Day 1358: A Tale as Old as Time

As far as Mondays go, this was a pretty bad one. 

It was just one of those days where nothing seemed to go right. I found out early on in the day that my computer science class has exams outside the class period, which is annoying in itself, but even more annoying when you have a full schedule and you won't be able to take the exam with the rest of the class at the scheduled afternoon time. 8:00 a.m. exam here I come. 

Then it was off to conducting, where we've been stuck on the same lesson for the last three weeks and it's getting kind of frustrating, and so by the time we got to my favorite class of the day - jazz band - I was ready to find a cup of tea and a nice warm bed. Things just sort of got worse from there until I finally returned home after 8:00 p.m, the sky outside already dark and the air cool as we head into fall. 

But there was one bright moment of my day, and it has everything to do with Angela Lansbury singing "Beauty and the Beast." As we approach the official 25th anniversary of the classic film, the celebrations continue, and this one might just be my favorite yet. Honestly though, if you're part of the population that has yet to watch this video, do yourself a favor and watch it right now because it will bring you directly back to your childhood and will brighten your day considerably. 

And did I mention Alan Menken is on piano? 

Have a magical day!

Day 1259: Tony Time

As a fan of musicals, I'm sure you can imagine how exciting a night like the Tony Awards is. After all, Hamilton was sure to have a sweep this year, and a Hamilton fan myself, I probably watched just as much for them as I did for everyone else (although Hamilton or no Hamilton I would have been on my couch either way). As we so often do on Sunday nights, we gathered together with food and a TV for three hours of wonderful performances, and it didn't disappoint.

Of course, Hamilton did sweep the awards, winning 11 throughout the night. While they were nominated for 16, the most ever in Tony Awards history, they only needed 13 wins to beat out the previous record holder, The Producers. In fact, they came really close to a tie with The Producers, but a much deserved award for Best Actress in a Musical went to Cynthia Erivo of The Color Purple.

Noticeably absent from the awards was Disney, although with no new musicals this year this isn't surprising. Frozen will appear soon, and I'm sure that will be a contender for several when it does finally make its Broadway debut. In the past, several Disney musicals have won Tony Awards. In fact, a lot of them have won Tony Awards. Beauty and the Beast was nominated for 9 in 1994 and won for Best Costume Design. The Lion King, in 1998, was nominated for 11 and won 6, including Best Musical. In 2008 The Little Mermaid was nominated for two, and in 2007 Mary Poppins was nominated for 7 (Mary Poppins would win Best Scenic Design).

More recently, Newsies was nominated for 8 in 2012 and won Best Choreography and Best Original Score, and Aladdin was nominated for 5 in 2014, bringing home one for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical for James Monroe Iglehart.

All in all, I think you could say that Disney has had a long relationship with the Tony Awards, and if that's not enough for you, just remember that Jake Gyllenhaal and Sean Hayes did an impromptu performance of A Whole New World during one of the commercial breaks.

Have a magical day! 

Day 1197: Try Everything

It's time for another magical night of dancing on Dancing with the Stars, and really, it's my favorite night of every season. It's DISNEY NIGHT! 

The opening number is always amazing, which you can watch above. I mean, after all, it's "Be Our Guest," but almost Paint the Night style, and I love Paint the Night anything and everything. Plus, it's great to see such a wide representation of Disney films every time on this show. Regardless, I definitely had a few favorites: 

Ginger and Val's Foxtrot was definitely a highlight for me. I literally fell in love with this dance and really believe it was one of the best of the entire night. In fact, it might just be my favorite performance I've ever seen on this entire show. 

Paige and Mark's Quickstep has to be on here too because it was just so creative and adorable. Really though, you can't get much cuter than this. 

I literally screamed at my TV when this one happened, because it just brought the whole room to life! 

And finally because I adore Jodie and am in love with "Try Everything," this one has to finish us out. Plus, I loved how they were literally dancing with the characters from the film. It wasn't the traditional "dress in a costume" for a dance, and while it was one of the lower scores of the night, I still felt it was really creative and a perfect fit for the film! 

What was your favorite dance from Disney Night? 

Have a magical day!

Day 1165: No More Snow

[Luckily], I took this picture earlier in the semester, but it certainly is still winter, and I feel like I blog about it every couple of days. However, as we reach the end of the snow, it seems, I thought we might remember some of our favorite snow-capped moments from Disney movies! 

The one that always stands out to me is from 101 Dalmatians, when little Lucky is so darn cold that everything has froze, including his tail, nose, ears, and toes! I can relate, because it's basically my experience going to class every morning. 

