'Frozen' Movie Review

When Frozen was just bouncing around as word of mouth, I was curious. When the teaser trailer was released, I had my doubts and seemed like it could be a flop. When the official trailer came out, I started to have some hopes for it but was still a bit on edge about this movie; I didn't really have high expectations for this movie. But, of course, being the Disney fan I am, I had to go see it and, boy, was I glad I went! 

The beginning of the movie was absolutely adorable and showed the chemistry between the Anna and Elsa right away, however, due to Elsa's snow powers, the two became distant. Eventually, something pushed Elsa to the edge and her powers got out of control and she runs away. Though, Anna, goes on a journey to try to convince her sister to come back and to unfreeze their kingdom. 

The Characters:

The characters in this film were well developed and definitely had great chemistry with one another. I admire Disney for putting Anna and Elsa in the spotlight, leaving the males in this movie as secondary characters. I know many people have complained about Anna looking like Rapunzel from Tangled, but watching the movie, they definitely have their differences in both appearance and personality. Sure, they have the same shaped head, round eyes, but if you watch the film, it's not a big deal at all.

Anna is the protagonist, and even though Elsa is the one responsible for covering Arundel in winter and Anna's loneliness, she isn't exactly the antagonist. 

As for the males, Kristoff and Hans, there was no resemblance of Flynn Ryder anywhere; even in personality. I'm relieved that they made Kristoff not have so much of a "Prince Charming" look, if you catch my drift. He was more bigger, had a thicker body, bigger nose, and hey! He wasn't a prince! Olaff, the talking snowman, was hilarious!! Actor, Josh Gad, did a splendid job playing the voice of this lovable snowman. When he appeared in the trailers, I thought of him as possibly being annoying, but, I was truly wrong! I loved his character and his love for summer and likes giving warm hugs! He was an enjoyable side kick and does a great job as a comedic relief for the young ones who may feel the story may be too much. 

The Music

The musical numbers in this film were outstanding and with the voice of the wonderful Idina Menzel, I felt like I was watching a live play on broadway. Idina Menzel, who plays the voice of Elsa, played Elphaba  from Broadway's Wicked. She also played in Rent, Disney's Enchanted and in Glee as Shelby Corcoran. 

My favorite songs are "Let It Go" and "For the First Time in Forever (Reprise)" duet by Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell. I love the overlapping of the two singing! It gives me the chills (Ha! See what I did there)? The songs overall, were catchy, filled with incredible emotion, and were even comedic. Most of all, they are memorable. 

Also, the score was composed by Christophe Beck who composed movies for Percy Jackson: & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, Disney's Paperman, and more! 

The Story

This movie was based off of the Snow Queen, for those of you who don't know. The Snow Queen was written by Hans Christian Anderson and if you want to read the story, you can find it online. Disney's version was different, of course, but it was told in it's own style, yet, it still kept some of the features from the original story.

The story does a great job focusing on the importance of siblings/sisters. I don't have a sister so I can't really relate to the movie so much, however, I do have a brother. Though, but I think it's a great plot about sisters; about always being there for one another no matter what. I think this story can be an empowerment for women and young girls of any age. 

CGI, Art, & Design

The landscape design for the movie was stunning! The design for kingdom, Arundel, in the summer, the snow, the CGI with Elsa and her snow powers were breathtaking. I hear it's even more lovely in 3D! The design of the characters costumes were gorgeous and if I ever want to dress up as a Disney character, I'd probably dress up as Elsa in her beautifully shimmering dress she changes into while singing "Let It Go".  

The design of Anna and Elsa were greatly detailed; I mainly speak of their freckles. I absolutely love freckles and I have freckles, and so, seeing these two girls with freckles, it made me giggle. 

Overall

I've been reading reviews online and people have been saying that Disney's Frozen is the BEST since The Lion King. Keep in mind, people are saying NOT saying "better than". They are saying "best since". There's a difference. After watching this movie, I can agree! I enjoyed this movie much more than Tangled and The Princess and the Frog. Don't get me wrong, those movies are good, but Frozen was GREAT; it was great enough to put it on my top 5 favorite Disney movies. 

