#ernesto de la cruz icons

[tokuvivor]

For this past Saturday’s final Halloween Movie Night of the month (this one focusing on the holiday itself, as well as Day of the Dead), once again, you’ll be getting highlights from both me and @violetganache42! So, here you have ‘em:

"Trick or Treat":

The triplets in their iconic Halloween costumes!

The rip having so much fucking camera movement and low volume

The Trick or Treat song!

@puffyducks: "she hurt his fragile masculinity"

The triplets watching Witch Hazel mess with Donald like: "Oh, boy! Violence!"

This fucking panel lmao

"The Town Where Everyone Was Nice!" (Rewatch):

"Have you ever been to Bahia?"

Panchito and José appearance!

Saludos Amigos easter egg!

The whole scene about Donald accidentally dropping Dewey's egg 😂

Scrooge still being a hater lol

Huey: "Uncle Donald, you're very successful. You raised three boys and are rich in love. Isn't that the true measure of success?"

Scrooge and Donald: "No!"

Violet: "How is that not successful?!"

Violet sharing GIFs of various moments from the episode like last time:

Autism diet (Donald's just like us FR!) (i.e. macaroni and cheese)

@alex31624: "Webby has fallen"

Violet: "in Lego City"

Puffy and Violet making FNAF jokes, from the Bite of '87 to Bonnie on the burro tour sign

Dewey's words of wisdom (screenshot from when we first watched this episode together last November):

Puffy wanting to throw Dewey and Louie into the sun a la Storkules

Violet upon seeing Scrooge's reaction to Donald taking his wallet:

@fantasticenthusiasttale: “Webby please we literally know only 3 phrases of english stop asking”

Alex: “is amazing that a brasilian plant knows english at all”

@writebackatya: “I just realized that both episodes have a moment where Donald is being wrestled by someone and he starts tapping out”

Huey and Webby not sucking in this episode

Alex: “who hires a mariachi for a kids party”

Puffy: “they took the gay </3”

Briefly discussing Webby’s party in The Last Adventure!

The Trickening! (Rewatch)

Huey as Gizmoduck!

Louie sucking in both episodes we watched

Duck Twins!

Why do people hate this episode?

“WE’RE GONNA ROB A CANDY STORE?!”

Puffy: “not poor bluebert 😭”

“why didn't they send Webby first she's the one that can fight lmfao”

“what the hell is dewey gonna do if he finds a monster”

Poltergeist reference

“Donald, you’re the victim.”

Launchpad’s ridiculous Halloween backstory

Uno reference

The kid that looked like Timmy Jenkins😠

Donald, Della, and Launchpad being an amazing dynamic

Launchpad and Scrooge’s fight!

Chris P. Bacon being one of the names on the headstones

Dreamy: “‘Last halloween’ meanwhile scrooge is out there 150 y/o still doing it”

Creepy twins!

The Shining references

Launchpad reading the candy wrapper

Beakley as Darkwing!

“I love Hallowoon!”

The poll at the end for whose costume was the best

Puffy: “no it's foreshadowing that huey is gonna DIE”

¡Felíz Cumpleaños!

Panchito and José are back!

The evil piñatas

Puffy bringing up The Book of Life

Will: “I’ve only played the game and had the cereal”

Fin

The charm of Paul Rudish shorts that take place in other cultures

Puffy: “me at 4 years old watching José rattle off Portuguese in The Three Caballeros (I have no idea what he's saying but I am enthralled)”

Will: “damn you looked just like JFK when you were a kid”

Coco

Why do people make Dos jokes about Uno? (It’s Italian (Due), not Spanish)

The opening narration being visualized through papel picado

Puffy:

Ernesto de la Cruz

Puffy: “1942 HE DIED 2 YEARS BEFORE THE CABALLEROS NOOOO”

The mariachi player that Miguel is shining the shoes of being supportive of his dream

@teleportzz: “never name a street”

“Papá is home?”

Dante being the best boy throughout the movie

Miguel’s de la Cruz shrine

Puffy: “my room looks like this but with donald duck plushes”

Miguel getting grossed out by the romantic scenes

Mech: “aromantic moment”

Abuelita smashing Miguel’s guitar‼️

Don’t mess with the dead!

Will: “Cut him some slack he’s just a little kid”

“Thinking by the heart not the brain”

Puffy: “No he should be responsible for all of his actions ever we've established this for fictional characters”

“especially traumatized little boys”

“Your photo’s on your dentist’s ofrenda.”

The guy in question:

The long line for customs

Héctor as Frida Kahlo

Mamá Imelda! (And her frustrations with the computer)

Alex: “the dead use windows”

Dreamy: “Then he finds out he cant have a blessing because hes adopted”

Puffy: “found family is still family”

Pepita!

@spamtoon: “cog this movie's environments are so beautiful” (very, very true)

Dreamy: “Hot take: Ernesto de la cruz is Mariah Carey for dia de los muertos”

The mango scene

Chorizo bullying

Chicharrón’s final death (very sad, but also, this exchange):

Héctor: “And her…knuckles, they drag on the floor.”

Chicharrón: “Those aren’t the words.”

Héctor: “There are children present.”

Miguel and Héctor shouting like Panchito

UN POCO LOCO!

Mamá Imelda singing for the first time in the movie

Puffy: “gonna be awkward when he dies and then he's stuck with all his family forever”

Puffy getting Latinified

Miguel’s dog🤝de la Cruz’s horse

Dante

Miguel and de la Cruz meet

Puffy: “YAYYYY movie over!!”

Dreamy: “Frida kahlo number 2 is his drag name”

Héctor revealing de la Cruz’s true nature (plus the fact that he killed Héctor and put it in a movie, like wtf)

Puffy: “he just has like. a big scary pit outside his mansion”

Spam: “like all billionaires cmon mark installed his last week. real big vanity point (joke)”

The origins of Remember Me

Puffy: “I like the convenience of the whole plot twist working because nobody ever bothered to say each other's names”

Dante the spirit guide!

Sneaking into the Sunrise Spectacular (shades of A Goofy Movie, anyone?)

Me: “If I had a nickel for every time I 2 I was mentioned in the server this week…” (the first time being me showing the recent Dancing with the Stars team dance to the song)

“I don’t know, I’m still mad at you!”

Mamá Imelda singing reprise!

Me: “I’ve never seen this episode of DWTS”

Puffy: “imagine seeing this shit live”

Alex: “you mean dead”

The crowd booing de la Cruz (Puffy: “WHO HAD THE TOMATO 😭”)

de la Cruz getting crushed by the bell again

Puffy: “well now he's gonna be on true crime podcasts so”

Me pointing out that Miguel left his sweatshirt behind

The scene where Mamá Coco remembers Héctor when Miguel sings Remember Me to her (and everyone loses their shit, despite saying they’re not (cont’d.))

One year later…Mamá Coco has died in the interim

Alex: “well, she was old as hell”

Miguel bringing it home with Proud Corazón

Dante and Pepita being friends in the human realm

Watching through the credits because yes

Me: “Hermosa. Una película muy hermosa”

Dreamy: “Another one for the latin-america Alex WOOHOOOOOO”

Me: “Hey, you gotta use 4 semesters’ worth of Spanish some time”

But yes, it was a fantastic movie.

[gcldfanged]

Sure sure, Ernesto de la Cruz is iconic, but does he sing and rip off his shirt to show a smaller tattoo of himself also singing????

