Disney Babies

       In some older Disney movies like Sleeping Beauty, or even the newer version of this movie, Maleficent, you actually start the movie during the infant stage. In this part of the movie, you see this perfect baby, never cries, gets gifts from Flora, Fauna, and Merrywether, and has an easy and smooth sailing childhood. I would just like to state this is far from reality.
       Coming from someone who works at a daycare center, has a not yet one year old niece, and who is as I'm typing watching a not even two month old, a quiet and compliant baby is not even slightly realistic. I'm going to give you just a few reasons this idea of a baby being perfect, is so not true.

Reason number one this is unrealistic:
Babies, although they can understand some things you say, you cannot understand what they want. This is a tough reality because you sit there as they cry and you don't know what they want, and you can only do so much to try and relieve them. In other words, regardless if you're at a daycare or watching this baby at home, you can't expect them to sit there patiently when usually you and them both don't know what they want.

Reason number two this is unrealistic:
When babies are in a new setting such as a daycare, or a home different then their own, they are uncomfortable, with that said, when baby Aurora lives a lot of her baby life in the castle with her parents and is abruptly moved into the fairies home with no sort of adjustment issue or complications is rather strange. These babies are in a routine, much like myself, I do the same things from a day to day basis, so when children are moved from their normal setting, it's expected that it will take some adjustment time, and will not happen in such a smooth manner all the time.

Reason number three this is unrealistic:
Babies do not, and will never follow your schedule, they will not be compliant, but that's all part of the process. No one said taking care of a child would be easy, but it's part of the fun. Even without the help of magical fairies to watch and care for child's every need, they'll turn out just fine, because you're learning just like them, so forget Disney's ideals, just do the best you can do!



"...it all started because of a mouse." -Walt Disney

The Magic of Disney

       If you've followed me this far, you know how strongly I believe is Disney's entire enterprise, from the movies, to the shows, I trust in it all. I think a common theme from all of my blogs thus far is the meaning you can pull from whichever Disney movie you're watching. Sometimes I think they hide messages or meanings so well it's like a subconscious thing, and you don't even realize they do it. To me, Disney truly does capture most all aspects of life, and they do it in such a graceful way that it may not seem as hectic as your life in that same situation. What I think Disney has mastered is the way they care. They care about people from all walks of life, animals real and make believe, and all of those whimsical things that fall between. 

       Something that sets Disney apart from others, is their personability with their viewers. Whether you are visiting Disney World, or snuggled into your bed, binging on Disney movies, we all feel some sort of connection to them. A very general example would be, when you're at a Disney park, and you're meeting the characters, you stand and talk to them as if you've known them your whole life. Although you haven't met this character before, you probably have 'known' them your entire life on earth, not physically, but on a mental level.

        With all that said, the older I've gotten the more I feel this pulling connection to Disney, it's almost as if it's embedded in me at this point. What Disney has done is made something so wonderful you feel like you're apart of it, maybe only a small dot in the scheme of things, but definitely apart of it. Disney cares, and when they care the people who receive them care too, it comes back full circle. I guess you can call that the magic of Disney!

"...it all started because of a mouse." -Walt Disney 

Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas

       Being a big proponent of Christmas, I really enjoy all of the holiday movies and shorts that Disney comes out with. More recently, they've made shorts, or spins off of the movie Cars about the characters from Radiator Springs, which are all fine and dandy, but I am personally a fan of the classic Mickey mouse Christmas films with the original characters; Mickey, Minnie, Donald Duck, Daisy, Goofy, and Pluto. I think one of my favorites is, Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas, because it tells classic stories from Mickey's perspective, Donald and his three nephews, Huey, Duey, and Louie's perspective, and Goofy's perspective of their holiday adventures. I think that I really enjoy these stories because they are relatable to real life scenarios, allowing for more of a connection between the film and the observer.
       The first story is Mickey and Minnie's, and it tells of how the two gave up very important things to exchange for gifts. They showed their worth to each other by putting their needs on hold for the other because it would make the other happy. This story is relatable to me because during the holiday time I know that my mom sacrifices whatever she needs in order to fulfill my sisters and I's, ridiculous or not, Christmas list. She shows me the real meaning of Christmas; giving, not receiving.

       The second story follows Goofy and his son Max, it tells of some very comical events leading up to Christmas, which leaves them distanced for a while, until Santa visits making it one of the most magical holidays yet. Goofy and Max can be parallels to many parent to child situations, but I think what makes this one so special is that they learn that the parent is only trying to do what's best for their children to make them happy for at least one day of the year.

