#Pumbaa is literally the best

[rose-tea-and-strawberries]

Heya 👋

I discovered your account a few weeks ago and I fell in love with your twisted wonderland x house of mouse AU and I also started posting about this AU merged with my Twisted Wonderland AU 😊

Alas here is my question

I'm a huge jungle book fan, so I'm curious how they see Yuu in your AU

Hope you have a wonderful day/night 😊

I LOVE JUNGLE BOOK SO MUCH - it's actually one of the only instances where I like the movie more than the book (mainly because the books are super depressing - though it is lowkey funny how book!Shere Khan has the exact same death as Mufasa)

So I'm setting the HoM!AU as post-Shere Khan's defeat and pre-Mowgli going to the man village.

Literally all of them ship Yuu with any Savanaclaw Student

So I've said it before but Mowgli's family - Raksha, Rama and his brothers - absolutely adore Jack. They all like to roughhouse with him it's adorable. I personally headcanon that he's twisted from Mowgli's wolf father which is why he's not as villainous as his peers and also why he has a strong sense of justice - plus why he's close to his younger siblings.

Mowgli and Yuu are best friends. He and his brothers welcome her to the pack the same way they welcomed Mowgli and Jack. Raksha's mother instincts are blaring when she sees her so she joins the other animal Disney mums like Sarabi, Duchess and Mama Jumbo in doting on her with maternal affection.

Bagheera (Disney's OG good kitty before Simba - I literally love him so much he has my heart) is like Yuu's cool uncle. He is such a dad (even though his first instinct was to eat baby!Mowgli when he first saw him), the moment he sees Yuu he's like 'must protect'. Seing a mancub that he wouldn't get grey fur babysitting is such a relief and he spends most of his time just chatting with her and preventing Baloo and the rest of his cast from corrupting her. I have a twst!Bagheera OC that Yuu befriends and he's like this cool senior that warns her of dangers of possible predators.

Baloo is ecstatic to have another mancub to impart his wisdom onto :D (lowkey think that he would be friends with Timon and Pumbaa since they have similar life philosophies of taking it easy and stuff). Yuu thinks of him similarly to how she thinks of Coach Vargas - fun uncle who means well and she probably shouldn't get any advice from.

Kaa tried to eat her when he first met her but was then stopped by Minnie and Bagheera. Yuu's learned her lesson with Jamil when it comes to staring into the eyes of a snake. He and Sir Hiss are snarky snake besties and get snek cuddles around her neck privileges.

Shere Khan with Yuu is: No mancub allowed *sees Yuu* one mancub allowed. He's like a platonic tsundere where he pretends he doesn't like her but still loves it when she gives him head scritches.

I feel like Shere Khan has a love hate relationship with Scar. Tigers are actually stronger than lions are and have been known to beat them in fights even though Scar is, by twst lore and probably also Disney lore, a more important figure and much above SK in the villain pecking order so there would also be that whole fighting instinct over the hierarchy between them. This fighting instinct is also included in the whole Custody Battle™ because they both keep on making jabs at the other's expense (Shere Khan likes to say that Yuu deserves better than some lion whenever Scar is near him). The two of them are also best friends - it's hilarious. It's also funny to watch them gripe about Tigger and Prince John who they both consider the embarrassments of their species.

The elephants are cool. They hang out with the other Disney elephants (like the ones in Dumbo and Lion King). I forgot his name but that baby elephant that Mowgli befriends is totally bffs with Dumbo and the two of them like to play with Yuu and Mowgli together.

[tired-lamb]

Never Alone (On Christmas Day)

A TLG christmas fic brought to you by yours truly. Takes place in a modern human au, where the Guard are young adult age range. For the purposes of this story, Kion works under Rafiki who runs a store (idk what he sells).

Merry Christmas TLG tumblr! I wanted to put something out for the season, and speedwrote this in like. 2 hours max last night. Due to that very reason, the following christmas tlg fic is extremely messy, rough and all over the place, for which I apologise. I tried brushing up whatever I could in the morning, and though it’s not my best work I’m still pretty satisfied with it. Hope you enjoy either way, and Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays to you!

[ THE greatest(s) of all ]

best bud!! 6:21 p.m.  [ Image attached depicts Bunga, Ono, Beshte, Timon and Pumbaa all facing the camera. The house and their surroundings are decorated with Christmas lights and wreaths. Bunga holds the camera up, and the rest are seated behind him, posing. ] best bud!! 6:21 p.m. merry christmas eve guys!!!!  emergency no. (fuli) 6:25 p.m. aww, you guys spending christmas at timon and pumbaa’s huh? best bud!! 6:25 p.m. you BET!! @Kion wish you were here dude You 6:27 p.m. Wish I could too, Bunga, but Kiara’s bugging me to spend it at her’s You 6:27 p.m. Esp with the baby on the way literal teddy bear 6:30 p.m. Due in a couple of months, right?  literal teddy bear 6:30 p.m. Must be hard :( hope you still have fun there, Kion! We’ll miss you emergency no. (fuli) 6:31 p.m. you sure you don’t want me to drop by or anything?  emergency no. (fuli) 6:31 p.m. I know I whine about how you guys always wanna ruin my christmas me time but I seriously could come over if you want You 6:32 p.m. Nah, it’s fine. Besides, I don’t think Rafiki will let me off aaand you’re also like a bunch of kilometers away from me, Fuli. You 6:32 p.m. Idk why but it feels like this year everybody wants to keep me busy around this time best bud!! 6:32 p.m. whaaat why would they do that  emergency no. (fuli) 6:32 p.m. 🙂 literal teddy bear 6:32 p.m. Lmao You 6:33 p.m. ?? You 6:33 p.m. Ignoring whatever that was, I gotta go. Rafiki’s calling, seems like someone’s got a problem with his shit again, lol.  local braincell 6:33 p.m. late to the convo but goodluck with the baby and rafiki, kion! we’ll miss you :( You 6:34 p.m. Let me guess, Timon and Pumbaa fussing over you again?  You 6:34 p.m. Ok, seriously gtg now. Bye guys! Merry christmas eve :)

.***.

Kion really didn’t mind that his Christmas might get wiled away thirdwheeling his sister and Kovu, and definitely doesn’t mind that all his best friends are spending Christmas without him. Definitely doesn’t mind that even his other friends, like Jasiri and Janja, are also busy with plans for Christmas. He also most definitely doesn’t mind that he’s stuck working with Rafiki in his spiritual-y shop, and that Rafiki has unusually been working him to the bone these days. Doesn’t care that the snow and the Christmas lights call to him, or that everytime his friends send him photos of their celebrations, his heart aches just a little bit. 

Nope. Definitely doesn’t mind. 

Kion sighs, nearly letting the box of ornaments in his hand fall to the ground. He manages to save it just in time, however, and lets out another sigh, this time of relief, because he just saved himself another scolding from Rafiki. From somewhere around the extremely-messy-despite-his-best-attempts shop, he hears Rafiki laughing heartily with a customer. The sound fills the air, and as much as Kion hated to admit it, it pierces through his heart in a negative way. He can’t help it; it seems as though the entire world, including even his own boss, is enjoying this season. The entire world, but him.

He makes his way towards the main counter, finding Rafiki and the customer he had been laughing with. He places the box on the table with a loud oomph, alerting the other two of his presence.

“Ah, Kion! Kion! Come, meet Mrs. Janna!” Rafiki calls to him loudly, even though he’s right next to him. Kion forces a smile, because he doesn’t want to dampen other people’s mood, and faces the ‘Mrs. Janna’ in question.

She’s an old lady, evident by the smile lines and crow’s feet on her face. Despite this, there’s a general warmness to her that you don’t usually find in older people, something akin to a crackling fire in the winter months. Mrs Janna smiles at Kion, genuine unlike Kion’s own. Kion thinks she knows his smile is only for pleasantries, but doesn’t seem to mind. 

