D23 Expo Recap Day 2

Potential minor Once Upon a Time spoilers here!

Day 2 started pretty much the same as the first day- we even got there slightly earlier for our long wait before being let in to the convention center. I wore my Belle costume again, and Lisa dressed as Emma Swan. We noticed way more costumes on this day including a pair that I thought were absolute genius- Alice Bluebonnet and Johnny Fedora from the old Disney short of the same name sung by the Andrews Sisters! Only true Disney geeks would get that one. I was thrilled! We also saw throughout the day- the Rescue Rangers, a really good Vanellope von Schweetz, Ariel wrapped in the boat tarp, clever variations on various Monsters U monsters, and whole set of fairies, and another Emma Swan.

Our plan for our second day involved mainly presentations with very little time left for the floor. First we went straight for the holding area for Stage 23 for a panel on the art of Frozen. This is where tag teaming came in handy. First, Lisa wanted to go find the foam “Pirate Fairy” swords that were being given out somewhere. After having quite the adventure with that, she returned, and I went out to get stagepasses for the Once Upon a Time panel at 1pm. That was a bit of an adventure too. I was able to figure out where the stagepass booth was, but it was tricky to get to because I kept being sent around things like the Disney Store and couldn't cut straight through. I noticed giveaways being handed out at the animation pavilion, but didn't really have the time to line up for it. Thankfully, the stagepass line was short, and I had no problem getting the passes. By the time I returned, Lisa had already been seated, but she had saved me a seat- we got to be right up front this time!

They didn't make us bag our cameras and phones this time, but they did make sure we turned everything off before coming in and were very explicit that there was to be no recordings of anything in this panel, least we wanted to hire a lawyer. This panel was a lot of fun! We were introduced to several animators and other creative types responsible for the film. I really enjoyed the fact that we are finally seeing more female animators and directors after years of animation being a heavily male dominated category. They discussed design in the film and the inspiration of “rosemauling” which is a style of patterning and decorative painting often found in Norwegian artwork. They introduced us to each of the characters with some really cute test footage. The characters actually looked out toward us and did an action that represents them- like Elsa threw snow right at the screen. We also saw hand sketches of the characters showing how even CGI harkens back to some of the methods used in traditional animation. I still prefer the look of hand drawn to CGI despite great improvements over the years.

They showed us the same clips we saw at the animation presentation in the arena plus a few new ones including one that set up the story. They also went through the story with us- not the whole thing, just enough to give us an idea of what was going on. That was helpful, because up until this point, I wasn't entirely sure what the film was about! The composers of the songs are the team who wrote Avenue Q and Book of Morman- an unusual fit for a fairytale musical! Both were in the audience of the panel, and we watched a very funny song in which an optimistic little magical snowman dreams of experiencing summer. I tried to go up and meet the composers after the presentation, but they had to leave fairly quickly- although they did notice my Belle costume. There were also already a few people dressed as the Anna and Elsa characters including a set of friends that we ran into several times throughout the expo.

The Once Upon a Time panel was to be in the same room as the Frozen panel, but we had to clear out first, so we looped back around into the holding area. There was still about an hour wait, but we were among the first there and so would get good seats. It wasn't so bad being able to chat with people around us. Lisa headed downstairs to get us our next stagepasses this time, although she had to wait a while before they opened the line for the later panels. Of course, I was bouncing in my seat excited for this panel- had been waiting all weekend for it! As they seated us, they handed out little pins of Henry's storybook which I was way too excited about.

This time Lisa was the one who arrived after we were seated. I was starting to worry she wouldn't get in. It was a pretty popular panel! They had an unusual pattern of filling the rows, so I didn't get to sit right up front this time- drat! We sat next to a pair of sisters, one of whom had one of those really neat balljointed dolls. She had me pose with her since I was dressed up.

The panel itself was a lot of fun even though none of the cast was there. It was a moderator interviewing the show runners, Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis. They talked about both the original show heading into its 3^rd season as well as the new Wonderland spin off. First, we were treated to the same 19 minute Wonderland preview that they had shown at Comic Con last month. It was my first real look at the new series beyond the promo. It actually begins in Storybrooke with a few quick shots from the beginning of season 2 when the wraith was causing chaos. While I'm most excited for season 3 of the original show, seeing this presentation definitely perked my interest in the spin off! It looks fascinating- a completely new take on Wonderland than we have seen before with Alice in love with a genie from Agrabah named Cyrus. Why is a genie in Wonderland I'd like to know! The new show has a different feel than the original. I can't quite put my finger on what it is. It might be due to Wonderland and Alice's world being so different from anything we've seen on OuaT- our world or the Enchanted Forest. We only got the briefest glimpse of Wonderland before.

