A Disnerd Birthday Adventure, part 3: Fashion & Fun

Fashion
I was absolutely GIDDY that the vast majority of my party guests showed up in Disney-inspired outfits as requested. Yes, I indicated that it was not optional, but I kind of expected that some people wouldn't take me seriously. But to my delight, most of my friends participated... or maybe I should say...humored me.

First, my fabulous outfit. :) As you might have guessed, I was Flynn Rider! It's not so much Flynn as it is the actor Zachary Levi that I love. But it seemed appropriate to wear this for my birthday! The teal blouse (Old Navy) and skinny jeans (ModCloth) are both new. So, not quite an outfit on a budget, but I decided they were my birthday gift to myself. Everyone's allowed an exception when they're having an epic birthday.

And here are some of the other fabulous outfits! Click on the pictures to view bigger and read captions.

Thanks to Abi for these photos!

Thanks to Allison for these photos!

Not pictured: Carolyn as Cruella deVil & Amy as Goofy.

After the votes came in, Tiana (Rapunzel), Stephanie (Snow White), Elizabeth (Eeyore) and Kylene (Maleficent) went home as reigning Disnerd Fashionistas! Seriously though, I was super impressed by everyone's outfits. From Cassie's snake skin shoes (Jafar) to Laura's fishscale nails (Ariel), everyone did a great job! I hope you had fun because I sure did!

We also had other fun Disney-themed activities to complete the epic awesomeness. A huge shout-out to Kylene and Mimi for organizing!

Matching Game
Mimi led an icebreaker type game where each of us had a sticker on our back, with either a Disney hero/heroine, villain or a sidekick on it. We had to figure out who we were and then find our partner by asking each other yes or no questions. This was a great way for all my guests to meet each other, since I had friends from different areas of my life. Let it be noted that I was the first person to figure out my sticker (Pinocchio) and my partner (Abi - Jiminy Cricket)! I knew exactly who I was when I asked, "Am I human?" and someone answered, "Um...well it depends." :)

I have no idea what face I am making in the picture on the right.

Karaoke!
Later on in the evening I broke out the Disney karaoke. This may have been my favorite part of the night. I found a whole bunch of karaoke videos on YouTube that I compiled into a playlist. I hooked up my laptop to my TV and we had a whole hour of Disney karaoke songs! It was both heartwarming and slightly disturbing that everyone knew all the words to every song. (I knew I wasn't the only one!) Disney songs work well for karaoke because you are allowed to be both dramatic and silly. Plus, most of the songs are within my vocal range.

why do i look so earnest? and yes, that is a Disney Princess microphone (that someone gave me a while back)

I took a couple videos but this is by far my favorite. Drew totally embraced his Gaston-ness in this clip:

Who What Where
Kylene organized our last game, and by then we were down to about a dozen people. This is when things really got crazy (aren't you all wishing you had stayed longer? haha). We played a Disney version of "Who What Where". It's sort of like Pictionary but a little more involved. In each round we had to pick out pieces of paper with a "Who" - all Disney characters, a "What" and a "Where." Then we had to draw that scene. As you might imagine, hilarity ensued. See if you can guess some of these masterpieces (answers at the end of this post):

my drawing

Laura S's drawing

Amy's drawing

Christopher's drawing

All in all, this was probably the best birthday party I have ever had. I throw a good party, if I say so myself. ;) But it wouldn't have been possible without the help of so many friends, and for everyone who came to celebrate with me. I felt incredibly blessed and cared for that night. It was the perfect way to ring in my 30th year and cap off this crazy Disnerd Adventure! Thanks for being a party of my epic day!

I've got at least 2 more posts coming before I say goodbye, so stay tuned!


