TRICKY MOUSE:
inside
the allegorical world of Disney
Not surprisingly, like the other major film studios, the Walt Disney Company took an active and resigned role in the dread allegorical Zone Wars that broke out in fiction and film after a fatal and fateful helicopter crash that killed veteran actor/director/writer Victor “Vic” Morrow and illegally hired and employed child extras Renee Chen and Myca Le around 2:20 am in the early morning hours of July 23, 1982 on the George Folsey jr. produced John Landis set of the twilit, allegorical, computer generated imagery [CGI] enhanced, Kathleen Kennedy associate produced, Frank Marshall produced and Landis and Steven Spielberg executive produced Landis, Spielberg, Joe Dante and George Miller docufeature film TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE [1983]. Indeed, on top of twilit and allegorical feature films and telefilms, Dis even created a ride called the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney World in Florida to openly and playfully acknowledge the TZ disaster and the dread allegorical Zone Wars.
However, unlike the other major Hollywood studios, all of which specialized in live action films, the Walt Disney Company was founded and named after a brilliant and original film artist who had enjoyed drawing satirical political cartoons as a child and teen, and who was inspired to bring them to animated life after watching the allegorical Winsor MacKay indie hand animated short film GERTIE THE DINOSAUR [1914] and had started off with a small studio of like minded satirical mischief makers that specialized in politically satirical and allegorical short films that mixed live action and hand animation to create animaction short films before concentrating on hand animated short and feature films and animaction feature films. Significantly, these hand animated and animaction short films allowed Disney and his animators to move in any direction they wanted as their animated characters were not restricted in their movements by the camera and the boom mike, preparing Disney and company for the arrival of CGI enhanced and all CGI animated films long before the arrival of CGI. Last but not least, the fortunes of the Walt Disney Studios were also not raised by the arrival of the New Hollywood film artists, who specialized in live action films. In fact, the Walt Disney Studios were on the ropes when the TZ disaster occurred, but successfully used the TZ disaster to win over wary audiences and emerge as the largest and most successful and wealthy film studio of all.
This was not entirely a surprise, as far from being a creator and distributor of lighthearted children’s fare, the studio was a shrewd, knowing, serious, and seasoned veteran of implicitly satirical allegorical warfare. Indeed, right from the beginning, glimmerings of allegorical intent were seen when the first hand-animated film art collectively released under the name, signature, inspiration and leadership of Walter Elias Disney aka Walt Disney aka Uncle Walt-the Can-Am kid with his Canadian father and American mother-arrived in the Temple Theatre in the form of the allegorical black and white indie short films THE ALICE COMEDIES [1923-27] that combined hand animation with live action to become the world’s first animaction films and were distributed by Margaret Winkler. THE ALICE COMEDIES were one or two reel hand animated short films or “cartoons” that chronicled the mischievous adventures of the real girl Alice, the first beautiful, long haired, brainy, grounded, pragmatic, exuberant, irrepressible and indomitable Disney girls-played variously and chronologically by Virginia Davis, Margie Gray, Dawn O’Day, and Lois Hardwick, respectively-and her fellow children, adventures that were interspersed with intertitles and with equally humourous hand animated vignettes that introduced first of Disney’s anthropomorphic animals, birds, fish, boats, cars, planes and trains on land, sea, underneath the sea and in the air, all of which was accompanied by a ragtag soundtrack taken and modified from familiar symphonies and national anthems.
Significantly, these animated vignettes moved in any direction and did anything they wanted according to the mischievous imagination of the artist/animator, as the drawings were not limited in their mobility by the heavy and clunky cameras of the day, preparing Disney and his animators for a similar freedom in the CGI enhanced film art era. THE ALICE COMEDIES also implicitly satirized the youthful and exuberant spirit of the United States in the Roaring Twenties after World War One unexpectedly allowed the U.S. to emerge as a new world economic, legal, military, and sociocultural power and as the dominant Force in world cinema, and, in the triumph of Alice in each comedy, also implicitly expressed the hope that the equally dimunitive, exuberant and mischievous Walt Disney Studio would triumph over the larger live action Hollywood studios, making Alice the implicit symbol and personification of hopeful and determined Disney film art.
Significantly, along with Alice, THE ALICE COMEDIES often centred around the tragicomic adventures of a black and white tom cat who resembled and was clearly a forerunner of Mickey Mouse. Indeed, like Mickey would be, this mischievous cat was voiced by Uncle Walt, preparing audiences for the arrival of the equally mischievous mouse. An arrival that hopped mischievously closer when writer, director and producer Disney collaborated with animator Ubbe Iwwerks aka Ub Iwerks on the equally allegorical and black and white but live action free OSWALD THE LUCKY RABBIT indie hand animated short films [1927-28] that featured an anthropomorphic lead character who resembled Mickey Mouse and which continued the exuberant and satirical anthropomorphic mischief and the creative moving in any and all directions mayhem of the hand animated segments of THE ALICE COMEDIES. Making the adventures of Oswald the perfect preparation for the mischievous mouse who soon appeared in the Temple Theatre in the allegorical and writer/director/producer Disney and animator Iwerks indie hand animated short film STEAMBOAT WILLIE [1928], a film released on November 18, 1928 which continued the exuberant, satirical, creative and anything goes hand animated mayhem of THE ALICE COMEDIES and OSWALD THE LUCKY RABBIT while also implicitly affirming that live action film art and film artists would be a target of Disney and company now, given that the film implicitly and satirically replied to the allegorical Charles F. Reisner feature film STEAMBOAT BILL, JR. [1928].
Significantly, STEAMBOAT WILLIE also featured a battle between little Mickey and his bigger, burlier and intimidating black cat, dog or cat/dog boss over who piloted the tramp steamer they both worked on, implying again that Disney and company were using the cartoon to express their own battle with the bigger live action Hollywood studios, implicitly making Mickey the symbol and personification of their film art. Luckily for Mick, while losing the battle to pilot the steamer, he did meet the music and singing luvin’ Minnie Mouse, luv of his life, in this first major adventure, and enjoyed impressing her by playing some music using the various animals hoisted aboard the ship as it made its way down a river.
Significantly, while Disney and company at Walt Disney Productions scored a big hit with STEAMBOAT WILLIE and the company was still linked to this day to the lighthearted and mischievous adventures of Mickey and Minnie Mouse and their friends Goofy and Donald Duck, Disney was not all about satirical fun. For soon after the release of STEAMBOAT WILLIE, Disney put on the writer/director/producer hats and Iwerks donned the animation hats with Les Clark and Wilfred Jackson and teamed up with distributor Columbia Pictures to imply in the creepy sight and sound of four skeletons rising out of their graves, much to the horror of black cats and spooky screeching owls, at the toll of the witching hour of midnight and dancing in unison throughout the graveyard under a full moon until the dawning of a new day in a way that evoked the millions of soldiers who marched in unison in World War One that they were macabrely marking the tenth anniversary of the signing on June 28, 1919 of the Treaty of Versailles that ended the Great War and wondering if the millions of soldiers and civilians killed in that war were sleepily easily as the world unfortunately began to head towards another even larger and more horrific world war that would lead to even more skeletons of dead soldiers, making it all too eerily fitting that the four dancing skeletons anticipated Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Joseph Stalin and Hideki Tojo briefly working their infamy together in the presciently allegorical and black and white Silly Symphony indie hand animated short film THE SKELETON DANCE [1929], released on August 22, 1929 by distributor Columbia Pictures with adapted music by Carl W. Stalling.
Alas, long before the Second World War broke out and only two months after the release of THE SKELETON DANCE, the completely unexpected and equally devastating Great Depression began, putting tens of millions out of work around the world and increasing the difficulties and tensions that sent humanity hurtling towards another world war. A war that the Walt Disney company presciently and implicitly anticipated again when producer Disney, director/animator Iwerks and music man Stalling collaborated again with distributor Columbia Pictures on the allegorical but now full colour Silly Symphony indie hand animated short film HELL’S BELLS [1929], a film released on November 21, 1929 set in Hell that saw a dancing devil contort itself into a swastika anticipating shape before a tiny and Mickey Mouse evoking devil led Satan over a cliff to his fiery doom, presciently anticipating and affirming that the Mouse House would lead the way against the Third Reich when the U.S. went to war.
Significantly, at least one audience member was not pleased with the exuberant, hilarious and satirical creations of Disney and company, despite the high quality and popularity of the Mickey Mouse and Silly Symphony indie hand animated short films. For Fritz Lang implicitly roasted Disney and his hand animated film art in the allegorical feature film M [1931], a film released on May 11, 1931 that may have been the first feature film to implicitly roast Disney and company.
“An outsider is ruining our business
and our reputation.”
Indeed, Lang disgustedly and sourly implied that the Mouse House was killing off the ability of children to appreciate and understand serious film art as surely and implacably as the demented, despondent and Walt Disney cadenced Hans Beckert-played by Peter Lorre-hunted down and killed children. To affirm that implication, Beckert was as fond of whistling as Mickey Mouse in STEAMBOAT WILLIE. He also looked into a mirror at one point in M and molded and contorted his face into all sorts of monstrous expressions, dangerous mirror world opposite reflections that implicitly affirmed that Beckert was tormented by a Dark Side and reminded us that Disney and his animators then and no doubt to this day kept mirrors near their drawing tables so that they could look into them and mold and contort their faces into the expressions they needed for their characters so as to accurately draw those expressions for the characters they were animating, rreaffirming the implicit link of Hans Beckert to Walt Disney, and of M to “maus” as well as “morder”. The fact that the faces of many of the male police officers, police detectives, gang leaders and background extras in the desperate manhunt for Beckert resembled that of Disney complete with black moustache also affirmed the implicit allegorical intent of M. Thus, the sight and sound of Beckert being tracked down and initially put on trial by the film’s five and implicitly Hollywood live action studio linked gangs, before being captured by the polizei, put on trial and sentenced to death, in the end, implied the hope of Lang that Disney and company would soon fall out of favour with the public and disappear.
Curiously, and ironically, it was actually Lang who disappeared, fleeing Germany for the United States after the election of Adolf Hitler as Chancellor of Germany on January 30, 1933, an election that increased the likelihood of a second world war as the German “ubermenschen” or “supermen” of the Third Reich were eager to start, and hopefully win, that war, and take over planet Earth. An inhumanly superhuman ambition that did not go unnoticed, as only two months after the election of Hitler, an American superman implicitly and symbolically rose up in the pulp pages of a Street & Smith magazine to challenge the German superman in the defiant allegorical Kenneth Robeson indie docufiction novel The Man Of Bronze [March 1933], the first pulse pounding and allegorical super saga chronicling the adventures of Doctor Clark Savage aka “Doc Savage” written by big, burly, broad shouldered, black haired and eyed, bespectacled, mild mannered and Clark Kent anticipating Lester Dent under the pseudonym of Robeson.
Just as significantly, two months after the publication of The Man Of Bronze, producer Disney collaborated with director Burt Gillett, presenter Mickey Mouse and distributor United Artists [UA] to implicitly send their own message to Nazi Germany and to France, the United Kingdom, and the United States in the equally presciently allegorical Silly Symphony indie hand animated short film THREE LITTLE PIGS [1933], released on May 25, 1933 and inspired by the English fairy tale “The Three Little Pigs” in the allegorical Joseph Jacobs collection Fairy Tales [1890].
“I’ll be safe
and you’ll be sorry!”
For the Silly Symphony revolved around three pigs, one indolent, fife luvin’ and implicitly France linked pig in black and white cap and shirt named Fifer-played by Dorothy Compton-who built a house out of flimsy hay and straw; one equally indolent, fiddle luvin’ and implicitly British linked pig in blue and white Royal Navy evoking cap and shirt named Fiddler-played by Mary Moder-who built a house out of flimsy sticks; and the final pig, a hard working, shrewd, knowing, grounded and implicitly American linked pig in blue overalls named Practical-played by Pinto Colvig-who carefully built himself a house-and a piano!-out of solid brick with the help of wolf proof cement and paint. Tragicomically, Fiddler and Fifer frantically raced to the solid brick house of Practical for help and protection after a tall, nasty, hungry and implicitly Nazi German linked “big bad” wolf-his black fur and stove pipe hat, red pants and white gloves evoking the black, red and white colours of the Nazi Swastika flag to affirm his implicit link to the Third Reich, and played by Billy Bletcher-blew down their houses with mighty blasts of breath and hot air. Luckily for the foolish Fifer and Fiddler, Practical took them in to his unblowable and unbreakable brick house and also fought off the Nazi wolf in the healing, harmonizing and eucatastrophic end, implying that Disney, Gillett and company believed that one day France and the UK would be attacked and overwhelmed by Nazi Germany and would frantically and pragmatically turn to the US for help, and the US would lead the way in destroying the Third Reich, all of which happened in time.
Significantly, audiences and the august Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences implicitly enjoyed and agreed with this shrewd, knowing and prescient political allegory from the Mouse House, for THREE LITTLE PIGS and its catchy, allegorical, Stalling composed and Frank Churchill written tune “Who’s Afraid Of The Big Bad Wolf?” [1933] were both big hits, helped along by the vibrant Technicolor of the Silly Symphony, and it was awarded an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. Thus, it was no surprise that producer Disney, director Gillett, and composer/songwriter Churchill collaborated with animator Art Babbitt and again with Bletcher, Colvig, Compton, and Moder and with distributor UA the following year on the allegorical Silly Symphony indie hand animated short film THE BIG BAD WOLF [1934], a film released in more vibrant Technicolor on April 13, 1934 that saw still foolish and implicitly UK and France linked Fiddler Pig and Fifer Pig-played again Moder and Compton, respectively-lead the blonde, innocent and implicitly Austria linked girl Red Riding Hood-played by Shirley Reed-on a short cut through the woods to her grandmother’s house within sight of the tall, nasty, hungry, still lingering, and implicitly Nazi Germany linked big bad wolf-played again by Bletcher-who briefly menaced her before she was saved and the wolf chased off by the shrewd, knowing, grounded, blue overalls wearing and implicitly U.S. linked Practical Pig-played again by Colvig-in the healing, harmonizing, and eucatastrophic end, implying that Dis, Gillett and company believed that the U.S. would have to save Austria from her folly too, in time.
Later that year, an implicit interest in Nazi Germany returned when producer Disney collaborated with writer Billy Cottrell, composer/songwriter Leigh Harline and director Wilfred Jackson and again with distributor UA on the allegorical Silly Symphony indie hand animated short film THE GODDESS OF SPRING [1934], a “mini-opera” film sung mostly in French and released on November 3, 1934 in even more vibrant Technicolor than THE BIG BAD WOLF that saw a long cold cruel bitter Winter sweep the world of ancient Greece and its fictional forest sprites but real and not anthropomorphic flora and fauna after the Evil and implicitly Nazi Germany linked god Pluto-his black, red and white Swastika flag colours affirming his implicit link to the Third Reich as with the big bad wolf, and played by Tudor Williams-and his dimunitive and equally red, black and white devilish imps kidnapped the young and pretty blonde goddess Persephone-played by Jessica Dragonette-and took her to be his wife in hell, a bitter winter that melted and disappeared and was replaced with sweet, sunny, healing and rejuvenating Spring after Persephone fled hell and returned to the world in the harmonizing and eucatastrophic end, implying that Disney, Jackson and company now believed that beautiful blonde filled Austria and Germany and the rest of the world were all heading into another vast war that people would have to suffer through before it ended and sweet, sunny, healing and rejuvenating peace returned to the world.
Tragicomically, Disney and Jackson collaborated again with distributor UA and with composer Frank Churchill to kick off the new film year with another full colourand implicitly politically satirical Silly Symphony in the allegorical indie hand animated short film THE TORTOISE AND THE HARE [1935], released in Technicolor on January 5, 1935 and based on the equally allegorical fable by Aesop. For the film saw the young, proud, vainglorious, cocky, fit, fast and implicitly England linked Max Hare-his red and white shirt affirming his implicit link to England, and played by Ned Norton-lose a race to the old, bald, slow, unassuming, funny lookin’, Mohandas Gandhi evoking and implicitly India linked Toby Tortoise-played by Eddie Holden-implying the hope or belief of Disney and company that India, then in the midst of a peaceful, patient and non-violent campaign to get the United Kingdom to leave its country, would eventually, inevitably and ultimately win in the long run. Indeed, the fact that Hare lost the race due to showing off his pace and strength to four pretty young Cottontail Girls-played by Compton, Moder, Marcellite Garner, and Beatrice Hagen, respectively-who evoked and were implicitly linked to England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, the four countries that made up the United Kingdom, affirmed the implicit link of Hare to England and the implicit allegorical intent of THE TORTOISE AND THE HARE. Significantly, the august Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences implicitly agreed with the implicit allegorical intent of THE TORTOISE AND THE HARE, for they soon awarded the Silly Symphony an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.
Then an all too knowing and sombre implication that Disney, Jackson and company understood where the world was heading by the release of GODDESS OF SPRING in 1934 was reaffirmed three years later when producer Disney and director Jackson collaborated again with Harline and with writer Dick Huemer and new distributor RKO Radio Pictures Inc. on their most famous and serious “Silly Symphony” of all, one that saw the real and non-anthropomorphic flora and fauna including a family of mice that lived in and around an old and decrepit wooden windmill survive a sudden, raging and thunder and lightning flashing storm that destroyed the mill in a massive lightning strike one dark, stormy and full moon night and live to see another sweet, sunny, healing and rejuvenating day in the harmonizing and eucatastrophic end of the allegorical Silly Symphony indie hand animated short film THE OLD MILL [1937], a film released in vibrant Technicolor on November 5, 1937 with no words but music composed by Harline that implied that Disney, Jackson and company were warning audiences, particularly Austrian and German audiences, that the Third Reich was already a decrepit sham of a country but also reassuring them that if a sudden and shocking storm of a second world war broke out they would also survive and live to see each other again in another sunny day, too, while Nazi Germany would be destroyed and lie in ruins like the old mill. Indeed, the fact that the wooden arms of the old windmill maniacally spun counter-clockwise in the powerful wind of the storm affirmed the implication that Disney, Jackson and company believed that World War Two would destroy the Third Reich, for the counter-clockwise spin of the old windmill’s arms evoked the counter-clockwise orientation of the usually clockwise and healing swastika on the flag of Nazi Germany.
Significantly, THE OLD MILL won another Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. Just as significantly, however, implicit political and anti-Nazi allegories were left behind when Uncle Walt and his talented and experienced film, literary, musical, sound and visual artists implicitly addressed their years of battling the live action Hollywood studios and their wishful dream that they would finally triumph over them in the allegorical David Hand indie hand animated feature film SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS [1937], a film released just in time for Christmas on December 21, 1937 that was inspired by the Brothers Grimm fairy tale “Snow White” and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures.
“Once upon a time
there was a lovely little Princess
named Snow White.
Her vain and wicked Stepmother the Queen
feared that some day Snow White’s beauty
would surpass her own.”
Indeed, the film began with a hardcover book containing the single fairy tale Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs magically opening and displaying a written fairy tale preamble that revealed that an older and more experienced Wicked Stepmother and Queen was as worried that one day the beauty of her stepdaughter Snow White “…would surpass her own” as the older and more experienced live action Hollywood studios were worried that the little Walt Disney Studio would create a hand animated feature film that would beat their own, immediately affirming that Disney and company were addressing their years of struggling against the live action Hollywood studios in their first feature length hand animated film. Then the film began with the Wicked Stepmother the Queen-fittingly played by live action screen star Lucille Va Verne-anxiously asking her magic and twelve Zodiac sign encircled mirror “…who is the fairest of them all?”
Significantly, this question drew out the spirit from the depths of the mirror-played by Moroni Olsen-a spirit who manifested as the traditional sad mask usually paired with a happy mask to signify the dramatic arts, implicitly affirming that the Wicked Stepmother was linked to the dramatic and older art of live action film and that her question was asking whether film was the fairest of them all as much whether she was the fairest of them all. When the sad mask spirit replied that one with snow white skin had now surpassed her in beauty, the Wicked Stepmother ordered her Huntsman-played by Stuart Buchanan-to take her sweet, petite and pretty stepdaughter the Princess Snow White-played by Adriana Caselotti-out into the forest and kill her so as to ensure that the Evil Queen and, by implication live action film, both remained the fairest of them all.
Overcome with guilt after he took sweet Snow White out into the forest and unable to kill her, the Huntsman abandoned the pretty Princess and fled. Luckily for the lonely Princess, she was at one with the flora and fauna of the hand animated forest as pretty Persephone was at one with the flora and fauna of ancient Greece in THE GODDESS OF SPRING and as Disney and company were with hand animated film art, and the fauna emerged shyly out of the forest to help her. Significantly, these birds and animals were not anthropomorphized as the animals of the ALICE, MICKEY MOUSE and SILLY SYMPHONES hand animated short films were, but were rendered realistically. These birds and animals also led the lost Princess to safety in the house of seven tragicomic dwarfs Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy and Sneezy-played by Scotty Mattraw, Roy Atwell, Eddie Collins, Pinto Colvig, Otis Harlan, Colvig again, and Billy Gilbert, respectively. Fittingly, these seven tragicomic dwarfs evoked Disney and Babbitt, Iwerks, Norm Ferguson, Hamilton “Ham” Luske, Fred Moore and William “Bill” Tytla, the six other main animators of the Walt Disney Company at the time, with Disney implicitly linked to Dopey and Iwerks to Grumpy, affirming the implicit link of Snow White to hand animated feature film art and the implication that the film was addressing the struggle that Disney and company had fought for years with the live action Hollywood studios. Indeed, the fact that the seven hard minin’ but fun luvin’ dwarfs shared their house with one feisty, indie and indomitable mouse implicitly affirmed that the dwarfs symbolized the seven main hard workin’ but fun luvin’ animators that advanced the cause of the Mouse House.
And eager to win the battle for, after the Wicked Stepmother transformed herself into an old crone and fooled Snow White into biting into a poisoned apple that sent the pretty Princess into a coma, the seven wrathful dwarfs chased the Wicked Stepmother off a cliff to her doom one dark and stormy night in the first major implication of the importance that Disney and company put on friendship and friends working together to achieve great things. Thus, it was fitting that a handsome Prince-played by Harry Stockwell-brought Snow White back to life with a healing, heartfelt and luving first kiss on a fittingly beautiful Spring day at the end of film, reminding us that Disney and company had also brought frozen two dimensional drawings to life with this equally luving first hand animated feature film kiss. And Snow White and the Prince lived happily ever after, as happily ever after as Disney and company hoped to do with their hand animated feature films, in the first major implication of the importance Disney and company put on marriage and the families created by marriage in a Disney film.
Luckily for Disney and company, the implicit hope that their first feature length hand animated film would triumph over the live action feature films of the Hollywood studios came true for SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS was the surprise hit and most successful film of the year, helped along by the vibrant Technicolor of the film and the RCA Victor “High Fidelity” sound that ably enhanced three more catchie songs composed and written by Churchill and Larry Morey in the forms of “Heigh-Ho”, “Someday My Prince Will Come”, “Whistle While You Work” “With A Song In Your Heart” that evoked “Who’s Afraid Of The Big Bad Wolf?” in THE THREE LITTLE PIGS. The august Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences agreed, awarding the film an honorary Oscar for Achievement. The film also inspired MGM to strike back two years later with the equally full colour and allegorical Victor Fleming film THE WIZARD OF OZ [1939], a film whose structure would go on to become very influential to film artists, including those at Disney, and that implicitly roasted Canadian Prime Minister William King and German Chancellor Adolf Hitler in the forms of lonely orphan Kansas waif Dorothy Gale and the Wicked Witch of the West-played by Judy Garland and Margaret Hamilton, respectively-and had Dorothy triumph over and literally liquidate the Wicked Witch of the West, in the end, implying the hope of MGM that PM King, who had visited Nazi Germany in late June of 1937 and solemnly and fatuously assured Canada and the rest of the world afterwards that Chancellor Hitler was not a threat and would not start another world war, would wake up from his delusions and help the world defeat Hitler and Nazi Germany in an implicit political allegory from MGM.
And an all too fitting and prescient implicit allegory from MGM, for soon after the release of THE WIZARD OF OZ in August of 1939, Chancellor Hitler launched his Nazi war machine at Poland on September 3, 1939 in a surprise assault aided by Premier Josef Stalin and the Soviet army and air force, kicking off World War II. Curiously, at around this time Scintillatin’ C.C. Beck and Bilious Bill Parker created for DC and implicitly linked Walt Disney to William “Billy” Batson, a boy whose ability to transform into Captain Marvel by saying the magic phrase “Shazam!” which gave him the powers of Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles and Mercury, reminded us that director/writer/producer Disney received his cinematic powers from his six main animator dwarfs at the time. By which time Disney and company were already hard at work again with distributor RKO Radio Pictures to reply to THE WIZARD OF OZ and also reply to the menace posed by Chancellor Hitler and the foolishness of PM King when they fused the anthropomorphic fauna of the SILLY SYMPHONIES and THE ALICE COMEDIES in the allegorical Luske and Ben Sharpsteen indie hand animated feature film PINOCCHIO [1940], a film released on February 7, 1940 that was inspired by the allegorical Carlo Collodi children’s story The Adventures Of Pinocchio: the story of a puppet [1883].
“A boy that won’t be good,
may just as well be made of wood.”
Fittingly, the film began with the anthropomorphic, bald, dimunitive, Dirty Thirties hobo clothes wearin’, tragicomic and implicitly PM King linked Jiminy Cricket the cricket-a name that evoked a politely Christian curse muttered by the dwarfs in SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS, and played by Cliff Edwards-addressing the audience and then opening a hardcover tome entitled Pinocchio and reading the preamble that set the scene on a cold and snowswept winter’s night with Cricket arriving in a dark, picturesque and Bavarian Alps evoking village. Sneaking in to the only warmly lit and inviting house, Cricket found it to be the snug and luving home of the elderly and implicitly U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt linked wood carver Geppetto-played by Christian Rub. Indeed, the fact that his anthropomorphic black and white cat Figaro was implicitly linked to Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt-and played by Clarence Nash-and his silent, flirtatious, and equally anthropomorphic goldfish Cleo was implicitly linked to FDR’s adulterous luver Lucy M. Rutherfurd affirmed the implicit link of Geppetto to then President Roosevelt. The fact that Cricket also discovered that Geppetto was putting the finishing touches on an implicitly Chancellor Hitler linked wooden puppet he had created that he called Pinocchio-played by Dick Jones-reaffirmed the implicit link of Geppetto to Roosevelt, reminding us that FDR helped create the Third Reich by allowing the U.S. to continue trading with Nazi Germany during the Thirties despite the threat the country posed to Europe and the world allowed the country to grow prosperous and powerful.
Then Geppetto, Figaro and Cleo went to sleep, but before they did, Geppetto wished upon the first star he saw outside the window that Pinocchio would become a real boy, implicitly Disney’s way of mocking FDR and his hope that trading with Nazi Germany would appease Chancellor Hitler and cause him to live peacefully with the world rather than launching World War Two. And then sleep finally arrived, a sleep Cricket also imitated, until he was woken up by the beautiful and blonde Blue Fairy-implicitly linked to Hitler’s favourite German female film artist Leni Riesenthal, and played by Evelyn Venable-and watched spellbound as she ironically gave the gift of life to Pinocchio, reminding us that the handsome Prince had kissed Snow White to life at the end of SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS.
To his surprised delight, she also appointed the vain, hypocritical and tragicomic Cricket to be the conscience of Pinocchio to keep him from “…the wrong things that [seemed] right at the time”, like PM King’s foolish trip to Nazi Germany. Leading to them both singing, dancing and whistling with delight, and creating enough ruckus to wake up Geppetto, Figaro and Cleo. Significantly, after getting over his astonishment, the baffled but delighted wood carver was soon snuggled up in bed with the living Pinocchio, a savagely satirical sight indeed that summed up how much President Roosevelt had been in bed with Chancellor Hitler before the outbreak of World War II.
Alas, Cricket proved to be just as unable to watch over Pinocchio as PM King proved to be unable to fully understand Chancellor Hitler and the menace he posed to the world after his visit to Nazi Germany in 1938. So little able to keep Pinocchio out of trouble, that only the next morning the lively puppet boy was soon led astray by the wily, duplicitous and implicitly ex-British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain linked “Honest” John W. Foulfellow the fox-as anthropomorphic as Cricket, and played by Walter Catlett-as he skipped happily to school the next morning, reminding us that PM Chamberlain had assured Chancellor Hitler and the world on September 30, 1938 that the Munich Pact would lead to “…peace for our time”, an outrageous delusion that would be revealed as a lie the following year when Germany and the Soviet Union invaded Poland. No sooner led astray, than “Honest” John sold Pinocchio off to the bald, bearded, burly, greedy and garrulous travelling puppeteer Stromboli-played by Charles Judels-who was implicitly linked to Hitler’s pompous and strutting Italian dictator pal Benito Mussolini aka “Il Duce”. Alas, no sooner did Cricket and the Blue Fairy free Pinocchio from the covetous and the fame and fortune lustin’ clutches of Stromboli then Cricket watched in equal frustrated horror as Pinocchio was persuaded by “Honest” John to leap aboard the coach driven by the sinister Coachman-also played by Judels-and enjoy the fruits of fame and fortune at Pleasure Island, where all of the indolent dreams of dictators and other lost boys come true.
Outed as a jackass on Pleasure Island but saved from slaving in the salt mines by Cricket, the two tragicomic heroes then found themselves leaping off a cliff into the sea, evoking the sight and sound of the Wicked Stepmother falling off a cliff to her doom at the end of SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS. Unlike the Wicked Stepmother, Pinocchio and Cricket did not die. Instead, they fell to the bottom of the sea and soon freed Geppetto, Figaro and Cleo from being eaten up by Monstro the Whale, which implied the hope that President Roosevelt and Chancellor Hitler would work together to prevent the world from being eaten up by another and equally monstrous world war and which led the Blue Fairy to return and reward Pinocchio by turning him into a real boy minus donkey ears, tail and braying laugh. Alas for Disney and company, this may have been a wistful hope in 1938 when production on PINOCCHIO began, but by the film’s release in early 1940 the sight and sound of Geppetto and Pinocchio working together was indeed an outrageously satirical sight due to the outbreak of World War Two in 1939 that made the film out of step with the times. No doubt explaining why PINOCCHIO was not as successful as SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS despite being another brilliant, creative and vibrant Technicolor masterpiece with resounding RCA sound that again ably enhanced two more catchie and Harline and Ned Washington written and composed songs in the form of “I Have No Strings” and “When You Wish Upon A Star”, the latter of which received an Oscar for Best Original Song to go with the other Oscar for Best Original Score and also became the perennial theme song of the Walt Disney Company.
Alas, Cricket’s peeved words to Pinocchio, “…Go ahead! Make a fool of yourself! Maybe then you will listen to your conscience!” when he allowed himself to be a puppet of Stromboli turned out to be too bitterly and horrifically prophetic, as Chancellor Hitler did not let his conscience be his guide and instead launched his Nazi legions and air force at France on May 10, 1940, a little over three months after the release of PINOCCHIO, making it clear that long and arduous would be the Second World War. A long and arduous Second World War missing when Republic Pictures and directors John English and William Witney had the naïve young man William “Billy” Batson-his high pitched voice evoking the even more high pitched voice that “Uncle” Walt provided for Mickey, and played by Frank Coghlan jr.-use the magic phrase “!Shazam!” to transform into the handsome, black haired, muscular, indomitable and implicitly Disney linked super hero Captain Marvel-played by Tom Tyler-and triumph over the black eyed, haired and mustached and implicitly Spanish surrealist artist Salvador Dali linked Evildoer Professor Luther Bentley aka “the Scorpion”-played by Harry J. Worth, with the voice of the Scorpion provided by Gerald Mohr, respectively-to the delight of the young, beautiful, blonde and implicitly Minnie linked Betty-played by Louise Currie-at the end of the allegorical and black and white docufeature serial film ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN MARVEL [1941], released on March 28, 1941.
Significantly, pensive, bitter, wistful and savagely satirical implicit meditations on Canada, Nutzi Germany and the United States were then missing when Disney and Co. implicitly relaxed and celebrated the success of their first three hand animated feature films by teaming up again with distributor RKO Radio Pictures on the allegorical Sharpsteen indie hand animated feature film DUMBO [1941], a pre-Hallowe’en treat released on October 23, 1941 that was inspired in turn by the allegorical Helen Aberson and Harold Pearl children’s story Dumbo [1941].
“Dumbo!
That’s it!
…Your ears!
…The very things that held you down
are going to carry you
up and up and up!
…[You’ll be] the Ninth Wonder of the universe!”
The world’s only flying elephant!”
Indeed, the improbable and tragicomic sight and sound of the smallest little and unusually big eared baby elephant Jumbo jr. aka “Dumbo”, whose name evoked Jumbo the mastodon in GERTIE THE DINOSAUR, succeeding amongst the bigger, disdainful, disapproving and haughty elephants at his circus with the help of his ability to fly with those tragicomically big ears implicitly symbolized the equally improbable and tragicomic sight and sound of the little Walt Disney Studio succeeding with their unusually small and now feature length hand animated films amongst the bigger, disdainful, disapproving and haughty live action film studios in Hollywood throughout the film. The fact that the Mickey Mouse evoking but regular looking field mouse Timothy Q. Mouse-played by Edward Brophy-in his bright red and yellow marching band cap and jacket helped little Dumbo achieve his improbable victory implicitly affirmed the link of Dumbo to the Mouse House. As the name of Timothy Q. Public evoked that of the legendary everyman Jonathan Q. Public, he may also have symbolized the everyday men, women and children who flocked to theatres to see Walt Disney short and feature length films and made them successful to the exasperated frustration of the live action Hollywood studios, flocks of supportive people like the murder of crows, Dandy, Deacon, Dopey, Fats and Specks-played by Cliff Edwards, Hall Johnson, Jim Carmichael, James Baskett, and Nick Stewart, respectively-who also helped Dumbo and Mr. Mouse with the gift of a black “magic” feather.
Last but not least, the brooding circus clowns who stormed the tent of the circus ringmaster-played by Herman Bing-midway through the film demanding more money for their madcap antics reaffirmed the link of Dumbo to the Walt Disney Studio, reminding us that most of the studio’s animators went to Uncle Walt demanding more money, and, when he refused, went on strike during the making of DUMBO. And so Disney and his non-striking animators made audiences believe in and sympathize with Dumbo’s plight as they had made audiences believe in and sympathize with the plight of Snow White her dwarf friends and in Cricket and Pinocchio, a sympathy enhanced by the film’s in “…special sound effects by Sonovox” and vivid Technicolor, and the film was awarded an Oscar for Best Original Score [Musical]. However, it was noticeable that the animation and backgrounds of DUMBO was not of the same high quality and standard as FANTASIA, PINOCCHIO, and SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS, implying that the Golden Age of Disney hand animated film art was over and that a Silver Age had begun at the Walt Disney Company.
Even more significantly, the United States joined World War II after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour on December 7, 1941, explaining why Disney and Hand abandoned the exuberant high spirits, mischief and mayhem of DUMBO, FANTASIA, PINOCCHIO and SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS and re-embraced the sombre and serious spirit of THE OLD MILL and teamed up again with RKO Radio Pictures on the allegorical indie hand animated feature film BAMBI [1942], a film released deep in the midst of fierce worldwide fighting on August 9, 1942 that was inspired by the allegorical Felix Salten children’s novel Bambi [1923].
“It seems long.
But it won’t last forever…
[while] love is a song
that never ends.”
Indeed, right from the outset an unusually sombre and serious spirit that evoked the sombre and serious spirit of THE OLD MILL and of the tumultuous times filled the screen as the camera panned across a dark, silent and slowly brightening forest in the early morning hours as dawn arrived in a long establishing shot that also established the spare but effective artistic style of this latest Disney hand animated feature film. However, this sombre and serious spirit was briefly lightened when a sparrow and then the young and anthropomorphic rabbit Thumper-played by Peter Behn-roused the wise and equally anthropomorphic old owl-ironically played by Will Wright-and the rest of the anthropomorphic animals and birds of the forest and rushed them off to see the newborn baby Bambi, Prince of the forest-played by Bobby Stewart-that his mother Mrs. Deer-played by Paula Winslowe-had just given birth to, evoking the sight and sound of Mrs. Jumbo being presented with baby Jumbo by the tragicomic but dedicated, indomitable and anthropomorphic Mr. Stork-played by Sterling Holloway-at the beginning of DUMBO.
Alas, in time the sombre and serious spirit returned when Mrs. Deer was shot dead by a hunter. However, while bereft of his mother, the young anthropomorphic Bambi-played by Donnie Dunagan-was watched over by his big, strong and anthropomorphic father King Buck aka the Great Prince of the Forest-played by Fred Shields-and grew up into a healthy and strong young anthropomorphic teen buck-played by the fittingly named Hardie Albright-who used his newly grown horns to fight off a rival in a fierce battle and win the admiration and luv of sweet, pretty and anthropomorphic Faline-played by Cammie King-a victory that implied the hope of Disney, Hand and company that the equally young, healthy and strong Allied soldiers would defeat the Axis powers in equally uncompromising battle and survive to meet their sweeties again, some sunny day. The sight and sound of King Buck, the young and anthropomorphic Prince Bambi-played by John Sutherland-Faline and the rest of the forest animals and birds surviving a long and bitter winter that evoked the long and bitter winter that swept the world after pretty Persephone was kidnapped and taken to the hellish Underworld by Pluto in THE GODDESS OF SPRING, another hunting expedition and a forest fire set off by a careless campfire and living to see another beautiful and sunlit Spring that saw pretty Faline give birth to two more baby deer like the animals and birds that lived to see another still and sunny day after the furious storm that pounded THE OLD MILL reaffirmed the implicit hope of Disney, Hand and company that, while World War II seemed long and unending, the Allied countries and their soldiers and sweeties would live on to see another sunny Spring day after surviving the fires and fighting of the war and prove that luv was indeed a song that never ended long after the end of war.
And so BAMBI was another popular success and the first all anthropomorphic animal hand animated Disney feature film whose spare and minimalist art was again, like that of DUMBO, a far cry from FANTASIA, PINOCCHIO and SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS despite being enhanced again by RCA Sound and Technicolor, reaffirming that a Silver Age of hand animated feature and short films had indeed begun at Disney. And then the war that seemed that it would never end finally ended, taking all of the openly Axis roasting and patriotic hand animated short films with it, like the dismal, disappointing, uncreative and not terribly allegorical indie hand animated short filmmercial ALL TOGETHER [1942], an uninspired filmmercial enhanced by RCA Sound and Technicolor that was released on January 13, 1942 and that featured Mickey conducting a small orchestra while several of the Dwarfs, Donald Duck, his sons and Goofy waved flags that urged Canadians to buy war bonds to fund the Canadian war effort as they walked past the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa; the allegorical Disney and Jack Kinney hand animated indie short film DER FUEHRER’S FACE [1942], released on January 1, 1943 and patriotically awarded an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film; the allegorical Disney and Clyde Geronimi indie hand animated short film EDUCATION FOR DEATH [1943], released on January 15, 1943; and the allegorical Disney and Bill Roberts indie hand animated short film REASON AND EMOTION [1943], a film released on August 28, 1943 which urged Allied audiences to unite a sound reason with a strong emotion in order to defeat the Axis powers-in all of which Hitler was depicted with a long and Pinocchio evoking nose, reaffirming the implicit link of Pinocchio to Hitler in PINOCCHIO. EDUCATION FOR DEATH also included a scene filled with Pinocchio evoking Hitler Youth in shorts held up with suspenders to again affirm the implicit link of Hitler to Pinocchio in PINOCCHIO. And so the world began a new hopeful and peaceful new era of liberated United Nations [UN] pondered by the Walt Disney Company, and years later Disney, Jackson, Luske, and Clyde Geronimi teamed up again with distributor RKO Radio Pictures to kicked off the new film year and the new decade with another Silver Age hand animated film in the form of the allegorical indie hand animated feature film CINDERELLA [1950], a film released on February 15, 1950 that was inspired by the allegorical Charles Perrault fairy tale “Cinderella” [1697].
“If you keep on believing
the dreams that you wish
will come true…
[so, while] I know it isn’t easy…
at least we should try to get along together.”
Indeed, after another hardcover tome containing the single story Cinderella opened magically by itself and an unseen narrator-played by Betty Lou Gerson-spoke the opening pages to set the scene with a lonely and wealthy widow with a charming and beautiful blonde daughter named Cinderella remarrying, before he unfortunately died, the Wicked Lady Tremaine-played by Eleanor Audley-who brought her unusually large, grey, and furry cat Lucifer and her two daughters Anastasia and Drizella with her, the fairy tale came to life as at the beginning of SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS and saw the still beautiful, blonde and charming teenage Cinderella-played by Ilene Woods-banished to a lonely room in the top tower of her father’s “stately chateau” by the jealous and Wicked Lady Tremaine and forced to do all of the work in the house for her Wicked Stepmother and her Wicked and equally teenaged Stepsisters Anastasia and Drizella-played by Lucille Bliss and Rhoda Williams, respectively. Luckily for Cinderella, a teenage girl who as at one with the flora and fauna in her hand animated world as Snow White was with hers, she was not entirely alone. For she was fast friends with a mischievous and anthropomorphic mouse family led by the implicitly Disney linked Jaq-played by James MacDonald-that evoked the Disney family and Jaq’s equally mischievous male friends who evoked the main male animators of the Walt Disney Studio like Iwerks not only turned her father’s chateau into another Mouse House, and the Pluto evoking family hound Bruno-played by Earl Keen-was also devoted to her.
When Cinderella’s Wicked Stepsisters delighted her Wicked Stepmother by ripping her beautiful pink gown to pieces so as to prevent her from attending a ball held at the castle on the orders of the king that invited all of the single maidens in the kingdom to attend so as to find a bride for the prince, Cinderella was also helped by a friendly and Good Fairy Godmother-played by Verna Felton-who made her a beautiful new snow white gown with matching icy glass slippers, transformed a pumpkin into a coach for her, transformed Jaq and his friends into four white horses for the coach, a horse into a driver and Bruno into a footman and sent her off to the ball with a magic spell that hid her identity from her Wicked Stepmother and Wicked Stepsisters, and strict orders to leave the castle before midnight as her spell ended at that time.
So Cinderella was driven to the castle in her magic coach and went on to be the belle of the ball, captivating Prince Charming-played by William Phipps and sung by Mike Douglas, respectively. Alas, and to the prince’s dismay, Cinderella was forced to flee the castle at midnight to preserve the spell. But luckily in her haste she left behind one of her unique glass slippers, and when the desperate prince and his father the King-played by Paul Frees and Luis Van Rooten-had all of the single maidens in the land try it on, the glass slipper only fit Cinderella, to the shocked dismay of her Wicked Stepmother and her Wicked Stepsisters. And so Cinderella married her Prince Charming to the delight of Bruno and her mice friends, implying the delight of Disney and company that they were still able to succeed with their hand animated feature film dreams in the post-World War II era. Significantly, since the king also looked, talked and acted German throughout the film, the sight and sound of Cinderella being freed from her lonely room in the tower and welcomed back to the world may have also symbolized the hope of Disney and company that the equally despised, and famously beautiful, blonde and charming Germany, still occupied by the Allies at the time of the release of CINDERELLA in 1950, would soon be welcomed back to the world and allowed to join the United Nations as a whole and united nation instead of divided in two like Anastasia and Drizella and East and West Germany in another pragmatic and ahead of its time political allegory from the Walt Disney Studios.
While not as brilliant, creative, earnest, idealistic, exuberant and mischievous as FANTASIA, PINOCCHIO and SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS, CINDERELLA was still like BAMBI and DUMBO another popular and successful Silver Age hand animated film enhanced by RCA Sound and Technicolor whose electronically modified voices for the mice anticipated the equally electronically modified voices of the Ewoks, Jawas and some other equally comical critters in a STAR WARS Classic Trilogy to come. Significantly, later that year the Walt Disney Company collaborated with Byron Haskin and again with distributor RKO Radio Pictures to kick off a new cinematic era for the company by travelling to the United Kingdom, returning to their animation fused with live action animaction short film roots and continuing their implicit fondness for political satire by implicitly hoping that the Conservative Sir Winston Churchill would replace Clement Attlee as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom like the courageous, grounded and implicitly Churchill linked Captain Smollett-played by Basil Sydney-replaced the naïve, gullible and implicitly PM Attlee linked Squire Trelawney-played by Walter Fitzgerald-as leader of the counter-uprising against the scruffy, nefarious, communist red coated, and implicitly Stalin linked pirate Long John Silver-played by Robert Newton-his capitalist green parrot Cap’n Flint, and the rest of his scurvy sea dogs at the healing, harmonizing and eucatastrophic end of the allegorical indie animaction feature film TREASURE ISLAND [1950], a film released on June 22, 1950 that was inspired by the allegorical Robert L. Stevenson indie docufiction novel Treasure Island [1883] and that proved that Disney could make audiences sympathize with living characters in feature films filled with animated conversations, gestures and fighting as it did in its fully hand animated feature films.
Then the implicit hope in CINDERELLA that Germany would soon be welcomed into the United Nations as a whole country became the perfect warmup for an implicit roast of the United Nations and all of the curiouser and curiouser new countries that were being born and added each year to the international organization when Dis, Geronimi, Hamilton and Luske teamed up again with RKO Radio Pictures and also again with Felton to continue the Silver Age of hand animation in the allegorical indie hand animated feature film ALICE IN WONDERLAND [1951], a film released on July 26 1951 that was inspired by the allegorical Lewis Carroll children of all ages novel Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland [1865] and Through The Looking Glass [1871].
“This is an
un-birthday party!”
Indeed, the film revolved around the beautiful, blonde, imaginative, picture book luvin’ and restless English girl Alice-played by Kathryn Beaumont-who followed an anxious, timorous, bespectacled, waistcoat luvin’ and always late White Rabbit-implicitly linked to the anxious, timorous and always punctual Prime Minister King, principal dreamer of the United Nations, and played by Bill Thompson-into its rabbit hole one fateful day and then fell down into a strange new world filled with colourful and zany characters implicitly linked to various members of the new United Nations. For here she soon met and tangled with the implicitly ex-PM Atlee linked Dodo-also played by Thompson-and the tragicomic and implicitly East and West Germany linked Tweedledee and Tweedledum-played by J. Pat O’Malley-whose implicit links to the two halves of Germany were affirmed by the fact that the twin brothers related to Alice the story of the persuasive, duplicitous, greedy, sinister, walrus moustached and implicitly Premier Stalin linked Walrus-also played by O’Malley-and the implicit communist working man Carpenter-played by . Significantly, as this tragicomic story saw with the Carpenter going hungry as all of the oysters were eaten by the Walrus in classic communist leadership fashion and ended with the Carpenter chasing away the Walrus in righteous fury, Disney, Geronimi, Hamilton and Luske implied their hope that the people of the U.S.S.R. would come to their senses, realize that they were being used and abused by Stalin and the rest of the “leaders” of the U.S.S.R., and rise up in an equally righteously furious revolution that would sweep them away and replace them with a true democratic for the people and by the people.
After leaving the twins, Alice also met the placidly reclining, smoking and implicitly Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru linked Caterpillar-played by Richard Haydn-and the zany, appearing, transforming, disappearing and implicitly Dali linked Cheshire Cat-played by Sterling Holloway-before surviving a madcap tea party with the implicitly Israeli Prime Minister David Ben Gurion linked Mad Hatter-played by Ed Wynn-the quarrelsome, blazing eyed and implicitly Palestine linked March Hare-played by Jerry Colonna-and the small, shy, sleepy and implicitly Israeli-Christian community linked Dormouse-played by James MacDonald. Tea party over, Alice also managed to survive her most difficult encounter yet, a croquet game with the implicitly Spanish dictator Francisco Franco linked King of Hearts-played by Dink Troutand his implicitly Carmen Polo linked wife the Queen of Hearts-played by Felton-that led to a madcap trial that evoked some of the more madcap UN General Assembly or UN Security Council sessions before finally escaping the insanity and making it safely back home, in the healing, harmonizing and eucatastrophic end, where she now agreed with Dorothy Gale that “…there was no place like home.”
Thus, Disney and company implicitly reminded us that while the United Nations era was better than the World War II era, it was nonetheless not without some wryly amusing and worrisome countries and their leaders, particularly anti-democratic and anti-individual human rights places like Franco’s Spain and Stalin’s U.S.S.R. Significantly, while ALICE IN WONDERLAND was again not as brilliant, creative, original and memorable as the Fab Three despite being enhanced again with RCA Sound and vivid Technicolor, it was successful enough to encourage Disney, Geronimi, Hamilton and Luske to team up again with Beaumont and Thompson and with distributor RKO Radio Pictures to implicitly roast Dali again in the implicit form of the tall, handsome, black haired and mustachioed and fortune and glory lustin’ pirate Captain Hook-played by Hans Conried-and have him and his short, bald, foolish, constantly boozin’ and implicitly Spanish artist Pablo Picasso linked right hand pirate Mr. Smee-played by Thompson-taken on and taken out by the ambiguously linked and motherly English girl Wendy Darling-played by Beaumont-and her equally ambiguously linked and growing up hating friend Peter Pan-played by Bobby Driscoll, who played the brave, pure, innocent and fearless English lad James “Jim” Hawkins in TREASURE ISLAND-at the healing, harmonizing and eucatastrophic end of the allegorical indie hand animated feature film PETER PAN [1953], a film released on February 5, 1953 that was inspired by the allegorical Sir James M. Barrie play Peter Pan [1904] and enhanced by RCA Sound and Technicolor.
The following year, Disney and Richard Fleischer reaffirmed the commitment of the Walt Disney Company to full colour live action animaction film art when it implicitly roasted Lang in the form of the brilliant, despondent, mysterious, music luvin’, indie and empire hating nineteenth century submarine Captain Nemo-played by James Mason-in the allegorical Richard Fleischer indie animaction feature film 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA [1954], a film released on June 29, 1954 that was inspired by the allegorical Jules Verne indie docufiction novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea [1870], that affirmed its implicit interest in Lang with the presence of Lorre as the tragicomic Conseil and that was given two Academy Awards for Best Art Direction [Color] and Best Visual Effects. Soon after, Billy Wilder implicitly roasted Disney and company in the allegorical film SABRINA [1954], a film released on September 1, 1954.
“Once upon a time…”
Indeed, the story revolved around the young, beautiful, dimunitive, pixie-like, brunette, brooding, lonely, luvly, Cinderalla and Tinkerbell evoking but ignored chauffeur’s daughter Sabrina Fairchild-played by Audry Hepburn-who fell in luv with and jealously longed from a distance for the handsome, peroxide blonde, wealthy and genial cad David Larrabee-played by William Holden-as she worked and lived on the Larrabee family estate with her resigned English chauffeur father Thomas Fairchild-played by John Williams-but who was ignored by the caddish “Prince Charming”. A lonely, luvly, pixy girl who, to her surprise, instead of marrying David, Sabrina instead married his older, crustier, weathered, world weary, shrewd, knowing, grounded, haunted and bitter older brother Linus Larrabee-played by Humphrey Bogart-in the end, implying that Wilder felt that it was time for the Walt Disney Company to grow up and create more mature and contemporary films, an implicit allegorical intent affirmed by allusions to CINDERELLA and PETER PAN and the implicit link of the old, grey haired, uptight and conservative Oliver and Maude Larrabee-played by Walter Hampden and Nella Walker, respectively-the parents of the Larrabee boys, to Walt and Lillian Disney, and an implicit allegorical intent that ignored the implicit allegorical intent of the short and feature films of Disney and company, which often implied that they were not only seriously rooted in contemporary events, but also accurately anticipating those events, as in CINDERELLA, THE OLD MILL, THE SKELETON DANCE and THREE LITTLE PIGS.
Significantly, the following month Disney began a new era of the company when it arrived on television on October 27, 1954. The following year, Disney collaborated again with Geronimi, Hamilton and Luske and also again with Felton and Thompson and for the first time with the new and Disney created, owned and run distributor Buena Vista Distribution Company to reaffirm the implicit importance that the Walt Disney Company put on friendship and marriage by having the American bloodhound Trusty-played by Bill Baucom-and the Scottish terrier Jock-played by Thompson-team up to save their street smart and roguish mongrel mutt friend Tramp-played by Larry Roberts-from euthanasia in the dog pound so that he could marry the beautiful, sweet and well off American Cocker Spaniel Lady-played by Barbara Luddy-and father four pups with her at the healing, harmonizing and eucatastrophic end of the allegorical indie hand animated feature film LADY AND THE TRAMP [1955], a film released on June 16, 1955 that surprisingly and noticeably abandoned the Silver Age of hand animation and returned for this one film to the Golden Age of hand animation, perhaps in honour of the dogs that Disney and company truly luved. Just as significantly, a month later Uncle Walt also founded the Disneyland amusement park in Orange County on July 17, 1955, setting off a new division and era of the Walt Disney Company. Curiously, one of the first people to visit Disneyland that summer was an exuberant, big eared and art and car luvin’ little fellow from Modesto, California named George Walton “Georgie” Lucas jr., a little fellow who would go on to have a big impact on the Walt Disney Company.
Two years later, Stanley Kubrick implied that Disney and Fleischer had sacrificed the vital humanity of their film art with the blockbuster ambitions of 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA as surely as the implicitly Disney and Fleischer linked French commanding officers Major General Gerges Broulard and Brigadier General Paul Mireau-played by Adolphe Menjou and George Macready, respectively-had sacrificed the soldiers of the 701st Infantry Regiment led by Colonel Dax-played by Douglas-in a massive, futile and doomed attack on a German position called the Ant Hill for the glory it would bring them in the eerily and presciently twilit and allegorical docufeature film PATHS OF GLORY [1957], released on October 25, 1957. For his part, Nicholas Ray implied that Disney would be destroyed by its embrace of big budget, full colour and live action blockbusters like 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA like the notorious, red bearded and Captain Hook evoking outlaw leader Cottonmouth-played by Burl Ives-“King” of a gang of bearded, surly, perpetually drunk and Seven Dwarfs evoking Florida Everglades tropical bird poachers was ironically destroyed by a namesake cottonmouth rattlesnake at the end of the allegorical docufeature film WIND ACROSS THE EVERGLADES [1958], a film released on August 20, 1958 whose implicit allegorical intent was affirmed by allusions PETER PAN, SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS and TREASURE ISLAND, and by the implicit link of Disney to Cottonmouth’s business partner George Leggett-played by Howard Smith.
The following year, Disney, Geronimi, Les Clark and Eric Larson returned to the Silver Age of hand animated film art when they teamed up with Audley, Felton and the new distributor Buena Vista Distribution Company to close out the Fifties with the allegorical indie hand animated feature film SLEEPING BEAUTY [1959], a film released on January 29, 1959 that was inspired by the allegorical Perrault fairy tale “Sleeping Beauty” [1697].
“Once upon a dream…”
Indeed, after the film began like CINDERELLA with a hardcover book containing the single fairy tale Sleeping Beauty magically opening by itself and another unseen narrator-played by Marvin Miller-spoke the opening pages to set the scene, the story saw King Stefan-played by Taylor Holmes-so worried that an Evil curse pronounced on the beautiful blonde head of his newborn girl Princess Aurora by the Wicked and implicitly television linked Maleficent-with her tv rabbit ear antenna evoking horns, and played by Audley-that would see her fall into a sleep from which she would not awaken would come true that he allowed three Good Fairies, Flora, Fauna and Merryweather-played by Felton, Barbara Jo Allen, and Barbara Luddy, respectively-to spirit the babe away and hide her in a house in the forest. Thus, the sight and sound of the beautiful, blonde, and singing teenage Princess Aurora-played by Mary Costa-falling into the deathless sleep at the age of sixteen as feared but waking up after the three Good Fairies helped the equally Good and handsome Prince Phillip-played by Bill Shirley-escape from imprisonment in the Wicked Maleficent’s creepy and crumbling castle at Forbidden Mountain and then gave him the Shield of Virtue and Sword of Truth he needed to face down and destroy the Wicked Maleficent in a healing and harmonizing eucatastrophe that allowed him to give Princess Aurora the magical luv’s first kiss that broke the spell on her, allowing the Prince and Princess to embrace, laugh, marry and live happily ever after, in the end, implied the delight of Disney and company that they had managed to beat and succeed on television on their own terms. Alas for Disney, with the exception of the final battle between Prince Phillip and Maleficient, SLEEPING BEAUTY was, like ALICE IN WONDERLAND and CINDERELLA, a far cry from the early masterpieces DUMBO, FANTASIA, PINOCCHIO and SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS, despite being enhanced with Technicolor, Technirama and RCA Sound.
