Connect with us

Disney Plus

Listen Disney, This ‘Onyx Collective’ Better Not Be A Disappointment

Published

on

onyx collective disney includes black panther

Today, Dana Walden, chairman of Entertainment at Walt Disney Television, announced the ‘Onyx Collective‘, 

The ‘Onyx Collective’ will be led by Tara Duncan, who has been spearheading this effort since it was announced last year, while also continuing her role as president of Freeform. 

So what is the Disney ‘Onyx Collective’?

Disney’s ‘Onyx Collective’ is a new content brand on Hulu designed to curate a slate of premium entertainment by creators of color and underrepresented voices.

Why is Disney creating the ‘Onyx Collective’?

Well … apparently, the ‘Onyx Collective’ is a reflection of Disney General Entertainment’s commitment to inclusive storytelling from creators of color that resonate in the U.S. and around the globe.

Where can you find the ‘Onyx Collective’?

Hulu will serve as a primary home for Onyx Collective titles, though the roster of creators under the Onyx Collective brand will have access to all Disney platforms. Select titles will also be available internationally on Disney+ as part of its Star general entertainment. 

Advertisement

What kind of content will the ‘Onyx Collective’ give us?

The recently acquired documentary, “Summer of Soul (…or, When the Revolution Could Not be Televised),” is the first official project under the Onyx Collective brand. 

And I couldn’t be more happier for my man Questlove, who directed the film! Imagine your first film being so darn good it gets picked up by Disney? Whew! If you like documentaries, or just music in general, make sure you check out Summer of Soul!

The winner of both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival will begin streaming on Hulu in the U.S. on July 2, 2021, as well as in theaters.

Additionally produced by Oprah Winfrey and Lionsgate, “The 1619 Project,” based on materials from The New York Times Magazine and Nikole Hannah-Jones’s acclaimed work by the same name, will launch on Hulu on a date yet to be announced.

Onyx Collective will also be home to prolific creators including the recently announced deal with writer, comedian Natasha Rothwell (“Insecure,” “SNL”).

Advertisement

As well as the titles produced by Ryan Coogler’s Proximity (“Judas and the Black Messiah,” “Black Panther”).

So is the ‘Onyx Collective’ a good thing or a bad thing?

Honestly, I’m not sure how I feel just yet.

On one hand, I’m excited that Disney is looking to promote more content from creators of color. I’m happy that we’ll be getting more content featuring Black leads and people of color.

But on the other hand, I’m wondering … why the separation of content?

If Hulu is already a thing, and they already create “playlists” of content, do we need another collective? Couldn’t Disney just acquire these films and put them in with the others?

Advertisement

Just throw it on Hulu, or Disney Plus. I’m confused on why we need a separate collective. ‘Cause right now it just feels like an easy way for white folks to hop skip over the content they don’t want!

I mean … when WE go searching for Black films, we gotta go SEARCHING through the sea of white films.

Just throw us in there.

Let them sift through! Shit!

I guess I’m just skeptical at the moment. I’ve been let down one too many times by Disney’s attempts to be more inclusive, so I’m not getting my hopes up just yet. I’ll wait it out and see how things go when it’s released in July.

Advertisement

‘Cause if this is JUST another “playlist”, we ain’t need a whole damn announcement for that, and if they’re not going to actively look for and acquire new films from creatives of color, I’m gonna have to email Ms. Tara and ask to talk to her boss.

But … let me woosah until July! Let’s see how this thang goes!

How do you feel about Disney’s Onyx Collective?

Shaye is an Entertainment Writer from Brooklyn, NY and a big fan of anything and everything superpowers related (especially if kids/teens are involved), cooking + baking shows (like MasterChef Junior and Cupcake Wars), teen dramas, sitcoms, comedies, and legal dramas. When she's not binging the latest series on Netflix or writing, you can find her spilling her thoughts on the Brown Side of Disney Chat or creating YouTube videos with her daughter for their new family site, Popcorn and Tater Tots.

Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Disney Plus

Live Recap: 43 Thoughts I Had While Watching Ms. Marvel Episode 2 On Disney Plus

Published

on

ms marvel episode 2 recap

Thanks to Disney Plus, I got to watch Ms. Marvel episode 2 a few days early, and I am super excited to share my initial thoughts via this live recap.

