Day 5: Best of the Disney Films

Almost done! ♥

Wreck-It Ralph

*8.5
*A really good message about reflecting one's role in this world. Whether or not you're actually a bad guy, therefore causing kids to eventually look at their own qualities and having an inner desire to be good.
There's also a great theme of friendship and loyalty developed especially between Ralph and Vanellope. And a neat side message that if you have a job, you need to do it, cuz other people are depending on you.
*Perhaps one of the best movies Disney has made. It certainly has it's problems, but you can't argue; it's awesome! So good and so special. The video game theme is what attracted me to it and I'm so glad it was successful in it's exposure. There are some emotional qualities to it that are mixed in with the clever humor and fun plot, as well. It's a great one to watch with the whole fam, cuz there's a lot to enjoy. :)


Prince of Persia

*8.0
*The most important quality in this is the theme of family. There's also the note that you need to be careful with the choices you make. Cuz in reality...at least that we know of. ;)...there really isn't a magic dagger that turns back time.
*This one was utterly fantastic. I had only played bits and pieces of the original game, so I had vague memory of the storyline when the movie came out, which basically, this is a sugarcoated Disney version, who turned it more into a fairytale, but that's fine, cuz they still did a great job! It's an awesome movie with an element I wish we can use on every movie, and well, everything...y'know...turning back time to where none of the bad stuff happened. XDDD But they gave a few really respectful nods to the original game and that was cool. Daston and Tamina were adorable, yo. Their relationship developed rather nicely.
So yeah, really good film, all around!

Beauty & the Beast

*9.0

*Don't judge someone based on their appearance, for a person can be more than what they seem. Beast was externally a selfish, bitter and ugly person, but on the inside, he was hurt, and spiteful for what happened to him and had heroic qualities to him that he just refused to acknowledge. Gaston, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. He might have been the most "handsome" man in town and was adored by all those around him, he was really a vain, greedy, envious and cruel individual who lusted for things only to have them as trophies. While he sought out Belle to be a prize to be won, Beast saw her with love and respect and was willing to earn her as opposed to just taking her. That meant looking within himself and try to change to be more worthy of her, which is an important thing to teach to kids. We're not always going to be perfect people. We're gonna have our own separate issues, but as long as they're not too terrible and we really love a person, we have the chance to try and compromise and attempt to be better so we're worthy of the people we care for. And that change winds up not only appealing to the ones we did it for, but to others, as well.

* It's a classic. What can I say? It's a beautiful tale, with magnificent art, voice acting and direction.

They added real action to it, as well, which is something the original story lacked.

Sure, there's a song here and there, but nothing too annoying or unbearable. There's cheese, but the film is so good, you're required to sit through it and just smile. It's a wonderful film, regardless. ♥

God Bless,

Day 4: Fabulous Females

Three more to the set! ♥




Merida

Come on, you know I had to add her!
It's Merida, dude! She's a total adorable tomboy, a wild spirit and a lovely little human being.
No matter who you are, you gotta love Merida. She may be a princess, but she acts like every other commoner, with a childish and playful demeanor.

What I love most about her was how realistic they made her. She's stubborn and rebellious like every other teenager, but she refused to conform to ancient tradition, being an arranged marriage, because that's not what she wanted for her life. She wanted to find someone to share her loves and be happy with, who understood her and her unlady like behavior. She proceeded to do the wrong thing to get her way and because of that, the consequences of her decision almost cost her mother.
In the nick of time, she and her mother both learned their own lessons and began to understand one another.



While she may have made wrong choices, the beauty of her personality is that she realized she was wrong. She was growing. She was learning. She was experiencing life, as we all do. She made bad decisions, but once she realized this, she quickly tried to put them to right and she fought like heck for it.
Once more, her relationship with her mother was beautifully done, even making me emotional. She had the bond that a lot of mothers and daughters share. It's a struggle. You may fight a lot and don't agree with everything eachother says, but in the end, you're still family and you still love one another.
And no matter what you both say or do, you don't wanna watch the other suffer or go.
So, she had great character development, in that case.