The panel itself didn't reveal a whole lot of new information since Comic Con was less than a month earlier, and I had read and watched every interview I could find, but there were still a few juicy tidbits. Again, there are plenty of recaps out there, so I'm just going over highlights. We learned that we will learn Hook's backstory and how he became a pirate. We already knew Ariel is coming but now they've confirmed Eric as well. They also strongly hinted that Regina will play the role of Ursula, although it's not confirmed. Both Ariel and Tink will have surprising connections to main characters. After the moderator was finished with questions, they opened the floor and guests were allowed to line up at the two mics in the aisles to ask questions. I couldn't think of anything to ask that didn't fall into the “there's no way they are going to spoil that” category.

However, what I was most excited about was the premiere of a sneak peek clip for season 3! It did not disappoint! It was a scene in present day Neverland with Rumpelstiltskin looking like an intriguing mix of both the imp and Mr. Gold. He had normal skin and hair, but wore Rumple's leather, making for one rather sexy looking character I must say. He stood by himself in the jungle and called out for someone to come out from hiding. Here we saw Felix, the ominous lost one from the end of season 2. Rumple and Felix have an exchange indicating that they know each other and that Peter and Rumple were enemies in the past and will continue to be if Rumple has come for Henry. Then Felix tosses a little cornhusk doll at Rumple which causes him to break down in tears. Many other fans have interpreted this to mean Rumple was once a lost boy, but I disagree. I think Rumple went there as the Dark One- that he found out that his son was there at some point but then lost him again. I keep getting into debates about this so I really need to see the whole episode before I go crazy! Well, there's a month and a half left to go!

I had hoped to actually meet Adam and Eddie. I headed for the edge of the stage after the panel where they were scribbling autographs, but I wasn't assertive enough, and they were shuffled off without even glancing up and noticing my costume. Oh well- next time. I did run into some fellow Oncers including @TheZachVan, reporter from the Once Upon a Fan fansite. We had a great time chatting and sharing our mutual excitement for the new season! While we were in the hall, Adam and Eddy popped out again and walked right by us- this time I waved and Eddy saw me and waved back. Not as good as a meet and greet, but it was a nice consolation to at least get acknowledged.

We parted ways with our new friends with promises to get together in the future, but for now it was time to grab food and get into another line. First Lisa and I took the opportunity to get a picture of us together in front of the Jolly Roger since she was dressed as Emma. Meanwhile, the Emma character walk around spotted her and complimented her on the jacket- ha ha. 

We opted for the burgers at the outdoor BBQ booth. Our next panel was about Walt Disney animation. Well, actually, it turned out to be about the new animation app for the iPad! However, they did bring out several real Disney animators like the legendary Eric Goldberg who contributed to it to have a discussion. It looks like a positively amazing program with the ability to explore animation in all the films right up through Frozen. Unfortunately, my tablet is not an iPad...grumble. Lisa quickly grew restless, and although I protested, she decided to leave pretty early to get in line for the Menken/Sherman concert. Meanwhile, I got very distracted by someone in the audience. A section of the chairs were taped off, and a few rows ahead of me, someone was sitting on the other side who -at least from the back- looked suspiciously like Idina Menzel. I kept glancing her direction trying to get a better look. I was almost certain it was her! After I got home, I checked her Twitter page out for clues. Nope! Turns out she had left for home after her performance the day before, so it wasn't her after all. Go figure!

After the presentation, they gave out these cool posters rolled up in a tube. On it were strips of colors- like a bunch of film strips pressed together- one stripe for every Disney animated film! Mine is still in the tube, so I haven't attempted to unroll it yet, but it looks pretty neat.

It turned out to be a very good thing that Lisa grabbed us spots in line for the concert. If she hadn't, we would have ended up in the overflow room with the screens which just wouldn't have been the same. Thankfully, the line up area was carpeted and filled with people sitting around with the expectation that people were holding spots for others, so I had no problem getting back to Lisa after the panel got out and was even able to roam around a bit before we went in. We were in the same nosebleed section of the arena that we were in for the animation presentation, but we were in the same room as the show!

