via Buzzfeed: Disney Quiz

There is *always* something Disney-related on Buzzfeed, but this quiz was actually pretty fun to take:

Spoiler Alert: I'm not a fake Disney fan. (Shocker.)

Although, I am a bit confused as to which names were included and which were not. For instance: "Grumpy" was okay for "G," but "Happy" wasn't for "H." And both "Flora" and "Fauna" were okay for "F" but Merrywether wasn't for "M." So...yeah. 

"Q" was, not surprisingly, the hardest...Quasimodo is really the only choice here, although apparently you can put "Queen" before a name and have it count. And IDK who "Queen Miranda" is. 

Doesn't matter though, because:

BOOM. 

Hocus Pocus Remake -- *sob*

I've said this before, but Fall is my favorite season. (I really think it's because I grew up in New York, in the Hudson Valley, where we have *actual* Fall, with cool temperatures, stunning foliage, and apples and pumpkins galore.) And while I'm not a huge fan of Halloween -- my dad hated the holiday and I prefer Thanksgiving -- October mainly means one thing: a socially acceptable time to watch Hocus Pocus.

If you haven't seen Hocus Pocus, stop reading, go to your DVR and set this up to record. Because you're missing out. I could go into all the reasons why it's awesome, but the fact that it's one of Bette Midler's favorite films is really all you need to know. And, if you still need convincing, it was directed by Kenny Ortega, who also did High School Musical so...you know. 

So, when I heard that they were making a sequel, I was ecstatic.

Only...FAIL. There's no sequel -- despite the fact that the Sanderson Sisters are all on board -- just a remake for Disney Channel. 

Which....NO. Just no. 

One, the original film is a cult classic, SO WHY REMAKE IT? 

Two, part of what makes the original so great is it's glorious '90s vibe -- something that you just can't replicate now. *coughJumanjicough*

Three, if it's going to air on Disney Channel -- and that's nothing against Disney Channel movies; I love them -- that pretty much shows how high on the priority list it is for Disney. In other words, it's probably just a shameless money grab. 

I love you Disney, but when you pull stunts like this, it gets really hard to defend you. 

New Disney Dooney & Burke Bags

When we were in Disneyland for our honeymoon, my husband asked me what I wanted for my birthday and if there was anything Disney-related I might like. (Our anniversary and my birthday are 15 days apart and he admitted that he'd been so focused on the wedding, that he hadn't had time to give it a lot of thought.)

Now, I've never been an "expensive handbag" kind of girl: I can appreciate them, but when it comes down to it, as long as it holds all my stuff, I don't mind if it comes from Target or a designer store. But when my husband asked if I'd like a Dooney & Burke bag, I didn't hesitate. Yes, I said. I love the one you picked out.

They have a color version of this design, but part of the reason I love this bag so much is that the Disney is really subtle. Unless you're looking really closely, you can't tell. And the people who *do* notice often ask me, in hushed but excited tones, if that's a Disney bag. I nod, and we share a little conspiratorial smile and recognize each other as Disney nerds. It's great.

My current bag is currently showing a little wear, so my husband's been on the lookout for another print  that he thought I might like, but most of the recent prints have either been too cartoonish or just not my thing. 

But. 

Today I saw this: 

And I may have texted it to my husband reminding him that our anniversary/my birthday/Christmas were all coming up. I love it. I love that it's Peter Pan, and that Tink is prominently featured, and I love that it's not in color -- the black-and-white color scheme make the Disney aspect a lot more subtle than most of the Disney Dooney & Burkes. 

For a comparison, here's the new Snow White collection -- I think in honor of the 80th anniversary:

There's also a new Christmas print coming out, which, I have to admit, did set my Disney-consumer-heart aflutter. Fall/Halloween is my favorite time to visit, but Disney-at-Christmas is...magical. But this print just doesn't seem practical. I would feel weird using the purse in, say, May, so it's an expensive purchase to just it for a few weeks. But still pretty. 😊

Food For Thought...

I came across this video this morning...not exactly sure how, but there it is:

This lyric struck me, as it's one of the issues I grapple with when thinking about villains/evil in Disney films. I'm particularly intrigued by the "no one's evil for evil's sake" part...

