Day 1266: Quoting

I've been doing these Quote Canvases for a while now, and I really believe the hardest part about them is choosing the quote you want most and then finding a design that will fit both the space and the theme. For the above work in progress, it wasn't that difficult, although it took some debating for sure. We knew we wanted something Pixar, and because it was going in our kitchen, we figured that Ratatouille would be a fair place to pick a quote from. 

But with so many great Disney quotes out there, how can you really pick just one? I mean, here are some of the brainstormed quotes that we've discussed for various canvas works: 

"Have Courage and Be Kind" - Cinderella

"All our Dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them." - Walt Disney

"It's kind of fun to do the impossible." - Walt Disney

"Adventure is Out There" - Up

"Just Keep Swimming" - Finding Nemo

"Oh yes, the past can hurt. But from the way I see it, you can either run from it, or learn from it." - The Lion King

"You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." - Winnie the Pooh

To be far, those were just a few of the options that we've considered over time, and I would love to know what you'd put on a quote canvas like the ones I create! Let me know in the comments! 

Have a magical day!

Day 1227: Disney Accessories We Wish We Owned

You can't deny that there aren't a whole slew of Disney accessories that you might wish to own yourself. I know I spend more than my fair share time dreaming about all the things I could own if only I had the money to actually purchase them. And the great thing about accessories is many of them are perfect for both at home and in the parks, for Disneybounding and regular outfits! These are just a few of those accessories: 

Lately I've been obsessing over the various Minnie Ears you can now find on Etsy, like these Rose Gold ones from TheBowMama. There are tons of Etsy shops out there selling all sorts of different designs, so be sure to check out a bunch of them before you make your final decisions! 

And then there's these shirts, which you have to admit, are some of the best shirts in the world. They're also sold on Etsy, but by AllThingsCuteDecals and to be completely honest, this is up at the top of my list of things to buy soon! 

MagicBands are almost becoming the ultimate Disney World accessory, and The Disney Store sells all kinds of them! Personally I'm in love with this one featuring Cinderella Castle, but really I'm just waiting for the day we get a Spaceship Earth design.

One of my friends here at college has the most adorable castle necklace from The Disney Store that she wears all the time, and while this isn't the exact same one, it would be a perfect addition to the closet of any Disney fan! 

But if we're being honest, don't you think a real pair of glass slippers would be the absolute perfect Disney accessory? If you figure out where to buy some...and how to make them more comfortable, let me know because I'll buy them straight away! 

What are some of your favorite Disney Accessories? 

Have a magical day!

Day 1121: Trailer Music

It should be no surprise that, as a music major, I tend to jam out to whatever song Disney has come up with to feature in the newest movie trailer, and since we're entering the Twentieth Century and more modern music in my music history and theory course this semester, it felt like the perfect time to share some of my favorite trailer songs!

Inside Out | Sweet Emotion - Aerosmith

If we're talking about trailer music, then we'd better mention Sweet Emotion by Aerosmith that's featured in the trailer for Inside Out. I remember crying the first time I saw this trailer simply because the sadness part got to me. I think it probably got to all of us (the Toy Story 3 and Up portions especially).

Cinderella | Aeon - Nick Murray

Easily one of my favorite movie trailer pieces, I used Aeon for a segment of the band trip video last year, and while a lot of times I end up hating the piece after using it for video editing, I still adore this one! It's elegant and emotional and simply perfect for the trailer to Disney's 2015 live action remake of Cinderella. 

Big Hero 6 | Top of the World - Greek Fire

Big Hero 6 had a lot of awesome music surrounding it, which came as a pretty decent surprise to me. I wasn't really enthused about the idea of Big Hero 6 to begin with, but it grew on me, and now I'll watch the adventures of Hiro and Baymax any day, and I think a lot of that has to do with "Top of the World," which caught my attention in the trailer! 

