#seeing walt's whole story was so cool

[oveliagirlhaditright]

So, the Walt Disney (company) 100th anniversary special that was on TV last night was really good. Oh my gosh.

[pinkpinkmermayyy]

some of my favorite YouTubers! Some of these are coquette but some of them are not, so I’m still going to tag the coquette tag but it won’t apply for all of these

CZsworld, a horror themed channel that focuses on the intricate histories, theories, characters and stories of many horror movies, books, and sometimes tv shows. He also talks about people/figures from real life in more parody-esque horror history videos. He’s extremely cool and an amazing channel to watch to get into the Halloween mood during October, but watching him at any other time is enjoyable as well

glamourdaze, a collection of different videos from the 20th century, such as beauty and healthcare videos, or just videos of people from different decades in this century living out their lives. What makes this channel one of my favs is that they revive the clips of people from decades such as the 1920s to color them and slow them down (to make it look less choppy and more realistic in how the people move) and it really gives a whole new different perspective on these eras and makes us realize that this wasn’t too long ago.

Erin Parsons Makeup, a very talented makeup artist and vintage collector who’s really cool and someone I love seeing talking about makeup and fashion from history. She’s very similar to glamourdaze except she mainly focuses on vintage/antique fashion and recreates retro looking styles in her looks and it’s just really neat :>

Schafrillas Productions… yeah he’s just very neat and I like watching his movie/tv show reviews. Though his content where he’s passionate and excited about a piece of media is enjoyable, watching him rip apart something he genuinely despises with an infinite amount of rage is funny as all hell

Micarah Tewers, a very talented, artistic, and funny seamstress who makes different types of dresses and outfits in her videos. I love how much dedication and detail she puts into her work to make it stand out and look amazing whenever she wears it, and I also really enjoyed her prom dress videos. She’s also really funny and I love all the extra hijinks she shows herself getting into in between making her project and the video itself lol

Nylijah Myeesah, aka the channel of @/lovesickbrat is a really great coquette channel, and she also has some very good points on different parts of the coquette community and how some aesthetics (such as traumacore or doelet) need to be criticized more because of what they promote.

Colin LooksBack, a Disney based channel that focuses on the characters and movies/other media from Disney, as well as the behind the scenes details of how classic Disney films were made, especially the animated movies made during Walt Disney’s life/career

Karolina Żebrowska, a history fashion themed channel that you probably have heard of. She makes a lot of historical videos as fashion videos and she’s just very talented and intelligent and you should check her out.

Finally, Lavendertowne, the channel I have the fondest YouTube memories of as she was the one who inspired me to start art. I used to love her creepydrawstas and her videos where she drew different stuff as people, as well as her art tutorials. I wouldn’t have gotten to my point in my art journey if it weren’t for her, and overall she’s very cool and sweet.

[seraphtrevs]

I feel as dense as Jesse because I just don't see it about Walt loving him even more than Skyler and going completely feral when other people hurt him? Like obviously he loves him because he can easily manipulate him but I just... don't get it? Is it that he wants to be the only one who hurts Jesse?

But Walt doesn't think he's hurting Jesse. He thinks he's protecting him. Every time Walt does something shitty to Jesse, he convinces himself it was for Jesse's own good.

Like when he let Jane die. Walt's true reason was that Jane tried to take Jesse away from him. But Walt thinks that the reason he did it was to protect Jesse. Jane got him hooked on heroin. If he stays with her, she'll kill him. In a way, Walt killed her for Jesse.

And I don't think Jesse was actually that easy for Walt to manipulate at first. Jesse kicked and screamed the whole way as Walt dragged him into their partnership. Things changed when their relationship became more intense - when they loved each other, Jesse became easier to manipulate. But Walt didn't fall in love with him because he was easy to manipulate since that didn't come until later.

A big part of the reason their relationship is so intense is that they've been through several life-and-death situations together now, starting from the beginning when Krazy-8 comes for them. Walt kills Emilio in defense of himself and Jesse. Later, he kills Domingo, sparing Jesse from having to do it.

When Walt killed Emilio, he wasn't doing it specifically to save Jesse (he was saving them both, so it was as much self-interest). But once the dust settled...I think Walt felt excited about the idea of killing someone in defense of someone else. A huge part of Walt's psychology is that he loves the idea of being a protector (and a provider). In mundane life, there's no opportunity for doing something that primal. He can't kill for Skylar and the kids...

...but he can kill for Jesse.

The other thing he can do for Jesse is provide. (Yes, they're partners, but Walt views himself as the leader.) The only person in the whole show who ever feels happy about getting money from Walt is Jesse (that doesn't last long, but he was very excited at first).

Heisenberg is Walt's ideal self - powerful, rich, dangerous, feared. But he has to hide his ideal self from Skyler and his son, even as he's in the process of fully realizing fantasies he's had for years. (btw Heisenberg is nowhere near as cool as Walt thinks he is, but that's how Walt feels when he's running his empire). A huge part of this fantasy is being a protector - he can't be Heisenberg unless he has someone to protect. So that person becomes Jesse

Jesse used to be his student, so he already had some residual protective feelings for him, which puts Jesse in the role of a child - a son. But at the same time, these fantasies are VERY sexy to Walt - he tries to bring it home to Skyler to mixed results. So with that energy frustrated and needing a place to go, Jesse also becomes like his wife. (What can I say, he's a sick person.) Their relationship plays out more like a romance than a father/son story, in my opinion, but there's definitely an element of both, which is what makes it so disturbing and fascinating

[disneyparksattractionstournament]

Favorite Disney Parks Attraction Showdown: Round 7/FINALS

Videos and propaganda under the cut!

Haunted Mansion: Disneyland, WDW Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland

Propaganda:

"The ride system was perfected by Bob Gurr, gay icon. Seriously, any Disney gays and Haunted Mansion gays, thank gay icon, Bob Gurr for giving us an iconic ride vehicle and system. The whole ride is iconic. It inspired modern day horror tropes, gives goth kids a cool ride to enjoy as they pretend not to enjoy their trip with family when they actually do, has that really interesting spider story in the ballroom scene, X Atencio giving us an iconic song, story, script, and voice acting in the Lemme Outta Here ghost and the break down spiel, THE FREAKING STRETCHING ROOM, THE WALLPAPER!!!!!! Hatbox Ghost being an urban legend, with his existence being argued and questioned for years until we finally got a blurry picture confirmation and him coming back years later, ICONIC! Madame Leota and Little Leota! The hitchhiking ghosts!!! GHOST HOST!!!! The freaking conveyor belt at the end of the attraction that you step off to and if your not careful, it's easy to almost fall, accidentally giving one last scare before you leave the ride and makes you realize how clumsy you are? Iconic. "

"This is a ride that I was absolutely terrified of when I was a little kid. I actually have photographic evidence of this (ask for it if you'd like). But, my goodness, this rough start only made me love it all the more as I grew up. This is such a fun and goofy ride despite the morbid theme and occasional eerie bits! It's a duality. The ghosts have such a personality and the Ghost Host is such a charming guide (and I find the fact that he abandons you to go join the swinging wake hilarious, especially because you wander into the attic with Constance when unguided). It's just such a well-crafted ride! There's so much to see and I never get tired of it. The Doombuggy itself is an ingenious way to move people through the ride with such a distinctive design. The Ghost Host raising and lowering the lap bar for you is neat (fun fact, The Phantom in Phantom Manor is a terrible host and doesn't do this for you, probably because he's too busy planning your death. Asshole.). The effects in the ride are so cool and hold up, especially the Pepper's Ghosts effect. The rooms are distinct and eccentric. The Grim Grinning Ghosts song is absolutely delightful, and it's such a nice touch that you can distinguish the vocals of different ghosts you see in the graveyard. I should also just give a shout-out to the soundtrack for the ride as a whole, which wonderfully warps the Grim Grinning Ghosts theme to match the scene you're in. The ride also does such a good job of plunging you straight into the experience with facade of the mansion (I adore the look of the conservatory) and the queue. The tombstones are so funny and I really appreciate the interactive elements they added in the exterior section. And then you get inside the mansion, hear the Ghost Host's narration, and get into the Stretching Room. How can I describe that room other than frightfully fun? So, why Walt Disney World instead of Disneyland? I prefer experiencing the changing portraits on the ride rather than in the queue. I love the library as the setting for the busts that watch you. The music room with the ghost you can only see in shadow playing a version of Grim Grinning Ghosts is captivating. And, my goodness, the staircase room takes my breath away and I love watching the ghostly footsteps on the stairs. It's even going to have the Hatbox Ghost soon (I am not weighing in on the discourse over the potential location for him).

