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| I can't stop watching Disney Musume! | |
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5.09.2008
12:40 PM | Link |
 It's time for some serious fan gushing, because this morning I just discovered the incredible music video of the classic Mickey Mouse March that Morning Musume made for a recent NHK special! It features all the girls dancing around Toontown in Tokyo Disneyland, right along with Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, and Chip & Dale! Since I'm a huge Disney fan, and a huge Morning Musume fan, I just can't get enough of this video (as ridiculous as that sounds) - my favorite things are all here like toppings on an ice cream sundae and I'm overwhelmed by the cute explosion! On the Disney side, Toontown looks great, Mickey's costume is fresh and unique, and the crazy instrumentation of the song definitely has that Disney touch. On the Morning Musume side, their matching costumes are wonderful, the kawaii-experts like Sayumi look so at home in Disneyland, and everyone's little interjections are cool (of course, I love hearing phrases like "Let's dancing!", because it makes it even more adorable!). It even has on-screen Japanese lyrics, which I have pretty much memorized already! After watching the video (over and over) on YouTube, I found some high-quality versions on the Hello!Online tracker, and now I have it on my iPhone so I can get an emergency fix anytime I want! Watch video: Morning Musume / Mickey Mouse MarchLabels: disney, jpop, morning musume |
| Disneyland Resort: Imagineering the Magic : 3 of 5 | |
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5.08.2008
7:38 AM | Link |
 This is a new two-disc DVD set available only at the Disney parks, but I was lucky enough to read about it and order it directly from Disneyland! When I first looked at the packaging, I was worried that this would be a simple rehash of the material included on the Disneyland: Secrets, Stories & Magic DVD set, but it's actually all new material organized into each of the Disneyland lands with brief Imagineer interview clips. There were no new surprising facts revealed for me here (this is kind of a "junior" look at Imagineering), but I was amazed by some vintage black & white footage that I had never seen before that was pretty spectacular! My favorites were watching test rides of Peter Pan's Flight (when it was just the seats suspended from the track), as well as Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (without all the flats separating the building into rooms). My only complaint about the documentary is that several old clips are presented in the wrong aspect ratio - I guess they wanted the whole show to fill the screen on HDTVs, but I hate seeing squashed video. Besides the hour-long feature, there are some bonus segments on the second disc about new attractions (unfortunately all old news, since everything is already open, even though this is a brand new DVD!) and a ridiculously easy quiz, plus a quick look at Disney's California Adventure, which will all be irrelevant someday as they redesign the park. I really enjoyed watching this DVD (most of it with my Disney pal Melinda), so I'd definitely recommend it to Disney park maniacs just getting started on their obsession with Imagineering!
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| High School Musical 2 : 3 of 5 | |
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5.05.2008
7:38 PM | Link |
 For a Disney fan like me, it's taken way too long for me to get caught up the huge High School Musical phenomenon, but now I can say I'm ready for the third movie when it comes out! I completely forgot to review the original movie, but I promise I did rent it soon after seeing the local stage production, and I thought it was really fun - I especially loved he fact that Kenny Ortega, who worked so hard on the Disney bomb yet cult favorite Newsies, finally has a real hit on his hands. This second movie pretty much takes the plot turns you would expect - after high school, you've got to have summer vacation, and after Sharpay lost Troy to Gabriella, of course she has to spend the whole movie trying to get him back. The location for everyone's summer job is a gorgeous country club with some spectacular scenery, and the outdoor shots really have a fantastic color palette! There are some great songs this time around, such You Are the Music in Me, which is a nice ballad that gets hilariously Sharpay-ized, and I was also really impressed by Bet On It, since Zac really knows how to go all out on his performance (and if anyone can offer me his hair, I will pay out the nose). Unfortunately, there are some total dud songs, too, like I Don't Dance (singing on the baseball field just doesn't work), and the goofy Hawaiian number (apparently only available on the DVD version) is flat-out embarrasing. The whole thing is just under two full hours, which is pretty long for a Disney Channel movie (which still has the annoying pauses for commercials), but I had a great time watching the whole thing. It definitely made me want to get outside in the sun and pretend I'm one of the cool kids!
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| Glen is Billy | |
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4.30.2008
12:13 PM | Link |
 When I was growing up, I would always read the newspaper comics with my mom at breakfast, so of course I've read hundreds of goofy Family Circus panels by cartoonist Bil Keane. Recently I found out that Glen Keane, one of Disney's most talented animators and one of my heroes, is Bil Keane's son (and even appears in Family Circus as Billy)! I feel like I'm the last person to find this out (I'm sure all the other animation fans already knew this), but I thought it was pretty interesting! It's amazing that the lead animator for Ariel, the Beast, Aladdin, and Tarzan was right there in front of me while I was eating cereal!
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| Pirates of the Caribbean: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies : 4 of 5 | |
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4.23.2008
7:54 AM | Link |
 After enjoying The Disney Mountains recently by the same author, I decided to finally read his in-depth look at my favorite Disneyland ride! This book has been on my shelf since the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie was released, so it's about time that I got around to reading it. Similar to his Haunted Mansion book, the first section is devoted to a history of the ride's development, which is particularly fascinating in this case, since the ride transformed from a walk-through wax museum into the masterpiece it is today (I love looking over the drawings and plans for what was never built, though!). It was interesting reading that the cool caves are located in the original dug-out basement where the museum was going to be built, and the creepy fact that there were originally actual skeletons in the attraction is once again confirmed here, too! The second section is my favorite, which is a super-detailed description of every scene of the ride, highlighting the differences between the four different versions in the various Disney parks. I'm really impressed with how the entire flow was changed for Disneyland Paris, and I would love to experience it someday - I can't imagine seeing the prisoners trying to get the keys from the dog first! The final section is about the first movie, and basically reads like a bonus DVD documentary. It has some interesting anecdotes about the "concerns" raised when Johnny Depp first developed the characterization of Jack Sparrow, but other than that, I would much rather read about the attraction itself. Jason Surrell's books are a must for every Disneyland fan's library!
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| Ollie lives on | |
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4.17.2008
7:09 AM | Link |
 I thought I would mention that Ollie Johnston, the last of Disney's famous Nine Old Men, recently passed away. There are so many animation blogs that have paid tribute much better than I can, but since Disney animation is so important to me, I at least wanted to say something. Every time I watch a Disney animated feature, I always get excited to see the animators' names in the opening credits, and when some of the Nine Old Men are in the list (especially Ollie or Frank Thomas), I know I'll be seeing something special. The work that Ollie did to advance the art of animation has had profound effect on every animator today, as anyone who reads The Illusion of Life (Frank & Ollie's huge book of animation technique) will realize. Thank goodness that even during Disney's "dark days", they still had the foresight to train today's generation of animators before the Nine Old Men left the company. Everyone I admire today was personally mentored by these incredible artists! I'll always be thankful for Ollie and everyone else who truly created this form of entertainment that I enjoy so much. Now you should read Brad Bird's thoughts about Ollie, since his words are much more fascinating than mine!
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| Walt Disney Treasures / The Adventures of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit : 3 of 5 | |
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4.14.2008
7:35 PM | Link |
 I've been looking forward to this Walt Disney Treasures set for quite a while, since just like every Disney fan, I've always been curious about Oswald, the character that was stolen from Walt Disney and caused the creation of Mickey Mouse. There are only 13 existing Oswald cartoons, but even that number is incredible when you consider their age from the 1920s, along with the fact that they were terribly preserved since Disney didn't own them (some of the shorts could only be found on old 16MM home movie versions!). Oswald is a funny character, acting with broad pantomime in these silent shorts, along with his cat girlfriend and his villian Putrid Pete (what a coincidence that Mickey's villain is Peg-Leg Pete!). The best short by far is Oh What a Knight, which has a hilarious sword fight where Oswald keeps running off to steal a few kisses from his girl. There's an all new documentary that covers how Oswald became a success and how he was stolen, including some nice Bob Iger interview footage explaining how he made a trade to get the character back (such an incredible move for a new CEO that really won me over). Unfortunately, the second DVD isn't as exciting, since none of the material was new to me. Since the incredible Ub Iwerks was the sole animator on many Oswald and Mickey cartoons, they included early Alice and Mickey shorts for comparison, all of which have been released already. The rest of the disc has the beautiful documentary The Hand Behind the Mouse, but this was shot in 1999 and I had already seen it, although it's still nice to have in my collection now. But even with the weak second disc, this set is still a must for Disney fans, and it was a pleasure to finally meet Oswald!
