Disney's 4 Home Runs of 2016

We just opened up our 6th month of the current year and Disney is on pace to make it their best ever. Box office numbers are through the roof for this company and another blockbuster is around the corner with Finding Dory. That movie isn't even out yet, more movies are in the works, and you can already guarantee an incredibly successful year for Disney media. Even if those movies tank, this will still be a banner year. They won't tank by the way...Here is a look at what made Disney so successful this year and why the movies/shows were such smash hits.

It all started at the box office in March with Zootopia. To date, the movie had made over a billion at the box office. That it comes off a budget of 150 million shows it was a massive hit. The success at the box office only scratches the surface though. To me, this was the best animated Disney movie since at least Wreck-It-Ralph and quite possibly the Lion King. It was absolutely phenomenal. I loved every single minute of this movie and it was not as predictable as many by this great company. It was so good that it received a 98% on rotten tomatoes. This movie was absolutely brilliant and really got Disney started off towards a great year. I can't wait for these characters to really start making their presence known at the parks. Nick and Judy can be seen in the Move It, Shake it dance party @ Magic Kingdom now!

The next month, in April, came the live-action version of The Jungle Book. This was brilliant just in the fact that it connected a new generation of fans with the original classic. Add-in that it was one of the greatest movies I have ever seen and that it was a massive hit and it just is icing on the cake. I loved every second about this and every bit of what it represented. It is just another way for my family to enjoy this classic. Another way for my kids to enjoy one of the greatest Disney characters in Baloo. Anything that makes people love this story and that character are fantastic in my opinion. Then you actually break down the movie and it gets better...

The Jungle Book has 2 outstanding villain characters that add to the movie a great deal. Shere Khan has always been my personal favorite Disney villain and he was great in the animated classic. However, this movie, takes his character to a whole different galaxy in terms of violence and cruelty. The movie adds layers to that character that make everyone see how brilliant the character truly is. Then you add in the switch with King Louie into making him more dark and scary and the movie was absolutely phenomenal with those two villains. It did a great job with Kaa as well, but I would have liked a bit more from him. Maybe in the upcoming sequel we will get more from Louie or Kaa as the villain.

Regardless of my opinions though, the box office determines if the movie is a hit. This movie has made 877.6 million so far (as of 6/4) on a 175 million budget. Another smash hit that will likely pass the billion dollar range at some point. It received a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and was not quite as loved as Zootopia. The Jungle Book was beloved by all though and was slightly better than  in my opinion.

Finally, last month, came the most anticipated movie in quite some time, Captain America: Civil War. This movie has been an incredible smash hit already smashing through the billion dollar mark at the box office. Critics and fans alike have been raving about the movie. It is hard to top this movie for me personally. I have it as the 4th best movie in the Marvel Universe and I am pretty obsessed with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In case you were wondering my top 5 are Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, Iron Man 1, Civil War, and Avengers 1. The other 4 I own and we will own Civil War at some point. The layers of complexity of the story and the details of that story make this a must see. If you are a fan of the MCU and haven't seen it, go see it today. Captain America is the coolest hero and he teamed up with more awesome heroes to take on Iron Man's crew, how could you not want to go? This movie made Ant-Man look even cooler, fixed Spider-Man in movies, and introduced the thrilling Black Panther among many other things. Can I just say also that Team Cap had much cooler heroes than team Iron Man. My family is always #TeamCap

All these movies don't even mention the greatest success that Disney Media has had this year. That greatest success has been the new Disney Jr. series The Lion Guard. That show has been a smash hit and is beloved everywhere by all young kids. My 3 year old son's class absolutely adores this show. That adoration comes most obviously by our stinker who says it is his favorite show. He has also mentioned a possible Lion Guard birthday party and Lion Guard costume. Our money is being dropped into Lion Guard merchandise more than anything besides car, house, daycare, electricity, water, and church it seems. He has lion guard shoes, backpack, lunch box, deluxe kion figure, small character playset and more already. Not to mention the lion guard adventure we went on at Animal Kingdom. He loves all the characters, but Kion is definitely his favorite. My favorite is Bunga and I have been Bunga playing at home with Kion many a times already. This show is something our older son truly loves and I am happy that he does. It connects Lion King to the younger generation in a brilliant way. It expands on an already fantastic story. It is enjoyable to watch. I don't have to worry about my son getting weird messages. It is just a fantastic show.