The following year, and, fittingly, after a successful decade of live action animaction feature films, Disney and writer/director David Swift ironically teamed up with Menjou to kick off the new decade by implying that the triumph of the young, pretty, blonde, pigtailed, high spirited and irrepressible English orphan girl Pollyanna Whittier-played by Hayley Mills-over the old, conservative and uptight town of Harrington and the town’s leading citizen, her adoptive Aunt Polly Harrington-played by Jane Wyman-implicitly symbolized the triumph of the equally young, high spirited, and irrepressible Disney live action animaction feature films over old Hollywood and its live action feature films in the allegorical indie animaction feature film POLLYANNA [1960], a film released on May 19, 1960 that was based on the allegorical Eleanor H. Porter children’s novel Pollyanna [1913], that led to the august Academy giving Mills an Academy Juvenile Award for her performance and that evoked the sight and sound of the Walt Disney Company celebrating the success of their hand animated feature film dream with DUMBO.
Significantly, the following year Disney celebrated the success of POLLYANNA by heading off in a new live action direction when they teamed up with Jack Donohue on their first live action musical which saw young luvbirds Mary Contrary and Tom Piper-played by Annette Funicello and Tommy Sands, respectively-triumph over the exuberantly Evil, Wicked Witch of the West evoking and implicitly Salvador Dali linked Barnaby-played by Ray Bolger, who ironically but fittingly played the Scarecrow in THE WIZARD OF OZ-to bring health and harmony back to Mother Goose Village and to finally succeed in marrying each other at the end of the allegorical indie animaction feature film BABES IN TOYLAND [1961], a film released on December 14, 1961 that evoked THE WIZARD OF OZ but was inspired by the allegorical Victor Herbert and Glen MacDonough operetta BABES IN TOYLAND [1903].
Four years later, Disney and Robert Stevenson continued the new Disney musical tradition and implied in the sight and sound of the magical and indomitable nanny Mary Poppins-played by Julie Andrews-and her appreciative scriving/chimney sweeping/one man band friend Bert-played by Dick Van Dyke-flying down from the sky with her trusty umbrella into 1910 London and bringing so much magic to the bored and frustrated lives of children Jane and Michael Banks-played by Karen Dotrice and Matthew Banks, respectively-that their stuffy, punctual, and money and banking father George Banks-played by David Tomlinson-was freed from his meaningless life forever their hope that audiences would not give up on the magic of life and film art at the end of the allegorical indie animaction feature film MARY POPPINS [1964], a film released on August 27, 1964 that was inspired by the allegorical and P.L. Travers written series of Mary Poppins children’s novels [1934-88] and that was, curiously, very popular and successful and that received 11 nominations from the august Academy, winning for Best Actress, Best Editing, Best Original Score, Best Original Song in “Chim Chim Cher-ee”, and Best Visual Effects. Curiously, the following year Disney and Stevenson collaborated again with Mills, the Sherman Brothers, Wynn and Elsa Lanchester-who played a nanny named Katie in MARY POPPINS-to have DC the shrewd, knowing, wily and mischievous lead the way to capturing two bumbling, tragicomic and fortune and glory lusting bank robbers, the dark skinned, black haired and eyed, heavy set and implicitly Francis Coppola linked Dan-played by Neville Brand-and the thin, blonde, smiling and implicitly Roger Corman linked Iggy-played by Frank Gorshin-and freeing kidnapped bank teller Margaret Miller-played by Grayson Hall-to the baffled consternation of the short, big eared and implicitly Lucas linked teen surfer Canoe Henderson-played by Tom Lowell-in the allegorical indie animaction feature film !DARN THAT CAT! [1968], a film released on October 8, 1965 that was inspired by the allegorical Gordon and Mildred Gorden indie docufiction novel Undercover Cat [1963] and that reminded us that two years earlier low budget indie B movie King Corman recently produced the eerily and presciently twilit and allegorical Coppola indie docufiction film DEMENTIA 13 [1963].
And then the implicit message of MARY POPPINS turned out to be a timely and fitting implicit message from Uncle Walt indeed, for alas for audiences and the Walt Disney Company, the head mischievous mouse at the Mouse House blasted off into eternity just before Christmas on December 15, 1966, taking the guiding body, heart, mind, soul and light from Disney and sending the company into turmoil for the next two decades. An Uncle Walt free era that began the following year when Disney and director/co-producer Wolfgang “Woolie” Reitherman-a sequence director on SLEEPING BEAUTY and animator with Disney stretching back to the allegorical Disney and Jackson Silly Symphony indie hand animated short film FUNNY LITTLE BUNNIES [1933]-collaborated again with Holloway to continue the new Bronze Age of cheaper and less detailed and visual effects filled hand animated film art without Uncle Walt and to imply in the tragicomic sight and sound of the possibly Richard Nixon and President Lyndon B. Johnson linked anthropomorphic animal friends Bagheera the Panther-played by Sebastian Cabot-and Baloo the good natured, singin’ and dancin’ Bear-played by Phil Harris-protecting and helping the young, naïve, and innocent Mowgli the Man Cub-played by Woolie’s son Bruce Reitherman-triumph over the Evil, anthropomorphic and perhaps Vietnam linked Shere Khan the Tiger-played by George Sanders and sung by Bill Lee, respectively-and his spineless anthropomorphic quisling Kaa the Snake-played by Holloway-their hope that President Johnson and Nixon would help equally young American soldiers triumph in the snake and tiger filled jungles of Vietnam at the healing, harmonizing and eucatastrophic end of the allegorical indie hand animated feature film THE JUNGLE BOOK [1967], a film released on October 18, 1967 that was inspired by the allegorical Rudyard Kipling collection The Jungle Book [1894].
Curiously, the following year Philip K. Dick implicitly responded to the arrival of animatronic “people” at Disneyland and to the growing popularity of Frank Herbert by having the implicitly Herbert linked San Francisco Police Department [PDSB] Detective Richard “Rick” Deckard do his best to track down, positively identify and eliminate androids at loose in a post-apocalyptic San Francisco in the allegorical indie docufiction novel Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? [1968], an implicit allegorical intent affirmed by allusions to mechanical crickets and mice and to the allegorical and implicitly Dick toasting and Robert A. Heinlein roasting Herbert indie docufiction novel Dune [1965]. The same year Roman Polanski implicitly likened Disney to the Satanic Overlord of money lusting blockbuster pap in the allegorical film ROSEMARY’S BABY [1968], a film released on , 1968. Significantly, the following year Disney and Stevenson collaborated again with Tomlinson and Dean Jones-who played intrepid Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI] Agent Zeke Kelso in !DARN THAT CAT!-to implicitly address newfound and promising young film artist friends Coppola and Lucas in the allegorical indie animaction feature film THE LOVE BUG [1969], released on March 13, 1969.
“Don’t let it get ya, Herbie.
Jim didn’t mean it.
He’ll come to his senses.”
Indeed, after ominously beginning with a demolition derby in San Francisco that kicked off with the fateful car 23, a ’57 Chevrolet Two-Ten, being hit first in an ominous premonition of the TZ disaster on July 23, 1982, the film revolved around the tragicomic adventures of two polar opposite San Fran pals, the driver of demolition car ’58 Mercury Monterey 4B, the lean, big eared, good natured but down on his luck and implicitly Lucas linked race car driver and car nut James “Jim” or “JD” Douglas-played by Jones-and his artistic, transcendent minded and implicitly Coppola linked sculptor friend Tennessee Steinmetz-played by Buddy Hackett-and their unlikely, sentient, emotional, mischievous and snow white 1960-63 Volkswagen Beetle sun-roof sedan race car Herbie aka #53. Thus, the sight and sound of Douglas accepting and cherishing the emotional and sentient reality of Herbie and beating the arrogant, haughty, and implicitly Richard Rush linked elite European import car dealer and race car driver Peter Thorndyke-played by Tomlinson-and winning the climactic El Dorado road race to the delight of Jim’s beautiful, spunky, brunette and implicitly Marcia Griffin-Lucas linked girlfriend Carole Bennett-played by Michelle Lee-in the healing, harmonizing and eucatastrophic end implied the hope of Disney and Stevenson that the talented ex-University of Southern California [USC] film student and ex-teen race car driver and car nut Lucas whose mostly wordless and car obsessed USC student films would not forget the vital heart, humanity and soul of his film art when he began to take on and defeat Rush and other film artists with his feature films, an implicit allegorical intent affirmed by allusions to DEMENTIA 13, the allegorical Lucas USC indie docufeature short films HERBIE [1966] and 1:42:08 [1966], and the allegorical and implicitly Jean-Luc Godard addressing Rush indie docufeature film THUNDER ALLEY [1967] and by the fact that the unusual sight and sound of Douglas and Herbie winning one race after another evoked the equally unusual sight and sound of the teen racer Lucas winning one race after another in a souped up ’60 Autobianchi Bianchina, the Italian version of the English Mini. Thus, it was fitting that THE LOVE BUG presciently anticipated that polar opposite pals Coppola and Lucas would soon leave behind Los Angeles, Modesto and New York and headquarter their new American Zoetrope film production company in San Fran after releasing their first presciently twilit and allegorical indie docufeature film THE RAIN PEOPLE [1969] on August 27, 1969, and that matte painter extraordinaire Peter Ellenshaw worked on THE LOVE BUG, for Ellenshaw went on to create even more memorable matte paintings for the STAR WARS Classic Trilogy.
Then Disney and Reitherman collaborated again with Harris, Holloway and Thompson to get off the beaten track in the allegorical hand animated indie feature film THE ARISTOCATS [1970], released on December 11, 1970.
“Say,
this kitten-cat
knows where it’s at.”
Curiously, the film began in a well appointed house in Paris with the elderly but still beautiful, luvly and luving retired French opera singer Madame Adelaide Bonfamille-played by Hermione Baddeley-making her will with her besotted attorney Georges Hautecourt-played by Charles Lane-and leaving her money, possessions and houses to her equally beautiful, luvly, luving and anthropomorphic mother cat Duchess-played by Eva Gabor-and her cute and cuddly anthropomorphic kittens Berlioz, Marie and Toulouse-played by Dean Clark, Liz English, and Gary Dubin, respectively. A willful decision that pleased her elderly English butler Edgar Balthazar-played by Roddy Maude-Roxby-so much that he knocked out the cats with sleeping potion, motorcycled them out into the country outside Paris and abandoned them to their fate, much to the horror of the anthropomorphic and implicitly Disney linked house mouse Roquefort-played by Holloway-who turned Madame’s house into a Mouse House.
Luckily for the despondent cats, they were soon befriended by the handsome, charming, roguish, jazz, song, word and beautiful cat luvin’ and implicitly Jean-Louis Lebris de “Jack” Kerouac linked road wandering anthropomorphic tomcat Abraham de Lacy Guiseppe Casey Thomas O’Malley-played by Harris-who guided them by foot and by vehicle back to Paris. Here O’Malley learned of Evil Edgar’s plot against them, and soon led them to a triumph over the beastly English butler that gave them Madame’s fortune, in the healing, harmonizing and eucatastrophic end, implying that Disney and Reitherman had been fond of Kerouac, who died of alcoholism the year before, and hoped that his fellow Beats and himself would continue to shake up the staid and stodgy world of English literature for the better of readers.
Significantly, three years later Lucas implied that he understood the implicit allegorical intent of THE LOVE BUG, for the sight and sound of the calm, cool, handsome, strong, cigarette luvin’, shrewd, knowing, experienced, disciplined and implicitly Disney linked small town dragslinger John Milner-played by Paul LeMat-triumphing over the rude, arrogant, cocky, mouthy, ill disciplined and implicitly Ralph Bakshi linked drag racer Bob Falfa-played by Harrison Ford-in the climactic drag race but then going on to be killed by a drunk driver in a car accident a few years after the climactic drag race with Falfa implied the fear or hope of Lucas that the film division at least of the Mouse House would disappear and be replaced by young film artists like himself at the healing, harmonizing and eucatastrophic end of the daylit, allegorical, Ozian themed George Lucas jr. indie docufeature film AMERICAN GRAFFITI [1973], a film released on July 27, 1973 that affirmed that Lucas had indeed come around to the vital humanity, heart and soul of film art after his cold, cerebral and eerily twilit, allegorical and implicitly Kubrick roasting indie docufeature film THX 1138 [1971], and whose implicit allegorical intent on one level was tragicomic and ironic given that it would be the Walt Disney Company that would triumph over Lucas in time but that affirmed its implicit interest in Disney on one level by allusions to THE LOVE BUG.
Curiously, Disney implied that they were on the same wavelength as Lucas in ’73, for an implicit interest in roasting Bakshi continued with an implicit interest in toasting rebel anti-establishment heroes as in THE ARISTOCATS when Disney and Reitherman collaborated again with Harris to implicitly strike back jealously at Marvel Comics and producer Bakshi of Krantz Films for collaborating on the popular and indie hand animated teletoon series SPIDER-MAN [1967-70] in the allegorical hand animated indie feature film ROBIN HOOD [1973], a film released on November 8, 1973 that was inspired by the legend of Robin Hood.
“Well,
greetings from
your friendly neighbourhood tax collector.”
Indeed, after a hardcover book with Robin Hood on its cover magically opened in classic Disney fashion, silently revealing the first page as in SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS and then kicking off a film long VO on the following pages by the laconic and easy come easy go folk musician/minstrel Allan-a-Dale the anthropomorphic rooster-played by Roger Miller-the film saw the Good, wily, handsome, anthropomorphic and implicitly Roy E. Disney linked fox Robin Hood-played by Brian Bedford-and the big, burly, good natured, anthropomorphic and implicitly Ron W. Miller linked brown bear Little John-played by Harris-triumph over the slim, goateed, cowardly, cruelly greedy, thumb suckin’, momma’s boyin’, non-reflecting, anthropomorphic and implicitly Smilin’ Stan “the Man” Lee linked lion Prince John-played by Peter Ustinov-his spineless, sneaky, hypnotizin’, anthropomorphic, Kaa evoking and implicitly Bakshi linked snake vizier Sir Hiss-played by Terry-Thomas-and his big, burly, equally spineless, anthropomorphic and implicitly Jolly Jack “King” Kirby linked tax collector wolf the Sheriff of Nottingham-played by Pat Buttram-in the healing, harmonizing and eucatastrophic end, much to the delight of Hood’s sweetie, the beautiful, anthropomorphic and implicitly Patricia A. Dailey linked fox Maid Marion-played by Monica Evans-and the familiar anthropomorphic animals including Disney evoking mice that audiences had grown used to in BAMBI and CINDERELLA, implying the hope of Disney, Reitherman and company that they would triumph over Bakshi, Marvel and the SPIDER-MAN tv series with ROBIN HOOD.
Thus, it was fitting that Robin Hood often came across as a masked superhero, particularly evoking Clinton “Clint” Barton aka “Hawkeye”, the archery marksman implicitly linked to pop artist Roy Liechtenstein by Lee and Doughty Don Heck for Marvel Comics. It was also fitting that Prince John and the Sheriff of Nottingham came across as nefarious and dimwitted supervillains, and that the Prince railed as furiously and impotently at Hood and Little John as DAILY BUGLE publisher J. Jonah Jameson railed at radioactive powered teen Peter Parker aka “Spider-Man”, a hero implicitly linked to narrative artist Wallace “Wally” Wood by Kirby, Lee and Sweet Steve Ditko for Marvel Comics, in the pulse pounding pages of THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN. It was equally fitting that Prince John’s soldiers were anthropomorphic rhinos, evoking the supervillain Aleksei Sytsevich aka “the Rhino” in THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN.
Significantly, three years later the sight and sound of the young, naïve, innocent, exuberant, idealistic, hopeful, courageous, determined and implicitly Lucas linked Luke Skywalker aka “Red Five”-played by Mark Hamill-living and triumphing and the implicitly Disney linked Biggs Darklighter aka “Red Three”-played by Garrick Hagon-dying in the climactic, spectacular and memorable X- and Y-wing space fighter attack on the dread Death Star of the Evil Empire reaffirmed the implicit fear or hope of Lucas that the film division of the Mouse House was doomed to oblivion at the end of the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed and implicitly Spielberg roasting Lucas indie docufeature film STAR WARS [1977], a film released on May 25, 1977 whose surprising, Skyrocking and enormous worldwide success singlehandedly turned young audiences away from Disney to Lucas in the first time since Mickey Mouse showed up in “Steamboat Willie” in 1928 that a live action film artist working with a live action Hollywood studio had threatened the long and now traditional monopoly of children’s cinematic entertainment of the Mouse House. Thus, given that Disney now had to somehow free young audiences of the world from the inspiring and Forceful grip of Lucas to improve their fortunes, it was fortuitously fitting that soon after the release of STAR WARS, Disney, Reitherman, John Lounsbery and Art Stevens collaborated again with Gabor to have two tragicomically intrepid and Minnie and Mickey evoking mice, beautiful Miss Bianca and bashful Bernard-played by Gabor and Bob Newhart, respectively-team up to find and liberate a sweet, innocent and pretty orphan girl named Penny-played by Michelle Stacy-and the legendary Devil’s Eye jewel from the creepy and covetous clutches of the insidious, red haired, fortune and glory lusting and Kennedy anticipating Madame Medusa-played by Geraldine Page-and her simpering and Spielberg evoking stooge Mr. Snoops-played by Joe Flynn-hidden away in a moldering old and Mississippi river steamboat as dilapidated as the cinematic fortunes of the Mouse House at the time at the healing, harmonizing and eucatastrophic end of the allegorical indie hand animated feature film THE RESCUERS [1977], a film released on June 17, 1977 that was inspired by the allegorical Margery Sharp children’s novels The Rescuers [1959] and Miss Bianca [1962].
Two years later, and not surprisingly, Disney, Don Bluth-a supervising animator on THE RESCUERS-and Don Chaffey then hoped that children would continue to luv their hand animated and animaction feature film art despite the success of Lucas and STAR WARS and even turn against them in time like the dirty blonde and young Skywalker resembling and implicitly linked Pete the Dorothy evoking orphan boy-played by Sean Marshall-luved his hand animated, usually invisible, pink, purple and green and Kraytt dragon and Toto evoking dragon Elliot-played by Charlie Callas-and joined the beautiful, brunette, lonely, lovely, lively and Princess Leia resembling and implicitly linked Nora the Glinda evoking lighthouse keeper-played by Helen Reddy-her father, the tragicomic, Obi Wan Kenobi resembling and implicitly linked Lampie the Tin Man evoking town drunk-played by Mickey Rooney-and the rest of the singing and dancing luvin’ citizens of the small town of Passamaquoddy in turning against and running the fortune and glory lustin’ and implicitly Lucas and Great Oz linked snake oil salesman Doctor Terminus-played by Jim Dale-and his favourite and implicitly Garry Kurtz linked drunk toadie Hoagy-played by Red Buttons-and the wild, shaggy, bearded and implicitly ILM linked Gogan family led by the implicitly Wicked Witch of the West linked family matriarch Lena-played by Shelley Winters-out of town at the end of the allegorical and Ozian themed animaction indie feature film PETE’S DRAGON [1979], a film released on November 3, 1979 that was inspired by the allegorical and unpublished Seton I. Miller and S.S. Field children’s story “Pete’s Dragon and the U.S.A.”, that affirmed its implicit allegorical intent with allusions to STAR WARS, and that was still perhaps the funniest implicit roast of Lucas and the STAR WARS phenomena ever made.
Alas, the madcap, black haired and eyed, moustached and goateed Dr. Terminus and his older spineless toadie Hoagy also anticipated the arrival of the equally madcap, black haired and eyed, moustached and bearded Landis and his older producer pal Folsey jr. in another eerily and presciently twilit memory of the future seen in many of the films and novels that preceded the TZ disaster. A shocking, horrific, gory, stupid, pointless, infuriating, outraging and depressing disaster that occurred three years later, outraging audiences and film artists, changing film art forever and setting off the dread allegorical Zone Wars that continued to this day.
Significantly, the same year that Dis released PETE’S DRAGON, the Mouse House reaffirmed how shocked and worried they were about the arrival and astounding success of STAR WARS EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE when they collaborated with Gary Nelson and again with Ellenshaw to implicitly roast Lucas again in their own hi-tech sly fi film, the eerily and presciently twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed animaction indie feature film THE BLACK HOLE [1979], released on December 18, 1979.
“How can one
not be overwhelmed
by the deadliest Force
in the universe?”
Significantly, the film began with red digital opening titles over a sickly green three dimensional CGI schematic of a black hole and its event horizon that sucked audiences into a new and CGI enhanced film universe as free from the physical limitations of cameras and sets as the previous hand animated era of film. However, as THE BLACK HOLE revolved around confronting and defeating the short, slim, black haired, eyed, moustached and bearded, brilliant but dark, tormented, Capt. Nemo evoking and implicitly Lucas and Great Oz linked mad scientist Doctor Hans Reinhardt-played by Maximilian Schell-perched in his huge, gothic and spooky spaceship the USS Cygnus on the cusp of a CGI black hole in deep space, Disney and Nelson implied that they were roasting rather than celebrating the arrival of CGI, despite the fact that it freed audiences and film artists from the limitations of the camera like hand animation, and dismissing it as a costly and ephemeral gimmick like 3-D or Smell-o-rama that would disappear as fast as those latter cinematic gimmicks when it dragged film art down into a money wasting black hole like the one that Dr. Reinhardt and the USS Cygnus were dragged into at the end of the film.
Indeed, the sickly green black hole seen in the opening titles affirmed the implicit link of Dr. Reinhardt to Lucas, for it evoked the equally sickly green and falling titles of THX 1138-whose implicit interest in roasting Kubrick was affirmed by the film’s allusions to the allegorical and implicitly Old Hollywood roasting Kubrick indie docufeature film DR. STRANGELOVE: OR, HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB [1964] and the allegorical and Ozian themed Kubrick indie docufeature artbuster 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY [1968]. Dr. Reinhardt’s ruby red police robots and his huge, menacing, four armed and Robby the Robot evoking bodyguard and servant Maximilian reaffirmed the implicit link of Reinhardt to Lucas, for they evoked the robocops of THX 1138, and the short white skeletal Stormtroopers and the equally huge and menacing Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the shit Sith hits-played by David Prowse and voiced by James E. Jones, respectively-in STAR WARS EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE, while Maximilian also pointed the way to the even larger and more menacing Recognisers in a TRON sequel to come. The fact that the flying robot V.I.N.C.E.N.T aka 396 was voiced by Roddy McDowall also affirmed the film’s implicit interest in Lucas, reminding us that McDowall had played the persnickety and DC hating Gregory Benson in THAT DARN CAT!, one of the first Disney films to implicitly roast or anticipate Lucas.
Significantly, as Dr. Reinhardt wound up merging with Maximilian and transforming into a tormented manbot overlord of a hellish and fiery underworld after being pulled into the black hole and being taken on a hyperdrive evoking space/time journey, in the end, Disney implied that Lucas was not only in danger of being destroyed by his obsession with hi-tech and CGI enhanced film art, but also in danger of losing his fallible but vital humanity and the fallible but vital humanity of his film art, a fate that the Mouse House implicitly hoped would not happen to them. Disney also implicitly hoped that they would be able to weather the sociocultural, New Hollywood, and STAR WARS storms that drew so many young audience members away from the Mouse House from the mid-Sixties onwards, for Good protagonists Captain Daniel “Dan” Holland, Lieutenant Charles Pizer and Doctor Kate McRae-played by Robert Forster, Joseph Bottoms and Yvette Mimieux, respectively-who stumbled upon the USS Cygnus while exploring deep space in their USS Palomino, survived their own tumultuous hyperdrive evoking journey through time/space via the black hole and reached a Lucas/Reinhardt free and brave new world of CGI enhanced film art at the end of THE BLACK HOLE.
Unfortunately, and ironically for Dis, THE BLACK HOLE was not as successful as STAR WARS EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE, causing the expensive and tech-heavy film to vanish without a trace into the black hole of failed films rather than the Lucas film. The embarrassment of the Mouse House increased the following year with the Skyrocking success of the eerily and presciently twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed, Lucas executive produced and implicitly Spielberg roasting Irvin Kershner indie docufeature film STAR WARS EPISODE V: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK [1980], a film released on May 17, 1980 that made it clear that Lucas and the new STAR WARS Classic Trilogy were not the flashes in the pan that they had implicitly hoped they would be in PETE’S DRAGON and THE BLACK HOLE. To the embarrassment of the Mouse House, their own major release that year in collaboration with Paramount Pictures, the allegorical and implicitly Kubrick roasting and Landis toasting Robert Altman animaction indie feature film POPEYE [1980], a film released on December 6, 1980, was not only a modest success, but it implicitly toasted Landis less than two years before the TZ disaster.
The embarrassment of Disney increased the following year when their major film release of the year in collaboration again with Paramount Pictures that fused “The Sorceror’s Apprentice” segment of FANTASIA with the tragicomic dragonslaying quest in THE RELUCTANT DRAGON, the twilit and allegorical Disney and Matthew Robbins animaction indie feature film DRAGONSLAYER [1981], a film released on June 26, 1981 that implicitly toasted the brilliant, madcap and animaction film luvin’ indie film artist Terry Gilliam in the implicit form of the young, earnest and dragon slaying sorceror’s apprentice Galen Brandwardyn-played by Peter MacNicol-who steadfastly refused to “…make a shameful peace with dragons” or any other blockbuster beasts and teamed up with his old, wise and implicitly Kubrick linked sorcerer mentor Ulrich the Enchanter-played by Sir Ralph Richardson-to hunt down and kill the implicitly Lucas linked and tyrannical Tyrian-played by John Hallam-also failed to find an audience while Lucas, Marshall and Spielberg went on to great success again that year with the eerily and presciently twilit, allegorical, Ozian themed, Lucas executive produced, Marshall produced and implicitly William Friedkin and Louis Malle roasting Spielberg indie docufeature film RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK [1981], released on June 5, 1981. Thus, it was fitting that the following month, Dis and Reitherman collaborated with co-writer/director Ted Berman and directors Richard Rich and Art Stevens and again with Rooney to implicitly address the friendly rivalry between Lucas and Spielberg and return to the Silver Age of hand animated film art in the allegorical indie hand animated feature film THE FOX AND THE HOUND [1981], a film released on July 10, 1981 that was inspired by the allegorical Daniel P. Mannix indie docufiction novel The Fox And The Hound [1967].
“If you pal around with that Copper hound,
you’ll wind up hangin’ on the wall.”
Indeed, the friendly rivalry between Lucas and Spielberg was implicitly linked to the equally friendly rivalry between the anthropomorphic and implicitly Lucas linked fox Toddler aka “Tod”-reminding us that Lucas released the STAR WARS Classic Trilogy with Twentieth Century Fox, and played by Rooney as an adult and by Keith Mitchell as a boy, respectively-and the anthropomorphic and implicitly Spielberg linked hound dog Copper-played by Corey Feldman as a boy and by Kurt Russell as an adult, respectively-throughout the film. Curiously, the sight and sound of Tod being taken by his kindly and luving adopter Widow Tweed-played by Jeanette Nolan-into a wildlife preserve and left to fend for himself after getting into too much mischief and mayhem with Copper also presciently anticipated the sight and sound of Lucas washing up in the cinematic wilderness fending all alone for himself after his foolish sympathy for Kennedy, Marshall and Spielberg after the TZ disaster led to him falling out of favour with young audiences. Just as curiously, the sight and sound of Copper and Tod putting aside their differences and teaming up to desperately fight and fend off a huge and rampaging blockbuster beast of a bear, a desperate battle that ended any enmity between them and made them fast friends forever, in the healing, harmonizing and eucatastrophic end, not only reaffirmed the importance of friendship and of friends working together to achieve success in a Disney film, but also presciently anticipated Lucas and Spielberg initially being brought together and becoming fast friends after surviving the twilit and life changing mauling from audiences after July 23, 1982 together before drifting apart and becoming enemies again in the Nineties.
Significantly, THE FOX AND THE HOUND was a fine film that evoked BAMBI and ROBIN HOOD and that pointed the way to a new era of high quality CGI enhanced hand animated film art that would soon begin at the Walt Disney Company, making it fitting that Squeeks the caterpillar transformed into a beautiful butterfly at the end of the film. The following year the troubles of the Mouse House continued when they turned their back on the implicit dismissal of CGI in THE BLACK HOLE and collaborated with Steven Lisberger to exuberantly embrace and explore the camera free possibilities of CGI and to implicitly hope that Lucas and Spielberg would preserve the imperfect but vital humanity of their CGI enhanced film art like the implicitly Lucas and Cowardly Lion linked software whiz and disgruntled ex-ENCOM employee Kevin Flynn-played by Jeff Bridges-and the implicitly Spielberg and Scarecrow linked digital hero Tron-played by Bruce Boxleitner-saved humanity and the digital world from being controlled by the nasty and implicitly David Cronenberg and Nikko linked Encom CEO Edward “Ed” Dillinger-played by David Warner-and his Evil and implicitly Kubrick and Wicked Witch of the West linked digital puppet Master Control Program [MCP]-also played by Warner-at the healing, harmonizing and eucatastrophic end of the ambitious, CGI heavy but mostly incomprehensible and eerily and presciently twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed animaction indie feature film TRON [1982], a film released on July 9, 1982 that also failed to find an audience, increasing the embarrassment and frustration of the Walt Disney Company, but nonetheless affirmed its implicit allegorical intent with allusions to the STAR WARS Classic Trilogy, THE WIZARD OF OZ, THX 1138, 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY and the allegorical and implicitly David Lean addressing Kubrick docufeature film SPARTACUS [1960].
However, it was fitting that TRON was in theatres on and after the TZ disaster shocked the world in the early morning hours of July 23, 1982 and set off the dread allegorical Zone Wars, for Lucas and his CGI wizards at ILM led the way after the disaster in developing and perfecting realistic CGI so that dangerous on set effects sequences involving explosions and helicopters could be pulled off with CGI so as to prevent any more horrific, fatal and fateful disasters on film sets. In fact, TRON joined forces that fateful year with the standout Alvy R. Smith and ILM created CGI sequence that created the brave new Genesis world of CGI enhanced film art right in front of audiences in the eerily and presciently twilit, allegorical and CGI enhanced Nicholas Meyer film STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN [1982], released on June 4, 1982, in booting up the new and death defying world of CGI enhanced film art.
Significantly for audiences and Disney, soon after the TZ disaster Tim Burton arrived on the scene with his inimitably idiosyncratic, indie, creepy, gothic and macabre spirit and vision, and fondness for Vincent Price, on display in the twilit and allegorical stop motion animated indie short film VINCENT [1982], released on July 30, 1982. Just as significantly, right around the release of VINCENT, Lucas affirmed that he was still going to work with Kennedy, Marshall and Spielberg on a sequel to RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK and soon hustled them off to London to get started on pre-production of the film, outraging audiences, particularly young audiences, as much as the TZ disaster as the man who had preached for years in the STAR WARS Classic Trilogy that a person had to have the Force of Good with you was now making it clear that it was okay to work with the three people most responsible for the deaths of Chen, Le and Morrow in the TZ disaster and equally okay to prevent them for being investigated by the police or being called to testify at the TZ trial, turning furious and disappointed young audiences against Lucas now as well as Kennedy, Marshall and Spielberg.
While the disgrace of Lucas and the arrival of the dark and creepy Burton were rare and ironically bright moments for Disney at this time, the Mouse House also failed to reach out to and soothe audiences shocked and outraged by the TZ disaster when they collaborated with Jack Clayton and again with Mary G. Canfield-who played the miffed maid Angelica in POLLYANNA-to have the Chen and Le evoking but implicitly Cronenberg and Screamin’ Stephen King linked boys William “Will” Holloway and James “Jim” Nightshade-played by Vidal Peterson and Shawn Carson, respectively-triumph over the exuberantly Evil, Dr. Terminus evoking and resembling but implicitly Landis linked Mr. Dark-played by Jonathan Pryce-and his Pandemonium Carnival at the healing, harmonizing and eucatastrophic end of the twilit, allegorical and CGI enhanced Jack Clayton animaction film SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES [1983], a film released on April 29, 1983 that was inspired by the twilit and allegorical and Rod Serling roasting Ray Bradbury indie docufiction novel Something Wicked This Way Comes [1962] and by Bradbury’s own screenplay, and whose implicit interest in Cronenberg and King was fitting, given that Cronenberg returned to the Temple Theatre that year with his first implicit salvo in the Zone Wars, the twilit and allegorical indie docufeature film THE DEAD ZONE [1983], a film released on October 21, 1983 that was inspired by the allegorical King indie docufiction novel The Dead Zone [1979]. However, despite its lack of popularity, SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES was still a fitting choice for first implicit Zone War salvo from Disney. For the film reminded us that Mr. Dark in his stuffy black suit evoked Serling, that the surname of Halloway evoked Hollywood, and that the name of Jim Nightshade had the same cadence as Twilight Zone, implying that Bradbury was already implicitly coming to grips with the Dark struggle between Hollywood film art and the bodysnatching TWILIGHT ZONE telefilm series decades before the TZ disaster in Something Wicked This Way Comes.
Significantly, shortly after the release of SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES, Lucas had also outraged, disappointed, depressed and alienated already furious young audiences even more with the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed, Lucas executive producer and implicitly Spielberg roasting Richard Marquand indie docufeature film STAR WARS EPISODE VI: RETURN OF THE JEDI [1983], a film released on May 25, 1983 which came across as a witless and infuriating filmmercial for Ewok teddy bears and STAR WARS action figures, turning young audiences against Lucas. Young audiences that embraced Disney for the first time in years that year when the Mouse House collaborated with co-writer/director Burny Mattinson and again with Don Hahn-assistant director of THE FOX AND THE HOUND-to return again to the Silver Age of hand animated film art in the allegorical hand animated indie short film MICKEY’S CHRISTMAS CAROL [1983], a film released on October 20, 1983 that was inspired by and released in the 140th anniversary year of the allegorical Charles Dickens indie docufiction novella A Christmas Carol [1983] and that saw the perhaps Lucas or New Hollywood linked and Scrooge McDuck played Ebenezer Scrooge-played by Alan Young-learn that there was more to life than money when he was visited by four haunting and instructive ghosts-including Jiminy Cricket’s Ghost of Christmas Past [fittingly played, given the implicit link of Cricket to ex-Canadian PM King in PINOCCHIO, by the equally fittingly surnamed Canadian actor Eddie Carroll]-one fateful Christmas Eve, implying that Dis and Mattinson felt that Lucas in particular or New Hollywood film artists as a whole had become too obsessed with blockbuster profits by ’83 and had lost sight of the heart and soul of film art. Significantly, on top of being popular, MICKEY’S CHRISTMAS CAROL saw the arrival of Hahn as a production assistant and Bradley “Brad” Bird and John Lasseter as animators, all of whom would go on to play big roles in the development of Disney and Pixar CGI enhanced hand animated films and all CGI animated films.
And so a despondent, distraught, and desperate but thoughtful and hopeful Disney tried again, creating the Touchstone Pictures division, hoping that audiences would not avoid the films released by this division if those films lacked the Disney name. Significantly, and no doubt to the surprised delight of new CEO Eisner and company at Disney, the ploy worked wonders with the first feature film released by the new division, the daylit and allegorical Ron Howard indie animaction feature film SPLASH [1984], released on March 9, 1984.
“!Welcome to the Statue of Liberty!
It is a gift from French citizens.
It has come to symbolize hope
and naked women everywhere.”
Curiously, the film began with a short prologue in Cape Cod in 1964 that saw the young, bored, brunette and implicitly Steven Allen Spielberg linked boy Allen Bauer-played by David Kreps-either fall or throw himself off the side of the good ferry New England Queen during a family vacation. To his astonishment, he met underwater a cute blonde mergirl-played by Shayla MacKarvich-and they both fell in luv with each other, before he was rescued by a crew member of the New England Queen, much to the bemusement of Allen’s mischievous older brother Freddie Bauer-played by Jason Cate. Then the film jumped twenty years to New York City in 1984 and the older and still implicitly Spielberg linked Allen Bauer-played by Tom Hanks-working for the family’s fruit and vegetable wholesaler and soon being dumped over the phone by his unseen girlfriend Victoria. Returning to Cape Cod on a sudden impulse after drinking Vicky off his mind one night, Bauer wound up falling out of another boat the next morning and perhaps being rescued again by the even more beautiful, blonde, sweet, and luvly adult mermaid-played by Daryl Hannah-for he washed up on a beach safe and sound. He also soon discovered that the tall, beautiful, and leggy blonde mermaid had the power to briefly possess human legs, for when she noticed that he had spotted her looking at her on the beach, she ran down the beach naked and threw herself into the sea, evoking the sight and sound of the equally tall, beautiful and leggy blonde-played by -who ran naked down a beach into the Atlantic Ocean and then the Pacific Ocean at the beginning of the eerily and presciently twilit and allegorical Spielberg docufeature films JAWS [1975] and 1941 [1979] to affirm the implicit link of Bauer to Spielberg.
Significantly, while Bauer returned wistfully to New York, this chance meeting rekindled the mermaid’s luv for Bauer and, using the information she found about him in his dropped wallet, she swam to New York, left the ocean with human legs as she had the power to do for awhile, and wandered naked around the Statue of Liberty National Monument. Needless to say, the sudden appearance of the beautiful, young, blonde and naked woman and her arrest by police attracted a lot of media attention, including a television news spot that alerted Bauer, led him to her and reaffirmed his implicit link to Spielberg, reminding us that Spielberg began his career in television rather than film like most of the film artists of New Hollywood. The sight and sound of the mysterious mermaid posing as an exuberant shopper and learning how to speak from watching tv for six hours in the electronics department of Bloomingdale’s also affirmed the implicit link of Bauer to Spielberg via television.
Alas for the sweet and exuberant luv that bloomed between Bauer and the mermaid soon dubbed “Madison” from a street sign in New York, a name that evoked the advertising agencies of Madison Avenue to reaffirm the implicit link of Bauer to Spielberg and his fondness for using his films to promote placed products and movie tie-in merchandise as in the eerily and presciently twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed docufeature film E.T., THE EXTRATERRESTRIAL [1982], the madcap, fortune and glory obsessed, bespectacled and implicitly Landis linked scientific wannabe Walter Kornbluth-played by Eugene Levy-who had also seen Madison in the waters off Cape Cod like Bauer during his wistful second visit, tracked her down and exposed her as a mermaid with a splash of water, leading to her being locked up in a tank and studied by cold and callous scientists led by Dr. Ross-played by Richard B. Shull-whose name reminded us that Steve Ross was CEO of Warner Brothers during the making and release of TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE, affirming the implicit links of Bauer and Kornbluth to Spielberg and Landis. Luckily for Bauer and Madison, however, Kornbluth became so infuriated by his rude treatment by Dr. Ross that he helped Bauer and his older brother Freddie-played by John Candy, who played in 1941-liberated Madison from her tank.
Thus, the sight and sound of Bauer, Madison and Kornbluth evading the pursuing national guard and police in Bauer’s car in a chase sequence that evoked the pursuing national guard and police at the end of the eerily and presciently twilit, allegorical and implicitly Mel Brooks and David Lynch roasting Landis docufeature film THE BLUES BROTHERS [1980], Kornbluth getting out to try and fail to stop them, and then Bauer and Madison leaping into the ocean and swimming back to Madi’s underwater city forever implied the curious hope of Disney and Howard that the equally tragicomic Landis would do his best to carry on like Kornbluth, and that Spielberg, the man who headed TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE, would also quit filmmaking due to the ignominy of the TZ disaster and never return to the Temple Theatre again, in the end, an implicit allegorical intent affirmed by the film’s allusions to JAWS, 1941 and THE BLUES BROTHERS and the presences of Candy and of Bobby Di Cicco, who played the implicitly Lucas linked Latino zoot suiter Wally in 1941, in a cameo role as Bauer company manager Jerry.
Significantly, the implicit allegorical intent of SPLASH, the fresh, original and high quality of the film and the all natural and often naked blonde beauty of Hannah all appealed to audiences, turning into one of the biggest hits of the year and inspiring young Gen X couples to give their baby girls the name Madison for the first time ever. In fact, SPLASH was so successful, the film also singlehandedly kicked off Disney’s rise out of the dark, desolate and lost and confused decades since the death of Uncle Walt and into the super successful behemoth it has transformed into since 1984, much to the delight of the new CEO of Walt Disney Company Michael Eisner and his hand picked new Chairman of Walt Disney Studios Jeffrey Katzenberg, both of whom arrived in September of ’84. Indeed, given that SPLASH transformed Disney forever, you wondered why after the camera pulled back on the Disney Castle and the triumphant fireworks disappeared in the star filled sunset sky in the all CGI Disney intro that a mermaid did not briefly leap out of the still waters before the castle and then disappear into the water again in honour of SPLASH before an invisible Blue Fairy sprinkled a semi-circle of pixie dust from left to right over the top of the castle all to the familiar instrumental tune of “When You Wish Upon A Star”.
The fact that Kennedy, Lucas, Marshall and Spielberg destroyed their reputations forever later that year with the release of the infuriatingly dismal, twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed, Lucas executive produced, Kennedy and Marshall produced and implicitly Friedkin, Landis and Satajit Roy roasting Spielberg indie docufeature film INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM [1984], released on May 8, 1984, no doubt added to the delight of Eisner, Katzenberg and company. Last but not least, the lightness of SPLASH did much to exorcise theatres of the darkness of the eerily and presciently twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed and implicitly Robbins addressing Sir Ridley Scott indie docufeature artbuster BLADE RUNNER [1982], making it fitting that Hannah played the peroxide blonde Replicant renegade Pris in that film.
Curiously, Disney ended the year by collaborating again with Burton on the mildly creepy, macabre, gothic, twilit and allegorical black and white indie animaction short film FRANKENWEENIE [1984], a film released on December 14, 1984 which evoked the allegorical and implicitly Third Reich roasting James Whale film FRANKENSTEIN [1931] and which featured one of the first roles of future film artist Sophia Carmina [SCC] Coppola aka “Domino” as the jittery goldilocks girl Ann Chambers. The Mouse House also re-released PINOCCHIO that December to great acclaim for a new generation, a fitting release given that Jiminy Cricket had reappeared the year before in MICKEY’S CHRISTMAS CAROL. Three years later, the beautiful, blonde, resigned, intrepid and implicitly Jennifer Jason Leigh linked Hemingway High School teen babysitter Chris Parker-played by Elisabeth Shue-struggled to deal with horny teen babysittees the salacious and implicitly Croneberg linked Daryl Coopersmith-played by Anthony Rapp-and the blonde and implicitly James Cameron linked Brad Anderson-played by Mitchell, now calling himself Keith Coogan-while the tragicomic obsession of Brad’s kid sister, the ambiguously linked Sara Anderson-played by Maia Brewton-with the Marvel Comic version of the mighty and Mjolnir wielding Thor presciently anticipated the Walt Disney Company’s equally tragicomic obsession in the new millenium with Marvel’s mighty and Mjolnir wielding Thor in the twilit and allegorical Disney and Chris Columbus indie docufeature film ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING [1987], a Touchstone Pictures film and rare Disney docufeature film released on June 19, 1987. Then Disney closed out the Nineties by teaming up with Ron Clements-supervising animator on THE RESCUERS-and John Musker-an animator on THE FOX AND THE HOUND-to implicitly reaffirm their support for Landis in another mermaid mad and SPLASH evoking film, the twilit, allegorical and CGI enhanced indie hand animated feature film THE LITTLE MERMAID [1989], a film released on November 13, 1989 that was inspired by the allegorical Hans C. Andersen fairy tale “The Little Mermaid” [1837].
“I’m telling you, Grim, she was real!
I’m gonna find that girl.
And I’m gonna marry her.”
SPLASH evoking, indeed, for the film began in the early Nineteenth century with the handsome, black haired and eyed, Bauer evoking but implicitly Landis linked Prince Eric-played by Christopher D. Barnes-saved by the beautiful, redhaired, Madison evoking but implicitly Deborah Nadoolman Landis linked mermaid Princess Ariel-played by Jodi Benson-after his sailing ship exploded and sank in a raging and lightning lit storm, evoking the sight and sound of Madison rescuing Bauer from his falls into the Atlantic Ocean in SPLASH. And as in SPLASH, this chance meeting led to the two to fall madly in luv with each other. So much so that Princess Ariel got the Evil, duplicitous, black clad and implicitly Phyllis Diller linked Ursula the Sea Witch-played by Pat Carroll-to give her legs so she could go on land and woo Prince Eric like Madison wooed Bauer in SPLASH.
Thus, the sight and sound of Princess Ariel succeeding in her wooing, and then teaming up with Prince Eric and her white bearded, golden crowned and fittingly triton wielding father King Triton-played by Kenneth Mars-and defeating the Evil Ursula, and then living happily ever after, in an healing, harmonizing and eucatastrophic end completely missing in the original Andersen fairy tale, implying the hope of Disney, Clements and Musker that John and Deborah Landis would get their lives back on track and live happier lives with successful film art now that the TZ trial had ended two years before with Landis and his four co-defendants being found not guilt of involuntary manslaughter in the deaths of Chen, Le and Morrow in the TZ disaster. Indeed, the fact that Flounder the coral fish-played by Jason Marin-helped Ariel woo Eric affirmed the film’s implicit interest in John and Deborah Landis, reminding us that Stephen Furst played the chubby, dorky and tragicomic Kent Dorfman aka “Flounder” in the eerily and presciently twilit, allegorical and implicitly Dante and Roger Corman roasting Landis docufeature film ANIMAL HOUSE [1978].
Significantly, THE LITTLE MERMAID was a popular and successful film that won two Oscars for Best Original Score and Best Original Song for “Under The Sea” for composer Alan Menken and songwriter Howard Ashman. Curiously, the Mouse House then collaborated with Hendel Butoy and Mike Gabriel and again with Gabor and Newhart to send intrepid mice rescuers pretty Miss Bianca and her besotted admirer Bernard-played again by Gabor and Newhart, respectively-to Australia to rescue the cute and earnest kidnapped kid Cody-played by Adam Ryen-from the Wicked and implicitly Spielberg linked American poacher Percival C. McLeach-played by George C. Scott-in the twilit, allegorical and CGI enhanced indie hand animated feature film THE RESCUERS DOWN UNDER [1990], a film released on November 16, 1990 that affirmed its implicit Spielberg roasting intent with allusions to the Indiana Jones Trilogy, which had concluded the year before with the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed and implicitly Friedkin and Lean roasting indie docufeature film INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE [1989]. And, while not as popular as THE LITTLE MERMAID, THE RESCUERS DOWN UNDER combined with that film to cause Chairman Katzenberg of the Walt Disney Studios to persuade Walt Disney Company CEO Eisner to approve funding for a new era of CGI enhanced hand animated and animaction feature film art, kicking off a Golden Age of Disney CGI enhanced hand animated films that began when the Mouse House collaborated again with Ashman, Hahn and Menken on the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise indie hand animated feature film BEAUTY AND THE BEAST [1991], a film released on September 29, 1991 that was inspired by the allegorical Gabrielle-Suzanne Babot de Villeneuve fairy tale “Belle et Bete” [1740].
“Tale as old as time,
song as old as rhyme.”
Curiously, the film began with stained glass windows and a narrator-played by both David O. Stiers and Edmund Cupcupin-telling the tragicomic tale of a young, handsome, ginger haired, wealthy, arrogant and implicitly Cameron linked Prince-played by Robby Benson-who, “…once upon a time in a faraway land”, scornfully refused to take a single rose from an old woman who stopped at his castle. Transforming into a beautiful, blonde, righteously furious and implicitly Hollywood linked Enchantress, she used her magic powers to turn the Prince into a hideous Beast who could only transform into an handsome man again if a woman who fell truly in luv with him kissed him before he turned twenty-one and the last petal of the enchanted rose she left him fell.
Luckily for the Prince, the beautiful, brainy, brunette, book luvin’, indie and implicitly Kathryn Bigelow linked Belle-played by Paige O’Hara-did sympathize and fall in luv with him after becoming a prisoner in his castle, much to the frustrated fury of the tall, strong, handsome, black haired, even more arrogant, conceited, and implicitly Stanley Kubrick linked Gaston-played by Richard White-who infiltrated the castle of the Prince and died fighting him for the hand of Belle. Kissing the Prince after the death of Gaston, the astonished Belle set off a lightstorm that transformed him back into an handsome, humbled and polite man, and the two got married and lived happily ever after, in the end, implying the hope of Disney, Musker and Wise that the super successful Cameron would stop being so darn cocky and confident, start being more polite and grateful for his success, and settle down forever with his third wife Bigelow, a vain implicit latter hope indeed given that Biggs and Cameron divorced shortly before or after the release of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST but was affirmed by allusions to T1, T2, and, curiously, the eerily and presciently twilit and allegorical Gerald Potterton hand animated indie feature film HEAVY METAL [1981].
However, while BEAUTY AND THE BEAST could not prevent the divorce of Bigelow and Cameron, the film did affirm that CGI and hand animation would complement and enhance each other, aided by a story, animation, backgrounds, acting, music, songs and visual effects that were the best in a Disney animated feature film since the heyday of FANTASIA, PINOCCHIO and SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS, all of which led the film to be a popular success that was duly awarded two more Oscars to Ashman and Menken for Best Original Score and Best Original Song for “Beauty And The Beast.” BEAUTY AND THE BEAST also implicitly impressed Cameron, for he alluded to it often in the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed and implicitly Eleanor, Francis and Sophia [SCC] Coppola toasting indie docufeature Zonebuster TRUE LIES [1994], including a cigarette luvin and Disney resembling and implicitly linked Frenchman named Jean-Claude-played by Jean-Claude Parachini-and a short and tragicomic emphasis on a single red rose of luv. Then the Mouse House and directors/producers Clements and Musker collaborated again with Ashman and Menken to implicitly toast John and Deborah Landis again when they continued the Golden Age of CGI enhanced hand animated film art with the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie hand animated feature film ALADDIN [1992], released on November 8, 1992.
“Rule number one:
I can’t kill anybody, yeah,
so don’t ask.
Rule number three:
I can’t bring people back from the dead,
it’s not a pretty picture,
I don’t like doing it.”
Curious, the sight and sound of the street smart but down on his luck and implicitly Landis and Scarecrow linked street urchin Aladdin-played by Scott Weinger-teaming up with the implicitly Kubrick and Great Oz linked Genie-played by Robin Williams-to triumph over the power mad and implicitly John Waters and Wicked Witch of the West linked vizier Jafar-played by Jonathan Freeman-and his yappy, irritating and implicitly Nikko the Flying Monkey King linked parrot Iago-played by Gilbert Gottfried-and to marry the beautiful and implicitly Deborah Nadoolman Landis and Dorothy linked Princess Jasmine-played by Linda Larkin-in the healing, harmonizing, and eucatastrophic end again implied the hope of Dis, Clements and Musker that John and Deborah Landis would recover from the rough period he was currently in at that point in his career and succeed again with his brilliant and madcap indie animaction film art, an implicit allegorical intent affirmed by the film’s several grimly “humourous” nods to decapitations and to allusions to FANTASIA, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK-on which Deborah was costume designer-SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS, THE OLD MILL, and THE WIZARD OF OZ.
Significantly, ALADDIN was not only as popular and successful as BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, it also led Ashman and Menken and co-songwriter Tim Rice to be awarded two Oscars for Best Original Score and Best Original Song for “A Whole New World.” Despite this success, however, the CGI enhanced ALADDIN and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST also implicitly worried newfound writer/director Guillermo Del Toro, for the sight and sound of kindly grandfather Jesus “Grey Jesus” Gris-who resembled Gepetto and was played by Federico Luppi-giving up on his madcap dreams of immortality and destroying the mysterious gold Cronos bug that gave him immortality but turned him into one of the auguished and tormented undead and then happily reaffirming his vital humanity to his young, sweet, silent, luving and Screamin’ Stephen King resembling grandaughter Aurora-wearing a preppy red sweater and white blouse that evoked the red and white colours of Canada, and played by Tamara Shanath-implied the hope of Del Toro that Disney would also give up on its madcap dreams of rejuvenating itself with CGI and instead reaffirm its vital humanity by returning to making CGI free hand animated film art at the end of the twilit and allegorical indie docufeature film CRONOS [1993], a fine, memorable and moving first feature film released on May 17, 1993.
Significantly, this implicit concern of young Del Toro was not shared by Disney, for the Mouse House was so pleased with the success of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST that they decided to not simply create CGI enhanced hand animated films that were as good as FANTASIA, PINOCCHIO and SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS, but to collaborate again with Hahn and Rice and now with Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff to create CGI enhanced hand animated films that were even better, bringing the Golden Age of CGI enhanced hand animated films to a new level beginning, and to implicitly address Kubrick, Lucas and Spielberg in the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie hand animated feature film THE LION KING [1994], released on June 12, 1994.
“You are our only hope.”
Indeed, the sight and sound of the sun dawning on the African veldt as anthropomorphic animals gathered at the Pride Rock to watch and celebrate as the old, wise and Yoda evoking mandrill monkey Rafiki-played by Robert Guillaume-lifted up in the air for all to see the newborn and implicitly Lucas linked lion cub Simba, son of the implicitly Kubrick and Wicked Witch of the East linked Lion King father Mufasa-fittingly played by Jones, electronically modified voice of Darth Vader in the STAR WARS Classic Trilogy, and also linked to Kubrick via his character bombardier Lieutenant Lothar Zogg in DR. STRANGELOVE: OR, HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB-immediately affirmed the film’s implicit interest in Kubrick and Lucas, evoking the sun dawning on the animals and early humans of Africa at the beginning of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY and the sun dawning on the desert of the allegorical Lucas USC indie docufeature short film 6-18-67 [1967]. Curiously, the film then saw the young, naïve, but strong and determined and implicitly Lucas and Scarecrow linked young lion Simba-played by Jonathan T. Thomas as a boy, and by Matthew Broderick as a teen, respectively-return from banishment in the wilderness to avenge the murder of his father Mufasa by leading his murderer and brother, the Evil, scar faced, and implicitly Spielberg and Wicked Witch of the West linked Scar-played by Jeremy Irons-to destroy himself in classic Lucas fashion, in the end. Indeed, the film’s allusions to JAWS, 6-18-67, the STAR WARS Classic Trilogy, THE WIZARD OF OZ, 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, and the twilit and allegorical Spielberg docufeature film SCHINDLER’S LIST [1993], and the presence of Whoopi Goldberg, who played the older Celie Johnson in the twilit and allegorical Spielberg docufeature film THE COLOR PURPLE [1985], as Shenzi the hyena reaffirmed the implicit interest in Kubrick, Lucas and Spielberg in THE LION KING. Significantly, this implicit new hope that Lucas would return to the Temple Theatre and triumph over Spielberg with a Skyrocking new film reminded us that film artists and the more aware audience members had embraced Lucas again by 1995 due to Spielberg’s implicit and ominously guilty admissions of being present on the Landis set of TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE and doing nothing to prevent the illegal use of Chen and Le that led to their deaths with Morrow that were seen in the twilit, allegorical and CGI enhanced Spielberg animaction film HOOK [1991].
However, while kicking off a Golden Age of CGI enhanced feature film, complete with elaborate animation, expensive backgrounds and visual effects, and a memorable soundtrack composed by Hans Zimmer with equally memorable songs by Rice and Elton John like “Can You Feel The Love Tonight?”, “Hakuna Mutata” and “The Circle Of Life” that led to the film to also be awarded two Oscars for Best Original Score and Best Original Song for “Can You Feel The Love Tonight?”, Dis, Allers and Minkoff did not forget Disney’s traditional and perennial emphasis on family and friendship and family. For Simba was aided in his triumph by the firm friendship he struck up in his time in the wilderness with the happy go lucky and implicitly Coppola and Cowardly Lion linked warthog Pumbaa and the implicitly Dennis Hopper and Tin Man linked meerkat Timon-played by Ernie Sabella and Nathan Lane, respectively-and was rewarded in his triumph by marrying sweet, luvly and implicitly Dorothy linked Nala-played by Moira Kelly-and fathering a new lion king with her to continue the lion family at the end of the film. A commitment to family and friends and an implicit interest in addressing Lucas that were both reaffirmed when Disney continued the enhanced new Golden Age of CGI enhanced film art when the Mouse House collaborated with Gabriel and now also with Eric Goldberg and again with Menken on the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie hand animated feature film POCAHONTAS [1995], released on June 10, 1995.
“What do you suppose
the New World
will look like?”
Significantly, after a white Disney Castle slowly appeared descending down a sky blue background, and the Walt Disney Pictures logo appeared in an explosion of white followed by a magic semi-circle over the castle from left to right from an invisible Blue Fairy, all to the sound of an ominous military drum beat, the film began in 1607 with an aerial shot of London and London Bridge that evoked the aerial shot of early Twentieth Century London and London Bridge that kicked off PETER PAN, implicitly linking the New World that would soon be sailed to to Neverland. Then the stalwart men and sailors of the Virginia Company finished loading and boarding the good ship Susan Constant under the nominal leadership of the arrogant, nasty, sneaky, black haired, eyed and mustachioed, Captain Hook and Dali resembling and implicitly Spielberg and Wicked Witch of the West linked Governor Ratcliffe-played by David O. Stiers-but the true inspirational leadership of the young, tall, blonde, handsome, charismatic, experienced, fearless, young Skywalker evoking and implicitly Lucas and Scarecrow linked Captain John Smith-played by Mel Gibson-and sailed off with high and exuberant spirits on a beautiful sunny day to Virginia for “…glory, God and the Virginia Company”. And, while the company men soon encountered stormy and tempestuous waters, they continued on undaunted.
