Which (Disney) film-critic do you appriciate the most?

[BelleGirl]

I don't know if any poll or discussion has been held in the past about (Disney) film-critics, So I thought it was nice to start one myself.
Of course critcs have been mentioned in passing when discussing Disney-films: UD- members writing about critics they were annoyed with because of their nasty comment about Disney films or because the are obvious haters of everything Disney.
I myself get annoyed when a critics pans a Disney-film merely because it does not suit his own personal convictions ("there is no good Christian message in this movie";"It shows ultra-conservative values" etc.), but the most annoying are critics that ascribe motives to Disney for producing a certain movie while it's obvious that these motives are a figment of their own imagination.

Here are some well-known (and I reckon fair) critics to choose from. If your favourite is not among them, there is the option to choose "other".

[2099net]

Mark Kermode, because of his "Kermodian" rants. (Any one who listens to the BBC R5 podcasts will know what that's all about, and I've done my bit - the dictionary does monitor webpages!).

Seriously, I like Kermode because he almost always has strong opinions and passion in his reviews, even if he is sometimes IMO misguided. He doesn't particularly care for Disney films, but it doesn't particularly care for children's films in general if he sees them as being "safe" and not with hints of darkness. He is a big fan of The Witches for example, because he likes the darkness within it - he even moans about the film's ending which is "happier" than the books.

Basically, I just like Kermode. I don't think he has an anti-Disney agenda as such - he wouldn't slag a film off because it was from Disney (he loves Enchanted too I've just remembered)

[BelleGirl]

I just cast my own vote. I voted Richard Corliss (from Time Magazine). Maybe you can call him a 'devoted parasite' - for I yet have to see a review by him of a Disney animated movie that's unfavorable - but he takes these movies and the animator's work serious (no talking down, open to new ways of telling a story), shows enthousiasm and passion, and can just get to the core of things.
I particularly like his his review of Pocahontas which is a perfect example of the characteristics mentioned above.

[Disneykid]

Roger Ebert's my favorite, and it's not because he's easily the most famous one. He's my favorite because I find myself agreeing with a lot of his reviews and ratings, and he at least will mention the pros of films he didn't particularly care for and the cons for films he loved. Ebert reviews the films for what they are rather than trying to constantly compare them to some sort of lofty pedestal.

That's what annoys me about Leonard Maltin. Even though he obviously loves the company and writes good reviews (I even own his The Disney Films book), he's extremely hard to please. He repeatedly compares every Disney movie to the first golden era (Snow White, Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo, and Bambi). The last time he gave a Disney film a four star rating was, I think, Bambi. Heck, the last Disney film he gave a 3 1/2 star rating was Beauty and the Beast. Compare that to Roger Ebert, whose last four-star Disney film was Tarzan, and whose last 3 1/2 one was Lilo & Stitch.

[Simba3]

I voted for Leonard Maltin. He usually has some pretty good insight, and I love his enthusiasm for Disney films.

[MerXAN]

Leonard Maltin

[Disney-Fan]

Sign me up for Roger. The only film critic I'd truly care for his opinion. He's open-minded, enjoys all sorts of genres and is far from being the eletistic snub that most critics seem to enjoy being.

[Dottie]

I just love Roger Ebert since he is one of the few critics who can see a movie for what it is: entertainment and fun. He never forgets that and he is able to appreciate it when a movie just makes you happy and. He also knows how artistic movies can be and what makes a real classic and that a good movie is not only about how depressing or realistic or violent a movie is.
Like Disney-Fan said I also like about him that he watches many genres and his style of writing is down-to-earth and he always makes his point clear and he is very funny sometimes, depending on the movie. No wonder he's a Pulitzer Prize winner.

[PeterPanfan]

Roger Egbert is my favorite. I agree with Disneykid with the fact that Roger reviews a film as a film, and doesn't compare it to the "Golden Era", with the Disney ones.

[dvdjunkie]

I NEVER pay any attention to critics of movie. I feel that is always one person's opinion of a movie, and he or she may not share the same likes and dislikes that I have with movies.

I do however read Leonard Maltin's reviews of all movies, and think that he is more fair than most critics when it comes to bad movies. He is not afraid to call a movie 'fair' when everyone else is raving about it. I also think that he does have his favorites, as do most critics, so I always pick a movie to watch because it looks like something I would like to see, and with prices the way they are at the cinema, if I haven't seen a trailer for the film I probably will wait for the DVD.

Movies to avoid so far look like the leader of the pack is "Beverly Hills Chihuahua"!!!! That movie looks absolutely awful. Who thinks up these things anyway???