Magical Adventures & Memories
There are so many brand new things happening during the holidays over at Disney’s Animal Kingdom! Join us we check out some of our new favorites! Which animal puppet do you like most? (Deer is correct answer)
Disclosure: Disney hosted us for this event, but these opinions are our own!
So while I’m sure there are folks that take these movies very seriously, we are not those people. However that does not mean we aren’t hopeless romantics! One of my favorite movies is Love Actually, and I was thrilled when Sophia finally watched it a few years back and also fell in love. We also share a love for Moulin Rouge, so we aren’t scrooges I promise. Having been exposed to both really good and really bad romantic movies, we had high hopes for Last Christmas given the cast and story behind its creation. We were not disappointed.
The premise behind Last Christmas is taking George Michael’s famous Wham! song of the same name, and creating an entire movie around it. Sounds like a short movie, right? But really, that was just the impetus. The idea for this movie came about 10 years ago, and George Michael was approached and actually liked the idea, insisting on Emma Thompson’s involvement. They met several times and went over story ideas before his untimely death on Christmas day in 2016. It took a long time to get the story right, with Emma Thompson and Greg Wise writing treatments together. The development grew and evolved from there to what is sure to become an instant classic. Last Christmas has all the side character development and charm of Love Actually, where you actually care about the people on the screen and are glad you get to know a little more about them. It has all the important messaging of It’s a Wonderful Life (the inspiration for the director’s desire to make a classic Christmas movie) without being heavy handed or feeling like the audience is manipulated.
Kate used to feel special, but got sick and now that she’s better, her life is a shambles. She works in a Christmas shop and auditions as a singer/actress on the side. Suddenly Tom appears and things start to “look up.” He helps her realize that life is about more than just trying to make yourself happy, it’s about helping others be happy too. I won’t reveal more than that, but the story does have a twist, which Sophia and I both guessed, but it didn’t make it any less powerful.
The rest of the film is full of beautiful London scenes and quirky characters, along with some real world issues to confront as well. George Michael’s compelling music is woven throughout, acting like another character in the story, a literal chorus with a message to share. It’s truly a multi-level gift, the movie itself, the wonderful acting and story, and the music; reborn for a new audience to enjoy and appreciate. (And older audiences, as I instantly wanted to download the soundtrack on my way home, but settled for my George Michael playlist).
Last Christmas also normalized a lot of hot button issues (that frankly shouldn’t be hot button issues in 2019), like mixed race couples, same-sex couples, immigration, homelessness, and our preconceptions. It was great to see a movie come out and not attempt to capitalize or divide based on those issues, but rather just be a mirror to real life and the many people that live in it.
I cannot wait to see this movie again, and to be able to watch it every year as I do with Love Actually. Until then, I will remain inspired by the many messages of love, self-reflection, selflessness, helping others, and I’ll remember to Look Up.
Last Christmas opens everywhere Friday, November 8th – Go see it!
You can get the soundtrack on Friday too:
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Disclaimer: I was invited to a screening of Last Christmas at no cost, but as always, my thoughts and opinions are my own.
As soon as I sat down to watch this movie I regretted not re-watching the original 2014 film Maleficent to refresh my memory of the plot (as it stands, I actually remembered absolutely none of it). But as I got to thinking, I realized it was actually okay that I hadn’t done this. I assume that most people don’t really remember the plot of Maleficent, and that they too would be going in relatively blind.
If you’ve read any other film review I’ve written for this site, you’ll know they all largely follow the same basic theme: I don’t really care for the movie and think it has a lot of poorly executed elements, but in the end, it’s at least mildly entertaining. So it should be no surprise that I think Maleficent: Mistress of Evil really fits that mold too.
In passing I’ve definitely said previously that the original Maleficent was my favorite live-action remake. I feel like I need to clarify this. I don’t like the original Maleficent very much either, but I liked what it attempted to be – something that wasn’t just a 1:1 remake of an animated movie from several decades ago. It had its own perspective and take on the original story that could’ve made for something very compelling. Ultimately though, personally, I don’t think that idea was seen through very well at all.