“Habari, Kion?” Mrs. Janna asks, her voice deep and grounding. It reminds him of the recordings he heard of his grandfather’s voice.

“Sawa, Mrs. Janna, thank you,” Kion responds, trying his best not to let his despair seep into the conversation. He should get a hold of himself.

Rafiki laughs once more, giving Kion a pat on the back which feels more like a slap than any pat Kion’s ever gotten. 

“Kion here is unhappy these days, I won’t let him off work! Ah, Janna, what can you-a do? When the season arrives, that is when people come! Am I not right, Kion?” 

Kion lets out a nervous chuckle. “Well, I wouldn’t say unhappy, but definitely a bit lonely.” 

“Ey, ey, Kion,” Rafiki says, moving on from the previous topic, “Mrs. Janna here has found someone who can help us! She is interested in working with me, isn’t that right, Janna?” 

Mrs Janna nods, her eyes sparkling for just a moment. “Indeed, Rafiki. I do have someone who’d like to come and work here, though she’ll be arriving after the New Years. Maybe then Kion might not be so unhappy, perhaps?” 

She looks to Kion, half teasing and half serious. Kion appreciates the sentiment nonetheless, and responds in the affirmative. Better to say yes than anything else, he supposes. 

It’s not long before the two are lost in their own conversation, something about old times and how things have changed so much. Kion decides to leave them to it and visit his favourite corner of the store; the little nook where their biggest window lies. 

It’s a little elevated, and sits right where their staircase turns. Kion has to climb up a bit in order to get to it, but he manages in the end, and it’s worth it. It doesn’t have much space, just enough for Kion to sit in peace during his breaks, but the view outside is what makes it Kion’s favourite corner. The roads lie some way beneath the window, strangers passing by. These days, the numbers have multiplied. He credits it to the Christmas season, and how there must be families visiting relatives in their small town. Now, sitting in his space, he remembers that he, too, will be visiting his own family this Christmas.

He’s not totally bummed out that he’s spending it with Kiara and Kovu; just that he wishes he could spend it with his friends instead. He loves his sister and brother-in-law to death, but Kiara’s moodswings are more frequent nowadays due to the pregnancy hormones. Kion hasn’t visited in a while to know how bad it is, but he’s dealth with her period hormones before, and Kion would rather do anything but go through that again, thank you very much. 

Alas, the only other option is to stay in his apartment and hole up, since all his friends are out of town. He supposes that visiting his family, even if it means thirdwheeling, is still worth it. 

Today, Kion finds himself watching the snow fall on the streets, snowflakes occasionally decorating the window beside him. Rafiki and Mrs. Janna’s conversation can still he heard from where he is, but slowly the sound muffles and Kion feels his eyelids grow heavy. He knows Rafiki will call him back to work soon, but just for now, he lets his body shut down. 

Just for now. 

.***.

The big day has arrived, and boy has it kept Kion busy. Texts and notifications flood his phone screen before getting cleared out for later. Rafiki orders him about with customers here and there, the store bustling with company. Somehow, the loudest sound in the store isn’t Rafiki’s voice today, and Kion finds his ears nearly bursting with how much chatter he can hear at once. Outside isn’t any better, as snow collects itself in piles and trucks blare horns as they come to clear the pathways. People are shouting here and there, wishing each other a merry Christmas, and families flood the streets with little kids running around in mufflers and big, poofy jackets. 

It’s the busiest the town ever gets, and will ever get. Kion’s become accustomed to it, though the sight of friends and families and their joyful faces as they spend the day together does sting just a bit. He gets more than a dozen texts from his friends, all of them wishing him a merry Christmas. Amongst them lies his sister and his conversation, where Kiara is going on about something that Kion can’t comprehend because his mind is in a whirl when he’s in work mode. It can’t be that important, if Kiara’s not calling him about it, and so Kion decides to read through the messages once he gets his break. 

“Kion! Where are you?” Rafiki calls from somewhere. Kion chuckles to himself, glad that his Christmas is at least starting with someone familiar. 

.***.

dada kiara 3:16 p.m. Hey Kion! Merry Christmas little dude :] dada kiara 3:16 p.m. There’s been some change of plans, so is it alright if you meet me and Kovu at this place?  dada kiara 3:16 p.m. [ Embedded: link to location ] dada kiara 3:17 p.m. We won’t be home by the time you come, so just meet us here and we’ll go back home together dada kiara 3:17 p.m. Ok??

dada kiara 4:00 p.m. Boy you better see the message 

dada kiara 4:32 p.m. Kion. 

dada kiara 5:12 p.m. Don’t blame me if you find our door locked

dada kiara 6:46 p.m.  I hope you’re on your way now at least

[ 2 Missed calls from dada kiara ]

You 7:43 p.m. 👍

.***.

Kion groans to himself as horns blare at him and his taxi in the middle of traffic because of course there would be traffic on the busiest and most celebratory day in all the year. He opens his phone for what feels like the twelfth time, the bright screen burning into his retina as he scrolls through all the unresponded messages. He booked a taxi the minute he got off work, and somehow despite being two hours into traffic, he still has no energy to reply to all his friends and family. 

Why did the meet-up place have to be on the busiest street? 

He lazily scrolls through his chats, trying his best to ignore his driver’s cursing and horns that were still blaring at Spirits know what. His fingers pad his screen, finding their way to his best friends’ and his groupchat. Without actually wanting to, Kion opens it. 

[ THE greatest(s) of all ]

local braincell 5:20 a.m. merry christmas everyone! best bud!! 5:20 a.m. ono why are you up local braincell 5:20 a.m. I could ask you the samw question

literal teddy bear 7:01 a.m. Samw literal teddy bear 7:01 a.m. Merry Christmas everyone!!

emergency no. (fuli) 10:07 a.m. why in spirits’ name are you three up so early best bud!! 10:10 a.m. damn merry christmas to you too ig emergency no. (fuli) 10:10 a.m. yea yea merry christmas to you too loser best bud!! 10:10 a.m. um ☝️ if I recall I’m not the one spending christmas ALONE?? best bud!! 10:11 a.m. so really whose taking Ls here local braincell 10:11 a.m. if you don’t get your ass in the car this minute then it’ll be you emergency no. (fuli) 10:11 a.m. LMAOOO thanks ono 🫶 local braincell 10:11 a.m. <3

literal teddy bear 3:20 p.m. [ Image attached: A photo of Bunga, Ono and Beshte in Timon and Pumbaa’s garden. Bunga is running away from Ono and Beshte, who have big snowballs in their hands. ] best bud!! 3:24 p.m. HEY

best bud!! 6:58 p.m. This message was deleted. best bud!! 6:58 p.m. wait nevermind wrong group emergency no. (fuli) 6:59 p.m. This message was deleted.

Kion is just about to type a message, when he finds himself lurching forward. He nearly hits his head against the back of the front seat, mumbling curses to himself. His taxi driver apologies, blaming a car or two in front of him. Kion doesn’t respond, instead going back to his phone. Where before there was the groupchat with his best friends, his keyboard open and ready for a message, there now lies a black screen. 

Kion knows it’s not that deep, but somehow it manages to sprout tears from his eyes, and before he knows it there’s streams flowing down his face while he tries his best to keep quiet so his driver doesn’t make a fuss. He misses his friends. He was going to meet some of his family, but somehow he misses them too. It’s as if he’s been aching for them the entire day, the entire season. Christmas without them doesn’t feel right, and Kion feels a hollow, aching pain inside his chest. His friends were somewhere celebrating while he was stuck in traffic, a mess both physically and mentally. He missed his home— his true home. 

Unfortunately, the road itself doesn’t give him any time to wallow in sadness as his driver is now speeding through. Kion hurriedly rubs tears away, trying his best to look composed, and finds that they’re no longer stuck in traffic. He recognises the area now, and quickly sends his sister a message saying he’s almost there. He takes a deep breath, maybe two, and the thought of meeting his sister in a couple of minutes manages to cheer him up just a bit. 