[liz-lil-oc-corner]

Destiny Araneae College

While i'm working on the next intros for the Catriment dorm i might as well share some general info of the school

Destiny Araneae College is an all girls school for mages that's the sister school to NRC

The school takes inspiration from the entire PIXAR catalog with the main 7 dorms being twisted from 7 of the most iconic villains (imo). hopper from abug's life, Ernesto de la Cruz from coco, Lotso from Toy Story 3, Mor'du from brave, Charles Muntz from Up, Randall from Monsters Inc and Syndrome from the incredibles

There's a grand door in the room where students arrive that can lead anywhere

There's a big wall with doors in arches that leads to each of the dorms

To use the grand door they have to clap while thinking of where they wanna go

They are giving a magestone they have to throw in the cauldron and it comes out showing their dorm logo and with a bracelet around it

They arrive at school at their entrance ceremony coming from orbs that arrive at theri doorstep and then find its way to the school(inspired by Inside Out)

The school is situated at a tropical island inspired by Syndrome’s island 

Parts of the school change depending on whether it's night or day like the PIXAR short

Something a few of the students know but the statues of the dorm inspiration are alive in a similar way toys are in the Toy Story franchise

The main colors used for the general school scholars have green, red and purple as nreference to disgust, anger and fear since those emotions are more associated with villany

[legobatjoker]

non lyle ask (bc my blog has been de-lylified <//3)but like. okay theres a lot a to expain here but okay first point ik some poeple know the games 20 questions as a game where you just ask the person ur playing with 20 questions abt them so incase tht is u i am refering to 20 questions as in a game where one person thinks of an object/person/character and the other players ask 20 yes or no questions abt what theyre thinking of then guess what it is theyre thinking of but the thing abt me(+my sibling+my cousin) is that despite always calling it 20 questions we never like, limit the amnt of questions to 20 we just ask the person questions until we guess the right answer and basically since my cousin has been facetiming me nd my sibling a lot lately weve also been playing 20 questions a lot on ft and basically we all facetimed today we talked for a bit etc then my sibling had to leave to do smth (the call was like. in our groupchat so like they cld leave and join again rly easily etc) so i decided to play 20 questions w my cousin and we play for a while nd have fun etc but after a while i was like "yk what im going to think of puss in boots even though they havent seen the movie i talk abt him a lot so they shld b able to get it easily" and like. they asked like standard questions but they like. were not getting it like i tihnk they got tht it was a male animated character from a movie but when they asked if the movie was on netflix it got kinda cofnusing bc like the last wish isnt on netflix isnt on netflix but the first puss in boots and two shrek movies hes in (for some reason netflix uk only has the last two shrek films like shrek 1+2 arent on there but shrek 3+4 are ??? so thts weird) so i was like some of the movies hes in are not netflix but not all of them and they got rly cought up on that (in hindsight i shld have probably said to ignore tht aspect but i did not think tht in the moment ig) and also like another thing. the iconic "becuase singing killed my grandma" scene from trolls has become somewhat of an inside joke with us bc its fucking insane and hilarious and like a few times when playing 20 questions together one of us will jokingly be like "oh did singing kill their grandma?" etc and like my cousin started asking like oh did singing kill his grandma did he break his neck tapdancing once (bc of the guys who says my uncle broke his neck tapdancing once during that scene literally would say the most insane movie scene ever but weve been lyle lyle posting all day) and like haha v funny (it actually was p funny the bit has not gotten old yet) i kept being like no and i almost was like "he has never died while singing or dancing" but then i remembered his eighth death was right before he was abt to sing a song so didnt say that but i did say "he did not break his neck while tapdancing once!" and apparently i put an emphasis on the word once becuase my cousin started being like did he break his neck tapdancing twice did he break his next tapdancing three times and at once point i was just like "he has never broken his neck tapdancing!" so then they were like " did he break his neck singing once" and i was like "he has not *broken his neck* while singing" b he did die right before singing like i said and then my sibling rejoined the call and we explained what was going on to them we were playing 20 questions my cousin said they new it was a male character from an animated movie and i said "[cousin name] is asking if he specifically broke his neck while singing once so i have to say no" and then my sibling was like "oh its puss in boots" which is just. the most incredible thingg that my sibling got it from me just saying that but it took my cousin so long and then i explained tht puss' eighth death happened before he was going to sing a song but then he got crushed by a bell and said that he died "ernesto de la cruz style" but my cousin was still like " didnt that happen to that one guy in coco? hector- no it was ernesto" but anyway. very funny story from today i think love and light <3

AISHRIEHDJSJ I LOVEEEE UR SIBLING JOINING AND IMMEDIATELY GETTING IT SOO MUCHHHHH….. also literally when it happened alll i could think was ernesto de la cruz style like!!!!! thats what it issss😭

[proshipping-edits]

Ernesto de la Cruz icons for halloween

Requested by:Mod poke

[nzcha]

Coco Lockscreens / like or reblog!

[appatary8523]

Some icons with tons of filters jskdanhjk Lots of hearts because I love them. Feel free to use it. Credit is not needed, but I would appreciate it!

[movielicious]

What makes Coco so auténtico?

The authentic voice-acting is one reason why this movie is so great. They know how to get talents without getting big Hollywood stars. Ok, there are 2 people in it that are considered famous Benjamin Bratt (voices Ernesto de la Cruz) & Gael García Bernal (voices Héctor), but still most of the cast is rather unknown.

~20% in Spanish  because it would be foolish if this weren’t the case.

You can see and feel that Pixar did a lot of in depth research to present the Mexican culture as accurately is possible.

Pixar wants to tell good stories (which they are very capable of) – it doesn’t matter to them if everyone can identify with the story (throwback to Ratatouille #favouritechildhoodmovie). They will tell it anyway.

 To make my points even clearer let’s compare Coco to Moana (Disney):

Moana aims to explore the Polynesian culture, sadly the story isn’t really bound to this culture or even the island it takes place on. It’s the classic heroine-story that could take place anywhere.  After watching Moana, you don’t feel like you’ve learned anything about the Polynesian culture. There is no deep-dive into traditions, the day to day life, beliefs of the culture, traditional food or Polynesian songs (I mean of course the classic Disney songs are great, but have nothing to do with the Polynesian culture). I mean I still love Moana (awesome movie), but it’s just not as a deep exploration of a underrepresented culture as Coco is.

Coco’s story on the other hand is deeply bound with the culture. It takes place in a small Mexican village on the Días de los Muertos. What makes Coco even more authentic is the voice-cast, traditional Mexican food, the traditions on the Day of the Dead (e.g. Marigold flowers, Alebrijes &  emphasises the importance of the ofrenda – to honour deceased family members), features the Xolo (National-Dog of Mexico) named Danté as Miguel’s loyal companion and includes a joke that only Spanish-speaking people will understand. Furthermore Coco also pays homage to the iconic Frida Kahlo (alongside her famous pet monkey) who makes an appearance in the Land of the Dead. Of course Pixar took some creative liberties in the Land of the Dead, but after watching Coco you feel like you’ve just watched a really rich movie and actually learned something about the Mexican culture. 

Well done Pixar for creating this masterpiece.

4/4 ASt.

[las-traigo-muertas]

While Ernesto de la Cruz' life, death and even the design of his tomb were mostly based on those of Pedro Infante, his charater was also inspired by Vicente Fernádez; an iconic Mexican singer and actor, known as El Rey de las Rancheras, who passed away today.

I'd like to imagine Ernesto's posthumous tribute was something like this. Big, loud and surrounded by his fans.

Watch "Live: Vicente Fernández Posthumous Tribute"

[britesparc]

Weekend Top Ten #481

Top Ten Pixar Villains

Those rascals and rapscallions at Pixar are famous for twisting our emotions, aren’t they? Perverse masters at making us cry with sadness or joy, often at the same time (I’m looking at you, Inside Out, with your yellow and blue marbles). Oh yes, they’ll stick the knife in and give it a good old yank, like John Travolta teaches his daughter to do in Face/Off when he’s not really John Travolta and it’s a bit icky but then she stabs him at the end of the film so it’s alright really.

Where was I?

