Upcoming Disney Shows to see in the UK

Upcoming Disney Shows to see in the UK

In the UK there are no Disney theme parks, so to get your Disney fix, the next best thing is to go and see a theatre show. In this blog I will be telling you about all the available and upcoming shows to see in the UK.

Frozen

Disney’s FROZEN is continuing to show at Drury Lane in London. The general buzz at the moment is that this is one of the best shows to see in London at the moment and it’s just been announced that the show will continue to stay open until March 2023.

The show features brand new music, from the married duo Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson Lopez, that didn’t appear in the film.

The show lasts for 2hours and 30 minutes and has one interval.

Mary Poppins

The Mary Poppins theatre shows at the Prince Edward Theatre in London and will continue to do so until mid December 2022. This was the theatre that showed Aladdin, but is no longer in production.

I have seen the Mary Poppins show, in fact it was the last day out that I had before Coronavirus caused the UK to go into lockdown and I have posted a full review of this show on my blog, but what I will say is that this show is not my favourite. However I do think it’s worth seeing at least once.

The show lasts for 2 hours and 50 minutes and has one interval.

Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast the theatre show was released in 2021 and was only going to be released for a short amount of time and only at select locations, however due to the success of the show, the run was extended.  There is still a chance to see the show but you have to be quick as it’s only showing at three more locations:

• Between Friday 24th June and Saturday 17th September 2022 the show will be performed in London at the London Palladium.  
• Between Thursday 29th September and Saturday 12th November 2022 the show will be performed in Bristol at the Bristol Hippodrome.
• Between Thursday 24th November and Sunday 8th January 2023 the show will be performed in Dublin at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre.   

I have seen the show and I really enjoyed it, it’s super fun and the perfect kind of escapism.

The Lion King

The Lion King is continuing to play at the Lyceum Theatre in London, which is where the show has been performed for the last 17 years, making it one of the longest running theatre shows in London.

Bookings can be made for the show until February 12th 2023.

If you can’t make it to London then the show is actually going on tour. You can catch a show at the following locations:

• Between 8th July and 27th August 2022 the show will be performed in Cardiff at the Wales Millennium Centre.
• Between 8th September and 15th October 2022 the show will be performed in Southampton at the Mayflower Theatre.
• Between 27th October and 19th February 2023 the show will be performed in Manchester at the Palace Theatre.

Newsies

Newsies is a new theatre show coming to the UK in November 2022, it will be playing at the Troubadour Theatre in Wembley Park in London. The show will be available between Wednesdays and Sundays, however Christmas may cause changes to the schedule.

The show focuses on a group of teenagers who sell newspapers and hope for a better life than the ones they currently live on the streets.

Star Wars Return of the Jedi

This isn’t a theatre show, this is the film being shown with a live orchestra.

The show will be performed daily at the Royal Albert Hall in London between 23rd September and the 25th September 2022.

Hocus Pocus

This isn’t a theatre show, this is the film being shown with a live orchestra.

The performance will be shown at the following locations:

• On Sunday 23rd October 2022 the show will be played in Glasgow at the Royal Concert Hall.
• On Monday 24th October 2022 the show will be played in Manchester at the Bridgewater Hall
• On Tuesday 25th October 2022 the show will be played in Birmingham at the Symphony Hall
• On Wednesday 26th October 2022 the show will be played in London at the Eventim Apollo.
• On Friday 28th October 2022 the show will be played in Nottingham at the Royal Concert Hall.

Muppets Christmas Carol

This isn’t a theatre show, this is a concert. So the film is shown on the big screen and the music from the film is played by a live orchestra.

It will be shown in several different locations:

• On Sunday 27th November 2022 the show will be played in Liverpool at the Liverpool Empire.
• On Monday 28th November 2022 the show will be played in Glasgow at the SEC Armadillo.
• On Tuesday 29th November 2022 the show will be played in Edinburgh at Usher Hall.
• On Sunday 4th December 2022 the show will be played in London at the Eventim Apollo.  
• On Monday 5th December 2022 the show will be played in Sheffield at City Hall.
• On Monday 12th December 2022 the show will be playing in York at the York Barbican.
• On Tuesday 13th December 2022 the show will be played in Nottingham at the Royal Concert Hall.
• On Wednesday 14th December 2022 the show will be played in Birmingham at the Symphony Hall.
• On Wednesday 21st December 2022 the show will be played in Manchester at the Bridgewater Hall.
• On Thursday 22nd December 2022 the show will be played in Bath at the Bath Forum.

Guardians of the Galaxy The Live Immersive Experience

Throughout the whole of September and October 2022 you can experience a live show unlike no other at Wembley in London.

The Nightmare Before Christmas

This isn’t a theatre show, this is the film being shown with a live orchestra.

It will be shown on Friday 9th and Saturday 10th December at the Ovo Arena in Wembley, London. It is showing at 6pm on both nights.  

Disney on Ice Dream Big

As you can guess from the title, this is not a theatre show, it’s an ice skating show and it will be shown at the following locations:

• Between Wednesday 2nd November and Sunday 6th November the show will be played in Manchester at the AO Arena.
• Between Thursday 10th November and Sunday 13th November the show will be played in Aberdeen at the P&J Live.
• Between Wednesday 30th November and Sunday 4th December the show will be played in Birmingham at the Resorts World Arena.
• Between Wednesday 7th December and Sunday 11th December the show will be played in Newcastle at the Utilita Arena.
• Between Thursday 15th December and Sunday 18th December the show will be played in Sheffield at the Utilita Arena.
• Between Thursday 22nd December and Friday 31st December the show will be played in London at The O2.

That covers all the theatre shows and concerts that Disney are releasing in the UK this year. It’s all very exciting. Let me know what you’re most excited for in the comments bellow. I am most excited about Muppets Christmas Carol and Newsies.  