Marvel Studios’ “Ms. Marvel” is a new, original series that introduces Kamala Khan, a Muslim American teenager growing up in Jersey City. An avid gamer and a voracious fan-fiction scribe, Kamala is a Super Hero megafan with an oversized imagination—particularly when it comes to Captain Marvel.

And I absolutely love it! So here are …

43 Thoughts I Had While Watching Ms. Marvel Episode 2

No Spoilers – If you haven’t seen Ms. Marvel episode 2 yet, you’re in luck, because this recap will NOT spoil things. I omitted a few thoughts that included spoilers so you can read this without worry. You’re welcome!

ms marvel episode 2 recap

  1. Ugh! Back to the Marvel theme song! Usually I miss it, but I hate the flip flop, inconsistency of which song gets played in the opening credits. Either make all the episodes open with a culture song, or the theme song, pick one.
  2. Is that a Diddy song??
  3. Awwww there’s a LGBT couple. Cute.
  4. This girl looks so familiar, like someone’s kid! OMG she looks like Jessica Marie!
  5. That title sequence is kinda cute.
  6. Kinda shocked this series breaks the “Marvel mold” where they wait until episode 4 to kick things up a notch! So if this already happened in episode 1 and 2, that means something big is coming right???
  7. Nice! I like that they put this ‘prayer routine at the mosque’ scene in! 
  8. Now WHY would you wear Versace shoes to a place you gotta take em off sis!? WHY!?
  9. Of course she likes the new kid … who has a car?
  10. Not her saying she likes the color of the car … and it’s black! Reminds me of that time a boy tried to compliment me in High School and said he liked my jacket! It was sooo freaking weird because it wasn’t a CUTE jacket! So it was nothing to “like” and I instantly knew why he said it.
  11. Must be nice to have a Paki dude around to relate to, huh! 
  12. Also, making it cool to date your race, and not the white boy? A plus!
  13. Oh my lord! What is she doing!? 
  14. I love this song!
  15. Yessss … they do cheeky music that works! I love it. 
  16. Omg are her powers tied to her emotions?? Like in “Turning Red“?? 
  17. Wait are all women superhero powers tied to emotions???
  18. Are those hoop earrings???
  19. Gabe is SO weird. But my kids probably say the same about me, huh.
  20. Now he don’t wanna go to Cal tech cause the boy like Kamala? Lord.
  21. Not a “The Devil Wears Prada” reference!
  22. It is hoop earrings!! How many people are gonna get the significance of her friend giving her those though?? Don’t worry, I’ll write it up!
  23. Him reminding her he knows the language so she can “date him too” is cute. 
  24. Oh shit! She said he’s our cousin! Because of course it’s easier to pretend they’re related than admit she’s on a date with a boy!
  25. He worked for Hot Topic??? That was weird! But also shows how sexist our older generations are. How was he allowed to work at Hot Topic and have a phase, and she can’t go to a convention and dress up for one day?
  26. His fiancé is black? Or? What’s going on here now!?
  27. He switched on that accent mad quick! 
  28. I love that Eid Mubarak was showcased!
  29. The illumin-aunties like illuminati! (Which we just saw in Doctor Strange 2!) Clever!
  30. Wowwww look how easy he got her! 
  31. Not them about to do a sweep of all their places! I already don’t like that!! Police raiding?! Please make it stop. This is triggering AF!!
  32. Why was he taking photos outside a window? HUH! HUH! Whose foolish child is this?!!
  33. Who TF is Night Light?
  34. Omg he puts ice cream on his pizza?? He gotta go!
  35. She keeps getting flashes of her Great Grandmother??
  36. Omg NOW they think she hurt him! Ugh!
  37. This is an emotional rollercoaster! I like this. 
  38. Oh what the f*ck!!!
  39. Of course his ass was right there to help! Not weird at all.
  40. Omgggg they are f*cking related!!! YOOOOOO!!
  41. The end of episode 2 is crazy!! 
  42. Ok ok so something is definitely gonna happen soon and now I can’t wait to see the next episode!!
  43. No end credit scene for episode 2. Bummer!

Anywho, that’s it for this week!

