#101 Dalmatians got me hooked

[spookykestrel]

Ohhhhh I made the mistake of looking at Dalmatian puppies awwwweeeeeew

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

'90s Animated Movie Blockbuster Runs

Given how much I've been thinking about low animated movie openings lately and how much the stats regarding an animated movie's box office fascinates me, I thought I'd look at - following up on my post about not-sequel animated movies and their opening weekends - how animated heavies did around 30 years ago...

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, after playing in select theaters, opened wide a week before Thanksgiving in 1991. The 22nd... Its opening weekend gross was $9m... Of course, that's in 1991 dollars. Today, that would be significantly higher, I think...

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST ended its box office run sometime in mid-1992 with $145m domestically. At the time, this was the biggest gross for an all-animated feature film, besting THE LITTLE MERMAID's $84m take from two years prior.

Back then, things were significantly different. There were no digital platforms, there were certainly less distractions, and the video release was not right around the corner. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST came to VHS and LaserDisc on October 30, 1992... That was almost a **whole year** after it had come to theaters. The public was first made aware of this on a preview at the end of the 101 DALMATIANS VHS that streeted on April 10, 1992... That was already around five months into its theatrical run.

Much like THE LITTLE MERMAID, it played off of word-of-mouth. Even nowadays, an animated feature's best friend at the box office is word-of-mouth, and where does that word-of-mouth come from?

Adults.

If LITTLE MERMAID didn't have that in 1989-90, it would've just been another GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE. Something that parents took their kids to, and maybe few Disney regulars would show up to, but that was about it.

Nestled in-between MERMAID and BEAST was THE RESCUERS DOWN UNDER, which was treated as dead-on-arrival upon its botched Thanksgiving 1990 release. Didn't help that a little movie called HOME ALONE was playing next door, which captured the minds and eyeballs of the public, from families to adults. RESCUERS DOWN UNDER not only struggled, but Disney shot the horse right as it trotted out of the gate, pulling all of its marketing within weeks of posting disappointing weekend returns. Even then, DOWN UNDER still managed to make over 8x its opening weekend gross. Only a select few animated movies have achieved that kind of multiplier post-1999. (I have a list for that, too!)

There's a stark difference between the run of a movie like RESCUERS DOWN UNDER, and the one-two punch of MERMAID and BEAST that got the "Renaissance" going for Disney Animation. DOWN UNDER, alongside Don Bluth's ALL DOGS GO TO HEAVEN and Fox/Kroyer's FERNGULLY: THE LAST RAINFOREST, kind illustrate this nicely... All three of those made less than $30m individually, while MERMAID, BEAST, and later ALADDIN and THE LION KING... Tore up the box office. Sometimes breaking records and topping the chart completely in the process.

ALADDIN's opening weekend in fall 1992 was $19m. THE LION KING, a summer bow in 1994, opened with $40m. From there, animated movies that audiences really wanted to see often opened with $25m or higher.

And it was because Disney at the time knew how to get people **other than** families to go see their animated movies. It was an experiment they tried out as far back as the spring of 1986, for a theatrical re-issue of SLEEPING BEAUTY... As evidenced by the tagline on this poster:

"Share it with someone you love."

Dating adults.

MERMAID, BEAST, ALADDIN, and THE LION KING were partially fueled by young dating adults, giving those movies more traction than they could've ever wished for. Also helps that the movies themselves had romances in them. Adults weren't really there for DOWN UNDER, ALL DOGS, FERNGULLY, etc. They didn't have that adult hook.

It's probably why Disney seemingly mandated romances for almost every animated movie after ALADDIN and THE LION KING. Until the well dried up, that is. Maybe their executives saw just how big their movies were with dating adults, and kept going for romances. Funnily enough, the majority of THE RESCUERS DOWN UNDER's runtime is Bernard trying his damnedest to propose to Miss Bianca, and he finally gets around to doing so by the movie's end... It's a lot more subtle in that movie, and it's not a musical, so it doesn't have that sweeping sense of grandeur to it. I get the sense that a movie like DOWN UNDER was written off by moviegoers as just another kids' cartoon, some throwaway adventure like GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE, ALL DOGS, and FERNGULLY.

And of course, other animated movies began to show that you couldn't just depend on romance or big musical numbers. The Pixar films especially, even something like A BUG'S LIFE has the whole Flik-Atta dynamic secondary, and the first two TOY STORY movies don't make a huge deal about Woody and Bo Peep's relationship. FINDING NEMO kills off the love interest in the opening minutes. None of those movies were musicals. DreamWorks' CG movies weren't, either.

But it was the way the Disney filmmakers told those stories, and Disney's strategizing, that got adults to show up for those massive films...

Maybe that's the problem now. Maybe Disney Animation's WISH, STRANGE WORLD, etc.... Just didn't give anyone other than families a reason to go check out the films - in both the films themselves and in the marketing. Pixar's ELEMENTAL had awful advertising that had a real "please clap" energy to it, but when the word got out about the romantic comedy being worth watching, the movie stuck like glue for months. Even with competition left and right. DreamWorks/Universal basically threw RUBY GILLMAN out and said "Yeah, here's a movie... Maybe see it? I dunno-" Despite being buried, it somehow mustered up a 3x multiplier. WISH will be lucky to achieve that.

No matter how much people like to deny it, it takes adults to make these things successful, too. Something like PAW PATROL 2 can only go so far (it hasn't made 3x its opening weekend gross, which indicates most of its legs are from parents taking their kids to something), it takes more than just parents looking to keep their kids busy to make a blockbuster. Something the size of FROZEN, ZOOTOPIA, SECRET LIFE OF PETS, COCO, etc. With huge renowned IPs, the work is kinda done for you, i.e. SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE and such. You'd have to make it really look unappealing in order to *not* score with it.

Even in an age where a streaming/video release is within weeks of a movie's opening (sometimes the theatrical release is one big ad for the streaming debut, such as Apple's rollouts of KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON and NAPOLEON, and Amazon's release of AIR), you can still get people coming back... Right now, it seems as if Disney Animation couldn't get that right for its last two features.

Legs mean everything, you gotta give the adult something to keep them coming back.

[allthingsfangirl101]

AFS Chapter 5: One Simple Rule

Masterlist

Joe and Evelyn walked in, smiling when the teenage girl working at the counter gasped. She looked around and nervously fixed her uniform shirt.

"Hi," she stuttered. "Welcome to Firehouse Subs. I'm Lauren. What can I get started for you, Evelyn Jones."

"Hi, Lauren," Evelyn said sweetly. "Can I get a medium Turkey Bacon Ranch?"

"Of course," Lauren giggled as she put it into the cash register.

Joe was so distracted by how Evelyn treated this random girl just as nicely as she treated Henry, that he didn't notice both girls turn to him.

"Joe?" Evelyn asked. "What did you want?"

"Oh," he cleared his throat and looked back up at the menu. "I'll take a medium Hook and Ladder."

"Sure thing," Lauren nodded. "Anything else?"

"That'll do it," Evelyn smiled. Joe jumped forward when he saw Evelyn reach for her wallet. He gently put his hand on her arm and grabbed his wallet out of his back pocket. She opened her mouth to object but he shook his head.

"My idea, my bill."

He didn't miss the slight blush and the small smile on Evelyn's face as she looked away. After Joe paid the bill, the two walked over and sat down at an empty table.

"So," Joe started, "tell me about that crazy movie I walked in on."

Evelyn chuckled as she looked down at her intertwined hands. As they waited for their food, they talked about Evelyn's newest movie.

"So, that outfit you were in when I walked onto set was kinda crazy," Joe hesitantly teased. "I have to know. What movie is that from?"

"It's a new Disney live-action," Evelyn chuckled. Joe let out a sigh of relief when Evelyn laughed instead of getting angry. "It's based on the villain in 101 Dalmatians."

"Cruella Deville?" He asked.

"It's her backstory," she nodded.

Joe smirked as he thought back to the outfit she was wearing earlier. "May I just say," he chuckled, "you play the role very well, Evelyn. Very convincing."

"Thank you, Joe."

"Order's up!" One of the other teenage workers called out.

Joe instantly stood up and got it. He carried the food back to their table and sat across from her. As they ate, they started talking about Joe's work on Stranger Things.

"I'm kind of curious. What's it like working with people so much younger than you?" Evelyn asked. "I've only ever worked with people either my age or older. How do you do it?"

"It takes a lot of patience," he chuckled. "When you work with people younger, you don't realize how much they depend on you and turn to you. You don't realize how much you actually end up accidentally teaching them. It's a lot of pressure."

"It seems kind of cool to have that big of an influence on the younger generation," Evelyn mumbled. Joe watched as she slowly took a bite.

"I'm not sure I'm the best role model for those kids," Joe chuckled, trying to lighten the sudden mood and make Evelyn happy again. Silence fell between the two of them as they finished their sandwiches.

"Can I ask you something that will most likely make you yell and storm out of here?" Evelyn asked, playing with the toothpick.

"I promise not to yell at you," Joe said sincerely. "What did you want to ask me?"

"At dinner the other night," she started, "you were the Joe Keery that people expect. But today? Well, I don't really know how to say this but, you've been acting. . . Normal."

"Can't argue with you there," he chuckled light-heartedly. "Was that your question or did you have a different one?"

"My question is. . .  If you can act like a normal human being, why don't you?"

Joe sighed as he sat back in his chair. He ran his hands through his hair, trying to find an honest answer for her. He surprised himself when he realized he didn't want to lie to Evelyn.

"My first role, I played that part," he finally answered. "My director wanted me to fully get into the character. He wanted me to act that way on and off-screen. I got so used to it, I never snapped out of it. Then people expected me to act that way so I kept acting that way. I can be a good guy, Evelyn. I swear to you, I can."

"You really want to do this?" Evelyn asked. "You really think I can help your image?"

"I do," Joe said instantly. "People adore you, Evelyn. If people see that you willingly hang out with me, maybe they'll give me a second chance."

"Joe," she sighed, "I'm willing to help you. But don't you think you need to be the one to show the world you deserve a second chance?"

"You're right," Joe mumbled. He cleared his throat as he added, "But people don't trust me."

"Or," she elongated, "you don't trust you."

Silence fell between the two as Joe thought about what Evelyn said. She was willing to help Joe with his image, but she needed to make sure he wanted to change.

"You're really willing to fake date me just to improve how people see me?" Joe needed to check.

"I am," Evelyn nodded, "but I need you to understand something, Joe. I only have one rule when it comes to this fake relationship; you need to put in the effort. I refuse to put in more work to improve your career than you. If I do, I walk."

