unforunately transitions to my least favorite part... the Namek/Frieza arc...

I understand the Namek storyline is a favorite amongst Dragonball fans, it was not the case for me; when I was watching even the Kai version for this post, it was an absolute pain to get through purely because of the story's agonizing pacing. While Kai's improved pacing made digesting this storyline much easier, it still felt like it dragged on endlessly. I could NOT WAIT until Goku's final confrontation with Frieza, so I did not have to stomach any more adventures on Namek. Backing up a bit for context, Gohan and Goku's friends Krillin and Bulma travel to Piccolo's homeworld of Namek. Their mission? Find the Namekian Dragonballs and revive those who fell in the battle with the Saiyans, including Piccolo himself. While on Namek, they encounter Vegeta's superior, Frieza, and his army. Additionally, they befriend a small Namekian boy named Dende, who would later become a prominent fixture in Dragonball moving forward. While I understand the importance of the Namek storyline, I felt there could have been a few moments that should have been cut in order to speed things up. Most notably, the moments of Vegeta doing absolutely nothing while waiting for something to occur, and much of the unnecessary filler involving Bulma. Matter of fact, Bulma as a whole in this arc was not necessary. They could have replaced her with any other character and it would have not made a difference. Her only purpose in this storyline is to inform Gohan and Krillin that Goku is slowly approaching Namek, and that is it. Other than that, she does absolutely nothing at all aside from moping and whining. I understand I am being harsh on this part of the story, but there are actually some moments I enjoy. I enjoyed the battles with Frieza himself, especially the final confrontation in which we learn Goku is a legendary warrior known as a "Super Saiyan". I believe this is one of the moments where Goku swallows his pride and embraces his heritage as both a Saiyan and a citizen of Earth (he also gives a beautiful speech to Frieza in the process, click on "Frieza" in this sentence to watch TotallyNotMark's video about it on YouTube). After the Namek arc thankfully ends, peace returns to Earth as we transition into the Android/Cell storyline... or does it?

Picking up a year and a half after the events of Namek, Goku and his friends are given a warning by a mysterious youth from the future; three years from then, a pair of Androids created by a man named Dr. Gero will appear. In the future boy's timeline, everyone is defeated by them and Son Goku dies of a heart virus prior to their activation. We also learn this boy is the future son of Bulma and Vegeta, named Trunks. The latter is a human/Saiyan hybrid like Gohan, born a year before said androids are said to make their debut. However, due to Trunks attempting to prevent the same fates that occurred in his timeline, he inadvertently causes a series of drastic changes; for starters, the pair of androids the Z Warriors initially confront are not the same ones Trunks warned them about. Matter of fact, one of them is actually Dr. Gero himself, whom converted himself into an android for the sole purpose of defeating Goku and as a result of his lust for power. The entities Trunks warned about do later make an appearance (known as Androids 17 and 18), along with a third being in their group, Android 16. The latter three later become entangled in part of a much larger plot, when a being from the future known as Cell appears. (Why do I have this feeling that Toriyama was heavily inspired by James Cameron's Terminator franchise?) Cell, like Androids 16, 17, and 18, was created by Gero to destroy Goku. However, he has another motive in mind; absorbing 17 and 18 to achieve his perfect form. This arc overall marks the culmination of many characters' development, such as Gohan, Piccolo, Krillin, and even Goku himself. It also happens to be my favorite storyline overall, with many of my favorite moments in the franchise such as Gohan finally overcoming his pacifism and pushing his own limits, and another moment where Goku makes a noble sacrifice to protect those around him (even though he ended up angering King Kai in the process). This arc is really where we see Gohan coming into his own as a character, and manages to push his own boundaries by defeating Cell with one massive Kamehameha.  If Dragonball Z ended here, I think it would have been a perfect sendoff because it tied up many loose ends throughout this series and its predecessor. However, editorial interference demanded that Toriyama create one more story arc... one that proves to be a controversial one because it undoes much of the character development throughout this part of the series, and simply acts as a dragged-out epilogue. I will discuss the Majin Buu storyline next time, since it would make the pacing of this post worse than the original run of DBZ (I am also not done watching the Buu arc anyway, as I am currently going through the Final Chapters of Kai).

