I know this blog is technically over, but there have been some fun Disnerd Adventures going on lately. My boyfriend Pat and I are entering the Disneybound couples contest! Our outfits are inspired by Wall-E & Eve. Yes, somehow I managed to find a boyfriend who not only doesn't think I'm crazy but was actually excited to dress up with me. He was the one who suggested Wall-E and Eve. Hmm...I think he's a keeper. :)
Thanks to Matt for such a fun photo shoot! (How crazy is it that there was a forklift right on location?) It was freezing cold but it was worth it. I want to WIN!
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!
------------- 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
Last weekend I spent the day at the Milwaukee Art Museum with my artsy designer friends, Courtney and Grete. We were there especially to check out a special exhibit on Posters in Paris from the late 19th/early 20th century. I felt very sophisticated and smart talking about design with them all afternoon. (No pictures were allowed in that exhibit, unfortunately.)
Milwaukee Art Museum from the outside - it's a beautiful building!
the main entrance has a really amazing ceiling
After that exhibit we wandered upstairs to check out other things
in the museum, and what did we come across?
An exhibit about Disney
animation!!!
Needless to say, I was really excited. Even though the exhibit was clearly designed for people who are three feet tall.
The entrance to the exhibit featured my favorite character from The Incredibles: Dash!
The exhibit displayed how Disney artists were influenced by classical art to create not only beautiful but authentic designs. Art from throughout history have served as inspiration for the animated worlds created in Disney films. I was impressed by the wide variety of work that lent ideas towards a single film's overall look. As a designer myself, it was cool to get a glimpse inside Disney artists' "creative process."
The Beast transformation scene inspired by a Michelangelo sculpture
An antique candelabra and teapot as models for Lumiere and Mrs. Potts
Some of concept artist Mary Blair's inspiration for Cinderella - Picasso, Matisse and Braque
On one wall there was a matching game where you had to match up scenes from Disney or Pixar films with the art piece that inspired them. Grete and Courtney made me play the game to see if I was both a credible Disney and art fan. Since this game was clearly geared towards kids, I was relieved when I got every one correct!
Matching Disney scenes with classic art that inspired them: success!
In addition to the side by side comparisons, the exhibit also featured some original character sketches and scuptures, as well as storyboard excerpts. The Disnerd and art nerd in me were kind of going a little nuts at the chance to see those up close and in person.
An original sketch of Maleficent, from Sleeping Beauty
character scuptures from Finding Nemo
Storyboard pictures from various Pixar films
So, it was a wonderful day of nerding out about art. I'm really glad we decided to explore the rest of the museum. What a happy accident!
I won't be posting a new Disnerd review here until later this week, because I spent my weekend writing about the new Pixar film Brave for InterVarsity's blog!
Here's an excerpt:
"Brave certainly brings a refreshing “Pixar-ness” to the
princess genre by presenting a flawed, messy heroine, whose journey runs
entirely without a hint of romance and whose mother is neither dead nor
evil. But the film is not merely a 100-minute long two-dimensional
feminist mantra either.
Merida isn’t so much an “atypical” princess as she is a woman redefining what it means to be a true princess."
