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If you like movies about empty-headed dips and their resentful families, then National Lampoon's "Vacation" movies certainly have you covered. Clark Griswold, played by Chevy Chase, is an exemplar -- perhaps the Ur-example -- of a clueless dad obsessed with fulfilling the typical American suburban dream despite a general lack of wit or competence. Clark claims to be an expert in everything, assuring his family that everything will be fine, and yet he displays no acumen or skill, and his family repeatedly witnesses him fail. We sympathize with Clark, however, as many of his failings are the result of bad luck; Clark isn't very good at traversing the daily onus of trivial nonsense, but the world seems cosmically hellbent on punishing him for his incompetence. 

The "Vacation" movies began their life as a short story called "Vacation '58," written by John Hughes and first published in the celebrated "National Lampoon...

When it comes to iconic Disney animated characters, Goofy comes up a few notches below Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse. Those two saw massive popularity early on in the company's lifespan, and even got to lead theatrical movies like 1944's "The Three Caballeros" with Donald, or Mickey starring in the "Sorcerer's Apprentice" episode of the 1940 film "Fantasia." Goofy's appeal was different, less wide-ranging, and more eccentric than a perpetually exasperated duck or a blandly kind mouse. You couldn't even tell what species he was, although his longtime voice actor Bill Farmer claims he is a dog.

Goofy eventually did get to lead a theatrical film, although several decades after his 1932 debut. The character was best known for Disney shorts those days, and for his cartoony antics in them. As you could guess from his name, he was careless and clumsy, and his oblivious goofball shtick would often result in wildly elaborate slapstick.

It's undeniable that the films in the National Lampoon's "Vacation" franchise have become comedy classics. The misadventures of the Griswold family of patriarch Clark (Chevy Chase), wife Ellen (Beverly D'Angelo), daughter Audrey (Dana Barron/Dana Hill/Juliette Lewis/Marisol Nichols/Leslie Mann), son Rusty (Anthony Michael Hall/Jason Lively/Johnny Galecki/Ethan Embry/Ed Helms), and cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid) have become seminal watches for multiple generations, and remain endlessly quotable after nearly 40 years.

The Griswolds were a relatable look at the average, white, middle-class American family, replacing the Norman Rockwell-esque presentation of yesteryear with more authentic and unconventional problems sprinkled throughout. Okay, so maybe we don't all know what it's like to lose our Great Aunt and have to strap her to the top of the car with the luggage in the rain, but we probably know what it feels like to expect a Christmas bonus but get...

Christmas is coming at us faster than Santa’s sleigh, which means ’tis the season for streaming Christmas movies. While there are plenty of family-friendly options for parents — from classics like “A Charlie Brown Christmas” to new entries like this year’s “Spirited” on Apple TV+ — some may prefer a slightly more raunchy selection, which is where 1989’s “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” comes in.

“Christmas Vacation” is streaming on several online platforms, including HBO Max, AMC+, The Roku Channel, fuboTV, Philo, and Sling TV. It can also be rented or purchased on VOD platforms, including YouTube, Vudu, Google Play, Apple TV, and Redbox, for 3.99. In addition, AMC will air the film throughout the next few days at 8 or 10 p.m. Et, including on December 21, December 22, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day.

Directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik, “Christmas Vacation” was the third and effectively final entry in the classic “National Lampoon” series...

Everett Peck, whose comic-book creation Duckman was adapted into a late-1990s animated series with Jason Alexander voicing the lewd private-eye title character, died Tuesday, June 14, of cancer in California. He was 71.

On the illustrator’s Instagram page, a simple announcement reads, “Mr. Peck has left the studio… Oct. 9, 1950 – June 14, 2022.”

Alexander, who was co-starring on Seinfeld during the 1994-97 Duckman series run on USA Network, called Peck “a genius animator and cartoonist who brought Duckman to life.”

“It was an honor to voice his beloved creation and a joy to have known Everett,” Alexander tweeted yesterday. “He was one of a glorious kind. My best to his family&friends.”

The animated series – the full rarely used title was Duckman: Private Dick/Family Man – was based on the character Peck created for a 1990 comic book published by Dark Horse Comics. Peck created and developed the series, which also featured the voices of Gregg Berger,...

The much-hyped toon adventure film Tom & Jerry is set to release theatrically in India on February 19. The film will open in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu languages apart from the original English version.

The film is a mixture of live-action and animation, and features Chloe Grace Moretz, Michael Pena, Rob Delaney, Colin Jost and Ken Jeong in the cast.

Announcing the film's release date in India, a trade analyst shared on Instagram on Thursday: "The Lovable Cat-and-mouse Game To Release In #Indian Languages... #WarnerBros to release #TomAndJerryMovie in #Hindi, #Tamil and #Telugu along with its original language [#English] in #India... Will release in *cinemas* on 19 Feb 2021."

Directed by Tim Story, the film re-loads the escapades of the mischievous duo of Tom the cat and Jerry the mouse.

Nearly three decades ago, in 1992, Hollywood had attempted a theatrical length film version featuring the popular toon duo for the first time. Starring the...

First-time directors (and the writers who got the thing moving in the first place) John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein are now hard at work preparing the new Vacation, a story that finds Ed Helms as the grown Rusty Griswold taking his own brood on a trip. The film has been missing someone to play his sister Audrey, but now Leslie Mann is in talks for that role.Serving as both a sequel and a semi-reboot of the franchise, this Vacation finds the characters from the 1983 John Hughes comedy as adults, with Helms married to Christina Applegate.Audrey, who was previously played by Dana Barron (twice), Dana Hill, Juliette Lewis and Marisol Nichols, will here be married to news anchorman Stone Crandall, set to take the shape – assuming his deal has gone through – of one Chris Hemsworth. Nice going, Mann!Charlie Day is planning to make a one-scene cameo in the film,...

Relationship Roulette! week continues at Trailers from Hell with director Karyn Kusama introducing "Shoot the Moon," starring Diane Keaton and Albert Finney.Alan Parker's emotionally charged portrait of a collapsing marriage showcases Diane Keaton and Albert Finney in two of the finest performances of their careers. Too realistic and downbeat to be a wide success in its day, it endures as an uncompromising depiction of human frailty. Gifted child actress Dana Hill passed away prematurely of diabetes at 32.

Almost 30 years have passed since "National Lampoon's Vacation" and the Griswolds' disastrous trip to Wally World. Now, five sequels later, the original cast is back for a mini reunion.

Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Dana Barron and Anthony Michael Hall reunited for the cover of Entertainment Weekly's annual "Reunions" issue.

ABC's "Good Morning America" caught up with the "Vacation" cast at the EW photo shoot and discovered that, even after all these years, the chemistry remains.

"Chevy's a genius and my dear friend. I love you and I'm so glad that the four of us can be together at the same time," D'Angelo, the 60-year-old actress who once played wife Ellen Griswold, told Gma. "Because it was a special time. You know, you kind of hope that you can touch somebody's life in some way and you don't think you're gonna do it unless you're getting an Oscar for it.

What do SpongeBob and a host of other current shows have in common with Mighty Mouse? Without that particular rodent they might not exist. Ralph Bakshi produced the adventures of the robust rodent for Saturday morning, but it was the talent behind the camera that would usher in a new standard for cartoons. Here he comes to save the day! Mike Mouse (Patrick Pinney) works in a factory for his day job, but when duty calls he sloughs off his everyday identity and takes to the skies as the superhero Mighty Mouse. He.s got his hands full keeping his girlfriend Pearl Pureheart (Maggie Roswell) and orphan sidekick Scrappy (Dana Hill) out of trouble from the...