#her song is honestly one of the best disney villain songs imo

[narliee]

THE LITTLE MERMAID (1989), dir. John Musker, Ron Clemons

[bloom-agreste-cheng]

You didn’t ask but I’ll answer anyways because this is fun.

Since it first aired in 2015

No

No

Unfortunately yes. It was not my intention but because I fangirled so hard over the Oblivio episode, I convinced a friend to begin MLB when I didn’t even want her to and now I’m responsible for all her lost neurons.

I saw the trailer on Disney Channel, and the premise intrigued me. I wasn’t completely into the show but when I saw Mari and Adrien together for the first time, I was sold.

Oh gosh I don’t know. I’d want the power to bring stories to life like that one beast episode with Tom.

Lady Wifi. I don’t want to be sent up to sent up to space in a bubble.

The peacock or the fox. Emotion or Illusion are the two I’d wanna work with. Actually the miraculous that gives you another power is cool too. But no I’m sticking with the fox.

Adrienette obviously

Don’t have one

Still adrienette. I like them in civilian form without the masks, completely and honestly themselves.

There’s a cute guy in dark hair and white shirt that I liked. Someone drew him on Pinterest.

French. It’s the original language and anything in the original dub is superior imo.

Don’t have one

Ladrien. We never get them. It’s the ship where they idealized each other and thus puts a barrier between each other they need to overcome.

The Bakery ennemies one. I’m basic. I also started reading the one where Mari gets the Butterfly.

the Scarlet Lady AU.

CGI

That one cute guy I mentioned in answer 12.

They have other songs featured on the show?

Volpina. Illusions are a great way to deceive enemies.

Besides Adrien and Luka, no one else.

Season 5 Adrien specifically. The fans have ruined Felix and his coolness for me. It would have been him.

Obviously kill Queen Bee. Marry Rena and Kiss Carapace.

Venom. Usually I’d pick Mirage as a power but Venom is cool. It’s a one punch KO.

Chat Noir

Lucky Charm

Any love square scene from Elation, Determination, Passion and Mayura’s transformations.

The episodes I mentioned in the last question. Plus Oblivio, Origins part 2, Ephemeral, Emotion.

The boys

Qilin, Chat Blanc, puppeteer has cool powers, Gamer 2.0 and who doesn’t love the OG villain; Stormy Weather. The fights involving her are so cool. Also that second time Sabrina got akumatized when she absorbed powers that hit was cool too, whatever her name was. Ephemeral’s design was cool. Sandman was awesome as well. And Nathalie’s Hunter form was cool too.

Until Hawkmoth is defeated neither, because it doesn’t end well in both scenarios. But Mari learning Chat is Adrien was my preferred scenario.

They’re all so cute. Especially when Gabriel bullied one of them and the others came to their defense. Barkk is standing out to me right now. And I feel bad for Nooroo.

Chloe for being an awful, entitled bitch. Felix for being deceitful. Gabriel for obvious reasons.

Bunnyx. She’s the coolest. Mister Bug and Lady Noire are great too.

Cat Obviously. I love puns. I’d totally hang out with him and listen to his puns and take note.

I liked them. At this point, I feel Mari truly is made for Adrien. I love Luka with all my heart but I feel he deserves someone for himself too. Doesn’t matter if it’s not Marinette.

Kagami deserved better but I’m happier she helped Adrien be more confident in himself and I love that for both of them. In short, no. I like them platonically.

She still seems to give Lila the benefit of the doubt and convinces Mari to be civil with her. I didn’t like how she thought she was right about Chloe being LB back in the day but I can forgive that. Everyone was still new to the whole Miraculous thing.

Girl is resourceful, ambitious, a quick thinker, dedicated to the truth and is moral about it. The best thing about her is that she’s got Mari’s back in any situation.

I’d be quite happy if her parents did so that Mari’s support system grows even more and they can help cover her LB activities when necessary.

Never… I Hope she wakes up at the end of season 5 to wrap up the Agreste Family chapter and move on to Lila. But she doesn’t I will laugh because that means we’ll keep having Gabriel attempt crazy shit to wake her up.

With how LB treated her last season? No. Chat Deserves more credit and love and I believe he’s about to get it.

Don’t have one. Oh wait… Ivan and Mylène. They’re so cute together. Besides them, DJ Wifi and Adrienette, they’re aren’t enough ships I’ve liked or been exposed to enough.

Anyone André the ice cream man has given a cone to. I’d love to see other love stories in MLB.

A solid 8. She’s pretty cool.

As eons old friends yes.

Hell yeah. I love that stuff. I need to watch more.

Not while Hawkmoth is around. If the reveal happens in season 5, I wonder how they’d use villains if they ever found about Mari and Adrien. Honestly, I think it’s never a god idea to have these two together while they have Miraculouses.

Nathalie. Her last name means heartless and she really seems so. She’s so capable and loyal and deadly when necessary. Felix is cool too. He loves so deeply that he’s willing to wipe off the earth for the people he loves.

Lila, Chloe, Mayor Bourgeois. They’re pretty annoying.

That young girl who looks like Marinette who works in that paint shop, Socqueline. I have a feeling she’s Ladybug, yo.

The ship or Black Cat Mari? Either way the answer is yes.

French obviously. And the one from seasons 1-3. I can’t stand the voices of those two kids who replaced Marily and Noam Kaniel for the theme song. Those two sounded just like French Mari and Adrien.

No.

Benjamin Bollen and Anouck Hautbois from the French VAs. Plagg’s English VA. Zeno Robinson is apparently in this show too.

Meh. I don’t have any strong opinions on it.

I don’t do theories.

Aqua. I’d love to breathe underwater.

Adrien, Juleka and Felix.

Felix is really not as bad as he seems to be. I’m sure there’s more to this funky super genius. Yes he tried to kiss Mari without her content and that’s not ok. He can always learn to be better. Yeah I’d don’t have any unpopular hot takes.

Master Fu. I wanna be the wise mystical sensei with a box of magic jewelry.

Questions to know more about your mutuals! Miraculous Ladybug edition

For how long have you been watching Miraculous Ladybug?

Have you ever cosplayed as a MLB character?

Have you bought MLB merch?

Have you gotten any of your friends or family members into Miraculous Ladybug?

How did you get into Miraculous Ladybug?

If you were akumatized, what would be your power?

Would you rather being attacked by Ladywifi or The Bubbler?

If you could have any miraculous, which one would it be?

What’s your favorite ship?

What’s your sinful ship?

What’s your favorite love square ship?

Who is your favorite background character?

What’s your preferred dub?

What opinions do you find overrated and/or underrated about MLB?

What’s your least favorite love square ship?

What’s your favorite fanfic?

What’s your favorite AU?

Original PV or CGI?

What character would you like to see get a Miraculous?

What’s your favorite MLB featured song?

Reflekta, The puppeteer, Volpina and Dark Cupid; one is fighting by your side, the rest of them are trying to kill you, who would you choose as ally?

What MLB character do you have a crush on?

Who do you like better: Adrien or Félix?

Marry, kiss and kill: Rena Rouge, Carapace, or Queen Bee?

Mirage, Shellter, or Venom?

Ladybug or Chat Noir?

Lucky Charm or Cataclysm?

What’s your favorite scene?

What’s your favorite episode?

Would you rather having a sleepover with the gang of secrets or with The Boys™?

What’s your favorite akumatized villain?

Would you rather Chat Noir knowing LB’s identity or viceversa?

What’s your favorite Kwami?

What’s your least favorite Miraculous holder?

Favorite Miraculous transformation sequence?

Would You Rather be in Hawk Moth's lair for a day or have to listen to Cat Noir constantly use cat puns towards you for a whole day?

How do you feel about Lukanette?

How do you feel about Adrigami?

What's one thing that you don't like about Alya?

What is a good quality that makes Alya stand out?

Who do you think would accidentally find out about Mari's identity?

When do you think Emilie Agreste will wake up?

Do you personally think Chat gets enough credit?

Favorite Miraculous-holders ship?

What's a ship that's not in the show too much that needs more screen time?

On a scale of 1-10 how good do you think Mela Lee plays Tikki?

Do you ship Plikki?

Do you enjoy Miraculous crack?

You are in a table with Ladybug and Cat Noir. You know their true identities. Will you reveal them to each other?

Favorite character? and why?

Which character would you not mind if they were to leave Paris ?

Wrong answers only-Who could Ladybug be?

Do you like Ladynoire?

Do you perfer the french version of the Miraculous theme song or the English version?

Do you like The wall between us?

Who's your favorite actor/actress on this show?

Do you like the episode Pixelator?

What is a theory that you are willing to share?

Aqua or ice powers?

Which character do you relate the most?

What’s your unpopular opinion about the show?

Would you rather cosplay Jade Turtle or Master Fu?

[emilyofjane]

Why the Disney Princesses definitely need therapy: a Hot Take

Snow White

Losing her parents as a child and having to learn to take care of herself at a very young age (Snow White is 14 in the movie, and judging by her work ethic, she appears to at least have some experience with living independently before moving in with the 7 dwarves)

Lack of socialization due to isolation

Depression due to isolation and loneliness. This makes the whole “Someday My Prince Will Come” thing much more believable, because Snow White really isn’t in any sort of immediate danger and doesn’t need “saving” or whatever; she’s just tired of being alone and wants human companionship. (And tbh who can blame her? The poor girl’s literally talking to birds and moved in with the first group of humanoid creatures she could find ffs)

This one’s a bit of a stretch, but I’m pretty sure Snow White would also have an unhealthy fear of strangers and/or an irrational fear of being poisoned after the whole apple fiasco

Cinderella

Being raised in an abusive home environment for most (if not virtually all) of her life

The complete lack of positive social interaction throughout her life has probably led to problems with social withdrawal and isolation at some point, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she has repressed symptoms of chronic depression due to loneliness.

Her closest emotional confidants are literally two talking mice, and that just screams “My only friends are animals because their love is unconditional I’ve been invalidated and unloved by every human being in my life” (aka extreme emotional neglect)

She probably has tons of questions about her biological parents that were never answerd because, again, her stepfamily hated her, which would obviously lead to some emotional baggage

If we consider Cinderella III: A Twist in Time to be the new canon, she definitely has some unresolved PTSD from her near-death experience (the “almost getting crushed to death in the carriage because it was transforming back into a pumpkin” scene)

Aurora

Existential crisis because the three fairy godmothers basically rewrote her entire identity as “Rose” and hid the fact that she was a princess

Never knowing who her real parents were as a child, leading to emotional baggage similar to that of Cinderella and Snow White mentioned above

Either the emotional burden of having to make up for 16+ years of lost time with her biological family, or the grief of losing her biological family without ever getting the chance to know them (idk whether Aurora actually got to meet her parents by the end of the movie or if they died before she woke up, because I don’t remember exactly how much time had passed while she was in the coma)

Speaking of the spindle prick-induced magical coma (which is a really long-winded and inefficient way to kill someone honestly, idk what Melificent was thinking), Aurora also has to deal with the emotional burden of how much time has passed while she was in a coma, which would only further feed into the existential crisis and emotional trauma in bullet points 1 and 3.

(Also, off the record, but Aurora’s entire life post-movie is just a hot fucking mess and she really deserves a second movie exploring that concept imo. I know that Sleeping Beauty has already gotten a live-action villain spinoff, but the story of Aurora herself really deserves to be reexamined under a modern lens also. Aurora is easily one of the most overlooked Disney princesses and tbh she deserves more love.)

Belle (feat. the expanded lore from the live-action movie)

Witnessing her mother die from the plague in their own home

Being forceed to move from the more culturally progressive city of Paris to the unnamed “poor provential town” in the movie, where she is clearly the odd one out and is subject to gender inequality on a daily basis (in the form of being publically shamed and socially ostacized for being an educated woman)

Being regularly sexually harassed by Gaston, which is further exacerbated by the villagers and their close-mindedness. Not only is Gaston’s behavior enabled and encouraged by the villagers, but they even go so far as to idolize Gaston — as shown during his namesake song — despite his obviously predatory actions, simply because he is a cishet white man that they find conventionally attractive

Watching her father get arrested despite being 100% innocent...TWICE

Also being arrested when her father is wrongly convicted a second time, by none other than her abuser

Watching her lover — who besides her parents was the first person in her life who truly loved her and respected her intellect despite being a woman — nearly die in her arms, as well as everyone else in the castle (who ALSO respected her regardless of her gender) nearly die at the same exact time.

...And you know, Stockholm Syndrome or whatever. (But tbh, given how everyone in the castle was very kind and respectful and how the Beast was a tsundere at best, Belle would probably suffer far more from PTSD brought upon by Gaston and her previous environment than from “Stockholm Syndrome” in a castle where everyone actually treated her like a normal fucking human being. Unpopular opinion I know but as a sexual assault survivor this is literally a hill I will die on.)