When the host introduced Alan Menken and Richard Sherman, the crowd went mad- instant standing ovation. It was such a rush to be part of that! I almost cried when they stepped out- these men essentially wrote the soundtrack of my childhood! There was only one piano, so Richard Sherman took to the stage first. He went through all of his most well known repertoire- songs written for Annette Funicello, through The Parent Trap, The Jungle Book, music from the theme parks, and ending with a flourish with the beloved songs of Mary Poppins. You could tell the whole audience knew all the songs- there was a faint echo of people singing along with each one, even helping him out when he messed up some lyics from Winnie the Pooh. Sometimes he actually told everyone to sing along which was great fun. At one point, he asked who could say “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” backwards, and a good chunk of the audience yelled back “Dociousaliexpeisticfragicalirupes!” Yup- this was a Disney fan convention all right! He also told the story about playing “Feed the Birds”- Walt's favorite song- at Disneyland for the park's 50^th anniversary when a single bird landed on the piano and then flew off. The host surprised Sherman with an appearance by the two men who are going to be portraying the Sherman brothers in the new Saving Mr. Banks film.

Menken was next- he focused more on the songs than telling stories, but we did a whole medley of songs from each film he did for Disney. He joked about how after getting 2 oscars each for several years in a row, he was beginning to think that's how it worked, then suddenly after Pocahontas it stopped happening. He also laughed about how he has Oscars, Emmys, a Tony....and a Razzie! He got a Razzie for a song from Newies- go figure! He is a really great guy and an entertaining performer- I don't know how either composer made it through that many songs in one night! At the end, they brought both men on stage. Sherman asked Menken if he knew any songs about the world which led into “A Whole New World” followed by Sherman leading us in a rendition of “It's a Small World.” Both men received multiple standing ovations throughout the evening.

The concert ran way later than it said on the schedule. It was about 9 pm by the time we got out. I was hungry again, so we checked the foodcourt at the Hilton. I wanted to find a restroom first while Lisa got a smoothie. I ended up on the other side of the lobby before I found it. On my way back, I looked up and suddenly spotted Paige O'Hara walking the opposite direction! I flashed her a quick grin and waved and she responded in kind- how cool!

I ended up grabbing a personal pizza at the hotel. @TheZachVan and I were going to meet up for a bit, but he was too worn out so we promised next time at Enchanta Con- the Once Upon a Time convention in November.

There was one more day left of this amazing insanity!

D23 Expo 2013 Day 1

D23 recap!

I remember hearing about the D23 Expo the first year they did it...and the second year...all the while being stuck in Florida on the other side of the country. I always knew I'd have to go some day, and now that I live in CA, I finally had the chance! I bought my tickets way back in January, and so had been waiting literally all year for the event.

Anyway, the day before, I drove all the way from San Jose to North Hollywood to meet my friend Lisa who lives in that area. We then piled into her car and drove through bumper to bumper traffic all the way to Anaheim- boy, was I thankful we didn't have to be there at a particular time for reservations or anything. We checked into the Marriott right across the street from the convention center- we could see all the banners for the Expo just waiting for the ambush of Disney fans to take over. For dinner, we headed to Downtown Disney where I had some New Orleans meat pies and some bread pudding- yum! There was no place left to sit in the patio area, but luckily a nice guy invited us to share his table. We ended up with our first lively conversation with a fellow fan of the trip. He turned out to be a castmember- in fact, at least half the people we met were former or current CMs!

We got out of bed bright and early for our first day. I wore my old Belle costume made by my mom back during my college years with some new added touches to make it more resemble the Once Upon a Time version of Belle's dress. I also made up my face and added a little curl to my hair with my curling iron. For a finishing touch, I wore my homemade chipped cup earrings. Lisa wore a shirt printed with Ariel's shells and leggings made to look like mermaid fins. We got in line around 8 am- a long endlessly weaving line taped off on the ground.  It was really fun to see all the creative costumes. One of my favorites of that morning was a Bert who had recreated every detail of the kite Mr. Banks repairs for the children at the end of the film.