Meanwhile, in the New World, beautiful, young, slim, lithe, fit, strong and implicitly Bigelow and Dorothy linked Pocahontas-played by Irene Bedard, and sung by Judy Kuhn, respectively-was happy and at one with her Powhatan people and her father the implicitly Great Oz linked Chief Powhatan-played by Russell Means, and sung by Jim Cummings, respectively-and the flora and fauna of her CGI enhanced hand animated world, particularly Meeko the raccoon-played by John Kassir-and Flit the hummingbird-played by Frank Welker-and as fond of singing as she lived each day as Snow White and Cinderella were at one with the flora and fauna of, and as fond of singing as they worked in, their hand animated worlds. Significantly, the lush and fecund forest of the New World evoked both the equally lush, fecund and forested planet of Dagobah in STAR WARS EPISODE V: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK and also lush, fecund and forested moon of Endor in STAR WARS EPISODE VI: RETURN OF THE JEDI, affirming the implicit link of Capt. Smith to Lucas. Indeed, the fact that mischievous Meeko evoked an equally mischievous Ewok, and that an wise and wisened willow spirit in the form of the implicitly Glinda linked Grandmother Willow-played by Linda Hunt-evoked Yoda-reaffirmed the implicit link of Lucas to Capt. Smith.
Significantly, Pocahantas was haunted by prescient dreams that something was going to happen, dreams that proved to be too true when Gov. Ratcliffe, Capt. Smith, and the rest of the crew finally arrived on the coast of the town of Jamestown in the new colony of Virginia. Alas, while Capt. Smith and Pocahontas quickly fell in luv after meeting each other, their two tribes of warriors grew more and more suspicious and contemptuous of each other, causing tensions to grow and finally explode into fighting, in the end. However, while Capt. Smith and Pocahontas managed to unite to stop the fighting in the nick of time, Smith was still shot in the back by Gov. Ratcliffe. Thus, the sight and sound of the wounded Capt. Smith being sailed home for medical attention with the imprisoned Gov. Ratcliffe implied the fear of Dis, Gabriel and Goldberg that if Lucas ever returned to making film art he would also fail in the end like Capt. Smith to truly succeed in the brave new world of CGI enhanced film art and be invlidated out, a prescient fear indeed given that that was what happened.
Significantly, POCAHONTAS was another huge success for Disney, winning two more Oscars for Menken and songwriter Stephen Scwartz for Best Original Score for a Musical and Best Original Song for “Colors Of The Wind.” Just as significantly, not long after the release of POCAHONTAS, Disney purchased the ABC television network on July 31, 1995, adding another arm to the Disney octopus to go with the film creating, film distributing, merchandise, tv show and theme park arms and bringing ABC CEO Robert “Bob” Iger to the Walt Disney Company. Just as significantly, later that same year that Disney topped the old classics with the more serious and adult POCAHONTAS, Disney and Pixar teamed up with Lasseter and company to create their own classic when they put all of the lessons learned in the all CGI animated short films together so as to follow in the legendary footsteps of SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS and defeat the live action Hollywood studios and Disney with the first all CGI animated feature length film, the daylit, allegorical and Ozian themed indie CGI animated feature film TOY STORY [1995], released on November 19, 1995.
“!This town ain’t big enough
for the two of us!”
Curiously, the film began with a group of toys which included the feisty and implicitly Catmull linked Hamm the pink piggy bank-played by John Ratzenberg-the anxious and implicitly Smith linked Rex the green t-rex-played by Wallace Shawn-the big eared and implicitly Pete Docter linked Mr. Potato Head-played by Don Rickles-and the shy Slinky Dog-implicitly linked to TOY STORY co-writer Andrew Stanton, and played by Jim Varney-who were led by the lean, lanky, brunette, pointy nosed and implicitly Jobs and Scarecrow linked Sheriff Woody-played by Hanks-and his blonde, beautiful and implicitly Laurene P. Jobs and Dorothy linked sweetie Li’l Bo Peep-played by Annie Potts–anxiously pondering the presents gifted to their exuberant and implicitly head Munchkin linked blonde boy owner Andy Davis-played by John Morris. Alas, to their dismay, the last gift was a cocky, confident, commanding, winged, laser blastin’, but short and implicitly Lasseter and Great Oz linked Buzz Lightyear, Space Ranger-played by Tim Allen-an irresistibly state of the art toy that immediately replaced Woody as the favourite toy of Andy and led to a tragicomic battle between Buzz and Woody for the affections of Andy. However, an even more desperate battle for survival by the two toys against Andy’s nasty, black t-shirt luvin’ and implicitly Disney CEO Eisner and Wicked Witch of the West linked hellboy neighbour “Vicious” Sidney “Sid” Phillips-his name simply Disney spelt backward to implicitly affirm his link to Eisner, and played by Erik von Detten-and Sid’s Evil Toto pitbull Scud not only led to an eucatastrophic triumph over “Vicious” Sid but brought Buzz and Woody together, returning peace and harmony to the toys of Andyland in the new Davis house at Christmas morning, no less, in the end, in a film that, curiously, often alluded to the STAR WARS Classic Trilogy, perhaps in a grateful nod to Lucas, Pixar’s original owner and employer.
Thus, Lasseter and company at Pixar implicitly roasted the equally tragicomic relationship and rivalry of Jobs and Lasseter in their years working together to create all CGI animated feature films and also implicitly hoped that TOY STORY would triumph over Disney and Eisner and the live action Hollywood studios like Buzz and Woody triumphed over Sid at the end of the film in a fine all CGI animated feature film that had the mischief and quick wit of SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS, making it fitting that the august Academy awarded the first all CGI animated feature film the same Special Achievement Award as that first classic hand animated feature film. And a fine all CGI animated feature film with the most advanced and realistic CGI animation so far, making Eisner and the rest of Disney no doubt glad that they were half owners of Pixar, despite the exuberant implicit ribbing that they received in TOY STORY. Alas, due to the fact that the toys featured in the film were all real toys, TOY STORY also came across as a feature length filmmercial for those toys, a problem not helped by the fact that all of the toys in the film, some of them almost forgotten, became hot sellers again, along with the inevitable Buzz and Woody toys, due to the film.
Significantly, after collaborating with Pixar to create quite a buzz with TOY STORY, Disney, Hahn, Trousdale and Wise collaborated again with Cummings to continue the Golden Age of CGI enhanced hand animation film in the more serious, adult, daylit, allegorical and CGI enhanced indie hand animated feature film THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME [1996], a film released on June 19, 1996 that was inspired by the allegorical Victor Huge indie docufiction novel Notre-Dame de Paris [1831].
“A tale of a man
and a monster.”
Curiously, the film was narrated by the mischievous and implicitly Burton linked gypsy puppeteer Clopin-played by Paul Kandel-and saw the short, deformed and implicitly Landis linked hunchback Quasimodo, bell ringer of Notre Dame-played by Tom Hulce-help the young, beautiful, bewitching, green eyed, raven haired, sympathetic and implicitly Bigelow linked gypsy Esmeralda-played by Demi Moore and sung by Heidi Mollenhauer, respectively-defy and defeat the stern, stiff necked, uncompromisingly pious and implicitly Lynch linked Judge Claude Frollo-played by Tony Jay-so as to woo and wed the tall, blonde, bearded, handsome, strong and implicitly Cameron linked soldier Captain Phoebus-played by Kevin Kline-in the healing, harmonizing and eucatastrophic end in a film with all sorts of allusions to ANIMAL HOUSE, the daylit, allegorical, Ozian themed and Lucas toasting Burton super satirical animaction filmmercial BATMAN [1989], the daylit, allegorical, Ozian themed and implicitly Cameron and Lynch roasting indie animaction artbuster EDWARD SCISSORHANDS [1992], the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed, Lucas and Jane Campion toasting and Peter Jackson roasting super satirical animaction artbuster BATMAN RETURNS [1992], and the eerily and presciently twilit, allegorical and implicitly Sir Scott and David Cronenberg addressing Lynch indie moving painting THE ELEPHANT MAN [1980] to affirm its implicit interest in Burton, Landis and Lynch. And then fittingly, given the implicit link Burton to Clopin, Burton rounded up the year implicitly hoping that audiences and film artists would rise up against and fight off all CGI films like TOY STORY in order to preserve the vital humanity of film art like the courageous and determined people of Earth rose up to fight off and defeat the madcap, mischief and mayhem luvin’, and all CGI Martian invaders who attacked the Earth in the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie animaction artbuster !MARS ATTACKS! [1996], released on December 12, 1996 and inspired by the “Mars Attacks!” Topps Company cards.
Significantly, after only one Pixar feature film, the Disney hand animators were already implicitly hoping that they would be able to triumph over the Pix challenge like the beautiful, courageous, smart, talented, and implicitly Disney hand animated film art linked Chinese warrioress Mulan-played by Wen Ming-Na, and sung by Lea Salonga, respectively-brought honour to the Disney family by triumphing over the Evil, tall, intimidating and implicitly Lasseter linked Hun leader Shan Yu-played by Miguel Ferrer-with the help of the dimunitive and mischievous red dragon Mushu-played by Eddie Murphy-and a Jiminy evoking cricket that affirmed the implicit link of Mulan to Disney in the healing, harmonizing and eucatastrophic end of the daylit, allegorical and CGI enhanced Tony Bancroft and Barry Cook indie hand animated feature film MULAN [1998], a film inspired by a Chinese legend that was released on June 5, 1998. Indeed, the fact that Shan Yu sneeringly and dismissively said “…it looks like you’re all out of ideas” before Mulan and Mushu combined to deliver the creative, unexpected and literal knock out blow that killed the Evil Hun leader implicitly affirmed how worried Disney was that they were falling behind and Pixar pulling ahead with their all CGI animated feature films.
An implicit allegorical intent that made it fitting that Pixar implicitly replied to Disney later that year when Disney and Pixar collaborated with co-writers/directors Lasseter and Andrew Stanton and again with Ratzenberger to continue the all CGI animated feature film dream in the daylit, allegorical and indie CGI animated feature film A BUG’S LIFE [1998], a film released on November 14, 1998 with far better CGI than TOY STORY that saw the resigned, determined and tragicomic young ant Flik-played by Dave Foley-drew on courage, creativity and a fake bird that approximated reality like CGI to lead the ant and insect battle that finally defeated the Evil, demanding and implicitly ex-Walt Disney Studios Chairman Katzenberg linked Hopper the grasshopper-played by Kevin Spacey-and the rest of his voracious grasshopper thugs and liberated the ant colony to the delight of its Queen-played by Phyllis Diller-and pretty Princess Atta-played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus-at the healing, harmonizing and eucatastrophic end of a film that came across as TOY STORY fused with the epic and allegorical Kurosawa Akira docufeature film SEVEN SAMURAI [1954]. Curiously, A BUG’S LIFE also began with a Disney intro that saw the white Disney Castle suddenly appearing in front of the camera and slowly receding into the middle distance before stopping instead of slowly appearing from the sky due to implicit Blue Fairy magic, and then the Walt Disney logo appeared in a white explosion followed by the left to right sprinkle of magic over the castle by the invisible Blue Fairy, implying that the pixelated Pixar pranksters modestly believed that after just one pixtastic Pixar pic the storied decades of Disney hand animated feature films had already receded into the background, okay? Nothin’ personal, Dis, just the way it was.
Those implicit points and roasts of Katzenberg made, Disney surprised everyone by collaborating with Lynch to reaffirm the importance of family and friendship and to implicitly end the dread allegorical Zone Wars, to free audiences, film art, film artists and the Temple Theatre from the TZ disaster and to kick off a daylit neo eon of CGI enhanced film art by having the old, bearded, wise, cigar luvin’ and implicitly Morrow linked Alvin Straight-played by Richard Farnsworth-travel by riding lawn mower across several states, making all sorts of new friends along the way, to visit and patch up relations with his lonely, ailing and implicitly Landis linked brother Lyle Straight-played Harry D. Stanton-at the healing, harmonizing and eucatastrophic end of the daylit and allegorical indie moving painting THE STRAIGHT STORY [1999], released on May 21, 1999.
Then Disney, Pixar, and Lasseter collaborated with Ash Brannon and Lee Unkrich and again with Allen, Benson, Hanks, Lasseter, Potts, Ratzenberger, Rickles, Shawn, Varney and Randy Newman-composer/singer/songwriter of TOY STORY-to prove again that all CGI animation feature films were possible and to implicitly roast Lucas and his new STAR WARS Tragic Trilogy in the daylit and allegorical indie CGI animated feature film TOY STORY 2 [1999], a film with dramatically improved CGI that was released just in time for the Christmas present buying season on November 13, 1999.
“No, Buzz.
I am your father.”
Curiously, the film saw the lean, lanky, brunette, pointy nosed and implicitly Jobs and Scarecrow linked Sheriff Woody-played again by Hanks-team up with the implicitly Kathryn Bigelow and Dorothy linked cowgirl Jessie-played by Joan Cusack-to triumph over the tragicomic and blockbuster loot lustin’ Al’ Toy Barn owner Al McWhiggin-implicitly linked to Joss Whedon, co-writer of TOY STORY, and Nikko the flying monkey king, and played by Wayne Knight-and the sour and implicitly Lucas linked Stinky Pete the Prospector-played by Kelsey Grammer-in the end. Meanwhile, Dis, Pix, Brannon, Lasseter, and Unkrich also implicitly addressed the fact that TOY STORY came across as a feature length filmmercial for all of the toys in the film by having the short, not quite so commanding and confident and implicitly Lasseter and Tin Man linked Buzz Lightyear, Space Ranger-played again by Allen-take on and take out a new and improved and implicitly Lasseter and Great Oz linked version of himself-also played by Allen-met at Al’s Toy Barn, as well as the dread and implicitly Cameron and Wicked Witch of the West linked Emperor Xurg-played by Stanton-in the end, as well. Thus, Dis, Pix, Brannon, Lasseter, Unkrich and company implied their hope that they would defeat Lucas and Whedon, an implication affirmed by the film’s allusions to the STAR WARS Classic Trilogy and 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. They also implied their hope that they would defeat the perils of filmmercialism with TOY STORY 2, an additional latter hope that was defeated by the fact that the film brought the implicitly Glinda linked Barbie and her various manifestations-played by Benson-with it, making TOY STORY 2 even more of a shameless filmmercial than TOY STORY.
Curiously, three years later Dis affirmed that a Silver Age of CGI enhanced hand animated film art had already begun at the Mouse House when they collaborated again with co-writers/directors/producers Clements and Musker and again with David Hyde Pierce-who played Slim the stick bug clown in A BUG’S LIFE-on the daylit, allegorical and CGI enhanced indie hand animated feature film TREASURE PLANET [2002], a film released on November 5, 2002 that was inspired by Treasure Island and TREASURE ISLAND.
“Ya got the makin’s
of greatness in you.
…Show what you’re made of.”
Curiously, after a shorter version of the Disney intro that saw the white Disney Castle already on a sky blue background, then a white explosion that brought the Walt Disney Pictures logo followed by a quick magic semi-circle from left to right over the castle from an invisible Blue Fairy, the film saw the young, handsome, black haired, smart, indie, rebellious, solar surfin’ luvin’ and implicitly Jason Reitman linked James P. “Jim” Hawkins-played by Austin Majors as a boy, and as a lad by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, respectively-head off on a space sea voyage with the short, commanding, indomitable and implicitly Donna Dixon linked Captain Amelia-played by Emma Thompson-and the book luvin’, scholarly, learned, tragicomic and implicitly Dan Aykroyd linked astrophysicist Doctor Delbert Doppler-played by David Hyde Pierce-to find the legendary treasure horde of nefarious space pirate Captain Flint on Treasure Planet, a space sea voyage that was hijacked by the big, intimidating, crafty, duplicitous and implicitly then Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien linked cyborg cook and space pirate John Silver-played by Brian Murray-and the rest of his scurvy space sea dogs. Thus, in the triumph of young Hawkins over sneaky Silver with the help of Capt. Amelia, Dr. Doppler, the morphin’ “parrot” Morphy-played by Dane A. Davis- and the lonely and kooky abandoned Bioelectronic Navigator [B.E.N.]-played by Martin Short-Dis, Clements and Musker implied their hope that young Reitman would become a film artist who would leave behind Canada’s federal government funded film system and go off to make successful indie film art himself like his father Ivan Reitman-which, in fact, young Reitman did-at the healing, harmonizing and eucatastrophic end of a film which alluded to HEAVY METAL, PINOCCHIO, the STAR WARS Classic and Tragic Trilogies, Treasure Island, TREASURE ISLAND, the eerily and presciently twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed Sir Scott indie docufeature artbuster ALIEN [1979], the twilit, allegorical and Ozian themed Reitman film GHOSTBUSTERS [1984], and the twilit, allegorical and CGI enhanced Michael Coldeway and Michel Lemire indie hand animated feature film HEAVY METAL 2000 [2000].
Significantly, Dis then took two big steps towards more serious all CGI animated feature films and towards its superheroic destiny when it teamed up with Pix, Ratzenberger and writer/director Bird to reaffirm the importance of family and friendship in the daylit and allegorical indie CGI animated feature film THE INCREDIBLES [2004], a film with the finest CGI so far that was released on October 24, 2004.
“Well,
what are you waiting for?”
Curiously, the film likened the disappearance of box office king James Cameron and his popular and successful feature films from the Temple Theatre as he worked on his mystery project to the disappearance of the equally popular, successful, super strong and implicitly Cameron and Scarecrow linked Robert “Bob” Parr aka “Mr. Incredible”-played by Craig T. Nelson-from the scene due to being forced to retire from the superhero life by the government due to the damage his super activities were causing and, under the auspices of a superhero relocation program, assume a new and regular identity, head off to a marriage, a regular job and a humdrum suburban family life. Thus, the sight and sound of Parr being forced to leave retirement and, with the help of his flexible and implicitly Gale A. Hurd and Glinda linked wife Helen Parr aka “Elastigirl”-played by Holly Hunter-his despondent, psychic powered and implicitly Jessica Alba and Dorothy linked teen daughter Violet Parr-played by Sarah Vowell-his lightning quick and implicitly Christopher Nolan and Cowardly Lion linked kid son Dashiell “Dash” Parr-played by Spencer Fox-and his ambiguously powered and implicitly Toto linked baby son Jack-Jack Parr-played by Maeve Andrews and Eli Fucile-taking on and taking out the nefarious, jealous, desperate for affection and implicitly Joss Whedon and Wicked Witch of the West linked fanboy Buddy Pine aka “Incrediboy” aka “Syndrome”-played by Jason Lee-much to the delight, and with the help, of the Iceman evoking and implicitly Tin Man linked Lucius Best aka “Frozone”-played by Samuel L. Jackson-and the outrage of the insidious Underminer-played by Ratzenberger-Dis, Pix and Bird implicitly hoped that Cameron would finally finish and return to the Temple Theatre with his mystery project and that this fantastic feature film would defeat Whedon, an implicit allegorical intent affirmed by allusions to the Matrix Trilogy, the STAR WARS Classic and Tragic Trilogies, TRUE LIES, and the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed and implicitly Lucas and Lynch addressing Cameron indie docufeature Zonebuster THE TERMINATOR [1984] and the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed and implicitly Lynch roasting and Bigelow toasting indie docufeature Zonebuster TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY [1991].
Significantly, while making clear that Pixar was getting bigger and better each film, the film’s emphasis on family and friendship triumphing in the end also made clear that Disney was guiding the hand of Pix. Indeed, Disney made that implicit guiding hand literal when it went from a half stake in Pixar to purchasing the upstart all CGI animated film firm in its entirety on January 24, 2006, kicking off the new film year as the two headed Dixar and allowing both companies to celebrate the Oscars for Best Animated Feature and Best Sound Editing awarded to THE INCREDIBLES. Just as significantly, after pondering the development, techniques, style and success of Pixar for years, the next year Disney swallowed their hand animated pride, took a deep breath, headed off in a new direction and gifted the world with its first all CGI animated feature film when they teamed up with Stephen J. Anderson on the daylit, allegorical and Ozian themed indie CGI animated feature film MEET THE ROBINSONS [2007], released on March 23, 2007.
“Keep moving forward.”
Significantly, before the film there was an elaborate and all CGI Disney intro that began at sunset with the first star seen in the sky as in PINOCCHIO before falling down to Earth and winding around a river crossed by a moving train on a bridge before rising up into the sky again and over the rustling flag at the top of the Disney Castle as triumphant fireworks exploded in the before slowly settling down at a medium distance in the quiet river before the castle between green fields as magic pixie dust was implicitly flung by an invisible Blue Fairy in a semi-circle from left to right over the top of the castle. Then there was an intro for Walt Disney Animation Studios that saw rough drawings of Mickey Mouse turn into finished drawings turn into finished frames of whistlin’ Mickey at the wheel of his tramp steamer in “Steamboat Willie”, an ironic and wistful intro indeed given that the Mouse House was now abandoning hand animated film art.
Then the exuberantly madcap film saw the tall, slim, black cowlick haired, black eyed and implicitly Ben Affleck and Scarecrow linked boy Wilbur Robinson-played by Wesley Singerman-travel to the past to save his friend and father, the short, bespectacled, blonde, brainy, brilliant, creative, original, Bart Simpson resembling and implicitly Matt Damon and Dorothy linked orphan kid Lewis aka Cornelius Robinson-played by Jordan Fry and Daniel Hansen, respectively-along the way helping the short, sleepy, brunette and implicitly Matt Groenig and Tin Man linked orphan boy Michael “Mike” Yagoobian aka “Goob”-played by Matthew Josten-make the big flyball outfield catch that won the game for his team and made him a hero rather than a scorned zero who turned in the future into the tall, skinny, strange, embittered, twisted, vengeful, time travellin’ and black eyed, haired and sinister mustachioed Evildoer the Man in the Black Bowler Hat-played by Anderson-and his controlling and ironically Cornelius/Lewis created hi-tech bowler hat Doris-played by Ethan Sandler-in the healing, harmonizing and eucatastrophic end, implying the hope of Dis and Anderson that MEET THE ROBINSONS and the cinematic collaborations of Affleck and Damon would also triumph over the equally exuberantly madcap Groenig and THE SIMPSONS teletoon show in a film filled with allusions to the STAR WARS Classic and Tragic Trilogies and 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY.
Significantly, while the stiff, eager to please and Pixar style of MEET THE ROBINSONS did not entirely cause audiences to believe in and sympathize with its characters, nonetheless the film and its emphasis on family and friendship triumphing in the end laid out hope that a future Disney all CGI animated film would win over audiences, particularly if it was done in the Disney style rather than the Pixar style as the Mouse House kept moving forward with its own iconoclastic spirit and vision. However, it was a perfect time for the release of the first Pixar evoking Disney all CGI animated feature film, for three months later the once derided, despised, dismissed, geeky, gawky and misunderstood computer lab rats at Pix implicitly struck back at the Mouse House, celebrated the new union of the two studios, their decade of incredible success and the fact that they had emerged as both the masterminds of the new all CGI animated feature and short film directions at Disney and the lab rats that had reawakened and recreated the original Disney spirit and charm that had made DUMBO, FANTASIA, PINOCCHIO and SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS so successful in the fittingly entitled, ratastic, daylit and allegorical Bird indie CGI animated feature film RATATOUILLE [2007], released on June 22, 2007.
“Anyone can cook.
But only the fearless
can be great.”
For the sight and sound of the implicitly Ed Catmull linked Remy the rat-played by the fittingly surnamed Patton Oswalt-learning to appreciate food and cooking by watching the famous, great, deceased and implicitly Disney linked French chef Auguste Gusteau-played by Brad Garrett-explaining the art of cooking on television and by reading Gusteau’s book Tout Le Monde Peut Cuisinere ou Anyone Can Cook [195?] while scampering around the house his colony lived in reminded us that Uncle Walt luved to explain the art of creating hand animation and animaction films to people like the young Catmull on THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF DISNEY and in his own books, affirming the implicit links of Disney to Gusteau and of Remy to Catmull. Alas for Remy, before he had a chance to master all of Gusteau’s culinary secrets, he and the rest of his colony were chased out of their home one fateful day by its shotgun wielding and blasting elderly female owner. Even worse, Remy was separated from the rest of his colony as they managed to float away on some debris, and left to fend for himself.
Making his way to Paris, Remy soon came across the still open restaurant of Gusteau. Gleefully sneaking his way inside the kitchen and studying the chefs at work, Remy was shocked and disappointed to discover that they had lost the ability to cook like the great Gusteau, including Gusteau’s son Linguini-played by Lou Romano-reminding us that when Catmull, Lasseter and Pixar arrived on the scene with TOY STORY, Disney had lost the ability to create truly original, innovative, imaginative, moving and memorable hand animated and animaction short and feature films. Thus, the tragicomic sight and sound of Remy befriending and winning over Linguini and showing him how to cook like his father Gusteau by hiding in the young fellow’s white chef’s hat and tugging and pulling on his hair in order to guide him around the kitchen and show him the Gusteau way and make Gusteau’s restaurant successful again to the frustrated fury of the dimunitive, nasty and implicitly Eisner linked Skinner-played by Ian Holm-in the end, implied that Bird and Pixar believed that Catmull had successfully become the mastermind that guided Disney and showed them how to recreate the old Disney magic in the neo world of all CGI animated film, a neold magic that led Pixar to be awarded a Best Animated Feature Oscar for RATATOUILLE.
Significantly, the following year Pixar struck back again when it teamed up again with Disney and co-writer/director Stanton-co-writer of TOY STORY-and again with Ratzenberger to finally realize the full potential of all CGI animated feature films with and to implicitly roast Pixar’s original employer Lucas and his then new STAR WARS Tragic Trilogy in the daylit, allegorical and Ozian themed indie CGI animated feature film WALL-E [2008], released on June 21, 2008.
“I don’t want to survive!
I wanna live!”
Fittingly, given the implicit target, the film began in the depths of space near a galaxy far, far away from the Milky Way galaxy before heading closer to the familiar spiral of the Milky Way and then through the Milky Way and the solar system to the brave new CGI world of Earth. Then the POV began to move through the satellite and space junk filled atmosphere to the sound of the jaunty, allegorical and Jerry Herman written song “Put On Your Sunday Clothes” [1969] from the allegorical Gene Kelly feature film HELLO DOLLY! [1969], a jaunty song that turned out to be in shockingly ironic, upbeat and hopeful contrast to the baking ruins of a post-apocalyptic, abandoned and garbage strewn world found on Earth. A ruined world implicitly destroyed by the fortune and glory lustin’, resource depleting, garbage strewing, patriotic red, white and blue and implicitly U.S.A. linked BUY N LARGE world corporation where the only and equally ironic sign of life happened to be a small, beat up, rusty, solar powered, lonely, tragicomic, disaster prone and implicitly Spielberg linked roving garbage compactor called a Waste Allocation Load Lifter-Earth class or WALL-E-fittingly played by longtime Lucas and ILM and WALL-E head sound wizard Ben Burtt to implicitly affirm the film’s interest in Lucas-which resembled a curious cross between R2D2, a background “droid” seen in STAR WARS EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE , V.I.N.C.E.N.T. in THE BLACK HOLE and E.T. in E.T., THE EXTRATERRESTRIAL. Particularly the latter, as it had been left behind on Earth like E.T. and was playing the ironically jaunty tune to fill the silence as it rolled around collecting messy garbage, shoving it inside its interior and transforming it into small tidy cubes that it stacked on top of each other, slowly creating tall and massive towers taller and more massive than the abandoned buildings around them.
Luckily for lonesome WALL-E, it soon met a sympathetic and quick witted cockroach that gave it some silent companionship and that evoked Jiminy Cricket in PINOCCHIO. Even better, an unmanned spaceship that almost killed it when the ship landed suddenly appeared and dropped off an equally unmanned, new, pristine, white, sleek, shiny, blue eyed, egg shaped, legless and flying Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator [EVE]-played by Elissa Knight-that finally gave the lonely roving compactor Adam a companion and also possibly a romantic companion like those seen in its favourite musical. Alas, the possibility of romance ended after the luvstruck WALL-E gave the difficult to please, hot tempered and death ray blastin’ EVE the small plant sprout he had found and put in an old boot, ending EVE’s vegetation reconnaissance mission and causing the automated spaceship that had dropped her off to return and pick her up. Luckily again for WALL-E, however, it managed to hitch a ride on the automated spaceship that took them both back to the BUY N LARGE space cruise ship Axiom.
Significantly, here aboard ship the first real words of the film were heard at the 39:34 mark when EVE and WALL-E met the descendants of those Terrans who had fled Earth seven hundred years before and now led a tragicomically lifeless, listless, chubby, out of shape and automated hoverchair flown “existence” where all their needs were taken care of by the ship’s monitoring AI-played by Sigourney Weaver-the ship was piloted by the Autopilot aka “Auto”-played by Macintalk-and roving robots, a tragicomic existence that evoked the equally lifeless and listless “lives” of the subterranean citizens of THX 1138 to affirm the implicit interest in Lucas in WALL-E. Thus, the tragicomic sight and sound of EVE and WALL-E waking these listless Terrans and their chubby, out of shape and implicitly Lucas linked Captain-played by Jeff Garlin-up to their destiny on Earth, fighting off the ship’s AI, Auto, the robots and ancient gloomy holoprojections from the ironically named and long dead BNL CEO Shelby Forthright-played by Fred Willard-and hyperdrivin’ the good BNL ship Axiom back to Earth to restart the planet implied that Disney, Pixar and Stanton believed that Spielberg, despite all of his faults and the TZ disaster, had retained his vital humanity and that Lucas and his people hidden away from the world at Skywalker Ranch, Lucasfilm and ILM had lost their vital humanity and had grown listless, lifeless and out of touch with the world, explaining their failure to connect with audiences with the new millennial STAR WARS Tragic Trilogy, and needed to get grounded and back to Earth again like Spielberg if they hoped to succeed with an anticipated third STAR WARS trilogy, an implicit interest in Lucas and Spielberg affirmed by the film’s allusions to E.T., THE EXTRATERRESTRIAL, the STAR WARS Classic and Tragic Trilogies, THX 1138, TRON and 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. An implicit message that Lucas and Spielberg implicitly understood, for they teamed up and returned to the Temple Theatre the next year with the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed and implicitly Friedkin toasting and Wachowski Sibling roasting indie animaction film INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL [2009].
And so it ironically took two mostly expressionless and nonverbal robots or “droids” to finally and truly make audiences believe in all CGI animated feature film art that did more than come across as a feature length filmmercial for its characters, like it had taken a petite and pretty princess and seven tragicomic dwarfs to make audiences finally and truly believe in hand animated feature film art. A belief clearly shared by the august Academy, for they awarded WALL-E an Oscar for Best Animated Feature. Significantly, later the same year Disney also returned to the Temple Theatre to implicitly affirm to audiences and to Pixar that they had enjoyed creating the all CGI animated MEET THE ROBINSONS but realized that they would have to create all CGI animated films the Disney way and took an important step in that Disney direction when they collaborated with Byron Howard and Chris Williams on the exuberantly madcap, daylit, allegorical and Ozian themed indie CGI animated feature film BOLT [2008], a film with already far better CGI than MEET THE ROBINSONS that was released on November 17, 2008.
“But if Bolt’s taught me anything,
it’s that you never abandon a friend
in a time of need.”
Tragicomically, the film began with a tragicomically over the top action packed sequence that saw the dimunitive but big hearted and big eared, indomitably loyal and implicitly Lucas and Dorothy linked all white Swiss Shepherd orphan dog Bolt-played by John Travolta-use the super powers he had been given by a lean, bespectacled, black haired and bearded and young Lucas resembling and implicitly linked tv Dad aka the tv Great Oz linked “the Professor”-played by Sean Donnellan-including eye lasers and super bark to rescue his beluved, pretty, short auburn haired, and implicitly SCC linked girl luver and tv Dad’s confident and spunky daughter Penny-played by Chloe G. Moretz as a young girl and by Miley Cyrus as an older girl, respectively-from the insidious clutches of the implicitly tv Wicked Witch of the West linked Doctor Calico-played by Malcolm McDowell-and his legion of lookalike flying monkey super soldier goons. An action packed sequence that saw Bolt destroy a twilit trio of pursuing CGI helicopters that turned out to actually be just the latest episode of the BOLT tv show filmed in Los Angeles.
Alas for Bolt and Penny, the show’s callous, devious and implicitly Scarecrow linked Director-played by James Lipton-had brainwashed the loyal mutt into thinking the show was reality in order for his performance to be more believable and would not allow Penny to take Bolt, her actual pet, home at night. Even more tragicomic, soon after shooting ended at Sovereign Entertainment Studio for the day, Bolt was mistakenly packed up in a cardboard box with dreaded styrofoam chips and shipped to New York. Here Bolt soon met the vaguely sympathetic, implicitly Wicked Witch of the East linked and black and white cat Mittens-played by Susie Essman-and the bored, excitable, irrepressible and implicitly Coppola and Glinda linked hamster Rhino-played by Mark Walton-who gamely joined him on his determined train and truck trek back to L.A, a tragicomic sight and sound that evoked the equally tragicomic sight and sound of Duchess and her kittens being abandoned in the country outside Paris by Evil Edgar and making their way back to Paris with the help of experienced road wanderer O’Malley in THE ARISTOCATS.
Arriving at Sovereign Entertainment Studios just in time to save the despondent Penny, who missed her “good boy”, from a fire at the soundstage where the latest episode of BOLT was filming, in the end, Penny gave up on being a tv “star” and instead “retired”, in the end, with Bolt and his favourite carrot chew toy, Mittens and Rhino at home with her Mom-played by Grey DeLisle-and they all lived happily ever after in a film that alluded to the Matrix Trilogy and did easily succeed in convincing audiences to believe in and sympathize with its idiosyncratic and all CGI characters as in SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS to emphatically affirm that they could work their Disney magic with all CGI animated feature and short films as they once successfully did with hand animated feature and short films. Thus, Howard and Williams implied their hope that SCC and Lucas would patch up their implicit differences and be on friendly and even luving terms again, given that SCC had implicitly roasted Lucas in the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie docufeature films THE VIRGIN SUICIDES [1999], LOST IN TRANSLATION [2003] and MARIE ANTOINETTE [2006]. Not much chance of that, given that SCC went on the following year to implicitly roast Lucas again in my favourite SCC film, the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie docufeature film SOMEWHERE [2009].
Significantly, the following year Disney and Pixar collaborated with co-writers/directors Docter and Bob Peterson and again with Ratzenberger to prove that WALL-E was no fluke by reaffirming the potential of all CGI animated feature films and to assure Disney that leaving behind CGI enhanced hand animated film art for CGI animated film art was not the end but a new beginning by having the sad, depressed, wistful, bored, widowed and implicitly Disney film art and Great Oz linked retiree Carl Fredricksen-played by Jeremy Leary as a boy and by Ed Asner as an old man, respectively-team up with Russell the chubby, dimunitive, exuberant and implicitly Pixar and Scarecrow linked boy Wilderness Explorer-played by Jordan Nagai-and together fly his house by balloon to Paradise Falls in South America to hunt for spiteful snipes, jabbering jabberwocks, garrulous gardevils and other curiouser and curiouser critters as well as find, fight and defeat the lost, legendary, bitter, dog luvin’ and implicitly Cameron and Wicked Witch of the West explorer Charles “the Muntzer” Muntz-played by Christopher Plummer-and his flying monkey dogs in the daylit, allegorical, and Ozian themed indie CGI animated feature film Up [2009], a film released on May 13, 2009 that was awarded an Oscar for Best Animated Feature.
Significantly, a few months later actor/writer/director/producer extraordinaire Sir Peter Jackson and co-writer/director Neill Blomkamp collaborated to imply that the embrace of all CGI animated film art had sadly but surely caused the global Walt Disney Company [WDC] to lose its fallible and imperfect but vital and enduring humanity as surely as the friendly and implicitly “Uncle” Walt Disney linked global Multi-National United (MNU) Department of Alien Affairs South African division employee “Uncle” Wikus van de Merwe-played by Sharlto Copley-lost his fallible and imperfect but vital and enduring humanity when he slowly and sadly but surely transformed into a black, blockbuster and all CGI extraterrestrial beast at the unhealing, disharmonic and catastrophic end of the twilit, allegorical and CGI enhanced indie docufeature film DISTRICT 9 [2009], a film released on August 13, 2009 that alluded to IRON MAN. Making it curiously fitting that later that year Dis and writer/directors Clements and Musker collaborated with Cummings and Newman on a film so good it actually briefly revived the Golden Age of CGI enhanced hand animated feature film like LADY AND THE TRAMP briefly revived the Golden Age of hand animated feature film when they had the sweet and beautiful New Orleans waitress Tiana-played by Elizabeth Dampier as a girl and by Abika N. Rose as a teen, respectively-team up with resigned and innocent Prince Naveen-played by Bruno Campos-triumph over the Evil and voodoo luvin’ con man Dr. Facilier aka “Shadow Man”-played by Keith David-at the end of the daylit, allegorical and CGI enhanced indie hand animated feature film THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG [2009], released on November 15, 2009.
Curiously, Disney then implied that they were not concerned about roasting Iger, for not long after the release of THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG they teamed up with Walt Becker and Jordan to implicitly and gently roast the efforts of Eisner and Iger to please children during their years together to the tragicomic efforts of the implicitly Eisner and Wicked Witch of the West and Iger and Great Oz linked sixty-something bachelors Charles “Charlie” Reed and Daniel “Dan” Rayburn-played by Travolta and Robin Williams, respectively-to please Dan’s unimpressed, mischievous and implicitly Dorothy and Toto linked twin children Emily and Zach Greer-played by Ella Bleu Travolta and Conner Rayburn, respectively-after Dan’s implicitly Wicked Witch of the East linked ex-wife Vicki Greer-played by Kelly Preston-dropped them off with him for two weeks in the surprisingly, disappointingly and woefully unfunny daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie animaction film OLD DOGS [2009], released on November 25, 2009. Fittingly, however, Dan ended the film trying, and failing, to be a flying red, white and blue costumed superhero, for Disney was about to try on a super suit, as well.
Significantly, however, before Dis got to try on that suit, Cameron swept away OLD DOGS and all other films and was re-proclaimed box office King of film art when he returned to the Temple Theatre with the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed and implicitly Lucas and Martin Scorsese roasting and Richard Kelly toasting Cameron indie animaction Zonebuster AVATAR [2009], a triumphantly successful film released on December 10, 2009 which was reputed to have cost 400 million dollars, making it the most expensive film ever, which often alluded to POCAHONTAS, and which was also mostly an all CGI animated film, arousing the jealous and acquisitive interest of the Walt Disney Company as with the success of Pixar. Indeed, soon after the release of AVATAR, the Mouse House reaffirmed how jealous and acquisitive the sight of other film artists and studios succeeding with CGI enhanced films, all CGI animated films or both made them by ending the film year by purchasing Marvel Comics and their film and telefilm arm Marvel Studios on December 31, 2009 to transform into the three headed Dixarvel octopus. This was a fitting day for their union, for while Pixar dominated Disney from 1995-2009, Marvel Studios dominated Disney and Pixar from 2010 onwards with the endearingly imperfect and vitally human superheroes and superheroines in their even more popular and successful super satirical animaction films.
Not that anyone anticipated this at the time, as the union of the pretty Princess luvin’ Disney and the mischief and mayhem luvin’ Marvel seemed like an odd and unlikely pairing. However, on closer glance it was not as odd and unlikely as it seemed, for both Disney and Marvel had started in political cartooning and both were seasoned and veteran masters of successfully persuading readers and audiences via films, telefilms and narrative artwork that drawings were actually real anthropomorphic animals and real people, princes, princesses, superheroes, superheroines, super villians and Wicked queens and equally Wicked step-mothers and making them believe in their tragicomic “lives”, adventures, and misadventures so much that they would buy super satirical issue after issue watch film after telefilm to find out more about them and their tragicomic exploits. In fact, Dis had already implicitly roasted Marvel in their own implicit superhero saga ROBIN HOOD, and openly embraced superheroes, superheroines and supervillains with Pix in THE INCREDIBLES. Dis and Marv were also both fond of mischief and mayhem and satirically roasting and toasting film artists, politicians, countries and events around them. Last but not least, after decades of attempts, Marvel had finally proven that they could make entertaining and successful animaction feature films like Disney, a success that no doubt inspired the covetous admiration of Dis as much as had the success of Pixar. Indeed, this covetous and jealous admiration had implicitly begun with the success of the SPIDER-MAN teletoon series as Disney and Reitherman had implied in ROBIN HOOD.
At any rate, the tragicomic animaction saga had begun when Mavel teamed up with CBS to implicitly roast the weird and intellectual Cronenberg in the implicit form of the equally weird, intellectual and radioactive spider powered university science geek and freelance DAILY BUGLE photographer Peter Parker aka “Spider-Man”-played by Nicholas Hammond-in the daylit and allegorical Alvin Boretz created super satirical docufeature telefilm series SPIDER-MAN [1977-79]. Later the same year, Marvel also teamed up with Universal Studios to have the short, shy, sensitive, intelligent, educated and implicitly Lucas linked Doctor David Bruce Banner-inspired by a character originally implicitly linked to banner size painting luvin’ Picasso by Kirby and Lee for Marvel Comics, and played by Bill Bixby-aka the huge, green, muscular, strong and rampaging “the Incredible Hulk”-played by Big Lou Ferrigno-in the eerily and presciently twilit and allegorical Kenneth Johnson created super satirical docufeature telefilm series THE INCREDIBLE HULK [1977-82].
Last but not least, Marvel, Universal and Philip DeGuere also teamed up on the one shot daylit and allegorical super satirical docufeature telefilm DR. STRANGE [1978], a telefilm released on September 6, 1978 which, in the sight and sound of the triumph of the old, venerable, shrewd, knowing, and Lee resembling and implicitly linked Sorceror Supreme Thomas Lindmer, Master of the Mystic Allegorical Arts-played by John Mills-and his new adept and potential Sorceror Supreme, the tall, handsome, brunette, moustached and implicitly Rush linked psychiatric Doctor Stephen Strange-a character originally implicitly linked to Dali by Ditko and Lee for Marvel Comics, and played by Peter Hooten-over the beautiful, brunette, diabolical, and implicitly Hollywood linked Morgan Le Fay-played by Jessica Walter-to the relief of Sorceror Supreme Lindmer’s faithful servant Wong-played by Clyde Kusatsu-and Dr. Strange’s sweetie Clea Lake-played by Anne-Marie Martin-implied the hope of Marvel, Lee and DeGuere that the films and telefilms of Marvel would triumph in time over those of Hollywood like the indie films of Rush and Disney.
However, while a good and memorable beginning that showed a wistful fondness for implicitly linking their heroes to indie American and Canadian male film artists who had succeeded against the odds doing things their own idiosyncratic way as Marvel implicitly hoped to do with its own films and telefilms, it was not until decades later when Marvel teamed up with Columbia Pictures did they finally manage to truly succeed in bringing the merry Marvel marchin’ way to the Temple Theatre with the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed and implicitly Cronenberg and Ivan and Jason Reitman addressing Solemn Sam Raimi super satirical animaction films SPIDER-MAN [2002], SPIDER-MAN 2 [2004] and SPIDER-MAN [2007], which again implicitly linked Cronenberg to earnest, intellectual, radioactive spider powered teen science geek and DAILY BUGLE photographer Peter Parker aka “Spider-Man”-played by Tobey Maguire-and Ivan and Jason Reitman to Norman and Harry Osborn aka “the Green Goblins”-inspired by characters created by Ditko and Lee for Marvel Comics, and played by Willem Dafoe and James Franco, respectively-thus continuing the merry Marvel marchin’ tradition of implicitly linking their heroes and now supervillains to indie Canadian male film artists.
Tragicomically, Marv and Twentieth Century Fox implicitly linked Disney CEO Iger to the self centred and fame and fortune lustin’ Von Doom Industries CEO Victor Von Doom aka “Doctor Doom”-played by Julian McMahon-and had him battle the geeky, science obsessed and implicitly Burton, Tin Man and Water linked Doctor Reed Richards aka “Mr. Fantastic”-inspired by a character implicitly linked to Smilin’ Stan “the Man” Lee that was created by Kirby and Lee for Marvel Comics, and played by Ioan Gruffudd-his good, gruff and implicitly Danny Elfman, Scarecrow and Earth linked friend Benjamin “Ben” Grimm aka “the Thing”-inspired by a character implicitly linked to Kirby that was created by Kirby and Lee for Marvel Comics, and played by Michael Chiklis-his beautiful, blonde, brainy and implicitly SCC, Great Oz and Air linked ex-girlfriend Susan Storm aka “the Invisible Girl”-inspired by a character implicitly linked to Joan Lee that was created by Kirby and Lee for Marvel Comics, and played by Jessica Alba-and her cocky, confident, charismatic, exuberantly womanizing and implicitly Cameron, Cowardly Lion and Fire linked brother Jonathan “Johnny” Storm aka “the Human Torch”-inspired by an ambiguously linked character created by Kirby and Lee for Marvel Comics, and played by Chris Evans-otherwise known as the indomitably indie and elementally Ozian superhero quartet the Fantastic Four in the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed Tittering Tim Story super satirical animaction films FANTASTIC 4 [2005] and FANTASTIC 4: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER [2007], perhaps influencing Iger’s decision to purchase Marvel so as to stop them from roasting him in the implicit form of Von Doom again. Indeed, to support that implication, Marvel and Twentieth Century Fox did not complete the Fantastic Four Trilogy, as Marvel and Columbia had completed the Spider-Man Trilogy.
Even more significantly, Marvel, Paramount and Viacom had also teamed up with actor/director/co-executive producer Jaunty Jon Favreau and with Lee to kick off a new Marvel Cinematic Universe [MCU] and strike back at DC, Warner Brothers and Christopher Nolan and their Batman Trilogy that had kicked off with the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed and implicitly Cameron toasting and Lucas roasting docufeature film BATMAN BEGINS [2005] by implicitly roasting and toasting the young, brash, cocky, confident, handsome, intelligent, educated, shrewd, knowing, likably unlikable and vitally human Reitman in the form of the equally young, brash, cocky, confident, handsome, intelligent, educated, shrewd, knowing, likably unlikable, vitally human and Cowardly Lion linked Stark Industries [SI] CEO Anthony “Tony” Stark aka “Iron Man”-inspired by a character implicitly originally linked to Campbell Soup tin can luvin’ machine man wannabe Andrew “Andy” Warhol created by Heck, Kirby, Lee, and Laughin’ Larry Lieber for Marvel Comics, and played by Robert Downey jr.-and having him team up with faithful, helpful, insightful, English accented and implicitly Toto linked J.A.R.V.I.S. the A.I.-his name evoking V.I.N.C.E.N.T. in THE BLACK HOLE, and played by Paul Bettany-his equally faithful and indispensable but more beautiful, blonde, leggy, long sufferin’, luvin’, resigned, understanding, indomitable and implicitly Diablo Cody and Glinda the Good linked and always peppy personal assistant [PA] Virginia “Pepper” Potts-her name evoking Pepper Pot, one of the first Campbell Soup cans Warhol painted, and played by Gwyneth Paltrow-his big, burly, intimidating, equally long sufferin’ and resigned and implicitly Steve Saklad and Scarecrow linked bodyguard/chauffeur Harold “Happy” Hogan-gamely played by Favreau-his equally resigned, long sufferin’ and faithful friend, the implicitly Virgil Clement and Great Oz linked United States Air Force [USAF] Lieutenant-Colonel James “Rhodey” Rhodes-played by Terrence Howard-the intelligent, well educated, faithful, courageous and implicitly Salman Rushdie and Wicked Witch of the East linked scientist Doctor Ho Yinsen-played by Shaun Toub-and the clean cut, courageous, dedicated, determined and implicitly Avi Arad and Tin Man linked Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division [SHIELD] Agent Philip “Phil” Coulson-played by Clark Gregg-to defeat the Evil, tall, bearded, intimidating and implicitly Irvin Kershner and Wicked Witch of the West linked SI Vice President Obadiah Stane-played by Jeff Bridges-his favourite simpering and implicitly Lucas and Nikko linked toadie, the Middle Eastern Ten Rings terrorist gang leader Raza-played by Faran Tahir-in a Disney evoking triumph of friendship at the healing, harmonizing, elementally Ozian and eucatastrophic end of the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed super satirical animaction film IRON MAN [2008], a film released on April 14, 2008 whose implicit interest in Cody, Kershner, Lucas and Reitman was affirmed by allusions to ALIEN, AMERICAN GRAFFITI, INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, the Matrix Trilogy, the STAR WARS Classic and Tragic Trilogies, THE WIZARD OF OZ, THX 1138 and the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed Reitman indie docufeature films THANK YOU FOR SMOKING [2005] and JUNO [2007], the former of which had implicitly roasted Marvel for its addictive blockbuster CGI enhanced super satirical animaction films in general and for the implicit link of Ivan and Jason Reitman to Norman and Harry Osborn aka “the Green Goblins” in the Raimi Spidey Trilogy in particular and implied young Reitman’s support for indie docufeature film art. Significantly, a teaser scene at the end of all of the closing titles also introduced audiences to the tall, tough, intimidating, ornery and implicitly Spike Lee linked SHIELD Director Nicholas J. “Nick” Fury-originally implicitly linked to Kirby by Kirby and Lee in Marvel Comics, and played by Jackson-who showed up at Stark’s swingin’ Malibu Beach bachelor pad to discuss the creation of a super group to protect the world, setting audiences up for an assemblin’ and dissemblin’ film to come.
Shortly after, Marvel, Universal Studios and Loquacious Louis Leterrier teamed up with Arad-co-producer of IRON MAN-Ferrigno, Lee-cameo star and co-executive producer of IRON MAN-Kevin Feige-co-producer of IRON MAN-and Dave Jordan-music supervisor of IRON MAN-to break with television tradition by implicitly roasting and toasting another indie Canadian film artist in the form of the brilliant and raging Cameron in the form of the brilliant and raging Doctor Bruce Banner aka the huge, green, muscular, strong, rampaging and CGI “Hulk”-played by Edward Norton-and had him take on and take out the implicitly Quentin Tarantino linked mercenary Emil Blonski aka the equally huge, grey, muscular, strong and rampaging CGI “Abomination”-played by Tim Roth-to the delight of his luver, the beautiful, brunette, brainy and implicitly Kathryn Bigelow linked Dr. Elizabeth “Betty” Ross-inspired by a character originally linked to Picasso’s last wife Francoise Gilot by Kirby and Lee for Marvel Comics, and played by Liv Tyler-and the frustrated exasperation of her father, the implicitly Lee linked General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross-inspired by a character implicitly originally linked to General Charles De Gaulle by Kirby and Lee for Marvel Comics, and played by William Hurt-at the end of the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed super satirical animaction film THE INCREDIBLE HULK [2008], a film released on June 6, 2008 that was fittingly mostly made in Toronto and equally fittingly co-produced by Gale A. Hurd, Cameron’s second of five wives and producer of his first three films, that also alluded to the Matrix Trilogy, THE INCREDIBLE HULK tv series and THE WIZARD OF OZ.
Significantly, the Hulk shielded Dr. Ross from a falling and exploding CGI helicopter midway through THE INCREDIBLE HULK implying that Marvel, Universal and Leterrier believed that CGI had indeed freed audiences, film art, film artists and the Temple Theatre from the twilit TZ disaster and kicked off a neo eon of daylit and CGI enhanced film art. Indeed, this implication was reaffirmed when Dr. Ross and Gen. Ross survived a CGI helicopter crash and later an explosion that engulfed the downed craft that was snuffed out by a thunderous handclap from the Hulk at the end of film in a triumph over a twilit trio of CGI helicopter disasters over the course of the film. And so Marvel, Paramount and Universal implicitly affirmed their belief that a daylit and neo eon of CGI enhanced film art had begun by implicitly and ironically linking their daylit heroes to Cameron and Reitman, two indie Canadian film artists who at this point in their career were very wary about CGI and used it sparingly in their film art. A daylit neo eon of CGI enhanced film art that was reaffirmed by Disney when welcomed Burton back to the fold after years following his idiosyncratic indie path and collaborated with him on the quirky and unusual, creepy, macabre, daylit, allegorical and CGI enhanced indie animaction artbuster ALICE IN WONDERLAND [2010], released on February 25, 2010 and inspired by Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, Through The Looking Glass, and ALICE IN WONDERLAND.
And then this daylit and marvelous neo eon of CGI enhanced super satirical animaction films was implicitly addressed when Lionsgate Films, Marv Films and Mythic Matthew Vaughan teamed up on the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed super satirical indie docufeature film KICK-ASS [2010], a film released on March 12, 2010 that was inspired by the daylit and allegorical Snarky Mark Millar and Jeerin’ John S. Romita jr. narrative artwork Kick-Ass [2010].
“!You’re gonna be fine,
baby doll!”
Curiously, the sight and sound of the embittered, bespectacled, moustached, narrative art luvin’, vengeful, and implicitly Lee and Great Oz linked ex-drug squad cop Damon Macready aka the Batman evoking “Big Daddy”-played by Nicolas Cage-training his young, beautiful, blonde, dimunitive, sweet, innocent, and implicitly Disney princess and Dorothy linked daughter Mindy Macready-fittingly played by Moretz, who openly linked the film to Disney via her role as the young Penny in BOLT-to be a crime fighting whirlwind known as “Hit Girl” who would eventually team up with her father to take on and take out the tall, bald and implicitly ex-Disney CEO Eisner and Wicked Witch of the West linked mob boss “Friendly” Frank D’Amico-played by Mark Strong-and his short, impatient, sneaky, duplicitous and implicitly Disney CEO Iger and Nikko linked teen son Christopher “Chris” D’Amico aka “Red Mist”-played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse-implied the hope of Lionsgate, Marv and Vaughan that Marvel would triumph over Disney in the long run like Burton. Indeed, the fact that the determined and indomitable Macreadys teamed up with the even more tragicomic, amateur, goofy, geeky, wild brown haired and implicitly Burton and Tin Man linked teen wannabe superhero David “Dave” Lizewski aka “Kick-Ass”-played by Aaron Johnson-to defeat D’Amico father and son and their gang in a MULAN evoking and healing, harmonizing and eucatastrophic end that affirmed the film’s implicit interest in Disney reaffirmed the implicit hope of Lionsgate, Marv and Vaughan that Marvel would triumph over Disney in the long run like Burton, which was exactly what happened, and also set audiences up for an even bigger, more elaborate, determined and desperate battle against an implicitly Eisner linked supervillain in the MCU, in a film that affirmed its implicit allegorical intent with allusions to BATMAN, BATMAN RETURNS, the Matrix Trilogy, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, the Raimi Spider-Man Trilogy, and the films of Kurosawa Akira and Sergio Leone.
That implicit, memorable and hilarious point made, Marvel coincidentally but fittingly fulfilled the implicit hopes of Lionsgate, Marv and Vaughan a little over a month after the release of KICK-ASS, began their era of domination of Disney and Pixar and revealed their own attractive, intelligent, cool, calm, collected, exuberant, indomitable, and martial arts, weapons, mischief, violence and mayhem luvin’ Hit Girl when they teamed up again with Disney, Paramount, Viacom and actor/director/co-executive producer Favreau and also again with Bettany, Downey jr., Feige, Gregg, Jackson, Jordan, Lee, Paltrow, and Leslie Bibb-who played VANITY FAIR reporter Christine Everhart in IRON MAN-to leave behind the low budget, gritty reality and sparing CGI of KICK-ASS for the blockbuster budget, exuberant fantasy and contant spectacular CGI of the MCU and to implicitly roast and toast young Reitman again and kick off the merry, marchin’, and mischief and mayhem luvin’ decade of the MCU in the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film IRON MAN 2 [2010], released on April 26, 2010.
“You’re the wonder boy…
But this ain’t Canada.”