If you are interested in watching this part of the story in particular, I would highly recommend watching Dragonball Z Kai as opposed to the original Z. Kai's pacing is so much faster, and you get a sense of the story that is more faithful to creator Akira Toriyama's original vision. However, if you like the longer, dragged-out battles, and the copious amounts of filler, then check out the original Dragonball Z. Additionally, if you want a version that has quick pacing and makes fun of the series' absurdity, then check out TeamFourStar's Dragonball Z Abridged. 

What Dragon Ball related topics would you like to see me discuss? Would you like to see me talk about DBZ Abridged? Let me know in the comments below, and be sure to like and follow for future updates from Reviews and Retrospectives. 

Top Five Disney TV Series

Hey everyone, guess what? It's time for the annual Top Five Disney list! However, this year we are going to change things up and give you two lists instead of one! In addition to the previously teased Top Five Disney Broadway Songs, I am also going to give you some insight into my top five shows made by Disney as well! Growing up in the late 90s and the 2000s as well, I was basically a Disney Channel/Toon Disney addict (along with a fascination for Nickelodeon and to some extent, Cartoon Network)! Below are five of my favorite shows from the company; there are more than this, but these are simply five that I enjoyed the most (with two honorable mentions).

5. The Suite Life of Zack and Cody/The Suite Life on Deck

I do admit, even now I love Disney Channel's iconic sitcoms from the mid 2000s. However, if you were to ask me which are my favorites, I would tell you that honor goes to the Suite Life of Zack and Cody series. The show centers around the titular twins played by Dylan and Cole Sprouse, (the latter of which is now known as the WORST version of Jughead Jones in Riverdale) living with their cabaret singing mother in a luxurious hotel. Their friends include a spoiled hotel heiress (Brenda Song), a candy counter girl  (Ashley Tisdale), and a mechanic (Brian Stephanik). The closest this show had to an antagonist was the hotel's manager, portrayed by Phill Lewis; however, Zack and Cody antagonized poor Moesby more than the former. Eventually, the series was given a rebrand and a new love interest for Cody (played by Debby Ryan). The setting was also changed from a hotel to a cruise ship, with the premise of the twins going to school at sea, something I feel was a bit of a stretch in retrospect (though it would be amazing to study abroad on a cruise ship). Matter of fact, the premise was so outlandish, iCarly referenced it in one episode of their own series. Despite my problems with the premise, the rebranded series had a stronger emphasis on story than its predecessor (which in my opinion makes The Suite Life on Deck the superior series out of the two). In my opinion, these two series were the best out of what Disney Channel offered in terms of sitcoms in the mid 2000s.

4. American Dragon: Jake Long

Before Gravity Falls first aired in Summer of 2012, American Dragon: Jake Long was my favorite animated series on Disney Channel. The plot centered around the titular character, who was descended from a family of human/dragon hybrids, tasked with protecting the mortal and magical realms (think Sabrina the Teenage Witch, but with dragons instead of witches). I loved the massive amount of action in the series, the overarching story, and constantly developing characters. I was also in suspense in regard to the relationship between Jake and his love interest, Rose. Unfortunately, Disney prematurely cut this show from the roster, cancelling it after two seasons. Consequently, that would be one of few times I was legitimately angered by the company; I felt this franchise had a massive amount of potential, and could have lasted much longer than it should. Disney would later do the same to another story-driven series with a similar premise, with similar success.

3. Gargoyles

I admit, while I consider this series one of my favorites, I have not seen it completely. In the early 2000s, Toon Disney had a tendency to air this show's episodes out of their intended order. As a result, it was extremely hard to follow the overarching storylines. If this series ever comes to Hulu and Netflix, you can count on me binge watching it while I work on my animation and design projects. The series has the premise of Gargoyles frozen in time, awakening in the modern day and severely displaced from their medieval era. Like the previous entry, I enjoyed the copious amount of character development and action sequences. Unfortunately, I have not seen much of the story, so I cannot comment on it at the moment; I will give my proper thoughts on this series in a future post.

2. Gravity Falls

As mentioned in entry four, this effectively replaced American Dragon: Jake Long as my favorite Disney Channel animated series. Unfortunately, it suffered a similar fate in terms of premature cancellation as well and left many questions unanswered. Nonetheless, this series is also similar to Jake Long in its subject matter; both explore the supernatural and mystical elements of the world while also being bound to an overarching story. The basic premise surrounds Mabel and Dipper Pines' adventures in Gravity Falls during their summer vacation, and as the story progresses they come across enemies such as Bill Cipher and the irksome Lil' Gideon (the latter of which I found to be an annoying character). Its emphasis on story, and balance between action and comedy makes this stand out from what Disney XD has to offer. It was one of those rare series that contained a singular overarching story as opposed to smaller background story arcs, which kept me watching (despite getting into it well after it ended by binging it on Hulu). Plus, who could forget other iconic characters such as Wendy, Soos, and the always lovable Gnome, Shmebulock?

