Since the time that Disney+ launched a year ago, multiple other streaming services have come and gone. Quibi was a massive failure. Peacock had a rocky start due to COVID postponing the Olympics (and many of its original shows), HBO Max has dissolved DC Universe and even CBS All Access has changed its name recently. The only streaming service that has flown under the weather is Apple TV+ (For better or worse). Meanwhile in the last year, Disney+ has become a formidable rival with Netflix while only releasing a sliver of the original content. Sure, because of the global pandemic, many of the plans for Disney+ has changed, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse, and sometimes for the weirder. There have been hits, misses, and well, whatever "Artemis Fowl" was. Here's my list of the biggest surprises (good and bad) from Disney+ year one: Hamilton was a massive hit for Disney. While nobody knows just how much money the staged production could have brought in at the theatres a year from now, it became the talk of the town (again) this summer. (And it was amazing to witness regardless of how many times you had seen the show or listened to the soundtrack. Arguably the biggest hit from Disney+ has been Star Wars: The Mandalorian. Now airing its season 2, the only show from launch that has had a second season, fan reaction is still going strong. The only other Star Wars show that Disney+ has aired was season seven of The Clone Wars, which was also a hit. Spin offs like The Bad Batch, and original shows like Kenobi and a Rogue One spin-off are also on the way. Disney+ has become home to some stellar documentaries including "Disney Gallery," "The Making of Frozen 2," "Howard," and "The Real Right Stuff." Short form animation has also been big for the streaming service, banking on characters like Olaf and the toys from "Toy Story." Many other shorts are on the way like "The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special" and "The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse." Theatrical releases like "Mulan" and "Artemis Fowl" came to the service, though neither one made much of a splash. And while Marvel was crucial to the marketing of the streaming service, we have yet to receive any content from the House of Ideas. That said, "Wandavision," "Falcon and Winter Soldier," "Loki," "She-Hulk," "Ms. Marvel," "Moon Knight," "Marvel's What If," "Marvel's 616," and a rumored Nick Fury show are on the way. It would be good to note that while new content from the MCU has been absent from the service, the past year took the time to build up legacy content and the MCU films as contracts with other streamers ran out. Now for original content: "Clouds," "The Right Stuff," "Phineas and Ferb: Candace Against the Universe," "Timmy Failure," and "Secret Society for Second Born Royals" were fun romps while "Lady and the Tramp," "The One and Only Ivan," "Togo," "Noelle," and "Magic Camp" were just all right. The only TV shows beyond launch (so excluding HSM:TM:TS) that was actually decent was "The Right Stuff" and "Diary of a Future President," while the new Muppets episodes were rough. So what's next? November sees the premiere of "Black Beauty" and the aforementioned Mickey Mouse cartoon and Lego Holiday special.
December sees the release of Pixar's "Soul" and "WandaVision" as well as the finale of "The Mandalorian" and a Holiday special of HSM:TM:TS. But what about 2021? If 2020 was any indicator, the streaming service will continue to fill out its catalog and offer more original content as the pandemic allows it. I hope to not see any more theatrical movies being pushed onto the service, but understand why it is necessary. I imagine 2021 will be a big year for Marvel on Disney+ while we wait for Mandalorian season 3 in the fall.
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While many have felt the affects of this global pandemic, I in no way want to diminish the hurt that is being felt across the world.
However, we may be seeing the end to movie-going as we know it. Currently, many theatres have reopened in hope that attendance would pick back up, but there seems to be no end in sight for this pandemic and films like "New Mutants" and "Tenet" didn't get the audiences they needed to sustain the big-screen model. Unfortunately, films like "Mulan" and "Soul" have gone to Disney Plus while other blockbusters like "Dune" and "Fast and the Furious" have been pushed back into 2021. This causes trouble for theatre chains like AMC who are treading water with the loans they have taken out to stay afloat. AMC may be the first big theatre chain to go under in 2021 if films like "The Croods 2" and "Wonder Woman 1984" don't attract audiences (though I suspect the latter will be pushed back yet again.) There is hardly a film in 2020 that will conjure up as much controversy as Netflix’s acquisition of Cuties. Sure, Mulan and New Mutants tried their hardest to be the talk of the town, but no senators in congress hated those films enough to call for their removal. So, what’s all the hype?
Cuties or Migonnes as it is known in France is a film about a Black 11-year-old girl named Amy who was raised in a religious household. Soon Amy is sucked into the world of social media influencers, provocative music videos, and a friend group trying to win a dance competition. Meanwhile, in the real world, Cuties has been picked up by conservative conspiracy theorists in an attempt to create discord all while under the guise of “ending sex trafficking.” But the people in these groups have been tragically radicalized against a problem that isn’t even real. No, not the human trafficking, that is real and that is an honorable fight these people are fighting. Sadly, they are fighting this fight be spreading misinformation, attacking celebrities who they assume are blood sucking Satanists, and complaining about a movie like Cuties that has an incredibly pointed theme aimed at helping young girls. Guess what guys, the film is not child porn and it's not a sexualized movie for pedophiles. However, when I shared this opinion on social media, that didn’t stop basically a hundred Trump supporters showing up on my status to call me a pedophile. So here we go, here’s THE CASE IN DEFENSE OF MIGONNES: If you watch this film and find yourself thinking, "I can't watch this, these young girls are dressed inappropriately and may make me sexually aroused," well then guess what, YOU MISSED THE POINT OF THE MOVIE. This is a film made for parents of young girls. It’s made to be discussed with young girls, even if the parents decide not to share the film with their daughters. It’s about how difficult it is to become a young woman when your role models make you feel inferior and confused. It teaches girls that the hypersexualized media we consume isn't actually attainable and that everyone's bodies are different. The moral of the story sees the protagonist learning that she can hold onto being a kid a little longer, even though she is growing up at the same time. Once Amy discovers the freedom of her autonomy, she has to stop her friends from stealing it, other men from using her, and the celebrities she looks up to from controlling the way she sees herself. But first, she makes the mistake of giving it all away for likes and popularity. That’s her biggest mistake. In the absence of a trusted adult to talk to, Amy’s teachers instead become social media, and the algorithms. She thinks she has to dance like this to be desirable. To be loved. The film even overlaps this idea with her parent’s marital issues. A review for the movie from the Washington Post says that Cuties doesn’t "use cliched scare tactics, such as the