Sustainable Disney Gift Ideas

Sustainable Disney Gift Ideas

Disney Theatre Tickets

There are so many Disney theatre shows to go and see at the moment. “Frozen” the musical, “The Lion King”, “Mary Poppins”, “Bedknobs and Broomsticks” and “Beauty and the Beast” are all available to go and see in 2022. If you don’t like the sound of theatre tickets you could go and see “Disney on Ice”.

Reusable Disney Make-Up Removal Pads

I bought some last year from the independent seller: “The Fun Impossible”, and I’ve reused them many times before. They would be a great gift that’s not too expensive either, the ones that I bought were only £6 and they have Disney princesses on them. There are plenty of available designs on Etsy.

Vintage Disney Clothing

Did you know that there is roughly 100 billion items of clothing that are made every year, when there’s only 7 billion people on the planet. Buying second hand clothing is something that needs to become to norm and what better time than at Christmas. Websites like Vinted and Depop are perfect for finding vintage clothing, but I also recommend “Beyond Retro” which is online, but you can visit in person shopping in Brighton, Bristol and a few in London. There’s also “Handsome Freaks” in Margate and I’m sure there are several other places all over the UK. If you know a great place to get vintage Disney clothing please leave the info in a comment down bellow.

Disney VHS Notebooks

Notebooks are such versatile gifts and to make the gift a little more sustainable, you can get one that’s recycled out of old Disney books, Disney DVD’s and videos.

Just find out what their favourite film is and I’m positive you’ll be able to find a notebook with their favourite film/character on it. “Retro from Scratch” is an online store that makes them, but you can also go onto ETSY and find many sellers that make recycled Disney notebooks.

Similarly you can also purchase repurposed Disney DVD and video’s into clocks.

Disney Plus

You could gift a year’s subscription to Disney Plus. This is rather expensive at £80 but just think how many Disney movie nights you could have together, how many times the recipient could watch their favourite movies again and again. There are lots of films and shows coming to Disney Plus in 2022 like “Pinocchio”, “Peter Pan and Wendy”, “Mandalorian” S3, “Hocus Pocus 2”, “Disenchanted” (Enchanted sequel) and so much more.

Disney Bath Bombs

“Bath Enchanted” creates Disney inspired bath bombs which are all vegan, cruelty free and come in eco-friendly and biodegradable packaging.  I’ve tried these bath bombs and I absolutely love them, they add magic to bath time and are great for a Disney inspired pamper evening. They’re also really affordable. The average bath bomb cost £3.50. One is great as a stocking filler, or you could purchase several and make a hamper.

Disney Pouches

From many online shops, you can purchase Disney pouches. I bought metal straw holder pouch which is Pixar themed and the I bought a reusable knife fork and spoon set pouch which have Disney Princesses on it. These are so handy to have because I can just throw them in my bag whenever I go anywhere and it means I don’t have to use plastic straws or throw away cutlery. There are also reusable sandwich pouches you can get off of Etsy. It’s a fun way to add Disney into your day to day objects.  

There is a lot of Disney merchandise out there at the moment and it would be great if we all took a second and thought, is this really the right gift? Is this person going to love and treasure this for the years to come, or are they going to discard it after wearing/using it once?

Gift giving is such a beautiful thing to do, but we all need to do it with the consideration of the effects that it will have.

I hope you enjoyed seeing my list of possible gift ideas that are that little bit more environmentally conscious and sustainable. If you have any ideas, please leave them linked bellow and come back next week for another Disney blog.

Disney’s Theatre Shows to See in the UK

Disney’s Theatre Shows

Frozen

Disney’s FROZEN is arriving at Drury Lane in London from Friday 27th August. The opening was delayed because of the ongoing Coronavirus Pandemic.

There will be brand new music from the married due Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson Lopez that didn’t appear in the film.

Frozen opened on Broadway, in America back in 2018, so it’s a tried and tested show that has had rave reviews  

The show lasts for 2hours and 30 minutes and has one interval.

Mary Poppins

The Mary Poppins theatre show will be returning to the Prince Edward Theatre from Friday 7th August 202. This was the theatre that showed Aladdin, but that is no longer in production.

I have seen the Mary Poppins show, in fact it was the last day out that I had before Coronavirus caused the UK to go into lockdown.

The show lasts for 2 hours and 50 minutes and has one interval.

I have posted a full review of this show on my blog.

Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast will be performing in several different locations:

• Between Wednesday 25th August and Saturday 18th September 2021 the show will be performed in Bristol at the Bristol Hippodrome.
• Between Thursday 23rd September and Saturday 16th October 2021 the show will be performed in Liverpool at the Liverpool Empire.
• Between Thursday 21st October and Saturday 27th November 2021 the show will be performed in Edinburgh at the Edinburgh Playhouse.
• Between Thursday 9th December 2021 and Saturday 15th January 2022 the show will be performed in Cardiff at the Wales Millennium Centre.
• In November 2022 the show is hoping to go to Dublin to play at Bord Gais Energy Theatre.

Beauty and the Beast the Theatre show first debuted on Broadway 26 years ago, however this show is reported to be reimagined to incorporate the latest theatrical developments.

The Lion King

On Thursday 29th July The Lion King returns to the Lyceum Theatre in London, which is where the show has been performed for the last 17 years, making it one of the longest running theatre shows in London.

Bedknobs and Broomsticks

Beginning on Saturday 14th August Bedknobs and Broomsticks in coming to the UK and will be travelling all over. There are too many places for me to mention everywhere they’re performing but they’re playing in Newcastle, Milton Keynes, Sheffield, Birmingham, Southampton, Bristol, Leicester, Dublin, Canterbury, Manchester, Aberdeen, Leeds, Cardiff, Liverpool and more.

Muppets Christmas Carol

This isn’t a theatre show, this is a concert. So the film is shown on the big screen and the music from the film is played by a live orchestra.

