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Japan

Enjoy the Little Things With The Secret World of Arrietty

16 February 2012 by Suzannah Otis 2 Comments

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For those unfamiliar with The Secret World of Arrietty, which opens February 17, 2012, here is the official synopsis:

Residing quietly beneath the floorboards are little people who live undetected in a secret world to be discovered, where the smallest may stand tallest of all.  From the legendary Studio Ghibli (“Spirited Away,” “Ponyo”) comes “The Secret World of Arrietty,” an animated adventure based on Mary Norton’s acclaimed children’s book series “The Borrowers.”

 

 

Arrietty (voice of Bridgit Mendler), a tiny, but tenacious 14-year-old, lives with her parents (voices of Will Arnett and Amy Poehler) in the recesses of a suburban garden home, unbeknownst to the homeowner and her housekeeper (voice of Carol Burnett). Like all little people, Arrietty (AIR-ee-ett-ee) remains hidden from view, except during occasional covert ventures beyond the floorboards to “borrow” scrap supplies like sugar cubes from her human hosts. But when 12-year-old Shawn (voice of David Henrie), a human boy who comes to stay in the home, discovers his mysterious housemate one evening, a secret friendship blossoms. If discovered, their relationship could drive Arrietty’s family from the home and straight into danger. The English language version of “The Secret World of Arrietty” was executive produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall, and directed by Gary Rydstrom.

I was lucky enough to be able to see a preview screening of Arrietty last weekend. I should preface my review with the fact that I am a huge fan of Studio Ghibli in general and Hayao Miyazaki in particular. Arrietty has been out in Japan as The Borrower Arrietty for quite some time and now the American English dubbed version is coming to theatres. I was quite pleased with the voice acting from Amy Poehler, Will Arnett and David Henrie, and thought they seemed to fit their characters perfectly. As usual, however, the real star of the film is the animation and with it, the story.

Compared to the Miyazaki films of My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle and Ponyo, the animation in Arrietty is not as breathtaking visually, but it is no less amazing, if you watch for the details. Some little things that made me smile; when Arrietty’s mom pours their tea into dollhouse-sized cups, she is not just pouring liquid like we are used to doing – the tea looks like a tiny drop of dew – because after all, that’s how small their tea cups would be. When it began to rain, the drops on one of the stones outside look exactly like they do in reality – not tiny drops all uniform in size, but some larger than others, and all spreading out as the water soaks in to the stone. In addition, whenever you are seeing things from Arrietty’s point of view, the sounds around her are all amplified, since, to miniature eardrums, that’s how they would be heard. Brilliant little details that draw you into the secret world and truly make you feel a part of it.

Arrietty and kitty
Sometimes a perceived enemy can be an ally.

The story itself is one of family, friendship, trust, and hope. Arrietty learns that friendship can transcend differences while Shawn learns that it’s never too late to have hope. And all the characters learn that sometimes the risk of trust is worth it in the end. It was a truly beautiful story wrapped inside layers of Japanese landscapes. There is just enough comic relief to keep the little ones, who may not be as entranced by the details, entertained and laughing.

The Secret World of Arrietty opens in theatres on February 17, be sure to bring the whole family to experience the world of the borrowers.

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Filed Under: Disney Movie News & Reviews, Disney News, Movie Reviews, Movies & Books, Reviews Tagged With: Amy Poehler, anime, Arietty review, Arrietty, Borrowers, Bridgit Mendler, Carol Burnett, David Henrie, Hiyao Miyazaki, Japan, Japanese animation, Mary Norton, movie review, Secret World of Arrietty, Studio Ghibli, Will Arnett

Amazing Alice in Wonderland-Themed Restaurant in Tokyo

7 May 2011 by Suzannah Otis 2 Comments

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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 of Magic World
Wonderland-like forest setting

 

Alice of Magic World
Of course, this picture reminds me of Tom Petty's "Don't Come Around Here No More" video...

 

Alice of Magic World
Queen of Hearts table, hopefully it does not include decapitation! 😉
Alice of Magic World
Love the original Alice in Wonderland illustrations here
Alice of Magic World
Larger than life books...
Alice of Magic World
Playing card tables...love the walls in this room!

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Filed Under: Florida Theme Parks & Attractions Tagged With: Alice in Magic World, Alice in Wonderland, Alice in Wonderland restaurant, Japan, Lewis Carroll, Queen of Hearts, themed-restaurants, Tokyo Japan

Duffy the Disney Bear to Have a Costume for Each World Showcase Country

16 September 2010 by Suzannah Otis 1 Comment

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We’re going to dive right in with something reader Shelley C. discovered today about none other than Duffy the Disney Bear. As you may recall, Duffy will be appearing to passholders this Saturday in a special presentation welcoming him to Epcot. Many people wondered if Duffy would appear park-wide, in addition to the question of whether the existing “Disney Bear” that once appeared at Walt Disney World was still available. Shelley answers those questions for us here —

Duffy the Disney BearAfter seeing a picture of Duffy Bear taking up residence in the Emporium on Main Street on Twitter,  I decided to head on down and check it out! When I got there, I found it quite curious that there were no Duffy or Disney Bears on the shelves. However, I had also noticed that over the past week the Disney Bears that were once available at Once Upon a Toy and World of Disney had vanished. I asked around, and found out a little more information about our Tokyo Disney Seas import.