Curiously, after the starswept and encircled CGI Paramount/Viacom intro and the flickering, action packed and word ballon filled panels of Marvel Comics slowly turned into the white words MARVEL underlined twice in white with a smaller STUDIOS in white underneath all on a red background to the sound not of swelling symphonic music but of VANITY FAIR reporter Christine Everhart-played again by Bibb-questioning the brash, brilliant, confident, cocky, creative, educated, experienced, fast thinking and talking, handsome, womanizing and implicitly Reitman and Cowardly Lion linked Stark International [SI] CEO Anthony “Tony” Stark aka “Iron Man”-played again by Downey jr., and as a boy by Davin Ransom in a reel blast from the past of Stark, respectively-about the real identity of Iron Man at the press conference that concluded IRON MAN, we found ourselves in Moscow on a cold, snowswept, wintry and Canada evoking day in a tiny apartment with the implicitly Dan and Samuel Aykroyd linked Ivan and Anton Vanko-played by Mickey Rourke and , respectively-watching the conference live on Russian television. Tragicomically, when Anton suddenly died in his comfy chair, becoming the implicitly Wicked Witch of the East linked figure that set off this healing and harmonizing Ozian elemental dream, Ivan screamed in anguish and transformed into the angry, vengeful and implicit Wicked Witch of the West linked figure of the film, reminding us that KICK-ASS ended with Chris D’Amico vowing revenge on Lezewski for taking out his father with a blockbuster bazooka blast and quoting from the exuberantly insane and implicitly Jean-Luc Godard linked Jack Napier aka “the Joker”-played by Jack Nicholson-from BATMAN to openly link KICK-ASS to that film and affirm its implicit interest in Burton. Digging out his father’s plans for an arc reactor that he had created with Howard Stark while working at SI in the Sixties and that was similar to the one Stark wore on his chest to both keep him alive and power his Iron Man suit and super exploits, the Wicked Vanko went to work and created a small one and transform himself into “Whiplash” before he disappeared and the titles IRON MAN 2 were stamped on the screen.
Then the screen went black, blank and silent, then a male voice over a radio cleared someone “…for exfiltration over drop zone”, and then the opening power chords of the allegorical Brian Johnson and Angus Young written AC/DC classic “Shoot To Thrill” [1980] were heard as the titles “…6 months later” appeared on the screen and the backdoor of a cargo hold in an USAF plane opened revealing a nighttime sky and the lights of a city below and Stark in his red and gold Iron Man suit standing next to the opening before throwing himself exuberantly into the darkness and falling and then rocketing and rocking down to Earth to “Shoot To Thrill” as confidently and determinedly as Dr. Banner threw himself out of a helicopter and down to New York City to battle the monstrous Abomination at the end of THE INCREDIBLE HULK and as Pinocchio and Cricket threw themselves off a cliff and into the sea to find and rescue Geppetto, Figaro and Cleo from inside Monstro at the end of PINOCCHIO. Ironically and tragicomically, however, as Iron Man fell, celebratory fireworks began to explode around and hit him, causing him to weave among them as he headed down not to a monstrous antagonist as in the case of Dr. Banner, Cricket and Pinocchio, but to a stage with tall, beautiful, lean, lithe, leggy, and gold and red Ironettes high kicking to “Shoot To Thrill” behind him and a cheering crowd in front of him.
Curiously, after conveniently banishing the CGI Iron Man costume and enthusiastically clapping off the Ironettes as “Shoot To Thrill” ended, Stark gave a speech to the crowd that made it clear that we were at a revamped Stark Expo in Flushing, New York which evoked Expo 67 to reaffirm the implicit link of Stark to a Canadian film artist like Reitman. Tragicomically, the speech was so outrageously self congratulatory and self luvin’ as to imply that the events of IRON MAN had not humbled and humiliated him as Marv, Paramount and Viacom had hoped to do. Significantly, this proved to be just desperate bluster, as we soon discovered that the palladium in his chest arc reactor was not only keeping him alive but killing him. A FBI invitation to a Senate Armed Services Committee Weaponized Suit Defense Program Hearings that Stark received and could not resist also led his resigned, long sufferin’ and implicitly Saklad and Scarecrow linked bodyguard/chauffeur Harold “Happy” Hogan-played again by Favreau-to drive with him straight to Washington, DC after his Stark Expo speech.
Here Stark was sarcastically grilled by the nasty, fittingly surnamed and implicitly Harvey Weinstein linked Senator Stern-played by Garry Shandling-and mocked by the tragicomic and implicitly Mike Myers linked competitor and Hammer Industries [HI] CEO Justin Hammer-played by Sam Rockwell-about his Iron Man suits while his beautiful, brainy, grounded, organized, indefatigable, indispensable, equally long suffering and implicitly Cody and Glinda linked PA Virginia “Pepper” Potts-played again by Paltrow-listened and watched in resigned frustration, a Washington, DC grilling that evoked the one at the end of THANK YOU FOR SMOKING to affirm the implicit link of Stark to Reitman. Stark’s implicitly Virgo linked United State Air Force [USAF] pal Lieutenant-Colonel James “Rhodey” Rhodes-played by Don Cheadle-also showed up to support Stark, but was crassly manipulated and shut down by Sen. Stern.
However, despite the mistreatment, the brash and cocky Stark left the meeting bloodied but unbowed and returned to his helpful and all knowing AI JARVIS-played again by Bettany-and the fitting sound of the allegorical and Joe Strummer written Clash tune “Should I Stay Or Should I Go?” [1982] at his swingin’ bachelor pad in Malibu. Fitting sound indeed, for here he surprised audiences and himself by appointing perky Potts Chairman and CEO of SI on a sudden unexpected whim. Significantly, this shock decision led to the need for Stark to sign over control of the company to Potts and the arrival from the legal department of SI of the short, beautiful, red haired, sexy, sultry, intelligent, and implicitly SCC linked SHIELD Agent Natasha Romanoff-fittingly played by Scarlett Johansson, who openly linked the character and the film to SCC via her role as Charlotte in LOST IN TRANSLATION-arriving disguised as gorgeous “Natalie Rushman” like Mindy Macready arrived at the heavily guarded lobby of the building housing the D’Amico HQ disguised as a cute, cuddly, lost and confused little schoolgirl pining for her Mummy and Daddy at the end of KICK-ASS. And like Macready, Romanoff quickly showed off her mastery of martial arts with a few quick moves, kicks and punches that took out Hogan, to the delight of Stark and horror of Potts, making it immediately clear that the new Disney-Marvel Princess was a tough, tenacious, two fisted, well trained, and indie tigress who would be saving herself rather than waiting around for a Prince Charming to save her like Macready.
Lust at first sight over, Stark was off with Hogan, Potts and Rushman to the Monte Carlo Grand Prix to meet Elon Musk, one of the four co-producers of THANK YOU FOR SMOKING, to reaffirm his implicit link to Reitman before irritating his racing team by taking over as driver of the SI racing team with its blue and white Toronto colours to again affirm the implicit link of Stark to Reitman. Literally shockingly, the race was attacked by Vanko in Whiplash mode, his chest arc reactor also being used to power electrowhips with which he used to slice up the race cars and attack Stark in Iron Man mode. While Iron Man defeated Red Tsar, the embarrassing revelation that others could make powerful chest arc reactors like Stark hurt his reputation and attracted the attention of HI CEO Hammer, who broke Vanko out of prison in Monte Carlo and teamed up with him for the rest of the film to use his chest arc reactor expertise to create legions of semi-autonomous and fully autonomous U.S. Army, Navy, Marine and Air Force “Hammeroids”.
Meanwhile, Stark successfully managed to create the vibranium he needed to power his chest arc reactor and save his life, implying the delight of Dis and Marv that Reitman had saved his reputation with three excellent low budget indie docufeature films. For her part, Rushman finally revealed herself to Stark to be the lonely and implicitly Dorothy linked ex-Russian assassin and current SHIELD Agent Natasha Romanoff aka “Black Widow”, a supername that evoked the equally deadly and lonesome Rosie the black widow spider-played by Bonnie Hunt-in A BUG’S LIFE, friend of the tall, gruff, intimidating and implicitly Lee and Great Oz linked SHIELD Director Nicholas J. Fury-played again by Jackson-and the bland, clean shaven and implicitly Arad and Tin Man linked Agent Phil Coulson-played again by Gregg. Ultimately leading to the new vibranium super powered Iron Man teaming up with Hogan, Potts, Romanoff and Rhodey in a War Machine Iron Man suit that he confiscated from Stark and facing down and defeating Hammer, the Hammeroids, and Whiplash in a desperate, determined and victorious battle at the Stark Expo to bring the film full healing circle in the harmonizing and eucatastrophic end, evoking and reaffirming the Disney commitment to friendship despite being a Marvel film and implying the hope of Dis, Marv, Paramount, Viacom and Favreau that the film art of more serious film artists like Cody, SCC, Lee and Reitman would defeat lighter film art by film artists like Aykroyd and Myers in a film that often alluded to the Austin Powers Trilogy, LOST IN TRANSLATION, the Matrix Trilogy, THANK YOU FOR SMOKING, THE WIZARD OF OZ, THX 1138 and the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed and implicitly Sir Scott and Richard Kelly roasting Reitman indie docufeature film UP IN THE AIR [2009].
Alas, and tragicomically, the sight and sound of Romanoff cruising through the guards at HI HQ in Queens, NY while hapless Hogan struggled with one guard not only reaffirmed that the new Dis-Marv Princess did not need the help of a Prince Charming to succeed in life, but also prepared audiences for the equally tragicomic sight and sound of Stark hunting down a weird and wacky webheaded hero based in Queens who was also implicitly linked to a kooky and crazy Canuck like Hammer in a MCU film to come. The teaser trailer at the end of all of the closing titles of IRON MAN 2 also set up viewers for the arrival of another hero implicitly linked to a crazy Canuck in the next mighty chapter of the MCU. At any rate, Disney ably proved in IRON MAN 2 that it could team up with Marvel and make superheroes, superheroines and supervillains as believable and sympathetic as they could make their own animated and animaction heroes, heroines, villains and villainesses, and be as mischievous and mayhem luvin’ as the merry Marvel marchers in the process, preventing Marvel from completely dominating the team-up like Lionsgate, Marv and Vaughan implicitly hoped in KICK-ASS. Curiously, not long after the release of IRON MAN 2, Dis and Pix collaborated again with Allen, Benson, Cusack, Hanks, Lasseter, Morris, Newman, Ratzenberger, Rickles, Shawn and Stanton on the daylit and allegorical indie CGI animated feature film TOY STORY 3 [2010], a film released on June 12, 2010.
“Thanks, guys.”
Curiously, the film saw the implicitly Jobs and Scarecrow and Lasseter and Great Oz linked Woody and Buzz-played again by Hanks and Allen, respectively-lead the rest of the toys on a desperate battle to free themselves from the nightmare kids at Sunnyside Daycare and from the control of the daycare’s head toy, the big, intimidating, bitter, nasty and implicitly Bill Cosby and Wicked Witch of the West linked purple and white teddy bear Lotso-played by Ned Beatty-and then on to an equally desperate battle to escape the Tri-County garbage dump in another triumph of friendship so as to return to the heading off to college Andy-played by John Morris-before he left in the healing, harmonizing and eucatastrophic end of a film with the finest CGI of the series but that still came across as a filmmercial for all of its toys, not helped by the arrival of the handsome, tanned and brunette Ken-played by Michael Keaton-eternal heartthrob of beautiful blonde Barbie-played again by Benson. Even worse, the sound of the allegorical and Gary Wright written Wright tune “Dream Weaver” [1975] playing as Barbie met Ken eerily and tragicomically forewarned of the lamentable arrival on the worldwide web of the bitter, haunted, traumatized, troubled, weird and wacky Zone Wars “film scholar” Gary W. Wright, the Dream Unraveller and the lamentable genre of the dread allegorical Zone Wars known reluctantly as “Cinema Garite.” Curiously, and as in KICK-ASS, the sight and sound of Buzz, Woody and friends battling the big purple and white meanie Lotso also presciently foretold the even more elaborate and desperate superheroic battle against another big purple meanie implicitly linked to Eisner in the MCU.
At any rate, TOY STORY 3 was awarded two Oscars for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song in the form of the daylit and allegorical Newman written and performed tune “We Belong Together” [2010] by the august Academy. Soon after the released of TOY STORY 3, Disney fused Dr. Strange, Spider-Man and a sequence of FANTASIA together when it teamed up with Jon Turteltaub to have the implicitly Tin Man linked university science geek professor Doctor David “Dave” Stutler-played by Jay Baruchel-be trained in the ancient ways of the sorcery arts by the reliberated and implicitly Burton and Great Oz linked Balthazar Blake-played by Cage-in order to avenge the death of Blake’s mentor, the implicitly Wicked Witch of the East linked Merlin-played by James A. Stephens-and to defeat the ghost of his killer, the implicitly Wicked Witch of the West linked Morgana le Fey-played by Alice Kirge-and her implicitly Jones and Nikko linked lackie Maxim Horvath-played by Alfred Molina-to the delight of Stutler’s implicitly Dorothy linked sweetie Rebecca “Becky” Barnes-played by Teresa Palmer-and Blake’s implicitly Lisa Marie and Glinda linked sweetie Veronica-played by Monica Belluci-at the end of the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie animaction film THE SORCEROR’S APPRENTICE [2010], released on July 6, 2010.
Significantly, later that year Dis collaborated with Nathan Greno and Byron Howard and also again with Lasseter to fuse old school Disney fairy tale with new school CGI in the daylit, allegorical, and Ozian themed CGI animated feature film TANGLED [2010], released on November 24, 2010. Alas for audiences, Disney then limped out of the year by teaming up again with Boxleitner and Bridges and now with Joseph Kosinski to disappointingly and mystifyingly follow in the footsteps of TRON by fusing great post-production digital visual effects with an incomprehensible story so bad that audiences did not notice or care if Sir Scott and his son Luke Scott were being implicitly addressed in the implicit forms of Kevin Flynn and his son Samuel “Sam” Flynn-played by Bridges and Garrett Hedlund, respectively-in the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie animaction film TRON: LEGACY [2010], a film released on November 30, 2010 that was filled with allusions to BLADE RUNNER, the Matrix Trilogy, the STAR WARS Classic and Tragic Trilogies, THE WIZARD OF OZ, TRON and 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY.
Not surprisingly, Disney then kicked off the new film year by teaming up with co-writer/director Simon Wells and again with Cusack to fuse everything they learned from working with Pixar with motion capture [mo-cap] technology and to implicitly reply to Pixar’s implicitly exuberant roast of, and celebration of triumph over, Disney in RATATOUILLE and to gently but firmly imply in the sight and sound of the initially petulant and implicitly Bird and Scarecrow linked and reluctantly Martian bound boy Milo and the tragicomic and implicitly Lasseter and Tin Man linked garbage man George Gribble-played by Seth Green and Dan Fogler, respectively-learning to appreciate and luv mothers in general and Milo’s implicitly imperfect but vitally human, luving, nourishing, protecting and Willow Bay and Glinda linked mother-played by Cusack-in particular, and teaming up to take on and take out the perfect but inhuman and non-luving nannybots used to watch over the implicitly Munchkin linked hatchlings on Mars and the implicitly Wicked Witch of the West linked Supervisor-played by Mindy Sterling-so as to escape from Ozian Mars and return with Mom to the openly Disney linked “Stromboli’s Slave Shack” aka home sweet home on Earth and the gentle but firm luv of Milo’s implicitly Disney CEO Iger and Great Oz linked dad-played by Tom E. Scott-in another triumph of family and friendship in a Disney film, in the end, that Bird, Lasseter and company at Pixar should appreciate that it was the long and careful motherly luvin’, supervision, and insight from creating successful imperfect but vitally human film and telefilm art and luvin’ that Dis gave and continued to give Pix that allowed Pixar to grow, create imperfect but vitally human film art itself and become the success it was in the daylit and allegorical indie CGI animated feature film MARS NEEDS MOMS [2011], released on March 4, 2011.
Fittingly, given that the popularity and success of AVATAR had made Cameron the reigning King of the Temple Theatre again, a month after the release of MARS NEEDS MOMS, Dis and Marv teamed up with Canny Kenneth Branagh and again with Feige, Gregg, Jordan and Lee to implicitly link Cameron to a hero better suited for him than the Hulk in the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film THOR [2011], a film released on April 17, 2011.
“I will be king!”
Curiously, after the usual starswept and encircled Paramount/Viacom intro and the flickering, action packed and word balloon filled panels of Marvel Comics slowly morphed into the rising letters of Marvel Studios in red and white and both underlined in white to the sound of sombre symphonic music, the film began in 2011 in Puente Antiguo, New Mexico with the implicitly Uncle Henry linked astrophysicist Doctor Erik Selvig-also implicitly linked to Cameron mentor Roger Corman, and played by Stellan Skarsgard-the beautiful, brainy, brunette and implicitly Dorothy linked astrophysicist Dr. Jane Foster-also implicitly linked to Hurd, and played by Natalie Portman-and the beautiful, buxom, goofy and implicitly Toto linked astrophysicist intern Darcy Lewis-played by Kat Dennings-far out in the desert in a hi-tech filled ice cream truck evoking vehicle studying celestial phenomena when a lightstorm burst out of the star filled sky nearby. Driving over to study it closer, the three astrophysicists were startled to drive into and knock out the tall, blonde, bearded, handsome, haughty, arrogant and implicitly Cameron and Scarecrow linked Thor, Norse God of Thunder aka “Dr. Donald Blake”-inspired by a character originally implicitly linked to Norse mythology luvin’ Oxford professor and writer J.R.R. Tolkien by Kirby, Lee and Leiber for Marvel Comics, and played by Chris Hemsworth.
At that point, two opening titles appeared on the screen, and the voice of the old, shrewd, knowing, wise, strong, intimidating, commanding, grey haired and bearded, eyepatched and implicitly Kubrick and Great Oz linked Odin Allfather, King of implicitly Hollywood linked Asgard-played by Sir Anthony Hopkins-was heard, relating the story of an Ice Giant attack led by the implicitly David Cronenberg linked Laufey, King of the Jotun Ice Giants of Canada cadenced Jotunheim-played Colm Feore-on Tonsberg, Norway in 965 AD that was defeated by the young and still blonde King Odin and his sturdy Asgardian warriors in a battle that evoked those between freedom luving gladiators and slaves and Roman legionnaires in SPARTACUS to affirm the implicit link of Odin to Kubrick. Battle over, King Odin took what was eventually revealed to be the Tesseract, a large cube and powerful artifact glowing with ominous blockbuster blue film projection light that gave King Laufey and his Ice Giants, back to Asgard.
Here in Asgard, King Odin addressed some wise words on the subject of war to the also blonde and implicitly Cameron linked boy Thor-played by Dakota Goyo-and his brother, the mischievous, black haired and eyed and implicitly Spielberg linked boy Loki-played by Ted Allpress-before the scene leapt into the future and a formal gathering of Asgardians in all their finery in the Great Hall of the castle of King Odin and his tall, beautiful, brunette, brainy, long suffering and implicitly Christiane Kubrick and Glinda linked wife Queen Frigga-played by Rene Russo-where King Odin, after a thoughtful speech, prepared to step down and hand over rule of Asgard to the Thor already met in the short prologue of the film but this time wearing his familiar Thor armoured suit and carrying his mighty hammer Mjolnir, much to the frustrated fury of the older, taller and still black haired and eyed and implicitly Spielberg and Wicked Witch of the West linked Loki, Norse God of Mischief-now played by Tom Hiddleston. However, to the equally frustrated fury of Thor, the ceremony was suddenly cut short by an unexpected attack on the castle’s weapons vault by three Ice Giants to steal the Tesseract which had to be stopped by the vault’s protector, a huge and robot like metal and all CGI Protector.
Tragicomically, Thor was so pleased with this attempted robbery and the fact that it interrupted the ceremony and prevented Odin from making him king that he led the tall, slim, beautiful, brunette, intelligent, fearless and implicitly Bigelow linked warrioress Sif-played by Jaimie Alexander-the big, burly, red haired and bearded and implicitly Jon Landau linked Volstagg-played by Ray Stevenson-the slim, strong, Asian and implicitly Jimmy T. Murakami linked Hogun-played by Tadanobu Asano-and the blonde, handsome and implicitly Christopher Nolan linked Fandral-played by Josh Dallas-on a brash, rash, foolish and ill advised attack on Jotunheim without the consent of King Odin, a foolish attack that infuriated the Great Odin so much he appeared in the nick to time to stop it before the young and hotheaded Asgardian heroine and heroes were killed and transported them back to Asgard via the rainbow bridge Bifrost with the help of its strong, sturdy, silent, yellow eyed, all seeing, all knowing and implicitly Tin Man linked guardian Heimdall-played by Idris Elba. Stripping Thor of his immortal status, powers and mighty hammer Mjolnir, the Great and furious King Odin Allfather banished Thor to Midgard aka Earth, where Thor fell helplessly out of the sky in the lightstorm already seen in the film’s prologue and that evoked the lightstorms in that brought cyborgs and men back from the future to battle over the fate of the Earth in T1 and T2 to affirm the implicit link of Thor to Cameron and was soon hit by the hi-tech ice cream truck of Drs. Foster and Selvig and intern Lewis to return the film back to the future past and present.
Here in New Mexico, Thor had to endure being a powerless mortal until he had been humbled, humiliated and enlightened enough to be worthy of having his immortal status returned to him and be worthy of possessing Mjolnir again, implying the hope of Dis, Marv, Paramount, Viacom and Branagh that the success of AVATAR would not go to Cameron’s head and that he would remain humble, human and grounded despite his success. Luckily for Thor, he was helped with his newfound and frustrating mortal status by his equally newfound friends Lewis and Dr. Selvig and his growing and swelling luv interest Dr. Foster, and by his equally newfound but more wary friends in SHIELD including the quiet, polite, unflappable and implicitly Arad and Tin Man linked Agent Phillip “Phil” Coulson-played again by Gregg-and by the silent, strong, sturdy, shrewd, knowing, experienced, indie, deadly and implicitly Sir Scott and Cowardly Lion linked archer Clinton “Clint” Barton aka “Hawkeye”-inspired by a character originally implicitly linked to Roy Liechtenstein by Heck and Lee for Marvel Comics, and played by Jeremy Renner.
Alas for Thor, his humbling experience was not helped by the fact that a heart attack had sent Odin into a coma and allowed Loki to become king of Asgard, and send the all CGI Destroyer to the small town of Puente Antiguo to destroy the town, his newfound friends, and himself. Luckily again for Thor, however, his selfless decision to offer his life for destruction by the tall, metal, ahuman, robot evoking and all CGI Destroyer to save his friends made him worthy to have his God of Thunder status and mighty Mjolnir returned to him, allowing him to destroy the Destroyer and save his Midgard friends and his Asgardian friends Falstaff, Fandral, Hogun and Sif, who had showed up in New Mexico to help him, reminding us that Cameron had not allowed CGI to destroy the vital humanity of his film art to reaffirm the implicit link of Cameron to Thor. God of Thunder status returned, Thor returned to Asgard with the help of Heimdall and defeated Loki, who had also been revealed as the traitor who had allowed the three Ice Giants into Asgard so as to prevent Thor from becoming king, with the help of the Great and disappointed Odin.
Thus, the sight and sound of Odin and Thor defeating Loki and Loki appearing to die when he fell off the Bifrost rainbow bridge and drifted off into space, in the end, like the big, black, biomechanical, and implicitly hi-tech blockbuster film and Wicked Witch of the West linked alien-played by Bolaji Badejo-at the end of ALIEN and the big, red, diabolical and implicitly Lucas and Wicked Witch of the East linked Dark-played by Tim Curry-at the end of the twilit, allegorical and Ozian themed Sir Scott indie docufeature artbuster LEGEND [1986] to also affirm the implicit link of Hawkeye to Sir Scott, implied the hope of Disney, Marvel, Paramount, Viacom and Branagh that the inspired by Kubrick to be film artists Bigelow, Cameron and Sir Scott would continue to triumph over the Wicked Spielberg with their artbuster film art. Indeed, allusions to ALIEN, AVATAR, LEGEND, T1, T2, and the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed and implicitly Cameron toasting Sir Scott indie docufeature artbuster ROBIN HOOD [2010] affirmed the implicit allegorical intent of THOR.
Curiously, a teaser scene at the end of all of the closing titles saw the tall, gruff and intimidating but good natured, eyepatched and implicitly Lee linked SHIELD Director Nicholas J. “Nick” Fury-played again by Jackson-surprisingly reveal to Dr. Selvig in an unnamed SHIELD facility that the mysterious and ominous blockbuster blue film projector light emitting cube of the Tesseract was actually in the possession of SHIELD. Significantly, this teaser scene ended with a dangerous mirror opposite reflection of Dr. Selvig transforming into Loki, evoking the fondness of Sir Scott for dangerous mirror opposite Dark Side reflections and preparing audiences for the return of Hawkeye and Loki in the first assembling and dissembling super team film. Then four months later, Dis and Marv teamed up with Paramount Pictures, Viacom, ILM visual effects wizard turned film artist Jouncin’ Joe Johnston, Jackson and Jordan to finally implicitly devote a MCU film to an indie American film artist and to implicitly affirm that they had been just as surprised as anyone else by the emergence of the elder Clint Eastwood as a virile and powerful film artist in the new millenium in the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER [2011], released on July 19, 2011 and inspired by a character created by Kirby and Jocular Joe Simon for Timely Comics, the forerunner of Marvel Comics, to stir up American patriotism in World War Two and by the twilit, allegorical and implicitly Lynch addressing Marvel and Albert Pyun indie super satirical docufeature film CAPTAIN AMERICA [1990].
“Whatever happens tomorrow,
you must promise me one thing:
that you will stay who you are.
Not a perfect soldier,
but a Good man.”
Not surprisingly, after the Paramount/Viacom intro and the familiar flickering, action packed and word balloon filled pages of Marvel Comics turned and settled down into the big white words MARVEL in a rectangular white box over the smaller white words STUDIOS over a red background to the sound of blowing wind instead of music, American researchers discovered a huge and unusual plane buried beneath the ice and snow in the Arctic that was filled with ominous blockbuster blue film projector light and contained a familiar red, white and blue Star Spangled shield in a sequence that evoked the discovery of a huge alien spaceship in the eerily and presciently twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and implicitly New Hollywood roasting John Carpenter indie docufeature film THE THING [1982]. Then the scene jumped back in time to the sight and sound of the Evil and implicitly Alexander “Alex” Cox and Wicked Witch of the West linked Doctor Johann Schmidt-played by Hugo Weaving-leading his notorious HYDRA science Division of the Nazi Wehmacht on a raid of a church devoted to the worship of the Norse Gods in the Tonsberg, Norway already met at the beginning of THOR, thus linking CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER to THOR. Alas, after stealing its mysterious ancient relic, the large cube glowing with ominous blockbuster blue film projector light called the Tesseract already encountered in THOR that would become more important in time in the MCU, Dr. Schmidt shot its Norwegian priest guardian-played by David Bradley-before leaving, making this priest the implicitly Wicked Witch of the East linked character of this healing Ozian dream, a sequence that evoked RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, a film that Johnston worked on as a visual f/x wizard for ILM.
Then it was off to New Jersey in 1943 and the tragicomic sight and sound of newly minted and implicitly Terry Gilliam and Scarecrow linked Sergeant James B. “Bucky” Barnes of the 107th Infantry Regiment of the U.S. Army-played by Sebastian Stan-commiserating with his scrawny, sickly, weak, feeble, ironically polite and implicitly Eastwood and Tin Man linked friend Steven “Steve” Rogers-played by Chris Evans, who played the implicitly Cameron linked Jonathan “Johnny| Storm aka “the Human Torch” in FANTASTIC 4 and FANTASTIC 4: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER in his first stint in the MCU-frozen in place like a true Tin Man due to his inability to be accepted for duty in the U.S. Army to do his part for his country in World War II no matter how many times he tried to enlist under different names. Significantly, this failure attracted the attracted the attention of Dr. Abraham Erskine-played by Stanley Tucci-who persuaded Rogers to take part in an experiment supervised by a young, handsome, bold, brash, brilliant, cocky, confident, ultra indie and implicitly Ivan Reitman and Great Oz linked Howard Stark-played by Dominic Cooper–and watched over by the worried and implicitly Joan Lee and Dorothy linked MI6 Agent Margaret “Peggy” Carter-played by Hayley Atwell-that injected him with Super Soldier Serum that transformed him into “Captain America”.
After stirring up patriotic fervour across the United States with the beautiful, buxom, leggy, high kicking, red, white and blue garbed and Ironettes evoking Patriettes, “Cap” was soon off to Europe and throwing himself resolutely out of an airplane piloted by Stark and down onto occupied Europe, evoking the sight and sound of Iron Man exuberantly throwing himself out of an USAF plane at the beginning of IRON MAN II, the sight and sound of Dr. Banner throwing himself out of a helicopter to take on Abomination at the end of THE INCREDIBLE HULK, and the sight and sound of Pinocchio and Cricket resolutely throwing themselves off a cliff and down into the bottom of the sea to liberate Geppetto, Figaro and Cleo from inside Monstro whale in PINOCCHIO. Here in occupied Europe, Cap liberated Barnes from HYDRA captivity and took on Dr. Schmidt, who revealed himself to be the Wicked German “ubermensch” or superman “Red Skull”, and his favourite simpering and spineless scientific toadie Dr. Arnim Zola-played by Toby Jones-and their HYDRA thugs with the enthusiastic support of Barnes and his fellow American “Howlin’ Commandos” led by the red haired and handlebar moustached Timothy “Dum Dum” Dugan-played by Neal McDonough. Things went so well in Europe that the Great Stark rewarded Cap with the famous Star Spangled shield made out of Vibranium, an element so rare it only exited on Earth in the MCU. A timely gift, for the shield not only helped Cap fight off regular German soldiers, but also Red Skull and his HYDRA thugs at their hidden forest lair, losing Sgt. Barnes along the way.
Managing to leap aboard Red Skull’s huge, fleeing, Tesseract powered and Stealth bomber anticipating bomber, Cap defeated Red Skull and his thugs, preventing them from flying the plane across the Atlantic Ocean to bomb various cities in the United States. Significantly, Cap then watched the Wicked Red Skull be consumed by the blue Force of the Tesseract and then transported off into the universe when he picked it up to imply that Dis, Marv and Johnston believed that Cox did not understand the importance of embracing blockbuster film art, if only as a stepping stone to more heady and important artbuster film art, and had been consigned to oblivion as a result, disappearing like the Wicked Witch of the West to affirm his implicit link to that character and evoking the equally tragicomic sight and sound of the swollen and egoistic head of the implicitly Louis Malle linked archaeologist Rene Belloq-played by Paul Freeman-being blown up by the equally Forceful and vengeful power of the Ark of the Covenant at the end of RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. Then Cap crashed the plane in the Arctic to prevent it from falling into the wrong German hands much to the dismay of Agent Carter, who had fallen in luv with him, and World War II ended to much relief and celebration, and the Great Stark and his people found the Tesseract underwater due to its falling out of the the Wicked Red Skull’s plane before it crashed, and then the screen went black and blank.
Then Cap slowly woke up in a fake hospital bed and a room filled with memorabilia from the fighting Forties, including a fake Agent Carter-played by Amanda Righetti- revived like the film art of Eastwood was revived by the release of the twilit, allegorical and CGI enhanced docufeature film FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS [2006] to affirm his implicit link to Eastwood. Realizing he was being duped, Cap smashed through the set, ran out of the warehouse the set was set in and found himself to his bewilderment in and running through cinema filled Times Square in 2010, linking him openly to film art and evoking the sight and sound of the Incredible Hulk-played by Ferrigno-running through Times Square in a memorable episode of Season 2 of THE INCREDIBLE HULK tv series. Soon he was tracked down and stopped by the implicitly Lee and Great Oz linked SHIELD Director Nicholas J. “Nick” Fury-played again by Jackson-who shocked him by telling him that he had been woken from a 70 year sleep after being frozen like a true Tin Man in the Arctic, again evoking the surprising and unexpected sight and sound of the elder Eastwood emerging as a younger and more virile film artist in the new millenium to affirm the implicit link of Rogers to Eastwood in a film that alluded to FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS, INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE, the Matrix Trilogy, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, STAR WARS EPISODE VI: RETURN OF THE JEDI, THE INCREDIBLE HULK, THE THING and THE WIZARD OF OZ. Then the closing titles rose upwards, and after they were all finished Cap was interrupted as he was pounding a punching bag in a boxing gym by SHIELD Director Fury, who asked him to join a new super group, thus paving the way for the Avengers to assemble in the next MCU film. Thus, Dis, Marv, Paramount, Viacom and Johnston implicitly affirmed their delight that Eastwood had gotten a second wind in his later years and exploded with even better films than he made in his younger days, and their equal delight that Eastwood had not lost his vital humanity despite the large scale of some of these films, such as FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS, the latter film about the United States in the Pacific campaign of the same Second World War that dominated CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER.
Before that, however, Disney and Jeffrey Hornaday teamed up on the small screen to slowly reveal that the initially implicitly SCC and Wicked Witch of the West linked Woodlands High School teen popularity queen wannabe Dylan Schoenfield-played by Sarah Hyland-was not as superficial and witchy as she seemed from a distance but was actually a more complex and truly human Dorothy by the documentary created by her implicitly Reitman and Scarecrow linked teen film geek friend and more supportive luver Joshua “Josh” Rosen-played by Matt Prokop-to the delight of Dylan’s implicitly Cameron and Great Oz linked shopping mall magnate father Alan Schoenfield-played by Andrew Airlie-and the surprised interest of Josh’s implicitly Jay Baruchel and Tin Man linked high school film supervisor Mr. Farley-played by David Milchard-at the end of the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie docufeature telefilm GEEK CHARMING [2011], a lighthearted telefilm ironically released on the sombre day of November 11, 2011 and inspired by the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed Robin Palmer indie docufiction novel Geek Charming [2009].
The following year, Disney, Marvel, Paramount, Viacom teamed up to kick off the new film year and the MCU with the most merry marchin’ mischief and mayhem so for and with, surprisingly, given the implicit roasts of him in THE INCREDIBLES and TOY STORY 2, co-writer/director Joshin’ Joss Whedon-co-writer of TOY STORY-and also again with Bettany, Cheadle, Downey jr., Evans, Favreau-now back as co-executive producer-Feige, Gregg, Hemsworth, Hiddleston, Jackson, Johannson, Jordan, Lee, Paltrow, Renner, Skarsgard and Maximiliano Hernandez-who played the implicitly Colin Powell linked SHIELD Agent Jasper Sitwell in THOR-on the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS [2012], a film released on April 11, 2012 that was inspired by a super satirical group created by Kirby and Lee for Marvel Comics.
“They’re here.”
Curiously, after the familiar flickering, action packed and word balloon filled pages of Marvel Comics coalesced into the equally familiar red and white Marvel Studios logo to the sound of reasonably swelling and upbeat symphonic music, the film began with a cryptic and mostly CGI sequence that saw the otherworldly leader-played by Alexis Denisof-of a group called the Chitauri gloating that the Tesseract had awakened on Earth, that soon an ally, who appeared to be Loki, and was given some sort of staff by the Chitauri leader, would be in control of its power and the Earth, and that someone else in a throne evoking chair would soon be in control of the universe. Then the film switched to the sight and sound of the personnel of a top secret NASA/SHIELD scientific research centre presumably in New Mexico as in THOR evacuating the base one fearful and fateful night to escape the possible explosion of the awakened blue cube of the Tesseract as the tall, gruff and intimidating but good natured and implicitly Lee linked SHIELD Director Nicholas J. “Nick” Fury-played again by Jackson-and the tall, strong, beautiful, brunette and implicitly Tonya Lewis Lee linked SHIELD Agent Maria Hill-played by Cobie Smulders-arrived by sleek black helicopter to confer with the quiet, polite, unflappable and implicitly Arad linked SHIELD Agent Phil Coulson-played again by Gregg-the implicitly Corman linked astrophysicist Dr. Erik Selvig-played again by Skarsgard-and the strong, sturdy, silent, shrewd, knowing, experienced, indie and implicitly Sir Scott linked Clinton “Clint” Barton aka “Hawkeye”-played again by Renner-about the potentially explosive situation.
Significantly, the implicitly Spielberg and Wicked Witch of the West linked Loki, Norse God of Mischief-played again by Hiddleston-soon showed up via an intergalactic space/time door opened by the Tesseract in a fiery and smoking blue CGI explosion, evoking the equally shocking arrival of the greenskinned Wicked Witch of the West in a fiery and smoking explosion in Munchkinland at the beginning of THE WIZARD OF OZ to affirm the implicit link of the Wicked Loki to the Wicked Witch. Here the Wicked Loki used his broomstick evoking Staff to put Hawkeye and Dr. Selvig under his mind control and steal the Tesseract in an action packed sequence that kicked off with a road chase that evoked a similar road chase in RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK to implicitly affirm the link of Loki to Spielberg, and to implicitly link the film to the Last Good Year of film art before the TZ disaster. Making it all too ominously fitting that the chase ended when the Wicked Loki blasted the pursuing helicopter of Director Fury, which flitted through the sky like a shark out of JAWS, out of the sky in a TZ disaster evoking crash to doubly affirm the implicit link of Loki to Spielberg, and also implicitly reassure audiences that dangerous helicopter crashes could now be done on film sets without fatalities, given that the sequence was pulled off with CGI and that Fury strode out of the crashed remains furious but unharmed. The sight and sound of the Wicked Loki blowing the CGI helicopter out of the sky also evoked the fondness of the Wicked Witch of the West for blasting people with fireballs in THE WIZARD OF OZ to reaffirm the implicit link of the Wicked Loki to the Wicked Witch of the West.
An embarrassing theft that caused SHIELD Director Fury to finally assemble the Avengers in the order in which the various characters were met in THE WIZARD OF OZ to reaffirm the implicit Ozian theme of the film. Beginning with the beautiful, curvaceous, red haired, intelligent, experienced, troubled, haunted, deadly and implicitly SCC and Dorothy linked ex-Russian assassin and SHIELD Agent Natasha Romanoff aka “Black Widow”-played again by Johansson-who was assembled first while out on a mission, reminding us that the despondent, lonely, pure and innocent orphan Dorothy Gale was met first in Kansas in the Dirty Thirties prologue of THE WIZARD OF OZ. Romanoff then travelled to India to pick up the brilliant, thoughtful, shy, and short but equally troubled, haunted, and Earthy Doctor Bruce Banner aka “the Hulk”-now implicitly linked to Lucas and the Scarecrow rather than Cameron and played by Mark Ruffalo-reminding us that Dorothy met the elemental and implicitly Earth linked Scarecrow-played by Ray Bolger-as she wandered down the Yellow Brick Road in Oz in THE WIZARD OF OZ, that Lucas luved Ozian themed film art and that SCC and the rest of the Coppola clan were friends of Lucas to affirm the implicit link of Banner/Hulk to Lucas.
Then Director Fury dropped by a Brooklyn gym to persuade the ironically polite, Good, true, modest, patriotic, tall, handsome, blonde, once frozen, since revived and implicitly Eastwood, Tin Man and Water linked Steven “Steve” Rogers aka “Captain America”-played again by Evans-to head out on a new mission to retrieve the Tesseract that had been used to such deadly and Evil effect by the implicitly Cox linked Red Skull-played by Weaving-in CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER, reminding us that Dorothy and the Scarecrow met the frozen by rain and implicitly Water linked Tin Man-played by Jack Haley-next on the journey down the Yellow Brick Road in THE WIZARD OF OZ. Next Agent Coulson dropped by the new Stark Tower to enlist the brash, brilliant, cocky, confident, fiery, impatient, handsome, dark haired, eyed, moustached and bearded and imperfect but vitally human and likably unlikable and implicitly Reitman, Cowardly Lion and Fire linked Anthony “Tony” Stark aka “Iron Man”-played again by Downey jr.-and chat with the brainy, beautiful, indomitable, indispensable, peppy and implicitly Cody linked SI Chairwoman and CEO Virginia “Pepper” Potts-played again by Paltrow-and their helpful AI assistant JARVIS-played again by Bettany-reminding us that Dorothy, the Scarecrow and the oiled and revived Tin Man next met the elemental and implicitly Fire linked Cowardly Lion-played by Bert Lahr-on their exuberant journey down the Yellow Brick Road in THE WIZARD OF OZ.
Soon the mostly assembled Avengers left SHIELD HQ on its flying helicarrier battleship and headed off to Stuttgart, Germany to take on the Wicked Loki and his mind controlled minion Hawkeye, a battle that saw Iron Man arrive in a characteristically cocky blast of “Shoot to Thrill” to help defeat Loki. Curiously, however, as the Avengers guardedly flew the Wicked Loki back to the SHIELD helicarrier, the tall, blonde, bearded, proud, arrogant and implicitly Cameron, Great Oz and Air linked Thor, Norse God of Thunder-played again by Hemsworth-suddenly arrived in a lightstorm of thunder and lightning like the lightstorms that brought time travellers from the twilit and blockbuster machine battling future in T1 and T2 to affirm the implicit link of the mighty Thor to the all conquering Cameron and reminding us that the implicitly Air linked Great and Powerful Oz-played by Frank Morgan-was the last main elemental character met in THE WIZARD OF OZ. Swooping down on their plane and taking the Wicked God of Mischief down to Earth for an interrogation, Thor was attacked by an indignant Iron Man, leading to an epic battle between Iron Man and Thor that curiously resulted in a draw despite which film artists the heroes were implicitly linked to before Cap ended it with his resolute vibranium shield and Loki was recaptured and taken back to the SHIELD helicarrier flying battleship.
Here Fury and the Avengers conducted a hi-tech worldwide energy signature search for the hiding place of the Tesseract, only to be rudely interrupted by a HYDRA attack led by Hawkeye that almost took down the SHIELD helicarrier but was finally defeated, in the end, by the assembled Avengers, a victory that saw Black Widow free Hawkeye from the Evil mind control of the Wicked Loki. However, Loki killed Agent Coulson during the melee and then escaped, leading to a showdown with the Wicked Loki and his CGI flying monkey evoking Chitauri allies in New York, extraterrestrial CGI flying monkey allies who arrived, in their huge CGI biomechanical shark spaceships to reaffirm the implicit link of the Wicked Loki to Spielberg via JAWS, via a space/time wormhole portal over the Big Apple created by the still mind controlled Dr. Selvig using the Tesseract powered by the new clean energy arc reactor created by Stark to power his Stark Tower.
Significantly, the final battle was won when Iron Man grabbed and guided a blockbuster nuclear bomb safely away from New York, up into the atmosphere and through the wormhole to destroy the Chitauri Mother Ship in an eucatastrophic explosion that brought health and harmony back to New York, implying the hope of Dis, Marv and Whedon that Reitman would not inflict blockbuster bombs on audiences, film artists and the Temple Theatre and evoking the sight and sound of the implicitly Kubrick linked Clark “Kal-El” Kent aka “Superman”-played by Christopher Reeve-flying another nuclear bomb away from California and up into the atmosphere to explode harmlessly in space at the end of the allegorical and implicitly Kubrick toasting and Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau roasting Richard Donner docufeature film SUPERMAN [1978], implying that Dis, Marv and Whedon understood the implicit link of Reitman to Clark “Kal-El” Kent aka “Superman”-played by Stephan Bender as a teen, and by Brandon Routh as an adult, respectively-in the daylit, allegorical and CGI enhanced Bryan Singer super satirical animaction film SUPERMAN RETURNS [2006], released on June 21, 2006 and inspired by a character created by Genial Jerry Siegel and Joltin’ Joe Shuster and originally implicitly linked to Doc Savage writer Lester Dent in DC, and anticipating the sight and sound of Reitman being implicitly linked to Kent/Superman again in another DC Extended Universe [DCEU] film to come.
Curiously, the destruction of the Chitauri Mother Ship caused the CGI Chitauri flying monkey legions and their biomechanical shark ships to shut down like robots, ending the battle with them, and evoking a similar shutdown of a blockbuster CGI machine army invasion of Naboo at the end of STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE to reaffirm the implicit link of Banner/Hulk to Lucas. Meanwhile, an explosion had freed Dr. Selvig of the Wicked Loki’s mind control and Loki had been beaten into submission by the Hulk, allowing Lucas to implicitly unleash some symbolic frustration on Spielberg for all of the grief that Spielberg had caused him, and bringing the first Avengers adventure to a triumphant and eucatastrophically healing and harmonizing elemental Ozian conclusion. Thus, Dis, Marv, Paramount and Whedon implied their hope that Spielberg, his film art, and the TZ disaster that he had been linked to for decades had all been exorcised and triumphed over by the development of CGI, a development embraced and led by Lucas back in the Seventies, eventually embraced by Cameron in AVATAR and roasted by Sir Scott in films like the twilit, allegorical and CGI enhanced indie docufeature artbuster PROMETHEUS [2012], an implicit dismissal of the daylit neo eon of CGI enhanced film art that was fittingly released the same day as MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS, and slightly embraced by Eastwood, SCC, and Reitman, avenging the deaths of Chen, Le and Morrow, freeing audiences, film art, film artists and the Temple Theatre from the TZ disaster and the Twilight Zone, and allowing a neo eon of daylit film art filled with talented, confident, shrewd and knowing young film artists like SCC and Reitman to truly emerge, making it fitting that MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS was released in 2012, the thirtieth anniversary year of the TZ disaster.
Indeed, the fact that the TZ disaster evoking helicopter crash at the beginning of the film was pulled off with CGI affirmed that implicit point. However, given that the imperfect but vitally human, and Asgardian, and CGI enhanced Avengers triumphed over not just the Wicked Loki but the perfect, ahuman/aAsgardian and all CGI Chitauri, as well, Dis, Marv, Paramount and Whedon also implied their hope that Cameron, SCC, Eastwood, Lucas, Reitman and Sir Scott would lead the way into a neo eon of CGI enhanced film art that did not lose its imperfect but vital humanity. Thus, it was fitting that the triumph over the Wicked Loki and the flying Chitauri monkeys took place on a sunny day in New York, and that the film ended on another beautiful sunny day in the Big Apple on an Emerald City evoking Grey Brick Plaza in Central Park with Thor escorting Loki and the Tesseract back to Asgard, implicitly reaffirming the belief of Dis, Marv, Paramount and Whedon that Good daylight had indeed triumphed over Evil twilight in the thirtieth anniversary year of the TZ disaster.
A fitting ending, indeed, for the sight and sound of the Great Thor disappearing with the Wicked Loki also reminded us that the Great Oz floated away in his wayward hot air balloon and disappeared at the end of THE WIZARD OF OZ shortly after the Wicked Witch of the West melted away into nothingness, reaffirming the implicit links of Thor to the Great Oz and Loki to the Wicked Witch of the West and the implicit Ozian theme of MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS. However, as another CGI teaser scene hidden early into the closing titles instead of at the end as with the previous installments of the MCU pointed the way to a bigger and even more Wicked adversary in the form of an all CGI Thanos, inspired by a character created and originally implicitly linked to Ronald Reagan by Jim Starlin for Marvel Comics, clearly the triumph of the Avengers was going to be short lived, and lead to a bigger Ozian themed battle. And so Disney, Marvel, Paramount, Viacom, Whedon and the talented cast and crew of MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS implicitly defeated Spielberg and avenged the deaths of Chen, Le and Morrow in the TZ disaster with state of the art CGI, in a film that alluded to ALIEN, GLADIATOR, JAWS, LEGEND, the Matrix Trilogy, POLTERGEIST, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, T1, T2, THE WIZARD OF OZ, and TRUE LIES to affirm its implicit allegorical intent. As so Disney affirmed that it could work with Marvel, Paramount and Viacom to make audiences believe in and sympathize with a tragicomic group of iconoclastic and quarrelling superheroes and superheroines and their supervillain antagonists that started out as drawings like they had made audiences believe in and sympathize with the seven equally tragicomic, iconoclastic and quarrelling dwarfs, sweet and petite Snow White and their Wicked Stepmother Queen antagonist in SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS and reaffirmed their commitment to friendship in a Marvel film.
Alas for audiences, and significantly, after that affirmation of a daylit neo eon of CGI enhanced film art in MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS, Disney CEO Iger and Lucas then affirmed a neo commitment to the twilight when they announced on October 30, 2012 that Dixarvel was adding two more heads and arms to the octopus and becoming Dixarvelas by buying Lucasfilm and all of its properties including the STAR WARS galaxy far, far away and ILM from Lucas for a fittingly Fourceful 4 billion dollars mostly in stock, a not surprising decision given how much trouble Lucas and his STAR WARS films had given the Walt Disney Company but a controversial acquisition indeed given the help Lucas gave Kennedy, Marshall and Spielberg to avoid justice after the TZ disaster that turned young audiences against the head Jedi back in ‘82. Indeed, this insidious and twilit help was resurrected at the nightmarish news conference announcing the deal when Iger and Lucas surprised the world by confirming that Kennedy would be part in charge of Lucasfilm and would lead the transition of Lucasfilm and ILM into the Disney era, perhaps due to being convinced that enough time had passed to free her from the twilit shadow in the thirtieth anniversary year of the TZ disaster. Significantly, while this final decision of Darth Stinkious and its embrace by Iger enraged embittered old Jedi like myself, the appointment of Darth Kennedy, the first female Sith Lord and one of four people most responsible for the TZ disaster, to lead Lucasfilm and ILM into a new and unholy union with the supposedly kid friendly Mouse House, casting a twilit pall over everything the Walt Disney Company has done ever since, caused no significant outcry or condemnation, implying that audiences believed that enough time had indeed freed her from the TZ disaster.
Thus, it was all too fitting that a month after the acquisition of Lucasfilm/ILM, and also ironic, given that the implicitly Lucas linked Banner/Hulk had joined the dissembling Avengers in defeating the implicitly Spielberg linked Loki that year, that Disney collaborated again with Lasseter and now with Rich Moore to implicitly hope that Lucas and Spielberg would patch up their implicit differences and become friends again like the huge, wild haired, big eared, strong, rampaging, Donkey Kong and Hulk evoking and implicitly Lucas and Scarecrow linked Wreck-It Ralph-played by John C. Reilly-saved the day and patched up his differences and became friends with his short, clean cut, prim and proper, baseball hat luvin’, Mario evoking and implicitly Spielberg and Tin Man linked arch-rival Fix-It Felix-played by Jack McBrayer-to the delight of the tall, tough, beautiful, blonde and implicitly Kate Capshaw and Glinda linked Sergeant Tamora J. Calhoun-played by Jane Lynch-and the short, quirky, indie and implicitly Marcia Lucas and Dorothy linked Vanellope von Schweetz-played by Sarah Silverman-and the frustrated fury of the implicitly Burton and Great Oz and Wicked Turbo of the West linked King Candy-played by Alan Tudyk-at the end of the daylit, allegorical and indie CGI animated feature film WRECK-IT RALPH [2012], a Disney film that out-pixed Pixar to exuberantly affirm how much the Mouse House had already learned from Pix that was released on November 1, 2012 whose implicit allegorical intent was affirmed by allusions to ALIEN, the Matrix Trilogy, MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS, the STAR WARS Classic and Tragic Trilogies, THE INCREDIBLE HULK and THE WIZARD OF OZ.
It was also all too fitting that the following year, Disney, Marvel, Paramount, Viacom teamed up with Shane Black and again with Bettany, Cheadle, Downey jr., Favreau-now back as both actor and co-executive producer-Feige, Ferrer, Jordan, Lee, Paltrow and Toub to reboot the MCU, to implicitly wrap up a satirical Reitman Trilogy and to truly embrace the twilight when they implicitly joined the lamentable sub-genre of the dread allegorical Zone Wars known as “Cinema Garite” in the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film IRON MAN 3 [2013], released on April 14, 2013.
“Tony needs Gary.”
Curiously, the film began with a rambling and vaguely coherent VO from the brash, confident, cocky, brilliant, creative, intuitive, intelligent, shrewd, knowing and implicitly Reitman and Cowardly Lion linked Anthony “Tony” Stark-played again by Downey jr.-reminding audiences that we made our own demons as three Iron Man suits in their alcoves in his swingin’ Malibu bachelor pad blew up one by one. Then after the flickering, action packed and word balloon filled panels of Marvel Comics turned and spun in the air and settled down into the white words MARVEL in a white box over the smaller white words studios as the twilit, allegorical and Gianfranco Randone, Maurizio Lobina and Massimo Gabutti written Eiffel 65 tune “Blue (Da Ba Dee)” [1999] played, the film saw Stark suffer from constant anxiety attacks brought on by memories of the Chitauri attack on New York to affirm his implicit link to the Cowardly Lion despite the best efforts of his helpful and faithful AI JARVIS-played again by Bettany-the beautiful, brainy, indomitable, indispensable and implicitly Codey and Glinda linked SI CEO Virginia “Pepper” Potts-played again by Paltrow-the big, burly, loyal, watchful and implicitly Saklad and Scarecrow linked new “forehead” of security Harold “Happy” Hogan-played again by Favreau-and his pal the lean, tough, and implicitly Virgo and Tin Man linked Lt.-Col. James “Rhodey” Rhodes aka “War Hammer”-played again by Cheadle-to calm him down and free him from these anxieties.
Along the way, Stark also did his best to hunt down and end the reign of terror of the Mandarin aka struggling actor Terry Slattery-played by Sir Ben Kingsley-who turned out to be a front for the real baddie, the tanned, handsome, charismatic, peroxide blonde and implicitly Todd Mara linked Advanced Idea Mechanics [AIM] CEO Aldrich Killian-played by Guy Pearce-who was assisted in his mostly failed attempts to control the body’s ability to heal itself that had a nasty habit of turning people into human bombs by the bald, surly, insolent, smirky, mayhem luvin’ and implicitly Gary W. Wright linked Savin-played by James B. Dale-and the beautiful, brainy and possibly Bigelow linked duped biotheorist Maya Hansen-played by Rebecca Hall-until both were defeated by friends working together in the usual healing, harmonizing and eucatastrophic end. Tragicomically, after all of the closing titles, there was a “hilarious” scene with Stark on a couch relating the story of IRON MAN 3 to Dr. Bruce Banner aka “the Hulk”-played again by Ruffalo-seated nearby which ended when Stark suddenly realized that Dr. Banner had fallen asleep. When asked by Stark when he had fallen asleep, Dr. Banner sheepishly admitted right at the beginning in Berne in 1999, a not so subtle implicit jab at Wright that dismissed him and his Lucas obsessed website that was up and running on the internet by the release of IRON MAN 3, a film with all of the usual allusions to the Matrix Trilogy and THE WIZARD OF OZ. Significantly, however, after being initially dismissed as an unimportant super villain in IRON MAN 3 like Reitman in the Raimi Spider-Man Trilogy, Wright would be implicitly reborn as a wild and wacky super hero in a MCU film to come.
Meanwhile, on the small screen, Disney and Hornaday collaborated again to now imply in the sight and sound of the beautiful, brunette, strong, fit and implicitly Bigelow and Dorothy linked teen surfer McKenzie aka Mack-played by Maia Mitchell-freeing herself from being trapped in the allegorical, CGI enhanced, and singin’ and dancin’ teen bikers versus teen surfers A.I. Smithee indie docufeature telefilm WET SIDE STORY [1962] and returning to reality with the help of the exuberant, luv struck, peroxide blonde, Luke Skywalker evoking and implicitly Lucas and Scarecrow linked surf dude Brady-played by Ross Lynch-to successfully surf a towering forty foot wave and earn the praise of the big surfer boys that they were pleased with the success the year before of the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed Bigelow indie docufeature film ZERO DARK THIRTY [2012], which showed that Bigs was able to hold her own with the big boys of film art, at the healing, harmonizing and eucatastrophic end of on the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie docufeature telefilm TEEN BEACH MOVIE [2013], a telefilm released on July 19, 2013 whose implicit allegorical intent was affirmed by allusions to the eerily and presciently twilit and allegorical Bigelow and Monty Montgomery indie docufeature film THE LOVELESS [1981] and the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed and implicitly Lucas toasting and Lynch roasting indie docufeature artbuster POINT BREAK [1991].
Tragicomically, the following month Universal and co-producer Vaughan teamed up with writer/director Jeff Wadlow to have the dorky, bespectacled and implicitly Burton and Scarecrow linked teen superhero wannabe David “Dave” Lezewski aka “Kick-Ass”-played again by Johnson-team up with the pretty but deadly and implicitly Disney Princess and Dorothy linked Mindy Macready aka “Hit Girl”-played again by Moretz-and the rest of the earnest, idealistic and undaunted real life superhero members of Justice Forever-including the ambiguously linked Sal Bertolinni aka Colonel Stars And Stripes [played by Jim Carrey]-to take on and take out the sneery, snarky, black clothing and supervillain suit luvin’, desperately Evil and implicitly Disney CEO Iger and Wicked Witch of the West linked Christopher “Chris” D’Amico aka “the Motherfucker”-played again by Mintz-Plasse-and the rest of his real life Toxic Mega Cunt supervilllians in the healing, harmonizing and eucatastrophic end of the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie docufeature film KICK-ASS 2 [2012], a film released on August 14, 2013 that was inspired by the daylit and allegorical Millar and Romita jr. indie narrative artwork Kick-Ass 2 [2008-14] and whose implicit interest in Burton was affirmed by allusions to BATMAN, BATMAN RETURNS, the twilit and allegorical animaction feature film PEE WEE’S BIG ADVENTURE (1985), and the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed, Burton co-produced and implicitly Cameron and Corman toasting and Sir Scott and Spielberg roasting super satirical animaction film BATMAN FOREVER [1995], in which Carrey played the wacky and implicitly Sir Scott and Nikko linked Edward Nygma aka “The Riddler”.
