Author Archives: Mike Bastoli

About Mike Bastoli

Mike Bastoli covers the world of animation on Big Screen Animation. From 2007 to 2011, he covered Pixar Animation Studios exclusively on The Pixar Blog. His blog became one of the most popular on the Web dedicated to Pixar news. In 2009, The New York Times online called it the “definitive unofficial chronicler of the animation powerhouse.” Besides Disney and Pixar, Mike is an avid fan of Apple and The Beatles. His favorite non-animated films include Forrest Gump, Father of the Bride (I &II), Jurassic Park, and Good Night and Good Luck. Mike is active on Twitter @BigScreenToons. He resides near Toronto.

‘Chimpanzee’: Resist the Urge to Hug the Screen

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Mike Bastoli

Over the past few years, the Toronto International Film Festival, which now hosts programming year-round, has been host to some memorable Disney film experiences; i.e. the world premieres of Waking Sleeping Beauty and Pixar’s Hawaiian Vacation. The trend continued this past Friday as … Continue reading →

Posted in disneynature | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Review: War Horse is Traditional, Sentimental

Posted on December 22, 2011 by Mike Bastoli

“I, Albert Narracott, do solemnly swear that we shall be together again.” War Horse easily ranks as one of my most anticipated films this year. Since reading the book by Michael Morpurgo back in February, I looked forward to seeing … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

‘Muppets’ Deserves Best Picture Nomination

Posted on November 28, 2011 by Mike Bastoli

The Muppets is currently the best reviewed wide-release film of 2011 and with good reason: it’s a comic and musical tour de force. (John and I will agree to disagree.) At 98% “Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes with 132 reviews counted, three unfavourable—“Rotten”—reviews are all stand … Continue reading →

Posted in Muppets | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

The Muppets is One of Year’s Best

Posted on November 21, 2011 by Mike Bastoli

At one point in the writing process, I considered putting this review to song—that’s how much I enjoyed The Muppets, opening in theatres Wednesday. It’s the best comedy of the year. Jason Segal and co. have done for the Muppets what … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Movies, Muppets, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 13 Comments

‘Muppets’ Soundtrack Album Available Today

Posted on November 21, 2011 by Mike Bastoli

Update: Amazon has a sale on MP3 ($4.99) or CD ($6.99). Thank you to many readers for pointing this out. The Muppets original soundtrack finally went on sale today from Walt Disney Records. It’s available on CD and iTunes for only … Continue reading →

Posted in Muppets, Music | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments