Pocket Princesses Celebrates 100th Comic Strip!

My absolute favorite Disney fan artist is Amy Mebberson, the creative mind behind the adorable Pocket Princesses.  The weekly one-panel comic strip features all the official Disney Princesses in candid moments (as Mebberon sees fit), with cameos from others such as Kida, Stitch, and the princes.

The strip is posted on Facebook (almost) every Friday, and yesterday's was the 100th post!

 I love all the excitement and hidden jokes in this one!
Did you find Snow White?
Image from the Pocket Princesses Facebook page.
Copyright belongs to Amy Mebberson.

Congrats to Pocket Princesses!  I highly encourage you to like the page on Facebook -- you won't be disappointed!  Every single strip is cute and hilarious.  Mebberson's take on the characters are true to the original and yet uniquely hers at the same time.

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Halloween: Disney Style!

(So I apologize that this is late since Halloween was like 2 weeks ago – jeez, that makes me feel bad.)

Do you dress up for Halloween?

Or even better: do you dress up Disney-style for Halloween?

Joslyn is Violet Parr.
Don't you love how she even made sure
to have her hair cover one eye?
Do not remove watermark.

Allison is hipster Ariel.
Do not remove watermark.

And of course, my gals and I dressed up too:

Hipster Disney Princesses!
L-R: Thing 1 Kaihtlyn as Rapunzel, Michelle as Jasmine,
Thing 2 Mary as Belle, and me as Cinderella.
Do not remove watermark.

Hope you had a happy, not-too-spooky Halloween!

See you all soon!

Did You Know These Disney Facts?

Oh My Disney, one of the best Disney blogs on earth, posted these Disney facts that you probably haven’t fully realized yet.  When I first saw the blog post, I figured I’d probably know them all.  I was wrong – a few caught me off guard!  Here are my favorites, the ones that I didn’t realize, but feel free to check them all out at Oh My Disney.

Number one, Cinderella’s last name is probably Tremaine.

Cinderella and her stepmother
Image from the Disney Wiki.

Why?  Well, that’s the name Disney gave to her stepmother, and most likely, when Lady Tremaine married Cinderella’s father, her last name changed.  I had sort of realized this but not fully.  Now it’s weird to think about.

Moving on, then

Number two, Belle and Prince Adam are living without enchanted objects right now.

At the end of the movie...do you see any enchanted objects?
.gif image from pixiedustcaps.tumblr

What?  No!  Who’s going to sing “Be Our Guest” with lines like, “Ask the dishes!” and "While the flatware's entertaining"?

Number three, for you Toy Story fanatics, here’s a shocker for ya: Woody probably had a owner before Andy.

Andy's thinking the same thing...
Image from the Disney Wiki.

Why?  Because he’s a toy from an older show.  I don’t fully understand this because I don’t watch Toy Story that much (the talking toys scared me when I was younger).  But maybe this just means that Andy’s dad handed him down or something.  Still, shocking, right?

And finally, this one just made me laugh.  At the end of Mary Poppins, one of my absolute favorite musicals and Disney films, Mr. Banks is wearing a hat with a hole in it.  Throughout the entire song “Let’s Go Fly a Kite” in fact.

Wanted to get a .gif of Mr. Banks during the song but couldn't find
one, but this .gif image looks like a great reaction.  So I figured it'd work.
Image from poehlering.tumblr

And as OMD puts it, what if it rains?

That’s all for now.  Did you know these facts I shared with you?  The others at OMD?  Share with me in the comments!

Until next time, ttfn!

Character Magic: Gaston Being…Well, Gaston

Welcome back for another segment of Character Magic: Making Memories in the Park, or for a shorter version, Disney Characters in Character!  If either title of the series isn’t obvious enough, this series deals with cast members portraying beloved Disney characters and doing a fine job of it, keeping in character while creating memorable magic for guests.  So far, I’ve only shared with you a sweet video of Snow White.

Today, I’m here to share with you a video of Disney’s most self-centered villain.

Gaston.

Video from YouTube.

I absolutely love how this cast member approached his character.  He’s got the whole arrogant vain attitude we expect from Gaston, just toned down a bit, and he even acts afraid of the Beast.  I especially enjoyed the fact that he both quotes from his movie but also says things that his character would say just not from the movie.  Like the Walt Disney World guests in the video, I was laughing or chuckling at nearly everything he said.

My favorite line has to be: “I’m not afraid of that Beast, I just have other things I need to do.”

See ya all real soon!

