Pokemon Nicknames: Disney (6)

Working my way through replaying Pokemon Yellow and catching more on Pokemon Go (thank you, Explorer Gadget), I have Pokemon on my mind (when don’t I?) so I have another round of fun Disney nicknames for your Pokemon (fun for me at least). Here we go with another handful:

Dedenne as Gus Gus

Nickit as Nick Wilde

Tepig as Pua

Purugly as Machiavelli

Tirtouga as Squirt

Quaxly as Donald

Diglett as Mole

Mantine as Tala

Raboot as Judy Hopps

Disney-Themed Pokemon Nicknames:

• Gen I: Part 1
• Gen II: Part 2
• Gen III-V: Part 3
• Gen VI-VII: Part 4
• Additional: Part 5
• Additional (2): Part 6

LDS Geeks Podcast #43: Disney Parks (2)

One of my favorite things about going to the Disney Parks is the character meet-and-greets. It touches part of the inner child that heals my soul (or something less cheesy perhaps). Regardless of the cheese factor, I hope you enjoy our discussion about some of our favorite characters.

--Spencer

Listen to Episode 43 on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube

Check out Spencer's recent content: click here

Check out Joe's recent content: click here

Show Notes:

00:15 - Introduction

01:03 - Ambient Worlds
        Check out Ambient Worlds on YouTube

        Check out Ambient World Films on YouTube

04:31 - Epic the Musical

        Check out the music on YouTube

10:10 - Disney Parks Meet-and-Greets

10:52 - Spencer: Dug

13:58 - Joe: Daisy Duck

18:08 - Spencer: Cruella De Vil

20:36 - Joe: Evil Qeeen

22:58 - Spencer: Stitch

29:07 - Joe: Fairy Godmother

32:12 - The Magic of Disney Meet-and-Greets

10 Disney Scenes that Live Rent-Free

So with the success of my last rent-free post, I figured I'd do one exclusively for my favorite mega-corporation: Disney! 

So here's my ADHD/caffeine/sugar fueled journey through the Disney animated universe! :D

So This Is Love and The Transformation (Cinderella)

I love the 1950 animated Cinderella movie to death, so this movie gets two slots. The first one is when Fairy Godmother transforms Cinderella's dress. The animation alone is just incredibly beautiful, and after everything Cinderella's been through this was a deserved glow-up. 

The second is the song So This Is Love. I will find myself singing this in the shower when I'm in a good mood. And yes, I know that Cinderella and the Prince exchange maybe three words before they dance and then fall in love but the song is just so pretty and also indicative of how Cinderella is appreciating what she's feeling in the moment. The animation is also beautiful in this scene (Seriously can we please go back to watercolor backgrounds?) and I love Lady Tremaine getting blocked at every opportunity. 

9: Part Of Your World Reprise (The Little Mermaid) 

I already mentioned this in my other post but I don't care this is a good enough scene to mention twice. 

8: Ohana Means Family (Lilo and Stitch)

No they're not all songs, some of them are moments. And of course, Lilo and Stitch is going to be on this list. 

This is near the end of the movie where Stitch convinces the alien ambassador to let him stay on Earth. Stitch explains in his limited English what family is, and how he has found a family in Lilo and Nani. 

It's little and broken, but still good. 

Yeah, still good. 

7: You Came Back (Beauty and the Beast)

Beast's death scene is so full of emotion. Beast is surprised that Belle came back, and here Belle is finally able to understand that she does love the Beast. She had already loved him but I don't think she realized it until now. It is in this moment that the Beast finally understands what it means to love and be loved in return. 

6: Dress in Drag and do the Hula (Lion King)

So far all these moments have been romantic, poignant, and general feeling tuggers. This one though is none of that. It's just a quick line and an impromptu musical number that makes me giggle every time. I use it whenever I can, which if you're creative can be quite often. 

Also this is literally the only time I like Timon and Pumbaa

5: Happy Happy Birthday (The Emperor's New Groove)

Can we all just agree that The Emperor's New Groove just nailed it? I love everything about this movie but Yzma is my kindred spirit. An angry old lady who is done with everyone and this scene is a perfect example of that. As a distraction, Kuzco sends the servers at the little diner to sing happy birthday to the villain and her reaction is just glorious. 