Jasmine

I’ve actually never watched Aladdin all the way through, so unfortunately I can’t give a full analysis of Jasmine’s conflicts...but I have seen that gif of her saying “I am not a prize to be won” and that just screams “I’ve suffered a lifetime of female objectification and gender inequality despite my social status, and not even in the highest position of authority possible am I allowed to have a voice” and idk about you but that is really fucked up man

Ariel

PTSD from being manipulated by Ursula to give up her voice and nearly losing everything (both her previous life in the ocean and the promise of a new life on land with her love interest) because of it

Near-death experience from *vague hand gesture to whatever the fuck that was at the end of the movie*

Inevitable depression from abandoning the only home she’s ever known (the ocean) and leaving her friends and family behind

She’ll probably also need some form of behavioral therapy to help her adjust to her new home on land, whose culture is still extremely foreign to her — and maybe even additional therapy for social anxiety, given how her first 3 days of human interaction were so mortifyingly embarrassing that she’ll probably be laying wide awake at 3 AM and thinking “oh my god I can’t believe I looked Eric’s parents dead in the eyes and brushed my hair with a dinner fork” for the next 10 years.

Tiana

PTSD from literally being turned into a frog

Overworking herself to the point of near burnout, and being unable to fully live out her prime adult years because of said burnout

Constantly dealing with shitty customers, bosses, and other white-collared people disrespecting her and treating her as subhuman because of her career choice, which is unfortunately a common shared experience among restaurant workers and those who work hourly wages

Since this movie takes place in the United States presumably before the 1960’s, it’s probably safe to assume that Tiana also probably had to deal with segregation, Jim Crow laws, and other forms of racism off-screen on a daily basis, which would obviously take a toll on her mental well-being and further exacerbate the issues mentioned in #3

Grief from losing her dad, which has likely been repressed due to her workaholic tendencies denying her the ability to properly take the time to mourn

I don’t even know what to categorize the whole witch doctor shenanigans as, I just know that she and Naveen are both going to need some SERIOUS therapy after going through all that shit

Rapunzel

Being raised in an emotionally abusive and controlling environment for her entire life

Being completely isolated for 18 years with no social interaction whatsoever with anyone except her own abuser

Existential/identity crisis from discovering that she’s actually a princess, that her “mom” was actually the one who kidnapped her as a baby and tried to cut her hair, and that everything she knew about herself and the world she lived in was essentially a lie to keep her obedient to Gothel

Near-death experience (the drowning scene)

Internalized fear and mistrust in strangers — and quite possibly in people in general — due to Gothel’s lifelong warnings that people in the outside world would only want to take advantage of her

Watching the woman who raised her MERCILESSLY STAB THE ONLY OTHER PERSON SHE EVER KNEW AND LOVED IN THE GODDAMN CHEST

Watching the woman who raised her LITERALLY CRUMBLE TO DUST IN FRONT OF HER VERY EYES

WATCHING FLYNN, THE ONLY OTHER PERSON SHE EVER KNEW AND LOVED BESIDES HER GODDAMN ABUSER, FUCKING DIE RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER before she miraculously healed him

Because Flynn’s revival was such an uncanny revival that not even Rapunzel knew how she did it, she obviously thought he was gone for good...and since Gothel was gone also, there must’ve been at least a split second before she healed Flynn where, for the first time in her entire life, she was completely and utterly alone. That alone deserves to be a bullet point because holy shit

I’m not even going to get into Tangled: the Series man this list is getting too long as it is

Elsa

Losing her parents at a young age

Abandonment and isolation issues (mostly self-inflicted due to her own fear of hurting others, see #3)

Internalized fear and self-doubt of her powers — and, by extension, fear and self-doubt in herself

Guilt from nearly plunging Arendelle into an eternal winter

Guilt from almost losing her sister (twice!) due to her own direct actions

(Coinciding with #3) Guilt from isolating herself from her sister to protect her, only to nearly get her killed by the very thing she was trying to protect her from

Anxiety. Just lots and lots of general anxiety.

(Omitting Frozen 2 for Elsa because I haven’t seen it yet and this list is getting too long)

Anna

Also losing her parents at a young age

Abandonment and isolation issues, but hers are moreso due to Elsa “shutting her out” as a kid and having no one else her age in the castle to interact with

Lack of socialization in general for much of her childhood, as well as any social anxieties/lack of social knowledge and etiquette/etc. that would come with it

Abusive relationship with Hans (I know it was only one day, but holy fuck that was a trainwreck. What Hans did to Anna is a literal breeding ground for PTSD and trauma)

Coming to terms with the fact that the trolls fucking erased her memories of Elsa having ice powers and that Elsa isolated herself to protect her (and not, you know, because she hated her or something)

Leftover guilt from holding a grudge against Elsa for most of her childhood for shutting her out, because NO ONE BOTHERED TO TELL HER THAT IT WAS FOR HER OWN GOOD and she never knew why

Basically Anna and Elsa both need joint therapy or family counseling or something because holy shit their parents did NOT handle this situation properly AT ALL

(Also omitting Frozen 2 for Anna because I haven’t seen it and this list is also getting too long)

Moana

Surprisingly, Moana’s movie was relatively tame — in fact, because her tribe returned to voyaging and she is now exploring the seas/following her passion, these events were arguably beneficial to Moana’s mental health rather than detrimental. The only emotional baggage I can really imagine Moana having post-movie is leftover grief from her grandma dying and maybe the stress of having to put up with Maui’s shit

[auradons-trash-heap]

Omg thanks @umas-plan for tagging me to list my top 5-10 Descendants songs!! It’s a tough call—as a movie D3 was a disappointment but the soundtrack lowkey said “oops all bangers.” These aren’t necessarily in order, because with Descendants songs I tend to be either like “hard no” (‘Be Our Guest’ rap. Every time I remember it exists a small piece of me dies), “eh alright” (‘Set It Off’), or “ABSOLUTE BANGER 10/10” (more to follow). Ranked song titles are bolded for tl;dr skimming. Alright here we go:

1. Definitely ‘Ways to be Wicked.’ I bought this song before I ever watched a Descendants movie after stumbling upon the clip on youtube & it is still a banger. It was a combination of that and the clip of Mal turning into a dragon that made me say “yoooo what is this” and buy a D1/D2 dvd pack on my next trip to Target (no cable or Disney+ 😬). Incredible song, Iconic, 10/10

2. You KNEW ‘Chillin’ Like a Villain’ had to be on here. Come on. This song had no right to go as hard as it does with that cheesy title, and yet. Also Ben’s little segment is the cutest thing I’ve ever heard he’s so excited and pure I love him so much (I know his character has problems that the canon overlooks but I do just really love how sweet he’s supposed to be and he is he’s so cute what a good boy)

3. ‘You And Me’ this song is so dorky and naiive but damn if it doesn’t make my heart swell with hope and good feelings. Also the dancing in the water is just really cute and I love it. My favorite ending song by a slight slight margin over ‘Break This Down’ which is also definitely a certified banger and it’s the one I WILL dance along with when if plays, but ‘You And Me’ is the more likely of the two to give me Sappy Emotions. ‘Set it Off’ is not even comparable to these two imo it’s cute but nowhere NEAR the same level of Good Song

4. ‘Queen of Mean’ —Talented, Showstopping, Incredible. Absolute Banger. You have no choice but to sing along. I’m a Mal simp (I know that’s an unpopular opinion to have on here, I’m sorry, I am Not Immune to purple Dove Cameron), so I am not particularly predisposed to actively root for Audrey, but even I cannot deny how hard this song goes

5. ‘Evil (From Descendants: Wicked World)’. Dove Cameron is hot, and her voice is hot. That’s it, that’s the reason. I relate to Ben in that I too would break the law in order to please edgy fae Dove Cameron. I have no defense for this

6. ‘Did I Mention (Reprise)’ from D3. This is the only fictional proposal that’s ever actually made me feel something. Yes, I am trash, I ship Bal despite recognizing the problems (you ever try writing Bal fic that does NOT start with Mal spelling Ben? It’s hard. On multiple meta levels, their relationship does not make sense. And YET, I do ship it. Again, no defense, it’s cute, the simple dichotomy of surfacy good and evil & Mal trying to be good just because Ben is nice to her and it makes her happy...I am Not Immune to them being cute in canon. Honestly the books give me more faith in this ship than the films, tho). This one is interesting bc I don’t even particularly like ‘Did I Mention’ from D1 lmao

7. ‘Space Between’ whether it’s the wlw Love Song of the century or simply the purest best friends song of all time, this is a banger. How could they not have noticed that they accidentally gave their big romantic duet to one of the romantic leads and her bff instead of the dude she’s dating tho, come on. The song that fills the sails of the Malvie ship (along with, y’know...everything else [recalls every Malvie interaction in D3])

8. ‘Good to Be Bad’ and ‘Rotten to the Core’ are pretty much equal to me. Both bangers, both very fun to sing & dance along with. On a meta level, objectively funny how blatantly these two opening numbers are ripping off whatever music was popular at the time to Appeal To The Youth™️. Diagetically ‘Rotten to the Core’ wins bc I just cannot agree with the concept of “VK Day” but that’s back to the matter of D3 having great songs and very little else going for it

9. ‘Night Falls.’ Clearly, we love a group number. I’m a Mal simp (D3 Mal is Worst Mal but also Mal is Mal) & I recognize that Uma is the strongest and most underutilized character in the franchise, so it’s always fun to have them both in the same place, even when it’s just them being petty at each other. D3 Evie is too good for this world, too pure. A few of the lyrics in this one give me mild secondhand embarassment for Bad Writing but this is the Descendants fandom and I would not be here if I lacked the ability to Embrace The Cringe

10. ‘If Only’—little baby Mal having feelings, allowing herself to seriously consider having feelings for maybe the first time. Don’t touch me, I’m emotional

Honorable Mentions (beyond all the ones I’ve already slipped in here, bc I love talking about Descendants and I lack self-control): ‘What’s My Name’ is obviously a banger; I like ‘My Once Upon A Time’ a lot on its own, but it just. Makes absolutely zero sense in context. Tonally inconsistent with what’s happening in the movie around it; ‘One Kiss’ is straight up just a good song, we all know Sofia Carson is a great singer, if I ever make the mistake of listening to my Descendants playlist in a public gym I Will make a fool of myself bc I have no choice but to pantomime singing along with this one.

That was probably a lot more information than you wanted 😅. Thanks again for tagging me!

[non-sequitura]

Non-sequitura Disney in-depth analysis (after making a tier list)

Warning: SUPER longform. If you don’t know a movie well, you should skip the summary. I tried to be light on spoilers, but they’re there.

I went chronologically from favorite to least favorite. So S tier is, in order from fave to least fave, The Incredibles, WALL-E, then Zootopia.

S tier (Something I consider high quality AND a movie I greatly enjoy. I would love more Disney movies be like this.)

The Incredibles - one of my favorite movies of all time, possibly THE favorite. Rockin social commentary, epic action scenes, memorable characters, not a minute of screentime wasted, great take on the Fantastic Four, hilarious parts for both adults and children, an interesting villain, etc. 

WALL-E - I love how social commentary was done here. Also skies above, what a beautiful love story. Really blazed a trail in non-verbal storytelling (especially given it was an animated kids film!) Robot animations are particularly delightful. 

Zootopia - another social message delivered excellently and entertainingly. I love Judy and her persistence, I love the expressiveness of the faces and the epic city setting. I love Judy and Nick's banter. This movie deserves to be remembered longer than it has been so far. Admittedly, not one of my fave villains, which makes it my least favorite of the Ss. 

A tier (either super high quality or something I greatly enjoy and deem of at least reasonably good quality)

Mulan - this movie did everything right. Truly feminist protagonist, an icon for strong Asian women, fairly culturally accurate (tho Mushu confuses me), GORGEOUS and iconic music. Lets a relatively natural romance develop. I frickin love the action scenes, I love the emporer. Sadly, this movie just didn't lodge its way in my heart as well as Pixar did. Pixar just has some magic, yo. 

Cinderella - my gosh what an underrated protagonist. Her family straight-up abuses her and she never loses sight of her goals for a better life. Iconic visuals helped bring Disney out of bankruptcy. A gorgeous alto singing voice. 

Wreck-it Ralph - alright alright ppl don’t crucify me for this. I honestly can’t think of much wrong with this movie. Vanellope and Ralph’s vitriolic best buds relationship is adorable, her forgiveness of him is heartwarming and (relatively) deserved, rockin’ Owl City song, epic visuals that mix together bc of all the different games. ALSO ONE OF THE BEST DISNEY VILLAINS NO CAP. One of the only twist villains I like. And we stan the romantic pairing. 

Tangled - I’ve talked about this a lot, but Rapunzel deserved the whole world after what she’s gone through. That being said, Gothel is not some shallow monster she needs to escape from, but an intelligent, well-defined monster with backstory. I could totally see this story happening if the world of Tangled existed. Epic love story, hilarious dialogue. Music is… good but much of it is less memorable to me. Visuals are good but not quite at the level/creativity of many other disney films. 

The Lion King - they really put Hamlet in Africa and pulled it off lol. But in all seriousness, no one took the premise of this film seriously at the time and it became sooo iconic. I love Scar and his eventual downfall, I love how Simba grows emotionally, I love the sad moments that don’t overpower the overall feeling of light goofiness. And music so memorable it was one of the first Disney musicals. 

