The Lion King

The Lion King Review

The Lion King pushes VFX technology to the breaking point to create a visually dazzling re-imagining of one of Disney’s most beloved films.

Interview: Rob Minkoff

We talk to filmmaker Rob Minkoff, who returns to entirely animated feature filmmaking for the first time in 20 years (following his success with some obscure movie called The Lion KingMr. Peabody and Sherman this weekend. We talk about balancing the cartoon’s old school feel with new school storytelling techniques, what it’s like returning to animation, how long the film was in development, why he’s generally averse to overdoing pop culture references in films, and why Jay Ward’s work stands up so well on its own after so long.

Unsung Anniversaries #2: Blank Check

For our second installment of Unsung Anniversaries we take a look back on the 20th anniversary of the decidedly less than rad Home Alone knock-off Blank Check and just how a movie like this ends up getting made in the first place.

Interview: Patrick Read Johnson

Dork Shelf talks to Patrick Read Johnson about his long in the works autobiographical film 5-25-77 and it's long road to the big screen despite being a small film about how he got started as a filmmaker growing up in small town Illinois. Johnson opens up about growing disillusioned with the studio system (working with John Hughes on Baby's Day Out, turning down the chance to do Home Alone, and the troubled post production on Angus), the good along the way, and bringing his work-in-progress film to the TIFF Next Wave Festival this weekend.