31 Days of Film - Day 26: The film that should never have had a sequel

Just about every Disney animated film should not have a sequel - the only exception I can think of is Lilo & Stitch (I love the second film, though I can't watch it after losing Yuka last year).

I just don't understand why Disney thinks this is a good idea. Okay, I get that they're a business and it's an easy buck - but most of these films are total throw aways! They have no real quality of storytelling, characters, or animation. They are cheaply made from start to finish. It's not just disappointing, it's disheartening.

The Walt Disney name deserves better.

I know some of my fellow Disnerds will disagree, but honestly I just don't get how they can ignore the quality factor.

A Tasteful Countdown: Jungle Book

Not sure how authentic it is, but it was good.

Well, I'm becoming pretty consistent and quicker in making dinner. Surprising that I say this after making the meal that I did last night. The movie was Jungle Book which meant we travelled to India with our meal. I planned a menu of "Indian Chicken on white rice with naan" followed by a dessert of rabri.

I started off with the bread and the dessert. The naan dough was easy enough, but the rabri was disgusting. I had a "quick" recipe for it that called for use of powdered milk. Add to that a cup of heavy whipping cream and it smelled like curdled milk. Disgusting. I was really rethinking the idea of dessert!

I learned the hard way I do not multi-task well. I was kneading bread, shelling pistachios (for the dessert), and doing work on the computer. All the while the milk mixture was on the stove. I forgot about it and in under a minute it was burned. Just so you know: powdered sugar+powdered milk+whipping cream=the most disgusting smell ever when burnt. YUCK! Upset and discouraged, I had just enough cream to try again. If that went badly I would make banana splits and dad would just deal with it (by not eating the banana lol).

Not authentic, but just as good, naan. Dad ate all 3 pieces.

So, while I got the second batch on the burner - a much lower heat than before - I finished rolling out the naan and getting it ready to bake. The recipe said that it needed to be served warm, so I planned to bake it beforehand, and then broil it (as the recipe called for) right before serving. The bread came out awesome! The dessert took longer than what the recipe said - but I'm not sure if I did something wrong, or if they were off on their time. I may have cooked it on too low a setting, but I didn't want to screw up the whole thing again. First world problems, I know.

Once the milk stuff - mixed with the pistachios and almonds - was ready to cool I started on the main dish. A lot of interesting flavors mixed together for this. Curry powder, onions, garlic, honey, soy sauce, jalepeno, ginger - and it smelled good. Though, for a while, I thought it smelled more like the cup of noodles I ate in school. Ha ha! Once the flavors melded together the smell did, too. I put the stuff over the chicken and put it in the oven to bake.

Hot and ready to serve!

An hour later we were sitting down to the movie with a very flavorful and fragrant meal. I wasn't too keen on it - I found out I don't like curry flavors - but both mom and dad went back for seconds! Dad ate all three pieces of naan (it's good but too yeasty for me). The dessert was also a hit with the parents - though I still think it looks and smells disgusting - and they're still raving about it. The house still smells like dinner and it's been over 24 hours! Crazy!

Next week is Duane's birthday - we're going to do Toy Story with homemade pizza and camo birthday cake. Should be good!

Speaking of birthdays, mine was Monday and instead of watching the second term inaugeration's second ceremony (tell me why we need two for a second term when we're STILL in a recession?!) I spent the day working and then lunch and a movie with Kassy. I FINALLY GOT TO SEE LINCOLN! I may do a post about what I thouht of the film. I want to see it again! It was good.

My parents got me a blu-ray player with wifi so I've been watching netflix in my room a lot. This is something I was hinting about a lot in the last few weeks, so I was very happy to get it! So happy that I set it up the night of my bday before going to bed! Using it right now to watch old school Law & Order. Love me some Lenny Briscoe!

And then today I got something I honestly didn't think I'd own until I became a married woman - if then. I GOT A KITCHENAID Mixer from my aunt and uncle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was so surprised to get it - when my aunt hinted that it was something she KNEW I'd like and that she had a similar one I honestly thought it was going to be something decorative with pugs on it! LOL I can't wait to start mixing with it. I know it will help out with my baking big time! Thank you Judy & Gaylord!

I'm thinking I'll name it "Hondo"!

Disney?!... AGAIN?!

Oh how every Disney Parks fanatic *loves* to hear the condescending tone when they have friends and family ask this question. We normally answer with an all too perky "Yes! Yes, I am!" or a sarcastic sigh with a short "mm, hmm." It's not like we're flying to the moon, or joining a convent - though you might argue for some Disney is their place of worship. It's amusing to think that people actually think we need to be reminded that there's "More than Disney."

We can all name people who go to Hawaii for just about every vacation, or Lake Tahoe, or Colorado to ski. Yet, while that does not get the "you're going again???" Disney always does. The answer is, simply, yes. The next series of questions and statements follow two themes "why" and expense.
So why is it that some folks and families are die hard disney park goers? The answer relies heavily on what you consider when you think vacation. Sure, expense is a big deal - there are several trips I would take over Disney if I had a bottomless budget to blow - but even before budgetting, what makes a vacation?

For many it's the family factor, what's the most family friendly vacation you can think of? If you asked my dad growing up it was camping in the woods. No distractions from neighbor kids, cable tv, or the original Nintendo. Camping is always considered cheap, but if you begin adding up the fuel it takes to get to the camp spot, the equipment, etc it adds up - the thing that makes it more affordable is how many times you can use the equipment.

Mom's idea of a vacation was wherever she could get away from the life drama that surrounds an everyday life, the housework, and be pampered. This could be a weekend with the ladies at the church or a week away with her sister. As long as she could laugh, and forget about the laundry dad was no doubt ruining while she was away, she was happy.

Me? Disney is my vacation destination of choice. I've converted my family - though they are content still with the cheaper options - by just showing them what I've found to get out of Disney. Yes, it can be crowded, and yes it can be expensive. Family meltdowns can, will and do happen. And, no, Disney is not for everyone.

There. I said it. Disney is not everyone's cup of tea.

Hawaii is not my idea of a good time. I don't swim, I don't like being too hot, and I don't do well with whatever is in the geological make up of volcanic rock (rare skin allergy). Yet so many suggest that if I just try it I'll love it. And maybe I will. But these same people balk at the idea of ever liking Disney. Fine. But don't judge my balking of your destination.

Disney is a place of nostalgia for me. I cannot remember a time where I didn't have disney movies playing constantly. My first movie in the theaters was Disney's Oliver & Company. My generation grew up during the rebirth of Disney's animated films. The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King are still considered some of the best films the company has EVER produced.
We also grew up with the CGI company of Pixar. The story of Andy's Toys, who concluded their Feature Length films two years ago with the Third film, was in many ways our story. We basically grew up with Andy and Molly. So who wouldn't want to visit the toys of Andy's room, or go to Ant Island and meet up with Flik and the other bugs all the while looking up at Rafiki's Tree of Life?

When Walt Disney dreamed of his theme parks - originally Disneyland, but he was unhappy with the layout and thus Disney World was born - he thought of a park that would never become stale. That everyone could come and enjoy and get something out of it. Nostalgia, all the while promoting the new - be it a new Disney film, or some new technology. A place where mom and dad can watch their children gaze in wonder at their surroundings, and where other adults can become children again.

Walt wanted a place where everyone could go and just be. Become part of a story. Forget life realities and remember what's really important. Friends, family, yourself. I've been to the parks on my own, with my best friend, with my high school concert band, with different sets of my family. Each time memories were made. That joy is remembered long after the trip is over.