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| Dance Dance Revolution: Disney Channel Edition / PS2 : 4 of 5 | |
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4.11.2008
7:44 AM | Link |
 Since a steady supply of fresh music is essential to keeping me addicted to DDR, I decided to buy this special Disney Channel version of the game, even though I haven't watched many of the featured shows (why didn't they make this back when I was a Lizzie McGuire junky?). I knew this game would have less songs than the average DDR mix, and truthfully I was expecting a simple rehash of DDR Supernova, but surprisingly, they really gave this game a distinctive look, and I like it! Of course, most of the music is from Disney Channel shows and movies, such as High School Musical, Hannah Montana, and a few other things like the Cheetah Girls, That's So Raven and Kim Possible (which is one of my favorite themes to dance to, actually!). The game comes almost totally unlocked right out of the box, so you can play Endless Mode right away! The only challenge to overcome is revealing a second outfit for each of the characters, which you can do by beating that character in a three-song battle (unfortunately, the Battle Mode makes such annoying noises that you can barely follow the music). The game itself has unique graphics, with lots of Disney Channel logos and character photos, and all of the characters are pretty well-animated with new dance moves (so rather than my old favorite DDR characters Emi or Alice, I have to dance with Miley!). To fill out the Disney songs, there are a few Konami tracks which are mostly totally new to me - I never knew a DDR tango could be so much fun. I've been enjoying this game for a few weeks now, and I have to say that all those positive lyrics eventually make me feel like I'm dancing at a Disney park!
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| Walt Disney Treasures: The Chronological Donald Vol 3 : 4 of 5 | |
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4.08.2008
7:54 PM | Link |
 Continuing with 2007's wave of Walt Disney Treasures, I really enjoyed this latest volume in the Chronological Donald series. It's amazing that there are so many Donald Duck shorts (now filling six DVDs!), especially since Donald has already been around ten years when these cartoons start in 1947. Most of the shorts on this set feature a co-starring nemesis, such as the ever-popular Chip & Dale, or more obscure characters like Bootle Beetle or the Aracuan Bird (which I've never really liked!). I always enjoy watching Chip & Dale though, since it reminds me of eating at Crystal's Pizza with Mom & Dad when I was a kid, watching Disney cartoons on their little movie screen! There are some really unique shorts in this collection, such as Donald's Dilemma, where Donald becomes a Sinatra-esque singer after getting hit with a flower pot, and Donald's Dream Voice, which a has a similar plot, but with "voice pills" this time. I also like Crazy Over Daisy, since it has the song that eventually became Meet Me Down on Main Street for Disneyland (with new lyrics, of course). The bonus features include some quick documentaries with Jerry Beck and Donald's official voice, plus a segment on a maquette sculptor, which is interesting, but doesn't have much to do with Donald at all! Even though the bonus material on Volume 3 is a little thin compared to the past two sets, the cartoons here are still essential for any Disney fan. I definitely enjoyed singing along with Donald's theme song before watching each and every one!
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| The Jungle Book : 4 of 5 | |
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4.01.2008
6:55 AM | Link |
 It feels strange to be writing about the last Disney Platinum Edition DVD when a new one is already out, but I'm happy to say that this is a great presentation of the last Disney animated feature with Walt's involvement. There's a nice 45-minute documentary included (which is nice since so many recent DVDs barely squeeze out 15 minutes of information), and I learned a lot about the development of this movie! I never knew about the former "dark version" (closer to Kipling's original) written by Bill Peet, or the subsequent argument with Walt that made him leave the studio, after which Walt changed the story into what we all love today, including the girl from the man village at the end, which was originally controversial among the animators. There's plenty of animation discussion with Andreas Deja looking over some original drawings (I love that stuff!), plus conversation about the first use of "star voices" and the replacement of the original set of songs - The Bare Necessities was almost dropped! There's even footage of Louie Prima's band going nuts in their recording session, which is great stuff. Of course, the movie itself is wonderful, and has some of the best character animation on film. I always cringe a little when they repeat gags to save money (such as Ka's accordion joke which is in twice, cel for cel), but they definitely make up for it with scenes like Baloo tucking Mowgli into bed with leaves, and of course King Louie's dance is pretty awesome! The Jungle Book is really an enjoyable movie, and learning about its history and rocky development makes me appreciate it even more.
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| DVD triumph | |
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3.31.2008
8:51 PM | Link |
 I'd like to formally announce that I've finally finished watching all of the DVDs that super-generous Santa gave me for Christmas this year! I'm also proud to say that I stayed true to my new frugal goal, and I haven't bought a single new DVD this year, since I already had so many good ones waiting to watch. This is a big deal for me, since I used to buy new DVDs all the time and stay perpetually behind in watching them! Of course, now I'm free to think about buying some that I've had my eye on, but I'm going to try to stick to getting one (or two, tops!) at a time and enjoying Netflix in between.Speaking of DVDs, I had been wondering for some time if Disney was ever going to release Zorro on DVD, since I used to like watching the old episodes on the Disney Channel before they changed their format. Well, I recently discovered they already have it on DVD, but it's only available as an exclusive Disney Movie Club selection! There's no way I'm joining, since I already own 95% of their entire catalog, so that's a really bummer. But there's still a chance I can get Zorro, since I also found out you can earn it as a prize for Disney Movie Rewards points! These points come with most Disney DVDs, and I have quite a few saved up, so I hope it works out that I can earn enough to get it before Disney changes their mind or sells out. |
| Walt Disney Treasures / Disneyland: Secrets, Stories & Magic : 5 of 5 | |
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3.12.2008
6:59 PM | Link |
 I've finally watched the first of this year's Walt Disney Treasures DVD sets, and I have to say that Disneyland: Secrets, Stories & Magic may be the best set they've ever released, especially for a Disneyland nut like me! There's so much packed onto these two discs that I can barely mention it all here, but I'll give it a try. First, there's a new huge documentary shot just for this set, filled with wall-to-wall Imagineer interviews (most with the legendary Tony Baxter) and several other celebrities (including George Lucas!), as well as tons of rare footage I had never seen before, such as the Mickey Mouse Circus once held in Holidayland, and a quick look at the Submarine Voyage live mermaid try-outs. There's also a nice John Lasseter anecdote about his days as a Jungle Cruise skipper, including his favorite "headhunter" joke! Next up is the newly restored People and Places feature Disneyland USA, which is phenomenal not only for the incredible helicopter footage of the new park, but also for Winston Hibler's great narration that makes a trip to Disneyland seem like a True Life Adventure. There's also a fantastic trivia game, which I played 15 times in a row, and the questions were actually difficult! The second DVD contains three Wonderful World of Color episodes, including an entire performance of the Golden Horseshoe Revue, which is cool to see knowing that I've sat in those seats so many times. Operation Disneyland shows the crazy work ABC had to do to broadcast the opening of the park live - they couldn't even rehearse their camera moves with all the construction going on! Finally, there's some amazing bonus time-lapse footage taken from tall towers as the park was constructed, so you can watch it appear from the ground up. This DVD set is probably the most essential item a Disneyland lover could own, and I plan on watching it often before each trip!
