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“Aladdin” Next Up on Broadway

Fresh off of the Broadway success of “Newsies,” Disney Theatrical Productions has announced its latest project: “Aladdin.”  The hit 1992 film is the next Disney movie to be converted for the Great White Way.  AP News has the scoop. Thomas Schumacher, president of Disney Theatrical Productions, said that he wanted the company’s next musical to be a big, lavish production.  “Aladdin” is the perfect story for that.  The musical will copy some of the success of “Newsies,” in that composer Alan Menken is coming back to the story to add some new songs.  New characters and even some magic tricks … Continue reading →

Disney’s Aladdin (1992)

Disney’s “Aladdin” is another one of the great animated movies that came out in the 1990s. Even though I’d seen it dozens of times, it had been several years since I had the chance to watch it. I was amazed at how I actually remembered most of the lyrics to the film’s terrific songs and how much there was going on in the movie. Aladdin is a “street rat” who does what he can to survive. He and his monkey, Abu, take a lot of fun out of petty thievery and evading the Sultan’s guards. However, there are forces at … Continue reading →

One “Brave” Family Adventure

Merida, the protagonist from “Brave,” fulfills the promise of all the Disney films that came before her. “Brave” isn’t Pixar’s best film, and isn’t even as exciting as some of Disney’s other princess films, but the character of Merida and her relationship with her mother make up for all of that. The story is familiar enough. Merida’s mother, Queen Elinor, wants to train Merida to be the perfect princess. She should act with decorum, keep her dresses clean, recite poetry in a clear voice, and carry herself with grace. Instead Merida wants to ride her horse, let her hair run … Continue reading →

Most Controversial Disney Films Pt. 2

On Monday I took a look back at some of Disney’s more controversial movies from the 1940s through the 1960s. Today I’m going to finish my examination of their hot-button films, and try to find some sort of resolution about how we should approach them today. “Aladdin” (1992) – “Aladdin” sparked protests from Arab-American groups for its opening sequence. The original lyrics to the song “Arabian Nights” contained the line “where they cut off your ear if they don’t like your face” when describing the Arabic land/culture. The DVD release of the movie changed the line to “where it’s flat … Continue reading →

Wall-E Heads to California; Jasmine Sings in L.A.

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I love summer time, it reminds me of great vacations in the past to both Disneyland in California and Disney World in Florida. I’m often leaning more towards Disney World than Disneyland, but here are a couple of news bits that have me thinking I’ve been shortchanging California. Wall-E at California Adventures! If you needed another reason to pay a call on Disney’s California Adventures, here’s a great one! A friend of mine who gets an annual pass to Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventures every year received a newsletter announcing that a real, mobile audio animatronic Wall-E will be roaming … Continue reading →

Angelina Jolie Argues Cultural Rights vs Disney Princesses

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I love Angelina Jolie, I really do. She’s socially minded, she’s active in refugee and orphans’ rights and she’s not remotely hesitant to speak her mind. But in a recent article in OK! Magazine, she’s described as feeling let down by the lack of different cultures featured in children’s films. “There still isn’t a Disney princess that’s African and it’s very difficult because our daughters’ getting into princesses right now and it upsets me.” Jolie is quoted. I get what Jolie is saying, she wants cultural diversity to be in the mainstream attractions so that her kids (culturally diverse as … Continue reading →

How Old Are Your Favorite Disney Films?

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I have a special little cupboard where I keep all of our Walt Disney children’s classics. OK, it is a pretty big cupboard and it is loaded with both DVDs and VHS tapes. Truth be told, I started collecting Disney movies long before I ever had children. Heck, I was collecting them long before I ever met my husband! I love the Disney classics and even some of the more recent children’s movies made by Disney/Pixar and I love that my kids are enjoying them too. The funny thing about Disney movies is that I could probably tell you where … Continue reading →

Belle’s Magical World (1998)

“Beauty and the Beast” was a smash hit for Disney, and I can see wanting to capitalize on that success as much as possible. This thinking brought us “Belle’s Magical World,” a movie comprised of a series of stories that supposedly took place between Belle’s arrival at the castle and the Beast’s magical transformation back into a prince. All of the characters are still household items, and there are more of them than ever before, making me wonder – just how many servants worked in that castle, anyway? I’m being a little more cynical than this movie really deserves – … Continue reading →

Dead Poets Society (1989)

“Dead Poets Society” is not an easy movie to watch, and I don’t recommend it for your young ones. However, it remains one of my favorite movies of all time, and I do think it would be a wonderful jumping-off point for a conversation between you and your teenagers. Robin Williams stars as John Keating, a new English professor at an exclusive boys’ school called Welton Academy. Only the most privileged can attend, and the students all feel a tremendous amount of pressure to be somebody. When Mr. Keating comes on staff, the boys think he’s going to be just … Continue reading →

A Hidden Jewel: The Timekeeper

One of the true pleasures of going to Disney World or Disneyland is going to see the attractions hosted within the parks. One of these attractions must be new because I don’t recall seeing it the last time I was there (2005), but trust me – it’s on the top of my list to see the next time I set foot in the Magic Kingdom. What is this jewel that is making the top of my list? It’s called: The Timekeeper The Timekeeper is a time-travel movie adventure that is open seasonally. The presentation lasts about 20 minutes and you … Continue reading →