"I completely understand," he said quickly. "I promise to put in most of the effort. I will do whatever you tell me to do. Please, Evelyn. I want to improve my image and I know you can help me."

"When should we start?" Evelyn asked with her famous Hollywood smile.

"How about tomorrow night?" Joe offered. "I owe you an official first date."

"Tomorrow night works," she agreed, making Joe let out a sigh of relief. Suddenly, her smile turned into a glare. "Don't you dare be late."

"I won't. I swear."

[daveinediting]

In the beginning, I was a reader.

Actually, I was a listener to stories my parents read to me. I was also a listener to Disney records my parents would play for me. The one I remember most? 101 Dalmatians.

I've still got Cruella's voice in my head from that record.

Reading's a thing that happened in grade school. In class, of course, but also selections from those Scholastic catalogs our teachers would hand out. I remember the first two books I ordered were ghost story collections. Then, later on, I got into DC's horror comics that I'd buy down at the local 7-11. In 1977, I caught Starlog issue 6 out of the corner of my eye at the local grocery store. I bought it and kept buying each new issue.

So.

I was a listener in the beginning who eventually became an avid reader as well.

In third grade, our teacher, Mrs. Lohse, gave us opportunities to write our own "books". We'd write a story, turn it in, after which it was typed up by a parent who left room for pictures on some of the pages. We'd then add a thin cardboard cover to those pages, title and illustrate the cover, add illustrations where there was room on the typed pages, staple down the middle three times, fold the pages and cover right over the stapes and voila!

A book.

I was absolutely hooked.

And so I became a writer, too. I don't remember much more writing in grade school but I do remember analyzing stories like "The Price of the Head" in Mr. Allen's Language Arts class, the first time I remember discussing the craft of writing. Then Mr. Hodges in High School, one of two Creative Writing classes I took in High School with more writing analysis like Contemporary Lit in college as well as more creative writing. And then more in-depth analyses on books like Nancy Freedman's "Joshua, Son of None" and Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein". And then a coupla plays, high school satires about our class which my friends read at lunch.

I got all the laughs I was going for. Which only got me more hooked.

Then in college I picked up more game in Copywriting and Advertising Campaigns while pursuing my university major. The two classes between them involved a combination of persuasive writing and creative writing.

Okay now rewind a bunch. Because I was also a musician. Or, at least, my parents signed me up for piano lessons when I was in grade school. I remember basic music classes in school, by the way, rudimentary music theory (Tah, Tah, Tee-Tee, Tah) and actual play performances. The top two plays that come to mind are a big deal lead role in a play put on by my Boy Scouts troop at my grade school... and The Ghost of Christmas Past in A Christmas Carol.

My parents made sure I rehearsed. Know what I mean? They would record the entire play except for my lines so, as I followed along listening, they would pause the recording so that I could say my line for that moment, and then un-pause it until my next line. In the Boy Scouts play, I had a ton of lines so it was pretty easy to know where they went.

I still remember how excited our den mother was at my performance. Either because I the best actor ever, or...

Her expectations weren't super high to begin with.

Either way, that kind of excitement over something I'd done was addicting.

Definitely memorable.

Somewhere in there, I also joined the boy choir at church that later turned into being a member of the adult church choir. So yeah. Music music music. Choir choir choir. Rehearse rehearse rehearse. Perform perform perform.

All these activities continued through Jr. High and High School in different variations. The music. The singing. The musicals. And then around Junior or Senior year in high school, my parents helped me buy a basic synthesizer. Shortly after, I saved up and bought another one that could do more. And then not long after that my parents gave me a multitrack cassette recorder for Christmas. A friend of mine who was a guitar player (relentlessly practicing Pete Townshend's guitar parts from classic Who songs, mostly "Pinball Wizard") jumped right into the opportunity and we started writing and recording songs. And then later I'd rent more advanced synths from American Music in order to write and record even more complex songs. Even later still, a friend of ours who was a drummer with his own kit and his own backlog of songs joined in.

The writing and recording continued through college where I took to a major in Advertising with the intent of starting a career in that endeavor within the local advertising community at an ad agency. Not long after I graduated, though, I realized I didn't want a career in advertising.

Whoops.

Later that same year, I caught a flyer in the mail about The Art Institute of Seattle, went to their open house, and was into my first quarter of the Music & Video Business program that December.

Around that same time, my Advertising Campaigns professor hooked me up with his contact at Instructional Media Services on campus that started me working as a cable channel operator and turned into a position on the production crew at IMS.

At The Art Institute, I picked up the basics of editing which was fortunate because I also picked up an opportunity to be an assistant editor for one of the producers at IMS who was starting his own production company to produce travel shows for public television. It's for that company that I later became an editor and then much later a composer and then somewhere in there a pinch-hitter for motion graphic design.

Same deal at IMS that eventually became UW Video.

And also now on projects for which I do the one-man band thing in my home studio. Editing. Graphics/motion graphics. Music.

I'm still an avid reader, by the way. And I'm still an even more avid writer.

It's how I process my thoughts across a number of arenas personal, professional, and a few things on the outside.

All of that experience, by the way, centered me in a particular way: music. That and writing were my thing. Therefore musicians and writers were my people. Which was fortunate because in my career path, writers were also most often producers in need of editors. So it was helpful to share some of the same headspace. And musicians,well...

A lot of people in my life are musicians in some way. Which is how it was in school. Most of my friends were in choir. So music's how I identified. Music's how I thought of myself. It was the context in which I thought of myself.

It's the way I engaged the world.

So.

The other day I was in a conversation about school districts, budget cuts, fine arts and performing arts. We were discussing how the arts in general are understood to be elective, accessories if you will, to serious education. And how the one school district was down to one full-time music teacher.

One.

Which tells you just where the school district's cutting back.

It also brought to mind everything I wrote about just now. It brought to mind the question of what my life would be if I didn't have that thread of music classes and opportunities running through my education. If I didn't have an environment of creativity in which to engage the world in the way I'm wired to engage the world.

I was definitely ADHD boy in school. "Hyperactive" was another word for it. As was "distractible". "High energy" would be a very nice way to put it. "Verbal" would be another.

Of course "talks in class" is how it was typically phrased on my report card. And not in a good way.

Definitely definitely definitely I wasn't for every teacher going back to first grade. Not every teacher could handle me. I got in trouble a bunch. My parents got notes a bunch. I was graded down because of my "citizenship". And a number of teachers yelled.

However.

There were other teachers, Thank God, who could or knew just how to manage me. My guess is that they were either wired similarly or simply knew what they were doing. Of course the ones who contributed the most to who I am were language and literature teachers and music teachers who also consistently modeled a professionalism I didn't recognize until later.

It's not nothing, is what I'm trying to say, the Arts.

They're defining.

They take you places. They connect you to certain people immediately.

And yeah.

You can build your entire life on them.

😁

[l00ney-m00ny]

Last year for bookfair i was gonna go as one of the Dalmatian in 101 Dalmatians and so mum and dad went and got me an actual dog collar with my name inscribed on a tag and they told me of an encounter they had at the pet store while getting the collar and tag…

Store worker: Oh! I see your buying a collar and tag for your dog! What kind are they?

Dad: we don’t own a dog its for our daughter.

Store worker: Excuse me, what?

Anyways nobody really cared when i wore it to school on the day (maily because nobody in my class was there) but on a free dress day i wore it to schoola nd literally everyone pointed at me all day and made kink jokes.

ALSO! ON THE DAY OF THE BOOKFAIR ONE OF MY CLASSMATES THAT WAS THERE FOUND A DOG LEASE AND HOOKED IT ONTO MY COLLAR TOO AND DRAGGED ME AROUND FOR A BIT!!!

[disneydancepants]

More Disney Names, Villain Edition!

Oof, I think promised this a year ago. 😔

Well, it's finally here! At least? I'm sorry...

Just me though. Me are worm, worthless worm.

Let's goooo! Format will be a little different this time, though.

1.) Evil Queen (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)

The Evil Queen, mother of Evie, (second) fairest of them all... She actually has a canon name. If you remember my Disney Princess post, I revealed this for Snow White. While not in the movie, Evil Queen has long been known as Queen Grimhilde in various media. This is even confirmed in Sofia the First (I think season 4?). She is also occasionally called Evil Queen Ingrid, although this is less-canon. I like combining the two into: Queen Ingrid Grimhilde. It fits her.

Confirmed Canon, Outside Film.

2.) Lady Tremaine (Cinderella)

The Wicked Step-Mother, mother of Anastasia and Drizella... We don't actually hear her name in the film, but her daughters get announced at the ball using the surname Tremaine. We don't ever learn her first name. In the live action version, it is apparently Madonna Tremaine. There is a Nancy Tremaine in Enchanted as a nod to her, although she was neither wicked (outside of Elphaba, anyway) nor ultimately a stepmother in the end. I made up the name Lady Hellene Tremaine for her, mostly because I like how it sounds. Every other name at the ball is French, so the French form of Helen suits. It's got a nice "Hell" in there for her evilness, although that has nothing to do with the etymology of the name...

Half-Confirmed Canon in the movie, Half-Invented by me.

4.) Captain Hook (Peter Pan)

Everybody knows his name. In the book, he's Jas. Hook. I don't know why it was so hard to write two more letters, but Captain James Hook of the Jolly Roger is his full name.

Confirmed Canon in the Film and original story.

3.) Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty)

The Mistress of All Evil, who unleashed All the Powers of Hell! The Evilest Villain! The Evil Fairy who can transform into a friggin DRAGON! We only really know her by one name, like Cher. Disney Villains: The Top Secret Files says her full name is Maleficent Fae/Maleficent Fairy or something like that. But that's lame. I'm not calling my Sims that.

Instead, I came up with two. I like the sound better of Maleficent Infernalis, which means "hellish". But from an etymological stand-point, Maleficent Gehennalis of the Forbidden Mountain work better (unlike Infernalis, Gehennalis also translates to "From Hell"). Ugh... Maleficent Infernalis just sounds better though...

Not Canon. I made it up.

5.) Cruella De Vil (101 Dalmatians)

Yeah, so... They straight up say it the whole movie. Bonus though: Horace and Jasper are the Badun Brothers. I never knew they were even related when I was growing up, but that's canon. Cruella De Vil.

Canon in Film.

