"It All Started with a Mouse"

For over eight decades Mickey Mouse has been a firm symbol of Walt Disney Pictures. His iconic stance of the company’s front man started in 1928 when the famous “Steamboat Willie” short was released and found success. Walt Disney himself had a soft spot for Mickey and he even provided his voice up until 1947 when the company’s busy schedule prevented him from doing so. One of the most favourable things about Mickey is his impact. Grandparents, parents and children can all say that he has been an influence for them. The longevity of this character can be attributed to his creator’s, Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks, original intent for him. Walt once said that Mickey was always “intended...to make peoples everywhere chuckle with him and at him” and never meant to be “burden[ed]...with any social symbolism...Mickey was simply a little personality assigned to the purposes of laughter” and this mark has been achieved worldwide. Generations and generations of people around the world can recognize this character as a pinnacle of happiness. Whether you are three, thirty or ninety-three, Mickey Mouse is a small, animated source of joy. This is a stamp of a timeless company, a timeless character, and a timeless story and it all began in 1928. For Walt Disney’s company, a cartoon mouse was the start and a cartoon mouse will be the end.

"Mickey Mouse is, to me, a symbol of independence. 

                                 He was a means to an end."

                                                                                                                –Walt Disney 

No Small Parts, Only Small Voice Actors

     Within all films, there are main characters, supporting characters, villains, and there are characters that don’t play a pivotal part and are mostly for comedy relief. They are not the glue holding the plot together; the movie would not cease to exist without them and usually they get only a few minutes of screen time. Yet, more often than not, in Disney films I find that these are the characters that fill the movie and make it lighter and more enjoyable to experience. 

5. Lucifer

     The devilish cat from Cinderella was simply a menace, really only in the movie for comedy and to thwart the mice. Honestly though, what else would you expect from a cat given the name Lucifer? No matter though, one of my favorite scenes from all the Cinderella movies was when he was being made over for his feline lady friend.  So he ultimately remains one of my favorite non crucial characters.

4.  Audrey

   Audrey Ramirez is a character in Atlantis: The Lost Empire. She is spunky and inventive and not to mention when she embarks on the expedition to Atlantis she does so as the lead mechanic. It may not be realistic for the early 1900’s, but Audrey makes for a superior role model, maybe even more so than some of Disney’s main characters.

Quote: "'Bout time someone hit him. I'm just sorry it wasn't me."

3.  Dot

     Dot is the adorably feisty ant princess from A Bug’s Life. She actually does have a considerable part in the film, but she is essentially Flick’s (the main character) biggest fan.

Quote: “It's payback time... Blueberry style!"

2.  Guy with Ice Cream

   First off, it is my genuine and firm belief that Lilo & Stitch is an absolute masterpiece of a movie and needs no changes made to it whatsoever. That being said, Guy with Ice Cream made this movie. He just did. The periodically placed clips of him so helplessly drop the solitary scoop of ice cream from the top of his cone were a stroke of pure genius. The comic relief that he brought alone, amidst the high-speed alien chases and the threat of Cobra Bubbles taking Lilo away from Nani, was amazing.

1.       Abominable Snowman

     Lastly, the Yeti (AKA: Abominable Snowman) from Monsters Inc. Only, this character isn’t abomination at all. When Mike and Sulley join him in the land of banished monsters (where this character resides) one of the first things he does is offer them a snow cone, which is not an abominable thing to do. Something slightly disconcerting is that it has been hinted at that the reason for the Snowman’s banishment was because he tampered with some mail. In Monsters University, the sequel released after Monsters Inc. but set before, the Yeti had yet to be expelled from Monster society and warned Mike and Sulley that, “tampering with the mail is a crime punishable by banishment,” ultimately foreshadowing his already determined fate.

Quote: "Abominable. Can you believe that? Do I look abominable to you? Why can't they call me the Adorable Snowman, or the Agreeable Snowman, for crying out loud? I'm a nice guy."

The conclusion of this entry brings us to the realization that all Disney characters, no matter how small a role they play, have a special element to bring to their movie.

Two Is One Too Many

Remember when the production company that put out your favorite movie decided to make a sequel and by doing so effectively ruined the memory of the first? Warner Bros. (the production company that brought us The Hangover and unfortunately also brought us Hangovers 2 and 3) did it, Dreamworks and Paramount did it with Transformers and yes, Disney did it too. Actually, to be completely honest, Disney did it a lot and still does and while I will admit to loving sequels and prequels and anything franchise worthy, what I will not admit to is the importance or the necessity of stretching out anything that was better left short and sweet.

One franchise that Disney let run till it was tired was Aladdin, a tale whose first film installment was entertaining and enjoyable and who’s second and third left that same tale feeling weary and overworked. Three is a crowd, Disney, three is a crowd. On top of having more than one sequel, the beloved genie voiced by Robin Williams in the first movie was not voiced by him in the second. Instead the genie was voiced by one Dan Castellaneta.

