Alice in Wonderland

Spring Forward with a New Alice in Wonderland 2 Trailer

13 March 2016 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

Don’t be late to catch the latest Alice Through the Looking Glass trailer, released just in time to spring forward as we changed the clocks last night. See it below:

Here’s the official synopsis of Through the Looking Glass:

Alice Kingsleigh (Wasikowska) has spent the past few years following in her father’s footsteps and sailing the high seas. Upon her return to London, she comes across a magical looking glass and returns to the fantastical realm of Underland and her friends the White Rabbit (Sheen), Absolem (Rickman), the Cheshire Cat (Fry) and the Mad Hatter (Depp), who is not himself. The Hatter has lost his Muchness, so Mirana (Hathaway) sends Alice on a quest to borrow the Chronosphere, a metallic globe inside the chamber of the Grand Clock which powers all time. Returning to the past, she comes across friends – and enemies – at different points in their lives, and embarks on a perilous race to save the Hatter before time runs out. Presented in Digital 3D™, Real D 3D and IMAX® 3D, Disney’s “Alice Through the Looking Glass” opens in U.S. theaters on May 27, 2016.

Curiouser Very Merry Alice in Wonderland Ornaments in Disney Parks

2 December 2013 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

I saw these adorable Alice in Wonderland Ornaments in the Magic Kingdom the other day and had to share them. They are so brightly colored and fun, and come in a style and size for every preference. A perfect addition to your own little Wonderland. Click any image on the gallery below to enlarge.

Alice in Wonderland Doormouse Christmas Ornament

Alice in Wonderland Cheshire Cat Christmas Ornaments

Alice in Wonderland Queen of Hearts Christmas Ornaments

Alice in Wonderland Mad Hatter Hat Christmas Ornaments

Alice in Wonderland Votive Candle Holders

Which one is your favorite? I love the little Door Mouse teacups, myself!

Below are links directly to the Disney Store to purchase the ornaments pictured – or any other gorgeous Disney ornaments featured:

Disclosure: The links above are affiliate links – no difference or cost to you, but if a purchase is made, a small portion supports zannaland.com 🙂 Thank you!

Evite Now the Exclusive Online Invitation Partner with Disney’s Spoonful.com

6 March 2013 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

We’ve all sent out an Evite for a party or get-together, now the leader in digital invitations and social planning since 1998 has been named the exclusive online party invitation partner for Disney Interactive’s Spoonful.com and is now offering a new collection of Disney-themed online party invitations.

The Evite Disney Collection includes characters popular with both boys and girls, captured in eye-catching designs that utilize Evite’s signature, simple-to-use online invitation templates and party planning tools. The invitation designs were created by Disney’s award-winning creative staff in collaboration with Evite’s expert team of digital invitation designers.

Disney’s Spoonful.com inspires moms to express creativity and provides them with tools to enjoy moments of their lives, especially family celebrations and party planning. The Evite partnership gives moms an easy one-stop destination to personally customize invitations featuring their favorite Disney characters and stories.

“When celebrating life’s more important events our users want design that reflects the personal interest of the guest of honor,” said Hans Woolley, president of Evite. “Spoonful.com is committed to providing the tools and content that will enrich family experiences, which is a perfect match for Evite’s ongoing mission of helping people get together and celebrate life’s most special moments.”

Designs featured in the Evite Disney Collection will include Disney Princess, Disney Fairies, Cars, Toy Story, Phineas and Ferb, Alice in Wonderland®, Mickey and Minnie®, Jake and the Never Land Pirates®, Pooh®, Tangled®, Brave®, Shake it Up®, and Doc McStuffins.®

Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie – A Fun Homage To Creepy Movies Past

6 October 2012 by Suzannah Otis 3 Comments

Fans of Tim Burton will no doubt have seen or heard of the original incarnation of Frankenweenie, which was produced by Walt Disney Pictures in 1984 as a live action black and white short film. Burton was fired for making the film, for “wasting company resources.” Disney later saw the error of their ways and came to understand Burton’s creative genius. As a result, we now have such classics as The Nightmare Before Christmas, James and the Giant Peach, the live-action Alice in Wonderland and now a full-length stop-motion animation version of Frankenweenie.

