Defining Disney Podcast

Defining Disney
  • 4.9 (29)
  • FILM REVIEWS
  • UPDATED SEMIMONTHLY

Podcasters in search of the ultimate truth - what is the best animated Disney movie? It's our job to find out, using objectivity and a detailed rubric unlike any other. Each episode covers one movie, distilling down into eight categories how it stacks up.

  1. 12/28/2022

    Lilo and Stitch: Disney Teaches The World 'Ohana

    Finish the canon with us with our take on Lilo and Stitch, a supersized episode with eight - yes, EIGHT - guests that make up part of our podcast 'Ohana contributing their own unique perspectives to this fan favorite film.  'Ohana means family, and family means no one gets left behind or forgotten. We promise our long run time is worth not being left behind!  Don't miss: The way this movie breaks our hearts and puts them back together again a million and one times How many elements of Hawaiian culture and specific Kauai references Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois make central to this film's story, characters, and landscape A discussion of the various things that worked in this film that Disney was able to take forward into the Revival and beyond Our final score, which may or may not surprise you based on our love for this film PLUS, we talk through all the thoughts our audience had when they watched the movie, including even more members of our podcast community!   Links for you: Our website has our ranking spreadsheet for the full Walt Disney Animation Studios canon Join our 'Ohana to be among the first to know about new content we're developing Follow us on Twitter @definingdisney and let us know your thoughts on Lilo and Stitch When our transcription is available, we'll link it here Meet our guests: Stephen | Katy | Bray | Lauren | Kaitlyn | Tim of OSW | Darin of NostalgiaCast | Kevin Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE so you don't miss our return, and if you enjoyed this one, please leave us a rating and review. Thanks for listening and we'll see ya real soon!

    4h 54m

  2. 12/14/2022

    Encanto: Disney Magic at Work

    Drawers, floors, doors - let's go! Come with us and the family Madrigal as we unpack Encanto, a magical tale of a family blessed with gifts and riddled with trauma, set in beautiful Colombia. Don't miss: The way this film's team learned from other past films to make this one the best it could possibly be How many specific Colombian cultural elements the film incorporates A discussion of the character development within this film, both in range and growth, that sets the new gold standard for the category in our rubric Our final score, which sets the bar high for any future Disney films we may cover down the line PLUS, we talk through all the thoughts our audience had when they watched the movie, including several members of our community on Twitter!   Links for you: Our website has our ranking spreadsheet for all the movies we've rated so far Join our 'Ohana to be among the first to know about new content we're developing Follow us on Twitter @definingdisney and let us know your thoughts on Encanto When our transcription is available, we'll link it here Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE so you don't miss a single episode, and if you enjoyed this one, please leave us a rating and review. Thanks for listening and we'll see ya real soon!

    2h 12m

  3. 11/30/2022

    Make Mine Music: Disney's Disappearing Film

    Come along on another symphonic journey as we tackle our last package film in Make Mine Music! Fair warning - this one isn't on Disney+, so you may not be able to watch it before listening. Don't miss: The short that really serves as the blueprint for discussing character development in music How jazz ties all of these shorts together, even with all its wide-varying subjects A discussion of the oddities that litter this film, including changed score segments, one anthropomorphic animal in an otherwise normal world, and a short that was cut entirely Our final score, cementing the package era as the overall lowest in the canon PLUS, we talk through all the thoughts our audience had when they watched the movie, including several members of our community on Twitter!   Links for you: Our website has our ranking spreadsheet for all the movies we've rated so far Join our 'Ohana to be among the first to know about new content we're developing Follow us on Twitter @definingdisney and let us know your thoughts on Make Mine Music When our transcription is available, we'll link it here Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE so you don't miss a single episode, and if you enjoyed this one, please leave us a rating and review. Thanks for listening and we'll see ya real soon!

    1h 35m

  4. 11/16/2022

    Pocahontas: One Step Forward for Disney, Three Steps Back

    As historically inaccurate and insensitive as it is, the time has come in our journey to tackle Pocahontas, Disney's very fictional retelling of historical events between the colonists of Jamestown and the Native American Powhatan tribe. Don't miss: The way the music of this film saves its bacon on several fronts How interruptions from studio exec Jeffrey Katzenberg caused stumbling blocks in character development A discussion of how many things Disney got wrong about Native Americans, despite the fact that they did make far more of an effort than most studios at the time Our final score, which puts it near the bottom of the Renaissance PLUS, we talk through all the thoughts our audience had when they watched the movie, including several members of our community on Twitter!   Links for you: Our website has our ranking spreadsheet for all the movies we've rated so far Become a Ko-fi member for exclusive content and access to your hosts and our team Join our 'Ohana to be among the first to know about new content we're developing Follow us on Twitter @definingdisney and let us know your thoughts on Pocahontas When our transcription is available, we'll link it here Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE so you don't miss a single episode, and if you enjoyed this one, please leave us a rating and review. Thanks for listening and we'll see ya real soon!

