For Carrie Fisher

                             FOR CARRIE FISHER

                          

Hearing about Carrie Fisher passing away, at age 60, this morning was a huge shock to me. News sources say that she had a heart attack on a flight back to America. I feel so blessed to have met her this past summer at Wizard World Comic-Con, and truly see her kind and bold personality. Carrie fisher played a big role in my life. I've always been a Star Wars nut, but let's be honest and say that say wars didn't really have many female characters like myself. Princess Leia stole the star wars franchise for me, she was the only princess that made me want to actually be a princess. Leia was sharp, small, brass, strong, and even a little crude (kind of like Fisher herself). I could go on and on about what Leia did for me. However, later in my life I also appreciated Carrie Fisher for her advocacy of mental health. She, for me, was a honest face to talk about metal health struggles and overcomes.  All I have to say is thank you Carrie Fisher for all of your hard work, and your bluntness. Prayers go out to her family; Fisher's legend will always carry in the hearts of many.

My Relationship With Disneyworld

                                      
                              Five year old me with my favorite childhood character: Pinnochio 

I've had a long relationship with Walt Disneyworld that started at the age of five. When I was five years old my grandmother and grandfather took me on my first trip to Disney, and since that moment I've fell in love with the Disney parks. I love the seeing cast members interactions, the smell of the rides, and even hearing the frustrated parents. Since then I 've asked to go to Walt Disneyworld almost every other year, I know Disney kind of like the back of my hand (of course there are things I haven't done). Now this may be shocking, but my family and I go to Disney each year out of pocket. We don't have a time share, or an annual pass; we just approach Disney with a middle-class perspective. I think its still important to understand that many middle class families visit Disney, it seems that Disney seems to forget this often. Anyways I'm posting this article to warn (jk) that I have some pretty strong opinions about Disney and I will be posting about them in the future ;)

Feel free to comment about your Disney Parks opinions, whether good or bad.

Postmodern Jukebox Finally Made A Disney Cover

                          Colors of the wind 70s Soul Cover

YES!!!! Finally the Youtube channel Postmodern Jukebox made a 70s soul (Marvin Gaye inspired) cover of Colors Of The Wind.  Check it out, it's kind of wonderful. 

Julie Andrews And Her Relationship With Disney

                          Julie Andrews And Disney

Now it's obvious that everyone know's that Julie Andrew's most popular movie with Disney is Marry Poppins. While I do think Marry Poppins is one of my favorite of her films, It was not the only movie of hers that was a part of my childhood.

Let's first talk about the movie that every early 2000s girl knew about, The Princess Diaries.








The Princess Diaries came out in 2001 (I was about 4 at the time), and starred Anne Hathaway,  Mandy Moore, everyone's favorite woman: Julie Andrews, and a few others. One of the most astounding things about this movie is that it was produced by no other than Whitney Houston herself!
Now sure the movie itself was a little cheesy, and a little cliche, but come on, how could you not love this movie.  Something about it had charm and heart. Not to mention that Anne Hathaway played a character that most girls had never really seen by Disney before. Mia Thermopolis was unintentionally funny, clumsy, had naturally frizzy hair, and was just trying to find out where she belonged.


However what really stole the show was Julie Andrews and her portrayal of the queen of Genovia. She was the grandmother everyone wanted. I can't tell you how many times I dreamed for my grandma to tell me that I was secretly a princess (take into consideration that as a child I didn't really like "Disney" princesses). The best thing about this film is the dynamic chemistry between Julie and Anne, because of that this movie will always be in my heart. Who cares what rotten tomatoes rates it?

                             




The second of my favorite Disney movies that Julie Andrews has started in would be Eloise. No, not the cartoon or the book, but the live action version. There were two installments,  the first I believe was Eloise at Christmastime (one of my faves), and the second one was Eloise at the plaza. Both movies were made in 2003. Not only was Eloise a very intelligent girl, but the relationship between herself and nanny (played by Andrews) was what sold the movie for me. Everything down to the cast, the singing, and the sentimental side of the Eloise series makes me love the franchise.


While the movies that I've listed don't have the same critical acclaim or as high of a score on Rotten Tomatoes as Mary Poppins. The Princess Diaries, and Eloise both have a nostalgic heart to them.  I hope families don't let these films die, and will continue to watch them in the future.

What do you think about these other Julie Andrews movies that I stated?

What Kind Of Disney Fan Am I?

I realized that amid all the Disney posts, I never properly introduced myself. While I do love nerdy things like Doctor who and classic movies, I also really love Disney....especially now that Disney has bought Star Wars, Muppets, and the Marvel franchise. So I thought the only proper introduction of myself would be through a Disney Questionnaire. However, I will post more of the things that I love besides Disney soon.