(PS – is it just me, or do Gaston’s gloves remind you of dishwashing gloves?  That’s always bugged me about his Park costume.)

A Forgotten Treasure

I’d shared with you via Facebook early last semester (around September) that someone had put up a coloring page of Belle and Beast on the bulletin board outside the Cafeteria.  So I realize this is late, but I did get a picture of it not long after I told you.  I was unable to access it from where I had it stored until later in the semester, but by then I had forgotten.

But here it is!  Uncovered from the many pictures I have on my computer.

The caption for the coloring page read
"The Beast asks Belle to marry him," and
below someone wrote, "You're welcome."
Not really sure what they/he/she meant, but
thanks anyway!
Picture taken by THE Disney Freak;
do not remove watermark.

It made my day brighter every single time I saw it was still up there.  Eventually, it was taken down for unknown reasons.

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Royal This, Royal That: New Fantasy Faire

Just today, InsidetheMagic and DisneyParks posted several new videos showcasing the new Fantasy Faire at Disneyland, which officially opens March 12 this year (also TDM’s birthday!).

Video from YouTube.

It seems I am not able to put the InsidetheMagic videos here in my blog, so I will just include a link to those.

The most important part about this new area at Disneyland is the Royal Hall, where you can meet some of your favorite Disney Princesses, as shown in this video.

Another fun attraction is the Royal Theatre, with two fun shows!  One tells the story of Rapunzel and Flynn/Eugene from Tangled.  The other tells the story of Belle from Beauty and the Beast. The cool thing about both shows is it incorporates what you could call “simple theatre,” with really just two actors/narrators doing the parts, with Flynn and Rapunzel or Belle playing themselves.

This video gives you an idea of the two shows:

Video from YouTube. The Mother Gothel and Rapunzel part was really well done!

This first link is for the full Tangled show.  And this second link is for a video of the entire Beauty and the Beast show.  Enjoy!

I’m upset that someone commented that the Belle show is better than the Enchanted Tales attraction.  From what I’ve seen and heard, the Enchanted Tales attraction is very amusing and fun, and I can’t wait to experience it in person someday!

Personally, I’m thinking the Fantasy Faire is going to be a pretty fun addition to Disneyland.  All the designs, styles, and costumes remind me of Renaissance Festivals, such as the one here in Minnesota, which I enjoy immensely because the Renaissance era and fantasy stories are my favorite things!

A sleepy Figaro and the bird who seems to be disturbing his nap!
Video screencapture by THE Disney Freak from the first included video.

To close this post (but not the day – look for an Oz post tonight!), here’s a fun video of the Figaro animatronic you got an introduction to in the first video.  I agree with the commenters on the InsidetheMagic video that the animatronic (*ahem, ahem*) looks a bit unfinished or something, but since it’s up, it must be done.

Video from YouTube. I love the Tangled music playing in the background! Very fitting.

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Bestie’s Birthday – Face Reveal!

Friday, December 14th, 2012.  Bestie’s birthday.

And it would be her “adult” birthday.

When I first got home for Christmas Break, I was hoping to spend the day with her in honor of her big day.  However, being in ballet, she had a show and class to do, with community college finals early in the day.  I got to see her at 2:15 for a coffee break with her mom, but then she was headed to ballet.  I did get to hang out with her mother for the rest of the day until Bestie got back in time for presents and cake with her family (including me, an honorary family member).

Before Bestie got back, her aunt and I went to pick up dinner.  On the way, she and I decided to “roam Apple Valley” which really meant get a present for Bestie.  With my help, she found basically the perfect gift.

And of course, there was my gift to her – which was unfortunately not Disney-themed.

Let me show you in pictures.

Warning: there are a lot of them.

'Twas the Night Before Christmas....

Video from YouTube.

Merry Christmas from THE Disney Freak and my Disney Family!

Tell Me a Story!

While the my Fairy Grandmother sits down with YDF, MDF, and unnamed brother to watch Pocahontas II, I thought I would finish up some other posts I have drafts of.

One of the new areas in New Fantasyland is Beauty and the Beast-themed, featuring Prince Adam’s castle and Belle’s village.  In Belle’s village, there are two new places: Gaston’s Tavern and Belle’s Cottage.  In her cottage is where probably one of my new favorite attractions: Enchanted Tales with Belle.

Let these first two videos do the explanation of the attraction for you.

Video from YouTube. Part 1.

Video from YouTube. Part 2.

When I first saw these videos, I instantly fell in love with the new attraction.  It sounds so fun to have the chance to participate as an audience in storytelling, especially that of one of my favorite Disney films!  Aside from the storytelling part of this experience, I think that Magic Mirror is the best part!