It will be shown in several different locations:

• On Sunday 28th November 2021 the show will be played in Liverpool at the Liverpool Empire.
• On Monday 29th November 2021 the show will be played in Manchester at Bridgewater Hall.
• On Tuesday 30th November 2021 the show will be played in Birmingham at the Symphony Hall
• On Wednesday 1st December 2021 the show will be played in Glasgow at the SEC Armadillo.
• On Thursday 2nd December 2021 the show will be played in Edinburgh at Usher Hall.
• On Tuesday 14th December 2021 the show will be played in Nottingham at the Royal Concert Hall.

That covers all the theatre shows and concerts that Disney are releasing in the UK this year. It’s all very exciting. Let me know what you’re most excited for in the comments bellow, personally I couldn’t pick one but it’s between Frozen, Beauty and the Beast, Muppets Christmas Carol and Beauty and the Beast.

Frozen 2 Review

Frozen 2 Review

Six years after Frozen, the highly anticipated Frozen 2 came out with the original cast returning, including Idina Menzel who plays Elsa, Kristen Bell who plays Anna, Josh Gad who plays Olaf and Jonathan Groff who plays Kristoff.

This film was the textbook definition of an epic adventure! Seriously this film was jam packed with twists and turns, reveals, misleading clues and more. The story kept me interested from beginning to end. It feels like the writers have spent time trying to come up with a worthwhile story line rather than making a film to be money grabbing. This film didn’t fall prisoner to any clichés which I appreciate, there was no weird misunderstanding or futile argument between any of the characters, there bonds stayed strong and it was a better film because of that.

I loved how much of a visual film this was. I know that sounds silly because all films are visual films, but this film was just so beautiful. I really appreciate that it was set in Autumn with the changing colours of the leaves. The world in while Arendelle is set was made so much bigger in this film. You see woods, lakes, different mountain and more. It makes you feel more than ever that there world is a real place, all you need to do is get there.

I’ve heard a lot of people talk about and praise the song “Into the Unknown” and yeah, it’s a great song. I like both the film version and the “Panic at the Disco” version but I can’t deny there are some other great songs, and it my opinion, better songs in this film. The opening song “Some Things Never Change” is such a peppy upbeat song which is a little cheesy but I loved it. It settles you into the film with a positive feeling. It’s a very uplifting song and I think in this day and age we need a few more song like that. It reminded me a lot of “Making Today a Perfect Day” from Frozen Fever.   

“Show Yourself” which is sung by Elsa is a tender sweet, uplifting ballad that fits perfectly into the film. It has a lot of power and strength behind it which is perfect for the incredible singer that Idina is. It reminds me a lot of “Speechless” Jasmines song from the recent live action “Aladdin”. I don’t think it rivals “Let it Go” from the first film but I don’t think the songs should be trying to compete they should stand on their own in their own right and they do.  

“Lost in the Woods” is currently my favourite song from the film which is Kristoff’s song. The way they styled this scene they made it seem like Kristoff was part of a boy band and his other band mates were the reindeers which was so quirky and weird but I loved that. In the past you would see the girl singing about how she loves the guy but Kristoff isn’t afraid to show his feelings and I love that. It shows how far we’ve come in films.

Every main character in this film went through some sort of transformation and had good screen time. In most sequels the film will focus on just a couple of the main cast but this film had characters development for all the characters. Some of the characters development admittedly was more futile than others, but they were all entertaining. This just feels like a really well planned out film.

Olaf is a character I fell in love with a bit more within this film. In Frozen he was just there, but in Frozen 2 he felt more like a guiding light for the film and I didn’t expect that. He was still silly, comedic relief and a little annoying but at the same time he helped to carry the film and I didn’t expect that from a snowman.

Something I did notice in the film were some Easter Eggs. Did you notice any? Right at the beginning of the film when young Elsa and Anna were playing and Elsa created snow animals, one of them is Dumbo and another is Baymax. I also noticed the hidden Mickey shape when the purple light is running round Elsa is makes a Mickey. I also noticed that Alan Tudyk returned. In Frozen he voiced Duke Weaselton and now in Frozen 2 he voices a guard, a Northuldra Leader and an Arendellian Soldier.  

That covers everything I wanted to talk about for Frozen 2. Overall I loved the film and can’t wait to watch it again. It was emotive and beautiful. Let me know in the comments below what you thought and whether you think there will be a Frozen 3?

Disney + is Coming to the UK

Disney + is Coming to the UK

So the good news is that Disney + is coming to the UK, the bad news is we have to wait until 31st March. On this date it will also be coming to Germany, Italy, France and Spain.

In America, New Zealand, Australia and a couple of other places it will be debuting on 12th November.

However it’s important to note that the UK  has had a version of Disney + for the last few years called Disney Life. This has the majority if not all of the animated film and many of the DCOM’s but none of the Marvel and Star Wars films people are excited for.

It still hasn’t been made known how much this is going to cost us but if you read this blog on upload day (11th November 2019) then you just have a mere 141 days to go until launch so information has to be available pretty soon.

So what are we expecting to be on Disney +? From the trailer that was released for Disney + it looks like we’re getting Noelle, a festive film featuring  Anna Kendrick as Santa’s daughter: Noelle Cringle and Bill Hader as Nicole’s brother: Nick Cringle.  The film, from what I can tell from the trailer, will focus on Nick taking on the family business, becoming Santa, but he’s finding the responsibility a little challenging so he needs a bit of help from Noelle. This was something I was really excited about if we were going to get it the right side of Christmas, now it seems futile releasing it in March.

It also looks like we’ll be getting the Mandalorian, a TV show set years after Return of the Jedi,  has already been filmed and it has been confirmed that Diego Luna will play Cassian Andor, a far far from home gunfighter whoose way out in space avoiding the watch of the New Republic.

Some if not all of the Marvel films and some if not all of the Star Wars films will be available.

