‘Encanto’ review: Magic isn’t the true magic of Disney’s family musical comedy

Disney and magic go hand in hand. It’s like peanut better and jelly. Ben and Jerry’s. Soda and popcorn. I skipped lunch today. Disney’s Encanto is full of enough magic to power three more Frozen sequels, but it surprisingly isn’t…

‘Tick, Tick…Boom!’ review: Not as uplifting a tune as you may think

Maybe it’s an unpopular opinion, but Tick Tick…Boom! isn’t a blast. From the official trailer, the filmed musical adaptation of the late Jonathan Larson’s most personal story gives the impression that it will be a grand, theatrical masterpiece. One that…

‘Vivo’ Q&A with Lin-Manuel Miranda

The new Netflix animated musical, Vivo, was recently screened by the Hispanic Federation and Netflix in New York with Lin-Manuel Miranda, voice of Vivo himself, in attendance. Set to stream on Netflix starting August 6, the film is about love…

First teaser trailer for ‘Encanto’ reveals a ‘powerless’ Disney princess in a new, enchanting place

“Maybe your gift is being in denial.” – Encanto Bursting with color and energy, Walt Disney Animation Studios released the teaser trailer for their upcoming kid-friendly (and animated) film, Encanto, set to be released on November 24, 2021. While the…

‘In the Heights’ review: a magical tribute to what the American Dream should be

Once upon a time, Lin-Manuel Miranda set his prodigious sights on Broadway with an inaugural, autobiographical musical that quickly set him up for New York exposure and (eventually) worldwide attention through his obviously ubiquitous follow-up. In the Heights, however, is…

The best moments of Hamilton on Disney Plus

By now, most of us have at least three Hamilton songs stuck in our heads. We don’t blame you. It’s inevitable. The pop culture phenomenon Hamilton has once again taken center stage this summer. Since Disney+ introduced a more accessible way to view this…

The Young Folks’ Top 50 Albums of the 2010s

In a decade that saw the rise of streaming, the album came out of the 2010s alive and well. The LP rose again, dwarfing the dying compact disc by the end of the decade, and some of the biggest artists…