Robin Hood

Ever since I was a child, I have had a soft spot for that Errol Flynn-style swashbuckling action. I mean, honestly, what is cooler than two swords clashing together as the hero and the villain duel through the middle of a battle? Whether it be on a pirate ship, in a galaxy far, far away, or the woods of Sherwood, didn't matter; I loved it!

Therefore, it's pretty understandable that when I saw Disney's Robin Hood for the first time, I fell in love.  On top of all the cool sword play and archery, there was a lot of great humor, fun characters, and Robin Hood was a frickin' fox! What wasn't there to love.

Well, I'm older now, and I like to think my tastes have refined a bit. Sword fights aren't as exciting to me anymore unless the combatants are rolling in a giant wheel or fighting on a planet made entirely of lava. So when Robin Hood came out on Blu-Ray a while ago, I was excited to get it, but a bit nervous as to whether it would still hold up for me. 

Luckily, it did! At the time the Blu-Ray came out, my wife was watching a few kids and they absolutely ate Robin Hood up. We ended up watching it several times and got a bit burnt out on it and it has sat on my shelf ever since.

Recently, a podcast that I listen to, the Por Favor Podcast, chose Robin Hood as its monthly "Por Favor Date Night" movie. While I was unable to participate in the "Date Night" live tweeting event, I was inspired to re-watch the film for this review.

Once again, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it, even while watching it critically. First off, let me say, I love this animation style. The scratchy, late-60's-early-70's Disney look (the Frank-and-Ollie Look, as I like to call it, though I don't know how accurate that is) is what "Disney" looks like to me and is by far my favorite of their styles. You can see the pencil marks where these master animators had drawn which gives a very textured feel to each scene. However, that texture takes nothing away from the fluidity of each scene. Characters move so naturally, so believably, which is more impressive since the main character is a fox who walks on his back legs.

The voice work in Robin Hood is excellent. Each actor's ability to convey so much of their character's personality is just so impressive to me. They incorporate so much, from what animal the character is, to what kind of upbringing they had, to what their individual goals are. All in a voice!

And the music! Oh, the music of Robin Hood is so much fun! It isn't exactly the Sherman brothers or even more pop-style stuff like we hear today, but rather a catchy, folky style that burrows into your ear. It will sit with you all day, giving you find memories of Robin Hood, Little John, and all the other great characters.

Now, this movie is by no means perfect.  I think it's weakness shows in the story. Robin Hood doesn't have one particular legend. Instead, he lives on in a series of smaller tales. For years, authors--most notably Howard Pyle--have tried to make a definitive, linear story for Robin, with varying success. This film feels very disjointed with Robin and his Merry Men moving quickly from one adventure to the next with little to no transition and little in the way of a story arc. In the end they rely on the return of King Richard to quickly wrap the story up as quickly and cleanly as possible.

But really, I don't think people are watching the film for a beautiful story arc. I think they watch it for the excitement, the action, maybe even the romance of it all, so if the overall story is weak, that's ultimately ok.

As I have gushed from the beginning, I think Robin Hood is a ton of fun from beginning to end and if you love swashbuckling adventure, you should check it out.

When it comes to presence in the theme parks, Robin Hood is lacking. Occasionally you will see some of the characters walking around for meet-and-greets, but that's about it. What I think would be cool would be if once a year, for a special event, Disney did a Renaissance fair of some kind in Fantasy Land. You could have outdoor performance pieces reenacting scenes from their medieval movies; set up kiosks selling pork shanks, turkey legs, and other hearty grub with that type of feel; or demonstrations of horseback riding or archery. All of the medieval characters, whether they be from Robin Hood, Sword in the Stone, or Snow White, could be available to meet. They could even stage a jousting tournament. It could be fun, different, and draw people into the parks. 

If you are interested in listening to my friends Gary and Mike on the Por Favor Podcast, you can find their website below:

http://www.porfavorpodcast.com

Disneyana Obscura: The Story of Menstruation

One thing that has always interested me about the Disney Company is it's rich history. Throughout that history, Disney has come out with an eclectic variety of material which often times steps out of the normal context we expect to see from them. In my Disneyana Obscura columns, I want to explore some of the forgotten, controversial, and bizarre pieces Disney has produced.

