Linda Woolverton Archives

Beauty and the Beast (1991)

Rating: ★★★★

Jul 7, 2000Disney Animation/Fairy-Tale

The start of the 90s renaissance of Disney animation, a beautifully made adaptation of the fairytale that hearkens back to the Disney Golden Age. The only animated film nominated for an Academy Award Best Picture

Director: Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise

Actors: Paige O'Hara, Robby Benson, Richard White, Rex Everhart, …

Category: Fantasy

7 July 200026 November 2025 by Roog

The Lion King (1994)

Rating: ★★★★

Dec 31, 2001Disney Animation/Talking Animals

One of the best films to come out of Disney's animation renaissance during the 1990s, this uses all the studio as its disposal to create a work that is epic in its scope

Director: Rob Minkoff, Roger Allers

Actors: Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, James Earl Jones, …

Category: Fantasy

31 December 200129 December 2024 by Roog

Alice in Wonderland (2010)

Rating: ★★

Mar 9, 2010Alice in Wonderland Adaptation/Epic Adventure

Tim Burton takes on Lewis Carroll but Carroll gets lost beneath Burton doing his usual quirky eccentric thing and a plot that seems to want to turn Alice's adventures into a modern epic fantasy

Director: Tim Burton

Actors: Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, …

Category: Fantasy

9 March 20105 December 2024 by Roog

Maleficent (2014)

Rating: ★★

May 31, 2014Live-Action Prequel to Disney's Sleeping Beauty

Another in the early 2010s fad for fairytales rewritten as dark adult fantasy films – in this case, a version of Disney's Sleeping Beauty told from the viewpoint of the witch

Director: Robert Stromberg

Actors: Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Sharlto Copley, Imelda Staunton, …

Category: Fantasy

31 May 20144 August 2026 by Roog

Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016)

Rating: ★★

Jun 4, 2016Alice in Wonderland Sequel

Sequel to the 2010 Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland. This has even less in common with Lewis Carroll's book sequel than its predecessor did – a total of two scenes. The sets and effects are just pretty eye candy

Director: James Bobin

Actors: Johnny Depp, Mia Wasikowska, Helena Bonham Carter, Sacha Baron Cohen, …

Category: Fantasy

4 June 20167 November 2025 by Roog

Beauty and the Beast (2017)

Rating: ★★★

May 27, 2017Fairy-Tale/Disney Live-Action Remake

This live-action remake of the Disney animated film is mounted with a lavishness. On the other hand, the romance at the centre never fully warms up, while the human characters have the show stolen from under by the cutlery and furnishings

Director: Bill Condon

Actors: Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Kevin Kline, Josh Gad, …

Category: Fantasy

27 May 201726 November 2025 by Roog

The Lion King (2019)

Rating: ★

Oct 19, 2019Disney Live-Action Remake/Talking Animals

Jon Favreau had success recreating The Jungle Book in live-action with CGI animals and does the same with The Lion King - only to produce an exacting, lifeless replication missing the charms of the original

Director: Jon Favreau

Actors: Donald Glover, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Beyoncé Knowles, James Earl Jones, …

Category: Fantasy

19 October 20191 August 2026 by Roog

Maleficent, Mistress of Evil (2019)

Rating: ★★★

Jan 11, 2020Sleeping Beauty Continuation

Nobody much liked Maleficent but did make a reasonable amount of money, hence a sequel. The surprise is that in the hands of Norwegian director Joachim Rønning, it is far better than one expected

Director: Joachim Rønning

Actors: Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Michelle Pfeiffer, Harris Dickinson, …

Category: Fantasy

11 January 20204 August 2026 by Roog