       In the third portion of the film, you follow Donald Duck's nephews, Huey, Duey, and Louie, and learn of their Christmas dreams and how they turn into a constant rerun of Christmas day. As great as this may seem, the boys soon grow tired of what they thought would be great, Christmas everyday. Although it takes a few days, you see the boys transform from the greedy children you met, into boys who understand what a blessing it is to have Christmas one day, and the learn to appreciate all aspects of the holiday, not just the part when they get gifts. To me the three boys can be compared to most children, now grown, at a young age, because when you are young you dint understand the point, and as you grow older, you see the beauty in all of Christmas day not just the gift portion.

       As you grow older, I think that yet again Disney is right of the money, and has shown us the beauty in the holidays, and taught us how we need to appreciate what our loved ones do for us, and know that there is more to Christmas than gifts. Disney has taught me to appreciate the little things, and hold on to family traditions, because without them none of this would be possible.

 

"...it all started with a mouse." -Walt Disney

Mermaids Etc.

       If you are keeping up with my blog, you know that Ariel is my favorite Disney Princess, for many reasons, one of them being that she is a mermaid. The more I think about it, the reasons I want to be a mermaid is almost endless, but I'll just give you five. :)
       Reason number one that I want to a mermaid:

• No walking

I see no downside to not having to walk, and to constantly have the ability to swim all the time.
       Reason number two that I want to be a mermaid:

• I get to live out my life wearing a swimsuit

Wearing a swimsuit, to me at least is really comfortable, and is a very freeing feeling to be able to be virtually naked for my entire life.
       Reason number three that I want to be a mermaid:

• Majestic hair

Needless to say Ariel has this mop of hair that flows beautifully cloud like behind her whilst she swims the day away. When I had long hair, and went to Disney, I obviously met Ariel, and she told me I have Mermaid hair. No big deal, but the coolest mermaid ever told me I had mermaid hair.
        Reason number four that I want to be a mermaid:

• Crazy good singing voice

No matter what mermaid you are a fan of, they always have an amazing voice. They have a special song that they sing, that almost mesmerizes the people around her. I'm vain and self centered and want people to want me in my mermaidness.  

          Reason number five that I want to be a mermaid:

• Ariel is perfect and gets whatever she wants in life

Being a mermaid, Ariel lives a blessed life in an under water castle, with her 6 sisters. Ariel later gets the man of her dreams, and has a baby to complete the perfect family. With many adventures along the way, I see no down side to being a mermaid. 

"...it all started because of a mouse." -Walt Disney

Disney Parents

       Today I would like to talk about Disney parents. And if you are a Disney parent, then listen up because I am about to praise you till days end. But seriously, I think you are so amazing if you still continue to love Disney while being an adult. I think it keeps you young, and who does not want to be young these days? Anyway, parents who still love to go to Disney world with your kids on a yearly bases and buy then those fun little shirts and knick knacks at those Disney stores you can find places, well you rock! You have no idea how much I appreciate my mom have done that to me and my sisters as a kid! 

       Now for the yahoos who did not do that for your children, well I pretty much think that you just suck. Kind of sort of maybe a lot. Honestly, what is your reasoning you have not done those things? Okay I get that Disney world is like super expensive but you should have at least taken them there one time so they would have gotten the chance to experience that! I went when I was really young and remember how much fun it was! It makes me want to take my kids there. Disney has a ripple effect and you dumb parents who did not or are not promoting Disney and exposing your kids to it, well you are just hurting the good of people. 

       Disney loves everyone, even those parents who don’t show their kids the magical of it. Does that not count for something? Disney is like God in a way. In some ways it has an answer to everything. You see, the movies act as the Bible, a way to lead people to do the “right things.” So my suggestion to all you stupid naïve parents out there, take you and your kids to the store, whether it be Target or Wal-Mart, and just buy all the movies you can think of, The Little Mermaid, Lion King, Peter Pan, Mary Poppins, Aristocats, Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc., or whatever it may be. Just do it, worship the “Bible” and learn what it is telling you and I am sure you will soon find yourself in a pool of regret because of what you deprived your kids of as a child. No worries though, you still have time to change your ways and take them to Disney World!!  