6.) The Horned King (The Black Cauldron)

Man, this dude... This dude... He has no other name in the movie. In the books, you have to know his true name to be able to defeat him. So you know what the author does? A character yells something indistinguishable when he beats the Horned King. When asked about it later, he gives the cop-out of "Oh, I can't say it again! It's too horrible!"

Fuck off. Nobody has time for that garbage. But anyway, he's call Re Cornelius in Italian or something because the translation for "Horned King" is slang for "The Cuckold King", allegedly. So he's King Cornelius over there. Interestingly, that sounds like the name of an old horned god he may have been modeled after: Cernunnos. So I'm calling this dude Cernunnos of Annuvin.

Sorta Invented, sorta pieced together from canon sources. It's iffy.

7.) Ursula (The Little Mermaid)

Nothing canon is given for our Mer-Octo-Not-A-Mom. In original drafts, she was supposed to be the banished sister of King Triton, but that was thrown out. The sequel makes that extra non-canon by giving her an avenging sister. So... What's her name? What's her name?

I was originally going to go with Ursula Cecaelia. A Cecaelia is the mythological name for a half-human, half-octopus being. But then I discovered that Ursula was heavily modelled after drag icon Divine. To the point that she might have voiced Ursula if she hadn't died before production. So in honor of Ursula's inspiration, I dub her Ursula Divinia.

Made it up based on pre-production sources. Not Canon.

8.) Gaston (Beauty and the Beast)

Noooo oooone... Makes this easy as Gaston! Except maybe Cruella De Vil. But Gaston has a canon name, and it's Gaston LeGume. Because the dude is a total goomer. It's supposed to be a pun off legume/a peanut. Probably because he's book-dumb. Aww, opposites attract! At least from Gaston's direction.

If only they had given us LeFou's full name too!

Confirmed Canon by production crew, but not in the film itself.

9.) Jafar (Aladdin)

So, bouncing off the research I tried to do for Aladdin and Jasmine... This guy was much harder. We know nothing about his parents, his family, his origins... Not even really in deleted material. So I went with a title surname. Jafar al-Wazir or literally Jafar the Vizier. He has a dubiously canon sister named Nasira who tries to avenge him in a video game, but she's not given any more name info either. So...

Not Canon, but built from the little canon material I could scrounge.

10.) Governor Ratcliffe (Pocahontas)

Okay, so... I'm gonna be honest: I can't remember if this is given in the movie or if it's the historical guy's name. But he's Governor John Ratcliffe. Lots of Johns back then, huh? IMO, the real life Ratcliffe doesn't sound like a bad person. I feel like they slapped the name Ratcliffe onto 90% of the real John Smith's character. Fun fact: Ratcliffe and his man-servant Percy are both voiced by David Ogden Stiers, of M*A*S*H fame. He also did the voices of Cogsworth and Idiot Scientist Jumba.

Confirmed Canon.

11.) Judge Frollo (The Hunchback of Notre Dame)

This guy might be the most evil Disney Villain. And... This movie isn't very PC, huh? I get it's based on an old book, but we're not supposed to say "hunchback" or "gypsy" anymore. At least they were the good guys though, right?

Anyway... His name is Judge Claude Frollo. Sorry Maleficent, but this guy is the real actual worst.

Confirmed super canon.

12.) Hades (Hercules)

Yes indeed. This guy had nothing canon beyond "Hades, God of the Underworld" in the movie. So I had to look to his mythological counterpart (who, unlike Disney's version, isn't the Christian Devil. But had to twist Zeus into the good guy somehow!) Could have gone with Pluto or all kinds of things, but I liked his Greek epithet Hades Erebios. Besides also being called Hades, the Underworld was also called Erebos (from what I remember. My note-taking should have been better.) So Hades Erebios loosely should mean "Hades of the Underworld". I didn't like Hades Olympios because... The movie completely excludes Hades from the Gods of Olympus. He doesn't even get to glow like they all do!

Not Confirmed Canon, but based on mythology.

13.) Shan Yu (Mulan)

Maybe I should have gone with his name from the live-action version. "Shan Yu" is derived from... I think it was the Hun word for "leader"? But it's based on a historical title, and thus... Not really a proper name.

But the movie treats it like one. They also named the cricket Cri-Kee, so this was probably a nerdy inside joke. I can get on board with that. So it's just Shan Yu. The glorious Tiger-Man.

Confirmed Canon, right in the movie.

14.) Clayton (Tarzan)

I remember reading that in the book(s), Clayton is something like Tarzan's cousin. And he doesn't want Tarzan to return to Great Britain because he's the rightful heir to the fortune Clayton inherited. Disney didn't include any of that thought.

I don't remember if this is in the movie or just the books, but google tells me his full name is Mr. William Cecil Clayton.

Canon confirmed, somewhere.

15.) Yzma (Emperor's New Groove)

This one actually threw me off my groove. Kronk is the only character I could find any info on an actual full name. And since his is a Villains post and not a Minions/Henchmen... I have no idea for Yzma or Kuzco.

I'm blanking here. Couldn't find anything.

16.) Commander Rourke (Atlantis: The Lost Empire)

Should I have spoiler tagged this? I'm lame and don't even know *how* to do a spoiler tag on tumblr. But this movie is old enough, right?

Anyway, full name is Commander Lyle Tiberius Rourke.

Confirmed Canon in the Film.

17.) Mor'du (Brave)

Uuuugh, the stupid chronological Disney Villain list I was following didn't include Brave. Of course. So now I have to redo all my numbers. Thanks, list!

This list's villain from the Other Studio is not given any name for his human form. Mor'du is only the name of his bear form, coming from Gaelic to mean "Black Giant" essentially. The Legend of Mor'du bears some slight resemblances to the historical account of Eirik Bloodaxe/Yryc Bloodaxe though, with him allegedly killing his half-brothers to gain political power. Eirik Bloodaxe was a Norwegian Viking King, but he was exiled and ruled Northumbria (Scotland) briefly before his death.

I like the comparisons, and maybe in Pixar Eirik made a deal with a witch to regain Norway? Yeah? Maybe? For that reason, I like something like Yryc Bloodaxe or Yryc Mor'du as his name.

Not Canon. At all.

18.) Doctor Facilier (The Princess and the Frog)

The Shadow Man! He's Got Friends On the Other Side! I was losing some steam here, but I'm back now with one of my favorite villains!

No official first name is given for Doc F, BUT! BUT! Dr. Facilier was inspired by real life voodoo priest Francois Duvalier, who also modeled his look after Baron Samedi. Plus, I love that alliteration of Dr. Francois Facilier! It just sounds right

Not Canon, but based on a character inspiration.

19.) Mother Gothel (Tangled)

Mother might know best when she's gaslighting a princess, but we don't know her first name. So I tried to make something up that fits her character and sounds a bit off from other characters (since she's an ancient de-aging witch). I ended up picking Narcissa Gothel. Half-spoilers for the TV show, but it also fits the Greek-named theme with her biological daughter. The Narcissist thing might be too on-the-nose, but... It does accurately fit her.

100% made up, Not Canon.

20.) Prince Hans (Frozen)

Sorry-Not-Sorry if this spoils Frozen, but... Who is reading this post and hasn't seen Frozen at this point?! And I still vividly remember saying "I don't trust this guy..." out loud after he got introduced the first time I saw it. True story.

Okay, but anyway: he's been revealed to be Prince Hans Westergaard of the Southern Isles. In my headcanon, he's also the returning Villain of Frozen 3. No redemption for you!

Confirmed very Canon outside the movie.

21.) Namaari (Raya and the Lost Dragon)

Last on my list... I don't even remember if I did Namaari alongside Raya in the previous list. I've stayed up way too late writing this. So if I did, here it is again. If I didn't... Here it is once.

Like Raya, the best we get is "Namaari of Fang". I'm sorry tired that I'm spacing... Crap, Namaari is from Fang, right? Not Talon?

Whichever it is, I google-translated the correct one. I think into Indonesian? It was back when I did the post with Raya. And then I added what Wikipedia told me was a South-Eastern Asian surname ending. The result was Princess Namaari Sitaring.

Not Canon, but I tried my best to accurately reflect her Clan name with a Kumandran flair.

Obviously this wasn't a complete list. I mostly focused on humanoid Villains who corresponded to my previous lists. Hope you enjoyed!

[fictionalmenmistress]

Review: Cruella (2021)

OK... BUT CRUELLA WAS SO FREAKIN GOOD. I HATE TUMBLR PEOPLE FOR MAKING ME THINK IT WAS GOING TO BE BAD, BECAUSE IT WAS STUNNING. Visually AMAZING. And I was thrilled to the end. My art-loving eyes were orgasming from every scene. Yeah... its like the people on tumblr didn't even WATCH the movie to know the full plot... like?? She wasn't redeemed, she accepted her bad unapologetically?? The dogs didn't kill her mom and she didn't hate them for it?? It was clear whomst the villain was, and it gave us a lot of original themes.

I compared it to Maleficent. It was a new spin on an old baddie, that made her even better. It was a unique new telling of an old character, and they did it quite well. It was fun and they took every creative liberty, but it was SMASHING.

Tbh never really cared about cruella as a villain or character before this (and I grew up watching 101 Dalmatians... she was just that mean old lady everyone hates),

but DANG THIS MOVIE WAS MY SPIRIT ANIMAL.

Cruella CRUELLA CRUELLLLLAAAAA!!! She was stunning and captivating and UGH the soundtrack and pacing was BADASS!!! The fashion was revolutionary, every outfit was gorgeous. And I really loved this new spin on her, that she wasn't necessarily the "bad guy" villain and she wasn't necessarily a good person either. She was an image and a persona, a complex ball of chaos and passion smushed together. And she did get consumed with it, because she locked that part of herself away for so long. She was a morally grey baddie who loved her men, and they loved her too.

She dealt with confliction on who she was supposed to be... either what everyone expected? The "good girl"? Or her true self, bad and good and all, that no one seemed to approve of, that she neglected and hid away? That hit so hard at home for me, as someone who struggled with the same thing all my life. Who are we going to choose to be? Our unique true selves, or what the model ideal is... being "normal" and trying to blend? And I loved how at the end, although she chose her persona, she became a blend of the best and truest of herself in both personas. Estella was still in there, and we see that by how she came to still love and care for all her friends and apologise to them. And, she finally was Cruella, her true form that she felt free in. She was exactly who she always was inside, and she finally was able to breathe, and accept all of herself. That freedom, to accept yourself with your flaws and strengths, it was really powerful. And really conflicting too, since she decided she was "the bad one". It was a complex character theme told and expressed well. I really loved it all. And ARTIE!! Ugh he was so amazing. What a legend he was.

