Day 1561: Literary Parents

I was supposed to write this blog post for my Creative Writing seminar a week ago, but then life got in the way and it never happened. I did, on the other hand, think pretty deeply about the answer to the question we used as a prompt - Who are your literary parents? - and as I like to say, better late than never! 

Honestly though, I initially had no clue about how to answer the question at hand. While I've been an avid reader and writer my entire life, there isn't anyone in particular that's inspired me to the point where I'd single them out as a "literary parent." Well, I suppose, with the exception of Walt Disney and the writers behind some of our favorite animated films. And if we're citing Walt as a literary parent in regards to fairy tales, we really should be citing the writers of the original stories, and that's where things get deep. 

One could say that I don't know precisely who my literary parents are because it's unlikely anyone knows who they are. If the root of my literary background stems from fairy tales, my literary parents are sort of like those long-lost relatives someone might try and search out on the TV show Who Do You Think You Are? In the fairy tale tradition, many of the stories we know and love are simply transcriptions from oral fairy tales that were passed down through the centuries. Unfortunately, no one apparently found it important to write the names of the storytellers down, or dig up information as to where the tales came from before that, so much of the knowledge has been lost or destroyed. Aka, a tough break for those of us trying to figure out where our literary parents are. 

Of course, some of them are definitive. There are some fairy tales, many fairy tales actually, created by the author that's listed on the front cover, such as Hans Christian Anderson or modern day fairy tale writer Emma Donoghue. Plus, my writing style has certainly been impacted by the show Once Upon A Time, so you could also say that the creators, Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, along with their army of writers, have earned a spot on my list of literary parents as well, but the point still stands. No on in particular jumps out as the literary parent, and here's an additional thought as to why that may be: 

Somewhere out there, there's a quote that talks about how we're influenced by every person we meet, even if it's only a small influence or, perhaps, no apparent influence at all. I'm not entirely sure it would be fair to say that if you'd never interacted or "randomly stood next to each other and didn't even notice each other that one time" that you entire life would change, but fate does seem to work in mysterious ways. Regardless, if you apply this theory to literature, you could say that every author I've ever read is one of my literary parents, because they've all impacted me in some way. Some may have made a major impact, like the authors of fairy tales, and some may play only a minor role, like the authors of the books I read but don't remember reading in middle school, but the important part is that they all, in one way or another, have influenced my writing. 

So who are my literary parents? I'd say everyone, and while that may seem a bit messed up biologically, this isn't a science class, so who cares? 

Have a magical day! 

Day 1159: English and Music

English Major by Day, Music Major by Night. 

That's how I like to live my life, or at least that's how this one particular day of my life went. I applied for the National Sigma Tau Delta Convention, an English honor society, back in the fall, and it was a number of weeks before I learned my paper, "Hope in Classic and Contemporary Fairy Tales" had been accepted for presentation at the convention. I lived in the excitement for all of five minutes before a terrible realization set in: I was double booked. 

It turns out, the way this particular year worked, my two majors actually conflicted with one another. I was supposed to be in the Twin Cities for the English Convention, but I was also scheduled to play with the St. Norbert Jazz Band back on our campus for our annual Snowball event. I had to be at both, somehow, and I had no way to guarantee that my presentation time would enable me to drive the four and a half hours back to SNC for the performance. All in all, for a couple of months, I lived in absolute terror. 

Luckily, the force must have been with me, as I managed to secure a presentation time at the convention that would give me roughly six hours to make it back for Snowball. Following my panel on Fairy Tales (which I really enjoyed!) I pretty much ran (in heels) back up to our room and grabbed my already packed bags, along with my coat, and then hurried back down to the parking garage, jumped in my car, and started my drive back to SNC. The weather wasn't really with me, as a snowstorm was following right behind me the whole way. I stayed ahead of it for the most part, but it definitely caused me to slow down a bit and added some extra time onto my drive. 

As I'm sure you can tell though, I made it safe and sound for the three hour Snowball performance, which is sort of like a winter dance with classic jazz and food. It's some of the most fun I've ever had performing, and I'm so happy I was able to make it back. On the other hand, my morning had started at roughly 7, after which I drove four and a half hours alone back to SNC, and Snowball didn't finish until midnight, so I didn't get to bed until around 1.

And then I got right back up the next morning and headed back to the Twin Cities for the conclusion of the convention.

All in all, I drove a lot, but it was absolutely worth it.

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on June 14).

Day 1098: No Reprises

Move aside Television, Galavant's back!

In a surprise that no one saw coming, the fairy tale musical extravaganza was renewed for a second season, and this time around things are better than ever...unless you're one of the main characters. Everyone seems to be in a sticky situation as the series picks up where it left off: Galavant and Richard are on a pirate ship traveling to Richard's kingdom, Isabella is trapped by her family and their insistence that she marries her much younger cousin, Sid is stuck with the Queen and new [King], who just can't get along, and everyone else simply avoids singing the same old song over and over again.

Galavant is one of those rare gems on television. It's completely ridiculous, but it's basically a Renaissance Fairy Tale parody of our lives today, and that's great. In fact, the plotline moves quickly, but at a speed just right to keep things funny and lighthearted. And now that the show has said "Suck It, Cancellation Bear," things are even funnier.

