Disney Movies, a Thanksgiving Tradition

by Lisa Green

I’m sure we’re not alone.  I bet a bunch of you go to the movies on Thanksgiving.  At our house, it’s a very long standing tradition.  So much so, it just wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without a trip to the movies.
I’ve done a little research and am pretty sure the list below is correct.  If a year is missing – we did not see a Disney movie – either because we had already seen Disney’s most recent release OR there wasn’t a new Disney movie available (we still went to the movies, but probably didn’t have as much fun).

Today I’m thankful for family, health, happiness, and Disney Movies! 

Did you see any of these on Thanksgiving?

• 1991 Beauty and the Beast
• 1992 Aladdin
• 1994 The Santa Clause
• 1995 Toy Story
• 1996 101 Dalmatians
• 1998 A Bug’s Life
• (Christmas Day) 1998 – Mighty Joe Young
• 1999 Toy Story 2
• 2000 102 Dalmatians
• 2001 Monsters Inc.
• 2002 The Santa Clause 2
• 2003 Brother Bear
• 2004 The Incredibles
• 2005 Chicken Little
• 2006 The Santa Clause 3 – The Escape Clause
• 2007 Enchanted
• 2008 Bolt
• 2010 Tangled
• 2011 The Muppets
• 2012 Wreck it Ralph
• 2013  Frozen

Hope your Thanksgiving is a happy (and entertaining) one!

Portions of this article were originally posted on the Living a Disney Life Blog.

Breakfast With Aladdin Button

by Nick

Back in the 90s, in what was once Disney-MGM Studios, was The Soundstage Restaurant located where Playhouse Disney – Live on Stage! is currently located in Disney Hollywood Studios. It was a full-service restaurant that was designed to look like a “live set” from whichever Disney animated film was released at that time.
When I visited, it was themed around Aladdin.
As this is 20 some years ago, my memory is fuzzy on details, but I have this button to remind me that I ate there at least!



Did you experience this meal, and what did you think of it?

The Music Behind the Magic: Disney CD Set

.

by: Nick

Released in 1994 by Walt Disney Records, “The Music Behind the Magic: The Musical Artistry of Alan Menken, Howard Ashman and Tim Rice” is a four CD set highlighting the creative evolution behind the music of The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin.
The set includes demos, tape recordings, final recordings, and unreleased master recordings of some of the most beloved music in Disney history.

The book and CD case are both cloth bound.

.

The word genius gets tossed around waaaay too often these days when it comes to music.
If you want to hear musical genius unfold before your ears, one needs only to listen to these CDs.



The first 2 discs show how 2 men, Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, in my humble and honest opinion, saved the Walt Disney Company. The impression I get is The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast were written around the lyrics to these songs.
Really.
The third disc shows how amazingly fortuitous it was that they found Tim Rice to help complete the music for Aladdin after Howard Ashman’s untimely passing. Rice’s lyrics meld seamlessly in with Ashman’s.
Some of my favorite material from this set is hearing Ashman and Menken’s Little Mermaid Demos. It’s just amazing to hear Ashman do different character voices. The standout for me being his Ursula.
This set also comes with a wonderful book that looks at this creative period in the rejuvenation of Walt Disney’s animation department.







.

Track Listing, on Amazon.

Wordless Wednesday: Disney Characters on Parade, Walt Disney World's 40th Anniversary