Honorable Mentions: Aladdin: The Animated Series and Hercules: The Animated Series

Now I bet you are all surprised that I did not put the series based on two of my favorite Disney movies in the top spot, and you all have every right to be. I loved these shows when I was younger, but I did not put them in a top spot for two reasons; the first being I do not have as much nostalgic feeling toward them as I do toward their animated film counterparts. The second being they have not aged as well as these other series in the list. While they are series that I fondly remember and love, their quality is a bit of a downgrade along with creating quite a few plot holes in terms of continuity. However despite that, there are some memorable episodes from both series that are among my favorites in addition to a CROSSOVER between the two. If you are as much of a fan of Aladdin and Hercules like I am, then I would highly recommend giving these two shows a look, they are truly a "diamond in the rough".

1. DuckTales

This series (with Aladdin as an honorable mention) is the Disney show that I have the most memories of watching; matter of fact it is probably one of the earliest exposures to Disney I remember. Since I was really young, I remember watching Ducktales on channels such as ABC, Toon Disney, and Disney Channel. Additionally, they feature characters related to my favorite classic Disney characters, Donald Duck and Scrooge McDuck. The series surrounds Donald's Uncle Scrooge and their nephews (the adorable Huey, Duey, and Louie) as they travel the world in search of treasure and adventure. During their travels, they come across enemies such as Scrooge's rival, Flintheart Glomgold, and a sorceress named Magica de Spell. Occassionally, they will also be confronted by smaller foes such as the criminal group known as The Beagle Boys and Disney's iconic Pete. In addition to being centered around Disney's duck characters, I was also hooked on the adventure aspect and diverse locales Scrooge and his gang would visit. I suppose many of you readers are asking what I think of the 2017 reboot, and I can confidently say I like what I have seen so far. I have not had time to watch much of the series, but from the few episodes I have seen, I love how it actually improves upon the source material. As an added bonus, Donald himself has more of a prominent role than in the original. I may give my thoughts on the new version in a later post, but so far I think this is a worthy successor to the Disney Afternoon classic.

What are some of your favorite Disney TV series? Feel free to leave your responses in the comments below, and be sure to like and follow for future posts from Reviews and Retrospectives! Maybe next time in Top 5 Disney I will finally discuss my favorite songs from the stage adaptations, but I will wait until I hear more from the upcoming stage version of Hercules before doing so.

Disney's Aladdin (2019): Diamond in the Rough?

 (Source: IMDb.com)

Initially, I had mixed feelings when this remake was announced but was nonetheless excited (since this is adapting my favorite animated movie). However, this film was an example of one I should have viewed with no expectations whatsoever; I was one who hoped for deleted songs such as Proud of Your Boy, and essentially an adaptation of the stage musical using Howard Ashman's deleted lyrics. I will say if you are one who had those expectations like me, you are going to be slightly disappointed; as a minor spoiler, the only instance of deleted lyrics in the film are at the end of Arabian Nights and the new reprise of One Jump Ahead (which was surprisingly written for the original film but cut later in production, similar to the aforementioned Proud of Your Boy). Despite all this, this remake is one of Disney's best in their current trend of live-action adaptations. Admittedly, while this film is by no means perfect (nor does it hold a candle to the original and its stage musical), it still does a solid job adapting the source material while giving us something new in the process. 

Also, I am currently eating my words in regard to Will Smith's Genie and the rest of the cast (aside from Marwan Kenzari's Jafar). 

I loved the portrayals by Mena Massoud (Aladdin), Naomi Scott (Jasmine), Frank Welker (Abu, Raja, Cave of Wonders), and of course Will Smith. They did a phenomenal job portraying their respective characters in addition to fleshing them out; their renditions of the iconic songs were also beautifully done.... except for Will Smith's Prince Ali. 

While I know he was making a solid effort in that scene, the sequence as a whole lacked the energy of its animated and stage counterparts; it is disappointing because Prince Ali is my favorite song that was in the original film. I did like the part of the song where Genie was waiting for Sultan's approval to enter the palace, even though it messed up the song's flow. Harkening back to my earlier statement on deleted Ashman lyrics, I felt this song could have benefited most from using them; Genie could have used the lost intro as a means of transitioning into the main number (since the scene started rather abruptly), and the lost lyrics littered throughout the song could have been used to embellish "Prince Ali's" exploits (similar to the stage musical). Utilizing these deleted lyrics was one of main missed opportunities in this film, the other being everyone's favorite Scarlet McCaw, Iago. 