Favorite quotes from the show coming soon. But until then …

Advertisement

Ms. Marvel premieres on June 8th! New episodes are available to watch every Wednesday on Disney Plus.

Continue Reading

Disney Plus

Live Recap: 47 Thoughts I Had While Watching Ms. Marvel Episode 1 On Disney Plus

Published

on

ms marvel episode 1 recap

Thanks to Disney Plus, I got to watch Ms. Marvel episode 1 a few days early, and I am super excited to share my initial thoughts via this live recap.

Marvel Studios’ “Ms. Marvel” is a new, original series that introduces Kamala Khan, a Muslim American teenager growing up in Jersey City. An avid gamer and a voracious fan-fiction scribe, Kamala is a Super Hero megafan with an oversized imagination—particularly when it comes to Captain Marvel.

And I absolutely love it! So here are …

47 Thoughts I Had While Watching Ms. Marvel Episode 1

No Spoilers – If you haven’t seen Ms. Marvel episode 1 yet, you’re in luck, because this recap will NOT spoil things. I omitted a few thoughts that included spoilers so you can read this without worry. You’re welcome!

ms marvel episode 1 recap

  1. Is this really starting off with THIS song? Totally a preteen teen show!
  2. I love the stop motion! 
  3. Awww … she was making videos! It’s so cute.
  4. The transition from American to Pakistani! Smooth! I love it.
  5. Awwww she’s learning to drive!
  6. Yesss to the music! 
  7. Not her saying a quick prayer, and him saying “bless you” like she sneezed. 
  8. Awwww … it’s Jersey City. 
  9. Yesssss (again) to the music! 
  10. Riah (my daughter) is gonna like this.
  11. Another culture playlist (like “Moon Knight“) and I love it!
  12. They used to be friends???
  13. I like Mr. Wilson! I mean Gabe.
  14. Not lyrics from Mulan! He’s killing me!
  15. The Marvel bros are gonna be bored with this one? Oh well! Sucks for them!
  16. Families are gonna like this!
  17. Dr. Strange and Star Wars are both mentioned in this.
  18. What episode does she get her powers??
  19. Where in the world … is Kamala from?
  20. Not a Zuzu instead of an Alexa! Cute.
  21. I remember being scared to ask my parents to go somewhere. I feel you girl.
  22. Not her tryna use Bruno and his “no family” having self to her advantage.
  23. OF COURSE the tight suit of Captain Marvel is a problem! Ugh! 
  24. Story of my life! The girl doesn’t get to do anything and the boy gets to do everything!
  25. So he’s gonna be her sidekick who does gadgets? That’s usually the role they chuck a POC kid in! I’m happy they didn’t this time. 
  26. Awww look how good she looks in her suit!
  27. They keep calling it a party! It’s not a party, it’s a darn convention!! 
  28. Not the f*cking hulk costume! It’s soooo bad!
  29. As a parent, her being humiliated hurts. But I get it!
  30. I worry about my kid wearing tight clothes too, but gosh. My childhood keeps me from overreacting to what she wears because I know too well how it felt! 
  31. Omg he better not have a crush on her! No love interest! Please!! 
  32. The scoring is great!
  33. Has to wear a sweater at gym? Yup. Totally get that “can’t show skin” even if it means not dying of heat in gym class foolery! It’s so frustrating!! 
  34. Family making you feel bad for liking what you like is so trash! 
  35. So she’s from Pakistan?! Cool!! 
  36. Omg is she getting her powers this episode!???
  37. This b*tch just jumped out her f*cking window and almost died! I can not! 
  38. Omgggg her bike!!!! That’s so f*cked up! He ain’t even HELP! WTF man!!
  39. Whew! She made it! She’s about to be in MAD trouble later, but she made it!
  40. I want some of this Avenger Con swag. I’m just saying!  
  41. Oh nooo!! Her senses are heightened!? 
  42. Of course the Antman is oversized! Cute easter egg!
  43. The ending of episode 1 is wild!!
  44. Why didn’t she just use her powers!??? 
  45. Yesss to the end credits music!
  46. Ahhhh there’s an end credit scene! I miss those.
  47. We needed this series 10 years ago when kids were making fun of Paki kids! 

Anywho, that’s it for this week!