The taxi soon halts in front of the location, and Kion is slightly surprised to find that the place he’s meant to go to is some basement belonging to the house right in front of him. After double-checking with his sister, he pays the driver and makes his way towards the basement door. 

He takes in another breath. 

Two.

No time to sit in self-pity, Kion, he tells himself, just.. enjoy the moment. You can call your friends later. Don’t be whiny about it.

He pushes the door open and leads himself down the staircase, groaning to himself once more when he finds the room dark and otherwise empty. He’s just about to look around for a light switch and call his sister, when all of a sudden the room bursts with warmth, joy and light as the actual lights turn on, too. Kion blinks a couple of times courtesy of the sudden change, but soon he’s opening his eyes to find—

“MERRY CHRISTMAS!” yells Bunga, Beshte, Ono and Fuli. His friends. His friends that he thought he would be spending Christmas without. His friends that he thought were faraway and not right before him. His friends that he somehow got because Spirits does Kion not deserve them at all.

“Hey, I know what you’re thinking,” Bunga says, a stern glance directed towards him, “and to be clear, you do deserve all of this.”

Kion sputters, still recovering from the shock. He takes a look around the basement itself, and finds it well decorated, with some cakes set on a table and a beautifully lit Christmas tree behind his friends. He struggles to find his words, and is left with his mouth agape.

“How— but— Kiara..”

“Kiara helped us plan the entire thing, and, just to be clear, you’re still spending the rest of the season with her,” Fuli explains, making her way towards Kion and giving him a good pat on the back in an attempt to bring him back to reality.

“However, you will be spending tonight and the next two days with us,” Ono continues, a wide smile painting his face. “We’ve already planned everything out, and we’ll be having a huge slumber party right here for tonight.”

“The blankets and pillows are arriving in a bit, we had to rely on your sister for that too,” Beshte says, a sheepish grin on his own face.

“But— wait, whose basement even is this?” Kion finally gains enough of a hold on himself to say.

Here, Bunga steps forward and proceeds to perform elaborate moves before proudly standing in front of his bestest friend.

“This would be my uncles’ brother’s sister-in-law’s friend’s basement! They talked it all out; said we’re lucky enough to get in even for a night.”

Kion is still trying to digest everything in when he feels his phone buzz and sound a notification. It’s a message from Kiara.

dada kiara 8:27 p.m. Tell your friends we’ll be there in a bit, yea? dada kiara 8:27 p.m. Hope you enjoy little bro <3

He can’t help but smile, feeling a little silly about all his worry a couple of minutes ago. He looks back up to his friends, all surrounding him, radiating joy, love, and home. He feels the same things bursting in his chest, and Kion can’t help but give in to his impulses. Just this once.

He tackles all of them down to the ground and pushes them into a hug. A flurry of laughter fills the air, and it’s the best Christmas gift Kion has ever gotten.

Still squeezing them as best as he can, while stretching his arms out too, he thanks them and thanks them, before finally screaming and yelling as loudly and as lovingly as he can—

Merry Christmas.

[tangledbea]

What are your thoughts on the direct-to-video Disney sequels, prequels and midquels and do you have a favorite and least favorite?

I was going to say Return to Neverland, but then I remembered that it was released in theaters, so it's not actually direct-to-video.

I've watched several (but not all) of them throughout my life, some of them more than once. I wish I remembered The Lion King 1/2 better, because I distinctly recall both being frustrated that they inserted Timon and Pumbaa into places in Lion King where they didn't actually belong, but I also distinctly remember that Simba and Timon had a snail-eating contest that was frame like taking shots. XD

Anyway, I guess The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride wins, simply because I remember it well, own the sountrack, and I had one instance of watching it back-to-back with Pocahontas and thought, "Wait, this is the same movie...!" which always stuck with me. The second-best is Cinderella 3, and this is coming from someone who doesn't really like Disney's adaptation of Cinderella. Honorable mention to Aladdin 2: The Return of Jafar and Aladdin and the King of Thieves for bookending the animated series, even though neither of them are particularly good.

As for the worst? Does the fact that there are some I refuse to watch count as them being the worst?

As for my thoughts on them in general: They're cash-grabs, plain and simple. Did a movie do moderately well to well? Then a sequel was planned for it. Not only was the animation never as good (the direct-to-video department did not have the same budget as the theatrical department does), the writing often required characters to lose character development (I'm looking at you, Mushu) in order to make plot happen, and often reused character ideas in different skins (Morgana in The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea). While Bambi 2 is beautifully animated, it misses the core feeling of the original movie by making literally everyone talk to much. But each one has at least one scene that is like... The Reason the development team made the movie. I'd like to see a super cut of "this is the scene they made this movie for" with the sequels/prequels/midquils.

[everythingtoony]

MADE A TIRE LIST WITH LION KING CHARACTERS FROM THE ORIGINAL MOVIE AND THE SEQUEL LETS GO OVER MY CHOICES!!

S tier: Timon, Pumbaa, Nuka, Rafiki, Scar

Timon and Pumbaa- I feel like this one is an obvious choice tbh, at least for me! I adore these two, they are extremely gay, and I just love the contrast between their two personalities. Timon is impulsive, reckless, and can be loud and rude at times. Meanwhile, Pumbaa is the literal definition of a sweetheart. He's kind, loving, and although he may be oblivious at times he can actually be quite smart in his own way.

Nuka- Ah, where to start with this loopy boi... he is such a dummy, and I mean that in the most affectionate way possible. He's got a few screws loose in his brain, and he can be very jealous of his younger brother Kovu. And while his selfishness ends up being the thing that kills him, he's got a very endearing personality, and I just adore how dumb he is!!

Rafiki- I'm just going to start by saying rest in peace to Rafiki's voice actor, he brought this character to life in the best way possible, and I am so glad he gave this monkey as much personality as he did. He is very wise, yet can come off as confusing to others. She can actually be quiet sarcastic when he wants to be, and he has outbursts that I find quite funny. I also love it when he just casually hit Simba on the head with a stick with no warning. And in the second movie, when Mufasa's spirit talks to Rafiki, suggesting that Kovu and Kiara should get together, Rafiki loses his mind, it is the funniest thing ever. I also quote him on a daily basis, he's actually one of my favorite characters!

Scar- he was actually my favorite character before I realized that I may like Timon and Pumbaa a little more... but! That does not mean I still don't love him. Scar is my favorite Disney villain ever! I just love his menacing personality, and I think Disney knew what they were doing with his design and voice, because come on, you can see it in the animation. Jeremy Irons voices Scar and I think he did an excellent job on the character. And at one point Jim Cummings had to take his place in the end of Be Prepared, and you can barely notice the difference. The only noticeable thing is that Scar's voice sounds more vicious and chaotic. I really love this character, and he is the last one to go in S tier.

A tier: Ed, Banzai, Shenzi, adult Simba, Zira, adult Nala, young Simba

The hyenas- I don't think I need to say too much about these guys, they pretty much speak for themselves. I think I tend to lean towards chaotic trios and Duos. The hyenas are actually extremely hilarious, and I find their Antics quite funny.. in fact, these hyenas are probably the reason why Timon and Pumbaa exist. Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella originally auditioned for the hyenas, but they loved their dynamic so much that they created two characters just for them, Timon and Pumbaa! I adore the way the hyenas talk to one another, and I think that their dynamic is so cool to watch

Adult Simba- Okay, bear with me here. This list gave me young and adult versions of a lot of the characters, including Simba, Nala, Kiara, Vitani and Kovu. I mainly placed them on the list based on their personalities, because they have two very different personalities... I might like an adult version more than a younger version, or vice versa. With that out of the way, I'm going to talk about adult Simba. I actually really like the way his character was evolved in the first movie, and while he's kind of a jackass in the second movie, he gets better in the end. I think it might also have something to do with his voice, both speaking and singing. I just really like Simba.