And here we have the most accurate representation of me ice skating (or walking in winter in general) that there ever has been or will be. On the left you see expectations for what it'll be like walking over ice...and on the right is the hard reality. 

Next up we have the expression of everyone the entire winter through. The only time it changes is for the occasional really beautiful snowfall or the first snowfall of the year. Then we just get salty. 

Seriously though, we usually don't look like this 

And now, because of course there couldn't be a post about winter in Disney movies without a little Frozen, have some Elsa, whom I've asked multiple times to help me stop the winter and she refuses to do so. 

Oh well, I guess instead I'll just have to continue trying to figure out how to make this work in my backyard: 

Have a magical day! 

Day 1131: Santa Fe

I still remember the day I met my freshman roommate Megan and she told me that she loves the Disney Broadway Musical Newsies, which I had never heard of aside from discussion here and there and the memory of seeing the advertisement in Times Square when I visited New York back in 2012. From there, she got me completely hooked on the story of the newsies of 1899, and then I got my best friend into it, and now it's become a huge thing.

So, as you can imagine, when we found out that Newsies would be visiting our local performing arts center, we knew we had to get tickets ASAP, and we did! My parents, Megan (best friend Megan, freshman roommate Megan is in Ireland...too many Megans!), and I went to see Newsies, and when we left I was tap dancing along to "King of New York" and humming "Santa Fe" all the way home.

It's pretty easy to say that I love the musical much more than I love the movie, especially since it has one of my favorite songs from the soundtrack: "Watch What Happens," and features some extremely elaborate dance routines that keep you on the edge of your seat. As for everything else, I don't want to give away too much because I highly recommend you go see this amazing show for yourself as it continues its tour around the United States!

This does bring my Disney musical total up to four though too, as I've previously seen The Lion King, Mary Poppins, and Beauty and the Beast. I've actually seen The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast twice, and I'd love to catch another showing of Mary Poppins, my personal favorite Disney musical, at some point in the future. What I'd really love, however, is to someday see a performance of the discontinued Hunchback of Notre Dame, which features some of my all time favorite Disney music in addition to new songs created for the musical adaptation. As of right now, it's not showing anywhere and it's not headed to Broadway any time soon, but it's definitely on my Bucket List!

In summary, Newsies was amazing, and you need to seize the day and see it for yourself!

Have a magical day!

Day 844: Have Courage and Be Kind

After around a month of waiting past the initial premiere date in theaters, I finally got around to seeing Cinderella. Originally, my roommates and I were all going to go see it together, but with finals coming up soon, we're all so busy that most of us can't swing three hours of our lives to go see a movie, much less the same three hours that fit into our busy schedules. In fact, I think I've been more busy in these past few weeks of this semester than ever before at college, but that didn't stop me from spending the extra time granted by a canceled class wisely! 

I'm not really sure what my expectations were heading into the theater, especially after not liking Maleficent as much as most of my friends and family. I just didn't find it appealing, and with Beauty and the Beast on the horizon, I've been faced with questions about whether or not I'm excited for that film. My only answer? I'll decide after I see Cinderella. Of course, now I am excited for Beauty and the Beast, but that's a blog topic for another day.

I'm pretty skeptical about these live action remakes, especially when they're fairy tale based. I watch Once Upon A Time, where Captain Hook becomes a hero and Prince Charming is currently in some deep trouble with his grown up daughter. The creators of OUAT have changed around these stories to the point where things don't really shock me anymore, and in order for me to like a live-action version of any of these tales, it has to be good. Every element has to be there, and in some ways, I think that's where it fell flat for Maleficent. I'm one of those hard critics, and something was missing from that storyline. 

Cinderella, however, really pulled through for me. I absolutely adored it, and I left the theater wanting to see it again (I probably would have if not for a recital I had to attend about a half hour after the movie ended). Right from the beginning I could see not only the slight changes to the story, but the numerous references that go right back to the original tale. And I'm not ashamed to say that I cried three times while watching it, one of which was during the dress transformation scene. 

But the best part about this movie? It breaks as many stereotypes as a film such as this can. Cinderella is an absolutely strong female character who, ultimately, stands up against her stepmother in an attempt not to protect herself, but to protect the one she loves and the entire kingdom. Kit is an exceptional character in every aspect as well, showcasing that even grown men are allowed to cry. The scene with Kit and his father was one of my absolute favorites of the film, and is one of the main reasons I recommend it for everyone to watch at least once. 

