#also disney go die your journey to the center of the earth could never

[simon-says-lots-of-things]

My brain is fixated after seeing FNAF and realizing Josh was in a lot of movies that drastically shaped my childhood (and current) tastes in fiction but I can't find them available anywhere so I'm just sitting here like

[iamandco]

  PHOTO: COURTESY DISNEY  What’s your favorite Disney movie? There are many to choose from, whether you're a fan of the classics, the animations, the live action, or even the newer remakes.  Whether you classify yourself as a die hard fan with a Disney annual pass or you’ve never even visited one of their theme parks, I’m sure you’ve seen one of their movies at some point.  I grew up with a dresser full of old VHS Disney tapes that I treasured growing up. My love for Disney goes past all the princesses and falls more on the forgotten movies like “The Black Cauldron” and my all time favorite, “The Aristocats.”  Since 2016, Netflix has been the go to place to stream some of your Disney favorites. But all of that may be changing soon, with titles like “Bridge to Terabithia,” “The Jungle Book: Mowgli's Story,” and many more already having been removed.  With Disney announcing their new streaming service “Disney+,” the fate of current Disney content on streaming services such as Netflix remains uncertain. It seems like all Disney, Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars content will only be available on “Disney+.”  There is no current set date on when these titles will be leaving other streaming services, but it may be after the official launch of “Disney+.” “Captain Marvel,” along with future Disney theatrical releases like “Frozen 2,” will only be available to stream on “Disney+.”  We suggest planning a movie night sooner rather than later, to watch all the Disney movies currently on Netflix.  “Disney+” is set to launch on November 12, 2019 and will be available for a $7 monthly payment or $70 for a year subscription. At those prices, it is sure to rival Netflix.  Below I have listed ten of my favorite Disney movies still available on Netflix!   PHOTO: COURTESY DISNEY  “Chicken Little” Truly a classic from childhood, “Chicken Little” gives a new meaning to the story of the boy who cried wolf.  Released in 2005, this movie follows a small town character called Chicken Little, who throws his entire town into a panic claiming the sky is falling. A year later, Chicken Little is still trying to redeem himself from the fiasco and he joins the baseball team.  The night of a big baseball game, Chicken Little is again convinced the sky is falling and discovers a UFO. He must now convince his entire town that they are in danger and this time it’s not a false alarm.     PHOTO: COURTESY DISNEY  “Coco”  This movie hit home for me. I am a Mexican American and seeing my culture represented on the big screen was huge. Especially at a time in my life where I had lost a family member and celebrating their life through the “Day of the Dead” had a whole new meaning.  “Coco” is a vibrant film that does an incredible job at showcasing just a small part of Mexican culture. With a 97 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the movie is described as “a thoughtful narrative that takes a family-friendly—and deeply affecting—approach to questions of culture, family, life, and death.” Released in 2017 by Disney and produced by Pixar, “Coco” follows 12 year old Miguel Rivera.  Despite his family’s generations long ban on music, Miguel dreams of becoming a musician. He idolizes Ernesto de la Cruz, a fictional character who is described as one of Mexico’s most famous musicians, who had a tragic death. In an unexplainable turn of events, Miguel is transported to the Land of the Dead where he meets his deceased ancestors. Clearly a living human boy, Miguel must find his way back home from the land of the dead. On his journey, he will unlock his family history and the reason behind the Rivera’s hatred for music.  “Coco” received positive reviews for its respectful portrayal of Mexican culture and was even chosen as the “Best Animated Film” of 2017 by the National Board of Review. The film also received many awards, including two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe, and a Critic’s Choice Movie Award.   PHOTO: COURTESY DISNEY  “Meet the Robinsons” Another one of my favorites, “Meet the Robinsons” blew my mind the first time I watched it as a kid, almost teenager. I remember crying watching the wholesome film that centered so much on family.  Despite being a children’s film, the movie has incredible depth, with a storyline focused on time travel. I love that the movie pushes kids to have an interest in science and engineering and its underlying message of “keep moving forward” inspires kids to get back up and try again after you fail.  The movie follows Lewis, a 12 year old orphan boy with a love for inventing gadgets. Unfortunately, his passion for building scares off couples looking to adopt him. The events of the film begin to take off when Lewis creates a memory scanner for his school’s science fair. Wanting nothing more than to locate his mother, who abandoned him as a baby, Lewis creates the memory scanner in hopes of remembering what his mom looked like. On the way to the science fair, Lewis meets Wilbur Robinson, a mysterious boy who claims to be from the future. Wilbur promises to take Lewis to the past, to meet his mother, if he first helps him recover a stolen time machine from a villain called the “Bowler Hat Guy.”  When Lewis and Wilbur adventure into the future they accidently wreck the time machine. Wilbur must find a way to get Lewis back to his own time before his family realizes he is a boy from the past.  As Lewis begins to meet the rest of the Robinson family, the movie begins to be filled with more twists and turns and secrets about who Wilbur and his family really are will be revealed.  With the “Bowler Hat Guy” in possession of one of the time machines and eventually, Lewis’ memory scanner, it’s a race against the clock before the villain alters time and Lewis must step up to save the future, or the Robinson’s may cease to exist.    PHOTO: COURTESY DISNEY  “Ralph Breaks the Internet”  A sequel to the 2012 film “Wreck-It Ralph,” “Ralph Breaks the Internet” was released in 2018 and takes place six years after the events of the original film.  Now best friends, Ralph and Vanellope must venture into the Internet via a Wi-Fi router to save her home and game, Sugar Rush. Inside the World Wide Web, the two must be helped by the netizens, citizens of the internet, to navigate the mysterious world and find the part that could save the Sugar Rush game.  “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” like the original film, has many popular culture cameo appearances. Which is to be expected with a movie released during our time where society cherishes the internet and social media. The amount of Disney characters, including the princesses, alone that are seen in the movie are hard to count.  