My issue at this point is that all of these movies are extremely safe and marketable. The ‘live-action’ remakes yes, but even Disney’s seldom seen original IP are stale and worry-free. An avid viewer of such movies would be quick to point out something like The Nutcracker and The Four Realms; a unique take on a classic with a bold choice in design and fresh new elements. But this too sees the shortcomings of Disney’s safe/marketable rules. A new idea like Nutcracker is heavily constrained in its budget, and ultimately can’t do very much other than simply play it safe. Now, do I think that if Nutcracker hadn’t been so constrained it would’ve been good? No, but that’s beside the point.
Obviously it’s within Disney’s best interests to play to their biggest markets and try to make as much money as possible. They can’t necessarily do that if they were to make one-off films with a unique plot that breaks the mold – it’s way too risky. They’re in the business of making money, and every movie that has left Disney’s production team for at least the past five years has been well crafted to be perfectly safe.
I assume you can begin to gauge my opinion of Mistress of Evil from that alone. It took no risks, had no groundbreaking plot, made no profound statement.
I don’t think it’s necessarily fair to just criticize every aspect of the movie though – there were some things that I really did enjoy. I thought a lot of the art design was VERY good. Locations like the homeland of the Fae (from which Maleficent herself originates), felt straight out of Pandora: The World of Avatar – and ironically made me really look forward to Avatar 2.
But it would seem that no good deed goes unpunished, because I absolutely could NOT stand the design of the fairies/creatures of the Moors. Looking at them made me want to turn the movie off. I seriously wish that a photo of them had been publicly released or sent to us. For those who do see the movie, I’m talking about the strange hedgehog girl and the bizarre mushroom boy. For those who don’t see the movie, I’m sorry that I sound crazy right now. Those two examples are just so odd looking that I hated them, but people who’ve seen the first Maleficent may remember the incredibly uncanny valley Fairy Godmother characters. Be advised that the first 10 minutes of this movie are dedicated to full CGI establishing shots that are teeming with more and more of these weird and uncomfortable creatures that I did not very much care for.
Character-design-rant aside, I also happened to enjoy the soundtrack. It fell into the background a bit more than I would’ve liked, but there were some moments when I thought it was used in a very compelling way. In a similar vein, the sound design itself was actually pretty notable. There’s a lot of odd creatures in this movie but they all manage to sound exactly like how you’d expect them to.
I had never heard of the director before, and looking at his work again now, the only notable thing he’s made was 2017’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. Again, I enjoyed that movie – a bit more than Mistress of Evil – but it really just stayed the course of safe-bet movies.
So what do we take away from this? If you’re Disney, apparently nothing. I saw yesterday that on October 18th (opening day of the movie), my local theater is showing Mistress of Evil 28 separate times. It will definitely make money, unfortunately. Disney has placed all of their filming-eggs into one very safe and secure metaphorical basket.
Sure, Mistress of Evil was yet again moderately entertaining. But to me personally, so much of the movie felt poorly executed or lazily done that I came away from it not liking it at all. Even down to the structure of the plot, it felt like a direct-to-DVD sequel from the late 90s. The only difference is that this one had a massive budget and was shown to me in an IMAX theater.
I think lazy is the best way to describe Mistress of Evil. When asking around to my friends, over half of them didn’t even know that the movie was being made, let alone coming out in two days. Before the film started we were greeted with a few short promos of upcoming Disney productions to look forward to. Of these, Z-O-M-B-I-E-S 2, a Disney Channel Original sequel to a movie I’ve never seen, made for an age group I’m way too old for, piqued my interest far more than any part of Mistress of Evil did.
I’ll end it off by saying this: I don’t think Maleficent: Mistress of Evil is worth seeing. Normally I would add, “but that’s just me”, but this time, I really don’t think it’s just me. The Disney formula is growing old, and sure, it’s a profitable one, but for how long? Mistress of Evil probably would’ve worked better as a Disney Channel Original Movie (and from the production of it, it would’ve fit right in stylistically) or even a Disney+ Original. Especially given that it’s an unnecessary sequel to an unmemorable movie from five years ago.
It’s hard to believe that the Disney + Dooney & Bourke collaboration has been going on for TEN YEARS now. I guess it’s not too hard for me, because I started Zannaland.com right before the first purse came out – the original Disney Sketch Design Bag. What a time. I remember driving up from where I lived outside of Tampa at the time, just to see this new bag and yes, buy one myself. I then began breaking news here on Zannaland whenever a new purse would be spotted, and for the various events and trunk sales that would happen at Disney Springs.