It’s also a possibility that we might be getting a new Muppets show with Josh Gad (Olaf) and Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis (Once Upon a Time creators) working on it. The show is going to be called “Muppets Now”. It was explained that this wasn’t going to be released until 2020, hopefully that means that when it’s released we will be getting it at the same time as the rest of the world and in the future it won’t be the case of America receiving everything first.

However there is one problem already. When Disney announced on twitter the release date it also says “Please note: Titles may vary by territory”. This could mean that any number of films or TV shows aren’t going to be on the site. However, I think it’s most likely going to be more of the FOX titles like Deadpool and The Simpsons. I think it’s likely that eventually we will be getting those titles  but not on opening day. Knowing this fact I think Disney will make sure there are lots of other options of things to watch. At least we now have a date.

Are you going to sign up? What are you most excited for? Let me know in the comments below.

Frozen II Trailer Review

Frozen II Trailer Review

 

On Wednesday 13th February the Frozen 2 trailer was unexpectedly released and it looks awesome.

It is trending on You Tube and in under 22 hours, it has over 11million views.

 

The trailer starts with a wide shot of Elsa, standing on a pebbly beach at night. There’s no music, you can only hear the pounding of the waves. There’s mist, lighting flashes in the background and Elsa is stood looking determined towards the sea. Her hair is in the famous Elsa plait shortly before she brushes it out to put in a ponytail. It’s a very symbolic moment, like she’s letting go of the old Elsa and transforming yet again. This reminds me of Violet Beauregard from A Series of Unfortunate Events, who always ties up her hair when she’s in serious thought and about to set a plan into action.

Elsa uses her ice powers to run across the surface of the water before becoming overthrown by a wave. Elsa is out of the water, looking damp and getting ready to run back in. This time she dives through a wave and lands on a rock in the sea, she pushes forward, using her ice powers to try and save her but the waves are too strong . Elsa fall down and is plunged into the water seconds before a wave crashes over head.

 

So far we know she’s trying to get out to sea, but we don’t know why. We also don’t know why she’s by herself.

 

Subsequently, a shot of Anna at Arendelle castle, running to the edge of the balcony looking out where she can see that the air is filled by all of these diamonds that are lit up in the same colour and style as Elsa’s ice powers. What are these Diamonds? We don’t know this either, but they are worrying Anna. Possibly they are a message from Elsa to help Anna find her sister, like guiding lights.

Next we see a herd of reindeers being led by Kristoff riding Sven on a heavily leaved path, surrounded by towering trees. The scene is very warming, with colours of pink and purple. This is a stark contrast to the very blue and cold scenes we’ve seen with the sisters in them so far.

 

The music is rising, getting louder as each scene unfolds. The next sight is of Anna, the camera is looking down on her, she’s alone, looks cold and seems to be in some sort of dark cave. Paused on the image, I think she looks most like her mother here. Quickly the scene changes to Anna, again on her own, for a second time in a very dark atmosphere but being a bit more proactive, she is climbing up on to the top of a rocky ledge. Anna gives herself a run up before leaping across the end of the ledge, trying to reach another rocky ledge where there is an entrance to a cave.

Both sisters are both running towards something scary and life threatening in the trailer, an interesting parallel.

 

It’s important to point out that as soon as Anna is in mid jump, the music changes. The same song is playing that played in the first film and that’s “Vuelie” but in this trailer it sounds a bit different, it sounds like it is being sung by a teenage girl, it’s beautiful and powerful and gives the feeling of familiarity but changing.

 

Then we cut to a scene of Elsa and Olaf surrounded by pink mist like flames that are in the shape of a love heart. Elsa is using her ice powers to fight off the flames but it looks like the flames are winning.

Then we cut to a scene of a girl who may or may not be Anna. In the scene where Anna is jumping she looks like she is wearing a similar outfit to this girl so I’m going to assume it’s her. It’s important to note that the location of this scene is similar to where Kristoff was riding Sven earlier in the trailer. In the scene a powerful and purposeful invisible force streaks past the girl/Anna and lifts who I’m assuming is Kristoff into the air. Whoever it is, I’m interested to learn why they were on the ground, covered by leaves.

 

The trailer then cuts to a shot of Elsa, Anna, Kristoff and Sven, standing at the top of a hill looking out onto a forest of fall coloured leaves surrounded by ice capped mountains in the distance. Both Kristoff and Sven are looking at something in the sky, Elsa is looking worried and Anna is looking concerned for Elsa. In the wide shot of them, you can see that Olaf is stood next to Elsa.

 

A single maple leaf floats through the O of Frozen, before several smaller maple leaves float across the film title: Frozen II.

 

The last scene of the trailer shows Elsa, Kristoff and Anna walking away from the camera when Anna notices someone or something behind them. She draws Kristoff’s sword and runs towards camera to attack them.

 

The film will be released in November of this year and this is now the film I am most excited to see. Before this trailer it was Toy Story 4 followed by Aladdin, but this trailer makes it look like Anna and Elsa will be going on one of the most epic adventures we have ever seen in a Disney film. This trailer has just blown all my expectations out the park. It looks action packed and the attention to detail seems stunning. It’s hard to make predictions based on what we’ve seen but it looks like there’s a new character, possibly a new villain with magical powers, maybe they’re going to have control over wind and fire. Who knows? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

(I do not own the photos in this blog, but all thoughts and opinion’s are my own)

The Making of Frozen

Frozen

Directors : Chris Buck, who has worked as a character designer on The Little Mermaid, and an animator on Oliver and Company and The Black Cauldron and Jennifer Lee who wrote the stories of Zootopia and the Screenplay for Wreck-it Ralph.

Both Chris and Jenifer have already teamed up again to direct Frozen 2 together which will be released in November 2019.