Yes, this same achievement happens everywhere, but for me - and many others - Disney is the happy place. Yes, there are other places that are cheaper, yes there are other places less crowded, but think of it this way: Perhaps the real reason we need the vacation is to get away from people that think like the naysayers. The "unbelievers"... as Peter Pan might say - the one's who went and grew up. The types that don't get Disney and never will are just one of the many reasons I run to get away at Disney. Disney is not negative. Good conquers evil. True love conquers all.

Everyone lives Happily Ever After.

I'll be going back to Disneyland - Walt's First Park - in just 99 days... and I cannot wait.

Favorite Disney Park planning resources - Part 2

Click here for Part 1.

Dumbo Ride, Disneyland 2011

So you've gotten the hang of it by now, you're ready to take the next step and book your trip. This is where it gets tricky. You have your Passporter to write plans down in (use pencil!), but wait! Don't just rush and pick those dates that look the less crowded. Did you make sure you're getting the most bang for your buck? Switch dates sometimes means less money and more fun for you and your fellow travellers - and they aren't during busy seasons!

This is where MouseSavers.com comes in. It's a travel agency site (that's been trained and approved by The Mouse), but it's also so much more than that. It actually keeps travellers and potential travellers up-to-date with all of the latest and greatest promotions. If you're not going through a travel agent this is where you have to be pro-active.

Disney doesn't just automatically put you into whatever promotion that might come out after you book - you do. As long as you're more than 45 days out you're not penalized for making travel changes to your package. This is how two years ago we ended up with FREE DINING for most of our stay, and three years ago (this month actually) we ended up with a moderate resort for the same price as a value! INSANE! And these are DISNEY promotions! Once you book, watch for the deals. If one becomes available call down to Disney. The guy on the other end of the phone will help you get into the promotion if they can. You may have to break up your reservations into two seperate - but linked - packages, but it is SO WORTH IT! (again this is if you book an entire package through Disney.)

Now, you're booked to go, so what are you going to do when you get there. You want to be spontaneous, but there are so many options - especially for Walt Disney World - to fill up your time. Where do you begin? Well, aside from the great reviews in your Passporter, try these on for size (and remember these are more for park destinations!).

My next stop is either purchasing The Unofficial Guide to *your destination here* it's a book that comes out every year and is even more critical than Passporter. They often get a bad wrap for being anti-Disney. They aren't, they are just more of a "worst case scenario" as far as prices and crowd count. They take a very critical look about Disney but are Disney enthusiasts themselves.

Another great feature with the Unofficial Guides it that they have a partner website, TouringPlans.com. This is a paid site, but what's really cool is that if you purchase one of the guide books you can get your subscription at a discounted rate! They are also completely mobile with a great phone app (yes, I am a subscriber, and yes I play with their app even when I'm not anywhere near the parks!). The two best features are their crowd calculators, which gives you an idea of how crowded any day of the year will be, and their wait times. The wait times are accurate and update more often than the Disney waittimes (and are probably even a little more accurate than Disney).

Once you've got an idea of where you're going to be and when, it's time to decide where you're going to eat. This is especially important for Walt Disney World as you want to book your dining reservations as soon as you're able to (180 days if you're staying on property for WDW, 60 days if you're going to Disneyland - on property or off). The best place for that is AllEars.net. They have the menus for every eatery - sit down, counter, and snack! - and they keep them as up to date as possible. There are sections for reviews (though if you want current reviews, ask on PassporterBoards.com), and it also gives you the prices.

• Quick Tip: The one thing you have to do is BUDGET, and I always round up by at least five dollars per. Figure in tip, and tax, and so it's always better to budget more and save than budget less and come up short towards the end of your trip. The money that you don't end up spending on food you can put towards more souvenier's or, like I do, the next Disney trip!

I must warn you, however, that this site will get you hungry. Just the thought of all of these amazing foods is enough to get my mouth watering. There is nothing like Disney Dining. If you're going to Disney World all I can say is GET THE DINING PLAN (this requires you stay on property). It is so worth it. We were able to eat at places we never could afford without it. AllEars - and, really passporter - have a great way of explaning the program and how to best use it. That in and of itself is another blog entirely. Ha ha!