Overall though, it was different and new, but still rooted in the deep traditions that fairy tales stem out of. It's that same tradition that Walt Disney brought to life through many of his original animated films, and the same tradition that will keep these tales alive for many, many years. 

If you haven't seen Cinderella yet, I encourage you to do so. It's brilliantly made with a spectacular cast. Lily James is perfection as Cinderella and no one can tell me otherwise. While we may live in a society far away from one dominated by Kings and Queens, there is one thing that we should all take to heart: Have Courage and Be Kind. It's a powerful message that I hope to live my life by, and you should too. 

Have a magical day!

Day 623: Hidden Secrets

It seems that we're going to have three blog posts in a row about things I've found on the internet, but that's alright. There's so much out there that it's sometimes difficult NOT to go through it all, especially when I'm not the one to go searching for it in the first place. My friends do a great job of bringing tons of Disney articles and games and quizzes to my attention, which seriously makes my job easier.

This time it was one of my roommates, who sent me a pin last night that came from a tumblr account that goes through Disney films and finds secrets within Disney films. It's pretty interesting, whether or not all of them are true. So I guess what I'm saying is to not believe every single one of these. Granted, some of these are legitimate Easter Eggs, and when going through the Beauty and the Beast section, there was no mention of the Beast's name being Adam (fine for headcannons but not for trivia!)

I mean, there was this cameo in Tarzan:

And there's always the ever popular A113. 

Yes, there are tons of little secrets hidden within Disney films, and I hope the owner of the page has a chance to expand into new films as time goes on! It's a great idea and I know I'll be reading more as time goes by. You can find all the Hidden Secrets HERE! 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on September 17).

Day 592: Grey Stuff Cupcakes

This summer I've really been loving cupcakes. I have no real idea why it is that I've been so inspired to make cupcakes, but I have, and for some reason, I'm actually pretty darn good at it. I've been trying to compile a list of cupcake recipes that everyone loves, while asking all of my friends and family their favorite cupcake flavor to give me new challenges.

And boy have a few people stepped up and given me some.

My friend Charlie suggested something earlier in the summer that really got me thinking: pudding filled cupcakes. I mean, everyone loves pudding, and everyone loves cupcakes, and they probably taste amazing together, so why isn't that a thing? Well, actually it is, and even if it wasn't, it would be now because I've gotten pretty darn good at filling the center of my cupcakes. A fact that makes some of my friends very happy indeed.

But in my quest to come up with the perfect pudding filled cupcake I actually stumbled upon a different cupcake entirely, and now I have people requesting it. That's certainly a new one.

And so I present to you, the Grey Stuff Cupcake:

This one was actually specifically for my friend's birthday, since she's the one who wanted them for her birthday very specifically. My brother's choice will come later in the week, which is just as Disney themed as this one is. Of course, we had to complete it with a Once Upon A Time candle, only her's is green. Not everyone can have a blue one, after all. I haven't. I'm saving it. For like...my 28th birthday. 

Anyways, as you can see, it's a chocolate cupcake topped with delicious real, actual grey stuff. Homemade of course, but hey, I have my resources! And then there's little pearls on top just like at Be Our Guest. I think that was her favorite part to be honest. They're not the exact ones, but they look right and still taste amazing. 

Oh, and I didn't even tell you the best part! Not only is the cupcake TOPPED with Grey Stuff, but it's filled with it too! DELICIOUS! Plus, I've experimented with putting an oreo in the bottom. It's sort of a 50/50 vote on whether or not people like it with the oreo or not though. They're certainly harder to eat with it than without, but even without a cookie on the bottom these things are seriously delicious. 

Any other Disney inspired cupcake ideas for me out there? 

Have a magical day! 

(Note: This blog post was written on August 18). 

Day 515: Can't Pick Just One

Day 22 of the Disney Photo Challenge: A picture from your favorite Disney movie. 

Blast from the Past: 

If you have seen my other 100 Day Photo Challenge, you will know that I don't just have ONE favorite movie. I actually have so many I have to split it into categories. But as far as Disney movies go, that's only just over half. 

Star Wars isn't technically Disney, so that's out of the question right now, and the Non-Disney categories don't count. But we still have everything else. 

So here's the ist: 

Favorite Classic Disney Movie: Beauty & The Beast, Lady & The Tramp

Favorite Modern Disney Movie: The Lion King

Favorite Non-Animated Disney Movie Series: Pirates of the Caribbean

Favorite Pixar Movie: Cars

Favorite Pixar Series: Toy Story

And although there isn't a picture here, my favorite Princess move is Tangled. I just stole the picture from the other challenge cause I'm lazy and didn't feel like finding all the pictures again. 

