Day 1421: Cars 3

I still remember the first time I saw Cars in theaters, when my family loved it so much that we just had to see it again...and then one more time before it even left cinemas. I don't particularly remember seeing Cars 2, but I know that we did at some point, and I have more than a few memories of watching both films in my own home. If you've been reading Everyday Disney for a while, you'll also know just how much I love and adore Carsland out at Disney California Adventure. If I could live anywhere in the world, aside from inside Spaceship Earth, it'd be Carsland. Actually, I think I ate at Flo's three times in the five days we were in the parks. Or was it four times? 

Either way, Cars quickly rose to, and has stayed at, the top of my favorite Disney-Pixar movies list. I can't quite pinpoint why, but there's just something about this story that hit me and has stuck with me unlike any of the others. Maybe it's the fact that I love driving, and I really loved my road trip this past summer, which, for a while, took us on Route 66. Perhaps it's that dream I have of driving the Route all together, or it might be the beautiful animation and story that should have won it an Oscar. I'm still a bit salty about that one. 

I think, ultimately, the thing I loved most about Cars was that it's a movie without a central villain. Yes, Chick Hicks is there throughout the film, but he's not really...evil, at least not in the same way as Captain Hook or Cruella de Vil terrorize their own films. Cars was, and is, a personal journey for Lightning, and he becomes his own villain. I think that was a really important lesson for me back in the day - that sometimes we want to blame others when the fault really lies with us. We want to blame Doc and Mater and Sally and Mac and yes, even good old Bessie, for our problems, but we can be the villains of our own story too. Lightning is so focused on his racing career and coming out on top that he neglects those around him, getting caught up in his own ambitions without ever realizing the toll they'll take on others. And when he gets stuck in Radiator Springs, it wasn't truly the fault of Mac - it was Lightning, and as he begins to slow down and truly open his eyes, he realizes that there's more to life than ambition. 

As someone who regularly gets caught up in her own ambition and needs to consciously remind herself to slow down and enjoy life a bit more, Cars made all the difference for me. I know I felt that Cars 2 was lacking that same theme, and a physical villain appeared, so while it's still a spectacular movie, I think it lost some of the same charm for me. Which is why I'm actually thrilled by this first teaser trailer for Cars 3. Like with Toy Story, it seems that we'll be coming full circle with Lightning's story. He was, at one point, the young hotshot who had so much to learn, and it was Doc that taught him new tricks. Now, Lightning's a permanent fixture in the racing world, but as we learned in the original film, fame and good luck doesn't last forever. Lightning was once his own villain, and I'm really hoping that we'll see that again in a new way! 

Let me know what your thoughts on the new trailer are in the comments below! 

Have a magical day!

Day 1297: 3500 Miles

Let me tell you, 3500 miles is nothing to sneeze at. 

When we were amidst the planning for our road trip, I don't think I ever really realized just how far we would be going. You can look at a map all day and never realize just how far you've gone until you're actually in another state 16 hours away from your apartment with the realization that you drove yourself there...and that it's another 16 hour drive home. 

Still, Colorado was a great adventure for my family and I. For us, so used to traveling to Disney all the time, and definitely more used to flying than driving, it was a long haul. And yet, we saw so many different things, and to tell the truth, there were more than a few distinct Disney references along the way aside from the big ones that each got their own blog post. For instance, there was Key West Drive and the Fillmore Recreation Area in Iowa, not to mention the real life Filmore garage we found in Crestone, Colorado! Passing through Altoona, we came across an Adventureland Resort...because yes, that was really its name, and in Cripple Creek there was a Cheshire Cat gift shop. In Durango, there was a Guido Italian Restaurant, and we actually found Sir Axelrod in South Fork, Colorado. Oh, and this guy too: 

So yeah, I did really enjoy my trip to Colorado, and I know there are definitely a few more blog posts on the way about all our adventures. After all, it turns out that the second you leave your apartment, Disney references are all around you. To celebrate, here are a few bonus pictures from the trip as well: 

Have a magical day!

Day 1277: Anyone Can Cook

Our new apartment definitely has more walls than places we've lived previously, so I've been working to make sure our place doesn't look to bare. Many of the other canvas creations I've made have already been featured on Everyday Disney, but I thought I might throw in an introduction to the newest additions!

The first, as you can see above, is inspired by the hit Broadway Musical, Hamilton, which I've really been digging into lately. It sits above my bed in our bedroom, and is actually the largest canvas work I've done to date. It's also the first I did entirely my hand, as to keep things consistent or get the exact look I want, I'll usually do a digital design and use print outs to make sure everything is exact. I didn't do that here, and instead went entirely from a sketch I drew up quickly. I knew when I started plotting for the bedroom that I wanted a quote that would encourage me to keep moving forward and look to the future, and that's exactly what this one does!