"I love it. I love ghosties. I love the effects. I love women who murder their husbands. I love the jaunty tunes. I love having to stop for 4 minutes not even partway into the ride and having to watch the same things going on for ages. I love a good ghoul ride, man "

"Epic conveyer belt keeps the line moving (though that won't always stop the line from being long)."

Tower of Terror: WDW Hollywood Studios, Paris Walt Disney Studios Park, California Adventure (2004-2017), Tokyo DisneySea

Propaganda:

"you forget how scary it is until you watch the preshow. and then you forget how fun it is until you ride the ride. 10/10 would recommend went on it with my friends twice last time we went."

"WE LOVE HORROR MEDIA REPRESENTATION!!! ONLY PUSSIES TAKE THE STAIRS"

"This ride made me absolutely terrified of elevators for a bit. xD Anyway, the bellhop cast members are hilarious. The hotel that is covered in cobwebs and was clearly abandoned in a rush after a terrible event is so cool. The Rod Sterling Twilight Zone intro is iconic. The basement is an interesting setting for the final part of the queue. The generators, lights, and floor indicator malfunctioning helps build your anticipation. The friggin elevator moving into the hallway and into a new shaft when the electrical ghosts make their appearance and you enter the Twilight Zone is so impressive. The dropping and rising of the elevator is such fun and I love the randomized events they added. I have to say, though, that ventriloquist dummy in the unloading room still makes me uncomfortable."

"Who doesn't love a creepy dark drop narrated by the man, the myth, the legend Rod Serling himself?"

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

It just randomly came to mind, because that's what my brain does.

I've been thinking about the twitter outrage towards INSIDE OUT 2 director Kelsey Mann stating that he and the filmmakers dropped the characters Guilt and Shame from the movie. Mann stated he felt what they were trying to do with that version of the story wasn't "fun", it was "too heavy", and it made it a kind of movie that you wouldn't want to watch again.

“I don’t want to make that movie. I want to make a movie that’s really meaningful and when you’re asked, ‘Do you want to see that movie again?’ You say, ‘Yes!’ Because those are my favorite movies. And those are the kinds of movies I want to make. And I did not want to return to that movie with that character. It’s not that funny.”

... While being as vague as possible, because this is an interview for a movie that isn't even completed nor out yet. I'm excited for the movie and I'm sure there's WAY more to Mann's comments than meets the eye, ditto the actual movie itself. Because I'm not gonna jump the gun and assume he or everyone at Pixar are a bunch of chickens trying to undermine their own strengths.

I sometimes like to imagine Twitter being a thing years and years ago...

Animated movies lose stuff all the time when being developed. Stuff that you see in the special features sections of DVDs, in the "Art Of" books, hear about in interviews, etc.... Stuff that sounds cool or stuff that you think "They should've kept that!"

Let's try one, huh?

Social media... Mid-1965. At the news of Walt Disney throwing out veteran story man Bill Peet's moodier, darker version of THE JUNGLE BOOK, the studio now moving forward with a more lighthearted, jazzy musical road trip-like approach...

"Betrayal! What has Disney come to! Have you seen THE SWORD IN THE STONE? Remember how they laid off all those animators and the whole Ink & Paint Department after SLEEPING BEAUTY flopped! They've all gone soft, I tell ya! This is going to be a DISASTER!"

THE JUNGLE BOOK was one of the highest-grossing films of 1967, a massive hit abroad, and recognized as one of the iconic Disney animated films. Would I love to travel to an alternate universe where Walt okayed Bill Peet's original take on the material? Absolutely, that movie sounded really, really cool! But I love the finished film so much, it's the reason I love animation and it's the reason why I even do what I do.

That's just one example... Could you imagine the collective moaning over the versions of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, ALADDIN, and THE LION KING that got thrown out? BEAUTY AND THE BEAST originally was supposed to be more like the 1946 adaptation directed by Jean Cocteau, ALADDIN was going to be more in the vein of a '30s Cab Calloway sort-of musical, and THE LION KING was aiming to be a straight-up animated National Geographic documentary with a lot of silence and lyrical storytelling. Jeffrey Katzenberg and other then-Disney execs razored into those versions and trashed them...

I'm sure there were a select few who noticed back then, but I digress.

Or how about a sequel, for that matter? THE RESCUERS sequel was originally supposed to be like a James Bond movie, complete with a Bond-esque mouse who accompanies Bernard and Miss Bianca on a mission involving the Soviet Union! But a little movie called CROCODILE DUNDEE happened, and there was a brief sort-of Aussie rage going on in America... So, those executives told the filmmakers to chuck the Bond-style RESCUERS 2, and have it be set in the land down under... Thus it became THE RESCUERS DOWN UNDER.

I love that film, and it's a fan favorite of many... But that Bond-style movie also sounded really, really cool! Social media in 1988 or whatever would've been like "What??? They threw out that awesome-sounding movie so they can chase CROCODILE DUNDEE??? That movie will be irrelevant in a few years!"

But it happened...

The epic KINGDOM OF THE SUN becoming the goofy THE EMPEROR'S NEW GROOVE, oh yeah that wouldn't be greeted too kindly. I'll throw in a Pixar example, too: Social media would've probably salivated over the "Black Friday" version of TOY STORY.

I thought I'd just make the comparison, lol.

[littlespacereader]

My trip to Disney’s Hollywood Studios as a Regressor🥰🎀

Here’s a little thread talking about my time at Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studio. I’ll talk about the different experiences I had, rides, toys and more! Thread below🧵⏬ (SFW!) :)

Just a little disclaimer😁

I went on this trip as a family vacation. So I wasn’t able to regress fully like I normally would when home alone. My family doesn’t know about my regression at all. My mom has a sort of idea but just thinks I’m young at heart. I didn’t fully regress but that didn’t stop me from feeling little at Disney. I mean it’s hard not to at a park made for kids! With that out of the way let’s get into it!

First and foremost let’s talk about Florida right now😬🔥

It’s HOT! When I went we had 85% humidity and 95 degrees outside. Despite putting sunscreen on TWICE I got sunburn on my face, shoulder and back. I think I drank about 4 water bottles and still felt lightheaded.

The best advice is to pace yourself. Anytime I felt myself getting over heated I went to a restaurant and relaxed for a couple or I went to an easier attraction like Muppets 3D show, Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Frozen Singalong or Star Tours.

Get yourself a refillable water bottle! There are plenty of spots around the park that have water bottle filling stations which are great for keeping cool under this crazy heat in the summer!

Let’s talk about the best attractions for Regressors😆🎢🎠

For younger Regressors like myself I suggest:

Star Tours - I absolutely love Star Wars. If you love Star Wars too and want a more milder ride then Star Tours is your ride. It’s a thrilling attraction. But the beginning is so cute! You walk through a Star Wars theme “airport” with R2D2 bickering with C-3PO. Then the attractions has C-3PO driving your spaceship while you sit in a seat with a seat belt and 3d classes. If you love Star Wars this ride is BEYOND FUN!

Muppets 3D Vision - As a HUGE muppets fan I love this attraction. It’s the best for those like myself who need a break and some AC. You sit in a theater and watch a 3d show of the muppets! I mean, what more could you want! It also has firework lights on the ceiling and the old men critics are sitting with you in their own little box. So cute!!

Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway - I LOVE THIS RIDE! It’s such a relaxing yet fun ride! The theme of the ride is being able to step into a cartoon with Mickey and Minnie. Goofy is hilarious! There are so many Easter eggs too. Gotta keep an eye out. I was giggling the whole time. There’s a photo I took of the cartoon characters building the railway, (see photo below) and if you look around the photo you can see the walls are decorated to look cartoonish! Super detailed and immersive!

