Frozen

Oh my goodness everyone!  This is it!  The final blog post on this journey through Disney film.  It's been a fun year two years.  And after 53 movies, it's quite clear that Disney is special.  The imagination, creativity, stories, heart, songs, and love they have captured and shared with the world through their films is nothing short of magical.  From Snow White to our final film on this journey Frozen, it's been one amazing journey.

Frozen premiered in 2013 and marks Disney's 53rd animated feature film.  The movie has amassed a cult following among every little girl in America and really individuals everywhere.  Frozen fever has struck minivan sound systems, Halloween parties, Disneyland, Target, and classrooms across the world.  This film has been a powerhouse for Disney, and it doesn't seem to be losing steam.  (There's even a Frozen 2 in the works.)

Frozen is Disney's take on the classic "Snow Queen" fairy tale.  The film tells the story of two sisters: Elsa and Anna.  Elsa is born with special icy powers that allow her to make all sorts of winter wonderland fun happen with a wave of her hand.  One of Elsa and Anna's favorite pastimes is "building a snowman" with Elsa's magical powers.  Alas one day while playing, Anna is struck by a blast of Elsa's icy power, and the only way to cure her is to erase all memory of the magic Elsa possesses.  The episode causes fear to bloom in Elsa who becomes more and more withdrawn, while the perky, persistent Anna ends up eking out a very lonely childhood.

Fast forward a few years, Elsa and Anna's parents have died in a shipwreck, and Elsa has finally come of age to be coronated... which means Arendelle's gates will be opened for the first time in forever!  Anna is beside herself with excitement whilst Elsa is beside herself with anxiety.  Elsa makes it through the coronation ceremony, and all that's left to do is the celebration ball...  And things probably would have been fine if Elsa and Anna didn't get into that argument about Anna getting engaged to someone she's known less than 24 hours...  But alas, Anna did get engaged to Prince Hans, she did argue with Elsa about it (after Elsa wouldn't give their union her blessing - hooray for a little bit of rationality!), and Elsa's emotions did cause her icy powers to go a little crazy.

Summer becomes winter across Arendelle as Elsa let's it go.  Anna races after Elsa to try to restore order to their relationship and the kingdom.  She's left Hans in charge while she's gone.  Thankfully she happens upon a grumpy ice farmer (Kristoff) and his friendly reindeer (Sven) just when she's lost her horse and needs some help getting to Elsa's ice castle.  So now all that's left to do is find Elsa, convince Elsa to stop the winter and come back with her, get back to Arendelle, restore order to the kingdom, buy Kristoff a new sleigh, marry Hans, and live happily ever after.  What could possibly go wrong?

As mentioned earlier, Frozen fever has struck America.  Hard.  And the film is good.  Arguments can be made that it is great.  It is, however, not the best thing Disney has ever produced.  I enjoyed Frozen very much (I'll tell you why below), but I must disagree with the large portion of population that have labeled it the best Disney film ever.  (This is the best Disney film ever for this blogger.)

There are two elements that make Frozen so enjoyable for me.  First, the humor.  This film is funNY.  Anna's bubbly personality coupled with her excited clumsiness make her adorable, likable, and relatable - and on top of all that it makes her funny.  Kristoff's cynicism provides a nice dose of contrast to Anna's over-the-top personality, and makes for many a great line ("you mean to tell me you got engaged to someone you just met that day?...  Didn't your parents ever warn you about strangers?")  Sven and his reindeer antics are super cute.  And then you have Olaf.

Olaf is a snowman who's favorite thing is warm hugs.  He dreams of experiencing summer in all its steamy heat.  He's comedic gold in this film and absolutely lovable.

The second element that makes Frozen so wonderful is the music.  Oh my goodness.  The music!  This film has the best music of any animated Disney film since 2000.  And it's up there with the likes of The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and The Lion King.  Elsa and Anna are voiced by Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell respectively.  Idina hails from Broadway and her powerhouse vocals shine through whilst Kristen's pure soprano and comedic gaffes make the soundtrack a true gem.  The entire musical repertoire of the film is outstanding, but the song that defines the soundtrack (and really the film as a whole) is Elsa's "Let It Go."  If you're ever having a bad day and need to belt a song, look no further.  Elsa sings this as her ode to "seeing what she can do" once her powers have been revealed.  It is Disney magic.

So there you have it.  Two sisters.  One big secret.  Winter in summer.  An adorable, huggable snowman.  A grumpy iceman.  A playful reindeer.  A shiny prince.  Fantastic music.  And love.  These all add up to one wonderful movie: Frozen.

