Disney's Top 5 Dragons

Once upon a time I felt like the blog was saturated by Disney posts. However, we’ve lately been short on Disney. I don’t know why; it’s not like Joe or I have stopped watching Disney movies. Though, to be fair, the Disney movies I watch tend to be the ones my older daughter is obsessed with (lately she just wants Cocomelon or Bebefin…). So since we’ve had a shortage of Disney posts and 2024 is the Year of the Dragon, I wanted to share five of my favorite Disney dragons (and one honorable mention).

1. Mushu (Mulan)

I think anyone that knew me in college would be surprised if Mushu weren’t first on this list. The reason why? My red Subaru was named Mushu. A wise-cracking dragon voiced by Eddie Murphy. What’s not to like? Mulan is one of the movies I continually get more and more out of and part of that is because of Mushu and his quotable lines. Plus, when it all comes down to it, Mushu was insecure and just wanted to stop feeling invisible. Who can’t empathize with that? Now his actions in the sequel... we tend to just forget that movie happened.

2. Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty)

A list of Disney dragons can’t be complete without this classic right? Talk about holding a grudge. Modern Disney movies might include themes of generational trauma and internal turmoil as their villains, but back in the day we had straight up pettiness and grudge-holding as a villain. While the live-action movies tried to make Maleficent more nuanced, I think there’s also something to be said for the contrast of black and white good/evil, like Maleficent.

3. Narissa (Enchanted)

Another wise-cracking dragon/witch. She was a hyperbolic representation of Maleficent, Lady Tremaine, and the Evil Queen rolled into one, but she had the sass of Queen Regina from Once Upon a Time. And despite how naive Edward and Giselle were, the Queen of Andalasia was as clever as they come. 

4. Sisu (Raya and the Last Dragon)

Raya and the Last Dragon wasn’t my favorite Disney movie by any stretch, but my toddler went through a phase when she only wanted to watch Raya. So I got plenty of exposure to Sisu. After seeing Shang Chi, I grew to love Awkwafina’s comedic timing. To get that again in animated form was adorable. Plus, even if I didn’t love the movie, I love Sisu’s mentality of trying to trust people. We can’t make the world a better place if we don’t try to trust each other, right?

5. Blazey (Onward)

So I know the pet dragon played a minor role in the movie, but come on guys. It’s a dragon that’s basically a puppy! This is exactly the kind of adorable fire-breather that Hagrid wanted when he watched Norbert(a). Obviously the more prominent dragon in the movie was the curse/rubble dragon at the end. But again, dragon puppy! The only reason Blazey is so low on the list is because he didn’t get the central role he deserved.

Honorable Mention: Figment (Walt Disney World)

I can’t say Figment is my favorite, but I feel I’d be doing a disservice to my brother’s boyfriend if I didn't mention him. I had never heard of Figment until we went to Disney World in 2019. Florida in the summer with a pregnant, nauseous wife is not fun for anyone. So all the indoor air-conditioned attractions were a much needed reprieve. Figment has appeared in iterations of “Journey into Imagination” at Epcot and he’s a dorky lovable dragon.

Obviously there are Disney dragons I didn't talk about, like Madame Mim's dragon form, Elliot, or Sisu's siblings to name a few. So make sure you let us know which Disney dragon is your favorite. Happy Year of the Dragon!

The Most "Out There" Pixar Movies

I just rewatched The Good Dinosaur with the kiddos. Not the best Pixar movie ... but as we all know, even a subpar Pixar movie is better than most of the noise available to us. But rewatching The Good Dinosaur struck me how strange it is that there's a scene where Arlo and Spot get high. Let me repeat that for those of you who haven't seen the movie (because let's face it, most of you haven't). Arlo and Spot GET HIGH off of fermented fruit. And it's not just that cute drunk stupor that cartoons sometimes show. This is a full on hallucination scene. Spot's head gets huge, Arlo grows extra eyes, they switch bodies and float off into space. 

Like, what the ... ?

So I decided to look at all 24 Pixar movies and find the ones that are the most "out there". Here goes...

#10 The Good Dinosaur This is actually a pretty white bread movie, with one really trippy scene. Probably the trippiest single scene in any Pixar movie. And it's trippy enough to put the film on the list.

#9 Soul What a sweet flick. Introspective and deep and so inspiring. But it also features a man's soul trapped in a cat. And Tina Fey as a black man. And it posits that  the pre-mortal life is run by talking line drawings.