"We are all misjudged, we are all begrudged, and of course we've made mistakes
But you can rest assured our hearts are pure, no one's evil for evil's sake
We have all had dreams, things are never as they seem, maybe we're the heroes too
But a happy-ever-after is a dream that won't come true."

I've been fascinated by Disney villains and why they're seen as evil for a while now...there's been a trend lately in pop culture to blur the lines between good and evil, hero and villain, and even Disney hasn't escaped this: there's been an uptick in villain origin stories (perhaps started by Wicked?). I think this is the reason I was so drawn to Once Upon A Time, especially when they delved into the background of Regina/The Evil Queen and Rumple. It was all well and good to see how Snow White and Charming met, but the most dynamic episodes early on were the ones that gave some depth and insight into the Evil Queen's character -- showing that she didn't start off evil; that life (and her abysmal mother) caused her to turn that way.

Can people be evil for evil's sake? What about fictional characters? Do all characters, regardless of whether or not we know it, have an origin story? Is there a time, in that origin story, where they're not evil? If so, what makes them evil? Does it justify their behavior? Or at least allow us, as the audience, to excuse it more easily?

Disney Princesses As...Living in 2017

I haven't done a "Disney Princesses As" post in a while, so it was nice to stumble across these images: according to BoredPanda, the artist is Chilean digital artist Fernanda Suarez, and his current project is to imagine what Disney Princesses would look like if they were living in 2017. Check out his Instagram here.

Setting aside the fact that he is ridiculously talented in a way that I could never even dream of aspiring to, his vision is interesting...most of them look edgier to me, maybe even a little sinister?

For one thing, Jasmine and Pocahontas don't actually look that different, IMHO:

Is there a commentary on exorcized beauty here? Several critics have pointed out that the non-white princesses are more sexualized than their white counterparts, so maybe it's not surprising? (Although, I don't know what it says about 2017 that being "modern" is "sultry"...although maybe it's just the discrepancy from the softer, more innocent animated versions?)

Snow White and Cinderella kinda have this whole zombie/supernatural/paranormal vibe going on...I think it's the eyes. They both have this sultry, come hither vibe, but the coloring gives them that supernatural edge. Plus, nothing says temptation like an apple.

I think Mulan is my favorite though. Maybe it's because she looks so different from the traditional animated version, and maybe because Suarez didn't seem to make her hyper-feminine and fit her into a "delicate" princess mold.

Happy First Day of Fall!

Fall is, without a doubt, my favorite season. I was raised in the Hudson Valley in New York, so I grew up with beautiful fall foliage, chilly nights and mornings, and some of my best memories involve going apple picking with my family. Falls aren't quite the same in the South, but the minute that first hint of crispness enters the air...I love it. 

#tbt

Just going to sneak this #tbt post in under the midnight deadline...

Facebook reminded me today that, 5 years ago, we made our engagement "Facebook official." (Because of course it's not official until it's Facebook official. 😒) So, in honor of that, I wanted to share a photo of my "Disney engagement":

I had always dreamed of getting engaged in front of Cinderella Castle in the Magic Kingdom. Cliche, I know, but to my Disney-princess obsessed self, that seemed the epitome of romance. (Plus, all of the families on the 90s sitcoms I grew up with had a Disney-episode, and I'm pretty sure one of them involved an engagement in front of the castle.) And, TBH, it still kinda does. I know princesses and fairy tales and uber-romanticized happily-ever-afters don't exist, but Disney is the place where they at least seem possible.

So my wonderful, thoughtful, creative husband did this. We had a trip planned for October with our moms, and he thought about proposing then, but (1) he did think it was a little cliche and (2) he didn't want to have to worry about traveling with and packing a ring, let alone carrying it around a Disney park all day. (What if it fell out of his pocket on Space Mountain? I mean, his cell phone did, so it could happen. Luckily, we did get the phone back.)

So he brought Cinderella Castle to me. And dragged me out of bed before 8 on a Friday morning, without coffee, because he couldn't wait. 💖

And, bonus: even though our engagement didn't take place in front of Cinderella Castle, our engagement photos did. Because he proposed a few weeks before our trip, we got to plan to have engagement photos taken in the Magic Kingdom, and that's something that I will treasure forever.