For those who have not seen the original Frankenweenie from 1984, I urge you to take the time to watch. The new film, released on October 5, is a loving tribute and enhancement to Burton’s original concept, to the point of specific scenes, sets and lines being recreated. I just re-watched it myself in preparation for this review, after seeing the new film twice, and loved seeing little details such as the pet cemetery, rain on the window, and the first classroom scene, are almost identical in the original. The windmill, which acts as the iconic centerpiece for the town of New Holland in the full-length version comes from a miniature golf course in the original short. As a note, this review will discuss characters and plot points from the new film, so consider this a spoiler alert and proceed at your own risk.

Frankenweenie is, at its roots, an homage to the 1931 movie Frankenstein, based on Mary Shelley’s novel. The main character of Frankenweenie is Victor Frankenstein, the same as in the book. In the new movie, Victor’s neighbor is Mr. Burgermeister, a name which you may recognize from the pioneers of stop-motion, Rankin-Bass, and their Christmas special, Santa Claus is Coming to Town. Mr. Burgermeister not only shares the demeanor of his namesake but a bit of his look too. The Rankin-Bass Burgermeister was voiced by Paul Frees, who is of course famed among Disney fans as the voice of the “Ghost Host” in the Haunted Mansion, along with countless narrations for Disney attractions, including Disneyland’s beloved Adventure Thru Inner Space, now sadly closed. In the new movie, Burgermeister’s niece, Elsa Van Helsing, is a nod to another classic horror story: Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

There are many other tributes to movies past, which may be open for interpretation depending on your cinematic knowledge. I felt like the Sea Monkeys we see take over the town were very reminiscent of the Gremlins in how they acted, and the scene where they attack a phone booth reminded me of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds. These could just be coincidences of course. One more obvious point of reverence was toward Godzilla movies. An ex-turtle named Shelley – a nod to Mary Shelley and Shelley Duval, who played Victor’s mom in the 1984 version, becomes a giant Gamera-sized turtle like we’ve seen Godzilla battle in the past. At one point, the monster turtle stomps in front of a cinema which has a marquee declaring Bambi is coming soon. I wasn’t the only one that thought of the classic animation short Bambi Meets Godzilla when seeing that on screen.

More than movie history appreciation, the general style and feel of the film is a wonderful collection of Burton’s artistic designs. The creatures, townsfolk, and main characters resemble past creations and drawings we’ve seen in concept art and the books he’s published. I could be wrong, but I swore I saw a Jack Skellington mask on my second viewing of the film, right after Nassor is knocked into a cart of souvenirs at the fair. Also, fans of the Amazing Stories series Family Dog episode will recognize the design of Sparky as being directly descended from that character. Burton assisted with character design and production of the Brad Bird story. So in that sense, the film is a wonderful little homage to Tim Burton himself.

The science teacher, Mr. Rzykruski is modeled after Vincent Price, well-known as Burton’s inspiration for much of his work. Voiced by Martin Landau, who played Bela Lugosi in Burton’s production of Ed Wood, he is part of the ‘family of voices’ we’ve now come to expect from Burton’s productions. Mr. Rzykruski is the voice of reason, exposing the children of the school to new ideas and urging them to reach their potential as human beings. His comments to the parents at a school meeting are an excellent commentary on life in America, where new ideas are sometimes treated as wrong and bad because of ignorance and unwillingness to see another way. The message is garbled a bit when Victor actually reanimates the corpse of his dead dog, but you know, artistic license and all that.

Now, did I actually like the film? Well, because I am a huge Burton fan, of both his art and his films, I loved Frankenweenie as a display of Burton’s creations and the art of stop-motion animation in general. I think the story lacked a little bit in character development. We never really know what the story is with Elsa, she seems to “like” Victor, but nothing really comes of it, and we don’t really know her background other than owning the dog which eventually becomes the “bride” to Sparky’s “Frankenstein.” Victor’s parents are another area where I wish we’d seen more development. In the original short film, Victor’s mom, as portrayed by Shelley Duval is a working mom who seems to have a more playful bond with Victor. In the current film, Victor’s mom seems only concerned with cleaning and romance novels and is pretty clueless as to the goings-on in her home.