1. Favorite Disney animated movie: Who Framed Roger Rabbit (but now I think it might be Moana)

2. Favorite Disney Live action movie: Star Wars (The Empire Strikes Back)






3. Favorite Disney D-com: This one is super hard, but I think The Lizzie Mcguire Movie (It's so bad, It's good)


4. Favorite Disney Song: A Whole New World

5. Favorite Disney Park Ride: The Haunted Manion

6. 1st Disney/Pixar Movie Seen In The Theatre: Finding Nemo ( I wasn't allowed at the movies until I was 3)

7. Do you collect any Disney things: Yes, Disney Pins, but I also just grab any Disney things I like

8. What Disney/Pixar Character Do You Relate to: sometimes Eyore, but also Kermit The Frog.


9. Have you been to any Disney Parks, and if so how many times? I've been to Disney World over 11 times

10. What's Disney's most underrated movie: Wreck It Ralph (and Enchanted)

11. What's Disney's most overrated movie: Frozen

12. Saddest Disney Death: Mufasa

13. Favorite Disney Quote: Anything your heart desires will come to you

14. Favorite food at the parks: A Mickey Premium Bar (I've never had a Dole whip)


15. Favorite Disney Park: The old Hollywood Studios (However, I want to visit Tokyo Disneyland)

16. Favorite Disney Villan: I can't decide, so I'm going to say Darth Vader

 17. Favorite Marvel character: Thor (however I despise a little of Thor and all of Thor 2) and Jessica Jones

18. Do you prefer Disney's computer or hand drawn animation: oooohhh, I think hand drawn. It's just sooo pretty!

Moana Review

Disney's Moana, released on November 23rd, is directed by John Musker and Ron Clements. This directing duo also created movies such as: The Little Mermaid, The Princess and The Frog, Aladdin, and The Great Mouse Detective. Moana also features music from brilliant composers such as Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mark Mancina, and Opetaia Foa'i. This movie stars Auli'i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Nicole Scherzinger, Alan Tudyk, and many more.

 
Let me first start out with wow, I think this is one of Disney's best modern "princess" movie yet. Not only because they finally got a princess of color somewhat right (I'm not the biggest fan of Princess Tiana), but the animation, and voice acting in this movie shines bright! Every character in the movie has chemistry and a purpose, I admire this greatly.

First let's start about the culture of this movie. Moana makes you want to know more about Polynesian culture. The songs, and the traditions of Moana's village stick out in the movie, and I can't say how important this is. The whole point of the movie is that Moana loves her people and who she is, so defining Moana's culture is essential. While I can't begin to say that I know all about Polynesian culture, and if its completely accurate, I do think that the movie didn't ruin or corrupt the idea of their culture (at least I hope not). I'm sure some people don't like the things portrayed in the movie, however Disney can't please everyone (and I don't expect them too).  So for now, I hope Moana is in the right direction for the way Disney "princess" movies will be going.

Next, the songs in this movie are not only catchy but they make sense. These songs don't feel as commercial as Frozen's Let it go.  Moana's songs shine, because they actually feel genuine and drive the plot further. I commend Disney on finding the perfect songwriters for this movie. 

 
Lastly, I'm going to talk about story. This story is the simple cliche journey plot, but I couldn't help but like it! I believe it's not about the story, but how the story is told.  Moana isn't the typical girl story, and Moana isn't the typical princess. She represents the girls who don't need a prince to save them, the girl's who don't need male attention, and the girls who want to know who they are. Moana is different; in a good way with talented actors, witty humor, stunning ocean scenes, and beautiful singing. I would say Moana has become my new favorite princess. I give this movie an A (P.S. I like Moana, a little more than Zootopia).

Want to know more about Disney's cultural past? Check out this link: Moana is the Future of Disney (article)

Beauty and The Beast Live Action Trailer

The Beauty and The Beast Live action trailer came out today, and wow..... I'm even less excited about this than I already was. This trailer just did't make me feel excited, no adrenaline was pumping for me.  The Jungle Book and the Cinderella trailers had a soundtrack score that was newish and gave something fresh to the movie. This trailer had nothing new, not to mention that the enchanted characters, look horrendous (although the Beast looks nice). Here's my problem with the movie in general: it seems like Disney's desperate attempt to try to cash in on people's nostalgia. Disney takes a perfectly good animated movie and decides that they want to re-do it but not expand upon anything. I love Disney but I'm not completely forgiving and willing to follow them on every thing they do. I know when I'm getting crappy nostalgia sold to me. Now, I am not saying that this movie will be bad, it could be amazing for all I know. However, I'll just wait until it comes to theatre to judge.   What do you think about B&B? I don't mean to come across as a grump, but realistically I would rather see more original content from Disney than live-action remakes. Disney has already done well with telling these stories, why would they think I want to pay money for a movie that is scene for scene the same as the movie I have at home?