My personal favorite was a scene where Vanellope is shown running into a man, who turns out to be Stan Lee, the infamous Marvel Comics writer, speaking with Iron Man.    PHOTO: COURTESY DISNEY  “Incredibles 2”  I don’t think there has ever been a want for a movie sequel as much as their was for “Incredibles 2.” We all grew up wanting to be a part of “The Incredibles” family and have superpowers of our own. And let’s be honest, how many times have you recited Frozone’s infamous line: “Where’s my supersuit!?”  “Incredibles 2,” which was released in 2018 shows a switch in family dynamic. With Helen now in the spotlight, Bob stays at home with the three kids, doing his best to adjust to “normal” life. When a new villain comes into the picture, the family must once again work together to defeat the evil character, which is easier said than done with hidden tensions coming to the surface.  Oh, and let’s not forget everyone's favorite superhero, Frozone! Yeah, he helps, again!    PHOTO: COURTESY DISNEY  “Bedtime Stories”  In what could literally be anyone’s dream, “Bedtime Stories” is a live action fantasy movie where innocent bedtime stories begin to come to life in the real world.  Released in 2008 and starring Adam Sandler, the film follows Skeeter Bronson, a hotel maintenance man who has had a love for hospitality since a young age. When Skeeter is asked to watch his niece and nephew for a few days, he finds himself coming up with intricate and whimsical bedtime stories for them.  To his surprise, the outlandish stories begin coming true and impacting his real life. With twists and turns, this film proves to be just what a family needs for a fun-filled movie night.    PHOTO: COURTESY DISNEY  “Race to Witch Mountain”  Released in 2009, “Race to Witch Mountain” stars Dwayne Johnson, AnnaSophia Robb, and Alexander Ludwig.  Johnson stars as Jack Bruno, a Las Vegas taxi driver who is caught up in a race against time, government agents, and an alien bounty hunter. When he meets young Sara and Seth, he finds out the two are aliens and chooses to help them get to Witch Mountain, the location of their hidden spaceship in order to save Earth from an extraterrestrial invasion.  “Race to Witch Mountain” is a live-action remake of the 1975 Disney live-action movie “Escape to Witch Mountain.”   PHOTO: COURTESY DISNEY  “Mary Poppins Returns”  A sequel to the 1964 film “Mary Poppins,” “Mary Poppins Returns” stars Emily Blunt as the beloved and whimsical character of Mary Poppins.  The sequel is set in 1930s depression-era London, where adult Michael Banks lives in his childhood home with his three children and his sister Jane, having lost his wife a year earlier.  To Michael and Jane’s surprise, their childhood nanny, an unaged Mary Poppins revisits them claiming she is back to look after the Banks children, the same reason for visiting them when they were children.  As the family reels through a difficult time, Mary Poppins helps the family, especially the children, rediscover joy in their lives through her magic-filled adventures. Michael, having forgotten what it’s like to be a child blames Poppins for filling his children's heads with “stuff and nonsense” while he struggles to pay off a loan to the bank that threatens to repossess his family home.  This time, Mary Poppins has some help from new characters like Jack, a lamplighter, and Topsy, Poppins eccentric cousin. With a star studded cast, Jack is portrayed by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Topsy by Meryl Streep.  “Mary Poppins Returns” reminds us all that “anything is possible.”    PHOTO: COURTESY DISNEY  “Saving Mr. Banks”  On the topic of Mary Poppins, the original 1964 movie almost never happened. In 2013, Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks starred in the period comedy drama “Saving Mr. Banks.” The film is centered around the two weeks of business meetings spent in Los Angeles, California where the author of the Mary Poppins stories, Pamela “P.L.” Travers met with Walt Disney to discuss the film rights to her novels.  According to Walt Disney Pictures, the business move to gain the movie rights to Mary Poppins all began when Walt Disney’s daughters begged their father to make a movie of their favorite books, which happened to be the Mary Poppins series, written by P.L. Travers. Walt Disney made a promise to his daughters, not knowing it would take 20 years to complete the promise.  P.L. Travers had no intention of her books becoming films, as she didn’t want her stories tarnished by Hollywood. But overtime, as her books stopped selling and money grew short, Travers reluctantly met with Walt Disney in 1961 to discuss selling the film rights.  The film title “Saving Mr. Banks” derives from the name of the father of the family in the books.  The movie received positive reviews from critics and holds a 79 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes where it is described as “Aggressively likable and sentimental to a fault, “Saving Mr. Banks” pays tribute to the Disney legacy with excellent performances and sweet, high-spirited charm.”    PHOTO: COURTESY DISNEY  “Christopher Robin” Winnie the Pooh was literally my favorite Disney character growing up. I even, proudly, own a collectors edition of short stories based around Pooh and his adventures.   “Christopher Robin” is a live action adaptation released in 2018 that follows the story of Christopher Robin, the boy now a man who must be reminded of how life should always be whimsical and that having a childlike attitude should never be lost.  Pooh and his lovable friends, Tigger, Euyore, and Piglet must venture out of the Hundred Acre Wood and into London to help Christoher Robin in his time of need.  Disney Movies Through the Years Though Disney has had success with both their animated films and live-action films, over the recent years they have begun to remake their animated films into live action. Examples being “Dumbo” and “Aladdin.” With no plans to slow down on remakes, some of the live-action adaptations to look forward to include: “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil,” “Mulan,” and “The Little Mermaid.” And of course, “The Lion King” which recently hit theaters. The Walt Disney Company continues to lead the world of entertainment. From its movies and shorts to its theme parks and resorts that have expanded worldwide. With a mission to provide fun for the whole family, Disney has gone above and beyond to spread joy and positivity across generations.  Despite the upcoming release of the “Disney+” streaming service, there is still time to catch up on the Disney titles still available on Netflix, but I wouldn’t wait too long for a marathon!