Another thing I love about her is her totally wild, tomboyish spirit.
She fought, she played with swords, bow and arrows, roughed around with her brothers, and did things girls kind've just did not do. But that's the awesome part about her. She refused to live like other princesses, like other girls-- she set her own path.
And people who say this means she likes girls?
Nuh uh. Those bozos don't know what they're talking about.
I get so tired of the same tune being sung about girls like this.
Just because you're different from other girls, doesn't mean it means what you think it means. She wants to be herself and that's tough. If she has more boyish qualities, that's fine. She's clearly wanting to be in a relationship, but just with someone she chooses. I'm sure those weren't the only three dudes in Scotland. She probably wants someone manly, and brave, and capable, like her.
Pay attention to one part where she peeks at one of the men...no, not the boys they put in the spotlight.. the one that one of the Scotland Lords was supposedly describing, as his son.



She took notice. XD So she clearly is attracted to someone big and strong.
Sooooo stop with the same card, guys. You're killing me.

But you know, it's hard not to love Merida at least a little. She's awesome. ♥




Tauriel

Don't even get me started on the ridiculous rants of the purists. I respect that people want things to be as they are in books (or just in originals) but to completely down the character and the actor and everything having to do with them was just down right wrong. There have been plenty of original characters for films or otherwise who have been spectacular. I mean, c'mon, it's not like she was a walking banana who liked rock and roll. She was an elf who fit the graceful nature of her species quite nicely. There were other elves in the forest, y'know, not just Thranduil. And naturally, Legolas was around too, SINCE HE WAS HIS SON.
But I am a firm supporter of her. Her character fit right into the cast, as if she really were one of the originals.
So just...stop. Stop complaining. It's rude.




And yes, I have her on here. Cuz I loved her. She was awesome. She was a fighter, she was loyal, she was all the makings of a good role model. They did an excellent job on her, and yes, to be honest, a little bit of a female presence was refreshing. It's not like they didn't exist or anything.



Unlike others, I was alright with the relationship between her and Kili. It was fine, it was fine.
What I had a problem with was how they made him die for her. Like, what?
No, no, no, that was just wayyy too cliche and just..no.
That's one of the things that made Fili and Kili's deaths all the more tragic was when they essentially sacrificed themselves, trying to defend Thorin.
But no, they had to go and make Kili die for Tauriel, uggghhh, no. Not ok.
That just kind've ruined the moment for me, so no, I did not cry.
That's one of the things with the deaths of LOTR is that they get an emotional response from me because they happen the way they're supposed to happen.
I would've preferred her to fight hard to try and find him in the chaos of the battle, and him and Fili died trying to defend their uncle..and then she find his body and cry. That probably would've been a heck of a lot sadder for me and I would've shed some tears. But noooo, die for the girl, nope nope nope, way too cliche.



Despite all that, I still loved her character. She was an awesome addition to the series and I love all her lines and determination. :) Hopefully her and Legolas eventually hooked up. XD
Love ya, girl!

BA DUM, DUM. Done for now!!

God Bless,

Day 4: Best of the Disney Films

Three more posts to this set. ;) Let's continue with the first!


Aladdin

*8.5
*Much of this amazing classic is suitable mostly for entertainment purposes rather than get preachy, however there are a few strong themes that one can take from; the power of friendship, respect and loyalty, for one. Aladdin and Genie were the best of pals and Genie was there for him whenever he needed help.
Second is the subject that someone's social status shouldn't dictate whether you should love them or not. Despite being poor, Aladdin had just as much a good heart as he would were he powerful.
Jasmine recognized this and the two fell for one another. And throughout all the trials, they eventually found a way to be together. He also didn't have to play prince in order to impress her. He just needed to be himself. Another is, well, be careful what you wish for. Cuz it might be exactly what you wish for.
*I just love this one so much. It's very well done and has a great feel and direction about it. I mean, c'mon, who doesn't love Aladdin?!


Tron: LEGACY

*8.5
*If you pay attention, this actually has a lot of Christian comparisons I'd probably have to name sometime. But other than that, there aren't too many messages around. It is a great film, though..
*I know how this movie got bad reviews and I don't even understand. How can you not love it?!
It was spectacular! The graphics, the acting, the storyline, EVERYTHING, it all looks so pretty and digital and you can not deny the awesomeness of the soundtrack. ♥ The characters are also portrayed so well. I loved almost everybody and was incredibly sad when almost all of them were killed off. :( One of the cons of this film, to be sure. But that doesn't stop me from absolutely loving it.