There were some food trucks lined up on the side of the road. This first morning I stuck to my granola bars and trail mixes, but it took so long before we ended up getting real food that I felt woozy later. The following days, I made sure to get breakfast burritos during the morning line up, and I felt so much better. My friend Lisa hardly eats anything normally- I think we would have gone the whole day with out food if I didn't keep insisting we eat at some point!

Since D23 had introduced a free tier recently, we both got to wait in the members line and enter the floor at 9 instead of 10. They didn't even bother checking our membership information though- go figure! However, for the first day we had plans to see the animation preview in the arena. There was a huge crowd surging in that direction, and we were still being seated as Bob Iger came out to welcome everyone. We ended up way over in the nosebleed seats, but thankfully, they had giant overhead screens. This presentation was so exclusive that they bag checked for cameras and phones before we went in, and then we had to seal them in these special bags they gave us!

There are plenty of full recaps of the presentation out there in internet-land, so I'm just going to go over some of my favorites. It was hosted, of course, by John Lasseter. He had on a different Hawaiian style shirt for each segment. We saw a several sneak peaks throughout the morning including two animated shorts to be shown in front of future films and the first 10 minutes of a Toy Story Halloween special called “Toy Story of Terror”. The latter looks very fun- a spoof on stereotypical Hollywood horror films with the toys getting lost at an old motel out in the middle of nowhere when Bonnie's mother's car breaks down. We saw a really funny Monsters U short as well as an amazing Mickey Mouse short that I'm not going to spoil. I'm only going to say you have to see it.

One of the films I'm most excited about is Pixar's Inside Out- the story of these emotion characters who are trying to steer a typical 11 year old girl through her day- along similar lines of the old Cranium Command attraction at Epcot. It looks very creative, and I'm thrilled to see Pixar do more female centered stories for a change. We also learned about a new anthropomorphic animal film called Zootopia- normally not my thing, but they talked about how they did all this research in order to figure out how different animals might live if they had human characteristics which I thought was very cool. I enjoyed the previews of the next couple of Tink movies as well, especially the one called Pirate Fairy in which we meet a fairy who is a pirate and her cabin boy James...and just before they said it, I whispered to Lisa, “I think that's a young Hook!” Sure enough, I was right! He's being voice by Tim Hiddleston who made an appearance at the presentation and caused a great deal of fangirling, but I've never watched Thor and didn't know who he was!

Of course, the moment I was most excited about was when they finally got to the newest fairytale musical coming this holiday season, Frozen! It's funny- with both Tangled and The Princess and the Frog, I first heard of their existences years before their release, but it's only been within the last year or two that I've heard rumblings of this one. Now, I'm really excited! It's the story of two sisters, one with the dangerous ability to create ice and snow who pushes everyone away because she is afraid of her own powers. Idina Menzel is doing one of the voices. I'd heard rumors that she was supposed to sing- rumors that turned out to be true as she treated us to a breathtaking performance of one of the film's songs to close the presentation!

The preview presentation was supposed to end at 12:30, but by the time was got out, it was close to 2pm! It was now too late to get stagepasses for that evening's Broadway concert. We'd have to risk standby- ugh. First, we hightailed it to the Collector's Forum where Susan Egan (Belle on Broadway) would be making an appearance at the MiceChat booth. I've met Susan a few times before starting from the time I was around 18 and have had several interactions with her online over the years. It's such a thrill for me that she knows who I am. We found the booth, and I spotted her immediately even though she hadn't officially started to meet and greet yet. She was chatting with someone so I hung back, but we were first in line to meet her. We met up with some other girls who were very excited about meeting Susan- we would end up running into them frequently throughout the event.

Susan recognized me and greeted me by name. She loved my costume and even noticed the teacup earrings I'd made. Lisa had met Susan at the expo 2 years earlier, but Susan didn't remember until Lisa reminded her that she had mentioned being a bridesmaid in my wedding. Susan commented that both she and I were married now (I think she said something like “Sadie Sadie Married Lady!”). I told her I loved being married, and she said she did too and that we had both married princes. Aww. I was excited to show Susan my Belle costume as it was made to resemble the Broadway one- including the pretty embroidery on the apron. Susan loved it and seemed surprised and happy I'd noticed that detail on the dress she had worn. She checked the pics she was signing to see if it was there, but the apron wasn't showing. She was signing these pretty lithographs of her in various roles for a donation of $5 to an organization that supports art in schools so I got one even though I already have her signature on other things at home. She signed exactly what she wrote years ago in my Beauty and the Beast program, “Love to the real beauty, Angela! Susan Egan” She's such a doll!