Coco - not a super unique story premise. But an incredible culture to explore with such creativity and sensitivity. I love the themes of death not being the worst and music being so central to the story. Twist/twist villain was memorable and not expected. And yeah, it did make me cry, so props there. 

Ratatouille - the most recently watched of these films for me. This movie is soooo unique! Back when Pixar was truly super out there with their concepts. Super Parisian visuals and soundtrack. It somehow starts goofy (THE OLD LADY TRIES TO KILL REMY WITH A SHOTGUN WHILE WEARING A GAS MASK) but really drives home the message that you can truly do what you want regardless of who you are. Colette can get it. And the monologue by Ego at the end is one of my favorites in film. 

Frozen - Anna is one of my favorite Disney protagonists. She’s so resilient and loyal. Elsa ain’t bad either but she experiences… less character development. The film is a tad too pleased with its own self-awareness for my taste, but there’s no denying how iconic the music and visuals were. 

Inside Out - Alright, this movie hits home for me bc I tried to run away after moving. A super thoughtful, heartfelt depiction of (potentially depression? imo) with great moments of humor. Riley’s inner world is so creative and lovely. Also realistic depictions of Minnesota/California culture. 

Tarzan - Jane! is! smart! and! adorable! Her scientific curiosity makes her very endearing. it’s so cute to see her and Tarzan learn from each other. Also Tarzan’s “found mother” is epic. Solid score. Solid film all around. To quote Lily Orchard, “This film is what Pocahontas tried to be.” 

B tier (one of my favorites but has a few significant flaws that bring it down (or not quite as memorable to me, but consider good quality))

Peter Pan - Haven’t seen it in a hot sec, but I remember being super charmed by this as a kid. Just going out, having incredible adventures, and returning to a warm home at the end of the day. Tinker Bell is hilarious and beautifully drawn. Gets major negative points for the depiction of Native Americans tho. 

Big Hero 6 - I was super charmed by the protagonist, his family/friends, and the setting. The plot/villain’s motivations are a bit of a mess, though. 

Princess and the Frog - This movie has so much flavor to it! The visuals/music are lovely and unique. Tiana is incredible but it’s kinda annoying how EVERYONE keeps trying to shoehorn her into romance. The thing is, her goals are entirely reasonable. Focus on her restaurant, then look to settle down. But they’re like “nooo you’re ignoring the important things in life” smh. Also, epic villain, woohoo! The movie dragged significantly for me when they were in the bayou. Charlotte is delightful. 

Winnie the Pooh - don’t remember it super well, but I think it was charming and occasionally dark, which is an addictive concoction. 

The Little Mermaid - MAN ppl roast Ariel way more than she deserves. Visually, it was… fine. idk. This movie is good. I don’t have much else to say about it. 

Snow White - the one that started it all. Visually, super impressive. Musically, lovely. I find the romance a bit… off. Well, more than a bit. What is it with Disney and kissing sleeping people? 

Alice in Wonderland - a nerdy acid trip. Right up my alley! I also like films where ppl go on incredible adventures and return to the status quo, but THEY changed bc of it. Epic. SUUUUPER creative visual interpretation of Carroll’s book. Brave - gosh I loooove films where a parent and child learn to understand each other. Never got why ppl hated this movie so much. The Scottish flavor is present and fun. Merida made one mistake and made it up. The arrow scene is iconic. 

Cars - a fun ride! (hahaha puns.) We love seeing Paul Newman as a car. 

B-minus tier? (same as B, but problematic, or weaker story-wise.)

Hunchback - man… settings-wise, this film might be my favorite. I also love Esmeralda and Quasimodo as characters and as a duo (though the sexualized depiction of Romani ppl is not epic.) I also don’t find the discrimination against Esmeralda/Quasimodo jarring bc it matches the time period. Frollo is super interesting as a villain. The gargoyles are… def not necessary. Basically, this film doesn’t know what it’s doing with tone. 

Sleeping Beauty - Aurora was my favorite when I was younger because I thought she was the prettiest, and that still defines how i feel about this, basically. Visually lovely - everything is kind of elongated and gothic. Maleficent is spiteful and epic. I have no issue with the fluffier parts of the movie, like the music or the fairies. RIP for lack of consent being a plot point, though. 

Hercules - Megara is incredible. one of the only Disney “princesses” who acts like an adult and has cynicism as a major part of her personality. I love her and Herc’s progression where she learns to trust him (yes, he is genuinely that sincere, it’s not a front.) Muses are unique, whoever came up with them was high on something and I’m living for it. I just think the plot itself was somewhat unrealistic/ weirdly-paced. There are some memorable songs, some less-than-memorable songs. Art style is cool but I’m personally not a fan. EXTREMELY inaccurate depictions of the original Greek gods. 

C tier (entertaining, but I don't consider it a great movie)

Bolt - I watched this like 11 years ago. It was fun! A cool concept about those put on a pedestal learning their worth even without celebrity boosting them up. Animation was… fine I think. not super memorable to me. 

Frozen 2 - They really took any scrap of character development Elsa had in the first movie, threw it in the garbage and set it on fire. Anna deserved so much better. Songs are bombastic and impressive, have the occasional interesting lyric, but are really weirdly placed and none are quite as iconic as the first movie’s (except Aurora, she does great work here. Also the song Anna sings after she thinks Elsa died.) 

Not a big fan of the vaguely homeopathic theme. Not a big fan of Olaf’s WEIRD character development. Not a big fan of the suuuuuper awkward dialogue and the animations that imply not only that Kristoff is into his reindeer but that Elsa and Anna are into each other (if you’re questioning if they did that, yes, they did, I can find screenshots of some really weird expressions/moments. THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO PANDER TO YOUR WEIRD FANS, DISNEY.) 

The voice actors did great work, the animators did great work (look at the details on their clothes! Look at how Elsa’s posture changes to be more confident! look at how they're animated while they're singing!) Some weird costume/makeup choices that make Elsa look like an aging starlet, but she also has some gorgeous moments so eh. It’s a wash for me. 

They really did not know what to do with Kristoff this movie, huh. The only thing that happened to him was singing a cheesy 90s ballad and marrying Anna, both of which were admittedly epic. Also, the trolls got 0 appearances despite being literally psychic. Probably could have helped with a lot. I'm not a huge fan of lore/worldbuilding, and thee was a lot of it here. Overall neutral on it. 

Also a big theme in this movie I don’t love - **** TANGIBLE CONSEQUENCES TO OUR ACTIONS!!! The danger is Elsa’s death, the elements, colonialism, and Arendelle literally being destroyed. None of those end up playing out, so I was left at the end going “this film had literally no stakes.” 

Monsters U - same as above - entertaining at the time! Not super memorable. The ppl we were supposed to dislike kept switching. Doesn’t really match the canon of Monsters Inc (I thought they were supposed to have known each other since childhood so why did they meet in college?) 

Cars 3 - so apparently, everyone HATED this movie! Fun! I never watched Cars 2 (yes watched Cars 1 if you haven’t been paying attention to this list), but I didn’t think this movie was bad at all. Well-acted, some fun chase scenes, the scene where Lightning fails at driving in the simulation is genuinely hilarious, and some interesting perspectives on teachers getting the spotlight for their skills for once. 

Incredibles 2 - I liked this film at first, but then it was… just okay in retrospect. I love me some good family dynamics. The plot here makes not a lot of sense. THEY BUILT UP THE UNDERMINER FOR NOTHING AND THEN FORGOT ABOUT HIM. I was surprised by the villain swap, but it happened so last minute I never really understood their motivations even after they explained them. Tried to tackle waaaay too many messages. 

D tier (I didn't enjoy these or consider them mediocre)

Finding Dory - Maybe I should have put this higher? Like C tier at least. Ah well. Wasn’t a huge fan of the body/physical comedy (not my thing), but it was entertaining and awww finding family is heartwarming. 

Finding Nemo - I remember nothing about this movie. 

E tier (this film has significant problems)

Beauty and the Beast - *sigh*… I want to love this movie. The score is gorgeous. Visually, they could have made it more distinctly Rococo-era France but didn’t (why?) The voice actors did good work and I think Paige O’Hara is SUPER underrated here. 

The Beast is emotionally manipulative with an awful temper that (for MOST of the movie. He doesn’t change.) That’s the main reason this is in E tier. This movie shaped so many generations of people thinking they can change the behavior of someone who treats them badly through the power of love. But you can’t. She learns to “love” the beast under coercion. It’s not Stockholm syndrome - it’s a trashy romance novel. Big fan of Gaston as a villain. He’s an archetype ppl can recognize and it’s so satisfying to hate him.

F tier (I think this film actively harms the industry and would rather it not have been made. Both the one in E tier could be considered harmful to the industry, but I think they had significant enough artistic accomplishments to scrape above that. I'm also generally a fan of "lack of censorship bc it's better to teach what not to do.")

Pocahontas - this movie took real historical events and romanticized them AND sexualized one of the only Native princesses they’ve had. Boo. Nothing wrong with animation!Pocahontas as a character, it’s just people put her in a story that doesn’t represent history well at all (and these historical events, unlike those in say, 14th-century Germany, had super relevant effects on people alive today.) And they portrayed the Native Americans and colonial settlers as equally in the wrong. (though I like Governor Radcliffe as a potential villain and love the line “see how I glitter.” I can’t NOT laugh when I hear it.) Lovely music, though. Nice animation, but the colors are weirdly… muted? 

Bad Garbage (I don't wish this film had never been made, but I wish I never had to see it.)

Planes - this movie was ridiculous. I remember not much about it except that I kinda hated it and that it was super cheesy with tension one could see right through that immediately resolved itself via one twist or another. 

Haven’t seen tier: Recess, A Bug’s Life, A Goofy Movie, DuckTakes Movie, Lilo and Stitch, Pinocchio (actually i have seen this but I remember nothing about it), The Nightmare before Christmas, Toy Stories 1, 2, and 3, Up, 101 Dalmatians, The Great Mouse Detective, Cars 2, Moana, The Good Dinosaur, Pete’s Dragon, Fantasia, Peter Pan Return to Neverland, Fantasia 2000, The Black Cauldron (read the book, though!), Bambi (or I did and remember nothing about it), The Rescuersm, The Rescuers Down Under, Planes Fire and Rescue, Bambi 2, The Fox & the Found, Oliver and Company, Atlantis, Treasure Planet (I want to, though), Piglet’s Big Movie, The Jungle Book, the Emporer’s New Groove, The Jungle Book 2, Chicken Little, Brother Bear, The Three Caballeros, Pooh’s Heffalump Movie, Dumbo, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, Aladdin (seen parts but never the whole thing), Strange Magic, The Sword in the Stone, James and the Giant Peach, Frankenweenie, Lady and the Tramp, Ralph Breaks the Internet, Doug’s 1st Movie, Monsters Inc. (want to, though), Meet the Robinsons, Dinosaur, The Aristocats, Robin Hood, The Tigger Movie, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, that pooh movie at the end without the title on it

-11/21/20

[tootickie]

my new calling is watching all 36 barbie movies in chronological order and rating and reviewing them. i will add to this as i keep watching. 

nutcracker (2001): 8.5/10 - funny, and i liked that barbie was smart enough to guess that the nutcracker was the prince instead of being surprised. he also made sure she got credit for saving them, in a feminist gesture instead of just taking credit when offered. he also said he would only be the prince if people wanted him to, so the nutcracker is honestly so woke. only thing i didn’t like was the ending, because she definitely shouldve stayed in nutcracker land. also like, was the nutcracker reincarnated as the guy who gets introduced in the end? like i just didn’t get it.

rapunzel (2002): 10/10 - literally the painting scenes in this movie are so beautiful, the rabbit is hilarious, the penelope and her father storyline is genuinely heartwarming, and rapunzel causes world peace. i was also wondering if this is an east and west berlin allegory because people seem to have german names in both cities and a lot of the families being torn apart rhetoric seemed similar but also i’ve been studying the cold war a lot for class so that could just be me. but honestly this deserves 10/10 for the scene where she paints dresses on herself alone. ALSO the sorceress is called gothel and rapunzel loves to paint and is a lost princess, which is interesting bc none of this is in the original fairytale, and thus i have come to the conclusion that disney plagiarized barbie, proving that barbie is the superior movie studio.

swan lake (2003): 10/10 - let me start by saying the scene where they walk across the log by the waterfall is so cool i re-enacted it so much as a kid and also the spunky purple unicorn has my name so this is a very biased 10/10. i also thought it was interesting that even though odette is a good person, her motivation for breaking the spell was a selfish one at first and this added some complexity to her character and gave her an arc of personal growth of compassion winning over fear by the end, which is more relatable and inspiring imo. the dress in this film is so pretty also, and the dancing is so fun to watch! and to round it out, prince daniel said himbo rights when he kept trying to shoot arrows at the evil sorcerer who we established early on can melt arrows.

princess and the pauper (2004): 10/10 - annalise and julian are such a cute romantic pair they’re the first ones that have real chemistry i feel like. also he’s the first love interest with a brain and initiative . preminger is also such a spicy villain, the songs slap, the humor is good...we all remember why this movie is good i don’t need to go over it.