Day 3: Best of the Disney Films

Hello, my beautiful subjects!


Lilo & Stitch

*7.0
*A large portion of this movie's plot is about family, which I find to be really important. Even though this was a key thing, there weren't many other messages you can take. The relationship between Lilo and Nani was done well and warmly for sisters to relate to. That even though they fought a lot, they were still sisters and loved one another. They added a bit of realism to the story, as well, as far as the human backgrounds went. People who have lost family members can relate to the girls, who themselves had lost their parents, so it has a good chance of emotional connection. Lilo not being accepted by the other girls and then finding Stitch, who actually understood her, is also a good addition, showing that you just have to find people who love and accept you for who you are. And it was actually nice to see a girl make a connection with the otherworldly creature, for a change.
*It has it's share of Disney corniness and I'm not necessarily a fan of beachy, paradise-type backgrounds, but this one has a lot of charm and humor that's good enough to hold my attention. The alien aspect of things also might've played a role in my liking it. ;P Stitch is precious and totally lovable, so it's hard not to love at least him. All in all, they did a good enough job with this one, that was successful enough to spawn sequels and a fantastic TV series.



Brave

*7.0
*One of the most important messages to take from this film is the beautifully portrayed relationship between Merida and her mother. There are a few touching parts that make me out and out cry, so it's sure to strike people who have close relationships with their mothers in the feels. There's an added message here about finding your own path and not giving in to arranged relationships, which is an important thing for young people to know. Merida may have disobeyed her parents, but the movie does show that because of it, there were bad consequences that she needed to fix. Her arguing with her mother also showed a bit of realism to parent-child relationships, but the important thing they showed was that in the end, it all worked out, and love is more powerful than hate, as they both began to understand one another. There are some things in here that are inappropriate for children (if you've seen the film, you'll know what I'm talking about), but it's not too horrendous and still a great movie with good messages to consider.
*I was surprised by how much I loved this one. Merida is a girl after my own heart. Like Mulan, she doesn't accept that just because she's a girl means she has to doll herself up. She's a huge tomboy princess and that's a refreshing thing to see compared to all the girly princesses. I especially loved the relationship between her and her mother. The characters are great and most are likable. The plot and theme throughout the story was a nice change of pace in the fairytale genre, and the animation was beautifully done. I, for one, loved the Scottish background, lore and landscapes. It has some faults, but it's still a really good movie.


Peter Pan

*7.5
*There aren't too many wholesome messages in this movie (I could go into detail about some negative aspects that people frequently complain about, but I'll spare you that opening of drama, not that it's coming from me, cuz I really don't care. XD). I will say that since forever, I've loved the Peter Pan story with all my heart and treasure it's inner message to never grow up. I'm 20 years old and I still follow this great advise. I may adult a lot, but I'm still just as immature as a puppy. Not growing up doesn't necessarily have to mean aging or doing mature things. It can simply mean to never stop having that inner child to escape to when things go wrong. To never stop having fun and enjoying your life. To never stop playing. And I think that's as beautiful a message as you can get. :)
*How can you not love this one, though? Sure, it doesn't follow a lot of elements from the book, in fact it sugarcoats most things, but it's still a well done classic and has a good amount of humor and mischief to keep you entertained. Plus, Peter Pan. So yeah.


Oliver & Company

*6.5
*The same concept, essentially, as with The Rescuers and Meet the Robinsons, where Oliver is basically an orphan. Being that this has to do with animals, you have a lot more potential for people going to get dogs and cats after watching this film, so it raises attention to all the lonely little hearts out there, waiting to be loved.
It also deals a small positive aspect of friendship when it comes to Oliver and the others.
*This is one of my dad's favorites, so I kinda grew up with this one. Sure, it's not my favorite of Disney movies, but I do love it! It's got a good habit of keeping me reeled in and the writing isn't too bad. It isn't completely riddled with singing, so that part makes me happy. Alot of the characters are also likable, naturally for the dogs, cuz dogs are glorious. ^^ Overall, good entertainment.

