These live streams have been such a fun way to cover Soul in more detail as it continues to reach a bigger audience on Disney Plus. For that reason, I decided to dig into the alternative ending of the film, which was actually a bit darker. But was it for the better? Check out my live stream above to find out what you think, and be sure to provide your two cents in the comments. I really want to hear what you all have to say.
As you can imagine, the video contains massive spoilers for Soul, so you’ve been warned. If you want to know when I’m going live ahead of time, follow my YouTube Channel Jon In Theory. Ring the bell for notifications, so you’ll find out when my next live stream is scheduled. I hope to see you all in the live chat, where I can answer any and all questions in real-time.
Happy New Year, everyone! Here’s hoping 2021 is a better one.
We’re still a few months away from the full release of Disney+, a brand-new streaming service that will start at $6.99/month (with just one ad-free option, similar to Hulu). It’s like Netflix, but with tons of newer Disney and Pixar films, short films, new original content, and the entire Disney Vault.
I’ve mentioned the service plenty of times before on this site, but it’s worth reminding just how enticing this service will be for Pixar fans. Next year, Disney+ will debut Monsters at Work, a spinoff series of Monsters Inc. with some of the original voice cast returning (of course, Mike and Sully aren’t the main characters).
Upon launch, it looks like some new short form content from Pixar will debut, including Forky Asks a Question, a series of clips highlighting the confusion and curiosity behind everyone’s favorite utensil from Toy Story 4. Later, the service will release Lamp Life, a short film about what Bo Peep was up to in between Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 4. It’s probably safe to assume Disney+ will also contain Pixar’s entire collection of short films and maybe even SparkShorts.
But what about all the movies? The service will include 18 out of 21 Pixar films at launch, excluding the three most recent ones: Toy Story 4, Incredibles 2, and Coco. According to Disney, those films will come along later. And there will be two more exclusive streaming series in addition to Monsters at Work, but we don’t know much about those yet.
It’s easy to compare Disney+ to Netflix, but it will probably feel more like the experience of using Hulu, especially if you pay for the version with ads. It’s also strange to see Disney fully embracing Pixar as one of its crucial content branches, perhaps on the level of Marvel and Star Wars. Their in-house-mouse animation arm is still intact of course (lest we forget the release of Frozen 2 this year), but Pixar’s healthy catalogue of beloved characters and stories is looking more and more like a contained universe of branded content Disney wants to expand even further, perhaps in an attempt to bridge the gap between entertainment for kids and adults.
And we can already see the ways in which Disney+ might be impacting Pixar as an animation studio. Toy Story 4 didn’t have a short film attached to it, breaking tradition, and though this was downplayed by the filmmakers as incidental, it’s easy to wonder if resources for short films are being stretched to other places. Pixar isn’t producing the content for these new original series, but they are contributing, apparently.
This makes me curious. Would you rather see a short film from Pixar, or a season of a Pixar-adjacent show on Disney+? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below, because until we see one of these shows, any guess is as good as mine.
The rise of independent podcasting, explained by someone who lived it.
My podcasting story is similar to most, in the sense that it is mostly…unique. A lot of people start different podcasts of various shapes and sizes, usually with similar goals in mind. But they’re all working within the same ecosystem of a burgeoning, on-demand streaming platform that has taken over traditional radio in the last decade.
Recently, The New York Times did an entire story on whether or not we’ve reached “Peak Podcast,” whatever that means:
Like the blogs of yore, podcasts — with their combination of sleek high tech and cozy, retro low — are today’s de rigueur medium, seemingly adopted by every entrepreneur, freelancer, self-proclaimed marketing guru and even corporation. (Who doesn’t want branded content by Home Depot and Goldman Sachs piped into their ears on the morning commute?) There are now upward of 700,000 podcasts, according to the podcast production and hosting service Blubrry, with between 2,000 and 3,000 new shows launching each month.
For context, there were approximately 270,000 podcasts available just four years ago. In short time, podcasting has developed into a mainstream pastime, and one that is still seeing new adoption overseas. How did this happen, and so quickly?
The answer depends on the type of podcast you’re curious about. I can’t speak much about podcasts owned by corporations, or shows that exist on major networks. Their machinations are removed from my own experience. But I can speak to the phenomenon of seemingly ordinary people gathering around a microphone and reaching an audience far larger than they anticipated.
In other words, I can probably best explain the rise of podcasting by sharing my own story with the medium, and how it’s changed and grown over the years. Six years, to be exact.
We had a packed show this week. First we reviewed Maniac, the new Netflix limited series starring Jonah Hill and Emma Stone. We also reviewed the new animated film Smallfoot, and right before that you’ll hear my interview with Karey Kirkpatrick, the director of the film. For mini reviews, we also covered The Hate U Give, Hell Fest, Night School, and more.
Next week: We’re planning on doing a double feature of Venom and A Star is Born. Help us decide which review comes first by voicing your opinion in the comments. You can also become a patron and vote in our poll.
Franchise, franchise, franchise! The Predator aims to be a revival of the late 80s action franchise continued by a direct sequel, two spin-off crossovers, and a previous attempt at reigniting the hunt. Directed and co-written by Shane Black (who appeared in the first Predator), this latest imagining of the alien horrors is an action horror…comedy? On Cinemaholics this week, I discuss how that works with Will Ashton of Cinemablend and Maveryke Hines, our sound producer.
Mini reviews this week include A Simple Favor, Bojack Horseman Season 5, White Boy Rick, The Nun, Peppermint, Marvel’s Spider-Man for PS4, Iron Fist Season 2, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan Season 1, and The Dragon Prince Season 1.
Next week: Should we review The House with a Clock in its Walls or Life Itself? Let us know which you’d prefer in the comments!
Yesterday on Twitter, Incredibles 2 director Brad Bird teased the release of a new short film that will reveal what took place the night Edna Mode babysat Jack Jack.
Fans of the movie should remember about midway through the film, a weary Mr. Incredible handed Jack Jack off to an unassuming Edna Mode for a night off, only to find both characters in transformed spirits the morning after. So…what happened?
On the podcast this week, I’m joined by Will Ashton and Maveryke Hines to review Searching, one of my favorite films of 2018. We also start the show with some movie news and announcements, then get into mini reviews for The Little Stranger, The Miseducation of Cameron Post, Support the Girls, and more.
Before you start listening, be sure to help us decide the content of next week’s show. We’re debating either doing a Fall Movie Preview (as per tradition) or a feature length review of The Nun. Sound off in the comments.