The other canvas, as seen below, is now hanging in our kitchen on a wall above our countertop. It was an awkward space, between the cabinets from the kitchen and a door to the bathroom, and it just screamed for a canvas, so it was priority #1. Unlike some of the other canvases, the "Hamilcanvas" included, this one took a while to plan, since we had multiple ideas and had to find the one that was going to fit the best for the spot. We've been calling our apartment "The Cozy Cone," so for a long while we seriously considered something inspired by Cars, but ultimately we went with Ratatouille because it's in our kitchen area.

Keep an eye out over the next month or so for other exciting updates that are somewhat focused on paintings like these! I've got some work to catch up on, but then it'll be full steam ahead before the end of the summer, and I can't wait to get going! 

If you had a canvas, what would you paint on it? 

Have a magical day! 

Day 960: Paint the Night

The Main Street Electical Parade on steroids? Sounds just crazy enough to work, doesn't it? And let me tell you...it DOES. Prior to heading to Disneyland I definitely did my reserach, so that by the time I finally got around to seeing Paint the Night my first evening in the parks, I knew every word and note. I believe that throughout the course of my trip I "Stumbled" upon Paint the Night around 5 or 6 times for sure, which means I saw Paint the Night more than I did anything else other than World of Color. If that doesn't say something I don't know what will.

This new nighttime spectacular is largely based off of that original Main Street Electrical Parade, which we still enjoy at Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. I love the Electrical Parade, and while I don't always take the time to stop and watch it, over the past few years I've become more likely to take up residence along the Frontierland stretch for the later parade showing when there's no one there to enjoy the magic. However, having now seen Paint the Night, I want nothing more than an updated show at Magic Kingdom.

The only problem? I'm not totally sure it would fit.

The Main Street Electical Parade has become a staple of the Magic Kingdom, and change is always strange and difficult, but without a huge reason, like the Diamond Celebration was for Disneyland, a large scale parade update like that seems a bit odd. Granted, we just got Festival of Fantasy not that long ago while Disneyland's Soundsational has been there for years, so I'm not complaining. But that's not the only reason. Disneyland also has a huge Pixar presense that we don't find at Walt Disney World. Between Cars, Toy Story, Monsters Inc, Finding Nemo, and A Bug's Life, the Pixar name has certainly made a name for itself at the Disneyland Resort. They even have a whole parade dedicated to Pixar! And believe it or not, a huge portion of Paint the Night is based on those same films, with Cars, Toy Story, and Monsters Inc. floats along with appearances from many of our favorite Pixar Characters.

In particular, I was completely in love with the Cars section of the parade, which I think I could just stare at for hours. In a particularly magical moment, as we headed on the train from Toontown to Tomorrowland, we passed the staging location for the parade, similar to the way you do as you head through Frontierland at Walt Disney World, and the entire Cars section, was ready to go on. The dancers from that section waved to us as we passed, and as if they weren't already my favorite part of the parade, they definitely were then.

But we don't have a Cars Land in Florida. We may be getting a Toy Story Land, but we don't have A Bug's Land or a Monsters Inc. attraction either (we do have the Laugh Floor, but the scale of popularity is still no where near what it is in California). We have more Star Wars (actually guys a Star Wars segment of Paint the Night would be pretty awesome), and the Muppets, and what is apparently lots and lots of Frozen. So while there are definitely things that spill over from park to park, if Paint the Night ever makes it to Walt Disney World, I have the feeling it would be quite different from what we see at Disneyland.

Although if we're changing things can we just get Belle out of that dress and get rid of the Ariel float? Let's bring in some new characters! Star Wars, like I said, or a bigger Rapunzel float! Maybe even Figment? How cute would he be all lit up with his imagination?

How do you think Paint the Night would appear if it was at Walt Disney World? Would it be the same, or would you make some changes?

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on September 8 due to the Disney Trip and College).

Day 595: Cars Land

I had some really high hopes as I headed to Disneyland. I mean really, really high hopes. When I visited four years ago, progress on Cars Land was slowly coming along, but it was definitely a long ways from completion. In fact, the entirety of Disney California Adventure was half under construction. Since then I've eagerly watched on social media as part after part of the new update was completed, and when I finally got around to seeing it, I wasn't at all let down.

As you can probably figure out from the title of this post, by far my new favorite thing at Disneyland was Cars Land. Cars is one of my all time favorite Pixar movies, and walking into Cars Land was like walking right into the movie. I felt as though Sarge or Lizzie was about to pop out of nowhere, right beside Red, Lightning or Mater.

So let's start at the front of Cars Land, where just to the left of the entrance you can find my new favorite Disneyland attraction, Mater's Junkyard Jamboree. I have absolutely no clue why I love this attraction so much, but it makes me laugh like I haven't laughed in years, and the music has been stuck in my head for weeks. Why is it so fun? Is this just an impossible to answer question aside from the answer of "because it just is!?!" 

The big E-Ticket attraction of the new land, however, is Radiator Spring Racers, which I was lucky enough to go on a total of three times in my short time at Disneyland. The line gets long fast, and Fastpasses run out early on in the day, but if you manage to snag one, it's definitely worth it. In fact, when I went on it the first time I almost cried. The moment you come through the tunnel and see the bridge with the waterfall is magical, and the race at the end left me with a look of absolute joy on my face...except for in the pictures because I always managed to blink and be too focused on winning to actually take a good picture...

