Category Archives: Disney

February 24, 2014

Secondary Character Sunday: Disney Side Kicks

By ritalovestowrite

Timon-KH

Continuing the theme I’ve got going this February on Disney… this time it’s all about the SIDE KICKS! (Thanks to Maggie and Jenny who helped me come up with list.)

Disney Side Kicks come in three general categories…

  • The ones we love deep in our hearts. Those Side Kicks who help our protagonist and share knowledge along the way. They’ll likely risk their life to save the hero or heroine. It’s all part of the job.
  • Side Kick genre number two is the Bad Side Kick. Not quite the villain in the film, but not the good guy either. They always seem to cause trouble. And sometimes revel in getting our heroine in deep do-do (Lucifer, I’m looking at YOU.)
  • The last category of Disney Side Kick is the Comic Relief Side Kick. You know who I mean… the wise crackers, they don’t do much to advance the plot but they sure bring the funny for the kids. These Side Kicks are generally the most annoying, but you still gotta love ’em.

Here’s our top lists. Please write in and let me know who we forgot.

BEST  GOOD DISNEY SIDE KICKS EVER…

  • Meeko (Pocahontas)
  • ZaZu (The Lion King)
  • Cogsworth & Lumeire (Beauty and the Beast)
  • Gus & Jaq (Cinderella)
  • Baloo (Jungle Book)
  • Sebastian (Little Mermaid)
  • Pascal (Tangled)

And drum roll please… Maggie’s best  of the best Good Disney Side Kick’s is… Meeko; Mine is  ZaZu.

Zazu,_The_Lion_King_(2) copy

BEST BAD SIDE KICKS EVER…

  • Shenzi, Banzai and Ed, The Hyenas (the Lion King)
  • Percy, the Pug (Pocahontas)
  • Iago (Aladdin)
  • Hiss, the snake  (Jungle Book)
  • Floatsom and Jetsam (Little Mermaid)
  • Lucifer (Cinderella)

Maggie’s pick is Iago; Mine is also Iago.

Iago (Aladdin)

BEST COMIC RELIEF SIDE KICKS…

  • Abu (Aladdin)
  • Scuttle (Little Mermaid)
  • Muschu (Mulan)
  • Genie (Aladdin)
  • Terk (Tarzan)
  • Dory (Finding Nemo)
  • Olaf (Frozen)

Maggie’s pick … Olaf; Mine is Dori (OMG I couldn’t love Dori more! She’s the best, so just keep swimming every body!)

Finding Nemo (video game)

 

Bonus category: BEST DISNEY EQUINE Side Kicks:

  • Samson ,Prince Phillip’s Horse (Sleeping Beauty)
  • Maximus (Tangled)
  • Sven (Frozen)
  • Major (Cinderella)
  • Angus (Brave)
Maggie’s pick is Sven; Mine is Samson.
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1 Comment | posted in Disney, postaday, Secondary Character

February 12, 2014

Secondary Character Saturday: Flynn Rider (Tangled)

By ritalovestowrite

Tangled-flynn-rider-photo3

WHO: Flynn Rider (Eugene Fitzherbert)

FROM: Tangled

BY: Dan Fogelman (Story), Alan Menken (Music), Glenn Sather (Lyric)

PRODUCED: 2010

250px-Tangled_rapunzel_poster_20

PROS: Although you don’t see all of Flynn’s good characteristics at first, he’s funny, down to earth, master of the “smolder”, charming, romantic, good-hearted, compassionate, chivalrous, sensitive, kind — and of course he has “superhuman good looks” .

CONS: When we first meet him he’s a conniving thief who is only out to save his own skin … and steal a valuable  crown.

BEST SHINING MOMENT: Toss up: Taking Rapunzel to see the festival of lights, and cutting off her hair to free her from her “mother.”


LEAST SHINING MOMENT: He’s pretty much a rough through the first half of the movie.

