The Radical Child

Since today is Scout Sabbath day, I decided to have a sheep scoutmaster leading lamb scouts in prayer. Took two tries to get this one image, since the other seven images I generated featured humans, yuck.



A retool of Turning Red fanart I had done last year (which I did today since the film saw a theatrical release today) with a background of a Van Gogh-style rendering of a photo of Toronto's skyline, which FurAffinity took down since they're prejudiced against artwork with any kind of AI elements, and which I replaced with a flag of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.



Birthday gift art for a fur I've known since my early days in the furry fandom.

A request from a user on DeviantArt, who wanted to see a kangaroo joey character from an episode of the animated series T.O.T.S. being inflated. This was really labor-intensive, so I decided to close requests afterward, and a piece like this would run about $50.

Based on a book series by Margery Sharp, The Rescuers opens with an orphan girl, a captive of Madame Medusa in a derelict riverboat in Devil’s Bayou, Louisiana, who drops a message in a bottle into the water that miraculously finds its way to the Rescue Aid Society, an international mouse-populated offshoot of the United Nations, in New York City. The organization’s Hungarian ambassador, Miss Bianca, voiced by Eva Gabor (in her second animated film role after the feline Duchess in The Aristocats), recruits janitor Bernard, voiced by Bob Newhart, to first investigate Medusa’s NYC pawn shop, afterward taking an albatross to the bayou to rescue Penny, whom her kidnapper wishes to use to find a valuable diamond called the Devil’s Eye.

Overall, this is one of my less-favorite Disney films. Walt Disney had initially refused its production due to being “too political." However, aside from the appearance of the United Nations and its rodent nonunion equivalent, I thought that was BS since the film doesn’t take shots at any specific individual or group or have a ham-fisted message. Most of Shelby Flint’s music, with a few exceptions, is decent, but the Rescue Aid Society’s theme comes across as campy. One could say the same of most of the voice performances, but Gabor’s performance as Miss Bianca was the capstone of the voicework. The Mouse Scouts were cute, but the animation, acting, and music date it to the 1970s, and I’ve seen better from the studio.

Based on “Happy Dan, the Cynical Dog” by Ward Greene, this Disney classic opens at Christmastime in 1909 when a husband, addressed as “Jim Dear,” gives his wife, termed “Darling,” a Cocker Spaniel puppy as a present, ultimately named Lady. Years later, the stray terrier-mix Tramp encounters the pampered pooch, neglected due to Jim and his wife expecting a baby. Jim’s Aunt Sarah visits with her destructive Siamese cats after the child is born to babysit; after muzzling Lady, she escapes with Tramp, having it removed at the zoo and touring the town with her. Events at Jim’s home result in Tramp’s capture and potential euthanasia, although Lady’s canine friends go to the rescue.

Overall, Lady and the Tramp is easily one of Walt Disney’s hallmark films, with its music being notable and giving good character to the scenes. The opening credits theme, “Bella Notte,” recurs during the iconic scene at an Italian restaurant where Lady and Tramp share a spaghetti dinner, which Disney initially didn’t want in the film but is one of its highlights. However, the dog-howling rendition of “Home! Sweet Home!” at the pound (see below) feels like a case of Leave the Camera Running since it doesn’t add much to the film. Mileage will vary regarding ethnic stereotypes like the feline Si and Am’s musical self-introduction. Regardless, I found it a fun watch and would easily recommend it to those not of the modern “woke” crowd.

The fifth and final Indiana Jones movie starring Harrison Ford as the eponymous archaeologist, college professor, and adventurer, the first entry of the franchise not directed by Steven Spielberg or conceived by George Lucas (but still produced by Lucasfilm), opens in 1944 during the Second World War when Indy and fellow archaeologist Basil Shaw try to retrieve the Lance of Longinus (used to pierce Jesus during his crucifixion) from the Nazis. During their tangle, Indy and Shaw obtain half of the film’s titular artifact, the Antikythera, or Archimedes’ Dial, which can reveal time fissures and allow for temporal travel.