And this video showing the entire experience makes me very badly want to go to New Fantasyland so as to tell Belle her story! (Oh, and wasn’t the lady playing the wardrobe just great with Wardrobe’s signature high note?)

Video from YouTube.

So while I’m sad about the whole destruction of Snow White’s Scary Adventures, I’m torn because I’m really excited for the new rides and attractions Disney is putting in.  Did they have to destroy one of the best rides there for New Fantasyland to happen?  I really don’t think so.

Before I go, I encourage you to check out this site for more on the Lumiere (*ahem*) animatronic.

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The 11th Disney Princess: Verified

Thanksgiving day, YDF, MDF, and I worked on some of their Disney Princess puzzles.

Picture taken by THE Disney Freak;
do not remove watermark.

Picture taken by THE Disney Freak;
do not remove watermark.

The next day, I was glancing through all the toy catalogs from various retailers.  In the Target one, I found an interesting Disney Princess doll set.

Picture taken by THE Disney Freak.

Picture taken by THE Disney Freak.

Why am I highlighting this?  Maybe it was pretty obvious that this would happen, but Merida is included in an (*ahem*) official Disney Princess doll set. 

So is Merida going to be an official Disney Princess?  Or is she just being included with official Disney Princesses as a non-official princess?  Will that change (aka question A)?  Several questions arose at the sight of this set, obviously.

Immediately, I called over TDSO (our previous Brave hypothesizer) for her take on this all.  She said that she didn’t think Merida would be an official Disney Princess but because she is a Disney princess, she would be included in a few sets.  Just like when Kida or Nala sometimes appear in Disney Princess merchandise.

However, seems things have changed – or been verified.

Because in July 2013, Merida will indeed join the official lineup as the 11th Disney Princess.

What are your thoughts?  The Disney Mermaid is personally upset because Ariel won’t be the only ginger anymore (and for some other reasons).

As for me, I’m not quite sure what I think right now.  As the Disney Wiki pointed out, Merida will be the first Disney Princess without a love interest, which I’m not against, but all the other Princesses appear with their Princes in some merchandise and at events at the Parks.  Poor Merida will be the odd one (literally) out.  Like The Disney Mermaid, I’m disappointed that they would add in another ginger, and if they’re going to just add any new princess character they add, why not allow Kida to join?  How does Disney’s selection work (hey, that’s another post to work on!)?

See ya all real soon!

Christmas is quickly approaching!  Shopping done?

(New) New Fantasyland Photos!

Hey fellow Mickey fans!  Missed me?  I apologize for lack of posting (again).  With Thanksgiving break around the corner, we only have two more weeks of school left!  So right now I’ve been having to focus on essays and studying for finals.  Not much time to post.  I’m sorry.  Hoping to get back on top of it over Christmas break and next semester – my schedule will be a bit lighter.

To get to the important stuff now…

The Disney Parks Blog recently released (okay so ten days ago) photos of New Fantasyland, in honor of its upcoming opening (at that time, a month away).

While all the sneak peek pictures were great, these ones really stood out to me.  And I thought I’d share (with of course, some of my thoughts).  Enjoy!

This picture comes from the attraction "Enchanted Tales
With Belle."  Could it be Belle's mother, unseen
on screen?
All pictures from the Disney Parks Blog gallery.

This one here comes from the new restaurant Be Our Guest.
Sound familiar?  Of course it does.
And so should this picture.
I love how the Imagineers are working on having so
many little things from the movie(s) show up in the
new attractions! So accurate and magical.

Also from Be Our Guest.
Such a cute portrait of the couple.

Once more, from Be Our Guest (the West Wing dining area).
And once more, the small details are great.
I've always loved this portrait from the movie.

And this one, from the new attraction/restuarant Gaston's Tavern,
just made me laugh!
No one brags like Gaston!

Have a fabulous day!  See ya all real soon!

For more great fun, check out the “My Sites” page for other ways to get connected with me!

Real Life Princesses

Ever wondered what the Disney Princesses would look like in real life?

Well, Jirka Väätäinen has figured out for you.

Jirka (pronounced Yirka) is a Finnish student studying graphic design at the Arts University College at Bournemouth.  One of his projects (I'm not sure if it's for school or just for fun) has been to draw the Disney Princesses as they would appear in real life.

Actually, he calls it photo manipulation using Photoshop.

But he still does a fantastic job!

He was kind enough to let me share his artwork with you, as long as I credit him and link back to his site!