Toy Story Mania - This is another super fun ride! You sit in a ride vehicle with a blaster and 3d glasses. (Now writing this I realized there are a ton of rides with 3D glasses😅😂)

Frozen Singalong - I’ve never personally been to this show myself because my siblings would kill me for even suggesting it. But I’ve seen clips of it and it looks so fun! It’s a Frozen themed show that talks about the story and has the audience sing along to songs from the first movie! Great way to beat the heat and regress a bit:)

Now some rides for older Regressors:

Slinky Dog Dash - This is a milder rollercoaster (in my crazy rollercoaster experience). I absolutely love this ride because it’s smack in the middle of Toy Story land and is themed with different characters spread around the rollercoaster. These characters include: Jessie, Rex, and Squeaky. Throughout Toy Story land and this ride everything is made up of toys, making you feel like a toy yourself. Giant Janga logs and alphabet blocks make up these attractions. The ride itself is literally slinky dog and he talks throughout the ride. It honestly feeling like your on a Slinky when riding it! (See my photos below😁)

Rockin Rollercoaster - This is a high speed, intense, upside down rollercoaster. If you’re a crazy rollercoaster fan like myself then this is your ride! The theme of this ride is that the band Aerosmith wants you to go to their concert so you go in a stretched limo ride vehicle. I will warn those who go on a bit milder rollercoasters, this is not for the faint of heart. This ride starts off launching you from a stand still to 57 mph speeds (91 kilometers per hour) straight into a loopy loop. I haven’t been on this ride in a really long time when I went on this trip. The launch had me really feeling the g-forces. But I’m a crazy rollercoaster fan so I greatly enjoyed it! (See photo below for ride vehicle)

Tower of Terror - Another high thrill attraction. Besides myself I don’t know anyone else who enjoys this ride. The theme is a elevator that suddenly breaks and drops. It drops you about 4 or 5 times and it’s fast! So fast that you fly for a second or two off your seat (don’t worry you’re wearing a seat belt). I like that weightless feeling but it’s not for everyone.

Star Wars Smugglers Run - If you’re a Star Wars fan like myself then you’re gonna love Galaxy’s edge! It’s a whole section of the park that is theme to look like a Star Wars planet! The attractions in this section are Smugglers Run and Rise of the Resistance. Smugglers Run is a simulator ride where you literally pilot the Millennium Falcon! It sits 6 people, 2 pilots, 2 gunners and 2 engineers. I love this ride! Who wouldn’t want to fly the Falcon?!

Star Wars Rise of the Resistance - This is the most immersive Star Wars ride I’ve ever been on. It feels like you’ve been taken into space! I don’t want to spoil much of this ride because there are a lot of surprises but it’s beyond cool! One drop at the end but mostly a smooth and easy ride! (See photo below of an x-wing!)

Alien Saucers - A spinning attraction in Toy Story land. If you’re not for spinning rides it might not be your speed because you don’t control the spinning part of it. It sort of whips your ride vehicle around itself. It’s a lot of fun and adorable themed.

Let’s talk food!🥨🍭🍪

In my opinion Hollywood studio isn’t the greatest when it comes to food. But it does do well with snack. As someone with a lot of stomach issues I stayed away from the greasier options and opted for eating a Mickey Pretzel! For sweets they had funnel cake and a Mickey Mouse cookie! I got the cookie but the funnel cake looked amazing too. For all you muppet fan they have a Rizzo themed pizza restaurant that makes pretty decent pizza. They also have a lot of nicer sit down restaurants like one where you sit in a mini car or a 50’s themed restaurant. Overall not too bad!

For those with Disabilities going to Disney💘

Before you even go to the park, make an appoint to talk with Disney’s disability center. They were super accommodating to my needs and made a plan for how I would navigate my day around the park. This is extremely helpful for anyone with any disability. They were extremely kind and understanding. Without this I don’t think my day at the park would’ve been as easy as it was.

The nighttime shows!🎆🏰

Hollywood Studios offers two different shows to end the day with: Fantasmic or the regular projection firework show.

The projection firework show is nice if you don’t want to be in a crowded show area. There is plenty of space and you get to see a series of different movies and show throughout the years projected on the main theater. It ends the night with fireworks that are super cool!

Fantasmic! - This is there you want to go for the coolest show to end the night at Hollywood Studios. It does get VERY crowded. It’s a major production show complete with fireworks, fire, projections, lights and even water special effects. Mickey Mouse host the show! It’s about using your imagination! The show features: Mickey, the villains of Disney, Pocahontas, Elsa, Moana, Aladdin, The lion king, beauty and the beast, the little mermaid and Erik, Snow White and the Prince, and many more! One of the coolest shows I’ve ever seen!! You gotta see this! My little side was screaming inside! So much fun! The show ends with a river boat with all you’re fav Disney character! (See below for photo!)

What I got myself at the park!🧸🚂

I got myself a stuffie of one of my fav Star Wars characters Princess Leia! She’s not super soft but I thought of her more as a protector to watch over me at night! She’s got her classic white outfit and side buns! As a HUGE Toy Story fan, I got myself Rex! I have a stuffie of him but not an actual Rex! So I got him to join my collection of Toy Story themed toys. I also got myself a pin of baby Minnie. She’s so cute and I felt she related to my little side!

Overall I had a TON of fun being a Regressor at a theme park. It doesn’t matter if you’re with your family or by yourself. You can still regress a little and be yourself at Disney! Disney is for the kid inside of all of us, so let your inner child out! I hope all this info helps you if you plan on making a trip to Hollywood Studios! If you have any questions please feel free to message me!😁🎆🏰

Photos!📸🎞️

Slinky Dog Dash

Rockin Rollercoaster

Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway

Fantasmic

Star Wars Rise of the Resistance

[imagitory]

Okay, disclaimer here. I can't really call myself a true fan of Disney's Wish, just as it is. I do think the film had a LOT of really good ideas and I do think that a lot of artists and creative types put sincere work into it -- I mean, all one really has to do is look at the Wish art book to see that the creators wanted to salute a lot of Disney's overall legacy with their work. However the result turned out -- and I personally found it a bit half-baked with a lot of story and character elements that just didn't quite come together for me -- I like the overall concept enough that I've really enjoyed seeing the fandom embrace those good ideas and reinterpret them. I like the art people have started doing based on Star's old designs by artists like Brittney Lee. I like people writing drafts with villainous-couple-goals Amaya and Magnifico. I like people envisioning Asha as becoming a fairy godmother more in the vein of Whitney Houston's version of the Fairy Godmother in the 1998 Rodger's and Hammerstein's Cinderella! So everything I'm going to write here is from a place of sincerely wanting to add onto the original concept and perhaps improve on it, rather than just out of a desire to make petty pot-shots at the film.

With this out of the way, let me get to the crux of it.

(concept art by Brittney Lee, found in Disney's The Art of Wish)

Now of course people have discussed the concept of Star as a love interest for Asha before. And I won't lie, I do think it's cute! It could even offer a great potential for diversity if Star remained androgynous gender-wise, the way they are in the finished film. Honestly, even having a completely mute leading character and love interest throughout the entire picture would undoubtedly be a unique and special challenge for any animator and storyteller...and for those people who want to evoke old Disney projects, it would prove a great opportunity to build on the legacies of voiceless Disney characters like Dumbo, Bambi, and Tinker Bell, while still adding a new twist in the form of this character being magical and therefore being able to express their feelings not just through colors and body language like Tink does, but perhaps also through the instrumental score! You could embody the whole core of Fantasia -- a passion project of Uncle Walt's that he never saw appreciated in his lifetime but is widely considered to be a masterpiece of animation and music -- in one character!

This leads nicely into another tack this could've played into -- the idea that Star could be an embodiment of Golden/Silver Age Disney, while Asha embodies Renaissance/Revival Disney. Star could be endlessly optimistic and a bit naive, but strangely resilient -- something that seems fragile and helpless at first glance until you realize just how many people and creatures alike gravitate toward them and want to help and protect them. Meanwhile Asha could be all about proving herself -- she could want to become a powerful magician and do great things like her master King Magnifico, but lack confidence in her own abilities and feel isolated thanks to how much her service to and desire to honor Magnifico has isolated her from others.

Star would be Snow White to Asha's Tiana. The Aurora to her Mulan. The Tinker Bell to Asha's Elsa. The bright star to Asha's cool, thoughtful night.

And this is what I love most about this idea -- their relationship wouldn't need to be romantic. It could be platonic. It could be romance-adjacent. Or, if one wants to really go and do something different for a Disney movie...Star could be a child. A mute, sweet, brand-new star, one just born, that responded to a wish that Asha made when she thought no one could hear -- a wish she has trouble admitting to anyone, especially her mentor and toxic father figure, King Magnifico -- because as much as she plays contentment, there is a part of Asha deep down that wants something more. That remembers the loving embrace of her deceased parents and how much Magnifico can't quite capture that warmth and nurturing, however tight his hold might be and placating his words might be. And out of that wish is born this little bundle of stardust, which Asha is now suddenly responsible for and wants desperately to hide and protect from Magnifico.

