Category: Reviews


Mar
2014

Reading Disney & Seuss History with Uncle Remus

categories: Reviews

img028Last week I stumbled upon a link between Walt Disney and Dr. Seuss, his first wife, Helen Marion Palmer.

In the mid 1940s, Helen Palmer Geisel was an author for Walt Disney’s Little Library series, which was part of The Little Golden Books company.  One of her authored books is titled, Walt Disney’s Uncle Remus copyright 1946, 1947.  This is actually a retelling, since the original Uncle Remus stories were by Joel Chandler Harris.

Haven’t heard of Uncle Remus?  Uncle Remus is a character within Disney’s Academy Award winning film, Song of the South.  Not only did the film win an Academy Award, but it inspired a popular Disney attraction found in several of its parks, Splash Mountain.  The attraction features a fun-loving character, Brer Rabbit, whom I among many, have really come to adore.  After watching the animatronic characters and listening to the music while on the attraction, I came to the conclusion that Brer Rabbit outwits Brer Bear and Brer Fox.  But other than that I didn’t know much about their story.  Since Song of the South has never been released for purchase within The United States of America, I presume many of you reading this are also curious to know more about this film.  After doing a bit of on-line searching, how excited I was to find the Uncle Remus book available for purchase on Amazon.

After reading critics concerns about the movie, I decided to read the book to myself before reading it to the kids. The book arrived late last week and for a Little Golden book, it’s an interesting read.  The book is written in eye dialect, which took a bit to get use to reading.   It’s broken down into three cute stories and two of the three stories were used in the theming of Splash Mountain. What I found in reading the stories is that Brer Rabbit likes to get into a bit of mischief, tormenting Brer Fox and Brer Bear.  In a way, it reminds me of the mannerisms, of dare I say, Warner Brother characters, Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd.  Uncle Remus was a fun read and I plan to share the two stories that can easily be connected to Splash Mountain, with my kids by end of this week.  I have to admit that I doubt I’ll be reading Uncle Remus using the exact eye dialect, but the overall story will hopefully come across.  Today I’ll share a bit of it with you!

The following pages and illustrations were scanned from the book.  I’ve chosen these two pages to show you a glimpse at the writing style and to how the book’s stories fit within the attraction’s storyline.  The illustrations are the work of Bob Grant for The Walt Disney Studios.

The first story within the book is Brer Fox an de Rabbit Trap.

Brer Bear

The third story is called Brer Rabbit’s Laffin’ Place.

Laughing Place

I’ve sure from looking over the two pages you can easily see scene’s in Splash Mountain!  I hope you’ve enjoyed todays look at bit of Disney history.  During this week of reading celebration in schools across our nation, I hope you have the opportunity to find a few moments to open a good Disney or Dr. Seuss book with your family.

You never know, you just may stumble upon your Laffin’ Place!


Feb
2014

Disney Makes Potty Training Magical

categories: Disney-Inspired Party Planning, Reviews

Pulls Party 017“Good Bye Diapers!  Hello Pull-Ups!”

It’s potty training time for my little two and a half year old.  Honestly, it’s been challenging.  If you’re a mom or dad who’s lived to tell the tale, you know it’s a battle.  Luckily for me I have been given a bit of a secret weapon…Disney didn’t provide me with a sword, shield or the preferable, magic wand; however, Pull-Ups and Disney did provide me with the help of Princess Ariel, Minnie Mouse and an adorable Sulley.

In exchange for this post and hosting a “Good Bye Diapers, Hello Pull-Ups Party”, I received Huggies Pull-Ups to provide to my guests, coupons and a Disney Princess Magical Sounds Potty System for my little Princess.  As with all my posts, my comments and “review” of the items are purely my opinions.

Party Time!

I have an older child, Gavin.  He’s 6 years old and I’m happy to report that his potty training days were overall pretty easy.  He wasn’t ready until almost 3 years old, but once he told me he was ready, that was it.  He was done with diapers.  He didn’t use Pull-Ups and Gavin never had an accident.  Since he never used them, I didn’t purchase any for Victoria either.  Victoria’s 2 and a half now and she’s showed interest in potty training so I’ve felt she was ready to try.  Well we’ve been “trying” for about a month now, without much success.  When I received an email asking if I’d host this party, I thought we’d give Pull-Ups a try.

