A Re-Evaluation of Frozen

By Nick

Some of you reading this may be over Frozen. 

I understand. In the opinion of many, it's taken over Walt Disney World.

This takeover happened during a period of time that Barbie and I did not visit the parks, and when we did visit in October, we really didn't feel any of the impacts of this juggernaut on the World, with the exception perhaps of Maelstrom being closed.

Why then am I bringing Frozen up now?

For one, we just re-watched it for the first time since we saw it last year in the theater.

Why did it take so long see it again? We've been waiting for the 3D Blu-ray version to be released in the United States, something Disney has chosen not to do as of yet for some reason. I finally caved and bought the region free version from Amazon UK.

So, why did I give in to what is very possibly a marketing ploy, since I'm guessing there will eventually be a deluxe 3D box set released in the United States that will have an Olaf something or other I'll really want, with a bunch of bonus material, which the region free version lacks, and I'll be shelling yet another $30+ out?

Two things.

First, we are going on another, longer trip to Walt Disney World soon, and we will indeed be entering the "Frozen Zone."

In addition to any and all Frozen activities at Disney's Hollywood Studios, we'll be doing the Frozen Holiday Premium Package, also at that park, which includes reserved seating for the First Time in Forever Sing Along, reserved viewing for the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, as well as a dessert party, a lithograph and a pin.

Then there is A Frozen Holiday Wish at the Magic Kingdom, where we join Elsa, Anna, Kristoff and Olaf, who have ventured all the way from Arendelle (or Disney's Hollywood Studios at least) to put on a castle show.

Second, we started watching the ABC television program Once Upon a Time. Have you heard of this? Apparently it's very popular within the Disney community. (Yes, this is sarcasm.)
Well, we are Hooked, pun intended. (If you're a fan, you'll get that.)
We just watched the first 3 seasons, and as season 4 is Frozen-centric, we wanted a refresher.

I enjoyed the film even more the second time than the first. It looks amazing in 3D, and it really is the perfect movie for this format. The songs are amazing, it's funny, and the twist is really very clever. Plus, as a bonus, the animated Mickey Mouse short Get a Horse is included, and, again, made for and best viewed in 3D.

I'll be posting photos of the events mentioned above on our Facebook page, on Instagram, and on Twitter, all of which can be accessed from over there on the right side of this page.

Rocketeer Candy

By: Nick

I love the Rocketeer. It's a really underrated movie.

A very short synopsis from IMDB : A young pilot stumbles onto a prototype jetpack that allows him to become a high flying masked hero. If you haven't seen it, it's out on Blu Ray.

When I first started collecting Disneyana in 1991, I started collecting Rocketeer. I have several figures around somewhere, yet to be rediscovered, but this was found by my wife, along with some other assorted Disney goodies, in the attic.

Why did I buy a box of candy, which wasn't opened for 20 years, and then, only to be photographed?

 

What was I thinking?! I don't have the slightest idea. I hope I got it at a reasonable price. If I had the actual cash in hand for all the stuff that I have in boxes in the attic, basement and garage, I could retire. Ah well, 'tis the curse of the collector.

And what kind of candy is it you may ask? There is no place on either the box or on the candy containers to indicate just what is inside!

So, the answer to the question "what kind of candy is it?" is; it's old candy!

Disney Movie Rewards

by Gaylin

I joined Disney Movie Rewards (DMR) a few years ago. I have a few Disney movies (don't we all) and figured I would sign up to see what it was all about. There is a code inside every DVD/Blu-ray box, after you join the rewards program, you enter the codes into the right spot and the points add up.

If you don't buy a lot of movies, pay attention, DMR does run contests to get more points without buying a movie. I 'liked' DMR on Facebook and get notifications when they are running a contest, usually you copy and paste a code from DMR on Pinterest or answer questions in a quiz and you add 5 to 15 points a day to your total.

I usually use my points (5 per entry) to enter sweepstakes to win trips to Walt Disney World, really - what could be better than a trip to WDW, a FREE trip of course!!!

This spring I was looking through the rewards and found one I wanted, it 'cost' 600 points. I had exactly that, 600 points. I immediately claimed my reward, 600 points equals about $6.00. Also I was surprised that there was no shipping fee. Here it is, my amazing reward!

Yes, I got a Funko Pop bobble head of Loki! Just what any grown woman needs. The day after I ordered this, I looked on the DMR page again and it was gone. I guess I wasn't the only person who wanted this great toy if it sold out that fast.

As you can see from the back of the box, there is a whole series of these toys. I had to laugh when I first looked at the picture of bobble Thor, I thought he had a soother in his mouth . . . nope, that is his goatee!

Bobble Loki is a grand 3 3/4 inches tall and whatever kind of spring is in his head, once he starts to bobble, he takes a long time to stop. Sure, Loki is a bad guy but really this bobble is seriously cute.

His hair looks like a helmet from the back and the odd proportion of head to body is even more noticeable from behind.

It is always fun to get real mail, even more fun when it is a toy that didn't cost anything. Have you ever cashed in your reward points? What did you get?

Sleeping Beauty Blu-ray Review

by Nick 

I bought this Sleeping Beauty Blu-ray several years ago, when I first got my Blu-ray player, but just got around to watching it last weekend.