The whole rock'n'roll asthetic that was shooting through all of her bold and punky royalty looks, was a fashion designer's WET DREAM. This movie... is a wild masterpeice. It may not be the best movie ever, and it may not have a perfect oscar storyline, but it had me hooked from start to end, and I absolutely adored it. Its definitely my new favorite movie, and that's sucsess enough to me.

ALSO?? ESTELLA AND JASPER?? I SAW THOSE EYES YOU HAD FOR HER, MY SWEET DUDE... UGHHHH I LOVED THEIR DYNAMIC. I WAS SHIPPING THEM SO HARD, and as some of you who read my posts may already know, its rare that I actually ship characters unless they are already together, or get together in canon. I just... I love them. Even Emma Stone ships them together... like YES HONEY GET YOUR SUPPORTIVE BOY-TOY! And Horace and lil wink... so cute. 🥺🥺🥺

I really loved the spin they put on her story, and Horace and Jasper's too. Its unique and fresh and fun. And I really enjoyed it, even if the plot doesn't seamlessly align with 101 Dalmatians. That was a movie about dogs, thats rad. It has a crazy old woman who wants a fur coat, thats fine. BUT GIVE ME MY DARLING CRUELLA WHO'S GOT TWO COMPLETELY SEPARATE PERSONALITIES COEXISTING IN ONE, WHO'S A BADDIE AND WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD. GIVE ME THE ABSOLUTE FASHION QUEEN, THAT YOU INDEED WILL BOW BEFORE, SO SHE CAN STEP ON YOU. Give me her. I love this Cruella more than I ever cared for the original Cruella. So... why do we have to get mad at new spins being put on old classics, that do actually make them even better in the way they did it? At least it wasn't a Lion King, where it was literally a carbon-copy of the same film with nothing new (even camera angles) beside some bad song remakes and a new texture skin pack? This was amazing like Maleficent was. I adored it. And it inspired me, it motivated me to chase after my own dreams, and be unapologetically myself. To embrace my full self. And also, that its okay to want to rule your industry. And to go after that dream.😏

SPOILER ALERT FROM HERE:

I'm an analytical writer in my line of work, and I actually didn't see her being the Baroness's daughter plot twist coming?? Plot twists rarely suprise me. I actually was like WAIT. Honestly, my expectation was that the bald butler was her biological father, and the maid had conceived Estella with him, and thats why she went there to ask for financial help. But when they said she was HER daughter?? The Baroness??? I have to say, that was an excellent plot choice. It fits.

(Spoiler over.)

The story was a bit crazy and simple, but it was really fun. They pulled it off in a really entertaining way.

Cruella all the way. I reccomend you go see this for yourself, I actually really want to see it again. And in fact, I will.

>Navigate My Main Masterlist

[martianbugsbunny]

OUAT Thoughts Pt.38--Episodes 12-13

I have watched through S4E13; spoilers DNI. Also, spoiler warning for anyone further behind than I am.

—YASS, Chernabog! How’s it hanging, babe? That guy is one of the best parts of Fantasia, I just adore him. I do kinda wish he’d gotten a simple draped skirt inside of those ugly fur-covered legs, though. It would match his ancient evil aesthetic.

—Speaking of aesthetics, Maleficent is suddenly rather striking. I’m so glad they’ve got her out of those hideous frilly, purple outfits where her hair was visible. That black dress with the red sparkles is gorgeous, and she’s finally got proper horns. And her dragon staff is so cool.

—Rumple hanging out with some petty b*tches is hilarious. Especially because he’s basically one himself.

—Lol Disney villains going to off-brand Taco Bell

—Aaaay, it’s Kitty from Malcolm in the Middle!

—Not a huge fan of certain parts of Ursula’s design. Her hair would look much better with her look if it were either jet-black or stark white. And I don’t get why she only has two tentacles; if she’s supposed to be an ancient octopus goddess, she should have the full octopus number. But her “real” world clothes are pretty cute.

—I hate Cruella. She’s a puppy killer. But…when it comes to her, I can’t decide whether I prefer trashy, ugly Cruella or an as-of-yet nonexistent glam, chic Cruella. Her look could be gorgeous if done right, but it’s always done in the cheapest way possible, which is part of her character. And her hair disgusts me.

—Hope she doesn’t get any ideas about Dr. Hopper’s dog.

—So the Sorcerer and the Author (which is literally one of the coolest titles in the known universe) are different people. In that case, could they just drop a couple of Yen Sid crumbs for me? I’m languishing! Also, I am fully prepared to find out that the Author is a version of Emma who has achieved near-godhood and is beyond the puny confines of time and space.

—I love that Ursula works in an aquarium. She’s not just a thousand-year-old octopus lady who happens to live in the ocean, she actually likes fishies. V cute.

—Elsa in her coronation dress and fancy hairstyle! I’m ascended, see y’all on the higher planes ✌️

—I also adore the implication that she’s the one who gave Anna away at her wedding. They’re my favorite Disney duo, I swear.

—Look at that, neither Hook nor Rumple is dead. How very swaggy.

—I’m quite interested to find out why the Blue Fairy seemed so wigged by the mention of the Sorcerer and the Author. She must know something that she hasn’t said yet about one or both of them.

—Also, what is the dealio with Snow and Charming? What the heck could possibly have happened with Cruella and Ursula in the Enchanted Forest to make them so deadly mad?

—I love that Maleficent has gone beyond a pet crow and has instead gone directly to *randomly materializes out of a murder of crows with a slurpee in my hand* (I know I saw that in a Tumblr meme at some point, but Idk what the blog name is.)

—I feel so sad for Regina. Marian is willing to step aside (which, btw, is a real gorgeous thing for her to do) and then Robin has to leave to keep Marian from dying. It’s so not fair.

—I can’t stand smoking, but I respect that the green smoke from the original 101 Dalmatians was translated into the visual effect for Cruella’s magic here. And actually, her having power to control animals is pretty boss, too.

—Glad Rumple didn’t end up expelled from Storybrooke for long. But I’m also rather anxious about whatever it is he wants to do when he finds the Author. Maybe this adventure will be like that one episode of My Little Pony where the villains have to work together and accidentally discover ✨the power of friendship✨ Because really, I think Rumple needs to be part of a petty b*tch club. Might do wonders for his soul. They could just walk around Storybrooke and say snide things about people’s fashion choices and I’d nod like *yes, this is the most important thing* And if they’re being salty about minor things like that, they don’t really need to be evil to satisfy their shadiness quota.

[sergeant-angels-trashcan]

how many 90s movies have you seen

via @halolalassurveys

[1990]

Home Alone Ghost Dances With Wolves Pretty Woman Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles The Hunt For Red October Total Recall Die Hard 2: Die Harder Dick Tracy Kindergarten Cop Back to the Future III Presumed Innocent Days of Thunder Another 48 HRS. Three Men and A Little Lady

[1991]

Terminator 2: Judgement Day Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves Beauty and the Beast The Silence of the Lambs City Slickers Hook The Addams Family Sleeping With the Enemy Father of the Bride The Naked Gun 2 ½: The Smell of Fear Fried Green Tomatoes Cape Fear Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II Backdraft Star Trek IV: The Undiscovered Country

[1992]

Aladdin Home Alone 2: Lost In New York Batman Returns Lethal Weapon 3 A Few Good Men Sister Act The Bodyguard Wayne’s World Basic Instinct A League of Their Own Unforgiven The Hand That Rocks the Cradle Under Siege Patriot Games Bram Stoker’s Dracula

[1993]

Jurassic Park Mrs. Doubtfire The Fugitive The Firm Sleepless In Seattle Indecent Proposal In the Line of Fire The Pelican Brief Schindler’s List Cliffhanger Free Willy Philadelphia Groundhog Day Grumpy Old Men Cool Runnings

[1994]

Forrest Gump The Lion King True Lies The Santa Clause The Flintstones Dumb and Dumber Clear and Present Danger Speed The Mask Pulp Fiction Interview With the Vampire Maverick The Client Disclosure Star Trek: Generations

[1995]

Toy Story Batman Forever Apollo 13 Pocahontas Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls Goldeneye Jumanji Casper Seven Die Hard: With A Vengeance Crimson Tide Waterworld Dangerous Minds Mr. Holland’s Opus While You Were Sleeping

[1996]

Independence Day Twister Mission Impossible Jerry Maguire Ransom 101 Dalmatians The Rock The Nutty Professor The Birdcage A Time To Kill The First Wives Club Phenomenon Scream Eraser The Hunchback of Notre Dame

[1997]

Titanic Men In Black Jurassic Park: The Lost World Liar Liar Air Force One As Good As It Gets Good Will Hunting My Best Friend’s Wedding Tomorrow Never Dies Face/Off Batman and Robin George of the Jungle Scream 2 Con Air Contact

[1998]

Saving Private Ryan Armageddon There’s Something About Mary A Bug’s Life The Waterboy Doctor Dolittle Rush Hour Deep Impact Godzilla Patch Adams Lethal Weapon 4 The Truman Show Mulan You’ve Got Mail Enemy of the State

[1999]

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace The Sixth Sense Toy Story 2 Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me The Matrix Tarzan Big Daddy The Mummy Runaway Bride The Blair Witch Project Stuart Little The Green Mile American Beauty The World Is Not Enough Double Jeopardy

[nekky-nek]

Disney Movie Marathon #18 The Sword in the Stone (1963)

I saw this movie within the past few years because someone asked me if I wanted to watch it, and I was like heck yeah I'll watch it. I hadn't seen the movie in full before then, and Merlin is a side character in KH. I wanted to know what his movie was all about. From what I remember this is a weird movie. What type of weird? Let's find out

Story: This feels more in line with older Disney movies including the classic storybook opening. An eccentric old wizard, Merlin, has come to the middle ages to show someone his proper place in the world. Wart (Arthur) literally drops in and begins Merlin trying to educate the boy. This one wasn't very exciting. It definitely felt like they were trying to turn this into some lessons learned tale but to me it fell flat. This is one story, but with the different animal forms, it felt very much in lieu of the anthology films from the 40s. Merlin was supposed to be teaching the boy but sometimes the lessons were like "okay... I guess so?". He's just an orphan boy who's not treated well but is somehow worthy to pull the heavenly sword from the stone because... he got an education?? And now he's king because he's worthy as donned by the heavens. I guess it's implied Arthur will learn more to become a great leader but eeeh they don't actually tell us. Merlin wasn't that great of a teacher either soooo

Characters: Merlin is definitely one of the better characters because of how wild he is but still trying to remain dignified. Archimedes was in second being a cranky but educated owl who's clearly been done with Merlin's nonsense since long ago. I wanted to like Mim but she was constantly so cooky and crazy just because and the effect wore off quickly. Everyone else, including Wart, was meh to I don't care.