Speaking of mouth watering, a great site for reviews on the food experiences at Disney is the Disney Food Blog. Whenever I have a hard time deciding where to eat, or if I'm not quite sure about a newer establishment I go to see if it's been reviewed (and it normally has) by this team of Disney Foodies. This is one of the few websites I follow year round, even when I'm not planning a trip! But, again, it will make you hungry. I've warned you, so don't come crying to me that your tummy is growling... or that your keyboard is wet because you drool.

So there it is. These are the "secrets" I use to plan my trip when I go. Nothing fancy, and it is a bit of work, but it's your hard earned money going to a well deserved vacation. There are others sites I've reccomended to friends that aren't on here. Typically those links that you've been given by me were links I was given by friends that I trust. UndercoverTourist.com is a great way to get discounted tickets - or so I've heard. I've never used them as I prefer to just do everything through Disney when I go to Disney World. Disneyland seems to be cheapest if I buy directly from Disneyland.com, so, again, I don't need to go through a third party to get the best rate. And really MouseSavers is all I need to make sure I'm getting the best deal with Disney or with an outside company.

So enjoy, don't let it over whelm you. I typically spend nine months planning a disney world trip before going. And it took over a year to plan my first one. It does get easier, especially when you use these free (or nearly free) resources. You can log onto them at anytime. And, when all else fails, you can use a travel agent (USE A DISNEY SPECIALIST) and if you want names, I can point you in that direction as well (rememeber I don't use them, but I trust them and bug them all the time with my own questions ha ha!)

30 Days of Disney: Day Twenty-three

Day 23: Movie that makes you laugh

There are several Disney films I could name, but the first one that came to mind was The Emperor's New Groove. Disney's most sarcastic movie to date! Anyone who knows me, knows I love a good bit of sacarasm (especially if I'm the one getting to dish it out). The weakest part of his film is lack of creativity in the animation. It's simple, it's cartoonish, and there's no depth whatsoever. If it was supposed to be styled by some Incan or Mayan or whatever art, I think Disney missed the mark (I'm also not a fan of the Hercules animation even though we're supposed to believe that it's based in Greek art, which you can KINDA see, but again it's a cop out to make sure they don't need to have depth).

What the movie does have going for it is the vocals and, of course, the humor. David Spade and Eartha Kitt - I am so there!



Erin and I have so many inside jokes with this movie, and the "Yzma, put your hands in the air!" is screamed many times while at Disney on rides. Even the wimpy drops get that line from time to time. Because we're the Dorktwins - and proud of it.

30 Days of Disney: Day Twenty

Day 20: Favorite Sequel
We bring you back to our regularly scheduled program now that we're seeing the 39th Iditarod come to a close. The countdown has already started, for me, for Iditarod 40. We're going to make it a long weekend for the start. We're going to do it all. Musher's Banquet, Trail Guard for Ceremonial Start, and then head up to the restart! Very excited and I hope the plans go through.

Anyway, back to the game. Favorite Sequel. Welll, for the most part I hate Disney sequels, I think they're a waste of time and it seems the Disney animation department thinks so too. All it is is a cheap way to make money on unsuspecting parents who just snatch up all things Disney because it seems it required at parenthood. Not that I'm complaining, I think children should discover the brilliance of classic Disney. But the sequels are not classics, they're cheap knock offs of the classics.

Pixar, however, has done an amazing job with their Toy Story sequels, and apparently the next several Pixar releases will also be sequels based on other of their classic films. Pixar is all about the story as well as the animation and it works. I have no doubt that Cars 2 and even Monsters Inc 2 will get teh job done well. (I don't think Monsters needs a sequel - or really prequel - but no one asked me)



Toy Story 3 is probably the most emotional animated film I have ever had to watch. Land Before Time ate me up when I was little, but this movie kills me everytime I watch it. I was BAWLING my eyes out in the theater watching the ending scene. It's horribly real. Pixar has gotten better and better with each film in tugging at the heartstrings. Toy Story 3 nearly put me in therapy after watching it. I've watched it three times, and just watching the clip I shared had me snniffling this morning. Crazy.