#8 Up One of my favorite movies on this list. Not the trippiest, but it does have a cadre of talking dogs, a giant momma bird named Kevin, and two geriatric men as the main characters. Oh, and the main plot point is that a house gets carried away by helium balloons. Okay, maybe it's more out there than I thought.

#7 Coco This film makes me cry. Every. Darn. Time. But in spite of some  very real emotional pull, the world of Coco is inhabited by talking  skeletons who regularly lose body parts. And giant psychedelically colored beasts.

#6 Wall-E Robots who fall in love.  Skyscrapers made of garbage.  Humans that have turned into blobs of lifeless goo. Okay that last one is pretty spot on. But the rest is kinda out there.

#5 Ratatouille Are we even going to talk about the fact that Remy controls Linguini's brain ... by pulling his hair?

#4 Monsters, Inc. Wait. So monsters are real? And they need children's screams (and laughter) to power their  world? And Jennifer Tilly plays a tolerable character?  Yeah, that's a tripped up fantasy.

#3 Toy Story Close your eyes and picture that scene where Sid's toys come alive, Woody's head spins around, and he says, "So play nice!" Now picture that happening in real life.  'Nuff said.

#2 Onward This movie is just as imaginative as it is strange. But in addition to the magic, the manticore's destruction, and a giant cheese puffs, this movie gives a major amount of screen time to a living pair of legs. Like, the legs are a main character! But the trippiest part? We connect emotionally with those legs! Thanks, Pixar.

#1 Inside Out Where do we begin? Our brains are actually a hivemind. References to the bears in San Francisco. The existence of Bing Bong, who squeals like a dolphin and cries candy. The abstract thought shortcut scene with non-objective fragmentation, etc. Pizza with pineapple! So so so out there.

Ten Best Animated Disney Movie Monster Designs

Disney is an expert in character, setting and film design, but one thing you don't hear about is their monster design. Oh we talk about villains until the guards transformed into cows come home, but since Disney's animated department are focused on the family friendly faire, actual monsters are few and far between. Which is why, for Halloween, I figured we'd celebrate the top 10 best monster designs from Disney animated films. 

Plus I never pass up a chance to talk about monsters. 

Or Disney. 

Note: I will be excluding straight up humans from the list because while I get that some of the villains are far worse monsters than any of the creatures on this list, we're going for straight up monster designs. 

Stuff that transforms though is perfectly fine. 

10: Monstro from Pinocchio

The infamous whale is almost as famous as the puppet's wooden nose from this film, and for good reason. Monstro's name says it all: He's a monster whale capable of swallowing entire ships whole. Geppetto and his pets are swallwoed by the whale when they go to look for Pinocchio, who joins them in the belly where they escape by making Monstro caugh. His design is everything we think of when we think about a giant man-eating whale, a massive sea creature with an insatable hunger. He also has an entire psychadelic (and annoying) level inside of him in Kingdom Hearts. 

9. Dean Hardscrabble from Monsters University

The monster designs in general from the Monsters franchise are all fun, but the dean of the monster scaring college takes the cake. Her centapede body with massive dragon wings could be anyone's nightmare. No wonder she's an expert in scaring. 

She scares me. 

8. Angler Fish from Finding Nimo

This thing doesn't need any embelishments to be scary, they're scary just the way they are in real life. Seeing Dory chasing after the light while we're on edge knowing what that light is connected to is probably my favorite part of the movie. 

That and squishy. 

7. Curse Dragon from Onward

Again, movie is flooded with cool monsters, but our final antagonist takes the cake. It's a curse that takes the form of a dragon using pieces of the nearby high school to form it's body. The use of the dragon mascot as the monsters face is brilliant, giving it expression without giving it too many facial features. Ian has to bust out all the magic he's learned on this final boss, made harder to fight by the fact that it's not flesh and bones but is cement and rebar. 

Then the movie got right back to tugging at all my heart strings. 

6. Jafar Snake Form from Aladdin

Jafar’s genie form almost took this one but I had to go with the snake. His snake staff hinted at some snake iconography since we first saw him, and here we get the full treatment with a large wicked snake fighting Aladdin. The fangs, the hood and the coloring all give us the same concept as Jafar so we don't lose any of his iconic villany in his transformation. 

He's also an annoying boss in Kingdom Hearts

5. Hydra from Hercules

This list is just becoming a who's who of boss monsters from Kingdom Hearts isn't it? 

The Titans almost went on here, as did the Centaur, but the Hydra got the most screen time and the best fight sequence in the movie so it takes the cake. It takes Hercules a while to figure out how to kill it (Someone doesn't play Dungeons and Dragons) and by the time Phil tells him the thing has a tangle of heads and anger. 

