Oswald Opines - Marvelous Missteps?

Captain America: New World Order

 

Marvel Cinematic Universe movies are expensive! The reality is to make a profit they need to bring in not just hardcore fans, but also those with just general interest.

Also, in our post-pandemic world, it has become more difficult to convince moviegoers to leave their couch and visit a theater. I’m shocked to say that at this moment there are two movies I have seen in the theater with Deadpool and Wolverine and Beatlejuice Beatlejuice. I’m honestly not sure I couldn’t have waited for Tim Burton’s latest even with me enjoying it. There is a chance that I will be catching two in-theater movies during the Thanksgiving weekend, but that’s due to the occasion and family plans.

Here is my worry.

I feel like before Avengers: Endgame there were generally a story and cast linkage that kept moviegoers coming. Yes, Guardians of the Galaxy was risky, but even there we had an Infinity Stone to bring the skeptical into the story. By the time that Doctor Strange hit the screen there was some trust to get moviegoers who knew nothing about the Sorcerer Supreme would go and view the film.  

Now, in the shadow Deadpool and Wolverine, I have worries. The next films have no cast or story connections to the only MCU movie of 2024! So I don’t think Logan or Wade can halo the next MCU film to a massive hit.

This got me thinking about what’s next. We have Captain America: Brave New World and I think this will be a hard sell. Let’s take a look!

 

First, we have politics. I’m not sure that with real-life politics and tension this is going to pull fans to the movies. Let’s add, that I’m not sure that even those who have watched Falcon and the Winter Soldier are going to be fully immersed in the complexities of their political difficulties. I don’t even know what I should be tracking as important with the complications of Disney+’s Secret Invasion which best might be forgotten like Kang. Harrison Ford may have replaced the alien-hating President from that series. But who knows and who cares? I don’t even know if need to see this as a sequel to one specific Disney+ mini-series, which I’m not sure how many watched. And I’m vague because I’m not sure what series it is a sequel to!

February 2025’s Captain America: Brave New World has three things going for it. First, the title indicates to viewers that this film is a continuation of the Chris Evan’s franchise. Second, it features Anthony Mackie who helps that feeling by giving us a familiar face we can cheer for and who was present before Avengers: Endgame. And finally, as Disney fans we all love Harrison Ford, and find ourselves amused with the fact he was willing to join the franchise. I think, or maybe hope, that Captain America: Brave New World will perform okay, with it being the next film after a hit and some familiar faces, even if many fans don’t understand or want to understand the political atmosphere post-Snap (sorry it’s the Snap not Blip to me). 

Thunderbolts*

Now, the next release for May 2025, really has me worried with Thunderbolts*. 

When I watched this trailer with family who have matched most of the MCU, they kept saying, who, what, and when. This is also someone who has fatigue in tracking all MCU threads. Also…not to be mean, but this is another Disney+ sequel. Black Widow, sadly, was a Disney+ movie. Falcon and the Winter Soldier, with Bucky the one pre-Endgame hero was Disney+, and that’s the only place we have seen John Walker. And poor Ghost, by this viewer, was forgotten from Ant-Man and the Wasp. Honestly, most of these anti-heroes except for Bucky, Red Guardian, and Belova Widow were at the back of my mind. And let’s toss in the fact that Bob is really not a known hero, he’s not a cult favorite, and he’s really not “fun”. Many are going to look at the trailer and compare it to Suicide Squad which was not a good time for everyone. I just think this is going to be a harder sell to broad audiences. So I worry that Thunderbolts* is not going to do well, I worry we are looking at our next Eternals unless Han Solo can give them a halo effect!


So Robert Downey Jr. is coming back, now as Doctor Doom. There are a lot of people who are saying this is a bad move. This is a necessary move. This is the type of casting that will remind average fans of his days as Iron Man. He is an award-winning actor who’s done great things since leaving the MCU. He’s also a face and name that audiences connect with the franchise. Is it odd that is he playing someone else, yeah sure. But is it familiar to see him doing press for the MCU, yes..yes it is. The MCU needs to be a little less risky and experimental at the moment as it reasserts itself!


To have nice things, we need people to pay for them. I worry that the MCU isn’t going to grab the attention of moviegoers in this current resistance to theater seats unless they do something drastic. Bringing back familiar faces that audiences love could be that piece to move us back. And if we learned anything from Deadpool and Wolverine we need permission to have fun again in our tights and bed sheets. I believe that by the time we get to the Avengers movies that Kevin Fiege will have us back on course. But first, we may have to allow a downturn again.

