Wonderful World of Disney

Disney turns 100, via its semi-eternal TV show

A century ago, a young artist was in deep money trouble. He would be there often.
Walt Disney was 21 when his Laugh-O-Gram Studio went bankrupt. He moved to Los Angeles, where his brother Roy – older (30) and wiser in the ways of money – lived. On Oct. 16, 1923, they officially created what was then called the Disney Brothers Studio. Now that’s being noted twice:
— On Sunday (Oct. 15), Kelly Ripa hosts a “Wonderful World of Disney” celebration, at 8 p.m. on Disney-owned ABC. It includes the 2021 film “Encanto” and a new cartoon, “Once Upon a Studio.”
— On Monday (the studio’s 100th anniversary), Disney+ debuts a restored version of the 1937 “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” (shown here), the first feature-length, animated movie in full sound and color. Read more…

Disney saves its best for Sundays

For four months, TV’s biggest night had a giant question-mark.
Sundays are when ratings peak. But in its makeshift, strike-time schedule, ABC simply listed “Wonderful World of Disney” movies at 8 p.m., without saying which ones.
Disney movies, after all, can be as magical as “Mary Poppins,” as blah as this year’s “Haunted Mansion,” as forgettable as several I’ve forgotten. So which ones would be shown?
Now we finally know. This starts with “Jungle Cruise,” Oct. 1; “Cruella,” Oct. 8; and “Encanto” (shown here), Oct. 15. That covers a broad range — ordinary adventure, salvaged by likable stars … extraordinary adventure with awesome visuals … and an animated musical with some “Poppins-style” splendor. Read more…