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Wintry Fantasies at the Disney Parks

Disneyland’s new Fantasy Faire doesn’t open until March 12, but details are starting to emerge about what the attraction will entail.  It draws some inspiration from Disney World’s Fantasyland expansion; the Faire as a whole will take the form of a medieval village.  That reminds me a lot of Belle’s village at the new Fantasyland. That shouldn’t be too surprising, because the Fantasy Faire is an expansion of Disneyland’s Fantasyland.  It’s not as large or ambitious as the one at Disney World, but it’s still going to be similar.  Unlike the one in Orlando, however, the one in Anaheim won’t … Continue reading →

Disney Movies Now Available on Netflix Streaming

Having a hard time finding some of Disney’s older films to watch?  Don’t like the crowds at theaters, but don’t want to have to pay to buy a new Disney DVD when it’s released?  Then you should love the news that broke last week: according to the LA Times, Disney and Netflix just reached a deal that will give the online rental and streaming site exclusive rights to Disney films.  The deal takes effect in 2016, at which point Netflix will be able to stream any new films under the Walt Disney Corp. umbrella –which includes Marvel and Star Wars … Continue reading →

Finding the New Fantasyland

As if it thinks it wasn’t getting enough buzz already, Disney World execs are trying to up the hype surrounding the Fantasyland expansion. They’ve launched a website – Finding Fantasyland – to increase both the expansion’s mystique and guests’ interactivity with the wait. The site contains a mysterious poem: “A fantastical land exists, a curse hides it from our view. A hero is needed to break the spell, that hero could be you.” The only other hint about what is going on is a colorful map of the upcoming Fantasyland. It gives blurbs about each of the new parts – … Continue reading →

Which Peter Pan is the Best?

Charming is one word that we could apply to just about any Disney animated film, and even though 1953’s “Peter Pan” certainly is that, it’s devoid of charm when compared to the play/novel on which it was based. One of Walt Disney’s greatest strengths was his ability to take an older story and reinvent it for modern audiences. Doing so for “Peter Pan,” however, just replaces what is a wry and sweet sense of humor with silly slapstick, which seems cheap in comparison. A primary reason why Barrie’s book, and presumably his play, is so charming is its witty, very … Continue reading →

It’s Walpurgis Night – So What’s That?

Six months ago I profiled Chernabog in my Halloween list of the most frightening Disney moments. Chernabog is a Slavic deity; not much is known about him, but as Christian traditions took over the pagan ones in Europe he was seen as a black god, even sometimes associated with or as the devil. The Night on Bald Mountain sequence from “Fantasia,” which contains Chernabog, is according to the conductor who introduces the segment set on Walpurgis Night. I’d never heard of Walpurgis Night, or at least it never registered as I watched “Fantasia,” so I thought I would research it. … Continue reading →

How Old Are Your Favorite Disney Films?

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I have a special little cupboard where I keep all of our Walt Disney children’s classics. OK, it is a pretty big cupboard and it is loaded with both DVDs and VHS tapes. Truth be told, I started collecting Disney movies long before I ever had children. Heck, I was collecting them long before I ever met my husband! I love the Disney classics and even some of the more recent children’s movies made by Disney/Pixar and I love that my kids are enjoying them too. The funny thing about Disney movies is that I could probably tell you where … Continue reading →

Peter Pan (1953)

In this classic film by Walt Disney, we meet the Darling children: Wendy, John, and Michael. Wendy is the oldest and at the age of eleven, her parents have decided that she’s too old to sleep in the nursery. It’s to be her last night there and tomorrow she will move to her own room. All three children are devastated by this; every night Wendy tells them stories about the sprite Peter Pan, and if she’s not in the nursery any more, they won’t get their stories. What they don’t know is that one more person will be upset if … Continue reading →

Bambi (1942)

I know I say this about nearly every Disney movie, but “Bambi” is one of Walt’s masterpieces. It’s easy to repeat myself so many times because Disney put out more masterpieces than any other animator we’ve had yet, and as near as I can tell, the company isn’t running out of steam. Bambi is a sweet little fawn, newly arrived in the world. All the forest animals are excited to greet him, and they gather in the thicket to welcome him. He’s shy at first, but the animals are friendly to him, and before long he’s made fast friends with … Continue reading →