Friday, December 14, 2018

5 Favorite Easter Eggs from Wreck-It Ralph 2


So I finally got around to seeing Wreck-It Ralph 2. I was a big fan of the original and I was not disappointed in the sequel. The characters' progression felt natural and the conflict wasn't what I expected (I expected Yesss to try to keep Ralph around for her own benefit). But this isn't a review. I just wanted to comment on some fun Easter Eggs that I liked.

Young Moana as "Mo"
In a "mid-credits" scene (because Marvel has conditioned me to not leave before credits are over), we get a familiar face driving home from the movie. If you're paying attention, her name is Mo and she looked exactly like young Moana. This one made me giggle.


Casual Disney Princesses
I mean, I could say a lot about the Disney Princesses appearing and their wardrobe and green room, but let's just appreciate for a moment on their casual outfits. I could go off on this, but just a few notes (just to keep it simple). Snow's shirt says "poison", Ariel's got a list of "thingamobobs", Elsa' shirt says to "just let it go", Moana has a #shiny and there are even more than I can't pull from memory.


Stan Lee Cameo
After the recent passing of Stan Lee, I don't think any of us were planning to see a cameo of him anytime soon, but we had a silent appearance as Vanelope and Ralph run through the web. His user ID character was seeing visiting "Oh My Disney". His appearance may have only been because of Marvel's deal with Disney, but I think it was fun, fitting addition to his legacy.

Merida, from the "other studio"
They actually did a pretty good job giving all the Disney Princesses decent talking time. One big exception is Merida. For the record, I tried really hard to understand what she said and I never had a problem understanding her when I watched Brave. They really amped up her Scottish accent this time and made the great joke about her being from the "other studio", since Merida is the only Pixar Princess in the franchise.


Internet Graveyard
When Ralph goes down to retrieve his cookie medal, there are a number of dead websites hidden down in the rubble. One I noticed was Geocities, a former Yahoo web hosting service. I remember making website with them when I was a kid, back when I was into website design. It was very primitive stuff, but to a 10-year-old it was great. So when I saw it in the background, I had to smile.

What other Easter Eggs did you see that you liked? Obviously too many to list them all. I'll have to watch it again to catch more.

Friday, December 7, 2018

4 Things We Learn From the Avengers 4 Trailer

I had a completely different post planned for this week and ready to post today... but then Marvel dropped the Avengers 4 trailer and that post will get pushed back a week in honor of some of the things I've noticed after watching the trailer a couple times.

Of course as I'm discussing the trailer, there will be spoilers ahead.

Tony Stark: Lost in Space
We last left Tony on Titan after nearly all of his companions had dissolved into dust. I had wondered how he was going to rejoin the rest of the Avengers (or at least the ones who survived) and it looks like he hasn't yet. At least as of the moment when he records his message for Pepper, he hasn't made it home. I have to assume that the writers don't let him die due to lack of food, water, and oxygen, but I guess we won't know for sure until April. Unless I missed something, it does look like he's parted ways with Nebula.

Clint Barton's New Outfit
I'm not savvy with the comic books, but I'd heard that Hawkeye was going to transition to a different alter-ego, named Ronin. I don't know who Ronin is in the comics or what this means for Clint, but the implication I'm seeing in the trailer is that his wife and kids died in the Snap. So now he's back out in the field to get them back maybe? Or maybe he just has nothing to lose anymore with his family gone?

"This is Gonna Work, Steve."
Black Widow says this to clean-shaven Cap, making me think they have some sort of plan. It's vague what the plan is or what the end goal is. I assume it'll be something involving bringing back those we lost, but I guess it could also just be revenge on Thanos. I remember rumors about going back in time, so that's my guess, but I could always be wrong. All we know is Steve is feeling a bit hopeless outside of that plan.

Scott Lang: Escaping the Quantum Realm
Last we saw Ant-Man he was twirling around in the Quantum Realm after Hope and her parents vanished during the Snap. Obviously he made it out of the Quantum Realm and now he's reached the New Avengers Facility to reach out to Natasha and Steve. I had hoped, based off a line in the mid-credits scene of "Ant-Man and the Wasp", that he'd maybe be traveling back in time... but maybe he still will and he'll be the means behind whatever Black Widow and Captain America's plans are?

Anything else I missed from the trailer? Any speculation or theories?


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