Significantly, soon after the release of KICK-ASS 2 King implicitly agreed that the Walt Disney Company had embraced the Dark Side when it added the Kennedy led Lucasfilm/ILM to its fold, for he implicitly roasted Iger, Kennedy and Stinkious and their fondness for feeding off the energy and money of young audiences in the implicit forms of Henry Rothman, Rose and Grampa Flick, leaders of a wandering group of psychic vampires called the True Knot who luved feasting on and draining kids of their psychic energy throughout the twilit, allegorical and CGI enhanced indie docufiction novel Doctor Sleep [September 2013]. Then Dis turned from super surfers to superheroes and superheroines when they teamed up again with Marv and now with Alan Taylor to reboot the MCU with Alexander, Asano, Dennings, Elba, Evans, Feige, Hemsworth, Hiddleston, Sir Hopkins, Jordan, Lee, Portman, Russo, Skarsgard, Stevenson and Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely-screenwriters of CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER-and to implicitly address Cameron, Hurd and Spielberg again in the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie super satirical animacion film THOR: DARK WORLD [2013], released on October 22, 2013.
“I’d rather be a good man,
than a great king.”
Curiously, after the familiar flickering, action packed and word balloon filled panels of Marvel Comics spun and rose in the air and filled the slowly forming letters of Marvel and then disappeared as the word MARVEL in white on a red background inside a white rectangle with a smaller studios underneath appeared accompanied by reasonably triumphant symphonic music, the screen went black and blank like the beginning of a Spielberg film, preparing us for the return of the implicitly Spielberg linked Loki. However, instead of Loki appearing, a VO by the old, wise, grey bearded, intimidating and implicitly Kubrick and Great Oz linked Odin, Norse King of Asgard and protector of the Nine Realms-played again by Sir Hopkins-was heard instead, telling the story of how five thousand years ago the implicitly Nolan linked Malekith, King of the Dark Elves-played by Christopher Eccleston-had tried to use the eerie, red, misty and mysterious Aether, described as “…an ancient Force of infinite destruction” to prepare audiences for it being revealed as the red Reality Infinity Stone, to lead his Dark Elves to a cosmic triumph during a rare conjunction of the Nine Realms but had been beaten in the nick of time by Odin’s father King Bor-played by Tony Curran-and his courageous and indomitable Asgardian soldiers. After Malekith fled to try again another Dark day, becoming the implicit Wicked Witch of the East linked figure of the healing Ozian dream, Bor commanded his soldiers to bury the indestructible Aether deep out of sight and reach to prevent anyone else from ever using it again.
Legend over, the screen went black, blank and silent again like the beginning of a Spielberg screen before the sound of clinking chains was heard, and then the tall, black haired and eyed, pale skinned, wily, mischievous, mayhem, death, and destruction luvin’ and implicitly Spielberg linked Loki, Norse God of Mischief-played again by Hiddleston-did fittingly appear in chains in the castle in Asgard being led to a brief meeting with his adoptive mother, the beautiful, regal and implicitly Christiane Kubrick and Glinda linked Frigga, Queen of Asgard-played again by Russo-and then a longer and more humbling and humiliating meeting with his adoptive father Odin that led to him being imprisoned forever in the dank dungeon of Asgard and, hence, the implicitly frozen Tin Man of the piece. Meanwhile, back on Midgard, the conjunction of the Nine Realms that occurred every five thousand years was happening again, so much so that the short, beautiful, brainy, brunette and implicitly Hurd linked Dr. Jane Foster-played again by Portman-managed to stumble through a space-time portal while engaging in research and relaxation in London, England with her intern Darcy Lewis-played again by Dennings-and her eccentric, genial, grey haired, and implicitly Corman linked mentor Dr. Erik Selvig-played again by Skarsgard-that led her to the deep buried site of the eerie red misty Aether and to be infected with its mysterious red energy.
An unusual circumstance that attracted the concerned attention of the tall, blonde, bearded, handsome, proud, less arrogant, always mighty and implicitly Cameron linked Thor, Norse God of Thunder-played again by Hemsworth-who returned to Midgard in a new super suit to find Dr. Foster and then took her back to Asgard via the rainbow bridge Bifrost and the tall, intimidating, all seeing, yellow eyed, patient, and strong Heimdall-played again by Alba-to try to cure her. Alas for Dr. Foster, King Odin and Queen Frigga were unable to do so, but luckily her eerie Aether power turned out to be useful in helping Thor, Dr. Selvig, Lewis, and even Loki defeat the reawakened and implicitly Wicked Witch of the West linked Malekith, his implicitly Nikko the Flying Monkey King linked major domo Algrim-played by Adewale Akinnoye-Agbaje-and his implicitly flying monkey linked Dark Elves in the battle at the end of the film, a battle that killed Malekith and Loki, implying the hope of Dis, Marv and Taylor that the film art of Cameron and Hurd would triumph over that of Nolan and Spielberg, in the healing, harmonizing and eucatastrophic end, an implicit interest in Cameron, Hurd, the Kubricks, Nolan and Spielberg affirmed by the film’s allusions to A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, ALIEN, ALIENS, AVATAR, BATMAN BEGINS, BRAZIL, the Matrix Trilogy, MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL, PROMETHEUS, the STAR WARS Classic and Tragic Trilogies, THE WIZARD OF OZ, T1, T2, TITANIC, 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY and the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed and implicitly and ironically Cameron toasting Nolan docufeature films THE DARK KNIGHT [2008], and THE DARK KNIGHT RISES [2012].
Curiously, the film ended with Thor giving up all claims to the throne of Asgard and leaving it to King Odin, and then leaving Asgard. For his part, Odin turned out to be the mischievous and illusion luvin’ Loki in disguise, only too happy to accept the throne of Asgard. Then the teaser scene after the major closing titles saw the tall, beautiful, brunette, fearless and implicitly Bigelow linked Sif and the medium height, stocky, bearded and implicitly Landau linked Volstagg-played again by Alexander and Stevenson, respectively-giving the tall, grey haired and eyebrowed, and implicitly Jim Jarmusch linked Taneleer Tivan aka “the Collector”-played by Benicio Del Toro-and his luvly assistant Carina-played by Ophelia Lovibond-the carefully bottled up Aether aka the red Reality Infinity Stone so that two Infinity Stones would not be kept in one place, setting audiences up for the Tesseract back on Asgard being revealed in time as the blue Space Infinity Stone. Last but not least, the teaser scene at the end of all of the closing titles saw Thor return to Midgard and the luving embrace of Dr. Foster to the surprised relief of Lewis and Dr. Selvig, in the end.
That point made, and the first of the Infinity Stones revealed and the second implied, Dis, Marvel, Paramount, Viacom teamed up with Amiable Anthony and Jovial Joe Russo and again with Atwell, Evans, Feige, Hernandez, Jackson, Johansson, Jones, Jordan, Lee, Markus, McFeely, Shandling, Smulders, and Stan for more merry marchin’ mayhem to implicitly address SCC, Eastwood, Gilliam, and the Lees again in the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER [2014], released on March 13, 2014.
“This isn’t freedom.
This is fear.”
Curiously, after the flickering, action packed and word balloon filled panels of Marvel Comics spun and settled down into the white on red words of Marvel Studios to the swelling sound of a triumphant new symphonic theme, the film saw the tall, young, blonde, muscular, strong, fit, and ironically polite, patriotic, pure, innocent and implicitly Eastwood and Tin Man linked Steven “Steve” Rogers aka “Captain America”-played again by Evans-easily pacing and leaving behind the much younger, handsome, fit and implicitly Will Smith linked ex-58th Pararescue and two tour Iraqi veteran Samuel “Sam” Wilson-played by Anthony Mackie-while out on a morning run in Washington, DC, home of the U.S. government and the Triskelion, the headquarters of SHIELD with its massive subterranean docking bay and three spanking new helicarriers. Then the scene shifted to Cap in a sleek new super suit teaming up with the implicitly SCC and Dorothy linked SHIELD Agent Natalia Alianovna Romanoff aka Natasha Romanoff aka “Black Widow”-played again by Johansson-and a SHIELD STRIKE commando team that was led by the handsome, black haired, and implicitly Johnny Depp linked Brock Rumlow-played by Frank Grillo-to free an off course SHIELD mobile satellite launch platform called the Lemuria Star in the Indian Ocean from an attack by French pirates led by the implicitly Wicked Witch of the East linked Georges Batroc-played by Georges St.-Pierre.
Significantly, the attack began with Cap again throwing himself out of a SHIELD plane and into the Indian Ocean with the same steadfast determination as Pinocchio and Cricket threw themselves into the sea in PINOCCHIO before climbing up into the Lemuria Star and defeating the pirates and freeing the crew. Just as significantly, as the film went on, it was revealed that the Lemuria Star had been infiltrated by HYDRA and that the French pirates had been hired by the tall, gruff, intimidating, commanding, one-eyed and implicitly Lee and Great Oz linked SHIELD Director Nicholas J. “Nick” Fury-played again by Jackson-to attack the ship as an excuse for SHIELD to send in the strike team led by Cap so that Agent Romanoff could download all of its secrets on a memory stick.
This revelation then kicked off a tragicomic film long exercise in relentless paranoia that saw Cap, Romanoff and Wilson, who quickly revealed that he was the hi-tech wing assisted new superhero “the Falcon”, teaming up with the tall, brunette, beautiful, smart, tough, and implicitly Tonya Lewis Lee linked SHIELD Agent Maria Hill-played again by Smulders-and the new and implicitly Joan Celia “J.C.” Lee and Glinda linked SHIELD Special Service Agent 13 Sharon Carter-niece of Agent Carter, and played by Emily Vancamp-on a modern mission against a HYDRA infiltration of the United States, its government and SHIELD helped along by the ghost of ex-SHIELD member and HYDRA mole Dr. Arnim Zola-played again by Jones-an infiltration whose dubious goal was to “save” the world from itself and its post-WWII fondness for UN freedom at the cost of millions of people by taking over and misusing Project Insight, a SHIELD mission to protect the world from world and extraterrestrial threats using its three new and global comsat linked helicarriers.
Significantly, the insidious members of this HYDRA infiltration included STRIKE commando leader Rumlow and most of his STRIKE commandos, the implicitly Weinstein linked Senator Stern-played again by Shandling-the implicitly George W. Bush jr. and Wicked Witch of the West linked SHIELD member and World Security Council [WSC] Secretary Alexander Pierce-played by Robert Redford-and his favourite simpering toadie, the implicitly Powell linked SHIELD Agent Jasper Sitwell-played again by Hernandez. Just as significantly, these secret HYDRA operatives had managed to briefly convince the U.S. government, the World Security Council-including Councilman Singh, fittingly played by Bernard White, who played Rama Kandra in THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS, given all of the many and usual allusions to the Matrix Trilogy in the film-SHIELD and the American and world public that Cap, Carter, Fury, Hill, Romanoff, and Wilson were the real Evildoers, not them.
Pleasingly, this frustrating and determined mission to prove the innocence of the heroic friends and out the true HYDRA Evildoers returned Cap to his old Fightin’ Forties super suit and allowed SHIELD Director Fury to finally reveal why he was the Director of SHIELD and why everyone called him Fury, a mission that led him to fake his death to outfake HYDRA. The desperate mission also revealed that the implicitly Gilliam and Nikko linked James B. “Bucky” Barnes-played again by Stan-was back as the brainwashed and robot left armed HYDRA assassin “the Winter Soldier” created by Dr. Arnim in 1943, and even predicted the arrival of Dr. Stephen Strange in the MCU. That this mission also succeeded in killing the Wicked Pierce and Sitwell, defeating Rumlow and the rest of his HYDRA STRIKE thugs and stopping the madcap and fear and paranoia inducing HYDRA plot to “save” the world from itself by using the three new helicarriers to hunt down and kill everyone “opposed” to the new HYDRA world order implied the hope of Dis, Marv and the Russo Brothers that SCC, Eastwood, Lee and Smith would lead the U.S. and the rest of the United Nations in exorcising and leaving behind Bush jr. and the fear and paranoia of his years as “President” of the United States in a rare political allegory in the MCU that evoked PINOCCHIO and THREE LITTLE PIGS. Indeed, the fact that one the three massive helicarriers blown up for safety reasons at the end of the film fell out of the sky and crashed into the Triskelion like the two passenger planes that crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center affirmed the implicit link of Pierce to Bush.
Just as significantly, the mission also ended with Barnes freeing himself from HYDRA control, saving Cap from drowning in the Potomac to evoke Cap’s opening dive in the Indian Ocean to bring the film full circle and to affirm that Barnes was implicitly linked to Nikko rather than the water liquidating Wicked Witch of the West and disappearing, and going undercover like Fury, setting us up for more indie adventures from both of them. Last but not least, the teaser scene after the major closing titles also introduced us to another secret HYDRA cell somewhere in Europe headed by the ambiguously linked Baron Wolfgang von Strucker-played by Thomas Kretschmann-and his favourite and implicitly Lang linked quisling Doctor List-played by the ironically surnamed Henry Goodman-a secret HYDRA cell that hid the Chitauri staff that Loki used in MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS and HYDRA’s favourite “magical” and ambiguously linked twins Pietro Maximoff aka “Quicksilver”-originally implicitly linked to Marcel Duchamp by Kirby and Lee for Marvel Comics, and played by an actor now calling himself Taylor-Johnson-and his sister Wanda Maximoff aka “the Scarlet Witch”-originally implicitly linked to Suzanne Duchamp-Crotti by Kirby and Lee for Marvel Comics, and played by Elizabeth Olsen-setting audiences up for the next dissembling Avengers film. Last but not least, the teaser scene at the end of all of the closing titles also saw the brainwashed and incognito Winter Soldier visit the Captain America exhibit at the Smithsonian in Washington and appear to wake up to his true identity, setting audiences up for his transformation from super villain to superhero in the next Captain America film in a film with allusions to the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed Gilliam indie docufeature film 12 MONKEYS [1995] to affirm the implicit link of Barnes to Gilliam and all of the usual exuberant allusions to the Matrix Trilogy and THE WIZARD OF OZ.
Significantly, though, before that action packed film arrived, Dis and Marv collaborated with co-writer/director James Gunn and again with Del Toro, Feige, Jordan, Lee, Lovibond, Reilly and Charles Wood-production designer of THOR: THE DARK WORLD-for the most merry marchin’ mischief and mayhem yet in the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY [2014], released on July 21, 2014.
“We are Groot.”
Curiously, the film began on Earth in 1988 with a despondent and disconsolate young boy named Peter Jason Quill-played by Wyatt Oleff-sitting disconsolately in a plastic chair in a hospital listening to the allegorical and Graham Gouldman and Eric Stewart written 10CC tune “I’m Not In Love” [1975] on the headphones of his Sony Walkman. Led by his equally glum and checked shirt wearin’ but kindly grandfather Jason Quill-played by Gregg Henry-into a hospital room to talk with his dying and cueball bald mother Meredith Quill-played by Laura Haddock. Just as curiously, when he fled out of the hospital and into the night after the death of his mother, young Quill was suddenly set upon by a turkey buzzard resembling spaceship and suck up into it with its tractor beam. Then, after the flickering, action packed and word balloon filled pages of Marvel Comics spun and rose into the air inside the slowly formed letters of Marvel in white inside a white rectangle and Studios in white beneath on a red background to the swelling sound of reasonably upbeat symphonic music, the film jumped twenty-six years into the future with another turkey vulture spaceship landing on the abandoned world of Morag, and disgorging a mysterious figure in drover coat and mask who wandered around the desolate and misty surface of Morag.
Removing his helmet to reveal the older and handsome Quill aka “Star Lord”-played by Chris Pratt-putting on his Walkman headphones and, after all of the advanced hi-tech gadgetry on display so far, incongruously pressing play to listen to the allegorical and Lolly Vegas written Redbone tune “Come And Get Your Love” [1973], Quill was soon singing and dancing his way like the Scarecrow past CGI critters to a nearby Temple and breaking into it to steal a mysterious Orb in a sequence that evoked the temple robbing beginning of the Paramount Pictures film RAIDERS OF LOST ARK in the final years when Eisner was CEO of Paramount and the Ozian Elemental Temple in Egypt beginning of the wholly remarkable, exuberantly daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed and implicitly Cameron roasting and Lucas toasting Besson indie animaction film THE FIFTH ELEMENT [1997] to affirm the implicit link of Quill to Besson. Alas for Quill, after acquiring the orb, he was fighting off a terrible trio led by the pesky and implicitly Omar De Soto and Nikko the Flying Monkey King linked Korath-played by Djimon Hounsou-who tried to take the Orb from him and give it to the nasty, vengeful, Darth Vader, Emperor and Osama Bin Laden evoking and implicitly Roland Emmerich, Wicked Witch of the West and Moslem linked Kree renegade Ronan the Accuser-played by Lee Pace-who in turn wanted to give it to the even nastier and vengeful, implicitly Eisner and Wicked Witch of the West linked and all CGI mad Titan Thanos-played by Josh Brolin. Escaping from his attackers, Quill blasted off Morag in his spaceship in a sequence that had him and his ship rocketing straight into the camera lens in a familiar Disney shot that stretched back to THE ALICE ADVENTURES to affirm that Dis was indeed exerting its influence on Marv before Quill took the Orb to the planet Xandar, capital of the implicitly Christian linked Nova Empire, to sell it for a fistful of units to a nervous and tremulous Broker-played by Christopher Fairbank, who played the lead scientist Mactilburgh in THE FIFTH ELEMENT to openly link that film to GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY and to affirm the implicit link of Quill to Besson-to the frustrated fury of Quill’s mentor and surrogate father, the blue and thin skinned, arrow and woman luvin’, mohawked and implicitly Lynch linked Ravager Captain Yondu Udonta-played by Michael Rooker-and his right hand man, the implicitly Riley Lynch linked Kraglin-played by Gunn brother Sean Gunn.
Significantly, while the cowardly Broker refused to buy the Orb from Quill when he heard that Ronan wanted it, Quill did meet up with the green, short, sexy, deadly and implicitly Lilly Wachowski and Dorothy linked Gamora-another tough, tenacious, two fisted, well trained and indie Disney-Marvel Princess like Romanoff, and played by Zoe Saldana-adopted assassin daughter of the mad Titan Thanos-and the tall, lean, anthropomorphic, Earthy and implicitly Scarecrow and ambiguously linked all CGI treeman Groot-played by Vin Diesel and Kristian Godlewski, respectively-and the dimunitive, Fiery tempered, nasty, anthropomorphic and implicitly Zack Snyder and Cowardly Lion linked all CGI Subject 89P13 Rocket Raccoon-played by Bradley Cooper-when they tried to take the Orb from him, almost completing an Ozian quintet. Arrested by a Xandarian security team led by Nova Corpsman Denarian Dy-fittingly played by Reilly, given that he played the implicitly Lucas linked Wreck-It-Ralph in WRECK-IT-RALPH, and given all of the allusions to the film art of Lucas in GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY-and banished to a satellite prison called the Kyln, Quill and company soon met the big, muscular, grey and red skinned, loud laughing, Den evoking and implicitly Del Toro and Tin Man linked Drax the Destroyer-played by Dave Bautista-who completed the Ozian quintet.
Quintet complete, the unlikely, quarrelling and caterwauling heroes now had the healing and elemental Ozian force to break out of the Kiln and flee in the Milano, a sequence that evoked a similar pugilistic prison breakout in the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed Snyder super satirical animaction film WATCHMEN [2009] to affirm the implicit link of Rocket to Snyder. The goofy Guardians then took the Orb in the Milano to the black market community hidden in the Morrow evoking head of a Celestial in Knowhere to sell it to the tall, grey haired, eccentric and implicitly Jarmusch linked Taneleer Tivan aka “the Collector”-played again by Del Toro-who informed them to their surprise that “six singularities” had existed before the creation of the universe and had been “…forged into concentrated ingots” called Infinity Stones like the implicitly Marvel linked purple Power Infinity Stone that was revealed to be hidden inside the Orb before Tivan’s luvly pink assistant Carina-played again by Lovibond-and Tivan’s warehouse of collectibles were both destroyed when Carina foolishly tried to take the Power stone for herself. Significantly, these six Infinity Stones evoked Disney and ABC, Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm and ILM, the five companies Disney had added to itself since purchasing ABC in 1995, with new Disney CEO Iger arriving with the ABC purchase and all of the rest purchased due to the persistence of, and under the supervision of, Iger, implicitly linking all of the Infinity Stones to him and his infinite “Iger Power.” Just as significantly, a swelling romance between Gamora and Quill almost led in a scene that evoked THE MATRIX to a kiss between them before they met Tivan, a kiss that might have been the first between an implicitly transexual woman and a heterosexual man on film.
At any rate, fleeing Knowhere and an attack by the big blue Ronan meanie, his cruel also implicitly Moslem linked Kree and Gamora’s even more nasty, also blue faced and implicitly Lana Wachowski and also Wicked Witch of the West linked cyborg sister Nebula-yet another tough, tenacious, two fisted, well trained, and indie Disney-Marvel Princess, and played by Karen Gillan-Quill and company took the purple people eating Power stone back to Xandar and gave it to the grey haired and implicitly Glinda linked leader of the Xandarians, Nova Prime-played by Glenn Close-for safekeeping. Here on Xandar the goofy and constantly quarrelin’ and caterwaulin’ Guardians also put aside their differences and united in a family of friends to defeat the Kree forces that followed them in Ronan’s huge and eagle evoking ship the Dark Aster and to destroy the Wicked Ronan and his ship in the healing, harmonizing and eucatastrophic end in the most moving and memorable affirmation of the importance of family, friendship and a family of friends in the MCU, reaffirming that Disney was an equal partner now in the MCU and implying the hope of Dis, Marv and Gunn that Besson, Del Toro, Snyder and the Wachowski Sisters would also defeat Emmerich and his films with their films, an implicit allegorical intent affirmed by allusions to AMERICAN GRAFFITI, DUNE, KICK-ASS, MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS, THE FIFTH ELEMENT, the Matrix Trilogy, the STAR WARS Classic and Tragic Trilogies, THOR: DARK WORLD, WATCHMEN, the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed and implicitly Lucas toasting Del Toro indie super satirical animaction film HELLBOY [2004], the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed and implicitly Lucas toasting Emmerich docufeature film INDEPENDENCE DAY [1994], and the twilit, allegorical and Ozian themed Herbert Ross indie docufeature film FOOTLOOSE [1984] to affirm its implicit allegorical intent. Curiously, while there was no teaser scene after the main closing titles, the teaser scene at the end of the closing titles had the cranky Howard the Duck-implicitly linked only to Marvel rather than a film artist or Disney CEO, inspired by a cranky character initially implicitly linked to the equally cranky Robert Crumb by Sarcastic Steve Gerber and Vituperative Val Mayerik for Marvel Comics, and played by Seth Green-mocking the Collector after he let his prize Russian cosmomutt Cosmo lick his face in the ruins of his Sanctum Collectorum in Knowhere and affirming the implicit link of the purple Power Stone to Marvel.
Later that year, Disney collaborated with directors Don Hall and Chris Williams and again with Lasseter, Lee and Tudyk to implicitly channel their inner superhero and take on the MCU in the sight and sound of the brilliant but wayward and implicitly Spielberg and Scarecrow linked teen Hiro Hamada-played by Ryan Potter-teaming up with his big, inflatable, sweet, gentle, E.T., Maximilian, and V.I.N.C.E.N.T. evoking and implicitly Tin Man linked superbot Baymax-played by Scott Adsit-to take on and take out the Evil and implicitly Disney CEO Iger and Wicked Witch of the West linked Robert Callaghan aka the kabuki masked “Yokai”-played by James Cromwell-at the healing, harmonious and eucatastrophic end of the daylit, allegorical, and Ozian themed indie super satirical CGI animated feature film BIG HERO 6 [2014], a film released on October 23, 2014 that alluded to E.T., THE EXTRATERRESTRIAL, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, the Iron Man Trilogy, THE BLACK HOLE and THE INCREDIBLES. Then the following year, Disney Branagh teamed up with Atwell and Skarsgard to kick off the new film year and to breathe new CGI enhanced life into an old classic and to work together on Disney’s most odd implicit allegory yet in the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie animaction film CINDERELLA [2015], released on February 13, 2015.
“Where are my girls,
my beautiful girls?”
For after the film began with the familiar CGI enhanced Disney Magic Kingdom intro transforming from an enchanted and firework bursting evening into a beautiful sunny day to reaffirm the implicit conviction of Disney that CGI had indeed freed audiences, film art, film artists and the Temple Theatre from the dark and troubled twilight of the TZ disaster, the camera moved up into the sky to follow two chirping CGI bluebirds and then fell down with them into a meadow on a beautiful sunny day where we met the beautiful, blonde, high spirited, imaginative and implicitly Christie Hefner linked baby Ella-played by Alana Smithee-her implicitly Hugh “Hef” Hefner linked father-played by Ben Chaplin-and her beautiful, blonde, luving, vivacious and implicitly Mildred “Millie” Hefner linked mother-played by Atwell-a luving family whose story was then related in a film long VO by the implicitly Pamela A. Lee and Glinda the Good Witch of the North linked Good Fairy Godmother-played by Helena Bonham-Carter. A fairy tale that soon revealed that Ella’s sunny spirit and the real and CGI worlds that she lived in harmony with like Snow White lived in harmony with the world of hand animated film art in SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS all unexpectedly darkened when her mother died when Ella was a beautiful, blonde and bubbly ten year old girl-played by Eloise Webb-evoking the divorce of Hef and Millie when Christie was seven to affirm the implicit link of Ella to Christie.
Even worse for the equally beautiful, blonde, intelligent and sensitive teenage Ella-played by Lilly James-the death of her sweet mother led to her lonely father remarrying and the arrival of her Wicked, beautiful, redhaired, nasty, conniving and implicitly Cameron Diaz and Wicked Witch of the West linked Stepmother Lady Tremaine-played by Cate Blanchett-a Wicked Stepmother who evoked Kimberley Conrad, a PLAYBOY Playmate that Hef married in 1989. Alas for Ella, her new Wicked Stepmother not only brought with her an unusually large, grey, furry, and CGI enhanced pussycat Lucifer, but she also brought with her two equally redhaired, nasty, conniving, constantly, quarrelling, talentless and desperately ambitious stepdaughters with her, the implicitly Shannon and Tracy Tweed linked Anastasia and Drisella-played by Holliday Grainger and Sophie McShera, respectively-who immediately set out to make her life a misery, reminding us that Hef and Kimberley had two equally unmemorable and talentless sons Marston and Cooper, who became the equally annoying stepbrothers of Christie.
And then, just when things could not get worse for poor Ella, her luving father also died while away on a business trip. This caused her Wicked Stepmother to take over their large, rambling, cheery and PLAYBOY Mansion evoking country house, banish the poor and now implicitly Dorothy linked orphan waif Ella to the attic, and give her room to her two Wicked Stepsisters, who soon dubbed her “Cinderella” due to the soot marks on her face acquired from tending the kitchen fires, the cooking, the cleaning, the mending and everything else her Wicked Stepmother and Wicked Stepsisters required her to do for them. And so poor Ella was left all alone in the attic with her four Walt Disney family evoking CGI mice friends Gus-Gus, Jacqueline, Teddy and Matilda, respectively, who implicitly turned her family’s house into a Mouse House as surely as the feisty and indie mouse had turned the dwarfs’ house into a Mouse House in SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS.
Luckily for Ella, fleeing the horrid house on horseback one day led to the horse being spooked by a royal hunt and running off, causing the handsome, Michael Fassbender resembling and implicitly Kelly and Scarecrow linked young Prince aka “Kip”-played by Richard Madden-in command of the hunt to chase after them on his horse, catch them, soothe her horse, and fall madly in luv with her. So much so, that when the prince returned home to the castle, he persuaded his father the old, blonde, dying and implicitly Cameron and Great Oz linked King-played by Branagh veteran Derek Jacobi-who wanted him to marry a princess, to hold a ball where everyone both royal and common could attend, in hopes that Ella would show up. Of course, the Wicked Stepmother forbade Ella from attending the ball with her and her daughters, and left the poor orphan waif to cry all alone that night at her father’s house.
However, luckily again for Ella, the Good Fairy Godmother finally made her appearance after her long unseen VO and revealed herself to be not an old crone but a beautiful, blonde and busty middle aged woman in a snow white and icy silver dress as befitting a character implicitly linked to Lee and Glinda, the Good Witch of the North. Using her magic icicle wand to transform a pumpkin into a beautiful gold and glass CGI coach to take her to the ball, her four CGI mice friends into the CGI mouse eared white horses for the coach, two handy lizards into the two footmen of the coach-both played by Tom Edden-and Mr. Goose the real goose into the driver of the coach-played by Gareth Mason. The Good Fairy Godmother and some helpful CGI bluebirds also transformed Ella’s mother’s pink dress into a beautiful bluebird blue gown and her simple shoes into unique glass slippers. All set, one of the footmen helped her into the coach and Mr. Goose drove her, to his amazement, to the castle and the ball where Ella was the belle of the ball and the fairest one of all to recaptivate and win over the handsome Prince. Alas for Ella and the Prince, however, she had to leave the castle before the clock struck midnight when the Good Fairy Godmother’s magic spell disappeared and the coach, horses, driver, footmen and dress all reverted to normal, leaving behind one of her glass slippers in her haste with the distraught young man.
A distraught young man who, after the death of his father the King later that night, was now free to marry who he wanted, even if she was not a princess, much to the dismay of the disapproving and implicitly Sir Scott and Nikko linked major domo the Grand Duke-played by Skarsgard. And so he had his criers proclaim that he would marry the young woman who brought him the other glass slipper to complete the pair. Alas again for Ella, her Wicked Stepmother found the other slipper hidden in the attic, and smashed it when the stubborn waif refused to marry the Prince and appoint Lady Tremaine the head of the royal household. Luckily once more for Ella, however, when the captivating young beauty who had the other glass slipper did not show up at the castle, the Prince went from house to house in his determination to find his one true luv. At last, at the last PLAYBOY Mansion evoking house, the Prince found Ella, and the remaining glass slipper fit her pretty right foot, and he smiled in delight and hugged and kissed and married her, and the two went off to live in the castle, and ruled the kingdom with courage and kindness, and the King and Queen and all of the people of CGI enhanced animaction land lived happily ever after.
Thus, Disney and Branagh implied their hope that after the death of Hef, which occurred two years after the release of CINDERELLA in 2017, Christie would finally leave behind the world of PLAYBOY and its notorious mansion and go off and remarry and do something better with her life, perhaps even invest in and produce the next brilliant and memorable Kelly film, an implicit allegorical intent affirmed by the film’s allusions to SOUTHLAND TALES, THE WIZARD OF OZ, TITANIC and the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed and implicitly Wright addressing Sir Scott indie docufeature artbuster THE COUNSELOR [2013]. Indeed, since the implicitly Diaz linked and Wicked Lady Tremaine and her two talentless daughters fled the kingdom with the implicitly Sir Scott linked Grand Duke ne’er to be seen again, the implication was that Dis and Branagh wanted Christie to invest in a film that would, like CINDERELLA, specifically triumph over and exorcise the Temple Theatre of THE COUNSELOR, a nasty, cynical, violent and soulless film released two years before CINDERELLA in which Diaz played the Evil, beautiful, blonde, callous, duplicitous, murder and mayhem luvin’ and implicitly Hollywood film art and Wicked Witch of the West linked drug gang leader Malkina who destroyed the life of the eponymous and implicitly Wright linked Counselor-played by Fassbender-by ordering the murder of his implicitly film art linked life’s luv Laura-played by Penelope Cruz.
That curious implicit point made, Sony and Blomkamp returned with Copley and implied in the sight and sound of the bespectacled, brilliant and implicitly J.J. Abrams linked robotics engineer and robocop designer Deon Wilson-played by Dev Patel-trying but failing to develop a truly, fully, and vitally artistic humanity in one of his lookalike robocops-played by Copley-and then having his consciousness transferred to another one of the lookalike robocops before he died that the attempt by Abrams to inject a full and vitally artistic humanity in the STAR WARS sequel he was creating for Disney and Lucasfilm would not only fail but rob him of his vital, creative and artistic indie film artistry at the catastrophic and tragicomic end of the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie docufeature film CHAPPiE [2015], released on March 4, 2015. Then the dissemblin’ and assemblin’ Avengers film foredained at the end of CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER arrived early the next year when Disney, Marvel and writer/director Whedon teamed up again with Atwell, Bettany, Cheadle, Elba, Evans, Downey jr., Favreau, Feige, Goodman, Hemsworth, Jackson, Jordan, Kretschmann, Lee, Mackie, Olsen, Paltrow, Renner, Ruffalo, Skarsgard, Smulders, Taylor-Johnson, Wood, Danny Elfman-composer of MEET THE ROBINSONS-on the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON [2015], released on April 13, 2015.
“I’m sorry,
I was asleep.
Or I was a-dream.”
Fittingly, the film began with the familiar flickering, action packed and word balloon filled panels of Marvel Comics spinning through and up into the air and transforming into the white words MARVEL in a white box with the white and smaller words studios underneath on a red background all to the slowly swelling sound of the Avengers theme from the Alan Silvestri composed soundtrack of MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS. Then the film kicked off with a bang with a prologue adventure that saw the Avengers arriving all at once instead of one at a time in the order of THE WIZARD OF OZ as in MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS at the secret HYDRA base glimpsed at the end of CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTERS SOLDIER in what turned out to be Sokovia in Eastern Europe, a prologue adventure that casually, calmly, cooly, creatively, and expertly re-introduced audiences to all of the superheroes and superheroines met in MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS and to their distinct personalities and quirks, and also expertly and shrewdly interwove their separate storylines while they battled and defeated the ambiguously linked Baron Wolfgang von Strucker-played again by Kretschmann-his favourite and implicitly Lang linked quisling Doctor List-played again by the still ironically surnamed Goodman-and all of their HYDRA goons. Significantly, the Avengers also met HYDRA’s favourite young, “magical” and ambiguously linked twins the lean, muscular, long brunette haired Pietro Maximoff aka the lightning fast “Quicksilver”-played again by Taylor-Johnson-and his beautiful, buxom and literally bewitching red haired sister Wanda Maximoff aka “the Scarlet Witch”-played again by Olsen-the latter of whom used her witchcraft on Stark to cause him to experience a terrifying vision of the rest of the Avengers killed due to his inaction and that led him to grab the Chitauri staff that Loki used in MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS that HYDRA had used to create the twins and bringing the staff back to Avengers HQ in New York after the end of the prologue adventure.
Discovering with the insight provided by his always helpful A.I. JARVIS-played again by Bettany-that the Chitauri staff contained something in it that was not only extraterrestrial but was powerful enough to help him create a global A.I. defense shield to protect Earth from another extraterrestrial attack like the Chitauri attack in MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS and prevent the terrifying vision that he had seen in Sokovia, Stark enlisted the help of Dr. Banner to create that global A.I. defense shield that they both dubbed “Ultron”. To their surprised delight and dismay, the Chitauri staff allowed them to succeed beyond their wildest dreams and create Ultron, the AI master of the internet-implicitly linked to Lynch, who was beaming his art, thoughts and ideas at the world via a website at the time, and played by James Spader-which briefly occupied and controlled Stark’s autonomous Ironbots to disrupt the Avengers, who were having a party at the Avengers HQ at the time, and fight them for awhile. Fed up, Ultron curiously fled via the internet back to Sokovia and set up shop there, consolidating its internet presence, its plan to save the Earth by killing most of its people like HYDRA wanted to do, and also building an army of Ultrobots, along the way implicitly affirming that Pietro Maximoff was linked to Lynch’s son Riley Lynch and Wanda Maximoff was linked to Lynch’s young wife Emily Stofle, who he had met in her role as Dream Girl Lanni while creating the daylit and allegorical indie moving painting INLAND EMPIRE [2006], paving the way for a big showdown between the Avengers and Quicksilver, the Scarlet Witch and Ultron in Sokovia that evoked the battle with the equally nasty and implicitly Wicked Witch of the West linked Master Computer Program [MCP]-played by David Warner-in TRON.
Curiously, before they got there, the Avengers had to have a brief tangle with Quicksilver, the Scarlet Witch and Ultron in Africa with the illicit and ambiguously linked African vibranium dealer Ulysses Klaue-played by Andy Serkis-that led to the Scarlet Witch bewitching Dr. Banner, Rogers, Romanoff and Thor, leading them all to have to fight off equally nightmarish visions and Stark to don a super Iron Man suit to fight off and subdue an out of control Hulk. Battle over, the Avengers also had to surprise themselves by using the Chitauri staff and the yellow Mind Infinity Stone hidden within it to transform the bodiless JARVIS into the embodied, cool, cerebral, soulless, yellow Mind Infinity Stone powered and implicitly Cronenberg linked new hero Vision-a fittingly named hero, given all of the nightmarish visions that had plagued the various Avengers in the film, and also played by Bettany-a hero so surprisingly Good and worthy from the moment of creation that he was the only one of the heroes to be able to casually lift and swing Thor’s hammer Mjolnir over the course of the film.
The creation of Vision accomplished, Stark drew upon the services of a new helpful A.I. in the form of FRIDAY-played by Kerry Condon-and then the Avengers reassembled in Sokovia to take on and take out Ultron, helped along to their surprise delight by Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch, who had woken up to Ultron’s insidious plans to killmost of humanity, and by the surprise saved by the cavalry return of the tall, gruff, intimidating and commanding ex-SHIELD Director Nicholas J. “Nick” Fury-played again by Jackson-the tall, lean, tough, beautiful, brunette and implicitly Tonya Lewis Lee linked ex-SHIELD Agent Maria Hill-played again by Smulders-the lean, rangy, tough, experienced and implicitly Virgo linked Lt.-Col. James “Rhodey” Rhodes-played again by Cheadle-and a refurbished old SHIELD helicarrier and its loyal crew. Alas, the battle ended with Ultron killed by Vision but Quicksilver also killed, perhaps to repay Johnson for starring in KICK-ASS, implying the hope of Dis, Marv, Paramount, Viacom and Whedon that Cameron, SCC, Cronenberg, Eastwood, Lee, Lucas, Reitman, Sir Scott, Smith and Virgo would defeat Lynch with their film art. The battle also ended with the capital of Sokovia having to be evacuated and destroyed by Stark to prevent if from rising into the sky and falling back to Earth and causing such a catastrophic impact so big it would destroy the planet, a destruction that saved Earth but curiously infuriated the citizens of the city and shocked and disturbed the rest of the people of planet Earth, turning them against the Avengers and setting audiences up for the next Captain America film. Battle over, the film ended at the new Avengers HQ in upstate New York with Thor blasting back to Asgard to find out why four Infinity Stones had suddenly appeared recently and Stark, miffed over the way he and the Avengers had been treated in their victory at Sokovia, quitting the Avengers and leaving Cap and Romanoff to head a new super group comprised by them and Maximoff, Lt.-Col. Rhodes, Vision and Wilson, all well on the way to becoming a family of friends.
And so ended a ridiculously overwrought and exaggerated film that implied that David and Riley Lynch and Emily Stofle were a far greater menace than they actually were, but did implicitly repay Lynch for working with Eisner’s Disney to create THE STRAIGHT STORY. This silly implicit snubbing was made worse by the fact that Lynch was exactly the sort of ultra indie and successful film artist that Disney and Marvel usually implicitly luved and implicitly linked their superheroes and superheroines to even if he had made THE STRAIGHT STORY with Eisner’s Disney, an implicit allegorical intent that was affirmed by allusions to FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS, INLAND EMPIRE, the Matrix Trilogy, PINOCCHIO, THE WIZARD OF OZ, THE STRAIGHT STORY, T1, T2, THX 1138, the twilit, allegorical and implicitly Spielberg roasting Cronenberg indie docufeature film THE FLY [1986], and the twilit, allegorical and implicitly Lucas roasting Lynch indie moving painting LOST HIGHWAY [1997] to affirm its implicit allegorical intent. And then the only teaser scene after the major closing titles revealed the all CGI and ambiguously linked mad Titan Thanos-inspired by a character originally implicitly linked to Ronald Reagan by Slim Jim Starlin for Marvel Comics, and played by Josh Brolin-breaking open some sort of cabinet and stealing the Infinity Gauntlet, setting audiences up for a battle with Thanos in the next Avengers film.
Curiously, however, before that assemblin’ and dissemblin’ film arrived, Disney and its new and independent Marvel Studios, created after Disney CEO Iger got tired of Marvel HQ in New York interfering with their Marvel Films division in Burbank, implicitly affirmed that the rise and fall of the naïve and brilliant Richard Kelly was also worthy of a super satirical roast and toast and also decided to implicitly reaffirm their sympathetic affection for John and Deborah Landis when they teamed up with Paintin’ Peyton Reed and again with Atwell, Jordan, Mackie and John Slattery-who played Howard Stark in a Stark Expo film about the city of the future in IRON MAN 2-on the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film ANT-MAN [2015], a film released on June 29, 2015 that was inspired based on a character created by Jocund John Byrne, Bashful Bob Layton and Dapper David Michelinie for Marvel Comics.
“Don’t let your past
determine your future.”
Curiously, after ominously swelling symphonic music, the film began in 1989 with a CGI altered and younger version of the implicitly Landis linked Doctor Henry “Hank” Pym aka the original “Ant-Man”-based on a character implicitly linked to Frank Frazetta created by Kirby, Lee and Laconic Larry Lieber for Marvel Comics, and played by Michael Douglas-storming SHIELD HQ, smacking down on a conference table proof in a corked test tube that SHIELD had indeed been trying to perfect their own version of the Pym Particle without telling him, accusing the implicitly Joan Lee and Ivan Reitman linked Hayley Carter and Howard Stark-played again by Atwell and Slattery, respectively-and misusing it without his permission, and then storming out and leaving Carter and Stark to carry on as best they could without him at SHIELD. Then, after the action packed and word ballon filled pages of Marvel Comics flickered inside the rising and spinning word Marvel and finally settled down into a large white Marvel with a smaller white studios below it on a red background to the sound of Latina pop, the film jumped forward to 2015 and the tragicomic sight and sound of the equally tragicomic, brilliant, gifted, naïve, foolish, clean cut, plain t-shirt luvin’, sexually ambiguous and implicitly Kelly and Scarecrow linked electrical engineer Scott Lang-played by Paul Rudd, also a co-writer of ANT-MAN-resignedly enduring a goodbye beating from his colleagues at San Quentin Prison before being released into the care of his fellow ex-con and implicitly Tin Man linked friend Luis-played by Michael Pena-who drove him back to his new home in an apartment in a beat up building in San Francisco to meet his new ex-con apartment mates, the implicitly Cowardly Lion linked Dave and the implicitly Great Oz and Joe Strummer linked Kurt-played by Tip “T.I.” Harris and David Dastmalchian, respectively.
Soon hired and fired from his sales clerk job at Baskin Robbins by his Carl Sagan resembling boss Dale-played by Greg Turkington-when Baskin Robbins found out about his prison record, a desperate Lang resignedly agreed to pull off a heist eagerly recommended to him by his “friend” Luis to get the money needed to pay child and spousal support payments to his implicitly Farrah Fawcett linked ex-wife Marget “Maggie” Lang-played by Judy Greer-and their adorably and irresistibly cute and implicitly head mischievous Munchkin linked daughter Cassie Lang-played by Abby R. Fortston. Meanwhile, the older, bitter, haunted, regretful, wistful, bespectacled, suit luvin’, grey haired, bearded and moustached and implicitly Landis and Great Oz linked Dr. Pym-still played by Douglas-paid a surprise visit to the company he had created and sold, Pym Technologies, just in time to discover that its new, Evil, fame and fortune obsessed, and implicitly Amazon CEO Jeffrey “Jeff” Bezos and Wicked Witch of the West linked CEO Darren Cross-played by Corey Stoll-was changing the name of the corporation to Cross Technologies and struggling to perfect and sell its new and Ant-Man evoking Yellowjacket battlesuit to the highest bidder for fame and fortune’s sake including ex-SHIELD member gone Hydra Mitchell Carson-played by Martin Donovan-much to the dismay of Dr. Pym and his estranged and implicitly Kate Capshaw and Dorothy linked daughter Dr. Hope Van Dyne-created by Tantric Tom DeFalco and Ribald Ron Frenz for Marvel Comics, and played by Evangeline Lilly-both of whom were haunted by the loss of wife and mother Janet Van Dyne aka “the Wasp”-inspired by a character originally implicitly linked to Ellie Frazetta, the WASP wife of Frank, by Kirby, Lee and Lieber for Marvel Comics, and played by Michelle Pfeiffer-who disappeared into the Twilight Zone evoking fourth dimension of the quantum realm on a super mission to disable a nuclear missile decades earlier.
Little did Lang or Luis know, however, that Dr. Pym had been following Lang’s burglary misadventures via the local papers and had decided that Lang would make a Good, new, young and fit Ant-Man who would be able to pull off a burglary job for him. So Dr. Pym had set up the robbery so that Lang would break into the good doctor’s house, crack the old safe in the basement, and steal the Ant-Man suit inside. Tragicomically, Lang rejected the offer after initially being freaked out by his dimunitive ant sized adventures, a diminished presence that evoked the diminished presence of Kelly, who had faded from view after rocking the Temple Theatre in the first decade of the new century and millenium with the brilliant, innovative, memorable and implicit Lucas Trilogy comprised of the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed Kelly indie docufeature films DONNIE DARKO [2001], SOUTHLAND TALES [2006] and THE BOX [2009], affirming the implicit link of Lang to Kelly.
Not surprisingly, however, Lang changed his mind when he was arrested by the SFPD outside the house of Dr. Pym after breaking back into the house and returning the suit, finding himself back in a jail cell to the disappointment of his implicitly Sylvester Stallone linked brother-in-law and San Francisco Police Department [SFPD] Officer James “Jim” Paxton-his name evoking Cameron’s lucky charm actor Bill Paxton to affirm the implicit interest in Cameron on one level in ANT-MAN, and played by Bobby Cannavale-and being sprung from jail with the help of Dr. Pym and his helpful ants to the consternation of fellow SFPD Officer Gale-played by Wood Harris, who played the implicitly Virgo linked Dion Element in SOUTHLAND TALES to openly link Gale, Lang and ANT-MAN to the films of Kelly. Significantly, one of the ants that helped him breakout from jail was a flying ant that Lang quickly dubbed “Ant-thony” as he struggled to master riding it, evoking the sight and sound of the implicitly Kelly linked Jacob “Jake” Sully-played by Sam Worthington-learning to ride a flying banshee and the dread blockbuster leonopteryx beast in AVATAR reaffirming the implicit link of Lang and Sully to Kelly, and preparing audiences for the return of Mackie later in the film.
Now committed to the cause, Lang flew back to the Pym house and was carefully and comprehensively trained by Drs. Pym and Van Dyne in the way of the Ant-Man, learned how to communicate with ants and master the riding of Ant-thony, evoking the equally tragicomic sight and sound of Dr. Grace Augustine-played by Sigourney Weaver-and her team of scientists getting Sully’s Nav’i avatar mojo working on Pandora in AVATAR. Pleased with his progress, Dr. Pym soon revealed that the burglary job he had in mind for Lang involved flying via Ant-thony to upstate New York, breaking into Avengers HQ, and stealing any and all test tubes of the Pym Particle that might be in the possession of the Avengers. This Lang managed to do, much to the annoyance of the one Avenger at the HQ present who tried to stop him, the handsome, keen eyed, vigilant and implicitly Smith linked Samuel “Sam” Wilson aka “the Falcon”-played again by Mackie-and much to the delight of Drs. Pym and Van Dyne.
Pleased with this success, Lang and his three man Ozian San Fran crew, who were let into the Ant-Man secret, were soon persuaded to break into Cross Technologies and steal the Yellowjacket suit and digital data to prevent Dr. Cross and his company from using it for Evil purposes. This Lang and Co. proceeded to do in an exuberantly creative, merry Marvel mischief and mayhem luvin’ and over the top battle that defeated and dissolved the Yellowjacket suit wearin’ Dr. Cross. Alas, in order to pull off this spectacular triumph, Lang had to go sub-atomic in the Ant-Man suit to “…shrink between the molecules” in order to break into and destroy the titanium Yellowjacket suit, briefly trapping Lang in the Twilight Zone of the all CGI quantum realm, before he successfully returned to reality via his ability to also go into “Giant Man” size in a closing mini-adventure that evoked both the allegorical Paul Stewart telefilm “Little Girl Lost” [1962] from Season 3 of the original TWILIGHT ZONE telefilm series and the twilit, allegorical, and CGI enhanced Tobe Hooper docufeature film POLTERGEIST [1982]. Significantly, this brief visit to the CGI quantum realm evoked the CGI enhanced trips through the fourth dimension in DONNIE DARKO, SOUTHLAND TALES and THE BOX, reaffirming the implicit link of Lang to Kelly.
Thus, Lang’s mastery of his ability to change from Ant-Man, human and Giant Man size, and his the triumph over the dastardly and Wicked Cross, in the healing, harmonizing and eucatastrophic end, implied both the hope of Dis, Marv and Reed that Kelly would triumph over his fears and troubles and return to prominence with another great film in the Temple Theatre and that the hope that Dis and Marv would triumph over Bezos and his Amazon Studios with successful films like ANT-MAN overseen by talented film artists like Reed. Indeed, the struggling and diminished presence theme and implicitly hoped for return to prominence of Kelly was fittingly affirmed by the implicit link of Dr. Pym to Landis, an implicit link affirmed by the film’s allusions to ANIMAL HOUSE and THE BLUES BROTHERS as well as to the Kelly Trilogy and the usual exuberant allusions to the Matrix Trilogy and THE WIZARD OF OZ, reminding us that Landis also faded from view after the TZ disaster like Kelly after 2009. The implicit link of Dr. Van Dyne to Capshaw reaffirmed the diminished theme, reminding us that Capshaw also faded from view after marrying Spielberg in the Nineties.
Significantly, the sight and sound of Dr. Pym revealing a new Wasp suit to Dr. Van Dyne in the teaser scene after the major closing titles set audiences up for the next Ant-Man film. Curiously, however, the sight and sound of Wilson looking for Lang at the end of the film and popping up again in the teaser scene after the end of all of the closing titles set slightly in the future which saw Wilson in a garage talking with the implicitly Eastwood linked Steven “Steve” Rogers aka “Captain America”-played again by Evans-about a guy he knew of who could help them as the implicitly Gilliam linked James B. “Bucky” Barnes aka “the Winter Soldier”-played again by Stan-slumped nearby set audiences up for Lang joining Cap, Barnes and Wilson on an adventure in the next Captain America film. Tragicomically, then Dis, Marv and Abrams ended the year with the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed animaction film STAR WARS VII: THE FORCE AWAKENS [2015], a film released on December 14, 2015 whose only noteworthy feature is that it somehow managed to be worse than STAR WARS VI: RETURN OF THE JEDI.
Then the new adventure with Cap arrived in the Temple Theatre the following year when Dis, Marv and the Russo Brothers teamed up again with Bettany, Cheadle, Condon, Downey jr., Evans, Grillo, Hurt, Johansson, Jordan, Lee, Mackie, Markus, Mcfeely, Olsen, Renner, Rudd, Slattery, Stan, Taylor Johnson, Vancamp and, fittingly, given all of the exuberant nods to the Matrix Trilogy in the MCU, that trilogy’s production designer Owen Paterson to principally implicitly address Eastwood, Gilliam and Reitman again and reincarnate Wright as a superhero in the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR [2016], a film released on April 12, 2016.
“We may not be perfect,
but the safest hands are still are own.”
Curiously, the film began with a prologue in 1991 in a desolate and lonely winterscape in what turned out to be Siberia that led to a secret Soviet underground hideout where the black haired and eyed, muscular, robot left armed and implicitly Gilliam and Nikko linked James B. “Bucky” Barnes aka “the Winter Soldier”-played again by Stan-being awakened from cryosleep, turned back into the brainwashed Winter Soldier with the secret sinister codewords and then sent out on motorcycle to assassinate someone driving a car, from the trunk of which he retrieved a suitcase filled with five blue packages that he took back to the secret hideout in Siberia. Then, after the flickering, action packed and word balloon filled panels of Marvel Comics rose and spun into the words Marvel in white in a white rectangle with studios in smaller white letters below all on a red background to the swelling sound of the Captain America theme, the film began in Lagos, the capital of Nigeria, with the beautiful, buxom, bewitching, red haired and implicitly Stofle and Glinda linked potential Avenger Wanda Maximoff aka “the Scarlet Witch”-played again by Olsen-sipping coffee at a table at an outdoor café and slowly making secretive radio contact with the ironically polite, mild mannered, pure, innocent, patriotic, courageous, indomitable and implicitly Eastwood and Tin Man linked Captain Steven “Steve” Rogers aka “Captain America”-played again by Evans-the sexy, sultry, red haired, curvaceous, lean, mean, fit, fearless, equally indomitable and implicitly SCC and Dorothy linked Natasha Romanoff aka “Black Widow”-played again by Johansson-and the tall, handsome, strong, fit, smart, wise crackin’ and implicitly Smith linked Samuel “Sam” Wilson aka “the Falcon”-played again by Mackie-on a desperate mission to stop the new, unimproved, burned, Evil and implicitly Depp linked Brock Rumlow aka “Crossbones”-played again by Grillo-and his African mercenaries from stealing a rare infectious disease from the Centre for Infectious Disease. Luckily for the world, the four assemblin’ Avengers took the test tube full of the bioweapon from one of the mercs. Unluckily for Rumlow, he died during the battle, implicitly making him the Wicked Witch of the East figure of this healing Ozian dream.
Alas for the Avengers, the deaths and destruction caused by the super battle in Lagos combined with the deaths and destruction caused by the earlier super battles in New York, Washington and Sokovia to cause the tall, grey haired and moustached, long suffering and implicitly Lee and Great Oz linked U.S. Secretary of State Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross-played again by Hurt-to show up at Avengers HQ and inform Cap, Maximoff, Romanoff, Wilson and the tall, cerebral, soulless, strange and implicitly Cronenberg linked android Vision-played again by Bettany-the bold, brash, brilliant, cocky, confident, creative, handsome, brunette and implicitly Reitman and Cowardly Lion linked Anthony “Tony” Stark aka “Iron Man”-played again by Downey jr.-and the lean, mean, grounded and implicitly Virgo linked Lt.-Col. James “Rhodey” Rhodes aka “War Machine”-played again by Cheadle-that 117 nations of the United Nations [UN] had drafted the Sokovia Accords to govern the activities of the Avengers and put them forever after under the supervision of an UN panel like the WSC that watched over SHIELD. Secretary of State Ross also informed the assembled Avengers that the UN would meet in three days in Vienna to ratify the accords before departing, and if they did not join the attendees in ratifying the accords, they would be forced to retire, a threatened banishing of the Avengers that evoked the superhero relocation program in THE INCREDIBLES.
Curiously, then it was off not to Vienna but Cleveland of all places and the first of the mysterious and secretive adventures of one regular looking, brunette, and implicitly Michael Palin and Wicked Witch of the West linked Helmut Zemo-played by Daniel Bruhl-which were interspersed throughout the rest of the film. Then it was back to Avengers HQ in upstate New York where, after Ross departed, an argument about the accords broke out between the Avengers, with those superheroes and superheroines implicitly linked to Canadian film artists led by Stark supporting the accords and those implicitly linked to American film artists led by Cap opposed to them, reminding us that Canada tended to support the UN more than the USA to affirm the implicit link of the various superheroes and superheroines to American and Canadian film artists. However, despite these implicit CanAm divisions and disagreements, most of the Avengers attending the meeting with Ross assembled three days later in Vienna.
Significantly, here in Vienna, the assembled Avengers met King T’Chaka and Prince T’Challa aka “Black Panther” of Wakanda-based on characters created by Kirby and Lee for Marvel Comics, and played by John Kani and Chadwick Boseman, respectively-only known home of the unique and super strong element vibranium which comprised the shield of Cap. Intriguingly, given their support of the Sokovia Accords and the UN, they were implicitly linked to Canadians too, perhaps ex-Prime Minister of Canada Pierre Trudeau and his son Justin Trudea, then current Prime Minister of Canada, given that “Wakanda” was an anagram of “Kanadaw” and given that its vibranium evoked Canadian uranium. Indeed, to support that implication, it was noticeable that after introducing readers to the possibly Pierre Trudeau linked Prince T’Challa aka “Black Panther” and having him fight the Fantastic Four in FANTASTIC FOUR #52 [July 1966] some seven months after Pierre Trudeau was elected as a member of the Liberal Party to the Parliament of Canada-and, in their cameo sidestory in the ish, also introducing the iconoclastic and indie Inhumans comprised of Black Bolt, Crystal, Gorgon, Karnak, Maximus and Medusa were implicitly linked to the equally iconoclastic and indie new San Fran based psychedelic rock group the Jefferson Airplane, comprised of Marty Balin, Spencer Dryden, Jorma Kaukonen, Paul Kantner, Jack Casady and Signe T. Anderson, respectively-Prince T’Challa showed the FF around Wakanda in FF #53 [August 1966] and revealed its fondness for red and white, the national colours of Canada, particularly in a woman’s red and white print dress in panel 3 on p. 2 of that issue. Prince T’Challa also revealed a fondness for a black, red and white wooden shield that was shaped more like a canoe or a kayak than a shield in the last panel of p.2. In addition, Lee referred to the people of Wakanda as Canadian evoking “Wakandians” in an explanatory note in panel 4 of p. 8 of the same incredible implicatin’ ish before Black Panther and the FF went on to desperately fight off Klaw, the “…murderous master of sound”, who was implicitly linked to American experimental composer John Cage.