 

Release

6th December 2013

 

Original Story

Frozen is very loosely based on the story of the Danish fairytale of The Snow Queen written by Hans Christian Anderson in 1844. The story focuses on the Devil, in the form of a troll, creating a magic mirror that forces people to see only the bad in whatever is reflected in the mirror. When the mirror smashes and the fractures of glass get into the eyes of a character named Kai, it is up to Gerda, the heroine of the story to save her friend.

 

Film Development

Turning The Snow Queen into an animated film has been something that Walt Disney wanted to do back in 1943, the problem was that the main character of the Snow Queen was too underdeveloped in the story that they couldn’t translate the character to film. The project resurfaced in 2003 when the then CEO of Disney Michael Eisner had the story brought to his attention. The problem Walt had with the main character continued so the film was passed from animator to animator who each took a stab at it, including Glen Keane, Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise, Don Hahn and Linda Woolverton, but it was only until Jenifer and Chris got their hands on it in 2012 that the project really took shape, but it went through a lot of development.

 

Research

The production team went to Wyoming, Quebec for research. In Quebec they went to Hotel de Glace and made notes on how light reflects and refracts snow and ice. In Wyoming they discovered that there were two levels of snow, snow you could step through on the top level, and more compact snow below. For research the animators put on long skirts and hiked through the snow to figure out Anna and Elsa’s movement. They also brought in Dr. Kenneth Libbrecht; a renowned snow expert to offer knowledge on how snow and snowflakes form. With Kenneth’s help they created a programme to create 2000 different kinds of snowflakes. They also made a programme called Matterhorn to create a snow simulation, this was done with UCLA’s physics knowledge.

 

Arendelle is inspired by heavily inspired by Norway. For example Arendelle castle was inspired by Arkershus castle in Oslo and Stiftsgarden Royal Palace in Trondheim. The clothes the characters wear, for example the front of Princess Anna’s dress is decorated with Rosemaling, traditional Norwegian folk art that features flowers and geometric designs.

The location where Elsa was coroneted was inspired by St Olaf’s church in Balestrand in Norway. The name also inspired a certain characters name, can you guess which one?

Due to Arendelle being inspired by Norway, tourism there has boomed, but not for the better, in fact, Norway says too many people are visiting the country and there facilities are being exhausted. They want people to visit but everyone seems to visit in summer and they aren’t ready for them.

 

Elsa’s castle, which was modelled after a snowflake, using hexagonal symmetry, took 9 months for it to be completed. One added detail is that Elsa’s castle changes colour with her mood.

 

It was considered to make this film using hand-drawn animation, but because Princess and the Frog came out with hand-drawn animation and didn’t do as well as wished it was decided to make Frozen using CGI.

Further research included studying meteorology, focusing on weather and bringing in Jackson Crawford, a professor of Old Norse and Scandinavian, Specifically Jackson helped create the runes seen in the film and the Norse spoken by the Bishop during the coronation.

 

Cast

Kristen Bell voiced Anna. This was a dream come true for Kristen as she has always wanted to voice a Disney princess ever since she saw The Little Mermaid and Aladdin. This wasn’t the first attempt Kristen had to voice a Disney princess as she, and Idina Menzel, auditioned for Rapunzel.

Livvy Stubenrauch voiced Young Anna.

Kristen and Idina voiced their lines together.

Idina Menzel voiced Elsa, this is Idina’s third Disney role.

Eva Bella voiced Young Elsa.

Elsa went through a lot of changes before finally ending up with the Elsa we see on film. Originally she was meant to be the villain, heavily inspired by Better Midler and Amy Winehouse. Villain Elsa was going to have blue spiky hair and have a coat made of weasels. This continued until the song “Let it Go” was written for her. It was decided that this song showed too much emotion and depth to be a villain song and so the Elsa’s values and role in the film changed.

Danilo, a talented hairdresser was brought in to discuss what kind of hair Elsa would have, what would look appropriate and be functional for what is required of Elsa to do throughout the movie. Once they created a style in real life they then needed to make it on screen and for that they created the programme Tonic. This programme helped to create the 420,000 strands of CGI hair Elsa has, which is more than double what an average person has.

 

Jonathon Groff voiced Kristoff, and although his voice actor is a talented singer, even performing on Broadway, he barely sings during the film because he is too introverted.

Kristoff, it has been confirmed by Jennifer Lee that he was inspired by the Sami people.

Sven, Kristoff’s reindeer was going to be called Thor. In order to animated Sven real reindeers were brought in to observe.

Josh Gad voiced Olaf, whose name sounds like “oh laugh” which is appropriate as he provides comic relief in some more of the tense and sad moments.

Santino Fontana voiced Hans but he first auditioned for Kristoff with the song “I feel pretty”.

When watching Frozen for the first time I had no idea that Hans would turn out to be the villain, however after watching the film again there are a couple of nods to his true personality. For example in the song “Love is an Open Door” Hans says that he has been searching to find his own place and while he says that he gestures to Arendelle.

 

Alan Tudyk voiced Duke Weselton who during development was going to be Anna and Elsa’s handler. He went on to voice Duke Weaselton, an actual weasel in Zootopia.

 

Ciarán Hinds voiced Pabbie/Grandpa, you may also know him from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 as he played Aberforth, Dumbledore’s brother.

Chris Williams voiced Oaken. He was a director on Big Hero 6 and a story artist on Frozen.

Maurice La Marche voiced the King.

 

Music

Robert Lopez and his wife Kristen Anderson-Lopez are the duo who wrote the songs for the film. However originally Alan Menken worked on the music for the film and one of the songs he wrote for the film is “Love Can’t be Denied.” When he left the project, the song was removed.

Another song that didn’t make it into the film was called “Spring Pageant”. Within the song a prophecy was made by the trolls about an evil Queen freezing the land.

In another song titled “More than Just a Spare” it talks about how Elsa was seen as the heir and Anna was the spare. This was going to be a big theme of the film.

Let it Go was written in a day, the bulk of it being completed while Robert and Kristen went on a walk in the park.

