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Wednesday, September 30, 2015

30 Trivia Tidbit on TANGLED!

This month on my Walt Disney Maniacs Facebook group, we covered the Disney animated film TANGLED!  It's one of my favorites, so this was a great deal of fun delving into all these fun facts to present.  


1.  This is the first animated Disney "princess" film to get a PG rating by the MPAA. All other Disney       "princess" films got a G rating.

2.  Tangled was the longest animated Disney film since Fantasia (1940).

3.  Gothel's dress is from the Renaissance, which is centuries before the time period of the film (the        1780's). This is an effort to emphasize how Gothel and Rapunzel don't match up and how long                Gothel had been living.

4.  The character design of Flynn came from the process which was called the 'hot man meeting' by       Nathan Greno and Byron Howard, during which they set up a meeting with all of the female                     employees of the studio in one room and asked them for their opinions of what made a man                   good looking in order to create Flynn's character design with features such as eye color, hair color         and  style and body type. Video footage showed concept art and photos of various male                         celebrities, including Johnny Depp, Hugh Jackman, Brad Pitt, David Beckham and Gene Kelly on           the walls of the room.

5.  Over 45,000 lanterns are used during the 'I See the Light' sequence.


6.  For the scene in which Rapunzel enters the marketplace, animators were inspired by entrances of     Walt Disney World and Disney Land. Rapunzel's excitement towards all the music and people is           reminiscent of children at the parks.




7.  Rapunzel is the first Disney Princess with supernatural powers.

8.  Disney's previous animated feature The Princess and the Frog (2009), despite being popular with      critics and audiences alike, was a box office disappointment. Disney felt that the film's princess                theme discouraged young boys from seeing it. In an attempt to market the film to a broader                    audience, Disney changed the title of the film from Rapunzel to Tangled, and promoted it as a                comedic adventure. An early trailer for the film focused less on Princess Rapunzel and more on              Flynn Rider, the male lead character. It was originally believed that Disney's marketing campaign            was a desperate attempt to search for a particular audience. However, Byron Howard and Nathan        Greno, claimed that the title change was to emphasize that Flynn has as much of a role in the film          as Rapunzel.

9.  The most expensive Disney film in the animated division came in at $260 million dollars.

10.  Zachary Levi auditioned for the part of Flynn Rider, and got it, with a British accent. Later this was   dropped, and Levi read the role in his own American accent instead.

11.  You will find Pinocchio in the Snuggly Duckling, right after the cupid is swung to the right of the      screen. You will find him in the top right corner in the rafters.



12.  The sword that Maximus uses to fight Flynn at the dam is a Roman gladius. This would                   normally be an anachronism to the time-set of the movie. However, in this case it is very                         fitting because the name Maximus is also a Roman name.

13.  In the Kingdom Dance scene, there are over 3000 people present - the largest crowd scene out of any other Disney film.

14.  The descending lantern that Rapunzel lifted back skyward was the one her parents, the king an queen launched from the palace veranda. It was the only one with the royal symbol of the sun               on it.


15.  Tangled was Disney's 50th animated feature.




16.  Composer Alan Menken reported that he based the film's musical score on 1960's rock.

17.  The teaser trailer for the movie showed the first meeting between Rapunzel and Flynn quite          differently. After hitting him with the pan, Flynn comes to but Rapunzel stays out of sight,                        while her hair punches and grabs him, and drags him around the room in slapstick fashion. When         Flynn is tied to the chair and tries his smoldering look on her, she throws him out of the                           tower while still tied to her hair. There is also an unused scene where Flynn waits at the foot of               the tower and gets the full weight of Rapunzel's hair thrown on him, which greatly amuses                     Maximus the horse.

18.  In the marketplace, when Rapunzel looks at the mosaic of herself, the camera cuts from her       eyes to the tile eyes of the picture and - very briefly - there is a clarinet musical motif that 
is exactly the same as the motif in Ferris Bueller's Day Off(1986), when Cameron is looking at the pointillist painting and the camera cuts between Cameron's eyes and that of the child in the painting. The moment is just a fraction of a second; just after that, Rapunzel looks at the clarinet player walking behind her and smiles.




19.  The character of Rapunzel is constantly barefoot, something she shares in common with her           voice actress Mandy Moore, who loves to perform barefoot. Bare feet are also symbolic of                     innocence.


20.  This is Disney's first CGI Fairytale film.

21.  Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell both auditioned for the role of Rapunzel. Later on they would both star together in Frozen (2013) as Anna and Elsa.


22.  The hero's name was originally going to be Bastian.


23.  In the Snuggly Duckling tavern, the ruffian 'Greno' who leaves to get the guards is named for  modeled after the film's co-director Nathan Greno, only much bigger but with the same van Dyke-          style goatee and the same arm tattoos.

24.  In the "When will my life begin" sequence, Rapunzel says she'll "take a climb" and climbs up  hair. The way she climbs is an actual aerial silk climbing technique.



25.  From the beginning, Glen Keane intended that the film looked and felt like a traditional hand-     drawn film, but in 3D. He hosted a seminar called "The Best of Both Worlds," where he                           brought in 50  Disney animators (both CGI and traditional artists) to discuss the                                     techniques used in each style and how to, in his words, "bring the warmth and intuitive feel of                 the hand-drawn to CGI."


26.  The song that activates the power of the magic flower is only sung the whole way                    through, without breaks, twice: once when Rapunzel heals Mother Gothel (though it was                         very quickly) and when Rapunzel heals Eugene's hand. The rest were separated by scenes or               never completed.





27.  The lantern that Mother Gothel holds during the line "the plague" in the song "Mother                 Knows Best", and in the beginning when she is singing to the flower, is the same                                     lantern the Stabbington brothers hold when Flynn sees them across the water.