More Articles to read:
Vox's article about Beauty and The Beast

Reviewing Disney Channel's Bunked

So, after my post a few days ago about the old disney channel shows. I thought, maybe I'm being a little too tough on these shows. So I decided to watch Bunk'd and my opinion stands firm.

The episode started with every single kid looking like they had just stepped out of a magazine for Gap Kids mixed with some high end fashion company that no one cares about. Then the kids tell me that  Bunk'd is a spin-off of Jessie, which caused me to regret my decisions even more.

Within the first three minutes so many negative stereotypes were made:
 The smart but boring Asian girl who wants to get into Harvard, has a tiger mom, plays the violin, and wants to compete in the spelling bee.

The Black sassy girl

-The ugly fat farm friend who's voice is unnecessarily deep. Now I have to talk about this because Disney Channel for some reason decided to make this girl wayyyyyy too unattractive for no reason at all.
 Her name is Miranda May and she went from this:       to this:

In fact Disney seems to go out of their way to make this girl seem like the most unattractive person ever, when the audience can clearly tell that she deserves better. 

Sorry I had to rant about that. Back to stereotypes:

The Hispanic kid is named Horhae and, wait for it, he likes burritos and farts.....

And lastly this show has the dumb blonde who doesn't even know what a letter is.

Ok so now that we've gotten past sad stereotypes I will continue with the other things that make this show terrible:

The show doesn't let you forget for a second that it's 2016 and Disney channel is hip and relevant by using vocabulary like LOL, JK,  DOA, OMG. 

Oh wait now look....look we've got more dumb adults who hate kids, how fun....

Another terrible thing is the chemistry between the characters, the episode is paced so fast that we never are told who these kids are, or where they come from. 

Instead Bunk'd gives the girl characters boys to fight over and spend their time on..oh goody.

And then just when I thought it couldn't get worse, a bad diarrhea joke was made and then not shortly after that a weird butt joke was executed. Classy Disney.

So I guess you're now wondering, but don't you have any positives about the show. The answer is yes, but barley. I have exactly three positives:

1) Tessa Netting is somehow in this show. I will say I was surprised to see her in this, mostly because I've watched her on Youtube for a while. Her acting shines through in this show and you can tell she's trying. However she's surrounded by a lot of underage children so....

2) The other actors aren't terrible either, so that's a plus. 

3) If the show would cut out the useless racists jokes and the stupid humor. I don't think this show would be terrible. 

So that's it. If you've watched this show, or are planning to (I don't know why), let me know what you think in the comments.

The Disney Christmas Season Is Upon Us

Well, the Christmas season is here and how else can I start off the season without a list of my top 10 favorite Disney Christmas movies. Enjoy!

1.  A Nightmare Before Christmas (1993): whether you agree that this is a Christmas movie or you think it belongs in the Halloween pile, we can all agree this movie is a classic for the Holidays in general. I think this movie really defined the boundaries of what Christmas could be: spooky.


2.  Eloise At Christmastime (2003)
I know., you've probably never even heard of this......I'll admit I'm a sucker for this movie. I eat it up; I love the acting,the songs, and the comedy of this movie.

3. Santa Clause (1994)
Tim allen as Santa Clause, yes please! This movie isn't absolutely amazing but it somehow embodies the spirit of christmas and will make you believe in Santa Clause once again.

4. Babes In Toyland (1961)
Who cares what the critics say?! I can't say anything about this movie except for its a true Disney  classic. I wish more kids would watch this movie, as I did.


5. A Muppet Christmas carol (1992)
What can I say, this movie isn't just funny but it also does an excellent job at blending puppets with singing and the story of Ebenezer Scrooge. Can I just say the Spirit Of Christmas future is CREEPY


6. A Christmas Carol (2009)
I know, but didn't you juts have A Muppet Christmas Carol on here. I did, but this one is different, very different. When this Christmas Carol came out, I will say I was scared silly. This movie blends animation with an eerie-ness that it indescribable.

7. Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983)
This one is just fun :)

8. Mickey's Once Upon A Christmas (1999)
This movie combines mini little stories of Disney Characters getting through the Holidays but learning a message at the end. This movie really understands the spirit of family and togetherness.

9. The Christmas Star (1986)
I actually just watched this for the first time a few year ago, and I instantly fell in love with it. While the acting isn't amazing, the message in the movie is sweet.