Here’s Flynn trying to get out of a sticky situation by giving Rapunzel the “smoulder”…

Flynn-Riders-Smolder-GIF

WHY I CHOSE HIM: Well… when I did my Disney Princes profile last week I had several people tell me I simply HAD to see Tangled because they just loved Flynn. So I did, and I do. He’s a charmer, I admit.

Flynn-Rider-flynn-rider-33691405-500-600

Flynn/Eugene and Rapunzel get married at the end. She’s been restored to her place as Princess, so technically he becomes a Prince. The cute couple even make a cameo in the latest Disney blockbuster, Frozen.

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All images on this post are courtesy: Disney.

Leave a comment | posted in Disney, Flynn Rider, postaday, Secondary Character, Tangled

February 2, 2014

Secondary Character Saturday: Disney Princes

By ritalovestowrite

No doubt you’ve been wondering WHEN I was going to get to this weighty issue… Who is the best Disney Prince?

For this completely bias blog post I’ll only being considering Disney Princess’s from movies I’ve actually seen.  (So sorry Naveen, Flynn, and Kristoff, I neither have a little one of the appropriate age to act as multiplex chaperone, nor am I cool enough to have seen Frog Prince, Rapunzel or Frozen on my own.) Likewise excluded will be Disney heroes of the non prince variety (Li Shang and John Smith) and non human princes (Simba, etc.) They will be weighed on the merits presented in the Disney movie alone (not in the source material or in any of the insipid direct to video sequels.)

That leaves (in chronological order):

prince-charming-snow-white-and-the-seven-dwarfs-18702621-479-362

  • Prince Florian (Snow White and the Sven Dwarfs) LOVE INTEREST: Snow White. PROS: Good singing voice, handsome, excellent swordsman, kind, charming, polite, ability to bring back the dead with a kiss, looks like an actual human 17 year old, good with animals, friendly with dwarves. BUZZ FEED HOTNESS RATING: 9 (1 being the best out of 10) poor Florian ranks only 9 because of his blandness. They also claim he’s too pretty with his pretty, pretty puffed sleeves. Personally I don’t think it is fair to judge the 1930 movie by our 2014 drawing standards. I like that he looks like an innocent 17-year-old. Personality wise, thought? Not much shows up on-screen.

princecharming

  • Prince Charming (Cinderella) LOVE INTEREST: Cinderella. PROS: Excellent Dancer, handsome, good singer, discriminating in his choice of life partners, persistent, determined. BUZZ FEED HOTNESS RATING: 8  (out of 10) Buzz feed basically gives him the bump on Florian because Charming has more clothing style. I think Charming has more going for him than his epaulets and tan. He has a real connection for Cindy, and he’s determined to find HIS girl, and not be shuffled off with what ever princess fits the royal shoe bill. 

Phillip

  • Prince Phillip (Sleeping Beauty) LOVE INTEREST: Princess Aurora. PROS: BRAVE, handsome, excellent sword skills, good singer, good with animals, good shot,  has the ability to wake some one from a 100 years sleep spell with a kiss. BUZZ FEED HOTNESS RATING: 7 (out of 10) this seems a little low to me.  Prince Phillip gets big, big, big marks from me. He really goes out and saves his princess — and goes through a heck of lot to do it.

Eric-3-prince-eric-17739476-500-329

  • Prince Eric (The Little Mermaid) LOVE INTEREST: Ariel. PROS:  Handsome, responsible, kind, loyal, dog lover, good ruler, funny, good sailor. BUZZ FEED HOTNESS RATING: 2 (out of 10) Now you’re talking.