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| Ratatouille : 5 of 5 | |
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3.11.2008
5:40 PM | Link |
 Still working through my Christmas DVDs, I recently spent the morning drinking coffee and enjoying this Pixar masterpiece! I love to watch the bonus features first, but unfortunately this isn't a two-disc set, so they could only fit a few things on a single disc (and there's not even a commentary track!). The only thing close to a documentary is a short conversation with a chef and Brad Bird, comparing their arts, but there's still some nice background information, and it's always fun to hear Brad's geeky way of talking. The deleted scenes are wonderful just because they animatics are so darn incredible - I would pay to see an entire movie in that style! But the best of all is Your Friend the Rat, a special short made just for this DVD, that really blew me away. Not only is it funny, but it combines 3D animation, 2D animation, and even stop-motion techniques! I loved the movie just as much as the first time, and I noticed some new details like how Ego's office is shaped like a coffin and his typewriter looks like a skull. The character design for the rats is super-expressive, but their eyes keep making me think of the Muppets! I really enjoyed the build-up to Remy and Colette's kiss as well - such a fantastic moment in the animation of human characters! I'm sure someday there will be another DVD release of Ratatouille with more of the bonus stuff I'm craving, but for now, this is a wonderful DVD that every animation fan should own.
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| Mary Poppins in the Park / PL Travers : 3 of 5 | |
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3.04.2008
8:44 PM | Link |
 This book was one of my birthday gifts from Matt & Kumiko (thanks, Amazon Wish List!), and I really enjoyed reading these additional short Mary Poppins stories (which take place sometime during Mary's previous visits with the Banks children, as explained by the author). The title refers to the fact that all of these tales take place in the park just across Cherry Tree Lane, where Mary takes Jane & Michael (and the other babies who don't appear in the Disney movie) for outings, and all kinds of bizarre wonderful things take place. My favorite story is Lucky Thursday, which focuses on Michael, who's having a bad day and makes some wishes before bedtime. The next day everything goes his way, and in the park he's suddenly carried away to a land full of talking cats! I also really liked the huge Halloween party where everyone's shadow breaks free to dance on their own in the Halloween moonlight, and the reason they're gathering is to celebrate Mary's birthday on November 1st (bet you didn't know that bit of trivia!). Many of the characters that have been introduced in Travers' other books (as well as in the movie) appear from time to time, and it's nice to see Admiral Boom and Burt show up. The Mary Poppins books are a great way to think about and expand my enjoyment of one of my favorite Disney movies of all time, but they definitely stand on their own as wonderful stories full of childhood joy!
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| Meet the Robinsons : 3 of 5 | |
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2.28.2008
8:54 PM | Link |
 It was really nice to watch this Disney CGI animated feature again, and of course, I enjoyed it more the second time around, especially after watching the bonus documentary (only 20 minutes long, but well done). I thought the discussion about the original book was interesting, and I really appreciated the director's intelligent comments about how the story became personal for him since he was an adopted child. Amazingly, this entire film was created as a story reel from start to finish to see if it would fly, and could have been shot down before actual production began! I still think the character design could have used more work (Lewis' head to body ratio really bugs me), but I noticed many more things to appreciate, such as the incredible future-world sequence after the bowler hat takes over! I also enjoyed the writing during some of the tender moments - the part when Lewis accidently says "mom" is a particularly subtle, yet touching, scene. My favorite sequence for laughs is the big Robinson food fight, with the great color palette change and all the Asian cinema cliches. I still think the frogs are ridiculous, but I suppose I can overlook them! I was really impressed with the music this time around, too - I had forgotten that Rufus Wainwright had some songs in it, and I completely forgot that Danny Elfman did the score, which is pretty spectacular (I might have to buy the soundtrack now!). Disney's CGI work will never capture the magic of traditional animation for me (and Pixar will always do it better), but Meet the Robinsons is still a fine movie that I'm glad to have in my Disney DVD collection.
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| Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End / Two-Disc Limited Edition : 4 of 5 | |
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2.21.2008
8:11 AM | Link |
 There was never a question that I had to have the third Pirates of the Caribbean movie in my DVD library, even though it was my least favorite of the trilogy. But as usual, I actually enjoyed the film much more this second time around, and I even understood many of the more subtle plot points (although I think it's hilarious that the DVD insert actually has a "Top Questions" section to explain some of the story, which is a sure sign they just made the thing too confusing!). I had kind of forgotten about the beautiful slow-motion destruction of the Endeavor, and I really appreciated the significance of the Hoist the Colors song (which is woven throughout the soundtrack if you listen for it), and it definitely gave me the urge to watch the first two movies again! Strangely, there's no commentary track at all (shameful!), but the second bonus DVD contains some nice material (though it still seems a little short for a limited edition). There's a great mini-documentary about the filming of the maelstrom scene, which included full size ships on giant gimbals in a huge studio - I had no idea it was such a spectacle! I enjoyed the Masters of Design section, which covered important props in detail, such as the rotating map and the cool pirates code book, and there's also a nice quick look at each of the pirate lords, who have interesting backgrounds. I definitely had a lot of fun experiencing this movie again and appreciating the filmmaking process, and of course I'm thrilled that my favorite ride at Disneyland inspired such a popular series of films!
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| The Gremlins / Roald Dahl : 3 of 5 | |
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2.18.2008
8:26 AM | Link |
 A few years ago when I was reading all the Roald Dahl I could find, I remember reading about this story and its Disney connection in Dahl's wonderful biographies, Boy and Going Solo. The Gremlins was one of his first works, drawn from his experiences as a World War II pilot, combined with imaginative fantasy, of course! This edition is a reproduction of a Disney-published story book, originally produced when they were planning on creating an animated feature of the tale. There's a fantastic introduction by Leonard Maltin (Disney fan extraordinaire) explaining the history of the project and Walt's connection with Dahl. It's a shame the movie was never made, but it's interesting how Disney convinced other studios to rename cartoons because of it (most notably the great Bugs Bunny short Falling Hare), since the concept of "gremlins" as creatures who make mischief for airplanes wasn't something Walt could claim as his own. The story itself is fun, though a little cruel - I don't think Dahl had found the right combination between mean and nice in his early work. It gets a little confusing keeping track of which characters are gremlins and which are human, but the excellent illustrations by Disney artists help out quite a bit. The character designs are really fun, and they actually appeared in lots of Disney marketing materials. Since I had already read the story, I mainly wanted this book because of its place in Disney history, but I'm sure any Dahl fan or Disney fan would enjoy it!
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| Tons of birthday fun | |
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2.03.2008
8:05 AM | Link |
 I've really had a great birthday this year, with plenty of surprise gifts and fun with friends! My pal Melinda bought me dinner (plus a birthday cake), and then gave me a cool Star Wars LEGO set, as well as a fantastic Mickey Mouse figurine with small snowglobes that re-creates a scene from the 1932 Disney short Mickey's Nightmare! I found the original short on my Disney Treasures DVDs so we were able to watch it right away, too (it's nice to have all those Disney DVDs in my library!). (By the way, this image is the original movie poster, and I just realized that the figurine is an exact replica of this illustration!) On Friday, Chris & Eliza hosted a little combined birthday get-together (it was Eliza's birthday recently, too), and along with a "Happy Birthday Old People" cake, there were more presents! Tom gave me a huge bottle of Grey Goose vodka, Shawn & Bernadette gave me some vintage Disney comic books, and Matt & Kumiko gave me one of the new Indiana Jones LEGO sets (I have some fun building ahead of me!). Chris & Barron went together to get me Guitar Hero for the Wii, and I had a blast playing it yesterday (the wireless guitar controller is so nice)! I'm so amazed at how incredible all of my friends are, and how lucky I am to have them. It definitely makes it easier to be a child trapped in an old man's body! It's been a busy weekend, so I haven't had time to take photos of my awesome presents, but don't worry, you can be sure I'll get around to snapping some pictures eventually!
