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‘Fantasia 2000,’ and Why It Should Be Considered Part of the Disney Renaissance

“I think we’re all glad that they changed the name to Fantasia,” states Steve Martin dryly during his introduction of Fantasia 2000 regarding the film’s predecessor, which was originally called The Concert Feature. (Fantasia may be a slightly cooler-sounding title, but it’s not much more inviting to the average audience member than The Concert Feature.) …

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‘The Jungle Book’ and Racism in Disney’s Animated Features

The release of The Jungle Book on Blu-ray today has become, as when Saving Mr. Banks was unveiled a couple months ago, an unplanned forum on a most thorny issue for the Disney uber-fan: was Walt Disney a racist/sexist/anti-Semite, and if so, was he a super-racist/sexist/anti-Semite, or just your average, garden-variety racist/sexist/anti-Semite? Even though the …

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‘Atlantis: The Lost Empire,’ Or When Disney Stops Caring About the Child Audience

Atlantis: The Lost Empire Written by Tab Murphy Directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise US, 2001 One of the biggest complaints of animated films in North America is that they are undoubtedly targeted solely at children. While Disney and Pixar may occasionally slip adult jokes in to their films, the films are still marketed …

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Survivor: One World Ep. 24.15, Reunion: Chaos reigns during one of the show’s stranger reunions

Survivor: One World Review, Season 24, Episode 15, Reunion Airs Wednesdays at 8pm (ET) on CBS Although they tend to focus on a few contestants, Survivor reunions always include standout moments that make them worth the extra hour. This year’s has more than its share of highlights, with many coming from Jeff Probst himself. He …

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Survivor: One World Ep. 24.14, “Perception is Not Always Reality”: A surprisingly friendly jury rewards the legitimate winner

Survivor: One World Review, Season 24, Episode 14, “Perception is Not Always Reality” Airs Wednesdays at 8pm (ET) on CBS There have been only a few cases where the Survivor winner has been telegraphed so far in advance. A recent example was Boston Rob’s roll through the Redemption Island season, but his edge as a …

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Survivor: One World Ep. 24.13, ‘It’s Human Nature’: Acting crazy isn’t enough this time

Survivor: One World Review, Season 24, Episode 13, “It’s Human Nature” Airs Wednesdays at 8pm (ET) on CBS In game theory, there’s a plan of attack known as a secure strategy where the player chooses the least-worst option. The approach focuses on avoiding risks and protecting against the worst-case scenario. Extending this concept to Survivor, …

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Survivor: One World Ep. 24.12, ‘It’s Gonna Be Chaos’: A blindside reduces a player to tears

Survivor: One World Review, Season 24, Episode 12, “It’s Gonna Be Chaos” Airs Wednesdays at 8pm (ET) on CBS One of the most exciting parts of Survivor is the blindside, which gives clever players a chance to flip the game on an unsuspecting opponent. The editors love telegraphing the move and include plenty of quotes …

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Survivor: One World, Ep. 24.11, “Never Say Die”: Tensions rise as players slide to the end

Survivor: One World Review, Season 24, Episode 11, “Never Say Die” Airs Wednesdays at 8pm (ET) on CBS A consistent source of frustration for Survivor fans is players accepting their spot and refusing to make big moves. It’s true that a good percentage of the time, it doesn’t make sense to change up the game. …

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Survivor: One World Ep. 24.10, “I’m No Dummy”: A bitter Troyzan prepares for war

Survivor: One World Review, Season 24, Episode 10, “I’m No Dummy” Airs Wednesdays at 8pm (ET) on CBS After playing his idol and losing his ally, Troyzan and is on his own and ready to battle. Unfortunately, his idea of competing involves cursing out his opponents and rubbing his success in their faces. Apparently, Troyzan …

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Survivor: One World Ep. 24.09, “Go Out with a Bang” puts another guy out to pasture