10. The Santa Clause: 3 (Escape clause)
OK.....COME ON..... who didn't love seeing Martin Short as Jack frost. This movie, no matter what the critics say will always be in my heart (It's pretty terrible thought lol) .

Let's Talk about Wishes

Wishes: A Gathering Of Magical Dreams

This show started October 9th, 2003 and has now run for about 13 years.  This fireworks show replaced 32 year old Fantasy in the Sky show. While it has closed at Disneyland Paris, it's still going strong at Disney World's Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida. This show holds a vey special place in my heart, since it was the first fireworks show that I have seen at The Disney Parks. 

Taken by Ethnically Yours

The show is narrated by Jiminy Cricket, and uses classic disney songs and character voices and also an original song called Wishes (which makes me cry every time) accompanied by choreographed fireworks. Wishes broke a lot of boundires for the park because of its specially designed pyrotechnic effects that were never seen before.

Steven Davison, was the creator and the show director. 

The Fireworks designer is Eric Tucker. He's an award-winning pyrotechnics designer who has previously designed "IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth" at Epcot.


Steve Skorija was the music director for Walt Disney Entertainment

While Gregory Smith designed the songs (Wishes) used in the show.

Yep, That's right. This song is sung by Peabo Bryson. The same man who sang the 90s pop versions of A Whole New World and Beauty and Beast. I hope you enjoy this song and the show just as much as I do. 

The time that was...

Ah... How I miss the old Disney Channel. Now when I say old Disney channel, I mean when Disney Channel programming was at it's prime. When children's television, was family television. The whole family: mom, dad, your annoying teenage brother could watch a Disney show and all laugh and cry. It seems that now, Disney Channel markets things a little different. Their shows are now mostly geared towards girls who care about fashion, boys, and the latest trend. I now groan when someone turns on Disney Channel in my house and I'm forced to watch most of it's mindless garbage that displays nothing.  Shows that once were:

They've turned into....

I don't long for the old nostalgic disney shows, but I do long for the same heart and quality that Disney's new shows just don't have. Not only do most of these new shows not focus on family, but they seem to be very superficial. The kids all look like their wardrobes cost more than my future salary, and that life exist to get a date and look hot. That's my problem with the "new" Disney, the shows lack substance. Of course there were recent shows that were entertaining for all ages, like Phineas and Ferb or Gravity falls) but most of them have ended or fell through the cracks. All I can hope for is that someone at Disney will realize what people want to see. What are your thoughts?

What's with all the live action Disney remakes?

As new announcements have been made for Disney's movie lineups, I can only shake my head at how much un-original content is being made. One can only look at many of these movies as Disney's desperate attempt at grabbing money. As I look around I wonder when will Disney fans become tired of their favorite movies being redone. Why do we need a remake? To spread to other generations? To see if we missed something in the first movie? Why can't we just pass the movies we love down to other generations instead of paying to watch a completely new movie that may lack charm? Now I will admit some of the live action remake movies that Disney has made I enjoyed, but that doesn't excuse the other eh remakes. Like...

Wow, this movie was the most obvious attempt at Disney wanting to cash in. With its high star and director status, even I was fooled in assuming this movie would be quality. It was not. The weird thing about what made this movie bad was all in the writing. Most of the actors seemed to be somewhat trying...except for Elle Fanning. I don't know if it was the plot? Or the ending? Or the fact that they tried to make the villain seem morally good? Who truly knows. The staggering thing about this movie is that it actually got good reviews from critics and audiences. I have my thoughts on why that is, but I'll save it for another day. 

Pete's Dragon wasn't terrible I'll admit. However, it was boring and Pete looked like a weird mashup between a Pokemon and a troll. 

Cinderella I liked the most out of the other two. This movie added a lot to the animated version Cinderella, and I enjoyed the lack of musical-ness. However, even through it's visuals were spectacular, the movie still came out a little boring and long. Also I did not enjoy the fairy godmother at all. However nothing for me can top the live action cinderella that Disney made in 1997. 

The Jungle Book gets a pass. It was good, and added a lot to its storyline. This movie seemed to actually want to try to create new and meaningful ideas. I have no complaints.

Now for the new lineup of live action remakes. Disney has added 16 live action lineups. Let me repeat they've added 16 classic movies to their live action lineup!?? Now come on, I could have expected Disney to make live action remakes out of their less loved movies, but to make a live action out of EVERY SNIGLE ONE OF THEIR CINEMATIC MASTERPIECES IS BLASPHEMY.  Disney only seems to be making most of these movies to cash in on nostalgia, not because they actually want to. I'll make exceptions for two movies: Mulan and The Sword In The Stone.

What are your thoughts?