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| Cars : 4 of 5 | |
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1.27.2008
2:06 PM | Link |
 This DVD has been available for a long time, but I was holding out in the hopes that a special two-disc edition would be released. Since that's not going to happen, I made sure to put it on my Christmas list, and it was great to finally watch this movie again. Although I would put it in last place if I had to rank the Pixar features, it's still a fantastic film, and as usual, I love it so much more after enjoying it for a second time! I was immediately blown away by all the incredible Pixar touches and details that they include in all their films, such as the cars in the racetrack audience doing "the wave" with their headlights, the funny Japanese news broadcast, and even the "Jay Limo" show. Actually, all of the TV graphics spoofs are dead-on hilarious, completely capturing the excitement and ridiculous hype! From an animation standpoint, it's pretty amazing how they applied just enough flexibility to the cars to give them expression without making them seem implausible, and I love watching Lightning race by with the feel of surfing or skateboarding. I even appreciate the story more, and I have to say, Mater is pretty darn funny (even if you don't really like hick humor). Even though is this a single DVD with minimal bonus features, the short documentary is really nice, and definitely gives you an appreciation for what the movie means to John Lasseter. Of course, I wish the segment were about four times longer, but I'll take what I can get. I'm certainly more of a Cars fan than I was before I watched this DVD, and continue to be blown away by the magic of Pixar!
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| The Disney Mountains / Imagineering at Its Peak : 4 of 5 | |
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1.24.2008
7:12 AM | Link |
 I've been a fan of Jason Surrell's amazing Disney books for a few years now, starting with his wonderful in-depth coverage of the Haunted Mansion, so I always put anything new he writes on my Christmas list (which is how I received this book!). His latest work is about the well-known Disney "mountain range" of attractions that combine awesome thrills with Disney quality and theming. Of course, every page is filled with wonderful artwork from every stage of attraction development, but while there's a lot of great information here, this is actually a pretty quick read (the text is in a much bigger font than his past books!). Of course, the Matterhorn is covered first, and I enjoyed the quotes from Imagineers like Harriet Burns and Bob Gurr. It definitely gave me an appreciation for the trail-blazing efforts of these original Imagineers - it seems impossible that these people from so many varied disciplines could actually create the first roller coaster of this kind, and I still ride it every year to this day! The coverage of Space Mountain is really nice, especially comparing the size and differences between the Walt Disney World and Disneyland versions, and the story of the development of Splash Mountain is also incredible (and I'm once again thankful for the talents of Tony Baxter and his creative ideas!). There is little coverage about Mount Prometheus in Tokyo DisneySea, but I would have loved to read more about the design of Journey to the Center of the Earth, which was my favorite ride during my trip to Japan in 2003. The largest portion of the book is devoted to Expedition Everest, which certainly deserves praise, and definitely instills admiration for Joe Rhode, one of the most detail-oriented Imagineers working today. I loved reading about the queue theming (almost more than the ride itself!), since I had no idea that many of the structures were actually built by Tibetan craftsmen! The Disney Mountains definitely deserves to be in any theme park fan's library, so don't miss it!
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| Pixar Short Films Collection / Vol 1 : 4 of 5 | |
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1.13.2008
11:14 AM | Link |
 This DVD is a collection of all of Pixar's short films, which is wonderful for animation fans, since while watching them you're able to see CGI techniques evolve right before your eyes. Although most of these shorts are available as bonus features on other Pixar DVDs, there were a few I had never seen, and the commentary included here is really fantastic (except for Mike's New Car, where they decided to let the filmmakers' kids talk, which is cute but not very enlightening!). It was great to watch favorites like Knick Knack and Geri's Game again (which are incredibly far apart because of the feature length films made in the interim), and this was my first time to see Mater and the Ghostlight, and I was amazed by the chase sequence - it's absolutely incredible to compare something like that to Tin Toy! My favorite part of this DVD is the excellent documentary that provides a brief history of Pixar, since I had nearly forgotten they used to be a hardware/software company, who happened to hire John Lasseter to produce demonstration films for graphics conferences! It's wonderful how they transitioned into a full time animation studio - certainly a unique beginning for such a groundbreaking company. I'm really fascinated with the early days of any art form, so listening to Lasseter talk about sleeping in his office and meticulously animating the way the cord ripples in Luxo Jr. is incredibly inspiring to me. Seeing this history unfold makes me so glad that Pixar is part of Disney, and that someone like Lasseter is at the animation helm!
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| Resolution report | |
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1.01.2008
8:28 AM | Link |
Happy New Year, everyone! For the past few years I've really been into thinking hard about New Year's resolutions, and I took some time over the weekend to look back on 2007 and look forward to 2008. Since I keep my thoughts written down, I really enjoy reading what I was thinking on this day last year and seeing how I did. Last year my main goal was decluttering, and I have to give myself an A+ on that one! Getting rid of all kinds of stuff and organizing everything has brought me tons of enjoyment and peace of mind, and really changed the way I think about buying new things. My next goal was to get new furniture, which I only half-finished - I bought things to help with my decluttering, but not important items like a new couch! My next goal was my biggest failure - I made almost no progress on health and fitness in 2007. I was really happy with myself in 2005, but it's been downhill since then, so that resolution really tanked! But I did much better on my next goal, which was to go to church regularly again. I had a time of church burn-out in 2006, but now I really look forward to going to Gateway each week and I've been much more spiritually-minded, and I feel great about it! Finally, my last goal was to experience more art and culture, but after a great start last year, I kind of fizzled out. Overall, I had a great year, and I'm proud of my successful goals, and not too discouraged by the ones I missed! Of course, I have another list of goals for 2008, but I'll write about those next year. Actually, they are quite similar to last year (maybe a little more defined), and I'm filled with confidence that I can make them happen! While I'm on the topic of the New Year, my pal Kumiko gave me a special set of Disney New Year postcards from Japan. This is the Year of the Rat on the Chinese Zodiac, so Mickey Mouse is the perfect symbol for 2008! Labels: decluttering, disney, life |
| Music Moments | |
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12.19.2007
8:46 AM | Link |
 It's time for five more mini music reviews, featuring a little Disney, a little Christmas, and some Jpop, of course! I'll start with Walt Disney's Alice in Wonderland, which is an amazing soundtrack re-recording that's only available via iTunes. I never realized that Disney made these studio recreations, but the sound quality and arrangements are fantastic compared to the original movie score. I actually prefer Kathryn Beaumont's cute English voice over Darlene Gillespie's, but she did a fine job (I think she was the most talented classic Mouseketeer)!After finishing up every last episode of Sailor Moon recently, I really wanted to have all the cheesy songs in my collection, so I was happy to discover Sailor Moon Super Best, which includes all the themes and other numbers from all seasons of the show. Some of these are actually cool ballads in a retro kind of way, especially if you appreciate the 70's style horns and strings (so different from anime soundtracks today!). But most importantly, I'll always enjoy singing Moonlight Densetsu! Each year I always buy myself a new holiday album, and this year I was persuaded by an iTunes sale to get Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics, featuring all of the South Park characters butchering classic Christmas carols as well as other songs that simply set a new standard for holiday irreverence! This CD is totally hilarious if you have an extremely open-minded sense of humor, and I have to admit that I love singing along with everyone's favorite magical Christmas poo! Now on to Jpop! I had to buy Morning Musume's All Singles Complete collection, even though I already had all of these songs on other albums, just because the concept and packaging was so cool, and it's worth it to me to have all of these songs in order on a nice CD set (which has been playing in my car for weeks now!). The bonus DVD, where each member chooses their favorite concert performance, has some great older footage that I hadn't seen before, but why did so many of them have to pick Do It Now? Maybe they just like holding the microphones upside down for the rap! Finally, I really like Morning Musume's new single Mikan, even though it's a pretty big jump stylistically from their previous two singles, but I guess it's time for a peppy, anime theme-ish song. I definitely enjoy the lyrics and the cool little piano licks, as well as Reina's lines in the final chorus (I thought it was funny when she mentioned them on Five Stars!). The video is lots of fun, too, but I have to say that I'm not a fan of eye reflection effects, and the little squares on their eyeballs make everyone look like robots! Labels: anime, cds, disney, jpop, morning musume |
| Enchanted : 4 of 5 | |
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11.25.2007
12:49 PM | Link |
 I've been so excited to see this movie, mainly because as an animation fan, Enchanted is especially important, since it's the first 2D traditional animation from Disney on the big screen in years! Since Enchanted is designed to celebrate and spoof the "Disneyness" of classic features, I was totally in love with the opening animated sequences - all of the wonderful artwork, characters, and music was there right before my eyes, and it was so fantastic to see. But aside from keeping the animation geek in me happy, Enchanted is actually a hilariously clever film that anyone can enjoy! It's a great story about animated characters being transported to the real world, where they have to struggle with the harshness of New York, but end up showing people that fairy tales actually do have value. There are some fantastic laugh-out-loud moments, such as a pigeon eating a cockroach right after tidying up the house with it, and Prince Edward's line "Thank you for taking care of my bride, peasants" had me rolling (right when I was getting misty-eyed as Giselle was saying good bye!). Disney references are totally overflowing (such as cameos from princess voice artists, little animation details, and tons of plot moments), and I had lots of fun finding them. I really don't have anything bad to say about Enchanted, except that I thought it could have used a little more heart-tugging at the end, but I'm fine with the light-hearted tone of the story. Go see it both for a fun time at the movies, and to remember what real animation is supposed to look like!
