Category Archives: Disney

What this? This collection of Disney-related articles is just a glimmer of my passion for the empire Walt created. The real amazingness is over here.

Brave – AMC 12 at DownTown Disney, Anaheim, CA

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Beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous and a heck of a good time. If your two year old can handle Finding Nemo, we think they could handle this movie. Angus (Merida’s horse) was GORGEOUS!!!!! I loved the story and am thrilled that a good Pixar movie can be made by more than the original founders. Beautiful Celtic music by Patrick Doyle (Harry Potter, and etc). Elinor’s character arc is very interesting. I find myself wondering about her backstory. When she had to marry Fergus to keep the peace between the clans I was also amused by our second viewing which occurred after rewatching the Nanny McPhee movies (both Merida/Kelly MacDonald and Elinor/Emma Thompson are in the first one and the second one’s just as cute and lovely) and then to hear Elinor mention collywobbles cracked me up. 🙂 Fergus cracks me up (loves me some Billy Connelly – ever since Muppet Treasure Island). … Continue reading →

John Carter Of Mars – UltraLuxe Cinema, GardenWalk, Anaheim, CA

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AN AMAZING FILM!!!! GO SEE IT NOW!!!! IGNORE THE STUPID AS HELL MARKETING!!!! The marketing for this film makes it seem like it’s just a guy fighting aliens film, but there is so much more beautiful stuff than that. Funny thing is, you can see a lot of similar elements to Tarzan (at least at the very core of the story) which really makes me want to go read all of Edgar Rice Burroughs. Oh…didn’t the marketing tell you? This story is based on a 100 year old book! Of COURSE they didn’t mention it….they didn’t believe in it. That’s why they released it in March. NO faith. Which is so sad since Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo, WALL-E) directed expertly and Michael Giacchino composed amazingly epic themes (as always – you know: Up!, Star Trek, Space Mountain, etc). But enough out of me. Go buy the Blu-Ray and show Disney … Continue reading →

Captain America: The First Avenger – South Bay Galleria 16, Torrance, CA

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Absolutely amazing! So beautiful! Fantastic job by Chris Evans. Hugo Weaving is an amazing villain. When I grow up I want to be Stanley Tucci. He’s such a great and dependable character. Yay for Stan Lee’s cameo! Awesome music by Alan Silvestri. I’m glad I didn’t know it was him going in because it would have distracted me, but one I knew it was him I could hear bits of Van Helsing in the credits. Yay Howard Stark’s Expo! They re-used the Sherman brothers song from Iron Man 2! 😀 And that new song, “Star Spangled Man” is so pretty! And it’s written by Alan Menken and David Zippel (the song-writing duo behind Disney’s Hercules)! Yay Marvel and Disney synergy!!! 😀

The Pixar Touch: The Making Of A Company by David A. Price

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Available on Amazon. Many thanks to my good friend Jeff Allen for recommending this book. It is an absolutely riveting read. For me it kind of capped off/continued the Disney company history that I so enjoyed discovering in Walt Disney: Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler (covering Walt’s lifetime) and Disney Wars by James Stewart (covering the period from Walt’s death to the successful ousting of Eisner) by telling a completely different story: the story of Pixar. How Ed Catmull, a Mormon computer scientist who knew he couldn’t draw good enough to be an animator decided that he would make a movie with a computer instead (in the 60s). How he gathered a brain trust of computer scientists, electrical engineers, artists and writers around him and shepherded them through 40 years of business transactions and negotiations from the New York Institute of Technology to Lucasfilm to Emeryville, all … Continue reading →

The Price Of Freedom by A. C. Crispin

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Amazing!!!! It answers almost every single question that has arisen about Jack Sparrow since discovering his delightful character in the first film. It’s practically a complete back story, but does so with a gripping narrative and a story that is as lush and vibrant as any locale we’ve seen Jack visit in his four films. Also makes me want to pick up the junior novels that delve into Jack’s childhood to see what other gems are out there to glean about Jack Sparrow. I also want to pick up A. C. Crispin’s other novels (she does Han Solo’s backstory!!!).

Birthday Extravaganza 2011

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Hear all about Laura’s adventures with the Berry’s at Disneyland Pick up our picnic lunches with Yellow Zone World of Color Fast Passes (it’s still early? How did Blue Zone sell out already? 4th of July frenzy?) and feast on breakfast Blue Sky Cellar with Dad to show him some of the changes that are coming Check out Goofy’s Sky School and the new garden area (with really awesome band Odyssey) and get Sky School FastPasses Wander around the boardwalk shops, think about Toy Story Midway Mania and opt to do it later Get in line for Little Mermaid (only 30 minutes) Use FastPasses for Sky School Get frozen lemonades to battle the heat, but save them for later as we head for The Hollywood Tower Hotel Shopping in the hotel lobby after the ride, picking out a beautiful vintage shirt for Laura (has one of the now demolished posters … Continue reading →

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides – Century 20 @ Bella Terra, Huntington Beach, CA

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Amazing! Also a sad but amusing commentary is that the moment the credits started rolling, I turned to Laura and said – “OK I’m ready for the 5th one now!” I guess it’s just a mark of how fun, engaging and exciting these piratical tales are. Plus I can’t wait to see what Jack does next… The Disney logo is super cool! Once again loving that with major films releases they do funky/cool things to the normal intro – although I think TRON:Legacy still holds the record as the coolest logo modification, this was still very pretty. I miss Pintel and Raghetti (as well as Murtogg and Mullroy), but with a cadre of new characters to enjoy, you don’t miss them that much. Laura would like to know for certain what happens to Phillip and Serena at the end and I admit I am curious as well. Ian McShane is … Continue reading →

Movie Reviews (Backlog)

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Morning Glory – Niagara Square Cinemas, Niagara Falls, ON, Canada Very cute. Bernie Pollack provided Harrison’s clothes (and presumably socks) – costume designer from Indy 4!!! Rachel McAdams is adorable as always. Harry Potter 7.1 – Niagara Square Cinemas, Niagara Falls, ON, Canada AMAZING! Loved the sneaking into the ministry scene and the dance in the tent. Unstoppable – Walden Galleria Cinemas, Cheektowaga, NY Very intriguing film. Yay Captain Kirk (was that a vague reference to Kirk hanging off of stuff?)! Yay Ethan Suplee! Tangled – AMC Rolling Hills 20, Torrance, CA & ArcLight Beach Cities Cinemas, El Segundo, CA So cute and beautiful and perfect! John Lasseter obliterates the 3D/2D line by declaring Tangled to be Walt Disney’s 50th full length feature animation. Zack Levi and Mandy Moore are perfect as the prince and princess. Intriguing to hear Jeffrey Tambor in “I’ve Got A Dream” – the timbre of … Continue reading →