In essence, Asha would be put in the same position that Willow is put in, when he suddenly becomes the caretaker for baby Elora in the film Willow.

Now that would change up the context for At All Costs, wouldn't it? This lullaby-like song would resonate awfully well in a story where Magnifico sees Asha as an apprentice and almost surrogate daughter and wants to "protect" her a la Mother Gothel by controlling everything in her life, while Asha sees this new Star who's now reliant on her and feels this strange, new desire to protect them from the man who filled the role of her father after his death in a selfless way that man could never understand?

If someone tried to hurt you... I don't see how that could happen! I'd fight for you in ways you can't imagine! Felt this? No, I haven't -- I hope it would be alright to Stay right here beside you...

It would be such a beautiful picture on how love can be both selfish and selfless -- how a villainous person can love, perhaps, but that that love is poisoned by the desire to mold someone into your image and hoard that person away from others who could "take them away" or "change" them...how love at its truest core is selflessness and fighting on behalf of others, to give them a world where they could live safely. And again, this could be either in a scenario where Star is Asha's "child" or her peer -- for a world can't be safe for all if anyone is under threat because of who we are. And Asha, Star, and Rosas all deserve to know true happiness, not just mindless, complacent contentment -- the happiness that can come from the birth of ideas we never thought possible, until we're given the freedom to dream and dream big.

[latetothedisco]

Rant: Wasted potential in Lost, 2000s racism

Spoilers for S2 of Lost

I'm SO distraught about killing off Ana Lucia. The writers totally wasted two super talented actors with Michael and Ana Lucia. Genuinely thought Ana Lucia had potential to become one of the main characters? She had lots of redemption potential? She was flawed, vulnerable, fiercely loyal, and suffering from severe PTSD. They made her interesting and multi-faceted in one season TBH, and I found Michelle Rodroguez to be a standout of S2. Sawyer tbh fulfills the same unlikeable anti hero niche as Ana Lucia, but he gets a whole redemption arc and multiple love interests...? Why is Ana Lucia not paid with this same respect??

Harold Perrineau was wasted with how annoying and one dimensional Michael became in S2. We see him grow from a legal guardian to father who genuinely cares about Walt. Why did the Walt plotline get so sidelined? The writers could've made that a mord central plot to explore The Others. I think it would've been cool to see the survivors become an army and lead a team effort to find Walt with Michael and Jack in charge. Michael could still betray the group for Walt in the end, but God, the writers gave his actor NOTHING to work with.

Also Sayid and Eko have realllyyy interesting stories and I would've loved to see them have more storylines in S2.

Wait... what's the common thread here... All the POC characters in an early 2000s show on ABC get shafted??? I shouldn't be surprised and while I applaud there being characters of different ethnicities, I just think their characters do not actually get good treatment compared to white counterparts (minus Kate, god they wasted that character, rip). I read some retrospectives where POC writers, Harold Perrineau, and also Evangeline Lilly complained about the stereotypical scripts and the toxicity in the writer's room...

[alanshee-keeper-of-realms]

So I as a writer and artist was thoroughly disappointed by Disney wish and instantly thought that there was another film they released last year that would be so much better for their celebrations

Chip and Dale the Rescue Rangers movie

Number one Chip and Dale could have been the Disney 100 movie just like Who Framed Roger rabbit it is the perfect movie to put in all sorts of references and nostalgia,

Rename it though to Chip and Dale secrets and lies slogan

"Some secrets just won't stay in the Disney Archives"

Now for the story

First of all take out the whole Peter Pan thing that was just wrong we all know what happened with Bobby Driscoll unfortunately instead bring in Oswald the Lucky Rabbit as the Villian, now you could play with this and have it either be him being a jilted personality like Epic Mickey or we could play around with the whole antiheroes idea something has happened to cause him to trip offline most likely something related to Charles Mintz.

If we go with the villain idea have him bootlegging make him be the antithesis of Mickey the opposite side he's just trying to survive because Disney won't give him any work despite having his rights back,

Number two have a bit of fun with the other Disney characters sure the title is Chip and Dale but you can have fun with it bring in Mickey Mouse Goofy Donald and all of them

Maybe add to their lore while you're at it you know maybe it would be cool to see Mickey and Minnie married or Donald taking care of the triplets with Jose and Panchito, Disney would never go for the whole LGBTQA thing but you know it would be funny if they were all just roommates trying to take care of the triplets and be good mentors to them.

Make Daisy a major fashion icon for several companies we could all see that make her the face of them

Have Goofy and Max still at home just doing their thing, bring in Roxanne,

And yes bring in Ortensia and if they can do 101 Dalmatians I really think the animators would get a kick out of animating 420 little rabbits running around as a gag that they follow her like a freaking Shepherd, especially with how tall Chip and Dale are it would be like them walking in the middle of a crowd.

And I'm pretty sure you could keep the rest of the story the same except for the factor take out the stupid they were born in 1980 I had a really cool idea where it shows chip and Dale's creator sketching on an animation drawing board as the camera zooms into the back of his head but you see Chip and Dale hop off the page and Scurry off and we kind of follow them throughout their years until the modern day with Dale narrating

It started in 1942, well for Disney it started in 1923, but for me and my brother it started in 1942. We were Chip and Dale causing mischief and trouble since the day we hopped off that animation table.

There was no amount of chaos that we wouldn't cause even to the point that it ticked off Walt Disney, he put us in time out a couple times. But we still never listened,

[le-souriant]

#MusicMonday Review - April 2024

#MusicMonday is the hashtag I've been using for quite a while to share music recommendations from up-and-coming artists. Always fresh, and always different, trying to look for trends before they become one. You can check March's review for more music.

What does getting lost in the desert, walking through the Campus, a story about nature, love, and just feeling good, have in common? All are the themes of this month's selection. Give it a listen, and dive in, with a word from the artists themselves. 🎧

TV Cult – Empty Quarter

Stranded in the empty quarter Run out of food and water Stranded out here alone But in a mirage I see home

We begin this month in Cologne, Germany for an 80s infused Post-Punk track about not being able to find something to hold on when you need it the most:

"Empty Quarter is about getting lost out in the desert. It's a bit about getting lost in terms of location but also in time.

It's kind of like getting lost from one's inner child (Stranded out by the park, Stranded out after dark). The childhood theme also comes from the title Empty Quarter which is a massive desert in middle east and not far from where I lived as a kid."

Sun God – Campus

walkin through the campus feeling dumb chewin on bubble gum listenin to songs about the dangers of love and no i've never felt it before no i've never felt it before

From Philadelphia, PA, an Indie Rock track perfect for the summer, whistling tunes while skipping stones down at the lake, with no worries at all:

"I think the song is a reflection on being young and wasting time. It’s kind of a sunny weather song, and it’s pretty simple so we wanted to add a bunch of different sounds (layers of warbly guitar, synth, toy keyboards, etc) to make it feel a bit nostalgic."

West Coast Caravan – Them Wicked Ways

Oh baby don't be harsh

From Antwerp, Belgium, let's listen to an Indie Rock song with a story to tell, up for the listener's interpretation:

"All the songs are quite autobiographical or inspired by something I saw someone experience that moved me.

Them Wicked Ways is actually based on a series of events that I and some friends experienced or are still experiencing in this 'wicked' world. We're trying to find a way to act good, which isn't always possible in everyone's eyes.

It was also the first song that wasn't structured like a 'little story'. Normally, the songs I write and we play have a beginning and an ending. Them Wicked Ways is the first one where I just wrote snippets of text that came to my mind and tried to glue them together so it would make sense to the listener, but open to his/her own interpretation."

Andy Smythe – Leaves to Burn

No gospel to learn No faith to confirm No need to discern The reason to yearn

Lovers we're torn By the rose and thorn Damnation to deeds That make these hearts bleed

Look to the river Is its soul with her It winds like a ghost Her spirit evoked

From London, England, a cool retro sounding Brit Pop about the dark depths of life, nature, and love. The tides of reason, distorted by the seasons:

"The track was inspired by my partner commenting that a neighbor who loves their gardening had 'no more leaves to burn'.

I then reimagined my childhood where I spent a lot of time working on farms and thinking back to some of the older men I worked with, who had spent their whole lives working the land. What would such a life be like, you are following a cycle of the seasons, planting in the spring and harvesting in the summer. What if they experienced loss in their lives, would the routine of laboring through the seasons compensate for it?

