The King of Kings (2025)

Posted on April 11, 2025 by Phil Hall

No other subject has been the focus of more films than the life of Jesus – and as the author of the book “Jesus Christ Movie Star,” I can attest that the subject has been covered since the late 19th century in nearly every imaginable manner within the range of sacred and profane.

To my happy surprise, there is an inventive new way of retelling this story. The new feature “The King of Kings” provides a computer animated version that is inspired by “The Life of Our Lord,” an unpublished manuscript by Charles Dickens that he wrote specifically for his young children. The resulting film is a clever and sincere work that is ideal for family viewing over the upcoming Easter holiday.
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Every Bugs Bunny Ever: Captain Hareblower (1954)

Posted on April 9, 2025 by Phil Hall

Captain Hareblower (1954)
Directed by Friz Freleng
Story by Warren Foster
Animation by Manuel Perez, Ken Champin, Virgil Ross, Arthur Davis
Music by Carl W. Stalling

Yosemite Sam returns to 18th century oceanic miscreancy, this time as Pirate Sam with a schooner that he sails all by himself. Just the thought of encountering him creates panic on well-manned ship – the crew abandons their vessel when Sam approaches, leaving only Bugs Bunny, a stowaway in a carrot crate who never heard of Pirate Sam and has no fear of what he can create. Sam bellows for Bugs to surrender, reminding him that “I’ve got you outnumbered one to one.” However, Sam quickly discovers his new long-eared foe is no pushover.
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The Bootleg Files: Strawberry Fields

Posted on April 4, 2025 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 902: “Strawberry Fields” (unfinished animated feature from the 1980s).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube and Internet Archive.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: Unfinished production with music rights clearance issues.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely.

During the 1960s, producer Al Brodax experienced back-to-back career peaks thanks to the decade’s most influential band – he was the driving force behind the animated television series “The Beatles” and the 1968 animated feature “Yellow Submarine.” In the mid-1980s, Brodax tried to score yet another Beatles-fueled triumph with an animated feature film called “Strawberry Fields.” Unfortunately, the project fell apart well ahead of its completion and the surviving footage went unseen until last year when the unauthorized upload of a work-in-progress reel appeared on the Internet.
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Every Bugs Bunny Ever: Robot Rabbit (1953)

Posted on April 2, 2025 by Phil Hall

Robot Rabbit (1953)
Directed by Friz Freleng
Story by Warren Foster
Animation by Ken Champin, Manuel Perez, Arthur Davis, Virgil Ross
Music by Carl Stalling

Carrot farmer Elmer Fudd is frustrated at having Bugs Bunny pilfering his harvest, but his attempts to fatally shoot the long-eared miscreant amounts to naught. Elmer places a call to Acme Pest Control and quickly receives a robot designed to obliterate irritating varmints. The robot initially gets the best of Bugs with a solid punch to the face and by digging him out of his hole, the rascally rabbit uses a mix of old and new tricks to speed the demise of his metallic foe.
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The Disney Princess That Never Was: Mary Pickford as Alice in Wonderland

Posted on March 28, 2025 by Phil Hall

There has been a great deal of talk about whether Rachel Zegler was the right person to play the title character in Disney’s “Snow White.” However, the first woman who was considered to be a Disney was even less likely for the role she was considered to play.
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Every Bugs Bunny Ever: Duck! Rabbit! Duck! (1953)

Posted on March 26, 2025 by Phil Hall

Duck! Rabbit! Duck! (1953)
Directed by Charles M. Jones
Story by Michael Maltese
Animation by Ken Harris, Abe Levitow, Richard Thompson, Lloyd Vaughan, Ben Washam
Music by Carl Stalling and Milt Franklyn

The final entry in the “Hunting Trilogy” that pits Bugs Bunny against Daffy Duck against Elmer Fudd, “Duck! Rabbit! Duck!” is the weakest of the three films due to joke repetition and an uneven balance among the characters.
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THE DAY THE EARTH BLEW UP: A LOONEY TUNES MOVIE [2025]

Posted on March 25, 2025 by Bob Foster

In The Day The Earth Blew Up, the first 100% animated Looney Tunes theatrical movie in our lifetimes, Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, and Petunia Pig fend off an alien invasion. The full-length film is a hand-drawn, 2-D throwback of pure enjoyment and hilarious insanity, holding with the best of the generations-long series; an utter delight from start to finish.

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