It soon became too much for me to keep up with the endless designs and new releases (as well as the Disney Parks Blog starting up, so all of the “scoops” and news was posted there first. In any event, I kept my Disney Dooney page up, in hopes that some day I would be able to properly update it with all the latest releases. However since about 6 years worth of designs have come out, I’m not sure that’ll ever be possible on my schedule. Additionally, there are so many places and personal shopping services to get these bags (along with facebook groups and eBay) that it became kind of silly for me to compete with that. The bags do hold a special place in my heart though, as they represent a “golden age of Disney blogging” haha. Simpler times. I still have a few in my own collection.
In any event, read on for details on a very special 10th anniversary event of the Disney Dooney & Bourke partnership – maybe I’ll be there myself for old times sake:
Commemorate the 10th anniversary of the partnership between Disney and Dooney & Bourke with new merchandise and more!
In celebration of this momentous occasion, the “Disney Sketch” and “Mickey Balloons” original prints will be re-released and will now be available in great new color combinations. Plus, you’ll find that some of your favorite silhouettes have been released from the vault.
Bring home a dash of extra magic by receiving a select complimentary Dooney & Bourke small zip pouch with the purchase of any Dooney & Bourke merchandise, while supplies last*.
You’ll also have the opportunity to meet Ian Ray, Creative Director for Dooney & Bourke! He will be available for photos and to sign your newest Dooney & Bourke bag throughout the event.
When
October 11, 2019
9:00 AM to 11:00 AMWhere
Ever After Jewelry Co. & Accessories – Disney SpringsAbout Ian Ray
Ian lived and worked in 5 countries on 3 continents, where he specialized in material management and product development, before eventually settling in the United States in the late 1990’s. Ian’s current responsibilities include design and management of co-branded partnerships for Dooney & Bourke. He lives and works in Norwalk, Connecticut and loves sailing, triathlons and travel.Event Details
Event dates, appearances and information are subject to change without notice and not guaranteed. Merchandise available while supplies last.
We had a very weird day at Food and Wine. We ate things, we hunted a rat, we drove a car, and we did some shopping. This is the descent into madness.
Disclaimer: Disney invited us out to this event, but these opinions are our own!
https://youtu.be/riEW_dItmzM
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It’s hard to imagine a time before Epcot Festivals, especially if you just started going to the park in the last 20 years. In this week’s Up the Waterfall episode, we discuss the history of festivals at Epcot. Why they came about, how they’ve changed over the years, and what we think of all the never-ending festivals at one of our favorite parks. Times have certainly changed since 1994 and the first ever Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, in fact there are now 4 main festivals taking place in Epcot throughout the year.
Listen in, or watch as we discuss all the festivals, our favorite parts and not-so-favorite parts. We’d love to hear your thoughts on Epcot Festivals too! Do you like the festivals in Epcot? What’s your favorite part and what do you like or not like about those festivals? See what we think on this week’s episode.
Here’s a link to the EPCOT VIP Lounges I mentioned in this episode, if you’d like to see!
This is our third episode for the Up the Waterfall podcast, you can subscribe on the Apple Podcast app (we’d LOVE a review so more people can discover our little show!), watch and subscribe on YouTube.com/zannaland where you can give us a thumbs up, comment, share and hit the notification bell to make sure you never miss another video.
Thanks as always for watching, listening, and reading! We hope you enjoy and if you do, share the love so we can keep bringing you more fun topics!
D23 has just sent over some great news! Next year, 2020 will be a year to celebrate the Walt Disney Archives and its 50th anniversary. As you may know from my previous post “D23 and You (and Me!)” and our first Up the Waterfall podcast episode, the Walt Disney Archives are my favorite part of anything D23 related. This is the true reason we are Disney fans, and any and all info and treasures from the Archives are why we keep going back to D23 events and remaining members.