I'm also influenced a bit by writers such as Laurie Lee, Walt Whitman and Springsteen's writing style on Nebraska, I wanted to paint a panorama of love and loss, the earth and the sky, and reflect on how as modern people we view our connection with nature."

Sugar World – For a Moment

i heard your voice through the speakers tried to call couldn't reach ya i waited up in the bleachers feeling dumb over eager

later on i was tired took a walk through the fire caught a wave in the ocean

Our last stop is Los Angeles, CA for some sugar coated Indie Pop about feeling good for a moment, doing the most trivial things, with the ones you care about:

"It was a combination of being inspired to write a surf rock song, and the lyrics came to be about change, and how situations in life are fleeting.

It's not necessarily about a specific time or person in our own lives, but it was inspired by the feeling of growing up and realizing that things are always changing and will keep changing.

In some ways it's a song about loss, and was inspired subconsciously by loss that we experienced in our own lives."

Listen to them and much more on the complete Playlist:

[bekahrooscoolreviews]

Beauty and the Beast: Lost in a Book by Jennifer Donnelly

           Lost in a Book by Jennifer Donnelly is a spinoff novel based in the world of Walt Disney Pictures' Beauty and the Beast (2017). It follows the beloved character Belle as she plays a pawn in a game between Love and Death. Lured by a mysterious book into the enchanting world of Nevermore, Belle finds her deepest fantasies realized. Nevermore is a world of duels fought with the words of Shakespeare, fascinating strangers from around the globe, brilliant inventions, and family reunited. But soon the cracks begin to show, as Belle realizes that Nevermore may not be the escape she had hoped for, but a trap of its own.

           This was a bit of a nostalgic read for me. I remember picking out this book from Walmart when I was in middle school and reading it over and over as I traversed the halls of freshman year in high school. It was one of my favorites and I remember it being so cool to see Belle reciting Shakespeare as I was reading Romeo and Juliet in English class. This combined with my love for the 1991 animated classic caused me to be utterly enchanted with this book. Even my school art projects were Beauty and the Beast themed.

           That being said, it had been a few years since I had read Donnelly’s work in its entirety. But I was pleased to find that the story was still fun and dynamic with parts towards the end carrying some thrilling action as Belle fights to escape Nevermore with the help of new friends.

           One thing I found strange was the chapter lengths. Chapter sixty-two, for example, doesn’t span a whole page even with the chapter heading and several of them end in the middle of a scene. Much of the book’s page count could easily be reduced with the use of just blank lines, proper transitions between scenes or even no separation at all. But this probably has more to do with editing rather than the prose or narrative.

           Overall, though, I truly did enjoy revisiting this old favorite and look forward to maybe reading it again someday.

[whobobreviewsstuff]

Review: Breaking Bad Season 2 Episode 3 - Bit by a Dead Bee (SPOILERS)

S2E3: Bit by a Dead Bee

Written by Peter Gould

Directed by Terry McDonough

I'm sorry for not updating this project in a week and I may have to update it slower because my last year at the university is coming and I have to put most of my focus there but I'll update this project as much as I can.

This pretty much can be seen as the real starter of this season. It picks up from where we saw Walt and Jesse at the end of the previous episode and here we see them once again finding a way to escape their consequences of their actions in the last couple of episodes and come up with stories of where they were when Tuco and Hank shooting happened.

Once Jesse seperates his way with Walter, he has to deal with cleaning up the mess whereas Walt was in the hospital. Getting all the meth lab equipments in his basement was a starter for sure. Then he went to the hotel for some sex with Wendy but quickly got arrested by DEA. It's actually sad to see Jesse paying the bigger price on what him and Walt does nowadays. Of course he comes up with a story and is almost scott free until Hank brings in Hector and what's interesting is that Hector doesn't give away him. Of course, it gets real horrifying once Hector shits himself in front of everyone but it's also a really shocking moment that gets me. Hector definitely doesn't want Walt and Jesse to be arrested by the cops, otherwise the whole Salamanca drug distributing may be in trouble or there is something else Hector has in plan which we may or may not see down the line. I liked Jesse's conversation with Walt on the phone and Walt's response to Jesse saying why the hell they should still cook together is that nothing has changed. Walt still wants to keep going whereas Jesse doesn't want to but of course he has to get the money to pay Badger's cousin to get the RV filled with meth equipment out of his house. So I'm interested to see where their dynamic will lead into.

Hank had a small plot that was short but really memorable one with him getting celebrated for taking down Tuco and having his metal teeth as an award and his dynamic with Steve is surprisingly not all bad, in fact good considering how Hank acts like a racist around him sometimes.

As for Walt's plot, Walt continues to lie to his family about where he was. I really love the moment where Walt was stranding naked in a supermarket and that was how they found him. Walt lies that he had a short term memory loss but he still isn't scott free because of making Skyler suspicious. The best moment in this plot is definitely the conversation between Walt and the psychatrist. I love that Walt tells the truth that he lied about the whole short term memory loss but still he fed the psychatrist more lies with where he was. This plot's another memorable moment was when Walt comes back to the hospital after breaking into his house and securing his money and gun, puts the needle back into his hand only for more blood to come out of it and he sees a portait of a guy leaving his wife and kids behind. It's a cool shot and it symbolizes Walt getting more and more distant from his family. The ending sold the whole thing when Walt once again lied about not having a second phone to Skyler. Of course Skyler's suspicions don't go away and it pretty much only will make Walt drive away his family from him further.

This episode was a good way to kick off Walt and Jesse's arcs in this season and I can't wait to see where it'll lead.

Grade: 9/10

[vonderbarr]

I'm making my way through Breaking Bad after Better Call Saul, and it honestly blows my mind (though it really shouldn't) that Jane, Lydia, Sky and Marie are the least loved characters.

You probably didn't intend for me to write a small essay on my thoughts about each character, but that's what I ended up doing! I really seem to be unable to answer an ask without writing kind of an embarrassing amount.

I'm not surprised that these women aren't liked, but I am disappointed. I saw Breaking Bad as it aired and I haven't really watched it since. It took me a long time to warm up to Skyler, but I blame that mostly on being young with some unexamined internal misogyny (before I even knew that was a thing). I like her so much more after re-watching some of the early episodes and I really hate some of the terrible takes I've seen about her. She just kept getting pushed into worse and worse situations by a man that looked like an antihero, but was actually a straight up villain. She tried so hard to keep the household running like normal and didn't realize the genre of the show she was in. She did her best and, for the most part, was successful in keeping her family together and her kids safe.

Marie, though, I've loved since the beginning. She also keeps getting put into shitty positions, and has some unhealthy coping mechanisms, but she's also incredibly strong and loving. Even when Hank was being awful to her, it was obvious that they loved and understood each other which is really nice to see in a show like this. I found myself really rooting for her, especially when she turned on Walt. Seeing her tell Walt to kill himself was a highlight of that. She's definitely one of my favorite characters.

I have mixed feelings about Jane. I really liked her at first, but after she relapsed and started doing harder drugs with Jesse I knew it was going to end tragically. I found myself trying not to care about her as much, but her death was so awful and the fallout of it was so shocking and far-reaching. Her death is all the more tragic because it was preventable. She's really a pivotal character and her death is one of the most important in the series. I see a lot of people saying that she deserved it like people give up their basic humanity when they start doing drugs and it's really awful.

Lydia was amazing and I hated her and I was kind of terrified whenever she came on screen. Even when she was panicking or pleading for her life she had this calculating undertone and you knew that she would sacrifice whoever she needed to get away clean. She represented that corporate kind of everyday evil, and her anxiety and seeming panic attacks actually added to it all. I felt like it made her just unpredictable enough to be a danger to everybody. And her murder was really brilliantly done. They Chekov's Gunned that ricin perfectly.

Aside from the obvious misogyny, I feel like a lot of problems people have with these characters has to do with not seeing their influence on the plot as a whole. It seems like some of them would rather these characters didn't exist even though these women are incredibly important to the show and all have a hand in really pivotal plot points. Even if you don't like the characters you have to acknowledge that without them a lot of important or cool story beats (like that awesome train heist) wouldn't have happened. Breaking Bad would have been a very different and incomplete show without them.

Thanks for the ask, I had a good time writing it! I don't often get a chance to really get into it with other fans.

[disneyparksattractionstournament]

Favorite Disney Parks Attraction Showdown: Round 2 - Group C

Videos and propaganda under the cut!

