New Disney Streaming Service: Disney+

[James]

…it doesn’t see the light of day while Lucas is still around and Disney needs him to endorse the odd new SW project here and there.

I think you nailed it.

[Ben]

The Guardian: "More is less? What it’s like to watch an Imax movie at home"…

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/n ... ie-at-home

[Bill1978]

It's funny this Imax thing. Over the weekend I watched Shang Chi and I totally forgot that Disney+ default was the Imax version. And it really really annoyed me that I didn't have the black bars on the top and the bottom. It felt weird watching a movie that filled my TV screen, it actually was distracting me and prevented myself from being immersed in the story being told. Thankfully I remembered that I had the option for the bars, chose that and went back to being ablel to immerse myself in a movie with the comforting bars.

[Ben]

Well, hopefully more people do what you did and realise there's an original, properly composed, cinematic widescreen version of these films — that look like films — and then when they see viewers not watching those versions, or better yet switching off from them, they won’t go and start opening up all the other films.

There’s a reason a lot of the direct to streaming stuff is framed at 2:1, since it provides for a "compromised" safe spot between 16:9 and "Scope" (2.35/39/40/55) that gives a wider-screen feel but fills more of the typical display. And I guess the bizarre 1.90 ratio offers around the same kind of thing, but to retro-frame older films is akin to what we all complained about open-mattes and pan-and-scan in the first place!

[Daniel]

Yeah, I don't like that it's the default option. It's more of novelty thing anyway so should be like a extra.

[Ben]

Xactly.

[Daniel]

Dropping today:

:
Puppy For Hanukkah
Disney's Magic Bake-Off - 3 Episodes
Life Below Zero: Next Generation - Season 3
Minnie's Bow-Toons: Party Palace Pals - 4 Episodes
The Pixar Story
Adventure Thru The Walt Disney Archives
A Muppets Christmas: Letters To Santa

:
Marvel's Hit-Monkey
Dopesick – Episode 3
Family Guy - Episode 3 (Season 20)
American Dad - Episode 20 (Season 17)
Bless The Harts - Episode 15 (Season 2)
The Great North - Episode 9
Last Man Standing - Episode 17 (Season 9)
Reservation Dogs - Episode 7
The Premise – Episode 4
American Horror Story: Double Feature - Episode 5
Mixedish - Episode 14
Mickey Mouse Funhouse - 7 Episodes
Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir - Episode 8 (Season 4)
Gabby Duran - Episode 1-12 (Season 2)
Gigantosaurus - Episode 47-52
Disney Magic Bake-off - Episode 9-11
Minnie's Bow-Toons: Party Palace Pals - Episode 9-12
Night Stalkers
City of Dogs
Vinnie Jones: Russia's Toughest
The State
Stranger Than Nature - Season 2
No Man Left Behind
Anna
Legion - Season 1-3
Shook
Jaguar Beach Battle
Little Giant
Water and Power: A California Heist
Ocean's Breath
Patagonia Wings
The Next Mega Tsunami
Port Security Hamburg
1917: One Year, Two Revolutions
World's Biggest Tiger Shark
Hippo vs Croc
Hawaii: Sharks of the Fire Goddess
Clan of the Meerkats
The Family Stone
Flightplan
Kingdom of Heaven
Terminator: Dark Fate
Love in the Forecast

:
Bob's Burgers – Episode 6 (Season 12)
The Simpsons - Episode 4 (Season 33)
Dollface - Season 1
The Most Magical Story on Earth: 50 Years of Walt Disney World
Mission to the Sun
A Muppets Christmas: Letters To Santa

:
The Night House
Grey's Anatomy - Episode 5 (Season 18)
The Big Leap – Episode 3
Station 19 – Episode 1 (Season 5)
Underworld, Inc. – Season 2
Mickey Mouse Funhouse - 7 Episodes
Galacticos
Oil Spill of the Century
All I See Is You
Shock and Awe
Survive and Advance

Oh, if only I loved Letters To Santa more.