Zira- Her obsession with Scar is actually so important to this movie, it's not even funny. In the deleted scene of her death, she says and does a little more than she does in the final scene. Either way, she chose death, because the only thing she wanted was to be with Scar. She would've rather died than be helped out by those she thought she had been hurt by. I think her whole motive is a little strange, but I understand where she's coming from. I think the only thing I don't like about her is how she treats Nuka. She only cared about him in the end when he died. My stupid baby boy did not deserve any of the treatment that came from that woman. Either way, I still think she's a great villain. Scar is way better, but Zira is second place

Adult Nala- This lioness is one of the best moms I've ever seen. I was unsure about where to place her at first, because of the way she reacted with Simba in the first movie...I don't like how pushy she was with her. But like Adult Simba in the 2nd movie, Adult Nala got better by the end of the first movie, and I think she was great in the 2nd one. She saw Kiara, and knee she wanted freedom. She understood that, and tried to help Simba understand as well.

Young Simba- Finally, this little shit is the last to be on the A tier. He's absolutely adorable, but he's constantly getting himself in trouble. He's energetic and just wants to be like his father, but JEEZ, SIMBA WHEN HE SAYS DONT GO TO THE SHADOWY PLACE IT MEANS DONT GO! I think his voice is adorable, and he was super close with Mufasa, which made Mufasa's death so much sadder. Either way, Young Simba is great. Not my favorite, but he's cute.

B tier: Adult Kovu, Zazu, Adult Kiara, young Nala, Mufasa

Adult Kovu- He's pretty nic

e looking, and I love how he's eventually taught how to let go and have fun. I also love how he decided to go against Zira's plan in the end, although he was going to do it at first. And of course, Scar was a heavy influence that he was taught to look up to as a cub, he didnt know about the blackness in his soul. Other than that...yeah, I think he's a meh character. I certainly don't hate him, but he's definitely nit my favorite.

Zazu- He's so snooty and I love him, but he played such a small role in the 2nd movie, and it made me sad when I didn't hear Mr. Beans voice. I think he's kinda in the middle because he's not really anything special. Yes, he's smart, witty, and can be rude at times, but he's also extremely overbearing and it kinda annoys me sometimes. Either way, he's a good character, just not my favorite.

Adult Kiara- Ehh...I like her voice, and the way she stops the war at the end of the 2nd movie by making Simba eat his own words was pretty good...but she's kinda meh. She was quite annoying sometimes, and Imma be honest, her laughing is fake as he'll. But I do like how she has the same energetic spark in her soul that Simba once had. I think that's cool.

Young Nala- Again...nothing really special...yeah, she's sassy and witty, but other than that...she doesn't really do a whole lot. Her adult self does way more than her younger self.

Mufasa- He's a really good dad, but he did let Simba go off on his own constantly. And I think he definitely deserved more screen time, because he's such a good father. But now he's dead, so oh well.

C tier: Sarabi, Adult Vitani, young Kiara, young Kovu

Sarabi- Okay, getting to the ones I'm really kinda "meh" about. Sarabi didn't do much...I do like jer personality, but the only thing exciting on screen was when Scar hit her across the cave. I don't really have a lot to say about her.

Adult Vitani- ehhh...she joined Simba's side in the end, but other than that, dhr really didn't do much, either. I do like her personality, and her and Nuka's dynamic was funny, but other than that, she's mid.

Young Kovu and Kiara- dislike these two but not enough to put it in D tier..they're just...there for story, I guess. They're eh.

D tier: Young Vitani

Don't come at me but I don't like Vitani that much. She's just there to be the "voice of reason" between her and Nuka. I don't have much to say on her.

Well, that's it, there's everything. I'm gonna take a nap.

[pignipplez]

Timon and Pumbaa are like the best gay couple ever I wish I had them as fathers they are so silly 😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢

Timon is so Twink 😔❤️

THEY ARE SUCH PROUD PARENTS 😭💞

Like in lion king 1 1/2 they had a whole little montage sequence trying to get Simba to lose feelings for Nala and stay with them 🥺

THEY CRIED WHEN WATCHED SIMBA’S HUG THING AND SOBBED CUZ THEY THOUGHT NALA WASNT GOOD ENOUGH FOR HIM 😭

They were so giddy and happy with Simba through all his accomplishments like when he had Kiara Timon and Pumbaa were such gay uncles 🔥

Timon and Pumbaa is so hehe haha yay I love them so much 🤬🤬🤬❤️❤️❤️

I could rant about them all day I teared up when they had there little fight ☺️🥲🤗💥

TIMON WAS SO DEPRESSED AND DIDNT KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH HIMSELF WHEN PUMBAA LEFT 😭

The baboon guy laughed in Timon’s face cuz Timon was pooping over his son and Husband

Timon literally confessed that Pumbaa was his Hakuna Matata 😢🔥

WHEN THEY HAD THERE REUNION IN THE DESSERT AHHH 😭😭😭😭💕💕💕💕

Their hug 👹👹

If you can’t tell I went through a lion kind phase and I still love the movies so much 🥰

[silly-lil-lee]

the way timon and pumbaa have a genuine discussion slash disagreement as fathers, as guardians, as a married couple-

"but he's not our kid, pumbaa! and as much as you wish you were, you are not his mommy! he's a completely different kind of animal! he's an ugly chicken, and as much as we love him, we don't know how to raise him! He needs to be with his own species!"

The way he starts out so harsh without even meaning to because having this strange other animal is so much change so fast and he's lashing out because of it (if we're going with the headcanon that he's autistic that is), he's lashing out because it's changing Pumbaa as well and he realized maybe having a child that's not technically the same species isn't a good idea at that very moment because of it

Then he gets more calm, more gentle as he gives that whole speech, because he knows pumbaa cared for the kid and he knows he and the warthog both love him, and because of this he knows pumbaa wants what's best for pumbaa jr. He knows being with his own species is what'd be best, so he knows he has to make pumbaa realize that.

Also i'd like to point out that this situation is different because they found simba as a cub, but they didn't raise him since birth. They knew he had to have lived with his own species at least for a little while, so he knows he's a lion, he knows.

But with Pumbaa Jr., they quite literally raised him from birth. Pumbaa Jr. grew up believing h e was a warthog because that was the first animal he saw, and said animal took responsibility for him almost immediately. As soon as Pumbaa saw the egg, he wanted to take care of whatever animal was inside, because he's highly empathetic

SORRY ABOUT THIS RANDOM RAMBLE

Timon thinking chickens are the only animals that lay eggs is so funny to me

HIM CALLING PUMBAA JR. AN UGLY CHICKEN IS HILARIOUS 💀

[waddlesdpig]

Can we just take a moment to appreciate “ The Lion King 1 1/2″ Powerful pun -game.

[sugar-frosty-fairy]

The Adam Murphy animation on this sailor is AMAZING

[jacquiebethelina44]

Ranking My Top 10 Disney Animated Sequels

10) Mulan II

The plot and story may pail in comparison to the original, but the songs are still catchy and I’m a sucker for a follow your heart love story. Also there’s a super dramatic moment where you think a character legit died. Disney went harder than it needed to and I respect that.

9) Lion King II: Simba’s Pride

Kovu. Need I say more? It’s a nice continuation but leaves something to be desired for me in both the portrayal of the new characters added and the original characters. It may not have captured the original magic, but it’s still less ridiculous than Mulan 2.

8) Lion King 1 1/2 (Technically 3)

This movie is ridiculous. And that the point! It’s the story of the original events of The Lion King from the perspective of Timon and Pumbaa. The universe acts as their personal realtor until they find right where they belong. It’s funny, cute, and has one of the catchiest ear worms you’ll ever hear in your life. Digga Tunna!

7) Cinderella II: Dreams Come True

I love continuations of classic stories that expand the world the stories live in. And that’s exactly what this does. Sure the story within a story format has been done before and done better, but these three vignettes are too good for me to care. I like ‘em. Especially the one where Anastasia finds love!