4. Te Ka from Moana

A demon of smoke and fire, Te Ka tries to get the heart of Te Fiti for her own unkown gain... Until we find out that she actually is Te Fiti and she just wants her heart back. There's some deeply rooted metaphor in losing one's heart and becoming a monster with the intent of getting it back that I would love to explore in another post, but for now let's just look at Te Ka's design. She's a massive terrifying lava monster that has no obvious weakness. 

Except water. 

And recognizing her true form and then making the audience tearbend. 

3. Dragon Malificent from Sleeping Beauty

Going back to one of the OG's Malificent is a scary monster pre transformation, but post she's the best dragon till Game of Thrones. I love the idea that at the opening party she had the option to turn into a dragon and just toast everyone present, but instead she went with the curse the infant option. 

Gotta love a woman who knows when it's best to turn into a dragon. 

2. Stitch from Lilo and Stitch

Stitch has become the new Tinkerbell, put on stuff to make it look cutesy without remembering how big of a terror he actually is. Remember Stitch is designed to cause damage on a wide scale, only failing to do so because he's trapped on an island. If Stitch landed anywhere on the mainland we would all be in a lot of trouble and no amount of ohana could save us. His cute demeanor is to make him easier to sneak across borders and infiltrate enemy territories, and it works because even at his worst he isn't scary, but he is dangerous. 

1. The Beast from Beauty and the Beast

Okay I've gotta end on the mother of all Disney monsters, the Beast. This design had to be initially terrifying but something that someone could fall in love with, which is an extremely hard balance but one that was achieved perfectly. The animators even stated that in designing the Beast's human form in the end that no matter what they did everyone would hate it because they fell in love with the Beast and not some long haired French aristocrat. The fact that you don't see anything with the prince's face on it but with the Beast instead is a testament to his design and how incredible this Disney monster really is. 

-JOE

10 New Cosplays We Look Forward To Seeing

With the world on temporary pause, new cosplay has been hard to find. Without conventions or even Halloween, the most wonderful day of the year, happening at their regular capacity, the cosplay community just doesn't have the chance to strut their stuff. That hasn't stopped new media from coming out, some of which we can't wait to see at the next Comic Con, whenever that may be. 

Here's a few. 

10: Live-Action Mulan

Say what you will about Disney's Mulan, the costuming was on point. From Mulan's red combat uniform accented with armor to the villain Xian Lang's incredible makeup, this film gives a lot to the cosplay community. Seeing someone bring one of the film's outfits to life will be a true sight to see, plus all the costumes are modest so there's no worry about having to compromise standards to be the warrior you were truly meant to be. 

9: Netflix's The Witcher

While Henry Cavill's Geralt of Rivia looks torn straight from the video game, the rest of the cast have unique costuming for this live action take on the beloved book and game series. His traveling minstrel Jasker alone has enough outfits to keep any seamstress busy for weeks, and Yennafer is perfect for any cosplaying lady who wants something elegant but doesn't want to go back to Disney princess. 

8: Doctor Who

Now Comic Con has never been lacking for Doctor. Who cosplays, from versions of the Doctor himself to his wide cast of villains right down to the TARDIS itself. However recent years gave us the first female Doctor and the Fugitive Doctor, and both are ripe for cosplay. Given the popularity of the series, it won't be surprising at all to see plenty of these versions of the Doctor running around the panels at the next convention. 

7: The Mandalorian

Remember how The Mandalorian was all anyone could talk about? Just wait for the resurgence once we can get our geek on and start dressing as our favorite Star Wars show. Mando and Grogu aside, as epic as their cosplays will certainly be especially with daddy/baby matching cosplays, let's not forget the wide range of other characters the show gave us. This includes a sand-beaten Boba Fett, grown up Asoka and the poor longsuffering Frog Lady. 

Bonus points will be given if Frog Lady cosplays include edible eggs. 

6: Justice League Snyder Cut Joker

That's a long title. 

Joker cosplay is never thin on the ground but with the new uber dark Joker from the Snyder Cut trailers of Justice League, you can bet that we're going to see more Jared Lito impersonators running around. The butcher's apron and gloves hints that he's going to do something messy, and the bulletproof vest, reminiscent of the opening cut scene in DC Universe Online means that there's going to be danger. You know someone's already chomping at the bit to find the perfect wig to make this Joker come to life. 