paranoia about child sex trafficking that has infected U.S. politics, to make this point. But Doucouré is blunt about the fact that real harm can be done when a child behaves in ways typically reserved for grown-ups." It's disappointing to see such a great message be buried under the #SaveOurChildren movement just because conservatives can't separate real life from the movies. Yes, the film is disturbing and uncomfortable. Contrary to popular belief, there is no underage nudity in the film. The only nudity comes from an 18-year-old actress in a music video. But that doesn’t make it any easier to watch 11-year-olds acting like grown women and dancing in ways that could be seen as gross and unnatural. If I was to change the film, I’d cast older actresses, but I didn’t make the film and I understand that these girls were under the safety of psychiatrists, a director and their parents. If you can't separate that from real life, then you are the problem. The Washington Post review also says this, "I know it’s easier to condemn a movie intended to make you uncomfortable than it is to sit with that discomfort and analyze it. Still, it’s a shame a movie about an 11-year-old’s moral education has made so many adults act stupid." And I can't say it any better. But if you don’t want to watch the film, that’s okay. Here is a synopsis of the 20 times that the film shows how our society forces young black girls to grow up too fast: 1) Early on, the first girl Amy sees is alluring because her hair is straight. Amy tries to straighten her hair but isn't able to. 2) She sees these same girls defy authority by filming a trending social media challenge despite phones being banned on campus. 3) Amy hears about her father taking a new wife and how it hurts her mother. This is directly after her and her mother joke about "taking up too much space" at the bathroom sink. She is starting to connect that men only find women attractive if they are skinny and sensual (unlike her mother.) 4) She sees the same kids having fun together at the grocery store. This happens at the same time she is acting like a mother to her two younger brothers. She's growing up too fast. 5) The cool girls she thinks are cool bully her and hit her in the head with a rock. She wants to be like them, but her religion and her mother makes her cover her entire body in "modest clothing." 6) She steals her cousin's cell phone because she saw the cool kids with their phones. This is the inciting action for the character. She now has access to social media. She tries to make herself look like the girls on Instagram, complete with duck lips and photo editing apps. 7) The cool girls dare Amy to take a picture of a guy in the bathroom they have a crush on. Meanwhile her brother is dealing with the toxic masculinity of idolizing his father. 8) But we also see that Amy isn't completely grown up. She just wants to have fun and sometimes that includes gummy bear eating contests with her new friend, the same friend who introduces her to twerking videos. 9) Now she's watching music videos during church services. This represents how she is idolizing these videos. Pop culture is a "new" religion. She's also noticing how her body doesn't look like the older mature women. She's starting puberty and doesn't know about the changes she's going through because of how religious her family is. 10) They see cute boys and pretend to be in high school. One girl even touches a condom and the girls tease her and say she's going to die. The girl cries because her friends are teasing her, and she didn’t know what a condom was. (This is something in basically EVERY coming of age movie. It's a trope.) 11) Then the girls are catfishing a boy from school. But when he finds out that she's 11 and not 14 like him, he calls her a little girl and she feels devastated. She even gets in a fight with her friend for turning on the Webcam and exposing her age. This is 100 percent relatable, especially for today's kids. After their fight, Amy joins the dance team. 12) At this point the movie is half-way through and there hasn’t been a single scene that's "inappropriate." Now the film starts to get increasingly more uncomfortable because all the girls are twerking and grinding the floor. It's the turning point for the film. By now the viewer should recognize that the girls are taking this too far and need an adult to teach them, but they don't have any adults to talk to. They only have social media influences and celebrities. 13) Throughout the movie the religious "auntie) figure is teaching her how to cook for a man and "be a woman." This is a conflicting message, that she should be a servant for a man's needs, how should she know that she doesn't need to be sexual and alluring when she's only 11. Men like "sexy" women. 14) in the middle of the film there is a dress that bleeds symbolizing Amy's period. Another confusing thing for her without a parent's guidance. Her auntie tells her that now that she has had her period, she is ready to be married. (Because that's what happened to her at Amy's age.) Her mom tells her "you're a woman now." But that’s all she says. She doesn’t explain anything else. So, Amy is forced to be a woman by looking to celebrities for guidance. 15) The girls sneak into a laser tag arena where they get in trouble but the pervert man who runs the laser tag arena let's them go because they dance for him, proving to these girls that disgusting men will pay attention to them if they look like the girls in the videos. Boys at school notice her when she has cleavage and tight pants. But the "older and cooler" girls treat her worse. She gets into a fight. 16) Later Amy steals money from her mom but is confronted by her dress again. This time the dress appears to breath in and out rapidly symbolizing how Amy knows she's making the wrong choice, but she's come too far to turn back. Things start to unravel. Her mom can't trust her. Her cousin discovers she stole his phone. She doesn’t know how to live without the phone. 17) Then she does the worst thing she can do. She publishes a nude picture of herself online. She gets slut-shamed by her friends and by other boys and the school finds out about the picture. Her mom literally says she should kill her for her actions. Her mom and "auntie" try to cleanse her with holy water. 18) The other girls stop being friends with her and she is quickly replaced. But she shows up to the dance competition anyways. This is where the most disturbing part of the film lies. It's the last 10 minutes and Amy has now fully personified the celebrity twerking videos. One of the girls says "let's give it everything we've got" but Amy already has. She's given all of herself and she no longer feels like herself. She sees the audience is disgusted with their dancing. 19) She hears the prayer her mother sings to her in her mind. She's crying on the stage and she runs away back to her home. Her auntie says she wears "the clothes of a whore" and this is the first time her mother stands up for Amy and sees how much pain she is in. 20) The final scene of the movie sees Amy playing jump rope with the other girls her age. She isn't ready to give up her childhood yet. She can be happy being the woman she wants to be when she's ready. For now, she's happy to be a child a little longer. And no matter what side of the controversy you are on, this is an important message for young girls to understand. Last year, Sony’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse took home the award for Best Animated Feature at the annual Academy Awards celebration. This is a category that Disney has cornered the competition on, only losing four times in the last 17 years.