I've learned a lot from Frozen, such as love doesn't just suddenly appear, "True Love" has other meanings, and more (I don't want to give away too much). This was definitely different for Disney because it's not your typical princess movie, which is what I love about this film. Elsa and Anna focus on family rather than romance and are indeed Disney heroines! I got a lot more of emotion watching this film and Disney has outdone themselves and has thawed my frozen heart by proving that they've still got the magic. Bravo! 

I give Disney's Frozen a 5/5!! 

What did you think of the film? Did you love it? Hate  it? Thought it was just OK?

I'm curious to hear your review! Leave a comment below!

The Many Faces of Peter Pan (My Top 5)

***WARNING!!! THIS POST MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS FROM ONCE UPON A TIME!!!! ***

So, I'm a fan of ABC's Once Upon A Time and I absolutely admire the twists and turns the creators have come up with for the plot and characters that we've known from the adventures we've read from books and watching Disney's version of those stories. I'm sure most of you who read my posts are fans of the show as well! When I watched last week's episode (November 17th, 2013), my mind had completely exploded due to the twist of......(SPOILER ALERT).......Peter Pan being Rumple's dad! I never saw that coming!!  Anyways, ever since the show introduced Pan being the villain, I absolutely love the idea!! I've fallen madly in love with it, in fact! it's absolutely brilliant! Suddenly, it got me thinking of the many other adaptions of Peter Pan from the past and so, I put together a list of my top five favorite (#1 being my MOST favorite), starting with number five: 

#5 Robin Williams in Hook

Robin Williams is a great actor and I admire him for his hilarious performances in Mrs. Doubtfire, Jumanji, & Patch Adams. He always did a great job in Good Will Hunting. But, we can't forget about him voicing Batty in Fern Gully & The Genie in Disney's Aladdin (definitely can't forget about that!)

I place Robin Williams as Number Five because...well, I'll be honest...I hated this movie as a kid (hold on, let me explain; hear me out!). As a kid, I hated growing up, I didn't really care for celebrating my birthday and I always admired Peter Pan for being the child who never grew up or grew old. When I watched Hook, and realized Peter Pan in this version was an adult, it crushed me. However, as I got older and watched Hook again, I learned to appreciate the movie and Robin Williams playing Peter Pan as an adult (just a little). A few things that the movie taught me was that just because we all become adults doesn't mean that we have to grow up in our hearts. We can still be a kid; we can still imagine. 

#4 Cathy Rigby in Broadway's Peter Pan

Early this summer, I went to the Pantages Theatre in L.A. to see Peter Pan live on stage, starring Cathy Rigby, who played Peter Pan. Before Cathy Rigby, there was Sandy Duncan and Mary Martin, however, I've only seen the live performance by Cathy Rigby, thus, the reason why I'm writing about her as Peter Pan. 

Watching Cathy Rigby live on stage as Peter Pan was definitely brilliant and the performance was a job well done! I just loved seeing her fly out into the Audience and do her daring stunts on the harness! The songs were really fun to listen to as well. My two favorites songs were "I Won't Grow Up" and "I Gotta Crow".

I'm sure some of you are thinking why is an adult woman playing a young boy? Well, I've managed to find some reasons why online and they actually make sense:

• A woman with petite figure would be easier to lift off of the ground.
• An adult has more experience in stunt work when it comes to acrobats (just think how Peter Pan flies around so enthusiastically, doing flips and tricks.) When Peter flies, he's supposed to be athletic and graceful and a girl is more likely to have that grace.
• It's safer to do stunts with adults.
• Peter is supposed to look older than the kids in the play yet younger than the adults.
• Also, the music is written in a certain way to fit the singing for Peter (I have no experience in music, so I don't know how that really works and can't go into further detail in this. My apologies.)

I always thought it was a bit strange for a girl to play Peter back when I was younger, but understanding it now, it doesn't bother me. Especially, seeing this play for the first time, it was truly enchanting and gave me more of a magical experience about Peter Pan, Neverland, and being able to believe.

#3 Jeremy Sumpter in Peter Pan (2003)

Ah, yes...Jeremy Sumpter (sighs romantically). When this movie came out back in 2003, I was 13 years old and the moment I saw the trailer for this film, I had a huge crush on this actor. Especially, since he was playing Peter Pan in this remake of one of my favorite stories. One of the interesting things about this movie that I noticed was how the weather changed based on Peter's feelings: When Peter left Neverland to see Wendy, it was Winter in Neverland. When he came back, everything melted away and I believe it was from Peter's happiness about bringing Wendy to Neverland. There was also that moment, when Tinkerbell had drank the poison and was dying; Peter was so devastated that the winds blew and the clouds grew dark and a storm began.