Until next time!

God Bless,

Day 2: Best of the Disney Films

Good evening, precious people! ^_^


Holes

*7.5
*Not necessarily meant to be a wholesome film that you can get a clear message out've, but it does have a few good points you can take from. Such as don't judge people based on their race, for one. The townspeople (mainly Walker) were racist against Sam (due to interracial relationships being illegal) and didn't want Kate to be with him, so he was killed. Course, it was a bad and difficult time and we are since past that type of thing, but it still teaches you and shows you the goodness of people's heart from everywhere and you shouldn't be prejudice to one another. Also, keep your promises. Had Stanley's ancestor been honorable to Madam Zeroni's request, he wouldn't have had that curse put upon him. Thankfully, years down the line, his descendant did the job for him, but the curse wound up bringing endless bad luck to the family until that point, so, basically, do what you are meant to do, before it effects others. An added message to take from this is that justice will always prevail. May not be today or tomorrow or even where we can see it at all in our life time, but evil always pays in some way and everything works out in the end.
*What I love about this storyline is that everything intertwines. All the characters are connected somehow, but not in an annoying, in-your-face way. A clever, aha way. The ending is just pure poetic justice and the relationships built up scattered around the movie are very well done. The moment Kate loses Sam always draws out emotion in me, too. It's a movie you can enjoy with everyone, but it has a lot of things that adults will be able to relate to. It holds your attention good and keeps it balanced with lots of humor, character development and a cleverly written plot.


Meet the Robinsons

*7.0
*There are a few really good messages inside this one. For one, it shows the importance of family and love and brings light to how orphan children feel, and no matter how old they are, they matter too. It's another one of those movies that has to do with the past and shows the consequences of our actions and what we wind up leaving for ourselves and others later down the line. Granted, the fact that Goob carried a grudge against Luis was ridiculous, but in the end, he wasn't such a bad guy (turns out it was really Doris the hat) and he really was misguided on the matter and wanted to be good in the end. Another good message was "Keep Moving Forward", which really encourages everyone to simply do just that. Never give up. If nothing works out the first time, try try again. :)
*The plot itself is what interests me the most. The characters are likable enough and I love the way things build up. It has some corny parts, but for the most part, I can really tolerate it and it closes things off rather well. Nevertheless, it's a great family film!


Sleeping Beauty

*7.0
*A beautiful classic that doesn't necessarily have too many messages one can pull out. It does have the age-old "love at first sight" subplot that fairytales normally have where Aurora and Phillip have one or two encounters and then they marry, so it's not the greatest thing to teach kids. But it makes up for it with charm, beautiful art and a warm magical feel that'll have a lot of it's more mature atmospheres fly over kids' heads.
I guess you can also point out to kids...not to tick off evil witches?
*Just as I said, it's beautiful and I love the feeling I get when I watch it. It's a true fairytale and has a really great set of voice actors for the lovable characters. You gotta love it simply because it's a fairytale. ^^


The Rescuers

*7.5
*Another one that doesn't necessarily have a lot of a message you can take away. It does explore a storyline involving orphans, so it brings the matter to people's attention and it has a good tendency to make people emotional about the characters. The characters themselves have good moral background and the film explores good examples of friendship and Good Samaritan acts.
*I love the characters so much and the story is adorable. The art is also very well done, very vivid and detailed. The music is also catchy and it isn't littered with everybody singing. What more can I say? It's a classic. XD

Tune in tomorrow for my next post!

God bless,

Day 1: Fabulous Females...

This is a series of posts that will give in small detail what I love the most about certain female characters.

While I'm in no way a Feminist, I still value strong and capable gals in fiction, who either have impressive fighting capabilities or just really honorable qualities to them that everyone should value in a girl.

I'm not a fan of my own gender, I'll be honest with that.

But I can't help but give two thumbs up to dem gals who are just pure amazement, in every shape of the word. And naturally, these girls are in no particular order.