As I told him in a comment, I think he does a great job of keeping the original character but making her look more realistic, less "cartoony".  But you have to see below for yourself!

Personally, I enjoy Mulan and Rapunzel very much.  And I realize Ursula isn't a Disney Princess...but he included her, so of course I'm going to include her for you!

Which ones do you like?

Jane from Tarzan.
All credit and copyright goes to Jirka.
Used with permission.
Do not re-post or anything without Jirka's permission.
(Same with the rest of the portraits)

Alice from Alice in Wonderland.
Being that blue's my favorite color, I really like this
one too.  Her eyes are beautiful!

Can't tell you how much I absolutely love love love
this one!
Rapunzel from Tangled.

Cinderella from Cinderella.

Snow White from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Still the most beautiful one of all?

Tiana from the recent The Princess and the Frog.
Jirka says this is the only Princess that he
looked at her voice actress.
Otherwise, he doesn't.

Mulan from Mulan.
I love the pink background, and her hair tucked behind her ear just
makes her all the more pretty.  Sometimes I have to do a double-take
because the "gaps" in her teeth give the appearance
of braces to me from a distance.  Whoops!  My bad.

Pocahontas from Pocahontas.
Nice pose!

Jasmine from Aladdin.
This one is very close to being tied with my two
favorites!

Esmeralda from The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Also another great pose!

Aurora from Sleeping Beauty.

Meg from Hercules.
He picked a great pose for her: really brings out her
spunk!

The beauty: Belle from Beauty and the Beast.
Quite an interesting face...

Ariel from The Little Mermaid.
I love the sand clinging to her tail and arms!
The only thing that makes me cock my head is her right arm:
is she double-jointed?

And the villainous Ursula brings up the end!
Ursula also from The Little Mermaid.
So Ariel gets her villain.

Easter Goodies--Oh, And Have a Happy One!

Happy Easter to all of you!

The Easter Bunny was especially kind to Young Disney Freak and I.  Young Disney Freak received a Polly Pocket Belle set with different dresses.  I on the other hand received another Mickey Mouse shirt--which I shall wear tomorrow!

Again, happy Easter to everyone.

Disney Characters in a "Non-Disney" Show

So I'm sure you've heard of the new ABC series "Once Upon a Time"?  It's an interesting idea, really: fairy-tale characters being taken to the real world and not remembering who their fantasy counterparts are.  And while I haven't watched the show yet (parents, ugh), I do honestly like it.

Except for the Disney characters tossed in.

I have to say that this show isn't really using Disney characters.  I mean, they are: obviously Belle is from the Disney version Beauty and the Beast.  But the show is taking these characters (and by the way, they're allowed to use the Disney characters; Disney owns ABC) and changing their stories.  So other than the fact that their names match up, they aren't really Disney characters at all.

And just so this is clear, I'm not counting basic fairytale characters as Disney characters, such as Cinderella.  That's the name of the girl from the fairytale; Disney did not make it up.  No, I'm referring to Belle, Gaston, Maleficent...names and sometimes characters that Disney created for their films who are now put in these episodes.

And correct me if I'm ever wrong in this post: I haven't watched the show remember?  I'm going off by what I've read.

So let's compare the characters to their Disney counterparts.

Take Maleficent for example.

In "Year of the Disney Dragon," I shared with you that Maleficent is my favorite Disney villain.  And I'm very picky about how my favorite characters are portrayed (which is a hint that I'm not too thrilled about the upcoming Maleficent movie...post on that later).

Just take a look at this.

Maleficent from the original movie.
Photo from the Disney Wiki.

Maleficent in "Once Upon a Time."
She is portrayed by Kristin Bauer van Straten.
Photo from Wikipedia.

Do they even bare a slight resemblance?  Oh, of course, the horns.

Really.

Not even some green skin.  Even Elphaba got it in all her shows: it'd be horrifying if she didn't appear without it!  Everyone knows the Wicked Witch of the West has green skin; what about Maleficent?

And now she has blond curly hair?

Skin Deep: Beauty and the Beast Characters

First, let's take a look at Belle.

Belle from the original movie.
Photo from the Disney Wiki.

Belle (foreground) in "Once Upon a Time."
She is portrayed by Emilie de Ravin.
Photo from the Once Upon a Time Wiki.
That's Rumpelstiltskin in the back, who ends up
being the Beast.

Yes, these two do look awfully alike, don't they?  Much better than Maleficent.  I'm actually quite happy with how they portrayed one of the most popular Disney characters of all time.  Also very jealous of that dress.

