I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone the happiest of holidays, since I won't have access to a computer on Christmas (we'll be at my grandma's house and- God bless her- she does not own a computer and is not shy about vocally proclaiming that she never will). In lieu of an actual post, I'm sharing a video of one of my all-time favorite festive toons, because sharing is caring! My mother has a collection on laser disc (yes my friends, LASER DISC) titled A Walt Disney Christmas, which was a staple in our household when my brother and I were growing up. In addition to this wonderful short, it also featured Pluto's Christmas Tree, Santa's Workshop and Donald's Snow Fight. Please to enjoy!
Monday, December 22, 2008
Sunday, November 9, 2008
industrial love
Holy cheese and crackers, I'm alive! My apologies if I have not replied to comments- rest assured, I will get to it soon! As my Livejournal is my main blog, it sometimes slips my mind that I have another one.
Yesterday afternoon, I finally got off my duff to see Wall-E at the local dollar theater (God bless it). Now as much of a rabid 2-d animation fan as I am, I have to say that the folks at Pixar do some damn fine work. Stories in which humans are only secondary characters always fascinate me, and it's not often that you come across one whose main character isn't even an organic life form. Aside from all the cuteness (every time he would look down at Eva's little robot hand, I would make a sound only dogs could hear), there were, as is always the case with Pixar, plenty of profound moments. Wall-E finding the wedding ring in the refuse dump struck a chord, about how something regarded as sacred (not just the ring, but the love that it once symbolized) could be discarded like a banana peel. The movie's take on the state of the human race did not seem too far-fetched; when I see things in stores like frozen, pre-assembled peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, it serves as a grim reminder that we are getting progressively lazier.
To end on a positive note, the short before the movie was also quite enjoyable. The fact that Pixar is working to bring back the pre-movie cartoon makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Also, I... I have a confession to make. This is not easy to say, friends, but I... I-I... laughed at a part in the trailer for Madagascar 2! The bit where the animals' plane is crashing and, in a moment of panicked abandon, the giraffe confesses his love for the hippo aloud, only for the camera to pan around and show her in a deep sleep... then to top it off, the zebra and lion are looking at him with these expressions of complete incredulity. Lord, how I laughed. I might even venture to say I guffawed. Feel free to kick me out of the cool kids club- I accept full responsibility for this lapse in reason.
Yesterday afternoon, I finally got off my duff to see Wall-E at the local dollar theater (God bless it). Now as much of a rabid 2-d animation fan as I am, I have to say that the folks at Pixar do some damn fine work. Stories in which humans are only secondary characters always fascinate me, and it's not often that you come across one whose main character isn't even an organic life form. Aside from all the cuteness (every time he would look down at Eva's little robot hand, I would make a sound only dogs could hear), there were, as is always the case with Pixar, plenty of profound moments. Wall-E finding the wedding ring in the refuse dump struck a chord, about how something regarded as sacred (not just the ring, but the love that it once symbolized) could be discarded like a banana peel. The movie's take on the state of the human race did not seem too far-fetched; when I see things in stores like frozen, pre-assembled peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, it serves as a grim reminder that we are getting progressively lazier.
To end on a positive note, the short before the movie was also quite enjoyable. The fact that Pixar is working to bring back the pre-movie cartoon makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Also, I... I have a confession to make. This is not easy to say, friends, but I... I-I... laughed at a part in the trailer for Madagascar 2! The bit where the animals' plane is crashing and, in a moment of panicked abandon, the giraffe confesses his love for the hippo aloud, only for the camera to pan around and show her in a deep sleep... then to top it off, the zebra and lion are looking at him with these expressions of complete incredulity. Lord, how I laughed. I might even venture to say I guffawed. Feel free to kick me out of the cool kids club- I accept full responsibility for this lapse in reason.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
The Land Before Time (the only one that counts)
Ever since I saw An American Tail for the first time (it seems like eons ago now), I've been a raving Don Bluth fan girl. His character designs are eye candy, his stories solid, and I can even tolerate the musical numbers that inevitably accompany 2-d full-length animated features. Once a friend started an argument with me in which he insisted that Anastasia is a Disney film- I, of course, felt it my duty to put him in his place. Even though there are similarities in Disney films and Bluth films, I've watched so many of both that I can usually tell the difference at first or second glance.
But I digress. Lately during my frequent trips to Blockbuster (movies on weekends are an absolute must), I've noticed a disturbing trend. The children's section usually carries a ton of The Land Before Time sequels, but never the original. Now personally, the first one is the only one that exists in my mind. According to The Internet Movie Database, there are now 13 --13-- Land Before Time movies. 13, when all we really needed was the one. What is the problem that the film presents? Littlefoot and his friends are separated from their families, and must travel to The Great Valley to reunite with them (peppered with the obvious messages about growing up and in doing so, doing what you must to survive). Is this goal accomplished at the end of the film? Yes. Is there any real need for a sequel, let alone 12 of them? Not really.