End up in the Enchanted Forest? Perfect [say fans of OUAT]. Evil Queen? No problem. Oh wait...the "evil queen" owns a gay bar called "The Enchanted Forest?" Well then. Time for a raging musical number that will get stuck in your head for basically the rest of your life.

Prime time television will never be the same. 

And that was just the beginning. From there, some of my favorite moments including jokes about pirates, cell phone reception, King Richard in general, boredom, and this line that perfectly describes my entire life: 

Long story short, Galavant is back and it's better than ever. It kills me that, while I'm gonna be happy to be in Florida, I'll miss the next two weeks of Galavant. At least I'll be back for the finale though! YOU can watch Galavant Sunday nights at 7 on ABC, and I highly recommend you do! You won't regret it! 

Have a magical day!

Day 1055: The Pied Piper

For my Literary Theory and Writing class we worked on a New Historical Essay, which just happens to be my favorite theory to work with. I love history, and I've always loved history, so having the opportunity to go in depth with the history of a particular story is pretty amazing. This time around, I decided on the tale of The Pied Piper of Hameln, and I actually found a couple of really awesome Disney references!

First, let's head back to 1933, September 16 to be exact, when Walt Disney released "The Pied Piper" as a part of his Silly Symphonies. From 1929 to 1939, Walt Disney Productions created a series of animated short films. These 75 Silly Symphonies were used to experiment with different processes, techniques, and other technologies in the world of animation, which would eventually lead to the first feature length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which was released in 1937. You can watch Disney's 1933 version of "The Pied Piper" right here!

As you can probably tell, the story of the Pied Piper is the tale of a man who comes to the town of Hameln to rid the residents of rats. He does so, but the town refuses to give him the debt he is owed, so he takes their children instead. When I first came across this story, I actually made the connection to Once Upon A Time right away, and that's how I came to connect the story with fairy tales long before I realized the many other connections it has. In Season 3 of OUAT, the creators mix and matched two stories to created their own version of "The Pied Piper." Robbie Kay portrays the series' Peter Pan, who collects boys to bring with him back to Neverland by playing a tune on musical pipes. However, the twist is that only boys who feel unloved are able to to hear and are drawn to the sound. Of course, Pan never helps the town in the first place, only arriving to steal the children, but regardless, he is indeed The Pied Piper of Once Upon A Time. 

This story, of course, has many different versions as well, and I'm certain that there are several other references out there in pop culture and maybe even in the Disney universe. Plus, who knows if the story actually had an influence on J.M. Barrie and Peter Pan! 

Have a magical day! 

(Note: This blog post was written on December 26).

Day 1038: John Henry

I usually come across things like this first, but when the Disney Shorts Film came out on Netflix, it seems that some of my friends had a chance to watch it before I did (although I have seen many of the shorts and there are still, to this day, a couple I haven't had the chance to check out). One of the these films was "John Henry," which my friend Jessica really related to. Of course, I knew I had to check it out, and I was delighted by what I found. This little short, released originally in 2000, is super entertaining and has a great message, just like some of my other favorite Disney shorts!

What are some of my other favorite Disney short films? Certainly Paperman, which was released a few years ago and has quickly become a favorite of many people. I've certainly seen quite a few DisneyBounds and Halloween Costumes that depict the couple in this short, but needless to say, it's quickly become a standard in the Disney Short Film Collection. 

I came across The Little Matchgirl a couple of years ago when I was taking Classic and Contemporary Fairy Tales, and I believe I even blogged about it back then, but I do believe it's worth sharing again! This short tale is a sad one, but I love how closely they stick to the original plotline, and it's almost depressing that it wasn't featured in a third Fantasia film the way it was created for. 

Easily one of my all time favorites though, Johnny Appleseed is one that sticks with all of us, especially as we all make similar attempts to do the best work we can and the right thing. Need a refresher? Watch the whole short below! 

Share some of your favorite Disney shorts in the comments below! 

Have a magical day! 

(Note: This blog post was written on December 30).

Day 939: Descendants

If you're anything like me, you've probably been hearing all about the new Disney Channel Original Movie, Disney Descendants. To be honest, all I really knew about this movie previous to watching the six minute preview clip I've included below was that it's a film focusing on the children of Disney characters and stars Keegan Connor Tracey as Belle, who you might also recognize as The Blue Fairy on Once Upon A Time. And that's it.

But considering the buzz that's been surrounding this movie, I figured I'd better watch it when it premiere this Friday July 31 at 8/7c on Disney Channel. If you're as lost as I am, watch the first six minutes right here:

To be fair, I love fairy tales, and this movie looks seriously interesting. So, if you're with me, be sure to watch the premiere this weekend!!! 

Have a magical day!

Day 934: Fairy Tale Superheroes

It seems that with each week there's another reason Everyday Disney gets a bit behind, whether it be technical difficulties or just a complete lack of time due to the number of projects I'm working on over the summer, but this week's excuse comes in the form of a presentation on fairy tales.