I figure if I'm going to write about some obscure Disney stuff, The Story of Menstruation should be at the top of my list. Produced in 1946 along with Kimberly-Clark (the makers of Kotex products), The Story of Menstruation is just that: an explanation of a woman's menstrual cycle. During the 40's, the Disney Company produced a wide variety of educational short films as a way to increase revenue during and after World War Two. 

The film, in as mild a way as possible, explained what happens to a woman's body, right from birth up until she begins to get her period. Through animated segments, the viewer is taught about the various glands and organs that go into the maturation and menstruation of a woman, from the pituitary gland down to the vagina (and yes, they said "vagina"). After we learn about the major players and what they do, the film explains what to do if there are irregularities in one's cycle, some exercises to do to make things go more smoothly, proper foods to eat, and other tips to make a period easier. Finally, the film directs the viewer to a booklet which came with the short,  and explains the same information in more detail.

The Story of Menstruation is clearly a product of its time. For starters, the flow is depicted as white (unlike our much more accurate modern blue depictions). Some might argue that that is because the red would be difficult to see on the dark purple background, but c'mon. If you are going for informative, tell it like it is. In another part, while warning women about being over-strenuous, the narrator says that normal activities are perfectly safe--while showing a woman dusting and vacuuming her house. Because, you know, that's what she does all day. And then, near the end, they get into how a woman might feel emotionally. The advice is basically, buck up but if you can't, put on some make-up. Great advice.

There was no discussion about how to use a tampon or pad. I assume that information came in the booklet, but who knows. But that's not really important, is it?

Anyway, in some parts, the animation was a lot of fun, using characature-like depictions of women. Other parts tried to be more realistic and those areas felt flat and, ironically, lifeless. There was a running narration which was very clinical in its manner and almost put me to sleep.

Overall, The Story of Menstruation is an interesting little slice of Disney history. It shows the company's willingness to step out of their comfort-zone in order to make ends meet while at the same time, gives the viewer a window into how we taught our kids the basic things they need to know to survive. I would call this an interesting, slightly awkward, kinda scary, glimpse into our recent past.

Now, how would this fit into the parks? Uh...um...well, that's a tough one. I think a ride is out of the question. Perhaps if the Wonders of Life pavilion were still in Epcot, it could be shown there as a museum piece, but I would doubt even that. Unfortunately, I think The Story of Menstruation might just be a bit too far out of the Disney mold for today's company.

Here is a link to the video in YouTube:

http://youtu.be/eLhld_PI2zg

The Future!

Hi, everyone. As you can tell, it has been awhile since I last posted on here.  I have been thinking about Notes to Walt a great deal, contemplating how I want to move forward with the blog or if I even WANT to move forward with it. One thing that was important to me was that if I chose to move forward with it, I wanted it to be more focused. But how?

As I said, I gave it a lot of thought and think I have figured it out! Notes to Walt will continue as a review blog. I'll watch a movie or short or read a Disney comic and then give my thoughts on it. After the review proper, I will give some ideas on how the characters and/or events from that piece of Disney media might be incorporated into the parks.

My plan is to publish twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Tuesday will be a straight up review of something classic like a movie or well-known short, or something like that. Thursdays will be what I'm calling "Disneyana Obscura." For those entries I will find something a bit more obscure or older or even something that isn't necessarily from Disney, but which is about Disney. 

I hope this sounds interesting to you all because I'm pretty excited about it! Hope to hear from you all soon!

Sam

Escape from Tomorrow: a review

Last night, on Netflix, I watched the film "Escape from Tomorrow" (EFT), which takes place in the Walt Disney World resort. However, this is NOT a Disney movie, not even by a long shot. The director/writer, Randy Moore, shot this thing guerrilla-style at the parks sans the House of Mouse's permission which gives the whole film a very naughty feeling.

The naughtiness carries through to the story as well. As the film begins we see the main character, Jim, receives a phone call while enjoying the sunrise views of the Magic Kingdom from his balcony at the Contemporary Hotel. Unfortunately, the picturesque scene is shattered when it turns out the phone call is Jim's boss telling him he has been let go from his job. As Jim's day progresses, things spiral into the weird and surreal.

If you are one who enjoys surreal, drug-induced-hallucination-and-paranoia-type movies, this is right up your alley. Alas, I am not really one of those people. Some of elements could have been much worse, but still, a lot of what is in the film went beyond my taste.