Additionally, the merch that you can find all over Cars Land is basically the definition of amazing. I could have gone broke just in Cars Land. I think I bought as much of it as I could possibly handle before I had to stop. My favorite souvenir has to be my new Dinoco Oil Can though, because when you're feelin' a quart low, better go with Dinoco! 

But as beautiful as Cars Land is during the day, it's even more stunning at night! Lit up in the Neon fixed by Lightning himself, the town glows and completely comes alive. I'm amazed I ever left to be honest. 

I also loved the wonderful details put in throughout Radiator Springs, my favorite of which has to be the flashing yellow light, which my Dad managed to get a picture of! Let's be honest though, if he caught it on the third blink it would have been just slow enough to catch a picture in one try!

I also have to comment on the other thing I love about Radiator Springs though. A lot of us have a Disney character we share a name with, and how lucky am I that mine is in one of my favorite movies that also happens to have a giant land devoted to it in a Disney park and the name also happens to be spelled correctly! It's Lizzie, not Lizzy! 

Radiator Springs is definitely the place to stop on the heart of Route 66, and I can't wait to drive back as soon as possible for more races, towing, oil changes and fun! If you haven't had a chance to check out Cars Land yet, definitely put it on your to-do list, because there's nothing quite like it anywhere else in the world!

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on September 7 due to the Disney Trip and College Move-In).

Day 628: Inspiring Locations

I've had this great idea stuck in my head for quite some time now. It's a book idea for the future, and while I'm sure I'm running a risk by blogging about this for anyone to read, I'll take my chances because chances are no one's any more capable of doing this than I am, considering the insane amount of money and sponsorship it would require.

Over on Oh My Disney there was recently an article about the real life locations that inspired Disney Films, with everything from the beautiful Machu Picchu, Peru, which inspired The Emperor's New Groove to Old Faithful Inn, the location that The Grand Fusel Lodge in Planes: Fire and Rescue is based on. The whole list is right HERE!

It's on my bucket list to take a trip down Route 66, quite similar to the trip those from Pixar took as inspiration for one of my favorite films, Cars. I love driving and I love history, so a trip like that sounds spectacular. But what if it was expanded? There are over 50 Animated Disney films, not including the Pixar films or others, and almost all of them were based on a real life location. So what if you were able to literally travel the world, visiting the exact locations that inspired Disney films? What if you had the chance to sit and watch those Disney films in those locations?

If not a great book topic, it's at least a great idea for an entire blog and a multi-year journey over the entire planet. I would honestly LOVE to do this...if I had the money to do such things, because diving even deeper into those stories is one of my favorite activities. I do it all the time with OUAT (and I look forward to the date hopefully in the future where I visit Steveston...the real life Storybrooke), looking into the original storylines from the fairy tales and how they impacted the culture they were created for in comparison to how we see them today. So going to the places that inspired those tales and films would be an extra step towards understanding what these things are really about.

Gosh I am such an English major.

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on September 23).

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 440: Pizza Planet Truck

When I asked my Music theory class for random Disney topics, this was one of the things that came up: The Pizza Planet Truck. Now, for those of you that don't remember or know, this is the truck that Woody and Buzz ride in during the original Toy Story film. And Pixar, being Pixar decided that it would be a grand old time to include the truck in just about every single Pixar film after it. Because they're just awesome like that.

So, of course, it was in Toy Story, for quite some time. In A Bug's Life, it sits next to the trailer house (which you can later see in Monsters Inc. as well!). So they kind of killed two birds with one stone there...references to more than one Disney film all at once. Awesomeness.

In Finding Nemo, the truck can be seen as Gill explains is escape plans to the others. It's through a plastic bag as they roll towards the road and over into the ocean. Because of course there's a Pizza Planet truck in Australia. Apparently they went international!

In Cars, the truck got a revamp...meaning a mouth and eyes to make it an actual character. I like it. Granted, Cars is my favorite Disney Pixar Film...so I suppose I'd like it either way.

It's a bit far off in Ratatouille, on the bridge as Skinner is chasing Remy, but it's there, and in WALL-E, the truck is found broken and rusted in a junkyard as Eve searches through it for a plant. In Up, the truck gets another redesign, looking more like a delivery van, but it's still there, and obviously Pizza Planet. They must have modified stuff for the big city. Of course, in Toy Story 3 we see it again on the road, looking a little worse for wear during the scene that tells the story of Lotso. In Brave, it's one of the carvings in the woodworking shop the Witch owns, and while I'm not sure where off the top of my head, I'm sure it appears in Cars 2 and Monsters University, because not having it at this point just wouldn't make sense. 

I just love it when Pixar throws in Easter Eggs. They're always so fun to spot. Of course, people continuously ask me about them and sometimes I'm just like yeah I know already, but I really do enjoy it. My favorite happens to be A113, which my brother and I love pointing out. 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on March 28 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!