I don’t fault the movie too much for this; the real story is that of Victor and Sparky, and truly, Sparky is the star of the show. Sparky’s dog mannerisms are perfectly executed in Frankenweenie, which must’ve been painstaking with the stop-motion figures. Honestly, it made me appreciate my own little dog more because Sparky was just so cute and watching his day-to-day routine was just adorable and spot-on. I also love the lesson that Victor learned about letting go of a loved one that leaves us. He grew as a person and was going be okay with Sparky resting in peace (of course then the grown-ups of the town had other ideas).

All in all, despite the flaws in story, the movie as a whole was entertaining and a must-see for any Tim Burton fan or pet-owner with a sense of humor. As a warning, it is rated PG and there are a few spots that make you jump out of your seat, so be warned before bringing younger children. I made the decision not to bring my almost-4-year-old because of this. Most of the film is just funny and silly though and the use of 3D technology is excellent throughout.

With the amount of promotion in Disney Parks, on the Disney Channel, Frankenweenie merchandise (and a great soundtrack in the Frankenweenie Unleashed! CD), I hope Frankenweenie is a grand success. If nothing else, it is a wonderful artistic display that is inspiring for any child that may be or look different or see the world in another way. Creativity and expression is always a positive lesson to expose any one to, young or old, and Frankenweenie does just that.

^*Disclosure: some links may be affiliate links, which, if used to purchase products will give me back a few cents to support zannaland. Further disclosure: I was provided a complimentary screening of Frankenweenie for a guest and me for the purposes of this review. However, I went out and purchased tickets a few days later on my own, and my opinions were not affected. Thanks for reading.

Adorable Disney Princess Cupcake Jewelry Pendants

10 August 2012 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

What better combination is there than Disney princesses AND cupcakes? Throw jewelry into the mix and you’re all set! I found these adorable fan-made creations on etsy from KTJennuary. The seller has them as a set or individual purchase – check them out:

Disney Princess Cupcake pendants — Click the link above for more photos!

Most Curious (and CUTE) Disney Antenna Topper Ever!

19 February 2012 by Suzannah Otis 3 Comments

It’s been a while since I’ve seen a new Disney antenna topper, but this one made me squeal with delight. (Literally, it was pretty embarrassing for my family.) Behold the Cheshire Cat antenna topper!!!

And here’s a few more I hadn’t seen before:

Valentine’s Day may be over but you can still get a Cupid Mickey topper:

I know there have been suns before but this design looked new to me:

Sunshine Mickey antenna topper — He's cooool! 😉

You can be sure I picked up a Cheshire Cat for my collection! Me-yow!

Fun New T-Shirt Designs at Disney Bring Smiles

7 November 2011 by Suzannah Otis 4 Comments

Magical Day shirt — I think this is my new favorite. Sparkly, v-neck and a fun saying - perfect!

As you know, I love sharing merchandise that grabs my attention in the Parks, and Disney has really been pushing the envelope on creative t-shirt designs in the past year or so. Fans across twitter have appreciated the artistic, ironic, or self-deprecating designs that have come out recently.

I think the first time I actually laughed out loud at a Disney t-shirt, it was with these literal Mickey and Donald shirts. Now each time I enter a park, I find a shirt that makes me giggle or impresses me with its style. The Disney Couture line, along with Disney’s partnership with Hanes have led to some great new designs and I’m sure there are more to come. Here are a few of my favorites, collected over the last month or so:

Tiana Shirt — Love this take on Tiana too

glass slipper shirt — Love this glass slipper – beautiful!

Mickey Bar shirt — I remember these Mickey bars, do you?

Refurbishment shirt — Perfect for work-outs!

Chip and Dale – Rescue Rangers! Next to graffiti Mickey

Love these two: Old school Mickey and Hipster Mickey

Jimi Hendrix Mickey — Jimi Hendrix tribute?

Balloon Castle — LOVE this design. Brilliant!

Ears shirt — For your favorite selective hearer

Wonderland shirt — I think it’s impossible for me not to like an Alice shirt

Topography Mickey — Topographical Mickey?

Do you have a favorite?