Pull Ups 003A few days before the party our supplies arrived from House Party and Huggies.  When Victoria and I opened our box,  we were surprised to find a Disney Princess Magical Sounds Potty System.  As soon as Victoria saw it, she wanted to use it.  The next morning we took the potty out of the box and she had five successful potty times!  Success and the party hadn’t even started!  I give this potty two thumbs up.  Cleaning is simple and I love that it doubles as a step stool.

In addition to the potty, we were given a bunch of things to assist us and our guests on our magical potty training journey.  Of course I didn’t wait to until the party to start using them.  I had to test Huggies tips out and see if they worked.

Pull Ups 008Each of our guests received, what I like to call, a celebration package. It included a potty progress chart, Big Kid reward stickers and three party horns.  After Victoria had her first successful potty session I pulled out this package, used the chart, gave her a sticker and she and I went full-on party with those horns.  It worked!  She LOVED it.  Like I said, five successes on the first day!  With this experience under our belt, we were ready to host our party!

Pulls Party 008Pulls Party 011The kids and I, took a trip to Wegmans grocery store and picked out some balloons and of course, the potty-training princess’s favorite treats, sugar cookies.

 Our Guests Arrive!

Pulls Party 001

Derek was the only little prince that attended our party, so he received an entire Pull-Ups package to get him started on his way.  He was happy to open them up and show us how they work.  What a Big Kid now!

Pulls Party 029

The kids loved the Disney characters on the Pull-Ups.  For the boys, the Pull-Ups feature Buzz Lightyear and Lighting McQueen.  For the girls, Minnie Mouse, Ariel and Monster University characters, Mike and Sulley grace the outside of the Pull-Ups.  Of course, Victoria only wanted to wear one because of Minnie Mouse and Princess Ariel.

The party was a success. Moms swapped potty training stories and ideas.  The kids had fun while playing, making party hats and being introduced to Huggies great Pull-Up product.  For my niece, Gwynn, it was her first interaction with a training potty.  A couple more months and she’ll be ready to go!

Pulls Party 006

Thank you Pull-Ups and Host Party!  We’re on our way to being Potty Trained!


Feb
2014

The Act of Disney Topiary

categories: Disney-Inspired Crafts, Disney-Inspired Party Planning, Reviews

Mickey and Minnie Mouse TopiaryWouldn’t it be great to have a Disney topiary in your home’s landscaping?

I’ve always admired Disney’s beautiful topiaries found throughout the Walt Disney World Resort. These living sculptures bring the grounds to life.  They’re part of what makes a vacation at Disney feel magical.

The weather this winter season in Pennsylvania, as with most of The United States, has been horrible.  This week is continuing in the same pattern as the rest of the winter.  On Wednesday school was cancelled, so the kids and I decided to bring a bit of Disney magic into our dining room.  We started our own Mickey Mouse topiary.

Mickey Mouse Chia Pet Kit

Gavin received this Chia Pet kit for Christmas from his grandparents.  If you’re wondering where to buy one, my mom purchased Gavin’s kit at our local CVS store.  We thought this day would be a perfect day to try our hands at a bit of horticulture.  I’ve never tried to grow a Chia Pet and wondered how well they’d work.  If you like to see the process, check out our photos.

Blog February 020

First we submerged the Chia Pet in a tub of water for an hour.  The entire “pet” wouldn’t stay under the water.  I’m assuming that’s how it was supposed to be, but the directions didn’t tell us that.

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While the planter was soaking, you mix 2 teaspoons of the seeds with 1/4 cup of water.  They sit for an hour also.  Eventually the consistency of the mixture will be a watery gel.

Mickey Chia Pet

After the hour ended, we filled up our Chia pet planter with water, placed it in the plastic tray that was included in the kit and then the kids got to work.  They loved it!  What a mess we had making our topiary!