Between Books - The Origins of Walt Disney’s True-Life Adventures

 

I feel like Walt Disney’s True-Life Adventures is under-represented within Disney fandom. The films are not available on Disney+. It feels to me like they are only really mentioned in some publicity for the yearly Disney Nature feature offering. We need to squint to connect some intellectual property in the parks. Yet telling the stories of nature has historically been a long-existing theme for the Walt Disney Company as seen in the mentioned Disney Nature brand and an entire theme park in Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

The Origins of Walt Disney’s True-Life Adventures by Didier Ghez, the second volume of the film monograph series of the Hyperion Historical Alliance, dives deep into the origins of this Disney theme, beginning as early as the development of Bambi. Ghez addresses head-on the myth that the True-Life Adventures and the release of the first short in 1948, Seal Island, started with a brief interaction between Walt Disney and Disney Legend Cinematographer Alfred Milotte. Instead, we start in the 1930s with the production of the 1942 animated forest feature. Artist Maurice “Jake” Day was charged with capturing live-action references and images from his native Maine. Day’s trips into the wild, provided reference that helped Disney executives begin to see the possibilities of nature documentaries. With production in the early 1940s focused heavily on educational films during World War II, this interest continued as the studio attempted to find ways to monetize the educational market. This exploration would lead to Alfred Milotte and his wife, assistant, and fellow Disney Legend Elma Milotte being contracted to film material in Alaska in 1943.

Ghez provides us with an in-depth view of the Milottes in their production process in Alaska, brilliantly weaving together his own narrative with original journals and letters. The reader follows the pair as they learn to film to Hollywood standards and struggle with practices like using a slate in atypical conditions. The pages, and images, help us watch the two grow as they explore a world that for much of the 1940s was a true frontier for most Americans, with some of them seeming familiar to us who today catch episodes of The Deadliest Catch. Ghez chronicles for us how those at the studio viewed the filmed material and struggled with determining how to use the hours of unedited reels the duo in the field created. The final decision was to focus on one shorter segment, not long enough for a feature but an adequate story for a theatrical short. The book concludes with the production of additional True-Life Adventures and their legacy. An appendix provides the reader with the credits of the True-Life Adventures series.

It is a very well-written and engaging book. You at times feel like you have joined some of these expeditions and share in their logistical hurdles. How will we get to that remote island the reader asks, throwing themselves into the wilderness journey. I also found myself sympathizing with the Milottes as they read the criticisms of production supervisor Ben Sharpsteen. As Sharpsteen wrote, safely and warmly from California, Ghez’s writing can place us in the Milottes’ shoes as they are just trying to get to their far-flung locations while the studio is worried about angles, coverage, and proper use of slates (which of course did not work well in frigid temperatures). Ghez is able to get us here through his well-placed reproduced primary sources where through journal or letter the participants in their own words bring us back in time while using his added narration to set scenes and provide transitions.

Another strength of the book is the well-placed use of illustrations and images. The Hyperion Historical Alliance prides itself in not just narrative history, but sharing visual artifacts. Therefore there are several still pictures, archival illustrations, and even pages of storyboards that help the reader to better immerse themselves into the subject. The total package of words and images shows a high value to editorial skills for the finished text.

The book is very origins-heavy, which makes sense as that’s what the title promises! One may ask for additional information about what happened next in more detail. But that feels like a potential follow-up and not a piece that has to fall within the scope of this title as it is not meant to be a comprehensive history.

The Origins of Walt Disney’s True-Life Adventures by Didier Ghez is an excellent and engaging book on what is often a forgotten Disney live-action endeavor. Ghez’s words and pictures pull us into a story, one that is part studio history and part adventure tale. It also helps us to better see the story of the Milottes up close where we can see their contributions to film history.


Addendum: While text is available on Amazon, I purchased my copy at Stuart Ng Books website which offered an autographed copy. Additionally, other autographed Hyperion Historical Alliance publications were available there online.

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Cap's Comics - What If…? Donald Duck Became The Mighty Thor

Lorenzo Pastrovicchio Cover

This summer we have been graced with Marvel comics that celebrated Disney classic characters with them taking the roles of Thanos and Wolverine. But summer has to end! Let’s end it with one last adventure.

“What If…? Donald Duck Became The Mighty Thor” with plot by Steve Behling, script by Riccardo Secchi, and art by Giada Perissinotto gives us one more look at the 90-year-old duck taking up the mantle of a Marvel hero. In this one-shot comic, Donald Duck takes his nephews on a Norwegian vacation to an ancient archaeological Viking site so they can earn their Junior Woodchuck medal for Ancient Viking Relic Explorers. While scrounging for priceless Viking heirlooms, the Earth is invaded by the Stone Ducks of Saturn who land on this ancient site. Donald seeking shelter from the danger finds an old wooden cane which when knocked grants a worthy one, wow Donald look at you, the power of the ancient Norse God Thor. Equipped with these new abilities, the Mighty Donald is the only hero who can save us all! 