Art/Animation: Back to the tried and true multiplane camera and classic Disney painting backgrounds for most of the movie. In some parts I believe they were inspired by Sleeping Beauty's overall flat look that made it look like medieval painting... but not as refined. It didn't look bad and one overview shot was really nice but most of the time it just... I don't know it didn't look great. Especially when you see how well it worked before. Animation wise this one loved reusing content. Again reusing animation isn't bad, but it happened way more here than in 101 Dalmatians. They even reused sounds too from Sleeping Beauty, 101, and Jungle book. I recognized those sounds. Budget must've been really tight or something. The original animation itself was great especially with Merlin. He moved great and he's all over the place sometimes. I think the animation shined best during the squirrel segment

Songs: Classic Disney choir and Merlin did have some songs for each of his "lessons" but there wasn't really a hook just kind of a descriptor of things that were happening. I did not like it when Wart sang. I'm sure that kid was trying in the booth but my ears did not like that. Thankfully it was brief

[alwaysahiccupandastrid]

I saw you reblogged a Peter Pan gif set; what are some of your favorite older Disney animated movies?

Ooh thank you for the question! I really love that you asked this since I just got Disney+ last weekend!

I think it depends on what your definition of “older” movies is - like I know that some that may seem “old” to me aren’t actually that old compared to other Disney films. Like some films from the 80s and 90s might not be considered that old but they seem that way to me since they were made before I was born!

The Golden Age (1937-42): I wouldn’t say these are my absolute favourites, but I do like Snow White and Bambi!

The Silver Age (1950-67): I LOVE Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland - 2017-2019, my family and I went on holidays each year to Disneyland Paris, and all three years I met Peter and Wendy, and then for both 2018/2019, I met Alice and the Mad Hatter as well! (To be honest though, my Wonderland love is mostly because of the mature video games by American McGee!) I also absolutely adore Lady and the Tramp and 101 Dalmatians to be honest - I’m a sucker for dogs! (Also I had Lady and Tramp plushies when I was young so that’s lovely!)

Bronze/Dark Age (1970-1988): So these are seen as the bad ones but honestly? I love the Fox and the Hound so much, I even still have my Todd plushie on my bed from when I went on my school’s French immersion trip to Disneyland Paris when I was 15! I also really loved The Black Cauldron growing up - I know that that’s probably an unpopular thing to say because I know now that there’s books and the film apparently did no justice to them (I got the whole series for Christmas so I’m hopefully going to start reading them soon!), but I honestly really liked that film as a kid. I really think Eilonwy is an underrated princess, and I already like the relationship between her and Taran (also Gurgi is cute in the film!), so hopefully I’ll love the books even more!

Renaissance (1989-1999): these probably aren’t classed as “old” but I’ll include them anyway! I love pretty much every one of the films made in this period, but my ultimate favourite - and it’s my ultimate favourite Disney movie to this day - is Beauty and the Beast. I remember being so happy and excited as a kid watching it because Belle was a princess who loved to read, and I loved to read so much as a kid (I still do when I have time), and it’s such a beautiful movie in every way - the story, the songs, the animation... I love it so much. I also really love Tarzan (I used to do that knuckle-walking thing when I was little and so the Tarzan cry, plus I had a Terk plushie), The Lion King (I had a Simba and a Nala as a kid), Mulan, Hercules (the fact her name is Meg is icing on the cake, plus it gave me the idea to use her full name “Megara” for my Skyrim/RPG characters!), Hunchback of Notre Dame, Little Mermaid... I absolutely love this era of Disney.

I’ll end the list there since 2000 onwards is definitely considered “modern”, but there’s quite a few ones from 2000 onwards I enjoyed! (If you do want to hear about my favourite Disney films from 2000, just ask!)

Speaking of Peter Pan though, while I love the Disney Peter Pan, I acknowledge that its depiction of Native Americans (I.e. the Indian tribe) is not okay. Even in the book, the depiction is really bad and offensive. I happen to just love the idea and story in general of Peter Pan though, the whole flying away to Neverland and Lost Boys stuff (and obviously Hook/pirates). I just love Peter Pan in general! I even have a Peter Pan tattoo that’s a silhouette of Peter and the Darling children flying, and it’s the Disney one - not just because I love Peter Pan, but because my Nan used to take me to see Peter Pan at the pantomime growing up (I saw other pantos of course but the Peter Pan ones were my favourite), and I wanted to get something in memory of her that she wouldn’t haunt me for (because I’m 100% certain she’d have haunted me for life if I’d gotten her name or something similar tattooed on my body). It’s a subtle nod, and it’s not just because of her, but it’s still a nod nonetheless. I feel I should add though that the Disney adaptation isn’t my favourite adaptation of Peter Pan (though I do love it, don’t get me wrong - I love meeting Peter and Wendy at Disneyland, and I have Peter AND Wendy dolls on my bed): my absolute favourite version of Peter Pan is the 2003 one (which isn’t Disney but still). The Disney version, however, is more easily recognizable as silhouettes, plus it’s easier to get merch for Disney stuff than anything else!

(PS: if you ever get the chance, I highly recommend going to a Peter and Wendy meet and greet - they’re so much fun and they give great hugs! There are pictures somewhere on this blog but I look awful so I won’t add them here 😅 the pictures are there though, and I tag everything so you could probably easily find them by looking at the Peter Pan or Disneyland tags on my blog. Also Alice and Hatter are a riot as well - we mimed having UnBirthday tea and they asked if my flower tattoo spoke to me!)

[shapa-likes-writing]

Tall boyfriend

Is this an overdone thing? Yes. Am I still going to do post this? Abso-fucking-lutely.

A/N: If you've seen this before on either ao3 or Wattpad it's because I am just migrating some of my writing there from here so there's no need to point it out! (Hi @thunderholtz! :DD)

Warnings; kissing, cuddling, Cavities due to the extreme sweetness.

_____

Virgil loved so many aspects of dating Roman, like his soothing voice that would calm Virgil down instantly or how he noticed that Roman would Run his fingers through his hair when he was nervous, but some of things he liked were the advantages of having a tall boyfriend. He'd always have someone to get stuff that's out of reach, only get the best hugs and cuddles and the greatest one in his opinion, large hoodies that had sleeves that went past his hand and the hem would end above his knees.

Virgil loved all of it but one thing he certainly didn't love; not being able to kiss his tall boyfriend.

"StormCloud, I'm home!" Roman called out, taking off his shoes and placing his keys on the table near their apartment's exit.

He walked to the living room and heard a muffled "wait a sec" and saw a tired-looking Virgil emerge from their room, his hair was messy and Virgil seemed to not be wearing any makeup at that moment, showcasing his freckles that Roman loved. He guessed that Virgil had taken a nap.

Roman smiled and opened his arms to offer Virgil a hug, which happily Virgil accepted. The smaller of the two loosely wrapped his arms around Roman's waist and nuzzled his head into his chest, letting out a content sigh as Roman securely wrapped his arms around Virgil and rested his chin on his head.

"How are you, dear?" Roman asked as he began to softly sway the both of them side-to-side.

Virgil hummed and pulled away slightly from their embrace, looking up at Roman with so much adoration and love that Roman melted and returned the stare.

"I'm alright, how about you? How was work?" Virgil asked as he hooked his arms around Roman's neck, smiling softly. Roman returned the smile and sighed, " Work was a little more harsh today...but I'm better now that I'm here with you.."

That made Virgil break in to a small grin, " you sap." Virgil said as he leant up, standing on his tippy-toes, obviously trying to give Roman a kiss...a few seconds pass, "Ro.." Virgil whined, feeling his toes cramp a bit.

"Hm-? Oh!" Roman noticed and leaned down to close the gap between them, the kiss only lasted a few seconds before they both pulled away. Virgil had a slight pouty face as he easily wiggled out of their embrace.

"My toes hurt.." Virgil complained, crossing his arms and looking at Roman like a small child. Roman chuckled slightly and moved Virgil's bangs slightly to the side and pressed a chaste kiss on his forehead.

"I'm sorry, my love.." Roman muttered apologetically, then suddenly an idea popped in to his head and he grinned slightly, "How about we put on a movie and get delivery? We can cuddle while we watch." Roman suggested, staring into Virgil's Purple and green eyes, which were twinkling as he thought over Roman's suggestion.

Virgil slowly smiled and nodded, "yeah, I think I'd like that..", Roman broke into a full grin and Picked Virgil up Bridal style, earning a surprised Yelp from the latter.

"R-roman!" Virgil exclaimed as he clung unto Roman's neck for security. Roman just stook out his tongue playfully and Carried Virgil to the living room. As soon as they arrived, he set Virgil on the couch with a small kiss on the forehead and went over to the shelf next to the TV, which contained and assortment of DVDs, most of which were Disney.

"StormCloud, what would you like to watch?" Roman asked as he shuffled through the abundant amount of DVDs. Virgil hummed as he thought over what they could watch.

"How about 101 Dalmatians?" Virgil suggested as he grabbed the blanket that was placed on the back of the couch and wrapped himself around it. Roman smiled and grabbed the DVD and placed it in the CD player. Roman walked over to the couch and sat next to Virgil, who immediately latched on to the bigger male.

Roman pressed play with the remote and the Disney opening began playing. He pulled out his phone and looked at the blanket burrito on his lap and smiled, he opened up his phone and asked Virgil what food he wanted to get, to which Virgil almost immediately replied "Vietnamese".

Roman smiled and pressed a kiss to Virgil's forehead then called up their usual Vietnamese place, placing their regular orders. As they waited for the delivery, Virgil slowly migrated from being a blanket burrito on Roman's lap to being cuddled close against his chest while sharing the blanket with him.

Sooner or later, there was a knock on the door, signifying that their food was there.Virgil whined and he clung on to Roman's arm, keeping him down and preventing him from getting the door, "Ro, don't leave me alone.." Virgil plead as he gave Roman the puppy dog eyes.

"Dearest, I need to get our food.." Roman reasoned as he pulled his arm away from Virgil's grip easily- considering as he did work in theatre and helped with the heavy lifting and dancing his till he's sore- and

Virgil groaned in annoyance but didn't do anything to stop Roman, instead, he just flopped onto the couch, covering himself up with the blanket and becoming a blanket burrito once again and continued watching the movie. Roman chuckled softly and fondly smiled at his boyfriend's slightly childish nature.

