23 Best Comedy Releases on Disney Plus
Elemental
SimilarBorat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006), Ocean's Eleven (1960), Poseidon (2006), Snakes on a Plane (2006), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), Volver (2006),
Watch afterBarbie (2023) Meg 2: The Trench (2023), Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023), The Flash (2023),
StudioWalt Disney Pictures,
Over the years, Pixar has enlisted a variety of creatures to populate their wholesome stories of love and acceptance. There have been toys, monsters, cars, disembodied souls, and even the occasional human. In their new film Elemental, the characters are personifications of the four elements. It’s a choice that may leave you asking, “Have they run out of ideas at this point?” Continue Reading →
Flamin' Hot
Watch afterSaw X (2023), Thanksgiving (2023), The Flash (2023),
StudioSearchlight Pictures,
Of all the oddball trends in 2023’s multiplex movies, the strangest has to be Hollywood’s current obsession with films about the origins of familiar consumer lines and products, including Air Jordans, Tetris, and the BlackBerry PDA. The films have been okay—and Air’s genuinely quite good—but even so, when all is said and done, it is hard to shake the sense that what you have been watching is less a movie than an elaborate brand extension designed to remind viewers of the benevolence and vision of our corporate overlords. That is especially true in the case of Eva Longoria’s directorial debut Flamin’ Hot, a film whose story is almost too good to be true (more on that later) but which is, in practice, an ironically bland bit of product placement even more processed and devoid of nourishment than the snack food it celebrates. Continue Reading →
The Muppets Mayhem
It’s hard to do something genuinely awful with The Muppets. Yes, it's true, even if The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz certainly gave that a try. These pop culture icons are so innately endearing in their personalities and so fully realized as glorious puppets that figures like Kermit the Frog or Gonzo feel extremely real. Whether they’re shilling for coffee, reciting the words of Charles Dickens, or realizing that life truly is a filet of fish, The Muppets are irresistible. Continue Reading →
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
Watch afterBlack Adam (2022), Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022),
One thing you can say about Christmas and the Guardians of the Galaxy is that both tend to go a bit over the top. One’s affection for either depends greatly on how you feel about a good thing taken to excess. For this critic, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special hits that delicious “too much, but I can’t help but like it” sweet spot like seconds on the pecan pie. Continue Reading →
Disenchanted
SimilarBack to the Future Part II (1989), Back to the Future Part III (1990), Edward Scissorhands (1990), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971),
Watch afterBlack Adam (2022), Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022),
StudioWalt Disney Pictures,
“Not great, not terrible.” Continue Reading →
The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse: Steamboat Silly
SimilarFantasia (1940),
MPAA RatingG,
As a relatively new face, Florence Pugh's sensational performance in William Oldroyd's Lady Macbeth was unexpected. To deliver a commanding performance of that deeply troubling, complex, and oft-alluded to character is difficult for screen and theatre vets, and yet Pugh did it with aplomb. She echoes that tour de force, albeit with a lighter approach, in Sebastian Lélio's The Wonder. Continue Reading →
Hocus Pocus 2
SimilarBring It On (2000), Free Willy (1993), Hellboy (2004), Night at the Museum (2006),
Watch afterBullet Train (2022),
StarringDoug Jones, Hannah Waddingham, Sam Richardson,
StudioWalt Disney Pictures,
The original Hocus Pocus has grown to be a cult favorite over the years. The 1993 film followed the Sanderson sisters: Winnie (Bette Midler), Mary (Kathy Najimy), and Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker) as they terrorized Salem, Massachusetts after rising from the grave—until their apparently eternal banishment the end of the film. Now, in 2022, the Sandersons have been resurrected by the corporate magic of Disney. Luckily, Hocus Pocus 2’s spellweaving will delight both nostalgic fans of the original and draw in a new crowd of young fans. Continue Reading →
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law
SimilarJustice League Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, Sonny Boy, Star and Sky: Star in My Mind,
StarringGinger Gonzaga, Jameela Jamil, Josh Segarra, Renée Elise Goldsberry,
Thanks to all the pre-release press with show creator and head writer Jessica Gao, viewers already know what She-Hulk: Attorney At Law won’t be: a courtroom dramedy. Unfortunately, after the first episode, “A Normal Amount of Rage,” it isn’t clear what kind of show it will be either. Continue Reading →
I Am Groot
The recent Marvel Cinematic Universe movies have gotten enormous in scale. It’s no longer only Avengers installments that span multiple planets and involve countless superheroes. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness explored multiple alternate dimensions, while Eternals concluded with a massive robot emerging from one of Earth’s oceans. Even the Earthbound Spider-Man: No Way Home made room for multiple Spider-Men. Continue Reading →
Thor: Love and Thunder
SimilarBack to the Future Part II (1989), Back to the Future Part III (1990), From Russia with Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964),
Live and Let Die (1973) Sin City (2005), The Dark Knight (2008),
Watch afterJurassic World Dominion (2022),
StarringBrett Goldstein, Ray Stevenson, Stellan Skarsgård, Tom Hiddleston,
It's no understatement to say that Taika Waititi's Thor: Ragnarok was a welcome shot in the arm for both the titular God of Thunder (Chris Hemsworth) and the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole. There's something to be said for cutting out the creaky Shakespearean grandeur of the first two Thors in favor of whiz-bang sitcom theatrics, with a dash of Guardians of the Galaxy's signature irreverence thrown in, all leather and ironic needle-drops and "well that happened"s. The result was a whiz-bang sci-fi action comedy that made a buttload of cash, extended Thor's lease on cinematic life, and catapulted Waititi into Hollywood's A-list. Continue Reading →
Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers
SimilarBeverly Hills Cop (1984), Bring It On (2000), Memento (2000), Night at the Museum (2006), The Holiday (2006),
StudioWalt Disney Pictures,
The more things change, the more they stay the same. For the latest example of this phenomenon, notice how, 34 years after Who Framed Roger Rabbit? changed movies forever, moviegoers are getting another comedic mystery hinging on live-action humans interacting with famous cartoon characters. The shadow of Zemeckis' revolutionary blend of filmmaking styles looms large over its modern-day thematic successor, Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers. Continue Reading →
Turning Red
SimilarAs It Is in Heaven (2004),
Bend It Like Beckham (2002) Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006), My Own Private Idaho (1991), Stranger Than Paradise (1984),
Watch afterDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), The Batman (2022),
StudioWalt Disney Pictures,
Continue Reading →
The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild
SimilarA.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), Wonder Boys (2000),
StudioWalt Disney Pictures,
Ice Age’s creativity melted away so long ago that it may as well have vanished at the end of the actual Pleistocene. The series’ diminishing returns culminated in 2016’s disastrous Ice Age: Collision Course, a picture that made the name Ice Age synonymous with “empty cash grab.” And yet, as paleontologists do, Disney’s gone to dig it up. But rather than, say, exciting discoveries about the lives and times of woolly mammoths, all that the excavation of Ice Age has resulted in is another crummy movie: The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild. Continue Reading →
Hawkeye
SimilarBaywatch Nights, Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes, Florida Man, GARO, HAPPY!,
Hilda Furacão HIStory Little Women Ressha Sentai ToQger, Ultraman Ginga,
What if they made an MCU show with almost no stakes? Would that be inviting or off-putting? Continue Reading →
Encanto
Watch afterDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), Don't Look Up (2021), Eternals (2021), Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021),
StudioWalt Disney Pictures,
What if you were the only one in your entire family without magic? Disney's Encanto sets out to answer that question with music and charm as its fanciful powers. Continue Reading →
Home Sweet Home Alone
SimilarHome Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), The Party 2 (1982),
Studio20th Century Studios,
Disney brought out the nostalgia machine for Home Sweet Home Alone, the latest installment in the franchise of the same name. While it’s not a carbon copy remake, Home Sweet Home Alone lacks the charm of the original 1990 film. It narrowly slides into being a passable family film thanks to the work of a committed cast featuring Archie Yates, Rob Delaney, and Ellie Kemper. Continue Reading →
Ron's Gone Wrong
Watch afterFree Guy (2021), Thanksgiving (2023),
StudioTSG Entertainment,
Ron’s Gone Wrong has some lofty goals: it’s a bold attempt to talk about how social media addiction, consumerism, and technology at large has taken over kids’ lives in a way that’s not just unhealthy, but that’s actively leaving them lonelier. And if anything can be applauded about writer and director Sarah Smith’s film, it’s in the way it wants to tackle all of this head on. Only in this world, swap the iPhones and tablets for “B-bots”—cute little AIs proudly labeled “your best friend out of the box!” They follow you everywhere, learn everything about you, and use that info to help you make new friends via other kids’ B-bots. It’s the tech solution to friendship! ...And a handy little metaphor for the way tech once designed to bring us together has mutated into something else entirely. Continue Reading →
Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.
SimilarOranges Are Not the Only Fruit,
Studio20th Television,
Hollywood’s love for familiar brands has long since transcended parody and probably reached that point when a generic Transformers knock-off got slapped with the name Battleship. It’s almost scary how unsurprising the thought of somebody reviving the 1990s TV show Doogie Howser, M.D. as a streaming show is despite there being no clamor from the general public for such a property. As far as I know, no die-hard Doogie stans are taking to the streets demanding more stories about teenage doctors getting into shenanigans. Continue Reading →
Monsters at Work
SimilarHina Logic: From Luck & Logic, Raven's Home, Tabitha,
TV shows based on hit movies are nothing new. However, programs like The Real Ghostbusters and Buzz Lightyear of Star Command had only the barest connection to their source material and had no chance of scoring any of the performers from the original features. In the age of interconnected cinematic narratives, though, the new Disney+ cartoon Monsters at Work, a sequel to Monsters Inc., goes in the opposite direction. Continue Reading →
Love, Victor
SimilarNoah's Arc, Raven's Home,
Roswell Stand Up!!,
Studio20th Television,
When Greg Berlanti’s Love, Simon arrived three years ago, it was hailed as groundbreaking — mostly because it was the first major studio rom-com centering on a gay character. But valid criticisms soon came from the queer community, saying that the movie is too white and its depiction of coming-out is a tad too tidy and sanitized. Continue Reading →
Cruella
Watch afterBlack Widow (2021), Free Guy (2021), Thanksgiving (2023), The Suicide Squad (2021),
StudioWalt Disney Pictures,
Cruella de Vil is an A-List villain in a B-List franchise. Sure, 101 Dalmatians and its spinoffs have their charms, but no other aspect in the franchise has the staying power of Cruella and her iconic theme song. It’s no surprise that Disney would release an origin story for the character with Craig Gillespie’s Cruella. It’s a logical step for the company to take, but the iconic villain presents a major stumbling block: how can you make a villainess whose traditional motivation is to kill dogs for a coat into a likable hero, or at least an antihero? Continue Reading →