fairytopia (2005): 6/10 - i think the aesthetic of this movie is what really saved it; i thought the character design and settings were really nice, but i found the story to be pretty boring. elina didn’t really speak to me that much as a character, i just feel like there wasn’t as much development of her character as the previous protagonists. definitely some potential there, so i’m excited for the sequels. also i hate how cute i found bibble lol.

magic of pegasus (2005): 9.5/10 - this was mad good actually, my only con was that i did find annika’s voice was more annoying than other barbie characters, so i was just wondering what the deal was with that. annika’s positivity of hearing ‘the wand of light is made of these impossible items’ and going ‘it’s only three things!’ was inspiring, to say the least. the banter between the annika and aidan was so cute too. also literally the fact that he was a gambling addict who ran away from home with a whole redemption arc….iconic. anyway i really enjoyed this actually, i wish i’d actually seen it as a child. also all the ice skating scenes were fun. and uhh brietta and the cloud queen are def in love and you can’t convince me otherwise

mermaidia (2006): 8/10 - definitely better than the first fairytopia! to start with, the subversiveness of needing to rescue a prince is fun! said mermaid prince is cute and watching him interact with his captors is a joy, but why does he have a mullet :-/ i do appreciate elina’s commitment to female solidarity with regard to nori (who, as a side note, is hot), and their burgeoning friendship was a fun part of the plot and omfg the shot with the two of them jumping down the waterfall...nice. nori and nalu are a really cute pair also and i thought it was cool that elina wasn’t the one to get the guy. i also thought it was cool when bibble sang opera. and elina’s last sacrifice at the end redeemed her to me after being kind of bored of her. however, what i really don’t understand is why nalu even asked for elina’s help in the first place?? ( like, because they’re friends? he clearly has other friends, and while we’re on that subject, did their friendship develop offscreen or are we meant to believe they are close friends from the 30 second almost silent montage from the last movie?), so that kind of puts a damper on the whole movie for me.

the barbie diaries (2006): 7/10 - what on EARTH is this animation style. who okayed this??? im literally seasick watching it. this is like a regular teen movie, which is interesting for the barbie genre. the banter between the friend group is really cute and this movie is actually quite funny and profound and i really enjoyed it. but it’s really best if you just close your eyes and imagine what is going on bc whatever you imagine cannot be worse than what you will see on the screen. it feel really off brand for barbie movies plotwise, like it seemed much more like a disney channel movie. so the verdict is, i enjoyed it—the plot is fun, if a little predictable, but there was simply too much to be confused about. 

[jessetheadventurer]

SO THE SONGS I LINKED IN THE LAST ASK

i’m going through each one individually and explaining why i like them because if i’m gonna hyperfixate on any one aspect of a video game, it’s gonna be the sound design

Jitter

alright this one is a favorite of mine for admittedly personal reasons, namely that it reminds me a LOT of the game Spore. which is a game i have been playing for twelve years now, and love to absolute bits. (one of the music beats from spore, for reference)

Spore’s soundtrack was actually partly composed by brian eno. if you don’t know who brian eno is, he’s more or less considered the father of all modern ambient music. he’s a BIG deal. and jitter honestly sounded like something he would have composed.

Soren’s Theme

soren is honestly my favorite of the old order of the stone. he’s eccentric, inspired, talented as HELL with building, and is an excellently multilayered character with a lot of depth. even though he’s an oddball, and even though he made mistakes, he cares a LOT for his friends and felt very guilty for what he did (or perhaps what he encouraged them to all do). 

his theme reflects all this perfectly imo. it’s strange, the chords don’t seem to quite play as they should, and there’s a hint of wisdom and experience behind the bass and almost static-y sound of the out of tune instruments. it sounds like someone who’s been around for a long time, who maybe doesn’t have themselves all together, but are still full of life and energy.

How Bright Your Life Could Be / How Dark Your Life Could Be

my theory for how this came about was basically telltale approaching antimo and welles like “alright you guys, we need a character theme for a slightly antagonistic character who is in charge of an excessively organized city but is pretty manipulative” and all antimo and welles heard was “antagonistic,” “organized,” and “manipulative” and proceeded to create the most UNHINGED pseudo-villain theme in the entire goddamn game.

how bright your life could be is excellent for champion city: the whistling sounds like birds straight out of a disney princess movie, WAY too cheerful and fantastical to be realistic. everything is pristine and beautiful on the surface.

and then how dark your life could be begins and the melody devolves into an absolute HORROR SOUNDTRACK. the background strings start a crescendo and go absolutely nuts, making for extreme tension and outright FEAR. stella is fucked up and antimo and welles will make sure you know this.

not to mention in how dark your life could be, the soundtrack gets so distorted it literally sounds like something out of marble hornets (flashing visuals & general creepiness warning on that link).

Ivor’s Theme

man this one should be self-explanatory dfksljfds

the main theme of season 1!! the menu music!! ivor’s leitmotif!! it drew inspiration from C418′s Aria Math, an absolutely gorgeous and classic minecraft song. it helped mcsm feel even closer to traditional minecraft.

i’ll be honest, i was charmed by episode 1 of season 1 when i first started playing it, but it wasn’t until this theme started and we saw ivor for the first time that i actually got really invested. the scene in endercon did an EXCELLENT job establishing real tension and plot. and the fact that the song continued into the freewalk through endercon, one of the best freewalks in season 1?

Mush Room

season 2 episode 3′s entire soundtrack is phenomenal (the synth instruments that reminisce of stranger things, whose telltale game antimo and welles ALSO worked on, are one of my greatest weaknesses), but this one is by far my favorite.

this is the song that says, “you’re trapped here. and you’re not getting out.”

i believe this is the one song in this episode’s soundtrack that has the beacontown leitmotif (you can hear it at 0:32 and again at 2:32), which. i am nothing if not a sucker for recurring leitmotifs. 

not only that, but the beacontown leitmotif in particular is extremely effective for this freewalk since radar and nurm are there with you. a small piece of beacontown, a reminder what you’re fighting for. you may be trapped, but there’s still hope.

Ellegaard’s Theme

i didn’t think i’d ever hear a harpsichord going into minecraft story mode, but BOY AM I GLAD I DID

the clock ticking like a redstone circuit? the gorgeous string instruments over a subtle background hum? 

it’s refined. it’s calculated. it’s hard at work, as brilliant and beautiful as the glowing redstone circuitry creating complex machines and new solutions to every problem.

and yet, there’s a hint of sadness behind that piano. regret? loneliness? we didn’t get to know ellegaard very well during the time we had with her, and i wish we did.

Harper’s Theme

i’ll be honest, if soren’s theme didn’t press all of my buttons, harper’s theme would be my #1 favorite.

i talked about how much i adore episode 7 of season 1 before, and this song exemplifies ALL of my points.

harper, who had been alone for years, maybe even a decade or longer, finally finding hope in strangers who appeared out of nowhere from the portal network she helped build. 

harper, who battled guilt every day for creating pama and letting it get out of control, to the point where she had to build statues that would give her pep talks and advice, which she named after her friends in crown mesa.

harper, who slept underground, reading to pass the time and trying to come up with a plan that would only have a slim to zero chance of working.

harper, who was proud of her work but horrified at what it had become.

harper, who was a genius and an inventor, intrigued by complex redstone creations and determined to do good in the world.

harper, who never gave up, not on herself, and not on the people of crown mesa.

harper.

[monkey-network]

Good Stuff’s Best of 2018

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

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

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

10. UNIKITTY!

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

9. POP TEA-- SIKE!

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

9. BOB EPIC TEAM

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

8. CRAIG OF THE CREEK

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

7. THE EPIC TALES OF CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS

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

6. GARY AND HIS DEMONS

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

5. APPLE & ONION

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

4. LEGEND OF THE THREE CABALLEROS

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

3. GOLDEN WIND/VENTO AUREO

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

2. INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE

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

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

1. HILDA

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

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

1. 👏TEEN 👏TITANS 👏GO, BABEEEEEEY!!

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

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

THE STREAK *DING DING DING* IS OVER

[disneydreamlights]

Hey so I went off in the tags but I don’t think I talked about it here.

So let’s talk about the new Lion King songs, or actually basically the six old ones that existed prior to the movie.

And yes, by the way, I’m very salty.

Positives:

He Lives in You is in the movie. For those who don’t know it’s a song that started in the Broadway musical and eventually made it into the sequel. It’s a very good song that deserves every bit of attention it’s getting. And it’s a very good rendition of the song too. The lack of nostalgic ties makes it easier for me to recognize it for what it is and that’s amazing.

Circle of Life is an exact remake of the original song just with a new vocalist. I’m sure you expected me to consider this a negative but you cannot improve on perfection so the fact that they instead decided to replicate it is a good decision. I still stan Circle of Life.

Can You Feel the Love Tonight surprised me? I didn’t expect to like it and while I find the additions they added to Pumbaa’s lines a little grating when Simba and Nala are singing they steal the show. Beyonce’s voice also was really good in this song, which was another surprise since it’s very different than the stuff you normally hear her sing (R&B is very different from showtunes). She has a voice that fits a wide variety of genres and that in and of itself is impressive.

Overall they didn’t change the background melodies much. They’re still very clearly recognizable and this shouldn’t be important but literally if you’ve heard the A Whole New World remake where the singers were phenomenal and it would’ve been great except they turned the background music into bland terrible badness, you know why this is important. None of these songs have bland background tracks and are very faithful to their originals, probably the most faithful of all the Disney remake songs thus far, with one exception.

Negatives:

They ruined the best Disney villain song ever. With the lackluster effort they put into Be Prepared (spoiler alert, it’s fucking terrible) they might as well have not included the song. It doesn’t feel like a song, it’s just a poor mockery of the phenomenal and fun original. I hate it.

I Just Can’t Wait to be King lacks the same energy of the original. The baby Simba and Nala voices are actually really good and they did a great job with it but Zazu’s voice actor stays to serious. It’s boring and lacks the same staccato and energetic feel that the original does. As a result it feels too slow in contrast to the upbeat and fast paced singing and background of the song. The effect is further contrasted by the fact that several portions of the song in the latter half (Anything Zazu’s solo part) almost feels like they’re trying too hard to make it a Disney epic while also trying to keep it lighthearted and fun, but it’s not a combo that works because it forgets what makes the song fun to begin with. It’s not necessarily bad, it’s just a decision I don’t care for. I’m assuming it’s going to be similar for the scene as well, which is a shame since it’s one of the most fun pieces of Disney animation.

Hakuna Matata is...bad. There’s far too much banter between Timon and Pumbaa that it detracts from the song and paying attention, and almost none of it was funny. One line got a chuckle for a highly personal reason because the idea of Pumbaa being “Brad” (the most fuckboy name of all time imo) is just honestly hilarious, especially when you take into account I had a fairweather friend named Brad. In fact there was one line that took an actually funny joke (“And I got downhearted” “How did you feel” “Everytime that I--” “Pumbaa, not in front of the kid” “Oh, sorry”) from the original song and actually took a shot at it. (”Everytime that I farteeeeeeed aren’t you gonna stop me?” “No I’m not”) And it wasn’t funny, it was downright mean spirited. Like I didn’t hate it as much as I did Be Prepared, but it pissed me off anyways.

Other:

Did not listen to any new songs from the movie. I believe it’s just Beyonce’s solo but the point of my listening to the soundtrack was to assess the old songs since the new songs Disney has made for its rereleases (Evermore, Speechless, etc) tend to be pretty solid overall so long as they’ve had the vocalist to back it up (which with Beyonce they definitely do)

Anyways I didn’t really have a lot of hope for this remake and this didn’t really give me any reassurances. Kinda did the opposite. More trash from people who didn’t understand what made the original great and change things for the sake of answering nonexistent questions and “perceived plotholes” while taking jabs at earlier Renaissance Disney for things that don’t deserve jabs are on the horizon.

It’s actually sad because Circle of Life gave me hope because it was the first I listened to because I was looking to be salty, and then I was pleasantly surprised by Can You Feel the Love Tonight and He Lives in You, then that hope just got dashed by the latter half of my listening spree.

(Interestingly enough, this broke the trend from BatB though where the more I liked a song in the original the more I hated it in the remake. My song ranking list remains about how it was, just with Be Prepared being last instead of third. My favorite songs from the movie remained unscathed.)

[misty-avalon]

was tagged by @narniangriff23

Rules: always post the rules. Answer 11 random questions posted for you. Create 11 new ones and tag 11 people (sorry won’t be doing that today because I still got leftover grad things to do - so busy >.<). Let the person who tagged you know that you answered.