"...it all started because of a mouse."-Walt Disney

Mickey Mouse

      We all know the face of Disney, Mickey Mouse. We know him from all sorts of things, Disney World, movies, TV shows, and you have probably seen him on a commercial or two. I personally LOVE Mickey because he has been with Disney sense the beginning, and he is still there going strong. He was the start of Disney and a reason why it has been so successful.
      On the other note, he is one of the funniest cartoons ever created! Who doesn't love how silly and fun he can be? And the fact that Goofy is his best friend who is also a dog but there is also Pluto, his pet, who is a dog as well.. does that confuse anyone but me? Oh well. You still have to just love the whole idea in general. All Disney is, is a huge sea of great ideas and imagination filled with some of the best people and feelings ever experienced. What I would give to work for something even related to Disney would most likely be one of the best things of my life.
      So anyway, back to THE Mickey Mouse. Well personally I don't particularly like Minnie because I think she steals Mickey's spot light which is just not okay. #Mickey4lyfe :) Besides that, I do enjoy having Minnie around to please Mickey because he is great and deserves to have someone to love just like everyone else. He also deserves the best, which is Minnie.
      I know I am talking about him like he is an actual real person but he has been apart of my life and been around for so long that it seems that way. Over the years Mickey has really come to life in everything he has been in. I honestly believe that that's what Disney wanted to do, bring their characters to life, especially the main one which happily is Mickey. One of my many wishes is to meet the voice of Mickey because who wouldn't love to do that? Like honestly I am sure not many people get to say that. EVERYONE, well pretty much everyone has heard of Mickey because he is just that memorable and inspirational that people just do not want to forget him. It brings them to a place that makes them happy and have no worries.
      I would like to end this by giving a big thanks from all the Disney lovers to the Mickey Mouse himself, even though he will probably never see this, I am still going to hope he does so that he knows just how awesome I think he is and much he really reached me as a kid and still now being almost 17 years old.  So THANK YOU MICKEY!! LOVE YOU LOTS AND KEEP DOING WHAT YOU DO DUDE!

"...it all started because of a mouse." -Walt Disney

Inside Out Character Analysis

       Disney is known for their cartoon films, and the magical worlds they live in. They have personified most everything possible, from cars to tea cups, they've done it all. This past spring, they took it one step farther, and instead of cars having feelings, or a tea set, Disney posed the question, "what if feelings had feelings?" This question was developed into their most recent film, Inside Out.

 

       In this movie you have Riley, the main characters "home", for most of the story takes place inside of her head. From left to right you have Fear, Anger, Joy, Sadness, and Disgust. Throughout this story, you follow these feelings, and how they work together to keep Riley happy. I think this movie is one of the more important films Disney has ever created, it teaches you things that you already knew, but never really realized were important. Each character gives you something to walk away with, a new perspective.

       Starting with Fear, in the beginning he is exactly what you would expect, fearful of most everything. He is a skeptic of sorts, and when Joy and Sadness are lost, he is in a panic. Fear represents the reasoning part of your brain or thoughts, and without all of the feelings, he doesn't really know how to operate. But without fear, you would never make a thoughtful decision, because every decision has its pros and cons, without it your decisions would be irrational, or not complete.  

       Anger is obviously angry, but he also is the comical, quick witted, and the rash decision making portion of the story. He is hot headed (literally), and sometimes the tough guy. He is brutally honest, but every once in a while, you need someone to just tell you how it is. Although he may not deliver it in the best way, he always has good intentions, he takes his job very seriously, and without him, you may find yourself not being honest to the one person who matters most; you.

       Joy is happy go lucky, never wants anything to go wrong. She is always looking on the bright side, trying to put a positive spin on the worst of situations. Now when she gets lost, the other feelings seem to be a little lost too because she is the glue that holds all of them together. Joy is the boss in a sense, she keeps you in line, because even when you're lost in imagination land, and cant find your way home, she will always be there to help, and even learn a few things on the way.

       Sadness is sad, and yes sometimes are sad, and all you want to do is cry, but there is a time and place to do so. She grows the most throughout the film, because she learns how to control herself, bet she also teaches other how its okay to be sad sometimes, because occasionally sadness is the one who gets you through the bad times, and is able to get you back to your normal state.

       Disgust, who I think has not the biggest role throughout the movie, plays off of Anger and Fear trying to be a leader. She tries to take the lead and immolate something she is not.

        Our feelings, personified or not, tell us a lot about each other, they control who we are, they are the molds of our being, and Disney yet again showed us the greater meaning to ourselves.