Every summer my local library has a themed reading program, and this year's theme happens to be superheroes. After a converstaion a while back, I somehow ended up giving a presentation on fairy tales for this program, and despite the fact that it's fair week in our little town, there were actually a few people who showed up to hear me talk about Rumpelstiltskin, Captain America and Once Upon A Time.

It's pretty aparent if you go back here on Everyday Disney just how much I've come to love fairy tales. Honestly, stories like these are another thing that I could have never imagined as a part of my life a few years ago, even back when Everyday Disney started. Gosh, even when I started watching Once Upon A Time I could never have imagined giving a presentation on them and how fairy tale characters can indeed be just as super as Batman or Captain America.

In the process of creating this presentation though, I decided that, of course, we were going to have to watch something from OUAT, and it ended up being the original series trailer that appeared on ABC back in 2011. Don't remember what I'm talking about? Here you go:

Watching this trailer brought several thoughts to mind for me: 

1. This is the trailer that got me to watch this show. Weird. 

2. We've come so far. Back when Emma was the hero and Regina was the villain and now we have Captain Hook trying to bring Emma back from the dark side. What even happened. 

3. 2011 was a long time ago. 

4. I want to watch Once Upon A Time. 

It's awesome that even after 4 years, this trailer still makes me want to go back and start from the beginning...which I generally do every summer but I've been so busy that I haven't had a chance to watch an episode in a while. Bad Lizzie. Bad. 

But now, waiting for another trailer for Season 5, I can't help but think about the way that OUAT has inspired me to keep hope in my own life, the same way stories like fairy tales and superheroes do for us every time we read a few lines, and that's really what I tried to get across through my presentation. "It's about hope," Eddy Kitsis once said, "and it's always been about hope. It's about the belief that no matter how bad things are, no matter how bad things seem, if you just keep that faith, and you keep that belief, someday they'll get better." 

After all, as my quote canvas says...

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 840: Worth the Wait

Once Upon A Time...

That seems to be not only a common theme on my blog and in my life, but also how most of the greatest fairy tales start. When we read those four words, we know we're in for a tale that could have anything to do with Knights in Shining Armor and Princesses or Dragons or Trolls or Pirates and who knows what else. Well, I'm here to tell you a story, and I'm pretty sure it has little to do with anything beyond a pen, some paper and one Prince Charming.

A year ago, over a year ago actually, I was in the middle of a fairy tale class here at SNC. I wasn't going to take the class initially, but a friend convinced me and now I talk about it as my favorite class I've taken in college...or ever really. As a part of that class, we had to write a final research paper, and I set to work as early as possible. Since OUAT is my favorite TV show and this was a class on Fairy Tales, I figured it would be a fair bet that I could base my final paper around the show, or at least include it as an example somewhere. What I ended up doing, of course, went far beyond just mentioning the show, as it was a quote from Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis that set the foundation for my topic and my thesis: Hope.

Hope became really important to me that semester, especially as I set out writing letters to many of the main cast members of the show, just to see if I would get any sort of response. I kept my hopes low, of course, because the chances of any of the cast members actually getting my hand written letter and writing back were pretty slim. And as the end of the semester grew closer, I pretty much said "Oh well" and moved on. It wasn't a big deal. I had a great paper (that quoted both Colin O'Donoghue and Jennifer Morrison), I was finished with a great class and we completed another great season of OUAT.

I haven't thought about those letters in ages. Until today.

I generally check my email, which is sent directly to my phone, about a million times a day. I check it in between classes for sure, just as I did this morning on my walk back towards my dorm from French class. At SNC, when a package arrives in the mail for us that's too big for our box, they send us an email, one of which was sitting in my email folder this morning. To be honest, I was confused. Downright confused. The only thing I have coming in the mail here to SNC would be my Disney Parks Vacation Planning DVD, but that they'd probably just put in my mailbox. I shouldn't have a package. So I go and I pick it up and it's a large white envelope that says "'Please Do Not Bend" on the outside.

At this point, I have a rough idea of what might be in the envelope, mostly because of the do not bend note. It has to be an autograph or something. But who in the world would do that? Who did I make so happy that they'd send me an autograph? Who was the autograph from? Why does the handwriting on the address look so familiar? Who even has my address? Every single one of those questions ran through my mind about five times and I hurried back to my dorm room, threw my stuff across the floor and futon and quickly opened the envelope, only to find THIS in it!

That's right, on a random rainy Monday morning over a year after I mailed out the letters to the cast of OUAT, I got an autographed photo from Josh Dallas (or at least his reps). Regardless, it's signed by him, and it's definitely in response to my letter since the address on the front is mine, cut out from the envelope I sent with the letter. Words cannot express how long I was hyperventilating, half crying and full on freaking out in my dorm room as I tried to process the fact that while I almost never get mail at college, apparently when I do it's from JOSH DALLAS. 

Which leaves me to wonder...where are the other letters? Have they reached the cast members just now? Did they read them? Who knows! But for now I'm going to go yell from the rooftops that I got this in the mail. It's amazing how my life has changed since a year ago when I hoped for a tweet from even the most minor cast member and now here I am with over 70 tweets, favorites and retweets, not to mention this new autograph from Prince Charming himself. Let me tell you though...when you're on the receiving end of a Charm Attack, there's nothing you can do but fangirl. 