A couple of things prompted me to finally pop in this disc which was released in 2008, for Sleeping Beauty's 50th Anniversary.
D23 Magazine's article on Eyvind Earle and Sleeping Beauty for one, and Maleficent for the other.
Eyvind Earle was chosen by Walt Disney to be the driving creative force behind Sleeping Beauty, responsible for the absolutely gorgeous styling of every frame of this masterpiece.
And this Blue-ray release brings those images to the forefront. This is arguably the most beautifully rendered of all of Disney's animated classics, seen for the first time in 1080p Hi Def. And the extra wide picture really showcases this.
The story, well, it's...slow at several points. Not enough to lose an adult's interest perhaps, but I could see how a child's attention might wander at times. Barbie and I, on more than one occasion, asked each other if we remembered one scene or another from previous viewings, or remembered things very differently.
The 7.1 surround sound is terrific, I felt I was at Aurora's Christening, dancing with Briar Rose in the forest, and fighting the dragon!
And, finally, it was great to compare Maleficent's take on the tale compared to Sleeping Beauty. As anticipated, the former has completely altered how I view the latter.

The second disc in this collection has a wealth of wonderful extras.

 Games and Activities: 

Maleficent's Challenge.
This is very entertaining Maleficent herself appears to tell you that the magic orb on her staff will read your mind, through a series of questions.
Choose a "Creature," "Element," "Vegetable," or "Other."
You are then asked a series of questions.
My wife chose lettuce. After several questions "Maleficent" guessed that we were thinking Salad!
I chose a dog. Yep, she got it!

Briar Rose's Enchanted Dance Game.
This teaches you the dance steps to Waltz! I confess, we didn't do this one.

Fun with Language Game.
Learn words with the 3 Fairies. For very young children, this teaches you words like "bowl"

Backstage Disney has many "making of" features, with a look at the original Disneyland Sleeping Beauty Castle walk through attraction, a biography of Eyvind Earle and a look at his art, alternate and deleted scenes, storyboard and art galleries, a look at how they restored the soundtrack, and trailers!
In addition, there is a 16 minute segment from the original Disneyland TV series titled "Four Artists Paint One Tree" featuring a bookend introduction from Walt Disney, and a look at four of the Disney Studios artists, including Eyvind Earle and Marc Davis, and a look at each artist's creative interpretation of one subject. This alone was worth the price of the Blu-ray set.

There is also a DVD which has a view extras of it's own, including a short titled "Grand Canyon" which a visual interpretation of the Grand Canyon Suite, with absolutely beautiful images of the Canyon and surrounding areas, like Monument Valley, which I'd never seen before.

There is a "Diamond Edition" of Sleeping Beauty due to be released later this year, no doubt to coincide with the release of Maleficent.
I'm not sure how they will possibly improve on the visuals and sound, but I confess I am curious to see what extras the new edition will hold.

The Writer's Stop at Disney's Hollywood Studios

By: Nick

Back in a quiet corner of Disney's Hollywood Studios is one of our favorite spots in all of Walt Disney World.

The Writer's Stop is located next to the Sci-Fi Dine In Theater Restaurant.

Doing some research, I've discovered that this was originally built to resemble the set of the  bookstore in Ellen DeGeneres' sitcom Ellen, which was named "Buy the Book," which is why you will find many items, such as the ceiling lights, that convey a TV set atmosphere.

The Writer's Stop is a small bookstore, cafe, and gift shop all in one. 

You'll find many of the prepackaged goodies you can find at many other gift stores throughout Disney property here.

In the center of the store you'll find comfy seats, a television playing Disney related programs, Disney themed games, a good selection of DVDs, Blu-rays, and books.

The book selection is pretty terrific; appealing to a wide audience, representing many of the Disney owned properties and assorted attractions, such as The Twilight Zone, that you'll find at the Studios, as well as books about Walt Disney, Disney art, and children's books.

Proceeding to the back, you'll find an even more eclectic book selection, including best sellers and biographies, among others. You'll also find tables and and more seating.

 

This cozy area is also where you'll find kitchen items displayed beautifully: mugs and tea and biscuits that you'll find at other stores as well.

They also offer a wide selection of drinks, including coffees, teas, espresso, cappuccinos, waters, juices and sodas.

Lastly, but certainly not least, are thr bakery items, such as bagels, muffins, pastries and cookies, including one of my favorite snacks in the World, the Carrot Cake Cookie.

As far as I'm aware, The Writer's Stop is the only place on Disney property to get the Carrot Cake Cookie.

It's approximately the size of my head, but I have NO trouble finishing it off myself, but you may want to share it with a friend or 3!

Monsters University-A Review with Spoilers, So Watch Out!

We went to see Monsters University on opening night with friends and our five year old Godson. Our theater was packed with families. That probably made this movie a better experience for me, you see, the animated short that started the movie off "The Blue Umbrella" was, as usual, amazing, and in fact, more touching than the actual movie itself! Our audience clapped after the short, they were really into it!

Monsters University started off strong and seemed to fade off quickly. I was waiting for some of the scenes to show up from the previews that were playing on TV, and none of them were in the movie. What a letdown! Maybe the movie would have been better if they had included the scene where Sully makes Mike into a disco ball? I don't know. Even though there were some laughs, I found myself wondering when the movie was going to end! What's wrong with me?

My expectations are high. That's the problem. Monsters Inc. has such heart, you really can't get the story out of your head. Remember Kitty? Who doesn't! There is nothing like that in this movie.

There is a multitude of characters, many of them laugh-out-loud funny. Some of them memorable. Some scenes are very cute. And at certain scary points of the movie, we could hear a kid saying, "I want to go home now!"

Our audience roared, screamed and growled, hmm, they must have gone to Scare School, like we did! I'm sure most of the audience really enjoyed the movie, and there were some great parts, but it's not a movie that you'd put in your DVD or Blu-ray collection.