As we were circling around, I suddenly spotted Paige O'Hara! I recognized her from pictures instantly. She was actually chatting with Susan who introduced her to the crowd as the real Belle. We got in line again- but suddenly, Paige left! Oops! Well, we didn't need to wait in line for Susan again, so we casually strolled in the direction Paige had been heading. She stopped in the Disney art section by her own artwork. She has these “Belle by Belle” paintings. We hung in the back while she chatted with people, and then Lisa approached her and mentioned our friend Jamie who actually knows Paige personally. Paige and Lisa talked a bit about Jamie while I just smiled, sort of stupefied, off to the side. I felt funny asking for a picture since Paige was not actually doing a meet and greet, but Lisa got her attention again, and Paige graciously posed with me. I never really know what to say to people I admire. All I managed to eek out was that I love Belle. I also told her that I had written her back in high school and she'd sent me a really nice autographed picture. She told me she was so glad I still remembered that....still remembered?! Good grief, how could I ever forget? She had even written “Loved the drawing” on the envelope! Oddly enough, she didn't acknowledge that I was dressed as Belle at all. I guess it's something she sees all the time.

Wandering around the collector's forum, we came across the Small Fry booth where we knew Pat Carroll (Ursula) would be making an appearance. Suddenly, I looked off to my side and whoa- it's Margaret Kerry, the live action model for Tinker Bell! We were then shuffled away and directed towards a line. Ah, there is a line, of course. Right next to it was a line for Pat Carroll. She was the one we were actually there for, so we got in line. Unfortunately, everything with her was so expensive...$25 for an autograph or even taking a pic with your own camera! We decided to split the cost of one photo with both of us. What an awesome lady though! She actually got conversations going instead of just accepting praise. She thought Lisa and I were sisters. We've gotten that before, but I don't think we look alike at all! It probably has to do with the fact that we are both descended from the same part of the world. I told her that I saw The Little Mermaid at the Cinerama Dome when I was 8, and she thought that was amazing.

 I was very excited to see the Jolly Roger representing Once Upon a Time. I had to get a picture in front of it!

 

We had some time to explore the floor for a while. Lisa really wanted to go into the Disney Store for some of the new Disney Fairytale designer collection that they were offering and because they were handing out these really pretty Ariel shopping bags. Unfortunately, at a convention like this, you even have to wait in line to go shopping! We waited about an hour and a half to get into that darn store. The Cms attempted to entertain people with Disney trivia. They did have some amazing merchandise available though including a beyond belief elaborate adult Snow White dress that was over $300. They were also previewing but not selling really beautiful Disney princess dolls and a set of It's a Small World dolls that looked just like the figures on the ride. I came out with a gorgeous new Belle shirt (can never have too many of those!), a princess litho set, a beautiful Belle and Beast journal, and a set of shimmery princess nailpolish. We almost missed the Ariel bags. They had run out, but brought new ones in just as we were about to give up.

Since we had not been able to get Stagepasses for the Broadway concert, we grabbed hotdogs at the commissary and went straight for the standby line over an hour and a half before it started. We were sitting outside on the roof. At least there were some cool people to talk to. The guys immediately behind us were puppeteers! In fact, one of them was a sub for Gonzo! It turned out we had likely even worked together before as we were both performers for WDW's Voyage of The Little Mermaid around the same time. Small world! It's a good thing we got there when we did. We were among the last to be let into the room for the performance, and it was standing room only. In fact, by the time we got in there, the show had already started, and we had missed the Beauty and the Beast numbers much to my disappointment. On the bright side, standing up meant having the ability to dance around a bit.

A small group of Broadway actors and orchestra members from various Disney productions took to the stage, and the host basically brought us through each production chronologically with songs and stories right up through Newsies. Most exciting for me was that they announced that they are finally bringing Hunchback of Notre Dame which opened originally in Germany to the American stage and we were treated to the first English performance of one of the songs! We also heard a new song written for the upcoming Broadway version of Aladdin. It's sung by Genie, and very fun. Another highlight was that both Alan Menken and Richard Sherman were in the audience! Of course, they were just little specks in the crowd from where we were standing!