Oh yeah. Pixar, renowned for turning grown men into blubbering messes, mostly because an adult character was convinced to part with old toys he no longer plays with. But I’d argue that one thing they’ve done less well than their parent studio (that’s Disney) is crafting iconic baddies. I mean, we all know the Disney Villains; they’re so iconic and successful as pop culture icons that there’s an entire trilogy of movies based on what would happen if a bunch of them had kids (apparently they’d sing a lot). Pixar baddies though? Hmmm, maybe not quite so iconic. I can’t see someone making a live action prequel movie about Chef Skinner.

But that’s not to say they’re not great; in fact, rather than going down the route of snarling, moustache-twirling villainy, Pixar actually does a great job in creating antagonists instead. Sometimes they’re misunderstood; sometimes they’re not the person you thought they were! Quite often some kind of redemption is offered, and the villains are very, very rarely dropped off something tall. A lot of them aren’t even defeated, so to speak! A good deal of nuance and shade goes into a Pixar villain, and if they haven’t made as many all-time-great iconic ne’er-do-wells, it does seem as if their approach is starting to rub off on Disney mothership (the likes of Frozen II and Moana either don’t have, or at least subvert, the notion of all-powerful bad guys).

So what do we have? Well, hopefully, we’ve got a list of really cool villains from Pixar movies. most of them are presented as the film’s “big bad”, although there are a couple of lesser baddies. And I think we do see the pattern emerging, of more mundane levels of villainy; the selfish and greedy and damaged. It makes for great characterisation and some beautiful storytelling; some complex and pitiable characters. And, yes, a few absolute bastards too. Let’s tut disapprovingly.

Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear (Ned Beatty, Toy Story 3, 2010): a superb performance from Beatty as a seemingly nice, jovial old bear who’s really a manipulative, power-hungry, gaslighting bully. Realistically portrayed as damaged and bitter, he has a tragic backstory that feels real, and a sense of pain and loss that feels earned in this universe. Questions the nature of everything the movies are about, and is a genuine threat in more ways than one. Plus he literally leaves them all to die in the furnace!

Syndrome (Jason Lee, The Incredibles, 2004): Buddy Pine’s backstory is one of belittlement and rejection, so his switch to villainy is as well explored as many a comic book bad guy. But he’s interesting partly in what his character says about Mr. Incredible – in a way justifying the criticisms of superheroes, as Mr. I does ignore the admittedly-annoying Buddy rather than mentoring or respecting him – but also because he prefigures notions of toxic masculinity about a decade or so before they became, well, a threat to global democracy.

Al (Wayne Knight, Toy Story 2, 1999): Like how Lots-o can be seen as a dark examination of toy life (all toys are replaceable, kids don’t really love you, etc), Al also shows us another dark facet of toy-dom: namely the life of a “collectable”. Toys, in this world, want to be played with, preferably by children, so a big ol’ man-child who stores them in boxes or puts them on display is not ideal. It’s an inversion of what a toy is for; an object of joy reduced to a commodity. Is it entertainment versus art? Who can say? Also, he’s really just a massive jerk and a huge slob, so we feel no pity for him once he gets his comeuppance at the end of the film.

Sid Phillips (Erik von Detten, Toy Story, 1995): man, they nailed the Toy Story villains, didn’t they? Maybe there’s even more to come! But right out of the gate, Sid was a classic. An utter sadist in a skull t-shirt, torturing toys for kicks; adults can see the traits of a genuine sociopath (some serial killers start by torturing animals, remember!), and he’s portrayed like a character in a horror movie. Seriously, in 1995, Sid’s room was legitimately disturbing. I’m not sure what moral lessons his actions teach us, but just as a pure article of terror, he’s supreme.

Hopper (Kevin Spacey, A Bug’s Life, 1998): it feels a bit weird, if I’m honest, to celebrate a Spacey performance. But as a character, Hopper is excellent, one of the best things about the generally-overlooked-but-still-a-bit-lesser-Pixar Bug’s Life. Riffing on biker gangs, Hopper’s locust swarm in, revving their wings. Hopper’s a classic tough guy thug, dominating through violence and threat; a creature with a small amount of power determined to hold onto it, and ultimately eaten by a terrifying bird. Just don’t look at the cast list.

Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt, Coco, 2017): after the horror of Sid and the thuggery of Hopper, de la Cruz is a different, more insidious villain. He’s a thief and a betrayer who exploited and murdered his best friend, condemning him not just to death but to a forgotten obsolescence in the afterlife. He’s a perfect example of the gaslighting, friendly-seeming bad guy, more in the mould of Lots-o, but with the world on his side and a sweet guitar. Genuinely hissable.

Stinky Pete (Kelsey Grammar, Toy Story 2, 1999): what, more Toy Story? Well, yeah. Don’t blame me, blame Pixar. And so Stinky Pete; a far more relatable and understandable villain, one driven to desperation through a lifetime of rejection and broken promises. Unlike the Machiavellian, power-hungry Lots-o, Pete just wants everyone to retire quietly together; he can’t accept the risks of freedom and only becomes sneaky and, indeed, violent after all else fails. But he does kinda get a happy ending, even if he doesn’t realise it; this is a villain who I feel could eventually be redeemed.

Randall Boggs (Steve Buscemi, Monsters, Inc., 2001): Waternoose is the real baddy in Monsters, Inc., of course; a conniving capitalist who’s prepared to sacrifice the world’s children to keep his monopoly. But it’s Randy who sticks in the mind; his selfish, vain lackey, a monster with a huge chip on his shoulder. His design – lizard-like, snake-ish, with a huge mouth and invisibility – is seriously disturbing. Hearing Buscemi’s voice come from that form – an aggravated teacher, a furious accountant – adds something special, something darkly hilarious.

Evelyn Deavor (Catherine Keener, Incredibles 2, 2018): visually and conceptually, The Screenslaver (great name) is pretty cool, but when it’s revealed that the Big Bad is really under-appreciated tech genius Evelyn, that’s a great twist. A smart woman propping up her schmoozing brother, her criticisms of the heroes – like Buddy Pine’s – have resonance, although she’s learning the wrong lessons from tragedy. Her relationship with Elastigirl, from friendship to enmity, is very well-written and performed, and her belligerence at the end is a nice touch, denying the heroes of any catharsis from her capture.

Shelby Forthright (Fred Willard, WALL-E, 2008): I was originally going to feature the autopilot, but then I figured, if you can get Fred Willard in your list… and really, who’s the big villain here? It’s us, right? We killed the Earth. But Willard’s smiling, happy CEO is there, encouraging his customers to buy, promising them safety and security, promising them a repaired world… but really he’s shovelling them off the planet, secretly commanding the computer to take humanity far away and never look back. It’s a devious, horrible plan, giving the people unending luxury, making them want for nothing, turning them into fab, soporific blobs, basically because that’s easier than the alternative. It’s a horrible indictment of humanity (also: he’s the CEO of a company, but also – it looks like – that makes him rule the world? Creepy). So, yeah, the autopilot might be a baddun, but it’s the man in charge who’s the real villain of the piece, even hundreds of years later.

Sadly no room for John Lasseter, who may not have tried to enslave humanity or torture children, but still managed to be a huge jerk and a phenomenal disappointment.

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Psycho Analysis: Ernesto de la Cruz

(WARNING! This analysis contains SPOILERS!)

Disney sure does love their twist villains, huh? Almost every villain in the canon during the 2010s has been some sort of big twist villain who doesn’t really get to act like a villain and instead pretends to be an ally or at least a neutral figure for much of the movie. This has led to notable duds like Hans, Bellwether, and most heinously Evelyn Deavor. King Candy is a notable exception, as is Lotso, but they are obstructive throughout the entire film and reveled to be evil fairly quickly, respectively. So when it comes to twist villains, the long and short of it is that they tend to work better when the twist actually has some major story relevance, doesn’t totally recontextualize the character in ways that don’t necessarily make sense, and maintain some level of continuity in their personality.

Thank god Ernesto De La Cruz is like that.