This having been said, I was a bit worried that the original Land Before Time might become nigh impossible to locate on DVD, going the way of the older titles in the Disney Gold Collection (you try finding a copy of The Three Caballeros for under $100). You can imagine my delight when I came upon a whole rack of them at Wal-Mart. Now, it is my belief that Wal-Mart is inherently evil, but I wasn't about to pass up this opportunity. The DVD itself leaves much to be desired; it's one of those bare-bones offerings that lists the language options as special features. And sadly, there is no option to watch the film in wide-screen. Hopefully a bigger, better version will be released in the near future, but until then, I'm just happy that I own this little gem from my childhood at all.
But I digress. Lately during my frequent trips to Blockbuster (movies on weekends are an absolute must), I've noticed a disturbing trend. The children's section usually carries a ton of The Land Before Time sequels, but never the original. Now personally, the first one is the only one that exists in my mind. According to The Internet Movie Database, there are now 13 --13-- Land Before Time movies. 13, when all we really needed was the one. What is the problem that the film presents? Littlefoot and his friends are separated from their families, and must travel to The Great Valley to reunite with them (peppered with the obvious messages about growing up and in doing so, doing what you must to survive). Is this goal accomplished at the end of the film? Yes. Is there any real need for a sequel, let alone 12 of them? Not really.
This having been said, I was a bit worried that the original Land Before Time might become nigh impossible to locate on DVD, going the way of the older titles in the Disney Gold Collection (you try finding a copy of The Three Caballeros for under $100). You can imagine my delight when I came upon a whole rack of them at Wal-Mart. Now, it is my belief that Wal-Mart is inherently evil, but I wasn't about to pass up this opportunity. The DVD itself leaves much to be desired; it's one of those bare-bones offerings that lists the language options as special features. And sadly, there is no option to watch the film in wide-screen. Hopefully a bigger, better version will be released in the near future, but until then, I'm just happy that I own this little gem from my childhood at all.
Monday, January 7, 2008
friendly reminder
I made mention of this in my Livejournal last year, but I think it deserves to be posted again. Conlan Press has released a special 25th Anniversary edition DVD of The Last Unicorn. If you're a fan of TLU or of Peter S. Beagle's work in general, I urge you to purchase it. But when you do, order it directly from the Conlan Press website as opposed to a corporate store. The reason, as some of you who subscribe to Peter's Raven email newsletter may know, is that the company that currently owns the rights to the animated TLU is not paying Mr. Beagle what they owe him for sales of the movie. The only way Peter will receive the money that is rightfully his is if you order the DVD from the Conlan Press store. More than half of the money from each sale will go to him, and in turn to the legal fight to force the company that owns TLU to pay the nearly half million dollars in royalties that they owe him. The new DVD includes:
- digitally remastered video
- digitally remastered sound (with available 5.1 audio track)
- widescreen picture
- extras that include a featurette with a video interview of Peter
- greatly improved packaging in a shiny printed-foil slipcase
Being a fan of the book and animated film for years, I think the new DVD is worth every penny. Mr. Beagle has become a regular face at Dragon*Con and I make it a point to speak with him when I see him. He's a lovely man, friendly and modest- and he deserves his dues from the bastards who ripped him off. Every time I see the DVD in Wal-Mart, I cringe... to think that those money-grubbing grab asses are getting funds that could go to the creator makes my blood boil.
I'm done. Buy the movie, read the book if you haven't!
- digitally remastered video
- digitally remastered sound (with available 5.1 audio track)
- widescreen picture
- extras that include a featurette with a video interview of Peter
- greatly improved packaging in a shiny printed-foil slipcase
Being a fan of the book and animated film for years, I think the new DVD is worth every penny. Mr. Beagle has become a regular face at Dragon*Con and I make it a point to speak with him when I see him. He's a lovely man, friendly and modest- and he deserves his dues from the bastards who ripped him off. Every time I see the DVD in Wal-Mart, I cringe... to think that those money-grubbing grab asses are getting funds that could go to the creator makes my blood boil.
I'm done. Buy the movie, read the book if you haven't!
Friday, December 28, 2007
So. So so so.
Since I am sure that some frequent readers of my Livejournal probably tire of reading my animation tangents, I shall now post them here. Cartoons are my undying passion, so I talk about them a lot. Let's see how long this blog stays afloat.
Carpe Noctem!
Carpe Noctem!
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