Top 10 Disney Hero Sidekicks

You know, it isn’t always Hercules, Mulan, and Aladdin that saved the day. Yeah, they may have been the muscles and the ones who got all the glory and the girl (or guy) but they could not do it all on their own. By their side from the beginning to the very end was the cunning–the goofy–or the downright zanny–the sidekicks. The ones who just never seem to get the real spotlight while the heroes take all the credit, but that’s alright, because here I give credit where credit is do.

Here is the top 10 Disney Hero sidekicks!

Honorable Mention: Magic Carpet-Aladdin

Sneaking onto this list but just missing the top 1o is one of two hilarious sidekicks from 1992’s Aladdin, the Magic Carpet. This list is composed of not necessarily just any  secondary or non-main hero character (such as the Genie for example) but of those who took on a smaller role that accompanied or contributed the main hero. Basically, enhancing their abilities and assisting in their journey to saving the day (Genie was a critical character all on his own but not exactly a sidekick per say).

Anyways, this silent master of pantomime whisks our heroes off to a whole new world and is always there to save the day. To be honest, without Carpet, Aladdin would have been dead in the first act…and the third.

Click on the numbers below to see the rest of the list!

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Trailer for Muppets Most Wanted…The Sequel…Second Film to Not the First Muppet Film But Kind Of

Back in Thanksgiving in 2011 The Muppets came back with a force of wit and emotion, blanketed in great musical numbers and celebrity cameos, that reminded everyone what the Muppets were about. Thankfully we are getting a sequel to this fantastic film (still waiting for that Tron 3) and it is coming in Spring in 2014.

This time, as you see in the trailer, the Muppet gang is back (and with Walter) as Kermit is switched with an evil look-alike and high-jinks ensue. We may not have Amy Adams or Jason Segel this time around but The Muppets Most Wanted will do you one better. They will give you Ty Burrell, Ricky Gervais, and Tina Fey. Some of the funniest people around. And with a cameo line-up with the likes of Tom Hiddleston (LOKI!) and Christoph Waltz already confirmed, this movie is sure to bring the laughs and I can promise you that I will be first in line.

Can’t wait for more of the Muppet comedy that has lasted through the years.

All 52 Disney Animated Features Ranked From Worst to Best

I write for a fellow website named WhatCulture. It’s a great site that discusses all sorts of things from movies to video games to books. Recently, I finally did an article (that was saved here but thought would be presented better at WhatCulture) that brought together all of Disney’s 52 animated features starting with Snow White and Seven Dwarfs and ranked them from worst to best. I was an extremely fun list and I had a great time putting it together. So, in anticipation of the release of Frozen, Disney’s 53rd feature, I wanted to share the article with out. Please follow the link below to find a list breaking down all your favorites.

All 52 Walt Disney Animated Classics: Ranked From Worst to Best

17 Movies That You Did Not Know Were Disney Films

Up until 1984 you were not going to find murder, swearing, or nudity in a Disney funded film. Not until the CEO at the time, Ron Miller, whose qualifications to run the company were breathing and being Walt Disney’s son-in-law (a whole different for a different time), decided that it was time for a change to the usual roll out of family-friendly films. For better or for worse, Touchstone Pictures was created to serve as a distribution label to substitute for the shooting star and castle so Disney can expand its horizons to more mature themes while saving the classic logo for its usual reputation. And a lot of the films were actually great which led Disney to create  and get involved with more Distribution labels: Hollywood Pictures, Miramax, and Dimension films–all long stories in themselves.

For years Touchstone, etc. have distributed films that were partly or all Disney in the background but not Disney on the poster. But this did not mean that the movies were R-rated escapades. They were an opportunity for Disney to hit other markets and partner with other production partners for a few levels more of adult-oriented humor and stories. Today Touchstone serves as a distribution branch for live-action films produced by DreamWorks while contributing some funds. (The others were eventually sold or dissolved)

Here I present a quick list of films you did not know were Disney as they were under the Touchstone, etc. labels. Possibly there will be a film in here that you did not realize was created by the Mouse after all.

