Nostalgia Nook: Pocahontas

Twenty years ago this week, Pocahontas opened in theaters. It had large shoes to feel, being the Disney movie that followed The Lion King.  Expectations were high. And while Pocahontas had a decent showing, it wasn’t the same megahit as the movies before it. It also pissed off a lot of historians.

And now we’re going to take a look at it.

Can you paint with all the colors of the SPOILER!

Big Hero 6: More Likeable Heroes Than the Guardians of the Galaxy

My family and I continued our Black Friday tradition of going to the movies. Once again, it was a Disney movie. I had heard great things about Big Hero 6. So we chose to go see it.

Hello, I’m your personal SPOILER robot.

Game On: A Review of “Wreck It Ralph”

Pixar made its name by animating what happens when we leave our toys alone. Now, over a decade later, Disney Animation Studios has imagined what happens when they power down the arcade games for the night. The result is “Wreck It Ralph,” Disney’s holiday offering.

Insert coins and press SPOILERS!

Yo Ho, Yo Ho, A Pirate’s Life For Me

It’s time for the last in my Disney ride series.

One of the first rides in Disneyland, Pirates of the Caribbean was a staple in all subsequent parks. Naturally, it was chosen to be turned into a movie. I remember articles before this movie came out. They commented that pirate movies do not do well. After “The Country Bears,” expectations were low. But boy, were we shocked!

There be rough waters and SPOILERS ahead!

You Might Want to Take the Stairs

Confession time! I am very uncomfortable in elevators. Whenever possible, I take the stairs. If I do have to take an elevator, I’m nervous and just waiting for the doors to open. But one of my favorite rides in Disney World is the Tower of Terror. Where you get on the elevator and it drops you thirteen stories. I know, it’s weird.

When the Tower of Terror arrived, Disney decided to give it its own film. It’s not like the ride needed more publicity—it was the second big ride in MGM. But Disney needed something to air on the Wonderful World of Disney for Halloween. And the success of this movie encouraged Disney to turn other rides into movies.

So, strap in and prepare for SPOILERS!

So Clap Your Hands and Stomp Your Feet

Before “The Haunted Mansion,” before “Pirates of the Caribbean,” there was “The Country Bears.” Based on “The Country Bear Jamboree,” the movie is a campfest around every corner.

So, avoid hibernating and SPOILERS!

Grim, Grinnin’ Ghosts…

Apparently at a creative loss, Disney decided to turn some of its theme park attractions into movies. The three chosen were: The Country Bear Jamboree, Pirates and the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion. This entry focuses on the promise that was the Haunted Mansion and the completely missed opportunity the film represents.

Beware of hitch-hiking ghosts and SPOILERS!

A “Hair-Raising” Spectacle

“This is the story of how I died.”

Those words, surprisingly, start the 50th animated feature film created by the Walt Disney Animation Studios—“Tangled.” But despite the ominous start, the movie is everything you expect from the House of Mouse.

“Tangled” begins in a far away land, long ago. A bit of the sun falls to earth and blooms into a beautiful flower. An old woman, Mother Gothel (Donna Murphy), discovers the flower is magical—when she sings, she becomes younger. She hides the flower, but the queen falls ill. The king sends out a massive search party, which quickly locates the magical flower. The queen recovers, giving birth to a baby princess named Rapunzel. Mother Gothel sneaks into the castle one night, realizing the baby now has the flower’s power. She tries to cut a piece of the princess’ golden hair to take, but it loses it’s power. So she steals the baby princess and hides her away in a hidden tower. Grief-stricken, the King and Queen release lighted lanterns every year on her birthday.

Eighteen years later, we are introduced to Flynn Rider (Zachary Levi) and his two companions (Ron Perlman). Together, they steal a tiara from the palace and flee into the woods. Hot on their tails are the palace guard, complete with horse Maximus. Max will embody the trope “All Animals are Dogs” in that he sniffs like a tracking dog, points like a hunting dog and is just a dog in general. Their chase ends when Flynn discovers the hidden tower.

Inside, Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) is about to turn eighteen and leads a very claustrophobic life. She is not allowed outside her tower, so she has limited things to do during the day. She mostly paints, covering every space of her tower with her pictures. Another daily task is brushing her hair, which is now a whooping 70 feet long! She has only one wish—she wants to see the lights that appear every year on her birthday. When she asks Mother Gothel about this, her reaction is delivered via a song! (It’s a Disney film. What do you expect?) When Flynn decides to hide in her tower, Rapunzel defends herself with a frying pan. Hoping this will prove to her mother she is old enough to leave the tower, Mother Gothel turns almost violent.