The story really reminded me of Cory Doctrow's novel "Down and Out In the Magic Kingdom," which also featured a great deal of paranoia and several trippy elements. The setting probably influenced my familiarity, also. But Doctrow's story seemed to work better than EFT's which at times felt really forced.

The acting was not all that great, either. The only characters I could really get behind were the kids, although being kids in the Magic Kingdom playing kids in the Magic Kingdom probably wasn't all that tough. Especially because long days of secretly shooting a movie and not being able to enjoy your surroundings would make anyone grumpy enough to beliebably portray those children.

Overall, I would say I, personally, didn't enjoy EFT, but it isn't my type of movie, either. I would say if you enjoy campy, surreal, B-type movies, you would probably enjoy this. I'm just not one of those people.

King of the World: Hollywood Studios Addendum

With all of the rumors going around about the American Idol Experience and Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular at Disney Hollywood Studios, I have been thinking a lot about my two previous blog entries on what I would do to fix things.

First part: http://notestowalt.blogspot.com/2014/03/king-of-world-disney-hollywood-studios.html?m=1

Second Part: http://notestowalt.blogspot.com/2014/03/king-of-world-disney-hollywood-studios_10.html?m=1

Well, after some thought, I now feel this type of reorganization and re theming is a must at the studios. Why? Because it fits the current business plan for the parks, namely, synergy. If they were to theme each land in the Studios after on of their studios, then they instantly have an interactive area to promote new films.

New Star Wars film coming out? Head on over to Lucasfilm where you can meet the star of the day from that film. New Pixar film? Head over to Pixar Place where you can get your photo taken with the main character. Get the point?

The possibilities are endless! Any film from any Disney studio could be marketed and promoted right there naturally without the hassle of awkward theming. Plus, with the idea of a character or actor of the day tied directly to whatever film is being promoted, Disney can provide something guests want (fresh interactions) with a classic concept harkening back to the early days of the Studios. 

Overall, I feel confident that the core concept--re theming the Studios with lands based around each of Disney's film studios--would be just the shot in the arm DHS needs, all while maintaining the business model Disney seems to be after.

My Maleficent Review (SPOILERS)

SPOILERS! You've been warned!

Oh, "Maleficent". You raised all of our hopes: FINALLY Disney was going to give us a dark film, delving into the heart and soul of one of it's most malevolent villains. Why, oh, why did this twisted fairy wish such ill will upon the Princess Aurora and her parents? Here, we were to get those answers.

And answers we got, yes indeed. However, in order to truly enjoy "Maleficent," one had to be sure to remove his or her "Sleeping Beauty" lenses. To compare the two films--with their generation and stylistic differences--would be unfair. I can hear you now: "Why would it be unfair? One uses the other as source material and the characters are the same." To that I say, "read on!"

As I've said, "Maleficent" is based upon Disney's 1959 classic "Sleeping Beauty" about a young princess who is cursed at her official announcement ceremony by a wicked fairy (http://m.imdb.com/title/tt0053285/). "Maleficent" is billed as said wicked fairy's side of the story. Right off the bat, the audience is told this isn't the story we have heard before and, MAN, they weren't lying!

Through the story, we see Malevolent as a curious, loving young fairy, fall in love, grow to be a fierce warrior, be betrayed, and have her heart turn cold and vengeful--and that's just the first twenty minutes. Personally, I think more time could have been spent here, on the title character's backstory. Several aspects felt as if they came very quickly, like the emotions involved didn't have time to fully evolve and therefore lost their weight. With a running time of ninety-eight minutes, I think another five or ten could have been used here without hurting the film's pacing.

The whole backstory culminated with "the scene": the announcement ceremony at which Maleficent, twisted with anger and jealousy, curses the young princess Aurora. Large chunks or this scene seemed to be lifted word for word from the animated predecessor, all to the benefit of the film. This was clearly the most important scene for the filmmakers as it brought tied the audience in and told them "here is where the real story begins." What is interesting, is that one slight change was made to the wording of the curse which foreshadowed the softer version of Maleficent this movie portrayed.