INTERVIEW: Ashley Eckstein – a Disney Girl Whose Dreams Came True

11 May 2011 by Suzannah Otis 1 Comment

If Disney could pick an “it-girl” to properly represent the company in the way they have tried with so many Disney Channel stars – Ashley Eckstein would be the perfect fit. Ashley is a Disney fan through and through, something we instantly bonded about. In doing my research, I read Ashley’s most recent blog entry at the Her Universe site and was struck by how heartfelt it was. I truly got how she was sharing her first-ever memories of Disney’s Hollywood Studios, how she later had a dream come true when she danced in a parade down Hollywood Blvd. and how now yet another dream was coming true as she was able to share her very own line of clothing at Star Wars Weekends. We joked about how it sounds cheesy, but Disney really is the place where magic lives. I knew then, she was one of us.

I asked Ashley how “growing up Disney” had affected her career and career choices. She said that as a child, having Disney in her backyard and being a Disney family (her dad worked for Disney for 15 years as a food buyer) her parents often played the song “When You Wish Upon A Star” (a song Ashley would later play at her Disney wedding reception) and would reiterate that statement. Ashley remarked that kids believe what you tell them, and being around such a magical environment and seeing dreams actually come true made it a tangible belief that she carried with her. At her first professional acting job at age 11, singing with the Orlando Opera Company and filming a segment for the Disney Christmas Parade on ABC, Ashley realized that while it was an amazing experience to be a part of, it was also very possible; “Disney provided so many opportunities for dreams to come true.”

From her first childhood visit to a Mickey Mouse Club taping at the then-Disney-MGM Studios, it was Ashley’s dream to appear on the Disney Channel. When that dream also came true in her recurring role as Muffy on “That’s So Raven“, Ashley quickly learned the importance of personal responsibility to her fans and children everywhere, both at the show’s live tapings and watching on the Disney Channel. “I realized the power I had to be a positive role model for kids. I do not take that power lightly and try in any way I can to make a positive difference. I view it as an honor to do so.”

After we reminisced about Disney past and what we missed in the Parks (Disney, if you’re reading, the Ecksteins would really appreciate the return of the non-chocolate-covered Mickey ice cream bar – remember the one with chocolate ice cream ears and a vanilla face?), we turned to Ashley’s latest passion – Her Universe – fandom-based apparel and accessories specifically designed for women and girls. I thanked Ashley for filling the void of Star Wars fan girl clothing, previously consisting mostly of slave Leia bikinis. Ashley is super hands-on with Her Universe and was quick to correct the common misconception that she’s merely endorsing a brand – this is her company that she started from scratch and she’s involved in every step of production from design tohang tag and neck tag. “I’m never going to release something at Her Universe that I would not buy myself. If I wouldn’t buy it, I’m not going to sell it.” And her passion shows.

Her Universe currently sells Star Wars licensed items, viewing designs more as “wearable art”, using creative printing techniques vs. just a logo on a t-shirt. Ashley is most excited about her Ahsoka shirt designs, one specifically designed in little girl sizes. She’s knew there was a lack of shirts for the character she’s played for the last 3 years on the Star Wars: Clone Wars animated series, but definitely not a lack of interest. This Ahsoka shirt and two other shirts will be premiered at Star Wars Weekends on May 20th and Ashley couldn’t be prouder that these shirts will be available in both little girl sizes and women’s sizes up to 3x. I was happy to hear that my favorites – the Padme art deco shirt and the Boba Fett-ish undies set are two of her personal favorites as well.

As for the future of Her Universe, I asked Ashley if there were plans to expand it beyond the Star Wars franchise. “It’s funny you asked that because we just came from New York where we met with the folks at SyFy and will now be handling all of SyFy’s female merchandise and merchandise for two of their shows.” Similar to Star Wars fans – almost half of SyFy’s demographic is actually women and thankfully they have recognized that! I look forward to what Her Universe will have to offer in the coming months!