[whole-dip]

E.T. Adventure

Universal Studios Florida opened on June 7th, 1990. At the time, it was only one theme park but has since grown into two parks, a lifestyle center, multiple hotels, a water park, and soon a third park with accompanying dining and shopping options. Despite starting fairly small, Universal Studios always intended to make a big debut. Steven Spielgberg was one of the biggest collaborators with Universal on the project, and to this day still consults with them on occasion. The park’s located just 15 miles away from Disney’s Magic Kingdom and is often either a part of a family’s trip to Orlando, or potentially the main destination entirely. Being so close to Walt Disney World does unfortunately bring about comparisons between the two entities. While Disney tends to only respond to Universal in ways that require you to infer intent, Universal tends to frame themselves as the underdog and punch up. Many of their rides, shows, and experiences will make playful jabs at the big guys next door, usually for cheap laughs. It makes sense, everyone loves an underdog and Universal knew that it would be really hard to compete. Having said that, Universal did make a big impact when they first opened. Their Jaws ride, once it got working, was phenomenal. The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera was a big crowd pleaser as well. Many of the opening day attractions have since closed though, except for one that is perhaps the most beloved attraction for die hard Universal Orlando fans, The E.T. Adventure.

The E.T. Adventure’s development was personally overseen by Steven Spielberg and his involvement has kept the ride open in Orlando despite versions in other parks having closed. While Jaws showed the terror that Universal could deliver better than Disney, E.T. aimed to compete against Disney’s magic. This ride is perhaps most analogous to Peter Pan’s Flight, a ride that was an opening day attraction at Disneyland in 1955. Like Pan, E.T. suspends your ride vehicle from the roof and has you soaring over a beautiful cityscape and then a fantasy world. While Pan can at times feel dated, E.T. set out to be a modern rendition. Neverland is a fantasy island of yesterday, but E.T. would take you lightyears away. This type of comparative nature is something at Universal often actively courts but can sometimes be to their detriment. E.T. luckily, is not as obviously similar but rather, aims to be a fun update, inviting others to raise the bar even further in turn. 

Our journey begins with a short video of Steven Spielberg in the forests of California. He informs us that E.T.’s home, the green planet, is dying and that we must help E.T. get back so that his healing touch can bring life back. We’ll even be riding bicycles just like Elliot and his friends did. Once the video concludes, the doors in front of us open to a forest path we’ll be walking on our way to our bikes.