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Who What Where answers: (1) Aladdin break dancing in a tent (2) Cheshire Cat bowling in Madison (3) Ursula segue-ing on a mountain (4) Cogsworth pole vaulting in a cave

Disnographic of the Month - Cats

Although Disney started with a mouse, believe it or not there are quite a lot of cats throughout the films. Here are some thoughts about my findings:

• I counted Si & Am as one cat, since they are, after all, Siamese twins. Also I didn't want to skew the data.
• Surprisingly, the number of good cats far outweighs the number of bad ones. I suppose cats typically get a bad reputation, which is why the bad ones may be more memorable. Make sure to vote for your 'favorite' bad cat in the poll!
• When categorizing these cats into wild and domestic, I just couldn't figure out the Cheshire Cat. Any opinions?
• I'm pretty stoked about the way I presented this info. In case you needed more proof that I truly am a Disnerd.

Top 10 obscure Disney baby names (GIRLS)

This list comes from one of those ridiculous, yet genius, lunch conversations at work. Two of my coworkers, Matt and Sarah, are having a baby girl later this year. We've all been making guesses and suggestions as to what name this baby should have. I'd like to give my input on some lesser known Disney characters who would make great namesakes for the baby.

1. Cleo, goldfish in Pinocchio
Why it works: It's actually a cute name. Plus with the last name Kirk, it'll be alliterative. 
Suggested nicknames - Clee, O, fishy

2. Katrina von Tassel, love interest in the Ichabod Crane story
Why it works: Well, if you really want her to sound Dutch, this is the name for you. It must have the "von Tassel" in there though... perhaps as a middle name?
Suggested nicknames: Kat, Trina, Tassel, Tassy

3. Adelaide, owner of Duchess & kittens in The Aristocats
Why it works: These southern-sounding old lady names are quite trendy these days.
Suggested nicknames: Addy, Ad, Adsy, Lady

4. Eilonwy, princess in The Black Cauldron
Why it works: Forget Ariel, Tiana or Jasmine. This princess packs a punch. No one will ever be able to pronounce her name. But once they figure it out, they won't forget it!
Suggested nicknames: Ei (pronounced eye), Lon, Lonny, "A Long Way"

5. Hen Wen, magical pig in The Black Cauldron
Why it works: Why wouldn't you want to name your kid after a magical pig? 
Suggested nicknames: Hen, Henny, pig

6. Marahute, giant golden eagle in The Rescuers Down Under
Why it works: It's definitely unique, and quite fun to say aloud. Try it. (pronounced Mara-HOO-tay)
Suggested nicknames: Mara, Mar, Mary, Marie, Hute, Hutie

7. Sarabi, Simba's mother in The Lion King
Why it works: when you're cross with her, you can yell, "SaRAA-BEEEE!" like Scar does in one of the last scenes. Also, it'd be like Sarah the 2nd, Sarah B. Get it?
Suggested nicknames: Sara (pronounced Suh-RAH), Robbie, Bee, Bee-Bee

8. Nakoma, Pocahontas' best (human) friend
Why it works: Hello, multiethnicity!
Suggested nicknames: Kom, Koms, Komie, Koma?

9. Laverne, one of Quasimodo's gargoyle friends, in The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Why it works: SURELY, this is a classic name.
Suggested nicknames: Lav, Lav-Lav, Verne, Vernie.

10. Arista, Attina, Adella, Aquata, Andrina, OR Alana, Ariel's sisters in The Little Mermaid
Why it works: "A" names are on their way back in, I'm sure of it.
Suggested nicknames: you could call any of these A, or, maybe "that other sister." Perhaps this would work better for a 2nd child. Clearly Aquata is the most timeless of these choices. Quats, Quattie?

Any requests for a boy edition? Anyone you know expecting a boy?

Will You Be My Disnerd Valentine?

I had grand plans to have a Disnerd Valentine party, but I got sick, and so all my plans went out the window. I was going to include a time for card-making, and I came up with a bunch of snarky and/or cheesy lines to write on the cards. But I didn't even have time to do those on my own. So, I share these with you with the disclaimer that they were done in little time and without the use of Photoshop. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy the humor! Share them with your friends!

Thanks to Disney and the interweb for the images. :) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12 Days of Disnerd Christmas - 12th Day

It's the 12th and final day of Disnerdy Christmas! Again, there weren't exactly 12 of anything so I had to go with sidekicks. Also, I supposed "siding" isn't exactly an action verb, but that's kind of what sidekicks do right? They loyally side with their hero (or villain, though I didn't include any villain sidekicks here).

