Hicks vs Aliens: Spaced Invaders Review

Ask anyone what their favorite Disney Halloween film is and chances are they will respond with Hocus Pocus, Halloweentown, or The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow. There is a pretty good chance that they won’t respond with 1990’s Spaced Invaders. There isn’t a lot of love for this Touchstone Halloween gem. It managed to score a dismal 8% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and got a less than stellar review from Robert Ebert. The film did poorly in the cinemas and quickly faded from the public consciousness. I first saw the film on cable and the 7 year-old in me enjoyed the slapstick elements while the adult in me found the premise and culture clash hilarious.

The premise is that a rag-tag band of Martian outcasts are given the menial duty of patrolling asteroid belts while the Martian Imperial Space Navy attacks their enemy in Arcturus. The Martian forces are defeated due to the forced reliance on Enforcer Droids. The outcasts search for a signal from the fleet and instead overhear a rebroadcast of the famous Orsen Wells Halloween prank broadcast of The War of the Worlds. Like many Americans during the broadcast, the actual Martians believe the attack on Grover’s Mill is real. The band makes a beeline to Earth to join the invading Martian vanguard. They end up in the fictional rural town of Big Bean Illinois and hilarity ensues. The good people of Big Bean are a mix of stereotypes including a down on his luck old farmer played by veteran actor Royal Dano and the “New Sheriff in town” Sam played by Douglas Barr and his daughter Kathy played by future Jurassic Park alum Ariana Richards.

The Martians get into trouble right away by being clocked at 3000 miles an hour in a 35 zone by the Sherriff's deputy and pull a Back to the Future style crash in farmer Wrenchmuller’s barn. The crew consist of a mix of characters including the militaristic Giggywig whose favorite line is “Prepare to die Earth scum!” and the Jack Nicholson-cool pilot Blaznee. Being that the events occur on Halloween, the group is initially mistaken as trick-or-treaters until the dim-witted townsfolk realize what they are.

While the inhabitants of Big Bean are two dimensional stereotypical small town types, this works to the comedic betterment of the film. One standout character is a boy in a duck costume, played by J.J. Anderson,who steals every scene he is in.  The characteristics of the Martians are a nice throwback to sci-fi troupes of the 50's. The effects hold up remarkably well, due to Director Patrick Read Johnson’s early career work as a practical effects expert on 2010:The Year We Made Contact and the TV miniseries V, although my daughter commented that the Martian's heads look like talking watermelons.  Many parts of the film work and some don't but for a light-hearted, seasonal offering Spaced Invaders is an enjoyable Halloween watch with the kiddos.

Disney goes to Hell!

The early days of The Disney Company was a time of experimentation.  Walt Disney and legendary animator Ub Iwerks were charting new ground with the first animated short with sound; Steamboat Willie.  The collaboration between Disney and Iwerks spawned two very different cinematic visions in 1929.  The Silly Symphony shorts, Springtime and Hell's Bells were markedly different in terms of style and theme. Whereas the Walt Disney directed Springtime was a happy, jaunty short featuring the new "more realistic" animation trend, Hell's Bells, Directed by Iwerks was a nightmare fuel driven macabre short in the older "rubber hose" style of animation.

The imagery included a lead devil directing his minion demons to milk fire from a dragon cow (seriously) and dance for his pleasure.  The obedient demons were rewarded by being fed to the Devil's pet, a Cerberus.  The demons eventually turn on their master and send the Devil to his fiery demise.  The short accentuates the vastly different surreal style that Iwerks pursued in spite of Walt's direction for happy, kid friendly fare, eventually leading to a rift and Iwerks' departure from the company.

It's not to far a reach to surmise that the depiction of the Devil in the popular retro-video game, Cuphead, would be inspired by Hell's Bells.  The short has achieved "Song of the South" type status and has apparently been shunned by Disney as it has not been released in any official format by the company.  Thankfully, the entire short is available on YouTube. The Halloween season is a perfect time to enjoy this lost Disney gem!

Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy coming to Walt Disney World?

Disney Parks Blog  just announced two new Halloween themed overlays coming to The Magic Kingdom during Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. The first is a new spooky experience at Pirates of the Caribbean including a new interactive experience where guests join the Pirates looking for a new character named Gunpowder Pete.
The second announcement is a new soundtrack and effects for Space Mountain for the Halloween season.  It can be speculated that the popular Ghost Galaxy overlay at Disneyland's version of Space Mountain will be duplicated in Florida. Ghost Galaxy features a loose narrative, scary soundtrack, and jump scare projections. No additional information regarding either update is currently available.

Seasonal overlays have been popular for years in Disneyland in the form of Christmas themed Small World overlay, and the hugely popular Nightmare Before Christmas themed Haunted Mansion Holiday.  Walt Disney World's first ever overlay was Jingle Cruise adding holiday jokes and props to the Adventureland classic ride, The Jungle Cruise. So why hasn't the Florida park had the same guest opportunities as California's Disneyland? The answer may be in the makeup of the guests themselves.  While Walt Disney World is the number one international tourist destination in the world, Disneyland caters to a more local clientele.  Whereas Disneyland guests may come to the park multiple times a year, typical non-Florida resident guests and international guests my only be able to visit Walt Disney World once in their lifetime.  Imagineers may be less likely to change the experiences for those who want to experience the original attractions.
That may be changing with the two new Halloween experiences and the announced addition of the Mad Tea Party, also transplanted from Disneyland.  One can assume that, based on feedback, more temporary changes may be on the horizon, especially with the 50th Anniversary just around the corner in 2021.  Could the EleTRONica experience be on the way for the opening of the new TRON coaster in Tomorrowland?  Here's hoping!