This year, multiple studios backed their animated features with as much effort as they backed their Best Picture nominees. Netflix, for example, pushed for nominations for Klaus and I Lost My Body. This pushed Disney’s most obvious contender, Frozen II out of the Oscar race, which means: It’s time to start treating animation as an equal to live-action storytelling. Frozen II While Frozen II was one of my favorite wide-release movies of the year, it is one of the best examples of what’s wrong (and what’s so right) about animation right now. First, the animation. Never before has animated movies looked so good. Sure, traditional animation has always had the potential to be beautiful, take Beauty and the Beast for example, but today’s computer animation is so detailed and realistic that there is no big difference between live action and animation. Second, the story. This is where things get a little trickier. Animation is still viewed as entertainment for children, but it’s time to get past that. In Frozen II, the risks just aren’t there. The story is tame compared to some of the stories we are getting now. Lastly, the themes. While the music in Frozen II is amazing and ultimately could have been part of a more mature, riskier film, it didn’t pan out as I would have hoped because Disney wants to appeal to the widest audience as possible. That said, there are a few important themes in the movie. “Anger is a valid feeling.” “Loving oneself is the most important kind of love.” Even, “growing up doesn’t mean you’ll have all the answers.” While these themes are great for a Disney movie, there are so many animated stories being told in the last few years that treat the audience as equals and do not speak down to them. The Legend of Korra, Clone Wars & Adventure Time One of the earliest animations on this list is Legend of Korra, an animated series follow-up to Avatar: The Last Airbender. This sequel series is so incredibly mature in the way that it sees its heroine facing PTSD from her former battles and features villains that fight for equality, freedom and justice. The villains in “Korra” are real. They aren’t maniacal caricatures, but rather they have valid points of view that are worth exploring. Around the same time Nickelodeon was exploring more mature villains, Cartoon Network saw Star Wars explore the definition of a real “hero.” In Clone Wars we were introduced to a padawan, Ahsoka Tano, who by the end of season five, turned away from the Jedi Order to follow her own destiny. For a long time, the animated series, both this and Star Wars: Rebels weren’t considered as equals to the cinematic features. However, with the upcoming release of Clone Wars season seven, new fans are discovering the series every day and realizing how interconnected it is to the rest of the saga. Then there is Adventure Time the first of what I call “representational animation for all ages.” In this series, Jake the Dog and Finn the Human go on adventures that highlight kindness, equality and other themes that aren’t present in typical kids shows. This is why the series was discovered and beloved by fans of all ages. In this series Finn discovered his found family and suffered from PTSD. The show even saw the villain and the hero becoming “buddies” and two of the female characters entering into a relationship together. Many of the episodes are metaphors for other adult themes too. Steven Universe Another monumental series from Cartoon Network, maybe one of the best series ever, is Steven Universe. Created by Rebecca Sugar, the show sees a half-alien half-human protagonist going on adventures with an all-female alien race called Gems and saving the world from tyrannical forces in the galaxy. Over the course of the show, many of the characters are shown as non-binary, lesbian, and gender fluid. Steven goes against toxic forms of masculinity and fights for love, acceptance and a place for everyone to belong. Steven must face the mistakes of his mother and centuries of alien history and right the wrongs in the galaxy. Currently an epilogue series Steven Universe Future is airing on Cartoon Network and shows that even when the war is over, there is a lot of cleaning up to do and happily ever after is more of an ideal than a reality. Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts One of the newest animated shows on Netflix, Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, is actually the show that gave me the idea to write this article. Halfway through the first season one of the characters comes out as gay so nonchalantly that I almost believe we have gotten to a point where representation is being fully realized in all mediums. Bojack, She-Ra, Infinity Train and more… Then there are so many other shows that I am just barely starting, seeing come to an end, or am in the middle of digesting right now. Even without mentioning these shows by name, I am so happy to see that animation is becoming a worthy medium for inclusive storytelling rather than just mindless buffoonery. I can’t wait to see how animation evolves in the 2020’s. Welcome to the future. A world with large-budget fantasy epics, alien gems who fight for the good of the universe and a dystopian future where the Prime Minister has sex with a pig. In the last 10 years incredible strides have been made in what we consider television. We have been transported to Winterfell and the Upside Down. Never before has Television been this important and as good as it is now. So here is my list of the 25 best TV shows of the last decade. 25) The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019) - Taking the last spot on this list is the only show from 2019. The Dark Crystal is a fantastic leap into the future of television where a high-budget concept can see the light of day on a streaming service near you. 24) Parks and Recreation (2009) - No show has given more to meme culture than Parks and Recreation. In fact, this show allowed a flub in the rules because it actually premiered in the last decade instead of this one. However, everyone knows the show didn't hit its stride until the second season. Don't forget, Chris Pratt was birthed by this show. 23) Andi Mack (2017) - The next show on this list is groundbreaking for the medium it premiered on. Andi Mack was the first show on Disney Channel to feature a gay character, to have a character openly say "I'm gay," and a family like none-other ever seen on the channel. Andi Mack is funny, heart-warming and exactly what the kids of today need to see on TV. 22) Big Mouth (2017) - Next is the complete opposite. Big Mouth is a raunchy cartoon about growing up. It's smart, funny and dirty in all the best ways. 21) Veep (2012) - In 2012 we were in the middle of an election year. No one assumed the possibility of a female president that year but what about a female VP? Veep delivered. 20) Black Mirror (2011) - In today's TV culture, it's all about looking to the future. Black Mirror does just that in every episode of terrifying, enlightening horror/sci-fi epicness. While the serious has had its ups and downs, the format has been revolutionary. 19) Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (2015) - Let's be clear, Rachel Bloom is a delight and will go far in her career. This is most obvious in her role as Rebecca on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. The show is unique, fun, and important in the way it handles mental health. 18) The Good Place (2016) - I'm not forking kidding when I say The Good Place is one of the smartest comedies this decade. It's a wonderful addition to the NBC comedy lineup. 17) Bojack Horseman (2014) - When BoJack Horseman first aired I thought, "There's no way this will be good," but alas, a story about grief, addiction and growing old was born and it has ventured into unknown territory with some incredible episodes. 16) Girls (2012) - Not only did this show give us Adam Driver, it gave us a strong cast led by Lena Dunham. Girls helped to champion an era of TV where people look like real life. 15) This is Us (2016) - More like "This is us crying through every episode" because this show redefined what it means to be a drama. 14) Big Little Lies (2017) - Sure, there have been big celebrities on television before, but none as big as Laura Dern, Reese Whiterspoon and Nicole Kidman, am I right? Now every movie star wants to move to TV. 13) Modern Family (2009) - This is another show that broke the rule and premeried just months before 2010, but considering it has been going ever since, I think it's safe to say that Modern Family has defined what a family looks like this decade. It was one of the first shows to feature a gay couple as main roles. 12) Adventure Time (2010) - What started off as a lovely kids show turned into an epic tale with important themes and messages that every kid (and adult) should see. 11) American Horror Story (2011) - In 2011 there wasn't a show like AHS that dared to be a horror anthology series without objection. 10) The Walking Dead (2010) - Never has a show risen, died and rerose again like this one. 9) The Handmaid's Tale (2017) - This dystopian series is incredibly timely and important. The popularity of the series has no-doubt lead to the resurrection of the novel and the newly released sequel. 8) One Day at A Time (2017) - This reboot of a popular American sitcom breathed new life into the genre with a fresh Columbian cast and perfectly times laughs. 7) Stranger Things (2016) - A modern blockbuster on TV if there ever was one. There may not have been a bigger show than this one, but it may not have been the most important show. Nonetheless, it was one of the most beloved. 6) Gotham (2014) - Bruce Wayne's world of Gotham ushered in the superhero drama on Television. Now with Disney+ on the horizon and DC Universe in full swing, the superhero phenomenon has leaped off of the big screen and into our homes for the foreseeable future. 5) Grace and Frankie (2015) - For most actresses over 40, there is no work to be found. However, Netflix changed the game when they brought actresses Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin to star in a comedy like none other. 4) Steven Universe (2013) - I have never seen an animated show more interested in teaching love and tolerance than this one. The songs are phenomenal, the story is great and the characters are family. I can't recommend it enough. 3) Rupaul's Drag Race (2009) - In 2012 Rupaul's Drag Race hit enormous strides and is now entering its twelfth season and fifth all-stars season. This is the first mainstream LGBTQ competition show that gives drag queens a place to shine and it has been so incredible to see the love and support for this show as it has grown in popular culture. 2) Game of Thrones (2011) - Winter has been coming and coming and coming for so long now and this year the show finally came to an epic conclusion. Game of Thrones is a cultural phenomenon unlike any other. There has never been a more successful show. 1) Orange is the New Black (2013) - Ushering in a new age of television on Netflix, Orange is the New Black is the most important show to come out of the last ten years of television. Featuring a cast of strong, phenomenal actors in a women's prison, the show centers around the United State's broken prison system. The series tackled racism, mental illness, immigration, gang wars and more. There has never been a more consistent, incredible show that has a powerful cast and important message to share.