Phil Noto Donald Duck Thor Cover

Of the three Disney specials we got this summer, this one is the most all-ages and maybe a little bit more kid-focused than the rest. There is a little less inside adult humor to me, with this offering being more of a kids-friendly brawl and fight story. The biggest Easter Egg for adults is the story’s heavy parallels to the original Journey into Mystery #83 story “The Mighty Thor and the Stone Men from Saturn” which was Stan Lee’s, Larry Lieber’s, and Jack Kirby’s debut of their Norse hero in 1962. The story in many cases is beat-for-beat of the original Marvel classic. And maybe this is why it seems more kid-friendly, with it being a very 1960s plot at a time when comics were more kid-focused. I do like the changes, with movie star Korg’s Stone Men being turned into Stone Ducks, which fit the story well.

Donald Duck is a good uncle and a horrible archeologist! 

Peach Momoko Cover

Perissinotto has given us art for two of these stories now. The art here is very approachable and inviting. One of the changes you will notice here is the writing duties shared. The plot was provided by Behling who has written a handful of young reader books for Disney, many using Stitch. The script, just like you would see in a movie with the frame-by-frame and line-by-line framework for the artist, was developed by Secchi. Secchi does not have many comic credits, but he has written Disney classic characters with an issue of Disney Hero Squad: Ultrahumans served up to readers over a decade ago at Boom! Studios. It’s not uncommon to see plot and script duties separated. One of my favorite examples is DC’s Justice League International. But much of the vigorous debate in the Marvel world is that often Stan Lee provided plots while his artists like Jack Kirby really did the scripting at various levels of detail. Which at times, did not make it clear who was responsible for what among the old masters. Overall, the team does a nice job, as I think kids would appreciate this story which may seem familiar if they have seen any of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

However, I do wonder if the inclusion of an editor’s letter and some concept development pages in the end hint they may have been a little short in story? 

Walter Simonson Cover

“What If…? Donald Duck Became The Mighty Thor” with plot by Steve Behling, script by Riccardo Secchi, and art by Giada Perissinotto reminds us that summer always comes to an end! I have as a Disney and Marvel fan gotten a chuckle out of these one-shot comics. I have appreciated how on different levels there is something here for kids and adults, much like this issue. 

Skottie Young Cover

Turning the last page…wait, Minnie becomes Captain Marvel in November! Yes, please!

Between Books - The Jungle Cruise: The Wild History of Walt's Favorite Ride Second Edition

Two things can be true at once!

FACT: The Jungle Cruise: The Wild History of Walt’s Favorite Ride Second Edition is an interesting, fun, and factual chronicle of The Jungle Cruise which highlights the impact that cast members have had on the evolution of the beloved attraction.

FACT: The Jungle Cruise: The Wild History of Walt’s Favorite Ride Second Edition is a poorly delivered and executed book that has numerous misprints, odd prints, repetitions, and miscellaneous errors that distract from the reader’s experience while lowering the ability for a fan, like me, to claim it’s a truly authoritative history of the attraction.

The Jungle Cruise: The Wild History of Walt’s Favorite Ride by David “Dr. Skipper” Marley is a book that had not joined my Between Books yet. But with the printing of a second edition, I jumped online to Dr. Marley’s Etsy page to buy an autographed copy. It is likely the most excited I have been about a book in the mail for the last several years.

The Jungle Cruise: The Wild History of Walt’s Favorite Ride Second Edition by David “Dr. Skipper” Marley provides a historical account of the development, growth, and current state. Marley, a trained and practicing historian, uses the narrative history of the attraction, his own history with the boat ride, and oral histories to offer an entertaining and interesting account of the Disney original. The chapters are typically long and cover long stretches of park history. The book starts in Anaheim, but includes development and growth for the versions in Orlando Tokyo, and Hong Kong while addressing why some parks like Paris lack a jungle cruise. The book ends with a current state survey of the attraction, post inclusion edits and a world with a Jungle Cruise big budget movie. Marley, being a former skipper, does an excellent job of using the collective memory of the skippers and demonstrating the impact the attraction had on these cast members and the legacies they have left.