Thanks Josh! You definitely made one Oncer and Charmer extremely happy today! 

Have a magical day!

Day 804: Maleficent

With a Maleficent backstory on Once Upon A Time, I figured I should finally get around to watching Maleficent, which I bought ages ago and just didn't watch until now. Everyone, of course, raved about the movie, but I suppose I had a bit of a different opinion by the time I reached the end. So I guess we'll start with what I didn't like just so we can get to what I did, because overall yes, I did like the movie.

I think the whole fairy tale crazy is a little weird for me, especially since I'm an avid fan of the show that really began the whole reboot of fairy tales. Once Upon A Time, which premiered in 2011, was the first time in ages a fairy tale has really been thrown totally upside down and now we see this whole trend as films such as Maleficent and now Cinderella return with new twists. On top of my watching Once Upon A Time, that love inspired an extreme interest in fairy tales, and I've found through English that when I eventually have to focus on one thing for a portfolio in the future, it will be on fairy tales of some sort.

Which means that the idea that it was Maleficent that provided True Love's Kiss just wasn't that impressive to me. I mean, the new "thing" with fairy tales is that true love's kiss isn't always shared between a couple and that it's not the only answer. We saw it in Frozen with the act of true love between two sisters, and we've certainly seen it on OUAT, where at the end of Season One, Emma placed True Love's Kiss on her son Henry, therefore breaking the curse over the town. And for that reason, I saw the whole "surprise" of Maleficent coming from miles away. Plus, with Captain Hook as a favorite character, I can definitely always see a villain as a hero now...so that didn't really sit well with me either. It's all a great idea, and I'm all for exploring the fairy tale, but it's been done before in my book. An interesting twist on Sleeping Beauty? Yes. Surprising? No.

On the other hand, I really loved the costume design, visual effects and makeup. Maleficent's wings, for instance, were spectacularly done (and on that topic, the cutting of the wings part really made the movie worthwhile for me...as did the idea that it wasn't Maleficent herself that turned into a dragon). The acting throughout was great as well, and therefore, I found that I enjoyed the film.

I am, on the other hand, eagerly awaiting my turn to see Cinderella, as I have the feeling I'll enjoy that one much more. Fairy tales are about retellings that examine something in our world, our society, and Maleficent just didn't do that for me, but I have a good feeling that Cinderella will. We'll have to get to the theater to see it before I can make any final calls though (and it sounds like my roommates and I will be heading to see it soon!)

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on March 16).

Day 759: Into The Woods

No, I still haven't seen the movie.

That doesn't mean I don't want to, because believe me, I really, really do, but another production of the musical happened to be going on in my life at the same time, and I wanted to see it done on stage before I saw it in the theater.

St. Norbert College Knight Theatre did their own version of Into the Woods this weekend, and it was definitely a wonderful show. Considering the fact that, previous to the performance I attended, I hadn't really seen all of the show, it was really interesting to see how the stories intertwined and how, unfortunately, everything worked out in the end. Now I'm listening to the film soundtrack because it just felt wrong to be writing a blog post about a musical without listening to the music from it.

On the note of music, I'm honestly not quite sure what my favorite song was or who my favorite character is. I really enjoyed the Jack and the Beanstalk storyline, but I'm probably bias because my friend played him in the version I saw the other day, and the same goes for Prince Charming. When you know the person it just makes the whole character better. As for songs, I really love Agony, but who doesn't? The princes are just so darn entertaining! And then there's "Your Fault," which I love just because of the constant back and forth between the characters. It takes a lot of attention to keep everything straight.

And as a lover of fairy tales, the entire show and plotline is extremely interesting. After "Hello, Little Girl," my friend whispered to me asking if I understood the innuendo and I was like "Well yeah, of course I do" because I spent a solid two weeks talking about Red Riding Hood in class a year ago. The first half of the show is very classic when it comes to the fairy tales, and then the second half really starts to play with them all, which I love just because that's what fairy tales are all about, changing them around and retelling them with a new message.

All in all, I loved the show and can't wait to see the film, after which I'm sure there will be another blog post talking about how much I loved Chris Pine.

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on January 31 due to a busy schedule).

Day 691: Fairy Tales Continue

You know, last semester held one of my absolute favorite classes here at SNC. Actually, no, it was my favorite class at SNC. Now maybe I loved it so much because my friends were there or because it wasn't especially difficult work to go through it, but let's be real. It was probably because of the fact that it was a whole class on Fairy Tales, and with OUAT being my favorite television show, it really got me started on the path of reading all the original stories that they bring onto the show. It's fun to find the little connections and think about how new stories could be incorporated. However, that's not what I'm talking about in this blog post. That's a topic for another day. 

You see, part of that class was a competition to see who could find the most fairy tale references within our society. I know I blogged about it previous, but the idea was that we would try to find fairy tale references within commercials, movies, songs, advertisements in general. Everything counted, and I definitely won the competition (no really, I won). 