6) Brother Bear 2

What else could a movie about a man who turns into a bear have to explore? His soulmate becoming one too! (Spoiler alert) This is a cute story about childhood best friends who were meant to be something more and it is just as visually stunning as the first movie. Good for them because quality control is something seriously lacking in these sequels.

5) Lilo and Stitch 2: Stitch Has A Glitch

This movie was a lot for me when I was a child. Mostly because of this scene below. This movie has the perfect combo of hilarity and heart and has a really good plot that’s believable as well as entertaining. If you want a good cry, go ahead and give it a watch.

4) Little Mermaid II: Return To The Sea

Those who know me might find this placement weird because little mermaid was literally my favorite movie growing up. So how could a story about Ariel and Eric having a daughter not be my favorite sequel? Well, upon a recent rewatch a lot of it is derivative of the first move and some of the new characters lack … complexity. They’re very one sided and can get annoying at times so it loses points for that. Still in the top 5 though! I love it!

3) Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure

Excellent songs and and excellent story about how to handle revealing your sordid past to your children. It’s visually one of the best made sequels and continues the story while also making their new characters well rounded and fully fleshed out. It still stands the test of time and that means it’s a true Disney classic.

2) Cinderella III: A Twist In Time

This. Movie. Is. BONKERS. But in the best way possible! A lot of people complain that the original trio (Cindy, Sleepy, and Snowy) are bland and not great role models for young girls of a new generation. This movie fixes that. Cinderella saves herself. And the prince has a personality! This movie is hilarious and has great songs and animation. There’s a reason it’s my number 2. If you haven’t seen it … fix that.

And finally …

1) Pocahontas II: Journey To A New World

(More-ish)Historically Accurate? Check. Quality Animation? Check. Catchy Songs? CHECK. Same characters in a new environment is always great because if you stay true to who they are there’s so much entertainment to be found. And that’s what this movie is about. Pocahontas is quickly becoming one of my favorite Disney characters and I think too many people criticize and sleep on her because she’s a historical figure. It’s a movie people! Don’t miss out!

Let me know what you guys think!

Until next time

-jacquiebethelina44 ❤️

[suhayavishnya]

Okay, hear me out.

The song "Can you feel the love tonight?" from The Lion King literally describes Remadora from OOTP

I can see what's happening (What?)

And they don't have a clue (Who?)

They'll fall in love and here's the bottom line - our trio's down to two. (Oh.)

Ze sweet caress of twilight

There's magic everywhere

And with all this romantic atmosphere

Disaster's in the air

Timon: Sirius on Grimmauld 12, he's shipping Remus and Tonks, but we all remember what his childhood home did to him - he was just afraid of losing these two when they started dating and he thinks that he'd get completely bored without them, because their trio had the best nights at the Black house, laughing and dispelling Sirius' depression.

Pumbaa: Arthur, who is a good friend and willing to listen to Sirius, but also pushes Remus and Tonks to be together, even though he doesn't want to get involved in their personal affairs.

Can you feel the love tonight?

The peace the evening brings

The world, for once, in perfect harmony

With all its living things

Voiceover: Molly, who got into the conversation as it was taking place in the kitchen and who is Sirius's partner in shipping Remadora.

So many things to tell her

But how to make her see

The truth about my past? Impossible!

She'd turn away from me

Simba: Remus. That seems pretty clear to me.

He's holding back, he's hiding

But what, I can't decide

Why won't he be the king I know he is

The king I see inside?

Nala: Tonks. That says it all, too.

And if he falls in love tonight

It can be assumed

His carefree days with us are history

In short: Our pal is doomed

Sirius and Arthur, who realized that Remus was already head over heels in love with Tonks and needed to finish being an idiot.

I'M TELLING YOU.

FITS. PERFECTLY.

[leupagus]

Also I really want to talk about Edwin Akufo because

a) hottie

b) THAT ENTRANCE, THOSE FINGER GUNS, THAT SMILE, A LEGEND JOGS AMONG US

c) the little thing about him not shaking Ted’s hand, then shaking Sam’s, and Ted going on his first of SEVERAL face journeys in this episode being like “...harsh but fair”

c.1) Ted seriously, what the FUCK was that hakuna matata joke, also why did Sasha Garron... include that whole exchange??? Unless it was to allow Edwin to say in the most gentle, “oh my god you’re like labradoodle-level stupid,” “Well, Timon and Pumbaa are cartoons,” which to be fair Ted might not... know.

c.2) Watching Ted and Edwin interact could have been horrifically embarrassing and kind of was in that first moment but like - Edwin’s so incredibly self-assured and affable, it kind of works?

d) he’s SO CHARMING, like SO CHARMING. Like Ted-levels of charming but with Rebecca-levels of poise and that whole scene in Rebecca’s office I was like, “whatever this guy wants he should have,” even though then I was like “wait but he wants Sam nooooo”

d.1) the suggestion that instead of the owners deciding, let Sam decide for himself was real interesting, and even more interesting that Edwin was the one to suggest it. From what I gather, a lot of times players under contract don’t usually get much of a say, so Edwin wanting to put the power into Sam’s hands is telling (also obviously because he thinks he can charm Sam’s pants off, but still!)

e) BUYING OUT THE FUCKING BRITISH MUSEUM (lol) AND THEN FILLING IT WITH ACTORS, A LEGEND INDEED

e.1) “I’m a billionaire who doesn’t believe billionaires should exist” either this guy is gonna turn out to be a Big Bad (which he BETTER NOT BE) or he needs to have his own spin-off show

e.1.i) I would watch that show

e.2) “You both just met a cool person” the implications here just make me wave my hands around because literally any interpretation of this callback is INCREDIBLE

e.3) The fact that the other guy was Banksy

e.4) THE FACT THAT SAM NEITHER KNEW NOR CARED, Sam you’re the fucking best

f) the fucking pop-up restaurant, this fuckin’ guy. “Is this filled with actors too?” “With friends.” GOD.

f.1) The Nigeria/Ghana rivalry they rib each other about throughout their interactions - like, I can see what Edwin’s talking about in re: raising the African continent’s profile and stature in the world, but they’re still a continent, not a country, and there are national and regional differences and like, I’m honestly really impressed that this was made clear

f.2) mardia has weighed in and making Raja Casablanca into a top-ranked soccer club is... a tall order, basically. Like, VERY TALL. But it is a real team!

f.3) I love him

g) I think Sam might love him too? Like if anyone wants to write the post-season Edwin/Sam fic where Edwin just relentlessly tries to buy Sam’s affection and Sam is like, “you should probably calm down” I would not object?

in short:

RIVAL BILLIONAIRES???

[pulledpurplecurtains]

omg as a kid I thought The Lion King 2 was the BEST out of all three and I was DESPERATE to have it on special edition DVD, but no matter how many times I checked the stores they never had it. I had the first and the Timon & Pumbaa one as special editions and it irks me to this day that I was never able to complete the set 😔 anyway so yeah I understand your love for the lion king 2 it was Good

the lion king 2 is the best out of the three like i will literally die on this hill idec

cheers to you one day finding that special edition by accident i’m putting that energy right into the universe 💕

[disneyat34]

Bolt at 35

A review by Adam D. Jaspering

Fiction is any narrative that is imagined, invented, or made up. To the characters in the narrative, their world is real. To those experiencing the media, it is understood as a fabrication.

Sometimes, things aren’t as cut and dry. Postmodernism in media is the idea that media represents and reflects the real world. That real world itself contains media. And as such, characters in media have seen media themselves. Media is so omnipresent, it is inescapable. This creates a recursion. Daily life is saturated by media, both in the real world and in fictional worlds.

This gives us the idea of metanarratives. Some stories and storytelling techniques are so universal, they are instantly recognized. People are inherently critical and judgmental of such overuse. Fictional characters are also judgmental and critical of stories they themselves are participating in. Metanarratives play with such dissatisfaction.