And since we're on our final day, here are all the other 11 days for review. My goal was to use as many different movies as I could; I think the final count is 28. 

I'll be resuming movie reviews next week, starting with where we left off - Sword in the Stone!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12 Days of Disnerd Christmas - 5th Day

Meant to be sung like the original: "Fiiiive, fairies' wiiiiings..." As far as I know, there are exactly five fairies with wings in the Disney animated canon. It rhymes with the original lyrics too, if you didn't notice. :)

#10: Rhymes with Cute

Melody Time, 1948
watched October 23, 2011

Little Toot is the most popular segment from Melody Time, which, like Make Mine Music, is another collection of shorts. It's not hard to see why he was popular - an anthropomorphized tugboat with a name that rhymes with cute? Catchy little harmonic song by the Andrews Sisters? Genius.

I actually think this short is very similar to Pinocchio. Little Toot is a well-meaning young tugboat who wants to make his father proud, but instead is always geting into trouble. It's this same theme of wanting to be good and yet messing up over and over again (yup...definitely have no idea what that's like). Just like Pinocchio, Little Toot has a respected father, and yet this father seems to be quite uninvolved in teaching or training his son to be a proper tugboat. I find this quite frustrating. How is he supposed to learn if no one is teaching him? Again, we find absent parents in the story. Even when parents are present they are absent in terms of being active in their child's life.

And again, similar to the end of Pinocchio, Little Toot also proves himself by an act of bravery. In this case, he helps pull in an ocean liner that is stuck out at sea during a big storm. In a moment when the stakes are high, Little Toot comes through and earns the respect from the rest of the community.

I questioned Pinocchio's change of heart at the end, and I think this little story raises similar questions for me. I see the same theme of the protagonist redeeming himself in a situation where he at first is utterly helpless to change or be good. Do these stories communicate to us that we just need to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps (or whatever the equivalent is for tugboats... anchors? ropes?) and simply be better, do better - and eventually things will fall into place? This narrative is so ingrained in our society that sometimes we don't even realize we live by it. I believe it is one reason the Gospel of grace has become so distorted in the Western church.

Both Pinocchio and Little Toot are based on children's books. It's an interesting message to be giving kids don't you think?

To truly live

Jiminy Cricket!

(c) Disney

Jiminy Cricket, whose name, interestingly enough, comes from a minced oath for Jesus Christ, has become Disney's poster sidekick, probably second only to Tinkerbell. Before watching this movie I had him pegged as the wise, helpful sidekick, who steered Pinocchio in the right direction every time he needed it. Boy was I wrong!

In this film, Jiminy Cricket is really not the best 'conscience' for a boy needing to learn the ways of life. He assumes his role as Pinocchio's conscience almost by chance, and throughout the film he seems to be MIA when he's needed the most. I found this unreliability extremely frustrating.

I suppose his character reflects the same reality I've pointed out about the whole film in my review. In light of the misleading message we are told by our culture, "listen to your heart" -- it's clear in Pinocchio that one's heart, or conscience, is not infallible. Jiminy Cricket certainly has good intentions, but he is also girl-crazy (which is a little creepy, after all he's a cricket!), flaky, and gives up too easily. Jiminy Cricket's character perhaps reveals that we cannot always trust ourselves to make the right decisions all the time. Maybe the old adage should be: "listen to your heart, but not when it's wrong." Hmm...doesn't quite have the same ring.

The Boy Puppet

(c) Disney

I found the character of Pinocchio quite intriguing. As a main character, his major "dilemma" is that he desires to become a 'real boy'. In the film, this is defined as making good decisions and resisting temptations - in other words - proving oneself to be good. In my point of view, these things add up to what it means to have true life. We who are in Christ know that there is only one path to true life, and it isn't easy. To be good through and through is impossible on our own. Pinocchio gets it partially right; we see in the film that the wooden boy is extremely flawed and finds it quite easy to lie (a now famous aspect of his character, in fact). And while he about as gullible as can be at the start, the film makes it clear that each choice he makes is very much his own.