Saving Mr. Banks | Lost and Found - Katie Herzig

Similar to "Aeon," the piece used in the trailer for Saving Mr. Banks caught my attention, as though I wasn't already completely emotionally invested in the film. The music in the film as a whole is certainly one of my favorite soundtracks, but then again, the fact that it's one of my favorite movies probably has something to do with that. 

Wreck-It Ralph | Good Feeling - Flo Rida

The trailers for Wreck-It Ralph had a lot of great music, including the one featured in the teaser trailer, "Good Feeling," but also "Some Nights," which was used in the trailers that followed. What do I love about it? It's upbeat, it's catchy, and it certainly gets stuck in your head. If that's really a good thing I'm not quite sure, but we'll say it is.

I could probably go on forever about my favorite music in Disney Movie Trailers, because almost every time a new trailer comes out I end up with a new favorite song to listen to all the time. I have realized how dangerous this is though, because now I want to go and watch all these movies (Wreck-It Ralph especially...it's been too long). Alas, I'll have to postpone such movie watching for a later date! 

Let me know in the comments below which trailer songs you love! 

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 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 735: Characters

Throughout my lifetime, I've met my fair share of Disney Characters, but my family was never too big on stopping by to meet them, especially if it meant standing in line to do so. But since my friends were along on this trip and we had a day that worked perfectly for meeting characters, I planned it all out so we could meet pretty much as many as possible.

We started the trip with two character meals, one at Garden Grill, where we met Pluto, Chip, Dale and Mickey, and then the next morning at 1900 Park Faire at the Grand Floridian, featuring Mary Poppins, Alice, The Mad Hatter, Winnie the Pooh and Tigger. Character meals were pretty common for my family throughout the years, but once we were finished with those and actually headed out into the parks, we had a chance to meet character after character, and here are a few of the highlights:

Cinderella: 

As the first of the Princesses we met, Cinderella was absolutely sweet. She commented on our outfits, brought Rapunzel into our discussion (as she had snuck over from her side of the room), and suggested that my brother would make a fine prince for her stepsister. Of course, we had to go visit the stepsisters the next day, just to meet his Fiance. 

Rapunzel: 

It was with my favorite Disney Princess that we had plenty of wonderful discussions, particularly about men with Hooks. Rapunzel warned us all that men with Hooks are up to no good and suggested we stay away from them...somehow I doubt that'll happen.

Anna & Elsa: 

After over a year of 2 to 8 hour wait times, we finally got our chance to meet the sisters, and you have no idea how excited I was. With Elsa, she complimented my dress, saying it reminded her of snowflakes (awesome because I was Disneybounding as Elsa!) and we asked her to help us end our eternal winter in Wisconsin. Although she couldn't help us out too much, she promised she'd try! And with Anna we found out that her favorite kind of sandwich is Peanut Butter and Chocolate, so now we're all obligated to try it! Also, shoutout to the cast member who took selfies with my phone! 

Peter Pan: 

The following day we went to meet Peter Pan, who not only loved my outfit (I was Disneybounding as him that day!), but also told me that should my crew become unhappy, as I am the captain, they might try to overthrow me and appoint someone new captain! 

Mulan: 

With Mulan in China, we all got to become warriors, and honestly I just love this picture and that's basically the main reason for having her on the list, although she was really sweet and signed a special postcard for us too! 

Belle: 

Also at Epcot, we met Belle, who also signed a special postcard for us. After she looked throughout autograph books, she noticed that we met Gaston, and then went into a story about how she gave him a mirror as a present for Christmas, just so he can admire himself all day long!

Aladdin & Jasmine: 

Although we waited almost an hour for them, I think this was probably one of my absolute favorite meet and greets of the trip. Both Aladdin and Jasmine were just plain great, and when they noticed the nickname on one of our postcards, they launched into a whole conversation about it! They were honestly really great, and that's coming from someone who's least favorite Disney film is actually Aladdin! 

Indiana Jones & Marian: 

I can't leave these two out either. In June, for the first time, we had the chance to meet Indy and Marian, and of course we came back for a second time this trip, only this time we also got their autographs! That's right, I have Indiana Jones' autograph. What now? 