Lisa wanted to head to the hotel to work on uploading her photos, but we had eaten so early I was hungry again. I was going to walk just a little ways but ended up all the way at Downtown Disney! I ended up getting a pizza and a cookie before heading back. Since I was still in full Belle get up, I got asked for directions twice with people assuming I worked for Disney!

The next morning, we'd do it all again...

Random Disney Park Tips

I was pondering what else I could write about on this blog, and I've settled on the obvious- I worked at WDW for over 8 years, so how about some park tips?  These are in no particular order, just writing them down as they come to me.

*This might be an obvious one, but drink a lot of water- especially in the summer!  The Florida heat is brutal.  Don't forget to take rests!

*Always look up!  Disney has amazing theming, and if you never take the time to notice your surroundings, you'll breeze right past a lot of fun details.  For example, have you ever seen the old timey telephone on Main Street?  The next time you see it, pick up the receiver and hold it to your ear- you can listen to a turn-of-the-century party line!  The Christmas shop in Liberty Square has three distinctly different rooms representing the homes of 3 families: a German family, a musician's family, and a wood carver's family.  The Confectionary has plans for candy inventions on the walls.  If you go see MuppetVision 4D, don't forget to look at the back of the theater- the Swedish Chef is there!

*The Confectionary as well as the candy shops in Downtown Disney and in Frontierland sometimes have free samples of fudge on the counter, so pop in and check.  Plus, you can always count on a free square of chocolate at Ghirardelli's.

*The shops on Main Street are all connected so you can cut through them if you want to avoid street crowds.

*If there is a character you particularly have your heart set on, don't leave it to chance.  Make it a priority to find out when and where that character will be meet and greeting, and don't wait until the last second to seek him or her out.

*If your little girl is being treated to both the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique as well as a special dinner, do make sure your reservations are at least two hours apart- you don't want to chance stressing out because the BBB sometimes runs behind.

*Don't wait until the last minute to pick your souvenirs!  More than once I've made the mistake if waiting too long to pick what I want, and by the time I've decided, it's too late.  Remember, you can have your items sent to the front of the park for free.

*If you've been walking around the parks all day, it feels really good to dip your feet in the pool when you get back to your hotel.

*The first thing you should do with your family before the trip, is decide what attractions or other experiences are your priority, and then focus on making them happen.  You will not be able to see everything, so it's best to decide in advance what everyone's must dos are.

That's all for now. If I think of more, I'll do another set!

Why Once Upon a Time?

  

 I've mentioned my favorite television show a few times here.  Once Upon a Time is a pretty obvious choice for a Disney fan, and it was practically tailor made for me.  However, my level of obsession with this show has reached levels that no other show has ever done before.  Oh sure, I've loved other shows.  I was quite the Ghost Whisperer fan a few years ago, I went through a major Full House phase in middle school, and Bewitched is still my all time favorite classic sitcom, but nothing has quite resonated with me as much as the tale of every storybook character living together in a little town in our world has.

So why do I love Once Upon a Time so much, anyway? Well, first you have the obvious.  I'm a Disney geek.  OuaT is produced by Disney and borrows a lot from the films we love which I've pointed out in an earlier entry.  The stories aren't exactly like their Disney counterparts, but where is the surprise in that?  The new and unexpected twists and turns are what make the show so fun.  Who knew Snow White once lived as a bandit and works a bow and arrow like a pro? Who knew the evil queen had mommy issues?  Who knew Jiminy Cricket was once a man?  I also get a huge kick out of all the Disney references they toss in.

OuaT is filled with some of my favorite story elements.  For one thing, it's like a big mish mash of a fanfiction crossover.  You have a scene in which the Evil Queen from Snow White is conspiring with the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland and Captain Hook from Peter Pan! Rumpelstiltskin falls in love with Belle from Beauty and the Beast! Snow White and Little Red Riding Hood are best friends! Rumpelstiltskin uses the Mad Hatter and Dr. Frankenstein to manipulate the Evil Queen! It's so intriguing how all the various stories are intertwined.  I used to dabble in Disney crossover fanfic myself.  I started a crazy story called "The Great Disney Switch" when I was 13, which you can read here if you are curious:    http://angiebelle-randomwritings.blogspot.com/2012/03/great-disney-switch.html

Ouat has great potential for fish-out-of-water situations which I've always loved. You have all these characters from folklore and pop culture interacting with our world.  The contrast between their worlds and ours are a big part of the show's appeal.  I was tickled, for instance, at Belle's introduction to iced tea and hamburgers or Aurora's reaction to Emma's contemporary jacket or Emma trying to attack a dragon with a gun. The whole concept of fairy tale magic in our world is delicious. Any sort of magical elements in a story will hook me though.