By now there are already a million and a half articles and Youtube bloggers talking about what is yet to come in the highly anticipated Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After Spider-Man: Far From Home closed out The Infinity Saga, or the first 23 interconnected films of the MCU, tension was at an all time high to answer one question: What comes next? Now that Kevin Feige and a multitude of guests have rocked the Hall H stage at San Diego Comic Con and released a timeline of the next two years, let’s dissect what we learned. BLACK WIDOW – May 1, 2020 This may have been the least shocking reveal, but our next adventure into the Marvel-verse will be a prequel set in the time between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. Audiences will catch up with Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow to learn a little more about the trained assassin who fell on Volomir. This will likely be an action spy thriller with David Harbour as Taskmaster, but what this film is going to bring to the table is still unknown. However, I wouldn’t be shocked if something extremely minute shows up in the end credits of this film that sets up the next 10 years of movies. THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER – Only on Disney+ Fall 2020 Honestly, I didn’t expect to see any Disney+ announcements at Comic Con, but I’m glad we finally have a time table for some of these new shows. Seriously, looking ahead at 2021, the first part of Phase Four is going to be HUGE. Our first ever glimpse into what a Marvel-Disney+ Show looks like comes in the form of Bucky Barnes and the new Captain America, who seems to still be going by Falcon, Sam Wilson. With details still pretty tight-lipped, I hope we get one more outing with Old Man Cap. ETERNALS – November 6, 2020 Rounding out next year, the next big thing of the MCU is going to be The Eternals. This space adventure will star Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Salma Hayek Lauren Ridloff and Brian Tyree Henry. Ridloff will play the first deaf character in the MCU. If I am wildly speculating, I hope we see a young Thanos in this movie. It is likely going to take place partially on Titan and I would love to see more of the Mad Titan. SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS – February 12, 2021 I’m calling it now, this movie is going to be the highest grossing Marvel film of all time due to international box office. Awkwafina and Tony Leung are set to star in the film and will go up against the REAL Mandarin. I only hope this means Ben Kingsley will be back as Trevor. The ties to Iron Man 3 is a great way to get domestic movie-goers to check out a martial arts film and I am willing to bet a hint at a lot of what’s to come will show up here, just to make it essential viewing. WANDAVISION – Only on Disney+ in Spring 2021 While we know Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen will both be staring in this limited series, it is unclear how Vision will be brought back from the dead. However, I am certain this will include a grieving Wanda and some crazy witchy powers. I hope we see the twins being born here too. The character of Monica Rambeau will be played by Teyonah Parris. DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS – May 7, 2021 First, let me just say that this is the first of two really great upcoming MCU titles. Following the events of WandaVision, Doctor Strange and Scarlett Witch will go on a haunting adventure. Scott Derrickson will return as director. I’m guessing we will get confirmation of demons in the MCU. LOKI – Only on Disney+ in Spring 2021 Following the events of Avengers: Endgame an alternate version of Tom Hiddleston’s Loki will go on a time-hopping adventure. I don’t even know what to speculate about here. Maybe we will see the Savage Land? WHAT IF…? – Only on Disney+ in Spring 2021 This will be the first animated series of the MCU which tells alternate stories about what could have been in Phases One through Three. Basically, all of the well-known actors and actresses of the MCU are lending their voices to this series and there’s no need to speculate because it won’t have ramifications for the universe. HAWKEYE – Only on Disney+ in Fall 2021 The fifth and (not really) final Marvel series to hit Disney+ in the next two years is Hawkeye which will see more of Jeremy Renner’s Ronin give up the mantle of Hawkeye to Kate Bishop. I hope Clint Barton actually retires this time. THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER – November 5, 2021 Possibly the most anticipated movie and second-best title announced at San Diego Comic Con is Thor: Love and Thunder, the fourth installment in the Thor franchise and a return for Natalie Portman’s character, Jane Foster. Portman is expected to wield the powers of Thor and Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie is also expected to return. It’s probably too much to expect the Hulk in this film but Banner is the only original Avenger that doesn’t seem to have any plans beyond Endgame. I’m sure I’m wrong about that, though. Taika Waititi is returning to direct this film. Will the Guardians of the Galaxy show up? Only time will tell. THE FUTURE
Various other films were announced but not officially put on the slate. However, since Phase Four is only planned out for two years so far, and all the other previous Phases have had three of four years, I expect there to be a second half of this phase announced soon. Possibly at D23 Expo in August? Rounding out the night, Kevin Fiege also announced that Mahershala Ali will star in a reboot of Blade and more movies are on the way. Fantastic Four, Captain Marvel 2, Black Panther 2, Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3 and Mutants were all name-dropped by Feige. One film that was notably absent was a third Spider-Man film. Part of me is expecting that film to slide into a July 2021 spot or somewhere in the unannounced 2022 timeline. WHAT’S MISSING? So now that we know what I’m calling HALF of Phase Four, what comes next? Marvel still has Feb 2022, May 2022 and July 2022 open for more films. I expect these will be filled with Black Panther, Captain Marvel and Guardians sequels respectively. I also think Young Avengers, Ant-Man 3 and Blade will come out in 2023, finishing Phase Four. Fantastic Four and Mutants will start Phase Five in 2024. (Remember, these are just my guesses.) What do you think? Let me know in the comments below! Anyone on social media today has probably seen the internet’s hot take on the first trailer for the theatrical debut of Cats. “It’s hideous and terrifying and grotesque and just plain wrong,” seems to be the consensus. However, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats is the fourth longest running musical on Broadway and every other musical in that top five list has already received a big-budget Hollywood production. Nearly 37 years later, Cats seems to be proving that there was a reason this show never made it off the stage. That’s because it is so nonsensical and whimsical that no one in their right mind would try to take on the burden of translating it to a widespread audience. Cats has a niche group of theatre-geeks who like the show and that’s all it will ever amount to. I mean, there’s no way a musical about talking animals will ever make vast amounts of money at the box-office and earn praise from the general audience. There’s no way a director will sweep in and receive honor for their ground-breaking, visionary