The problem is, even now, I still seem to find every single reference. It's sort of weird sometimes actually. Even just watching Gilmore Girls I'll stumble across a billion different references to everything from The Wizard of Oz to Snow White. And then I'll watch Chuck and there'll be a reference there too. IT'S CRAZY. 

And the sad part? Every single time someone says the word Hook now, I just burst out in a ridiculous fit of giggles. What in the world has this semester done to me? Granted, my roommates are the real champs here, for putting up with my constant talk of Once, Disney and Fairy Tales. They deserve a reward. 

I should have made a list of all the fairy tale references I've found in the past few weeks though. Now that I'm going through and trying to think of some I've just got nothing. NOTHING AT ALL. Alright, that's a lie. There's that Geico commercial with Pinocchio. I don't know if I actually included that one on my original list from last semester. I wonder if I have that...I FOUND IT! 

Here's the official list of the sightings I had for Fairy Tale class, since I never actually shared it. This is one of those topics that got lost in the summer of random blogging. So here's the list: 

1. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicopters : Seven Dwarfs

2. Prom: Once Upon A Time Theme

3. New Girl : Peter Pan

4. Newsies : Humpty Dumpty

5. TLC : I Found the Gown (All Those Princess/Fairy Tale Feels)

6. The Rite : Tinkerbell

7. The Ugly Duckling : Modern Marvels

8. The Princess Diaries : Queen of Hearts

9. The Princess Diaries 2 : Rapunzel and Prince Charming

10. The Goldbergs : Glass Slipper 

11. The Fault in Our Stars : Prince Charming

12. Fairy Tale Creature Quiz

13. Spanish Lecture : Red Riding Hood

14. Museum of Science and Industry : Puss in Boots

15. Museum of S&I : Fairy Castle

16. Museum of S&I : Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives

17. Photographs with Real Animals

18. Trophy Wife : "I don't think we're in Ohio anymore."

19. WDW : Alice in Wonderland Book

20. WDW : Once Upon A Vine

21. Dark Horse : "That Fairy Tale ending with a knight in shining armor. She can be my Sleeping Beauty, I'm gon' put her in a comma."

22. Emma Approved : Cinderella

23. Which Grimm Fairy Tale Princess Are You?

24. Solo and Ensemble : Goldilocks and the Three Bears

25. High School Musical 2 : Once Upon A Time & Happily Ever After

26. About a Boy : Fairy Dust & Through the Looking Glass

27. Blitzgiving (HIMYM) : Cinderella's Evil Stepmother

28. GEICO Commercial : Pinocchio

29. Buzzfeed Articles

30. Raven Symone : Alice

31. The Avengers : Flying Monkeys

32. FAFSA Sign : Don't be late for a very important date!

33. Megan & Luke : King Midas (Muppets reference to Goldilocks)

34. Legally Blonde : Sleeping Beauty

35. Fresh Prince of Bel Air : "What is this? Oz?" and "The Little Mermaid."

36. Intelligence : No Need to Huff and Puff

37. Shirley Temple's Storybook

38. Alice and Olivia Presentation : Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty, etc. 

39. Dad's Fairy Tale Books

40. White Rabbit Meme

41. I'm a Believer : I though love was only true in fairy tales

42. Sociology : Fairy Tales in Mass Media

43. Somewhere in Neverland : Song by All Time Low

44. Wonderland Magazine

45. The Monster : Rumpelstiltskin 

That's just the official list I had for last semester, but since then (probably because it's been another semester), the number has at least doubled. It's honestly crazy how many fairy tale references are out there in our world, and how much of an impact they've had on us whether we like it or not. It's definitely interesting to explore as a topic in general. No wonder Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis created a whole show based off of these stories and characters, and no wonder we all love it! 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on December 12 due to Finals Week!)

Day 689: Cinderella

I'm not the first and I'm certainly not going to be the last to discuss this. It seems that when there's news in the world of Disney, everyone covers it. I debated blogging about this for that same reason, but since I'm a huge fan of both Disney and fairy tales, it seemed like a natural thing for me to discuss today. I am, of course, talking about the trailer for the new live action version of Cinderella, which my roommates and I are all super excited about.

Here's the trailer if you haven't seen it yet:

First off, I love the trailer. It's the perfect combination of action, story, characters and classic scenes. I love it. But can we just stop for a second and talk about the music? I don't know who works on the music for these Disney trailers, but they nail it Every. Single. Time. I'm constantly amazed with the music in the trailers for all of the Disney movies, live action and animated. It's going to be stuck in my head all night now. 

But that's not the only thing I'm loving about this movie and trailer so far. The costume design is beautiful, for one. I'm so used to seeing wonderful costumes on Once that I'm prety sure I have higher standards now than I did before. And of course, they got it ever so right here. Cinderella's ball gown, for instance, is stunning, and I'm quite happy to see a scene depicting the animation in the original animated film. 

Other things I love? The fact that they bring her mother into the story. Such a grand idea. I feel like there's always so much debate about where that mother went (although in many of the stories, she dies, and it seems to be that case here), so it's nice to see some extra backstory. Second, I adore the fact that her name isn't "Cinderella," but simply "Ella." In the fairy tale itself (or at least many of those original versions), her name isn't Cinderella at all. Sometimes it's Ella and sometimes it's actually Ashley, but either way it isn't Cinderella. A nice touch indeed.