According to a management cast member on Main Street, USA, Duffy is going to be primarily based in EPCOT, but have ties to the Disney Cruise Line. He will have outfits that represent each country of World Showcase, some everyday outfits (rain coats and such like Pal Mickey had), the sailor suit that he is seen sporting in most of the Annual Passholder emails, and a Disney Cruise Line uniform. They were vague about Duffy having his own “store” in EPCOT, but said that he would definitely be “around”.  However, don’t get your hopes up to Shellie Mae anytime soon (Super Boo on this part).

We’ll have to wait until Saturday for more information, but a resort wide launch is planned for around October 14, 2010. Stay tuned…

~Shelley C.

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Filed Under: Disney News, Guest Authors Tagged With: Disney News, Duffy, Duffy the Disney Bear, Epcot, Japan, Japan pavilion, Walt Disney World, World Showcase

Duffy the Disney Bear Finds a Home in Epcot-Passholder Preview

27 August 2010 by Suzannah Otis 9 Comments

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Duffy at Tokyo DisneySea
photo courtesy of cafetricot on flickr

Fans of Disney’s Tokyo DisneySea may be familiar with the very popular bear, Duffy, who graces the park as a character, plush toy and many, many other forms of merchandise. As the story goes, (you knew there was a story, right?) Mickey Mouse was about to leave on a long sea voyage. Minnie gave him a stuffed bear so he wouldn’t get lonely. Mickey kept the bear duffel bag, and the name “Duffy” was born. Aww.

Duffy has his very own Disney site in Japanese, an unofficial Facebook page, countless flickr photos and ebay auctions for bears, outfits and more. He was for sale, though not referred to as Duffy, simply “The Disney Bear” briefly at Walt Disney World, making character appearances during Teddy Bear Weekends here in Florida. I happened to have purchased one back when my 11 year old was first born. I think I loved him more than my son did. Since I have a a love for all things Japanese as well, I was pretty excited about Duffy coming here to Epcot. Update: read all about Duffy’s arrival this October.

The good news for annual passholders is they will get a sneak preview and special hour-long presentation all about Duffy on September 18, 2010, at 11am, 2pm and 6pm at the Odyssey restaurant in Epcot. Reservations for this event open Tuesday, Aug. 31, at DisneyWorld.com/passholder to all current Disney World passholders. However, Weekday Select and Epcot After 4 p.m. passholders will need valid admission to Epcot. To read more about the details, check out Kristen Ford’s story on The Daily Disney. Duffy should begin making regular appearances in World Showcase’s Japan pavilion in October.

I can’t wait to sign up and be there for Duffy madness to arrive here in Florida. Hopefully he will receive as warm a welcome as he did in his Japanese home. Okaeri nasai, Duffy!

Duffy the Disney Bear
My own Duffy, getting ready to surf the internets.
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Filed Under: Disney News, Disney Special Events Tagged With: Disney News, Duffy, Duffy the Disney Bear, Epcot, Japan, passholder events, Tokyo DisneySea, World Showcase

Magic in the Mist

9 August 2010 by Suzannah Otis 7 Comments

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While visiting Epcot’s World Showcase again last night, the weather was off and on rain showers all day. The temperature was only around 78º but the “feels like” was at 105º due to the humidity. As a result, when we strolled through Japan, we were treated to a special effect from the mist that puffs out of the bamboo area of the zen garden. The fog had started to hang in the air, lingering like a shroud and making us feel as if we were actually in the Japanese countryside for a moment. It was beautiful and serene. Now if only I’d seen Totoro…

Click to see full-sized.

[Read more…] about Magic in the Mist

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Filed Under: Walt Disney World Tagged With: Epcot, Japan, off the beaten path, Pictures, Walt Disney World, World Showcase

A Surprise in Every Shell – Pick A Pearl in Epcot’s Japan Pavilion

27 July 2010 by Suzannah Otis 23 Comments

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I’ve always loved surprises. Back in the 80’s when I collected stickers, I can’t tell you how many “goodie bags” my mom bought me in the local sticker shop just because not knowing what was in there made it that much more exciting and enticing for me. I can’t say I’ve changed much since then – I still love mysteries where you get a prize in the end. So of course I love special things like the Pick a Pearl station in Japan’s Mitsukoshi store in Epcot. I still have the first pearl I got at a similar set-up in Silver Springs with my sister. I finally decided my kids should get to experience the fun so a little while back they got to pick their own pearls and see what awaited them inside.

Here’s how it works:

pick a pearl
First, you go to the register and pay for the pearls you want to pick.

[Read more…] about A Surprise in Every Shell – Pick A Pearl in Epcot’s Japan Pavilion

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Filed Under: Disney Attractions Tagged With: Epcot, Japan, Mitsukoshi, off the beaten path, Pick a Pearl, Pictures, Walt Disney World

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