#i Based the design off of the toy story zurg the Lightyear zurg and the show zurg because I love all their designs

[timegays]

Okay but like- I’ve been thinking about real zurg and like- what if he has like his own own mecha- cause like- he has hundreds of other ones it seems what if he has one that’s just yknow- his- idk how to explain this lmao

[insane-mane]

Lightyear Was Ok

I’ve loved Toy story since I was old enough to walk, and Buzz Lightyear was my first favorite character, so hearing he was getting a standalone movie for the big screen made my inner child perk up at the idea, but my cynical older half had a lot of reservations with how Disney would handle it, which sadly I was correct for having. These are some of my thoughts.

*SPOILERS*

Pros:

-Great visual effects you’d expected from Pixar. Very nice lighting/texturing as per usual.

-As odd as it is to not hear Tim Allen as Buzz, Chris Evans’ take grew on me with time, getting certain mannerisms and inflections that still feel like the character. Not as jarring as I expected, thankfully.

-Sox was still enjoyable despite my reservations for side characters such as this that are typically conceptualized mainly for merchandising/marketing.

-Giving Buzz added depth of not only trusting others by not always making himself the lone hero, but admitting fault helps him feel real and humble to counteract the larger-than-life space hero we’ve known him as. In a movie meant to humanize the toy, that’s what you’d want them to aim for. Seeing Buzz both in and out of his element, showcasing his strengths and weaknesses feels familiar but new in some of the right ways.

-VERY good attention to minor details and subtle nods to the toy Buzz and the loose lore he’d rattle off. Seeing things like “Terilium Carbonic Alloy” and of course crystallic fusion referenced is so neat. Certain lines pulled from the first Toy Story doesn’t feel nearly as forced as they could’ve been, and thankfully are spaced out enough. It’s also interesting to see them pull influence from Buzz’s initial concept art from the first movie that make their way into separate suit designs.

-The film does a good job at making Zurg a visually imposing villain. While his design overhaul is jarring, the physicality and added tech is a treat.

Cons:

-The film feels a tad too muted, lacking the vibrancy and stylization of the retro future/atomic age the toy and even the show has as an aesthetic. It might make sense to make the film feel closer to something akin to Star Wars, but it takes away what could be a more interesting visually-appealing movie.

-The pacing is a bit too quick during pertinent, emotional moments between characters primarily during the middle of the movie.

-Certain side characters and generally a bit of the humor felt a bit too dull.

-While Zurg’s presence is done well, his big reveal/motivation is more confusing than it is surprising. By trying to subvert expectations of the obvious Darth Vader reference made in TS2, they’ve instead made it where two Buzz’s exist and it’s not as compelling. Buzz 2 then miraculously stumbles upon a random alien ship with a menacing mech suit at his disposal. The time alone makes sense for him to be more selfish/jaded than the Buzz we follow, but nothing necessarily fits the power-hungry “Evil Emperor” title for Zurg.

It could have been much more interesting had they played into the “Buzz’s Father” idea, going about in different ways like:

•Buzz’s Father was an Ex-Star Command captain fueled by the (what he assumes to be) loss of his son after the initial test flight and blaming Star Command for its failure, setting off to find him in space. The mech suit could’ve been used to to keep him alive to catch up with Buzz during dilations and the robots made to help search for Buzz.

Or

•Buzz’s father was once one of the greatest Space Rangers that vanished in deep space during a mission, but presumed to be killed by alien robots from his last transmission. Thought to be long-since dead, Buzz discovers his Father was assimilated by a tech-based hive mind akin to the Borg from Star Trek, warping his mind and making him vengeful towards Star Command for never rescuing him.

These ideas might sideline the Hawthorne character and/or the “marooned on an alien planet“ plot line, but it’d at least give credence to the lore the toys themselves referenced instead of leaving it as a (now nonsensical) Star Wars reference. Feels like loose lore they disregarded in favor of doing the weird “Big Twist” Disney movies have a compulsive urge to put in their movies now. Your audience being able to pick up your reveal before you make it doesn’t always signify bad writing, if anything it’s properly constructed and in this case just answering questions the Toy Story movies posed.

