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Originally written and published on A Place to Hang Your Cape (ap2hyc.com) In 2023, the death knell for British children’s television was sounded. It was announced that both CBBC and CITV, both staples of weekday television, would both depart from mainstream television to be streaming-only entertainment. It was a dull blow for those who grew up with the channels. The early 2000s offered a diverse offering of shows, including Arthur, Mona the Vampire, The Story of Tracey Beaker, Young Dracula, and Shoebox Zoo. Then, there was Ace Lightning, one of my defining pieces of childhood superhero media. Ace Lightning, an action-comedy superhero drama, was one of first television shows to feature computer-generated characters on a weekly basis. It was quite groundbreaking for the time. The British-Canadian production was the brainchild of award-winning producer Rick Siggelkow, known for other shows like Shining Time Station and The Noddy Shop. Similarly to his other works, the show

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful kingdom, home to a kind-hearted prince named Magnifico. His father, the king, was a generous man who ensured his people were happy and contented in their lives. However, the king was weighed down by his crown, fearing to make harsh decisions. Magnifico could only watch his proud father fall into the clutches of snake-tongued opportunists, who benefitted from their influence on the king. Then, a terrible plague struck the land, taking many, including the king’s beloved wife. In desperation, the king turned to the stars above for help. The night sky carried many wonders, but none more so than the stars. It was said that they granted wishes, if one’s heart was strong enough. That was a lie. The stars did not grant the king’s wish to save his home, but instead devoured him. The stars descended like great black demons, consuming the wishes of the people, until the kingdom was no more. The men who had manipulated the king either fled or were eaten.

The Disney Legend Award is the highest honour that is handed out by Disney to their employees and associates. Each new class of recipients are honoured in a ceremony at the D23 Expo. Each legend has in theory made a distinct contribution to Disney’s history and legacy, coming from diverse backgrounds and outstanding careers. The award itself was sculpted by Andrea Favilli, depicting Mickey Mouse’s hand clutching a star-tipped magic wand. The award has three elements that each represent each contribution made by the Disney Legends: --The Spiral represents the imagination and ideas created. --The Hand represents the gifts, craftsmanship and skills needed. --The Wand and the Star represent magic and the spark that is ignited when imagination and skills are combined to bring a new dream to life. Each person chosen to be a Disney Legend are worthy for the award, but there are many more people who deserve to join the elite group; many who should have been nominated long ago. So, in

Treecko, Grovyle, and Sceptile: They are based on geckos, specifically leaf-tailed gecko, before gaining attributes of dinosaurs. Grovyle is a Dromaeosaurus, whilst Sceptile is a Dilophosaurus. The yellow orbs on Sceptile’s back resemble the reproductive spores of ferns. Torchic, Combusken, and Blaziken: Torchic is a chicken, representing the Rooster in the Chinese Zodiac. The line may be based on the Basan, a Japanese mythology fire-breathing chicken. Combusken and Blaziken reference cockfighting. Mudkip, Marshtomp, and Swampert – Mudskippers and axolotl. Marshtomp has a fin which resembles a war helmet. Swampert has features of a classic swamp monster. Poochyena and Mightyena – Hyenas and wolves. Zigzagoon and Linoone – Japanese badgers, raccoon dogs, and the mythical tanuki, which are shapeshifting tricksters. Linoone more resembles a ferret or a weasel than a raccoon. Their Galarian variants have black-and-white fur to resemble European badgers, and glam rock bands such as

The black sheep of the Disney family, The Black Cauldron was released in 1985, and could have easily been the death knell for the House of Mouse. It bombed so terribly at the box office that it was beaten by The Care Bears Movie. The film was in production for nearly fifteen years, caught in a tug-of-war between the three generations of Disney artists, and became subjected to endless rewrites, alterations, and was edited notoriously by Jeffrey Katzenberg shortly after his arrival at Disney in 1984. The end result can be described as a train wreck, plagued by a muddled sense of tone, dumb plot points, and irritating characters. Yet, there is still those who love the film. It has some positives amongst the grime. John Hurt makes for a chilling villain as the Horned King, the animation is as detailed as always, and the darker ambitions can be praised. It is everything else that needs work. The film is a loose adaption of the first two books of The Chronicles of Prydain, written by

Just in time for the 100th anniversary of The Walt Disney Company. Here are 300 reasons why I love Disney, its stories, characters, music, art, and the people who create them. 01. Because it was all started by a mouse. 02. Because of Walt and Roy Disney. 03. Because of enchanted castles. 04. Because you can wish upon a star. 05. Because of true love’s kiss. 06. Because of storybook openings and endings. 07. Because an act of true love can break curses and thaw frozen hearts. 08. Because a dream is a wish your heart makes. 09. Because Disneyland is for the young at heart. 10. Because Walt wanted to build cities of the future. 11. Because of the Disney Renaissance. 12. Because of Ub Iwerks and his artistry. 13. Because of the Nine Old Men and their inventive wisdom. 14. Because magic comes from an artist’s imagination. 15. Because Steamboat Willie brought sound to cartoons. 16. Because Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs received a standing ovation at its premiere at the

The sixth phase of my Sonic the Hedgehog cinematic universe has been long overdue, for which I apologise. Life can get in the way, but I wanted to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the "Sonic SatAM" animated series. This final phase is split into two parts due to the length, with the final part coming at a later date. The final arc deals with the Titans, the ancient gods who created the universe and are the origins of the Chaos Emeralds. Dark Gaia was the big bad of Phase 4, calling out to his brother known as the Doom's Eye to come to his aid. As you might have guessed, Doom's Eye is Black Doom. He hopes to acquire the Chaos Emeralds to free his original body from another dimension and then use the Phantom Ruby to rob the universe of free will. There is also his siblings, Illumina, who rules the dream world, and Solaris, a sun god who was split apart, becoming Iblis, Mephiles the Dark, and the origin of Blaze's powers. In all honesty, I do believe my cinematic universe is grown

Sailor Moon is one of the most recognised and popular manga and anime to come out of Japan. Published by Naoko Takeuchi in 1990, the manga is the defining franchise of the “magical girl” genre, telling a mythical story of love, friendship, and justice. Naoko Takeuchi took a lot of inspiration from mythology from around the world, inserting it directly or as references within her characters. Plenty of Greco-Roman, Japanese, Chinese, and European myths played a hand in carving out Sailor Moon’s universe, which we will explore here. The manga is about Usagi Tsukino, a Japanese high school student, who discovers she is Sailor Moon, a superheroine who must fight the forces of evil in the name of the Moon. Beginning as a somewhat whiny crybaby with bad grades, Usagi matures over time into a strong-hearted and powerful Sailor Seishi (or Sailor Guardian). She forms a team of fellow heroes, who draw their magic from the planets. Usagi is further aided by her boyfriend, Mamoru Chiba, who