I have more...but those are just the basics. And the funniest part about B&TB and L&TT is that L&TT is the 15th animated Disney Movie and 15 is my lucky number. B&TB is the 30th animated Disney movie, a multiple of 15. And they have very similar titles and storylines. I guess I just like the idea of the "Princess" Getting together with the Scoundrel. Or something like that. 

Back to the Future: 

Yeah...this one is still impossible to answer.

I actually gave a very detailed account of my Favorite Disney movies a long while ago, which you can find HERE, so I'll do something a little different.

As you may know (if you're not reading my blog completely in order), I've recently been working on rewatching all the Disney films, and a few of them really stuck out to me so far.

Bambi I think was the first that I really just stopped and watched instead of doing work at the same time because I just suddenly had this extreme appreciation for it. I don't know why. I think it has something to do with the fact that the enemy and the villain in the film is us, the humans, and that's just a really heart tugging sort of thing.

Then there was Lady and the Tramp, which as you know, has always been one of my favorites.

But the last one that surprised me was Cinderella I think. I'm not really sure WHY I enjoyed it more than I have previous, but I did. Definitely a great film, especially with the connections to Walt Disney.

I'm slowly working my way through all of them though, and eventually I'll reach the more modern stuff, all while blogging about it as I go! That is...if I can ever finish catching up on posts.

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on August 21).

Day 502: Knights on Broadway

Our college is a pretty awesome place, at least when we have time to enjoy things that aren't our homework or sleeping. So after finals were all finished, Shovell and I decided to take in a show, or rather a concert, put on by some of the fine musicians that go to school at our college. There's a group of 10 students that sing in something called Knights on Broadway (the name comes from the fact that we're the Green Knights). This particular year, they were singing a show they called "Let's go to the Movies," which, honestly, is like the perfect show for me. I love musicals, I love movies, I love music! BOOM!

The show was spectacular. I'm very glad I went to see it because really, it was two of the most enjoyable hours of the last few months for me (seriously...there's only four of them, and the other two were the finale of Once). There were songs from Grease and Mama Mia and so on and so forth, but by far my favorite section of the show was the Disney section. For a good while they sang numbers from some of the most famous Disney broadway musicals, such as Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Mary Poppins, Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King. Let's just say I was sitting there basically freaking out.

And Shovell can attest to the fact that at the beginning of the show I really freaked out because they started with Hooray for Hollywood. But not just ANY version of Hooray for Hollywood. We're talking the EXACT VERSION THAT PLAYS IN THE GREAT MOVIE RIDE. Yes, I was actually failing around and half jumping out of my seat. It was interesting, and exciting and MADE MY LIFE.

So congrats to those involved on Knights on Broadway! Brian, you did a great job as Lumiere, and Lauren, GREAT ARIEL! Sadie, that Ursula was awesome, and everyone else, I LOVED IT ALL!

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on May 22 due to finals). 

Day 438: FAF: Enchanted Tales with Belle

Time for another Featured Attraction Friday! This week we're going to take a closer look at another new New Fantasyland attraction, Enchanted Tales with Belle!

What's On The Map: 

Enjoy an interactive story adventure featuring Belle, Lumiere and possibly even you! (WDW Park Maps). Be magically transported from Maurice's cottage to the Beast's library for a delightful storytelling experience. You'll meet and spend time with Belle, and you may even be invited to play a part in the story. Will you be an enchanted object, or perhaps fill the role of the Beast with a heart of gold? (Walt Disney World Website).

A Brief History Lesson: 

Well, it's pretty new...and unlike some of the other attractions, there isn't much history wise. So I guess we're skipping this one this week.

My Thoughts: 

I have personally only been in Enchanted Tales with Belle once, but I do this the entire concept is pretty adorable. Just the fact that they can get the kids all involved with the story and then Belle comes out and everything, it's great. Plus, it can hold a good number of people at once, although that doesn't really stop the line from getting a bit long each afternoon.

Also the theme of the entire this is brilliant. From the cottage to the library, and with the characters all in between, it's great! Would I like to see this everywhere? No, I don't think so, because it is very character specific, but it's a nice addition to New Fantasyland for sure!

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on March 27 due to Midterms and travel).

Day 278: A Few of my Favorite Things V3

Phew, it's been a while since we did this series post, hasn't it? Well previously we've looked at my favorite attractions at Walt Disney World and my favorite attractions at Disneyland, so I figured that this time we'd talk a bit about some of my favorite Disney movies.