What I love most about this adaption is that Peter's emotions, resentment about growing up, and the chemistry with Wendy was remarkably accomplished. When Peter cried or got upset, I felt for him. For example, when he got upset with Wendy when she mentioned the word "love", and he got offended by it and told Wendy that she should just go home and take her feelings with her. However, I started crying along with Peter when Tinkerbell had died, but when chanting "I do believe in fairies, I do! I do", she came back to life again and I started to cry in happiness (I also started chanting "I do believe in faires" when I saw this movie in the theater and I still do every time I watch this movie). Oh, and I can't forget how magically amazing the score for this film was! Great job James Newton Howard! Overall, I felt this version of Peter Pan was greatly successful with its visuals, and the plot kept the original story of Peter Pan from the book by J.M. Barrie.

#2 Robbie Kay in ABC's Once Upon A Time

Once Upon A Time's version of Peter Pan just recently replaced Jeremy Sumpter on my list ever since Peter Pan was revealed to a  foe. Robbie Kay gives an excellent performance playing the role of a more sinister and villainous Peter Pan, and I love to hate his character so much! We all know that Peter's character is adventurous, cocky, a trickster, fun, etc. Robbie Kay definitely shows these characteristics but switches it to a more menacing point view, letting us know that this boy is up to no good. 

As I stated at the beginning, I'm in love with this adaption of Peter Pan; it's different and gives a new look and background to the character we once knew. And speaking of background, I love the plot the creators have come up with, making him trade his son, Rumpelstiltskin, just so he can obtain his youth again. Talk about cruel! 

#1 Disney's Peter Pan (voice by Bobby Driscoll)

Finally, number one on my list, is Disney's Peter Pan (1953). Disney's adaption on J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up, is one of the characters that I fell in love with because of Peter's love for always wanting to stay a child. I never wanted to grow up; I didn't care for celebrating my birthdays because it meant that I was getting older, and when I was younger, I feared that Peter Pan wouldn't come through my window because I was too old. I must confess, I always kept my window open, hoping Peter Pan would take me with him to fly away to Neverland. 

Bobby Driscoll, the voice of Peter Pan was a perfect fit and did a great job with the character. And, I'm sure from the photo, you can tell that Disney designed Peter to look like Bobby himself. I love it when Disney makes their characters look like the voice actors; it's so amazing! 

Disney's Peter Pan wasn't the FIRST adaption of J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan. Before this, Paramount Pictures had made a silent movie adaption back in 1924. However, when Walt Disney made this animated adaption, I feel like this was the most popular. Thanks to this, I wouldn't be the kid at heart that I am today. This movie has made me keep my imagination and taught me that all I need is "faith and trust. Oh! And dust! Just a little pixie dust!"  

Which adaption of Peter Pan did you enjoy the most? Why? Or which actor did you enjoy seeing as Peter Pan?

Disney Pixar's film about Dia de los Muertos

I was browsing through Pixar's website, looking for dates for Pixar in Concert, when I came across their upcoming film projects. They've listed info about their movie, Inside Out, which I blogged about on August 14th, and then I saw they are going to make a movie about the Mexican holiday, Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). For those who do not know what Dia de los Muertos is, it's a Mexican holiday that focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. People go to cemeteries to be with the souls that had passed away and build altars that contain their favorite foods, beverages, and even photos of the departed. The day starts on Oct. 31st and ends on Nov. 2nd. 

(Concept Art)

The film is currently untitled but it will be directed by Lee Unkrickh (Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc, Toy Story 2, & Toy Story 3). The official plot is unknown for now, however, according to my sources, there has been some outrage about the upcoming film, due to the fact that Disney tried to trademark the holiday. The reason being was to "protect the potential title for our film and related activities." However, due to the offense, Disney decided to withdraw and leave it alone.

I'm glad Disney didn't trademark the holiday; I think it's absolutely absurd and a horrible idea to do so, but I'm sure Disney Pixar can find a inventive title for the movie. Besides that fact, I think the idea for this Disney Pixar film about Dia de los Muertos is outstanding...if done correctly. So far, I think it's wonderful that they want to create a movie on mexican culture. I'm not saying it's going to be perfect, because when it comes down to Disney and cultures, the outcome has both its pros and cons. People love to nit-pick the negatives and racial stereotypes in Disney movies, and I fear that's what may happen for his new project.