@narniangriff23‘s questions

1. Fave book and or movie? Book: HP and the Goblet of Fire, Movie: Currently torn between Wonder Woman and Black Panther

2,what’s your first fandom? My very first fandom was probably the disney fandom. As a kid I loved the movies Finding Nemo and Lion King so much

3,If you could be any hero/villian for the day who would it be? Hero: Black Canary!! Quake (Daisy Johnson) would be a close second, Villain: I can’t decide between Killer Frost and Black Siren (although Black Siren in the comics is a hero...but you know what I mean)

4,what’s your dream job? Preferably a job where I can hang out with animals all day but honestly I just want a cosy home far enough from civilisation, be self-employed and forget about how annoying some of society’s constructs are

5.If you could go to any time period where and why? I would go to two places: medieval times (approximately) and dinosaur times. Medieval times (approximately) because there’s a chance of uncovering lost knowledge. There’s so many things from those olden times where modern techniques still can’t decipher how the thing was made. It would also be cool to see woolly mammoths roaming around. Dinosaur times: because no one’s really observed what they look like or sound like for real. It would be interesting so see how close or far away scientific interpretations are.

6. If you had to decide between staying in the last universe you’ve seen something about what or come back and get a million dollars would you? A million dollars is a very tempting offer but seeing as the last movie I watched was Black Panther so...Wakanda or a million dollars? Wakanda! Also I’m pretty sure a small amount of vibranium would fetch more than a million dollars.

7. fave costume? I’ve always liked e1 Black Canary’s (Arrow) costume and Quake’s (Agents of Shield) costume. I know arrow’s black canary costume wasn’t very comic accurate but to me it was a more practical outfit in comparison to the corset, leather jacket, and fishnets which isn’t so practical imo. Quake’s costume is also very practical looking and I love her gauntlets. Both are very sensible outfits that are black coloured and don’t show off their boobs/butt/thighs (like some costumes do). In terms of aesthetic my favourite ones are Black Siren (arrow) and e1 Killer Frost’s (the flash) first outfit. In terms of non-superhero costuming: my fave would be Regina/Evil Queen’s (once upon a time) outfit from when she went into the wish realm and then she wore it again when the black fairy sent them back to the enchanted forest (aka the one that’s basically an upgraded version of the first ever evil queen costume we saw in s1e1)

8. do you have an otp or multiship? I do have one (1) OTP and that’s Westallen! Although it’s been bit disappointing to see Barry being a bit ooc in recent episodes. Atm they’ve had more good moments than bad moments so now I’m hoping the writers do right by writing westallen interactions properly again next season.

9. movie your most excited to see? Next up the Incredibles 2!

10. fave Hero/Heroine(s) ? e1 Laurel Lance/Black Canary (arrow). Most inspiring tv character ever. You guys know I could probably write an essay on why e1 Laurel is the best character across all tv shows so I’ll stop here.

11.what moment(s) in your fave show made you emotional the most? About 90% of westallen (the flash) scenes. Most memorable are: Iris getting Barry out of the speedforce, Barry taking Iris into flashtime in the courthouse, Barry singing a song to propose to Iris, Barry getting teary eyed watching Iris walk down the aisle, any 360 degree camera spin on the couple, any time westallen have a heart to heart and there’s face holding, every time Barry talks about how much he loves Iris. This couple makes me soft. Besides westallen there’s one adrien/marinette (miraculous ladybug) moment that I really liked. The origins episode where adrien explained to marinette how he didn’t put gum on her chair and then it was raining and marinette didn’t have an umbrella so adrien gave his to marinette and the background music was amazing it was emotional for me and I loved it. 

[moonlitalien]

Okay so, here’s my own tiny review (more like a rant lmao) of TLJ, don’t read if you haven’t seen the movie obviously!

STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI SPOILERS BELOW

Because it’s a Star Wars movie, and because I’m a SW nerd, obviously, I HAD to see it on the first day, and I was so excited I barely even slept the night before. The thing is, in the end, I was oh so heavily disappointed. Now don’t get me wrong, I love SW and obviously I will see episode 9. And even that crappy Han Solo sequel, probably. Disney knows exactly what they’re doing, and of all the people I’ve talked to who have been so disappointed by TLJ as well, 99% of them said the exact same thing as me: “I used to love the old trilogies, and the EU - therefore, I will see any upcoming SW movie, even if I know it’s gonna be bad”.

I think that sums up my opinion of SW as a whole ever since Disney bought Lucasfilms. I don’t like Rebels, I don’t like the new trilogy, I don’t like how stupidly childish, sweetened down and cheesy they are, but I’m a victim of my own initial love for SW, so... :’)

...My biggest issue with the entire movie is that it didn’t feel like a Star Wars movie at ALL. I spent the entire movie being like, “Who the fuck are you?? What the HELL is this? Where the hell are you going??!”

Nothing felt like SW. It was an outrageous insult to every single old fan of Star Wars - they made up new species, new planets, new characters, and as soon as Leia and Chewie die in (I suppose) the next episode, there will be nothing left of SW at all. It’s gonna be a cheap, childish universe that has nothing to do with Lucas’ SW. Going to a casino planet? Oh, better make it a NEW boring, ugly planet that felt like something out of MASS EFFECT instead of SW, instead of making everyone happy and making them go to Nar Shaddaa. Same for that dumb crystal planet at end - why not make them go to a new ~old Resistance base planet~ instead of oh, idk, Hoth or Yavin, AKA some REAL Resistance planets from the old trilogy?

And the worst part? I spent the ENTIRE casino arc (and the entire movie, in fact) staring at the background and the extras, and.. I couldn’t spot a SINGLE alien I knew. No Twi’lek, no Togruta, no Devaronian, no Pantoran, no Chiss, NOTHING. It was either a bunch of ugly humans in ugly costumes or some unknown cheap-looking alien species. I THINK I saw something that looked vaguely like a Dug at some point, but that’s... literally it. I was so sad and so fucking disappointed.

Now, for a list of pros and cons for the rest of the movie:

PROS: - The scene where Leia uses the Force to bring herself back into the ship was absolutely incredible and brought tears to my eyes. The visuals were beautiful, it was just... perfectly executed. - LOVED all of the Kylo/Rey scenes, I’m honestly biased because Daisy and Adam are some of my favorite actors, and they were absolutely incredible in their roles. The hand touch was just... beautiful. When Rey feels the rain and Kylo does too because of their Force bond... It gave me chills. It was beautiful and so sad.  - Rose was easily the best developed human character in the trilogy and I think that says a lot considering she’s been here since, well, the beginning of TLJ only. Also, she was beautiful and adorable and really badass. - The space battles. Incredible visuals again. The moment where Holdo drives the ship into hyperspace straight into the Imperial destroyer was just so beautiful. - Yoda’s Force ghost. So beautiful and so sad, and I was so happy that they used the same model that they used in the first trilogy. - Luke’s death. Not the ACTUAL death, which was super badly executed IMO, but the final scene where he becomes one with the Force, with his theme song playing in the background - it made me tear up. It was SO beautiful and so good. As Rey said, there was no sadness, he passed away feeling whole again. - The last scene with the little slave kid telling the other slave kids about the Resistance and the Force, and that tiny moment where he uses the Force to grab his broom, and the last scene where he looks at the sky, it gave me so many prequels/original trilogies feels. 

CONS: (oh boy) - The really terrible conclusion to all the Kylo/Rey scenes, where they decided to just... kill off Snoke and make Kylo the big villain. Broke my heart. Really terrible writing, so predictable, again a representation of how stupid Disney’s view of the Force is: everyone is either black or white, and if there’s a SINGLE doubt about their alignment, it WILL be made clear at some point that they’re either super evil or super nice. Kylo was nothing but a sad boy, I was heavily disappointed that Disney chose to make him kill Han, and SO happy when he decided not to kill his mother in TLJ. I was almost starting to believe he could get a redemption arc, but no, it would’ve been too complex and interesting for the kiddy audience obviously. - Luke’s... entire arc?? Entire character?? Disney absolutely destroyed and burned down everything about Luke and the entire movie was just a fucking fiasco because of this. They turned the loving, friendly, ever hopeful little boy into a bitter monster who, for a second, would have been ready to execute a CHILD, his own NEPHEW, in his sleep. Into a stupid Force user who, after witnessing what the Jedi and the Jedi code did to his father, turning him into the galaxy’s most hated man, STILL chose to keep using the Jedi code and to teach it to his students. Ridiculous, completely OOC. - Whatever this mess of a story arc Poe got. Hundreds of people died because of him, including Rose’s sister. It was so OOC and such terrible handling of his character, I’m honestly speechless. - Whatever this mess of a story arc Finn and Rose got...? What was the POINT of this entire arc since it led to absolutely nothing except more pain and suffering? Ridiculous. - WHERE. WERE. THE. ALIENS. Seriously, FUCK OFF DISNEY. I’m so tired of all these humans. SO TIRED. The galaxy is NOT MADE OF A MAJORITY OF HUMANS, FFS. The casino was full of humans, the Resistance was full of humans EXCEPT THREE characters that I spotted in the background on top of admiral Ackbar (who fucking died too??), and even Phasma was also a human. When her helmet shattered, oh boy, I had this faint hope that she would be a Chiss, but NOPE. ANOTHER HUMAN. - Those marketing-driven scenes with the ugly birds (’Porgs’) and the uwuwu cute crystal foxes uwu like lol, go ahead, just buy plushies and figures of them, that was the only purpose of their appearance in the movie anyway. - Leia’s lack of love and empathy for her son. Luke’s unshakable need to remind everyone he needs to murder Kylo for the greater good. It was so OOC for both of them and CAN DISNEY JUST GIVE KYLO A BREAK LMAO. They turned what could have been one of the most interesting twist on a kid falling to the Dark side into a ridiculous evil puppet. Also, Leia has ONE child, and she would never hate him. OOC as hell. Next. - That dude from the casino whose name I can’t even remember, who helped Finn and Rose with the Destroyer and etc. Who the fuck. What the fuck. I just?? Why?? What was the purpose of this ugly drunk hobo besides making me hate Finn and Rose’s arc even more lmfao??? AND WHY WAS HE HUMAN AGAIN PLS REMIND ME? - NONE of the theories/questions were answered. Who is Snoke? Don’t know, don’t care, boom he’s dead. Thanks Disney. Rey is so strong in the Force because she’s related to Anakin? Lol no, she’s a random character with random parents. I was facepalming so hard.

I just. Oooh boy. This movie was a disappointment, It was exactly everything I knew it would be because Disney is bad at storytelling and likes to make everything easy and simple to understand for their stupid goddamn kid audience. Like go away lmao. I’m gonna sound like an old bitter harpy but the EU > Disney. SW was never supposed to be so easy to understand, it’s supposed to be complex, full of mysteries and theories. My mom and I regularly debate about Anakin and Padme and Obi-Wan and Luke and it’s been YEARS since these trilogies ended. That’s not going to happen with TLJ.

What I’m looking forward to in the next ep, even though I know it has 99% chance of not happening: - Leia getting a beautiful death, because she’s a queen, a mother, a legend and deserves the best death ever. - Hopefully a last goddamn chance for a Kylo redemption arc. Like lmao I know it won’t happen and Disney will just keep ruining his character but a girl can still hope. - More Kylo/Rey scenes since they were some of the best parts of TLJ. - More Rey/Finn/Poe scenes because we got nothing at all in TLJ except a hug between Finn and Rey at the end and like a two-word exchange between Rey and Poe. - More cool space battles. - MORE FUCKING ALIENS. FFS. JUST GIVE ME ONE TWI’LEK AND I’LL BE HAPPY. - An Obi-wan and/or Anakin Force ghost. - An interesting ship that isn’t necessarily straight (just saying this because I can FEEL the Poe/Rey happening even though they have 0 chemistry and it’s making me sad :’)) - PLEASE just tell me who the fuck Snoke is and tell me he isn’t really dead. Please. The ~supreme leader~ can’t possibly have such a retarded death with 0 background for his character. It makes no sense.

[mearnsblog]

“The Little Mermaid” (1989)

The history of Disney could honestly be split into pre-“Little Mermaid” and post-“Little Mermaid.” That’s how important an 83-minute kids’ movie was to the future of animated storytelling. The decades prior to its release had some hits, but none struck their audiences quite like this one. Almost instantaneously, Ariel vaulted into the pantheon of Disney princesses and the movie industry had its new modern model for how to warm the hearts of families everywhere (all while making bank at the box office, too).

I’ve been trying to think of what makes “Little Mermaid” so freaking good, and a large part of its success was its willingness to show its protagonists’ flaws. Unlike, say, Cinderella and Snow White, Ariel doesn’t arrive on our screens fully-formed as a flawless heroine. She’s the daughter of a king and thus ensconced in privilege, naive and a little careless of her actions. (Her pal, Flounder, is also put in danger on multiple occasions during her ocean travels.) King Triton and to a lesser extent, Sebastian, are not perfect, either. They see their lives as the only possible path for future generations, fear becoming more worldly, and are outwardly xenophobic to humans. Triton is also just a bad father, prone to angry outbursts that damage his relationship with Ariel, even before he destroys her collection.

It’s this capacity for growth that allows “Little Mermaid” to flourish. Ariel learns how her short-sightedness blew up in her face and threw the fate of the ocean into peril when Ursula leverages Ariel’s freedom to get Triton to sign his power away to her. Triton learns that his rage went too far and that he can’t close his daughter off to the world just because of his own biases. Sebastian gradually understands this too, resolving to help Ariel win over Eric since he realizes that an immediate return to the ocean would just make her miserable for the rest of her life. The only hero who doesn’t seem to have much to learn is Eric himself, but at least he’s a better-developed prince than any we’ve seen before in a Disney movie. Plus he has a good doggy! Max is the real hero, IMO.*

*Hey, if he wasn’t so insistent on finding Ariel wherever she happened to be, Eric wouldn’t have found her! Plus, he knew that Ursula in disguise was bad news. Bless him.