 Doing the Lion Guard Adventure @ Animal Kingdom (Found Fuli)

And Kion (his favorite)

Expect much more success from Disney in the media realm in 2016 and moving forward. Tune in here next week for a zoo review of the Saint Augustine Alligator Farm. Have a blessed week everybody!

- Noland

The Top 101 Disney Characters of All-Time (30-21)

After today's portion of the countdown, it is 3/4 of the way done. We are getting into the cream of the crop in the Disney Universe. Enjoy this recap if you have missed a day or two.

101-91

90-81

80-71
70-61

60-51
50-41

40-31

30. Stitch

Stitch is a top 30 character who would be in many people's top 25. There are a few that would have him in their top 10s and my brother thinks he is coolest character in all of Disney. I don't have him that high, but he just misses the top 25 for me at 30. This guy has a lasting impact on the Disney Universe. He is the star of a great movie and one of the few characters that can succeed in their own movie. A great start to the top 30 here.

29. James P. Sullivan

James P. Sullivan is the lovable blue monster in Monsters Inc. and Monsters University. He starts out as a top scarer before becoming the genius behind using laughs as power. A very useful character, he just misses the top 25. #29 is an excellent spot for Sully who is the star of two movies. His popularity over Mike is what makes him land ahead of him on the countdown.

27, 28. Chip & Dale

This pair is so rarely apart that they need to appear together. They are both fantastic characters and appear all over the Disney Universe. The duo is best known for the Rescue Ranger show. These guys also harass Donald Duck and are frequent visitors on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse among other things. As great as they are though, many don't know which is which and they don't have the same appeal as the other characters coming up in my eyes. For the record though, Chip is the cooler one, and the brains with the black nose. Dale has large buck teeth, a red nose and is seen as the more foolish of the pair.

26. King Louie

King Louie is the 2nd most popular character in The Jungle Book and Jungle Cubs. He is also one of the top characters in the hit TV cartoon Talespin. Finally, he is one of the fixtures of Disney's Animal Kingdom. This guy earned his spot in the Top 30 and just missed the top 25 due to some stiff competition. The most entertaining musician in the Disney Universe belongs here at #26. He is my personal 5th favorite character, and deserves this spot, but even I can't put him ahead of what is to come.

25. Scar

One of the many characters that could be argued for Top 10 status, Scar is the perfect start of our top 25. He is arguably the best Disney Villain and is the top Disney Villain on this countdown. He is the perfect villain for a near perfect movie. This guy is scary awesome in The Lion King. How those characters rank is up to the individual, but it definitely has the most top notch characters when it comes to Disney movies.

24. Crush

This turtle is the best character from the movie and perhaps the most loved. Unlike the two fishes ahead of him, everytime someone sees a turtle they don't say its crush, but he has inspired the Disney Universe. He has more attractions named after him personally at Disney than any character in that movie and most characters period. There are 4 different versions of Turtle Talk With Crush across Disney Parks (Epcot, Disneyland: California Adventure, Hong Kong Disneyland, and Tokyo Disney Sea) there is also a Crush Coaster at Disneyland Paris that I would love to go on. He is right on par with Nemo and Dory, but I do have him behind them on the countdown because of the kiddos and what they say.

23. Nemo

Nemo is the title character in Pixar's second best movie and every little kid in the world now refers to clownfish as Nemo. Those facts make it pretty impossible to keep Nemo out of the Top 25. Many people, including my mom, have Nemo in their top 10s. I don't have him quite that high, but understand people who do. This guy is cream of the crop.

22. Olaf

The best seen of the movie Frozen is the one pictured above with Olaf. What a great line in a fantastic song. So hilarious. It was impossible to not laugh the 1st time I saw this. People might say the princesses or Kristoff were the most important characters, but let me ask a question. What made you see Frozen? For me it was the hype behind a snowman that I predicted would be one of the most beloved characters of all-time. I predicted based on the preview with him and Sven that he would be a priceless character.

21. Eeyore

Eeyore is always sad and he doesn't seem to ever smile, but he should after being ranked #21 on this countdown. This donkey should not be in a gloomy place much longer as he is in Winnie the Pooh. Eeyore is the 4th most popular from the franchise and the perfect balance to the incredibly cheerful Tigger. These characters from this franchise are nothing short of brilliant. Eeyore is a prime example of that brilliance and belongs at this spot on the list.

-Noland