However, I was disappointed that in the end the story seems to say that Pinocchio finally proves himself to be good. It is true that he acted heroically in helping Gepetto escape from Monstroe the Whale. But I'm not convinced that it necessarily "earned" him the right to become a real boy. Who's to say that he had completely learned never to lie or make a mistake again? Has he really learned all he needs to know?

I'd love to hear what you think of Pinocchio's character arc. What is the real reason Pinocchio became a real boy?

Pinocchio review - a footnote

At the time I was drafting my review of Pinocchio, I picked up a new IVP book titled God in a Brothel. It is the firsthand account of a former private investigator who spent several years working to rescue victims of human sex trafficking and prosecute those who oppress them. As I read, I found myself struggling with overwhelming feelings about the brokenness of the world... and wondering why the "happily ever after" has not come for these millions of women and children enslaved in the world today, and why the sex industry even seems to be flourishing all over the globe. How has evil become so intense and widespread and yet so easy for me to ignore? How am I to respond? I am continuing to process and wrestle with this issue... and expect there won't be an easy answer any time soon.

So, even as I hold to my conviction that the Gospel gives us hope, I can't say it is easy. As I think of the many victims who, unlike Pinocchio, have not been able to escape such pervading evil, I can but feebly ask God to have mercy and to bring justice soon. 


Feel free to leave a comment if you have any thoughts or questions about the book.

#2: True to Life

Pinocchio, 1940
watched August 28, 2011

(c) Disney - I'm sorry, I'm still learning blog photo protocol. anyone know how this works when I'm not using my own photos?

Since I watched Snow White before the announcement of this blog, Pinocchio was the first one I invited people to watch with me. I was surprised to hear how many strong opinions there were about this film before I even watched it! A few people even said they would not watch it with me because it was too scary.

You guys are such wimps. 

(Though, granted, it probably was one of the scarier Disney movies I've seen. So I'll give you that.)

This is one of the only Disney films that I have seen that is true to real life. Not the part about puppets becoming real boys. (That would be really freaky, if you think about it.) Or the talking cricket. Or that if you make a wish on a star a blue fairy will come down to grant you that wish. Okay, I suppose there is still a lot that's not realistic. Although, you can live and breathe inside a whale. That part is totally biblical!

But in most Disney stories, the setting is some idyllic, beautiful place, where you can't help but feel optimistic and happy. In Pinocchio, we find ourselves in a world where the main character is exceedingly vulnerable, prone to being deceived, captured, and even abused. His father seems powerless to keep him from harm. Doesn't this sound a little more like real life? Often those who have the advantage abuse their power and oppress those less powerful. The people we hope will protect us are unable to for reasons beyond our control. This is a much darker, and realistic, view of the world than is normal for Disney movies.

And perhaps that is why so many of us squirm and even refuse to watch this kind of Disney movie. We have become so used to receiving those warm, happy, fuzzy feelings from Disney, that anything different is unacceptable. We can no longer handle the realism that Pinocchio portrays. Despite producing films like Pinocchio, Disney has certainly impacted the inability of children (and adults, myself included) to accept things that are unpleasant.

This is both unhelpful and helpful. On the one hand, it keeps us from acknowledging the presence of abuse, violence, and suffering. I flinch when I see Pinocchio thrown into Stromboli's cage, and cry out in frustration when the fox and the cat swindle him once again. I'm deeply disturbed when I watch the young boys (albeit 'disobedient' ones) being captured and turned into donkeys, because it reminds me that there are in fact young children in the world who are enslaved and abused. 

But on the other hand, it is that very essence of wanting the world to be good that makes us yearn for the kingdom of God. Something in us knows that all the evil that surrounds us can't be the best there is. When the film comes to a resolution, I shift more comfortably in my seat and let out a sigh of relief. We are brought back to the theme that evil does not have the last say. And thankfully, this is also true to real life.

So, although Disney movies can and have made us a little too soft to the realities of darkness in the world, the tried and true happy endings we have come to expect also remind us that there is hope. And that's alright with me.