-The ending felt very rushed. There’s no repercussions to Buzz’s actions unlike his alternate-self, and is instead randomly gifted the chance to create a new faction of the Space Rangers to fight evil in the universe, when the really the only example of that was Zurg. It feels like they were more-so banking on the fact they’ll have more opportunities to expand and improve upon on this in a sequel rather than make their initial movie good, which is disappointing.

Conclusion:

All in all for a spin-off origin story expanding upon loose lore somewhat parodying and heavily influenced by Star Wars and the like, it makes for a fun romp and is nice to see this character on the big screen again in a new context. I did find myself grinning in childlike wonderment at certain parts, but I do feel as though it could’ve been better since the crew did seem very passionate about making the film.

Once they make the inevitable sequel, my only hope is they’d improve upon this and learn what worked and what didn’t. I really just want the best for a character that meant a lot to me growing up.

[light-and-heartful]

I kind of want to see these guys reaction to this promotion from Burger King where they want you to give away you're old plastic fast food toy so they can be melted into stuff like playground equipment:

In fact I had an idea of a series that takes place after Toy Story 4, where Buzz is getting over Woody leaving by coming across some toys that're his team from the "Buzz Lightyear of Star Command" cartoon in toy form, who decided to make their own version of star command to help toys in need [with also there being a Zurg toy who thinks he's the real Zurg, so he hires some other toys (including a toy version Warp Darkmatter) to do his evil bidding] and they'd be based off these designs by Eugene Napadovsky:

and one of the episodes would be about the abandoned Fast Food toys at the Poultry Palace hearing about this promotion and everyone there is freaking out about being melt, all except Recycle Ben, who asks the help of Buzz and his team to stop them from getting revenge on the humans by hurting them

do you think that would be a good idea

[imagitory]

D-Views Special: Top 5 Best Disney Cheapquels

Evening, guys! Tonight we’ll be doing something special for D-Views – a top 5 list! Many reviewers like to do lists of different movies, and I figured it’d be fun to give it a try.

Disney sequels – there are a lot more bad ones than good. Most of the recent sequels to Disney’s animated fare were produced by DisneyToon Studios, an offshoot branch of the animation department that has solely produced direct-to-video films. These films also have a pretty bad reputation, to the extent that many scornfully designate them as “cheapquels.” I may or may not talk about these films or the films that inspired sometime in depth in the future, but for now, let’s go ahead and count down the Disney cheapquels that I have seen and actually liked all right. If your favorite doesn’t appear on the list, it is possible that I either haven’t seen it (like in the case of Leroy and Stitch) or didn’t like it as much myself. Here we go!

First, let’s start with a few honorable mentions. Bambi II, although it doesn’t completely match up with the first movie and has a pretty predictable story, gives us some depth to Bambi and his father’s relationship, which wasn’t discussed much in the original. Beauty and the Beast and the Enchanted Christmas is more of a guilty pleasure – I watched it a lot as a kid, and although I acknowledge it’s not that great, the music still brings me a lot of childish joy around the holidays. Return of Jafar also has some nostalgia factor for me since I grew up with the Aladdin TV series and actually really love the angle of Iago being our main character with a story arc. Still, the animation is definitely more on the “TV series” level than a movie, the music isn’t that great especially compared to the original, and I don’t think that someone who didn’t likewise grow up with the TV show would be able to fully accept Dan Castellaneta playing the Genie instead of Robin Williams. Plus the idea of the villain coming back seeking revenge is…yeah, pretty hackneyed. Return to Neverland has a really good cast (the actors for Peter and Hook especially are spot-on replacements), pretty good animation, and a creative story line, but the music is extremely dated and doesn’t fit the movie and the octopus just...ugh. Just ugh. Now that that’s out of the way…here’s my list!

5) Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins

Admittedly this movie is less of a sequel and more of a spin-off to Toy Story, focusing around the adventures of the fictional character Buzz Lightyear that inspired the toy in Andy’s room. It looks and feels like a pilot for a TV series (which it is), but to be honest, I think this movie pilot is the best thing that series ever put out and I still find it incredibly entertaining by itself. I really like the new characters introduced – the spunky redhead princess Mira Nova, the bumbling, bookish janitor Booster, the cynical, trouble-making robot XR, Buzz’s cocky partner Warp Darkmatter, and the gruff Commander Nebula. Then you have our villain and Buzz’s archenemy, the evil Emperor Zurg. Admittedly Zurg is completely opposite to how I’d always imagined the character to be upon seeing Toy Story 2 (basically I saw him as Darth Vader with red eyes and purple armor), but even I have to admit, he can be very funny. I still would’ve personally preferred a more menacing and complex villain, but I can see the appeal of a villain like this too, particularly in a movie that’s clearly not taking itself too seriously. Hell, at one point, Zurg says he’s going to fire his laser at “the planet of widows and orphans,” and Buzz growls at him, “You fiend!” and nobly tries to fight back – as if that planet is actually a real thing. That is just amazingly ridiculous.

4) Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World

Before all of you jump down my throat…let me explain. Pocahontas is a film that I personally enjoy for its music and its visuals, and not much else. I find the characters uninteresting, the story standard and predictable, the romance to be bland and devoid of chemistry, the events to be so unlike the history in question that it shouldn’t salute it at all, and the messages to be very heavy-handed in their delivery. Generally speaking, I don’t care for Romeo and Juliet plot-lines as well, so Pocahontas overall was just not made to appeal to my sensibilities. Strangely, though…Pocahontas II actually kept me entertained. Sure, the animation is miles below the original, and there is really only one song that I would say is really good (“Where Will I Go From Here?“ and its reprise), but everything else I can’t help but feel is done better in this film than in the previous one. Rather than being conflicted about whether to marry or not or about falling in love with this Englishman she barely knows, Pocahontas is conflicted about how much to adapt to this new world she’s entered and how much to stay true to her own heritage.  She’s gone to England as an ambassador trying to forge peace, all the while knowing that everything she is works against her. Not only is her race considered savage, but she is also a woman, in a land and time when men are seen as superior. In the first film, I found Pocahontas’s conflict to be pretty weak, since it’s clear from the start what her path will and should be, but in the second film, she has to compromise between two extremes rather than choose one option or another. This already shows much more thought in both the story and the main character. Also, I know some people will hate me for this, but I like John Rolfe infinitely better than John Smith, as Disney heroes go. Smith I’ve just never found that well-developed of a character – he’s basically every over-the-top heroic Mel Gibson performance you’ve ever seen, except that in the beginning he’s shown to be a little racist (and after that it’s NEVER addressed again, like it never happened – he never even apologizes or vocally acknowledges to Poca that she’s right or something). But Rolfe has a definitive personality with both flaws and strengths. He’s uptight and a little sexist at first, but he always asserts and retains his honor. He will stand up for the disenfranchised and try to find a peaceful route however he can, rather than just barreling in. He’s a little awkward and overly proper, but when he cares for someone, he can be warm and affectionate. He’s introverted and thoughtful, and he understands the proper time to be honest and the proper time to give someone their space. If you like John Smith, that’s fine – but I honestly think it was really mature of this movie to depict someone moving on from one love to another, which had never really happened in a Disney movie before. We came close with Megara in Hercules and Anna in Frozen, but their first romances are depicted as just flat-out bad. But there were good moments with Pocahontas and John Smith (even though I personally never cared about them), and they did both sincerely love each other – they’ve just changed into different people and realize that they belong in different worlds. And although I would never claim Disney’s films portraying Pocahontas have ever been close to historically accurate, Pocahontas II I still feel comes closer than the actual history than the first one does. It embraces the setting of London in that period – it doesn’t shy away from the fact that women were looked down upon – it depicts actual historical figures (sorry, Radcliffe doesn’t count: the real Radcliffe most assuredly was nothing like that) – Pocahontas actually goes to England as a peace emissary like the real historical figure did – there’s even a horrific scene featuring a bear baiting, which was a real thing from that period.