Metanarrative film draws attention to its own artificiality. This can include characters speaking directly to the audience. The film can reference past works from the filmmakers or studio. The story can comically point out its own inconsistencies or plot holes. The camera can reveal the fictional world is nothing more than actors on a film set. The movie is able to recognize itself as fake, a product of the real world, but remain an independent narrative.

Disney has gone meta before, usually for the sake of humor. In The Sword in the Stone, Merlin knew about the Knights of the Round Table before King Arthur inherited the throne. Genie read from a copy of Aladdin’s screenplay. Timon warned Pumbaa to compose himself before using the word “Fart” in front of The Lion King’s impressionable audience.

Bolt approaches metanarratives in a different way. The film is a work of fiction, it has no direct parallels to any Disney property, and it makes no attempt to recognize itself as an animated film. It is, however, a film about the production of a television show. It demonstrates concepts such as scripting, acting, audience reception, editing, and cultural impact. It threads the line between characters being deluded and accepting their status as fictional characters. While it may not have been intended to be a metanarrative, thematically, it became one anyways.

Bolt is the canine star of his own TV show, alongside his preteen owner, Penny. Bolt is an unknowing participant in the program. He genuinely believes he is a superhero, capable of great feats of strength. He is kept in a state of constant delusion and security, unaware he is nothing more than an actor. Separated from Penny while shooting a two-part cliffhanger, Bolt embarks on a literal and figurative journey. For the first time, he sees the truth about his life and his world. Bolt must realize what is real, and what has been a fabrication.

The story may sound familiar. An individual has the false impression that they are a legendary figure. They believe themselves capable of great feats. They are blissfully unaware their great deeds are phony, and their life is a construct. When forced to interact with the real world, they see just how ineffective and ordinary they are. It’s an identity crisis paired with the tenets of obligation and friendship. Bolt’s character arc is exactly the same as Buzz Lightyear’s from Toy Story.

It may seem that Disney’s head-to-head competition with Pixar had finally come to a head. It may seem that Disney was outright plagiarizing Pixar. This coincidence isn’t quite as malicious as it seems. In 2006, Disney CEO Bob Iger had finalized the acquisition of Pixar. In doing so, Disney was now the employer of Toy Story's creator and director, John Lasseter.

In the first few years of his tenure, Iger did his best to fix Disney Animation's problems. Unfortunately, the task was too big. The mistreatment of filmmakers and a long run of financial blunders left the studio a mess. It required more attention than Iger could devote while running the rest of Disney.

As such, Iger created a new position: Chief Creative Officer of Feature Animation. He put John Lasseter into the role, effectively making him the simultaneous head of both Pixar and Disney Animation. The first project Lasseter had influence over was Bolt. It was his involvement that turned Bolt into its present iteration. Any accusations of Bolt copying Toy Story are irrelevant. It’s nothing more than John Lasseter copying himself.

The fresh injection of energy behind the scenes is apparent. Lasseter's philosophy was storytelling working in tandem with technology. Bolt is ambitious in concept and presentation. 

Disney's animators were slow to adopt CGI. They were years behind other animation studios, inexperienced, untrained, and slow. It was a struggle to complete any scene, never mind a visually complex or engaging scene. Animators couldn’t surmount the learning curve, forcing writers and storyboarders to scale back their scope to compensate. The end result was mediocre stories with bland designs. Lasseter forced the animators to adapt.

Bolt's ambition pushed the animators out of their comfort zone. The film contains a number of big, dramatic, dynamic action scenes. It contains busy city streets with extras. It contains a cross-country road trip, mandating a variety of settings and landscapes. It features animal protagonists that needed to look and move like animals. Grass had to look like grass, not like carpet.

Lasseter threw down the gauntlet. He gave the animation staff an ultimatum. They needed to meet his expectations. Disney had been wanting to make Pixar-quality films for years. In order to do that, they needed to meet a Pixar executive's standards.

Watching the movie’s introductory action scenes, it seems the animators met the challenge. There’s a definite sense of purpose with everything. Characters are less doll-like. Faces are emotive. Vehicles move with weight and strength. Buildings are defined. Explosions and smoke effects are definitely engaging. It's not quite The Incredibles, but it's in the same league.

Thankfully so. These introductory scenes are a spoof of action movie clichés, and can’t afford to be half-heartedly illustrated. Not just the explosions and chase scenes, but the style. The color palette is saturated to teal and orange. The camera angles are canted. The lighting features high levels of bloom. It’s a nice parody of the genre while also being entertaining in its own right. None of this would register as satire if the film were hobbled by its own poor animation.

Unfortunately, this achievement isn't carried throughout the film. The animators had the ability to animate vibrantly and detail-oriented. But it was a labor-intensive, time-consuming process. They couldn't maintain such quality throughout the film. 

Other scenes are underdeveloped, much more in line with Disney's previous CGI efforts. The inside of Penny’s trailer looks like a smooth gel capsule. Humans walk as though their spines were a steel rod. Often, characters are animated from a high angle so there's less background to be drawn.

The conceit of the film relies on Bolt being kept in a delusional state. He can never know he is an actor in a TV series. He must believe he is actually a superhero and capable of amazing physical feats. It's unknown whether he can act, or even if he would. Bolt believing this his TV show is reality is preferable to any sort of acting.

This process of enforced method acting may result in an authentic performance. But it's a benefit only in this one specific area. Anyone with a minor understanding of film and video production understands why this concept would never work. The slight benefit is hardly worth the massive complications.

Not only would every episode of the series have to be shot in one long, continuous take, it would have to be shot on the first try. One flubbed line, one out-of-place actor, one prop mishap, and the entire scam is ruined. In addition, Bolt stars in a very effects-laden series. Everything is done through practical effects. Multiple explosions, stunts, and fight choreography happen right in front of Bolt. Most filmmakers are only concerned with how a shot looks for the camera. Bolt's director has to make everything look real for the camera *and* the actors.

The movie doesn’t try to explain, and doesn’t feel obligated to. How does Bolt blow up an actual helicopter on a highway bridge while just being an illusion on a soundstage? The film waves it off as movie magic, and lets the audience's imagination fill in the blanks. 

It’s an introduction to the film’s premise, and an overall small element of the film. It’s illogical and impractical, but it makes sense in the world of the film. It’s a senseless piece of eye candy; entertaining but vacant. It’s fine in small doses.

Bolt is voiced by actor John Travolta. His owner, Penny, is voiced by singer/actress/Disney Channel vassal Miley Cyrus. This is the first voice-acting job for both, and it shows. The cadence and emotion in their voices is wrong for animation. There’s a lot of inflection and pacing that would normally be carried by accompanying physical acting and emoting. And since Bolt is animated, those partnering tools don't exist. The animators try to fill in the gaps as best they can, but it’s still a bandage over a big wound. The two actors are unsuited for their roles.

Being a road movie, Disney uses the opportunity to depict America's various regions. Los Angeles plays the largest role, with New York City coming in at a close second. We also get views of small-town Ohio, Las Vegas, the Mojave, the Midwest prairie, and the Rocky Mountains. Once again, the animators demonstrated their abilities through variety. It meant drawing vastly different landscapes, but the lack of monotony made the effort worthwhile.

One element of the changing locales that deserves special mention is the pigeons. Bolt encounters pigeons throughout his journey, each with different regional accents. It’s a nice gag, but it’s not fully explored. Bolt encounters pigeons only three times throughout his journey: in New York, Los Angeles, and a nondescript rural area. The final version is especially insulting, implying anywhere besides New York or Los Angeles is interchangeable.

It's a good joke, but better in concept than execution. Had Bolt encountered pigeons four or five times, once at each of his stops, it may have worked better. Bolt clearly wants to depict the lengths and breadths of mainland America, but here is where they decided to shirk.