 

 

"...it all started because of a mouse."-Walt Disney

Cinderella

       This weekend I was flipping through the channels and happened to run across one of Disney classics, Cinderella. While I was watching this magical movie it got me thinking, "What if this could actually happen?" One of the great things about these movies is that you get to use your imagination. A perfect example of this is the movie, "A Cinderella Story," which stars Hilary Duff and Chad Michael Murry. It is a play off the original Cinderella but, put into more realistic circumstances. That is one of the great things about these amazing movies, they can be told in so many ways! For those of you who do not know the story of Cinderella, it's about a young girl whose father got married to a new woman. Her father died and she was left to live with her step mother and sisters. They were evil to her and made her be their made. One day Cinderella came across her Fairy God Mother who allowed her to go to the annual ball where all the single ladies were welcomed to meet the Prince. The Fairy God Mother gave her a new dress, carriage, hair, jewelry, but most importantly, glass slippers. Cinderella arrived at the ball and danced with the Prince all night, it was love at first sight. All though the night wasn't all perfect. At the stroke of midnight the spell would be broken and all of her new things would disappear, so Cinderella had to run to get home. While doing this she lost one of her glass slippers on the stairs. Leaving only this behind, it put the Prince on the search. He went to every house to see if the shoe fits, when he finally came across Cinderella's house, she was nowhere to be found. Her step mother had locked her up in her room because she knew she was the mystery girl. Thanks to the help of her mice friends, Cinderella got out, fit into the slipper, married, then rode off with her prince and lived happily ever after. If only our life could be that way. This movie gives kids hope, and even adults. I believe you can never fully grow out of Disney movies.

"...it all started with a mouse." -Walt Disney

All Smiles

The number of smiles Disney has brought to people’s faces and the number of people they have brought them too is an uncountable number! Everything about Disney is just a big world of happiness and laughter and that is one reason why I love it so much. It has you forgetting all the bad things in your life and makes you happy for that slight time you are around it. I fell as though if there was more Disney in everyone’s life that our world would be just that little bit happier! Imagine if everyone has a few less bad days that could change a kids thoughts of suicide or a possible argument between mother and daughter. Little things can have a drastic effect on people in ways you would never imagine.

   Smiles are free anyway, so why not do something that makes you smile? Disney may not be your first thought but I strongly believe everyone should try it at some point in your life to try and cheer you up. You do not even have to be sad, maybe you just feel like smiling about something good, and Disney could most definitely be that thing for you! Everyone loves to smile, and if you don’t well then I think you have some deeper lying issues that I think you would most likely want to seek professionally help on, but say you can’t afford something like that, your next solution could very well be a Disney movie or maybe even a Disney song. For me I enjoy listening to the songs from just about every movie, not that I don’t enjoy the movies because I love them so much but I love music so much more and it really makes me forget about everything, especially when I have my headphones in and that is all I hear.

               Do yourself a favor and let yourself smile today with a good Disney movie or song, and then go tell someone you think needs to smile a little more about it as well. You could make their day and it could very likely have a ripple effect and influence people to do the same thing in the end making this a much better place to live because of all the smiles being spread around! Disney brings happiness to people and if they ever did anything other than that, then it was in no way their intent. Happiness and smiles is what they want I am sure so just give them another shot. Get and give a smile everyday with Disney.

"...it all started because of a mouse." -Walt Disney

Finding Nemo: Finding Meaning

       Finding Nemo, one of Disney's most popular films is a story that has been touching people since 2003, is a tale of on overprotective widowed father, a daring son, and friends found in unexpected places. As the story begins, you learn of Nemo's mothers fate, while also realizing why, Marlin,  Nemo's father, is such a helicopter parent. I think that Marlin's character compared to a human, would be quite the same. Marlin experienced tragedy, loss, and guilt, and from that point on he was going to make it his mission and do everything is his power to protect Nemo, the one piece of his wife he had left. I would compare Marlin, to one of my best friends mom, Jill, she experienced tragedy when her son, Chandler, took his own life in 2012. Ever since then, she is always trying to micromanage everything that Erica, her only child left, does. Marlin and Jill are parallels, in that they both grieved and have since slowly recovered from such events in a similar way.
      

