Day 1445: Rogue One

Just a warning - There may be spoilers in this post for Star Wars: Rogue One! 

For the second year in a row, I caught the newest Star Wars movie on opening night, almost as soon as I possibly could, and let me just say...it was sort of weird watching a movie where you knew the whole time exactly how it was going to end. For the entire two hours, you just sat there knowing that the characters you were getting attached two were ultimately going to die, and then for a moment in the middle you forgot...and then remembered all over again. 

But that says something extremely important about this film, and it's the reason I actually loved it far more than I expected to. We knew what this film was about - the rebels that stole the plans for the Death Star and gave their lives doing so. We knew they were going to die at the end, and yet we were able to grow attached to them the same way we do any of the other characters. That's some intense storytelling, because in the case of the other main characters, we've had or will have much longer to grow attached to them. Darth Vader, for instance, has been around from the beginning, and we've had how many films to enjoy him as a character, but for the others in Rogue One, this is it. There's no Episode VIII, no Rogue One II, no further story. 

They do, however, play such an important role in the overall plot of the Star Wars Universe. Rogue One was, at one point not too long ago, was sort of just legend. We didn't really know what was going on or what had happened in that 20 year or so span between Episodes III and IV, and now there's a solidified story that helps complete things. Overall though, let's talk about the ups and downs of this film: 

What I Loved: As previously mentioned, the characters. I'm a particular fan of K-2SO, who I definitely refer to as "C-3PO but better," and really I thought it was a great play on our favorite droid, especially with all the statistics and such. I couldn't help but think of "The chances of successfully navigating this asteroid field..." in the middle of the movie. And that's just it - Rogue One fits in perfectly with the other films, and that makes it feel cohesive and real, even if it's a standalone film that isn't a part of the main arc. I was also a HUGE fan of the little references to the original films that were stuck in there, which consistently made me chuckle throughout the film. 

What I Liked: I honestly thought the casting in general for this film was great, especially for the characters that they brought back from the original trilogy (aka Tarkin and others). It brought a sense of connection to A New Hope, and while there was always this sense that "this isn't real" because they're not exactly the characters we see in the other films, I for one got chills when each of the original characters appeared on screen - especially Vader. 

What I Didn't Like As Much: As much as I really loved this film, there was still something about it that I couldn't quite get behind. Perhaps it was the fact that, after last year's episode that took me on a complete emotional rollercoaster, this felt like it was lacking, at least for me in the excitement department. That's not to say that this isn't a phenomenal movie though, because it absolutely it. 

In the end, I'd say that Rogue One ranks somewhere like this in my Star Wars line up: V, IV, VII, Rogue One, VI, III, I, II. I'm always a little hesitant as to where to put Episode VI though, because I adore the film and it's one of the ones I watch the most, but overall, I think, in terms of the film overall, that's where I'd put it, almost smack dab in the middle and, yes, underneath Episode VII, which I know is a hot debate right now. Why that is I'm still not entirely sure, but after I get a chance to see Rogue One again, I'll let you know! 

What did you think of Rogue One? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below! 

Have a magical day!

Day 1191: Randomly Generated

I'm always searching for a good blog post topic, and every once and a while, when I have really serious writer's block, I'll head over to a blog topic generator to see if it'll spark any ideas. Plenty of blog posts have been created this way, although I usually don't use the exact topic I'm given. It's more often a play on some topic, or something that was inspired by one of these topics. 

Well, needless to say, things can get pretty interesting on these websites, so I thought I'd share a few of my favorite randomly generated blog post topics that involve Disney: 

I feel like this one is kind of true for every topic, but while Wikipedia can be a useful starting source for basic information, it's not about to tell you everything you might ever need to know about Spaceship Earth or Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. 

I don't even think this one needs a further explanation because we all know the world would end without Disney...

And then things got interesting. Then again, maybe Darth Vader's Guide to Disney wouldn't be all that bad after all. I mean, he has been to Disneyland! 

And then there was this gem. So ironic. 

But my all time favorite blog post topic suggestion I've found seems both improbable and also really interesting all at the same time, and maybe once I'm finally caught up on Game of Thrones a blog post on this exact topic will appear here on Everyday Disney.