The following ish of the FF, FANTASTIC FOUR #54 [September 1966], kicked off with a classic Kirby splash page that saw the FF playing a game of baseball with the Wakandians before the super squad left Wakanda in which Johnny’s ambiguously linked Aboriginal friend Wyatt Wingfoot wore a white t and natty red shorts with a white racing stripe up the sides, classic Canuck colours that Canada was by that time associated with after adopting the red and white Maple Leaf flag as it national flag the year before. Another early appearance of Black Panther saw Hawk-eye and the ambiguously linked Black Knight and his winged horse Aragorn shivering in an uncharacteristically cold, snowswept and wintry African landscape that evoked Canada with Prince T’Challa aka “the Black Panther” and the equally ambiguously linked Vision before the Prince summoned an autonomous plane to pick them all up and fly them to hot and sultry Wakanda in THE MIGHTY AVENGERS #62 [April 1969]. A soothing and Canada evoking snowfall was also falling softly on New York when Black Panther teamed up with Daredevil to battle the megalomaniacal and ambiguously linked Starr Saxon another early appearance of the Wakandan warrior in DAREDEVIL #52 [May 1969].
Meanwhile, back in Vienna a terrorist explosion soon rocked the Sokovia Accords deliberations, killing King T’Chaka, reminding us that the elder Trudeau died before the younger Trudeau became prime minister of Canada to support the possibility that King T’Chaka and Prince T’Challa were implicitly linked to Pierre and Justin Trudeau. Curiously, the explosion was blamed on the Winter Soldier, despite the fact that he had escaped HYDRA control at the end of CAPTAIN AVENGER: THE WINTER SOLDIER and was entirely innocent of the deadly attack. However, thinking incorrectly that he was behind it, Cap, Black Panther, and Falcon tracked down Barnes living incognito in Bucharest and, after a brief dustup, during which the Falcon casually brushed aside a helicopter to reaffirm the implication that Dis and Marv believed film artists were now living in a TZ disaster free and daylit neo eon of CGI enhanced film art, all three were arrested by War Machine and brought to the U.S. embassy in Berlin.
Significantly, here in Berlin Cap, Barnes, Prince T’Challa Rhodes, and Wilson were met by the beautiful, blonde, brainy, tough, and implicitly Lee linked CIA Agent Sharon Carter-played again by Vancamp-and the short, besuited, grey haired, tight assed, and former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper evoking SHIELD Deputy Task Force Commander Everett Ross-played by Martin Freeman-to reaffirm the implicit link of Prince T’Challa to PM Justin Trudeau. Curiously, the mysterious Zemo also managed to sneak in and crash the partay, waking up the Winter Soldier with the magic HYDRA brainwashing codewords and sending him on a rampage that led a sympathetic Cap, who had turned Stark against him by refusing to sign to accords, to go after him. Significantly, up on the roof of the embassy, Cap grabbed, stopped and caused the helicopter the Winter Soldier tried to flee in to fall into the river beside the embassy, evoking Cap’s fall from an exploding SHIELD helicarrier into the Potomac at the end of CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER and reaffirming the implication that Dis and Marv believed that we were all free of twilit disasters in the neo eon of daylit and CGI enhanced film art.
Intriguingly, the crash also freed Barnes from his HYDRA brainwashing, causing Cap and Wilson to flee with him, making the daylit trio now international criminal fugitives. International criminal fugitives who caused Romanoff to recruit Prince T’Challa to help her find them, and Stark to quickly fly back to the U.S. and recruit the weird, wacky, radioactive spider powered, hoodie and backpack luvin’ and implicitly Zone War “film scholar” Gary W. Wright aka the poor ol’ Gardevil [POG] linked teen high school student Peter Parker aka “Spider-Man”-first seen on youtube by Stark to evoke Wright’s internet site www.zonewarsonfilm.org to implicitly affirm webhead’s link to the world wide webhead, and played by Tom Holland-from the small apartment where he lived with his beautiful, dark skinned and brunette Aunt May Parker-played by Marisa Tomei-in the Toronto evoking Queens area of New York to the Cap, Barnes and Wilson hunting cause, as well, and return with Spidey to Germany. Significantly, as Romanoff and Stark filled up their implicitly Canadian linked side, Cap, Barnes and Wilson collaborated with Agent Carter to fill up their side with Maximoff, the brilliant, brunette, naïve, innocent, goofy and implicitly Kelly linked Scott Lang aka “Ant-Man”-played again by Rudd-and the short, stocky, silent, tough, indie and implicitly Sir Scott linked Clinton “Clint” Barton aka “Hawk-Eye”-played again by Renner.
Significantly, and not surprisingly, all of this super recruiting led to a massive and very well crafted and staged super battle at the airport in Leipzig between all of the various superheroes and superheroines over the fate of Cap, Barnes and Wilson that allowed all of the super people present to show off their unique personalities and abilities. Just as significantly, most of the super people led by Iron Man, aided again by his helpful A.I. FRIDAY-played again by Condon-such as Black Panther, Spider-Man, Vision and War Machine were implicitly linked to Sokovia Accords and UN supporting Canadian film artists, politicians or “scholars”, with the exception of the implicitly SCC linked Black Widow, whose presence reminded us that Toronto had been where SCC had created her first twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie docufeature film THE VIRGIN SUICIDES [1999]. On the other side of the super battle, most of the super people led by Cap were implicitly linked to Sokovia Accords and UN opposing American film artists, with the exception of the implicitly Sir Scott linked Hawk-eye. Thus, the super rumble in Leipzig was implicitly a classic Can-Am battle, and one where Spidey helped Iron Man and War Machine bring down Ant-Man in Giant Man mode by wrapping up his legs with spiderwebs in imitation of the Rebel snowspeeders that brought down Imperial All Terrain Armoured Transport [ATAT] “walkers” by wrapping their legs with tow cables at the battle on Hoth at the beginning of STAR WARS EPISODE V: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK to affirm the implicit link of Parker to the Lucas obsessed Wright.
Curiously, the battle led to a draw, and to Cap fleeing with the Winter Soldier to the secret Siberian hideout followed by Stark and Prince T’Challa in their own separate aircrafts, where they finally confronted Zemo, who turned out to be an ex-Sokovian Intelligence agent who was bitter and angry that his family had been killed during the Avengers battle with Ultron in AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON. Alas for Stark, Zemo revealed what he had discovered, that the Winter Soldier had assassinated his parents, the gruff but luvin’ Howard Stark-played again by Slattery-and the sweet and luvin’ Maria Stark-played by Hope David-in the mission seen in the prologue of the film. This shocking and infuriating revelation led, not surprisingly, to another super battle between Iron Man, the Winter Soldier and Cap, joined briefly by the Black Panther, that led to a draw between Cap and Iron Man and Cap, Barnes and Prince T’Challa fleeing as international criminals back to Wakanda, breaking Wilson out of the super secure underwater Raft Prison along the way, and setting audiences up for the next assemblin’ and dissemblin’ Avengers film.
And so Dis, Marv and the Russo Brothers implied their fear that American and Canadian film artists, politicians and “scholars” would not be able to put aside their perennial Can-Am differences to work together to advance the daylit neo eon of CGI enhanced film art or to beat big bad Thanos in a film that alluded to 12 MONKEYS, PINOCCHIO, STAR WARS EPISODE V: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, THE WIZARD OF OZ, and the twilit, allegorical and CGI enhanced Gilliam indie docufeature films TIME BANDITS [1981] and BRAZIL [1985] to reaffirm the implicit link of Barnes to Gilliam. Just as curiously, the teaser scene at the end of the major closing titles saw Barnes voluntarily consigning himself to cryosleep for the safety of others in Wakanda. Last but not least, and ominously, the teaser scene at the end of all of the closing titles revealed Parker sitting on his bed in his bedroom in the apartment he shared with Aunt May fittingly nursing a black right eye to reaffirm his implicit link to Wright and marveling over the many abilities hidden in the Spidey suit Stark made for him for the battle at the Leipzig airport and let him keep, unfortunately preparing audiences for a wacky solo webslinging adventure before again assembled the Avengers.
Curiously, soon after, Dis and co-writer/director David Lowery teamed up with Redford to inject new CGI enhanced life into another classic and to imply in the sight and sound of the Miller resembling and implicitly linked neo-feral kid Peter “Pete” Healy-played by Oakes Fegley-leaving his primal forest hideaway and his friendly furry green CGI dragon pal Elliot behind and returning to civilization and a neo family, in the end, that “Mad” Miller should give up on his Mad Max films and return to something more civilized like another CGI penguin or pig film in the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie animaction film PETE’S DRAGON [2016], a film released on July 13, 2016 that was a sweet but more solemn remake of the original gleefully satirical and hilarious PETE’S DRAGON and whose implicit allegorical intent was affirmed by allusions to the eerily and presciently twilit, allegorical, Ozian themed and implicitly Lucas and Spielberg roasting indie docufeature film THE ROAD WARRIOR [1982], the even more full throttle and exuberantly over the top, daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie docufeature film MAD MAX: FURY ROAD [2015], and the fact that Pete looked and acted like the original Feral Kid-played by Emil Minty-in THE ROAD WARRIOR.
A few months later, Dis, Marv and co-writer/director Scintillating’ Scott Derrickson teamed up with Jordan and Lee to fulfill the prophecy of HYDRA in CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER and implicitly turn their attention from battling film artists to battling literary artists in the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film DOCTOR STRANGE [2016], fittingly released shortly before Hallowe’en on October 13, 2016 and inspired by the DR. STRANGE telefilm.
“Thank you for the books,
and for the horrifying story.”
Significantly, after the familiar flickering, action packed and word balloon filled pages of Marvel Comics transformed into the equally flickering, action packed and line of dialogue filled frames of the MCU inside the letters of Marvel Studios that spun through the air, pulled themselves upright and settled down in silver on a red background to a triumphant new symphonic accompaniment, the film began with a twilit trio of people in brown hooded robes suddenly appearing one dark night out of the shadows of an Eastern temple. They quickly made their way to the temple’s Library, where they were joined out of the shadows by a larger group, and used sorcerous flaming ropes to lasso and levitate Lucian the Librarian-played by Scott Adkins-and cut off his Morrow evoking head, unfortunately making Lucian the implicit Wicked Witch of the East linked character of this healing and harmonizing elemental Ozian dream. Hunting down an ancient book, their leader-played by Mads Mikkelsen-opened it, flipped to the page he wanted, tore out the page and tossed the book carelessly on the floor. Turning to leave, he and his group suddenly were hailed from the shadows by a woman in a yellow hooded robe. Fleeing this woman’s determined and fearless stride forward and heading for the door of the temple, the leader of the shadowy group opened a space/time portal or gateway and stepped through it into a busy street, followed by his group. They found themselves in downtown London, and soon also found that the woman in the hooded yellow robe had followed them to London. To their dismay, this pursuer-played by Tilda Swinton-unleashed reality warping sorcery on those fleeing her and did her best to defeat and stop them in a pitched battle, but their leader used a rectangular ring on his right hand and his swirling left hand to open a fiery and circular space/time door and one by one they all escaped through it, leaving the pursuer alone.
Walking pensively away from the camera and down the London street in her yellow hooded robe and pulling down her hood to reveal a head as white and as cueball bald as Meredith Quill, the dying mother of Quill at the beginning of GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, as swelling music played, the scene shifted to a hospital surgery theatre in what turned out to be New York and the sight and sound of a tall, blue eyed, dark brown haired, brilliant, confident, educated, egotistic, talented, ambitious, arrogant, selfish, fame and fortune obsessed and pop music luvin’ neurosurgeon named Doctor Stephen Strange-his name evoking Doctor Sleep, and played by Benedict Cumberbatch-who evoked the equally tall, blue eyed, black haired, intelligent, educated, well read, confident, creative, talented, super successful, pop music luvin’ and far less arrogant, egotistic, selfish and fame and fortune seeking Screamin’ Stephen King, writer of memorable weird tales of allegorical terror, many of them twilit and allegorical after 1982 including the righteously furious Doctor Sleep, which made it easy for film artists to transform them into equally twilit and allegorical cinematic salvoes in the dread allegorical Zone Wars. Dr. Strange was met at the height of his brilliant neurosurgeon powers, easily performing two difficult operations back to back to the jealous delight of fellow surgeons Drs. Christine Palmer and Nicodemus West-played by Rachel McAdams and Michael Stuhlbarg, respectively-the former a beautiful and brainy possible luver of Dr. Strange whose first name evoked the twilit, allegorical and implicitly Spielberg roasting King indie docufiction novel Christine [1983], King’s first salvo in the dread allegorical Zone Wars, to affirm the implicit link of Strange to King.
Alas for the good doctor, after such a good day at the office, Dr. Strange then went on to get in a nasty car accident as he drove his flash black 2015 Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4 to a speaking engagement that night to the fittingly full throttle sound of the Syd Barrett, Nick Mason, Roger Waters and Richard Wright composed Pink Floyd instrumental “Interstellar Overdrive” [1967], a terrible accident that almost killed him and did ruin the nerves in his hands and left him unable to continue as a doctor. Significantly, this nightmarish accident reminded us that King was hit by a van on June 19, 1999 while walking along a country road, also almost killing him and taking away his ability to write, affirming the implicit link of Strange to King. Unlike King, however, Dr. Strange soon heard of the miraculous case of one Jonathan Pangborn, who managed to fully recover from a C7-C8 spinal cord injury. Not surprisingly, a desperate Dr. Strange sought him out, and was told by the Dali resembling Pangborn-played by Benjamin Bratt-of a place in the far East called Kamar-Taj that cured him and could also cure Strange. So off Dr. Strange went to Kathmandu in Nepal in search of this mystery place.
Here in the crowded streets of the capital, the ragged and implicitly Scarecrow linked Dr. Strange was attacked by a twilit trio of thugs and saved by a man in a brown hooded robe who turned out to be the bitter and implicitly Cowardly Lion linked Mordo-originally implicitly linked to Dali’s fellow Spanish surrealist Luis Bunuel by Ditko and Lee in Marvel Comics, and played by Chiwetel Ejiofor-who took him to Kamar-Taj and introduced him to the bald woman in the yellow robe seen in the film’s prologue who turned out to be the implicitly Shirley Jackson and Great Oz linked Ancient One. Here the Ancient One and Mordo taught Dr. Strange the ways of the mystic arts, during which the Ancient One told him “…the language of the mystic arts is as old as civilization…the sorcerers of antiquity called the use of this language spells, but if that word offends your modern sensibilities you can call it programming, the source code that shapes reality”, a good way to describe the sorcery being pulled off by the wizards of CGI.
Fittingly, like all keen students, the good doctor supplemented his teaching by also happily reading his way through the collection of the Library of Kamar-Taj, to the exasperated delight of its new Librarian, the implicitly Tin Man linked Wong-played by Wong-evoking the luv of books of King to reaffirm the implicit link of King to Strange. This reading led Dr. Strange to acquire the green Eye of Agamotto and with its all seeing and time controlling green eye learn of dread, equally green and implicitly Wicked Witch of the West linked Dormammu, ruler of the Dark Dimension-implicitly originally linked to Spanish Dictator Francisco Franco by Ditko and Lee in Marvel Comics, and also played by Cumberbatch-which led to Mordo and Wong telling him that Agamotto, the first of the Sorceror Supremes, had created three Sanctum Sanctorums, one in Hong Kong, one in London, and one in New York, to protect the Earth with a magical shield from Dormammu and other dread interdimensional and/or interstellar and intergalactic threats. During his teaching, he also learned that the leader of the Evil doers who had beheaded the Librarian of Kamar-Taj and stolen that page from what turned out to be the Book Of Cogliostro was the time hating, immortality lustin’ and implicitly Nikko the Flying Monkey King linked Kaecilius the Zealot, resembling and implicitly linked to the fame and fortune lusting “literary artist” James Patterson, arch nemesis of the weird tale for weird tale sake King.
Speak of the Zealot and he appeared, along with his Evil compadres, an attack on Kamar-Taj that quickly led through a gateway to the New York Sanctum Sanctorum and another desperate battle with Kaecilius and his Zealots there that led to Dr. Strange being chosen by the protective and sentient red Robe of Levitation in the Room of Artifacts. Significantly, Kaecilius and his miscreants won round two, and revealed along the way that the cause of their jealous enmity was that the Ancient One was secretly drawing upon the power of the dread Dormammu and the Dark Dimension to remain immortal. Killing her for her sins, she floated away in spirit like the Great Oz in his hot air balloon at the end of THE WIZARD OF OZ to affirm her implicit link to the Great Oz. The sight and sound reminded us that the inspirational Jackson died shortly before King began to be published and to become more successful than her or any other writer of allegorical weird tales of terror before him, reaffirming the implicit link of the Ancient One and Dr. Strange to Jackson and King, respectively.
Left to their own devices, Dr. Strange teamed up with Mordo and Wong to finally defeat Kaecilius and his Evildoers in the third and final sorcerous battle outside the Sanctum Sanctorum in Hong Kong, with a little surprise help from the dread and Wicked Dormammu after the good doctor trapped used the time controlling power of the Eye of Agamotto to trip him in an infuriating, frustrating and endless time loop in the Dark Dimension. Significantly, the sight and sound of Dr. Strange using the Eye of Agamotto to also turn back time and restore ruined Hong Kong to its normal state anticipated the end of the next Avengers film, as did the sight and sound of Dormammu dissolving Kaecilius and two of his Evil female cronies into dark nothingness at the end of the film, bringing health and harmony back to the Earth in another eucatastrophic triumph.
And so the successful neurosurgeon Strange was humbled to remind him that there was more to life than fame and fortune but eventually triumphed over Kaecilius the Zealot to ensure that Good sorcery triumphed over Evil sorcery. And so the super successful King was also implicitly humbled but eventually implicitly triumphed over Patterson to ensure that literary art for literary art’s sake, even implicitly Doctor Sleep, triumphed over literary art for blockbuster loot’s sake in another MCU film that alluded often to the Matrix Trilogy and THE WIZARD OF OZ to reaffirm the fondness of Dis and Marv for those two films. And so with the crisis over, Dr. Strange joined Wong as the guardians of the New York Sanctum Sanctorum. And so Wong surprised Dr. Strange with the revelation that the Eye of Agamotto he liked wearing actually hid a green Infinity Stone. And so the closing titles finally played, and a teaser scene after the initial closing credits saw Dr. Strange hanging with Thor, Norse God of Thunder-played again by Hemsworth-in the New York Sanctum Sanctorum, and agreeing to help him find his father Odin in order to get Loki off the Earth, paving the way for the next Thor adventure. Significantly, another teaser scene at the full end of the credits had Mordo hunt down Pangborn on Earth, steal his sorcerous power from him and launch an Evil and quixotic crusade to kill the other sorcerors.
Curiously, and ironically, and just in time for Christmas, Affleck implicitly linked Lucas and Disney to Scarecrow Joseph “Joe” Coughlin and Cowardly Lion Dion Bartolo-played by Affleck and Chris Messina, respectively-two casually and callously brutal and violent small time Boston area criminals who were persuaded to move south to Tampa and take over the rumrunning business there by taking on and taking out rival gangs run by the the implicitly Cameron and Wicked Witch of the East linked Boston Irish mob boss Albert White-played by Robert Glenister-and the implicitly Dino De Laurentiis and Wicked Witch of the West linked indie Boston gang boss Maso Pescatore-played by Remo Girone-at the end of the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie docufeature film LIVE BY NIGHT [2016], an unlikely implication that was rejected by audiences after the film, inspired by the daylit and allegorical Dennis Lehane indie docufiction novel Live By Night [2012], was released on December 13, 2016, but whose implicit allegorical intent was affirmed by the presence of Saldana as Coughlin’s Cuban luver and wife Graciela. Significantly, Disney and Bill Condon then teamed up again with Hahn and Tucci and kicked off the new film year by injecting new CGI life into another classic in which they implied that they were impressed with the films of Sir Scott since THE COUNSELOR and that they were re-embracing him just in time to implicitly help defeat Thanos in an Avenging film to come after implicitly banishing him in the implicit form of the Grand Duke at the end of CINDERELLA like the world embraced the implicitly Sir Scott linked Beast-played by Dan Stevens-after the spell placed on him was lifted with the help of sweet and sympathetic Belle-played by Emma Watson-at the end of the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie animaction film BEAUTY AND THE BEAST [2017], a film released on February 23, 2017 whose implicit interest in Sir Scott was affirmed by allusions to BLADE RUNNER, LEGEND, the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed and implicitly Bigelow and Reitman addressing Sir Scott indie docufeature artbuster A GOOD YEAR [2006], and the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed and implicitly Wright addressing Sir Scott indie docufeature artbuster THE MARTIAN [2015]. Thus, it was fitting that Ewen McGregor played Lumiere in BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, given that McGregor played the resigned, long suffering, blockbuster explosion surviving, coffee and cigarette luvin’ and implicitly Lynch and Tin Man linked Ranger SP-4 John “Grimesy” Grimes in the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed Sir Scott indie docufeature artbuster BLACK HAWK DOWN [2001].
Thus it was highly ironic and strange that, two months later, Dis, Marv and Gunn teamed up again with Bautista, Cooper, Diesel, Feige, Gillan, Gunn, Green, Haddock, Jordan, Lee, Pratt, Rooker, Russell, Saldana, Tyler Bates-composer for GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY-and Judianna Makovsky-costume designer on CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR-to implicitly toast Besson, Del Toro, Snyder and the Wachowski Sisters and roast Sir Scott when they rebooted the MCU with the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: VOL. 2 [2017], released on April 10, 2017.
“You’re right.
We’re family.”
Significantly, the film began with a new Marvel Studios intro wherein the flickering, action packed and word balloon filled pages of Marvel Comics came to life in the equally flickering, action packed and line of screenplay dialogue filled frames of the MCU and then spun and rose into the air inside the letters of Marvel Studios to the swelling sound of a new and more upbeat, confident and triumphant symphonic theme. Then the film began again with a PROMETHEUS evoking beginning on a big beautiful sunny blue sky day on Earth in Missouri in 1980 with Quill’s young, handsome, clean shaven, amorous, and implicitly Sir Scott linked alien Celestial father Ego-played by Kurt Russell-wooing Quill’s beautiful, sweet and innocent young mother Meredith Quill-played again by Haddock-while driving around in a 1978 Ford Mustang II King Cobra listening to the allegorical and Elliot Lure written Looking Glass tune “Brandy [You’re A Fine Girl]” [1972], evoking Quill’s fondness for the pop music of the Seventies in GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY and the fact that Besson grew up listening to the pop music of the Seventies to immediately link the film to GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY and affirm the implicit Besson and Sir Scott addressing intent of GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2.
Then, after pondering an alien plant created by Ego in the Endor evoking forest behind a Dairy Queen, the film jumped thirty-four years into the galactic future to the homeworld of the Sovereign people with the goofy, quarrelin’, caterwaulin’ and ultra indie Guardians comprised again of the regrown, tiny, anthropomorphic, Earthy, and implicitly Scarecrow and ambiguously linked all CGI treeman Groot-played again by Diesel-the big, muscular, grey and red skinned, loud laughing, Watery and implicitly Del Toro and Tin Man linked Drax the Destroyer-played again by Bautista-the Fiery, dimunitive, irascible, anthropomorphic and implicitly Snyder and Cowardly Lion linked all CGI Rocket Raccon-played again by Cooper-the Airy, handsome, muscular, truly goofy, imperfect but luvable and vitally part-human and implicitly Besson and Great Oz linked Peter Jason “P.J.” Quill aka “Star Lord”-played again by Pratt-and the green, short, slim, sexy, deadly and implicitly Wachowski and Dorothy linked Gamora-played again by Saldana-waiting for and soon desperately battling and killing a huge, yellow, bloated, bug eyed, slathering, Sarlaac mouthed, multi-coloured confetti spewing, yellow blood spurting, Sovereign anulax battery lusting and slug mixed with octopus evoking interdimensional blockbuster CGI alien beast who ironically but fittingly evoked the equally huge, multi-armed, slathering, voracious, and CGI luvin’ multinational blockbuster beast that Disney had become by 2017 with its gobbling up of ABC, Marvel, Lucasfilm/ILM and Pixar, all to the equally ironic, sweet and bouncy sound of the allegorical and Jeff Lynne written Electric Light Orchestra [ELO] tune “Mr. Blue Sky” [1977], a desperate opening battle with a slathering, bug eyed and all CGI interdimensional blockbuster beast that evoked the numerous equally desperate battles with slathering, bug eyed and all CGI interdimensional blockbuster beasts that took place throughout the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed Del Toro indie animaction film PACIFIC RIM [2013] to affirm the implicit link of Del Toro to Drax.
Beast killed, battle over, implicitly Wicked Witch of the East linked figure vanquished, the goofy Guardians collected their reward, the nasty, blue faced and implicitly Wachowski and Wicked Witch of the West linked cyborg Nebula-played again by Gillan-from the tall, slim, golden, beautiful, haughty and implicitly Bigelow and Glinda linked High Priestess Ayesha-her gold skin and gold clothing reminding us that Bigelow was the first female film artist to win Best Director and Best Film Oscars for the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and implicitly Lynch addressing indie docufeature artbuster THE HURT LOCKER [2006], affirming her implicit link to Bigs, and played by Elizabeth Debicki-of the equally golden Sovereign people, implicitly linked like the High Priestess to motion picture cast and crew members who had won Oscars over the decades and had become Hollywood sovereignty. Alas for the goofy Guardians, after High Priestess Ayesha gave them their reward in the form of the blue skinned, nasty, and implicitly Lana Wachowski and Nikka the Monkey Queen linked cyborg Nebula-played again by Gillan-and also surprised them by confirming that Quill was part human and part non-human, they were soon fleeing in their buzzard resembling spaceship Milano for their lives after the High Priestess and her Sovereign people discovered that Rocket had stolen some anulax batteries from them.
And so they spent the rest of the film fleeing High Priestess Ayesha and her Sovereign people, helped along the way for a while by the older and grey haired, moustached and bearded Ego, who more closely resembled the older Sir Scott than his younger manifestation, and his mysterious, brown haired, antenna headed, empathic, Asiatic and implicitly Sigourney Weaver and Nikko linked companion Mantis-her empathy powers evoking the Voigtt-Kampf empathy test in BLADE RUNNER to reaffirm the implicit link of Ego to Sir Scott, and played by Pom Klementieff-before the Guardians woke up to the fact that Ego was an even more Evil and implicitly Wicked Witch of the West linked character than the vengeful but implicitly Glinda linked High Priestess Ayesha and an Evil one who wanted to take over the whole universe and make it simply a reflection of him and his Ego. Uniting again as an indomitable family of friends with the help of to fight off, triumph over and destroy Evil Ego with the timely help of the blue skinned, mohawked, irascible and implicitly Lynch linked Captain Yondu Udonta-played again by Rooker-and his implicitly Riley Lynch linked bestie Kraglin-played again by Gunn-on it’s personal home world, an isolated, lush, fecund, floral, warm, sunny, idyllic, peaceful and Oz and Provence evoking lunar Celestial homeworld that evoked the black market Knowhere community hidden in a Celestial head in GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY in a final desperate battle that evoked the initial desperate battle against the bug eyed and multi-tentacled blockbuster beast on the Sovereign home world, in the healing, harmonizing and eucatastrophic end, the goofy and quarrelin’ Guardians prevented that truly egotistic plot from destroying the universe, implying the hope of Dis, Marv and Gunn that Besson, Del Toro, Lynch, Snyder and the Wachowski Sisters would triumph over Sir Scott with their film art, an implicit allegorical intent affirmed by allusions to A GOOD YEAR, BLADE RUNNER, MARY POPPINS, the Matrix Trilogy, PACIFIC RIM, PROMETHEUS, ROBIN HOOD, THE FIFTH ELEMENT, the STAR WARS Classic and Tragic Trilogies, and the allegorical Lynch indie short moving painting THE GRANDMOTHER [1970]. Curiously, it was then fitting that the allegorical Cheap Trick tune “Surrender” [1978] played as the major closing titles soared up the screen, for the chorus affirming that all of the band members were all right prepared audiences for the return of an implicitly Wright linked superhero when the MCU soon returned for another superheroic chapter. Meanwhile, a teaser scene unusually appearing amidst the rest of the closing titles rather than at the end featured a dejected High Priestess Ayesha showing off her latest and most unusual creation that she named “Adam”, setting audiences up for the next adventure of the goofy and ultra indie Guardians.
Significantly, the following month DC, Warner Brothers and Patty Jenkins teamed up to strike back at Disney, Marvel and the MCU by having the tall, beautiful, brainy, brunette, powerful, indomitable and implicitly Angelina Jolie linked time travelling Amazon Princess Diana aka Diana Prince aka “Wonder Woman”-played by Lilly Aspell as an eight year old, Emily Carey as a twelve year old, and Gal Gadot as an adult, respectively-venture forth steadfastly from the legendary and secretive Amazon isle of Themyscira and off into the Great War to find and defeat Ares, the god of war aka the implicitly Smilin’ Stan Lee linked Smilin’ Sir Patrick Morgan-played by David Thewlis-his implicitly Jolly Jack Kirby linked partner-in-Evil General Erich Lundendorff-played by Danny Huston-and their implicitly Friendly Flo Steinberg linked mad scientist colleague Doktor Isabel Maru aka “Doktor Poison”-played by Elena Anaya-implying the hope of Warners and Jenkins that WONDER WOMAN would singlehandedly defeat the MCU and that Jolie would put aside her doubts and despair and strike back with a great film after having difficulties finding audiences with her first three films at the healing, harmonizing and eucatastrophic end of the twilit, allegorical and CGI enhanced super satirical animaction film WONDER WOMAN [2017], released on May 15, 2017.
Not long after, Dis and Marv kicked off the summer film season by teaming up with co-writer/director Undaunted Jon Watts and again with Condon, Downey jr., Evans, Favreau, Feige, Holland, Jordan, Lee, Paltrow, Tomei, Michael Giacchino-Academy Award winning composer of UP-and Martin Starr-who played the student with no name in THE INCREDIBLE HULK-to implicitly address wacky worldwide webhead Wright again in the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film SPIDERMAN: HOMECOMING [2017], released on June 28, 2017.
“Hey, Gary.
How ya doin’?”
Significantly, after the CGI Sony and Columbia Pictures intros to the swelling symphonic sound of the Avengers theme evoking Giacchino Spider-Man theme, the film began with a short prologue in the ruins in New York after the battle with Loki and the Chitauri in 2012 with the implicitly ex-Toronto International Film Festival [TIFF] CEO Piers Handling linked Adrian Toomes-inspired by a character created by Ditko and Lee for Marvel Comics, and played by Keaton-employing and supervising a wrecking crew that was breaking down, clearing and hauling away the Chitauri and Terran debris, a wrecking crew that included the implicitly current TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey linked Herman Schultz-played by Bokeem Woodvine-and three others in the forms of Randy Vale, Phineas Mason, and Jackson Brice that resembled and were implicitly linked to Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neal Peart of Rush-played by Christopher Berry, Michael Chernus, and Logan Marshall-Green, respectively. Alas for Toomes and the wrecking crew, the newly formed U.S. Government Department of Damage Control [DDOC] soon arrived to shut them down and to keep all of the debris to themselves. Unbeknownst to the DDOC, however, while complying with the order, Toomes and his crew broke the law by keeping some of the Chitauri tech for themselves and using it to create high powered weapons for illicit sale, evoking the equally illicit sale of alien weapons in DISTRICT 9, and a flying Vulture suit for Toomes to use to fly around and search for more Chitauri gear in, transforming their lives so that eight years later they had become wealthy criminals.
Then there was a new Marvel Studios intro that saw the flickering, action packed and word balloon filled panels of Marvel Comics literally come to life in the equally flickering, action packed and line of dialogue filled frames of the MCU that rose and spun in the air and then settled down into the words MARVEL STUDIOS in red and silver on a red background all to the confident and famous symphonic sound of the Bob Harris composed and Paul F. Webster written theme from the 1967-70 SPIDER-MAN teletoon series, immediately linking the film and its titular to Toronto and 1967, the year when, and the city where, I was born. Boffo blockbuster Marvel Studios intro over, a small and cheap indie documentary film created by the short, wiry, smart, thoughtful, weird, wacky, radioactive spider powered, hoody, backpack and STAR WARS luvin’ and implicitly Wright and Cowardly Lion linked Midtown School of Science and Technology [MSST] high school student Peter Parker aka “Spider-Man”-played again by Holland-using his cellphone ironically and unexpectedly began rather than the big budget super satirical film audiences expected, documenting being picked up and flown to Germany by the big, burly, anxious, and implicitly Saklad and Scarecrow linked bodyguard/chauffeur Harold “Happy” Hogan-played again by Favreau-taking part in the super battle at the Leipzig airport with the battle scene off in the distance from the cellphone to quickly recap the new Spidey’s first appearance in the full MCU
Then we found ourselves in the back seat of a limo with Parker and the bold, brilliant, cocky, confident, creative, handsome, womanizing, shrewd, knowing, tech savvy and implicitly Reitman and Great Oz linked Anthony “Tony” Stark aka “Iron Man”-played again by Downey jr-as Hogan drove them to Parker’s apartment building. Dropping off Parker, Stark promised to call him when needed for another “Stark Internship”, setting off a running gag throughout the film that saw an exuberant, impatient, puzzled and disappointed Parker constantly calling or texting Hogan and Stark for news of another mission and driving them crazy with his own disastrous and tragicomic exploits while, for his part, Stark stubbornly refused to use the cellphone Cap left him at the end of CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR to call Cap when he needed him. At this point, the implications that affirmed Parker’s implicit link to Wright came fast and furious. For Hogan had to turn off Queens Boulevard to let Parker off at his old apartment building in Queens, reminding us that you had to turn off Queen Street to get to my old apartment building in the Streetsville area of Mississauga. The fact that Parker was a high school student at MSST, home of the Tigers, reminded us Wright worked as a Library Technician [LT] at Streetsville Secondary School [SSS], also home of the Tigers. Parker’s good friend at MSST, the equally short but hefty and natty Ned Leeds-played by Joseph Batalon-not only shared Parker’s luv of the Lucas STAR WARS films to evoke Wright’s luv/hate of the Lucas STAR WARS films, but was implicitly linked to Toronto film artist Bruce McDonald to implicitly affirm the link of Parker to an initially Toronto born and raised “film scholar” who now lived in the Greater Toronto Area [GTA].
The implicit link of his guardian and apartment mate, the beautiful, sweet, luvin’ and implicitly Auntie Em linked Aunt May Parker-played again by Tomei-to my own mother Mrs. Gail Wright, and to Glinda, reaffirmed the implicit link of Parker to Wright. Lee also showed up in an apartment window as Gary in one of his famous cameos to berate Spidey when he mistook a car owner for a car thief to openly link Parker and Spidey to some guy named Gary. In addition, the unusual number of lines of dialogue with the word “right” in them in the film often spoken by or said to Parker-such as “Right?”, “All right?”, “All right.”, “I know, right?”, “Hey, so where am I right now?”, “You all right, Pete?”, “That’s the right answer.”, “Okay, right here.”, “It’s right on my way.” and “All right, coming up.”-reaffirmed the implicit link of Parker to Wright. Last but not least, the implicit link of Toomes and to Handling and Bailey reminded us that I had been railing by letter against both since visiting the newly opened TIFF HQ in September 2010 and discovering an infuriating and insensitive 100 “Essential” Films List that included few Canadian films in a souvenir magazine given away at the TIFF HQ opening. Letters that Reitman implicitly also saw and read, for he implicitly lashed back at pesky nasty Wright in the implicit form of embittered and nasty teen fic writer Mavis Gary-played by Charlize Theron-in the twilit, allegorical and CGI enhanced indie docufeature film YOUNG ADULT [2011], implicitly explaining why Stark was Parker’s ironic mentor and why their relationship throughout the film was so tragicomically acrimonious.
Thus, the sight and sound of Parker in his nifty new Stark Spidey suit from CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR with the helpful and JARVIS evoking AI Karen-played by Jennifer Connelly-getting caught up with Toomes and his crew as they robbed a bank in Queens and a DODC truck, and also sold their illicit Chitauri weapons, getting into various battles with them, even unknowingly dating the implicitly Dorothy linked daughter of Toomes, Elizabeth “Liz” Toomes-played by Laura Harrier-and, finally, with the help of the immobile and implicitly Tin Man linked Leeds, “The Guy In The Chair”, defeating them, and then irritating Stark, Hogan and the beautiful, brainy, indomitable, indispensable and implicitly Cody and Glinda linked Virginia “Pepper” Potts-played again by Paltrow-by turning down a spot in the Avengers, in the healing, harmonizing and eucatastrophic end, implied that Dis, Marv and Watts sympathized with my stance on the 100 “Essential” Films List and hoped that I would not only beat Handling and Bailey with my “film scholarship” but also stay an indie “film scholar”, in the end, in a film that alluded to CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR, CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER, KICK-ASS, MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS, the Matrix Trilogy, 1941, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, the STAR WARS Classic and Tragic Trilogies, THE WIZARD OF OZ and YOUNG ADULT.
Fittingly, and soon after the release of SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING, Besson implicitly struck back at Dis, Marv and Gunn and implied in the tragicomic sight and sound of the implicitly Gunn linked United Human Federation [UHF] Major Valerian-played by Dane De Haan-teaming up with the slim, beautiful, blonde and assertive UHF Sergeant Laureline-played by Cara Delevingne-to triumph over the insidious and implicitly Disney CEO Iger linked Commander Filitt-played by Clive Owen-in order to save the surviving soulful and mystic Pearl people and their brave neo CGI enhanced world of Mul and, hence, the brave neo world of CGI enhanced film art, that Gunn would break free from Disney and Marvel and return to creating more artistic, soulful and indie CGI enhanced film art at the healing, harmonizing and eucatastrophic end of the daylit, allegorical and CGI enhanced animaction film VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS [2017], a film that was released on July 17, 2017, that was inspired by narrative art created by Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mezieres and also perhaps by the promise that Nebula made to Ronan toward the end of GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY that if he killed her father, Thanos, she would help Ronan “…destroy a thousand planets”, an interest in GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY helped by allusions to that film. Implicit point made, Dis and Marv then teamed up with Taika Waititi and again with Asano, Cumberbatch, Elba, Hemsworth, Hiddleston, Sir Hopkins, Ruffalo, Stevenson and Karl Urban-who played the initially blockbuster dragon loot lustin’ Gavin Magary in the remake of PETE’S DRAGON-to again implicitly address Cameron, Kubrick, Lucas and Spielberg in the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film THOR: RAGNORAK [2017], a film released on October 10, 2017.
“That hammer was to help you
control your power,
to focus it.
It was never your
source of strength.”
Tragicomically, after a bold new Marvel Studios intro that saw the flickering, action packed and word balloon filled pages of Marvel Comics literally come to life in the flickering, action packed and lines of dialogue filled frames of the MCU inside letters that spun and rose into the air and then settled down into the words MARVEL STUDIOS in red and silver on a red background to the sound of an equally bold and more triumphant symphonic theme, all of which ended and sank down in flames, we found ourselves wrapped in chains and trapped in a hanging cage with the tall, bearded, blonde, muscular, confident, proud, not quite so arrogant and implicitly Cameron and Great Oz linked Thor, Norse God of Thunder-played again by Hemsworth-deep in Hell listening as Thor filled in the backstory as to how he wound up in such a predicament. Soon the huge, red, flaming, massive sword wielding, John Vernon voiced and all CGI Surtur, the fire demon-voiced by Clancy Brown-appeared, sat in his massive throne, and mocked Thor, informing him that Ragnorak, the catastrophe that would destroy immortal, implicitly Hollywood linked and Eternal Flame guarding Asgard, had begun. Breaking free from the cage and chains with the help of mighty Mjolnir and defeating Surtur, his legion of devils and his guardian dragon and stealing Surtur’s crown and fleeing Surtur’s underground lair, Thor was blasted back to Asgard at the nick of time and found that sturdy, stoic and all seeing Heimdall-played again by Elba-had disappeared from his place as guardian of Bifrost, the Rainbow Bridge, that the tragicomically fortune and glory lustin’ and implicitly Mark Boal and Nikko linked Skurge-implicitly linked to Mickey Hargitay by Kirby and Lee in Marvel Comics, and played by Karl Urban-had taken his place, and that the duplicitous and implicitly Spielberg and Cowardly Lion linked Loki, Norse God of Mischief-played again by Hiddleston-had banished the commanding and implicitly Kubrick and Tin Man linked Odin-played again by Sir Hopkins-to Earth and taken over Asgard in his place cheekily disguised as Odin.
Easily seeing through Loki’s cowering disguise, Thor forced Loki to reveal what happened to Odin, and then also forced the God of Mischief to accompany him to Midgard aka Earth to find their missing Allfather. Tragicomically, the bickering brothers barely had time to find themselves in New York wearing human clothing when they attracted the attention of the implicitly King and Glinda linked Dr. Stephen Strange, Master of the Mystic Arts-played again by Cumberbatch-who was so pleased to sense Loki in his city that he banished him to Limbo and left a calling card that led Thor to tracking him down at the New York Sanctum Sanctorum at 177A Bleecker Street. Pleased to meet Thor and find that the intentions of the two brothers were benevolent as already seen in the teaser scene that ended the main closing titles of DOCTOR STRANGE, Dr. Strange revealed that Odin living quietly and fittingly in Norway, and used his sorcery to send both bombastic brothers to him there.
There they found a pensive Odin standing alone on a grassy clifftop on a grey and overcast day staring out to sea. Hailing him, Odin quickly revealed that he was dying, and that after he died, their older sister would be released to wreak Ragnorak on Asgard, not Surtur. And with that Odin died, fading away like Yoda at the beginning of STAR WARS EPISODE VI: RETURN OF THE JEDI, albeit into golden flames, preparing audiences for the end of the next Avengers film as the end of DOCTOR STRANGE had done. Soon after Odin faded, the foretold, pale, green eyed, long black haired and implicitly Bigelow and Wicked Witch of the West linked older sister of Loki and Thor, Hela, Norse Goddess of Death-created by Kirby and Lee for Marvel Comics, and played by Cate Blanchett-did indeed step slinkily out of a green misty cloud, and insisted that the two brothers kneel before their rightful and righteous Queen. Grimly amused by her insolence, Thor hurled mighty Mjolnir at her, but Hela casually stopped it with her right hand and broke it to pieces in a burst of lightning to the astonishment of both brothers. Alas, fleeing back to Asgard via the Rainbow Bridge allowed Hela to follow, beating up and scattering the brothers along the way, and entering Asgard alone and kill the implicitly Landau and Nolan linked Volstagg and Fandral-played again by Stevenson and now by Zachary Levi, respectively-on arrival. Thus, with no one to stop her and with Skurge simpering like a good Nikko by her side, Hela killed all of the Asgardian soldiers flung against her and conquered Asgard.
Meanwhile, the bickering brothers found themselves banished to Saakar, a planet ruled by the genially invidious, gladiator sport luvin’ and implicitly Bill Murray linked Grandmaster-created by Salient Sal Buscema and Rascally Roy Thomas for Marvel Comics, and played by Jeff Goldblum-who quickly forced Thor to get a haircut from Smilin’ Stan “the Man” Lee and take on and take out the short, thoughtful, solitary, indie and implicitly Lucas linked Dr. Bruce Banner aka “the Hulk”-played again by Ruffalo-to implicitly repay Lucas for implicitly roasting Cameron in the STAR WARS Tragic Trilogy in a gladiator match done in spectacular CGI in a huge, jammed and loud Coliseum, much to the dismay of Hulk, the Grandmaster, Loki and the attractive, deep drinkin’, rebellious, indie and implicitly Angelina Jolie and Dorothy linked Asgardian Valkyrie aka “Scrapper 142”-created by Buscemi and Englehart for Marvel Comics, and played by Tessa Thompson. At any rate, after the match, Hulk, Loki, Thor and Valkyrie teamed up to escape the invidious clutches of the Grandmaster, flee Saakar, return to Asgard, find Heimdall, win over Skurge, and defeat Hela, her huge CGI wolf Fenris and her equally undead CGI Asgardian warriors with the timely help of the ghost of Kenobi evoking ghost of Odin.
Alas, this victory was not a healing and harmonizing eucatastrophe, for Hela destroyed Thor’s right eye, Loki freed Surtur and stole the Tesseract, and Surtur exultantly destroyed Asgard with the Eternal Flame as he had gloatingly told Thor he would do in the film’s prologue, ironically killing Hela in the process and forcing King Thor, Loki, Hulk, Valkyrie, Heimdall, all CGI and rockin’ Korg-played by Waititi-and the survivors of Asgard to flee the fire of Asgard in a spaceship for Earth…and straight into the frying pan of Thanos and his own and much larger and intimidating spaceship in the teaser scene that arrived after the major closing titles. Making for not much of a victory over Hela or an implicit victory for Cameron, Jolie, Kubrick, Lucas and Spielberg over Bigelow, an implicit interest in Bigelow, Cameron, Lucas and Murray at least affirmed by the film’s allusions to AVATAR, GHOSTBUSTERS, the Matrix Trilogy, POINT BREAK, the STAR WARS Classic Trilogy, T1, T2 and THE WIZARD OF OZ.
Significantly, the film year ended with Walt Disney Studios affirming that the lure of the animaction AVATAR films was too great when they announced on December 14, 2017 that they were purchasing 21st Century Fox for a mere 52.4 billion in stock shares. Soon into the New Year, they also affirmed that THOR: RAGNORAK did prepare the way for the conclusion of the Infinity Stone saga, a saga that needed Disney, Marvel and co-writer/director Ryan Coogler to team up again with Boseman, Feige, Freeman, Jordan, Kani, Lee, and Serkis on one last preparatory adventure when they kicked off the new film year with the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film BLACK PANTHER [2018], released on January 29, 2018.
“With all due respect,
King T’Challa,
what can a nation of farmers
have to offer the rest of the world?”
Curiously, after beginning with a blank black screen like a Spielberg film that slowly filled with starswept space, the film began with an all CGI legend that evoked the all CGI Genesis bomb sequence in STAR TREK: THE WRATH OF KHAN in 1982 that saw a vibranium meteoroid approach the Earth and smash into central Africa where its Good extraterrestrial Force permeated the area where it landed, caused five warrior tribes to form a country to protect the vibranium and their constant fighting to caus the spirit of the Panther Goddess Bast to emerge and reveal to a warrior shaman of one of the tribes that a Heart Shaped Herb would give the eater super powers, leading to the creation of the first Black Panther of vibranium powered Wakanda, the country that arose around the crashed meteorite. Then the scene shifted suddenly to an apartment in Oakland, California in 1992 and the sight and sound of an ambiguously linked Wakandan arms dealer named N’Jobu-played by Sterling K. Brown-suddenly being faced with his equally ambiguously linked brother and King of Wakanda T’Chaka-played by Atandwa Kani-and being sternly reproved by him for illegally selling Wakandan Vibranium for arms, an accusation that is confirmed by N’Jobu’s also ambiguously linked Wakandan compadre Zuri aka “James”-played by Denzel Whitaker.
Then after the flickering, action packed and word balloon filled pages of Marvel Comics transformed and came to indomitable life in the flickering, action packed and lines of dialogue filled frames of the MCU as rising and spinning letters emerged and settled down into the red and silver words of Marvel Studios on a red background to the sound of a new and more confident and triumphant symphonic theme in a new, improved, bigger and bolder version of the Marvel Studios intro as befitting the big bold year that was beginning for the MCU, the scene shifted to present day Wakanda where, after a brief adventure in another African country to rescue his implicitly and presciently Sophie Gregoire linked ex-luver Nakia-played by Lupita Nyong’o-the young and handsome Prince T’Challa aka “Black Panther”-played again by Boseman-voluntarily allowed himself to be stripped of his Black Panther powers and fight and beat a larger, stronger, more muscular and powerful warrior from the indie Jabari tribe M’Baku-played by Winston Duke-in order to prove to his fellow Wakandans that he was worthy of following in the footsteps of his father T’Chaka and being the new King of Wakanda.
Significantly, this embattled sight and sound reminded us that the equally young and handsome Justin Trudeau had to box and defeat a larger, stronger, more muscular and powerful warrior from the equally indie and spirit warrior Aboriginal nations of Canada named in order to prove to his fellow Canadians that he was also worthy of following in the footsteps of his father Pierre Trudeau and becoming the next prime minister of Canada, implicitly linking young King T’Challa to young Prime Minister Trudeau. Indeed, the presence of the older Zuri-played by Forest Whitaker-presiding over the fight and the ritual ceremony that followed that returned King T’Challa’s Black Panther powers to him affirmed that implication, for he now looked and acted liked the senior Trudeau’s friend, ally, cabinet minister and ex-Prime Minister of Canada Jean Chretien. The presence at the fight and ceremony of King T’Challa’s sister Shuri-played by Letitia Wright-reaffirmed that implication, for the casually and irritatingly brilliant and science/tech savvy teen girl evoked the younger Trudeau’s equally casually and irritatingly brilliant pick for Governor General Julie Payette, whose irritating brilliance in time led the ex-astronaut to be replaced by PM Trudeau. The fact that an aurora borealis was seen along with the older ex-King T’Chaka-played again by Kani-in the vision that King T’Challa experienced after drinking the Heart Shaped Herb that returned his Black Panther powers to him also affirmed the implicit link of King T’Challa to PM Justin Trudeau, ex-King T’Chaka to Pierre Trudeau, Wakanda to Canada and vibranium to uranium, for the aurora borealis is a common sight in Canada. Thus, Disney and Marvel followed in the allegorical footsteps of Kirby and Lee, who implicitly preferred an allegorical approach to the citizens of Canada, who had turned down the Age of Enlightenment and remained the embodiment of darkness as colonial citizens of the British Empire, that linked them to a fictional and equally dark skinned country in order not to offend them rather than make them American embodiments of Enlightenment and openly set them in the United States and New York in particular, the stomping grounds of Ditko, Kirby, Lee and Lieber, the four main creators of the Marvel universe.
This implication that the new King T’Challa of Wakanda was linked to the new Prime Minister Trudeau of Canada was reaffirmed when he travelled with Nakia and Okoye to an illicit casino in Busan, South Korea to capture the equally illicit, irritatingly jovial and possibly Miller and Nikko linked African Vibranium trader Ulysses Klaue-played again by Serkis. For the implicitly ex-Canadian PM Harper and Tin Man linked CIA Agent Everett K. Ross-played again by Freeman-looking and acting more like Harper than ever before, was also there with some other CIA agents to capture the nefarious Klaue in a sting. Thus, the implication was that N’Jobu was implicitly linked to the elder Trudeau’s most bitter friend and enemy, the separatist minded ex-Parti Quebecois [PQ] leader Rene Levesque, and that the older, bitter and implicitly Wicked Witch of the West linked N’Jadaka aka Erik Stevens aka “Killmonger”-played by Michael B. Jordan-was implicitly linked to the new young PQ leader Jean-Francois Lisee at the time in 2018, making King T’Challa’s triumph over him in Wakanda symbolized the hope of Dis, Marv and Coogler that the young PM Trudeau would rise to the challenge and defeat Lisee and all other separatists in order to keep Quebec in Canada and Canada the True North strong, united and free in a film with the usual exuberant allusions to the Matrix Trilogy and THE WIZARD OF OZ.
Significantly, BLACK PANTHER was a popular film that also became the first MCU film to be awarded three Oscars-for Best Costume Design, Best Original Score, and Best Production Design, respectively-in time by the august Academy. And then finally Disney, Marvel and the Russo Brothers teamed up with Bautista, Bettany, Boseman, Brolin, Cheadle, Condon, Cooper, Cumberbatch, Del Toro, Diesel, Downey jr., Duke, Elba, Evans, Favreau, Feige, Gillan, Gunn-back as co-executive producer-Gurira, Hemsworth, Hiddleston, Holland, Hurt, Johansson, Jordan, Klementieff, Lee, Mackie, Makovsky, Markus, McFeely, Olsen, Paltrow, Pratt, Ruffalo, Saldana, Silvestri, Stan, Wong, Wood, Wright, and Trent Opaloch-DOP of CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR-and the rest of another talented cast and crew to weave all of the disparate storylines of the various superheroes and superheroines together in the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR [2018], a film released on April 23, 2018.
“Who?”
Significantly, the familiar flickering, action packed and word balloon filled pages of Marvel Comics appeared on the screen and then transformed into the flickering frames of the MCU filled with lines of dialogue and real life super heroes and super heroines to openly affirm that Marvel Comics were coming to life in the latest installment of the MCU, pages and scenes that coalesced into the equally familiar red and white Marvel Studios logo that then transformed into a black and white Marvel Studios logo whose “IO” then transformed into a red “10” to commemorate ten years of the new MCU since the arrival of IRON MAN in 2008 all to the sound of slow, sombre and ominous symphonic music rather than the new swelling and triumphant symphonic theme heard at the beginning of BLACK PANTHER mixed with the sounds of firing missiles, explosions and a frantic male Asgardian voice hailing another ship by radio and assuring them that they were the peaceful refugee spaceship Statesman. However, the slow and ominous symphonic strains were fitting, for after the MARVEL STUD10S logo disappeared, the film began with the reappearance of the huge spaceship first seen at the end of the mid-closing titles teaser scene at the end of THOR: RAGNORAK blasting away at the Asgardian refugee ship Statesman and killing most of its occupants, evoking the sight and sound of an equally huge Star Destroyer following and blasting away at a smaller fleeing Rebel spaceship at the beginning at STAR WARS EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE.
Then the scene shifted inside the shattered refugee ship to the sight and sound of the towering, muscular, purple skinned, universal balance obsessed and implicitly ex-Disney CEO Eisner linked mad Titan, Thanos-as tall as Darkness in LEGEND, and played again by Brolin-using the equally purple and implicitly Marvel linked Power Infinity Stone to roast the not as tall and mighty, blonde, bearded, and implicitly Cameron, Great Oz and Air linked Thor, Norse God of Thunder and neo-King of Asgard-played again by Hemsworth. Stopped from killing Thor by the shocked, duplicitous and implicitly Spielberg linked Loki, Norse God of Mischief-played again by Hiddleston-Loki produced the implicitly Lucasfilm linked Force ghost blue Tesseract from nowhere like a magician to assure Thanos that it had not been destroyed by Surtur on Asgard.
Significantly, at this point the short, shy, sensitive, intelligent and implicitly Lucas, Scarecrow and Earth linked Dr. Bruce Banner aka “the Hulk”-played again by Ruffalo-in full rampaging Hulk mode appeared also out of nowhere, flung himself on Thanos and began pounding the piss out of him, openly linking the implicitly Lucas linked Hulk to the Force ghost blue Tesseract to affirm its implicit link to Lucasfilm. Just as significantly, after initially getting pounded by the Hulk, Thanos then proceeded to get up and use the purple Power stone to beat the crap out of the Hulk, so much so that the Hulk was soon lying full out on the floor of the spaceship semi-conscious and groaning in shocked dismay. Luckily, before Thanos could kill him, the Hulk was transported to safety by the tall, sturdy, yellow eyed and all seeing Asgardian Heimdall, Guardian of the Rainbow Bridge-played again by Elba-before Heimdall was killed by an outraged Thanos.
Soon after, Thanos crushed the Tesseract cube with his right hand to reveal the equally Force ghost blue Space Infinity Stone inside, and then placed the stone in its setting next to the purple and implicitly Marvel linked Power stone above one of the knuckles of his golden and sinister left handed Infinity Gauntlet. Satisfied with his new acquisition, the towering mad Titan then celebrated by grabbing Loki by the neck with that Infinity Gauntleted left hand, lifting him up with that one hand and imitated Darth Vader by choking and breaking his neck to the twisted delight of his most malevolent flying monkey minions. This was an ironic murder, reminding us that executive producers Kennedy, Marshall and Spielberg were responsible for giving the teenage Brolin his first film role as the neo-corporatist Brand in the twilit and allegorical Donner docufeature film THE GOONIES [1985], but it implicitly linked Loki to the Wicked Witch of the East of this healing Ozian dream, allowing Thanos to be implicitly linked to the Wicked Witch of the West. Loki dead, Space stone in his possession, Thanos and his malevolent minions transported out of the Statesman and left the burning ship to explode in space.