3) The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride

Yes, I know this was based on Romeo and Juliet. Yes, I did just say I hate Romeo and Juliet storylines in the last section. And I still do. In fact, this is the thing I like least about this film. But the biggest credit I can give to this film is that although it’s based on Romeo and Juliet, there are notable plot discrepancies between this film and its predecessor, and many of the main characters from the last film don’t do much in the story, I still found enough to enjoy in this for me to recommend it. I like the main characters, Kiara and Kovu, and the chemistry that forms between them – Romeo and Juliet stories so often have very little behind them except “Oooh, a forbidden love, how exciting!” but these characters do actually have moments together...having fun, having discussions, and learning and growing through their experiences together. It helps us see them as an actual couple, rather than just a pair of two flighty, hormonal teenagers. I like the conflict Kovu has to come to grips with – that he has been raised to idolize and follow in the footsteps of a monster, and that he must turn his back on everything his family has taught him. I like the conflict Kiara has to come to grips with – that her father is casting out the one she loves, that war between the two prides is imminent, and that she has to stand up to her father to protect a pride of lions that have always been her enemies. I like Zira as a villain – no one could be a match for Scar, and admittedly the “woman scorned” is a trope as old as dirt, but the song she has in this movie (“My Lullaby”) is just as sinister as “Be Prepared” and it perfectly sets up how obsessed she is with avenging her pain against Simba. On the note of the music…it’s really good! It starts off with “He Lives in You,” which was written for a bonus Lion King CD called Rhythm of the Pridelands and of course later appeared in the Broadway production, but it also introduces memorable new tunes like “Upendi” and “Love Will Find a Way.” Of all of the Disney sequels, this soundtrack is by far the best, and the animation isn’t half bad either! The scene with Kiara trying to escape the fire actually gets really suspenseful and scary.  

2) Cinderella III: A Twist in Time

I’m sure many of you expected this to appear on the list. This movie is widely considered to be one of the very few good Disney direct-to-video sequels out there, and…yeah, it really is a legitimate surprise! I’m not the biggest fan of Disney’s animated version of Cinderella (I much prefer Ever After and the 1998 version), but I do think it’s a classic and I enjoy some of the “twists” (haha) that this sequel did on it. Not only does it help us develop our main love interests and their relationship more – not only does it develop the king into a sentimental old man who sees his deceased wife in this young girl his son brings home – not only does it develop our villains and even turn one of them into a very likable anti-villain – but it also takes a story that should be dead on arrival and makes it kind of exciting! The animation at points is pretty impressive too, especially in the climax. I admit that I still find Cinderella and her prince pretty bland in this movie (hell, they STILL DON’T GIVE HIM A NAME! COME ON!), I find the music really lackluster, and of course the story by itself is pretty silly and contrived, but all things considered, it’s much better than anything I expected.

1) Aladdin and the King of Thieves

This film is sort of a season finale for the Aladdin TV series, and as those go, this is easily the best send-off that show could’ve gotten. I think it’s one of the best send-offs for a kids’ show ever. Unlike in Return of Jafar, a good deal of money and time was put into the animation, making it a good step up from the usual TV animation we were used to seeing from the creators, and the music was a good step up from Return of Jafar too. My personal favorite song in the film is the opening number “There’s a Party Here in Agrabah,” but I also found “Out of Thin Air” very sweet and “Welcome to the Forty Thieves” and “Are You In or Out?” very catchy. I also really like the story centering on Aladdin and his father and find it very relatable. Cassim dropped out of Aladdin’s life, but Aladdin still wants him to be in it, and although Cassim wants the same, he’s constantly flaking between his selfish King-of-Thieves-like desires and his more paternal Father-like ones. And believe me, this is something I greatly relate to – I have first-hand experience with a parent who never really knew how to be one and so therefore constantly flip-flopped between being affectionate and completely and totally selfish. Despite this, though, you do still see the genuine caring there, even if Cassim doesn’t always know how to express it, and I can’t help but feel for both Aladdin and him when they realize that they belong in two different worlds. Although they come to that conclusion, though, they know that they love each other and wish each other the best. That’s a pretty great ending. There are definitely some things wrong with this movie – most notably, the lack of action for Jasmine and the extremely drawn-out focus on Genie and his jokes – but I still find this movie really entertaining. Its action scenes are excellent and creative, and the emotion hits home for me in all the right ways. It is everything I ever could’ve wanted from the Aladdin TV series.