work on a musical with cute songs and….oh wait. Disney’s The Lion King Roars Into Theatres Not only did Disney’s The Lion King become a phenomenon in the 90’s, it went on to become the fourth longest running musical on Broadway. This week, a new live-action remake of that musical is opening in theatres across the nation and the general consensus (which doesn’t include critics like myself) seems to be on board with Jon Favreau’s realistic look that lends itself better to a nature documentary than to a movie about a talking/singing lion cub. However, The Lion King did receive some criticism for making the animals look too realistic and emotionless. So, obviously when making a Cats movie in 2019 on the heels of The Lion King one wants to learn from another person’s feedback, right? Maybe these cats should have realistic, emotion-filled faces. That will make everyone happy! The “Horror-Filled” Trailer Tom Hooper, the award-winning director of Les Miserables and The King’s Speech, decided that he wanted to set out and do something imaginative and unique with Cats. With an all-star cast that includes James Corden, Judi Dench, Jason Derulo, Idris Elba, Jennifer Hudson, Ian McKellen, Taylor Swift and Rebel Wilson, Cats was shaping up to be an insane production with huge sets, incredible choreography, magical cinematography and great performances. On all accounts, I still think those descriptions hold up for the footage that I’ve seen. But what to do about the look of the titular cats? On stage, the actors perform as fur-laden, make-up-heavy, stylized anthropomorphic versions of cats. While this is off-putting, no one has complained extensively about the way Cats looks on stage. How else would it be done? However, with a theatrical version, suddenly everyone was expecting these cats to be photo-realistic? The new version of the cats looks fairly similar to the old versions, just now without the makeup, the actor’s faces look that much more jarring. “Digital fur-technology” has me a little worried, but I put my faith in this new retelling of the musical. I too was startled by weird CGI faces and I saw memes comparing this to Sonic The Hedgehog and the genie in Disney’s Aladdin, another musical where suddenly people thought it would look anything but like a blue Will Smith. Where Cats goes from here Obviously the cast and creative team behind Cats have faith in their work. If they didn’t, the trailer would have been dumped much later in the year to try and save face. I still think this film is going to be gorgeous and I will have to get over my disdain for the cat’s faces, but I had to do that when I saw the original too. Disney’s Aladdin opened strong back in May and eventually that disdain for Will Smith’s Genie fizzled out. Sure, there are people who don’t like the film, and that’s okay. There are people who don’t like the new Lion King or Les Miserables. Either way, I think those crews did their best and society will move on. I do worry that Cats will be buried by Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker but then again, The Greatest Showman opened against The Last Jedi and found its audience in January and February. Universal’s Cats deserves its time to shine, hideous CGI and all. It was never going to look realistic and after 30 years, everyone should have known that. For now, just enjoy Jennifer Hudson’s rendition of “Memory.” Watch the trailer for Cats (2019) now and let me know what you think in the comments below.
Many might remember that October day back in 2014 when Kevin Feige, head of Marvel Studios, announced nine new films that would round out Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The Marvel Event was a grand spectacle at the El Capitan Theatre that showed how dedicated Disney and Marvel was to the franchise and the story. Since then, many things have changed in the MCU, including movie titles, release dates, and more. However, as we round out the first week of May, which that initial announced lineup ended on, five years later, we are all left to wonder…what comes next? In the wake of Avengers: Endgame, ending a 22-film saga, one can’t help but wonder where our heroes go from here. Can we expect an announcement from Kevin Feige soon? Will it include the next five years? Let’s dive in. LOOKING TO THE PAST Phase One of the MCU saw heroes like Iron Man, the Hulk, Captain America and Thor team up in The Avengers after each having their own solo film. Many fans expected this formula to happen again with Phase Two of the MCU, culminating in Avengers: Age of Ultron. We learned three important things in Phase Two: First, Iron Man 3 completed a trilogy of stand-alone films. No character since then has gone beyond three movies and one might expect that the goal of the MCU is to give each character a three-movie arc. Second, Guardians of the Galaxy proved that the MCU didn’t need to rely on the core Avengers team to be successful. Lastly, Phase Two of the MCU didn’t end with Avengers: Age of Ultron like many thought it would. It ended with the introduction of Ant-Man, who would be vital in Phase Three and was a fitting epilogue to the second phase. What does this mean? Well, that there really are no rules to how specific phases are set up and Kevin Feige wants to tell a good story first and foremost. Most fans thought Phase Three would have six films, just like Phase One and Two. But that wasn’t the case either. The only thing that has seemed to stay constant is that no character has had two solo movies in the same phase. THE PHENOMENON OF PHASE THREE After the El Capitan event, every studio suddenly wanted to create its own universe. Warner Brothers announced its slate of movies years in advance (and it didn’t pan out like they planned.) Universal hoped to kick off its “Dark Universe” with The Mummy and let’s be honest, that didn’t work either. The reason? Marvel Studios had a solid game plan with good stories, and it had room to be flexible. So Feige announced nine movies that would culminate in a two-part “Infinity War” film in 2019. What made it to theaters was a little different. The first change was that there were 11 movies in the third phase of the MCU, not nine. While Captain America: Civil War, Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume Two and Doctor Strange came out without any problems, a deal between Sony and Marvel culminated in another film being added to the lineup. Spider-Man: Homecoming took the July spot from Thor: Ragnarok which moved to November 2017. This moved Black Panther to a new February 2018 spot just before Avengers: Infinity War. Ultimately, I think this helped the Black Panther movie to become a massive phenomenon and Infinity War added more Wakanda scenes because of it. The other change is that Infinity War became a single MCU movie rather than a two-part film. The follow-up was later titled Avengers: Endgame. Both Avengers films were moved to April instead of May. Ant-Man and the Wasp was another MCU film not initially announced. This took Captain Marvel’s July 2018 spot and bumped that back to March 2019, another big success early in the year for the MCU. Now we are caught up and after the big *spoilers* five-year jump in Endgame, there are a lot of questions left to answer. The last movie announced back in 2014 was an Inhumans movie. This was pulled from the schedule, for a mediocre TV series instead, and replaced with another Spider-Man film, Spider-Man: Far From Home. Like Ant-Man ended Phase Two, Spider-Man will end Phase Three. After this week’s new trailer, we can finally see why. The new Spider-Man film will focus heavily on the loss of Tony Stark and the effects of The Snap. This means it will be a fitting epilogue to Endgame. LOOKING AHEAD As of right now, there are no MCU films announced after Spider-Man: Far From Home. There are a lot of rumors and unconfirmed projects that we will talk about, but the 23-film “Infinity Saga” and first 11 years of the MCU ends in 2019. 