This is only scratching the surface of all the characters we met this trip, and I'm pretty sure I'll go find more characters in the future, although something tells me it won't be quite as fun without Megan and Ashley along for the ride! Don't worry though, those autograph books will be completely filled someday! 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on January 12 due to the Disney Trip!)

Day 708: Cinderelly

Since this post originally occurred during the middle of finals weeks and I had topics already set out, I might as well use them. After all, they definitely still apply, even if it's been a couple of weeks since finals.

You see, it seems natural for us all to listen to music while we work on our papers and studying. As you've already heard, I generally listen to a collection of music from the Disney Parks when I'm really into my homework, while other music (recently a lot of Taylor Swift...thanks Hannah, Ashley and Max) will be playing as I work on my blog or other projects. Megan, however, does things a bit differently. My iTunes is always up on my computer, but if I remember correctly, she generally uses YouTube playlists of music instead. I do it too, especially with park music, but because I tend to get addicted to music I like to keep it all in one place that I don't need internet to access. 

Regardless, during finals week she mentioned that she had come up with the perfect Finals Week parody, and it felt like something I had to share here. The idea is you imagine the following song, only in relation to college and finals week!

I too am pretty sure it would make a great parody and will definitely be thinking about figuring one out for second semester finals. After all, it seems that all we do is work, work, work. 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was Published on December 26 due to finals & holidays!)

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 586: Disney Rewatch

I figured I should at least give an update on where I stand with my rewatch of all the classic Disney animated movies, from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to Frozen. It's about the third or fourth time I've attempted to do this and I have say that I'm pretty darn proud of myself because this is the furthest I've gotten.

Currently, my next film is The Aristocats. Previously, I think I got to Alice in Wonderland and then stopped, so this is a welcome goal so far, but I am pretty determined to finish this out. The only problem is now I'm back at school and it's a bit harder to watch movies all the time. I'm going to make it work though, even if I have to go a week or two without a movie because I'm so busy. Once I finish catching up on this blog things will get a little bit better though, so that's going to be nice. I mean, I still have plenty of work to do (I should go make a To-Do list before I forget...), but I'm going to have to just figure it out and be as productive as possible.

That's beside the point though. I have to say that so far in the Disney Rewatch I've uncovered some gems that I totally forgot I even liked, because there are obviously those Disney films you love and the ones you don't love quite as much, but sometimes we forget about which ones fall into which category.

Of course, I always love Lady and the Tramp, so that was a pleasure to get to watch, because seriously I can't watch that movie too many times. And Bambi was really great too, as was Cinderella. I'm not even that far into the Rewatch and already I have new favorites. Something tells me this isn't good for the question "What's your favorite Disney movie?"

Otherwise, I'm excited for what's ahead and continuing the entire Rewatch. It's complicated because I'm also rewatching Once Upon A Time, so that's another hour a day and I just can't spare three hours of TV time lately, but hey, we're making progress, right?

Oh, and I'm super excited to watch Robin Hood. Haven't seen that one in AGES.

If you want to follow along with my Rewatch or join me, feel free to do so! I post a picture on my Instagram every time I watch one of the films, so you'll know exactly where I am at any given time!

Have a magical day!

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

Day 518: Love to Hate

Day 23 of the Disney Photo Challenge: A picture of the character you dislike the most. 

Blast from the Past: 

What? I have to admit this? Nooooo! 

Let's see, my least favorite Disney character. Ok, after much deliberation, I have to say that my least favorite character is the Evil Stepmother from Cinderella. Yeah, my other option was Si and Am from Lady and the Tramp (The Siamese Cats). It really was hard. 

Why don't I like her? Not really sure, but her constant evilness just drives me insane. I think it's more so from Cinderella 2 though, when she won't let Anastasia date the Baker because he's lowlife or something like that according to her. I always feel so terrible for Anastasia. 

The Stepsisters generally are pretty funny too, so I do like them. But there are just a bunch of characters that I don't really enjoy. I don't hate them, or really dislike them, but there are just other characters I like more. 