If you want a good laugh, there are plenty of blog post topic generators out there! Go give one a try and see what crazy ideas you come up with! 

Have a magical day!

Day 1107: A Galaxy Far, Far Away

Star Wars has gotten me through the last month and a half in more ways than one. It gave me something to look forward to during finals week, and it was a constant as everything else in my life changed without warning. I connected to the characters in The Force Awakens as they struggled with some of the same emotions I was dealing with, and I grew more and more excited about the thought of once again getting a hug from my favorite Wookiee while in Florida. 

Last June I was fortunate enough to experience what would ultimately be one of the last Star Wars Weekends as Disney Parks and Resorts prepare us for the addition of a whole new land at both Disneyland and Hollywood Studios in Florida focused on the franchise. However, in the seven months since I was last at Hollywood Studios things have changed more than a little bit, and where I once met Baymax I now met Chewie and Darth Vader. Chewie I met back in June, but Vader was a new experience for all of us...and while you can't say I didn't put up a fight, it was still pretty frightening. 

The Star Wars Launch Bay, which took up the space left by the old Walt Disney Animation Pavilion, is certainly well themed for the short turn around from the old setup. Inside you have the chance to met either Chewbacca or Darth Vader (although it sounds like Darth will be moving out for his Grandson, Kylo Ren), visit the Cantina Bar, check out film props (including Rey's Speeder that's seen below), try your hand at Star Wars video games such as Disney Infinity, and shop around for select Star Wars merchandise. 

Also included in Star Wars Launch Bay is a short film that celebrates the entire Star Wars Saga. I loved this behind-the-scenes production that looks into not only the original trilogy, but the other four films that now make up the franchise while also looking to the future films waiting for us in the upcoming years. There's another film, called Path of the Jedi, that shows in the theater next to Echo Lake, although I found this one a bit confusing even for the most avid Star Wars fan. It attempts to explain the Star Wars Saga in about 10 minutes and, if you have no prior knowledge of what Star Wars is all about, I'm sure you'd get a bit lost due to the fast pace and constant information overload that is all of Star Wars. Regardless, I still thought both films were a nice tribute to the characters and stories we've come to know and love. 

The new additions to Hollywood Studios don't stop there though! Star Tours: The Adventures Continue has been updated once again to feature a new adventure on the planet of Jakku with some of your favorite characters from The Force Awakens. I knew going into it that we were headed to Jakku (why does everyone want to keep going back to Jakku?), but I was surprised and thrilled to find Finn and BB-8 a part of the new adventure. It's not my absolute favorite experience on Star Tours, but it's definitely a great addition to the attraction! 

And finally, going into the entire experience I knew there was one piece of merchandise that just had to come home with me: the BB-8 Beverage Cup. I was never really a fan of the specialty cups until I found the Dinoco Oil Cans at Carsland, and now I can have my favorite droid as a part of my collection too! Frank got one for herself and we brought home one for Shovell as well, so we certainly continue to match in that portion of our Disney collections. 

We also had another chance to see the beautiful Symphony in the Stars with the additional benefit of the Dessert Party, which we also attended in June. It's pricey, but you get a great view of the fireworks and can certainly eat and drink your weight of the specialty desserts, beverages, and other snacks. We were also given the Chewbacca Steins as a special gift, so we left with plenty of new additions to bring home. 

Overall I do believe Hollywood Studios would be hardly more than an empty shell of a park without the Star Wars features currently holding guests over until construction is completed on the two new themed lands that will call the park home. That being said, I'm sure to return to Star Wars launch bay for many more visits with Sith Lords and Wookiees, but also eagerly look forward to the expansions taking place elsewhere...although you probably shouldn't get me started on the latest batch of closures that were announced. 

What Star Wars character would you want to meet most if given the opportunity? Let me know in the comments below! My answer? Obviously Han Solo! 

Have a magical day! 

(Note: This blog post was written on January 22 due to travel).

Day 1065: Star Wars Finals

Finals Week is rough...but this year, my finals week happens to fall in line with the premiere of The Force Awakens. Of course, our Star Wars friends don't have to deal with finals week, but it seems like they might understand what it's all about anyway...