2020 begins a new story both theatrically and on the new streaming service, Disney+. There are eight theatrical release dates currently scheduled for Marvel through 2022. I am going to predict that these eight films, along with another unannounced Spider-Man film from Sony, will make up Phase Four of the MCU. Before we get into what I think will be announced, here’s when I think they will be announced. Assuming that Marvel doesn’t do a random Marvel Event like El Capitan again, I would bet that Phase Four of the MCU will be announced at San Diego Comic Con 2019 in July. This is just two weeks after the new Spider-Man movie and one month before D23 in August. I don’t think these films will be announced at D23, because that will be reserved for Disney+ and animation announcements, but Comic Con would be the perfect place to celebrate the past and layout the future. (Now, there is the possibility that Kevin Feige will only announce the 2020 slate of films, but let’s dream big and say he announces all of Phase Four, which will span three years. This isn’t too much to ask for a studio that once announced a five-year plan. Maybe we will get a five-year plan, and if so, I will lay out my guesses for that as well.) Now, these dates are solid as of May 2019. The movies, however, are predictions. Black Widow May 2020 This is all but confirmed with a director and writers already on board. Scarlett Johansson is even reported to be a producer. Rachel Weisz and David Harbour have been confirmed to appear. I expect this film to be a prequel, and a perfect way to start off the new phase. With Black Widow dead in the MCU canon, it will be intriguing to see where she gets her start. I expect we will se Jeremy Renner return and finally see what happened in Budapest. If I was writing this movie, I would have a cameo from Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury at the end offering Black Widow a job with SHIELD. This could bridge the gap between Captain Marvel and Iron Man as well as be a little nod at the first end-credit scene from that film. DISNEY+ Loki Series 2020 This has already been announced but we don’t know exactly how Loki will appear in the series. I am guessing this will be a young Loki as there have been rumors to that notion, but who knows what could happen. The one thing I do know, this has to come early in the year, maybe Spring 2020. The Eternals November 2020 Once again, we are expected to get a new team line-up much like The Guardians of the Galaxy team. However, rumor has it we will se Angelina Jolie in this film and that alone makes me think things are farther along than we originally expected. DISNEY+ WandaVision Now I know that everyone has been making fun of the name, but WandaVision has actually grown on me. I am expecting two things to come out of this six-episode story. First, I think the series will mostly be set in Wanda’s mind, and she will be creating a fictional version of Vision with a 1950’s aesthetic. Second, I think the ending of this series will introduce us to Wiccan and Speed, Wanda’s twin sons. This is inevitable setting up a Young Avengers franchise. Black Panther 2 February 2021 After the success of the first Black Panther movie, it was inevitable that Ryan Coogler would be brought back for a sequel. This February release date only makes sense. Now if I were to be bold, I would predict that we are going to see Black Panther team up with Old Man Cap to fight off Namor the submariner. DISNEY+ Falcon/Winter Soldier Spring 2021 Following the events of Black Panther 2 and Endgame, we get to see a team up from Falcon and The Winter Soldier as Falcon is adjusting to becoming the new Captain America. Shang Chi May 2021 The fourth MCU film of Phase Four will introduce the world (and China) to Shang-Chi. I have no clue what to expect from this. A martial arts film with a big budget, I guess? DISNEY+ Hawkeye and Kate Bishop Summer 2021 The fourth Disney+ series introduces us to Kate Bishop, who takes up the mantle of Hawkeye. (Are you keeping track? Young Loki, Wiccan and Speed, Kate Bishop? Seems like a team is forming.) Doctor Strange 2 November 2021 Five years seems like a long time to wait for a Doctor Strange Sequel, so maybe this will be switched with Black Panther 2, but either way, I am calling it now. Hulk teams up with Strange for a demonic adventure or an adventure in the Savage Land. Captain Marvel 2 February 2022 I think this will be another prequel, this time set in the 2000’s. Not that it matters because it will take place in space and Carol Danvers will be facing the Super Skrull. Yeah, you thought they were all good? Think again. Danvers needs to protect the son of the Skrull Princess, Hulkling. *Whispers: Young Avengers* Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3 May 2022 This is also pretty much confirmed. Thor is now with the Guardians and they need the help from the Ravagers, including Sylvester Stalone and Miley Cyrus, to find Gamora. Who is Gamora? Why is Gamora? Where is Gamora? Ant-Man 3 July 2022 Will this be Ant-Man and The Wasp 2? I don’t know, but I do know we will see Stature, Cassie Lang, in this film. YOuNG AVenGeRS! And that concludes the 8 film spots, but wait, what’s this? Another Spidey Film from Sony? Okay! Spider-Man: Home for the Holidays November 2022 Thing about it, Spidey is left in New York over the holidays while Aunt May goes on a cruise with Happy Hogan? And then, oh no, The Sinister Six plans to ruin his time home from College? Not today! (Also, there is an end-credit scene where we see Spider-Man meet his new team. (Young Loki, Hulkling, Wiccan, Speed, Stature, Kate Bishop and Spidey. They are under the guidance of the New Avengers, Vision, Ant-Man, Shang-Chi, Captain Marvel and Black Panther.) DISNEY+ The Young Avengers Spring 2023 And this is what it has all been leading up to. It’s not a big event, but it’s a series with these characters. Iron Lad, Ty Simkins from Iron Man 3 is the anti-hero of the series. He has started using Stark Tech for harmful purposes. However, by the end of the film he is brought onto the team. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? PHASE FIVE AND BEYOND So, if all of those theories pan out, here is what I would like to see in a possible Phase Five and Six, which I know won’t be announced. Black Panther 3 – February 2023 Thor and Valkyrie – May 2023 Doctor Strange 3 – November 2023 Fantastic Four – May 2024 Captain Marvel 3 -July 2024 Eternals 2 – November 2024 Nova- March 2025 Dark Avengers -May 2025 Kang Iron Lad, Norman Osborn and the return of Tony Stark X-Men November 2025 Shang Chi 2 – March 2026 Avengers vs Xmen Part One May -2026 Fantastic Four 2 – July 2026 Avengers vs Xmen Part Two May 2027 I know these are crazy, but who knows. The multi-verse is the limit. [email protected] @GrahamWoodMedia Ever since Avengers: Infinity War premiered a year ago on this day, people have been wondering “what comes next?” Now, with the release of Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame everything has been revealed, and boy, was it amazing.