Back to the Future: 

In all honesty, I thought that this question was about our favorite villain at first because of the character I chose the first time, so we're gonna do both!

1. The character I just don't like:

This honestly is hard. There are SO many Disney characters with such a wide variety of personalities that it's hard to pick out one as the one I just don't like. Actually, I literally can't come up with any characters I don't like. I mean, I guess I have some I like more than others, but I can't think of one in particular that I just plain don't like.

2. The character I Love to Hate:

Now this one has more than ONE answer! Recently, and it's all due to the guy in that picture up there, I've been loving Captain Hook, but I also seriously love Hades, Ursula, Mother Gothel and, of course, we all love to hate Hans. ;)

Have a magical day!

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

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 514: Which Princess Kingdom?

Basically, we all know that we're all Disney Princesses, despite the fact that those animals that live outside our windows just do not listen. For me, it's the squirrels that live all over campus at college, and seriously I just want to pet one.

Despite this fact, we're pretty sure we're Princesses, and that means that we need a suitable Kingdom, right? Of course, as always, Oh My Disney is there to help us answer the unspoken questions that we have all the time. For real? Would I be swimming around Ariel's Castle or crossing the bride to Rapunzel's. I guess we'll find out.

Since I normally do quizzes on one big post, but I have soooo many blog posts to make up, we're going to do this different. Let's go through each question!

1. My dream vacation destination is...

Uh....Ireland is not on here, and neither is Walt Disney World or Disneyland or basically anywhere that I actually really want to go. So England?

2. My Favorite fruit is...

Despite the fact that I am allergic to it, I have to say cantaloupe. Before I became allergic to most fruit that was one of my favorites. Although if I had to pick one now that I can still eat, it would be strawberries.

3. My favorite type of weather is...

Oh gosh. Uhhh....Snowy?

4. Pick a pattern...

I can't really show all the pictures here, but you should all know that I do love chevrons!

5. On an ideal weekend I would...

How about all of the above because for real all of these sound like great options. But I think I'll have to pick Read a Book. You can't go wrong with that one.

6. The one household item I can't live without is...

A television, because let's be real...I can't live without Once Upon A Time.

7. Pick a Vinylmation...

Oh god. I can't. Too many options. THUMPER!

8. If I were a Disney animal, I would be...

This is hard too because literally these are like all my favorite Disney animals. I like to think I'd be Brave like Pongo, and caring like Lady and friendly like Bambi but I'm stubborn like Marie and get into trouble like Figaro and seriously no one is more sarcastic than Pegasus. And then there's Simba and Copper and I'm kinda like them too soooo.....Lady.

9. My favorite mode of transportation is...

Singing montage. Hands down.

10. The best time to visit the Disney Parks is...

Epcot Food & Wine Festival. I will attend you again someday, I promise.

11. Pick a Princess Dress...

I've said it before and I'll say it again, but I certainly wish that I had a princess dress when I was a kid. Granted, we had like...half of these, so it's not like I really had an option anyways. So I pick Rapunzel. Cause she's my favorite.

While I really wish I could live in Corona (that's Rapunzel's kingdom), I think I'm cool with this. I mean, that's one awesome castle, and hey, great balls? Maybe the mutton won't be overcooked! (Yes...that's a OUAT reference). 

But seriously, no glass slippers. Dancing in those until Midnight must really hurt your feet. 

In which Princess Kingdom do you reside? 

Have a magical day! 

(This blog post was written on July 23, 2014).

Day 393: No Class

Here in Wisconsin, it's so cold that our college actually CANCELED classes and closed campus. I'm not kidding..they did, and that alone should be amazing enough in itself, considering the fact that we like NEVER close here. Most of us live on campus, so it has to be cold enough for it to be dangerous for us to walk simply from one building to another...which is normally no more than a 5 minute walk.