Luckily, the Hulk was transported back to Earth like an Imperial probe by Heimdall and soon crashed through the roof of the New York Sanctum Sanctorum of the tall, black haired and eyed, intelligent, educated, book and spell luvin’ and implicitly King linked Doctor Stephen Strange, Master of the Mystic Arts-played again by Cumberbatch-and his friend and mentor in sorcery Wong-played again by Wong-and warned that the Wicked Thanos and his flying monkey minions would soon arrive to take the two Infinity Stones that were on Earth. Alarmed by the ominous news, Dr. Strange used his sorcery to quickly assemble the brash, brilliant, cocky, confident, imperfect but vitally human, likably unlikable and implicitly Reitman, Cowardly Lion and Fire linked Anthony “Tony” Stark aka “Iron Man”-played again by Downey jr.-who just happened to conveniently be in the Big Apple strolling through Central Park with the beautiful, indispensable, indomitable and implicitly Cody linked SI Chairwoman and CEO Virginia “Pepper” Potts-played again by Paltrow-planning the upcoming marriage they announced at the end of SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING.
A timely assemblage, for no sooner than did Stark arrive via the Good Doctor’s sorcery at the Sanctum Sanctorum to discuss the snituation with Wong and Drs. Banner and Strange than the implicitly Nikko the Flying Monkey King linked Ebony Maw, the major domo of the Wicked Thanos-also implicitly linked to Jeffrey Katzenberg, major domo of Eisner during most of the latter’s tenure at Disney, and played by Tom Vaughan-Lawlor-arrived with the ambiguously linked big nasty Cull Obsidian-played by Terry Notary-in their donut resembling spaceship to lay waste to New York and steal the green and implicitly ILM linked Time Infinity Stone from its guardian and protector, Dr. Strange. Leading to a gleefully and gratuitously destructive battle filled with the ironically contrasting science of Stark/Iron Man and the sorcery of Dr. Strange and Wong against the scientific magic of Maw, destructive mayhem that attracted the attention of the shy, solitary, weird, wacky, thoughtful, dedicated and implicitly Wright and Gardevil linked MSST student and teen superhero Peter Parker aka “Spider-Man”-played again by Holland-while he was being driven on a schoolbus to a field trip by Smilin’ Stan himself perhaps still in his guise as Gary from Queens.
Eagerly fleeing the bus through a handy window and joining Iron Man in battling Maw and Obsidian on the side of science and technology and implicitly on the side of Canada, Spidevil soon found himself being pulled into space like Milo in MARS NEEDS MOMS as he tried to prevent Dr. Strange from being transported to Maw’s waiting donut ship in orbit over Earth. Letting go of Strange and falling back to Earth, Spidey was saved by a trailing Iron Man and FRIDAY-played again by Condon-with a handy and upgraded Iron Spidevil suit fittingly designated 17A that transformed Spider-Man into Spiron-Man and allowed Spidey to breathe high up in the atmosphere and web back onto and into the donut ship again like Milo in MARS NEEDS MOMS without the knowledge of Stark, Strange or Maw. The scene then shifted to the goofy and ultra indie Guardians of the Galaxy comprised of the handsome, muscular, brunette, and implicitly Besson linked Peter Quill aka “Star Lord”-played again by Pratt-the big, muscular, loud laughing, Mexican wrestler evoking and implicitly Del Toro linked Drax the Destroyer-played again by Bautista-the small, furry, fiery, feisty and implicitly Snyder linked Rocket Raccoon-played again by Cooper-the green, sweet but deadly and implicitly Lilly Wachowski linked Gamora-played again by Saldana-the peaceful, earthy and ambiguously linked Groot-played again by Diesel-and the empathetic and Facio linked Mantis-played again by Klementieff-arriving in their turkey vulture resembling spaceship Milano at the remains of the Asgardian refugee ship, rescuing Thor, and finding about his quest to stop the Wicked Thanos from getting the rest of the Infinity Stones by heading to Nidavellir and getting the weapons master there to forge a new weapon for him that he could use to kill the mad Titan. A plan that inspired the fiery Rocket Raccoon and the peaceful Groot to go with Thor, and the Great Quill, the sweet but deadly Gamora, the big and hearty Drax the Destroyer, and the empathetic Mantis to head back to Knowhere to get the red Reality Infinity Stone from the implicitly Jarmusch linked Collector-played again by Del Toro-the swelling romance between Gam and Quill leading to a first kiss as they travelled to Knowhere perhaps the first kiss on film between a heterosexual man and an implicitly transsexual woman.
Meanwhile, back on Earth in Edinburgh, Scotland, the tall, cerebral, soulless and implicitly Cronenberg linked Vision-played again by Bettany-and the beautiful, buxom, bewitching, red haired and implicitly Stofle and Glinda the Good linked Wanda Maximoff aka “the Scarlet Witch”-played again by Olsen-were found to have become a couple since the events of AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON. A couple that were soon watching the alien attack on New York on BSN tv news, openly linking the yellow Mind Infinity Stone to television to affirm its implicit link to ABC. Alas, no sooner did they discover via tv that an attack was underway, than they were also battling to prevent two more of the malevolent flying monkey minions of the Wicked Thanos, the tall, creepy, Jack Skellington evoking, and hacking and slashing luvin’ Corvus Glaine-implicitly linked to Burton due to the fact that he had made films with Eisner’s Disney, and played by Michael J. Shaw-and the long black haired and equally tall, creepy, and hacking and slashing luvin’ Proxima Midnight-implicitly linked to Lisa Marie, Burton’s sweetie during his Eisner years, and played by Carrie Coon-from taking the yellow and implicitly ABC linked Mind Infinity Stone from the forehead of Vision. Luckily for the Scarlet Witch and Vision, just when it looked like they would be overwhelmed by gruesome Glaine and murderous Midnight, they were saved in the nick of time by the Cavalry evoking arrival of the Good, true, pure, innocent, selfless, patriotic, indomitable and implicitly Eastwood, Tin Man and Water linked U.S. super soldier Captain Steven “Steve” Rogers aka “Captain America”-played again by Evans-and the shrewd, sexy, deadly and implicitly SCC and Dorothy linked ex-Russian assassin and dedicated SHIELD Agent Natasha Romanoff aka “the Black Widow”-played again by Johansson-who helped Vis and Scarlet triumph over Glaine and Midnight and send them beaming back up to their donut ship without the coveted yellow Mind Infinity Stone.
Curiously, back on that donut ship, Spidevil revealed his presence to Iron Stark and the faithful and sentient cloak of Dr. Strange, and then the heroic trio united to free Dr. Strange from the torture of Maw by using a vacuum sucking hole in the spaceship’s hull to send the latter to his death in the freezing limbo of outer space. Maw dead, the three heroes decided to allow the ship to take them to Titan to confront and defeat the Wicked Thanos, something that Quill, Gamora and Drax tried but failed to do when they tried to prevent him from taking the red reality Infinity Stone from the Collector on Knowhere. Indeed, not only did the three Guardians fail to prevent the towering Titan from adding the red reality Infinity Stone to his collection on the sinister Infinity Gauntlet, they also discovered that they had been lured into a trap, Knowhere had already been destroyed, the red Reality Infinity Stone taken from the Collector and used to create a fake pristine Sanctum Collectorum, reminding us that Pixar and its reality imitating and faking CGI had initially destroyed the reputation of Disney as being the leader in animated films to implicitly link the red Reality Stone to Pix. Alas, the heroes were powerless to prevent the Wicked Thanos from defeating them, and from taking Gamora with him when he transported himself from Knowhere.
Meanwhile back on Earth, the rest of the heroes including the indie and implicitly Gilliam linked James B. “Bucky” Barnes aka “the Winter Soldier” aka “the White Wolf”-played again by Stan-and the sturdy and implicitly Virgo linked Lieutenant-Colonel James “Rhodey” Rhodes aka “War Machine”-played again by Cheadle-assembled in Wakanda and tried to surgically remove the yellow Mind Infinity Stone from the forehead of Vision with the help of the brilliant, irrepressible and implicitly Payette linked Shuri-played again by Wright-but were prevented from doing so by an extraterrestrial invasion of the malevolent minions of Thanos led by Glaive, Midnight and Obsidian that evoked the Neimoidian droid invasion of taboo Naboo at the end of STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE to implicitly affirm the link of Dr. Banner to Lucas. Significantly, and before the Wicked Thanos could join his malevolent minions in Wakanda, the anguished Titan had to kill Gamora on the mysterious and desolate planet of Vormir in order to get the orange Soul Infinity Stone, implicitly linked to Disney as it was the soul of the Walt Disney Company that inspired and enfired ABC, ILM, Lucasfilm, Marvel and Pixar, throwing her off a cliff and watching her fall like Cody fell off an Outback ridge cliff in THE RESCUERS DOWN UNDER only this time to her doom, a sad sacrifice presided over by the solitary, forlorn and all too knowing ghost of the implicitly Cox linked Red Skull-played this time by Ross Marquand-who had been banished to Vormir by the blue Space Infinity Stone when he foolishly grasped the Tesseract at the end but did not implicitly grasp the importance of blockbuster CGI enhanced film art at the end of CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER.
Then the Wicked Thanos was off to his ruined homeworld of Titan to take on Drax, Dr. Strange, Iron Man, Mantis, Spidey, Star Lord, and Gam’s nasty and implicitly Lana Wachowski linked cyborg sister Nebula-played again by Gillan-eventually beating them in a truly titanic, creative and spectacular CGI enhanced battle of the Infinity War that saw each hero and heroine showcasing their unique super powers in their desperate united effort to defeat the Big Purple Meanie and that affirmed the implicit link of the green Time Infinity Stone worn and guarded by Dr. Strange to ILM and its spectacular post-production visual effects. Alas, the desperate and determined superheroes and superheroines were unable to stop the resigned but shrewd, knowing and prescient Dr. Strange from giving the green Time Infinity Stone to the Wicked Thanos to prevent him from killing Stark. And so the Wicked Thanos managed to use the five Infinity Stones on his sinister Infinity Gauntlet to transport himself to Wakanda where he soon ripped the yellow Mind Infinity Stone out of the forehead of Vision before the Scarlet Witch could kill him with her magic to prevent the loss of the stone and despite the best and equally desperate efforts to stop him of the rest of the Avengers-including the impotent and unable to “Hulk out” Dr. Banner in the Super Iron Man suit seen in AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON-the Guardians, of the calm, cool, indomitable, and implicitly Prime Minister Trudeau linked King T’Challa aka “Black Panther”-played again by Boseman-M’Baku-played again by Duke-Okoye-played again by Gurira-and the rest of his fellow Wakandans, and even of the Great and Mighty Thor, armed with his new battleax Stormbreaker crafted by Eitri, the implicitly Sir Jackson linked mighty Munchkin master weapons maker of Nidavellir-played by Peter Dinklage.
And so Vision shut down, and the Wicked Thanos snapped his sinister left Infinity Gauntleted fingers, and half the beings in the MCU including the poor ol’ Spidevil turned to eerie dust, reminding us that Eisner oversaw massive layoffs and restructuring at Disney as he did his best to lead the company to the position of global dominance it occupied today that was taken advantage of by new Disney CEO Iger, and evoking the pernicious power of the implicitly Dr. Frederic Wertham linked Space Phantom to send Marvel super heroes and super heroines to politically correct limbo in AVENGERS #2. And so the Wicked Thanos then opened an escape portal and disappeared like the Wicked Witch of the West at the end of THE WIZARD OF OZ to affirm the implicit link of Thanos to the Wicked Witch of the West, and reappeared to enjoy an ironically peaceful retirement on an unknown world to the sound of sombre symphonic music which evoked the sombre symphonic music that began the film. However, since Maw, Obsidian, Glaive and Midnight had all been killed by the Good heroes and heroines over the course of the film, at least three of them linked to people who figured prominently in the Eisner Era [EE], the implicit potential for the equally deadly defeat of the deranged and demented Thanos in the next installment of the MCU had been laid in AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR.
And so the Good heroes who did not dissolve into nothingness sank into disgusted despair that they had failed to stop Thanos, a shocked and disappointed family of friends. And so there was no teaser scene at the end of the major closing titles. Significantly, however, the end of closing titles teaser scene revealed that the ornery and implicitly Lee linked SHIELD Director Nicholas J. “Nick” Fury-played again by Jackson-managed to implicitly send off a message to Captain Marvel with a communicator before he and the tough and implicitly Tonya Lewis Lee linked SHIELD Agent Maria Hill-played again by Smulders-dissolved and disappeared, setting audiences up for the first MCU film of 2019. And so Disney and Marvel reaffirmed their fondness for brilliant, successful and indie film artists who had not worked with Disney during the Eisner years and shrewdly, knowingly, creatively and ably weaved all of the disparate strands of the MCU together in a spectacular and memorable super satirical animaction film filled with allusions to ALIENS, THE BOX, the Matrix Trilogy, the STAR WARS Classic and Tragic Trilogies, T1, T2 and THE WIZARD OF OZ and persuaded audiences to believe in and sympathize with its superheroes and superheroines so much that AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR was a huge global success that had the world shouting “…make mine Marvel!” and that already guaranteed that the sequel to the film would be the most eagerly awaited film of the neo millennium.
However, before that film arrived the next year in the Temple Theatre, Disney implied that they understood the implicit allegorical intent of LIVE BY NIGHT by teaming up again with Howard, ILM, and Lucasfilm and ironically making Affleck’s implicit STAR WARS luvin’ dreams come true by having the rough hewn but Good, true but unusually short, fair skinned, and implicitly Sir Scott and Scarecrow linked orphaned Corellian street urchin turned adult battler Han Solo-played by Alden Ehrenreich-win the Millenium Falcon from the handsome, well dressed, smooth, suave, and droid luvin’ but dishonest, duplicitous, exuberantly self centred and Affleck and Tin Man linked space pirate Lando Calrissian-played by Donald Glover-in a fateful rematch game of sabaac at the end of the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed animaction film SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY [2018], a film fittingly released on May 18, 2018. Then Disney teamed up again with Pixar and writer/director Bird and also again with Fucile, Hunter, Nelson, Jackson, Ratzenberger and Vowell and for the first time with Huck Milner as Dashiell “Dash” Parr on the daylit, allegorical and indie CGI animated feature film THE INCREDIBLES 2 [2018], released on June 5, 2018. Then Disney returned to the MCU when it teamed up again with Marvel and Reed and also again with Cannavale, Dastmalchian, Douglas, Fortson, Greer, Harris, Lilly, Pena, Pfeiffer and Rudd to affirm their implicit sympathetic fondness for Capshaw, Kelly and John and Deborah Landis and for more bruising blockbuster battles and tantalizing trips into the CGI enhanced Twilight Zone of the fourth dimension evoking quantum zone in the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film ANT-MAN AND THE WASP [2018], a film released on June 25, 2018.
“Quantum entanglement,
Scott.”
Curiously, the film began with a prologue that had the bespectacled, suit luvin’, grey haired, bearded, and moustached and implicitly Landis and Tin Man linked Dr. Henry “Hank” Pym aka the original “Ant-Man”-played again by Douglas-again regaling his implicitly Capshaw and Dorothy linked daughter Hope Van Dyne aka “the Wasp”-played again by Lilly and for the first time in a flashback by Madeleine McGraw as a girl, respectively-with the story of how he and his implicitly Deborah Nadoolman Landis and Glinda linked wife Janet Van Dyne aka the original “Wasp”-based on a character originally implicitly linked to Ellie Frazetta, the WASP wife of Frank Frazetta, created by Kirby, Lee and Eager Ernie Hart for Marvel Comics, and played by Michelle Pfeiffer-tried to stop a Soviet intercontinental ballistic missile [ICBM] rocketing through the sky from landing and killing thousands. Alas, unable to cut through the missile’s reinforced steel, Janet used her ability to shrink down to a subatomic level to drift through the ICBM’s exterior and disable the missile, causing the missile to crash harmlessly in the ocean but trapping Janet forever in the quantum realm. Wistful story complete, Dr. Pym reminded Hope that the brilliant but foolish, goofy, naïve, innocent, clean cut, plain t-shirt luvin’, sexually ambiguous and implicitly Kelly and Scarecrow linked ex-con Scott Lang aka “Ant-Man/Giant Man”-played again by Rudd, again co-writer of the film-had descended into and successfully returned from the quantum realm unharmed in ANT-MAN. Fittingly expressing his hope to Hope that Janet was still alive, Dr. Pym unveiled his blueprint for a quantum tunnel that would allow someone to travel into and return from the quantum realm in order to find and rescue Janet.
Prologue over, the flickering and word balloon filled pages of Marvel Comics slowly transformed into equally flickering frames filled with lines of dialogue from the films of the MCU inside letters that slowly rose through the air as if with the aid of a magic spell from Dr. Strange, righted itself and solidified into a silver MARVEL STUDIOS with the “IO” suddenly being highlighted in red and transformed into a “10” to signify and celebrate ten years of the new MCU going back to IRON MAN in 2008 just as the Marvel Studios logo did at the beginning of AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR all to the swelling sound of the familiar triumphant theme, and then the film returned to the hilly streets of San Francisco and a super satirical adventure that saw Lang literally languishing in house arrest in a new house as a result of the super rumble at the Leipzig airport in CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR and having fun in a spooky ant maze with cutie mischievous Munchkin Cassie-played again by Fortson-and Luis-played again by Pena-to the grim amusement of the short, tragicomic and implicitly John Belushi linked house arrest supervisor FBI Agent Jimmy Woo-played by Randall Park.
Significantly, relaxing in the bath after Cassie left with Jim and Maggie-played again by Cannavale and Greer, respectively-Lang found his thoughts drifting back to the fourth dimension evoking Twilight Zone of the quantum realm. Suddenly he had a vision of Janet, and was even briefly possessed by her. Calling up Dr. Pym and leaving a voicemail message with him after his bath, Lang went on to watch ANIMAL HOUSE on tv in the kitchen as he ate a snack to affirm the implicit link of Dr. Pym to Landis when he was knocked out by a flying ant. Waking up in the front passenger seat of a miniaturized car to find Dr. Van Dyne driving beside him, Lang was driven by Hope to the new HQ building of Dr. Pym, shown the almost complete quantum tunnel, and persuaded to join their quest to finish and fire up the tunnet to travel into the quantum realm to find and rescue Janet in a “Little Girl Lost” and POLTERGEIST evoking adventure and return with her to San Fran.
Alas for the trimatic trio, as they struggled to complete the tunnel and succeed with this mission to find and rescue Janet, they also had to battle the creepy, troubled and implicitly Meghan Markle and Wicked Witch of the West linked Ava Starr aka the elusive and allusive “Ghost”-who evoked the equally flickering and ghostly twins in THE MATRIX RELOADED, and was played by Hannah John-Kamen and in a flashback as a girl by RaeLynn Bratten, respectively-a supervillianess whose “molecular disequilibrium” problem caused her to constantly flicker uncertainly in and out of existence in an implicitly wry comment on how Markle was now uncertain whether she was an American “commoner” or English “royalty” in her new role as the wife of Prince Harry while also fighting off the tragicomically invidious, courteous, suit luvin’ and implicitly Marshall linked Sonny Burch-played by Walton Goggins-and his goons who wanted the quantum tunnel for fortune and glory’s sake and all the while eluding the grasp of dogged and tragicomic house arrest supervisor and FBI Agent Woo.
Given that Lang, Pym and Van Dyne did in fact succeed in freeing Janet from the twilit quantum zone and in defeating the irritating Ghost and Burch and eluding FBI Agent Woo to bring the three stories to a successful and trimatic conclusion in the end, with Ant-Man also allowed to cut loose as Giant Man again as in CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR towards the end of the film, Dis, Marv and Reed implicitly reaffirmed their hope that Kelly would return to prominence with another brilliant film, and also reaffirmed their hope that CGI had become so advanced that film artists would never again have to worry about fatal film set disasters, thus freeing John and Deborah-the wife of Landis and longtime costume designer for his films-from the Twilight Zone and ending the dread allegorical Zone Wars at last. Significantly, however, whether a daylit and brave neo eon of CGI enhanced film art would truly begin in the new millennium was suddenly left in doubt at the end of the film, for Lang was left trapped in the quantum zone when he was sent there via the quantum tunnel after Hank, Hope and Janet dissolved away and disappeared into limbo like so many of the other marvelous superheroes and superheroines and half of the people of the galaxy at the end of AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR. But not before Dis, Marv and Reed affirmed their implicit interest in Belushi, Kelly, John and Deborah Landis and Marshall with allusions to ANIMAL HOUSE, DONNIE DARKO, “Little Girl Lost”, POLTERGEIST, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, SOUTHLAND TALES, THE BLUES BROTHERS, THE BOX, the Matrix Trilogy and THE WIZARD OF OZ. Curiously, later that summer Warner Brothers and Turteltaub implicitly addressed the Walt Disney Company and implicitly launched a Cinema Garite salvo in the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed animaction film THE MEG [2018], a film released on August 8, 2018 that was inspired by the twilit and allegorical Steve Alten indie docufiction novel Meg: a novel of deep terror [1997].
“Jonas was right!”
Curiouser and curiouser, indeed, as the film began with the bald, grim, tough, uncompromising and implicitly Wright, poor ol’ Gardevil and Scarecrow linked underwater rescue expert Jonas Taylor-played by Jason Statham-watching and listening in helpless and despondent fury as two of his fellow rescuers D’Angelo and Marks-played by Rob Kipa-Williams and Tawanda Manyimo, respectively-were killed when the SSBN Rogue, the nuclear submarine they were evacuating, appeared to be blown up by a huge underwater creature during a dangerous rescue mission deep below the surface of the Pacific Ocean near the Phillipine Trench. Then the film jumped five years into the future, with the exuberant, irritating and implicitly Musk and Great Oz linked billionaire Jack Morris-played by Rainn Wilson-landing by twilit helicopter on the landing pad of the Mana One Research Station that he had paid for and had been created by the earnest and implicitly Coppola and Tin Man linked Doctor Zhang Minway-played by Chao Winston-just off the coast of China. Curiously, the station was filled with characters implicitly linked to film artists who had begun their careers with or had worked with Disney, or who were friends of Lucas, had acted in a Lucas film, made a film with Lucas or had implicitly addressed Lucas in one of their films such as Dr. Zhang’s implicitly SCC and Glinda linked daughter, Dr. Zhang Suyin-played by Li Bingbing-the big, blonde, burly, bespectacled and implicitly Del Toro linked “The Wall”-played by Olafur D. Olafsson-the swarthy, sardonic and implicitly Waititi and Cowardly Lion linked station chief James “Mac” Mackreides-played by Cliff Curtis-the bald, moustached and goated, and implicitly Antoine Fuqua linked rover expert DJ-played by Page Kennedy-the dark skinned, beautiful eyed, spiky haired, smart, indie and implicitly Angelina Jolie linked submarine designer and engineer Jaxx-played by Ruby Rose-and the beautiful, brainy, blonde, smart, steely and implicitly Sarah Polley linked Origin sub pilot Lori Taylor-the ex-wife of Jonas, and played by Jessica McNamee-implicitly affirming that Turteltaub and Warners were addressing the Lucasfilm swallowing Walt Disney Company in THE MEG.
Significantly, Morris arrived just in time to watch via computer screen the Origin descend through a hydrogen sulfide layer and then a freezing cold thermoclime overtop the nearby Mariana Trench hiding the true bottom of the trench and explore that hitherto unknown and unsuspected bottom. Alas for Taylor and the two other crew members of the Origin, the sight and sound of the ship attracted the same huge underwater creature that destroyed the first sub in the film’s short prologue, a huge mysterious creature that battered the Origin into immobility and left it trapped six miles below the surface of the water. Leading to Mac and Dr. Zhang to desperately helicopter off to Thailand and track down the brooding, bitter, retired and bachelor but still expert underwater rescuer Taylor in his lonely little apartment, a sight and sound that evoked the equally brooding and bitter bachelor Wright in his lonely little apartment in Mississauga, Ontario to affirm the implicit link of Taylor to Wright.
Just as significantly, Mac and Dr. Zhang successfully persuaded the bitter Taylor to join their cause and lead the successful rescue of his ex-wife and one other crew member of the Origin from what turned out to be a huge leftover super shark from the dinosaur era called a megadolon aka eponymous “meg”. Thus, the sight and sound of Taylor also leading the mission to kill the implicitly Lucasfilm linked meg and then an even bigger and implicitly Disney linked super meg that suddenly showed up later and gobbled up the first like the Walt Disney Company gobbled up Lucasfilm before it killed kill all of the personnel of the Mana One Research Station, too many of the unsuspecting young Chinese bathers frolicking in the waters off Sanya Bay in southern China and even Pippin the implicitly Toto linked dog-played by Kelly the dog-implied the curious hope of Warners and Turteltaub that the POG would lead the way in convincing the Walt Disney Company to not forget the vital humanity of the people of China and overwhelm the country with soulless blockbuster beasts, in the end, an implicit allegorical intent affirmed by allusions to ALIEN, JAWS, PACIFIC RIM, the Matrix Trilogy, the STAR WARS Classic and Tragic Trilogies, the TZ disaster, THE WIZARD OF OZ, and 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA.
Later that year, Dis, Johnston and Moore joined Phil Johnston and rejoined McBrayer, Lynch, Reilly, and Silverman when they had the implicitly Lucas and Marcia Griffin linked one man destroyer Wreck-It Ralph and race mad Vanellope-played again by Reilly and Silverman, respectively-leave behind Litwack’s Family Fun Center and head off on a virus plagued but ultimately successful misadventure in the wonderful world of the internet in order to find and buy a new steering wheel for the Sugar Rush arcade game back at Litwack’s arcade with the help of most if not all of the Disney Princesses through the decades stretching back to Snow White-played by Pamela Ribon-at the healing, harmonizing, and eucatastrophic end of the daylit, allegorical, and Ozian themed CGI animated feature film RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET [2018], a film released on November 5, 2018 that alluded to the Matrix Trilogy, TRON and TRON LEGACY. Significantly and alas, soon after the release of RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET, Smilin’ Stan “the Man” Lee blasted off into eternity on November 12, 2018, and so was not able to experience the conclusion of the Thanos Saga. Then Dis kicked off the new film year by implicitly affirming their fondness for Polley, who started off her career with Disney in a small but memorably cute role as a poor and wistful girl named Molly Monaghan in the twilit, allegorical and implicitly Joe Dante and John Landis addressing Phillip Borsos indie docufeature film ONE MAGIC CHRISTMAS [1985], and implicitly replying to DC, Warners and the implicitly Polley toasting SUPERGIRL by teaming up with Marvel, co-writer/directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck and again with Gregg, Hounsou, Jackson, and Pace on the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indiesuper satirical animaction film CAPTAIN MARVEL (2019), released on February 27, 2019 and inspired by a character created by Gentle Gene Colan and Rowdy Roy Thomas for Marvel Comics.
“…Put your people’s needs
before your own.”
Curiously, after the flickering and word balloon filled pages of Marvel Comics turned into the flickering frames of the MCU filled with lines of dialogue from the films and with all of the Lee cameos from the films and behind the scenes shots with Lee in an appreciative nod to the then recently deceased Smilin’ Stan as the familiar letters turned and rose into the air and came down as the red and silver letters of Marvel Studios then turned into sombre white and black letters to the sound of the familiar triumphant symphonic theme before disappearing and being replaced with the white words “THANK YOU STAN” on a black screen, the film began with the scattered and bullet time filled shots of a battle or an explosion or an explosion filled battle, a woman who resembled Canadian Nobel Prize winning literary artist Alice Munro-played by Annette Bening-walking amongst it, and a pointy eared alien male striding out of the smoke and pointing a laser gun. Then a beautiful young blonde woman who turned out be the implicitly Polley and Dorothy linked Vers-played by London Fuller as a six year old, McKenna Grace as a thirteen year old, and by Brie Larson as an adult, respectively-woke up in bed from what turned out to be a recurrent nightmare and then woke up an implicitly Guy Ritchie linked male colleague named Commander Yon-Rogg-played by Jude Law-to talk about it and then release some tension with hand-to-hand combat practice which revealed that Vers had some seriously super powered hands.
It turned out that Vers and Yon-Rogg were both implicitly Moslem/Palestinian linked Kree, living in implicitly Gaza linked Hala, capital of the Kree homeworld, and members of the Kree Starforce, a kind of galactic police force that evoked the Guardians of the Galaxy. And, after Vers paid a visit to the implicitly Wicked Witch of the West linked Supreme Intelligence, the A.I. leader of the Kree civilization, who curiously manifested as a woman who also resembled Munro, an inspiration to Polley-and also played by Bening-Vers and Cdr. Yon-Rogg joined other members of Kree Starforce which included Korath-played again by Hounsou-and the implicitly Jolie linked Minn-Erva-played by Gemma Chan-on a mission to rescue and extract a secret Kree operative named Soh-Larr-played by Chuku Modu-on the planet Torfa. The mission was ambushed by shapeshifting and implicitly Jewish/Israeli linked Skrulls, the mortal enemies of the Kree, and Vers was captured and kidnapped by the Skrull General Talos-fittingly played by Ben Mendelsohn.
Taken to the Skrull spaceship and forced to endure a biodigital mindprobe, Vers saw the mysterious woman who resembled Munro appear in her memories again, this time in an U.S. Air Force jacket with a right breast pocket nameplate that identified her as the mysterious and implicitly Great Oz linked Dr. Wendy Lawson of the Pegasus Project aka another Kree named Mar-Vell-played again by Bening. Using her super powered hands to break free from the Skrull mind probe and escaping from their spaceship on a Skrull escape pod, Vers discovered that the Skrulls were orbiting a familiar planet which, when she crashlanded on it, turned out to be C-53 aka Earth.
Falling through the roof of a Blockbuster Video store and leaving the store, Vers soon discovered she was on Earth in 1995. Vers also soon discovered that her crashlanding had attracted the attention of SHIELD and its Agents the implicitly Arad and Tin Man linked Phillip “Phil” Coulson and the implicitly Lee and Cowardly Lion linked Nicholas J. “Nick” Fury-played again as CGI modified younger men by Gregg and Jackson, respectively-and was soon flying off with Agent Fury on a mission to Memphis to discover who Dr. Lawson was and why she remembered being with her on Earth, with Kree and Skrull space invaders hot on her tail. A revelatory mission, indeed, and one that revealed by way of her ex-United States Air Force [USAF] pilot friend Maria Rambeau-played by Lashana Lynch-that she was not an alien Kree but actually a top human USAF pilot named Captain Carol “Avenger” Danvers who got caught up in Dr. Lawson’s Pegasus Project to create a light speed engine powered by the Tesseract. Indeed, Capt. Danvers piloted the first major test of the light speed engine on a proto-spacecraft that crashed, killing Dr. Lawson on the seat behind the cockpit and filling her with the power of the Blue space Infinity Stone within the Tesseract when she blew it up after the crash to prevent it from falling into the sinister hands of Yon-Rogg, openly linking the blue Space Infinity Stone to Marvel via Captain Marvel.
Significantly, pleased with these revelations and now knowing who she was and why she had her super powers, Danvers left behind her Dorothy status and exploded to life as the implicitly Glinda the Good Witch of the North linked Captain Marvel, perhaps the most powerful superheroine in the universe-even more powerful than Thor!-beat up Yon-Rogg and the other Kree Starforce members who tried to kill her on Earth and roared into space and thrashed the Kree spaceships that had shown up to destroy Earth, convincing the implicitly Emmerich and Nikko the Flying Monkey King linked Ronan the Accuser-played again by Pace-to flee in his spaceship with the remaining Kree spaceships, in the healing and harmonizing eucatastrophic end. Thus, in the sight and sound of Captain Marvel defeating all of her foes and saving the Earth and the Skrull refugees, Dis, Marv, Boden and Fleck implied their hope that the half-Jewish Polley and her film art would triumph over that of implicitly pro-Gaza/Palestinian and anti-Jewish/Israel film artists like Emmerich and Ritchie in a film filled with allusions to ANT-MAN, DUNE, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, THE BOX, the Matrix Trilogy, the STAR WARS Classic and Tragic Trilogies, T2, THE WIZARD OF OZ, THX 1138, and TIME BANDITS to prepare audiences for the return of Dr. Banner, Barnes, Drax, Fury, Gamora, Groot, Lang, Mantis, Maximoff, Nebula, Quill, Rocket and Thor in a spectacular avenging film to come.
All good except for Agent Fury losing his left eye to a vicious claw swipe from Goose to explain the eyepatch and scars over that eye, Captain Marvel left to find an Israel evoking homeworld for the Skrull refugees she had saved and befriended led by Gen. Talos, leaving behind the blue space Infinity Stone within the Tesseract inside the implicitly Toto linked Goose the freakin’ Flerken. Significantly, Captain Marvel also behind her left forearm Kree communicator with Agent Fury for use to contact her if Earth was ever again in trouble, resolving the mystery of the teaser scene at the end of the closing titles of AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR. Leaving Agent Fury wondering who else could be found to save Earth in the absence of Captain Marvel, and dreaming up the Avenger Initiative. Alas for Fury, he and half the population of Earth and the rest of the planets of the universe later dissolved into nothingness after Thanos snapped his fingers at the end of AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR, but not before he managed to send a message to Danvers via the Kree communicator. And so Captain Marvel showed up at Avengers HQ soon after the Thanos fingersnap in the teaser scene after the main closing titles demanding to know what had happened to Fury. And so Goose the freakin’ Flerken coughed up the Tesseract like a furball on Agent Fury’s desk in a tragicomic flashback teaser scene after the rest of the closing titles.
Curiously, even amidst the titanic struggles of the MCU, Disney did not forget its classics and reaffirmed that it implicitly did not like MAD MAX: FURY ROAD when it teamed up again with director/executive producer Burton and also again with Elfman and Keaton to inject new CGI enhanced life into another old classic and to implicitly roast Miller in the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie animaction artbuster DUMBO [2019], a film released on March 11, 2019 that was inspired Dumbo and DUMBO.
“!Get ready for Dumboooooo!”
Just as curiously, the film saw the implicitly Toto and Dorothy linked Joe and Milly Farrier-played by Finley Hobbs and Nico Parker, respectively-race to a train to welcome their father, the implicitly Disney CEO Iger and Scarecrow linked American Great War veteran Holt Farrier-played by Farrell-home from the war missing his left arm to his job as a stunt horse rider at the indie and travelling Medici Brothers Circus. Alas, on top of his missing left arm, Farrier found that his wife and stunt riding partner Annie-played by Zelda R. Colon-had died in the Great Flu Epidemic of 1919 and that the ironically dimunitive and implicitly ex-Disney CEO Michael Eisner and Tin Man linked circus boss “Mad” Maximilian “Maxi” Medici-played by DeVito-had sold the horses. Assigned to watch over the elephants, Farrier discovered that the CGI Mrs. Jumbo aka “Kali the Destroyer” had given birth to a Nikko evoking CGI baby boy elephant with unusually big ears that was soon dubiously dubbed Dumbo. A big eared CGI baby elephant that was just as soon discovered to be able to fly with those big ears with the help of a “magic” black feather, becoming the star flying attraction of the Medici Bros. Circus.
A star flying attraction who attracted the attention of the grey haired, wealthy, gleefully unscrupulous and implicitly Miller and Great Oz linked V.A. Vandevere-played by Keaton-and his implicitly Willow Bay and Glinda the Good linked companion Colette Marchant-played by Green-who bought up the travelling Medici Bros. Circus and merged it into his bigger, more successful and stationary Dreamland amusement park. Thus, the sight and sound of Farrier, Joe, Milly, Marchant, and Medici teaming up with Dumbo to defeat Vandevere and send Dumbo back home to the Far East with his mother Mrs. Jumbo, and to liberate the Medici Bros. Circus from the creepy corporate clutches of Dreamland, in the end, implied the hope of Burton and Dis that the CEO Iger led Disney would triumph over “Mad” Miller and his Mad Max films, an implicit allegorical intent affirmed by the film’s allusions to INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM, MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, THE WIZARD OF OZ, and the twilit, allegorical, Ozian themed, Kennedy and Spielberg produced, and implicitly Cronenberg addressing Miller and George Olgivie indie docufeature film MAD MAX BEYOND THUNDERDOME (1985). Indeed, the presence of Roshan Seth as Medici Bros. Circus snake charmer Pramesh Singh reaffirmed the implicit interest in Eisner on one level in DUMBO, for Seth played the implicitly Nikko linked Chattar Lal in INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM, one of the last films that Eisner oversaw as President of Paramount Pictures.
At any rate, DUMBO transformed another possible beastly blockbuster into a sweet and not terribly creepy Burton animaction artbuster that made audiences believe in and sympathize with the tragicomic plight of a big eared and flying CGI baby elephant, like the original DUMBO had made audiences believe in and sympathize with the equally tragicomic plight of a big eared and flying hand animated baby elephant. However, the sight and sound of the implicitly Iger linked Farrier and the implicitly Eisner linked Medici working hard together to ensure the triumph of their beloved circus, in the end, made for an ironic lead in to the most eagerly awaited film of the second decade of the new millenium that implicitly triumphed over Eisner and celebrated the triumph of Iger.
Significantly, however, before that feature film finally arrived in the Temple Theatre, the Walt Disney Studio announced on March 20, 2019 that they had finalized the purchase of 21st Century Fox that they had begun in 2017, and now had the studio, the Avatar series, the Simpsons, all of the Marvel Comics titles including Deadpool, the FF, and the X-Men under their control, and greater control of the STAR WARS films, adding another arm and another head to the seven headed Disney octopus to morph into Dixafoxarvelas and to make you wonder if Warner Brothers and its ownership of DC and the DCEU and narrative art indies Dark Horse Comics and Image Comics would be absorbed next by the all consuming Mouse House, allowing it to control all super satirical animaction films and telefilms and CGI animated films and telefilms inspired by narrative artwork and any original works. On April 11th of the he following month, Walt Disney Company CEO Iger and the heads of ABC, Lucasfilm, Marvel, Pixar, and 21st Century Fox unveiled their master plan to the world at an investor’s and media meeting on the Disney lot that revealed that streaming original ABC, Disney, Lucasfilm, Marvel, Pixar and 21st Century Fox film and telefilms and most of the Disney library of films and telefilms to the masses via streaming services to profit from it all, causing Disney stock to jump by 11% the next day [Iger, 189-224]. Thus, it was fitting that the surviving assembling and dissembling Avengers also used the implicitly ABC, Disney, ILM, Lucasfilm, Marvel, Pixar linked Infinity Stones to achieve success in a real life case of art imitating life soon after this memorable unveiling of the Disney master plan when Super Dis celebrated the following month with Marv, the Russo Brothers and again with Atwell, Batalon, Bautista, Boseman, Brolin, Cheadle, Condon, Cooper, Cumberbatch, Douglas, Downey jr., Duke, Evans, Favreau, Feige, Gillan, Grillo, Gurira, Hemsworth, Hernandez, Hiddleston, Holland, Hurt, Jackson, Klementieff, Larson, Lee, Lilly, Mackie, Makovsky, Markus, Marquand, McFeely, Olsen, Opaloch, Paltrow, Pfeiffer, Portman, Pratt, Redford, Renner, Rudd, Ruffalo, Russo, Saldana, Silvestri, Slattery, Smulders, Stan, Starlin, Swinton, Thompson, Tomei, Vaughan-Lawlor, Waititi, Wong, Wood, and Wright to the eager relief of the audiences of the United Nations of Earth and to finally bring the Thanos Saga to an unexpected conclusion in the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film AVENGERS: ENDGAME [2019], a film released on April 22, 2019.
“Avengers…assemble.”
Curiously, the film began shortly before the end of AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR with the short, strong, shrewd, knowing, experienced, indie and implicitly Sir Scott linked Clinton “Clint” Barton-played again by Renner-still on house arrest at his isolated farmhouse teaching his young and attentive brunette daughter Lila-played by Ava Russo-while his beautiful and resigned wife Laura-played again by Linda Cardellini-prepared lunch at a picnic table and his teen son Cooper and his fittingly named boy Nathaniel aka “Nate”-played by Ben Sakamoto and Cade Woodward, respectively-played catch nearby. Alas for Barton, his family disappeared after the tall, imposing, purple and implicitly Eisner linked mad Titan Thanos-played again by Brolin-snapped his fingers with the sinister left handed Infinity Gauntlet, and, to the horror of Barton, his family joined half of the universe in disappearing, becoming the implicitly Wicked Witch of the East figures of the film. Then the flickering, action packed and word balloon filled panels of Marvel Comics slowly morphed and came to life in the flickering, action packed and film dialogue filled frames of the MCU before spinning and rising in the air into the letters of Marvel Studios in red and silver on a background to the sound of the allegorical and Jim Capaldi written Traffic tune “Dear Mr. Fantasy” [1967] and then the scene shifted into deep space and the sight and sound of the still brilliant, creative, intuitive, and tech savvy but not as brash and cocky but still implicitly Reitman, Great Oz and Air linked Anthony “Tony” Stark aka “Iron Man”-played again by Downey jr.-and the blue, tough, nasty, and implicitly Wachowski linked cyborg Nebula-played again by Gillan-drifting aimlessly in space in the crippled and turkey vulture evoking spaceship Milano of the goofy Guardians.
Luckily for Stark, as the air and food ran out and he slowly lay dying, a slowly swelling golden light filled their ship and they were rescued by the beautiful, blonde, brainy, smart, steely, blue Space Infinity Stone powered and implicitly Polley and Glinda linked Carol Danvers aka “Captain Marvel”-played again by Larson-who carried them and their ship back to the upstate New York HQ of the remaining Avengers on Earth, arriving like the Great Oz in his wayward air balloon in Oz to affirm the implicit link of Stark to the Great Oz. Here Nebula and Stark were welcomed back to Earth by their remaining family of Avengers friends and filled in on all that had happened since the end of AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR by the remaining Avengers, the tall, blonde, bearded, haughty, angry, disgusted, brooding and implicitly Cameron, Cowardly Lion and Fire linked Thor, Norse God of Thunder and King of Asgard-played again by Hemsworth-the short, peroxide blonde, smart, sexy, deadly and implicitly SCC and Dorothy linked ex-Russian assassin Natasha Romanoff aka “Black Widow”-played again by Johansson-the tall, blonde, handsome, muscular, ironically polite, modest, pure, innocent, patriotic and implicitly Eastwood, Tin Man and Water linked Steven “Steve” Rogers aka “Captain America”-played again by Evans-the shy, thoughtful, brilliant, creative, and implicitly Lucas, Scarecrow and Earth linked Dr. Bruce Banner aka “the Hulk”-played again by Ruffalo-the pint sized, furry, irascible, hot tempered and implicitly Snyder linked Rocket Raccoon-played again by Cooper-and the lean, quiet, tough, grounded, thoughtful and implicitly Virgo linked Lt.-Col. James “Rhodey” Rhodes aka “War Machine”-played again by Cheadle-a testy encounter that evoked those between the implicitly Canada linked pro-Sokovia Accords Avengers and the implicitly U.S. linked anti-Sokovia Accords Avengers in CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR.
To the surprised amazement of everyone, Nebula quickly revealed the name and location of the Garden planet where Thanos had gone after snapping his fingers and, after the titles AVENGERS morphed into ENDGAME to the swelling sound of the Silvestri Avengers theme, the remaining family of Avengering friends headed off in the turkey vulture spaceship to the Garden planet to get Thanos. Arriving via jump point at the fittingly ringed planet to remind us that Titan was the largest moon of Saturn, the assembling Avengers quickly subdued Thanos at his surprisingly humble hut and Thor hacked off his left arm with Stormbreaker before he could again use the Infinity Gauntlet. To the amazement of the dissemblin’ Avengers, the wounded Thanos soon revealed that he had used the Infinity Stones two days earlier to destroy the stones to prevent another from misusing them, pleasing Thor so much he hacked off his head with Stormbreaker like he mistakenly didn’t do at the end of AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR and strode out of the humble hut of Thanos and off into the Garden planet, an explicit decapitation that again implicitly affirmed how confident Dis, Marv and the Russo Brothers were that a daylit neo eon of CGI enhanced film art had begun that would allow them to pull off Morrow evoking decapitations like this without fear of arousing the ire of audiences.
Then the screen went black and silent for a long moment, before the white titles FIVE…YEARS…LATER slowly appeared one after the other on the screen, and then scenes of a deserted and dilapidated New York appeared on the screen and a short segment at a therapy session for sad and lonely citizens presided over by Cap. Then the scene switched across the country to the U-STORE-IT self storage place in San Francisco and the tragicomic sight and sound of a roving rat fortuitously powering up the mini-quantum tunnel in the back of the red 70’s van seen at the end of ANT-MAN AND THE WASP allowing the brilliant, creative, goofy, geeky, plain t-shirt rockin’, sexually ambiguous and implicitly Kelly linked Scott Lang aka “Ant-Man”-played again by Rudd-to finally leave the quantum zone. Getting quickly up to speed with the help of his five year older brunette teen daughter Cassie Lang-played by Emma Fuhrmann-Lang drove the red 70’s van across the country to the Avengers HQ in New York and explained his theory about using the quantum realm to travel back in time to collect all of the Infinity Stones in the years before they were rounded up by Thanos and using them to return them the universe back to normal and, thus, return all of the people who disappeared back to life.
While initially dubious about the idea, the Great Stark changed his mind after creating a handy dandy wrist worn space-time GPS to help time travellers reach a precise point in time, and rejoined the assemblin’ and dissemblin’ Avengers, which now included a new and improved “Smart Hulk” who was a best of both worlds fusion of Dr. Banner and Hulk, a ragingly furious Hawkeye who had to be tracked down one fateful and rainy neon lit night in Tokyo in a sequence that evoked BLADE RUNNER and LOST IN TRANSLATION to affirm the implicit links of Barton and Romanoff to Sir Scott and SCC, and a despondent and chubby Thor who now resembled the Cowardly Lion to affirm his implicit link to the Cowardly Lion, to create all of the hi-tech gadgetry to send the family of Avenging friends back on four time travelling “heists”: one to New York in 2012 involving Cap, Lang, Smart Hulk and Stark to get the implicitly Lucasfilm linked Force ghost blue Space Infinity Stone still hidden in the Tesseract and the implicitly ABC linked yellow Mind Infinity Stone hidden in the Chitauri staff after the battle with them and the duplicitous and implicitly Spielberg linked Loki, Norse God of Mischief-played again by Hiddleston-and the implicitly ILM linked green Time Infinity Stone worn and guarded by the bald, wise and implicitly Jackson linked Sorceror Supreme-played again by Swinton-at the Sanctum Sanctorum; one trip to Asgard in 2013 involving the Cowardly Thor and the irascible Rocket to suck out the implicitly Pixar linked red Reality Infinity Stone from an invalid but still beautiful, brainy, brunette and implicitly Hurd linked Dr. Jane Foster-played again by Portman; a third heist to Morag in 2014 involving nasty Neb and Lt.-Col. Rhodes to get the implicitly Marvel linked purple people eatin’ Power Infinity Stone from the creepy temple before the goofy, smart, talented, lackadaisical and implicit Besson linked Peter Quill aka “Star Lord”-played again by Pratt-a successful mission that attracted the attention of the still living 2014 Thanos and of Nebula and her equally aggressive and quarrelsome sister, the slim, sexy, green, deadly and implicitly Wachowski linked Gamora-played again by Saldana-to spice things up and get the mad Titan and his two “daughters” working together to stop the assemblin’ Avengers to help build the film to a suspenseful climax; and a final heist trip to Vormir in 2014 involving Barton and Romanoff to get the implicitly Disney linked orange Soul Infinity Stone that led to Romanoff leaping to her doom in order to exchange a soul for a soul, killing another implicitly Dorothy linked character as with Gamora in AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR, evoking the teenage girls who committed suicide in THE VIRGIN SUICIDES to reaffirm the implicit link of Romanoff to SCC and perhaps also implying the hope of Dis, Marv and the Russo Brothers that it was time for SCC to leave behind her small indie docufeature film art and embrace big indie artbuster docufeature film art like Cameron, Bigelow, Burton, Kubrick and Sir Scott.
Forceful four time heists successful, the time travellers returned back to the future past at the Avengers HQ in upstate New York, created their own Good and right handed Infinity Gauntlet and got Smart Hulk to put it on, snap his right fingers, blip the universe back to the normal and also survive the snap scarred but alive in the healing, harmonizing and eucatastrophic end, implying that Disney, Marvel and the Russo Brothers still like Lucas despite everything that had gone wrong for him since the fatal and fateful summer of ‘82. At least, Smart Hulk would have blipped the universe back to normal if Thanos had not shown up in his huge spaceship, blasted the Avengers HQ to bits, and tried to find the right handed Infinity Gauntlet in the ruins so as to undo the eucatastrophic snap of Smart Hulk and wipe out the entire universe this time and create another that did not remember the battles in the first with another catastrophic snap of his right fingers this time.
Leading to another epic battle with Thanos in the embattled ruins of the Avengers HQ that evoked the embattled ruins of the future Earth in the Matrix Trilogy and the Terminator films and that saw the return of all of the rest of the heroes met in the MCU to help out, including the weird, wacky, smart, earnest, radioactive spider powered and implicitly Wright linked MSST student Peter Parker aka “Spider-Man”-played again by Holland-that was relieved in the nick of time by the saved by the one woman cavalry return of Capt. Glinda and eventually another snap of the right fingers with the Infinity Stones by Stark in the second and ultimately healing, harmonizing and eucatastrophic end, a fitting sight and sound, for it reminded us that Dis and Marv began the new MCU and the Thanos Super Saga with Stark/Iron Man in 2008, bringing the entire sage full healing circle, indeed. Alas for Iron Stark, however, the ultimately infinitely healing right finger snap killed him, evoking the sight and sound of the Great Oz drifting away in his hot air balloon at the end of THE WIZARD OF OZ to affirm the implicit link of Stark to the Great Oz and also implying that Dis, Marv and the Russo Brothers felt that it was also time for Reitman like SCC to leave behind his small indie docufeature film art and start creating big indie artbuster docufeature film art which, curiously, he did, with his equally indie Ghostbusters films.
And so yellow and intelligent ABC, soulful orange Disney, green and timely ILM, Force ghost blue and spacey Lucasfilm, powerful purple Marvel, and red and passionate Pixar joined infinite Forces with Iron Stark to defeat Thanos and his malevolent minions. And so with the exceptions of the implicitly SCC linked Romanoff/Black Widow, who was linked to Disney forever via her role as goldilocked Ann Chambers in FRANKENWEENIE, the Lucas linked Banner/Hulk, now linked to Disney via blue Force spirit, and the implicitly Polley linked Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel, who was linked to Disney forever via her role as Molly Monaghan in ONE MAGIC CHRISTMAS, superheroes and superheroines implicitly linked to indie film artists and one equally indie film “scholar” who had never worked with the Walt Disney Company triumphed over the tall, confident, bombastic, egotistic, megalomaniacal and implicitly Eisner linked mad Titan and Thanos faded away into dust as if he was being erased by a Disney hand animator, ne’er to be seen again, and Cap returned the Infinity Stones to the future past and finally got in that long delayed dance with the perhaps also Dorothy linked MI6 Agent Margaret “Peggy” Carter-played again by Atwell-in a small town house that evoked the Kansas farmhouse that Dorothy called home in THE WIZARD OF OZ in the other and more sweet and luvin’ healing, harmonizing, and eucatastrophic Ozian elemental end, in a film that alluded to ALIEN, ALIENS, BLADE RUNNER, DONNIE DARKO, FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS, LEGEND, LOST IN TRANSLATION, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, SOUTHLAND TALES, THE BOX, the Matrix Trilogy, THE VIRGIN SUICIDES, THE WIZARD OF OZ, THX 1138 and TIME BANDITS to affirm the implicit interest in Cameron, SCC, Eastwood, Gilliam, Kelly, Lucas, Sir Scott and the Wachowski Sisters on various levels in AVENGERS: ENDGAME.
And so the lack of mid-closing title or end of closing title teaser scenes implicitly emphasized that the Thanos saga was indeed over, the EE finally implicitly ended and the IE had implicitly finally begun, clearly with the approval of Walt Disney Company CEO Iger, for Blockbuster Bob insisted in chapter 10 of his memoir The Ride Of A Lifetime: lessons learned from 15 years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company that he had carefully crafted the MCU and the Thanos Super Saga with Marvel Studios executive producer Feige after Dis bought Marv in 2005. Blockbuster Bob also insisted in his memoir that he was an admirer, friend and supporter of ex-CEO Eisner, reaffirming that with friends like these, who needed enemies. And so fireworks filled the starswept night skies above Disneyland, Disney World, Paris Disneyland, Tokyo Disney Resort and Shanghai Disneyland, evoking the sight and sound of fireworks filling the starswept night skies above Endor, Mos Bespa, Bespin, Theed and Coruscant after the death of the insidious Emperor and the end of the Evil and implicitly Old Hollywood linked Empire at the CGI enhanced end of STAR WARS EPISODE VI: RETURN OF THE JEDI. And then ironically and tragicomically, as Dis and Marv basked in the huge worldwide acclaim and success of AVENGERS: ENDGAME, Warner Brothers and Matthew Dougherty implied their hope that a brilliant, creative, resolute and indie film art for film art’s sake film artist would arrive in the Temple Theatre that year to defeat AVENGERS: ENDGAME like the resolute, balance of nature defending, indomitable and implicitly Kubrick linked Godzilla teamed up with the spiritual and implicitly Christiane Kubrick linked Mothra to defeat the dreaded, three headed and implicitly Dixarvel linked Ghidorah aka Monster Zero aka Hegemony Cricket and its fiery, leonoptyrex evoking and implicitly Twentieth Century Fox linked submissive buddy Rodan in the exuberantly over the top, rock ‘em sock ‘em Clash of the Blockbuster Titan Beasts battle at the healing, harmonizing and eucatastrophic end of the daylit, allegorical and CGI enhanced animaction film GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS [2019], a film released on May 29, 2019.
As for Dis, the Mouse House then returned to older characters like it had with the release of DUMBO before the final installment of the Thanos Saga when the Mouse House teamed up with Pixar, co-writer/director Josh Cooley and again with Allen, Hanks, Newman, Potts, Ratzenburger, Rickles, Reeves, and Shawn to have the dimunitive and implicitly Lucas and Great Oz linked Buzz Lightyear-played again by Allen-team up again with the implicitly Spielberg and Scarecrow linked Woody the Cowboy-played again by Hanks-and for the first time with the proud and implicitly Cameron and Cowardly Lion linked motorcycle Canadian daredevil Duke Caboom-played again by Reeves-to triumph over the implicitly Bigelow and Wicked Witch of the West linked Gabby Gabby-played by Christina Hendricks-and her favourite and implicitly Boal and Nikko linked submissive ventriloquist dummy toadie at the end of the daylit, allegorical and Ozian themed indie CGI animated feature film TOY STORY 4 [2019], a film released on June 11, 2019 with significantly improved CGI that, alas, yet again came across as more of a feature length filmmercial for the toys featured in the film than as a serious CGI animated featured film like UP and WALL-E but which, despite this failing, was still awarded the Best Animated Feature gong by the august Academy.
Then it was fitting to remember that Parker and his best and implicitly McDonald linked bud Ned Leeds-played again by Batalon-had met up with each other again in the halls of MSST after they blipped back into existence at the end of AVENGERS: ENDGAME, for the two teen friends soon returned when Dis, Marv and Watts teamed up again and also again with Arad, Batalon, Favreau, Feige, Giacchino, Holland, Jackson, Jordan, Lee, Smulders, Starr, Tomei, Amy Pascal-co-producer of the Raimi Spider-Man Trilogy and of SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING-Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers-co-writers of SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING-and Jacob Revolori and Zendaya-who played Flash Thompson, and MJ, respectively, in SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING-to reboot the MCU by taking audiences, casts and crews on a much needed vacation far far away from the serious super satirical silliness of AVENGERS: ENDGAME, to rest, relax, rejuvenate and readjust to being alive and whole again after “blipping” back into existence five years after dissolving away, and to implicitly address the always wacky worldwide webhead Wright aka Gardevil, fan with no fear or common sense, again in the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film SPIDERMAN: FAR FROM HOME [2019], released on June 26, 2019.
“Deep down,
you know I’m right.”
Curiously, after the Sony and Columbia intros to the swelling sound of the Sony theme, Lady Liberty morphed into a small statue of a female saint sitting in a grassy field that turned out to be in the countryside outside the village of Ixtenco, Mexico where the tall, intimidiating, outwardly gruff and inwardly warm, one eyed and implicitly Lee and Great Oz linked SHIELD Director Nicholas J. “Nick” Fury-played again by Jackson-and his right hand agent, the equally tall, beautiful, brunette, tough, smart and implicitly Tonya Lewis Lee and Glinda linked SHIELD Agent Maria Hill-played again by Smulders-showed up in a black SUV to investigate reports of a cyclone with a face. No sooner did they step out of their vehicle than a man in a in green cape with a green fishbowl on his head rocketed down out of the sky in a column of green smoke like the Wicked Witch of the West. The green fishbowl on his head disappeared to reveal a tanned, handsome, intense, brunette and Stark resembling young man-played by Jake Gyllenhaal-who told Fury and Hill that they “…didn’t want any part of this” as a huge creature made out of rock exploded out of the ground and the mysterious young man blasted green smoke at it out of his hands.