Being at college, this seems to be a popular question. Which is your favorite Disney movie? It is a great question, after all, and it's something that I suppose I ask people a lot, but honestly, I never have a true answer because, in reality, I don't have just ONE favorite movie. Ok...so maybe it's a really close race and in reality I do have a favorite, but that doesn't mean that I don't love so many others.

Favorite Classic Disney Movie: TIE : Beauty and the Beast & Lady and the Tramp

When it comes to this one, I can't pick a favorite. I just love them both so much. Basically the criteria for this category is "before I was born," or before 1994-95. Somewhere in there. I guess I really do just cut it off at The Lion King because that's next. But I watched these a bunch when I was little, especially Lady and the Tramp. Actually, I brought both of them with me to college just because I do love them so much. Also, my lucky number is 15, and Lady and the Tramp was the 15th animated Disney movie. Beauty and the Beast was the 30th. What are the chances? 

Favorite Modern Disney Movie: The Lion King

Honestly, I'm not sure how you can hate the Lion King. It's one of the greatest Disney films of all time if you ask me, and it's another that I watched a TON as a kid. I always wanted to be Simba. Of course, then Lion King II came out and we loved it even more than the first one (ok, I loved them both pretty equally).

Favorite Disney Princess Movie: Tangled

Honestly this may just be my favorite Disney movie of all time, but we make a separate category for it because I do love it so much. Before Tangled this spot was taken by Princess and the Frog, but you will NEVER EVER EVER make me leave my Flynn Rider. NEVER. 

Favorite Non-Animated Disney Movie Series: Pirates of the Caribbean

This one wasn't hard to pick at all. I just adore the Pirates movies, my favorite of which is the third: At World's End. Why? Because there's audio from the actual original attraction in it, and who doesn't love Pirates of the Caribbean? I know I certainly do, and it's seriously awesome that there's this whole set of movies based on an attraction! And that the movies then inspired the attraction further. Awesomeness. 

Favorite Pixar Movie: Cars

Yes, I know, there are two Cars movies, and you'll see why this makes no sense in a minute, but I love love LOVE Cars. I remember when it came out I was in 7th grade, or 6th grade? 6th grade I think actually, and it was like the best movie I have ever seen in my life. Just kidding, there are plenty of other movies, but this one has been on my favorites list ever since. I don't know why either. It's just a great movie. 

Favorite Pixar Series: Toy Story

I remember watching the original Toy Story and Toy Story 2 all the time as a kid, and as you know from a previous post, I adore Toy Story 3 as well. It just gives me such fond memories of my childhood. It really, really does. Like I can't even describe how much I love these movies. 

Favorite Lucasfilm Movie (Because that counts now): TIE : The Empire Strikes Back & Raiders of the Lost Ark

Since this obviously counts now, I have to mention that my favorite Star Wars film is The Empire Strikes Back. I mean, would I have a poster of it on my wall if I didn't? And my favorite of the Indy movies is 100% Raiders of the Lost Art, although I do love the Last Crusade as well. But I don't think I could truly pick if I love one of these two more than the other. They're both such wonderful films!

Favorite Music: TIE: Princess and the Frog & The Hunchback of Notre Dame

This one is certainly a tie too, and I almost just put them in honorable mentions, but decided to instead add an entirely new category to my list of favorite movies: favorite music! It's honestly difficult to have a movie without brilliant music to go with it, and although just about every movie above this has BRILLIANT music, there are two that really stand out for me as being my favorites. I am in love with the Jazz of Princess and the Frog, and Tiana is one of my favorite Disney Princesses for sure, but I grew up with Hunchback and the music in that is simply spectacular. Not much can beat it. 

Honorable Mentions: 

  

Yeah, I'm sure there are more, but those are the ones I could think about. I've been blogging for a really long time today and I'm still not done, so pity me! Just kidding, this is way more fun than homework. 

So there you have it, the long long long list of my favorite Disney films. I suppose next time we'll talk about something a bit more...delicious? Yeah, that's probably the right word. 

Here's today's Disney History: 1949: Disney's 11th animated feature film The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad is released. The film features the voices of Bing Crosby, who narrates Washinton Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and Basil Rathbone, who narrates Kenneth Grahame's tale "The Wind in the Willows." The film will inspire the Mr. Toad's Wild Ride theme park attraction, first at Disneyland and then at Walt Disney World.

Have a magical day!