Now of course, another reason I was excited to speak to Ashley is her obsession, well, we’ll say passion, it always sounds nicer, for Alice in Wonderland. Faithful readers will note this is yet another thing I share with Ashley. She actually joked about reading my post on the Alice in Wonderland sculpture in Kissimmee and how she needed to drive out there and see it herself! Proving once again that she is a Disney fan at heart, Ashley’s most prized possession in her extensive collection is actually the very first Alice costume her mom got her when she was just a little girl of five. Ashley fondly remembers dressing up in that dress and hopes to someday pass it along to her daughter should she have one. Another favorite is the Alice in Wonderland animation cell she was gifted with from Captain Rex at last year’s Star Wars Weekends.

I wondered what Alice would say if she met Ahsoka, to which Ashley quickly quipped in a British accent, “Oh my!” She then thought that Alice would be very curious about Ahsoka and her lightsaber and where she came from. “Some of the reasons why I love Alice so much are that she always speaks her mind, always asks questions and is a smart, strong female character.” Sounds like a certain Padawan Jedi we all know and love, yes?

I ended by asking Ashley if she’d gotten to check out Star Tours 2 yet and she had not but is looking forward to filming some behind-the-scenes videos next week and checking it out then. She shared that Star Tours actually has made her motion sick in the past but the last time she rode it she was okay and is hoping she fares well with the new ride. (I am with her on that one, I’m a little nervous about the 3D aspect with the motion!)

Ashley graciously agreed to answer these fan questions which I gathered from twitter and facebook before our interview:

@VoyageofAriel Tammy asked: If Star Wars was a musical what would her character’s song title be & could she sing some of it?

“It would definitely sound like it was right out of a Disney movie. I can sing, but I don’t sound like a pop singer, I sound like a Disney character! I think the title would “Patience”. As a Padawan, Ahsoka’s a student and makes mistakes like all students do and must find patience. She wants to be perfect and gets frustrated when she isn’t. It’s Anakin’s job to try to teach her patience.”

Tammy you’ll have to wait for it to appear on Broadway to hear Ashley sing it! 😉

Ryan from the Main Street Gazette wanted to know: What’s your favorite Ahsoka quote?

“My favorite quote would be, “You’re stuck with my sky guy” for a few reasons. I love the nickname sky guy – some of the fans hated it and some of them loved it but she doesn’t use it anymore director says she’s grown up and doesn’t say that line any longer. It also encompasses Ahsoka in general. When she first appeared some fans viewed her as the new Jar-jar. Now she’s gone in the direction that the fans wanted her to go in, and she hopes the fans are happy that she’s stuck around. I think people are wondering what happens to her and accept that she is part of the Star Wars franchise. AND represents part of her cocky little attitude not bratty, but just a little cocky.”

@agalaxyfaraway Amanda asks: Which Star Wars movie is her favorite? And who is her favorite character.

“Empire Strikes Back. I am a sucker for the romantic – the girl gets the guy, the “I know” line is one of my favorite moments. My favorite character is R2D2. He’s actually always there to save the day, he’s saved many lives!”

@MeCcAFeTT wants to ask Miss Ashley, when we gonna see Her Universe swimsuits and more cute bras and panties!?

This made Ashley giggle because “That’s something we are working on right now! It’s tricky for size reasons. Some items have to be custom made literally from scratch – most clothing uses blanks in standard sizes which exist for men, but not for many women’s or girls sizes. Designing them on our own takes longer, a 6 month or longer minimum to design and it may be a year before you see them for sale. It’s frustrating at times because of needing real sizes for women. I’m constantly researching and studying to find “women’s sizes” available to design in a timely manner. Some just don’t exist, but we are looking into absolutely doing these for the line!”

Shane from Parkeology wanted to know does Ashley prefer the original Tiki Room or the Under New Management version?

“I am always an original girl. Since I grew up at Disney, you go back to what you know and prefer what you had going up. I’m a classic girl!” (This is what got us discussing Mickey ice cream bars and Ashley proceeded to sing a little Veggie Veggie Fruit Fruit, which warmed my heart!!)

Cliff W. from facebook wanted to know is Ashley was going to experience all 68 versions of the new Star Tours? Which is what led to Ashley revealing her motion sickness, so I’m gonna go with a no on that, you probably won’t catch Ashley riding 68 times. Ashley stayed true to her Jedi character in saying, “I am going to be tough and give it a try though!”

Savannah M. from facebook asked: What’s been her favorite episode so far in the clone wars series?