Survivor: One World Review, Season 24, Episode 9, “Go Out with a Bang” Airs Thursdays at 8pm (ET) on CBS Despite the predictable outcome, this week’s episode provides a clinic on how to keep a doomed player in the dark. Jay is eerily close to figuring out his time is up, but he can’t draw …

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Survivor: One World Ep. 24.08, “Just Annihilate Them”: The guys continue their march to oblivion

Survivor: One World Review, Season 24, Episode 8, “Just Annihilate Them” Airs Wednesdays at 8pm (ET) on CBS Now that is how you play Survivor. This week, Kim and Sabrina enact a clever plan to push the guys even further towards nothingness. Jay and Troyzan recognize the threat of imminent Pagonging by the women, but …

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Survivor: One World, Ep. 24.07, “The Beauty in a Merge”: Predictable battle lines are drawn

Survivor: One World Review, Season 24, Episode 7, “The Beauty in a Merge” Airs Wednesdays at 8pm (ET) on CBS The first post-merge episode usually ranks among the most interesting in every Survivor season. There are rampant possibilities for what can happen, especially since the numbers are even. When there is a tribe switch before …

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Survivor: One World, Ep. 24.06, “Thanks for the Souvenir”: The sixth-episode curse strikes again!

Survivor: One World Review, Season 24, Episode 6, “Thanks for the Souvenir” Airs Wednesdays at 8pm (ET) on CBS This season might not rank as one of Survivor’s best, but it’s definitely been one of its most unpredictable contests. Colton has dominated the screen time and game play during the first six weeks, and now …

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Survivor: One World, Ep. 24.05, “A Bunch of Idiots”: This season needs a new title

Survivor: One World Review, Season 24, Episode 5, “A Bunch of Idiots” Airs Wednesdays at 8pm (ET) on CBS Tribal swap! For the first time since Survivor Nicaragua, a pre-merge switch happens to throw a huge wrench in the plans of the early kingpins. Prior to the reward challenge, Jeff hands out eggs randomly to …

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Survivor: One World, Ep. 24.04, “Bum-Puzzled”: Let’s all get stupid!

Survivor: One World Review, Season 24, Episode 4, “Bum Puzzled” Airs Wednesdays at 8pm (ET) on CBS During every Survivor season, there are a few moves that defy logic, but the latest episode presents a new low point of epic futility. By voluntarily choosing to head to Tribal Council after winning immunity, the men’s tribe …

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Survivor: One World, Ep. 24.03, “One World is Out the Window”: The chickens rule the roost

Survivor: One World Review, Season 24, Episode 3, “One World is Out the Window” Airs Wednesdays at 8pm (ET) on CBS After only three episodes, it’s clear that much of this cast have seen very little of Survivor’s illustrious past. If Matt had studied previous seasons, he’d realize that the strong figurehead is an easy …

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Survivor: One World Ep. 24.02, “Total Dysfunction” says it all

Survivor: One World Review, Season 24, Episode 2, “Total Dysfunction” Airs Wednesdays at 8pm (ET) on CBS Generally speaking, most seasons of Survivor follow a similar pattern. The opening episodes are exciting as the players are introduced and alliances are formed. Getting closer to the tribal merge, a few dull episodes appear with predictable exits …

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Survivor: One World, Ep. 24.01, “Two Tribes, One Camp, No Rules” is a chaotic, unpredictable start

Survivor: One World Review, Season 24, Episode 1, “Two Tribes, One Camp, No Rules” Airs Wednesdays at 8pm (ET) on CBS If Mark Burnett and Jeff Probst were looking to change up Survivor, they made the right choices when setting up the “One World” season. From the beginning, there’s a haphazard, chaotic tone to the …

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Survivor: One World Preview: Bring out the crazies!

Survivor: One World Preview Airs Wednesdays at 8pm (ET) on CBS Premieres on February 15 After 23 seasons, it’s remarkable to see how Survivor continues to re-invent itself with each new outing. The formula was starting to grow a bit tired a few years ago but was re-invigorated by the unpredictable “Heroes vs. Villains” in …

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