So Toy Story 3 is definitely my favorite sequel (yes I know I chose Toy Story 2 as my favorite pixar film).

30 Days of Disney: Day Eighteen

Day 18: Favorite Pixar Film
Oooo, this is tough. it's easier for me to pick my least favorite. I'd have to go with... well... maybe... I don't know... ummmmmm... Toy Story 2. It's an amazing sequel, and the only reason I don't choose #3, which is the most brilliant of the trilogy, is because it made me cry and I hate that. I don't like the ending because it's so real to life. It's just wrong. I like to escape in a Pixar or Disney film, not be reminded I'm an adult and I have to let go. It is almost an Anti-Disney film! haha!

Toy Story was very much a part of my childhood. I remember watching the first one and loving it, and by the time the second came out I was bursting to see it. Granted they both came out during the Baptist Boycott against Disney, so I didn't see either in theatres, but I did see them when friends would bring them over (hey none of our money went to the Mouse at that time, so it counts.)

Thankfully that boycott is done and over with, and I happily own the entire Pixar collection (and I'm slowly but surely making up for lost time Disney Animation wise).

So for today, Toy Story 2 is my favorite. Tomorrow it will probably be Cars or Up or Finding Nemo... or Monsters Inc... or Wall-E... oy.

30 Days of Disney: Day Four

Day 4: Favorite Prince

Oh, dear. This is where it goes bad. I LOVE the Disney princes. What girl didn't crush on at least one of them in her childhood. I was and am no different. In fact, I still crush hard on the princes. Especially when I am lucky enough to meet them in the parks and they are just as *charming* in person.

The prince I've loved longest is Prince Phillip. He's a dragon slaying, serenade singing, all around great dancer. He's that boy next door you don't mind bringing to meet your mama. He fights for his princess, which is rare in Disney fables, and he is victorious and has one of the best kiss scenes in Disney history. I've wanted my own Prince Philip for ages.

Recently, though, I've fallen for Disney's newest Prince: Prince Naveen. He's very charismatic in the film, and the character in the parks just sealed the deal. I've become a Naveen stalker! The newer Princess films gives the princes more personality, so we really get to know Naveen through the course of the movie. He's a flirt, a playboy really, and yet he does have a soft side. He's very romantic when he's not trying to be, and through it all he's a good guy.

So I have two favorites. The more modern Naveen and the saintly Phillip. Mmm-mmm Good! ;)

30 Days of Disney: Day Two

Day 2: Favorite Princess

Everyone, say it with me: Princess Aurora. Known best just as Sleeping Beauty, I actually prefer her peasant name of Briar Rose. Aurora is Disney's second princess (Snow White, of course, being the first). I love just about everything in that movie, and the princess is no exception. I love the fact that she doesn't mouth off or run away or defy authority - sure she DREAMS about meeting someone, and she DOES dance with Phillip, but she doesn't go out of her way to break the rules... she's not happy with them, but what can she do?

I'm not sure exactly what it is about her that I love, but I always come back to her even after my mini obsessions with Belle and Jazzy when the movies first came out (actually the only princess I didn't like, and still don't, is Ariel).

So here's to the girl with hair as bright and golden as the sun, and lips the shame the red, red rose...

Princess Aurora outside her Castle, Feb. 2011

Movie Review: Disney Animation's Tangled

Disney Animation's latest CGI film came to us this Thanksgiving with the story of Rapunzel. As with all of the classic Fairytales, Tangled presents the story with a few Disney twists. This is also, reportedly, the final Disney Princess film according to recent articles quoting the Company's head - John Lassetter - as saying they were going to go in a different direction.