Ms. Marvel premieres on June 8th! New episodes are available to watch every Wednesday on Disney Plus.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Disney Plus

Watching “Ms. Marvel” Episode 1 Is Like Watching My Entire Childhood Play Out On TV And I Love It

Published

on

ms marvel episode 1 review

Thanks to Disney Plus, I got to watch “Ms. Marvel” episode 1 a few days before it released on their streaming service, to review, and I absolutely loved it. Not only am I IN LOVE with this new Marvel teen superhero series, and can’t wait to watch it with my preteen once it finally drops on June 8th. It also reminds me so much of my own childhood!

So here’s my full “Ms. Marvel” episode 1 review …

Don’t worry, this is a spoiler free review, so if you haven’t seen “Ms. Marvel” episode 1 yet, keep readingI won’t spoil the fun.

ms marvel series poster

Okay so, “Ms. Marvel” is Marvel’s latest comic influenced Disney Plus original series …

About a Muslim American geeky teen girl from Jersey City who doesn’t feel like she fits in at home, or at school.

And of course I’m not a Muslim teen girl with superpowers.

But as I watched episode 1 of “Ms. Marvel” I saw so many scenarios that felt oh so familiar from my own high school days. Which instantly made me feel connected to Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani).

From being scared to ask my parents to go hang out with my friends, to not being able to wear certain clothes because they were “too tight or too short”, to wondering why my older brother could do whatever he wanted, while I couldn’t do a damn thing.

Advertisement

The entire first episode is incredibly relatable for a girl who’s of Caribbean decent, and was born and raised in NYC, with incredibly old school, strict parents.

(Not to mention, my mom too gave me the silent treatment whenever I did something she didn’t like. And my parents still make me feel like shit for liking what I like — specifically anything artsy, like movies, music, etc.)

So when I got introduced to Kamala Khan, for the very first time, in episode 1, I immediately “felt at home”. Of course, I’d much rather not bond with a teenage girl over our traumatic childhoods. But it is nice to see such a relatable superhero on a big screen. Opposed to a wealthy ass white adult male. Because even though I do love me some Iron Man … I can’t relate to anything other than his snark.

But it’s not just how relatable “Ms. Marvel” is for me!

I’m a big fan of teen dramas, and series that star kids with superpowers! (Think “Raising Dion“, “Cloak and Dagger“, “Naomi“, and “Runaways” to name a few.) So I was always going to love “Ms. Marvel”. This is just what I love!

Yet, they still find ways to suck me in even more!

Like with amazing scoring, and with their dope ass cultured, unbasic, soundtrack mixing familiar American pop songs (like Blinding Lights by The Weekend) with more unfamiliar pieces like Rozi by Eva. B — a Pakistani hip hop female rapper and singer! Which you can listen to as the end credits for episode 1 roll in.

Then there’s the cool stop motion clips at the beginning. Along with the cutesy animation overlays (similar to what we saw in “Heartstopper” on Netflix — another teen, rom-com-ish series, that I absolutely love).

Advertisement

It’s all freaking incredible!

Now, Marvel bros may have a hard time keeping up with this one, but families are gonna love this!

Based on what we see in “Ms. Marvel” episode 1, this series is leaning more towards the family friendly side of Marvel. So if your kids are anything like my 10 year old, and haven’t been interested in any of the latest Marvel series because they seem like “too much”, then you’re in luck! My daughter hasn’t watched any of the Marvel series since “WandaVision“! So I’m excited to watch this one with her.

However … the end credits for episode 1yes, there’s an end credit scene … seems to hint that this series still has all that ‘Marvel action’ we’ve grown to love.

So I’m super excited to see how this series plays out! Especially since a few things are already revealed in episode 1, that I didn’t think would come until later? But unlike previous Marvel series, that didn’t really kick off until episode 4, “Ms. Marvel” jumps right in … so I’m expecting them to turn up the heat after a few episodes.

Either way, this is gonna be a special series! I can just feel it. So if you’ve been second guessing this one, stop! You need to watch this! Especially since, Ms. Marvel will join Carol Danvers in Captain Marvel 2.

Advertisement

Ms. Marvel premieres on June 8th! New episodes are available to watch every Wednesday on Disney Plus.

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Popular

shares

Sharing is Caring

Help spread the word. You're awesome for doing it!