Twenty-five years later, in 1969, Indy, now living in New York City and working for Hunter College, plans his retirement and is visited by Helena Shaw, Basil’s daughter, also Indy’s goddaughter, who is interested in the Dial, which sits in the college archives. While attempting to retrieve it, they encounter accomplices sent by the CIA and Jürgen Voller, an astrophysicist and former Nazi Indy encountered back in the opening scene, now working for NASA’s Apollo program. Jones is framed for the murder of two colleagues and reunites with his old sidekick Sallah, now an NYC cab driver, who helps him flee the country.

A scramble for the other half of the Dial takes Indy across the world, with Voller intending to use it to travel back to 1939, kill Hitler, take over as Führer, and try to lead Germany through World War II himself. While critics have suggested the fifth film isn’t as “thrilling” as its precursors, I thought there was enough action and some good twists. A concern I had upon seeing the trailers was the absence of Karen Allen’s character and Indy’s love interest, Marion Ravenwood, and Shia LaBeouf’s character, Mutt Williams (both critical in the fourth movie). However, the film does address them (and I won't spoil anything), and I thought the movie was a fun conclusion to the Indiana Jones saga.

Thought I'd give this a rewatch since it recently celebrated its fiftieth anniversary. Essentially a retelling by Disney of the English folktale of Robin Hood with animals, introduced by minstrel narrator Alan-a-Dale as a rooster voiced by singer Roger Miller. English actor Brian Bedford voices the eponymous fox, and Disney voice-acting veteran Phil Harris voices Little John, with lion Prince John, obsessed with taxing everyone into poverty, serving as regent while his brother King Richard is off on the Crusades. Has some great, catchy music like Miller's "Whistle Stop" and "Oo-De-Lally", along with "The Phony King of England" as sung by Harris. There is some recycling of animation from prior Disney films such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (most visible in Harris's said musical number), The Aristocats, and The Jungle Book (where he voiced sloth bear Baloo, incidentally), and the voice performances in general date to the film to the 1970s (although I liked the mix of ethnic, non-ethnic, and American actors playing the characters, like the Southern-sounding Sheriff of Nottingham) but this is definitely one of my favorite tellings of Robin Hood and animated film from Disney.

Rewatched this this morning since today is Mexico's Independence Day (which Cinco de Mayo, May 5th, is not, but instead Battle of Puebla Day). It follows Donald Duck's birthday as he receives gifts from Latin American avians, the parrot José Carioca of Brazil (and his first name is pronounced "joe-zay," not "ho-zay" since Portuguese speakers pronounced j's mostly like Anglophones do) and the Mexican rooster Panchito Pistoles, who form the eponymous group and travel the world south of the United States. Pretty much a period piece as far as classic animation goes, but it's mildly entertaining.

The first live-action television series in the Star Wars franchise focuses on the eponymous character, Din Djarin, a member of the same tribe as Boba Fett (who would receive his own Disney+ series that settles his fate), tasked with protecting a Force-sensitive youngling of Yoda’s species, Grogu, from various entities, whilst dealing with the remnants of the Galactic Empire five years after the events of Return of the Jedi. A very gripping series that well evokes the feel of the films and has an interesting list of guest stars in minor roles such as Jack Black, Tim Meadows, and Ahmed Best (who plays a part that isn’t Jar Jar Binks), and nicely began to fill the gaps between Episodes VI and VII of the Skywalker Saga from its debut.

I haven’t watched the previous two films in this Marvel Cinematic Universe subseries for years, especially more so due to the huge gap between the second and third films due to statements director James Gunn said ages ago on Twitter (and I really don’t care about the political views of celebrities unless they personally bombard me, which in my experience has been mostly due to those who oppose them and senselessly propagate the especially-intolerant ones), but film three is very much enjoyable on its own and doesn’t really necessitate remembering what happened in its predecessors, and is an effective mix of action, humor, and seriousness, with Rocket and Cosmo the Spacedog in particular really stealing the show (the former’s backstory really elaborated upon, and actually making me cry at one point), and I very highly recommend it.

Occurs over two decades after the events of the film, and continues the adventures of the eponymous halfling sorcerer Willow Ufgood as he travels with future Empress Elora Danan and others beyond their home. Was fairly beautiful and enjoyable, and I would continue watching it were it to continue in some format (supposedly canceled or on hiatus).