4: Party Crashing (Sleeping Beauty)

Nobody can make an entrance like Maleficent, the Dame of All Evil. When we first meet her she's crashed Princess Aurora's christening, put out because she wasn't invited. She's a terrifying presence, without ever really saying anything overtly threatening, just being there is enough to make everyone's skin crawl. This is how I want to enter every room for the rest of my life. 

3: Todashi is Here (Big Hero 6)

At the core of Big Hero 6 is grief, something that everyone can or will some day have to relate to. Hiro is trying to extract vengeance on the people responsible for his brother Tadashi's death. In one scene Baymax reveals that he has videos of Tadashi trouble shooting his robot, showing Hiro that his brother lives on through his creation and the memories Hiro has of him, and that by turning Baymax into a weapon of vengeance dishonors his memory. This is also when Hiro breaks down crying, truly embracing his grief. 

2: Senior Psychopath (Aladdin)

Another moment that makes me giggle is when Aladdin comes back from his trip to the North Pole to find the palace in chaos and under Jafar's evil control. When Aladdin meets up with the Genie, well the scene speaks for itself.

1: I Won't Say (I'm In Love) Hercules

Ugh I think everything on Disney+ lives rent free in my head honestly, these are just 10 that I could think of right now. I didn't even touch Out There, God Help The Outcasts and Hellfire from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, or Tarzan, or every scene with Cruella DeVille, so I'm going to put up the song that I sing to myself often to remind myself that just because I've been burned before it doesn't mean that I'll be burned again. 

Plus this song tho

-JOE

It's Not Easy being Green

Continuing with our green theme, I want to expand on the idea that Mike wrote about in his Sailor Jupiter post-why are so many villains associated with the color green? 

Well, it depends on the villain. 

The Fires of Envy

When Maleficent unleashes her fury her flames are green. When Scar sings about how he's going to usurp Mufasa the flames around him are a bright lime green. The phylactery (Horcrux to you non-Dungeons and Dragons fans) held by Rasputin in Anastasia pulses with an eldrich green, despite being from hell itself where you think it would glow red. In the case of these charming despots and monsters green is symbolizing the burning envy they feel for the heroes and the world around them. When they need to show that they want what someone else has, they take a match to some copper sulfate and let it burn (Yes that's the actual chemical that can make a fire turn green-try it sometime!)

Envy burns. It consumes. It is a need for something that must either end in the obtaining of it or the destruction of both. Green fire here works well for the analogy since it too burns and gives the audience a decent visual representation of the villain's inner feelings. Let's take Maleficent for example. Her motivation for being the Dame of all Evil is a bit unclear at first glance. She's not invited to a party so she's going to tear the kingdom apart over it (And yes, we're going with the animated Sleeping Beauty here because Maleficent' s intentions in Maleficent are this whole other thing)? If we take her green flames into account we get a far clearer picture of her issue: She wants to be acknowledged as an equal. She's obviously powerful, probably more powerful than the gender reversed Three Stooges we're supposed to like, and yet she doesn't even get a token invite to the party. That's not only rude that's just hurtful. Maybe if she was invited Aurora would've been blessed with something useful, like a personality or basic common sense. Either way she's envious of those who were invited and acknowledged as equals without question. She deserves a seat at the table and is ticked that she didn't get it. 

The Color of Money

Accompanying envy is greed, its lovely wife and business partner. While envy is for something that someone has, greed is a bit less specific in the intention. Greed is what Ursula has when her weird watery smoky hands reach out for Ariel's voice. Greed motivates the Shadow Man as he turns his friends from the other side onto changing Prince Naveen into a frog. Greed  is the look in Lady Tremaine's emerald eyes as she looks at her daughters and imagines manipulating them onto the throne with the Prince instead of her far more qualified and deserving stepdaughter, Cinderella. The villains want something, and while certain characters may have what they want they aren't as concerned with the person as they are with the power they wield, or the person is just a stepping stone to their true goal. 

