Drew Taylor & Jim Hill Discuss Top Gun Maverick, Super Mario Bros. Delay, and Bugs Bunny's Legacy

Top Gun Maverick Acclaim

• 🚀 Top Gun Maverick is hailed as the best audience movie of the year, with reports of grown men weeping and applause breaking out multiple times during screenings.
• 🎬 Director Joseph Kosinski, known for "Tron Legacy" and "Only the Brave," is praised for delivering an emotional and visually striking film.
• 💰 Exhibitors at CinemaCon, a notoriously tough crowd, were deeply moved, indicating strong box office potential.

Animated Film Updates and Delays

• 🕸️ The animated sequels "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" and "Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse" have had their titles confirmed, with a significant number of characters and universes planned.
• 🍄 "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish" has been pushed to December 21st, while "Super Mario Bros." is now slated for an April 7th, 2023 release.
• 🌟 The "Super Mario Bros." delay is strategically linked to the opening of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood, aiming for a joint promotional event.
• 🐺 "The Bad Guys" from DreamWorks has received strong reviews and box office performance, indicating a return for family films.
• 🚀 "Lightyear" is generating excitement, with details emerging about its art book signed by key creatives.

Animation Industry News and History

• ✍️ The "Disney Revolt" book is highlighted as a definitive history of the 1941 animation strike, a largely untold story due to lingering emotions.
• 🎨 Drew Taylor interviewed animators Mark Henn and Eric Goldberg about a new 2D sketchbook series for Disney Plus, noting their continued passion and openness.
• 🐿️ The trailer for "Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers" on Disney Plus has dropped, featuring a mix of animation styles and numerous cameo appearances.
• 🐇 The discussion delves into the history of Bugs Bunny's cross-dressing, noting its frequent use as a gag and its later interpretation by Chuck Jones as potentially non-binary or trans.
• 🎤 RuPaul revealed that Bugs Bunny introduced him to drag, underscoring the character's cultural impact.

Other Entertainment News

• 🦇 The animated series "Harley Quinn" is moving to HBO Max for its third season, with a spin-off series, "Kite Man," also greenlit.
• 🚗 "Minions: The Rise of Gru" is set to release on July 1st, with Steve Carell hyping the film at CinemaCon.
• 🎭 A concert celebrating the music of Kristen and Bobby Lopez, "For the First Time in Forever," featured performances from "Book of Mormon," "Avenue Q," "Coco," and "Frozen."
• 🎬 "Only Murders in the Building" season two is set to premiere on June 28th.
• 💥 New trailers for "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning" have been released, described as "Fallout to the nth degree."