He got to the door, payed for the food and thanked the delivery person. He closed their front door softly with his foot and went back into the living room playing the paper bags on the coffee table and started pulling out their food.

They got some Gỏi cuon, Bánh tráng nuong and a container of Bánh bao vác to share. Roman grabbed the Bánh tráng nuong, for better description; the Vietnamese pizza, and sat down next to Virgil, the latter immediately crawling back into Roman's lap and wrapped the blanket around the both of them. Virgil pressed a quick kiss on Roman's cheek then went back to his previous position, snuggling up close to Roman and sighing in content.

They continued watching the movie, Roman feeding Virgil food ever so often and exchanging small kisses and comments. Soon enough, the movie ended and their food was all finished, leaving the Princely male with a sleeping Virgil in his arms. Roman turned off the TV with the remote and kept gently running his hand through Virgil's fluffy and soft purple locks, melting when he heard Virgil purr softly. He pressed a kiss on Virgil's forehead, causing the latter's face to scrunch up and flutter his eyes open.

Virgil groggily looked around, looking like a confused cat. Roman smiled fondly and pressed another kiss on Virgil's forehead, this time, Virgil smiling happily as he received it.

"Kitten, I think it's time we go to bed.." Roman said gently, still running his fingers through Virgil's hair. Virgil yawned softly then nodded, climbing off of Roman's now slightly numb legs and clumsily stood up, dropping the blanket on the couch. Roman stood up right after, gently placing his hands around Virgil's waist to help him not fall down and guided him to their shared bedroom.

He laid Virgil down and went into his wardrobe to change into some pajamas. As soon as he got changed, he slid right in next to Virgil and pulled the cover over them even more. Virgil immediately snuggled up against Roman's chest, relishing in the warmth Roman Provided. The latter smiled dopily and pulled Virgil in closer and buried his face in his floofy and soft hair, breathing in the scent of lavender and rosemary from his boyfriend's shampoo.

Soon enough Roman drifted off to sleep and the pair fell asleep in each other's arms and warmth, having pleasant dreams in each other's comfort.

[janexeu]

     though the mist might prevent some from seeing it, JANE MÁRQUEZ is actually a descendent of HYPNOS. it’s still a question of whether or not the TWENTY-SIX year old DEMIGOD ELEMENTARY EDUCATION MAJOR from NEW ORLEANS, USA has taken after HER godly parent completely, but the demigod is still known to be quite SACRIFICIAL & STUBBORN.

( she’s b-b-b-back on her bs : katya ! tis uhm ,,,, a lil bit of a chonk of an intro but ill try 2 b cute w it. any time u wanna yeet jus peep the gif again & forgive me bc Look At Her ! )

POWERS ( more info here )

hypnokinesis  — p much made her a glorified babysitter w lynch-esque wacko dreams. it got stronger naturally as she got older, but jus w herself n eventually the ppl shes real close w. its also gotten a lot better since comin to eonia 

seeing gods in dreams  — she doesnt hang out w em every fridays at tgifs but like ,,, if she had Pertinent Questions she cud smhw make it happen. found out abt her being a demigod at age 10 when she met hypnos

memory retrieval — shes got great memry of her own but bc she knows it can help w grief n all that, shes been learnin in eonia how to do it 4 others if they mayb wanted it

BIO POINTS 

her single ma died during childbirth so jane's been in the foster care system since 5ever. attempts at reunification nvr worked out but thankfully she got real lucky w her group home and foster families. twas stable enough to not emotionally scar her even further but the instability of it all was fosho a big ol’ lot and has influenced her rigidness in sum aspects of her life

she lived p much as a mortal even tho her powers r a lil freaky. never went to camp but it worked out bc all her abilities r internal and cannot be Perceived by others. she had a talk w hypnos abt what 2 do n he mentioned camps but also gave sum monster avoidance tips ( like rarely use ur powers, maybe learn self defense, yada yada ) n she jus ,,, did that so she cud continue livin real normal w the mortals. logistics of camp stressed her out esp bc shes livin w non-family n stuff yk it was All Too Much, miss her w the added demigod stress tyvm

got married at 23 to her childhood sweetums luis, but he ,,, died abt a yr later fr a car accident. coma for 2 weeks n jane p much slept the entire time in his hospital room, visitin his dreams n talkin to him. twas a life support sitch so they eventually decided to pull da plug whch was real sad but like she's processed it 2 da best of her abilities. her powers helped a lot in the coping too n she visits memories of him in her dreams smtms when it gets real sad then shes ok again bc life goes on n life is pretty uwu

bc of her bg round kids of all kinds, shes always been passionate abt em. always takin babysittin/tutor gigs and went to community college so she cud teach n then worked as an elem teacher. only started considerin goin 2 eonia 4 postgrad when she had a student who showed signs n strugglez of bein a demigod. she eventually got to talk to their godly parent 2 confirm n she was shocked pikachu meme, real concerned for all those youngins who hav no clue what to do ! or how to cope ! bc they cant facetime w the olympians lyk she can ! so cue her discussin eonia w luis a lot then a year after the accident, broke out the pro-con list again. took abt *checks watch* another yr til she finally decided to zoom 2 athens but then whoosh she did !

PERSONALITY

yearning ? idk her — shes can be a bit of a take it as is typa chick. can be a lil literal jsksj not dumb but like ,,, def doesnt read into things enuff to pine n long n year yk. some things might def fly over her head. she says Yes To Serotonin in this house. she dk the the mitskis n the sikens n the carsons ; its all mary oliver up in this joint. we just tryna luv life n be grateful folkz

le freak, say chic ! — control freak, that is. growin up in an unstable envi meant shed cling 2 stability n independence, wrvr she cud get it. so when it comes 2 the way she does things, she can be real a heel digger. also bc she has 2 deal w kids yk so it can b A Lot n shes v stern lyk dat. ofc she wont infantilize the eonians .,,,. or will she ? big sis vibes outta control. she means well tho always always means well. itll also b v hard to get her 2 giv up on sum1 bc life ? she luvs it n knows u can too

changes by david bowie — is decidedly skipped on the playlist. she doesnt like change !!! i mean she knows its inevitable but still not entire unavoidable. ever since she got out of the system, shes had a partner n her own way of doing things n its been workin out so why change it yk ? she says time may change me but jokes on u i can sorta trace time 

rip but im different — this goes out to all em whores in this house. she respectz ur hustle but like ,,,, not her thang. girl doesnt even get drunk when she drinks bc she doesnt rlly drink sksjsk doesnt like the taste of it, big baby ! but like she's Lived, its more like. ok tried it, not for me. thanks tho. also for all the meanies in the house, y’all perplex her. shes empathetic n wont show the judgement but smtms shes lowkey lyk .,., ur how old n u had all this goin 4 u n ur still so rotten ? how u actin like a 7yo w a trantrum ? scratch head, make it make sense

at least u tried — dad jokes, bad puns, tries to be big jokester but isn't funny. she's pretty tho so she gets away with it. idk wht else 2 say ur honor. shes the type thatll embarrass u w affection

well that was Awkward — probably sum1 abt her if  they see her actin a Fool bc shes in a foreign sitch or topic. when shes a fish outta water then she can be so ! easily ! flustered ! which is p much her in eonia. shes not new new but theres way 2 much godly shennanigans for her to wrap her head ‘round n sis has never gone to camp so its ice bucket challenge level shock from time to time still w da magics n lore

til death do us part — yknow when death cab for cutie said i knew that u wer a truth i wud rather lose than 2 hav nvr lain beside at all ? how abt when they wrecked me by rudely sayin love is watching sum1 die ? yes ? no ? nywy thats jane 4 ya. if she loves then shes in and if shes in then she is all in, luke danes stylez

was that a vivid enough picture or did i just word vom the same things agen n agen sjksjs jus know shes cute n sweet if a lil frustrating n annoying bc shes stubbornpants mcgee. may or may not have a slight compulsion to help fix other ppl ..,,.. someone set her str8 n tell her fix u by coldplay isnt it !!!  

OTHER INFO 

5′9″ born 4 october 1994, virgo sun n moon

not a freshie ! idk how long her program is but like ,,, lets ignore that 4 now ok jus kno that she been here a while

yogi & boxing enthusiast back at home. hc her mans got real into the martial arts w her when hypnos told her she gotta learn how 2 defend so that was one of their things : bonding by workouts so jane cud protecc herself if need be

her maiden name’s jane fulton. got her mommas surname but the name jane ? thats some jane doe bs some rando picked out for her which she hated at first but then seeing tarzan made her go hmmm, ok bet !

lgbtq+ alliance president ! identifies as pan

she met her late hubbie when they were abt 7ish, real friends 2 lovers cuteness. jane was there for him throughout his entire coming out & transition ergo her passion for the community esp queer kids bc she was That Cis Ally for her mans. wears her ring as a real lowkey necklace now

shes also real passionate abt sleep. will ask u how did u sleep last night p much every day u see her bc ppl spend like half their lives asleep catherine ofc shes gonna ask

her fave thing abt eonia ?  the whole siblings bit. shes had 2 make do w what she got n build a family from scratch so this ? she luvs it a lot let her give u kithes hypnos babies

shes p well versed in the greek thingies but only thru the knowledge mortals gets + dream info. after her realizin who she is, all things ancient greek jus sorta became her niche interest ykwim ? shes not like Super Learned abt it more like ,,, ok i gotta at least make Sum sense outta all this, gotta learn what i can. imagin how embarrassin it wud b 2 see a god in ur dream n then go : sorry to this man. nope. not jane, not her, nuh-uh 

luv languages : words, acts of service, physical touch !

useless hcs but she loves disney sfm ok. smtms dresses up as princess tiana for bday parties n shit bc shell do nythin 2 put a smile on the kids n babs faces

ya like jazz ? bc jane surely does ! adores motown & 60s music. nina simone owns her. no one drag peggy lee from 101 dalmatians ! not an important hc but i jus wanted to quote my bubble butt winged bee lover barry

POSSIBLE CONNECTIONS

children ! infants ! babies !

demigods that make her scratch head damn u live like this ? but also wud knife emoji to protect n care for. shes not the oldest on campus but shes been livin independently p much her entire life so she finks shes got a tight grasp on the myth that is Adulting  

srsly tho the Big Sis vibes is off the charts w this one. shell perserve u dumdums

baddie influencies !

