Tag: Disney

Hercules

Saturday, 15 January, 2011 at 6:05 pm

About two years and a month ago the Disney animated movie Hercules was playing on tv. The first time I saw the movie, at my cousins’ house on VHS back when the movie was still new, I really did not like it. I thought it was absolutely disgusting and gross and not at all pretty pretty princess like Disney animated movies should be. I also thought at the time that Disney was terrible and getting worse, the normal opinion of your average cynical teen.

That was how it stuck in my memory all that time. But when I saw it was going to be on tv, I decided to watch it again, see if it lived up to my memory or if I should give it some slack. (I even bothered to take notes on my thoughts for future reference, if anyone’s wondering why I’m writing this two years and one month later.)

My first impressions, I like the Greek art that’s apparent in parts of the movie, and how that style inspired other parts of the movie as well. It reminds me of Sleeping Beauty, how that movie was animated to look like medieval art.

I like the muses, even back when I first saw the movie I liked the muses. I did back then what I always do, I analyzed the girls’ outfits and hair styles and picked my favorite ones. ahaha. (My favorite back then: the one with the long hair, of course.)

I also, surprisingly, like Hades. The first time around I didn’t like him, for reasons I can’t remember. Was he too loud? Was it because he was the Greek equivalent of Satan? I don’t know. I can’t remember why I like him now, either, since I didn’t write notes on that… Maybe he was funny.

The second viewing, I found that I don’t like Hades’ two sidekicks. One guy’s voice just grates on my ears. (Oh man, I’m looking through Wikipedia at that actor’s filmography, and he was the sandman in Are You Afraid of the Dark?! So that’s where I remember his voice from. Creeepy.) The both of them I find to just be bumbling idiots, not funny at all but annoying.

Philoctetes, I never liked him. He’s ugly and annoying and gross and I don’t enjoy his scenes at all. blegh.

Another complaint I had when I was a kid was that Disney mangled the Greek mythology! I did not like the old stories being changed just to fit the current story. For example, why is Hera all nice and motherly with Hercules? She isn’t even his mom in Greek mythology! Now, though, it’s just a minor complaint. After all, I did decide to take movies at face value. Of course it wouldn’t have fit into Disney’s storyline that Hera, who is most undeniably Zeus’ wife, isn’t Hercules’ mom. There has to be a bad guy, and it can’t be Hercules’ own “mom”!

Now for my favorite part of the movie, now and even back then: Megara! And her song “I Won’t Say (I’m in Love).” Megara wasn’t like other female Disney characters at all, and that’s exactly why I liked her then and now. She was sassy, cynical, and she wouldn’t have cared for anyone’s wounds (Belle) or wanted to sacrifice herself for others (Pocahontas, Mulan). And her voice is so un-Disneylike as well, it’s so low, not like a certain high-voiced sixteen-year-old (Snow White).

Overall, the plotline is pretty standard fare for Disney, and some characters I like, some I detest. I don’t think of this movie with distaste anymore, though. And I don’t feel guilty about liking Megara and her song while hating the rest of the movie, because I don’t hate it anymore!

(But what’s number one on my disliked Disney movie list now…?)

the earth moved for us

Wednesday, 13 August, 2008 at 8:51 pm

I know I am about two weeks late in posting this, but at least I am posting?

All right, August 29 there was an earthquake somewhere around Chino Hills? 5.4, according to the USGS page on the quake. I’d heard numbers from 5.8 to 5.2, but I guess it’s settled down to 5.4 finally. Felt all the way to southern San Diego county (because it’s sandy there).

Where was I? With my family and Noelle’s family (sans her dad) in Anaheim, standing outside our hotel, just starting our 3-day vacation to Disneyland. Bwahahar!

Yes, we live in Southern California, what the heck do we need three days at Disneyland for? Well my brother, the one who recently has really fallen in love with Disney, never really went to Disneyland when he was a kid. Whereas I went quite often with my Girl Scout troop with our cookie sales money, and thusly got sick of it. (Mum said that it was much more crowded in the 90s, aka the Eisner years.) But now that my brother is working full-time, he has money to drag us all to Disneyland. *grin*

We didn’t just go on most of the rides there, but we looked through stores, caught some shows, and just generally took in the Disney atmosphere.

But before we got to that, we experienced an earthquake! This was the first time for everyone (I think?) that we felt an earthquake while outside. We were standing on the sidewalk, just talking about I have no idea what, when I felt this weird boom underneath my feet.

For a second I thought we were standing on a metal plate over some electrical works or something. But no, it was solid concrete on solid ground next to solid asphalt on solid ground. I automatically asked, “What was that?” and then the ground started moving sideways. :o I put my hand on my dad’s shoulder because I thought I might fall over, or maybe it was just for security, haha.

My mom asked, “Is that an earthquake?” and my dad said yeah, look at the windows of the hotel rattling. Then we noticed some hotel guests on the first floor standing outside their room.

Then it was all over, and everyone talked about what they thought and blah blah blah. Hidek and my dad tried using their cell phones, but they didn’t work. :( Worked about an hour later though.

All in all, best ride of the day! (This entry is very long and Mythbusters is on in a short while anyway, so … hopefully I’ll write up our Disneyland trip. :x)

Disney music, movies

Thursday, 2 February, 2006 at 5:53 pm

I don’t know if there’s something wrong with this, but I have the music from Disneyland’s Main Street Electrical Parade on my computer, and it makes me happy. ^^

Also, last night, I listened to “Love” from Robin Hood, performed by Nancy Adams. When I read the title of the song I couldn’t recall how it sounded, but I at least didn’t not remember it. Then when I listened to it … omigosh! I was a kid again! I haven’t heard it in the longest time. Robin Hood wasn’t one of the Disney movies my family watched often. Mainly because it’s taped at the end of an Anne of Green Gables/Avonlea movie. O.o We never figured out how or why that happened.

But I plan to buy the DVD for Robin Hood. heehee. I already bought the DVD of Bedknobs and Broomsticks. (Er, parents paid for it though. >.>) We used to have a tape of it, not a store-bought one, but it disappeared somewhere. One of the mysteries of our house. (Another item that disappeared without a trace leaving only the case was my mom’s tape of ’60s girl groups.)

Lily Chou-Chou, Dumbo, and a llama

Tuesday, 10 February, 2004 at 6:43 pm

So I was looking at the Lily Chou-Chou fansite ’cause I couldn’t remember why I didn’t download the movie clips and now I feel like watching the movie again. ^^;;;

I also want to see Dumbo again. ^^;; What? Last year I read that it’s supposed to be a “perfect imitation of a Disney film” because Walt had nothing to do with it and yet they were able to rehash everything he’s ever done in a movie. :b And someone else said the pink elephants scene was utterly pointless dribble, but I never thought so. It scared me as a kid, but I also thought it was really entertaining. ^^

I also have to see the Emperor’s New Groove. Is that what it’s called? I was reading this Disney book in the college library on Disney storyboards, and they were talking about this movie called “Kingdom of the Sun” about an emperor who was turned into a llama. Yeah. I also want that book. Preeeetty paintings! ;.; Mum has this book on Pinocchio and the art in it. There’s an amazing painting of that bar of soap. :P