“So far, the Mortis trilogy, which really should be watched as one continuous episode because you really get to see how far Ahsoka’s come and see her relationship with Anakin and Obi Wan. As an actress, selfishly, it was really a challenge – I had to be young Ahsoka, then grown up Ahsoka and Dark Side Ahsoka, three separate voices and characters. Those episodes are so well-done in terms of writing animation and directing, just visually stunning. Definitely get the season 3 dvd so they can be watched as one extended episode.”

Teronya H. from facebook (and fellow Moms Panelist!)’s 8 year old son Aaron wants to know wants to know if Ashley really learned how to fight so she could play Ahsoka?

“Yes actually I did! After the first Star Wars Weekends two yeas ago, I saw a photo of me posed with a lightsaber like Ahsoka and I looked so prissy it was awful! I thought I cannot be playing this tough Jedi and not know how to look like one, I feel like a fraud! So my niece, who is a black belt in Tae Kwon Do had her Master teach me how to fight like a Jedi and how to fight with a lightsaber!”

You can check out Ashley’s Jedi training below on her hosting reel – the Jedi training is 2:18 into the video:

I want to thank Ashley Eckstein for taking the time to speak with me today and share all of those fun answers above. It was an honor to speak to someone so passionate about Disney, Star Wars and Alice in Wonderland, and who truly has made her dreams come true. The Force is definitely with Ashley – as is the pixie dust!

You can follow Ashley on twitter at @HerUniverse and at facebook’s Her Universe page, where you can get updates on the product line and more. The official Ashley Eckstein facebook page has more news on Ashley’s appearances and upcoming events.

Ashley will be making a return appearance at this year’s Star Wars Weekends, which begin on May 20th – be sure to stock up on Her Universe items before you go!

Amazing Alice in Wonderland-Themed Restaurant in Tokyo

7 May 2011 by Suzannah Otis 2 Comments

Thanks to a friend with a mutual love of all things Alice in Wonderland, I stumbled across this link and had to share it here on ZannaLand. This is definitely yet another reason for me to get to Japan and I am definitely adding Alice of Magic World to my list of must-sees. They even have Chesire cat tail pizza slices and what looks like Cheshire cat face noodles too. I’m not sure I’d want to leave! Here’s the article originally posted at TrendHunter:

ALICE OF MAGIC WORLD

Tokyo is home to some odd theme restaurants, but Alice of Magic World is one I’d actually like to try. This eatery is inspired by the Lewis Carroll classic, and features several different “rooms” with aesthetics that channel the must-read children’s book.

The first two images depict the “forest” room. Neatly trimmed “hedges” made of carpet and immaculate topiaries are surrounded by checkered floors and walls, mirrors and odd-shaped doors. In another room, a heart-shaped table and chandelier made of hearts beckon an aspiring Queen of Hearts; nearby, playing card tables are set off by lush black banquettes and blood-red seats.

Alice of Magic World was designed by Fantastic Design Works Co., and is the fourth Alice in Wonderland-themed restaurant owned by its restaurant group.

Check out these surreal photos: (click to enlarge)

Alice in Wonderland Sculpture Hiding in Kissimmee

28 April 2011 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

I must admit, sometimes my family does not actually stay on Disney property. I know, I know, it’s shocking! A lot of times we just plan last minute things and we don’t want to go to the expense of a Disney resort, but we also don’t want to stay in a shady place. When we travel with my mom, we need to have enough room for everyone, so we often stay at timeshare condos that rent their villas. In this case, we stayed at one for my husband’s birthday. Imagine my surprise as we stopped by the main registration building at Westgate Villas and Jerry pointed out this amazing Alice in Wonderland metal sculpture just sitting unassumingly next to some palm trees, without another Disney reference in site. I wouldn’t have even noticed it if he hadn’t said anything. Obviously I had to take pictures of it! (Click to enlarge)

Alice in Wonderland sculpture — Hmm...curiouser and curiouser...

Did anyone else know this was hiding back here off 192 in Kissimmee? Anyone know more details about how or why it was commissioned or donated? I’d love to hear the story behind it! In the meantime, it’s a cool and mysterious little treasure hiding off Disney property. Quite a happy discovery!