Blog February 051

Here’s a close up look at the finished piece.  Now we have to water him and HOPEFULLY we’ll have our very own Mickey Mouse topiary in our dining room!  The paperwork says that within three days it should begin to grow.  I promise to give you all an update next week.

Chia Pet Mickey with the kids

This was our first attempt to make a living sculpture of our pal.  However, for my daughter and nephew’s Mickey and Minnie themed birthday party, my sister-in-law and I decided to make a Mickey-Inspired and Minnie-Inspired ribbon topiary for the guests’ tables.  If you’d like to stick to crafting and want to leave the seeds to someone with a green thumb, below the photo you’ll find a link to the post where you can see the steps to make this ribbon topiary.

Minnie Mouse Topiary

http://www.mouseearsmom.com/2013/08/01/mickey-mouse-topiary/

I hope you have a magical day!


Dec
2013

Mouse Ears Mom’s Review of “Saving Mr. Banks”

categories: Reviews

Saving

Is Mary Poppins one of your favorite childhood films?

This past weekend I had the pleasure of viewing the movie, “Saving Mr. Banks”.  Today I’m excited to share with you my thoughts on this film.  Reviewing this film as a mom and Disney Enthusiast, I’m simply telling you my opinions of the movie.  I am in no way affiliated with The Walt Disney Company.  Having said that, on with my review!

My Thoughts as a Mom

As a mom of two small children, I wouldn’t suggest taking young children to see “Saving Mr. Banks”.  Yes, it’s a Disney movie, and there wasn’t a thing that was inappropriate for them to see; however they would find it extremely boring.  It’s not a kid’s film, nor will a young child fully comprehend what is going on in the movie.  This is a film that you leave the kids with a sitter and enjoy a couple of hours going back in time to an era where Walt Disney walked the streets of his Burbank studio.

My Thoughts as a Disney Enthusiast

As a Disney Enthusiast, I couldn’t adore this movie more and I assure you, that if you too are a Disney “File”, you will leave the movie theatre with a tear in your eye.  I relished every single moment in the film.  Often when I “review” a film I try to disclose very little about the film’s plot and focus on reviewing the movie as a whole.  When going to see a movie I like to discover it on my own, not enter a theatre with the entire storyline already lodged in my memory and I assume you share in my sentiments.  However, in this review I’m going to share some details of the movie, as its required in explaining my thoughts on the film.

Before seeing “Saving Mr. Banks”, I expected to watch a film about the creation of Disney’s classic movie, Mary Poppins.  In actuality, the film has very little to do with Julie Andrews, set designs, and the physical filming of the magical nanny story.  In contrast, it tells the story of how the creation of P.L. Travers’ character Mary Poppins came to be, allowing viewers to see the heart and soul behind the creation of her classic story.  It’s a beautiful, yet heart wrenching story that will give you an understanding of Mrs. Travers, who’s portrayed by Emma Thompson.  In addition, “Saving Mr. Banks” gives us a bird’s-eye view of the often hysterical, yet most definitely stressful, process the Sherman brothers and Walt Disney endured to fulfill their dream of bringing Mary Poppins to life on the big screen.

“Saving Mr. Banks”  is filled with fantastic sets that transport you back to both Australia in the 1900’s and Southern California in the 1960’s, complete with a trip to Disneyland!   Director, John Lee Hancock gives worldwide Disney fans a wonderful gift in this film.  From Walt’s mannerism’s, to the color palates chosen for the film’s 1900’s and 1960’s scenes, and even the vintage character plush, Hancock’s dedication to keep his audience submerged in the movie is apparent in each small detail.

Being a die-hard Disney fan, it was hard for me to imagine anyone playing Walt Disney in a film.  Tom Hanks did a wonderful job; however, “Saving Mr. Banks” is not directly about Walt Disney.  Walt’s part in this beautifully orchestrated telling of the brilliantly made musical, Mary Poppins, pulls the movie together with his iconic words of wisdom.  He speaks of letting go of the past,  the important role storytelling has in all of our lives and of course, always fulfilling a promise.  I could share more but I’d like you to discover this heaping “spoon full of sugar” and its many lessons on life for yourself.