Then the familiar flickering, action packed and word balloon filled panels of Marvel Comics appeared and slowly transformed into the equally familiar flickering frames of the MCU that rose and spun into the air into the words Marvel Studios in silver and red on a red background, all to the sound of the allegorical and Dolly Parton written Parton song “I Will Always Love You” [1974, and then re-recorded and re-released in the fateful and fatal year of 1982 to openly link the film to that nightmarish year], after which the film began back at MSST with a moving morning video PA tribute to Stark, Cap, Romanoff and Vision and Stark, before moving on to all the school struggling to recover from the sudden reappearance of all of the staff and students who dissolved out of existence five years earlier and reappearing in “the blip”, which led to everyone having to repeat their year so that everyone would be on the same level. Luckily for the short, wiry, smart, thoughtful, weird, wacky, radioactive spider powered, hoody and backpack rockin’, STAR WARS luvin’ and implicitly Wright and Cowardly Lion linked geek student Peter Parker aka “Spider-Man” aka “Spider-Monkey” aka “Spidevil” aka “Irv Forbush”-played again by Holland-and his fellow geeks, the short, hefty, implicitly McDonald and Tin Man linked and always natty Ned Leeds and the tall, slim, smart, sarcastic, book luvin’ and the implicitly Dorothy linked MJ-played again by Batalon and Zendaya, respectively-they were also busy finalizing plans with the help of the beautiful, sweet and implicitly Mrs. Wright and Auntie Em linked Aunt May Parker-played again by Tomei-for a big spring break school trip to Europe to thankfully get away from it all for awhile, evoking the MSST trip to neo-classical Washington, DC for the National Academic Decathalon championship in SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING.
Alas, soon after arrival in Venice, another creature suddenly appeared, this one made of water, and began attacking the storied city, leading to the descending arrival out of the sky in another green column of smoke of the mysterious man seen in the short prologue of the film, who turned out to be the implicitly Edgar Wright and Wicked Witch of the West linked Quentin Beck aka “Mysterio”-inspired by a character created by Ditko and Lee for Marvel Comics, and played by Jake Gyllenhaal. After helping Beck defeat the Water elemental, SHIELD Director Fury soon got in touch with Parker and revealed that he and Hill had been working with Beck since they defeated the Earth elemental in Mexico. Fury urged Parker to join them to defeat the final Fire elemental in Prague, and, when Parker refused, pulled strings to ensure that Parker’s high school trip would be diverted to Prague, where Parker resignedly rose and webbed to the challenge in his brief guise as the secret identity protecting “Night Monkey” to defeat the fiery beast, which evoked the Stay Puft Man at the end of GHOSTBUSTERS to affirm the implicit link of Parker and Stark to Canadians.
Significantly, soon after the fiery battle, Parker and MJ suddenly realized that the Fire elemental had been faked by “illusion tech” using drones, and that Beck was not a hero from another Earth in the multiverse as he pretended, but a phoney who was striking back at the ghost of Stark and the world for being mocked and fired by Stark, and eager to be hailed as the greatest hero on Earth in the absence of Iron Man, no matter how many people he had to mislead or kill with his illusion tech. Secret out, Paker led the way in the absence of Stark by creating a new self designed Spidey suit and then teaming up with Fury, Hill, Leeds, his new swelling luv MJ, the big, burly, brunette, and implicitly Saklad and Scarecrow linked Harold “Happy” Hogan-played again by Favreau-and the lingering ghost of Stark in the AI rockin’ and implicitly Toto linked hi-tech glasses E.D.I.T.H.[an acronym for Even Dead I’m The Hero]-played by Dawn M. King-to finally face down and defeat the out of control Beck and the largest of his fake elementals, the roaring, lightning flashing and cyclonic Air, in London, a fitting location for the final battle as the city affirmed the implicit link of Beck to the English film artist Wright and the implicit link of Parker to the “film scholar” Wright from London luvin’ Canada, in the usual healing, harmonizing and eucatastrophic end of a film filled with allusions to GHOSTBUSTERS, KICK-ASS, the Matrix Trilogy, and the STAR WARS Classic and Tragic Trilogies.
Thus, Dis, Marv and Watts curiously implied their hope that Lee, McDonald and Wright would triumph over Wright with their own film art and “film scholarship” in a film filled with more allusions to 1941 and the usual exuberant allusions to the Matrix Trilogy and endless allusions to Stark, who haunted the film from beginning to end. And then the rantin’, irascible and implacably Spidey hating DAILY BUGLE publisher J. Jonah Jameson-played by Reitman lucky charm J.K. Simmons-from the Raimi Spider-Man Trilogy made an unexpected appearance in the teaser scene at the end of the major closing titles to accuse Spidevil of callously killing the “pure and innocent” Mysterio, and to out Parker as Spider-Man, evoking Stark’s revelation that he was Iron Man at the end of IRON MAN, and preparing audiences for the merry multiversal mischief and mayhem involving the Raimi Spidey Trilogy in the next wild and wacky worldwide webhead film. Last but not least, the teaser scene at the end of all of the closing titles prepared audiences for the next Captain Marvel film.
Soon after, Disney collaborated again with Favreau and also with Jones, Kani and Donald Glover-who played the mysterious punk Aaron Davis in SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING-to yet again breathe new CGI enhanced life into an old classic, to reaffirm the importance of family and friends, to implicitly address Cameron, Kubrick and Lucas and to implicitly hope that the AVATAR series would continue to be a success by returning to a world of anthropomorphic animals in the daylit, allegorical, and Ozian themed indie CGI animated feature film THE LION KING [2019], a film with awesome CGI that was released on July 9, 2019.
“As you wish…”
Indeed, the sight and sound of the sun dawning on the African veldt as CGI animals gathered around the Pride Rock to watch and celebrate as the old, wise and Yoda evoking mandrill monkey Rafiki-played by Kani-lifted up in the air for all to see the newborn and implicitly Cameron linked cub Simba, son of the strong, wise, just and implicitly Kubrick and Wicked Witch of the East linked father Mufasa-ironically but fittingly played again by Jones, who played the electronically modified voice of Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the shit Sith hits in the STAR WARS Classic and Tragic Trilogies and bombardier Lt. Zogg in DR. STRANGELOVE: OR, HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB to affirm the film’s implicit interest in Kubrick and Lucas-immediately reaffirmed the film’s implicit interest in Kubrick and Lucas as at the beginning of the original THE LION KING, again evoking the sunrises at the beginnings of 6-18-67 and 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. However, unlike the original film, the sight and sound of the old, bitter and implicitly Lucas and Wicked Witch of the West linked lion Scar-played by Ejiofor-bringing about his own destruction in classic Lucasian style and allowing the young, strong, exuberant and implicitly Cameron and Scarecrow linked lion Simba-played by Glover as a lad and by JD McCrary as a boy, respectively-to become King like his father at the healing, harmonizing and eucatastrophic end of the film implied the new hope of Dis and Favreau that Cameron had indeed triumphed over Lucas and become the reigning King of Film Art with the AVATAR series, an implicit allegorical intent affirmed by allusions to the STAR WARS Classic and Tragic Trilogies, THE LION KING, THE WIZARD OF OZ, 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, and the allegorical and implicitly Landis roasting Kubrick indie docufeature artbuster BARRY LYNDON [1975].
Two years later, Disney teamed up with Paul Briggs, Carlos L. Estrada, Don Hall and John Ripa and again with Wong on the daylit, allegorical, and Ozian themed indie CGI animated feature film RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON [2021], released on March 5, 2021.
“We can tear each other apart,
or we can come together
and build a better world.”
Curiously, a more elaborate CGI Disney intro preceded the film that began over the train bridge crossed winding river behind the Disney Castle and then pulling up and over the flag at the top of the castle and then down in a medium shot in front of the castle in the middle of the river winding to the castle amidst green spaces pointedly glowing more green than normal to implicitly symbolize the success of Disney as fireworks exploded triumphantly over the castle and the invisible Blue Fairy scattered magic dust in a falling semicircle oe’er it all to the swelling symphonic tune of “When You Wish Upon A Star.” Then began an intro for Disney Animation Studios that saw the original rough and then more developed still drawings for Mickey Mouse transform into the rough and then finished animated frames of Mickey at the wheel of the steamboat in “Steamboat Willie” to remind audiences where it all began for Disney.
Then the sight and sound of the beautiful, brunette, courageous, smart, strong and implicitly Disney princess linked orphan Princess Raya-played by Kelly M. Tran-of the central and implicitly Disney and Dorothy linked region of Heart battling determinedly and indomitably with her beloved pet amardillo Tuk Tuk-played by Alan Tudyk-to quell the jealous feuding of Heart with the implicitly Twentieth Century Fox and Earth linked region of Spine, the implicitly Pixar and Fire linked region of Tail, the implicitly Lucasfilm and Air linked region of Fang, and the implicitly Marvel and Water linked region of Talon and successfully uniting all of the five regions into the one whole and harmonious land of Disneyland cadenced Kumandra again as it was five hundred years before, in the healing and eucatastrophic end, implied the hope of Dis, Briggs, Estrada and Hall that Disney would also be able to continue to win over and unite the equally feisty, feuding and indie Lucasfilm, Marvel, Pixar and Twentieth Century Fox divisions of Disney to the Disney cause and keep them all together despite all of their differences creating a better world of film art, an implicit allegorical intent affirmed by the film’s allusions to the Matrix Trilogy, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, the STAR WARS Classic, Tragic and Disney Trilogies and THE WIZARD OF OZ. Indeed, the fact that Princess Raya finally managed to unite the five regions of Kumandra and bring back the dragons that the people once lived in harmony with not with the scattered and united pieces of the legendary Dragon Gem or the reanimated presence of the Mighty Sisudatu, the last dragon of the age of dragons-played by Awkwafina-but with trust alone reaffirmed the implicit allegorical intent of RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON, reminding us of the importance of trust between employer and employees in successful businesses and corporations like the Walt Disney Studios, Lucasfilm, Marvel Studios, Pixar and Twentieth Century Fox.
Shortly after the release of RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON, Dis and Marv kicked off another action packed year in the MCU by teaming up with Cate Shortland and also again with Feige, Hurt, Johansson-now also co-executive producer-Jordan and Wood to resurrect Romanoff and reaffirm that the new Disney-Marvel Princess was a tough, tenacious, two fisted, well trained, and indie tigress who would be saving herself rather than waiting around for a Prince Charming to save her in the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film BLACK WIDOW [2021], released on June 30, 2021.
“It still fits.”
Indeed, after the flickering, action packed and word balloon pages of Marvel Comics came to life in the flickering, action packed and screenplay line filled frames of the MCU and then rose and spun in the air and settled down into the silver and red words Marvel Studios, the film began in Ohio in 1995 with a prologue adventure that saw the young, pretty, aquamarine haired and implicitly SCC and Glinda linked Natasha Romanoff-played by Ever Anderson-and her younger, blonde, exuberant and implicitly Gia [GC] Coppola and Dorothy linked “sister” Yelena Belova-played by Violet McGraw-fleeing the U.S. by Romanoff piloted plane to Cuba with their surrogate parents, the young, bespectacled and implicitly Francis Coppola and Cowardly Lion linked Alexei Shostakov aka “Red Guardian”-played by David Harbour-and the equally young, brunette and implicitly Eleanor Coppola and Wicked Witch of the East linked Melina Vostokoff-Rachel Weisz-when their Soviet secret agent cover was blown. Landing in Cuba, the “family” is greeted by the young, bespectacled, moustached, Lee evoking but implicitly Scorsese and Wicked Witch of the West linked and dread General Dreykov-played by Ray Winstone-who took girls from their “parents”, sent them to Russia, and trained them in the ultra secret Red Room to be lookalike and implicitly flying monkey linked Black Widow assassins, a training sequence that was unusually filled with the main opening titles instead of at the end of the film in MCU tradition and that was accompanied by a wistfully righteously furious, twilit and allegorical Think Up Anger featuring Malia J. cover [2015] of the truly righteously furious, twilit, allegorical and Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic written Nirvana tune “Smells Like Teen Spirit” [1991] to affirm the implicit link of Romanoff to an angry, angsty, bored, frustrated and rebellious Gen Xer like SCC.
Opening titles and training over, the film jumped to just after the action packed and world altering events of CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR with the sight and sound of the beautiful, brainy, red haired, curvaceous, creative, shrewd, knowing, courageous, able, talented, indie, indomitable and still implicitly SCC and Glinda linked ex-Russian assassin and ex-SHIELD Agent Natasha Romanoff aka “the Black Widow”-played again by Johansson-escaping from the implicitly Lee and Great Oz linked U.S. Secretary of State Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross-played again by Hurt-his soldiers, Sokovia Accord control and charges of assaulting Prince T’Challa and going truly indie. Then the scene shifted again to Morocco and an assassination mission being carried out by the still implicitly GC and Dorothy linked Russian Black Widow Bulova-now a beautiful blonde young woman as well as a deadly and incredibly fit assassin, and played by Florence Pugh. Significantly, this mission also freed Bulova, this time from the “chemically subjugated” mind control of the dread Dreykov, when her target, a free and AWOL ex-Black Widow named Oksana-played by Michelle Lee-sprayed her in the face with a blood red and emancipating mist of Clarity, neural cleansing spray of choice of all good superheroes and superheroines.
Both free from control, Bulova sent the other vials of Clarity she pocketed from the hit to Romanoff for safekeeping from Gen. Dreykov’s equally dread, strong, fit, tough, relentless and implicitly Nikko the Flying Monkey King linked daughter Antonia Dreykov aka the Winter Soldier evoking “Taskmaster”-played by Ryan K. Armstrong as a girl, and by Olga Karylenko as a scar faced adult, respectively-before the younger woman went into hiding in Budapest. Then Romanoff hunted down Bulova and, after trying to kill each other before kissing and making up after being brought together fighting off a Black Widow and Taskmaster attack, the two completely indie assassins decided to fly incognito into Russia and free their “father” Shostakov from a prison in Siberia and then free their “mother” Vostokoff from being a supine scientist for Gen. Dreykov in St. Petersburg before flying to the eagle aerie Red Room, killing the dread Dreykov and freeing the rest of the Black Widow assassins in the eucatastrophic end of a film that was as ridiculously overblown, overwrought and unlikely as the implicit roast of David and Riley Lynch and Emily Stofle in AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON but whose implicit allegorical intent was nonetheless affirmed by allusions to the callous and violent American Mafia films of Coppola and Scorsese and to KICK-ASS, the Matrix Trilogy, THE VIRGIN SUICIDES and THE WIZARD OF OZ to affirm the implicit allegorical intent of BLACK WIDOW. That ridiculous implicit point made, the film ended with Romanoff flying off with newly shorn and peroxide blonde locks to meet Cap and get involved with the equally action packed and universe altering events of AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR, while a teaser scene at the end of all of the closing titles at the grave of Romanoff had the duplicitous and ambiguously linked Valentina Allegra de Fontaine-played by Louis-Dreyfus-facetiously and erroneously assure Bulova that Romanoff had been killed by Clinton “Clint” Barton aka “Hawk-eye”, setting audiences up for a Bulova solo adventure with Hawk-eye.
Disney, and Marvel then teamed up with Debonair Destin Daniel Cretton and again with Awkwafina, Sir Kingsley and Wong to bring more ancient dragons back to life in the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film SHANG CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS [2021], a film released on August 16, 2021 and inspired by a character created by Starlin and Sterling Steve Englehart for Marvel Comics.
“Shang-Chi,
you have nothing to fear.”
Just as curiously, after the usual flickering and word balloon filled pages of Marvel Comics transformed into the usual fighting frames of Marvel Films filled with lines from the various films within the usual rising letters that rose and spun through the air and then settled down into the red and silver words of Marvel Studios on a silver and red background to the usual swelling sound of triumphant symphonic music, the film began with a legend about an implicitly Yimou Zhang linked Chinese man named Xu Wenwu-played by Chiu Tony-who found ten magic gold rings that he wore five to a wrist and arm and that gave him invincibility and immortality. Given a chance to use the Ten Rings for Good or Evil, Xu alas chose Evil, and, as he gained immortality with the power of the Ten Rings, lived to the present day as the Evil, Ten Rings gang controlling and implicitly Wicked Witch of the West linked Mandarin.
Ironically, not long before the start of the film, his search for the legendary, Oz evoking and bamboo forest protected village of Ta Lo and its equally legendary style of martial arts led him to fall in luv with its indomitable and implicitly Glinda linked defender Ying Li-played by Chen Fala-marry her, and have two children with her, the Good and implicitly Woo John and Great Oz linked Xu Shaun/Shang-Chi-originally implicitly linked to Bruce Lee by Starlin and Serene Steve Englehart for Marvel Comics, and played by Zhang Jayden as a boy, Sun Arnold as a teen, and Liu Simu as an adult, respectively-and his implicitly Dorothy linked sister Xu Xialing-played by Fong Elodie as a girl, He Harmonie as a teen, and as an adult by Zhang Meng’er, respectively. Hunted down by the Ten Rings gang in Lang’s stomping grounds in San Francisco where he worked as a humble valet parker at a major hotel with comic relief friend Chen Katy-played by Awkwafina-Xu dropped by Macao to pick up his sister at her illegal fight club, whose keynote fight saw Wong, perhaps already the new Sorceror Supreme-and was played again by Wong-take on and take out Emil Blonsky in his all CGI form as “Abomination”, returned to China with Chen to face down and defeat his Wicked father at the village of Ta Lo with, given that Ying Li had been murdered, the help its new implicitly Glinda linked defender and his Aunt Ying Nan-played by Yeoh Michelle-the improbable help of the tragicomic and implicitly Cowardly Lion linked “actor” Trevor Slattery, who had played Mandarin in IRON MAN III-and was played again by Sir Kingsley-the all CGI and implicitly Toto linked Morris the Hundun and a friendly Good white dragon, which Xu rode through the air like the Great Oz to affirm his implicit link to the Great Oz and to also defeat the Evil black dragon that got through the Dark Gate guarded by the village, in the end, implying not just the hope of Dis, Marv and Cretton that the films of Woo would triumph over those of Yimou, but also the support of Dis, Marvel and Cretton for the citizens of Hong Kong in their struggles with China in a rare politically charged allegory from Dis and Marv that evoked PINOCCHIO and THREE LITTLE PIGS.
Indeed, the film’s implicit Yimou roasting intent on one level was affirmed by allusions to Yimou’s implicitly Lee Ang roasting Hung Fu Trilogy comprised of the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed docufeature films HERO [2002], HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS [2004] and CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER [2006], respectively, as well as to the Matrix Trilogy and THE WIZARD OF OZ, making one wonder if the government of China would persuade Yimou to launch another Hung Fu Trilogy at consternatin’ Cretton for the effrontery of directing SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS as it had after Lee had the audacity to create the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed and implicitly Lucas roasting indie docufeature film CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON [2000]. At any rate, the film ended with the returning Wong stepping out of a familiar whirling, fiery and circular space/time portal as Chen and Xu hung out at a bar and bidding the startled pair of potential luvbirds to step with him through the portal and return to Kamar-Taj. Then the closing titles appeared, interrupted after the first major ones by a teaser scene where Chen, Xu and Wong pondered and tried to determine the age and composition of the Ten Rings at Kamar-Taj with the holoprojected presences of Carol Danvers aka “Captain Marvel” and Dr. Bruce Banner aka “the Hulk”-played again by Larson and Ruffalo, respectively-after which the rings appeared to activate and send a message somewhere. Alas, another teaser scene at the end of all of the closing titles revealed that Xu Xialing had not learned her lesson by the battle that had killed her Wicked father and instead had given in to her own Dark Side and created her own female Ten Rings gang so as to take over as the implicit Wicked Witch of the West in the next Shang-Chi adventure.
And so ended a soft and sweet film at its core that was a world away from the hard and madcap mischief and mayhem of the rest of the MCU but was full of the usual enthusiastic allusions to the Matrix Trilogy and also paved the way to the next Dr. Strange and Ant-Man films. And soon after came to the Temple Theatre one of the strangest films of the MCU when Dis, Marv and co-writer/director Caterwaulin’ Zhao Chloe teamed up with Chan and Madden on the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film ETERNALS [2021], released on October 18, 2021 and inspired by characters and a comic series created by Kirby for Marvel Comics.
“!We need action sequences!”
Curious, indeed, for after a short prelude set thousands of years ago, the flickering pages of ETERNALS comics transformed into the flickering and line of dialogue filled frames of the MCU and then spun and settled into the words Marvel Studios all to the sound of the allegorical and Waters written Pink Floyd classic “Time” [1973], the film saw the universe created by the all CGI Prime Celestial, Arishem-played by David Kaye-who, shocked by the emergence of Evil Deviants, also created Good, heroic and angel evoking Eternals to battle and defeat the Deviants. This neverending battle led ten of the Eternals, led by the implicitly Andrea Martin and Dorothy linked Sersi-played by Chan-the implicitly Catherine O’Hara and Glinda linked Thena-played by Jolie-the implicitly Gilda Radner and Wicked Witch of the East linked Ajak-played by Salma Hayek-the implicitly Martin Short and Tin Man linked Druig-played by Barry Keoghan-the implicitly Jim Belushi linked Gilgamesh-played by Lee Don-the implicitly Rick Moranis and Scarecrow linked Ikaris-played by Richard Madden-the implicitly Eugene Levy and Great Oz linked Kingo-played by Kumail Nanjiani-the implicitly Toto linked Makkari-played by Lauren Ridloff-the implicitly Cowardly Lion linked Phastos-played by Brian T. Henry-and the implicitly Dave Thomas linked Sprite-played by Lia McHugh-to Earth. Here they not only battled Deviants over the course of thousands of years and prevented humans from being wiped out by them, but they also discovered to their horror that Arishem wanted the humans kept alive so that a seed the Prime Celestial planted on Earth would draw upon human intelligence to sprout and grow into a new Celestial called Tiamut, evoking the famously mind killing powers of television to implicitly link Tiamut to television.
Alas, the growth and emergence of Tiamut also caused and explained all of the problems plaguing the world at the moment and presaged the destruction of the Earth when it had fully grown and emerged as a new Celestial. Shocked and angry about this, most of the surviving Eternals joined together in an Uni-Mind so as to channel their Eternal energy together to prevent the emergence of Tiamut by turning the Celestial into marble and, thus, saving the Earth, reminding us that the SCTV gang had all transcended and left behind their television roots and gone on to succeed in film. Indeed, the sight and sound of Kingo’s tragicomic, faithful, human and implicitly John Candy linked valet Karun Patel-played by Harish Patel-helping along the cause affirmed the link of the Eternals to the SCTV gang. Thus, it was fitting that Kingo was discovered to be a Bollywood star when his fellow Eternals linked up with him again in the present, openly linking the Eternals to film art.
At any rate, after the major closing titles, a teaser scene featured the tragicomic CGI character Pip the Troll-played by Oswalt-heralding the arrival on the scene of Eros aka “Starfox”-played by Harry Styles-brother of the mad Titan Thanos. Then the teaser scene after the end of all of the closing titles had the human boyfriend of Sersi, Dane Whitman-played by Kit Harrington-reaching for the Ebony Blade aka “Excalibur”. And so ended an ironically and seriously unfunny film implicitly about seriously funny SCTV alumni that alluded to AVENGERS: ENDGAME, AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR, THE THING and THE WIZARD OF OZ. Making it a relief that merry marchin’ mischief and mayhem with a multiversal twist returned full throttle when Disney, Marvel and Watts collaborated again and also again with Arad, Batalon, Cumberbatch, Favreau, Feige, Giacchino, Holland, Jordan, McKenna, Pascal, Revolori, Simmons, Sommers, Starr, Tomei, Wong and Zendaya to end the film year, to implicitly address wacky worldwide webhead Wright once more and to wrap up a Spidevil Trilogy when Peter Parker picked a pack of pesky and pernicious supervillains to mess with in the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film SPIDERMAN: NO WAY HOME [2021], released on December 13, 2021.
“You did the right thing.”
Curiously, the new Spidevil film began exactly where the last one ended off, for as the Sony, Columbia and flickering panels of Marvel Comics to flickering frames of the MCU to the rising and spinning words of Marvel Studios appeared on the screen, the tv newscast and its revelations that the disgruntled and implicitly Wright and Wicked Witch of the West linked Quentin Beck aka “Mysterio”-played by Gyllenhaal-had been killed by the short, wiry, smart, thoughtful, goofy, weird, wacky, radioactive spider powered, hoody, backpack and STAR WARS luvin’ and implicitly Wright, Gardevil and Cowardly Lion linked MSST high school student Peter Parker aka “Spider-Man”-played again by Holland-and the revelation that Parker was Spidey made by ranting, irascible and Spidey hating DAILY BUGLE publisher J. Jonah Jameson-played again by Simmons-first heard at the end of SPIDERMAN: FAR FROM HOME were heard again. Setting off so much chaos that Spidey frantically webbed home with his new sweetie, the tall, lean, slinky, smart, sassy, book luvin’ and implicitly Dorothy linked MJ-played again by Zendaya-only to find that the apartment he shared with the beautiful, sweet and implicitly Mrs. Wright and Glinda linked Aunt May Parker-played again by Tomei-was surrounded by news helicopters and filled with the big, burly, concerned, and implicitly Saklad and Scarecrow linked presence of Harold “Happy” Hogan-played again by Favreau.
Desperate to fix the situation, particularly after it prevented him, MJ, and the short, hefty, and implicitly McDonald and Tin Man linked natty Ned Leeds-played again by Batalon-from getting into MIT, Parker hunted down the tall, dark haired, intelligent, educated, thoughtful, book luvin’ and implicitly King and Great Oz linked Dr. Stephen Strange-fitting help, as King had implicitly linked Wright to weird and indie detective Holly Gibney in his novels and novellas, and played again by Cumberbatch-at his Sanctum Sanctorum and got him to weave and release a spell of forgetting that caused everyone in the world to forget that Parker was Spidey except those like Aunt May, MJ, Leeds and Hogan who already knew that Parker was Spidey before Jameson’s revelations. Tragicomically, this spell caused a rift in the multiverse, drawing supervillians who also knew that Parker was Spidey like the creepy, split personality and implicitly Ivan Reitman and Wicked Witch of the West linked Norman Osborn aka “the Green Goblin”-played again by Willem Dafoe-the megalomaniacal, multi-armed and implicitly Lynch linked Dr. Otto Octavius aka “Dr. Octopus” or “Doc Ock”-played again by Molina-and the wistful, brooding, muscular and implicitly Kelly linked Flint Marko aka “the Sandman”-played again by Thomas H. Church-from the Raimi Spider-Man Trilogy, quickly followed by the bitter, nasty, power mad and implicitly Story linked Max Dillon aka “Electro”-played again by Jamie Foxx-and the equally creepy, smart and implicitly Cameron linked Dr. Curtis “Curt” Connors aka “the Lizard”-played again by Rhys Ifans-from the two Marc “Spider” Webb Spider-Man films.
Curiously, in time the short, wiry, smart, thoughtful, goofy, weird, wacky, radioactive spider powered and implicitly Cronenberg linked DAILY BUGLE photographer Peter Parker aka “Spider-Man”-played again by Tobey Maguire-from the Raimi Spider-Man Trilogy and the tall, wiry, smart, thoughtful, goofy, weird, wacky, radioactive spider powered and also implicitly Cronenberg linked high school student Peter Parker aka “Spider-Man”-played by Andrew Garfield-from the two Webb Spider-Man films showed up, as well. Allowing the three Spideys to team up with Aunt May, Leeds, and MJ to defeat all of the various multiversal supervillains, with Aunt May dying along the way, in a super battle one night at the Cap shield enhanced Statue of Liberty-fittingly, given that Lady Liberty was the symbol of Columbia Pictures, and evoking the Washington Monument in SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING-allowing Dr. Strange to pass a spell that returned the supervillains and the other two Spideys to their worlds, and another one to cause everyone to forget that Parker was Spidey and that MJ was in luv with Parker, this time with no rifts in the multiverse, in the usual healing, harmonizing and eucatastrophic end as the dawning rising sun dispelled the supervillain darkness and rise steadily and reassuringly on another beautiful sunny day. And so Parker was left all alone and back at the familiar apartment without Aunt May in the end, evoking the sight and sound of Wright aka the poor ol’ Gardevil all alone in his Streetsville closet of an apartment, and then webbing off into a snow falling New York at Christmas night to reaffirm his implicit link to a Canadian and evoking the sight and sound of Parker turning down the chance to join the Avengers and heading off on his lonesome at the end of SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING to bring the Spidevil Trilogy full triangular circle, in the end. Thus, Dis, Marv and Watts implied their hope that King and McDonald would continue to produce good work that help the people of planet Earth and that wacky Wright and his Zone War website would mostly be forgotten in a film filled with allusions to 1941, the Matrix Trilogy, the Raimi Spider-Man Trilogy, SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING, the STAR WARS Classic and Tragic Trilogies, the Webb Spider-Man films and THE WIZARD OF OZ.
After that heart warmin’ implication, and Venomous and Dr. Strange closing credit teaser scenes, Dis then quixotically kicked off the 40th anniversary year of the TZ disaster by implicitly affirming their sympathetic fondness for John and Deborah Landis yet again by teaming up with Marv, Columbia, Sony, Arad and Daniel Espinosa and implicitly linking the twilit couple to the also implicitly Scarecrow and Dorothy linked scientific researchers Doctors Michael Morbius and Adria Arjona-played by Charlie Shotwell as a boy and by Jared Leto as an adult, respectively, and by Martine Bancroft-whose decision to inject Dr. Morbius with vampire bat coagulant cured his haemophilia but turned him into a blood lustin’, murder and mayhem luvin’ and super strong vampire who had the power to face down and kill his implicitly Folsey jr. and Wicked Witch of the West linked “brother” Lucien Morbius aka “Milo”-played by Joseph Esson as a boy and by Matt Smith as an adult, respectively-at the end of the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film MORBIUS [2022], a film released on March 23, 2022 whose implicit allegorical intent was affirmed by allusions to AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON, the Matrix Trilogy, THE WIZARD OF OZ, and the twilit, allegorical and implicitly Spielberg roasting Landis docufeature film INNOCENT BLOOD [1992].
Then, the tragicomic sight of an unusually flustered, frustrated and increasingly infuriated Dr. Strange struggling and mostly failing to deal with a trio of rebellious, mischievous and difficult teens perfectly prepared audiences for Marvel teaming up again with Raimi and Disney and also with Atwell, Cumberbatch, Derrickson-back as co-executive producer-Ejiofor, Elfman, Feige, Jordan, Lynch, McAdams, Stuhlbarg, Wong, and Wood to implicitly address the King of allegorical weird tales of terror again and kick off a new season of merry Marvel mischief and mayhem in the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS [2022], released on May 2, 2022.
“I’m not a monster,
Stephen.
I’m a mother.”
Curiously, after the familiar flickering pages of Marvel Comics transformed into the fighting frames of Marvel Films within letters that spun through the air and settled down into the silver words of Marvel Studios on a red background to the equally familiar and triumphant symphonic accompaniment, the film began with a blank black screen like a Spielberg film and the sound of a dreamy tinkle before ironically and immediately catapulting into a vivid nightmare that saw another and Spanish speaking multiversal self of Dr. Stephen Strange-played by Cumberbatch-and a short, pretty, brunette, spunky and unknown Latina teen-played by Xochitl Gomez-in a red, white and blue shoulder striped jean jacket with a big and red outlined white five pointed star on the back that evoked the shield of Captain America running through a multi-colored and multi-layered dreamscape trying to evade a huge pursuing multiarmed pink demon and get to a treasured tome known as the Book of Vishanti on a floating circular platform. Unable to get to the book in time, Dr. Strange used his sinister left hand to transmit sorcerous power to fight off the huge pursuing demon, and his hand of right to transmit sorcerous power to kill the Latina teen to prevent her from being captured by the demon. Significantly, this pragmatic but callous sight fittingly evoked the sight and sound of the beautiful, buxom, bewitching, red haired and implicitly Stofle linked Wanda Maximoff-played by Olsen-using her left sinister hand to blast red magic to ward off Thanos-played by Brolin-while using her hand of right to blast red magic to kill the tall, thoughtful, soulless and implicitly Cronenberg linked android Vision-played by Bettany-to prevent Thanos from taking the yellow mind Infinity Stone from his forehead at the end of AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR, preparing us for the return of Maximoff in DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS.
Alas for the mulitversal Dr. Strange, concentrating too much on the Latina teen allowed the demon to impale him from behind like did to Vision in AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR, and the good doctor fell down dead, thus becoming the implicit Wicked Witch of the East of this healing Ozian dream. Released from his magic, the Latina teen found herself picked up by the demon, which caused her to scream in horror so powerfully that some sort of sparkly eyed and equally sparkly, light blue and five pointed inter-universal Stargate opened and sucked the Latina teen and the dying Dr. Strange off into it, causing the tall, dark brown haired, brilliant, educated, well read, creative, independent, far less arrogant, selfish and fortune and fame obsessed and implicitly King and Cowardly Lion linked Master of the Mystic Arts Dr. Stephen Strange-played again by Cumberbatch-to wake up with a start from the prelude nightmare in the Sanctum Sanctorum in New York. Getting out of bed, he was soon getting dressed up in a nice suit and leaving for a church to attend the wedding of Dr. Christine Palmer-played again by McAdams-a wedding that was soon interrupted by a huge and invisible one-eyed octopus attacking outside and trying frantically to capture the Latina teen seen in the opening nightmare of Dr. Strange.
After being helped by his sentient red Cloak of Levitation and joined and helped by Wong, the new implicitly Great Oz linked Sorceror Supreme of the Sanctum Sanctorum in New York in the absence of Dr. Strange during the blip-and played again by Wong-Dr. Strange rescued this latest exasperating teenage girl who turned out to be the pizza luvin’ and implicitly teen fic author Stephenie Meyer and Dorothy linked America Chavez-played by Xochitl Gomez-and also to have the power in moments of unusual fear and stress to open sparkly blue/green/purple/silver Stargates that allowed her to travel across the multiverse. Chavez also revealed that the nightmare that Dr. Strange had had that morning was real, and led him to the dead other Dr. Strange on the roof of the Sanctum Sanctorum, causing the good doctor and the Great Wong to suddenly realize to their amazement that “…Dreams are windows into the lives of our multiversal selves.”
Enlarged by this multiversal insight, Dr. Strange slingeed off to see Maximoff for more insight into Chavez and the demons that pursued her. Here he discovered to his dismay that she had been consumed by her Dark Side and the Book Of The Darkhold and transformed into the Maleficent and Morgan Le Fay evoking and Wicked Witch of the West linked Scarlet Witch. Alas, Dr. Strange also discovered that the Wicked Scarlet Witch had gone mad and conjured and sent the demons after young Chavez so that she could use the teen’s ability to travel the multiverse with her sparkly Stargates to travel off to the universe she experienced in her dreams where she was a sweet, devoted and implicitly Glinda linked suburban Mom version of herself with two sons named Billy and Tommy Maximoff-played by Julian Hilliard and Jett Klyne, respectively-a magical realm that evoked INLAND EMPIRE to affirm the implicit link of Wanda to Kelly.
Taking America to Kamar-Taj to protect her from the Scarlet Witch, Wong and Dr. Strange were soon leading the adepts there in a sorcerous defense against the Evil magic of the Wicked Scarlet Witch, a desperate battle that included allusions to DUNE to reaffirm the implicit link of the Scarlet Witch to Lynch. Significantly, this desperate battle also shocked and frightened Chavez again so much that it set off her screaming sparkly eyed power to open the sparkly five pointed Stargate, sucking her and Dr. Strange through the portal and through multiple universes until they landed in a new New York in a new universe. Here they found their way to the Sanctum Sanctorum to elicit the help of this New York’s Dr. Strange, only to find that he had died defeating Thanos, and that the dreadlocked and implicitly Colson Whitehead linked Baron Karl Mordo-played again by Ejiofor-was the new Sorcerer Supreme.
Alas for Chavez and Dr. Strange, Baron Mordo locked them up, where they were cared for by a new and red haired Dr. Christine Palmer-played again by McAdams. Meanwhile, the Wicked Scarlet Witch forced the Great Wong to fly away like the Great Oz in his hot air ballon and take her to Mount Wundagore, the dread Evil mountain which evoked Forbidden Mountain in SLEEPING BEAUTY whose summit was home to the tomb of Chton, the first demon, to use its dark wall inscriptions after the Book of the Darkhold was destroyed to project her consciousness into the body of Suburban Wanda in a process called Dreamwalking and send it to new New York to kill Dr. Strange, seize Chavez and bring her back to the Tomb of Chton. However, when Suburban Wanda arrived at new New York, she first had to face, fight and kill a new group of heroes that included a new Black Bolt-originally implicitly linked to Marty Balin of Jefferson Airplane by Kirby and Lee in Marvel Comics, and played by Anson Mount-a new British first avenger named Captain Carter-played by Atwell-a new Captain Marvel-played by the now fittingly surnamed Lynch-a new Reed Richards aka “Mr. Fantastic”-played by John Krasinski-and a new Professor Charles Xavier-played by Patrick Stewart, who played Gurney Halleck in DUNE-in a massacre that killed everyone except Baron Mordo and that evoked the end of the allegorical King indie docufiction Carrie [1974] and its various cinematic incarnations to reaffirm the implicit link of Strange to King.
This caused Chavez, Palmer and Dr. Strange to flee Suburban Wanda to the “gap junction” floating realm between the universes seen in the opening nightmare in a desperate quest to finally grasp the Book Of Vishanti in a segment that evoked the psychotic Jack Torrance pursuing his wife Wendy and son Danny at the end of the eerily and presciently twilit and allegorical King indie docufiction novel The Shining [1977] and its various film and telefilm incarnations to reaffirm the implicit link of King to Strange. Alas, Suburban Wanda destroyed the Book Of Vishanti before they could use it to stop her. However, despite the vanishin’ Vishanti, the dreamwalk possessed Suburban Wanda also helpfully banished Dr. Strange and Palmer to a New York in another multiversal Earth, where they stopped by the Sanctum Sanctorum, contacted its Evil and implicitly Tin Man linked and creepy third forehead eye possessing Dr. Strange-also played by Cumberbatch-and took the Book Of The Darkhold from him in a battle and sequence that evoked The Dead Zone and THE DEAD ZONE to also affirm the implicit link of King to Strange. Using the Book Of The Darkhold to Dreamwalk with the help of the implicitly now Scarecrow linked dead zombie Dr. Strange, Dr. Strange, Zombie Strange, Wong and Chavez and a Suburban Wanda freed from the Dreamwalking grip of the Scarlet Witch defeated her with her unexpected and guilt ridden help, in the eucatastrophic end, in a film that made many of the usual enthusiastic nods to the Matrix Trilogy and THE WIZARD OF OZ.
So health and harmony returned to the various Earths of the multiverse, and Dr. Strange returned to the Sanctum Sanctorum in New York where a creepy third eye soon appeared in his forehead, and then after the first of the closing credits, which revealed for the first time that this latest chapter in the MCU was “…A KEVIN FEIGE FILM”, a teaser scene appeared that saw the beautiful, peroxide blonde, sword wielding and implicitly Sarah J. Maas linked Clea-played by Charlize Theron-appear and persuade Dr. Strange to repair “…an incursion” in the Dark Dimension, and off the two went off to a new adventure. A new adventure that did hit the Temple Theatre a month and a half after the release of DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS when Dis and Pix teamed up with co-writer/director Angus MacLane to implicitly address Affleck in the implicit form of the new Buzz Lightyear in the daylit, allegorical and Ozian themed indie CGI animated feature film LIGHTYEAR [2022], released on June 15, 2022. Soon after the release of LIGHTYEAR, a marvelous new adventure also showed up on the big screen when Dis, Marv and co-writer/director Waititi teamed up again with Alexander, Bautista, Cooper, Diesel, Dennings, Gillan, Gunn, Hemsworth-now also a co-executive producer-Jordan, Klementieff, Portman, Pratt and Thompson to implicitly address Cameron and Hurd and roast Miller again in the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER [2022], released on June 23, 2022.
“!What a classic Thor adventure!”
Curiously, the film began with a blank and silent black screen like a Spielberg film, preparing us for the mischievous return from the dead yet again of the implicitly Spielberg linked Loki. Instead, however, a bald man-played by Christian Bale-with unusually pale white skin, tire track resembling black stripes on his forehead, a sleeveless tunic and a necklace with the symbol of his sun god around his neck wandering through a desert wasteland with his daughter-played by India Hemsworth-a man who was implicitly linked to Miller as he looked like one of the Warboys in MAD MAX: FURY ROAD. Just as significantly, after his daughter died of exposure, dehydration and starvation, becoming the implicit Wicked Witch of the East figure of this healing Ozian dream, this man wandered off the desert into an oasis, met and confronted his god Rapu-played by Jonathan Brugh-and, when his god showed no sympathy for his daughter and himself, killed his god with a handy godkilling Necrosword that just happened to be lying nearby, and then solemnly and bitterly vowed to kill every other god too. Then a single electric guitar started softly playing the familiar triumphant theme as the flickering and word balloon pages of Marvel Comics began and slowly morphed into the equally flickering frames filled with lines of dialogue of the MCU and the familiar letters turned and rose and two electric guitars roared to life and finished the triumphant theme in classic rock star fashion and the words settled down into the red and silver Marvel Studios logo.
Then rockin’ and all CGI Korg-played by Waititi-recapped Thor’s adventures since AVENGERS: ENDGAME with his trusty axe Stormbreaker, including a stint with the goofy Guardians. Story over, the POV switched to the beautiful, brainy, brunette and implicitly Hurd and Glinda linked Dr. Jane Foster-played again by Portman-dying of cancer and desperate for a remedy. Wondering if mighty Mjolnir would transmit the power needed to heal her, Dr. Foster travelled to New Asgard to commune with the fragments of the hammer of Thor preserved by the community, and received such a lightning strike from the hammer that she was not only healed, but morphed into a female and equally blonde version of Thor known as “Thorster”. Soon Thor dumped the goofy Guardians and joined Thorster and the deep drinking and implicitly Jolie linked Queen Valkyrie-played again by Thompson-in New Asgard just in time to fight off the bald man seen in the prologue now known as the implicitly Wicked Witch of the West linked Gorr the Godbutcher and his deadly Darkbeasts.
Alas, the battle was won but Gorr escaped with the children of New Asgard, causing Thor to travel to Omnipotent City with Korg, Thorster and Valkyrie to warn the gathered gods there of the danger posed by Gorr and recruit more gods and goddesses to help them fully defeat Gorr. Unfortunately, Zeus-played by Russell Crowe-the ringmaster of Omnipotent City, was not impressed with the warning, so they had to fight their way out of the city and take on and take out Gorr themselves, which they did with the help of the liberated children of New Asgard and silent and mystic Eternity, who returned the defeated and dying Gorr’s beloved and implicitly Dorothy linked daughter Luv to him to console him and liberate him from his Dark Side before he died and to console Thor after the death of Thorster. Indeed, Luv consoled Thor so much, they were soon fighting battles together as the Luv & Thunder tag team to the rockin’ sounds of their favourite Guns & Roses tunes, in the end.
And so in the life of Thor and the deaths of gory Gorr and bewitching Thorster, Dis, Marv and Waititi implicitly hoped that Cameron would defeat Mad Miller and continue on as the most successful film artist on the planet and that Hurd would fade gently away into retirement, an implicit allegorical intent affirmed by the allusions to ALIENS, THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN, T1, T2 and THE WIZARD OF OZ in THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER. Curiously, the teaser scene after the end of the major closing titles had Zeus introduce audiences to his favourite demi-god son Hercules-played by Brett Goldstein-while the teaser scene at the end of all the closing titles saw a surprised by pleased Dr. Foster welcomed to Valhalla by a saintly Heimdall like he had welcomed her to Asgard in THOR: DARK WORLD. As for Dis, Marv and Reed, they implicitly decided it was time for a new direction and for more super encouragement for Capshaw, Kelly and John and Deboroh Landis and also time for another difficult teen, for two years later they teamed up again with Douglas, Lilley, Park, Pfeiffer, Rudd, Stoll and Turkington to kick off the new film year and wrap up an implicit Kelly Trilogy with the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA [2023], a film released on February 15, 2023.
“You mean you started a war…
That’s what monsters do.”
Curiously, after the flickering and word ballon filled pages from Marvel Comics morphed into the equally flickering frames filled with lines of dialogue from Marvel Films and the words rose through the air, righted themselves and solidified into the silver and red MARVEL STUDIOS logo to the sound of the familiar triumphant symphonic music, the film began with a short prologue that saw a ragged and implicitly Deborah Landis and Glinda linked Janet Van Dyne aka the original “Wasp”-played again by Pfeiffer-still trapped in her humble shack in the Twilight Zone of the fourth dimension evoking quantum realm and watching uneasily as a brightly lit object roared through the sky above her and crashed nearby. Running in alarm to the crash site with her trusty hunting knife and laser gun, Van Dyne was saved from quantum critter attack by the wounded but still living crash survivor, who turned out to be the cruel, callous, fittingly dimunitive and implicitly Russian President “Mad” Vlad Putin and Wicked Witch of the West linked Kang the Conqueror-played by Jonathan Majors.
Then the POV abruptly shifted to the sunlit streets of San Francisco and a happy, carefree, brilliant but foolish, goofy, naïve, innocent, clean cut, plain t-shirt luvin’, sexually ambiguous and implicitly Kelly and Scarecrow linked hero Scott Lang aka “Ant-Man/Giant Man”-played again by Rudd-wandering the streets and being happily hailed by everyone for playing such a large role in saving the universe back in AVENGERS: ENDGAME to the wistful and goofily upbeat sound of the allegorical and John Sebastian written and performed theme tune “Welcome Back” [1975] from the WELCOME BACK KOTTER telefilm series [1975-79] first released during the year that Kelly was born and ending with him reading from his indie memoir Looking Out For The Little Guy [2023] to thrilled kids at a library to evoke the fondness for writers and books seen in the films of Kelly to reaffirm the implicit link of Lang to Kelly. Alas for Scott, the halcyon daze quickly disappeared when he liberated his rebellious sadolescent daughter, the new and implicitly Molly Ringwald and mischievous Munchkin linked Cassie Lang aka “Ant-Girl/Giant Girl”-played by Kathryn Newton-from jail, and then soon found himself and the implicitly Capshaw and Dorothy linked Dr. Hope Van Dyne aka “the Wasp”-played again by Lilley-united in the quantum realm with Cassie, Janet, the implicitly Landis and Great Oz linked Dr. Henry “Hank” Pym aka the original “Ant-Man”-played again by Douglas-the indomitable and implicitly Lana Wachowski linked rebel leader Jentorra-played by Katy O’Brian-and her eclectic and tragicomic but exuberant and indomitable Rebels in a desperate bid to defeat the cruel and all conquering Kang, his favourite simpering and implicitly Bezos and Nikko the Flying Monkey King linked lackey the Mechanical Organism Designed Only For Killing or M.O.D.O.K.-played by Stoll-and his robot legions.
Alas, while the marvelous heroes and heroines appeared to succeed in their quest, multiple alternate versions of Kang amassed after his apparent death for a return engagement in another super satirical animaction film to come, evoking the equally multitudinous, madcap and grandiose versions of the liberated and implicitly Morrow linked Agent Smith-played by Hugo Weaving-in the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed and implicitly Lucas addressing Lana and Lilly Wachowski indie animaction hung fu film THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS [2003] to reaffirm the implicit interest in Wachowski on one level in ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA. Thus, it was fitting that the film alluded to the STAR WARS Classic and Tragic Trilogies and THX 1138, evoking not only the implicit interest in Lucas in the film art of Kelly but the implicit fondness of the Wachowski Sisters for the film art of Lucas, and the implicit link of Lucas to Neo-also played by Reeves-in the Matrix Trilogy-and also alluded to DONNIE DARKO, POLTERGEIST, SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS, SOUTHLAND TALES, THE BLUES BROTHERS, THE BOX, THE WIZARD OF OZ and to the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed, implicitly Cody and Reitman toasting and Kelly roasting Lana Wachowski indie animaction film THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS [2021] and the rest of the original Matrix Trilogy.
Two months later, Dis, Marv and Gunn teamed up again with Bautista, Cooper, Debicki , Diesel, Feige, Gillan, Gunn, Jordan, Klementieff, Makovsky, Pratt, Saldana and Sylvester Stallone-who played Stakar Ogord in GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2-to reboot the quarrelin, caterwaulin’, goofy and ultra indie Guardians in the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: VOL. 3 [2023], released on April 19, 2023.
“?Toorg era ew?”
Then Disney teamed up with Rob Marshall and again with Awkwafina and co-writer Musker to once more breathe new CGI enhanced life into an old classic that saw the beautiful, curvaceous and implicitly Jennifer Lopez and Dorothy linked Princess Ariel the mermaid-played by Halle Bailey-triumph over the implicitly Cyndi Lauper and Wicked Witch of the West linked Ursula the Sea Witch-played by Melissa McCarthy-to the delighted relief of her father, the implicitly Great Oz linked King Triton-played by Javier Bardem-and walk off to a human life with her luver, the tall, handsome, brunette and implicitly Affleck and Scarecrow linked Eric-played by John Hauer-King-implying the hope of Dis and Marshall that Lopez would triumph over Lauper in pop music and that the equally unusual marriage of Ben and Jen would actually work out at the end of the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie animaction film THE LITTLE MERMAID [2023], released on May 8, 2023. Soon after, Disney teamed up again with ILM, Lucasfilm and Paramount and with also again with Jones, Kretschmann and Mikkelsen and now with James Mangold on the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie docufeature film INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY [2023], a film released on May 18, 2023 which was noteworthy for not being as tired and as sad as INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL, despite being the oldest reincarnation of the storied Doctor Henry “Indiana” Jones jr.-played again by Ford-and for continuing the Indy tradition of having a painted one sheet or film poster. Later that summer, Warners and Angel M. Soto implicitly struck back at Dis and Marv again by having the young, handsome, Scarab enhanced and implicitly Rockin’ Robert Rodriguez linked Mexican-American law school graduate Jaime Reyes aka “Blue Beetle”-also implicitly linked to the Scarecrow, and played by Xolo Mariduena-triumph over the red haired, fortune and glory lustin’ and implicitly Kathleen Kennedy and Wicked Witch of the West linked Kord Industries CEO Victoria Kord-played by Susan Sarandon-at the healing, harmonizing and eucatastrophic end of the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed super satirical animaction film BLUE BEETLE [2023], released on August 16, 2023,
Then, alas, the barbaric and horrific October 7, 2023 Hamas terror attack on Israel made for an unexpectedly bleak and sombre prelude when Dis and Marv teamed up with Nia DaCosta and again with Jackson, Larson, Lynch, and Thompson to implicitly reaffirm their fondness for Polley and the Jewish and Palestinian people in the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film THE MARVELS [2023], released on November 8, 2023.
“This is a peace and reconciliation tour.”
Indeed, unusually soft and sombre symphonic music instead of the usual triumphant symphonic theme accompanied the flickering and word balloon filled pages of Marvel Comics as they morphed into the equally flickering frames of the MCU filled with lines of dialogue from the films and rose up and spun through the air and settled down into the red and silver letters of Marvel Studios to the now swelling sound of the Captain Marvel theme to implicitly affirm that the October 7th attack had shocked and dismayed Dis, Marv and DaCosta. Then the film began with a prologue that saw the Ronan the Accuser evoking, Universal Weapon wielding and implicitly Wicked Witch of the West and Moslem/Palestinian linked Kree Evildoer Dar-Benn the Supremor-played by Zawe Ashton-land on desolate and lifeless grey moon MB-418 and supervise the digging up of an ancient and powerful relic called the Universal Band and place this golden armband on her left forearm before petulantly wondering where the second Universal Band was to complete the pair, armbands so powerful that they had been used to create the universe’s spaceship space/time jump points. Then the scene shifted to Jersey City, New Jersey and the suburban home of the owner of the second Quantum Band, the short, black haired, exuberant, Captain Marvel adoring, narrative art luvin’ and drawin’ and implicitly Scarecrow linked Jersey City teenage fangirl Kamala Khan aka “Ms. Marvel”-played by Iman Vellani-who, due to Dar-Benn the Supremor’s use of her Universal Band, found herself briefly trapped in a tragicomic time/space shifting quandary with the beautiful, blonde, brainy, assertive, steely, indomitable and implicitly Polley and Glinda the Good Witch of the North linked Carol Danvers aka “Captain Marvel”-played again by Larson-and the now teenage and implicitly Dorothy linked Monica Rambeau aka “Professor Marvel” to implicitly affirm the Ozian theme of the film-played by Teyonah Parris.
Time/space shifting quandary resolved, the Marvelous trio eventually teamed up with the tall, resigned, world weary and implicitly Lee and Tin Man linked SHIELD Director Nicholas J. “Nick” Fury-played again by Jackson-and his people overseeing the security of planet Earth from their new orbiting SHIELD HQ and the implicitly Toto linked Goose the freakin’ Ferken and children to take on and take out the Wicked Dar-Benn the Supremor and her flying monkey evoking and implicitly Moslem/Palestinian linked Kree soldiers to yet again save the implicitly Jewish/Israeli linked Skrulls and their colony on the planet Tarnax commanded by the implicitly Cowardly Lion linked Emperor Dro’ge-played by Gary Lewis-and to also save the Earth by preventing the Wicked Dar-Benn from stealing the sun and taking it back to implicitly Gaza linked Hala to replace its dead sun yipe! That accomplished in the usual elementally Ozian healing and harmonizing eucatastrophe, Captain Marvel then saved Hala by reigniting its sun to please the people of Hala and stop the fighting between Kree and Skrull, and, implicitly, the fighting between Moslem/Palestinian and Jew/Israeli, in the end, in a film filled with allusions to the Matrix Trilogy, THE WIZARD OF OZ, TIME BANDITS and 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. Alas for Dis, Marv, DaCosta, Larson, Jackson, Parris, Vellani and the rest of the talented cast and crew of THE MARVELS, the biggest Hamas attack on Israel ever and the largest and most horrific massacre of its civilians and the kidnapping of hundreds more had ensured that fighting between Moslem/Palestinian and Jew/Israeli would not only continue, but get worse for the time being, ending any hope of fulfilling the implicit message of the film.
Then the film ended with Khan hunting down beautiful, auburn and archery luvin’ Kate Bishop-played by Hailee Steinfeld-and asking her to join a Marvelous new super group. Then after the main closing titles, a teaser scene saw Rambeau, who had disappeared repairing the tear in the Earth jump point caused by the death of the Wicked Dar-Benn, wake up in a hospital bed in another universe to the bemusement of Binary and Dr. Hank McCoy aka “the Beast”-played by Lynch and Kelsey Grammer, respectively. Curiously, on the same day as the release of THE MARVELS, Disney also contrarily collaborated with Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn on a neo blast from the past that merged the old Disney fairy tale style of classics like CINDERELLA, and SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS with the new Disney emphasis on all CGI animated films to have the sweet, young, earnest and implicitly Dorothy linked Asha-openly linked to the hand animated film art of Disney, and played by Ariana DeBose-triumph over the handsome, wish granting but wish hoarding and denying and implicitly Landis and Wicked Witch of the West linked King Magnifico-played by Chris Pine-in his magical kingdom on his island of Rosas at the healing, harmonizing, and eucatastrophic end of the daylit, allegorical and Ozian themed indie CGI animated feature film WISH [2023], a film released on November 8, 2023 that was contrary to their usual implicitly pro-Landis stance alluded to CINDERELLA, PINOCCHIO, SLEEPING BEAUTY, SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS and THE WIZARD OF OZ.
Tragicomically, Dis, Marv and S.J. Clarkson then teamed up to kick off the new film year with the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film MADAME WEB [2024], a film released on February 14, 2024 that disappointed most everyone. However, despite the disappointment of MADAME WEB, Marvel and Disney still remained super popular, despite employing one of the people most responsible for the TZ disaster. A super popularity that allowed Disney to slowly transform from a tiny little animaction and hand animated short and feature film studio that originally specialized in implicit and animated political satires before slowly adding movie tie-in merchandise, a live action film division, theme parks, a film distribution company, and a television division under Uncle Walt, adding cruise ships, more theme parks around the world, internet streaming service, a Forceful film production company, a visual effects film and three other film studios to the Walt Disney Company under Uncle Mike and Uncle Bob to become the largest and most successful, wealthy and influential film studio on the planet, and one that might swallow Dark Horse Comics, Image Comics and Warner Brothers and perhaps Netflix and even Amazon in time, to make it a mall world after all. A huge conglomerate that some might fear and loathe as an all together too large and multi-headed and armed octopus in control of too many companies, the dreaded Dixafoxarvelas. A mighty Mouse that to truly understand its always allegorical and sometimes political film and telefilm art necessary it was to dive beneath the surface to the story within the story and the meaning within the meaning to reveal the seriously mischievous intent of…Tricky Mouse.
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