When you start out finals week with a bad feeling...

Because the entire semester you've been sitting in class like:

Your professors start to tell you that everything will be fine:

But you just look at them with a blank face.

As you leave for your final, you salute your roommates and friends goodbye. 

You head off repeating "it'll work" to yourself. 

And try to convince yourself that you feel like you can take on the whole galaxy. 

Somehow, you manage to make it through the test, and you leave the room with the absolute excitement that you never have to deal with that class again.

Although when your friends and family ask how you think it went you're just like: 

And then, just as quickly as it began, finals week is over. 

May the force be with you this semester! 

Have a magical day! 

(Note: This blog post was written on December 25).

Day 1042: A Bad Lip Reading

My friend Jessica and I love to watch YouTube videos together in between our classes and homework and practicing, and often times we end up watching Bad Lip Readings. This time, however, it was actually Megan who sent me the bad lip reading for The Empire Strikes Back, and I laughed so hard that I just knew I had to share this one.

You can definitely check out the other Star Wars bad lip readings, but this one in particular just got me. From the "Hey I don't like fruit" to "Vader's after this horse Donny" and "Uh uh, you're bad at stuff," I just can't handle this. 

Oh also... "FLOOOOWEEERRRR!" 

Have a magical day! 

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

Day 1033: GIF World

Since I've been so into using GIFs lately, it occurred to me that while I have some really priceless Colin O'Donoghue and Harrison Ford GIFs, as well as a few reactions from other things, but nothing that's just plain Disney in regards to, say, the parks. So I went looking for Disney World GIFs, not because I wanted to use them for anything specific, but because I thought it might be fun and calming.

I don't know what it is about watching this GIF of Splash Mountain over and over again, but it makes everything else in life seem unimportant. 

I feel like watching this Space Mountain one for too long would cause some medical issues though...

What's more beautiful than a GIF of World of Color? Other than THIS: 

And, of course, did you really expect this to go on without anything Spaceship Earth related? 

I could watch these for hours...and just because we all need a laugh every once and a while, here's a bonus featuring our favorite Sith: 

Now I feel like I want to make GIFs of every Disney attraction. Maybe that'll have to be a New Years Resolution or something: learn how to make GIFs and then GIF every Disney World attraction. I act as though I have way too much time on my hands haha. 

Have a magical day! 

(Note: This blog post was written on December 31).

Day 977: Force Friday

To be completely honest, the more Star Wars "Holidays" we can have in a year, the better. Just think about it, as if we needed another reason to celebrate our love of Star Wars, now we get official days when it's not only encouraged, but EXPECTED. I have to admit that, as a broke college student, I didn't go out and find the latest gadgets for Force Friday, although I did enjoy seeing everyone's posts about their new BB8. (I also may have spent a bit of time incredibly jealous of them, but that's beside the point).

Then again, I did end up giving into the urge to buy something and finally got this little Millennium Falcon that now sits on my desk:

And just the other day I realized I needed new headphones (in all seriousness I did. My neighbors are loud and my old ones broke): 

I may not have been at the stores right away to get my pick of the merchandise, and I may not yet own a BB8 anything (it's at the top of my list. That little droid just speaks to me), but I'm defiitely preparing in little ways for the premiere of Episode 7 in a few months, and I couldn't be more excited! 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on September 24 due to a tight schedule).

Day 833: Yoda

For those of you that don't know, this past week the complete Star Wars saga was released on digital platforms for the very first time. It made some pretty big news, big enough that it even came up in my American Novels Class this afternoon. My professor was talking about the digital release and then commented that while the digital is cheaper, the way to go is really to just buy the complete Blu-Ray set, even if in less than a year it will be outdated and in another few years we'll all be buying a new "complete set." Regardless, he bought the Blu-Rays. His daughter, who's four, is apparently obsessed with Star Wars, and so this past weekend he sat her down and they watched the original film together. Apparently it went over fairly well aside from the 200 or so questions she asked throughout the film, ranging from "Why does that character have so many eyes" to "Who are Yoda's Parents?"