So what did I do on my day off, you ask? Honestly, I really just did homework. I slept in and watched some HIMYM, and then got up, took a shower, ate some brunch I suppose, and then sat down to do my work. I did end up watching an episode of Once with my friend Jessica in the middle of the afternoon, but other than that I really just worked for about four hours straight.

And then, of course, since it warmed up enough by 5, we ended up having Wind Ensemble. I'm cool with that, except for I was really looking forward to spending an entire day inside the warmth of my dorm room, and that just did not happen, but that's alright. Heading to the music building for wind ensemble and then the caf for dinner meant that I got to watch another episode of Once with Jessica (we're catching her up so she can watch with us when it returns on March 9...she just watched Good Form). And then I headed back to my dorm for more homework: philosophy to be specific.

Luckily I finished my Fairytales reading on Monday, so I didn't have to worry about that. I have to say though, Sleeping Beauty HAS to be one of the most disturbing stories I think I've ever read. I mean, it's awful. In one version we read there were instances of rape, birth of twins while asleep, cannibalism, attempted murder, stripping, adultery and burning at the stake (twice). Yeah...not the best story if you ask me.

In other words, it has finally 100% occurred to me WHY the Disney versions are often so different from the original fairytales, and in many cases, I think it's ridiculous for critics to get on Disney's case about it. These are stories that have been passed down for generations, and there are multiple versions of each because they all end DIFFERENTLY. Therefore, the Disney version is just another version of the story. Either Walt's or the Company's take on the classic story that's written in print.

But if you think about it, it's basically impossible for Disney to accurately represent the story in it's original form. Go back a couple paragraphs to what was included in the one version (the earliest we have) of Sleeping Beauty. In no way could a film, live action OR animated, present all of that and not get some sort of terrible criticism. You can't just have all of that in one movie and have it be ok...especially when Walt's original goal was for his films to be viewed by adults and children alike (when he began it was really for adults...and now society has made it into "only for children." Although I'm pretty sure at least half of college students would argue otherwise. We love Disney here).

Tomorrow I'll read Cinderella...and if you know anything about THAT story you'll know that it's not exactly the cleanest story either. The whole chopping off the foot to fit it in the shoe thing might turn a few people off. But surprisingly, I'm really enjoying reading these fairytales. Let's just hope *knock on wood* that my "contract" to not watch Once Upon a Time unless I read everything for this class actually isn't all that hard.

I mean...with everything I know is coming, I really want to be sitting in front of my TV at 7 PM on March 9.

Have a magical day!

Day 267: The Art of Disney

I think I've decided that this week I'm just going to do a bunch of Pinterest stuff. There's just so much on the internet that I see that really makes my life so much better when I'm sitting and working. It's what I do during my breaks, go on Pinterest or Tumblr, and they really do bring in a lot of Disney to my life.

Today's topic, another one of my Disney boards: The Art of Disney.

To start us off, let's have some Peter Pan, in honor or Once Upon a Time, of course!

And then some Princess artwork. I'm pretty sure that I will have the third one on my wall in a frame someday because I really do just love it that much, although the first one and the one from Tangled are absolutely beautiful too. 

And to finish it off, you have to have a little bit of Mickey Mouse, right? I personally think this one is pretty adorable.

That's about all for today though. It's been rather quiet around here, so that's probably why this is a Pinterest week, but who knows. Obviously I own none of the above artwork, and just like I should put a disclaimer on that for you. 

And Frumpstagram! Here's one that narrates "adventure!" 

Here's today's Disney History: 1936: Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets and the original voice of Kermit the Frog, is born James Maury Henson in Greenville, Mississippi. Henson first named his puppets, "Muppets" in 1954 while working as a producer of the Washington, D.C. TV show, Sam and Friends. Henson was the leading force behind the Muppets long run in the television series Sesame Street and The Muppet Show and films such as the Muppet Movie and creator of advanced puppets for projects like Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth and Return of the Jedi. Sadly in May 1990, Henson passed away suddenly at the age of 53 while in negotiations to sell his company to Disney. He was named a Disney Legend in 2011. 

Have a magical day!