17. Super Mario Bros.

Who would have thought that this very unsuccessful adaptation of the greatest video game ever was created due to Disney. Made under the Hollywood Pictures label, this rather odd take on the stories of the Mario Brothers was a surprise even for me as I researched this article. But if you are looking for a cheesy time and a look at how the early 90’s saw video game adaptations, this one is for you.

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Today Marks 90 Years of Disney Magic, Dreams, and Fantasy

Partners statues in Magic Kingdom

Wonder. Discovery. Magic. Hope.

These are just few of the words that could be used to describe the last nine decades of the Disney company since being founded on this day in 1923 as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio by Walt and Roy Disney. The studio started as something simple, live-action/cartoon shorts known as the Alice Comedies and animated sequences starring Oswald The Lucky Rabbit. 90 years later I’m sure no one, not even Walt Disney himself, could have imagined that his company would grow to include not only full-length movies, but also books, television, video games, cities,  cruise lines, theme parks around the world and so much, much more. I can’t even dream to possibly sum up 90 years of Disney history in this simple blog post but I will do my best to point out all that we appreciate.

Characters

It’s almost impossible to think of something that has more vision than the Walt Disney company. To even try to summarize what Disney magic has meant to so many people around the world would be impossible as the image of Mickey Mouse, a bright castle, or the listening of a familiar showstopper from an animated classic holds a different meaning for every single person.

True words

Disney, for the better half of a century, has provided escapism entertainment, giving us environments we can retreat to in a world that can seem bleak and cynical so often. Disney has given us hope, if not anything else, when we most need it, be it The Lion King to put a smile on our face after a long day of work or a family vacation when the stress that overcomes us needs to be pushed to the side for just a few days. There is no escaping the reality of life but Disney has always shown us that despite war, recession, emotional heartbreak, and financial turmoil, that is always a big beautiful tomorrow to look forward to. Disney has always reminded us that if we let this world eat us alive then it will, but losing so much control is something that does not or should not happen.

Steamboat Willie

Disney through characters and films, that we have allowed into our lives as if they were our own family, has given us the tools we need to remember that love and good will always win out. Life can and is an adventure where we are the heroes. Disney wants us to never forget that our dreams are the music to our fantasies. Knowledge and discovery are the most powerful weapons we have in a battlefield where we combine the opportunities of progress while learning from the wisdom of tradition and history. Be it via dancing fountains, world’s fairs, out reach programs, or the vastness of limitless technology, Disney wants us to remember that we are a single world that will overcome any obstacle when we act as a unified force.

Walt with Shirley Temple as he is presented special Oscar set for Snow White

Imagination is our endless resource to push humanity and planet Earth to horizons and beyond. The nobility of knights, the cunning of wizards, the courage of princesses. Brave and true are two of the countless tenants Disney presents in our favorite films and shows. Be it on Broadway, fireworks in the sky, or as a genie that can offer the world as our oyster, no one can dispute that Disney has always delivered itself as a symbol of happiness and joy. That is all Disney expects from us, to just remember that there is happiness for us all no matter how bad things are.

Walt Disney Studios

In 90 years Disney has morphed from cartoons to city-planning to a worldwide force of entertainment where everyone knows the encouraging laugh of Mickey Mouse or the angry shout of Donald Duck. Disney has proven why entertainment is so important in this world–it is a medicine, a cure to the reality we all believe is nothing but tough and full of hardships that seem impossible to defeat. But through all the movies and songs and rides, we know that we, as a human race, are only infants in a much larger reality that we can and will achieve as long as we have a little faith, trust, and pixie dust. And don’t let anybody tell you other wise.

Walt announces Epcot Center

For many, Disney has changed their lives and holds a special place in their hearts in a deeper and more complex way than anyone else can imagine. I, for one, am thankful of the massive entity that Disney has become. Like most reading this I’m sure, Disney is something so much more than a name and logo. It is a symbol, a concept, and idea of the greatest sense of hope and love. Sometimes that is all we have when we have nothing. For me it is the boundless invention that comes from exploration of the most secluded caverns of our curiosity and how if we never give that up, never dissolve our childhood ambitions and authenticity, we will become anybody and anything we want.

Here is to another nine decades and many more after that when we “leave today and enter the world of yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy”.

At the entrance of Disneyland