Take Ursula, who we know has an obvious beef with Triton (In the play they're brother and sister and there was this whole inheritance dispute thing but we'll go with the movie for clarity sake though totally listen to the play's soundtrack). Ursula isn't jealous of Ariel, she doesn't want to be Ariel. She's a bit more jealous of Triton, but her real goal is to take what she feels she deserves, the triton. Ariel and her father are just stepping stones to getting her hands on it, especially since the first thing she does with it is start causing widespread mayhem throughout the harbor. She could've easily killed Ariel and Triton, but just toyed with them because her ultimate goal was momentarily accomplished. 

Horrifying Power

Now we've got to talk about Bruno (You see what I did there?). His future sight is seen as green energy swirling through sand, while his eyes glow green just like a villains. If you didn't know who he was or what the plot of the movie was you could easily see his color scheme and mistake him for a villain, but instead he's not. The green here indicates that his power is dangerous magic, something that isn't fun or playful like growing flowers or making healing empanadas. It's gazing into the shifting future and trying to interpret fragments of signs before they happen. 

Here green indicates dangerous power, similarly to Maleficent' s flames and Ursula's smoky hand trick. Another more interesting example is Cruella De Vil, in the animated 101 Dalmatians. When she walks into the Darlings home she's seen smoking a cigarette with green smoke drifting around her. The smoke is sickly and is different from when Roger smokes his pipe-which has black and grey smoke. Hers is the indication that her presence is something foreign, something so different to the Darlings that she obviously doesn't belong. Even her cigarette can't behave like everyone else's because she is not like anyone else around her, especially in morale, and that makes her scary. 

Visual Shorthand

A quick technical note about why green is used so often has to do with coding. It was mentioned before that green has the connotations with greed, sickness and envy, and that's something that most Western audiences would know when they walk into the theater. Films have only so long to get across different ideas, character motivations, ideals, plot elements etc. and will often rely on visual clues to help the audience know who everyone is without having to go into a lengthy backstory if they don't need to. Is your villain envious or greedy? Give them something green to show that off, preferably flames because they look cool, especially in a dark lair or at night when they're doing evil deeds. Need to show that the magic is otherworldly and powerful? Color it lime green like the entire thing is sponsored by Cricket, that'll show that what the characters are messing with isn't of this world. 

Green: It's not just for leprechauns. 

-JOE

Pokemon Teams for Disney Heroes

If you’ve been following us for some time now, you may remember that last year I did a series of blog posts about Disney-themed Pokemon names. As I was finishing up, I started thinking about teams of Pokemon for characters, not just names. So enjoy these Disney hero Pokemon trainers.

And don't forget to check out out Disney nicknames too: Gen I, Gen II, Gen III-V, VI-VII

Sorting Disney Princesses into Hogwarts Houses (1/3)

If you’ve been following my posts for any stretch of time, you’ll know that I love many things. In particular today, we’re going to indulge my love of Disney, Harry Potter, and mash-ups. Previously I’ve done Hogwarts sorting posts about Arrow, Friends, Once Upon a Time, and the Avengers. Today is the first in a three-part post about the Disney Princesses (including three honorary princesses). So let’s jump in and see our first six Disney Princess Hogwarts students.

Snow White - Hufflepuff

Our first princess is the original Disney Princess. Hufflepuff is the obvious choice, but it’s not for any lack of bravery or wit. Just like when I sorted the Once Upon a Time version of Snow into Hufflepuff, the 1930s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs portrayed a princess with patience and kindness. In addition, she also displayed the trademark Hufflepuff trait as a hard-working individual. Heck. Even before she met the dwarfs, she was cleaning their house. Side note: Next time you're at Disney World, make sure you meet this pleasant Hufflepuff in Epcot Germany.

Cinderella - Ravenclaw

Before re-watching the animated movie Cinderella in preparation for this post, I’d have put her in Hufflepuff because she’s one of the stereotypically less “heroic” princesses (that’s a discussion for later). In fact, I would have sorted Tim Burton’s Cinderella into Hufflepuff. However, the animated film showed a version of Cinderella overflowing with ingenuity and creativity. She thought her way through the problem of getting to Prince Charming’s ball. That was impressive. And remember to find this Ravenclaw in Magic Kingdom during your next Disney trip.