5: Onward

This film does not get it's just due in my humblest of opinions. Debuting at the unfortunate start of the pandemic, its theatrical run was hampered by it no longer being safe to go out. That being said, those who did see it and loved it can't wait to cosplay as one of the blue elves from the film, becoming the true Dungeons and Dragons/Disney nerds they've always wanted to be. Even if it's just Barley's cool ripped jean vest covered in D&D-esque pins, we want to see this on the convention floor. 

4: Pokemon Sword and Shield Gym Leaders

Released late 2019 we didn't get a chance to see these characters shine. With the game's graphics and characterizations of each gym leader, I won't be surprised to see a few of them pop up in the cosplay list. At the very least, someone needs to show up in a giant cape with Pokemon related sponsors sewn into it like some cross between a NASCAR driver and Liberace.

3: Wonder Woman 1984

Another derisive release, nobody can argue that once again the costuming was done right. Cosplayers can go with the 80's looks, to Cheetah's terrifying transformation, all the way to Wonder Woman's golden eagle armor. The wings might be a bit of a pain to deal with in crowds, but let's face it, that's never stopped cosplayers before. 

2: Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Can we just take a minute to thank Animal Crossing: New Horizons for getting us through parts of this last year? It's a major contributing factor to why yours truly didn't go into a depressive spiral sooner than I eventually did. To honor this game, let's see some people dressed up as their favorite townsfolk. They could even set aside a space in the convention where they can wander around aimlessly and talk to people as though they were player characters. I know I'd love to give Ozzie the Koala and Raymond the Cat big hugs for being there for me. 

1: WandaVision

You know this would end up on the list. 

What is there to say? Each episode had a pile of period costume choices plus superhero outfits PLUS Agatha. It's a cosplayers goldmine, and we still won't see the true depth of this deposit until Friday when the last episode is released and supposedly Scarlet Witch's final form is revealed. I can't wait to see adorable couples dressed as Wanda and the Vision, posing for photos and breaking our hearts all over again. 

What cosplays do you want to see? 

-JOE

Saluting Homer’s new corporate overlords

Any fan of Pixar is well aware that when you go see a Pixar movie in the theater, you’re going to start by watching a Pixar short. Pixar shorts are usually masterpieces in and of themselves. (See our reviews for the SparkShorts films Loop, Float, and Purl.) But Onward doesn’t have a Pixar short. Instead, Onward is preceded by a short called Playdate with Destiny, starring Maggie Simpson! It’s the first theatrical sign of Disney’s acquisition of Fox, and specifically of The Simpsons, which can be streamed on Disney+.

Playdate with Destiny is a cute film, and follows a lot of the best tropes of Pixar shorts: it’s largely silent, features very few characters, tells a tight story, and has a whole lotta heart. This is Maggie’s story, through and through, which makes it easy to have zero dialogue. Maggie meets and falls in love with Hudson, and the two share a whirlwind romance of sharing champagne and strawberries (which are really a water fountain and sand). When Maggie thinks that she will never see Hudson again, she takes drastic measures to find him as he leaves on a train. The two are about to share a kiss, but they trade pacifiers instead. Cute.

The short is adorable. It’s crisp and clean, well animated, and looks terrific. (Personally, I love the rough hand drawn Simpsons of 1989. I used to watch the original Simpsons shorts in between skits on The Tracey Ullman Show in 1987. Bonus trivia: Tracey Ullman voices the pawn shop owner in Onward.) Maggie's story is engaging and compelling in all the best Simpsons ways. The humor is a little lacking, though there are some clever bits when Maggie uses her imagination, and getting drunk on baby formula reminds me of my caffeine addiction caused by that most sinful of addictive drinks, Diet Dr. Pepper. Ultimately, The Simpsons is a great addition to the Disney family, and Playdate with Destiny shows a fresh and promising future for the classic comedy powerhouse, The Simpsons.

Moving Onward after the death of a loved one

Minor spoilers for Onward below.

About two-thirds of the way through Pixar’s new masterpiece, Onward (see our review here), Barley is sitting on a Cheeto boat and reveals to his brother that he has a memory of his late father that he’s not proud of. Barley takes off his beanie and gets vulnerable for a minute. He tells his brother how his father was really sick, and Barley was instructed to go say goodbye to his father before he died. But Barley saw a man who was hooked up to tubes and wires, he got scared, and he didn’t say goodbye. He couldn't. Barley explains that since that moment on, he has chosen to be brave for the rest of his life, to never be scared again.

