Toy Story 4 Interview: Ally Maki Discusses Giggle McDimples

Toy Story 4 Interview: Ally Maki Discusses Giggle McDimples

Ally Maki has been making a name for herself in the entertainment industry in recent years with her work on TBS’s Wrecked, Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger on Freeform, and as Ikumi on Dear White People. Now she will be joining the Toy Story universe with her role as Giggle McDimples in the sequel, Toy Story 4. I had…

Child's Play Review

Child’s Play Review: Full of Promise, But Doesn’t Stick the Landing

It is inevitable with popular, much-loved horror movie franchises for them to be picked up, brushed off, and reimagined for current audiences. However, more often than not, this can end up not only upsetting fans of the original franchise but also missing the mark in replicating the magic that made the original franchise so special….

Toy Story 4 Review: A Great Final Send Off for a Much Loved Franchise

Toy Story 4 Review: A Great Final Send Off for a Much Loved Franchise

It is difficult not to get teary-eyed when I think about the Toy Story franchise. It is a movie franchise that I quite literally grew up on, with the first movie coming out in 1995, right when I was a young pre-schooler. And, while I may not be the biggest fan of sequels to animated films, the Toy…

Child's Play Review
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How Mark Hamill Created His Version of Chucky in Child’s Play

During the press conference for the highly-anticipated reboot of Child’s Play, we got to learn how Mark Hamill came to take on the role of the legendary horror figure, Chucky, and what it was like stepping into the big shoes that previous Chucky actor, Brad Dourif, left behind for him to fill. More importantly, we learned…

How Will Smith Made Genie His Own in Disney's Aladdin

How Will Smith Made Genie His Own in Disney’s Aladdin

During the press conference for the highly-anticipated live-action adaptation of Disney’s Aladdin, we got to learn more about how actor Will Smith approached the role of Genie, especially since Robin Williams’ performance left such a huge mark on Disney animated history. More importantly, we learned how composer Alan Menken’s music helped Smith start acclimating into the…

Aladdin: How the Song Speechless Ended Up Being the Most Timely

Aladdin: How the Song Speechless Ended Up Being the Most Timely

We recently attended the press conference for the upcoming, highly-anticipated live-action remake of Disney’s Aladdin and learned everything about how the world of Aladdin was created, what went into the dance sequences of the film, and how the team behind the remake decided to expand upon the original animated film’s story while still holding onto…

Missing Link Designs: How Chris Butler's Work Impacted LAIKA's Pre-Production
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Missing Link Designs: How Chris Butler’s Work Impacted LAIKA’s Pre-Production

There is no denying that a lot of work goes into creating stop-motion animated films. Just the shooting process alone for a feature-length film can take up to one or two years as a whole team of immensely driven and hard-working people come together to painstakingly capture each individual frame. But what exactly goes into…

Dumbo Review: The Elephant is Reimagined for all Generations

Dumbo Review: The Elephant is Reimagined for All Generations

On October 23, 1941, audiences everywhere were introduced to the little flying elephant with wings so huge that it practically caused him to soar. Disney‘s Dumbo won the hearts of many — both young and old — with its simple, yet effective storyline and a heartwarming character many could relate to. Now, Disney has aimed…

How Composer Danny Elfman Made Dumbo Soar

How Composer Danny Elfman Made Dumbo Soar

During the first half of the press conference for the highly-anticipated live-action reimagining of Disney‘s Dumbo, we got to learn more about how composer Danny Elfman came to the project. Most importantly, we learned how he created Dumbo’s theme and managed to capture director Tim Burton’s need to hear Dumbo soar in the film’s score. When you…

How Disney Adapted Dumbo for Today's Audience

How Disney Adapted Dumbo for Today’s Audience

We recently attended the press conference for the highly-anticipated live-action reimagining of Disney‘s Dumbo. The press conference was split into two parts. Attending the first part of the press conference were producer Derek Frey, producer Katterli Frauenfelde, production designer Rick Heinrichs, costume designer Colleen Atwood, composer Danny Elfman, screenwriter Ehren Kruger, and producer Justin Springer. While…

Missing Link: How LAIKA Brought the Legendary Creature to Life

Missing Link: How LAIKA Brought the Legendary Creature to Life

It has been ten years since LAIKA released their first feature stop-motion animated film, Coraline. Audiences got to experience firsthand the kind of worlds the studio could bring them to. Since the release of Coraline, the studio has introduced us to the transcendent and terrifying world of the supernatural in ParaNorman, taken us through the…

Why is Disney's Dumbo Being Reimagined Now?

Why Is Disney’s Dumbo Being Reimagined Now?

We recently attended the press conference for the highly-anticipated live-action reimagining of Disney‘s Dumbo and learned everything about why the film was being reimagined, the creative process of all involved, and what actually was representing the titular elephant while they were filming. The press conference was split into two parts. Attending the first part of the…

Glass Review

Glass Review: The Eastrail 177 Trilogy Arrives at a Satisfying Conclusion

It’s been 19 years since M. Night Shyamalan’s Unbreakable arrived in theaters, with many people initially assuming that it was a standalone superhero thriller and left it at that. However, with the twist ending Shyamalan included at the end of his 2016 film Split that revealed that the film was connected to the world of…

What We Learned About Mary Poppins Returns
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What We Learned About Mary Poppins Returns

Mary Poppins Returns opened in theaters today and Legion of Leia/Vital Thrills got the opportunity to attend the press conference for the anticipated film. Director Rob Marshall was joined by the amazing cast, including Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Emily Mortimer, and Ben Whishaw. They were also joined by producer and choreographer John DeLuca and composer Marc…

Mary Poppins Returns Review: The Nanny is Brought to a New Generation

Mary Poppins Returns Review: The Nanny is Brought to a New Generation

It has been 54 years since the delightfully witty nanny Mary Poppins has graced theaters everywhere, with Julie Andrews giving a legendary performance that delighted fans both young and old alike. Since the release of the first film, Mary Poppins has achieved an iconic, almost untouchable status in Hollywood. Now, after decades of waiting, we are finally…