While fairy tales and magic are a big part of OuaT, they are not even the only reason I watch.  The series also has strong emotional ties.  The characters are real people, not cardboard cutouts. No one is entirely good or entirely bad.  They are human....heightened reality, sure, but still human- even the villains.  The magic, if you will, of the show is that it takes these characters who have done truly awful, unforgivable, things and then turns around and makes you feel for them and care about them! The Evil Queen isn't just a vain, sadistic ruler.  She's Regina, a broken woman who spent her whole life being manipulated.  Often times, the non-magical character relationship moments are my favorite.  The characters are all in one mindbogglingly dysfunctional family, and the way in which their situations unfold just draws you in and leaves you wanting more.

No, the show isn't perfect- after all, the writers and creators are all human too! Not to mention, every fan has his or her own ideas on what it should be like, and they can't please everyone.  However, at this point, I'm so invested in the story and the characters that I will follow through until the end even if everyone else decides they've "jumped the shark."  Right now we are in the summer hiatus before season 3, and I -for one- cannot wait to find out what happens in the next chapter of this epic tale!

The cast of Once Upon a Time at this year's Paleyfest

More Disney references

Well, goodness, I have completely forgotten a few more references on Once Upon a Time, so here is an addendum to my previous post!

Rumple and Belle echo a conversation between Belle and the Beast about the dungeon being her room (Only the Beast leads her out of it while Rumple leads her to it).

There is a clock, a candelabra, and a teapot in the background during the "Skin Deep" episode.

Archie's dog is named Pongo for Pongo of 101 Dalmations.

The magic mirror is blue like the genie from Aladdin and that episode specifically mentions the kingdom of Agrabah.


Personally, I'd love to see an episode in which the characters directly reference their Disney counterparts!

Disney references in Once Upon a Time

I mentioned before that I am completely obsessed with the tv show Once Upon a Time, right?  It's a natural fit for a Disney fan, combining all sorts of storybook characters into one giant mish mashed fanfiction.  Then there is the added bonus that the show is on ABC and actually produced by Disney, therefore they have access to the entire Disney canon!  Granted the stories on the show take a very different path than their Disney counterparts, but they love to throw in little tributes to the films.  I'm going to see how many of them I can remember.

Snow White:

The most obvious one here is the names of the dwarfs.  In the original versions of the Snow White story, the little men are are just alike, generic figures with no names.  It was Walt Disney who decided to give them distinct personalities, and the classic names we remember from the film are all there in the tv show.  Fun fact- here is a way to remember the names of the 7 dwarfs: 2 D's (Doc and Dopey), 2 S's (Sleepy and Sneezy), and three emotions (Bashful, Happy, and Grumpy).

We occasionally get a snippet of a song.  The episode "Tiny" has the dwarfs singing "Hi Ho."  In "Heart of Darkness" Snow White is heard humming "With a Smile and a Song" right before whacking a bluebird!  In the same scene, she's also wearing the famous red hair bow.

Dopey wears his signature purple hat.

Cinderella:
Before Billy the auto mechanic meets his grisly fate, he reveals that he was once a little mouse named Gus who lived with Cinderella- it's Gus Gus!  Poor Gus Gus...

Interesting fact: In the Disney films, Prince Charming is actually the name of Cinderella's prince, not Snow White's.  Snow White's prince is known in the film only as The Prince.  Backstage at Disney, they refer to him as Snow Prince.  

Sleeping Beauty:
I'm not 100% certain, but I think all the names: Prince Philip, Aurora, and Malificant are specific to the Disney version.  Malificant in the Onceverse also borrows her look a bit from the film with the horns, but lacks the green skin and wears purple instead of black.

Pinocchio:
Jiminy Cricket being Pinocchio's conscience is really a feature of the Disney film.  In the original book, he is killed off almost immediately.