What do you think about Disney Pixar doing a movie about Dia de los Muertos?

Read the other sources for more info about the upcoming Dia de los Muertos Project:

• The Mary Sue

• Cartoon Brew

Live-Action Movies: 'Cruella' & 'The Jungle Book'

Cruella

It looks like the dalmation, spot loving, evil woman will return in Disney's a live-Action movie, Cruella.  Sure, we've seen a live-action version of her played by Glenn Close, in Disney's 101 Dalmations (1996) and 102 Dalmations (2000), but I guess that's not enough. Perhaps, Disney wants to take a more darker route with the film, like in Disney's Maleficent, and show Cruella her background story. Funny thing, though, according to Hollywood Reporter, Glenn Close will be the executive producer for the film. That should be fascinating!

I'm all ready excited for Disney's Maleficent, and seeing that they want to make a live-aciton movie about Cruella De Vil, has got me intrigued! I think this will give her some more recognition as a Disney diva villain. 

The Jungle Book

So, there's word on the street...or should I say jungle...that Disney has decided to another adaptation of the story The Jungle Book, based off the novel written by Rudyard Kipling back in 1894. A majority of the world is familiar with Disney's cartoon version, with his jammin' songs and the lovable talking bear, Baloo. However, this version of The Jungle Book will be live-action and will be directed by Jon Favreau.

The Jungle Book was my very first Disney movie as a child and I absolutely find myself grooving to their songs when they come up on my iPod. There has been quite a few remakes and the only other one that I remember was the live-action movie that came out in 1994. It was a decent movie to watch; I remember watching it over and over again. 

Hearing the news, I don't really care for seeing The Jungle Book as a live-action movie, but who knows, it could turn out great...or it could be a complete flop. We'll just have to wait and see. To hear and read more, go to deadline.com and Spill.com

'Maleficent' Teaser Trailer

Yes, yes, I know I'm a bit tardy on this subject, and I apologize. But, here's the link to the teaser trailer for Disney's Maleficent. 

---------> Click Here for Teaser Trailer <---------

I watched the trailer yesterday (that's when it  was released), and I immediately fell in love with it!! I'm definitely intrigued and I can all ready tell that Angelina Jolie is perfect for the part! The costume design for her character looks fabulous as well! What really gave me the chills was her laughter at the end of the trailer! It sounded very similar to cartoon version of Maleficent in Disney's Sleeping Beauty. 

So far, I'm very impressed with the CGI, fairies/pixies, the landscapes, and of course, the CGI  for the giant thorn bushes emerging from the ground! I'm very pumped up and I have high expectations for this live-action film! 

How do you feel about? Do you believe this will be a success for Disney? Was Angelina a good choice for the part of  Maleficent? Does the teaser trailer engage you at all? 

My Top 5 Disney Villain Transformations

#5 Yzma

“To the secret lab!”

Yzma is from Disney’s The Emperor’s New Groove. She may have been Kuzco’s royal advisor, but she was a malicious woman with a secret lab full of potions. Since Kuzco fired her, she decided to get revenge by killing Cuzco with hopes of being  the empress. In order to accomplish such an ambition, she wanted to use a powerful and deadly potion…to save her postage, of course. But, she ended up turning the emperor into a Llama by mistake.

Yzma’s transformation is number five on my list! Why? Her transformation wasn’t scary at all. She just suffered the fate of being turned into a ferocious little fur ball that wasn’t all that terrifying, though, she was still hilarious! Especially, when she spoke in that adorable squeaky voice and it made her sinister laugh appear more amusing! I’ll give Yzma her props for trying to obtain the potion that would turn her into a human, being that she was so small; she put a lot of effort into it.  And, like all villains, she did not succeed. But we gotta love her kitty cat transformation. That darn cat!!

#4 Evil Queen

“Magic Mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?”

            Every female competes with every other female when it comes to good looks, but the Evil Queen from Disney’s Snow White wants Snow’s heart in a box, for crying out loud! Talk about extreme! But, the Evil Queen takes even more extreme measures when she transforms into an ugly old hag as a disguise so she can get rid of Snow White since the huntsman didn’t have the guts to kill her. However, the Evil Queen brews a poison called a “sleeping death”, which she dips the apple into, and. with one bite, Snow White will fall into an everlasting sleep.