Belle - Gryffindor

Unlike Belle from Once Upon a Time, I felt like Gryffindor was a better fit for the animated Belle. Both loved their books and reading. However, the 1991 Belle cared more about her books because it got her out of her “poor provincial town”, even just for a moment in her mind. She cared more about the adventures in her books than the books themselves. Like Snow White, Belle can be found at Epcot, but in France.

Moana - Gryffindor

Mixed in with the first princesses, I have one of the newest princesses sorted into Gryffindor. She had a restless, adventurous spirit. Unable to sit still, she tested her father’s patience. Her courage, nerve, and daring got the best of her and sent her into the ocean unprepared, all to save her people and have an adventure. So it shouldn’t surprise anyone that she’s donning red as a Gryffindor.

Tiana - Hufflepuff

She’s not the stereotypical Hufflepuff, but it’s where she fits. As I watched Princess and the Frog recently, I waited to be proved wrong about her house. However, her whole character speaks to the hard-working, fairness, and dedication that Hufflepuffs are known for. So despite Naveen being more like a Slytherin or Gryffindor, his princess is definitely a Puff. She can be found at Disney World in Fantasyland (Magic Kingdom)

Kuzco - Slytherin

My honorary princess for this post is none other than Emperor Kuzco. I sorted Mesoamerica’s favorite diva into Slytherin for obvious reasons. He may have reformed by the end of the movie to be less of a jerk, but that doesn’t change his ambitious and cunning nature. He’s a born leader, even if he abused that power at first. And he’s definitely no stranger to self-preservation. So despite being a Hufflepuff myself, my favorite Disney protagonist definitely goes in Slytherin.

Still eleven princesses to go in the coming months. Where would you place our remaining Disney heroines? “Dig a little deeper” and let me know in the comments. 

Unpopular Opinions: Disney

Disney Plus has been out for two months, giving us all plenty of time to binge Disney classics, Disney Channel series, and some classic Marvel cartoons. Disney might have become the overlord of almost all popular media, now owning Fox, Marvel, and Star Wars (among other franchises), but at least they’re a benevolent overlord. That being said, I have some grievances about Disney (or at least about Disney fans). So here are a few of my thoughts.

Frozen Wasn’t Groundbreaking
Back in 2013 when Frozen was released, it became this big phenomenon seemingly overnight. I’m not going to bash on Frozen, because it was a genuinely good movie. However, it didn’t deserve the over-hype that it got… never mind how it’s basically become its own franchise in the 6 years since. I can think of countless Disney movies that are equal to Frozen or even better. Big Hero 6, Princess and the Frog, and Tangled are among the animated features that deserve more credit than they were given. To be fair, I could also just be really tired of “Let It Go”.

Tarzan is NOT Elsa's brother
After Frozen came out back in 2013, the internet began overthinking the movie and tying other Disney movies together with it. Part of it probably came from a shot of Rapunzel and Flynn on their way to Elsa’s coronation. So people started theorizing her relation to Anna and Elsa, that their parents shipwrecked on the way to Rapunzel’s wedding, and Ariel’s capsized boat is really the King and Queen’s ship. The icing on the cake was the theory that the king and queen survived and had a baby, Tarzan. Despite it being “confirmed” by a Disney writer, it doesn’t make any sense. Tarzan is from a completely different time period and his parents don’t look like Anna and Elsa’s parents. So I can’t accept it, no matter how popular the theory was.

Disney Princesses Aren’t Passive
A huge critique of Disney Princess movies is how passive they are. This is especially the case with older Disney Princesses, like Snow White and Cinderella. Yeah, they weren’t out there fighting sea demons (like Moana), shooting ice out of their hands (like Elsa), or swinging a sword or frying pan (like Mulan or Rapunzel), but they were tough. Snow White and Cinderella endured abuse from their step-mothers and even did it with optimism. Especially with the awareness brought to abuse nowadays, this is a big deal.

Too Much Live-Action Too Fast
To be clear, I have zero problem with Disney’s live-action remakes. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin (just to name a few). The problem is that instead of getting one remake every year or every other year, we’ve been getting them released faster than I can keep track. Just this year we had Aladdin, The Lion King, and Dumbo (not to mention Lady and the Tramp, if we include Disney Plus originals). They’re just losing their impact on me. Maybe if we could just slow it down a little?