Beauty and the Beast:

Obviously this one is my favorite, but I think it wins the record for the most direct tie ins to the Disney version.  Here we go:

The most obvious is the names.  Belle, Gaston, and Maurice are all Disney specific.

Belle wears both her signature dresses, the golden gown and the blue dress.

Then, course, everyone gets the reference of the chipped cup to Chip, although the objects don't come to life here.

When Gaston bursts in and tries to reclaim Belle, Rumple turns him into a rose.  Belle asks who was at the door, and he replies, "Just an old lady selling flowers" which is directly out of the Beauty and the Beast prologue.  "One winter's night an old beggar woman came to the castle and offered him a single rose in exchange for shelter from the bitter cold."

Belle loves to read just as in the Disney film and as in the Disney film receives a library for a gift.  In fact, Rumple presents one to her twice both in Storybrooke and in the Fairytale world.

Did I leave anything out?  Is there something you caught that I missed?  Let me know!  I love this show so much, and it is even better when you are a Disney fanatic.  There's a chance I might be able to make it to a big Once convention in Orlando this November.  If I make it, I'll be sure to blog about it!  I'm also going to the D23 Expo in August- woohoo!

A Beauty by Any Other Name

Twenty-one years ago, Disney released a film that introduced my favorite character of all time.  It didn't start out that way.  For a while, three animated heroines bobbed up and down on a current- Ariel, Belle, and Jasmine each taking a turn as the highest ranked.  I couldn't make up my mind which I liked best.  However, it wasn't long before one of them found her special place in my heart as number one.

Belle of Beauty and the Beast is so much that I am and everything I wish I could be.  I'll admit it- part of the reason I adore her is superficial.  She is the only Disney heroine with hair like mine, the only one I even remotely resemble, but she is so much more than her physical appearance.  When the entire village sings about how odd Belle is, I feel for her.  I know people think I'm odd too, and I go back and forth between just wanting to feel as if I belong and wanting to stand out and be embraced for my differences.  Like Belle, I have walked around with my nose in a book.  I beamed when friends back in my school days would on occasion call me Belle.  Like Belle, I tend to be off in my own world, forgetting to pay attention to my surroundings.

In 8th grade, I participated in the ensemble for a production of Cinderella.  Another girl playing a townsperson decided to make her entrance in the opening number with a book in hand, reading as she walked.  I wished so much I had thought of that myself that I decided to pretend to read over her shoulder so that I could be Belle-like too!

In other ways, Belle is very different from me.  She is far more courageous and selfless than I could ever be, and I greatly admire her for it.  She gave up her freedom for her father's.  She stood up to the Beast, and later she stood up for the Beast when Gaston riled up the town.  Belle is no wallflower.  She is not afraid to speak her mind, and she is not afraid to defy popular opinion.  I love how she has some sass and attitude.  When the Beast yells at her in her room, "You can't stay in there forever!" she yells right back, "Yes, I can!"  In the Broadway show, the Beast orders her to be hungry, and Belle points out just how ridiculous that is.

My latest obsession is the Disney produced fairytale mash-up television fantasy Once Upon a Time.  Last year, my favorite episode was, of course, the one that brought Belle, played by the lovely Emilie de Ravin, into the show's narrative, "Skin Deep."  In this version, Rumpelstiltskin takes on the role of the Beast, and it works perfectly.  Rumple hates himself for the monster that he believes he has become, but Belle reaches out to him and sees the goodness in his heart.  She isn't scared of him, and he has never met anyone quite like her.  It's heartbreaking when he sends her away because he can't believe someone could love him.  She calls him out on it, not believing for a second that he would choose his power over love but rather that he is too afraid to accept the idea that someone might actually love him.

Belle's love of books is also transposed to Once Upon a Time's take on her, and it is used to even greater effort.  Belle uses knowledge and books to find a monster and later a pirate.  Her ability to read another language saves a life.  She is strong in this show, not afraid to decide her own fate.

Sometimes among the vast world of fictional characters, we find one that truly resonates with us.  For me, that one is Belle.  Belle is my muse, my spirit, my aspirations.  She is beautiful both inside and out.  Several years ago, my mom bought me a name necklace that says "Belle" instead of "Angela."  Sometimes, people ask me why I wear a name that isn't mine.   I like to think that it's a little reminder of my own inner Belle.