I for the most part really enjoyed this book. I am running around with my newest fun fact, The Jungle Cruise in the Magic Kingdom park is on the ground level of the park. It’s on the same floor as the utilidors! I mean it feels like the mind should realize that as we walk down the incline, but it took the book to point it out. There were numerous factual discoveries like these that I enjoyed. The text is generally entertaining, which can be in question when written by an academic. I did enjoy the use of interviews and skipper quotes throughout the text. Marley provides a text that often tickled this fan boy’s heart. He writes in a conversational style that is entertaining and often sparks joy.

Now the other truth. This book is an editing mess. If it was a Kindle book I would expect an update correcting the editing and printing errors that frankly gets in the way of the journey. These mistakes(shortened list for time) include,

• Printing errors that include incomplete letters and odd or inconsistent spacing

• Editing mistakes including incorrect or inconsistent use of punctuation (double or misspaced periods), use of italics, conflicting factual claims in the same sentence

• At least 3 instances with reprinted paragraphs printed on a span of 2 to 3 pages

• Gaps in sources, for example Marley clearly has an opinion about the movie, but his discussion of the budget and reactions lack cited sources

I did not expect this from a second edition, though mistakes can occur like this in self-published books. While I don’t have the first edition, it does seem from other comments that the editing mistakes, and thank you to an editor, occurred in the firs edition. I get it! Authors can simply get to close to their work. I will admit that both me and an editor missed numerous instances of the word “solider” in place of “soldier” in a past project. I am not super detailed writer, and I”m sure this blog is full of mistakes. But the problems become an obstacle to digging into the story of the jungle. I’d love to see Marley write a history for Disney Press, but his frank discussion would likely not fit within the publishing house’s goals. What I would really want is a publisher to work with Marley and fashion a really well done and executed third edition. Because at the moment, any endorsement I would make about this book includes the caveat, it is not edited or printed well. So you need to think carefully if the $40 is worth it to you.

Hey authors, I’m willing to read through drafts or proofs to help find obvious mistakes, because if I can see mistakes more critical readers will definitely find plenty.

Jungle Cruise I love you, but sometimes your books seem to be hindered by publication and editing. The Jungle Cruise: The Wild History of Walt’s Favorite Ride by David “Dr. Skipper” Marley is an interesting and often entertaining reflection on the Jungle Cruise and their skippers important to our fandom. It is also a inadequately produced volume, which has errors that limits the text’s authority. I found both enjoyment and frustration on these pages…because two things can be true.

 

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Dreaming Disney - The Jungle

It was sad news. Tales From the Jungle Crews which has really slowed in posting episodes the last few years is being fully retired, and the episodes will no longer be available. That’s a real kick in the pants as I’m still hungry for new chapters. With this turn, we must ask ourselves where do Disney fans hungry for Jungle stories go now?

Luckily, I adventured to The Jungle podcast. The official description is “Two former Jungle Skips talk Disney, Theme Parks, & Pop Culture. However, in true Skipper fashion, the conversation frequently heads into uncharted waters. Hosted by David "Dr. Skipper" Marley (Author, Disney Historian) & Trevor Kelly (Crooner, Senior Art Director).” The podcast drops every two weeks. The format is basically chit-chat between two long-term friends that focuses primarily on Disney news, Disneyland, Tiki events, and since we have two former Skippers, the Jungle Cruise. The chat is generally light-hearted with some fun opinions. The two know each other very well and able to get a little silly, which let’s be honest we can all use a little silly.

I mentioned that these two are two Disneyland former skippers. Dr. David Marley is a historian who currently teaches history courses. He has also written a number of books about the Jungle Cruise and is a speaker who appears at several Tiki events discussing I assume the Jungle Cruise. Trevor Kelly, is a crooner and podcaster that I listened to years ago on a show called Joey and Trevor Talk to Each Other, which much like The Jungle was two skippers chatting, or as I remember it more like shooting the poop. The Jungle is very much that type of show, where the topics could be the two mulling the latest Disney or Disneyland news, telling stories of their days in the jungle, or just them talking about whatever moves them that day. It’s that chit-chat type of format that for me is what I like. It’s chat going on in the background where I feel like someone is talking with me, even if I’m not live or in the room with them. It does not fill the gap left by Tales From the Jungle Crews, a show that transformed from chit-chat to one of the best oral history podcasts you can find. But it does give fans a little Jungle Crews content in an easy-to-digest format. And living so far from Disneyland, I like hearing local takes on the happenings around the park and the Disneyland Jungle Cruise. 

The Jungle is a fun chat between two friends. It’s a bonus they are informed former skippers who bring up the Jungle Cruise on the regular. The Jungle is fun mostly Disney talk that definitely provides me the coffee chat that I need, in a safe I’m still an introvert way, on a Monday morning.