Traveling across the country is a tall order for a dog with literal delusions of grandeur. Two other pets join Bolt on his adventure. Mittens is a stray cat from Manhattan who becomes literally tied to Bolt, and forced to accompany him. Rhino is a hamster whom Bolt encounters at a highway rest stop. Rhino is a TV junkie who’s familiar with Bolt’s series, and almost as delusional as him. He encourages Bolt in his insanity. Both are excellent additions to the film.

Mittens and Bolt have a great dynamic. The two are polar opposites and play off each other well. Bolt is crazy, while Mittens has a firm grasp on reality. Bolt is bullheaded while Mittens is cautious. Bolt knows nothing about the world, while Mittens has seen it all, to her own chagrin. Bolt has unwavering faith in Penny's devotion and love. Mittens has been scorned, and is far more cynical.

Rhino is the wildcard. He compliments both Mittens and Bolt, encouraging their best and worst traits. He’s brave and duty-bound like Bolt, but also encourages him in his delusions. He's well aware Bolt is a character from a television show, but supports his beliefs he has superpowers. Not for any particular reason, he merely thinks superpowers is cool. 

Like Mittens, Rhino is hindered by his small size, often incapable of doing much. But he still thrusts himself and his associates into situations headfirst. He's not capable of much, but he's capable of more than he seems.

That never stops Rhino from trying, though. With his little plastic hamster ball, he lunges in headfirst into every situation. He's either very brave or quite insane. Either way, he's the most enjoyable character in the movie. Dynamic enough to be interesting, used sparingly enough he doesn't become tiresome.

Under normal circumstances, a sheltered dog, a demurring cat, and a hamster of any circumstance would be an ineffective trio. There’s very little the three could ever hope to accomplish. Thankfully, this is a cartoon, and logic takes a backseat. Every single escapade this trio gets into is aptly suited for their specific skills and abilities.

The movie is full of contrivances. Sequences start reasonable, turn implausible, and remain situationally specific and coincidental until fulfillment. Scenes play out like a performance from an improv troupe. Anything can happen. Elements stack atop each other. Events and results and incidents compile. It’s amazing to watch the backflips on display. Half the time you’re compelled to roll your eyes. The other half, you’re amazed how professional screenwriters write themselves in and out of corners.

The rhythm of the film is interesting to watch unfold. Elements that change the course of the film often spring up without indications of their importance. Small little decisions escalate into dramatic circumstances. A passing dogwalker places a leash on Bolt, assuming him to be one of her charges. Bolt runs away, taking the leash with him. It's easy to ignore, treated as a minor thing he would soon discard. That leash is not only the only thing keeping Mittens by his side, it's incorporated into several action scenes.

The movie has to result to such tactics, or else there would be no conflicts at all. The movie has no villains. Nobody is deliberately causing Bolt any harm or grief. No one is working against him. There are people who do obnoxious things. There are people who are indifferent to the heroes' wishes. But no one can rightfully be called a bad guy.

It makes for an interesting commentary on society. From a child’s perspective, we sympathize with the girl and her dog. The adults in her life are are jerks. From an adult's perspective, these so-called jerks are average people doing their jobs. They’re not intending to be malicious or inhospitable, but to a child, that's how they appear. Their jobs mandate their identities.

At some point during their maturation into adulthood, their values were corrupted. Somewhere along the way, being a jerk to a child and her pet became a reasonable course of action. They're not villains. These are adults, doing their job, cold and detached. In a child’s eyes, that’s villainous enough.

Bolt is a film big on spectacle, light on themes. But it's impossible to make any piece of art or media without messages. Whether or not a theme was intended, themes find their way to the forefront.

The intended theme to Bolt is the power of love despite all obstacles. This is a very flimsy and facile moral. Beneath the surface, a second, more volatile moral waits. A discussable one, concerning how useful truth is to one’s true self.

The adults in the world of Bolt are concerned with lies and duplicity. They manipulate a dog just to create a TV show. They force a traumatized girl who lost her pet to move on without closure. They’ve convinced themselves that this type of manipulation is not only acceptable, but justified. They’ve lied to themselves until the lie became the acceptable standard.

Bolt himself demonstrates the same concept. His self-perception is orchestrated on a lie. He believes himself to have superpowers. So much so, he can't comprehend a version of himself without. When the film's climax comes around, and he must save Penny from an actual tragedy, knowing full well he’s an average dog, he never shirks. Whether or not he has powers is irrelevant. Penny needs help, he's available to help, he will help, powers or not.

Is Bolt actively campaigning that reality is a prison? That it corrupts until it supplants our values? That fantasy is the only escape from the infernal machine? Does it encourage a level of disengagement and denial to maintain purity? That truth is an intangible concept, and thus malleable to one's perspective? It certainly feels like it.

Bravery, focus, and a willingness to sacrifice compensate for physical might. Bolt saves Penny from a burning building because he is precisely the hero he believes himself to be. Reality was an inconvenience to him. His delusions made an impossible task possible. Just as a declawed Mittens convinced the birds of New York City she was a ruthless threat. Just as a miniscule Rhino convinced his friends he was a powerful fighter.

Bolt was never acting. The character from the TV show was no different from him naturally. He has a perspective accessible only from living in a fictional world. There is a bridge between fiction and reality: You can be whoever you want to be. If you want to be great, you can be great. If you want to be jaded, you'll be jaded. If you're not careful, you will turn into someone you don't want to be.

Bolt is not just media deconstructing media. It’s media within media deconstructing media. It’s a cartoon enticing its audience to question what’s real and what’s make-believe. Bolt is like a mirror reflecting on another mirror, creating an endless sequence of reflections. It’s a deep rumination, very likely unintended, especially for a film who’s primary selling point was “Talking Doggie.”

Bolt is a story halfway committed to a Hollywood satire, halfway to an Incredible Journey homage. The animation fluctuates in quality, with grand vistas kept barely within arm’s reach. Characters are fun and developed, even if the acting needs improvement. The script flows with good humor and enticing scenes, though it can’t quite decide what it’s mocking and what it’s embracing. 

The story features an ambitious concept that’s maybe too grand for its own good. It creates an unforeseen rumination on the philosophy of the self. Disney already made a film featuring a character falling down a rabbit hole. Now it was sending its audiences down a figurative version.

Beauty and the Beast Fantasia The Lion King Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Cinderella Alice in Wonderland Sleeping Beauty Mulan The Little Mermaid Aladdin Lilo & Stitch The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh Pinocchio The Jungle Book Robin Hood The Sword in the Stone Bambi The Emperor’s New Groove The Hunchback of Notre Dame The Great Mouse Detective 101 Dalmatians Bolt The Three Caballeros Lady and the Tramp The Rescuers Down Under Atlantis: The Lost Empire The Fox and the Hound Fantasia 2000 Peter Pan Dumbo Hercules Meet the Robinsons Brother Bear The Black Cauldron Melody Time Oliver & Company Treasure Planet Tarzan The Rescuers Pocahontas Saludos Amigos The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad The Aristocats Dinosaur Fun and Fancy Free Make Mine Music Home on the Range Chicken Little

[andtheywerecocaptains]

If you get this, answer with three random facts about yourself and send it to the last 7 blogs in your notifications, anonymously or not. Let’s get to know the person behind the blog :)

hiiiiii twilight 💕

1. This drives my best friend mad every time we (used to) go out for dinner. If I get fries, I never eat one fry at the time. Instead, I always have to pick at least 2 or more and I always choose the ones that look roughly like they're the same size. If I'm out of same-sized fries, I shuffle them so that their ends are even and take a bite on the other end to make them the same size. Only then can I dip them in the mayonnaise.

2. As a 12yo I directed and starred in my own production of The Lion King. The rest of the cast were my sister and my cousins (I have a lot of cousins). We had choreography, lines, we made our own costumes, our own make up and even painted our own background. We then forced all our relatives to be the audience, at one of my cousins' birthday. Don't be fooled, we're not talking Broadway Lion King: we're talking yellow shirts and black jeans for the lions, black shirts and black jeans for the hyenas, brown shirt for Pumbaa and a very culturally insensitive "hawaiian skirt" (sorry, it was 15 years ago and we were children) for Zazu.