       Another character I would like to address, is of course Nemo. The tiny fish has big ambitions, and is determined to be just as free spirited as everyone else his age. Nemo could compare to a child of any age really, but lets stick with the theme, and go with Erica, Jill's daughter. (Recap: Marlin is Jill, overprotective&grieving, Nemo is Erica, wants to be treated like everyone else) Erica, much like Nemo, has experienced grief, but has learned to live with it and move on, some days are better than others, but they have both learned to live with the past and move with the future. I have much respect for Nemo because you watch him throughout the movie overcoming more and more obstacles, and nothing holds him back, same goes for Erica, nothing, not even her brother's death, can stop her from doing or being just like every other kid. I believe that Erica and Nemo have both found that they aren't the only ones going through stuff, and that even though some have it worse than others, they are always able to overcome.

       Finally, I think Dory, the quirky forgetful fish that she is, doesn't represent a specific person, or necessarily have a parallel like how I compared Marlin to Jill, and Nemo to Erica, I think Dory represents what was lost in the tragedy of Nemo's mom and Erica's brother. She is the happy days, and the care free spirit, she its the little bit of crazy we all have, and when you experience such tragic events, I think that piece, the Dory piece, is missing. Sometimes we dwell like Marlin and Jill, and other times we don't want to be treated like a child like Nemo and Erica, and other times we need to remember...Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.

"...it all started because of a mouse." -Walt Disney

Disney vs. Depp

       We all have heard of Disney's, Alice in Wonderland, this cartoon classic was made in 1951, well before I was born, but a more recent version of this movie was brought to life in 2013, starring Mia Wasikowska and Johnny Depp. Most often I agree that remakes of classics are never as good as the original, but in this case, I think there are pros and cons to both sides being that they were so drastically different although it was the same story.

The Original Version Pros:

• Told the whole story without missing any major parts.
• Simplistic and wholesome for the entire family.
• Whimsical and detailed for the age it is.

The 2013 Version Pros:

• Shed light to areas of the story that never were told before.
• Showed more detail to both queens, and their relations.
• Very detailed, and graphic, made the story come alive.

The Original Version Cons:

• Didn't tell the dark and eerie parts of the story.
• Didn't give background information on Alice as much.

The 2013 Version Cons:

• Had a higher rating, not allowing all ages to watch.
• Graphically disturbing at some points.

       Overall, my views on these movies were very split because you could see things from the perspective of liking one better than the other, giving a biased opinion. For me, I love the original version because for most of my childhood that the only version I knew, I grew up wanting to experience what Alice did, I envied her in a sense. I believe I loved the second version because of Johnny Depp's character as the Mad Hatter. The second version brought a devilish sense to this once whimsical fairy tale. Depp brought to life the "Red Queen's" castle, and her evil ways, and told the backstory of Alice that really tied the whole thing together. I guess when it comes to choosing one over the other, I may just have to wait and fall down that hole when I get there!

"...it all started because of a mouse." -Walt Disney

Frozen Phenomenom

       As we've all heard of or seen of Disney's most recent phenomenon, Frozen, we all were enveloped in that Disney finally changed it's view of "true love." Most all of Disney's stories, shows and movies, follow the same general pattern of the boy and the girl falling into eternal love. Finally the tables have turned, and Disney has said family is your true love, and at the end of the day those are the people that will always be there for you. Even though the songs on repeat are a bit redundant, they help carry the theme throughout the movie.
       Do You Want To Build A Snowman? I think that even though people think that Elsa is just ignoring Anna in this song, its in a beautiful way that she does it. Elsa may be ignoring her sister who is just longing to have a relationship with her, but she also is doing a very sister like thing in that she is trying to protect Anna from what hurt her before. Elsa feels responsible and throughout the song as she grows up, you see that even she is afraid of herself and what she is capable of. From Anna's point of view, her sister is ignoring her, for she doesn't remember the incident in which Elsa hurt her, during the song, she slowly gives up hope on her sister coming out to play, and eventually just stops trying to ask after her parents pass away.
       Let It Go. In this song, I think the message is to be free, to not worry anymore. Elsa, finally feels free, she is no longer a burden to her sister or anyone else. This song is like the anthem to my life. I wish I could be as care free as Elsa is, she just seems so at peace knowing that she's not going to hurt anyone, or at least that's what she thought. While Elsa's going nuts now that she is free, Anna isn't happy because as soon as she is reunited with her sister, she gets taken away, and she is NOT going to let it go. (lol i'm funny)
       Even though these are only a few of the songs on the soundtrack, to me these are some of the most important, and you could agree that these two are among the most overplayed. Although overplayed, these songs have a deeper meaning, and have a great theme, that add to the movie.

"...it all started because of a mouse." -Walt Disney