Search Results for: blog monsters marple and merida

Visit Monsters University Online

Are you interested in applying to Monsters University? Would you like to learn more about receiving a higher education in professional scaring techniques? Then head over to the newly-launched Monsters University website, for details on the country’s top scaring university. Some of the clever folks at Pixar have created a website to promote next summer’s sequel to “Monster’s Inc.,” “Monsters University.” But the website isn’t about the movie, at least not directly. It’s a viral site designed to replicate university websites, and I’ve got to tell you, it looks like it could be real. There’s so much more to it … Continue reading →

A Study in Princesses: Rapunzel and Beyond

Today we come to the last of Disney’s Princesses, at least those who exist so far. With “Tangled” our lead is yet again a princess, but as in the previous movie it’s ancillary. Like many other Disney heroines before her Rapunzel just wants to experience new things in the world, though she has the greatest justification for her desires. Her goal develops along the way; once she learns the truth of her past she wants to reunite with her parents, and not because they’re royalty. Rapunzel wasn’t a little girl who grew up hating her circumstances and wishing that secretly, … Continue reading →

“Toy Story 3” Both A Relief and A Letdown

In my very first blog for families.com I bemoaned Pixar’s current penchant for making sequels, a trend I blamed on Walt Disney Corp. CEO Bob Iger. I’ve expanded, or at least reiterated, my opinions on the matter since then. Some might say, however, that I should stop criticizing the making of all of Pixar’s recent sequels if I never bother to see them, something I just haven’t felt motivated to do. Nearly a year after it came out on in theaters, I finally decided to see “Toy Story 3.” Before I get into how I felt about the movie, however, … Continue reading →

Monsters, Marple, and Merida

Earlier this week saw the announcement of saw the announcement of two new Disney movies, one that was already rumored in production, and the first stills from another highly anticipated film. The first is Pixar’s next sequel, the previously titled “Monster’s Inc. 2.” NME Movie News revealed that Pixar didn’t say much about the film, merely that it would again star John Goodman as Sully and Billy Crystal as Mike. We do, however, have a title for the movie, and it is the most creative yet. Rather than just adding another number to the end, the new “Monster’s Inc.” film … Continue reading →

One “Brave” Family Adventure

Merida, the protagonist from “Brave,” fulfills the promise of all the Disney films that came before her. “Brave” isn’t Pixar’s best film, and isn’t even as exciting as some of Disney’s other princess films, but the character of Merida and her relationship with her mother make up for all of that. The story is familiar enough. Merida’s mother, Queen Elinor, wants to train Merida to be the perfect princess. She should act with decorum, keep her dresses clean, recite poetry in a clear voice, and carry herself with grace. Instead Merida wants to ride her horse, let her hair run … Continue reading →

The Crazy Origins of Pinocchio

“Pinocchio” started its life as an 100-some paged 1883 Italian novella by Carlo Collodi. Walt Disney was introduced to the story by one of his staff during production on “Snow White,” and he loved it so much he made it his next film. Given the greater length of the original “Pinocchio” than, say, one of the Brothers Grimms’ super short stories, I don’t have the space to do a full compare/contrast between the Disney film and its source text. What I’ll do instead is list the most notable differences between the two versions. Perhaps the most shocking disparities between Collodi’s … Continue reading →

Disney D23 Expo Report

D23 has come and gone, and with it all the latest news of Disney’s upcoming features. As I anticipated, despite not announcing anything about them very far in advance, D23 offered some fantastic sneak peak at the Mouse House’s most anticipated upcoming films. Entertainment Weekly has the scoop on the new films. The Expo was packed with Pixar previews. We got tidbits of what to expect from “Monsters University”: expect Mike and Sully to be a little thinner, less shaggy, and with some orthodontia. The movie focuses on how the two form their friendship. They’ve actually known each other all … Continue reading →

Walt Disney Pavilion at Florida Hospital for Children

Disney has a history of helping in hospitals Going to the hospital can be a scary time for anyone, but especially for children. If it’s the child being taken for a hospital visit, and not just accompanying others to visit someone else, the experience becomes even more frightening. Kids can sense how upset the parents must be at the situation, which might only double their own fears. Anything that might help lessen those fears and distract children from their upsetting time at a hospital, then, is fantastic. Kudos to Walt Disney Imagineering and Florida Hospital for Children for their recent … Continue reading →