Coco’s big twist villain is one you can probably see coming from a mile away considering that Disney has utilized the twist so much, but it’s the depths of what he does and the fact that, ultimately, it’s not really the fact that he’s a villain that’s the twist – it’s that he’s such an unrepentant egomaniac that he goes as far as to stick the method he murdered his very best friend with into one of his own movies. This man has cojones, you’ve gotta give him that.

Actor: Benjamin Bratt of Law & Order fame portrays him in English, and frankly, he does a great job as selling Ernesto as a sort of glorious pop star who seems to have a heart of gold. Of course, he continues to sell Ernesto even when it’s revealed that heart isn’t so golden after all.

Motivation/Goals: In short, Ernesto is an attention whore. He’s ambitious, greedy, and selfish, which is what led to him murdering Hector and stealing his songs so that he could achieve fame and fortune. - fame and fortune that got to follow him into the afterlife. The guy is a massive icon to the living and the dead, and in the Land of the Dead he just wants to sit back and bask in the admiration of others – something which becomes a lot more difficult when Miguel shows up and begins to accidentally unravel his carefully constructed persona.

Personality: Interestingly, despite his numerous negative traits, Ernesto does genuinely seem to be an affable, friendly guy. He rescues Miguel from the pool, seems very happy that he has a descendant, and is eager to share his fame and the adoration of the public with Miguel. He even shows genuine worry over Miguel’s curse, so clearly there is at least a shred of good in him somewhere.

The issue, of course, is his ego. As soon as Hector shows up and as soon as Miguel discovers the truth about what Ernestor did to attain his fame, Hector pulls a 180 and decides to get rid of Miguel. While it definitely seems like his earlier actions were genuine, above all Ernesto cares about his image and his fame, and anything that jeopardizes that needs to be taken care of. He did it to Hector in life, and he tried to do it to both Hector and Miguel in death when they set out to reveal his treachery. While this doesn’t make him the most amazing character ever by any means, I do like that there is room to interpret Ernesto as more than just a one-dimensional monster.

Final Fate: In life, he was crushed to death by a big bell in the middle of a performance. In the Land of the Dead, he gets crushed under another giant bell – and he gets left there, presumably forever since it’s doubtful anyone would want to get him out after the truth about him was revealed. And then back in the land of the living the truth about him is revealed as well, leading to the public openly rejecting him and declaring they will forget him, with his tomb being vandalized. Pretty impressive to die three times in a single movie, with each death being progressively worse for him.

Best Scene: His final death, where Pepita knocks him into the second bell he gets crushed under. Such a beautiful, fitting comeuppance, and one that had me in stitches when I first saw the movie.

Best Quote: A lot of his “Seize the moments” quotes become much more chilling after the big reveal, when he says lines like this: “Success doesn't come for free, Miguel. You have to be willing to do whatever it takes to... seize your moment. I know you'll understand.” Kinda hard to swallow that whole “seize the moment” thing when the guy saying it seized his moment by committing the premeditated murder of his best friend to plagiarize his music, you know?

Final Thoughts & Score: Ernesto is not quite as good as King Candy, but boy is he up there. Ernesto is the sort of twist villain Disney should really take notes on. He has a great personality, and when the reveal comes around it doesn’t completely botch his personality or change it into something nonsensical like with Hans or Bellwether, but instead puts all of his previous actions in different lights. Ernesto remains remarkably consistent throughout the entire film, and if that wasn’t enough, in true classic Disney villain fashion he’s flashy, he’s a bit over-the-top, and he really loves to hog the spotlight. He’s not a complete ham or anything, but the guy is a celebrity, and he knows how to entertain.

I like that he’s a villain that you can kind of speculate on the actions of, as well as a villain who is just outright appalling for a family film like this. The dude remorselessly poisoned his friend to steal his life’s work, which is awful enough. Then you see Hector dropping dead onscreen, which is worse. And then you get to see that Ernesto literally put the crime he committed into one of his movies, forever immortalizing his murder in some sort of sick, twisted, serial killer-esque way. Ernesto is a man who goes out of his way to come out on top but ultimately ends up screwed over due to his own massive ego. But still, it is interesting to look at his good actions and wonder… At the very least, saving Miguel in the pool was him genuinely wanting to do the right thing, but what else does that extend to? And he did seem to genuinely consider Hector his friend, but he cared about fame and success more. There’s a lot going on with this guy.

This might be controversial, but I’m giving him a 9/10. I was originally going to give him an 8, but I started to like him more and more as I wrote this (this is something that happens quite often, honestly). He’s definitely a lower 9, because I do think he’s not quite on the level of Turbo, and an argument could be made that the story would have been stronger without a villain and with Hector simply dying by accident… but what fun is that? Hector is that rarest of things, a good modern Disney villain, and I think we should appreciate him for what he is, because knowing Disney, we won’t get any more like him for a while.

[straightupstrangetimes]

13 Not-So-Scary Movies to Get You in the Halloween Spirit!

Contributed by Kris Rustic, host of Obscure Anomalies podcast

Halloween is around the corner. Everywhere you look a horror movie is playing. For me, I love it. There is just something about being scared while knowing full well you are safe. But not everyone is into that sort of thing. My wife is one, so I tried to find lists of not-so-scary movies but was having trouble coming up with one, so I decided to write my own.

Please keep in mind, I did try to keep the list more kid and family friendly.

13. HOCUS POCUS

300 years have passed since the Sanderson sisters were executed for practicing dark witchcraft. Returning to life, thanks to a combination of a spell spoken before their demise and the accidental actions of Max, the new-kid-in-town, the sisters have but one night to secure their continuing existence. With the help of his younger sister Dani, his high school crush Allison, and a magical cat, it is up to Max to save the children of Salem.

A must see on any Halloween movie list. Full of light-hearted humour, this film is loved by people of all ages.

Watch it: Amazon Rent or Buy

12. CASPER (1995)

Furious that her late father only willed her his gloomy-looking mansion rather than his millions, Carrigan Crittenden makes a plan to burn the place to the ground. That is, until she finds a map leading to a treasure hidden under the house. But when she enters the rickety mansion to seek her claim, she is frightened away by the mansions ghostly inhabitants. Determined to get her hands on this hidden fortune, Crittenden hires afterlife therapist Dr. James Harvey to exorcise the ghosts from the mansion. Harvey and his daughter Kat move in and soon Kat befriends Casper, the ghost of a young boy, who is “the friendly ghost.” But not so friendly are Casper’s uncles--Stretch, Fatso and Stinkie--who are determined to drive all “fleshies” away. It is up to Harvey and Kat to help the ghosts cross over to the other side.

I may get some flack putting Casper this high up on the list, but hey, to each their own. Casper is a fun little film filled with the right amount of supernatural scares placed inside a package that every age can enjoy.

Watch it: Starz; Amazon Rent or Buy

11. THE WITCHES

While staying at a hotel in England with his grandmother, Helga, young Luke inadvertently spies on a convention of witches. The Grand High Witch reveals a plan to turn all children into mice through a magical formula. When they find that Luke has overheard, the witches test the formula on him. Now, with the help of his grandmother and new friend Bruno Jenkins, Luke the mouse must fight back against the evil witches.

Based on the book of the same name, The Witches is a classic. This may be one of the more frightening films on the list but is still children-friendly. Besides, who doesn’t want to save the world as a mouse.

Watch it: Amazon Rent or Buy

10. THE MONSTER SQUAD

The Monster Squad is a club of friends who idolize the classic monster-movies, especially their non-human stars. One day, Dracula, the Mummy, Frankenstein’s Monster, and other classic horror icons, all of which the club idolize, arrive in town in search of a magic amulet to destroy all the good in the world. It is up to the five friends to save the amulet from destruction and use it to cast the monsters into limbo.

One part The Goonies, one part Ghostbusters, and one part Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, the Monster Squad is a true cult classic that was way ahead of its time.

Watch for yourself and find out if the “Wolfman has nards.”

