I have relied heavily on the likes of Disney to pull me through the lockdown blues… I think you could tell by the amount of Disney movies featured in this list. 😂

Films of the year – 2020

Films of the year: #1

Soul (Disney+)

The only movie in this list that’s worthy of first place, in my humble opinion.

Joe is a primary-school music teacher who dreams of being a recognised musician. His true passion is jazz, he’s mighty talented. Unfortunately, his life didn’t quite go the way he expected…

But when he travels to another realm on a mission to help someone else find their passion, he soon finds out what it means to have soul, swapping bodies with a cat in the process.

The message behind this movie is simple: nothing is more important than memories & moments – time spent with people. Everything & anything else is greed.

Fun fact about this film: it was produced and recorded in lockdown. The actors / voiceover artists who starred in this film recorded their parts in a socially-distant studio, and were kept six feet apart.

Films of the year: #2

The Christmas Chronicles 2 (Netflix)

This was a film that I truly had high hopes for… Although I only discovered the first in its series this year, I was very excited to hear that a second was coming in November.

After watching it, I was quite underwhelmed (only because the bar for the first one was so high).

The adorable Katy Pierce is back, this time as a bratty teen (in the beginning of the movie). She resents her mum for finding love again so soon after her father’s death.

While on an island holiday with her family and mum’s new partner’s family, her resentment worsens to the point where she plots returning home in secret.

On her way to the airport, the caddy crashes, resulting in her being magically transported to the North Pole. It is there when Katy is reunited with Santa Claus, as a troublemaker (guy who crashed the caddy) threatens to cancel Christmas forever before Katy and her step-brother save the day.

There was a lot of resentment in this film, it was not filled with Christmas spirit at all. Having said that, the special effects and the visuals were on point as per usual.

Films of the year: #3

The Princess Switch: Switched Again (Netflix)

Interestingly, this is one which I wasn’t so sure about sequel-wise… After watching the first, I thought that it would’ve been better to end it there. I stand corrected!

At a time when Duchess Margaret unexpectedly inherits the throne to Montenaro, she splits with her boyfriend Kevin. So her twin, Princess Stacy, hatches a plan to get them back together again in time for the Christmas coronation.

Stacy’s plan hits a snag as a third look-alike, Margaret’s evil cousin Lady Fiona, disguises herself as Margaret in a bid to steal the throne.

Oh, and if you’re a fan of Eastenders, you might recognise Ricky Norwood. I’m really glad he’s finally made it to Hollywood, as I always knew/hoped he would!

Films of the year: #4

Mulan (Disney+)

I have a lot to say about this one, and not much of it good…

First for the good, we STAN a strong female lead. The effects and the visuals are incredible too!

Now for the not so good… For one thing, Mushu (our beloved dragon) wasn’t in it. While I understand that dragons aren’t real and this is a live action remake, Hollywood featured a whole BEAST in the live action remake of Beauty & The Beast…

Another thing, the soundtrack of Mulan has always been an integral part of the movie. Where was it? I didn’t hear any! This was also a shame…

Plus, Disney+ charged a whopping £20 (excluding membership fee) just so people got an exclusive viewing. I didn’t, I waited for it to become freely available. I can’t help but feel sorry for those who paid!

Okay, so now my views are out of the way, let’s get back to the review of the film.

Mulan is back, only this time in real life. The plot is the same one we know and love, that’s about the only thing that stayed the same, to be honest.

Films of the year: #5

Wonder Woman 1984 (HBO Max)

This movie has been extremely long awaited, quite literally in fact…

The film was originally set for a cinema release in December last year, but then brought forward to November to avoid competing with the equally hotly anticipated release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

After some deliberation, Hollywood later decided they preferred a summer release, further postponing its release to June 2020 – which was later made impossible due to the pandemic.

Patty Jenkins and her epic story writing skills strike again… This film takes us on a time warp to the 80s, unarguably (depends on who you argue with) the best era. The absolutely stunning and fierce Gal Gadot is back as Wonder Woman, but this time finds herself making two new enemies: Max Lord and The Cheetah.

Although HBO Max is a streaming service that’s exclusive to the USA, signing up to NordVPN enables you to watch this, or any other American TV shows or films which aren’t available here. In fact, a VPN lets you stream stuff from just about anywhere around the world.

Say what you like about 2020, but streaming platforms have done the MOST to keep us entertained during lockdown!

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