Toon Talk: Hidalgo - Mar 5, 2004

Toon Talk: Hidalgo
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Mortensen creates Hopkins with shades of western stars past: Gregory Peck’s nobility without the stiffness, John Wayne’s passion without the bombast and Clint Eastwood’s stoicism without the menace. Hidalgo, along with his equally mesmerizing work in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, cements Mortensen’s status in modern movies as that rarest of breeds, the thinking-man’s action hero. And that is certainly something they don’t make like they used to.

Toon Talk Rating: B
The Toon Talk Top 10 - Horses of a Different Color:

Our favorite equestrian heroes and their finest hours:

  1. Cyril Proudbottom, pulling off a daring prison escape in The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949).
  2. Major, at the reigns of the pumpkin coach in Cinderella (1950).
  3. Sampson, carrying Prince Phillip to the rescue in Sleeping Beauty (1959).
  4. Aspercel, a.k.a. The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit (1968), because, well, he’s a horse in a gray flannel suit.
  5. Frou Frou, kicking that dastardly butler Edgar into the steamer trunk in The Aristocrats (1970).
  6. Philippe, leading Belle to her father in Beauty and the Beast (1991).
  7. Achilles, “heeling�? in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996).
  8. Pegasus, flying to victory in Hercules (1997).
  9. Khan, putting up with Mushu’s “cow�? remarks in Mulan (1998).
  10. Bullseye, helping Buzz and Woody save Jessie in Toy Story 2 (1999).

Honorable Mention, Coming Soon: Buck in Home on the Range (2004).

Coming Soon in Toon Talk:

  • The Academy Award-nominated Brother Bear makes its DVD debut with a two-disc special edition, including an audio commentary by none other then Tuke and Rutt.
  • As the ads say, “Bust a Moo on April 2�? with the premiere of Home on the Range, starring the voices of Judi Dench, Roseanne, Jennifer Tilly, Randy Quaid and Cuba Gooding, Jr. and new songs from Disney icon Alan Menken.
  • April 9th sees the release of two highly-anticipated films: The Alamo, directed by The Rookie’s John Lee Hancock and starring Dennis Quaid, Jason Patric, Patrick Wilson and Billy Bob Thornton as Davy Crockett; and Ella Enchanted, starring The Princess Diaries’ Anne Hathaway, Cary Elwes, Minnie Driver, Eric Idle and Joanna Lumley.

And Coming Soon from Buena Vista Home Video:

  • The latest DVD from the Hundred Acre Wood, Winnie the Pooh: Springtime for Roo, goes on sale March 9th.
  • Two Disney Channel favorites return to DVD shelves March 16th with Kim Possible: A Stitch in Time, Lizzie McGuire: Star Struck and Lizzie McGuire: Totally Crushed. Also available that day will be the latest Baby Einstein release, Baby MacDonald: A Day at the Farm.
  • Get a sneak peak at the upcoming animated musical with the Home on the Range: Sing Along Songs DVD, on sale March 23rd.
And congratulations to this year’s Disney Oscar winners!

Although there’s not a lot, thanks to The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’s record-tying sweep:

  • Finding Nemo, Best Animated Feature.
  • Renee Zellweger, Best Supporting Actress for Miramax’s Cold Mountain.
  • Canada’s The Barbarian Invasions, Best Foreign Language Film (Miramax is the film’s American distributor).

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-- Kirby C. Holt
-- Logo by William C Searcy, Magic Bear Graphics

Kirby is a lifelong Disney fan and film buff. He is also an avid list maker and chronic ellipsis user ...

Took Talk: Disney Film & Video Reviews by Kirby C. Holt is posted whenever there's something new to review.

The opinions expressed by our Kirby C. Holt, and all of our columnists, do not necessarily represent the feelings of LaughingPlace.com or any of its employees or advertisers. All speculation and rumors about the future plans of the Walt Disney Company are just that - speculation and rumors - and should be treated as such.

-- Posted March 1, 2004

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