This summer I lost one of my best friends, Mark Mazzarella, who was nicknamed “Cheese”. On July 8, Cheese received some bad news, I walked him to his car, and we had an emotional moment. But it was too difficult for me to say goodbye, so instead I just kind of put my hand on his shoulder and didn’t say anything. I couldn't get the words out. That night I called him to check on him. We talked for about a half hour. And then he took his own life while I was on the phone with him. 

What happened to Cheese was tragic and traumatizing. I’m in a better place than I was this summer, but I’m still not over the suicide or the fact that I didn’t really say goodbye to my best buddy. I don’t think I ever really will be. But I have been working on allowing that catastrophic experience to shape the rest of my life. Like Barley, I have vowed to be as fearless as I can. I have started to live my life boldly. I haven’t taken up D&D or magic or protesting the preservation of historical sites, but I have started reaching out to friends like I’ve never done before. I’ve started examining my testimony and listening to the ways that God speaks to me. I’ve vowed to be more authentic in my life. And this is all a direct result of the death of one of the closest friends I’ve ever had. 

Suicide is a terrible thing. If you’re feeling even the least bit suicidal, reach out to somebody -- anybody. Like they say in Dear Evan Hansen, “You can reach out your hand and someone will come running. You will be found.” But for those left behind after suicide, or the death of a loved one, or any kind of loss, it can seem like an impossible task to pick up and continue our quest for happiness. However, I have learned that there’s magic in the way a tragedy can bring about some positive change. Just like a manticore’s fire can make way for new growth, or the loss of a beloved Guinevere can create a new path for a seemingly impossible journey, so too the death of a dear friend can be the catalyst for personal growth. Death has the power to spur another person to be brave, to live outside their comfort zone, to become a better version of himself. Though we never forget the person that we loved and lost, we can let them become part of the fabric of our future as we work on self-improvement and we move Onward.

If you are having suicidal ideations or you don’t know where to turn, please call the suicide hotline at 1-800-273-8255. 

Onward - Pixar's latest masterpiece

I knew I was going to be biased when I walked into Onward, since I'd already defended it on several internet forums and had a Barley dolly sitting at home waiting for me, but nonetheless I was still amazed at how much I truly enjoyed the film.

Onward then.

The Non-Spoiler Plot

Onward takes place in a magical Dungeons and Dragons-esque setting where elves, unicorns and the like used magic to coexist relatively peacefully. When technology came along, with its ease of use, the magic in the world slowly died out to be replaced with smart phones and planes. In this world we follow Ian and Barley,  played by Tom Holland and Chris Pratt respectively, two brothers who are given the magical ability to see their deceased dad for one day by way of magic. The spell goes awry and the brothers have to go on a quest to find the missing component of the spell that can allow them to see their dad again.

Ian and Barley, The Emotional Core

Ian is the younger brother of Onward, an awkward 16-year-old who seems to be afraid of everything including making friends. His opposite and brother, Barley, is a geek by way of Wayne's World and is confident in his life, despite being seen mainly as a screw up. Barley is obsessed with their world's version of D&D, Quests of Yore, which is not only a role-playing game but an historically accurate game making it a mix between D&D and Civil War reenactments. His passion usually lands him in trouble as he tries to convince the world that things were far better back when there was less indoor plumbing and more hocus pocus.

It's the brother's chemistry that makes the movie shine, much like Elsa and Anna from Frozen this film focuses less on getting one of the main characters married off and more on the relationship between siblings, a dynamic that is all but universally felt. The film's overall message is about reestablishing connection, whether it's with the brothers connecting to their dead father, Ian connecting with really anyone, or Barley trying to connect the world to its lost roots. Without giving too much away it's this theme of connection that accumulates in the film's emotional climax, which had my party in the theater all literally reaching for the tissues.

The Cyclops in the Room

It would be remiss to not mention the major controversy surrounding the film, being the first canonical LGBT character in Disney/Pixar's vast canon.

She's a cop cyclops that has about a 6 minute scene and in it she mentions offhandedly that she has a girlfriend. That's it.

As far as representation goes it's not bad, an applauded step, but for me the real representation star came in the form of Barley, the geeky, loud, over sized older brother (gee, I wonder what I see in him). In my representation post I mentioned how geeks are still usually portrayed as comic relief at best and degrading stereotypes at worst. Barley starts out as a stereotype, the over-obsessed loser with no direction but to play his games and bore everyone endlessly about his obsessions, but as the film progresses he's actually shown to be more of the one in the right. Barley doesn't go through a forced change where he has to put away his toys and rockin' denim vest to pursue a degree in engineering, his knowledge of the old world pays off more than once, and those he comes in contact with start to see that the magic inside of them is worth the effort to pursue, despite the technological wonders around them.