Disney Didn’t Ruin Star Wars
I don’t understand the hate that the new Star Wars movies get. Maybe I’m not cinema savvy, but I’ve enjoyed the Star Wars movies I’ve seen thus far (I’ve yet to see Solo or The Rise of Skywalker). In my possibly uneducated opinion, I’m just glad there’s more Star Wars to be seen. If it weren’t for Disney “ruining” Star Wars, the last we’d have seen of Star Wars on the big screen would have been Revenge of the Sith. Instead, because of Disney, the legacy of Star Wars gets to continue for generations to come.

Check out some more unpopular opinions for Harry Potter

Disney Super Heroes

As an established Mormon Geek, I’ve shown that I have an affinity for Disney movies. I’m also getting into Marvel more and more. Recently it occurred to me that we’ve got quite a few Disney characters who have some super powers of their own. Now obviously there are characters like The Incredibles and Super Goof, who explicitly have super powers, but I’m talking about more subtle characters. These characters have something inherent to them, possibly magical, but more than just the “regular” kind of magic.

Talking to Animals

Snow White, Cinderella, Princess Aurora, and Mowgli have all shown the ability to talk to animals. Granted, Mowgli grew up with them, but still it’s kind of weird that he hears their voices. Snow White and Cinderella even get their animal friends to help with the cleaning (I could use their help with unpacking right now). And then there’s Princess Aurora, who is so deprived of human interaction that she dances with animals.

Shape Shifter

Maleficent and Jafar both show the ability to shape shift. Maleficent has only been shown to transform into a dragon, but Jafar has transformed into an old man AND he’s turned into a snake. Pretty good powers for these super villains.

Snow Powers

Of course Elsa and her ice powers had to make this list. It could just be considered magic, but with such a specific kind of magic, this is more like Ice Man or Frozone (who, by the way, I’m tired of seeing fan art with him and Elsa together… Frozone is married… and she is the greatest good he is EVER gonna get).

Communication with Spirits

Next we have a hero and a villain. Both Facilier and Pocahontas have been able to talk to spirits. Facilier, as the villain, talks to the evil spirits. Pocahontas more often talks to the spirits of the trees, the wind, etc. Not the most useful power in fighting super villains, but still a super power in my books.

Healing Powers

Rapunzel of course has healing powers. Before it was cut, her hair was the outlet for her powers, strong enough to keep Gothel alive for over a decade. However, even after her hair was cut, her tears had healing powers enough to save Eugene from dying from a stab wound. It’s unknown whether she still retains this power, but I like to think that she does.

Flight

Time for the first non-human hero: Dumbo and his ability to fly using only his oversized ears. At first it seemed like he’d only be able to fly with the help of his magic feather, but it only took one leap of faith for Dumbo to learn that he could fly on his own. Now, I doubt the timid elephant would be much use in a fight against super villains, but he could help out I guess.

Super-Strength

Much like Thor and the Hulk, Hercules and Stitch get their super strength from their heritage and experimentation respectively. We don’t exactly know the limits of Hercules’s strength, but Stitch is able to lift 3000 times his weight. These two would be quite useful if we ever needed a Disney character Avengers team. Personally, Stitch is top on my list. The extra arms are definitely a bonus.

Talk to Squirrels

This could have been put up with Aurora, Mowgli, Snow White, and Cinderella, but Kronk is able to talk specifically to squirrels. Now this could be a learned skill and he’s not much of one to be on this super hero team, but he could be useful for developing intelligence… even if he lacks his own intelligence. Regardless, Kronk needs to be acknowledged.

Teleportation/Super Speed and Psychic Powers

As I noted a few weeks ago, there was something not fully explored with Pacha’s kids: Tipo and Chaca. When Pacha was in trouble, these two both seemed to have visions of his peril…. And having to (almost) give Llama Kuzco mouth to mouth. Even more impressive is later when Yzma charges out of their house, Tipo and Chaca have this ability to appear throughout her tumble down the hill (multiple times) and then be back at the top when Kronk leaves. I’m just saying that they must have some sort of super speed and/or teleportation to get around that fast.

Who else would you add to our list of Disney Avengers?