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| Remembering Walt / Favorite Memories of Walt Disney : 4 of 5 | |
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11.22.2007
6:06 AM | Link |
 Each year my cousin Clinton gives me an early Christmas gift, and amazingly, somehow he succeeds in selecting one of the few Disney books I don't already have! This year he gave me this wonderful book on Walt Disney himself, and I enjoyed every page. Although I've read so much about Walt and know a lot about his life, I actually haven't read a true biography, but in my opinion, this book is far better than any biography could be! Remembering Walt is a collection of quotes by people who knew Walt (family members, animators, Imagineers, and many others) - their anecdotes, things he did and said, and how they felt to work with him and after he was gone. Reading Walt's impact on their lives really shows who Walt was and what he accomplished, and it's all so inspiring! Along with the quotes, there are hundreds of photos, many of which I've seen, but several I haven't (including the best shot of Annette Funicello I've ever seen, and an incredible shot of Walt in Disneyland as they were planting the famous Storybook Land letters!). This book was so interesting that I had read the whole thing before I knew it, but I could easily see myself going back to enjoy it again. Understanding how Walt saw things and looking at why he did things the way he did is really uplifting to me, and definitely makes me think about my own life!
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| The Imagineering Field Guide to Disney's Animal Kingdom : 4 of 5 | |
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11.15.2007
8:12 AM | Link |
 I'm really a fan of the Imagineering Field Guide series (even though I still wish they were larger format books), so I was especially excited to read this latest volume about Disney's Animal Kingdom, which is the park I know the least about. Although the first section of the book is yet another reprint of background terminology, the rest of the book delivers with flying colors - in fact, it's my favorite of the series so far! Thanks to Joe Rohde and his team, Animal Kingdom has some of the most complex, symbolic, and fully back-storied theming of all of the Disney parks, and this book does a great job revealing the details. I was amazed to read about the care taken to choose even the animal motifs for shops and restaurants (I had no idea each room in Pizzafari has a different animal theme, such as "spots and stripes" or even "migratory animals"). I really enjoyed learning the complete back-story of the different lands, such as the history of Harambe in Africa, and I even finally understood the reasoning behind Dinoland U.S.A. (though it's still my least favorite land by far). There's lots of discussion and photos about hidden details that really make me want to go back to the park and explore! I didn't realize before that the tiger habitat ruins are a former king's palace, or that the new temple near the water in Asia matches the outline of the Expedition Everest mountain range! I also really enjoyed the artistic philosophy about the plant life in Animal Kingdom, which will continue to grow somewhat wild and change the look of the park over the years. I'm still hooked on these Imagineering Field Guides, and I can't wait for next year's release on Disneyland!
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| High School Musical / Zach Scott Theater : 4 of 5 | |
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11.07.2007
6:50 PM | Link |
 Being a hard-core, card-carrying Disney fan, I used to feel bad that I hadn't explored all the High School Musical hype. I just never got around to watching the movie on the Disney Channel or even listening to the songs (although I had heard a few during park visits), but I knew it was my Disney duty to check it out soon! Thankfully, Zach Scott Theater gave my pal Melinda and I the opportunity to enjoy this super popular phenomenon, and I totally loved it! The stage show was my first exposure to the story and music, so I couldn't compare it to the original movie at the time, but it was still a treat to see it onstage, actually performed in a school auditorium for extra atmosphere. The young performers that Zach Scott cast were all spectacular at dancing, singing and acting, putting lots of energy into their roles. The dance numbers were pretty complex, but they somehow managed to pull them off with no mistakes, including lots of synchronized basketball dribbling on Get'cha Head in the Game! I've finally seen the original movie now, so I can comment on a few blaring differences, such as portraying Sharpay's brother Ryan as flaming as possible, which made the character much funnier on stage than in the movie (if you ignore the questionable taste). Even though this was a local production, it definitely had the Disney mark, using official logos, stage music and so on – I wonder how Disney makes sure no theaters mess up their valuable property? They definitely had nothing to worry about with Zach Scott, since this particular High School Musical was a blast!
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| Super-fun Disneyland weekend | |
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10.17.2007
7:19 AM | Link |
 Last weekend I had a fantastic time in Los Angeles with my pal Dae, the best host on the West Coast! We went to the Disneyland Resort for two days, starting with Disney's California Adventure (which I hadn't been to in over a year). We had a really leisurely time at the park, taking a long lunch break with a couple glasses of wine just before riding Monsters Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue (which was even more fun after the wine!). It's a cool little attraction with fantastic theme details in the queue, and so much better than Superstar Limo was! After riding all the major attractions, we hopped over to Disneyland the same evening to take on the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage! We had to wait about 75 minutes, but it was worth it! Just seeing the subs in action was incredible, and going through that hatch and down the spiral staircase brought back a flood of memories. Who knows, I may have been sitting on the same seat I was in around 30 years ago! The new effects on the attraction are wonderful, and I was glad the shark scenes weren't too scary. I can't wait to ride it again each time I visit the park! We also rode Space Mountain that night, so we could avoid the biggest lines the next day.The next morning we hit Disneyland right at opening, and we were amazed at the crowds - definitely more than the average October attendance! But since we're Disney pros, it didn't matter - we still got to ride everything, including Haunted Mansion Holiday twice! I really enjoyed the new Pirate's Lair theme on Tom Sawyer Island, and it was fun watching watching an excellent Jack Sparrow actor stealing kids toys, looking through women's purses, and generally being a pirate. To top off the day, I beat Dae at Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters (which hardly ever happens), thanks to a tip I read earlier in the week - go for the diamond-shaped targets! Our last day was a little rainy, but we had a nice lazy day anyway. We started with hitting some golf balls at a driving range, which was fun since I'm such a novice, and then we played cards at a coffee shop. Next we shopped Toys R Us, where Dae bought an RC helicopter, which we flew (and crashed) around his condo! Next we went to the movies, and finally we had our usual "break the budget" meal at a four-star restaurant called Nico's, which was pretty incredible! As always, it was a fantastic trip, and I'm already looking forward to doing it again!  View photos: Disneyland 2007 View photos: Disney Pals 2007 View photos: Los Angeles 2007
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| The Kingdom Keepers / Ridley Pearson : 3 of 5 | |
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10.15.2007
7:46 AM | Link |
 It's been quite a while since I enjoyed a novel, so it was nice to read a good long story again (even if this one is written for young adult audiences!), especially one set in Walt Disney World! The Kingdom Keepers has a pretty interesting plot revolving around the idea that when enough people believe something, it can actually become reality. Since Walt Disney World is filled with kids who believe in Disney characters, it only makes sense that they would come to life, right? It turns out Walt knew this would happen all long, and so he hid clues and riddles throughout the parks to help handle this problem, and so a group of kids (with the help of an Imagineer) work together to solve this mystery, fighting off a real-life Malificent and her minions on the way! I loved reading descriptions of places and attractions that I know so well, and it was especially cool when totally unexpected things happen, such as the children figures on It's a Small World coming to life and swimming after the boat with their mouths chomping away (actually, I was a little surprised that Disney would let the author get away with something like that)! Thinking about what it would be like to swim through Splash Mountain, or sneak around in the exhibits of One Man's Dream, really made the book a page-turner for me, but without all the Disney references the story wouldn't have grabbed me nearly as much. Still, the writing is fast-paced and descriptive, and since this book is most likely starting a series, I can forgive the lack of character development. If you've always wanted to sneak around the Magic Kingdom at night and visit attractions in a whole new way, I definitely recommend The Kingdom Keepers!