28.  Whenever Mother Goethel expresses her 'love' to Rapunzel it's always to her hair and not        directly to Rapunzel. She kisses Rapunzel on the head and touches her hair whenever                          expressing love. She also calls her 'my little flower' in reference to the original                                          sunflower.



29.  In the opening scenes you see baby Rapunzel in her cradle staring up at a baby mobile. In a    little bit of foreshadowing, you see several items hanging from the mobile that come into play later in the story, namely a chameleon (her pet Pascal), a rubber duck (The Snuggly Duckling the Flynn takes her to), a cupid (also from the Snuggly Duckling), a horse (Maximus) and a blue bird (when she first leaves the tower).



30.  Mother Gothel is very similar to Judge Claude Frollo from The Hunchback of Notre                  Dame (1996). Both have no magical powers, both keep a person hostage for their own                            personal gain, both sing a song to their hostage to keep them from running away, both try                      to kill their hostage's love interest and both fall to their death.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY! Fun with Chip and Dale!


Monday, September 28, 2015

My Disney Pin Collection Monday

My newest pin I got through the Disney Movie Club for being a VIP member. 

Aladdin and Jasmine!


Sunday, September 27, 2015

Castle Sunday

 I wanted to incorporate the walls behind the castle in a few Castle shots. I thought it would make it a little more of a magical view. 
This photo is in the Castles of the Kingdom Calendar for 2016 that can be found here : https://www.etsy.com/shop/JoeDieboldPhotos?ref=hdr_shop_menu

Disney Resort of the Week - Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge at Walt Disney World



On our bucket list is our feature resort this week, Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge.  Since we have never stayed here, the pictures and facts are from different sources I have found either in books,  from friends who have stayed here, or on the Internet*. 


Lobby lounge area with a balcony window overlooking the savanna
 I have learned something from doing this research........I have learned that I want us to stay here even more than I did before!
Two giraffes graze in the morning sun at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge





This resort, which is situated about a mile away from Disney's Animal Kingdom park is  for the true animal lover in all of us.  Almost all the rooms afford some type of view of animals wandering around the grounds.  It is also for people who love African artifacts, as authentic African artwork is literally all over this beautiful resort.  The animals big and small inhabit acres which have been re-created to look like the African savanna that pretty much surround the resort.
The grand African-themed lobby at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge


 On the property there are zebras, giraffes, Thompson's gazelles and exotic birds.  The resort was constructed in a semi-circle which gives maximum potential for animal viewing.













Image result for animal kingdom lodge



There are 972 room here, all decorated in bright vibrant colors, have dark wood furniture which is all hand-crafted.  The walls are painted a sandy-like color, and the carpets are earth toned with a pattern.  
2 queen beds with curtained headboards, ceiling fan, TV and dresser, curtained balcony
Most of the rooms have two queen size beds, but some king beds are available. 
King bed with curtained headboard, pillows and throw, wall sconce, curtained balcony

Carved wood and curtained bed headboard with decorative pillows, wall sconce
 There are also daybeds to accommodate up to five people in a room.  All rooms have balconies.
A balcony with 2 chairs and a table, overlooking the savanna


There are also suites available which include two bedrooms; there are either king or queen sized bed here.  Bathrooms have a separate vanity area and a double sink.

The Villas here are in Jambo House which opened in 2008 and Kidani Villiage which opened the following year .  
From what I understand, the dining here is wonderful and gives you a way to sample exotic foods and gives you stellar atmosphere.

These locations include:

 Boma-Flavors of Africa: the food here is described as "global fusion" which includes a mix of French, Indian, Chinese, Malaysian and English, and is served buffet style.

Jiko- The Cooking Place: Colors of the sunset are the background for this top notch location which feature an African flair.  The feature wines from South Africa.

The Mara: This location is a spacious quick-service restaurant which serves kid-friendly pizza, burgers and the ever popular chicken fingers.

Sanaa: A very colorful table service dining location at Kidani Villiage offers African and Indian style cooking.
There are four different lounges for sipping on cocktails.  The include Cape Town Lounge and Wine Bar, Maji and Uzima Springs, Sanaa and Victoria Falls.

The resorts very large main pool is called Uzima.  It has the look of a natural watering hole.  It has a zero-depth-entry.  There is also a kiddie pool, and whirlpools.
The Uzima Pool area at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, lit up at night
Other places featured here are an arcade, children's programs, health club, playground, shopping and tennis.

Resort Transportation is all by bus from this location.


I hope you have enjoyed learning a little about this awesome resort as much as we have!!  See you next week!

* Most pictures are from the Walt Disney World website.  The others I found while searching on Google, had no names associated with them.  I do not claim to own these photos in any way, shape or form.







Friday, September 25, 2015

FOODIE FRIDAY! We Had a Grand Time at 1900 Park Fare!

Stacking up to be one of our new favorite breakfast buffets on property, is 1900 Park Fare which is located in the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa.  First off, the location is magnificent, and I wish we could afford to stay there some day.  The setting in the buffet itself, is beautiful.  The food was wonderful, and we went of for seconds of several things they were so tasty.  






A prancing carousel camel and pony add whimsy to the dining room at 1900 Park Fare
This photo courtesy of the Walt Disney World website.  It's tough to get a picture like this when the place is full of people!!  Our table for two was the one just below the horse (on the left side in the picture.)













 Mad Hatter is a hoot!

 Mary Poppins was so sweet!

 Pooh is ever adorable!

 Alice, such a little doll!

 Tigger was ready to bounce.


                            "Big Bertha" is the very colorful late 1800's Limonaire French Band Organ 
                             pictured below.


1900 Park Fare

Breakfast Menu

Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Magic Kingdom Resort Area
Character Dining


Breakfastcurrently selected.