The story goes on and we see Aurora growing up through the spying, ever-watchful eyes of Maleficent. That's right, huge change there, as in the source film, Maleficent spends sixteen years searching for the princess to no avail. And, not only does Maleficent keep watch over Aurora, she makes efforts to protect her. The two eventually even become friends. This was tough for me to swallow. In "Sleeping Beauty," Maleficent's goal in life was to destroy King Stephan and his family, and here she is in "Maleficent" being a guardian angel for Aurora. Something about it sat sourly in my stomach.

Frankly, most everything after this point sat sourly in my stomach. Here is where I thought the poor choices the filmmakers made really caught up with them. Certain things I was very excited to see didn't come to fruition because if said choices (the dragon). Other things which were necessary to the story seemed frivolous because of those choices (Prince Phillip). However, one decision they made (the kiss) was perfect FOR THE STORY THAT WAS TOLD. Clearly, someone high up on the Disney ladder has made a great decision about the future of Disney Princesses and it should be applauded--the message is getting out!

In the end, the hero saves the day, evil is vanquished and everyone lives happily ever after in a way completely and utterly different from the original "Sleeping Beauty." 

Overall, "Maleficent" was a good movie. The acting wasn't anything spectacular with the exception of Angelina Jolie as Maleficent. This was her movie and she reveled in it. Clearly, Maleficent represented that strong womanly character Jolie has been searching for in films like "Tomb Raider" and "Wanted," both of which failed to hit the mark. Maleficent hit the nail on the head, showing a strong woman who is loving and caring while at the same time powerful, vulnerable, and flawed. Fantastic work.

Here is my problem: this film didn't have to be called "Maleficent". It didn't have to be about Maleficent. They could have made a film about a fallen fairy out to fix the wrongs she has inflicted upon the world without using pre-existing characters. Instead, by choosing to use the "Sleeping Beauty" characters, the filmmakers open themselves up to criticism and fan scorn. Yes, we think we know the story and are therefore surprised when things don't turn out as expected, but doing that makes the ending feel hollow. I think I would have been more satisfied with all new characters and a similar story (dropping all the "Sleeping Beauty" references) than I was with what I received from "Maleficent." I will concede, though, that the name helped get me into the theater, so ultimately, I get why it was done.

I'd say, go see "Maleficent". You'll be entertained for a couple hours and hopefully your sons and daughters will come out believing true love does exist.

WDW Radio: Podcast Features #1

I've said it before (though not here) and I'll say it again (probably here) that my headphones are the only thing keeping me from losing my mind at work. Typically I'm not listening to music, but instead, I enjoy audiobooks and podcasts. Outside of Mugglenet Academia and Star Talk Radio, my podcast playlist consists of shows centered around love for Walt Disney World.

These podcasts helped inspire me to write this blog so, I thought I would do a series of features on various podcasts that I listen to and tell you how each stands out.

So, where should I start? I was thinking I should start with a feature in the podcast that got me started in my podcast craze: WDW Radio. 

WDW Radio is hosted by Lou Mongello, a former lawyer and IT director from New Jersey who decided to pursue his passion and love for Walt Disney and share it with the world. He started by writing two volumes of Walt Disney trivia before getting into podcasting. Since then, WDW Radio has become one of the most popular podcasts on the web and has been awarded the best travel podcast award every year since 2006.

What sets WDW Radio apart from the rest of the pack, is Lou's honest passion and desire to get as much helpful information into his podcast, as possible. Through his own personal knowledge, as well as a wide variety of special guests, Lou has helped teach people about ways to save money at WDW, what to do if you have special needs, various aspects of the park and greater Disney history, and any other question one may have.

However, WDW Radio is not just a stream if facts, oh no. Lou keeps things light and entertaining through fun segments like "Top 10 with Tim Foster", e-mail segments with travel expert Beci Mahnken, and walk arounds with Disney historian Jim Korkiss. All of this is enhanced by Lou's affable personality which shines whenever he is talking to a guest, whether they be reoccurring or a one-timer.

But that isn't enough for Lou. He takes things to a new level with his Dream Team Project, a charitable organization he runs to raise funds to bring children with terminal conditions and their families to Disney through the Male-a-Wish Foundation. Lou frequently run auctions or other projects to achieve these goals and uses WDW Radio to both promote and explain these wonderful endeavors.

All-in-all, WDW Radio is everything if sets out to be: entertaining, engaging, and informative. If you love Walt Disney World or are planning a trip there, I can't recommend WDW Radio enough.

www.wdwradio.com