Watch it: Amazon Rent or Buy

9. BEETLEJUICE

Adam and Barbara are like every other happily married couple -- who just happen to also be dead! Before they died, Adam and Barbara had spent their vacation to decorate and make the house their own, that is, until the fatal car crash. Unfortunately, a new family is moving in, and not quietly as they make plans to redecorate the house with the help of an interior designer. Adam and Barbara try to scare them out, but end up becoming the main attraction to the money making family. They call upon Beetlejuice to help, but Beetlejuice has more in mind than just helping.

While having a special place in my heart for taking place in Connecticut, Beetlejuice is an all around classic starting Michael Keaton and a young Winona Ryder.

Watch it:: Amazon Rent or Buy

8. PARANORMAN

Norman Babcock has the ability to speak with the dead -- and he often prefers their company to that of the living. Norman learns from his estranged uncle that a centuries-old witch’s curse on their town is real and about to come true -- and only Norman can stop it. When zombies rise from their graves, Norman and his ragtag team must summon all their courage and compassion to the limit to save his fellow townspeople. Taking place in the fictional town of Blithe Hollow, this stop-motion film is a beautiful take on the Salem Witch Trials.

I have to admit, I slept on this movie when it first came out. I had no interest in it at all, but then I watched it and became an instant favourite. The humour is a little more blue for a “children’s” movie, but the lesson learned in the end is valuable for all involved. Did I mention it is also well known for being the first mainstream animated film with an openly gay character?

Watch it: Sadly it is not available for streaming on Amazon, Netflix, or Hulu at this time, due to licensing agreements

7. FRANKENWEENIE

Young Victor Frankenstein is a science nerd and an outsider at school, but he does have one friend, his dog Sparky. Sadly, tragedy strikes, taking Sparky away from Victor. Heartbroken, Victor is given an idea of how to bring Sparky back to life. The experiment is a success and everything goes fine, that is, until his fellow students learn of his secret and use it to resurrect their beloved lost pets. Frankenweenie is a heartwarming tale of a boy and his dog, and the lengths we would go to keep our beloved friend.

I consider Frankenweenie to be the sister movie to ParaNorman. Both are stop motion and came out in the same year. The difference is Frankenweenie takes you back to the classic universal horror icons in a brand-new way. Did I mention it is in black and white and has that classic monster movie feel?

watch it: Rent on Youtube

6. NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS

What happens to the Pumpkin King when he tires of being just that, the King of Halloween. Jack Skellington is bored of the same annual routine of scaring the people of the real world. One day, he stumbles upon Christmastown, full of bright colours and warm spirits, bringing a new lease to Jack’s life. He plots to bring Christmas under his control, only to find that the best-laid plans of mice and skeleton can go awry.

Originally I intended only one movie per director, but I don’t think you can begin to discuss family friendly Halloween without Tim Burton, especially because you cannot have a Halloween list without Nightmare Before Christmas. In all fairness, this is the perfect movie to finish out the year with.

Watch it: Amazon Rent or Buy

5. COCO

Miguel dream of becoming a musician, just like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz. The problem, his family has a generations-old ban on music. Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel steals Ernesto’s guitar and finds himself in the colourful Land of the Dead. With the help of a charming trickster named Héctor and Miguel’s dog Dante, Miguel must find his way back home, meanwhile learning the truth about his family’s past.

All bite. Coco is a Dia de los Muertos movie. I know some of you will complain that it is not a Halloween movie. Truth is, the spirit of Dia de los Muertos and Halloween are close enough for me to warrant inclusion into the list. The scenery and background is gorgeous, the story will tug at the heartstrings, and you will get to learn a little about the culture behind Dia de los Muertos, even if a bit Disneytized.

Watch it: Netflix

4. HALLOWEENTOWN

On Halloween, while Marnie is arguing with her mother Gwen, the kids’ grandmother Aggie comes to visit. Aggie wants to start Marnie’s witch training before her 13th birthday or Marnie will lose her powers forever. But there is another reason for Aggie’s visit. Something dark and evil is growing in Halloweentown, and Aggie wants help to defeat it. While Aggie and Gwen are arguing, Aggie uses magic, which Marnie observes. After Aggie leaves to return to Halloweentown, Marnie, Dylan and, unknown to Marnie and Dylan, Sophie follow her onto the return bus. Soon afterwards, Gwen follows the children to Halloweentown. While there, Aggie and Gwen are attacked by the dark force. Marnie, Dylan and Sophie have to race to get the ingredients to activate Merlin’s Wand to stop the evil and save Halloweentown.

A classic made for TV Disney movie, this film (and all sequels) are a perfect Halloween movie for all ages, and albeit a little cheesy at times. But who doesn’t love the occasional cheesy movie?

3. SCOOBY DOO AND THE WITCH’S GHOST

When the Master Gang Scooby meet a famous horror writer Ben Ravencroft (who may or may not be based off of Stephen King) during their last mystery, he invites them to his small hometown of Oakhaven, Massachusetts to join in the annual Autumn Fest. Ravencroft tells the Mystery Gang about the history of his ancestor, Sarah Ravencroft, who happened to be an evil witch and is supposedly haunting the town of Oakhaven. The gang decides to help the town and solve the mystery of the Witch’s Ghost.

This was tough to pick. We have Scooby Doo and the Ghoul School, Scooby Doo and Zombie Island, I mean honestly any Scooby Doo movie could fit. But I picked Witch’s Ghost for three simple reasons: takes place during the fall, witches, and the Hex Girls, a fictional all-female Goth Rock Band.

Watch it: Amazon Prime, Boomerang Channel on Amazon

2. MONSTER HOUSE

13-year-old DJ is obsessed with his creepy neighbour, Nebbercracker, and his eerie house. After all, rumours of his past have run rampant in the town. But one day, DJ and his friends witness the house come to life. Unable to find an adult that will believe him, and with Halloween vastly approaching, it is up to DJ and his friends to find a way to destroy the house before innocent trick-or-treaters meet their end.

At times, this film is a little on the frightening side, at least for the younger ones. The characters are well thought out and put together. While the animation is not ground breaking, it looks great and fits the movie perfectly. A perfect film for those looking for a fun, clean movie this Halloween.

Watch it: Amazon Rent or Buy

1. GOOSEBUMPS 2: HAUNTED HALLOWEEN

While collecting junk from an abandoned house, best friends Sonny and Sam come across an unpublished “Goosebumps” book. Opening it, they release Slappy, a mischievous talking dummy. Hoping to start a family, Slappy kidnaps Sonny’s mother and brings fourth all of his ghoulish friends (creatures and monsters from the Goosebumps novels) to life, just in time for Halloween. The sleepy town becomes overrun with monsters, witches, and other mysterious creatures. It is up to Sonny, his sister Sarah, and Sam to save their town, his mother, and foil Slappy’s plans.

Goosebumps (2015) is a pure nostalgia ride with a brand new feel and Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween is no different. Trading in some of the humor for a little more horror feel, the movie has a little bit to offer for everyone.

Watch it: Netflix

The truth of the matter is, this list is not perfect and may never be complete, but it is a great starting point to the ever growing list of the Not-So-Scary Halloween movies. I feel in writing this, I have left so many great films off, so I have a list of some runner up films that just barely missed being on my top 13.

RUNNER UPS

HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA

Dracula and the classic horror monsters are afraid of humans. In an attempt to take a vacation away from humanity, Dracula operates a hotel way off in the woods. One day, a brave human makes his way to the castle, where the human and Dracula’s daughter “Zing”.

ADDAMS FAMILY (1991)

A man claiming to be Uncle Fester, the missing brother of Gomez Addams shows up at the Addam’s household. The family is thrilled, however Morticia begins to suspect the man is a fraud as he cannot recall details of Fester’s life. With the help of a lawyer, Fester manages to get the Addams evicted from the home. Can the Addam’s family save Uncle Fester? Can they get their home back?