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| Single device trip | |
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10.10.2007
9:04 PM | Link | I'm off to Los Angeles tomorrow, which means visiting my pal Dae and going to Disneyland! I'm really excited about hitting the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage for the first time, and of course I'm been going nuts trying to plan my strategy, which all the fans online seems to be divided about, but I know I'm going to ride it no matter what! I'm also pretty excited that this will be my first "single device" trip! I always used to take my cell phone, my Palm, and my iPod (and sometimes my Nintendo DS) on a trip, but this time I'm only taking my iPhone! I've got plenty of video podcasts loaded up to watch, plus a half and half mix of Disney music and Jpop to keep me going. And of course, if I need to look at my schedule or contacts or make calls, it's all there, too! It's so nice to be going with only one charger as well. Disneyland, here I come! |
| Nooooooo! | |
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9.30.2007
5:20 PM | Link |
 This movie should be buried, not re-released as a Special Edition! Cinderella 2 represents everything bad about Disney DVD sequels - it's the worst of the worst! There have been so many other sequels that I really enjoyed, but nothing as bad as this one. Even Hunchback of Notre Dame 2, with its barely TV cartoon quality animation, completely kicks Cindy 2's butt. This marketing decision had to have been set in stone before John Lasseter or someone with a brain could stop it. Cinderella 3 was ten times the movie - I was hoping that it would make people forget about this one. Oh well, I know they will sell mountains of these anyway.
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| Two kinds of Disney classics | |
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8.29.2007
7:32 AM | Link |
 Last week I enjoyed two different kinds of Disney movies, and became a big fan of both of them all over again! My pal Matt and I went to see Tron on the big screen at the Paramount Theater, which was projected in spectacular 70MM (the first time in Austin). I've been a Tron fan since I saw it opening day with Mom back in 1982, but Matt could barely remember the storyline, so it was great seeing his reactions to all the funny techno-speak, as well as the entire audience's appreciation of the amazing visuals. We decided to watch the DVD documentary afterwards, and I was amazed again at the work involved to make the film!On Sunday night, Jonathan and Matt came over for the usual TV watching, but surprisingly Jonathan asked if we could watch Lady and the Tramp! Of course, I would never turn down the chance to host a Disney screening, and I had a great time introducing the film with a bunch of background and trivia (and even a discussion of the animation process), and I think it enhanced the guy's enjoyment of the movie! We even stopped a few times to admire a Claude Coats background or some Frank Thomas genius character animation. I really enjoyed it, and I hope we might take a look at some other Disney classics sometime (which is definitely easy when you have all the animated features in your DVD library!). |
| Mikey's Mansion Mania | |
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8.25.2007
7:21 AM | Link |
 Remember my Disneyland Home Movies video that suddenly became semi-popular on YouTube? Well, the views just keep on coming, and now it's been watched over 18,000 times! My dad is a pretty famous camera man now, so maybe he should get an agent or something! I also mentioned a while back that I was contacted by DoomBuggies.com (the most amazing Haunted Mansion website ever) to use part of my video that shows some vintage exterior of the Mansion (and coincidentally, shows me throwing a fit since was too scared to go in). I just discovered that my video is now on the site, and I'm so proud and happy to give something to the Disney fan community! The video appears at the end of the History section of the site, way down near the bottom of the page - Mom and I look so nice! (This image is how the video appears, so visit the site to watch it!) I can't help feeling a little web-famous now, and thinking about Disneyland is really making me excited about going again later this year!
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| Cinderella 3: A Twist in Time : 3 of 5 | |
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8.14.2007
5:34 PM | Link |
 Since Cinderella 2 has gone down in history as the worst DVD sequel ever made (I can't even believe I gave it a 2 rating!), I probably wouldn't have taken the time to watch this DVD, but my pal Melinda (who is a Cinderella fan) loaned it to me, and this sequel is actually pretty entertaining! This time around the story team realized that you just can't have a story that takes place after "happily ever after", so in this plot the evil stepmother steals Fairy Godmother's magic wand and turns back time to the day after the ball. Using the magic wand, she makes the slipper fit on Anastasia's (one of the step-sisters) big foot, and even changes the prince's memories so he thinks he was dancing with her! There are lots of exciting moments as Cinderella and the mice try to get the wand back to fix everything, and some great humor, too (right down to the clinking sound of Anastasia walking around with one glass slipper on!). The songs aren't that special, and the story has a couple weird sections (mainly the prince actually understanding the talking mice, which is bizarre to me), but overall it's a fun idea. The animation is a pretty inconsistent - some scenes really look nice (such as Cinderella's expressions while she's being banished on the ship), while others are flat and awful. Of course, there are no documentary features here, just a really long and tedious game (but I played it anyway!). Now that Disney has made major changes with DisneyToon Studios, I can't imagine we will see many more of these DVD sequels, so it's nice that this one isn't too bad!
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| Walt Disney's Legacy Collection / True Life Adventures Vol 4 : 4 of 5 | |
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8.12.2007
9:14 AM | Link |
 I've finally finished all of the True Life Adventures DVD sets, and this last set was a fantastic way to end the series! The first disc contains two feature length films, starting with Secrets of Life, which focuses mainly on flowers and bugs, so there's lots of time-lapse and incredible macro photography. There's a fantastic long sequence about bees, showing everything from gathering pollen to making wax and honey, and even two potential queens fighting it out. Speaking of fighting, there's a long ant battle that's downright terrifying! Next is the only True Life Fantasy that Disney ever made, a story about a pine squirrel named Perri. The story came from a book by the author of Bambi (a real life Bambi even makes an appearance), but everything is shot with live animals, both in the wild and on set. Disney does an incredible job of imposing emotions (such as sadness, excitement, and even a little romance) on Perri the squirrel and all the other characters, using beautiful music and even choral songs. The technique is really incredible, and it's amazing that the photographers could spend three years getting all the right shots to complete their plot! The second DVD contains Nature's Half Acre (a True Life Adventures short), as well as loads of fascinating bonus material, including lots of behind the scenes footage of the making of Perri. There's also a couple of Disney TV shows with Walt talking about True Life Adventures in general and photographic techniques, plus a nice biography of Winston Hibler, famous for being the voice of the True Life Adventures, but also master of tons of other studio jobs (he even wrote the opening speech for Disneyland!). All four of these DVD sets were a joy to watch, and I've learned a lot about nature while being entertained!