I found the Yoda question hilarious, first because Yoda doesn't even appear in the original film and it just goes to show that Star Wars definitely has a presence in our world even if you haven't seen the movies themselves, and secondly because it's actually a really good question. Who in the world are Yoda's parents? Intrigued, I wrote down a bit of our discussion from class, including this question, so I could both look into it later and write this blog post, but after reading up on Yoda, I've come to find that, like Once Upon A Time, I have one answer and more questions.

According to Wookieepedia, the go to website for everything Star Wars (I find myself there more often than maybe I am willing to admit, but that's a blog post topic for another day), we don't really know much about Yoda's parents, a fact that also came up in our discussion about Yoda in class, but I'll get to that in a minute. Based on what we know, Yoda came from a remote planet, although which one exactly still escapes us, and traveled to a more normal planet with a friend, eventually found out he had force powers, learned the ways of the Jedi and eventually became the awesome little Green Jedi we know and love.

And so, we still are left with the question of who Yoda's parents are. They'd have to be pretty old though, considering how old he is, so I doubt we'll ever find out. That is, unless we get a backstory someday. I have heard that we don't know much about his backstory because it makes him more mysterious though. We talked about that idea in class and really, it works. Yoda makes no sense...ever. Half of what he says doesn't even make sense, but it certainly doesn't make him any less awesome.

Speaking of Yoda...who won the Star Wars March Madness this year? Or is it still going on? *Goes and checks* Ahhh thank goodness, Darth Vader has won. First it was Yoda, then last year it was Obi Wan and now Vader. But you know what...why in the world does Obi Wan ALWAYS beat out Han Solo? We need to fix this people!

Have a magical day!

Day 436: This Is Madness 2

If you remember, last March I was very outraged over a March Madness competition, specifically the on featured on the official Star Wars website. Well guess what, we're in for a round two, and I'm not sure if this is any better.

Let's start with the good news. I DO like how it's set up this year. There's still a light side and a dark side, but they have it down in sub categories, meaning that first we find out our favorite "Rebel" or "Jedi" or "Soundrel," long before finding out the ultimate Star Wars character. The problem? It puts some of the best characters head to head right away while still involving some less important characters. It means that just like last year, you could have a character that no one knows make it to round three while Luke Skywalker never makes it past round one.

And that's exactly what happened already. That's right, Luke Skywalker is already out of the competition. He lost to Obi-Wan Kenobi. While I do find this somewhat entertaining since it was only last year that Han lost to Obi-Wan, but still, is that really fair?

But the ultimate crazy thing? Han Solo has made it past round one, as I knew he would, but is now going up against Chewbacca? Funny, maybe...but really? Is that even fair? It's just like how Leia is once again going up against R2, and she'll lose again.

Ultimately, I'm really interested to see how the whole thing will turn out because last year Yoda won, which was a huge surprise considering Darth Vader was the favorite going into the round. I guess my hope here is for Han to make it further in the competition, because last year was just plain ridiculous.

In other Star Wars news, we're getting new stuff at Star Wars Weekends this year, including a breakfast meal with characters from the film! Although I'd just like to say that I'm not excited to meet Greedo. I WANT TO MEET HAN SOLO! Gosh people, get it straight. Then again, would it really be Han? No. I think I just want to meet Harrison Ford.

Either way, I sadly won't be going to Star Wars Weekends...again...as I just got back and won't be back home until June, just after the Star Wars Weekends end. Sigh. Someday I'll get there. Someday.

Have a magical day, and don't forget to vote!

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

Day 281: Show Your Disney Side

Now, I love watching the new campaigns for Disney Parks start out. It's just so much fun! And you know what that means, if I'm talking about that? That's right, Disney has begun it's latest campaign, and this time I absolutely love it.

The idea? Show Your Disney Side, and there's a bunch of components to this so I'm sure you'll be seeing and hearing more about it in the weeks to come. But tonight I wanted to share with you some of the first stuff we're seeing about this: commercials. And there's three great ones already out!

The first one, which has already been on TV for about a week or more, features our favorite bad guy, Darth Vader...as well as a home improvement store and some light bulbs. But you get the idea:

Next up, an Aquarium and a little mermaid...kind of. Wish I could do that when I go to the aquarium. Just saying. Oh yeah...at Disney you can do that, after all.