Thanks for sticking with me through this journey!  I've had so much fun watching all of these Disney films.  Some were new to me, many were old favorites.  I've learned that I don't have the discipline to be a great blogger, but it's still been nice to have a platform to share my thoughts and words.  Finishing this blogging adventure and journey through Disney film is bittersweet.  I'm so excited to have completed this bucket list item, but at the same time I'm a bit sad to see it go.  (I'm no good at endings.  They always make me sad to some degree.)

The only way to finish this is with wisdom from the man that started it all - Mr. Walt Disney:

All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.

Wreck It Ralph

Guys.  We are almost done.  Just one movie left after this one and we'll have watched all of Disney's feature animated films (that were released as of December 31, 2013), and boy is this film a good one!  It's Disney's Wreck It Ralph.

The film premiered in 2012 and is everything a great Disney movie great movie should be.  The story is captivating, relatable, and heartwarming.  The characters are well-developed and lovable.  There is a fantastic plot twist.  There's a dash of romance, a giant helping of humor, and a truly lovable hero... who just might also be a "bad guy."

Wreck It Ralph tells the story of Ralph, a nine-foot tall video game character who wrecks the building in "Fix-It Felix Jr."  Ralph has been doing the same gig for 30 years, and he doesn't really mind it... it's just no one seems to appreciate him.  And well 30 years is a long time to live alone in a dump...  Meanwhile Felix is constantly awarded medals, thrown parties, and given cake...  So Ralph figures the key to acceptance is finding himself one of those medals.

Ralph is quickly able to procure himself one of those beautiful shiny disks, but before he can head back to his home game in all his shiny glory, he finds himself crash-landed (with a very nasty cy-bug) in Sugar Rush - a sweet-treat themed racing game.  He soon meets Vanellope (a precocious mis-fit) who soon absconds with his medal and uses it to pay the racing entrance fee.  You see Vanellope feels born to race, only trouble is she's never been given the chance to...  Oh.  And she doesn't know how.

To get Ralph's medal back, the unlikely pair join forces to get Vanellope race-ready.  And it looks like things are shaping up perfectly for them to get exactly what they always wanted... Only what ever happened to that cy-bug?

While Ralph and Vanellope are planning to upset King Candy's race in Sugar Rush, another unlikely pair has joined forces to find Ralph and the escaped cy-bug: Felix and the foxy troop leader, Calhoun, from Hero's Duty (the game the cy-bug escaped from).  Felix soon finds himself with a particular honey glow that can be directly attributed to the fierce but lovely Calhoun.

Wreck It Ralph is filled with Disney magic in its clever attention to detail and comedy.  The film makes me grin and laugh at almost every interlude.  And when I'm not appreciating the humor, the film's attention to detail has me shaking my head in wonder.  This film is a beautiful example of Disney creativity and imagination.

On top of all of these things, the film also teaches some very good lessons such as:

• Be yourself.  No one else can be you but you.  And you're important just the way you are.
• Being different is not a bad thing.  The thing that makes you different might be the very thing that makes you shine.
• Friendship is more precious than medals.

The greatest lesson to come out of Wreck It Ralph might be the idea of self-sacrifice.  Ralph makes the hard choice several times to do whatever it takes to save Vanellope.  And Vanellope is just as ready to save her pal as well.  Fix-It Felix and Calhoun also serve as great examples in helping others and risking their lives to save their friends and the inhabitants of Sugar Rush.

Alas, this film is not a musical one.  However, I feel it is worthy to note that the credit song "When Can We Do This Again?" serves as the theme song to Disneyland's new parade "Paint the Night."  It's a winner of a song (and a parade)!

Wreck It Ralph is Disney magic. Ralph is a larger-than-life character with the heart to match.  He also learns some big lessons along the way.  The story is great; the humor is spot-on; and the characters are heartwarming and lovable.  This is definitely a film in the Disney canon that you do NOT want to miss!

I'll leave you with a quote from Bad Guys Anonymous (and Ralph):

There's no one I'd rather be than me.

Coming Up Next: Frozen

Winnie the Pooh

Oh bother.  Yep.  That pretty much sums up this next film on our journey: Winnie the Pooh.

This film which premiered in 2011 is not to be confused with The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh from 1977.  This film could very loosely be called a sequel in that it starred the same characters as the first film... but there's no sequential timeline or plot that links the films.

As mentioned in the other Pooh movie review, these films are filled with a lovable, delightful, well-known cast of characters.  Unfortunately the magic of the The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh was not captured in this subsequent theatrical presentation...