Aside from their physical appearance, there are a few interesting differences between the original Disney version and the one who stars in the episode "Skin Deep."

Firstly, Belle is engaged to Gaston when the episode starts out!  That's the most preposterous thing I've ever heard!  Wasn't the original movie based off of how she rejected Gaston because all he cared about was physical beauty (going back to the whole idea of "Skin Deep")?  And yet here she's engaged.

It sounds awfully similar to some fan stories where Belle and Gaston end up getting together instead of Belle and the Prince.  However, here in "Once Upon a Time," things get...better.

Another thing I thought was also interesting was that Belle's father Maurice is the king or something of a kingdom.  Wasn't he the crazy inventor?  (And I realize in the original fairytale, Belle's father is a merchant, but don't forget I'm focusing on the Disney version.)

Also note that this makes Belle a princess from the gecko, instead of through marrying her prince.

I found it cute however that she stills calls Maurice "Papa," just like in the original movie.

Now the thing that bugs me the most: Rumpelstiltskin is the Beast!  What happened to Prince Adam?

Again, let me remind myself about them not being really the Disney characters or stories...

Moving onto Gaston...

Gaston, with his "biceps to spare," from the
original movie.
Photo from the Disney Wiki.

Gaston in "Once Upon a Time,"
portrayed by Sage Brocklebank.
Photo from the Once Upon a Time Wiki.

What really bugs me about Gaston is that he's lost all of his character.  He's no longer the self-absorbed guy who cares about skin deep beauty.  Nor is he muscular: where did his "biceps to spare" go?

Being the villain of the Disney version, Gaston was killed by falling to his death.  Not exactly the Beast's fault, as Gaston seemed to have lost either his footing or grip.  But in "Once Upon a Time," the "Beast" aka Rumpelstiltskin turns him into a rose to give to Belle, who sorta just shrugs off the fact that their marriage was arranged.

Only pictures this time for Maurice.  Just want you to get a good look at the physical differences.

A clipart version of Maurice from the original movie.
He's shorter than Belle.
Clipart from the Disney Wiki.

Maurice in "Once Upon a Time."
He is portrayed by Eric Keenleyside.
He's taller than Belle.
Photo from the Once Upon a Time Wiki.

So the verdict: Belle is the only one who really looks like her "Disney" counterpart?

Looks like it.

One Final Question

The last thing that I've been wondering ever since I first heard Maleficent was to appear on the show is why use these Disney characters?

Why not be original, like the show already is with the story ideas, and use your own characters?  Do you need Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty or couldn't you have just made a new name for an age-old character: the evil fairy?

I think this site is worth reading.  But it still doesn't completely answer my question.

So to close this post: Why Disney over more original?

My First Disney Pin

In 2008, my bestie and I (along with her family) went to Walt Disney World, my first and only time (so far).  I'm not going to describe the entire trip.  Instead, I'm going to focus on one of the last things I did while in the most magical place on Earth.

After we ate dinner at a Character Dinner, while the others went to brave Space Mountain, my bestie's mother and I went to do some Character Meet-and-Greets.

It was the Princesses.

Aurora, Belle, and Cinderella.

All in one room.

Give me a moment to settle down.

Even though I was the oldest in the room (not counting all the mothers escorting their little princesses), I was a nervous wreck.  I mean, here I was, about to meet some of my childhood heroes.

I was literally freaking out.

Okay, not literally.  I controlled it pretty well.  And as I said in another post, I didn't fully understand my Disney obsession and love for it, so I didn't freak out as much as I would today.

After meeting all the Princesses and getting their autographs, my bestie's mom and I headed over to a Disney store. The rest of my bestie's family were still riding the roller coaster.

And there, my bestie's mom introduced me to Disney Pin Trading.  I thought it was a really cool idea.  If you don't know what it is...I'll post later on that.

My bestie's mom is an avid collector, apparently.  I'm not sure if she trades them.  But she told me about how she has hats which she keeps just to put the pins on.

I absolutely loved the idea.

So I browsed the huge assortment of pins.  I'm not kidding.  There were tons.

I finally settled on one which showed all the Princesses I'd met that day.

My first Disney Pin!
Sorry for the terrible and blurry quality--I had to use my
cellphone since my camera refused to work!
Photo taken and copyrighted by THE Disney Freak.

(I'm trying to find information about the pin, but I can't find a site or other source.  So like my post about the "Bambi" and "Faline" figurines, let me know if you recognize this pin and can tell me anything about it.  I bought it in 2008.)