And finally, let's just stop for a moment and discuss how odd it is to see Helena Bonham Carter playing the Fairy Godmother. We're all so used to seeing her in darker roles that you almost miss it when she appears in the trailer and then you second guess yourself for thinking it was her when really, it was! 

Regardless, I'm very excited to see this movie, as I am all the other new films coming from Disney lately. I'm also pretty excited that my roommates are excited. It means that we might be able to go see the film together, and that's something that sadly doesn't happen very often. We spend a ton of time together in our room though (and boy do we have adventures), but it seems to me that this is the perfect movie for a March weekend. 

Have a magical day!

Day 661: A Blue Star Candle

Today is a very important day in the Once Upon A Time fandom! It's Emma Swan's birthday, also known as the anniversary that our favorite television show about Fairy Tales premiered on ABC. That's right, three years ago today I was sitting in my bedroom watching Once Upon A Time. It was the first time I watched Josh Dallas and Ginnifer Goodwin and Lana Parilla and Jennifer Morrison on my television screen, at least that I knew of. So I needed a way to celebrate. It seemed like a logical post, and while I still haven't done my Favorite Hook Moments post, I'll soon be doing that (it pairs up with something early next week), I decided that I couldn't just do Hook anyways. Nope, I needed something to celebrate ALL of Once Upon A Time. And then I realized. As much as I've talked about OUAT, with little bits and pieces here and there, I haven't actually talked about my absolute favorite moments, and if there's one way to accomplish something like that, it's a 30-Day Challenge.

Now, I'm actually in the midst of three other challenges between Instagram and Twitter, so adding on another one seems like a lot of work to be completely honest. Instead, I'll just include my answers here in one giant blog post...so get ready, and I'll try to keep things short (no promises though). I have a half hour until How To Get Away With Murder to completely focus on this, so let's see if I can't get this done!

1 - Your Favorite Male Character? 

2 - Your Favorite Female Character? 

3 - Your Least Favorite Male Character? 

Alright, in all seriousness here, I'll actually answer the questions now instead of randomly putting GIFs or Memes. Hook and Emma...does that surprise you? (And if you didn't catch that reference go rewatch Season 3).

As for my least favorite male character, it's a difficult question because really, we love to hate these characters. Overall though I'm probably going to have to say Rumpelstiltskin. Now don't get me wrong, I love Robert Carlyle and I adore the storyline they've made for Rumple, but there's just not a lot of appeal in the character for me. I'm definitely (and obviously) on the Hook side so...yeah.

4 - Your Least Favorite Female Character? 

Again, a really hard question. I think this one's even harder than the last one because I literally can't think of any Female Character I really don't like. Ummm...probably someone completely insignificant, like Bo Peep or something. I mean, I could say Zelena cause she screwed up my ship kinda (but then again they did go on that amazing adventure), or Cora because she's so evil, but I adore both of those characters. So yeah, Bo Peep it is I guess.

5 - Your Favorite Villain? 

I really have the urge to put the "Seriously" GIF here again. But let's take Hook out of the equation. As one of my friends mentioned earlier, "Is he really still a villain?" It's a good question considering right now he has some issues at hand (pun intended), but I truly believe he'll work them out. Regardless, let's pick another villain.

I think aside from Hook I definitely have to go with Regina, although I don't see her as super evil anymore either. But there's just something about Lana and the sass and how much Regina loves Henry and so on and so forth that makes her one of my favorites. Not to mention how absolutely brilliant her costumes are.

6 - Your Favorite Scene? 

Oh goodness. There's so many scenes to choose from. I mean, there's the Hook and Emma moment in 3x05, and the Hook and Emma moment in basically every episode after that and the Hook and Emma moment here and the Hook and Emma moment there.

BUT, I think I'm going to have to go with a classic moment, as in the first time Emma and Henry really, truly connected. The pilot is one of my favorite episodes because it's just so brilliantly done, and it reminds us all just how far the show has come. I wish I had time to watch it tonight (and maybe I will). Either way, Jennifer and Jared were wonderful in that scene, with such powerful emotions that sucked us all into this fandom. Aren't we glad that happened?

7 - Your Favorite Ship/s?

I'll give you one hint...nope, you don't even need one. If you haven't figured out by now that I ship CaptainSwan you probably need to invest in some help. Or maybe I'm the one that should invest in some help. Regardless, they're just the best and I loved their date, even if it was ruined by a cursed hand and I loved the moment in the picture above and basically I love every bit of them in Season 4, although I've loved them for much longer and yep. CaptainSwan. 

I also totally ship OutlawQueen and Rumbelle and, of course, Snowing. Can't miss out on them. 

8 - Your Favorite Friendship?

It's probably a tie between CaptainCharming (Hook & Charming) and FrozenSwan (Elsa & Emma). I mean, on the CC front it's sort of awkward because, well, the pirate is dating his mate's daughter, but thing's will smooth over in the end I do believe. As for FS, I'm just so happy that Emma finally has a friend in Storybrooke, I mean, apart from Hook. It's great for her to have someone who understands what she's going through with her magic, and I'm super excited to see more of that relationship as the season moves forward.