After sending Mother Gothel on a long quest, Rapunzel confronts Flynn. She strikes a deal with him—she’ll return his tiara if he takes her to see the lights. He agrees and the two set off on a grand adventure. Pursuing the two are Maximus, the twin thugs and Mother Gothel. Chase sequences, an elaborate song in a tavern and a love ballad later, Rapunzel and Flynn find themselves in more danger. Does Flynn realize the errors of his ways? Will Rapunzel ever realize Mother Gothel is evil? Will there be a happy ending?

Well, the fact that’s it a Disney movie probably makes those questions a bit less suspenseful.

Rapunzel’s road to the cinemas was just as tangled as Rapunzel’s hair. It was first announced that Tony Award winners Kristen Chenoweth (“You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown”) and Dan Fogler (“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) would be voicing Rapunzel and Flynn before Moore and Levi took over. Then last year, Disney released “The Princess and the Frog.” While the movie did well, the executives at the House of Mouse realized that they didn’t do well with the young boy demographic. So, they changed the focus from Rapunzel to both her and Flynn and rebranded the movie “Tangled.”

Maybe because I’m a woman, but why do they place such importance on that particular demographic? Statistics show that there are more girls than boys and every girl at one point wants to be a princess. It’s like how they kept trying to make sure Power Rangers appealed to boys. Did you EVER once see a girl in those commercials? We used to love the show just as much as our male counterparts. Thank God Saban bought the rights back. Do they not think that parents of girls don’t buy products either?

Rant aside, upon viewing the movie, the shift is only in advertisement. The story’s focus remains more on Rapunzel than it does on Flynn, despite him being the narrator. However, there is enough action to keep any little boy entertained and Maximus clearly panders more to the male demographic than the female “horsey!” one. Rapunzel is no pansy either—she has no problem using a frying pan as well as her hair as weapons. She is a sweet and enthusiastic young woman, eager to explore the world she has been kept from. Flynn is swashbuckling and rough around the edges, almost like Aladdin. He softens into his heart of gold and comes to realize he wants something more than wealth and riches.

It is Mother Gothel who is most intriguing. In the list of greatest Disney villains of all time, Maleficent usually tops the list, but I think Mother Gothel is a fine contender. She is a brand of evil that makes you uncomfortable. Rapunzel clearly loves her and wants to please her, unaware that Gothel only has her for selfish reasons. Gothel is also a master of psychological abuse. She’ll give a compliment, state it was meant for her and wave it away with a “kidding!” She also manipulates others to make sure Rapunzel returns with her, caring not for their welfare.

Once the first song of the movie started up, Rapunzel’s “When Will My Life Begin?”, I instantly identified the composer as Alan Menken. The lyricist was a bit more difficult, though I ruled out Stephen Schwartz. The end credits revealed it was Glenn Slater. While the songs in Rapunzel may not be as memorable as other Disney songs, they are toe-tapping and fit the movie. My personal favorite is the ballad “I See the Light,” the requisite Disney love song. Moore’s voice is still lovely as it was at the height of her pop career. Levi did his own singing as well and I commented that I was surprised to learn he could sing—and sing well.

I highly recommend a viewing of “Tangled”—a good story line, interesting characters, hummable songs and beautiful CGI animation make it a solid entry in the Disney canon.

Four out of Five Mickeys!

In Memoriam: Roy E. Disney

The Walt Disney Company announced today that Roy E. Disney passed away at the age of 79.

Disney was the son of Roy Disney and nephew to Walt. Roy sat on the board of the Walt Disney and was a prominent shareholder. In the late 1980s, he resigned from the board and led a movement to have Walt’s son-in-law, Ron Miller, replaced as head of the company. The movement was successful and Michael Eisner assumed control along side Frank Wells. Wells died in 1994 and Eisner continued to run the company as Disney experienced a re-emergence as an innovative movie maker.

As the 21st century dawned, many Disney fans grew disgusted at Eisner’s leadership as they watched the company take a dive. Disney, too, did not approve of the direction the company was taking. He once again resigned from the board and led another movement. Once again, he was successful as the board voted not to support Eisner. He resigned and Bob Iger assumed control of the Walt Disney Company.

Iger issued this statement regarding Disney’s death: "Roy's commitment to the art of animation was unparalleled and will always remain his personal legacy and one of his greatest contributions to Disney's past, present and future.”

Disney was a great champion of his uncle’s ideals and Pixar’s chief creative officer, John Lasseter, offers a fitting ode in his statement:

"He put his heart and soul into preserving Disney's legendary past, while helping to move the art of animation into the modern age by embracing new technology.”