Granted, yes, there are a lot of plot holes in the film that come about because time travel is a stupid plot device and I really hate it. However, Endgame is a love letter to all the MCU fans who have been on this ride since the very beginning with Iron Man in 2008. SPOILERS AHEAD The film starts off with Hawkeye, who was notably absent in Infinity Wars he has given up the superhero life to live on his ranch with his daughter, two sons, dog and wife. We see him teaching his daughter how to shoot a bow and arrow. Everything seems great but the audience knows what’s about to happen. Thanos snaps his fingers. Suddenly, half of all living things disappears from existence, as seen in the last film, and for Clint Barton, that includes everyone in his family. Even his dog. It’s no wonder he goes all John Wick on everyone when we next catch up with him. Cut to- Tony and Nebula are on a ship floating in space with no way home. Nebula is one character that I have always loved, especially since her redemption arc in Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 2. Nebula has become much more human and has a few touching moments with Tony, who has always felt more machine than human. Suddenly Captain Marvel is in space and is rescuing Tony where he is reunited with the original Avengers and Pepper Potts. This is the first time that I can remember that the MCU has required viewers to have seen a post-credits scene, this time from Captain Marvel. That scene is the only thing that bridges her movie, the pager in Infinity War and her appearance in Endgame which is odd because we all thought that first appearance would be much bigger. It wasn’t. Now that Tony is on Earth and sickly, he is resting but not before he gets a few verbal gut-shots in with Steve Rogers first. The team then plans to go after Thanos, just 22 days after the snap, now that Nebula has been able to tell them where he is. When they get to The Garden, where Thanos is ranching, we see that he has already destroyed the stones, harming himself, and doesn’t regret his actions. Suddenly, the biggest twist ever in a movie (if you’ve stayed away from theories) is that Thor chops off Thanos’ head in the first 10 minutes of this film. From there, all hope seems lost and the film cuts to five years later. Yes, the majority of everything seen in the trailers is at the beginning of this movie. The rest is a blank slate that can only include the one thing everyone figured was coming…time travel. The next 30 minutes seems very gloomy but there is plenty of room for comedy in the film. Sometimes too much comedy, but I wouldn’t be a Marvel fan if that bugged me. Ant-Man comes back, and his daughter is grown, we see that Hulk has become one with Banner and is now quote-unqoute Professor Hulk, and we find out that Natasha runs the Avengers all over the world with heroes reporting to her. The biggest surprise, even though it was foreshadowed in the beginning of Infinity War, Tony has a daughter. This is all cute and great (sarcastic, it’s sad) until Ant-Man believes he’s figured out time travel and they go to get Tony’s help and he solves Time Travel instantly. Yes, the next hour is basically Hot Tub Time Machine meets an MCU greatest hits reel. Things get crazy, they get emotional, they get exciting and they get confusing. That’s okay, because it works. The last hour of the movie is a huge finale fitting for the entire saga. That’s all I’m going to say about that. BIGGER, BADDER, MORE SPOILER-Y SPOILERS AHEAD: Now, when watching Infinity War I made a list of questions that I wanted answered and here I want to go chronologically and write about whether these things were answered or not. Where’s Valkyrie and Korg? When the film opens, we can assume Valkyrie and Korg have fled. Recently we learned that Valkyrie will be in “Avengers Endgame” so I assume this mystery will be solved there. Indeed, this was answered, sort of. We know that a bunch of Asgardians did live and are living on Earth (in what I assume is Norway) in a town called New Asgard. Meek and Korg are alive. Valkyrie is in charge. Everything is good, except Thor, which we will discuss later. However, it isn’t explicitly said how they escaped but I can fill in the blanks. Hulk is bested. During “Infinity War” Hulk seems to be too shy to come out. This will obviously have to be addressed in “Endgame.” It’s been five years, so I guess Hulk worked out his issues. However, he never fights Thanos again or does anything interesting in this film…so...to be continued, I guess? Wong guarding the sanctum? I am sure we will see more Wong in “Endgame.” As sure as I was, I don’t think we saw him at all except for in the end. That said, we did see Tilda Swinton again so that rocked my socks. "No more surprises" Tony promises pepper. He said he dreams he's having a child. These are obvious teases for what’s to come. Whether that means Pepper really is pregnant, maybe we will see the wedding finally. No matter what, this has to be resolved in “Endgame.” Damn it. This film did the thing. Tony comes home. He has a child. AND THEN HE DIES. I am so sad and salty, but I really do think there could be a future for Tony to come back 10 years down the line. Let Robert Downey Jr. take a decade off. What happened on Xandar? I guess this never really has to be addressed. It’s scary enough knowing that Thanos decimated an entire civilization in the pursuit of the first stone. However, I would like to return to Xandar soon. If not in “Endgame” then maybe in “Captain Marvel 2,” “Guardians of the Galaxy 3,” or “The Eternals.” Like I said, I still want to return. I’m disappointed it didn’t happen here, but it was still cool that we got to see another point of view of the opening to the original Guardians film. We see the Spider-Sense for the first time in the MCU. And we better see it again in “Spider-Man: Far From Home.” And we better see it again in “Spider-Man: Far From Home.” Ned? Aunt May? Were they dusted? If we don’t find out in “Endgame” then we better find out in the Spider-Man sequel. Whelp. I have more questions about them being dusted now that they are back than I did a year ago when they were dusted. More info about the children of Thanos? I don’t see us getting any answers about this. Maybe they will show up again in “Endgame,” but I would love a film all about Thanos. They did show up again, albeit briefly. Why don’t all the stones have protection spells? This may be nit-picky, but if the stones aren’t destroyed, we better see them all have protection spells going forward. This is one thing I am most upset about. I really thought that they would keep the stones but separate them. I understand why it happened, but does this mean the stones are really gone forever? Will we ever see full grown Groot again? Hopefully he is full grown by “Guardians 3.” See above. When did Vision and Scarlet Witch become official? If we don’t see more of them in “Endgame” we will hopefully get more of their story in the standalone TV series on Disney+ next year. I’m even more worried now because Vision isn’t even alive. But we know he will be in “WandaVision” so there’s that. How did Gamora find the soul stone? We will probably never