Q : Maybe this will not ring a bell at all, but when I was a child (approximately 1986–1988) I remember the Disney Channel often repeating two movies that I don’t have a name for: 1) A girl who travels with her wolf. The setting was probably around 1920–1930, and the wolf “defends” her through her travels. 2) I have a more murky memory of this one, but it’s about a girl who, I believe, moves to a town. In her walks through the nearby forest, she finds an old cottage and a lady living there—who the people of the town believe to be a witch—and the girl and the lady become close. The backdrop is a forest/woods setting (There was also a scene where she is crossing the river on logs and almost falls into the wild river). I’d be grateful if you have any idea of these movies’ titles, as I’d love to watch them with my kids now.
Lissa, Houston, Texas
A: The first film you recall is The Journey of Natty Gann (1985) starring Meredith Salenger and John Cusack. The other film may be The Watcher in the Woods (1981) with Bette Davis playing the old woman/witch and Carroll Baker the girl.
Q : Which Disney songs have won an Oscar?
Avi, Irvine, California
A: There have been 14 songs which have won Oscars for Disney: “When You Wish Upon a Star,” “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah,” “Chim Chim Cher-ee,” “Under the Sea,” “Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man),” “Beauty and the Beast,” “A Whole New World,” “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” “Colors of the Wind,” “You Must Love Me,” “You’ll Be in My Heart,” “If I Didn’t Have You,” “We Belong Together,” and “Man or Muppet.”
Still of giant blue genie appearing to Aladdin in a cave in scene from animated feature, Aladdin
Q :

Genie from Aladdin has always been a favorite Disney character of mine. I’ve always wondered about how much of Genie’s dialogue used in the final product was scripted compared to things Robin Williams ad-libbed?
Taylor, Hillsboro, Oregon
A: Several of Robin’s lines were ad-libbed, as he was eventually given creative freedom from the production team to “let loose” to see where he could “take” the character (partially in order to get a better performance from him). His mannerisms and ad-libs helped to form the version of the character that we see on the screen.
animation frame from the movie Frozen
Q :

When did Disney’s Animation Studios start on Frozen?
Jessica, Flagler Beach, Florida
A: Early concepts for an animated film based on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen date back to the 1930s, even before Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was finished. The project was shelved until the 1990s, with a number of different story ideas proposed over the next decade, but none were viable. Finally, a script was approved and the Frozen film was announced in 2011.