DOUBLE DOUBLE TOIL AND TROUBLE

The Farmer family is in debt and might lose their house. The Farmer Twins discover the somebody mean and shrewd is responsible for all the family problems. The determined twins try to trick at their evil aunt out of her magic moonstone to save their family home.

THE ADVENTURES OF ICHABOD AND MR. TOAD

Two animated adaptations of classic literature adapted by Disney make up this film, which is the only reason it made the runner up list as Mr. Toad, while good, has nothing to do with Halloween. However, in the “Legend of Sleepy Hollow” the gangly schoolmaster, Ichabod Crane, falls for the beautiful Katrina Van Tassel. Caught in a love triangle with Katrina and Brom Bones, Ichabod fears the local legend of the Headless Horseman. Is the legend more truth than lore?

ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS MEET THE WOLFMAN

Alvin loves monsters and monster movies, though he is terrified of them. Stuck with Werewolves on the mind, he believes his next door neighbour is one. Reluctantly, Simon helps Alvin investigate the neighbour. Meanwhile Theodore is bitten by a strange dog, and finds his inner “inner monster” and starts behaving like a werewolf himself.

Did I miss your favourite Not-So-Scary Halloween movie? Let me know what it is in the comments below.

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Enjoyed this piece of high strangeness? Share it with your world!

[childrenoftheisleisms]

About the Muse: Angélica De La Cruz

Name: Angélica De La Cruz

Nicknames/Titles: The fallen queen of Latin Music

Canon Family: Ernesto De La Cruz (Great Grandfather)

Common phrase(s): Hijo de Puta , Chucha Madre

Hails from: Mexico , Auradon

Iconic Color: White, red lipstick

Trope(s): Money to Burn, every man has his price, sugar baby

Pet: Mariposa, Maria, Mauricio, and Marisol. All purebred Chihuahuas.

About: Angélica comes from a line of scandal and luxury, stemming back from her Great Grandfather Ernesto De La Cruz. A figure who has been identified by many as one Mexico’s greatest actors and musicians. His most memorable song being that of “Remember Me” , a song he claims to have come to him one night early into his career when he saw two lovers saying goodbye at the train station.

Ernesto De La Cruz was not the type for a conventional romance. He was known to dote on his pet chihuahuas for the most part. Then came Rosa. Rosa Hernandez Mariposa was a Bailarina Folklorico who knew what she wanted and not afraid to- for lack of better words- seize her moment. Through months of being on tour together, the two started a compelling affair. Tabloids called her a groupie, she preferred the title Sugar Baby. The same tabloids had a field day when a pregnancy was announced. Carmen De La Cruz became the royal baby of Latin music.

Rosa’s tactics were what inspired Angélica. There was a lot of money that came with the De La Cruz name, but it was always nice to have someone to refill the wealth every so often. Based off the way people treated those with the name De La Cruz, you would assume the name to be synonymous with royalty. She needed a benefactor, someone who could keep her lifestyle up to her standards. Between of course creating her own music, such as Ceasar (pronounced like seize her) her most recent single based around someone seizing their moment, even if it means stabbing a friend in the back.

How ironic of a piece then, as recent discoveries have been made about Angélica’s great grandfather. Ernesto had not just stolen his songs, but had killed someone in the process! Thus raising a big question, what should be done with the descendants of the newly discovered villain?

During one of her lavish Parties, police raided the De La Cruz Mansion and a warrant was put in place to search the estate. Angélica was put in chains, and escorted to the isle, never forgetting that it was Belle personally who had signed her deportation papers.

[imagidreaming]

Dark Kingdom

I know most if not all of these would never happen but this one is the blank check pulled from deep inside the NEVER GONNA HAPPEN FILES.

Disney, the powerhouse it is, the monolith with 6 domestic parks that are booming on any given day should do something next level and open a park that is...EXCLUSIVELY OPEN AT NIGHT!

Hey, man, I work 3rd shift so sue me. I used to work at a movie theater and we'd put on movies after close and i used to go to an all night Halloween movie marathon and there's just something so thrilling about being in a place in the middle of the night. And talk about exclusivity, huh!? The faux accomplishment that only theme parks can provide. "I did it, I did a night at Dark Kingdom!"

So, yeah, it's a spooky, villain-laden mirror-universe of Magic Kingdom. It's where the likes of The Other Side, Ursula's Unfathomable Uprising & Ichabod's Midnight Ride would be. The energy of a Villains After Hours Party but every night, all night.

BUT ALSO NOT JUST VILLAINY, it's also where the Land of the Dead could be! A Coco themed land! And this park's version of Fantasmic, the grand finale, closing show, would be Ernesto de la Cruz's Sunrise Serenade! How cool! And yeah, Halloweentown from Nightmare Before Christmas as a land, too!

Another thing? Since it's only open at night and people are gonna need to stay up, that good ol' Coca-Cola product, MONSTER ENERGY DRINK is readily available everywhere and yeah sure coffee too. Hmm, who's a good theme for coffee. I wanna say Maurice from Beauty and the Beast but he doesn't really fit in at the park. Hades! He's got cappuccino energy and then you can have some big dumb instagramable drink that comes in the vile the poison he gave Hercules was in. Yup!

Yeah, ok, fuck! You know how Disney made MGM Studio simply to try and undercut Universal? This is their swipe at HHN. Integrate the ingenuity that comes with the booths at Epcot into a revolving cast creepy characters selling novelty food and drink, more thrilling attractions than found elsewhere on property and yeah SCAREZONES! Not tooooo intense but themed little stretches with characters and fog that are less about jumping out to getchya and more about facilitating a VIBE! And then sure around Halloween time they get turned up to 11 and are full blown scarezones.

And listen this isn't adults only or anything, it's just gonna skew that way naturally just based on what it is, ala HHN, right? But it's also still a Disney park, so, it's goal isn't to scare kids but it'll get up to that line. Heck, maybe bring back Snow White's Scary Adventures and Alien Encounter! A park for the Breck Eisner's of the world! A park for ME!

Yeah, shit, this is for me so the icon, the weenie of the park is THE HORNED KING'S CASTLE FROM BLACK CAULDRON! No one knows that movie, I know but how many kids can identify Cinderella or Sleepy Beauty's castle? If ya don't know the pre-existing IP it becomes original IP!

And, yeah, it'd really mess with the passes, like, you can't park hop to it but, again, exclusivity! And more money to the company! You do a 5 day ticket with park hopper AND a one night pass to Dark Kingdom! It becomes a rite of passage for kids, it rules, it rocks! FUCK!

Ok, if we lean into the mirror-universe thing, what if, for the psychos like me who would do Magic Kingdom and then head over to Dark Kingdom, there were a Harry Potter train-esque transit/ride that exclusively takes you from MK to DK...I wanna say a River Styx boat ride but that might just be in the park.

Anyway, this will be an ongoing project.

[charlielongclo-blog]

¡Que Viva Changó! -Exploring the popularity of Changó in Cuba.

(Image 1: Changó, dios de trueno)

Background

The transatlantic slave trade saw not only the movement of people from West Africa to the Caribbean and South American continent, but also the spread and evolution of hybrid religious practices stemming from a shared pantheon of Yorùbá deities from Southern Nigeria. 

The African Diaspora developed these religious practices across a wide geographical area and under different systems of colonial rule which lead to differences in names and spellings as well as morphing religious with the beliefs with those of the oppressors to guarantee clandestine survival. Here I focus on Cuba where African deities are equated with Roman Catholic saints (Welsh, 2001) and are survived not only in religious practise but in popular music. 

Who is Changó?