Onward is the film that needs to become Disney/Pixar's new tent pole franchise, essentially the Frozen for boys and geeks. If you've been wondering weather its worth it, stop right now, get your tickets and go as soon as you can because you will not be sorry for the experience you get.

-JOE

Click here to also see Ryan's insights about grief, inspired by Onward.

Seeing Myself: The Importance of Representation

Every year it's the same problem: I go to pick out a new cosplay only to realize once again that anything I pick out I'll have to bend to fit my demographic. Rick of Rick and Morty becomes Fat Non-White Rick. Harley Quinn becomes Fat Boy Non-White Harley Quinn.

The only costume I could pull of with my ethnic traits and body type is Mario.

What Is Representation? 

Representation is the ability to see similarities in the characters one sees in media and one's own self. This can be anything, including age, gender, race, sexuality, religion, language or even personal experience. A person can enjoy a character even if none of these traits are apparent, how many people after all have bought Baby Yoda and Baby Groot merchandise without being a big eared alien or a tree? But when a majority of human characters look the same (i.e.Caucasian males between 16 and 25 with trim beach-ready bods and perfect hair whisking their equally athletic blonde love interests into the sunset, it's hard to not eventually take it personal.

The Street Rat

The first time I ever saw someone who looked like me playing the hero was in Disney's Aladdin. The titular hero has tanned skin, and while I am not from the Middle East, that one trait was enough to let me know that I wasn't alone in the world and that people of my own color could be heroes. After that Disney came out with a small pile of heroes I understood, like how Beast had a temper like mine when I was a kid, or how Quasimodo felt like a monster, a problem I faced most of my life since I feel like I look like a Mr. Potato Head that was left out in the sun. Being able to see myself, even partially, was valuable to me because it validated my existence as a person to see other people like me.

When Representation Goes Bad

Fast forward several years, the MCU is at the height of popularity, though unfortunately full of the white Caucasian slim-fits that were as alien to me as Drax. Spider-Man: Homecoming enters theaters and my friends all tell me that there's a character that reminds them of me down to a tee. Curious and excited I see the film to see the character they were talking about-Peter Parker's fat Filipino-American nerd friend. I wanted to be insulted. This. This is what my friends see me as. This is how I get represented. As a comedy character sidekick. This character is in the list of characters I could pull off in a cosplay, and it hurt.

I don't want it to come across that I thin the character shouldn't be there. He is fun and makes for a pretty good audience surrogate, but my issue is that he's the only person who looks like me in film. I want to be the hero, or at the very least get to be part of the action rather than delegated to a computer lab helping the hero save the day.

This sadly is not the most insulting comparison that's been made with me. One of the most offensive pieces of media in the last several years (in my humble opinion) is the TV series Big Bang Theory. The show portrays four geeks who follow every piece of geek stereotyping: Social ineptitude, obsession, oblivious to fashion, even portraying stereotypes long since thought to be overcome, including Jewish, Indian and people on the autism spectrum. While the show was on the air and in its hey day I was constantly hearing comparisons between myself and the characters, to which I would become legitimately insulted. I felt like my interests, my personality and the things I hold dear were being exploited for entertainment, and it made others think of me as the same joke character as these people were.

Onward and Upward

With as many missteps as are taken over the years hope still abides. This week Disney released a film celebrating geeks all over and giving them the proper Disney treatment. Chris Pratt, famed comedian and actor, plays Barley, a large nerd who enjoys life. From what we've seen of the trailers Barley is not portrayed as useless but more of following his own drummer, and while his skin tone is bright blue I am very pleased to announce that he is a more hefty fellow, calling back to Pratt's body shape before hunking up for Guardians of the Galaxy.
Onward.

It's important for people to see themselves in films, even briefly. Onward has caught online slack for featuring Disney's first in-canon LGBTQ character (though I would dispute that with Le Fou from the live action Beauty and the Beast but whatever). The character, a background cop with one line indicating that she has a girlfriend. Some picture the damage it could cause children to see this character, but I imagine the person struggling with their identity seeing a character like them, even if it's just one line in the background, and knowing that they are not alone in the universe, they're not a freak or a monster, they're a person.

Incidentally, I haven't seen the movie yet, but I am the proud owner of a large stuffed Barley. We play video games together.

-JOE

Also check out our review of "Onward"