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| Ratatouille : 5 of 5 | |
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7.01.2007
1:34 PM | Link |
 Writing this short review is really a joy, since I'm always happy to report on fantastic examples of the art of animation! In this case, Disney/Pixar's Ratatouille is much more than just an incredible animated feature, since it's a wonderful film with a story and characters that literally anyone will enjoy. My pal Melinda and I loved it (of course), but it was great to hear so many adults in the theater laughing right along with their kids (and often more than their kids!). The story of a rat with a passion to be a gourmet chef in Paris is already genius, but Pixar takes that story and weaves it together with romance, family situations, and some inevitable thoughts about following your dreams (but it never gets preachy). There are too many spectacular visuals to mention - the realistic hair, the even more realistic wet hair, the truly exciting scenes following Remy as he scurries through walls (it really gives you a rat's experience!), the beauty of Paris, and once again, Pixar's magnificent character design that will always be 1,000 times better than any over-human approach. Even the food looks amazing - this is a cartoon that will make you hungry! I think my favorite scene is when the bitter food critic Anton Ego takes his first bite of Remy's ratatouille dish - he is whisked back in time to his mother's kitchen and her home cooking, and the emotion packed into that brief moment was enough to make me misty eyed in only a few seconds. Ratatouille is beautiful, brilliant, and of course, entertaining. It's definitely the kind of movie that makes me proud to be a Disney/Pixar fan!
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| Walt Disney Treasures / More Silly Symphonies : 5 of 5 | |
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6.26.2007
12:28 PM | Link |
 I've finally finished watching all of the Walt Disney Treasures DVD sets from 2006! I saved More Silly Symphonies for last, since these cartoon shorts were my favorites from the first wave of DVDs, way back in 2001. The first DVD of this new set contains all black & white cartoons, beginning in 1929 with Hell's Bells (which is a pretty unexpected name for a Disney short!). All of these follow the original Silly Symphony idea, showcasing how animation can be synchronized to music, each with some kind of theme (there's a cartoon for each of the four seasons, for example). Lots of new techniques were pioneered in these shorts, and it's fascinating to see early effects such as glowing light, used in the streetlights in The Clock Store. The second DVD has the rest of the series in beautiful color, including classics such as The Goddess of Spring (which was training ground for Snow White). I really enjoyed the Christmas shorts, the hilarious antics of the Three Blind Mousketeers, and the clever operation scene in Broken Toys. Both discs have a From the Vault section for cartoons that include some kind of politically incorrect scene, but seeing these shorts intact is a must (even if you have to listen to Leonard Maltin's warning). I was especially impressed with the bonus documentary and wealth of commentary tracks, which really made this set feel like a Warner Bros. Golden Collection (in fact, many of the same animation historians are here!). The Silly Symphonies were a landmark series, far beyond the quality of other cartoons of their era, and watching these amazing classics is sheer entertainment for any Disney fan!
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| Walt Disney's Legacy Collection / True Life Adventures Vol 3 : 4 of 5 | |
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6.03.2007
7:07 AM | Link |
 It's time to visit the big bronze globe again with another set of Disney's spectacular nature films! This collection seemed particularly jam-packed to me, with two feature length films as well as two more shorts (that aren't so sort!). The African Lion is definitely one of the most popular True Life Adventures, featuring all of the classic safari animals that are always so fascinating. Besides the mighty lion, there's the giraffe, rhino, and elephant to learn about, as well as lots of birds and baboons. The footage of huge hippos swimming effortlessly underwater is truly amazing, and I also enjoyed watching lionesses hunting as a team with great skill (although the carcasses they end up dragging around are seriously gross). But regardless of the spectacle of The African Lion, Jungle Cat is even more exciting! The Brazilian jungle is just so much more lush and spooky than the plains of Africa, and while the focus is on the jaguar, it's the supporting animals that amazed me. I never imagined that anteaters could fight, or that sloths can barely pull themselves along the ground if they fall from their tree! Next is Bear Country and The Olympic Elk, both really entertaining, and of course there is plenty of bonus material to round out the set, including some old TV segments about the photographers, plus more Animal Kingdom features. Seeing these movies really made me think about the Disneyland attractions they inspired, such as scenes from the Jungle Cruise and the old Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland - I just love enjoying a taste of Disney adventure!
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| Pirates of the Caribbean / At World's End : 3 of 5 | |
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5.31.2007
6:42 AM | Link |
 For the most part, I really enjoyed the third Pirates of the Caribbean movie, but unfortunately I think it could have been a much better film if the story had been simplified a bit. If you thought it took a little thinking to keep track of everyone's motives in Dead Man's Chest, you will go a little crazy trying to figure out At World's End, which has as many double-crosses as the Black Pearl has holes in its sails! All of the characters have a secret agenda, many of which have little effect on the main flow of the plot, so my advice is just to enjoy the amazing visuals and exciting action, and don't worry so much about everything else (definitely not how you would normally watch a Disney movie!). On the positive side, the battles are fantastic (I really enjoyed the wedding sequence), the huge special effects sequences (like the massive waterfall and the huge whirlpool) are totally cool, and seeing scraggly old Keith Richards make his appearance was actually much cooler than I thought it would be. I only spotted one line from the Disneyland attraction, but it was great to hear it, especially as delivered by Barbossa, who in many ways out-pirates Jack! Geoffrey Rush is really fantastic, shouting his pirate dialogue with sheer gusto. Johnny Depp is fun as always, although I wasn't too fond of the multiple-Jacks idea. The ending was a big surprise to me, since it's definitely not a typical happy ending, but it definitely wipes the slate clean for the next possible film. Even though this trilogy's final chapter is my least favorite, it still makes for an amazing theater experience!
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| The Island at the Top of the World : 3 of 5 | |
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5.27.2007
6:55 AM | Link |
 I've been such a Netflix slacker lately, since I rented this DVD back in January! I wanted to see this movie since I love Disney adventure stories, and The Island at the Top of the World definitely delivered - I was actually pretty surprised at all the action! The plot is about a wealthy Englishman who hires an American professor and a French inventor to travel to the Arctic to rescue his son (and they even pick up an Eskimo on the way). They travel in a huge dirigible called the Hyperion (nice Disney insider trivia there!), and just the voyage alone is pretty exciting, since they have to navigate around icebergs and eventually suffer a thrilling crash! They end up discovering a Viking village that has existed unchanged for thousands of years, and there's a ton of convincing Norse speech without subtitles, as well as great costumes and sets. Actually, nearly every shot is turned into a masterpiece by some terrific matte painting work (many by the legendary Peter Ellenshaw) - it's wonderful how the entire film is transformed by Disney's talented artists. There's still more action to enjoy, including a close scrape with volcanic lava, an underground icicle-filled cavern, and finally a battle with killer whales! I was really impressed with this movie, even though at times the acting was a bit stiff. Unfortunately, the ending is a little abrupt and kind of a let down, but I'd still recommend this film for fans of classic Disney 1970s action.