Known as: Sàngó in Africa, Xangó in Brazil and Changó or Shangó in Cuba, Changó is a strong warrior deity connected to thunder and fire and associated with the colours red and white. Ernesto Pichardo, worshipper and ‘child’ of Changó describes him as:

‘Thunder and lightning. Justice and truth, warrior and king. Dancer, owner of the sacred Bàtá drums, original diviner[…] Excellent strategist in warfare. Excellent governor of people. Always present where there is injustice. Brings order where there is confusion. These are ways in which people describe him[…]’ (Mason & Pichardo, 2009)

His popularity and prominence in Cuban popular music makes me wonder: why Changó? There are many other deities in the pantheons of Cuba’s Santeria and Lucumi, each with their own attributes, powers and ritual, yet Changó stands out. 

In ‘Ochun con Changó’ Celia Cruz very clearly describes the deity and her feelings towards him:

Él es el macho fuerte siempre de rojo y blanco

He is the strongest always in red and white

Con su espada en la mano guerrero y emperador

With his sword in hand warrior and emperor

Oshun con Changó, Changó con Oshun

Oshun with Changó, Changó with Oshun

Ellos son mis orishas y yo los quiero a los dos

They are my orishas and I love them both

Akínyemi defines Changó as one of the most powerful and universally worshipped Yorùbá deities in the (African) Diaspora, and goes on to explain his multi faceted traits that could be attributed to causing this:

‘…the prestigious position that Sàngó [Changó] occupies among the Yorùbá people stemmed from his association with Òyó royalty and the institution of kingship, his specialised divination system[…] his commitment to social justice, his association with thunder and lightning, his military might and pursuit of the two main themes of a warrior culture - prowess and honour - both of which his devotees believed were part of the reason he did an enormous variety of things towards their improvement and for humanity in general’ (Akínyemi, 2009)

This gives insight into Changó’s position and appeal within the pantheon but does not explain his particular popularity in Cuba. 

In ‘Saludo a Changó’ Company Segundo covertly refers to Changó as papa (father) singing: ‘Pa saludar a papá ‘ - say hello to father - meaning Changó. This reference could be easily missed were it not for the closing refrain where he sings: ‘Obaé obayana yana’ which is in the Yorùbá language and translates as ‘my father is here’. Religious practices often use African derived languages and this use of Yorùbá acts as a coded reference, aligning him to these practices. It is hidden to those who do not understand it, but an obvious statement to those who do, hiding in plain sight.

Orisha Royalty?

Although not explicitly a leader of the other deities, Changó has an elevated status often described as regal:

‘…in the diaspora, where Sàngó [Changó] is syncretised as Saint Barbara (as in Cuba)[…] his association with Òyó royalty is still recognised, and he is subsequently accorded royal respect[…] he is regarded as the divinity of thunder and lightning[…] and he dances to the rhythm of the Bàtá drum beaten in a virile, warlike, dignified and kingly fashion.’ (Akínyemi, 2009.)

Could this royal association be the source for his popularity? The evidence within songs does not suggest so. Although he is described as having royal status by scholars with regard to ritual practise, there is no evidence of this in popular Cuban music which could explain his popularity there. 

In ‘Changó ta veni’ Celia Cruz sings enthusiastically in a major key uptempo track that demonstrates excitement at his arrival, however there is no further lyrical elaboration as to specifically why this is:

Con el machete en la mano tierra va temblar

With machete in hand the earth will tremble

Changó ta veni

Changó is coming

The Power of Changó

Changó has control of thunder, lightning and fire which as strong elements undoubtedly give a certain appeal, however his power also extends past this. Changó has the ability to resolve all kinds of human problems (both spiritual and physical) through his mysterious and mythical power. His superhuman nature is demonstrated in his military might and ability to provide physical protection for his followers’ (Akínyemi, 2009)

The group N.G La Banda appeal to this power in their song ‘Papa Changó’ where the lyrics to their heavily rhythmic track state:

¡Que miedo que volverias!

How scary it is that you could return!

Papa Chango […]

Father Changó[…]

Darme la luz mi padre, darme la luz […]

give me the light my father, give me the light […]

a matar muchos enemigos […]

to kill many enemies […]

So we can see here how the physical power of Changó is appealing and called upon in a devotional way in the song. However the request of powerful help has not only been asked for in the immediate present for dispatching enemies; the history of slavery itself can be seen as just cause for people to turn to Changó for help and guidance:

‘The protective power of Sàngó is well recognised and appreciated by his devotees in the Diaspora. Since Sàngó worshippers in the New World developed from a background of slavery in an atmosphere of bondage and suffering, the deity is often called upon in their chants as an instrument of deliverance.’ (Akínyemi, 2009) 

The suffering through slavery that brought these deities to Cuba demonstrates why a powerful deity like Changó would be held in high regard as a saviour for the oppressed. However we can attribute this to Changó’s survival in the New World, but it still doesn’t account for his popularity., the reasons for which are more specific.

Musical heritage as cultural identity. 

So still the question remains: Why Changó? 

To answer this we need to look at cultural heritage, preservation and reinvention in Cuba.

The slave trade brought people and with them their religious belief systems also made the Atlantic crossing. As Lovejoy explains: 

‘Easily identifiable cultural icons, such as Bàtá drums, can reveal the conscious efforts of people to reestablish institutions of their homeland, even if only in symbolic and ritualised forms associated with religion, in this case òrìshà worship’ (Lovejoy, 2009)

And with this, most importantly:

‘Bàtá drums in Cuba also have an important relationship to Changó in that they belong to him’ (Lovejoy, 2009)

In Cuba, programs such as the government funded Casa de las Américas strengthened pan-Caribbean and pan-African cultural links through arts preservation and economic support. 

‘Cuba is exceptional in the Spanish Caribbean in the degree of attention it has given to its links - historical, cultural and ideological - with Africa.’ (Pacini Hernandez, 1998)

And this even saw the ministry of culture elevate the status of Rumba to a national cultural symbol. 

‘Rumba[…]has emerged as a national symbol of twentieth century Cuban society’ (Payne Daniel, 1991)

Through the use of bàtá drums Rumba is heavily connected to Changó so in effect, Changó was being promoted yet hidden in plain sight under the guise of Rumba music and dance.

We can see this clearly in tracks like ‘Elube Changó’ by the Afro Cuban Allstars, ‘Que viva Changó’ by Lazarito Valdés and ‘Highway One (Changó’s Dance)’ by the Bobby Matos Afro Cuban Jazz Ensemble. These all display Rumba musical features, either in vocal call and response style, harmony, the use of the rumba clave or in more general polyrhythmic rhythm parts. All of these reference Changó in their titles, yet don’t describe or make a devotion to him. He is the focus through the Rumba musical features which are integral to the tracks which clearly supports the idea that with the promotion of Rumba naturally came the promotion of Changó which can explain such a level of his popularity.

Machismo and Changó?

Leaving aside the influence that the promotion of Rumba and black Cuban culture had on the popularity of Changó for a moment, can we see any influence from wider Cuban society?

Often described as ‘machismo’, could the cultural landscape of Cuba of had a natural affinity with the virile and strong warrior deity Changó? 

‘…an atmosphere of lingering machismo - the emphasis on being a male, male virility, superiority of men over women. Men are still the dominant group in Cuba. Notions of superiority and defence are embedded in their attitudes and behaviours and both men and women are products of an historic machista culture.’ (Payne Daniel, 1991)

We cannot debate the nature of the culture, only to say that yes on an individual basis Changó might have an appeal due to his ‘macho’ qualities, however we know that African deities were hidden in Cabildo worship by merging or disguising them as Catholic saints based on common features of iconography or traits, e.g the virgin Mary wears blue and white clothing and so does the sea deity Yemayá, so they are paired together through their shared colours. Changó is paired with Saint Barbara who is a patron saint of the military in Catholicism and is often depicted wearing red and with lightning behind her. The military focus, red colour and lightning were enough to merge her with Changó in forced cabildo worship, but we can clearly see that Saint Barbara is female and Changó is male, yet this is not addressed as an issue.   