Also, in case you were wondering, this is how far I got before How To Get Away With Murder started...

9 - Saddest Moment? 

This one, surprisingly enough, is pretty easy to figure out. It's in 3x11: Going Home, when Emma and Henry are driving away from the town and the smoke overtakes the town. That definitely stands out to me as the saddest moment, since it was just really emotional for me. I mean, to have everything from the last two years just...gone, that was crazy. To see Snow and Charming have to send their daughter away a second time, just like they did in the pilot? That was crazy.

Other scenes that come to mind are everything to do with the death of Neal. That's the only time I've actually cried watching the show. I didn't want Neal to die, and it was painful to watch my favorite characters deal with the loss of someone they loved.

10 - Funniest Moment? 

These are hard questions! There are so many great hilarious moments, especially when it comes to Hook. His one liners are priceless. Right now the big one is probably this though:

11 - Your Favorite Badass Scene? 

Oh gosh. I have no clue. Well, actually I love whenever Hook swordfights, especially his fight with Blackbeard in 3x17: The Jolly Roger. Otherwise, the one scene that really stands out to me is near the end of Season Two, when Snow saves Regina (hidden by magic) from her own guards. It's just awesome.

12 - Your Favorite Kiss? 

I had to debate this one for some time because since Season 4 began, Hook and Emma have been having a pretty good run on this front. There's what, 4 episodes and 3 of them have them kissing? Yeah, it's a good time to be a CaptainSwan shipper, although I have the distinct fear that such nice period will be ending soon. Regardless, I have to actually say the one at the end of Season 3. I think it paired so nicely with the wedding and everything else that was going on and it was just such an important step for them. Plus I freaked out like no other.

13 - Do you want the Evil Queen to get her happy ending? Why/Why Not?

Oh for sure. I think happy endings, or at least the hope of such things, are an extremely key element of fairy tales overall. I'd be heartbroken to see the series end without a happy ending for Regina, especially when she's absolutely so close to one and despite the fact that the odds are against her, she's working with Henry to save the woman who's legitimately stopping her from reaching her goal. Everything changed for me during 3x09: Save Henry, and after the conversation as she made the potion for her to forget, I've been on team Regina & Happy Ending. She deserves one, regardless of what she's done.

14 - Your Favorite OMG moment? (Something you didn't expect)

I had to stop to discuss this one with my roommate since I really couldn't figure out what my answer would be. I see a lot of spoilers, so a lot of stuff is sort of "ruined" for me, although that's sometimes good.Either way, there was a time when I didn't know everything though, and I think the most shocking moment for me was when we found out that Pan was after Henry at the very end of Season 2. That was just ridiculous, and then we had to wait all summer to find out what happened next. Crazy.

15 - Which Side are you on? Good or Evil? 

This is another hard question considering the fact that my favorite characters are technically on the opposite sides of this, but probably Good. I definitely relate more to that side of things, although like Emma I sometimes find it irritating how her parents are so optimistic. Still though, no doubt about it that I'd fight for the good and the right thing. Although what's that Hook always says? Could it be...Good Form?

But for real...the Nevengers.

16 - Your Favorite OUAT Outfit?

Oh his one I have down. It's easy! I absolutely adore the ball outfits Hook and Emma had in the Season 3 finale. Emma's Dress? I want it so much. So bloody much. And Hook's jacket. Just yes.

17 - Your Favorite Episode of Season 1? 

This is actually a three way tie, I think. There might be a fourth episode stuck in there too, but off the top of my head I have to say 1x01: Pilot, 1x07: The Heart is a Lonely Hunter and 1x10: 7:15 A.M. The fourth would be 1x09: True North. Season 1 is just so great and there's so many wonderful episodes that it's hard to pick just one. Actually I'm pretty sure I have more favorite episodes in Season One than any other season. I have favorite moments in every episode of course, but some episodes you just want to watch over and over again, and that's certainly a feeling I get with much of Season 1, despite the lack of my favorite character.

18 - Your Favorite Actor? 

Again...the urge to use the "seriously?" GIF is high, although I felt this meme was appropriate. But for real...it's this guy. It's not surprising, not one bit. Colin's great, and I know that (he probably knows that, but from what I can gather he's pretty humble about all of it. I mean...his television interviews are like the most adorable thing ever because sometimes he's shy and is genuinely the complete opposite of Hook and gosh I'm rambling, aren't I?) Regardless, he's Irish, has great hair, is super nice and plays Captain Hook. What's not to like?

19 - Your Favorite Actress?

Jennifer Morrison, everybody. Pretty sure we're almost the same person in a super weird way, considering the fact that there's a lot of stuff we have in common, but that's all beside the point. I literally love JMo more every single day and she's definitely one of the people I want to meet in my life. Adorable in every single way. 

20 - Your Favorite OUAT Quote? 

"Life is Made up of moments. Good ones; Bad Ones, but they're all worth living." - Prince Charming to Emma Swan in Episode 3x10: The New Neverland. Easy. It's absolutely my favorite quote. Hands down.

