Latest news with #DennisTheMenace
CBC
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Back up the money truck: Lilo & Stitch remake dumbs down a masterpiece
In deciding whether 2002's Lilo & Stitch or the new CGI-aided remake might be more enjoyable to sit down and watch, we surprisingly have a sort of case study to refer back to. It can be found in one of the strangest cases of accidental plagiarism in history: the fact that the world has two iterations of Dennis the Menace. One is likely the version you know: the happy-go-lucky, tow-headed, ham-armed little boy of the Hank Ketcham comic strip that debuted in the U.S. in March of 1951. The other is a slightly less adorable, slightly more gritty export from the U.K. Also debuting in a comic strip, almost unbelievably on the exact same day under the exact same name, this Dennis is a perhaps more honest illustration of the motivations behind — and outlook for — a boy who routinely commits borderline felonies. While the American Dennis would innocently eat a few more cookies than his mom would like, his grimacing English cousin would saw a table in half just because he was bored. How realistically either portray the inner workings of children is up for debate — especially given how the former potentially helped destroy the life of the boy upon whom it was based. But what's obvious is which version had more universal appeal. While U.K. Dennis may enjoy more popularity in his native England (under the title Dennis & Gnasher), Ketcham's franchise has spawned at least three movies, three TV shows and an ongoing comic strip that at one time was syndicated in 48 countries and 19 languages. Perhaps most importantly, Ketcham's was the one that ended up keeping the name. WATCH | Lilo & Stitch trailer: This is not to say the relative differences found within these two pop culture pairs are identical. We have more than a 20-year separation between the two versions of Lilo & Stitch. And Disney's newest version of the Hawaii-set family fable is not, like with Dennis, an accidental remake. But particularly when comparing this animated outing with its live-action afterbirth, Lilo & Stitch 's parallel productions do have something in common with the Menaces. While the 2002 feature depicted its alien anti-hero as a loveable, huggable little brother, 2025's Stitch is a bit more like the one sawing the table in half. Similar story That's despite the fact that, outside of a slightly extended opening that sets us up for a generally more juvenile tone (buckle up for the first of many, many mucus-based jokes), this Lilo & Stitch sticks quite closely to the original. Or at least it appears to. It includes visual gags that operate almost like shot-for-shot remakes. We still follow Lilo Pelekai (Maia Kealoha), a little girl growing up on the island of Kauaʻi, plagued by a mischievous streak. Her parents have still recently passed, leaving her big sister Nani (Sydney Agudong) responsible for Lilo, their surprisingly huge house and the multiple jobs she must work to keep it all afloat. Meanwhile, we still see Stitch — an illegal alien-experiment gone wrong — escape from the galactic federation, crash-land on Earth and eventually get scooped up from the pound by Lilo, who mistakes him for an ugly dog. And we still see fraying, mended and fraying-again relationships as the thematic centrepiece. Nani is too young to take care of Lilo, but Lilo is too young for Nani to let her go. Lilo is still too impulsive, destructive and odd to make friends, but also too free-spirited, unique and sincere to betray her true self. And Stitch is still the dangerous, growling beast we know and love from any modern animal movie — the kind of irredeemable life-destroyer in everything from War Horse to Because of Wynn-Dixie to Marley and Me that, despite bringing nothing but destruction and hardship to a family on its last legs, is inexplicably defended to the end. That said, it's a winning formula. Here, everyone's beset by conflicting character traits that are neither truly good nor truly bad — and that are both helpful and destructive in different settings. When the social worker assigned to manage their case (Ving Rhames's hulking Cobra Bubbles in the original, a slightly less incongruously interesting Tia Carrere as Mrs. Kekoa in the remake) tells Nani to give up Lilo, it is tragic — but not necessarily unfair. Departing from the cookie-cutter and censor-safe children's stories Canadians are used to, there's little stock invested in a singular and simple big-bad to rail against, which makes it all the more refreshingly real. But here, a different kind of real is also one of the main problems: the always uncanny nature of converting hand-drawn art to a combination of human actors and computer graphics. While Kealoha gives a fantastic performance, being a human, her actions are necessarily slower and more sluggish — making the recreated