find out. Gamora is back, at least. Kind of. Bruce and Nat's relationship!? This has to be in “Endgame.” It wasn’t even addressed. Only hinted at. I’m so disappointed because now Natasha is dead. Cap and Iron man reunion. This has to be in “Endgame.” It happened but I don’t think they ever forgave each other. Everett Ross and the Sakovia Accords? This has to be in “Endgame” or “Spider-Man.” I don’t even know where the world stands on this now. More Red Skull? I don’t care where, but he needs to pop up again. He did. Yay! Now give me more. What happened on Titan? Maybe this will be foreshadowed in “Eternals” since he says, “I ignored my destiny once. I cannot do it again.” Tell me more. How does Wakanda handle the loss of its leader? What Asgardians are still alive? This has to be in “Endgame.” Tell me more. Will Star Lord get his redemption arc? If not in “Endgame” maybe in “Guardians 3.” Thor is now in the Guardians so that is exciting in itself, but will it take away from his arc? Why does Thanos know Tony? Will goose appear? Doctor Strange knew that Tony is the key to defeating Thanos. All of this and more need to be answered in “Endgame.” Honestly, if “Avengers: Endgame” is anything like the last 20 minutes of “Infinity War,” I'm going to have a stroke. Anthony and Joe Russo have taken on a massive cinematic feat that is matched by nothing in history. Okay, so that ending. Let me say this: Avengers: Endgame gave me so much of what I wanted that I can’t complain about the stuff I didn’t get. There will be another 10 or 20 years of the MCU, at least. I can be patient. Maybe a lot will be revealed on Disney+. STAN LEE CAMEO Stan Lee’s final MCU cameo was in this film, and that is so sad. However, it was great to see his cameo be a de-aged version of himself in the 70’s. I loved it. I hope they find a great way to honor Stan going forward. ‘Nuff said. END CREDITS SCENE There are no end credit scenes and that is GENIUS. I am glad this film can be an actual “conclusion” (which I put in quotes because it obviously sets a lot up still) and that it can leave the audience on a note that feels final. Those credits were beautiful and felt elegant. They were reminiscent of Star Trek and the Twilight Saga as they each ended their films and said goodbye to their stars. I loved it. CONCLUSION What else can I say? It is impossible for me to look at this film without bias because I have invested so much, and I love this saga. That said, I know there are parts that are goofy, and I know that there are people who don’t like this film. However, if I have one last thing to say as we close this chapter of the MCU, it would be to don’t let others determine what makes you happy. This Infinity Saga has been incredible, and I have been honored to live in a time to witness it. Excelsior. [email protected] @GrahamWoodMedia Amberley Snyder can check “appear in a biopic about myself” off her bucket list. The Utah State University alumna spent the summer of 2018 as a stunt double and resource for the Netflix movie “Walk. Ride. Rodeo.” The upcoming biopic is based on her own life story as a barrel-racer and the car crash that left her paralyzed from the waist down. The film, which focuses on Snyder and her mother, is a tale about overcoming trauma and making the best out of the life one is given. Snyder knows a lot about that topic. After her crash in 2010, Snyder was in the hospital and physical therapy for months but eventually found herself back in the saddle riding horses again. She graduated from USU in 2015 and received her master’s degree last year. “I was raised to have an attitude to persevere, work hard and continue to strive for my goals no matter what,” Snyder said. “Having been raised that way and having parents who are examples of that made it easier to keep going regardless of the wheelchair.” Snyder said that she knew reliving the event would be traumatic, and when a production company first approached her to make the movie she was uncomfortable with the idea. Snyder said it was “exciting yet challenging” to see herself portrayed on screen. Tina, Snyder’s mother, thought the film would inspire others and touch lives. “They really took special care in how they brought about her story,” Tina said. “Walk. Ride. Rodeo.” stars Spencer Locke as Snyder and Missi Pyle as her mother. However, unique to this film, Snyder does all the stunts herself. This was non-negotiable for Snyder in allowing the production company to tell her story. “I sometimes look at my life and think of where I might be if not for this,” Snyder said of her injury. “It is so hard to guess. I am a true believer in ‘everything happens for a reason,’ so I feel that I had a purpose to serve and am hopefully serving it. There was a reason I am in the situation I am in and have to believe that.” Snyder said there were many times she wanted to quit rodeo, but her passion kept her going. “[Rodeo] is the place where I still get to compete and accomplish my life goals” Snyder said. “I truly treasure the moments I get to have on my horse in or out of the rodeo arena because it gives me the opportunity to be like everyone else, and that means a lot.” After her accident, Snyder had to make adjustments to her horse-riding technique. “I have a seat belt and other modifications on my saddle that hold me in and keep me center when I compete,” Snyder said. “When I get on my horse, I don’t worry about my legs, but more on my voice, hands, balance and communication with my horse. Balance is a huge factor for me now. I have to constantly be aware and one step ahead of my horse or I will be thrown off center.” Snyder also had to adjust her own expectations of riding as she worked to get back in the saddle. “Mentally, it is freeing yet challenging. In the beginning, I struggled because I wanted riding to be just like it was before,” Snyder said. “That was not realistic, and it took a lot of time to accept that. I have to understand my abilities and then use what I have. This is a challenge both on and off my horses.” Even though Snyder’s gig as a movie star is coming to a close, Snyder likes to keep busy. “Rodeo season is beginning, and my sisters have been training,” Snyder said. “I am always booking speeches for the months ahead. I absolutely love to travel and share my story in the hopes of helping others with their challenges.” Going forward, Snyder wants to speak in all 50 states and internationally. Snyder also wants to finish her second book and make it back to The American Rodeo. “I just bought by own home, so I can check that goal off the list,” Snyder said. More than anything, Snyder wants to continue to inspire others to keep going no matter what difficulties come their way. “I feel we all have obstacles. Some are seen and some are not, but everyone faces their challenges,” Snyder said. “I hope that with my story, people can find strength to overcome what they are facing. We don’t always get to choose what happens to us, but we do get to choose what comes next.” “Walk. Ride. Rodeo.” will be available for streaming on Netflix beginning March 8. —[email protected] @GrahamWoodMedia |
Erick L. Graham Wood
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