Although the The Evil Queen doesn’t really go into battle, I place her as number four because I love how she carefully created her recipe for her disguise and we watch her brew up the recipe as she explains exactly what is needed for the potion. It’s haunting and the way the artists created her transformation was perfectly detailed. We watched her black hair turn to white, her hands go from young to old, and her voice changing into a cackle. The Evil Queen was cunning and tricked Snow making her believe it was a magic wishing apple she was biting into. And just when she thought she had became the fairest in the land, that very same thunderbolt that mixed her potion well, also turned out to be her fate as it caused her to fall to her death at the edge of the cliff. Not only that, but Prince Charming awakens Snow White and she lives happily ever after. How do you like those apples?

#3 Jafar

“A snake, am I? Perhaps you’d like to see how s-ss-s-snake-like I can be!”

This tall, dark, and handsome villain, from Disney’s Aladdin does his best to have the sultan wrapped around his finger like a snake, while he seeks out the magic lamp to become sultan and rule Agrabah. But, he can’t enter the cave of wonders since he’s not “a diamond in the rough.” So, he tricks Aladdin into doing the work for him, though Jafar still doesn’t get the lamp until near the end thanks to his trusty parrot sidekick, Iago.

            Jafar, is number three! He also has somewhat of a double transformation, but he is most famous for turning into a giant cobra! I felt this transformation scared me more than Ursula’s because at the time, snakes were a bit creepy to me and seeing Jafar become a GIANT snake, my skin crawled and I actually feared for Aladdin’s life. Also, Jafar actually put up a fight, unlike Ursula, and it was more action pact. Though, due to his power hungry needs, he listens to Aladdin as he mentions that the Genie is the most powerful and could easily take his powers away. Jafar’s hunger for power blinds him and so he makes his third wish which is to become an all powerful genie, and he got it; and everything that goes with it: Phenomenal cosmic powers and itty bitty living space!

#2 King Candy/Turbo

“Have some candy!”

Ah, yes, King Candy from Disney’s Wreck -It Ralph!! Watching King Candy for the first time, I didn’t think he was too much of a threat besides the fact he was the one standing in the way of Vanellope racing because she was a “glitch”. King Candy fooled us all with humor, his love for candy, and made us believe that he truly cared about Vanellope when he told the story of what could happen to her if she raced. However, it turns out it was all a lie!

When Vanellope attended the race anyways, thanks to the help Ralph and Fix-It Felix, we saw King Candy’s true nature and his identity. He turned out to be the obsessed and monstrous Turbo, who tried to take over games in the past, and King Candy was just his disguise! As we saw him glitch to Turbo, I’ll admit that it was very haunting and disturbing and it blew my mind immediately! I will say this, though, if I was a little child, I’d probably be scared, especially when he was in his Cy-bug form! I thought it was the most twisted and scariest design, but it was brilliant. The way he moved and his large size gave me the creeps and he was absolutely horrifying! Perhaps you need to lay off the sugar, King Candy...uh, I mean Turbo. Why not try some Diet Cola?

#1 Maleficent

“Now shall you deal with me, O Prince…and all the powers of HELL!!!”

Need I explain how amazing this transformation is? As Prince Phillip is on his way to awaken Princess Aurora, Maleficent uses her magic to try to stop him, but with the help from the three good fairies, she is unsuccessful. Finally, after having enough of Prince Phillip, she zaps over in front of him, being his biggest obstacle yet, and calls upon the powers of Hell, for goodness sake, and transforms into a dragon that spits out green fire!

Maleficent is number one on my list! Not only was there an epic battle in the movie that kept me at the edge of my seat, It’s one of the major scenes in Disneyland’s Nightasmic (and Disneyworld)! It's also one of my favorite battles in Kingdom Hearts! Dragons also happen to be a favorite fantasy creature of mine and Maleficent pulled it off well! Also, I’m very excited how Disney will pull off the design of the dragon for their live-action movie, Maleficent!! But, we all know how the story ends, prince Phillip’s sword is enhanced and he tosses it as Maleficent Dragon and down she goes!! Go back to hell where you belong, Maleficent and sleep for all of eternally! I still have love for you though!