[Ben]

Yeah, Letters To Santa is…not good.

Nice to see such a lot of new stuff for the UK, though nothing I need to see. Flightplan is a nifty so-so thriller, but I have the DVD and have seen it enough times. Dark Fate is just poor, and undoes all of the good from Judgment Day — even the director has come out and says he didn’t achieve what he wanted! With they’d kept going with the Genisys storyline, actually, as that was shaping up to being a pretty intriguing alternate reboot.

I’ll probably catch Adventure Through The Walt Disney Archives, but you’d think for a service with the name Disney in the title that this would have been the bone they threw to proper fans last week for Disney Day, where the lack of true WALT Disney content was sorely lacking again amongst all the Marvel and Star Wars hoopla. Even this week they can’t just let it be it’s own thing, and somewhat take away from it by adding the Pixar doc at the same time — just let us older fans enjoy some proper, real old-school content and make a big deal about it for a change, other than just the usual (non-Disney) stuff!

/rant

[EricJ]

So what's the status of the John Denver & the Muppets Christmas special? Ownership, limbo, or performer rights?
Not that it's classic, but it's better than Letters to Santa, and iconic to those who grew up with the soundtrack album.

[Daniel]

From earlier this year:

The Crimbo special is not included in what Disney now claims ownership of. Such a shame. The whole thing is up on Youtube. Great album, too!

It's owned by John Denver's estate.

[Randall]

I bought the Denver/Muppets Rocky Mountain Holiday DVD, while thinking it was the Christmas special. What a disappointment (though I'm still glad to have it). I love the Christmas album that came out of the special, and still have that to play at least.

[Daniel]

Disney and WarnerMedia have amended their Fox streaming rights deal. Great news! Happy I'll get to see Ron's Gone Wrong. Looks cute. No list of future titles, but it should include West Side Story!

[BobTeu]

Mickey Mouse Funhouse - My most favorite!!!

Sometimes I felt that no one can compare cartoons animation and design to the Micky Mouse

[Daniel]

Dropping today:

:
Hawkeye – Episode 1 & 2
Becoming Cousteau
PJ Masks - 3 Episodes (Season 5)
Port Protection Alaska - Season 4
Puppy Dog Pals - 2 Episodes (Season 4)
Secrets of The Zoo: Tampa - Season 2
The Beatles: Get Back
Duck The Halls: A Mickey Mouse Christmas Special
Ernest Saves Christmas
Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas

:
Family Guy - Episode 4 (Season 20)
American Dad - Episode 21 (Season 17)
Dopesick – Episode 4
Reservation Dogs - Episode 8 (Finale)
Bless The Harts - Episode 16 (Season 2)
Mixedish - Episode 15
American Horror Story: Double Feature – Episode 6
The Great North – Episode 10
Last Man Standing - Episode 18 (Season 9)
The Premise – Episode 5 (Finale)
The Choe Show
Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir - Episode 9 (Season 4)
PJ Masks - Episode 1-9 (Season 5)
Positive Energy
Predator Bloodlines
My Wife and Kids
Puppy for Hanukkah
Buried Secrets of Cordoba
2000's Greatest Tragedies
Worst Weather Ever?
Blood Rivals: Lion vs. Buffalo
Heroes of the Mediterranean
The Kangaroo King
Black Swan
Angel Falls: A Novel Holiday
The Rock
Garden State
Big Trouble in Little China
Volcano
A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa

:
Family Guy – Episode 4 (Season 20)
The Great North - Episode 6 (Season 2)
The Simpsons - Episode 5 (Season 33)
Duck The Halls: A Mickey Mouse Christmas Special
Ernest Saves Christmas

:
The Big Leap – Episode 4
Station 19 - Episode 2 (Season 5)
Queens – Episode 1
Grey's Anatomy – Episode 6 (Season 18)
PJ Masks – New Episodes
Kickboxer: Vengeance
Kickboxer: Retaliation
Woman Walks Ahead

[Ben]

We may start Get Back tonight…