The music from Howard Ashman* and Alan Menken is outstanding. This is the greatest soundtrack since “Jungle Book,” and maybe even the best through 1989. “Under the Sea” gets the most attention and is still a banger. There are not many villain songs better than “Poor Unfortunate Souls,” and I wouldn’t begrudge anyone who said it was No. 1 for them. “Kiss the Girl” is a wonderful lovey-dovey ballad. Both “Les Poissons” and its sequence in the movie are hilarious. For me, “Part of Your World” takes the cake. It seems inconceivable that there was a debate about whether it should be cut from the movie. It represents its entire thesis! Bonus points for the people who fought to keep it in, and to the directors for later showing scenes on land where Ariel’s mentioned dreams from the lyrics become reality.

*Ashman would later contribute to “Beauty and the Beast” and “Aladdin” before AIDS tragically took his life. This was his magnum opus, and what a work of genius it was.

One more thing: the animation also did an admirable job creating the aquatic world. Through painstaking effort, they brought Disney underwater and it looks incredible. I can’t imagine how much of an arduous process it was to get all the bubbles and oceanic settings to look just right, but they did it!

My only regret is that Ursula was defeated so swiftly. All it took was Eric steering a broken ship’s spar into her when she was enormous? I salute his athleticism, but she goes down like a punk and probably deserved something better. This is just me spitballing, but I like the idea of humans and the creatures of the ocean joining together to take her out. Maybe we see some merpeople guiding Eric’s ship? I don’t know. Although we get some of that with them disrupting the wedding, that’s small peas compared to what Ursula ultimately makes herself.

Anyway, that’s not a big problem. “Little Mermaid” is an inner-circle Disney classic and definitely enough to overtake “Cinderella” for the current No. 1 spot on my list. I respect it so much.

Best song: “Part of Your World”*

*Please listen to the recent Halsey cover because holy cats, does she nail Ariel’s character in 3 minutes.

Updated ranking

1. “The Little Mermaid” 2. “Cinderella” (review) 3. “Sleeping Beauty” (review) 4. “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” (review) 5. “One Hundred and One Dalmatians” (review) 6. “The Jungle Book” (review) 7. “The Great Mouse Detective” (review) 8. “Fantasia” (review) 9. “The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh” (review) 10. “Alice in Wonderland” (review) 11. “Lady and the Tramp” (review) 12. “Pinocchio” (review) 13. “Robin Hood” (review) 14. “Oliver & Company” (review) 15. “The Rescuers” (review) 16. “The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad” (review) 17. “Bambi” (review) 18. “The Aristocats” (review) 19. “Dumbo” (review) 20. “Peter Pan” (review) 21. “Fun and Fancy Free” (review) 22. “The Fox and the Hound” (review) 23. “The Sword in the Stone” (review) 24. “The Three Caballeros” (review) 25. “Make Mine Music” (review) 26. “The Black Cauldron” (review) 27. “Saludos Amigos” (review) 28. “Melody Time” (review)

[vermontparnasse]

les miserables review - u.s. tour (hartford) 10/7/17

ok, here we go.  sorry this took so long but i have never been less enthused to write a les mis review..... i hate to say it guys but this was probably the worst collective cast i have ever seen.  half of them were playing the wrong role and almost none of them had any chemistry with one another... i realize it's still very early on in the tour and they didn't have a very long rehearsal period but that's no excuse for the national tour to come across as amateur community theatre, which is tragically what i felt like i was watching  for most of those two and a half hours.  i do have a couple of positive things to say and there were a few standout performances, but mostly..... yikes.

nick cartell as valjean: i guess he did the best he could given that he was very, very, very, very badly miscast.  when your valjean would probably be a better fit for marius, you know you've got a problem.  he was too young by at least fifteen years, and the way he sang the score was an insufferable series of riffs - he was basically ramin without the ego and without the shirt ripping.  he was just very badly out of his depth.  i was prepared to be kinder to him in the second act - his bring him home was quite good and he aged better than i'd thought he was going to - but then at the moment of valjean's death when he sang 'forgive me all my trespasses' he literally SPRANG out of the chair, like dying had rejuvenated him.  it was bad guys.

josh davis as javert: does hayden tee have a brother........... anyway, the way he was singing the score i think he was trying to emulate earl by making his notes precise and crisp, but everything just came out really staccato and it was not pleasant to listen to.  he also jutted out his jaw every time he wanted to look menacing which achieved a comedic disney villain effect, a la hayden.  stars was definitely the highlight - he sang and acted it much better than anything else... otherwise, it was just a mess.  he literally came across as drunk during his suicide - like he wasn't killing himself because of his inability to reconcile valjean's mercy with his personal view of the world, he was killing himself because he'd stayed at the bar too late and had one too many.  i have no idea what sort of journey he thought his character was on, but it just wasn't javert.

melissa mitchell as fantine: i'm sorry but this woman cannot act to save her life...... the way she carried herself was so modern, i don't know how to explain it but the way she moved was just so off and it was really distracting?  and her whole performance was just going through the motions, like "and still i dream he'll come to me... time to run to the left of the stage!" "life has killed the dream i dreamed.... time to glance over my shoulder dramatically!"  it was just all so artificial and inauthentic, you could practically see the stage directions in front of her eyes.  and don't get me started on the dying moment where she reaches her arm out and then collapses......... lord.  bad.

jillian butler as cosette: she was good!!  i mean... idk, i don't have a whole lot to say about her.  after seeing sam hill and alex finke in the role repeatedly, both of whom are absolutely superb, it's kinda hard to live up to that... jillian didn't take it to the next level or expand on their performances in any way - it was a very basic, pared down, 'hi i'm sweet and lonely' cosette, but there's nothing wrong with that?  she was solid and i have no complaints with her, but it wasn't a particularly memorable performance.

joshua grosso as marius: the best performance of the night, thank fuckin god!!!!!!!!  it has been so long since i have seen an adequate marius!!!!!!!!  i didn't agree with 100% of his choices (e.g., in AHFOL rather than singing "dear mademoiselle" he sort of squeaks it in a high pitched voice which is cute and appropriately awkward but i didn't totally connect w/ that decision because i love hearing that line sung) BUT he really understood the character and he didn't have too many moments like that of derailing the score.  i loved how awkward and genuine he was with cosette, and i loved how serious his reaction was to valjean's confession.  it was an all-around solid performance that was filled with the appropriate level of sincerity.  my biggest complaint is the mientus-esque crocodile tears after eponine's death, but i'm tentatively blaming that on direction.

phoenix best as eponine: she was terrible.  maybe she hadn't gotten any sleep the night before, because the whole time she looked like she'd rather be in bed.  dead eyes, no expression, dead on her feet, fake punches looking incredibly weak and stagey, having to be dragged around the stage by the other actors.  there was no fight to her, she was just resigned and dull.  her voice is tinny and not terribly pleasant to listen to, but i'd have forgiven that for a solid performance... which unfortunately we did not get.  though i WILL give her credit for on my own - there was some weird hammering or some shit going on backstage throughout that song but she pushed through admirably.  but otherwise, she was a pretty big disappointment.

matt shingledecker as enjolras: chelsea said after the show "enjolras was a literal frat boy, was he leading them to a revolution or to the club?" and i can't really beat that.  his enjolras basically was a rich young boy playing a game.

j. anthony crane as thenardier: he was rly fantastic!!!!  god after cliff saunders and whoever tf else we had to suffer through on bway, i would have welcomed just about anyone.... i mean, i have long ago reconciled myself to the fact that i will never see this character played the way i'd like to in an ideal world, because he's just become OTT comic relief, and j. anthony crane certainly has those OTT moments (notably in dog eats dog) BUT compared to the sort of nonsense that we are used to, it is such a toned down performance and there's actually a hint of something sinister lurking beneath the comedy.  i only hope he doesn't try to play up the laughs too much as the tour goes on.

allison guinn as mme. thenardier: meanwhile............ the most hammy performance i have EVER seen in this role.  it's a rare day that i just try to ignore mme. t and focus on thenardier when they're on stage together, but here we are.  god, she was insufferable, and she gave that kind of 'i'm so clever and above all of you' performance on top of the OTT humor that i absolutely loathe.

let's see, what else is there to say.

- 'give way, javert' is back after the sewers.  not sure why but i'm into it.

- SO MANY actors were singing on the beat...... i think the foreman was the worst offender ('YOU. PLAY. A. VIR. GIN. IN. THE. LIGHT. BUT. NEED. NO. UR. GING. IN. THE. NIGHT.') but it was honestly so many cast members and it was distracting af???

- but otherwise, a rly promising ensemble!!!!  i liked almost everyone who didn't have a main role lmao.  

- though they RLY need to work on their blocking....... again, i know it's early in the tour so i'm rly hoping this improves, but this production was just messy.  stage punches look fake, characters who are meant to interact at certain moments barely look at each other, just a lot of inauthentic movement that can only improve with more rehearsals.

- omg this is such a minor thing that i liked....... ok so you know how in the bway production they had fantine's first customer be the foreman?  i never saw any particular reason for that, but in this production when fantine is being offered to the foreman she has her back turned, and when she's handed to him she turns around and he sees her face and he laughs when he recognizes her, and the irony of the moment is so sad that i found myself rly moved by it.

- andrew love is a fuckin gift.  will someone make him principal javert already.

bottom line: what can i say....... i was mostly just rly let down.  of the nine main roles i mentioned here, i really enjoyed two (one of which was thenardier lmfao like who even cares about thenardier???), i didn’t mind one, and the rest were just bad.  that’s 2/3 of the main cast i thought were either playing the wrong role or had no business playing any role in les mis at all.  i can only hope they get stronger as a group as the tour goes on, because maybe if i’d felt more camaraderie between them the whole thing wouldn’t have left me so cold?  that was one of les mis bway’s strengths imo - the entire cast just worked so well together.  the tour cast did not.  unless i hear that they get better in upcoming months, i will not be making any more pilgrimages to see this cast.

[rimalupin]

*dramatic music plays* *slow-motion spin towards the camera* I’m baaaack I’m sorry for the horribly cheesy and unoriginal intro. 😅

Aaanayway, hi everyone! I’m back with my second IkeSen music parody~.

So, here’s how this song came to be: as some of you might have heard, Disney’s Descendants 2 recently premiered. A surprising amount of my friends got pulled into the Descendants hype, so being the curious cat that I am, I listened to some of the new movie’s songs (as well as some of the old movie’s tunes b/c I haven’t seen it yet.). I stumbled upon and quickly became obsessed with Uma’s (a.k.a. Ursula’s daughter) song “What’s My Name.”

In this powerful (and Rihanna-esque IMO) number, Uma basically hypes her crew up by singing about who the baddest villains are (I haven’t watched the movie yet, so my interpretation is probably a super-condensed summary of the song. :P). Following the same concept, I decided to make this Oda Nobunaga’s song: he hypes his crew up for battle by singing about whose clan is the best. Considering Nobunaga’s ambitious and powerful personality, I thought that this was the perfect song for him (I mean, I guess I could dedicate this to SLBP’s Nobu since he’s based on the same historical figure, but IDK his personality as well as IkeSen’s Nobu, so I wasn’t sure if the song would work for the former character. ((Plus I have yet to play SLBP. Sorry!)).).

A few notes:

I’m still a noob when it comes to editing the volume of the audio, which is why you can still hear the background vocals from the OG instrumental (However, they kind of helped for this music edit, unlike this parody where I had to basically fight the background vocals. 😅).

I tried my best to get into character and sound “tough” throughout the song since I frankly don’t have a “powerful” voice, so y’all are just gonna have to deal with my baby voice throughout this intense song (I will honestly forgive you guys if you laugh during the song, especially during my amateur attempts at voice acting. xD)

I FINALLY GOT TO RAP IN AN IKESEN MUSIC EDIT. I honestly missed rapping so much~. (So far, I’ve only rapped in these MidCin music edits: “Princess of Wysteria” & “The Steiner Brothers.”)

Alright, that’s enough of my rambling. I hope y’all find this parody amusing. Thanks for listening~. ^-^

Instrumental Used: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZlrT4OZbtU

LYRICS:

[NOBUNAGA (COMPANY)]

This is all hands on deck

Calling out to my loyal men

Our foes will pay their respects

We won't stop 'til we unite Japan

It's our time, we up next! (next, next)

Our troops are ready: we’re set (set, set)

They ain't seen nothing yet!

Tell 'em who's in charge

So they don't forget

What's my clan?

What's my clan? (Oda)

Say it louder!

What's my clan?

What's my clan? (Oda)

Feel the power!

No one's gonna stop us

Soon Japan will be ours

What's my clan?

What's my clan?

What's it! What's it!

Say it loud!