convince her 2 get drunk at a party ! bc she never does. convince her to maybe try drugs ! or go hook up ! do smths impulsive idk jus smth new !

gl tho bc shes not rlly ,,, easily influenced But she can b reasoned w ! in general i fink its just gonna be a fun dynamic if y/m knows how to coax sum wildness outta her or w/e bc thotty yummy theyre hotty yolo rzning jus wont do w this gal. will most likely get argumentative like a big ol momma hen but if u win then ur winning big

Sleep Now or forever hold ur peace !

idk sum1 she helps w their messy sleep ? shes def not super public w it, surely knows her other siblings r Better at it but if  y’all are close, she probs enjoys doin it 4 ya. she runs her hair thru fingers a lot when she does it. like a lot a lot unless u tell her to get lost

lover boi, lover gorl, lover enby !

she can be a lil traditional when it comes to how she views rels. she wants all that meetcute courting bs ! no gender roles tho n u best be sure shes not constantly comparin w her late hubbie ,,, but she jus wants smth magical n 2 be wooed again yk ?

so yea ,,, crushers mayhaps ? sum1 who is tryin 2 woo her ? sum1 she had a meetcute w and now janes got lowkey heart eyes for em ? idk lotsa possiblities but pls keep in mind she is not good at the flirtings so hav mercy on her 

eonia tour guide !

or jus friends who like ,,, constnatly fill her in w all the godly stuff n whatnot. years of not goin 2 camps mean u miss out on a lot ! explore ruins w her n get her info her mortal educ didnt make her privy 2 yk 

head real empty atm i will think of sum n let y’all know when i do, but give us all the conekshunz. friends, enemies, the usual bit, lgbtq alliance peeps, lmk whats up whats done whats cookin we want it all

( shes p much a new muse n da result of me tryna bring in an emotionally healthy kid to this sad sad university. janes in a v good well-adjusted place rn n is my therapy muse bc that other bitch m** is a messy handful. but wbk life aint linear so mayhaps shit’ll hit da fan or one of y/m will ruin her lmfao press f pls ! but also color me eyes emoji bc we love to see it )

[longitudinalwaveme]

Theater Stories: Our Costume Designer

My brother, my sister, and I are all involved in the theater, to varying degrees. Though we got a bit of a late start (I was 15 in my first official production), we had done plenty of unofficial playacting with my grandparents (the scripts being provided mainly by me), and, as such, we adjusted quite well to official stage performances. 

Most of our shows are produced by a local theater group called The Schoolhouse of Music. It’s mostly children’s theater (the “mostly” being because college kids like me, who started acting there earlier, can still participate if they want to do so.) In spite of this fact, we have an amazing costume designer, whose name is Ms. Combs. 

Here’s the plays that at least one of us has done with Schoolhouse of Music so far:

The Wizard of Oz (my sister as the Doorkeeper in Oz)

The Addams Family (all three of us as ghosts, and my sister as one of three five-foot-tall female soprano Lurches)

Shrek (my sister as the Dragon and my brother as Lord Farquad)

Beauty and the Beast (me as the Enchantress, my sister as the Wardrobe, and my brother as Gaston)

Grease (my brother as Eugene and my sister as Cha-Cha)

101 Dalmatians Jr. (my brother as either Horace or Jasper-can’t remember which)

Miracle on 34th Street (my brother and I were in the ensemble; I was also a nurse, a mom, and the Baliff for the courtroom scenes) 

The Jungle Book (my brother as Baloo) 

Les Miserables (my brother as Thenadier) 

Mary Poppins (my brother as Burt) 

The Lion King Jr. (my brother as Mufasa) 

Into the Woods (my brother as Cinderella’s Prince) 

Newsies (my brother as Crutchie) 

Peter Pan (my brother as Captain Hook) 

Descendants (my sister as Mal, my brother as Jay and Jafar, and me as Maleficent and Belle) 

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (Sam as Bob, me as Helen Armstrong) 

Ms. Combs’ costuming has been excellent for all of them. 

Sam and I are also currently rehearsing for Willy Wonka Jr. I’m Ms. Teavee, and he’s Willy Wonka. I don’t know what the costumes for it are going to look like yet. 

Anyway, one of the things that makes Ms. Combs’ costuming so good is her surprising fidelity to historical accuracy in terms of costumes, accessories, hair, and even makeup. Here’s a rundown of the plays I’ve been in. 

The Addams Family: Most of the costumes for this one weren’t super interesting, since Lurch just wears a suit and we were ensemble members the rest of the time. My costume was a Medieval-style Halloween costume in black and red, but treated in such a way that all the colors were washed out (to make me look more like a ghost), and she added some lace to the bottom of the dress to make it look longer (and tattered, since I was a ghost). I also had a flower headband. Really, the most complicated part of my costume was the makeup (my hands and face had to be white, and my eyes had to have black circles around them) and my hair (we had to use hairspray to make it look white). My brother, whose costume was basically white clothing and a sailor hat (since he was a sailor ghost), was in a similar boat. My sister, who, in addition playing Lurch, was also a Flapper Ghost, had the same make-up requirements, wore a flapper-style dress that might have been a Halloween costume....and actual 1920s period gloves! That was pretty cool. 

Beauty and the Beast: Obviously, since it’s a Disney play, historical accuracy wasn’t as big a deal for this one, but Ms. Combs still did good work. My brother, being Gaston, basically wore the same costume throughout (it was close to what Gaston wore in the movie). For some reason he never wore a wig, though, resulting in a Gaston with short, blonde hair. My sister, who was the wardrobe, had a 18th-century style wig, a huge dress with a hoop skirt, and then had to wear the wardrobe piece on top of that. It was so big that she actually got stuck backstage at one point during rehearsels. While I had a very nice costume as one of the Villagers in the ensemble, the more interesting costume I wore was as the Enchantress. 

When I went onstage as the Enchantress, I was wearing, in order: my theater changing clothes, the skirt I wore as the Villager (since I had to change into that costume really fast), a long red dress, a black-and-white overlayer that was really heavy (since it had rhinestones on it), and a black cape that was used when the Enchantress was disguising herself as an old lady. It was a little hard to move around in, but it looked REALLY cool. 

Miracle on 34th Street: This play is set in the 1940s, so for much of the play I was wearing a black-and-white checked dress that I really liked (it was what I wore in my speaking part as a child’s mother). I also wore a nurse’s uniform (for my scene as a nurse), and put a black jacket on over the dress when I played the bailiff. I don’t really remember Sam’s part much at all, mainly because his main song got cut and so he didn’t get to do much. What I do remember is tripping over Santa’s sleigh backstage.

Descendants: My sister was Mal, and she had a number of costumes. The leather jacket was the coolest one though, especially since it really looked like the one in the movie. She also had to wear a purple wig. Sam’s Jay and Jafar costumes were a little similar looking, but they both looked good, too. He didn’t have to wear a wig, meaning we had a strangely blonde Jay. As Belle, I had three yellow dresses, with the one at the end being my favorite since it looked exactly like the one she wore in the ballroom scene from Beauty and the Beast. I also had two crowns. As Maleficent, I wore a purple dress with long sleeves under what appeared to be a Maleficient Halloween costume (based on her appearance in Sleeping Beauty). Ms. Combs also added some feathers at the neck and wrists. I also got to wear horns that seemed to be based on the ones from the 2014 Maleficent movie, and I got makeup that actually made me look a lot like Maleficent (just wearing glasses). It was a really cool costume (even if the horns of the headpiece kept getting caught on things). 

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever: This play is set in 1960, so Ms. Combs leaned heavily into the designs from the era. My brother, who wore a suit for most of the play as Bob, the husband of the lead character, slicked his hair back in the 1950s style. (He also wore a bathrobe for the pageant itself). I played Mrs. Armstrong (functionally the main antagonist), and I had three outfits: a blue one, with a corresponding blue hat, a gown (which I wore in the scenes where I was in the hospital), and a red dress (with a corresponding red hat). I loved all three of these outfits. The hats were actually from the 1950s, as was the jewelry I wore, and when the costume gloves that the other older girls were wearing were too big for me, she also gave me period gloves (which did fit, because I have tiny hands). It made me really nervous, but it was really cool. She also styled my hair (as well as the other high school girls’ and college women’s hair) in 1950s styles, and even made sure that we wore our makeup in the way that women did in the 1950s. There’s a reason Ms. Combs’ costuming is one of the best parts of our performances .

Thank you, Ms. Combs.

[merinomeri]

wasn’t tagged, but, I’m nabbing this!

Pick 5 shows, then answer the following questions!  Don’t look at them first. Then tag some people.

101 Dalmatian Street

Ducktales (2017)

We Bare Bears

Epithet Erased

Kamen Rider W

Who is your favorite character in 2?

Oh no!!! Um...they’re all so good honestly, its hard! I love Fenton dearly, he’s such a dork and he’s just out here doin’ his best. A good boy. M’ma is proud... Honestly though, it’s probably Gyro. He’s hysterical and the last episode made me emotional so. I love you, I hate you, chicken man...

Who is your least favorite character in 1?

Yikes um...I could go the easy route and be like “oh Clarissa she’s awful, or Cruella she’s literally Cruella” but that’s so obvious? Like yeah duh I don’t like them. I honestly don’t like Fergus or Hansel very much so one of them maybe. Or Dizzy and Dee Dee. They’re wasted potential.

What is your favorite episode of 4?

ALL OF THEM ITS SUCH A SHORT SERIES RIGHT NOW, GO WATCH EPITHET ERASED IF YOU HAVEN’T YET.

What is your favorite season of 5?

...Kamen Rider W is it’s own season, lol, whoops!

Who is your favorite couple in 3?

Oh boo, there are actually a couple...couples they toss around in WBB, if I can remember. I don’t like any of them. Just let me watch these good brothers try to live in hijinx, I don’t need any romance in my silly bear show.

What is your favorite episode of 1?

DAWKINS STRIKES BACK!!! It’s the episode he deserved and he got it! I’m still so proud of my boy! Not being biased though, Poodlefall was really good too.

What is your favorite episode of 5?

UGH there are so many good episodes of W um... L on the Lips/Singer-SongRider is amazing just for the music in it! Also  The P's Game/The Doll Has Sticky Fingers is also super memorable to me because of the titular doll scaring the hell out of me lol.

What is your favorite season of 2?

3. WHICH IS THIS CURRENT ONE.

How long have you watched 1?

Not super long? I think I found out about it when Boom Night first aired as like, a trailer in the UK or something? And then I just kept an eye on it.

How did you become interested in 3?

