It’s the Lenten season. During Lent, the 40 days that precede Easter, those who practice are supposed to give up something for 40 days. Usually, people will give up something like chocolate or other guilty culinary pleasures, but the whole point of Lent is to give up something that distracts one from God, such that one can focus on God and devote the time one would normally spend on this activity, to Him.
That being said, I realize I’m a few days late, but this year I’m logging off of Tumblr because as much as I love it, that’s exactly why I need to give it up.
So it’s TTFN. Happy Lenten season, my fellow Mouseketeers.
that you don’t really know what to do with them except take them as they are, and you don’t really fully realize what’s happening.
One moment, my RA and her suitemate are hanging out with us, the next moment we discover that her suitemate and I were both in a Urinetown at our high schools, the next moment her suitemate is trying to convince me to minor in Theater, the next moment we’re discussing Disney movies, the next moment we’re singing Disney songs, and before I know it, I’m signed up for a duet with her at an Open Mic night in two weeks, singing “A Whole New World”.
This is the best duet ever written in the history of duets (or even music, for that matter), and I have to/get to try it. I can’t tell if I’m more excited or anxious. Or both.
Identical triplets Harris, Hubert and Hamish are adorable, redheaded, and always ready to stir up a bit of mischief, especially if sweets are at stake.
I’m not sure if I can contain my excitement for this movie and its many differences in style compared to all of Pixar’s past works of art. And even if I can’t contain it, I’m not sure if I can adequately express it.
This video’s packed with double the geekiness (camera geek + Disney geek).
Watch Walt Disney talk about Disney’s MultiPlane Camera, a “super cartoon camera.” He gets into visual effects and camera blueprints.
Walt Disney’s Multiplane Camera
via javierarce
You have no idea. I love this video so so much, even though it’s all staged.
Genius.
(Source: daringfireball.net)
Disney Ear Hat Prototypes created by “Imagin Ears” on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/imaginears
Waiting for the Lights (score) - Tangled
All bias aside, definitely one of the best score songs ever composed because it successfully and beautifully expresses the emotions of the scene, possibly better than any other score I’ve ever heard.
Does anyone else ever think about how much it would hurt to be hit in the head with a frying pan the way Rapunzel does to herself?
Happy Birthday Roy E. Disney!!
If the Walt Disney Studios were to have a real-life Jiminy Cricket, it would have to be vice chairman Roy Edward Disney, son of Roy O. Disney and nephew of Walt Disney, the Company’s founders. Besides being its conscience, Roy has also been called the “soul of the Company” because he often looks to its past to define its future.
He once said, “The thing that distinguishes us from everybody else, and always has and always will, is our past. The goal is to look over our shoulder and see Snow White and Pinocchio and Dumbo standing there, saying, ‘Be this good.’ We shouldn’t be intimidated by them; they’re an arrow pointing someplace.”
Born in Los Angeles on January 10, 1930, Roy practically grew up at the Studio, where his father managed business affairs, while his uncle inspired artists to create magical animated worlds for movie screens. Roy was there when Snow White and Pinocchio were born and once recalled, “the animators used to test stuff out on me. They’d say, ‘Come on in and watch this and see if you think it’s funny.’”
In 1951, Roy graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in English from Southern California’s Pomona College, and soon launched his entertainment career as an assistant film editor on the television series “Dragnet,” starring Jack Webb. He joined The Walt Disney Studios in 1954, working as an assistant editor on the successful True-Life Adventure films, including “The Living Desert” and “The Vanishing Prairie,” both of which won Academy Awards. He later wrote and co-produced “Mysteries of the Deep,” which won an Oscar nomination in 1959.
Roy also wrote for television series, including “Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color” and the popular “Zorro,” starring Guy Williams. Then, in 1964, he formed his own production unit - writing, producing and directing some 35 other television and theatrical productions, including “Varda, the Peregrine Falcon,” “Mustang!,” “The Owl That Didn’t Give a Hoot” and “Pancho, the Fastest Paw in the West.” He joined the Company’s Board of Directors in 1967.
After 23 years, Roy left the Studio in 1977, to become an independent producer and investor, but returned seven years later to serve as the Company’s vice chairman and head of the animation department. Since then, Disney animation has produced some of its greatest box office successes of all time, including “The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Lion King.”
Roy literally combined the Company’s past with its future when he revived one of his uncle’s most colorful visions of all time. “Fantasia 2000,” which is a continuation of Walt Disney’s 1940 classic “Fantasia,” combining classical music with original animation, rang in a new millennium on January 1, 2000, at Imax Theaters across the country.
