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

#51: In Conclusion

Winnie the Pooh, 2011
watched September 15, 2012

I'm still in shock that I made it here. My final review.

Last August when I began this crazy journey, I don't think I could have ever expected what this project would become. It's been amazing, enlightening, surprising, and a whole lot of fun.

But I still have this last review to get to before I talk about all of that. It does seem a bit anticlimactic to end on Winnie the Pooh. Had I done this a year earlier I could have ended with Tangled, which I love even more now after having watched it no less than five times since its 2010 release. Winnie the Pooh, in contrast, feels somewhat trite and insignificant. The Many Adventures collection of episodes produced in the 70s far outshines this newer film.

However, there's a good reason why Pooh endures. (Hah! I just realized what I did there. No pun or irony intended.) The endearing Hundred Acre Wood serves as the perfect venue in which to tell simple stories accessible to all ages. Though, to be honest, I felt less charmed by Pooh's selfish search for honey this time around. And I got pretty annoyed at Owl's verbose conceit. I found myself relating best to poor Rabbit, clearly the 'get it done' character of the bunch. I know how it feels, dude. (Is anyone else weirded out that Rabbit is male? I don't know why that always surprises me. Piglet, too.)

In this adventure, Christopher Robin's friends find a note at his home which is grossly misspelled. (What do you expect from a seven year old? Or however old he's supposed to be.) Jumping to the wrong conclusion, they set out to find this "Bakson" monster they believe has captured their friend. The gang finds themselves in all sorts of predicaments as they follow, well, rabbit trails and winding forest paths. It's both bemusing and slightly maddening. Maybe I've lost a little patience for these toddler-targeted Disney characters.

But the story still contains a valuable lesson: Read carefully. Make good observations. Understand the context. Only then should you draw conclusions about what's true, and what your plan of action might be. For Winnie the Pooh and friends the results were harmless, but in reality the consequences could be quite grave.

So perhaps this short and sweet film does serve as an appropriate end to this project. In my aim to tell the stories of these fifty-one movies truthfully, I've had to apply this principle to my writing. Yes, I came in with an agenda. I knew I wanted to find echoes of the Gospel narrative in these films. But my process of discovery was certainly one that involved careful observation and interpretation. Each week as I sat down to write, I never had any expectations of what would come out at the end. In that way, I've delighted in the surprises I've found in these films: messages of hope, freedom, sacrifice and redemption.

Winnie the Pooh will not become a classic, but as I wrap up this yearlong project I can't help but reflect on its commentary on how we approach all narratives. Whether it's a note written by a child, or a timeless film that endures through the ages, how you draw your conclusion matters.

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Wow...this is the end!

But not quite! Stay tuned for updates coming on my EPIC Disnerd birthday party, results from a year's worth of polls, and more concluding thoughts on this entire Disnerd Adventure.

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.

Laura's Top 5, so far

Over the past months I've often been asked which Disney movies are my favorite. Well, my answer is slightly biased due to my ardent devotion to the Renaissance era (1989-1999). So, since we haven't gotten there yet, I thought I'd list my top 5, out of the ones I've watched and reviewed thus far--all the movies from 1939-1988.

 5. Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs
why i love it 30 words or less: this one just edged out a few others, because remembering that this was made in the 1930s, the art, storytelling and music are simply groundbreaking.

4. 101 Dalmatians
why i love it in 30 words or less: i only need one word to explain this one: PUPPIES!

3. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
why i love it in 30 words or less: Watching this movie is like revisiting my childhood, a place I love to go. I'm a sucker for nostalgia.

2. Lady & the Tramp
why i love it in 30 words or less: Racist cats aside, this movie was quite sweet. Considering they only have 80 minutes, the love story is well-developed. And the iconic spaghetti scene? Genius!

1. Cinderella
why i love it in 30 words or less: I've always had sentimental reasons for loving Cinderella, but now I also appreciate its humor, beautiful animation, great music, and message of hope.

Coming soon: my picks for favorite/least favorite hero/heroine, villain, sidekick, songs and more!

What are your favorites from the first half of the Disney canon?

#22: The Original Toy Story

(c) Disney - I suppose my pantless theory has been disproved, because I love Winnie the Pooh.