Take the time to see “Saving Mr. Banks”.  I promise you, you’ll enjoy it!


Nov
2013

A Mom’s Review of Disney’s Frozen

categories: Reviews

FrozenDo you have plans to see Frozen this holiday season?

Due to an early dismissal day at school yesterday, Gavin, my six-year-old and I spent this afternoon in the theater watching Disney’s latest movie release, Frozen.  Determined not to be influenced by other reviews, I made sure not to read anything Frozen related that came my way before seeing the movie.  Of course I couldn’t avoid the marketing campaign Disney put out there, so I did hear that one critic pronounced Frozen to be the best Disney film since The Lion King…pretty big shoes to fill.  Regardless, this review is my thoughts, as a mom and a Disney Enthusiast, typed out for you to read.  I am not affiliated with The Walt Disney Company.  Having said that, on with my review.

My Thoughts As Mom

As a mom of two small children, I’d recommend seeing Frozen and wouldn’t hesitate to purchase the movie to add to our DVD collection.  Much like other Disney animated films, it was a beautiful movie with adorable, strong fun-loving characters.  If you have a little princess in your home, she’s going to love this film and the new dresses she’ll be adding to her wardrobe. On a serious note, the lessons taught within the film are those that we all want our children to know and exercise.  Family is important and sacrificing for those we love is how we all should live our lives.  The acceptance of differences in others will lead to true happiness for everyone and being selfish only results in exclusion and misery.

My Thoughts as a Disney Enthusiast

As a Disney Enthusiast,  I enjoyed the film but didn‘t leave the theater ready to purchase another ticket to see it again.  The film’s storyline played out in classic Disney format with the use of music.  The soundtrack was playful, but at times heart wrenching.  The songs were fun and a bit more trendy than I expected.    However, one major detail jumped out at me.  Idina Menzel , whom voiced Elsa, the Queen,  previously voiced The Wicked Witch of the West in the Broadway musical rendition of Wicked.  Anytime Disney chooses an actor who’s voice is to give life to a character, I feel that it should be a voice that the new character could own.     As soon as Idina’s beautiful voice hit my ears I couldn’t get her other role out of my head.  It was a huge disappointment for me since the two characters are so different.  I feel that the association of the Wicked Witch to Elsa was then formed in my head and it was hard not to allow the association mold my feelings about Elsa.

The animation was exquisite. There were moments in the film where not only are you saying, “Wow”, but the animated characters are too!  The landscapes were nothing short of magical.  The sisters, Elsa and Anna could easily be told apart, due to their hair, skin coloring and mannerisms.  However, I’m disappointed in what I call Disney’s new “bowling ball head” animation.  Soon after Disney and Pixar joined forces, the change happened.  Now I feel as if every female character in a Disney or Pixar film looks as if they are related to the Incredible family.  From Merida in Brave, to Mrs. Fredrickson in Up and now Elsa and Anna, they all appear to be long-lost family.  Maybe I’m being too harsh, but take a look at all of the princesses before Merida and they have distinguishing features and characteristics that make them relatable in the real world.  Don’t get me wrong, the film’s animation was breathtaking, fabulous, and outstanding but I’m being honest when I’m harshly reviewing the human animation.

The storyline was surprising.  I immediately fell in love with the two sisters and had tears in my eyes within the first twenty minutes.  The character development of the two sisters was perfect.  It was wonderful to see a storyline based on sibling love and fantastic to watch a “not-so-typical” fairytale ending.   However, there were moments that  I felt like the movie was rushed.  At the end of Frozen my son said, “That was short.”  I agree.  Although the length of the film wasn’t short (103 minutes which is actually 3 minutes longer than Tangled), we left feeling as if there could have been more.

So, is Frozen as good as The Lion King?

I’m not sold on that statement.  Frozen is a good film and both my son and I enjoyed it.  But I would not place it in the same room as The Little Mermaid ( also a story line inspired by a Hans Christian Anderson story), Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin or The Lion King.