RIP

Bah Humbug—In 3-D!

It’s never Christmas until someone puts out a new version of “A Christmas Carol.”

This year, the Walt Disney Company gives another go at the classic Dickens tale—after “Mickey’s A Christmas Carol” and “A Muppet Christmas Carol.” They have teamed up with Robert Zemeckis again, the first time since “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?”, and utilize the innovative animation used for the classic “The Polar Express.”

This go-around, miser Ebenezer Scrooge is played by Jim Carrey at all ages. On Christmas Eve, he is haunted by the specter of his old partner Jacob Marley (Gary Oldman), who warns Scrooge that his after death fate is a bleak one. Scrooge is then visited by three spirits (all played by Carrey) who show him visions of Christmases past, present and future. It shouldn’t be much of a spoiler by now to reveal that in the end, Scrooge changes his ways and becomes a better person because of his encounters.

It was a bit jarring to hear that a funny man such as Jim Carrey would be taking on Ebenezer Scrooge, but he does the role justice. My father believed he modeled some of Scrooge’s speech patterns on Alastair Sims, oft considered the epitome of Scrooges. He also did a wonderful job as the various ghosts, particularly the whispery tones he took for the Ghost of Christmas Past. In a change of events, the Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Be wasn’t the most frightening specter in the movie. That honor belongs to Marley and the gaggle of ghosts bearing his fate that Scrooge sees from his window. Oldman’s voice is adds a layer of creepiness, though he does tender as well in his other roles as Bob Crachit and Tiny Tim.

If there is one flaw, it is that the story is a bit rushed. The spirits do not dwell long and scenes are cut short. Belle (voiced by Robin Wright Penn) is hurried from a wordless dance to her breaking the engagement with Scrooge. The scenes at the Crachit household was also unusually short, not allowing for much with Tiny Tim.

This is an admirable addition to the litany of “A Christmas Carol” adaptations that exist. It may not be suitable for young children and parents should use caution for some intense scenes. Otherwise, go see it!

(Especially in 3-D)

60 Days to Go: Disney Memories (#2)

With the last entry reminding me about my character breakfast at the Wilderness Lodge, I've decided to share some other character dining experiences:

--At an ice cream social held at the California Grill, Chip comes over and tries to pull my dad's shirt off. It takes a few minutes to realize he's actually tugging at the emblem on the shirt. My dad worked for ABC when it was taken over by Disney and we had one company picnic (One. Disney, I love them, but boy are they cheap!). At the picnic, everyone was given a shirt with the Disney gang printed on them. Chip was trying to pull at himself to show that he was on my dad's shirt! My dad and Chip then started to get a few laughs at mocking how cheap Eisner was.

--At Chef Mickey's, we were with a large group of friends when they started to giggle. My back was to the main room so I didn't know what was going on. Suddenly, I feel my hair start to be mussed with--pushed on top of my head and then over my face. I turned around and there's Dale, playing with my hair.

--A few from the Liberty Tree Tavern: Keeping with the theme, Chip signed my sister's autograph book and then threw it into the fireplace. Our last trip, Dale tried to run off with my poncho after posing for some pictures. And finally, we learned you should never give Goofy a bell. As some cast members brought out a cake for a lucky birthday patron, Goofy rang the bell so hard and so often, our ears were ringing by the end of the celebration.

And one from trips past, told often by my parents:

At Fort Wilderness, there was once a breakfast with Melvin the Moose (when he isn't at Country Bear Hall, he lives in Pioneer Hall). The Country Bears were part of the breakfast and when they came in, my dad said he had never seen my toddler self move so fast. I crawled over him and away from where the bears were.

So, I would suggest doing a character meal at least once during your foray to Disney. Memories will be made and the food's good!

78 Days to Go: A Moment of Silence

Today's post will be short and won't actually deal with my upcoming Walt Disney World trip.

The Walt Disney Co. has announced that Wayne Allwine, the voice of Mickey Mouse, passed away. Allwine began voicing the famous mouse in 1977 and continued being the voice of Mickey for the next 32 years. He has been heard in the many movies and TV shows featuring Mickey in the past 3 decades as well as the Disney parks. He was the third man to give life to Mickey, following Jimmy MacDonald and the original Mickey Mouse--Walt Disney, himself.

Allwine is survived by five children as well as his wife, Russi Taylor. Taylor is the voice of Minnie Mouse. He was only 62 years old. It is unknown at this time who will succeed him as the voice of Mickey Mouse.

Condolences to Russi Taylor and Allwine's children, as well as the Disney family.