visual gags work infinitely less well in a medium they were never designed for. And when we get to the abomination that is Stitch, we are immediately confronted with the shortcomings of a more realistic Menace. In cartoon form, our alien little buddy spitting green liquid has none of the unsettling realities of the remake's hyper-detailed phlegm physics; it is much easier to feel attached to our blue ball of mayhem when his tendency to lick out the contents of his own nose is not rendered in graphic 4K format. But what's actually more disappointing is the ways in which the new Lilo & Stitch has decided to kiddify the story. While the 2002 film was sanitized from its intended scope (a scene criticizing American tourists was cut, Lilo hiding in a laundry machine was changed to hiding in a pizza box and a finale involving an airplane crash was revised to avoid 9/11 comparisons), it still managed an engagingly mature tone. Aside from the moral grey areas — and the gorgeous hand-drawn art style that nearly relaunched the medium, obviously entirely absent here — the original Lilo & Stitch operated as both a cultural commentary and almost a capital-D drama. Lilo's obsession with Elvis as a "model citizen" and the farmer-tanned white tourists — both largely absent in the remake — added at least a subtextual commentary on Hawaii's cannibalized culture and connection to America at large. Cobra Bubbles's much more domineering presence in the first movie contributed to a darker and more realistic threat to Lilo and Nani's continued relationship — all supported by generally more mature dialogue instead of the lighter tone of the remake. In the new version, when the two aliens tasked with recapturing Stitch — Pleakley (Billy Magnussen) and Jumba (an unrecognizable Zach Galifianakis) make their entrance, the regression is obvious. Where 2002's Pleakley was objectively obsessed with feminine fashion — disguising himself in wigs, makeup and dresses — the new Pleakley opts to dress little more garishly than an H&M bargain-bin hunter. Granted, a drag-less alien is unlikely to draw complaints from the core audience of five-year-olds. But given the fact that director Dean Fleischer Camp reportedly tried to include a dress-wearing Pleakley and was shut down, it works as a good metaphor for what is wrong with the remake in the first place. Regarded in a vacuum, 2025's Lilo & Stitch is fine, and likely to entertain the littles. But compared to a stimulating, genre-defining, all-ages masterpiece from two decades ago, it's nothing but demoralizing. Where once we could expect to move forward with our movies, Lilo & Stitch shows we'd rather just make them brighter and dumber.
Forbes
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Remembering Jay North: A Look Back At ‘Dennis The Menace'
LOS ANGELES - MAY 2: Dennis The Menace, a CBS television situation comedy. Pictured from left is ... More Gloria Henry (as Alice Mitchell), Herbert Anderson (as Henry Mitchell), Jay North (as Dennis Mitchell). May 2, 1960. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images) Sadly, we lost a legendary former child star, Jay North, who died at his home in Lake Butler, Florida on Sunday from colorectal cancer. He was 73. North, of course, is remembered as that All American boy who always seemed to get in trouble in the 1959 to 1963 comedy Dennis the Menace. In honor of Jay North, here are 10 fascinating facts of note about Dennis the Menace: 1) After prematurely canceling Leave it to Beaver at the end of its freshman season (which moved to ABC for five additional seasons), CBS was in search of a new family-themed comedy. Dennis the Menace, based on the Hank Ketchum comic strip of the same name, fit the bill. circa 1957: American actors (clockwise, from left) Tony Dow, Hugh Beaumont (1909 - 1982), Jerry ... More Mathers, and Barbara Billingsley pose together in a promotional portrait for the television series, 'Leave It to Beaver'. (Photo by CBS) 2) Dennis the Menace aired in the Sunday 7:30 p.m. ET half-hour out of Lassie and into The Ed Sullivan Show for its entire four-season run. The prior time period occupant the season before Dennis the Menace premiered were sitcoms The Jack Benny Program and Bachelor Father. Lassie co-star June Lockhart turns 100 on June 25. Lassie with Jon Provost, US child actor, June Lockhart, US actress, and Hugh Reilly (1915-1998), US ... More actor, pose for a group portrait issued as publicity for the US television series, 'Lassie', USA, circa 1955. The television drama starred Provost as 'Timmy Martin', Lockhart as 'Ruth Martin', and Reilly as 'Paul Martin'. (Photo by Silver) 3) At the time, four seasons of Dennis the Menace translated into 146 episodes. A full season order at present on a broadcast is traditionally 22 episodes. On streaming, an average season for any series normally ranges from just 6 to 10 episodes. LOS ANGELES - MAY 2: Dennis The Menace, a CBS television situation comedy. Pictured from left is ... More Sylvia Field (as Martha Wilson), Joseph Kearns (as George Wilson), Jay North (as Dennis Mitchell), Herbert Anderson (as Henry Mitchell), Gloria Henry (as Alice Mitchell. May 2, 1960. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images) 4) Dennis's parents Henry (Herbert Anderson) and Alice Mitchell (Gloria Henry) were named after the creator of the franchise, Hank Ketcham, and his first wife Alice Ketcham. LOS ANGELES - JANUARY 1: DENNIS THE MENACE Gloria Henry as Alice Mitchell, Herbert Anderson as ... More Henry Mitchell and Jay North as Dennis Mitchell. 1960 (Photo by CBS via Getty Images) 5) Next-door neighbors George (Joseph Kearns) and Martha Wilson (Sylvia Field) were named after the first president George Washington and his wife Martha. LOS ANGELES - MAY 2: Dennis The Menace, a CBS television situation comedy. Pictured from left is ... More Joseph Kearns (as George Wilson), Sylvia Field (as Martha Wilson). May 2, 1960. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images) 6) The exterior of the home of the Wilsons was also used for the fictional Anderson clan (Robert Young, Jane Wyatt, Elinor Donahue, Billy Gray and Lauren Chapin) on the family-themed comedy Father Knows Best. February 1965: Promotional portrait of the cast of the television series, 'Father Knows Best'. ... More Clockwise from lower left: Billy Gray, Elinor Donahue, Robert Young, Jane Wyatt and Lauren Chapin. (Photo by) 7) After the sudden death of Joseph Kearns in 1962, Gale Gordon joined the cast of Dennis the Menace as Mr. Wilson's brother John for the last six episodes of the third season. At the time, John Wilson was living with George's wife Martha (and it was explained that George had to leave town to settle an estate). By season four, Martha was gone and John Wilson suddenly had a wife named Eloise (Sara Seegar). LOS ANGELES - MARCH 12: Gale Gordon portrays Mr. John Wilson in the television series Dennis the ... More Menace. Image dated March 12, 1962. Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images) 8) Following Dennis the Menace, Gale Gordon joined the cast of Lucille Ball's The Lucy Show as Theodore J. Mooney, the local banker. In Lucy's next sitcom, Here's Lucy, Gordon portrayed Lucy's brother-in-law and employer, Harry Carter. LOS ANGELES - OCTOBER 1: The Lucy Show. A CBS television situation comedy. Premiere episode ... More broadcast October 1, 1962. Pictured is Gale Gordon (as Mr. Theodore J. Mooney), Lucille Ball (as Lucy Carmichael). (Photo by CBS via Getty Images) 9) In a rare crossover episode, Jay North as Dennis Mitchell showed up on The Donna Reed Show in the third season episode 'Donna Decorates.' Needless to say, complete chaos ensued! North also made guest appearances as Dennis on The Red Skelton Hour and in the theatrical musical comedy Pepe. THE DONNA REED SHOW - "Donna Decorates" - Airdate: September 29, 1960. (Photo by ABC Photo ... More Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images) DONNA REED;JAY NORTH 10) Prior to The Andy Griffith Show, Ron Howard, then age five, played Dennis' friend Stewart in six episodes of Dennis the Menace. Ron Howard, US actor and director, wearing a grey hat and checked jacket, with a blue shirt and a ... More red tie, in a studio portrait issued as publicity for the US television series, 'The Andy Griffith Show', USA, circa 1960. The sitcom starred Howard as 'Opie Taylor'. (Photo by Silver) All four seasons of Dennis the Menace are currently available to stream on Peacock. R.I.P. Jay North.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jay North, who starred as Dennis The Menace, dies aged 73
Jay North, who starred as the mischief maker on Dennis The Menace for four series starting in 1959, has died aged 73. North died Sunday at his home in Lake Butler, Florida, after battling colon cancer, said Laurie Jacobson, a long-time friend, and his booking agent Bonnie Vent. 'He had a heart as big as a mountain, loved his friends deeply. He called us frequently and ended every conversation with 'I love you with all my heart',' Jacobson wrote in a tribute on Facebook. North was six when he was cast as the smiling troublemaker in the CBS sitcom adaptation of Hank Ketcham's popular comic strip, which took place in an idyllic American suburb. Often wearing a striped shirt and overalls, Dennis' mischievous antics frequently frustrated his retired next-door neighbor George Wilson, played by Joseph Kearns. Dennis' patient parents were played by Herbert Anderson and Gloria Henry. Later, North appeared on TV in shows including The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Lucy Show, My Three Sons, Lassie and The Simpsons, as well as movies like Maya (1966), The Teacher (1974) and Dickie Robert: Former Child Star (2003). North is survived by his third wife, Cindy, and three stepdaughters.