My first dilemma with this film is its length and poor set-up.  The film clocks in at less than an hour at 53 minutes!  This is nearly unheard of in cinema.  I suppose if it was a very good 53 minutes, it might not matter...  But it's not.  Also, the Many Adventures story set-up is a series of tales involving Pooh and friends with each tale setup as its own chapter.  Winnie the Pooh uses the same method.  With one chapter.  Yes.  Just one... because that makes so much sense when you're telling one story.  It needs its own chapter or it might get confused with all of the other chapters that don't exist...

My second point of discontent with the film is its modern gags and the steps it takes away from innocence.  The charm and delight of Winnie the Pooh is its subtle humor, adventure in the seemingly mundane, and fresh perspective offered from a bear of very little brain.  What we have here is humor that falls flat, a depressed donkey who actually says "we're all gonna die" at one point in the film, and ridiculousness to the point of absurdity.  I'll admit I smiled in a few places, but I was more apt to be shaking my head or rolling my eyes.

My third (and final) point of contention with the film is the lackluster music.  As I'm sure you've gathered on this Disney film journey together, music easily makes or breaks a film for me.  And for Winnie the Pooh, I consider myself entirely unimpressed.  I did not appreciate the "new spin" on the title song, and all of the new songs were utterly forgettable.

There is beauty to be found in the hand-drawn aspect of the film.  And the characters are still wonderful (albeit a bit less endearing).  The film as a whole simply falls flat, which is sad because Winnie the Pooh and friends give film creators huge potential to soar.  I would not recommend this film.  (Shocker I know.)  However, if you do need more Winnie the Pooh and friends in your life, I cannot recommend highly enough Piglet's BIG Movie.  The film is not considered one of Disney's theatrically released feature films, but it is wonderful.  The story is great.  The music is fun and catchy.  The characters are as lovable as ever.  Piglet absolutely shines.  And the film has huge heart. Though it's not part of this journey with Walt, it's definitely worth a watch (or two).

To close I'll leave you with some Winnie wisdom:

"People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day."

Coming Up Next: Wreck It Ralph

Tangled

A charming thief, a spunky chameleon, a white stallion on the hunt, a stolen crown, an evil old lady, a vivacious young woman, twin bad guys, ceramic unicorns, floating lanterns, a dangerous frying pan...  You'll find all of these things in Disney's 50th animated feature, and well... Let's just say, things get... Tangled.

Tangled premiered in 2010 and is Disney's take on the classic tale of "Rapunzel."  The fairytale involves a beautiful princess being locked away in a tower by an evil witch.  The lovely maiden's hair is never cut and grows long enough for her to throw out her window as a rope for the prince who comes along to rescue her...  Disney of course adds their own story-making magic to the tale to bring us a delightful film!  Indeed, it's my favorite Disney movie since the turn of the millennium.

The film is actually narrated by the film's hero: Flynn Rider with a decidedly amusing tone.  To set up the story we learn that a drop of sun falls to the earth and a beautiful flower grows where it lands.  Mother Goethel finds this flower and learns that it can help her stay young... forever.  She hides the flower and it's secret powers for herself.  Lo and behold, the kingdom's queen (who is expecting a child) becomes sick and the flower is found and taken to her.  She is healed and gives birth to a beautiful daughter.  And it turns out that the magic in the flower is now in the princess.  What's a selfish old woman to do?  Kidnap the princess and hide her away...

Fast forward 18 years and we'll find Flynn climbing Rapunzel's tower to hide from the royal guard who is doggedly pursuing him to recover the royal tiara that he has just stolen.  Unfortunately for him, Rapunzel does not take tower invaders lightly and promptly knocks him out with her frying pan.  Soon Rapunzel has negotiated a trip out of her tower to see the floating lanterns with Flynn as her guide.  (It rather helps that she's hidden the stolen tiara and is holding it for collateral...)  But alas, when you've got a kidnapped princess on the run with a wanted felon, things get a little, well, tangled.  ;)

Tangled has all of the ingredients that make a great Disney film: a heartwarming story, likable characters, good humor, wonderful music, vile villainy, and sweet romance.  The film's humor is right up my alley.  The sidekicks are a hoot.  And Flynn's commentary throughout the film is smile-inducing every time.  

The film also has perhaps the most romantic scene to appear in a Disney film since "A Whole New World."  Every year on Rapunzel's birthday, the king and queen (and the rest of the kingdom) release lanterns in commemoration and hope that the lost princess will be found.  Rapunzel's dream is to see the floating lights in person (rather than just from her window), and the scene does not disappoint.

Tangled is a very enjoyable film.  It's definitely in my top 10 Disney films (and perhaps even in the top 5).  I highly recommend this film for boys and girls of all ages.  There's action and adventure, songs and romance, funny sidekicks and heart.  It's wonderful!

