Watch: Charming New John Lewis Ad, The Bear & the Hare

John Lewis always have great Christmas adverts. This year's one - as well as being part of a £7 million advertising blitz campaign (including "television, social media, soft toys, in-store events and even a mini manmade forest on the banks of the Thames" - via The Guardian) - is a great little animated piece, with a little bit of Disney in it.

The Wind Rises's Upcoming U.S. Release Stirs Up More Controversy

The Wind Rises will be opening in LA and New York City this weekend from the 8th through the 14th of November for an Oscar qualifying run. Though my review of the film, along with others, from the New York Film Festival, was incredibly positive, there's been some apprehension popping up regarding its US release.

Frozen, The Wind Rises, Monsters U and 16 More Submitted for Oscar Consideration

AMPAS have announced the 19 animated film that are in contention for a nomination for Best Animated Feature at the upcoming 86th Academy Awards. Among the contenders are the likely big-name frontrunners: Disney's upcoming Frozen, Miyazaki's final film, The Wind Rises, and Pixar's latest, Monsters University; there are also smaller scale films, like French animated pic, Ernest & Celestine (which won the Best Animated Film gong at the César Awards, the French equivalent to the Oscars, back in February). Check out the full list of films submitted for consideration below, complete with their Rotten Tomatoes score (current at the time of writing), where there is one.

The Wrap Calls Frozen "Disney’s Best Animated Musical Since Beauty and the Beast"

We're under a month away from the release of Disney's 53rd animated feature, and the glowing reviews are already coming in. We've seen it called the "Greatest Disney Animated Event Since The Lion King," and a new review from The Wrap calls it the best since Beauty and the Beast! "Proactive princesses and catchy tunes make for a winning combo in this updating of Hans Christian Andersen’s “Snow Queen”," says the review.

The Wrap's Alonso Duralde praises the film on pretty much every level, from music, to story, to the film's message. Check out highlights from the review below - but if you're reading the full one, beware of spoilers:

Munir’s Disney Retrospective - Animated Classic #42: Lilo & Stitch (2002)

Last Week’s: Munir’s Disney Retrospective - Animated Classic #41: Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001).

When Lilo & Stitch came out in 2002, I was in a phase where I no longer cared for Disney Animation films. After Tarzan, my excitement and interest for Disney films was gone, and replaced by enthusiasm for Pixar's output, which was (and still is) formidable. So, while I was disenchanted by films like Atlantis and Dinosaur, I was utterly thrilled by Toy Story 2 and Monsters, Inc. By the time Lilo & Stitch was released, I was completely devoted to Pixar, so I wasn't excited by this film. When I first saw it, more than ten years ago, I wasn't impressed and quickly discarded it like I did with so many of its contemporaries. As I got older and wiser (hopefully), I've come to realise how good Lilo & Stitch is and how it has stood the test of time to become a true Disney classic.