Emily the Strange

The essence of awesomeness herself, Emily's where it's at, bro's.
She's meh girl. \|/ >___< \|/
While I'm a dog person, rather than a cat person, and I am not nearly as dark as she can be, she's one of the closest things out there I've found that's even the least bit similar to myself.
She's got an overwhelming amount of sass and toughness and digs creepy, dark things without going too deep into the creep hole herself, and she's a total genius.

Her character is one of the strangest and most complex portrayals of a gal I have yet to witness.
And I love it. Every second of it.

You can thank my sister for introducing me to Emily.
I was told for quite awhile how much Em and I are alike and once I got ahold of the four Em Strange novels and read for myself her interesting personality, I quickly caught onto the idea.
Seriously though, personal comparison aside, I love Emily and all her little adventures.
She has one heck of a background and juicy details to her past that I really wanna learn more about.
She's massively awesome and will always remain one of my favorite female characters of all time.

(still waiting for an Emily Strange movie, btw, k thnx bye)





Black Widow / Natasha Romanoff

To tell you the truth, I at first had my doubts of liking her when I heard about the way they were going to handle her character, or at least what I assumed they were going to do.
Y'know, what they normally always do to tough, strong ladies...either they over-sexualize them or make them...you know..and that's one of the main reasons why female characters just plain infuriate me sometimes.
But I never expected for her to become one of my most favorite female characters.
Like, ever.
There's no lies in anything, she's awesome.
They haven't written her wrong. They haven't screwed her up.
They haven't made her a stone wall, but they also haven't made her an emotional baby.
She doesn't get attached to people, but she still wants a few of them around just so she isn't completely alone. In most situations, she can handle her own.
But being kidnapped by a horde of robots kind've hits the breaks for her and that's ok.

They've done true justice with Widow.
She essentially does what she wants. She handles problems with a cool and calculated, sometimes snarky, manner and is super smart and skilled in what she does, it almost seems like she knows everything.
She's a girl after my own heart and a proud candidate for one of the best tough female portrayals I've ever seen done. There really hasn't been anything wrong with her character that I've been ticked off at.
Everything about her is perfect. And I truly admire her desire to make up for a difficult and tragic past and her loyalty to the rest of the Avengers, even though, honestly, she doesn't owe them anything.
So yeah, Widow...she's awesome.

Mulan

I'm not exaggerating when I say that Mulan inspired me when I was young.
She is quite literally probably the BEST example of what a tough girl should strive to be.
When I was little, Mulan was my Disney Princess. Because I related to her the most.
She inspired me in more ways than one and showed me that it was ok to be different from other girls and defy the status qou for a stretch.
When I was young, it was clear that even though I had to wear dresses and try to act proper like a lady, I was different from the other girls. I was rougher and got along better with the boys and eventually I learned that indeed, I was different.
Like Mulan, I was taught how a girl should act and what they should like and that's fine, because most girls like those things. To cake themselves in make-up, dress up, be pretty, become a gentle little doll.
But there's something within us tough girls that drives us to be more than that.
It's ok to be that way. To not be interested in what society has put in the heads of girls on how to act and what to like, and it doesn't mean that we're..you know.
I'm in total love with boys and can't get enough of them. And I get along much better with them than I do girls. Just like Mulan.

So Mulan is actually a very personal character to me. She had a good hand on the inspiration for what I wanted from myself.
And she has amazing qualities about her. She's super courageous, smart, funny and wild at heart.
She risked her life to protect her family and eventually all of China and essentially took down Shan-Yu with a fan...a fan.
She gave up and risked everything for the people she loved and did an awesome job doing it.
And in the end, she didn't gloat. She didn't shove all the men off who doubted her.
She didn't act arrogant or better than everyone else.
She did what she came to do. And then she went home.
One of the great things about her, too, was she didn't plaster herself up and flirt with every man she came across. She had her eyes fixed on one guy. And that one guy wound up becoming her husband.
In other words, she wasn't interested in relationships, except one. She waited.

So yeah, like I noted...Mulan has some amazing qualities that seriously just go unnoticed and is very much an underrated Disney girl. If any of them should serve as a suitable role model, it's definitely her.

That's all for today. ^_^ Thank you for reading, loves! ♥
Tune in again tomorrow for more of my Fabulous Female picks!

God Bless,