21 - Your Favorite Backstory? (of any character)

Another tough one, and as much as I love Hook's backstory, I think I'm going to have to go with Red Riding Hood. That episode in Season One just blew me away. Everyone knows the story of Red Riding Hood, but making her the wolf? BRILLIANT. I don't think I can express enough how much that was a great twist on the story!

22 - Something you want to see/find out that hasn't been revealed yet? 

As of right now, how the Snow Queen knows Emma. I think that's one of the biggest questions running through our minds right now. I have my ideas, and I know a few things here and there, but not enough to figure out just how they know one another. I'm really interested in finding out though, and I hope we get some new information in 4x05!

23 - Any prop you could take from the set? 

My roommates and I had a discussion about this one, and I've narrowed it down to like...three. My initial instinct is the yellow bug, since it's so iconic. But where in the world would I put a yellow bug? So then I decide on the Red Leather Jacket because who wouldn't want that? But I technically have a red leather jacket (although I don't have one worn by Jennifer Morrison soo...). And then I was like...dude...the hook. That would be absolutely brilliant. I want to own the hook. I just want to see the hook. Or maybe Hook's jacket, despite the fact that it weighs 50 pounds. I'd gladly wear the coat if it meant I was wearing the coat Colin wore. And finally, there's the storybook, which after much deliberation is probably the thing that I'd want the most, as long as it included all the stories from the show. That's essential.

24 - If you could be anyone from Storybrooke or the Enchanted Forest, who would it be? 

Emma Swan, hands down. I mean, she hasn't had the best life, but I admire her as a character, fighting for what she wants. That's really important, especially considering the fact that she's still fighting even after everything she's gone through. I think that's probably one of the reasons I love CaptainSwan so much, it's because here's two people that have the world literally working against them and yet they continue to push forward.

Plus she gets to kick down doors and can seriously walk in heels and gets to date Hook soo...

25 - Your favorite character entrance? 

Honestly I'm not 100% sure what this means, but let's see. I absolutely adore how Charming enters the pilot, opening up literally the entire show by riding in to save Snow. That's a pretty epic entrance. But Regina wins, hands down. That's one serious entrance.

26 - A character you would like to see more of? 

I really am excited to see more about Belle actually. I mean, Emma for sure too, but I already love Emma and just feel that Belle at least deserves some more screen time. I know we'll be getting some backstory for this particular princess probably in just a week or two, so that's exciting. I mean, I'd always love to see more Hook and Emma, but these days they're thankfully pretty well accounted for. So Belle. Definitely Belle.

27 - Favorite location/set? 

I'm actually particularly fond of Mary Margaret's apartment, which is basically home base these days. It's just my style, with a vintage-antique-mismatch sort of feel. Plus I love the open floor plan and the apartment style and the simply homey feel of it. I'd love to visit the set to be completely honest, or you know...live there or something.

28 - Storybrooke or the Enchanted Forest? 

Storybrooke, hands down. I can't wait to visit Steveston some day, even if I don't make it there until long after the show has concluded. The town is just so beautiful and I love every bit of it. I mean, the Enchanted Forest is great too, but there's just something extra magical about Steveston being a real place I can visit.

29 - Your Favorite Fairy Tale? Did you like the OUAT Version? 

Well, when the show started I'd have to say Rapunzel, but I'm pretty well-versed in my fairy tales now, after taking a class and growing seriously interested in the stories themselves. I actually really did like the Rapunzel twist they took, although I'm sad it's more of a one time thing than anything else. A lot of people (my friends included) are disappointed with the take they went with on Rapunzel, but I liked the idea that she was afraid and was her own enemy. I think stories like that are more powerful and easier to relate to than most others.

30 - What got you interested in Once Upon A Time? 

I actually started watching after seeing the promos for the first episode, now two years ago. I was like, "Hey, a show about fairy tales! That sounds cool!" and figured I would try it out because, well, why not? I wasn't currently watching any other TV shows and it sounded interesting so I watched the pilot...and the next episode and the one after that and so on and so forth until here we are three years later blogging about my all time favorite moments and characters from the entire show.

It's been a great three years though, that's for sure. I can't even count the number of people I've met because of the show...or the number of people that I already knew and got addicted to the show. It's an issue. Even my brother tends to quote Hook or something from time to time, although it's half to annoy me and half as a joke (but seriously Kid...the eyebrow thing). I mean, obviously this show has made an impact on me. I have a red leather jacket in my closet, I dress up for a television show every Sunday, my favorite OUAT quote is on my wall, I have a poster on my shelf that says "Work Like a Captain, Party Like a Pirate," I've taken an entire class on fairytales and am seriously considering doing further research with them for projects in the future and somewhere along the line, Colin O'Donoghue and Jennifer Morrison, along with the entire rest of the cast and crew, have wormed their way into my mind and heart. It brings me happiness and joy and most of all, Once Upon A Time brings me hope.

So happy birthday Emma Swan and Once Upon A Time. Here's to many, many more CaptainSwan kisses and long hiatuses and intriguing backstories and spectacular sets and curses and cliffhangers that leave us on the edge of our seats.

Have a magical day!

(And on a side note...HTGAWM ended like over an hour ago...)