Door and anymore are a rhyming couplets used in 5 of the Frozen songs, “Love is an open door”, “Let it go”, “Do you wanna build a snowman?” “For the first time in forever” and its reprise.

In the song “Do You Want to Build a Snowman” three actresses voice Anna. Young Anna is voiced by Katie Lopez, Kristen Lopez’s daughter, the older Anna is voiced by Agatha Lee Monn, Jennifer Lee’s daughter and obviously the eldest Anna is Kristen Bell.

 

Easter Eggs

• Among the guests for the coronation are Rapunzel and Flynn Rider.
• In Oaken’s trading post you can see small figurines of some of the different concept ideas of the trolls, you can also spot a plush of Mickey Mouse.
• A map that falls out of the book resembles the map of the Lonely Mountain that can be seen in The Hobbit.
• When Arendelle is covered in snow there are 2 towns men arguing about the best way to stack fire wood bark, up or down. This debate is a reference to a debate that happened in Norway is 2013 after a 12 hour TV show war aired about firewood, the network received tones of complaints about how the firewood was stacked.
• In the credits it says “The views and opinions expressed by Kristoff in the film that all men eat their own boogers are solely his own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of The Walt Disney Company…”
• Wanted poster of Hans in Big Hero 6 and a statue of him in the film is blown up.

 

Awards

Frozen won an award for Best Animated Feature and it also won an Oscar for Best Animated Song. Frozen also won a Golden Globe.

Frozen spent 16 weeks as the number 1 film in Japan.

 

Sequels and What’s Next

Frozen fever was released as a short that debuted before the live action Cinderella.

Olaf’s Frozen Adventure was a short that debuted before Coco.

Frozen came to Broadway on 17th August in 2017.

Frozen 2, has been announced that it will be released in November 2019.

I hope you enjoyed this blog, give it a like if you did and come back on Friday 17th for a blog all about Fun and Fancy Free.

Disney Princesses

Disney Princesses

Disney is very well known for their princess movies and some of peoples most favourite characters are from a Princess movie, which is why it is only logical for Disney to create a complete marketing centred all around them. The Disney Princess line was created by Andy Mooney who back in the late 1990’s was the chairman for Disney Consumer Products. He attended a Disney on Ice production and saw little girls dressed up in recycled Halloween costumes of generic princesses and Andy realised that there was a gap in the market of Disney Princess dress up.

As soon as Andy got to work the next day he brought his problem and the solution forward. Not everyone thought his idea would work, one person in specific who had trouble with it was Walt Disney’s own nephew Roy E Disney. The reasoning for his disapproval: he didn’t want the princesses to appear together outside their own film franchise’s. He thought it would ruin the magic. To appease Roy it was decided that for all marketing, none of the princesses would look at or interact in any way with each other.

In the beginning the original line-up was Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan and Tinkerbell. Tinkerbell was soon removed and in 2004 she started up the Disney Fairies franchise.

In order for a character to be given the title of a Disney princess the character must fulfil just one of the following:

1. Born Royal
2. Marry Royal
3. Perform a significant act of heroism

 

The third requirement was created just for Mulan who is the only one who isn’t born royal or marry royal.

They need to fulfil all of the following:

1. Be human
2. Be the female lead in an animated Disney movie
3. Not be introduced for the first time in a sequel

 

The unwritten but also most important rule: There movie has to do well at the box office.

As they have not met the criteria some Disney characters have not been included in the line up. For example. Kida from Atlantis and Nala from The Lion King are both princesses in their films but don’t fulfil all of the requirements.

 

Tiana’s Welcome

Tiana joined the line-up officially on March 14th 2010, the same date as the Blu-Ray release for Princess and the Frog.

Her coronation took place at the New York Palace which many celebrities attended, including Anika Noni Rose, Tiana’s voice actor who gave a speech about how proud she was to voice a Disney Princess.

 

Rapunzel’s Welcome 

Rapunzel joined on October 2nd 2011 at Kensington Palace in London.

Each of the Disney princesses arrived in their own horse drawn carriage. Inside the palace, the Fairy Godmother from Cinderella welcomes the audience and teaches the children in the audience to wave like royalty.

Shannon Saunders, an English singer songwriter who rose to fame through her YouTube channel sings the song The Glow, a song written and produced for the Disney Princess franchise, while the current Disney princesses arrive.

At the end of the song Flynn arrives shortly before Rapunzel. The children are given the chance to bow/curtsy to Rapunzel before Flynn crowns his princess.

Merida’s Welcome

Merida joined on May 11th 2013 in front of Cinderella castle in Walt Disney World by 2 times gymnastic gold medal winner, Gabby Douglas and her mother Natalie who both spoke about how inspiring they find Merida.

Merida arrives on Angus, her horse and is crowned by her mother Queen Elinor in front of the other Disney Princesses.

 

Anna and Elsa 

The reason why Anna and Elsa are not included in the Disney Princess Franchise is because Frozen was such a hit at the box office and Anna and Elsa have reached a level of fame on par with Mickey Mouse that it would have been a step down for Anna and Elsa to have been grouped with the other princesses. In other words, Anna and Elsa are so popular that they make more than enough profit on their own that they don’t need to be associated with the other princesses in order to sell merchandise. Frozen is currently number 12 on the list of highest grossing films of all time. Not too shabby.

Money and Merchandise

The Disney Princess Line was a successes. In fact by 2012 Disney Consumer products have generated 3 billion and have continued to grow since them.

 

Since creating the Princess line Disney have create a line of dresses, stuffed dolls, collectors dolls and that’s just the beginning. You can dress up as a princess in many of the Disney Parks around the world, including Harrods in London. Disney continues to broaden their merchandise horizons every year.

 

Moana

The question now is will Moana become a Disney princess? She did say in her movie that she’s not a princess but that doesn’t really mean anything. If you don’t think she’s royal, well just look at Pocahontas, they are royalty, but just not how you would imagine a stereotypical princess. Furthermore, if you still don’t think she is the right kind of royal, she does restore the heart of Te Fiti, which if you ask me is a perfect example of performing an act of heroism.