If Tangled is to be the final Princess film, well, then Disney did not disappoint. In a decade filled with hit or miss films, the company has ended on a high note with their latest animated films (Princess and the Frog, Bolt, and now Tangled). The story is timeless, the story seamless, and CGI animation -while not Pixar standards- is spot on.

The story itself is familiar. Rapunzel (voiced by singer-actress Mandy Moore), a princess, is wisked away by an evil old woman to live in a tower where her hair grows long and - as Disney tells it - has magical powers that keep her captor young and beautiful. Rapunzel knows not that her "mother" is really the villian, or that the lanterns she sees from her tower window every year on her birthday are for her.

Meanwhile, a local fugitive - Flynn Rider (voiced by "Chuck" actor Zachary Levi) - has a bit of trouble on his hands when he finds himself in possession of a stolen crown and is now persued by the King's army. While escaping, he finds himself facing a hidden tower deep within the forrest. Naturally he climbs said tower only to find himself face to face with... a frying pan. The frying pan, naturally, is wielded by our heroine who decides to "hire" Flynn to take her to the lanterns so that she can see them in person. This is her only birthday wish, and at age 18 she feels she is more than deserving. So she lies to her "mother" and sets off on an adventure.

The young duo find themselves at odds almost immediately. Rider is more interested in the crown - which Rapunzel has hidden in order to get him to take her to the lanterns - and tries to convince Rapunzel to give up the notion and go back and forget the whole thing. Rapunzel, herself, is at odds with her decision to leave - feeling guilty for lying to her "mother" - but curiousity wears out... as well as begins a love story.

By the end of their journey, our duo finds themselves completely infatuated with one another and with life lessons learned. Flynn reveals truths about himself that he's shared with no one else, and Rapunzel lets down her guard to share her hair's magical gift. This charming love story is easily believable and enjoyable to watch unfold. Even though the viewer pretty much knows it's going to happen, you're still pleasantly surprised to find that you were right in your assumption.

The plot quickly turns dark as Rapunzel's true identity is revealed to her, and the climax has a couple of twists you wouldn't expect from the Disney storyline. It departs dramatically from the original telling the further along you go in teh story, but is brought 'round right by the end.

Many Disney purists have been skeptical of the CGI films over the years. Some - including myself - believe that the medium should be left to Disney's partner company, Pixar. Other's don't seem to mind the medium so long as the story is good - which Disney has been hit or miss with since the early 90s. However with the change of command in Pixar's John Lassetter, Disney has seemingly made it's way back to the light with classic stories being told - and being told extremely well. The Disney Magic is fully evident in the 50th feature animation.

A couple of criticisms: the music was lacking, this is very disheartening considering Alan Meinken was at the helm and he's produced many classic scores over the years for the animated features. There were too many "small" songs that just seemed to be there because the director thought "it's a disney film we need a song here, and here, and one here, and oooo this is probably where one goes, too." The songs lacked a bit of heart, though some of that may be due to Mandy Moore.

Also, throughout the film I found myself wanting this movie to be done with the classic 2D animation that all other princess films had been done. Again, this goes back to personal preference, and the fact that compared to Pixar, the animation just doesn't come close, but no where in the film did the CGI seem to stand out as something that could only be done with computer graphics. You could possibly argue the lantern scene, but then they could have Beauty and Beast styled the movie and let that scene be part 2d and part CGI. Still, the computer animation was sound, and very few scenes seemed unfinished to my untrained eye.

Over all this was an enjoyable addition to the Disney family. It's a great family film - my nearly five year old neice enjoyed it - and surprisingly does not talk down to the audience at all (which I found even Princess and the Frog did). There's slapstick humor, very little potty humor (if any), and it is - of course - clean. Parents worried about the magic aspect will be happy to note that it's minimal and at the end is done away with entirely.

In true Disney form this story is a keeper.