And finally let's take a step into the Jungle with the newest of the commercials, which should start your Lion King day off just right, if you know what I mean...

In the end this is a brilliant idea, because we really do all have our own Disney side. Now there's also a contest going on, but I'm not going to say anything about that until I figure out whatever it is that I'm doing for it. Don't want anyone stealing my ideas, after all! 

So what's your Disney Side? 

Here's today's Disney History: 1993: The inaugural hockey game of the Disney-owned Mighty Ducks is held at the Anaheim Pond in California. In their first season they will finish 33-46-5 with 71 points and fourth in the Pacific Division. Disney will sell the franchise in 2005 to Henry and Susan Samueli, who will change the name of the team to Anaheim Ducks). 

Have a magical day, and don't forget to show your Disney Side!

Day 217: Birthday Parties

Now, if you've been following my blog or know me (this seems to be a thing I say a lot), you'll already know that I spent my birthday at Walt Disney World. It's like a birthday party in itself. Sort of. Not really unless you really like spending your birthday either by yourself or with your family...or hundreds of people you don't know. But you do get to wear a special birthday button!

That's beside the point though. You see, one of my good friends had her birthday party today (and tomorrow technically, but I'm just talking about today). No, it wasn't at Disney, but that doesn't mean that it wasn't awesome, and there's plenty of little Disney references here and there too!

The party started out with lots and lots of food. You see, the idea of the party was to take ideas for things off of Pinterest and try them. On the top left you see Butterfinger puppy chow, definitely a Pinterest success. Next to it is just a picture of the napkins that she had, which I really liked and decided to include in this post. Then below you have like peanut butter ice cream sandwiches or something...only it's not really ice cream. It's more of a whipped kind of thing. Also a Pinterest win. And then we come to our Pinterest fail...Nutella Popsicles. I'm not sure what it was that we did wrong but they just did not work at all.  And we finished the beginning of the party off with Star Wars, Haunted Mansion LIFE and a legit picnic! 

We weren't done yet though! Next we tried M&M painting and honestly, it actually worked! Of course, I'm super excited for the D23 Expo that's coming up, so that's what I made with my painting. All you have to do for this one is take M&M's, sort them by color and add water. That's seriously it. Really easy, and a Pinterest win again!

You can't have a birthday party without cake either, and we made sure to have that! Trying yet another idea found on Pinterest, my friend printed out the numbers of how old she's turning, so 16, cut them out and put them on the cake before sprinkling the rest. At the end you take it off. Easy, although the paper kind of stuck to the frosting at first so we had to do s bit of surgery there. 

For dinner we tried a recipe we found on Pinterest: Lasagna Roll Ups. Now, we all know I'm lactose intolerant, so I couldn't really eat a ton of it, but it was DELICIOUS! Like seriously good. And not too difficult to make either. Granted, the tomato sauce all over my hands that got in my hangnails and burned like crazy when I was rolling the stuff didn't feel to great, but that was the only downside to the entire thing!

Of course, I was the "photographer" for all of this, so we took a lot of pictures. Here though is when we decided to actually try taking some legitimate pictures. Like my friend's mom bought the photobooth things, which are really awesome, and we used those for a while (like in the top left...I adore that picture). But then we decided to try something else we saw on Pinterest. Can you guess what it is? 

Hint hint: Think Darth Vader. 

Yeah, we tried Vadering, and honestly it kind of worked. It's a bit hard for the person actually taking the picture to get it where the person jumping isn't blurry, but I managed to do it for these couple of pictures that actually turned out pretty nice. =)

Finally, we finished the day with a swat at Fly Swatter Painting (which is really awesome! You should try it sometime!) And then we had light up balloons. You know, I shot those pictures in total darkness too, just with the high ISO. I'm pretty happy with them quite honestly. Although those balloons are like brighter than the average nightline so...yeah. 

I do hope my friend had a wonderful birthday party! Not that it's technically over, but still! I know I had a great time!

Here's today's Disney History: 1981: At Walt Disney World, site work begins on Horizons, an attraction in the not yet open Epcot Center. Actual construction on Horizon's building won't begin until January 1982, and both the attraction and Epcot will open the following October. 

Have a magical day!