Na'vi River Journey: WDW Animal Kingdom

Haunted Mansion: Disneyland, WDW Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland

Propaganda:

"The ride system was perfected by Bob Gurr, gay icon. Seriously, any Disney gays and Haunted Mansion gays, thank gay icon, Bob Gurr for giving us an iconic ride vehicle and system. The whole ride is iconic. It inspired modern day horror tropes, gives goth kids a cool ride to enjoy as they pretend not to enjoy their trip with family when they actually do, has that really interesting spider story in the ballroom scene, X Atencio giving us an iconic song, story, script, and voice acting in the Lemme Outta Here ghost and the break down spiel, THE FREAKING STRETCHING ROOM, THE WALLPAPER!!!!!! Hatbox Ghost being an urban legend, with his existence being argued and questioned for years until we finally got a blurry picture confirmation and him coming back years later, ICONIC! Madame Leota and Little Leota! The hitchhiking ghosts!!! GHOST HOST!!!! The freaking conveyor belt at the end of the attraction that you step off to and if your not careful, it's easy to almost fall, accidentally giving one last scare before you leave the ride and makes you realize how clumsy you are? Iconic. "

"This is a ride that I was absolutely terrified of when I was a little kid. I actually have photographic evidence of this (ask for it if you'd like). But, my goodness, this rough start only made me love it all the more as I grew up. This is such a fun and goofy ride despite the morbid theme and occasional eerie bits! It's a duality. The ghosts have such a personality and the Ghost Host is such a charming guide (and I find the fact that he abandons you to go join the swinging wake hilarious, especially because you wander into the attic with Constance when unguided). It's just such a well-crafted ride! There's so much to see and I never get tired of it. The Doombuggy itself is an ingenious way to move people through the ride with such a distinctive design. The Ghost Host raising and lowering the lap bar for you is neat (fun fact, The Phantom in Phantom Manor is a terrible host and doesn't do this for you, probably because he's too busy planning your death. Asshole.). The effects in the ride are so cool and hold up, especially the Pepper's Ghosts effect. The rooms are distinct and eccentric. The Grim Grinning Ghosts song is absolutely delightful, and it's such a nice touch that you can distinguish the vocals of different ghosts you see in the graveyard. I should also just give a shout-out to the soundtrack for the ride as a whole, which wonderfully warps the Grim Grinning Ghosts theme to match the scene you're in. The ride also does such a good job of plunging you straight into the experience with facade of the mansion (I adore the look of the conservatory) and the queue. The tombstones are so funny and I really appreciate the interactive elements they added in the exterior section. And then you get inside the mansion, hear the Ghost Host's narration, and get into the Stretching Room. How can I describe that room other than frightfully fun? So, why Walt Disney World instead of Disneyland? I prefer experiencing the changing portraits on the ride rather than in the queue. I love the library as the setting for the busts that watch you. The music room with the ghost you can only see in shadow playing a version of Grim Grinning Ghosts is captivating. And, my goodness, the staircase room takes my breath away and I love watching the ghostly footsteps on the stairs. It's even going to have the Hatbox Ghost soon (I am not weighing in on the discourse over the potential location for him).

"I love it. I love ghosties. I love the effects. I love women who murder their husbands. I love the jaunty tunes. I love having to stop for 4 minutes not even partway into the ride and having to watch the same things going on for ages. I love a good ghoul ride, man "

"Epic conveyer belt keeps the line moving (though that won't always stop the line from being long)."

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

Some Mouse House news today. One story is true, the other *might* be true.

Today, Sean Bailey steps down as head of Walt Disney Pictures. The studio of Disney's massive film division that does all the live-action movies, and in some cases, animated tech demos that look like real-life simulations. Ya know, THE JUNGLE BOOK (2016) and THE LION KING (2019)?

He singlehandedly ushered in the whole remake craze (on top of saying some very weird and obtuse things about the animated classics they are largely based on), whilst trying to launch new franchises out of over-budgeted risky movies, and suffice to say? I'm more than happy that his replacement is Searchlight Pictures' David Greenbaum.

Greenbaum will now lead a combined Disney Live-Action/20th Century Studios effort, while Matthew Greenfield continues to lead Searchlight. This is a very smart move I feel, as Searchlight were usually quite good with budgets. They greenlit several outre and unique movies. Most recently Yorgos Lanthimos' POOR THINGS, which I loved. In the weirdest sense, and you'll probably think I've lost the plot in saying this, but... The $35m hard R-rated sci-fi black comedy with plenty of sex scenes felt more in the spirit of "Disney" - creative, game-changing, and bold - than a lot of the titanic-budgeted seemingly-noted-to-death movies released under the mainline "Disney" name in the recent years... That's quite something!

(Maybe it's just something of a shock to see a movie simply made by a FILMMAKER come out Disney. After all, when Walt Disney saw TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD in 1962, he was floored by the film and lamented... He wish his studio could make a picture like that.)

So yeah, as you can tell, I'm thrilled with this move. I feel that the output of the "Live-Action" end of Disney hasn't really been for me for a long time, creatively, and maybe Greenbaum will course-correct. Take a chance on different filmmakers, let them come in and make a really cool movie that isn't buckled under notes and mandates that attempt to make the proceedings "more Disney" - whatever that means. Less things like ARTEMIS FOWL and LION KING and this TRON-in-name-only sequel with Jared Leto, more stuff like the first PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN and assorted smaller movies. These things don't have to be $150m+ behemoths, either.

This move has been a long-time coming, I feel, especially after the film division lost money on HAUNTED MANSION and live-action LITTLE MERMAID, in addition to seeing diminishing returns elsewhere.

(And hey, on the off chance... Maybe we can see another Muppets movie get off the ground, haha.)

Sooo... As for the other piece of news...

Apparently Pixar is working on a movie called DUCKS.

And it's a full-blown musical, too... A first for Pixar...

Right now, this is all coming out of the rumor mills and I feel it should be taken with a grain of salt. Much like that soccer movie set in Barcelona that they were supposedly developing around 2018.

What's interesting is that a locked Facebook account and a locked Twitter account have been made for a "Pixar Ducks" thing. So maybe... Yeah... Maybe DUCKS is a movie in the works at Pixar. Or it's a short.

Some have pointed out that this news arrives a little after the release of Universal/Illumination's animated duck romp MIGRATION, which brings up the pairs of yore: A BUG'S LIFE and ANTZ, FINDING NEMO and SHARK TALE, RATATOUILLE and FLUSHED AWAY, the ill-fated NEWT and RIO... But really, sometimes great minds think alike. Remember how we had three animated movies about Sasquatches/yetis from September 2018 to September 2019? SMALLFOOT, MISSING LINK, and ABOMINABLE?

Sometimes it just happens...

I've also noticed people saying "Wait a minute, what about COCO? Wasn't that a musical?"

COCO, when it was coming out, was carefully described as a movie that was about music, not so much a "musical". I don't see COCO as a "musical", myself.

You see, I feel musicals inhabit a heightened reality of their own. Typically, in musical movies, when characters start singing, everything else around them is engaged. Like the whole block or the whole neighborhood or the whole area was prepared for this moment, and are going along with it. For some people, that's weird. "Why are they all singing? Imagine doing THAT in real life!" That's the point of musicals, I feel. The singing is the characters' feelings, their world, their point of view. These movies don't follow a literal reality, and that's what has always made them and their theatre counterparts so special for so many years.

COCO, by contrast, is about musicians. They pick up a guitar or instrument, and when they play music and sing, it's not of a heightened reality. Everybody else goes about their business, the whole block isn't singing- You get where I'm going with this, right? There's a clear difference between COCO and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.

Some 30 years ago, when Pixar was working on TOY STORY... Their first ever feature film, they specifically didn't want to do a musical or something with an "I Want" song. A little list of rules, so that they wouldn't make something similar to what Disney was doing post-OLIVER & COMPANY. Many of the other animation studios were mimicking that formula as well, as evidenced by all the SWAN PRINCESS and FERGULLY types that were being released all throughout the '90s... It's understandable that Pixar and their tight-knit culture wanted to avoid that at first...

But we're in 2024 now, and Disney Animation has long balanced out musicals with non-musicals (BIG HERO 6, ZOOTOPIA, RAYA, etc.), while other studios have tried other kinds of musicals that don't try to recreate what Howard Ashman and Alan Menken perfected circa 1989. Like the SING movies, those are jukebox musicals, the TROLLS movies are more like pop musicals than they are Broadway...