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, 1977
watched January 29, 2012

I was never a Barbie girl. I think I had two, at most. My sister liked to play with their hair more than I did, and at one point my brother accidentally broke off one of their heads. I don't remember being upset. Clearly I did not have much of an attachment to the thing (no pun intended).

But I did have many stuffed animals, and I loved them. My siblings and I spent a lot of our childhood playing with our stuffed animals. They not only had names but also relationships with one another. Each of them had distinct voices and personalities, often based on their species and size. The small white mouse, Christopher, for example, spoke with a lisp and was quite shy.

There was perhaps no better loved, however, than Mousey, my brother's big gray mouse that he got for his 4th birthday. I still remember the day that my dad and I picked him out at Target. Although he was Tim's, all 3 of us spent the most time with Mousey. I recall one evening just a few years ago when Lynnette and I were chatting in her room at home, with Mousey sitting in the middle of us. At one point I remarked, "Doesn't it feel like there's someone else listening to us right now?" She agreed, and so did Mousey.

As I was reminded that night, Mousey and our other stuffed animals were more than just toys. They were our friends--friends that had seen us grow up and witnessed all of our joys and pains. Our imaginations had given them a life of their own. On happy days, Mousey would be jumping and bouncing around, like Tigger. When Tim got injured, Dr. Mousey would comfort him, as I suspect the motherly Kanga would do. But most days, he was just like Winnie the Pooh, possessing the same childlike innocence and love for fun and adventure. He even had an obsessive liking for his favorite food, cheese, as Pooh did for 'hunny'.

It's because of this part of my childhood that Winnie the Pooh is especially meaningful to me. There's something magical about the relationship between a boy and his teddy bear, as my friend Christopher said (similarity in name is merely coincidence!). In those wonderful days of 'doing nothing,' we actually stumble upon something incredibly special. We learn to love, laugh, discover and create alongside toys that become more than toys. They embody a part of ourselves--the best parts, giving us an outlet for our thoughts and emotions that we may not even know we have. Through Eeyore's melancholy demeanor we express pain and sadness in a safe environment. The neurotic and industrious Rabbit helps to release frustration when things don't go as planned. Piglet gives us a way to talk about our fears and worries.

The Winnie the Pooh franchise is one of Disney's most successful, and it's no surprise. In these lovable characters and their charming adventures, we are taken back to the simple days of being a child, full of wonder and endless goodness. And let's face it, we could all use a little more of that, no matter how old we are.

Happy Year of the Mushu!

Chinese (Lunar) New Year was never a big celebration in my family, probably because of our Filipino cultural heritage (where January 1st is a much bigger deal). But I thought it was fitting to at least celebrate the Year of the Dragon in Disnerd style, because Mushu the dragon comes from the only Disney film that takes place in China! How fortuitous!

In case you can't see the characters in the zodiac I created very well, here's the list:

• Dragon: Mushu, Mulan
• Snake: Kaa, The Jungle Book
• Horse: Maximus, Tangled
• Sheep/Goat: Djali, The Hunchback of Notre Dame (there aren't any sheep in the Disney films, unless you count the time that Genie transforms into a sheep and tells Aladdin, "Alright you baaaaad boy, but no more freebies!"
• Monkey: Abu, Aladdin
• Rooster: Panchos Pistoles, The Three Caballeros
• Dog: Bolt, Bolt
• Pig: Pumbaa, The Lion King
• Rat: Mickey Mouse! (Mickey's not a rat but he's way cuter.)
• Ox: Maggie, Home on the Range (technically a cow, there are no male ox in any of the Disney movies)
• Tiger: Rajah, Aladdin
• Rabbit: Rabbit, Winnie the Pooh

If you're unfamiliar with Chinese zodiac, check here to find out what year you are. I'm year of the dog.

Happy New Year! Xin ni kuai lok! (This is how you would say it in my dialect, Fukien.)

12 Days of Disnerd Christmas - 3rd Day

Yup, that's right. I just called Robin Hood handsome. He is a fox, after all. Aladdin and Flynn Rider, well they speak for themselves.

12 Days of Disnerd Christmas - 2nd Day

Did you know? Winnie the Pooh & friends are only one of two casts to be featured in more than one animated Disney film released in theaters (that is, not counting the crappy straight-to-video sequels). The other is the Rescuers, Bernard and Miss Bianca.