Along with some news about a traveling Archives exhibit, we also get some Destination D news, which will take place at Walt Disney World in the Fall of 2020. UPDATE: We now have an official date for Destination D – Fantastic Worlds in Walt Disney World – November 20-22, 2020! Destination D will honor Disney’s many magical places, from the extraordinary to the fantastical.The exhibit will include 50 iconic treasures, each representing a year that the Archives has been in existence. And Walt Disney Imagineering’s store, Mickey’s of Glendale, will once again open a pop-up shop featuring exclusive items, just for the weekend. Additional details, including special hotel rates and ticketing information, will be announced in late spring. I can’t wait to attend and peruse all of these bits of history. Keep reading below for the official press release from D23:
The Walt Disney Archives celebrates its 50th anniversary next year, and to kick off the festivities, the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, Calif., will host Inside the Walt Disney Archives: 50 Years of Preserving the Magic, offering a rare look at some of the treasures from the Archives. The 10,000-square-foot traveling exhibit opens to the public on March 7, 2020.
- Plus, on June 22, the actual anniversary of the founding of the Archives, D23 will hold a special “birthday party” at the Bowers Museum. And next year, D23 will offer two exclusive D23 Behind-the-Scenes Experiences: A Day at the Studio Lot, for an exciting look behind the incredible work that goes on every day at the Walt Disney Archives.
Guests are invited to step into the Walt Disney Archives as they walk through a dazzling display of more than 400 objects, including original artwork, costumes, and props that tell the story of the Archives, The Walt Disney Company, and Walt Disney himself. Artifacts include never-before-displayed production art from Fantasia, Walt Disney’s office set from Saving Mr. Banks, the original pitch portfolio used to secure investors for Disneyland, maquettes from animated films such as Peter Pan and Frozen, and much more.
Gold Members of D23: The Official Disney Fan Club will be invited to enjoy an exclusive look at the exhibit before it opens to the general public during a special preview night where they can chat with Disney archivists while exploring the exhibit, which runs through August 30, 2020, before heading to other locations around the country (to be revealed in 2020). D23 Gold Members will also receive a discount on tickets to the exhibit, as well as a discount on merchandise in the museum store. Bowers Museum is one of Southern California’s finest museums, showcasing exquisite examples of art and culture from around the world since 1936.
In addition to the exhibit, Disney fans will be able to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Archives throughout 2020:
- The Archives will partner with the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood for special El Cap Throwback screenings during the year.
- WALT’S MARCELINE: Walt frequently cited this charming Missouri town, where he spent his early childhood, as one of his greatest influences. In fact, its lovely main thoroughfare was an inspiration for Disneyland’s Main Street, U.S.A. D23 Members will have a chance to explore the Walt Disney Hometown Museum, enjoy local treats, and mingle with special guests during this full-day event.
- D23’s Behind the Scenes Experience: A Day at the Studio Lot events in 2020, held exclusively for Gold Members of D23, will offer a rare glimpse into how the Archives preserves the magic of The Walt Disney Company.
- All Official Walt Disney Studios Tours in 2020, presented by D23, will include a special gift for guests themed to the 50th anniversary.
For nearly five decades, the Walt Disney Archives has carefully safeguarded the most treasured items from The Walt Disney Company’s history, including original scripts, movie props and costumes, Walt Disney’s correspondence and script notes, theme park artifacts, merchandise, millions of archival photographs, and many of Walt’s personal effects. Founded by Disney Legend Dave Smith in 1970, the Walt Disney Archives is a vital resource for every part of Disney, as well as an important research center for Disney scholars, researchers, and writers. The Archives also shares its countless pieces with Disney fans everywhere through its exhibitions and close association with D23: The Official Disney Fan Club.
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It’s finally here! Up the Waterfall is a Disney podcast I’ve wanted to do for about 5 years now and it’s finally happening! Up the Waterfall is weekly podcast hosted by Zanna (me!) and Scott Otis. Discussions range from Disney history, to theorizing on what Disney’s future holds! Anything is possible in Disneyland! Thanks to Christian, we are also uploading the podcasts as video, in case anyone wants to watch as well as listen. 🙂
Up the Waterfall, Season One
Episode 1
“D23 Expo, A 10 Year Retrospective”
A look back at the past decade of D23 fan events, remembering what some of the biggest hits or biggest misses were. Listen and then let us know your thoughts!
This episode is also available in audio-only format.
Our friend and special guest Amanda from Vegan Disney Food joined us on the first day of the Food & Wine Festival for 2019, to bring us on grand tour of every Vegan item available at this year’s booths! Join us as we check them all out!
Follow Amanda for more vegan options and updates:
https://instagram.com/vegandisneyfood
