Netflix Graced By Two More Disney Classics

As the wonderful Frozen sets box office records in theaters, Netflix has added more Disney magic to the home viewing world with the arrivals of The Sword in the Stone and Robin Hood. I was asleep at the switch when these two classics appeared last week: Many thanks to Josie Becker for alerting me to these welcome additions to the Netflix streaming lineup!

Both these films feature great character animation, and The Sword in the Stone is one of my very favorite Disney movies. What a great pair to watch beside a crackling fireplace this winter!

Netflix Invaded by Pirates of the Caribbean

Rejoice, all ye fans of swashbuckling, dark comedy and undead scallawags. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (the one truly great Pirates of the Caribbean movie) has landed on the shores of Netflix for instant streaming.

If I'm not mistaken, this actually marks a return of the film to Netflix, following a lengthy absence that began when the Netflix/Stars agreement ended. This new appearance falls under the terms of the more recent Netflix/Disney arrangement.

One way or the other, it's great to see this film available once again. Even if you feel a bit burned out by all the sequels, over-exposure and classic ride makeovers, Black Pearl remains a fresh, imaginative and (thanks to outstanding performances by all four leads) tremendously likable film.

A Classic and a Clunker hit Netflix

The much-loved compilation film, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, has arrived on Netflix for digital streaming. Fans will be pleased to find it's the good version, not the awful cable TV edition from years back that substituted Tigger Too with the cheaply-made Day for Eeyore.

This happy arrival completely makes up for the other new addition: Hunchback of Notre Dame II, one of the awful video sequels that boggles the mind and shames the studio name with its very existence. The best thing I can say about HoND2 is that its production gave employment to animators. Hooray for that, at least.

Goofy Vs. Fountains: Classic Humor at Paradise Pier

On the shores of Paradise Bay, Goofy has been delighting summer guests at Disney California Adventure with a series of quick, funny shows pairing him up with the World of Color fountains. Instant Concert!...Just Add Water is designed to delight all ages, but older fans who've grown up on the classic Goofy cartoons will most appreciate the familiar-sounding narrator who introduces "Maestro Goofy" at the start of each brief show.

True to form, things don't proceed quite as smoothly as the narrator would have us believe as Goofy finds his mechanical, water-spewing "orchestra" to be a bit temperamental.

It's great to see the impressive fountains put to daytime work in such a bright, breezy, light-hearted show, and even better to see Goofy featured so prominently in the day's entertainment. Slowly but surely, classic Disney cartoon references are bringing light-hearted old-time charm to Disney California Adventure. It began with the Silly Symphony Swings and Goofy's Sky School, and now continues through all of Buena Vista Street with nods to everyone from Oswald the Lucky Rabbit to Clarabelle Cow. Instant Concert!...Just Add Water is a welcome and high-spirited blast of classic Disney fun. I hope it's just the beginning of a continuing series with the Goof!