It is surprising that Moana was released well over a year ago and still no announcement has been made about her becoming a Disney princess. Tiana joined just 4 months after her film came out, Merida was crowned in under a year of her film and Rapunzel was also just under a year before she was crowned. If they are going to make Moana a princess, they are definitely taking their time.

What do you think? Should Moana be included in the Princess Line? Let me know in the comments bellow.

 

I hope you enjoyed this blog, please give it a thumbs up if you did and come back on Friday 25th for an Etsy haul.

 

 

 

Disney Easter Eggs

Disney and Pixar Easter Eggs

 

In this blog I am going to introduce you to some of the major Disney Easter eggs you can find in the films and some of the fan theories that they have sparked.

 

Rapunzel, Anna and Elsa

Possibly the most well known Easter egg is during Frozen. When Anna opens up the gates to the guests for the coronation, Anna walks past none other than Rapunzel and Eugene A.K.A Flynn Rider. Among other things, this cameo has prompted viewers to believe that Anna and Elsa are actually Rapunzel’s cousins. The theory goes that it is Anna and Elsa’s Father, Agnarr and Rapunzel’s Mother, Arianna who are brother and sister because they look very similar. If this theory were true, and I believe it is, Anna could have been named after her aunt Arianna.

Within the theory it is believed that Agnarr and Iduna, Elsa and Anna’s Mum and Dad are on the way to Rapunzel’s wedding. This aspect of the theory has actually been confirmed by Jennifer Lee, one of the film’s writers.

I have seen a few people discuss this theory and none of them have spoken about what I have found.

Iduna, Elsa and Anna’s Mother’s name means “youthful”, “eternal youth” and “rejuvenation”. What does this remind you of? Yep, you guessed it, Rapunzel. I think it was Iduna herself, her Mother, Father, Grandmother or Grandfather who created the flower and it was Iduna who gave Rapunzel’s parents the tip to find the flower to help Rapunzel’s Mother and baby survive her illness.

 

Tarzan, Anna and Elsa

You are lead to believe that Agnarr and Iduna die in a shipwreck, but some theorists can’t help noticing the similarities between Agnarr and Iduna and Tarzan’s parents. Instead of ending their lives in the shipwreck it is believed that they make it to land, with their newborn son, build a tree house and are then eaten by a tiger. This theory is less likely to be true, the stories don’t match up completely, for one they are years apart and Tarzan’s parents ship burns in a fire, Elsa and Anna’s parents ship is overcome by the waves, but still it is nice to think that they could be related, I mean they do look very similar.

Jane and Belle

Mrs. Potts and Chip make a cameo in Tarzan which has lead people to believe that either Jane is related to Belle or that she at least is friendly enough with her to allow her to be given crockery from the Beasts castle.

The only evidence that they might be related, is the fact that they have very similar dress sense, both are attracted to seemingly uncontrollable men that they have to domesticate. They both have eccentric fathers and they both like exploring and learning more about the world around them. I don’t think it would be crazy to suggest that both Jane and Belle’s Fathers are brother.

The Rescuers an X Rated Movie?

These Easter eggs are harmless and mostly created by audiences reading into minute details of the film, and there is nothing wrong with this, however not all Easter eggs are so welcome, in fact some have been removed. For example in the film The Rescuers, during the scene where Bianca and Bernard are flying through the city in a sardine can, in one of the houses you could see an image of a real life topless woman stretching. This Easter egg wasn’t found until 20 years after the original release and caused over 3 million of the films to be recalled. No one knows who put this picture into the film, but Disney has assured the public that it wasn’t one of their animators.

 

Easter Eggs

Some Easter Eggs don’t lead to any major theories, they are just a nice thing to spot in the movie so here are some you can try and look for:

• Scar in the form of a throw rug can be seen in Hercules.
• Both Lady and the Tramp can be seen in 101 Dalmatians.
• There is a Mulan poster and a Dumbo toy in Lilo and Stitch.
• The King and Grand Duke from Cinderella can be seen in The Little Mermaid along with Mickey, Donald and Goofy.
• Jack Skellington’s shadow, King Triton as a Mardi Gras float, and the magic lamp and flying carpet from Aladdin can be seen in Princess and the Frog.
• A Stitch teddy is in Treasure Planet.
• Belle is walking through the streets in The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
• Pinocchio the puppet is in Tangled.
• There is a wanted photo of Hans in Big Hero 6 and his statue is also blown up in the film.

 

This is just a small selection of Easter eggs that can be seen in Disney films If you want to find out more I would recommend the YouTube channel Super Carlin Brothers.

Please do let me know in the comments what your most favourite Easter egg is and I will be back next Monday for a Review of the film Goodbye Christopher Robin.

2019 – The Year of Disney and Pixar Films

What to Watch in 2019

 

In 2019 there are a lot of Disney and Pixar films coming out that you may not be aware of and there is definitely some stuff to get excited about. So in this blog I am going to be showing you the Disney and Pixar releases coming out in 2019, however please be aware that I will not be including any marvel or Star Wars movies.

 

Another thing to be aware of is I am not an expert on these films, I have no inside person giving me these details, this is just what I have found out from watching interviews and looking online, furthermore, these films go through a lot of changes and won’t be coming out for another year so what I tell you know might be true, but in 6 months it might not be. I hope what I am telling you will be accurate but I will admit that there are some details that may be wrong and I apologise for that now.

 

The last thing to know about is there will be little to no spoilers. Where possible I will be talking about the plot of the film, but obviously I’m not going to be giving too much of the film away.