So, some three decades after the release of TOY STORY (assuming that this film comes out in 2026 at the earliest), yeah! Pixar making a musical isn't so far-fetched. What this studio brings to that genre remains to be seen, but I'm interested nonetheless. They could possibly re-invent it in a very cool, fun way. I just find the title to be curious... Ducks... Talking animals... It seems very basic, but there's a lot we don't know, so I'll wait til I hear more. It could be about, say, duckpin bowling for all I know.

My other question is... Who is directing it? I know that the following filmmakers have pitched or are working on films at Pixar:

Brian Fee (director of CARS 3)

Enrico Casarosa (director of LUCA)

Domee Shi (director of TURNING RED)

Dan Scanlon (director on ONWARD and MONSTERS UNIVERSITY)

Kristen Lester (director of Sparkshort PURL)

Rosana Sullivan (director of Sparkshort KITBULL)

Aphton Corbin (director of Sparkshort TWENTY-SOMETHING)

Daniel Chong (creator of WE BEAR BEARS, storyboard artist on CARS 2 and INSIDE OUT)

Their schedule currently looks like this:

6/14/2024: INSIDE OUT 2

06/13/2025: ELIO

03/06/2026: Unknown

06/19/2026: Unknown

TBD 2026: TOY STORY 5 (likely summer)

So, logically, this could be their spring 2026 original movie while TOY STORY 5 expectedly takes the prime summer slot. Maybe! Perhaps it swaps spots with something else, I don't know.

We do have a D23 Expo coming up this year, so maybe we'll learn what Pixar's post-ELIO films are that aren't sequels. If DUCKS is real and it's moving along quite nicely, then that should be the one. We shall see...

[squishmallow36]

Keeper of the Lost Prepositions - Thirty-eight

Word count: 2.8k

Tw: there's this homophobic human because of course there is

Taglist (lmk if you want to be added/removed!): @stellar-lune @gaslight-gaetkeep-gayboss @kamikothe1and0lny @nyxpixels @florida-floppy-frog @poppinspop @crystallinewalker @uni-seahorse-572 @solreefs @books-over-boys @rusted-phone-calls @when-wax-wings-melt @cotyledon-tomentosa @good-old-fashioned-lover-boy7 @dexter-dizzknees @abubble125

On Ao3 or below the cut!

Dex PoV

    It’s been days, maybe three, definitely three-ish, since the incident. I refuse to think about it. But eventually I convince myself that this isn’t healthy, so finally, I manage to grab my Imparter.

    I can’t tell anyone who knows anyone else, so the natural choice is to text Amy. 

    Hey Amy, I need to talk. When are you free?

    She replies instantly, and I know for a fact that means she’s in class. 

    After school if u don’t mind meeting my gf. I don’t think I can ditch her and we walk home together every day.

    Why should I care? That works for me if it works for you. 

    Cool. Cya later. 

    I close the app before realizing that we should probably cover our basic lies.

    Shouldn’t we get our story straight?

    Haha straight. What do you mean?

    Like not calling Sophie your sister, I suggest.

    She can be my cousin. Problem solved. 

    And I’m Canadian, if that becomes necessary. I say ‘about’ weird and everything. I have found a town in the Northwest Territories named Inuvik that’s on the same timezone as I am. 

    That makes so much sense oml.

    I want to ask what she means by that, but, instead, I drag myself out of bed to get ready. I know the time change calculation by now, so I only have like an hour to get ready, and it’s going to take every bit of that.

    Unlike the last time I had a conversation with Amy, Lovise doesn’t care about going to the Forbidden Cities, aside from asking me where I keep my Obscurers. I have no clue, but there must be at least one somewhere around here.

    Also unlike the last time, I don’t really care about not being seen myself. 

    I wave across the sidewalk in front of the school. Words are hard. You know how there’s a whole bunch of cement walkways in front of schools?

    “Hey, Dex!” Amy says, waving as she sees me.

    Walking next to her is a girl, who I assume is her girlfriend, that, at a quick glance, looks a lot like Maruca. 

    Just a couple inches shorter, and without the blue streak in her hair. Or blue eyes. Hers are a rich coffee tone. So basically the same. 

    “Ny, this is my friend Dex. Dex, this is my girlfriend Nyira.”

    “Nice to meet you,” I say automatically. 

    “I thought we weren’t telling anyone yet,” Nyira stage-whispers.

    Amy replies nonchalantly, “It’s fine. I trust him and he doesn’t know anyone around here anyway.”

    “Also there’s no way I’m going to go tell anyone because then she’ll figure out how to out me, so your secret’s safe with me,” I add. 

    “I didn’t think about that.” Amy laughs. “You blackmailed yourself.”

    “You have no clue how many times I’ve rules lawyered to my own downfall.”

    “Our friend Kaimana is like that too,” Nyira says.

    “I’m sorry to interrupt this fascinating conversation, but we should start waddling you home before we stay here for all eternity,” Amy says. 

    “I don’t believe you’re sorry at all.”

    “That’s because it’s true. Get to waddling. Both of you.” 

    We start walking, and I have no idea where to go, so Amy spends a whole bunch of time corralling me from going the wrong direction.

    “So, Dex, was it?” Nyira asks. 

    I nod. 

    “What do you like to do when you’re not dealing with school?” 

    I laugh. “I do more school. I’m part of the Robotics Club, which is a good chunk of my free time, and when I’m not doing that, I’m kind of a Disney nerd, so I spend way too much time watching TV.”

    “I mean, your last name is Dizznee, so you don’t exactly have a choice,” Amy says.

    “Are you related to Walt? I’ve never done enough research to know if he has living relatives.” 

    “Different spelling, unfortunately,” I answer.

    “My inner Disney nerd is so disappointed right now.”

    “Who isn’t secretly a Disney nerd?” Amy wonders.

    “I have some friends that didn’t grow up with Disney movies.”

    Nyira gasps. “That’s absurd.”

    “That’s why whenever I can, I force them to watch them with me. Their reactions are priceless.”

    “I bet,” Nyira says. “Especially the ones from the good old days. What’s your favorite Disney movie?”

    “How dare you make me choose,” I say, feigning offense. “My gut reaction is Wall-E, and, yes, I count Pixar as Disney. Honestly, it’s mostly anything other than Frozen right now.”

    “What’s the problem with Frozen?”

    “Do you happen to have triplet siblings three years younger than you that have an obsession with singing “Let It Go”?”

    Nyira laughs. “That’s oddly specific. I’ve got a younger brother. He’s seven, so like five years younger than me if math still works. But he wouldn’t sing “Let It Go” if you paid him a million dollars.”

    “I’d do it. Then proceed to spend it all on therapy because of the trauma that song has caused me. At least you only have to deal with one. I have three. Three. And they act like they’re seven year olds, even though they’re the same age as you.”

    “That’s because we’re cool,” Amy says. “And I’m just going to keep waddling along happy that I don’t have to deal with siblings.”

    “Lucky,” Nyira and I mutter.

    The conversation gets more and more insane, until I feel like I’m laughing so hard, my brain isn’t getting enough oxygen.

    When we get to Nyira’s house, I had to be stopped because I know nothing. 

    “See you later!” Nyira says, walking backwards to wave goodbye.

    “Correction: see you tomorrow,” Amy says.

    I’m just going to stand there and wave. Seems like it’ll work in most situations. 

    As soon as she’s in the house, Amy asks, “So what did you want to talk about?”

    With that single sentence, reality comes rushing back and slaps me in the face.

    Wanting to stall as long as possible, I reply, “This is a sitting down conversation. Not a standing up one.”

    “This better be good,” Amy warns. 

    When we reach her house, instead of opening the door, Amy says, “When my parents ask, no we aren’t dating.”

    “That’s literally a true statement though.”

    “And we have a science project.”

    “Already?” I ask. “Didn’t your school just start?”

    “I have an English paper due next week so don’t argue with me.”

    “That’s messed up.”

    “Yes it is. And you’re going to proofread it for me.”

    She unlocks the door before I have a chance to reply, and her mom, whose name I can’t remember for the life of me, says, “There you are! We were starting to get worried. And you brought a boy home! This is my lucky day.”

    “Relax, he’s just a friend,” Amy tries to say.

    I just stand there, waving, under Amy’s Mom’s look of yeah, I totally believe that. 

    Amy manages to escape upstairs, and, thankfully, she didn’t leave me downstairs.

    Closing the door, I ask, “You haven’t told them yet? Or did they not believe you?”