Hunk alert! Prince Eric — with his big blue eyes, jet-black hair, and incredibly expressive eyebrows — is arguably the most attractive prince on the list. If you’re a straight woman or gay man, and you didn’t have a crush on Prince Eric at some point, you’re either lying or in denial. He’s sweet. He’s romantic. He loves dogs. I’d give up my fins to be with him. [buzzfeed.com]

Prince Eric also saves the day (and the princess) with a big of heap of bravery at the end of the movie. Come on… kiss this girl. He’s a big fave.

beautyandthebeastlead

  • Prince Adam (Beauty and the Beast) LOVE INTEREST: Belle. PROS: kind, generous, protective, becomes self-aware, feels bad for what he did in the past and tries to make up for it.  CONS: temper, temper, temper, self loathing. BUZZ FEED HOTNESS RATING: 5 The folks at the Buzz like the Beast in all his heart warming hairy-ness. B&tB is my fave Disney movie, hands down, but more because of feisty, smart, brave Belle than anything else. However, the Beast — and his journey to self awareness — and the amazing music in the film are other wonderful reasons to love this movie.  You had me at Chapter Three.

Aladdin and Jasmine

  • Prince Ali, aka Aladdin (Aladdin) LOVE INTEREST: Jasmine. PROS: resourceful, smart, charming, romantic, big-hearted, warm. He’s one of the first guys who are allowed to be a hero for their own sake, not as a foil for the Princess. BUZZ FEED HOTNESS RATING: 1 (out of 10) Buzz Feed edges out Aladdin over Eric because of Aladdin’s added personality. I loved the first Aladdin. Not so much the sequels that taint my appreciation of the original.

So who makes the final cut? I’m knocking out Charming and Florian right off the bat. Sorry fellas. Aladdin and Adam you’re gone too.

That leaves Prince Phillip and Prince Eric… Both handsome, brave, funny, charming, kind, thoughtful…

PrincePhilip

Eric-3-prince-eric-17739337-720-480

I can’t decided. I think I’ll need you all to weigh in here.

3 Comments | posted in Disney, postaday, Secondary Character, Thought of the Day

November 3, 2013

Secondary Character: The Beast, Beauty and the Beast

By ritalovestowrite
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Advertisement for Beauty and the Beast (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

WHO: The Beast

 

FROM: Beauty and the Beast (Disney version)

 

BY: Linda Woolverton, Roger Allersetal et al — Writers      Alan Menken — Music, Howard Ashman — Lyrics.

 

WHEN RELEASED: 1991

 

PROS: Under his furry, grumpy exterior he’s really a kind, warm person.

 

CONS: he’s hot-tempered and tends toward self loathing and self-pity. At the beginning of the tale he was also selfish, vain, and judged other by the way they looked.

 

BEST SHINING MOMENT: Letting Belle go to her father even though it means he’ll always be a Beast.

 

LEAST SHINING MOMENT: Imprisoning Maurice.

Blu-ray Diamond edition cover

WHY I CHOOSE HIM: I like the Beast’s story arch. He learns something in the course of 84 minutes that changed how he saw himself and how he saw the world. He learned to love, and was willing to let that love go if it meant her happiness.

Honestly I didn’t need the last five minutes of the show. I’m glad [SPOILER ALERT] Belle saved his life.  But for me he could have stayed in Beast form. He’d already proven that he was beautiful on the inside. He didn’t need to transform outwardly. BUT I do think the absolute glee that he feels for his friends after their transformation is a lovely touch.

 

I’m somewhat jaded when it comes to Disney. It seems that the Mouse is rather ham-fisted in the way it monopolizes children’s entertainment. They often opt for a watered down, sugared up, “what-will-sell-best” version of a story over the original classic (Winnie the Pooh, anyone?) But with Beauty and the Beast they got it right. It’s not the original French fairytale, but it is a lovely version of the story and it is told with depth and … well… beauty.

A frame from the famous "Beauty and the B...

A frame from the famous “Beauty and the Beast” ballroom dance sequence. Using Disney’s CAPS software, the traditionally animated characters of Belle and the Beast are combined with a rendered computer-generated background to give the illusion of a dollying film camera. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The movie was the first animated featured film ever nominated for an Oscar. Although it didn’t win Best Picture, Beauty and the Beast did win Best Original Score and Best Original Song.  It was made into a Broadway musical  in 1994.

1 Comment   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Beauty and the Beast, Disney, Film, postaday, Secondary Character, Thought of the Day, Writing

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