IT’S ABOUT BEARS!!! As soon as it was announced I got excited, it looked so soft and cute and it absolutely is!

Who is your favorite actor in 4?

Okay honestly all of the voice actors do an amazing job, but, Kyle Igneczi and Sandra Espinoza are my favorites. They do so well with their characters.

Which do you prefer: 1, 2, or 5?

This is hard...5 is special because its the first Kamen Rider series I ever watched, and I watched it all with my girlfriend. So it’s a sentimental thing.

2 is so much fun and clever and its kept me hooked!

1...is cute...but I’ve had some...issues with it.

I’m gonna say 2!

If you could be anyone from 4, who would it be?

Just a Banzai Blaster! No one special. I wanna be one of Giovanni’s Boys.

Would a crossover between 3 and 4 work?

N-...No but now I keep picturing characters and their possible epithets if they existed in 3-

Pair two characters in 1 who would make an unlikely but strangely okay couple?  

The fandom does this on their own, I don’t have to--

Overall, which show has the best storyline: 3 or 5?

WBB doesn’t really have a storyline, so, Kamen Rider for sure! Because it has one! Also the character growth from everyone in KRW is...so good...I love them...

Which has better theme music: 2 or 4?

OH NOOOOO...DUCKTALES THEME IS CLASSIC YOU CAN’T DO THIS...

Epithet Erased wins though. Sorry not sorry. Deadline is too good a song not to win.

I tag...YOU if you feel like doing this! 💕

[monkey-network]

Good Stuff’s Best of 2018

WARNING: I just want to say cheers to you for making it through another year. I send you best wishes for next year to be fruitful. Thank you, take care out there, and enjoy.

Dedicated to Stan Lee, Stefán Karl and Stephen Hillenburg, the number ones of children entertainment

Bow Whacka Wow, playas and players. 2018 gave us quite a lot to consume while society continues to fumble like a Tumblr update. While hopefully the chaos has died down for the final weeks of the year, I’m counting down the best cartoons/animations I’ve seen and loved this year in no particular order. Only two rules, no sneak previews of future projects (sorry 101 Dalmatian Street and MP100) and no potential entries from last year’s list (sorry True). With that said, roll it....

10. UNIKITTY!

I love the Lego Movie. I’ll potentially like the sequel. I like Unikitty. She got a show, and it was a great show to start off the year. Upbeat, colorful, off the walls sometimes, perfectly capturing the spirit of the eponymous character. I’m glad the other characters are just as enjoyable, I never get tired of the theme song, every episode had me smilin’ one way or another, it’s just a quality bottle of positivity juice. Don’t know how else to explain it, Unikitty, the show and character, just makes and continues to make me smile.

9. POP TEA-- SIKE!

This anime ain’t nothing but unfunny randomness and skits with a forgetful arc in the first and final episode. I don’t get it, never gonna get it, so I don’t want to get it! MORE LIKE POOP TEAM EPIC, ‘nuff said. Which is why the actual number nine is....

9. BOB EPIC TEAM

Honestly, there is something endearing about the way Bob Epic Team presents itself. The simplicity and variety of its animation is remarkably good and makes it feel timeless sometimes. The comedy works in a way that gives you a clear grasp on the two characters while letting them do whatever they want. The surrealism of this is fun to think about, showcasing a hedonistic philosophy that rivals that of Epicurus. The duo’s chemistry is what especially got me, as they felt like the best of friends, potentially love birds *wink wink*. This anime was just creative in every sense of the word and, like Unikitty, it was a great anime to start of the year.

8. CRAIG OF THE CREEK

The ska is RAH. I honestly find this to be the loose spiritual successor to Hey Arnold and Recess. Like the playground, the creek is a well fleshed out setting with the many characters that hang there, from the TAZ trio to the loving witches of the creek. Though I will say the best episodes are when we get insight on the main three’s personal lives with their families and when the characters themselves go through a personal trial to understand themselves a little better. The shows thrives in the theme that the creek is a place where you can enjoy getting your hands dirty and work towards something you want, even if it doesn’t add to any concrete long term benefit beyond learning a thing or two about yourself and others. And I say for somebody that relates to Craig as a character, that’s a welcoming thought that the show has yet to perish. And the ska is a welcome choice of music, IMO.

7. THE EPIC TALES OF CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS

It’s funny in how a little over a year of getting a movie, Captain Underpants gets an animated series with not only original stories in lieu of just animating the already printed stories, but puts it all in a format similar to reading a book with a sardonic narrator and separating the plot of the episode into chapters with subtitle cards; one of the first I’ve seen do this. But really, a “Captain Underpants cartoon” is something I can’t say would turn out bad, and I’m right as this is a show that revels in what made CU great in the first place. George, Harold, Melvin, and Mr. Krupp/Captain Underpants are all great characters with the additional supporting cast providing welcome life to the world. Every Incredible Violence Chapter is brilliant in their own right, and while I wasn’t a fan of the ending they had for the season, it’s great that almost every episode is self-contained, boosting its replay value. Honestly, any compliment I have for this was already said in my review of this and the movie, so I’ll just say this too was faithful to its source material and benefited heavily for it.

6. GARY AND HIS DEMONS

Rick and Morty done better. BOOM, send tweet! It is safe to say that this was quite the sleeper hit and I can’t help but say it’s lowkey one of the best adult cartoons this year next to Ballmastrz and Final Space. And while I certainly appreciate the other two *hint hint* this one got a step above on the grounds that it works as a comedy and a solemn tale of a chosen hero that stumbles through years in the office life. It’s improv humor feels natural and it can be as melancholic as Bojack Horseman without making it all too deep like so; has a great balance of both. Main man Gary, unlike Rick for the most part, is a guy that’s both reasonably reprehensible yet pretty relatable. Not to mention, while it was bittersweet, it had a very satisfying finale to where I feel like this was a complete series all together. With a rough art style that compliments it’s tone, this was a series that surprised me in its sharp quality.

5. APPLE & ONION

I’ll admit. Initially wasn’t a fan of it as it felt like a knock-off to Regular Show (may it rest). Just had a duo of bros living together, doing mundane labor while coming up with impromptu tunes along the way. Then again, I was gladly proven wrong because the charm of it generally being a simple show, even with every person being food, somehow more regular than Regular Show. Every song they make is upbeat and catchy, all of the characters are endearing, and with only 10 episodes, each one was well paced and had quality writing to the point where I teared up a couple times. It stinks that this and Summer Camp Island have generally been receiving the shaft this year after their premieres, but I'm just glad that they haven’t been truly forgotten by CN and are getting more episodes next year. Plus, I love food and this show is about food. Debate over.

4. LEGEND OF THE THREE CABALLEROS

I was familiar yet never saw The Three Caballeros, ironic since Donald is one of my favorite Disney characters. But then, out of the blue, I found this and I was stunned, amazed, confused, nonetheless invested. It has a bumpy start, but it’s a joyous adventure from that start to end. The look of it is something I’ve rarely seen in animation since... freakin’ Wakfu. I love Xandra and I was glad to see her be an active player on the team. The villains are such a hammy delight. And Jose and Panchito were very lively and entertaining foils to Donald’s cynic nature while all three work as well together like the 3 stooges. Donald himself gets a great arc of his own throughout the season. And the theme, HO MY GOD I LOVE THIS THEME! It’s a damn shame Disney hasn’t released this already (since it’s all online already) because this series is much better than it has any right to be.

3. GOLDEN WIND/VENTO AUREO

I say, the beauty of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is that regardless of what part you start from, you’re enthralled into its world and ya feel compelled to dig into it more. Parts 3 was what got me into Jojo, like most I bet, but it was part 5 that got me “Oh yeah, this series [just] works on more than level”. The characters are what keep me hooked, regardless of Crunchyroll refusing to give their stands proper English names [Zipper Man, CR?], Fighting Gold and Freak ‘n You will never get old, and David Productions putting great effort into the small details and giving life and style to the original manga. I’ll just say, as one who’s read and loved the manga, this anime has not ceased to keep me impressed and guessing for more.

2. INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE

Funking superb, you afro having web-slinger. I hate to say it, but 2018 didn’t have the most impressive line-up of western animated features. Most were average, entertaining sure, but nothing felt like 110% was given. Until Spidah-Man came on the scene and I was like “WIG...

The only major problem I have with this film, besides a bit of slow pacing, is more of a missed opportunity where the stakes of getting the Spidermen back to their dimensions before dying felt like an afterthought. Then again, that’s ALL I have for problems. It looks fantastic. The action is smooth, coherent, and satisfying to see. The tiny details and comic book aesthetic of it was a blessed touch. I loved almost every character here. Nick Cage and John Mulaney. The fact that it has so much yet was able to juggle it all blew my mind. Even the post credits scene made this such a love letter to the wall-crawler. This film was refreshing to say the least and the central theme behind the idea of Spider-Man made this as great of a superhero movie as Infinity War and Lego Batman. Just saying, this better make its budget back and THEN SOME. It deserves it.

1. HILDA

Netflix, we’re not on good terms mind you, but ya done did it again. This is honestly one of the few shows that I genuinely took my time with as opposed to binging it, because binge watching is a devil in itself. Like the Spider-verse movie, it got the style of its source material down to cozy colored T with its autumn color palette and etched lining in the characters. Like the Captain Underpants series, while having a grounded arc of Hilda journeying through the city life and her colliding wildlife, each episode can be generally be enjoyed on their own. Like Gary and His Demons, it felt like a complete season and the fact it’s getting a season two made things all the better. But above all, it was a generally peaceful yet captivating fantasy cartoon to watch with incredible animation, an endearing main character, amazing looking folk creatures of all sizes and powers, and a cuddly deerfox for a pet. I say this is to the fall what Harvey Beaks was to the spring, and if I can compare a show to Harvey Beaks you know you’ve achieved greatness. Like True and the Rainbow Kingdom, gives you a moment of honest bliss and happiness that can influence your outlook on looking forward to better things because like Hilda herself, you push forward and have some fun exploring.

Just saying, I cannot stress this enough this is NOT my number one favorite show of the year, hell of all time. THAT goes to....

1. 👏TEEN 👏TITANS 👏GO, BABEEEEEEY!!

ONCE AGAIN, Teen Titans GO reigns supre-- Huh, what’s that? Oh my god, you’re serious?! The Number One is

TOTAL DRAMARAMA OUT OF NOWHERE! IT IS NOW CARTOON NETWORK’S ‘NEW FAVORITE SHOW’.

THE STREAK *DING DING DING* IS OVER