But besides the voice actors not living up to their predecessors and the general raggedness of a story reaching passed its end, the only other problem with these sequels is the replication. The majority of them were the first movie’s doppelganger. For example, while I am very happy for Wendy and her two children, I did not need to see her daughter, Jane, embark on the exact same journey as her mother a of couple decades or so later. The same goes for The Lady and the Tramp’s continuation, in which their son, Scamp falls for a dog of lesser status and then goes on to recreate some of the more prominent moments of his parent’s adventure, including a take on the much lionized spaghetti scene. However, in good sense, a wide number of these movies never made it to the big screen and went straight to VHS and now DVD. In fact, I was ignorant to the very existence of many of these movie's counterparts, Mulan and The Fox and The Hound being among them.

     But to end on a more positive note, Disney has put out some sequels that can live up to their originals such as the Lion King and the Toy Story franchise. After all, if Disney had never been so clever as to create the prequel The Lion King 1½ then we never would have gotten the banter filled scenes of Timon and Pumbaa watching their own lives play out on a movie theatre screen. And what would we have done if we never knew about Buzz, Woody and the other toy’s misshapen adventure with the furnace? Well, actually, we probably all would have been better off without that emotionally jarring furnace scene. 

     All in all, Disney’s sequels have all been relatively hit and miss with a few more misses than hits.

Disneyland Deprivation: My Story

I would like to first state that I am writing this as a complete and utter fraud, having never been to Disneyland or Disney World in my entire 16 years of living. But truthfully, that is the main topic of this entry so if something seems off in my portrayal of what seems to be a glorious and majestic place I am sorry but it's probably just my childhood bitterness seeping through the coating of blotchy information that I had to conjure up from about 50 different Google searches. Anyways, the following are my top 3 from my things-to-do-if-I-ever-get-to-go-to-Disneyland list:

1.       Mickey Mouse Pretzel  

The Mickey Mouse shaped pretzel looks like the softest breaded treat on this planet and I have been deprived of it for close to two decades now. It is a genius creation and I’m sure it also makes a delightful snack. That is, if you ignore the fact that you are essentially devouring a cartoon mouse’s head. In any case, the golden exterior with the sprinkle of coarse salt looks mouth-watering enough for me to be incredibly jealous of anyone who has ever had the good fortune of having one.

2.       Meeting Cinderella

As a young and crooked-toothed child, one of my main inspirations from my wardrobe to my behavior was Cinderella. So meeting her at her iconic castle has been a goal of mine since I was small. Imagine, as your five year old self, that you get to meet the coolest character to have ever graced the screen of your bulky early 2000s TV set. How sweet would it have been, melting from the Californian heat, Mickey Mouse pretzel in hand, waltzing up to Cinderella in a matching blue dress to take what would have probably become the most unflattering picture of my childhood. How sweet indeed.

3.       Fireworks

The fireworks at the Disney theme parks are probably one of the most iconic things there. The hype around them is quite grand and despite the fact that I have been to my fair share of annual Halloween firework shows at the elementary school down the road from my house, I know there really can’t be a comparison at all. I mean, the fireworks at “The Happiest Place on Earth” just have to be in their own league entirely. They must give off a completely different sound, shine different colours and maybe when you crane your neck up to look at Disneyland fireworks you don’t even feel the pain. I think that fireworks of that prestige would ruin the annual Halloween fireworks show at the elementary school down the road from my house for me forever.

To conclude, pretzels in the shape of cartoon characters are superior to those that are not, Cinderella is wonderful and the fireworks at Disneyland would most likely exceed my low fireworks standard. Furthermore, if I ever get to Disneyland I will be ecstatic. However, even if I haven’t been just yet, if it counts for anything, I have been to the Metrotown Disney store. It was the most magical 20 minutes of my life and I even bought a plush version of the pea pod from Toy Story 3, as pictured below.

Generations of Entertainment

Walt Disney is a production company that was created by Walt Disney and Roy O. Disney. The company has produced many different short films and movies since being founded in 1923. It is closely associated with one of its early creations, Mickey Mouse, who serves as a makeshift mascot for the company. But besides being one of the largest broadcasting companies in the world in regards of income, second only to Comcast, today Disney is a hallmark of childhood. No other film is quite as comforting as a Disney film. Through their films, both classic and recent, that the Walt Disney Company has put out, children have learned valuable lessons. The characters in these movies have become an integral part of the lives of today’s youth. Each motion picture has portrayed real life situations and difficulties coated in a fantasy world to captivate the minds and capture the hearts of generation after generation. Time after time, within these 100 minute feature presentations, animators and writers and actors have communicated morals to children through intricate storytelling and detailed characters. These characters play major roles in the lives of children because not only does Disney ensure whimsical rapture in each princess and cowboy but because children are able to relate. Somehow, they find a way to see themselves as these brave, loyal and inspiring figures of film even if all they have ever known is a small portion of the world that revolves around the playground. So with a little time and the support of their audience, what started as a simple family production company in 1923 is now a world renowned staple of childhood memories.