    1h 51m

  5. 11/02/2022

    The Fox and the Hound: Disney's Classic Tear-Jerker

    Get the tissues, y'all - it's time for us to take on The Fox and the Hound, one of Disney's Dark Age films that really pulls at the heartstrings.  Don't miss: The reason Amos Slade is one of the scarier villains we encounter in the canon, despite his immaturity of holding a grudge against a literal adolescent animal How some of the imagery in this film quickly gets burned into your mind A discussion of the theming nuances of this film that help us make a guess at where in America it might take place Our final score, which strikes the balance between the strong moments and its lack of staying power PLUS, we talk through all the thoughts our audience had when they watched the movie, including several members of our community on Twitter!   Links for you: Our website has our ranking spreadsheet for all the movies we've rated so far Become a Ko-fi member for exclusive content and access to your hosts and our team Join our 'Ohana to be among the first to know about new content we're developing Follow us on Twitter @definingdisney and let us know your thoughts on Fox and the Hound When our transcription is available, we'll link it here Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE so you don't miss a single episode, and if you enjoyed this one, please leave us a rating and review. Thanks for listening and we'll see ya real soon!

    1h 25m

  6. 10/19/2022

    Winnie the Pooh: Disney's Hand-Drawn Nostalgia

    Join us for a trip down memory lane to the Hundred Acre Wood for 2011's Winnie the Pooh, the last hand-drawn animated film at Walt Disney Animation Studios - for now. Don't miss: The surprisingly linear story for a Pooh film, which are typically episodic How cleverly the dialogue is played on to create the main conflict of the story A discussion of the film's effect on the studio's approach to hand-drawn animation and that outlook moving forward Our final score, which reflects the strength of story and the nostalgic notes they didn't quite hit PLUS, we talk through all the thoughts our audience had when they watched the movie, including those who joined us for #ddpwatchnight on Twitter!   Links for you: Our website has our ranking spreadsheet for all the movies we've rated so far Become a Ko-fi member for exclusive content and access to your hosts and our team Join our 'Ohana to be among the first to know about new content we're developing Follow us on Twitter @definingdisney and let us know your thoughts on Winnie the Pooh When our transcription is available, we'll link it here Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE so you don't miss a single episode, and if you enjoyed this one, please leave us a rating and review. Thanks for listening and we'll see ya real soon!

    1h 13m

  7. 10/05/2022

    Pinocchio: Disney Tackles New Challenges

    We're back for our home stretch of Disney's animated canon with our take on Pinocchio, an early Golden Age classic where Disney pushed the envelope both in content and technology. Don't miss: The meandering, episodic nature of the story - a risk for Walt Disney in only his second film How frighteningly sinister some of the villains are in this film, compared to others across the canon A discussion of the film's treatment of magic, which is… questionable at best Our final score, which reflects the difficulties with story and character opposing the strength of visuals PLUS, we talk through all the thoughts our audience had when they watched the movie, including those who joined us for #ddpwatchnight on Twitter!   Links for you: Our website has our ranking spreadsheet for all the movies we've rated so far Become a Ko-fi member for exclusive content and access to your hosts and our team Join our 'Ohana to be among the first to know about new content we're developing Follow us on Twitter @definingdisney and let us know your thoughts on Pinocchio When our transcription is available, we'll link it here Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE so you don't miss a single episode, and if you enjoyed this one, please leave us a rating and review. Thanks for listening and we'll see ya real soon!

    1h 40m

  8. 09/28/2022

    Pirates of the Caribbean: Disney's Attraction Adaptation Succeeds

    You best start believing in ghost stories, dear listeners - we're in one! We're tackling fan-favorite Disney franchise Pirates of the Caribbean for our latest bonus episode, so join us as we take our rubric to the first film, Curse of the Black Pearl. Don't miss: The sheer number of quotes the three of us throw into this episode How the fights in this film do so much work for the character development A discussion of the way this film has fed back into other Disney phenomena Our final score, making this easily the best-ranked film of any of our bonus films thus far   Links for you: Our website has our ranking spreadsheet for all the movies we've rated so far Become a Ko-fi member for exclusive content and access to your hosts and our team Follow our guest Bray on Twitter Join our 'Ohana to be among the first to know about new content we're developing Follow us on Twitter @definingdisney When our transcription is available, we'll link it here Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE so you don't miss a single episode, and if you enjoyed this one, please leave us a rating and review. Thanks for listening and we'll see ya real soon!

    2h 12m
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4.9
out of 5
29 Ratings

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Podcasters in search of the ultimate truth - what is the best animated Disney movie? It's our job to find out, using objectivity and a detailed rubric unlike any other. Each episode covers one movie, distilling down into eight categories how it stacks up.

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