 

Dumbo

Dumbo is a live action, possibly sequel, possible retelling, possible update of the original that is due to be released in the UK and the USA on 29th March and most surprisingly to me, it will be directed by Tim Burton who in the past has worked on Edward Scissorhands, Corpse Bride, Beetlejuice, the live action Alice in Wonderland and many more. Personally I always think that his work is memorable and individualistic, but he’s not my favourite director and I am surprised that he has taken on Dumbo.

This film is not going to be a talking animal film, although it will still centre around Dumbo, they seem to be going in a different direction with this film. For example the film will focus on a new character Holt Farrier, who will be played by Colin Farrell (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) he returns from war a changed man, no longer able to be a circus star he is instructed by the circus owner Max Medici, played by Danny Devito (Matilda), to look after Dumbo, a baby elephant with gigantic ears. It his children who discover that Dumbo can fly. It’s now time for Dumbo to be made a star with the help of Collette Marchant, played by Eva Green (Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children) who is an aerial artist and entrepreneur V.A Vandemere, played by Michael Keaton (Birdman).

 

Aladdin

The live action Aladdin film is due to be released on 24th May in the USA, it hasn’t yet been confirmed when it will be released in the UK.

The cast has been confirmed, with the most notable name being Will Smith being the Genie. This is a decision that I am very excited about, Will Smith always takes on very emotive and powerful roles and I think the Genie would really suit him well as a character.

Jasmine is going to be played by Naomi Scott, who most recently was the pink power ranger in the power ranger movie, Mena Massoud will play Aladdin, Marwan Kenzari (Ben-Hur and What Happened to Monday) will play Jafar and Navid Negahban will play the Sultan.

It looks as though we don’t have a synopsis yet but I can guess that it will be follow a similar plot to the original film.

 

Toy Story 4

Toy Story 4, the first animated film of the year and the only fouthquel in the Pixar universe is coming to cinemas in 2019 on 21st June to UK and USA.

The only plot line that they have revealed is that it will focus on Woody and Buzz searching for Bo Peep who was one of the toys that was given away. Just from this detail I believe it could be one of the more romantic films.

Just encase you weren’t aware, Don Rickles who voiced Mr. Potato Head passed away last year (2017) and hadn’t recorded his lines so it is yet unknown what they will do with his character.

It looks like a lot of the original cast have signed up for the film including Tom Hanks who voices Woody, Tim Allen who voices Buzz Lightyear and Joan Cusack who voices Jessie and many others.

I know a lot of people have uncertain feelings about this film because they feel as though the trilogy wrapped up so nicely with Andy going to college, but personally I feel as though Pixar wouldn’t be going ahead with this fourth film if they didn’t feel like it had some promise.

The Lion King

The Lion King is going to be a CG-animated version which will follow a similar story line to the 1994 The Lion King. You can’t say it’s a live action because, well it’s not, it’s animated, it’s just animated more realistically and less cartoonish than the original. Either way I am intrigued as to how they will pull it off. As it is directed by Jon Favreau, the same person who directed the 2016 The Jungle Book, I believe The Lion King will be styled very similarly. That is to say, a lot more graphic and less aimed at for children.

To me, The Lion King is special and I love the original and I think it’s practically perfect and so I don’t how they can make it better. I am aware that technology has advanced to make things look more seamless and more realistic, but personally I don’t need that. I am still going to go and watch the film when it comes out in cinemas on the 19th July in the UK.

One thing that I thought that they were trying to do was have more voice actors from Africa, however a quick web search shows that only actor born and raised in Africa is John Kani who voices Rafiki. An internet search tells me that everyone else is was born and raised in England or America, with the exception of Florence Kasumba who is a German Ugandan actress and she will play Shenzi.

The most recognisable people who have joined the cast are Beyonce (the singer) who will voice Nala, Seth Rogen (Pineapple Express) who will voice Pumbaa, James Earl Jones (Darth Vader) who is revising his role as Mufasa, Donald Glover (The Martian) as Simba and Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave) as Scar.

Frozen 2

Not much is known about this film accept the fact that Kristen Bell who voices Anna, Idina Menzel who voices Elsa and Josh Gad who voices Olaf have signed onto the film which will be released on 27th November in the USA.

 

2019+

Upon researching what films will be coming in 2019 I also saw some films that haven’t yet got a planned date and there are minimal to no real details about these films, most are just rumors.

 

The Jungle Book 2

This film will be a live action sequel to the live action remake of the animated version of The Jungle Book.

The film will be directed by Jon Favreau, who directed the first live action and is directing the live action Lion King. Apparently he will start production straight after the Lion King, after the screen writing has begun, however the idea for a sequel started back in April 2016 so they have been thinking about it for a while.

No cast has yet been confirmed, however Neel Sethi has expressed an interest in appearing in it. Although this will all depend on what the story is going to be about and what age they want Mowgli to be.

 

Maleficent 2

The script of this film has already been started by Linda Woolverton and Angelina Jolie, who appeared as Maleficent in the original, is on board to appear, the production will begin in early 2018.

 

Enchanted 2

I should really call this Disenchanted because this is the proposed title for the upcoming sequel which has signed on Amy Adams to return as Giselle. In this film we will find her questioning her happiness which will apparently cause all sorts of problems for people living in the real world and the world of Andalasia.

 

Other films that are rumoured to be coming are a live action The Little Mermaid starring Lindsey Lohan, a live action Mulan staring Liu Yifei, a Chinese actor and to be directed by Niki Caro. A live action Sword in the Stone. The origin story of Cruella De Ville staring Emma Stone. A Pinocchio live action. A Tinkerbell film starring Reese Witherspoon and a Prince film, either the prince from Snow White or Cinderella.

 

Taking into account the fact that there will also be a lot of original content being made as well Disney isn’t running out of ideas of films anytime soon and there is not one thing I’m not looking forward to. I’m especially intrigued by a Prince story as we don’t have enough leading princes.

 

Please let me know what you’re most excited about in the comments bellow and come back next Monday for a blog all about the animated Aladdin.