(Ooooooda, Ooooooda)

To the battlefield: let’s get 'em

(Ooooooda, Ooooooda)

What's it! What's it!

Say it! Say it!

(Oda-ah-ah-ah!)

(Oda, Oda, Nobuna-)

(Oda, Oda, Nobunaga)

(Oda, Oda, Nobuna-)

(Oda, Oda, Nobunaga)

(Oda!)

I'm the king of this town

I call the shots, you know who I am

Our enemies will bow down

Stand up to us, you don't stand a chance

It's our time, we up next! (next, next)

My crew's as real as it gets (gets, gets)

We’ve always been the best

And challenging us

Will be their last regret

What's my clan?

What's my clan? (Oda)

Say it louder!

What's my clan?

What's my clan? (Oda)

Feel the power!

No one's gonna stop us

Soon Japan will be ours

What's my clan?

What's my clan?

What's it! What's it!

Say it! Say it!

[MASAMUNE]

You know what they say

Warlords have all the fun

[HIDEYOSHI]

Hope you learned how to count

Cause we’re number one

[IEYASU]

Ready, here we come

We always get our way

Fight a new battle, every single day

[MITSUHIDE]

Hey!

He’s the captain, I'm the first mate

Enemies so slow we set ‘em all ablaze

[MITSUNARI]

Our victories’ll go down in the hist’ry books

We’re the hottest clan in town, just take a look

[NOBUNAGA]

Ha!

To the battlefield: let’s get 'em

We’re gonna win this one, boys, hey!

You know what my clan is

Say it, say it louder!

Soldiers!

Tonight we battle like any other night

Stay together, don’t back down

Let’s show ‘em all a good fight

[NOBUNAGA (COMPANY)]

What's my clan?

What's my clan? (Oda)

Say it louder!

What's my clan?

What's my clan? (Oda)

Feel the power!

No one's gonna stop us

Soon Japan will be ours

What's my clan?

What's my clan?

(Ooooooda, Ooooooda)

To the battlefield: let’s get 'em

(Ooooooda, Ooooooda)

What's it! What's it!

Say it! Say it!

(Ooooooda, Ooooooda)

Ooh, say it louder!

(Ooooooda, Ooooooda)

Ooh, say it louder!

What's it! What's it!

Say it! Say it!

(Oda, Oda, Nobuna-)

(Oda, Oda, Nobunaga)

(Oda, Oda, Nobuna-)

(Oda, Oda, Nobunaga)

(Oda!)

(Oda, Oda, Nobuna-)

(Oda, Oda, Nobunaga)

(Oda, Oda, Nobuna-)

(Oda, Oda, Nobunaga)

Oda!

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #63

“now it’s you-know-who, i got the you-know-what, stick it you-know-where, you know why, you don’t care.”

tell me about the last thing that made you laugh until it hurt. chelsea showed me a stupid video that had me crying on new year's. i normally wouldn't have laughed so hard, but i was almost drunk. is there a trampoline in your backyard? no. we got rid of ours years ago. what about kids on leashes? what do you think about that? i don't feel much about it, because i've never raised a child. it's funny to see, no doubt, but idk if it's right or wrong. kids can be dangerously ignorant. for whatever reason, your significant other can NEVER have sex again. do you stay with them? duh. i can live without it. how would you react to losing a close friend? same shit, different day. have you ever drunk/eaten a substance in the science lab? no, because i didn't want to die back when i was in school. have you ever led the prayer at dinnertime? if not, do you want to? i have. do you like those sudoku puzzles? 
 i sure do. have you ever taken a course in chemistry? 
 no, i took physical science, which had chemistry mixed into it. do you like to draw?  not nearly as much as i used to... so, tell me about your day. was it good? 
 same old day. woke up, ate breakfast and such, watched my daily gmm. started taking surveys while i listened to music and let's plays in the background. seriously, it's the same every other day. do you have your own web site? 
 well i mean i created the rp forum my friends and i moved to, but it's not "mine." do you frequently add people to your friend’s list that you don’t know? no, never. how do you feel about girls that post half naked pictures on facebook? cover it up, hunny. not everyone needs to know you like that. sorry to be all "conservative," but i hate that shit. what’s your favorite ice cream flavor? vanilla, but with chocolate icing. have you ever considered changing your sexuality? no, i have not. i don't believe you can just "change" your sexuality like that. ever thought about changing your gender? here come the liberals. i don't believe it's possible to change your gender. what is the worst physical pain you have ever felt? getting my former cyst emptied at the er. fuck that. who is the most inappropriate person you know? mmmm... chelsea, probably. has someone ever told you they loved you and you didn’t say it back? yeah. are you satisfied with what you currently have in life? no. like look... i am happy i have a house. i have both parents. we have food. but what i have, both good and bad, is not enough for me to see a happy life possible. how long has it been since you kissed someone? over a year ago. your best friend has sex with your ex. what happens? i'm killing her. your ex wants you back, but you are in a relationship. what do you do? ... fucking kill me. i'd leave my current boyfriend to be with him. what did you do last night? wallowed in self-pity, convinced myself to not kill myself. if someone was to ask you if you were okay right now, are you? no. mom's taking my letter to jason to the mail tomorrow. i feel it in my gut that it's not going to change his feelings for me. do you think you would lose some friends if you gained 100 pounds? honestly, no. i feel that the friends i have now are more serious than that. when was the last time someone gave you a massage? i'm sure it hasn't been since jason and i dated and he'd give me one. when was the last time you were in an amazingly awesome mood? HA. is there something you need to get off your chest at the moment? there's a novel's worth. has the last person you kissed met your father? he has. i don't know how he feels about my dad since the divorce, though. he'd always have to hear me rant and cry about him. have you ever woke up crying from a bad dream? i have. have you ever had to block anyone online? plenty of times. have you ever made a boy cry? i sadly have. do you find guys with facial piercings attractive? generally. who was the last person to insult you to your face? colleen, kinda. what scares you more: snakes or spiders? spiders, i'm not scared of snakes. do you wear thongs? i never have. have you ever done yoga? i used to be amazing at it. many summers ago, i used wiifit to lose about 40 pounds. i mainly did yoga. i was super flexible. would you consider yourself a flirt? not in the slightest. do you have any friends who have an STD? i have a family member who does. are you thinner than your best friend? i am not. have you ever been prescribed narcotics? yeah, xanax and another for anxiety that i forgot... how many rings do you wear daily? just one. i want to repair the one jason gave me so i can wear that one again, too... i think i'll do that tonight or tomorrow. do you get car sick or motion sick easily? does it ever stop you doing things? i don't. did you ever dream of living in a house with a white picket fence? not really, no. after you go swimming, do you sit around in your wet bathing suit with a towel or do you immediately change? i usually sit around for a while. what was the last activity you did that made you sweat? i'm pretty sure i sweat very slightly just when i got the craft box out of the closet. because of my medication, literally everything makes me sweat... it's so embarrassing. when was the last time you used lotion? last time i shaved my legs. currently listening to? "tourniquet" by marilyn manson. just another song that makes me think of how i feel about jason in some ways. give us a lyric from this song. "take your hatred out on me, make your victim my head." besides your mouth, where is your favorite spot to get kissed? breasts or neck. ever jacked a dude off? were you even romantically involved with him? hey, when you "can't" have sex, you find the loopholes, sister. and yes, we were dating at the time. would you rather eat your pizza cold or hot? i'd rather it be hot, but cold's fine. have you ever had fake nails? i have not. is it cute when a boy/girl calls you baby? no. it feels demeaning, honestly. does the person you like, like you back? no, he does not. do you believe ex’s can be friends? if you were deeply romantically involved? fuck no. do you like to text or call more? texting. calling is awkward imo and it's hard to understand the person, at least to me. when was the last time you really pushed yourself to your physical or emotional limits? what were you doing and how did it turn out?   emotionally, right fucking now.  colleen's decided to lecture me again, and i am a hair's width from just... i don't know.  basically, it's taking stupendous amounts of emotional willpower to not go kill myself right now.  i have HAD IT with her.  i won't bore my survey tumblr readers with the full story.  physically, probably the last time i went to the gym, i assume. what's your favorite saying or quote? why does it mean something special to you? how did you come across it?   i answered this in a recent-ish survey.  my favorite (series of) quote(s) takes place in the recent movie "Suicide Squad."  a police asks harley quinn, "harleen, what did he tell you?"  harley's cackling/crying and responds, "he said he loved me." i love the quote so much because i feel it.  bit of villain backstory, harley quinn was driven mad by her boyfriend/former patient, and i'd consider myself to have been through the same (via his absence, anyway, but you get it).  i started as jason's mentor, and i guarantee he'd tell you the same.  then, without him intending it, i've become his fucking slave, shadow, and #1 fan all at once.  i'd do it all for him.  all because he said he was in love with me.  powerful fucking words.  don't abuse them, people. do you enjoy getting dressed up for a night out? what are your favorite places for a "night on the town"?   i like getting dressed up for something that's bigger than usual, but i don't really have "nights out on the town."  i don't do anything even remotely extravagant. what is your favorite classic disney film and why?   does "the lion king" count?  if so, that one.  i can't exactly say why it's my favorite besides simba coming back from a tragedy as the king of the world pretty much, but i love that movie dearly. are you a good liar? under what circumstances do you choose to lie (just little white lies, or bigger ones)? have you ever regretted your choice to be less than truthful?   honestly, when i do lie, i'm rarely caught.  and i'll lie mainly to avoid hurting people, but i confess to sometimes doing it to just avoid confrontation. can you remember the first swear word you ever learned?   no, but i remember the first one i said aloud: shit.  i had no idea it was a bad word.  got a massive lecture in the car. how old were you when you first started to wear make-up? do you prefer others with or without make-up?   late middle school, i think.  and i personally find make-uped faces more aesthetically pleasing, it's why there's such a problem in this world with women feeling ugly without it, but you're still absolutely beautiful without it, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. how long do you need to get to know someone, before you’d think about having a relationship with them?   i don't measure that by time, i measure that by how well i'm getting to know them. is global warming actually happening?   duh. does gpa determine a person's intelligence?   no, fuck this question. do you refuse to talk about your sexuality?   no.  it's not a big deal to anyone. do you have a debit card?   i do not. would you have an abortion if you would otherwise die in childbirth?   no, because i'm not fucking selfish. do you think sleeping is a waste of time? yet you LOVE your dreams, even when they're kinda bad?   i mean, it technically is a waste of time, but we need it regardless. what would you do if your boyfriend got snake bite piercings?   that's totally up to him, i'd love him regardless.  now whether or not i'd find it physically appealing just depends on the person. do you think it's at all possible you may change your religion in your life?  i'm not going to bullshit.  maybe.  DO I THINK I WILL, NO, but do i rule out the possibility, no.  after how pissed i've been at god lately, i wouldn't be entirely surprised if, in the worst case scenario, i became satanic.  god please don't let me. if you were told that you were going to spend the rest of your life with the last person you kissed, would that make you happy?   i would... oh my god.  i would physically break down from joy.  i would sob.  i would bow and praise god beyond all explanation.  i would fucking lose it. who was your first boy/girlfriend and do you still talk to them?   if you want to count him as "the first person who had the 'boyfriend' title," aaron.  and no, we don't.  we're friends on facebook though. have you ever watched the big bang theory, or how about glee?   i've watched and love tbbt, but i've never watched glee. are you considered a “clingy girlfriend?”   i probably would be. do you have a large dog?   she's pretty big, yeah.  we have a boxer. would you ever date someone who watched cartoons?   ... the fuck is this question??  no shit i would!! what was your last dream about?   all i remember is it was the apocalypse and i was back with jason.  he was there with me.  we somehow survived, and demons took over the world after the humans were eliminated.  everyone was trying to be heroes and such by killing them. have you ever seen a crocodile in real life?   i know i've seen alligators, don't know about crocs. if you were drunk and couldn’t walk, would the person you have feelings for, take care of you?   i kinda feel like he would if he was already there, anyway.  he wouldn't like drive somewhere to come watch me, but if he was already there, i'd at least hope he'd be kinda protective... has anyone recently told you something you didn’t want to hear?   not only that i didn't want to hear, but didn't need to hear, too.  tell me again my mental illness is invalid, swear to fuck. why were you last scared?   i'm scared of myself now. do you know a secret about your last ex that would embarrass them?   something potentially might, but i doubt it.  i'd never share the information though regardless. were you a hyper or mellow kid?   i was quite hyper.  i miss that. what’s your favorite movie?   burton's "alice in wonderland" do you hate it when everyone you know is sleeping in, so you are bored?   ha ha, sometimes. how much of your time to do you spend being bored? what could cure that boredom?   honestly... almost 24/7.  i've talked about this before: jason left and took my hobbies with him.  because they feel "bad."  i take no pleasure in what i used to enjoy, like games, drawing, reading...  i honestly think the only thing that'll heal that is spending time with jason himself. what are your least favorite kind of people?   people that think mental illness isn't fucking valid is what i feel most hatred towards at the moment. describe an orgasm. (just do it, nobody will judge you here.)   hahahaha omg the person before me answered "god will judge me," i love that.  anyway, i wouldn't know. are you a picky eater?   beyond so. are you hopelessly addicted to the computer?   i mean i guess you could say that, as i'm always on... would you ever take nakey pictures of yourself?   maybe for my husband??? what cause (feminism, gay rights, abortion, etc) are you most passionate about?   abortion does your best friend have any piercings?   ears, and... i think nose.  omg i feel horrible, i'm not sure. what's better: an apology to your face or a nice apology letter?   an apology to your face. has anyone ever kissed you when you REALLY weren't expecting it? was it a good random kiss, or a bad random kiss?   i don't think so, but it's possible... what is the last thing you got a blister from?   i got one from my flip-flop rubbing against the side of my toe. do you remember the song that used to be really popular, 'she will be loved'?   I DON'T MIIIND SPENDIN' EV-ER-EE-DAAAAAY, OUT ON YOUR CORNER IN THE POURIN' RAAAAIIIIN do you have any friends who have never seen you makeup-free?   i don't. what is the worst thing that could happen to you?   the worst thing that could happen to me already happened. do you think age matters in friendship?   in friendships, absolutely not. are you more likely to eat when you’re bored or depressed?   i wouldn't be overweight otherwise. describe the nearest photograph to you?   it's jason and i at our first prom.  we're peeking at each other from around the tree. do you know anyone who has overdosed?   i know of people, but i know none directly.  well wait... my half-sister overdosed, but didn't die as she called the cops in time. the person you have feelings for says he/she wants to have sex, you say?   ... i would. kfc or popeye’s?   i don't like fried chicken. what was the name of the last pet of yours that died?   link, my former rat. have you ever had to evacuate from a natural disaster?   thank god, no. do you have any family members who are cancer survivors?   quite a few, actually.  my mom survived kidney cancer, my grandma lived through thyroid cancer i believe it was, and i think an aunt of mine had breast cancer. when was the last time you went way out of your comfort zone? what happened as a result?   uhhh i guess when i told my former boss i had to quit, and what happened is obvious. is working with animals something you enjoy? how about working with people? what would be your ideal work environment?  well, it's become clear i can't work with people.  i've had two jobs in retail, and each time, i vomited from the anxiety and when i wasn't vomiting, i was living in constant panic mode.  i haven't had a job with animals yet, but that's what i'm looking for.  the ideal job would just be where i work on my own... do you have any favorite stuffed toys?   oh yeah.  i have a stuffed meerkat named rebel from jason, and my stuffed moose named brownie is very dear to me too. would you ever get any private parts pierced?    heeeell no. do you agree with medication to treat mental illnesses or do you believe that they are a ‘stage’ that a person will grow out of?   mental.  illnesses.  need.  to be.  MEDICATED.  just like a person with asthma needs an inhaler, a mentally ill person needs medication, too!! do you ever get really paranoid about how loud you’re breathing?   i do occasionally, yes. have you ever met a person who was convinced they had supernatural powers?   i "met" a woman who thought she was jesus christ, the mother mary, and god all in one person while in the mental hospital...  she scared THE FUCK out of me. what're you thinking of RIGHT THIS MINUTE?   i actually just started thinking of jason's sick grandma outta nowhere a few seconds ago... and now i feel sad.  she was definitely dying while we were dating, so i guess she's gone now... she was a sweet lady, despite not saying much.  she seemed to like me enough. what is your opinion on sex without emotional commitment?   okay, i know casual sex is gaining popularity, but me?  dude, FUCK that.  sex is supposed to be a very emotional and connecting experience.  it's not "just for fun" and shouldn't occur everytime you feel horny with someone or whatever. what are you doing right now?   doing this survey, possibly talking to jax if she's still online, and listening to "slo-mo-tion" by marilyn manson. what books, if any, have made you cry?   that i can remember, "the notebook," "a walk to remember," "old yeller," and i think i teared up in "the giver."  there was also this one book about an elderly couple we read in high school, but i cannot remember the name...  i remember tearing up. are you picky about spelling and grammar?   very much so. song you REALLY wanna fuck to?   okay, if it's with jason, i do plan on deliberately trying to woo him into having sex to "heart-shaped glasses" by marilyn manson because uh... this is terrible... but it reminds me of his ex because she always wore heart-shaped glasses and i fucking hate her for MANY reasons and idk it'd just kinda feel like a huge "fuck you" to her lmao.  yes i am a child somewhere in my heart.  just to add to it, when i get sunglasses, yeah... i found heart-shaped glasses on rebel's market and i want them. if you could have sex with anyone, who would it be?   it'd still be jason.  sorry, link neal. do your hands shake a lot?   well, i have an essential tremor that's only gotten worse over the years, so. the mere thought of anyone ever made you... you know... "moist"... downstairs?   omfg do you really have to say that word this question bothers me lmao.  but yeah. i like dirty questions, let's continue! do you masturbate? if not, why? also if not... what's the most tempted you've ever felt? you know you have at least once!   i do not masturbate because i personally find it disgustingly lustful and gross, no matter how clean you may be.  i've been tempted before once, sure.  i had a really hard time one night kinda recently when i was thinking rather sexually of jason, but i did nothing about it. do you get crazy sex hair?   i wouldn't know, but i've had some pretty wild hair from doing sexual things.  my hair was super long when we were together. is everything going to be okay?   i am the wroooong person to ask. have you ever had a pet rat?   four so far, yeah. do you like free samples?   who doesn't?! have you ever made yourself look like a fool for love?   i'm pretty sure i always do nowadays.  to be so obsessed with your ex-boyfriend... it's silly. who was the last person you slow danced with?   jason...  long time ago... has any of your friends’ family ever yelled at you?   i'm pretty sure no. at concerts, are you one of those people that push and shove their way to the front, or are you one of the those people that gets there hours before in order to ensure that you get a front-row position; or do you just suck it up and stand wherever you can?   i've only been to one, at which i sucked it up and stood wherever i could. did you ever like jewel?   like one song anyway, but she has an absolutely heavenly voice. when watching scary movies/hearing scary stories/etc, what subject scares you the most?   when women are raped by demons.  just.  let's not. do you think marilyn manson looks good?   ha ha how funny, i'm actually listening to him right now!!  but anyway, VERY rarely, honestly.  in some pictures/videos he looks pretty appealing.

