We’ve been quarantined for several months, and there is no end in sight. It’s easy to get lost in the stream of bad news and dire thoughts. To help keep myself sane, I’m starting a new project to look back at several parts of Disney’s past films. My attention usually stays with the parks, and I haven’t watched some animated classics in a long time. There also are many gems that I’ve completely missed, especially with live action. Finally, I’ve wanted to go back through the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) in order.
These goals don’t exactly match, but I’m combining them into a weekly movie project. Every Friday, I’m going to write about the next movie from this massive undertaking. Adding the writing component also gives me the chance to dig further into history through bonus features, books, and online articles. Also, I’ll explore how they appear today including some key themes. I’m calling this project Friday Night Movies because many of us are having home movie nights today.
An essential resource for this project is Disney Plus, which I’ll use for most of the films. There may be a few exceptions because certain Marvel movies appear on other sources. For the unseen gems from Disney’s past, I’ll stick with Disney Plus. There is plenty to find in the vault that I’ve missed, and I’d love to get you involved with picking those choices on Twitter, Facebook, and other locations. This plan will be a lot more fun with your input. I’d also love to connect on Letterboxd if you use that amazing service!
The Schedule
The Friday Night Movies will begin next Friday, May 29th, with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. I cannot think of a more fitting choice to begin this project than with the film that changed everything for Disney. I’ll then move chronologically through Disney’s animated features along with the other categories. Here is the basic schedule for this weekly series:
- Week 1: Walt Disney Animation films (chronological)
- Week 2: Marvel Cinematic Universe films (chronological)
- Week 3: Wild Card films, including live action and shorts (various eras)
I’ll follow this rotating three-week schedule over the long term to maintain variety. Iron Man will start the MCU fun in Week 2, and I’ll announce the Wild Card pick for Week 3 very soon. Pinocchio and The Incredible Hulk will follow in Week 4 and 5; you get the idea. It will take a long time but gives me breathing room to consider each release. Plus, it’s not like we’re going anywhere in the near future!
A New Perspective
One of the main reasons I started this project is to push aside preconceived notions about Disney films. It’s too easy to praise or dismiss a movie that I haven’t seen in decades based on hazy memories. I suspect that some films will grow in my opinion, while others will suffer. Also, I’m not here to give hot takes or attack beloved classics. Instead, I’ll just give my honest thoughts on each one and make sure I’m having fun while not getting to serious.
I’ve written about movies on my past film blog, Public Transportation Snob, and at other mediums, so there will be some critical analysis. I promise the articles will be down to earth, and I’ll give everything a fair shake. If you’d like to join me on this journey through Disney’s glorious past, leave your thoughts on the project and suggestions for Wild Card movies in the comments. Let’s enjoy some Friday Night Movies and make the best of our current situation!
What are some of your favorite unknown Disney films that I should cover?
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