“What happens when you put two legit Disney lovers together.”
(shirt idea credit goes to LIAM)
I’m not hating, I love the idea. But last time I checked, Pocahontas had John Smith, not Captain Li Shang. And Mulan had Captain Li Shang, not John Smith. However, these movies could have been changed recently and I wasn’t aware…
A long-standing urban legend maintains that Walt Disney was cryogenically frozen, and his frozen corpse stored beneath the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland.
In reality, Walt Disney was cremated, and his ashes interred at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. His wife, adopted daughter, and son-in-law are burried with him.
IN LIGHT OF WALT DISNEY’S BIRTHDAY:
I wrote distinctly remember writing a post about why Disney remained such a large part in my life. Surely, there are many factors that contribute, here are a couple off the top of my head:
Of course, there’s the fact that I was lucky enough to be born in the middle of the Renaissance, so I grew up with these movies. Childhood is the stage in which a large amount of cognitive development occurs, so it’s only natural that Disney became a part of me.
Secondly, more importantly, goes a little deeper: As a Christian, my life is all about redemption. (“Oh no, he brought religion into it. I’m done here.” Just hear me out and you’ll see where I’m taking this.) I believe God sent his only son Jesus Christ down to Earth to save us from our sins. He died, we were redeemed, and given a second chance. Consequently, the concept of redemption appeals to me. I’ve found that many Disney movies share a common theme of redemption: Hercules, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Tangled, and even Pixar’s Cars and A Bug’s Life, to name a few.
I probably didn’t need to explain each example, but well, there you go. Two (of many) reasons: childhood roots, and redemption.
- Hercules is considered a “freak” and he tries to regain his “Hero” title - he succeeds in physical redemption, but realizes (and is told by his father) that he needs to take it another step further.
- Aladdin knows he’s more than just a street rat, but he needs to show that, especially if he wants to win over Princess Jasmine. But it’s difficult when all the palace guards know him as a thief.
- The Beast, cursed with a beastly appearance as a young prince, must prove that his character can override his hideous appearance to earn a girl’s heart.
- After violently meeting Rapunzel by coincidence, Flynn Rider is forced to take her to see the floating lights in exchange for his satchel; along the way, he falls in love with her, and she falls in love with Eugene Fitzerbert. He discovers that thievery isn’t his thing anymore - Flynn Rider dies, and Eugene Fitzherbert shines through.
- Lightning McQueen stumbles into Radiator Springs and tears apart their road, riding on his reputation to bail him out. As his stay grows longer as he repaves the road, he finds that there’s something else about this happy little town of misfits. He has a change of heart (engine?) and becomes a part of the gang in Radiator Springs.
- Flik is notorious for messing things up - his inventions fail to work properly, and he ends up ruining the harvest. However, his chance at redemption is when he is sent to the city to recruit warriors that will defend the colony when Hopper and his crew return for the second harvest. He succeeds, and goes from klutz to cool guy.
There are things that the movies themselves have taught me, but there are also things that I’ve learned from just being a Disney lover. In such a rejecting world in which it is common to be common rather than yourself, Disney has taught me how to be receptive, yet still unaffected by people’s opinions. Criticism is inevitable, you have no control over what others think or say. But taking the criticism and transforming your beliefs and lifestyle accordingly, you do have control over that. I can drop Disney to avoid further criticism, or I can stick to my guns and move forward. It’s a matter of choosing what’s easy and what’s right.
Now comes the topic of maturity. Many a time, I’ve been called “immature” for living the Disney-fied life that I do. You know, “Disney is for little children,” among other harsher and more extreme claims, etc. Yeah, okay. Walt Disney himself said, “You’re dead if you aim only for kids. Adults are only kids grown up, anyway.” Here’s how I see it: Disney makes me happy (for lack of a better word), so it’s a part of me. If it doesn’t quite have the same effect on you, that’s fine, but don’t mock me because of it. I just think the real immaturity is to reject something that was such an integral part of one’s childhood. Sure, Timon and Pumbaa say, “you gotta put your past behind you,” (or “you gotta put your behind in the past”) but that’s only for bad things. Where’s the harm in embracing something that shaped who you are as a kid?
In the world, it all started with a mouse, but in my world, it all started with you. Even though I’m a few hours late, Happy 110th Birthday (and counting) to you, Mr. Walter Disney.
Just another Disney appreciation blog. 