(Image 2: Saint Barbara and Changó)

In the Cuban classic ‘Santa Barbara’ by Celina y Reutilio y Su Conjunto Tipico (with many other artists’ versions available) we see the lyrics weighing heavily towards the Saint in the verses, only to name Changó in the chorus:

Virgen venerada y pura, Santa Bárbara bendita

Revered and pure virgin, blessed Saint Barbara

Nuestra oración favorita, llevamos hasta tu altura

Our favourite prayer, we rise up to your height

Que vive Changó

Changó lives

This use of both clarifies that they are merged as the same deity which dismisses claims that the popularity of Changó in Cuba is purely the result of the machismo culture, as the female saint and the male warrior deity are inextricably linked. 

The Form of the Orishas 

Finally, the nature of Changó as an entity must be recognised. As well as his physical abilities we need to take into account the Orisha system itself. All Orishas are connected in the pantheon when they ‘become active in the realm of others’. (Mason & Pichardo, 2009) So in this sense their strength and popularity can be seen as mutually dependent. Changó also has the very specific elemental traits of lightning and fire which Mason & Pichardo see as ever changing:

‘Since fire is associated with Changó, take that as an example. fire has not changed. Fire is fire, but its manifestation has changed and will continue to change��(about fully knowing Changó) You can never master it because it is always taking on new forms that make you go right back to square one[…]The influence of Changó’s blessings will vary[…] not in principle but in form.’ (Mason & Pichardo, 2009)

Conclusion:

‘The worship of Sàngó in the New World has thus become a strategy for survival and for freedom. Therefore, the deity is seen in the Diaspora as a national heroic symbol as well as a protective spiritual leader’ (Akínyemi, 2009)

Alongside this statement I argue that Changó has survived thanks to hiding and merging with the image of Saint Barbara, the ever changing forms his elements can manifest in and the strength of a co dependent pantheon of deities he belongs to. Changó has thrived under promotion as part of a Cuban cultural identity through Rumba music, as well as having a place as a spiritual link across the wider Caribbean and in Brazil thanks to his African roots. 

Here I show the multiple possible routes that lead to Changó and thus his popularity in Cuba.

I call it ‘El Camino a Changó’ -(The route/way to Changó): 

(Image 3: El Camino a Changó’)

The hip hop group ‘Orishas’ promote their identity as Cubans through their music and their song ‘Canto Para Elegua y Changó’ devotes a verse to Changó. The song shows Chango´s representative colours, connection to Saint Barbara, strength and guidance, the diversity of these come together to show why he is so popular: 

Blanco y rojo represento[…]

White and red I represent[…]

Santa Bárbara bendita es tú Changó […]

Blessed Santa Bárbara is you - Changó[…]

Fuerza, esperanza, en ti confianza, con tu espada avanza[…]

Strength, hope, trust in you, with your sword advancing[…]

Guía por el bien camino a tus hijos, como yo[…]

Guide the way to your children, like me[…]

However I believe the most important of these features that have insured Changó’s popularity are his link to Rumba music and cultural identity. All bàtá drums are Changó’s and the inclusion of these drums in Rumba music means that his legacy will always continue as long as the musical tradition survives. With the government promotion of Rumba as a national symbol of Cuba, Changó’s fingerprint or DNA is promoted implicitly through music which strengthens Changó as part of a Cuban/Caribbean/African identity. It is perhaps more accurate to invert the visual image and in place of routes leading to Changó, in fact see the stretching reach that he spans.

(Image 4: ‘The Reach of Changó’)

References.

Audio Tracks:

Afro-Cuban Allstars - Elube Changó

Accessed online at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMTw0TLdTx8

Bobby Matos Afro Cuban Jazz Ensemble  - Highway One (Changó’s Dance)

Accessed online at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5NLjKHFUY0

Lazarito Valdés  - Que viva Changó

Accessed online at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uy10PcV-qZg

Bibliography:

Akínyemi, A. (2009) The Place of Sàngó in the Yorùbá Pantheon. In  Tishken, J, E. Fálolá, T. & Akínyemi, A. (Ed.) Sàngó in Africa and the African Diaspora. Indiana University Press. (p. 24, 26, 32, 34, 35, 37)

Atwood Mason, M. Pichardo, E. (2009) Searching for Thunder: a Conversation About Changó. In  Tishken, J, E. Fálolá, T. & Akínyemi, A. (Ed.) Sàngó in Africa and the African Diaspora. Indiana University Press. (p. 328, 331, 336,

Hernandez, D, P. (1998) Dancing With The Enemy: Cuban Music, Race, Authenticity, and the World-Music Landscape. Latin American Perspectives, Vol. 25, No. 3, Race and National Identity in the Americas. (pg. 110 - 125) 

Lovejoy, H, B. (2009) Drums of Sàngó: Bàtá Drum and the Symbolic Reestablishment of Òyó in Colonial Cuba, 1817-1867. In  Tishken, J, E. Fálolá, T. & Akínyemi, A. (Ed.) Sàngó in Africa and the African Diaspora. Indiana University Press. (p. 289, 286)

Payne Daniel, Y. (1991) Changing Values in Cuban Rumba. A Lower Class Black Dance Appropriated by the Cuban Revolution. Dance Research Journal, Vol. 23, No. 2. (p. 1-10)

Welsh, D, B. (2001) Voice of Thunder, Eyes of Fire: In Search of Change in the African Diaspora. Dorrance Publishing Co. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (p.113, 138-139)

Discography:  

Celina y Reutilio y Su Conjunto Tipico. A Santa Barbara. ’Santa Barbara’ Discos Fidel. 2015. Mp3

Accessed online at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B015LZAPEE/ref=sr_1_1_rd?_encoding=UTF8&child=B015LZAQIO&qid=1515888474&sr=1-1%3C/a%3E

Company Segundo, Colección. ’Saludo a Changó’ WM Spain. 2012. Mp3

Accessed online at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B006NQF4QK/ref=dm_ws_sp_ps_dp

Cruz, C. 2En1. ’Ochun Con Changó’ Universal Music Digital Services. 2017. Mp3

Accessed online at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06VY9NWKF/ref=sr_1_2_rd?_encoding=UTF8&child=B06WGVLLQL&qid=1515888381&sr=1-2%3C/a%3E

Cruz, C. Celia Cruz:The Essential. ’Changó Ta Veni’ Lets Go Home Records. 2017. Mp3

Accessed online at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06WD5MPB9/ref=sr_1_1_rd?_encoding=UTF8&child=B06VWRQCWS&qid=1515888081&sr=1-1%3C/a%3E

N.G La Banda. Cuba Classics 3: Diablo Al Infierno! ‘Papá Changó’ Luana Bop. 1992. Mp3

Accessed online at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00G71DT0E/ref=dm_ws_sp_ps_dp 

Orishas. A Lo Cubano. ’Canto Para Elegua y Changó’ EMI France. 2003. Mp3

Accessed online at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lo-Cubano-Orishas/dp/B001J9JG60/ref=sr_1_1?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&qid=1515888657&sr=1-1-mp3-albums-bar-strip-0&keywords=orishas

Images:

Image 1: 

Changó, dios de trueno

Available at: https://www.cibercuba.com/lecturas/chango-dios-del-trueno

[Accessed January, 13. 2018]

Image 2:

Martinez, A. (2011) Día de Santa Barara, Changó. Chango y Santa Barbara.

 Available at: http://www.cubaenmiami.com/dia-de-santa-barbara-chango/ 

[Accessed January, 13. 2018]

Image 3:

El Camino de Changó’ - Author’s own image.

Image 4:

The Reach of Changó - Author’s own image. 

[proshipping-edits]

Are mods planning to post anything Halloween related here today?

Oh, I haven't thought about that jsjsjsj in halloween I just thought about that Spanish meme of "hola grupo soy vanesa" and this saturday 29 I got a costume of Miguel of coco

Mod poke