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| Walt Disney Treasures / The Hardy Boys : 4 of 5 | |
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6:32 AM | Link |
 I wasn't sure how much I would really get into this particular Walt Disney Treasures DVD set, but once I got started, I couldn't stop watching it! The original black & white Mickey Mouse Club ran this serial for four weeks in 1956, and each episode is almost exactly eleven and a half minutes. Disney took one the original Hardy Boys books and transformed it a bit into The Mystery of the Applegate Treasure, and the result is incredibly enjoyable and fun (as well as addictive!). After a wonderful creepy theme song about pirates and doubloons, Frank and Joe (amazing child actors Tim Considine and Tommy Kirk) take the screen to solve their case involving stolen gold, a spooky mansion, and even railroad danger! The show is really well-made, with incredibly convincing neighborhood sets all built inside the studio, and the writing is fun, too (my favorite line is when Joe says, "I'd do anything to be a detective - even arithmetic!"). In addition to the complete serial, the entire Mickey Mouse Club episode that introduced the segment is included, along with some interesting info about the Hardy Boys books (which were actually written by a syndicate of different writers using the same pen name, which I never knew). Finally, there's a nice interview with the actors today, who are still energetic and full of memories, which is nice to see. I always feel nostalgic after watching a great series like this, even though I wasn't alive to experience those times - I think that just demonstrates that Disney quality is timeless!
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| Walt Disney Treasures / The Complete Pluto Vol 2 : 3 of 5 | |
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4.19.2007
6:52 AM | Link |
 I always enjoy the cartoon short collections in the Walt Disney Treasures series, and this second set of Pluto cartoons really went by quickly! Each DVD contains around 12 cartoons, and only the first DVD has true bonus material, but what's they've included is extremely good. There are two Master Class segments where Disney animators (including Andreas Deja) provide wonderful commentary on a Pluto short, with the ability to pause and repeat key scenes! This allows them to comment directly on unusual poses, point out inside jokes, and generally give the viewer a really personal look at some of the best Pluto shorts (including the wonderful Hall of Mirrors sequence in Bone Trouble). There's also an interesting segment called Pluto's Process, which combines pencil tests, storyboards, and layouts along with the finished cartoon - this kind of feature isn't really new, but the presentation is pretty unique. The cartoons themselves are really fun (though not as good as the first DVD set), typically pairing Pluto with some other animal (such as a seal, gopher, bee, turtle, or anything else) as an annoyance or buddy. My favorite is Pluto's Sweater, where Minnie knits Pluto a silly-looking fuchsia sweater that he can't stand, and he goes crazy trying to get it off while the other neighborhood dogs laugh at him! This cartoon also features Figaro the cat, one of my favorite characters from Pinocchio, and this set actually includes several Figaro cartoons as a bonus (I didn't even know these shorts existed)!
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| Walt Disney Treasures / Your Host, Walt Disney : 5 of 5 | |
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4.11.2007
8:39 PM | Link |
 The Walt Disney Treasures series continues to amaze me, and I'm so glad that it looks like it will continue with another wave this year! This particular set features various TV shows where Walt was given a lot of screen time, and each program is really special. I've seen a few of these shows many times, such as the famous Disneyland Tenth Anniversary Show (where Walt talks about the future Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean), but there are definitely some gems here that were totally new to me. Where Do the Stories Come From? includes priceless footage of several Disney backyard railroads, showing Ollie Johnston's, Ward Kimball's (full size!), and of course Walt's incredible track layout. Another show is about a backstage party (after the filming of Babes in Toyland), but the best part is the introduction where the viewer "gets lost" in the Disney studio, wandering the streets and stumbling upon backlot sets. Kodak Presents Disneyland '59 has some incredible old Submarine Voyage footage (as well as some hilarious old Kodak commercials!), and now I finally understand what a kinescope recording is! The new interview footage with Walt's daughter Diane is interesting (but not spectacular), and the photo galleries are really nice. I think this set is probably the best of last year's wave, although I still have two more sets to watch!
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| Meet the Robinsons : 3 of 5 | |
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4.08.2007
7:05 AM | Link |
 I'm glad that my local theater is equipped to show Disney's recent 3D movies, since my pal Melinda and I have enjoyed going to see all of them. I think Meet the Robinsons has taken advantage of the 3D process the most so far - many of these scenes were definitely designed with 3D in mind, so much so that it will be interesting to see how it looks on DVD. This is the only Disney animated feature with a good ol' science fiction time travel paradox, which seems a little crazy for young audiences to grasp, but then again, all of the characters are crazy, too! In fact, Meet the Robinsons feels like a bunch of funny, talented storytellers got in a room and threw out every gag they could think of, and then they managed to put them all into the same movie! The story starts out nicely, covering Lewis' childhood situation, but after Wilbur takes him forward in time, it starts to feel really off-course. Thankfully, things definitely come together at the end and there are some great emotional moments wrapped up in a nice quote by Walt Disney (which seems like something John Lassater may have contributed to the film). On the positive side, the animation looks really cool, and I love the extreme character designs. I also laughed a lot, and I appreciated that the jokes had a much less contemporary edge than your average DreamWorks movie. I had a lot of fun and really enjoyed the movie experience, but I'm still longing for Disney to bring back some real magic (and I'm confident they will)!
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| PEZ catch-up | |
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4.07.2007
11:56 AM | Link |
 This rainy weekend I'm finally catching up on some PEZ collecting duties! First, I hung nine more Mini-PEZ shelves (order some for your collection!), which completely fills up my Elfa shelving uprights. I have lots of empty room to fill now, but when that's gone my Wall of PEZ will be totally full (and then I don't know what I'll do, but I'm not worrying yet). I had two boxes of stuff from Canada Candy Connection to open up, and I had fun taking photos of everything. The first few of shots needed a little more light on the PEZ themselves (because I was using my tripod on the edge of the table), but then I thought I could do better using a bean bag right in the middle of my stage. I was going to go buy one, but I realized that I had some bean bag juggling cubes that work great (I never learned to juggle, but at least these are good for something!). All of the new photos are in my PEZtastic set on Flickr, with lots of new Mini-PEZ from Japan, plus some new Disney PEZ, including the new limited edition Black & White Mickey & Minnie!
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| Walt Disney World wrap-up | |
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4.06.2007
9:40 PM | Link |
 Thanks to my pal Melinda, I have a few photos of myself with Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Chip & Dale from my recent trip to Walt Disney World, which gives me an excuse to write a little more about the fun!Each day of the trip I carried a pedometer with me, and Melinda and I were amazed at the miles we walked! Of course, Epcot is the largest of the four parks, and believe it or not, we covered a full 18 miles that day! All of the other days were over 10 miles each, too. Keep in mind that the counting started by walking to the bus stop at 7:30 AM, and finished back at the room after 10:00 PM, so we definitely had some full days of walking! I've been thinking some more about Space Mountain lately, and now I think I like the original Magic Kingdom version better than the Disneyland version, just because it's little more exciting. It definitely feels scarier, but it's great to get really pumped up and enjoy it! Part of the fun is screaming at the other track during the main lift - it's so cool to look across and see the other set of rockets and cheer each other on! View photos: Mikey & Characters
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| Private parade & mountain madness | |
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4.01.2007
7:55 AM | Link |
 Here are some magical highlights of the last two days of my recent Walt Disney World adventure! At the Magic Kingdom, Melinda and I got to ride everything (in spite of Spring Break crowds), and we even had another lucky moment where a Tomorrowland Cast Member handed us some Space Mountain Fastpasses out of the blue, so we got to ride it twice (I definitely think it's scarier than the California version!). We also got to see the totally brand new Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor attraction, and we had an amazing spot for the Wishes fireworks show! We decided to go to the late Spectromagic parade (at 10:00 PM, after Wishes), and it was like having a private parade performance! The crowds for the late parade seemed about 80% less, so I definitely recommend it!At Animal Kingdom we enjoyed the entire park, including the new Finding Nemo musical (definitely Broadway quality), and especially the incredible, fantastic, amazing Expedition Everest! I knew this ride was going to be great, but it was even better than I expected! The transition into the snowy peaks is really cool, and the backwards sections of track inside the dark mountain are really exciting (it really feels like a reverse loop is coming, but it doesn't!). The huge animatronic Yeti at the end of the ride is definitely an Imagineering achievement - I can't believe something that big can |