    “There’s no way in hell I’m telling them anything. It’ll happen eventually. But we’re supposed to be talking about you anyway.”

    I sigh, knowing I can only evade for so long. “You remember Fitz, right?”

    “Of course.”

    “And you remember that…” I trail off, not quite sure how to phrase it. 

    “You’re so gay for him?” Amy supplies. “Obviously.”

    That works. 

    “I need you to understand that this tea can’t be spilled to anyone else.”

    “This better be good or I’m going to strangle you.”

    “Noted. So, I was talking to Biana—.” I stop, mentally backing up further in time because this won’t make sense.

    “Actually, something happened to Keefe while he was here, and he showed up in the Lost Cities and got to spend some time with Elwin. Never got the reason why out of him.”

    “This better be relevant.”

    “It is. Be glad I didn’t back up more. So when he was in the human world, he did a little bit of research on gay things, so he’s pan now. I don’t think he cares if you tell anyone. He did leave a message for me on one of his YouTube videos to tell his father.”

    “This sounds like it’s about to take a sharp left.”

    “We probably have another quarter mile. So, basically, Cassius came to visit Keefe in the Healing Centre—.”

    “Who is this Cassius?”

    “Keefe’s father. Anyway, he thinks that the message I sent to him was the Elvin  equivalent of a prank call, so when Keefe brings it up, he puts the pieces together, and lo and behold, he’s homophobic. Couldn’t see that one coming!”

    “He’s that bad?”

    “You and Keefe need to have that conversation, because I haven’t gotten a ton of specific details, but all he cares about is his reputation, so you can sorta see how I could make that connection. A Bad Match would be very bad for his reputation.”

    “Keefe’s the pan one though…”

    “Just go with me here. Cassius is homophobic and now he’s basically disowned Keefe, which, honestly, I’m surprised hasn’t happened yet, and then somehow I got too angry about how Cassius was acting, and accidentally came out to him. So.”

    “Oh. That’s—that’s nice.”

    “But wait, we’re not even halfway yet. Biana’s a vanisher and loves to hide in the corners of the Healing Centre and spy on people. So now she knows. Including the fact that I like Fitz, which is important. You’re going to be quizzed at the end. And then a couple days ago, I hailed her to see if she'd give me any insight as to how to make some ear plugs—to block Keefe’s new ability—invisible. Don’t ask, it’s outside the scope of this story.”

    “Now I want to ask,” Amy whines.

   “If you ask, this story will never end. Where was I? Hailing Biana. That’s right. So now she’s questioning because now she knows that non-straight people exist, and I almost sent you her number, but I figured I should probably do it in person. Technology. But we were discussing gay things, and now Fitz has overheard that I’m gay as Exile.”

    Amy gasps, although it might be a bit feigned.

    “Exactly. This is why I talk to you. No one can overhear me here unless my registry pendant’s bugged, about which I will be having a conversation with the council if that happens to be the case, do you hear me?” 

    My attention wandered from Amy to my registry pendant. 

    “That’s not even the worst of it, believe it or not.”

    “I refuse to believe.”

    “Well, instead of ignoring it and moving on like any normal person would because he wasn’t even supposed to hear it in the first place, Fitz has the audacity to bring up the fact that he overheard most of the conversation, and blamed it on the fact that she leaves her door open. Maybe stick your fingers in your ears. When I found that out, I just kind of gave up on everything. Blanket burrito and all. I was ready to spend the next century there.”

    “Why do I feel like you’re not done yet.”

    “‘Cause I’m not. In the Biana conversation, I must not have mentioned Fitz in a gay context, even though I thought I did. So that means I told him that I liked him, because I thought he already knew. Do you know what his reaction was?”

    Amy has curled herself into a ball, waiting for the bomb to drop. She shakes her head.

    “He freaking kissed me! And then he realized what in Exile he did, and ran off.” 

    Okay, fine. You caught me. I didn’t say freaking. 

     With all of that off my chest, I deflate, and the walls settle around me, begging me to make another blanket burrito. 

    Amy just sits there in stunned silence, waiting for me to tell her that I’m kidding.

    “It’s Elvin April Fools Day, isn’t it?”

    “What’s April Fools Day?” I ask, quietly. 

    “It’s—never mind. When did this happen again?”

    “Maybe…maybe three days.”

    “And why wasn’t I informed earlier?”

    “Because this is my first time out of bed since then except for getting food, but even that’s debatable.”

    “Do your parents know?”

    “They think I like Biana. Or at least that’s what I’ve told them. They’ve probably already figured me all out.”

    “Can I give you a hug? You’re getting yourself a hug. You need it.”

    I don’t get a choice, but I don’t really want a choice. It does help clear my head.

    “Your parents are going to think we’re making out up here,” I whisper in her ear.

    Amy laughs, pulling away. “You’re not wrong.”

    I swipe a stray tear away. I’m not sure when my eyes started flooding.

    “Oh, honey, please don’t cry.” 

    “I’m not crying, you’re crying.���

    “Wow. Real mature.” Amy says dryly. 

    “Thanks. I’ve been working on that lately.” I reply, attempting to sarcasm. 

    “You’ve got your sarcasm back. You’re almost functional, which is good enough if you ask me.” 

    “So I can run home now?”

    “If you want to run away. Just text me tomorrow to make sure you’re not dead.”

    “I don’t get up until noon some days so don’t get worried if I’m not up with the sunrise. And remember the time change.”

    “I’m still going to worry.”

    “Stars, you’re more like Sophie than either of you’d admit. Don’t blame me when you fail a test.”

    “I’m going to blame you even if you text me at six in the morning.”

    “A six in the morning text means I haven’t slept all night so worry about that more.”

    “Same. Text me if you need anything between now and then. I’d really appreciate a reason not to do my homework for a few minutes. And remember to go out the door and around the corner before you leap. Can’t have you disappearing in plain sight.”

    “Trust me, I know,” I reply. 

    She stands in her doorway and waves goodbye, and if you thought I would be allowed to escape, you thought wrong.

    Amy’s dad sees me from the living room and asks, “Leaving already?”

    Her mom offers, “At least stay for dinner.”

    Amy shakes her head subtly, and adds, “I’m pretty sure he’s a vegetarian anyway.”

    “We’re having breakfast for dinner. Pancakes, specifically,” her mom counters.

    “…I don’t think I’m allowed to say no…” I answer slowly. 

    Amy’s mom smiles. “Your friend is a smart one.”

    If I wasn’t so gay, I’d blush. 

    I have to lie through my teeth during the interrogation that follows, from ‘where are you from?’ to ‘do you like blueberries in your pancakes?’.

    I don’t even know what a blueberry is!

    Thankfully, Amy and I have a sort of Telepathic connection to try to help me look like slightly less of an idiot. 

    I got to try human food for the second time. First time was that Paris sandwich two years ago. I don’t think I ever had that sandwich from when I visited Keefe there. Hm. 

    Slowly, Amy’s Mom’s questions get vaguely more, let’s say, romantic. 

    My personal favorite is when she asks, “So how long have you two been dating?” 

    Before Amy can start arguing that we aren’t, I look at her and say, “Wait. We’re dating? Since when have we been dating? I should have you know I’m too gay for this.”

    Awkward silence follows, with Amy smiling. She bumps my knee with her knee under the table, and I understand immediately. 

    “While we’re on the subject, Dex isn’t the only gay one here.”

    If they’re anything like Cassius I’m taking her to live with me. Who cares if it’s illegal?

    “Do you happen to have a girlfriend then?” Amy’s mom asks, once the shock wears off. 

    “Are you going to go track her down and ask her this many questions?” Amy replies.

    Her mom says, “No,” at the same time her dad says, “Yes.”

    “What? I speak only the truth,” he defends as Amy’s mom stares daggers at him. 

    Amy leans over and whispers, “And that’s the story of how my dad got murdered.”

    I really have to try to not laugh, but a smile still makes it through. 

    I reply, “No, judge, I didn’t see anything.”

    Dinner is unquestionably quieter after that, and Amy’s parents still try to make me stay longer. 

    I manage to escape.

    Standing on opposite sides of the front door, Amy says, “Thanks. You know, for giving me the best subject change ever.”

    “No problem. I live to set you up. Thanks for making me slightly less terrified to tell my own parents.”

    “Bye! Hope you survive!”

    “Bye! Hope you survive. You’ve got school with which to deal.”

    Amy sighs. “You and your prepositions.”