And to close I'll leave you with some beautiful (and rather wise) words from our hero, Flynn Rider:

All those days chasing down a daydream

All those years living in a blur

All that time never truly seeing

Things, the way they were.

So remember to appreciate the moments, and don't spend your life chasing things that don't matter in the end.


Coming Up Next: Winnie the Pooh

The Princess and the Frog

So I'm certain you've noticed... but I've decidedly fallen off the bandwagon with my "Year with Walt" Disney movie watching/blogging project.  However, we only have 5 movies left and so goodness gracious, I will finish this journey before the clock chimes midnight on December 31, 2015!  (And really, aren't two years with Walt better than just one?)

Ringing in as movie number 49 on this journey... it's Disney's The Princess and the Frog.  This film premiered in 2009, marks a return to hand-drawn animation, tells a classic fairy tale story, and features plot-moving songs (sung by the actual characters).  All things that add up to one very happy Megan and one very enjoyable film.

Our story begins in a faraway kingdom, long ago... Wait.  Scratch that.  The story is actually set in New Orleans, Louisiana (Yes.  It's a Disney fairy tale set in America!) at the start of the 20th Century.  This is a definite deviation from the norm for Disney, but it allowed them to do some fantastic things.  (More on those later.)

This film is a twist on the classic fairy tale "The Frog Prince."  The premise of this classic tale is that a prince has been turned into a frog, and the only way for him to turn back into a human is to be kissed by a princess.  And that is exactly what happens in the film - Prince Naveen is tricked by the villainous, voodoo doctor Facilier and finds himself smaller, greener, and with webbed feet.  He sets off to find his princess... but alas it's the night of a masquerade ball... and nothing is exactly as it seems...

The heroine of our film is the hard-working Tiana.  Her parents taught her to dream, but to also work hard for her dreams - and that's what Tiana has done.  She has juggled multiple jobs to save up for her dream - to have her very own restaurant.  It is so refreshing (and a great example to the film's many young viewers) to have our heroine show the merits of working hard to reach your dreams.  Well, as I'm sure you can imagine, Prince Naveen (the frog) manages to convince Tiana to kiss him... The only problem is Tiana is not an actual princess and so the kiss does not go as expected...

Soon our two green friends our off on an across-the-bayou journey to hopefully find a way out of their sticky situation...

The Princess and the Frog showcases four of Disney's strengths in making great movies: the romance, the humor, a nasty villain, and fantastic music.  For the romance, the film does not rely on love-at-first-sight between our hero and heroine like some of our Disney classics.  (Remember here and here.)  Rather the relationship between our two main characters grows throughout the course of the film, and their true love is shown in their willingness to help one another through hard times and ultimately make sacrifices to help the other reach their dream.  I cannot talk about the romance of the film without mentioning the most romantic character of the film - Ray, the firefly.  His heart beats only for his fair Evangeline (aka the Evening Star), but to Ray she is simply a demure fellow firefly to whom he is hopelessly devoted.

The film also presents many a funny scene.  You have a trumpet-playing alligator.  Main characters attempting to live life as frogs.  Mama Odie - a blind, fairy-godmother like figure with a pet snake.  And a hilarious scene with some back-country frog hunters...

My biggest criticism and caution with this film is the villain - voodoo doctor Facilier.  He is a dark character to be sure.  The real problem lies in the fact that voodoo is an actual evil practice.  The use of voodoo in the film turns the film's "bad guy" into a showcase of true evil.  A real evil in the real world.  The scenes involving doctor Facilier are frightening and should definitely be considered before showing to younger viewers.  

My favorite part of the film is (not-so-surprisingly) the music!  Setting the movie in New Orleans in the 1920s gave the filmmakers an opportunity to incorporate a fantastic jazz sound to the music throughout the film - including some fantastic numbers featuring one very lovable, not-so-ferocious, trumpet-playing alligator named Louis.  The music of the film is a true delight.  From the soulful "Almost There" sung by Tiana to the toe-tapping "Goin' Down the Bayou."  My favorite song though is "Dig a Little Deeper" sung by Mama Odie!  It's funny and clever and a real show-stopper.

Overall I enjoyed The Princess and the Frog very much.  It's definitely worth a watch, just be aware of the villain as mentioned above and use some caution with younger viewers.  With that, I'll leave you with some advice from Tiana's Daddy:

Yes, you wish and you dream with all your little heart.  But you remember, Tiana, that old star can only take you part of the way.  You got to help him with some hard work of your own.  And then... Yeah, you can do anything you set your mind to.

Coming Up Next: Tangled