I was disappointed that Iago's role was drastically reduced from the original and stage versions, where in this version he is simply a regular parrot; he is still capable of speech, but now it is small phrases. Alan Tudyk did a great job in the role, but I wish we would have seen more from him. Aside from Abu (who remained mostly the same from the original, if not having a more expanded role), the animal characters were essentially pushed aside. 

While I am not the biggest fan of Abu, I actually enjoyed him much more in this version. He was given a more dynamic personality and was a catalyst for some events in the plot, making this little monkey one of the most enjoyable characters in the film. Additionally, he is given more time as a monkey than as an elephant, which is another bonus for the character. 

Regarding the film's events and pacing; while the story was very solid, there seemed to be somewhat of a lack of cohesion in the second and third acts, as it simply jumped from one event to another. There were plenty of moments I enjoyed (such as the scenes of Aladdin and Jasmine in the marketplace), but there were also times where it seemed like Guy Ritchie was going off a checklist, trying to hit certain points. There were moments he nailed perfectly under his direction, and there were some that could have used some work (such as the infamous "jams" running gag). 

I respect the efforts of director Guy Ritchie and the beautiful score by Alan Menken, they did a very solid job in making this film. The cast made the roles their own and did a great job, especially the main trio. Aside from Prince Ali, the entirety of Menken's score was also beautiful, and Jasmine's new song blew me away. I also loved the callbacks to the source material and the stage musical, such as making Prince Ali "of Ababwa" and the little snippet of Proud of Your Boy used at one point in the film (a moment which made me shed a few tears of joy since that is my favorite Disney song). If you go into this film with ZERO expectations, then you will have an enjoyable experience and come out satisfied. It is not exactly a "Diamond in the Rough" like one would think, but it makes a great effort in trying to be one. Aladdin is certainly worth a watch (or two or three), and I loved how it took the material of its predecessors and ran with them. However, Jafar seriously needed some work... he certainly does not hold a candle to Jonathan Freeman, not by a long shot. 

Dragon Ball Retrospective Introduction

(Source: MyAnimeList.net)

Hey everybody, I deeply apologize for the inactivity; college has basically sucked up most of my time (I am sure many of you can relate to that). However, I am going to try and post more often, and what better way to start my comeback than a retrospective on my favorite anime? Of course, many of you longtime readers know that would be Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball franchise. For this new retrospective, I will be looking at the following series and giving my thoughts on them:

• Dragon Ball
• Dragon Ball Z/Dragon Ball Z Kai
• Dragon Ball GT
• Dragon Ball Super

As I discuss each series in the franchise, I will also be highlighting some of my favorite moments and story arcs. Think of this retrospective as me doing my own spin on Linkara's History of Power Rangers, except with Dragon Ball. I will be discussing each series' history, its high and low points, and my overall thoughts on the story; when this is completed, I will end the series with my top five favorite moments across the entire franchise. However, I will not be discussing the movies or video games (except Dragon Ball: The Path to Power, Battle of Gods, Resurrection F, and Dragon Ball Super: Broly, the first being my favorite film in the series, and the latter three being canon to Toriyama's original manga; therefore, they are canon to the story of the anime as well).

 In the case of The Path to Power, I will be saving it for the Dragon Ball GT post, despite it technically being a Dragon Ball film. As for the other three, they will be saved for Dragon Ball Super, since their storylines affect that series more than Z. 

For those wondering as well, I will NOT be discussing TeamFourStar's parody, Dragon Ball Z: Abridged. As much as I love that series and find it to be hilarious, I only plan to cover the material that was officially made by Toei Animation, Akira Toriyama and Shueisha. With that being said, I will also not be covering the live action atrocity known as Dragon Ball: Evolution. If you wish to see a review of it that perfectly matches my thoughts on it, I would recommend watching Nostalgia Critic's episode on the film. He essentially hits all the points that myself and many fans of the franchise would agree with. To paraphrase the Funimation dub's longtime narrator, Kyle Hebert, "next time on Reviews and Retrospectives, we will discuss the beginning of Son Goku's journey in the original Dragon Ball."