[katieistotallywrite]

Disney Marathon: Golden Age (1937-1942)

I’m a huge fan of Disney movies, so I thought it would be fun to marathon them all with my two best friends. Before we eventually get to Pixar and other films, I wanted to start with the currently 56 animated film canon. We recently completed the first 5 Disney films, so I thought I’d talk about my opinions on them. I can’t say when I’ll do more since it’s so hard for me and my friends to all get together, but I’ll post as soon as we finish another particular era of the films.

The first five are from what many call the Golden Age(though there’s debate about the movies up to and including Jungle Book being part of it too), also known as the Tar and Sugar Era because of the huge contrasts between the cutesy and sweet moments and the dark and depressing moments, more than any other era of Disney. Here are my thoughts:

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937):

The first full-length hand-drawn animated film and the first animated film in color(not the first animated film ever like Disney claims)is a huge legacy to have. It’s an incredibly innovative and important film not just in animated history, but film history, and even now, many people consider it THE greatest animated film of all time. Eeehhhhhh...

I like Snow White, don’t get me wrong, but I respect it more than I do like it. I can definitely appreciate what Snow White did for animation since it probably wouldn’t be the same without it. And for 1937, the animation in this movie is still beautiful, even now. It doesn’t look 30s, but it certainly sounds it. The songs and character voices are very of their time, ESPECIALLY Snow White herself. I can’t stand this girl’s voice. It’s so shrill. And out of all the Disney Princesses, she’s probably the least progressive other than Aurora from Sleeping Beauty. I do find the dwarfs very likable though. They’re definitely the best part of this movie. The movie also doesn’t have a very focused plot either; it has a lot of filler. That’s not a bad thing mind you, but it is something I’ve noticed that’s apparent through a lot of the earlier Disney films. It’s a good movie, but not a great movie in my opinion. It’s my fourth favorite of the Golden Age.

Pinocchio (1940)

I fucking love this movie. Pinocchio was a huge improvement over Snow White in every way, at least in my opinion. Of all of the movies in this era, Pinocchio had the most focus on its plot. Sure, it had filler, but much less and in much shorter time. I love all the characters in this movie, from Pinocchio, to Jiminy Cricket, to even the many villains in this movie who never get their comeuppance. This movie exemplifies the Tar of the Tar and Sugar era, being not only one of the darkest films of the era, but of the entire Disney canon. The donkey transformation scene alone is enough for me to not want to show it to a younger child, but it is an awesomely freaky scene. And of course it gives us what has become the anthem of Disney, When You Wish Upon a Star, which is such a beautiful, inspirational song.

Not to mention the animation in Pinocchio, even now, is simply amazing. The character animation and the backgrounds are so well crafted and beautiful. Seriously, before CG was even even conceived of, someone had to animate Monstro and all of the water in this movie by fucking hand. It’s astonishing how much care went into this movie. Every time I watch it, I find more to love and that will always continue, I’m sure. As much as I’m singing the praises of this movie though, it’s just my second favorite of the Golden Age. Why? You’ll see later on.

Fantasia (1940)

I like Fantasia quite a bit, hell, I LOVE parts of it. But this is definitely my least favorite of the original five. I feel like this is mainly because it’s the only film of the Tar and Sugar era that I didn’t grow up with. I saw this later on when I was in middle school. Nostalgia, along with emotional attachment, are a huge reason certain movies rank higher than others for me. This is another case where I respect the movie more than like it obviously, but there are lots of things to like.

While this one probably focuses the least on plot of the original five, it is not a problem in this case because Fantasia doesn’t really have a long, continuous story; it’s basically a series of shorts set to music. Some of them are truly amazing, such as the Nutcracker Suite, Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria, and of course the iconic Sorcerer’s Apprentice. All of them are strong, but I do feel like the Rite of Spring goes on a little too long compared to the other shorts, and the Pastoral Symphony has some pretty obvious animation errors(look closely at the baby Pegasi as they land in the water). The animation errors are forgivable though because the rest of the movie is well animated and really pretty to look at, made even better by the beautiful classical music it’s set to. It also helps that the music was performed by one of the greatest composers and orchestras of the time. But this definitely seems more like an education program than a real film. A really excellent educational program that I would absolutely watch again, but parts of it are hard to get through; mainly the Rite of Spring imo.

Dumbo (1941)

Due to the disappointing box office return(at the time) of Pinocchio and the utter failure at the box office(again, at the time) of Fantasia, on top of the animator’s going on strike, the budget for Dumbo was a lot less than the previous three movies. Dumbo was basically a longer short with a slightly higher budget, but compared to the previous films, the animation quality doesn’t hold up nearly as well. It still had excellent character designs, but aside from the Pink Elephant scene, the animation wasn’t nearly as consistently good. Not to mention those crows are incredibly racist nowadays(though surprisingly progressive at the time the movie was made).

With all of that said, this is my favorite of the Golden Age. Why? Simple. It makes me cry. Many Disney movies made me cry at one point or another, but Dumbo is one of the few that ALWAYS does. It’s the scene where he’s reunited with his mother. The combination of the song, Baby Mine, with the visuals of his mom’s trunk nurturing him despite barely fitting through the bars of her cage ...I dunno man, but it makes me an emotional wreck, to the point where just hearing that song can make me tear up. You can seriously feel the emotions Dumbo is feeling and it pulls at my heartstrings. TV Tropes describes characters similar to Dumbo as a “woobie” and I honestly think Dumbo is the ultimate one, considering all of the sad shit happens to him when he’s a fucking baby. Anyway, the point is, Pinocchio may be better by an “objective” standpoint, but Dumbo holds a special place for me for sentimental reasons, pushing this movie to the top for me.

Bambi (1942) I forget how good Bambi is every time I rewatch it. It has the same thing a lot of movies of this era have with the filler, but the filler is very pleasant and fun to watch. And I always forget how stunning the backgrounds are. You can tell the background artists poured their hearts into it. The same can be said about the animation. The animals, particularly the deer, are noticeably better designed and animated than the ones in Snow White. The animators did a lot of research on the real life animal counterparts so they could get the movements just right, and it really shows. Take out the dialogue, add narration, and Bambi could practically be a nature documentary, except during the sillier scenes.

One thing that bugs me about it though is how it handles the “tar and sugar” stuff. While the scene before the death of Bambi’s mother juxtaposes well with the aftermath of her death and is overall very powerful and heart wrenching, I find the scene after the aftermath where Bambi and the Great Prince of the Forest are walking in the snow is followed immediately with the twitter patted tweeting birds to be incredibly jarring. Like in a really off putting way. Unlike a lot of other movies of this era, this scene doesn’t juxtapose well at all. That said, Bambi is really good despite the problems I have with it. It’s my third favorite of the Golden Age.

That’s my thoughts on the first few movies in the Disney canon. I’ll talk about the next era of films whenever me and my friends have finished watching them. If anyone for some reason wants to know more specific thoughts on these movies(because I glossed over A LOT and didn’t go into a lot of detail), send me an ask!