3. I refuse as a matter of principle to buy into the "mainstream" pop culture, even if there is a chance I might like it. One of the main examples for this is the Twilight series: I didn't read it until I think 6 or 7 years after the first book came out - only because I didn't want to be part of the mass. Once I read it, I literally went through New Moon in one night and I'm not even exaggerating. With most things, though, I simply outright refuse to buy into: for example, not a fan of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Queen or any other famous musician/band you can think of that everyone likes. Just because.

[schibi12]

House of Mouse Hot Takes #4

Im back at it again with these hot takes! Of episode 10,11, 12 and 13 of this 2000's classic animated show House of Mouse.

Episode 10 Donald's Lamp Trade

If you know that the duck can't take the jokes then don't do it but still i loved seeing Jafar causing some chaos!

And Oh my Gosh! Huey, Dewey and Louie in their classic design and voiced by Tony Anselmo weird choice im not complaining im just happy to see them in there normal designs and i liked the short.

I liked seeing the ginormous storage room and all of the references i feel like that could be a walk-in attraction in of the theme parks.

And i loved seeing Basil, David and Ratigan from the Great Mouse Detective they deserve so much attention and love.

Not gonna lie i was pretty confused with the lamp trade but overall a funny episode i liked the side plot with Goofy and Gus.

And the disturbing image of the episode, the more you look at it the less uncomfortable you get.

Episode 11 Donald's Pumbaa Prank

So i love episodes that celebrate holidays and you best believe that i am gonna do hot takes for the Halloween & Christmas special, so its no surprise i liked this episode it's an April Fools episode.

I was already laughing with Donald's first screen test it is so dumb and simple but i found it hilarious. The shorts were good but i liked the first one because Mickey pulled out some cruel pranks to Minnie and Mortimer you don't do pranks about engangements and death Mickey!

But i did like the rest of the short i found it funny and i like seeing Mortimer and Mickey getting what they deserve. Pumbaa and Pete's interactions were hilarious to me, so nice of Mickey of making and giving an award to Donald and then poor Donald making a noble sacrifice his sense of smell will be missed.

A funny episode good shorts and overall lots of fun.

Episode 12 Thanks to Minnie

This episode proves that Minnie is the literal backbone of this club without her there's no club literally.

So we got to see Clarabelle kinda glad to see her and she runs a gossip show this is gonna go so well ( spoiler alert it doesn't).

Who knew that Disney characters would be such gossips and Poor Minnie she looks so distraught.

Okay the first short i dislike they make Daisy so unlikable and annoying but i loved seeing Minnie something you don't see nowadays.

Look at her she looks so sad and distraught!

That second short who idea was it to have Mickey and Donald in drag for most of the short? Im not complaining is that you don't see that very often especially in a Disney short with their most popular characters. Also why does goofy have a picture of a human foot. LOL

But of course everything gets resolved you learn ya lesson gossip is bad and Minnie is back in action and i loved the pun Parrots of the Caribbean i laughed way to hard on that but hey it was a fine episode.

Episode 13 Pluto Saves the Day

This episode was a Pluto Appreciation Episode you i like Pluto but this episode made me appreciate him for the good doggo that he is.

I liked the shorts, that minors joke was comedy gold and seeing Pete and Evil queen doing buisness in an alley was good but oh dear Pete as Snow White was it necessary to dress as her like come on dude! And yeah that's the disturbing image of the episode.

Pluto managing the club, trapping Pete finding a musical replacement and lifting the sleeping curse off of everbody like he deserves his job and more he was such a good boy!

Overall a good episode.

Okay so that wraps all the hot takes for season 1 of House of Mouse i really enjoyed it brought me back to my childhood it was good, sometimes cringey and had its disturbing moments and overall this series reminded me of Shrek (1&2 of course) and i mean it as a compliment likes how it makes some pop culture reference and has these clever puns and its so meta. I want and i wll see more of it so its not the last of these hot takes cause there is two things i want answered

1 . Are we ever gonna see O'Malley and the Alleycats perform? Like in various episodes they say there gonna perfom but something always happens and they never perform

2. Are we gonna see Max? Like i know he is in the intro and appears in a few scenes but i want him to talk, to interact with Goofy Mickey or Donald or whoever i want him to feel apart of the staff i want to see more of him.

Well that's all folks!

[whatcouldgowrong-ohthat]

“You get the hose, I’ll douse them.” Jorund :) I feel like it just has 'the misadventures of Jor and Jensen' all over it

Alrighty, so I covered the Jensen kiss prompt you sent with this, I hope that’s okay!! The word prompt will be in bold :) Hope ya dig it!

Title: Timon and Pumbaa

Word Count: 581 words

Marvel Kids: Jorund Lokison, Lizzie Barnes, Jensen Barton, Oscar Danvers, William Howlett, and brief mentions of Luka Barnes, Henrietta Thorsdaughter, and Elena Lokisdaughter

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Desperate times call for desperate measures. That’s the way the saying goes, right? And it seemed they were truly desperate. They peeked around the corner, cringing at the sight on the couch. Jensen and Oscar had been watching a movie, but it seemed Oscar had other ideas. Acting like a couple teenagers, the boys were making out on the couch.

Making it absolutely unbearable to share the room with them.

“I need to gouge my eyes out,” Jorund muttered. Before Oscar and Jensen had become friendly, the only thing he and Lizzie bonded over were tv shows. And now… The worst sort of taste was in his mouth, bitter and gag-worthy. Couldn’t they do that behind closed doors?

Lizzie shrugged, holding the knife that had been tucked in her boot. “I won’t do it for you.”

Jorund swatted her hand, rolling his eyes. She only took this extremely literal when it came to his commentary and, as amusing as it had been initially, it wasn’t any more. They slumped against the wall, a matching pout on either of their lips.

Two sides of the same frustrated, bing-watching coin.

Will raised a brow as he closed the fridge, beer in hand. He tilted his head, offering a too-snarky-to-be-true pout. “Timon and Pumbaa not doing so great?”

Lizzie raised her hand, finger proudly waving in the air.

“You two realize that they might be your brother and best friend, respectively,” William reminded, taking a swig. “But they have to have a life outside you two.”

“Yeah…”

Jorund grimaced. “But why does it have to be a gross one blocking the best tv in the place?”

Will chuckled, shaking his head. “God, you two are weird.” Turning on his heal, he grabbed a slice of pizza from the counter and took a bite. Mouth full of food, he waved and made his escape. As easy as it was to tease them, they were right. It was gross to see so much PDA.

Jorund huffed. “I’ll give you twenty bucks to take a look. See if we should just give up the cause.”

Lizzie groaned. But twenty bucks was twenty bucks. She peeked around the corner just in time to see Jensen get far too cutesy with her best friend. He blew a puff of air into Oscar’s mouth, earning a bewildered laugh. Jumping up, Jensen took off with a highly amused Oscar on his heels.

They ran past the two, not even registering that Jorund and Lizzie had been sitting on the floor.

But hey, at least now the couch was finally free.

The two scrambled to their feet, rounding the corner. However, their hopes came to a screeching halt. Henri and Elena collapsed on the couch, one with a bowl of popcorn and the other a pitcher of what looked like…home-made margaritas? It would have been fine with them, but they weren’t alone. Luka flipped the remote in his hand, changing the channel to some murder-show that neither of them had wanted to watch.

Luka smirked, raising a brow. “You guys okay?”

Jorund’s tight lipped smile and nod were followed by a simple, “Peachy.”

They turned, slumping out of the room. Lizzie held out a hand. “TV or no, you still owe me twenty bucks.”

Jorund scoffed, handing it as promised. But an idea came to mind. “Next time, you get the hose and I’ll douse them.”

She snatched the money, tucking it in her bra. Highly amused, she shrugged. “Works for me.”

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Marvel Kiddos