Welcome to the Disney Club House

The interwebs or at least the nerds/geeks/fans are abuzz this week after the news broke of Disney's acquisition of Lucas Films and officially The Star Wars franchise.

I myself believe this is a good thing. Allow me to explain

In 2004 Disney took the reigns of Jim Hensons world. Although it took them a while to get The Muppets to do anything [six years! Seriously?] , it was welcome news, and it would be assured that felt-friends from The Muppets would be moving to a home where they could continue to be loved by generations to come. 

Disney produced the first full-length features by Pixar [Toy Story, A Bugs Life, Monsters Inc...] and everything since then, and has made both parties a lot of money and I have benefited with the most indelible characters I have ever known and will look forward to whatever they make in that partnership. So in 2006 after more than a decade long partnership Disney buys Pixar, then puts the head of Pixar at the head of Disney's Animation Department. I saw Tangled[2011] and loved it and just hours before writing this was bowled over by the top-shelf feature Weck-It Ralph and the lovable short Paperman. 

Fast-Forward to 2009. Disney acquires Marvel. 

Fresh off the success if IronMan in 2008 which started a ripple effect that gave rise to this years The Avengers. There possibly has been little ill effect from this partnership.

2012. Disney + Lucas Films.
Now [George]Lucas is an industry all to himself. Much like Jim Henson he created characters molded from inanimate objects to believable feeling entities that I know and love. His studio, ILM developed the first bit of rendering software that became Pixars Ace: Renderman. And for any of my collegues in architecture ILM also developed software that would be the basis for 3dMax, Viz and other rendering software.
This pairing of two industries started much earlier that most might think.

Exhibit A:


So if you still think that this merger is a bad thing, GET A CLUE! Disney is now run by creative people, not just one person with an EGO! The worst thing that has ever happened to Star Wars HAS HAPPENED:



and it could get worst but the best might yet be "still-to-come".

Minimum Power: Merida

Fate be changed, look inside. Mend the bond torn by pride. 

Minimum Power: EVE

Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator

A Tangled Review.

"This is the story of how I died." These were the opening words of Disney’s 50th animated feature Tangled. The Disney Studios has announced that Tangled would be their final fairy tale story which sounds even worse after you have seen Tangled.

The casting of Mandy Moore as Rapunzel a was pitch perfect, as Tangled is a Disney movie, and like many Disney movies musical numbers abound. Donna Murphy as Mother Gothel who has locked away sweet Rapunzel has one of the best songs titled "Mother Knows Best" warns our heroin of the perils awaiting her should she venture into the wide wild world. Zachary Levi as Flynn Rider is no slouch holding his own in a show stopping duet titled "I See The Light" set against the most beautifully staged sequence in the movie. Rapunzel is a musical make no mistake, the scenes that feature singing and dancing happen in the most organic way possible never feeling tacked-on or forced as an interlude in the story.

Disney's Rapunzel is adorable, insufferably so. Dare i say she may well be the most beautifull among all Disney Princesses or maybe I'm just more partial to blondes but face value aside Rapunzel as a character is what wins you over. Unlike other princesses this one is proactive setting complicated gears in motion to fulfil a simple goal. Flynn Rider can hold your attention and has gained the most at the end of the movie after he makes the biggest sacrifice getting his ass handed to him by a horse. Mother Gothel we all know is evil but putting on the guise of a caring mother to keep Rapunzel.

Tangled is a return to form for Disney now with John Lasseter taking the reigns at Disney Animation Studios. There is an obvious hike in quality when your protagonist and antagonist are not the only memorable characters in the movie. As many of the other Disney classics the side characters enhance the experience. Little Mermaid and her fishy friends, Aladdin and his Genie, Simba and his Hakunamatata friends, and Belle and her menagerie of anthropomorphised household appliances. Tangled certainly has these and more mainly in Maximus a zealous Imperial Horse and Pascal Rapunzels long suffering but equally understanding house-mate/pet chameleon. Even on route we meet a interesting collection of ruffians who break into a chorus titled "I've Got a Dream" inspired by Rapunzel.

As beautiful as Rapunzel is the world they inhabit is equally as gorgeous. Never have I seen so many variations of the colour green. Beautifully rendered the forest seems alive even though we only see parts of it as our Main Characters travel through it. This may be a CG movie but it the look and feel of it has that unmistakable charm of a classic Disney fairytale.

All these elements come together to bring you a delightful version of a story your heard many times before and you’ll be happy to add this version to tell at bedtime.

Alice

A friend posted this on his Facebook and i was hooked. I bet if you give it a try, you will be too.