This preshow video does what many preshow videos do, inform guests of what they need to know to understand the story, and some basic safety info on the ride vehicle. What this video does that’s very important, is establish a sense of urgency in our mission. We’re not simply visiting the green planet, we are journeying there with E.T. to save it. Imagineer Tony Baxter has often stressed the importance of when Peter Pan shouts “Here we go!” on Peter Pan’s flight because a ride’s key job is to bring the guest on an adventure WITH the characters, not simply to view it. Under the lens of a successor to Pan, E.T. advances this element into 1990. 

As we walk the path we see E.T.’s speak and spell communicator, and even a transmission from Botanicus, an elder of E.T.’s species. The queue is incredibly detailed and even features a forest scent that many love dearly. While many rides before this one featured detailed queues that started your story experience before sitting in the ride vehicle, E.T. Adventure is noted for being one of the best. This practice is sometimes referred to as, “scene one”

Next, we board our bikes and set off through the forest to get E.T. home. Right when we set off we see a small figure rise up underneath a blanket in our bike basket, it’s E.T.! As we ride E.T. guides us and warns us of the government agents trying to capture him. We dodge and take sharp turns as we avoid them, some of them even try to run us over. As we ride trying to avoid them it seems there’s only one path uphill. What seems like a dead end turns out to be the boost we needed as E.T.’s magic lifts us up and over the hill, flying us over the cityscape below, the night sky all around us, our shadows passing upon the moon.

This first half of the ride is pure magic. It perfectly recreates the excitement and wonder of the E.T. film as we journey to save our misunderstood alien friend. I genuinely tear up when I’m riding this part, and I’m not a particularly big fan of the movie. It also is perhaps the hardest sequence for the ride to pull off because despite being suspended from the roof, it must simulate riding on dirt path. It gets close enough to convey the idea, but it never really quite gets there. To compare once more, while Pan almost immediately has you setting off into the night sky, E.T. takes more time with the build up so that when you’re flying, you truly are taken aback by the experience. If you stop to think about why your shadow would appear on the moon for any longer than the ride depicts it you’ll come up with numerous reasons as to why that doesn’t make sense, but in the moment, it doesn’t matter because you’re well and truly flying. 

We fly through the stars and arrive on the surface of the green planet to find that it is in a sad state. Smoke is billowing all around, it is dark save but only for a few strange red glow, and water is bubbling. All we can see are rocks around us. We see Botanicus, in person this time, and he urges E.T. to press on so that he may heal the world. From here, we continue riding and E.T. disappears from our baskets as he goes on foot to begin to help. From here, we follow the sparkle of E.T.’s healing touch as it literally brings light to the darkness and all of E.T.’s friends joyfully spring up thanking us for our help. What was once gloomy and dark rocks is now a lively world of plant creatures that are singing and dancing in celebration. Water hops all around and we hear the E.T. theme played on kazoo-like instruments. Swinging upon the chords of a natural harp are little babies of E.T.’s species wishing we could play with them. We even see one swinging from a vine above us. E.T. is our guide in each of these scenes, the last of which is E.T. wishing us farewell from his little cottage. He personally says goodbye to everyone by name. As we arrive back on earth we see the constellation of E.T.’s hand touching Elliot’s in the night sky before we disembark.

This second half of the ride is admittedly, not my favorite. Personally, I think it suffers from ruining the superior version of what we imagined E.T.’s planet to be like by providing a definitive answer. The bigger issue here, is that it’s downright weird. I don’t know what you imagined E.T.’s planet to be like but I’m willing to bet it wasn’t like this. I’ve always hated when people dismiss creative and imaginative works of art as simply the results of someone being on drugs, but this is perhaps the one time I think it might be apt. This part of the ride, and especially E.T.’s friends, have been noted for frightening children because of how strange and surreal it is. Even big fans of the ride often cite the strangeness of the green planet as what they love. Still though, it is an artistic feat. Words truly cannot describe the Lisa Frank-esque magical wonder of the green planet. Again, the comparison to Peter Pan’s Flight shows just how much of a souped up version of that ride this is. I mean, they both end with the star filled night sky even. While E.T. Adventure may go a little off the rails, it still knows the emotional core at its heart and never loses its focus on the friendship that spans all of space. 

And with that, another analysis is complete. There’s a lot to say about Universal, the park has always struggled with its identity in the shadow of Walt Disney World but it’s started to come into its own in recent years. I’m hopeful for Epic Universe and what’s to come, it seems the sarcastic punching up has shifted more towards an earnest attempt to outdo the competition. Many fans feel the theme park arms race currently going on benefits us all and I’m inclined to agree.