2016: A Year In Disney

As 2016 is coming to a close, I'd like to look at the amazing feat Disney managed to pull off this year across the board. It was an absolutely brilliant year for the world's happiest company. The company slayed at the box office, television was on point, and the parks are improving. Things are certainly on the up and up for this wonderful organization. Before 2016 closes though, let's look at how historic this year really was.

Back in June, I posted a little piece about the 4 home runs to date in 2016. That bit was written before the Dory movie came out, before Doctor Strange, before Moana, and before the latest Star Wars film. Needless to say, it has gotten even more promising since that post. In order to not sound redundant, I will just say that those 4 home runs were amazing and I recommend them strongly. The 4 were the Lion Guard, Zootopia, Captain America: Civil War, and the Jungle Book. 

Before moving on to the second half of the year, I would like to go a bit further on how obsessed my children are with the Lion Guard. My kids love the show. This is especially true for our 4 year old son, Noland Jr. He has about 1/4 of the stuff he owns currently as Lion Guard related. The kid adores the show and the characters. Jr. is constantly trying to acquire new Lion Guard materials. It is a cool show for us too, because it is a bridge from the classic movie of our childhood, the Lion King. Just a brilliantly done show that hasn't lost any traction in our household.

Now onto the newer stuff...

Finding Dory was another smash hit for Disney and I too enjoyed the movie. I did not enjoy it as much as some people, but it was a great movie. The movie had really strong new characters and is certainly something Disney will continue to cash in on. It was not a failure by any stretch of the imagination and helped to grow the brand overall. Like I said, I enjoyed the movie and most enjoyed it even more than I did.

To me, perhaps the biggest hit and certainly the biggest surprise of the year was Moana. Now, I thought Moana would be really good, but it surpassed every expectation I had of the movie. After seeing Zootopia, I thought there was no way an animated movie could top that in the same year, but Moana was right up there. This movie was darn close to flawless and you must see it if you have not already. It will be interesting to see how the hype around this movie proceeds as time moves on.

Admittedly, I have not seen Doctor Strange or the latest Star Wars yet, but they have been hits. I have also heard terrific things from all that have seen those titles.

2016 also was the year we once again had Disney passes and there are some exciting things going on at the parks. Nothing at Disney World is as exciting as the additional hours at my favorite park, Animal Kingdom. Although I hear next year will be even bigger for this park and Disney World in general. Before we get to next year though, let's talk about one more thing for 2016.

Each year, we do a Disney countdown for characters and this year I decided to include more family. We had 11 family members each submit their top 50 solely Disney characters, and top 50 pixar characters as well. 50 points were awarded for #1 and 1 point for #50 for each list. Here are the top finishers after the vote and who the 4 in my immediate family voted for as their 5 favorites (for Eli we scattered toys and pictures and took them away after he chose somebody).

Overall Disney
#1 Simba
#2 Mickey Mouse
#3 Donald Duck
#4 Pooh
#5 Jiminy Cricket

Robinson Top 5 1-5
Me: Jiminy Cricket, Baloo, Pooh, Pumba, Donald Duck
Jenna: Pooh, Mickey Mouse, Aladdin, Rapunzel, Simba
Jr: Kion, Mickey Mouse, Bunga, Donald Duck, Nick Wilde
Eli: Mickey Mouse, Tigger, Pooh, Piglet, Kion

Overall Pixar
#1 Nemo
#2 Dory
#3 Woody
#4 Crush
#5 Squirt

Robinson Top 5 1-5
Me: Buzz, Crush, Rex, Bullseye, Marlin
Jenna: Woody, Buzz, Lightning McQueen, Marlin, Rex
Jr.: Buzz, Lightning McQueen, Mater, Woody, Rex
Eli: Buzz,Woody, Crush, Lightning McQueen, Squirt

As you can see sometimes the slam dunk winner in the house loses out overall. This was most true with Pixar as Buzz finished 1st for all 3 boys, and 2nd for Jenna. However, my brother and his kids didn't include Buzz and he finished outside the top 5. Crazy!!!!

I sure will have fun comparing the lists as they come out each year. It was a cool project that resulted in a fun coloring book for the kids.

This year in Disney was awesome! I have a feeling that next year could be even better! You will be able to follow our Disney adventures for 2017 right here.

Until next time, see you real soon!!!!

-Noland

Disney's Assault on Fatherhood

My first mistake was reading comments online. The mistake was made though and I caught myself reading the statement which seemed to get endless support...

"Disney always makes the dad look like the buffoon, Disney is assaulting fatherhood and the role of the father. We need to boycott Disney."

Despite, my ideas about boycotting and my love of pretty much everything Disney, I really wanted to explore the idea, just to see if it held any merit and to see if I have been looking at the company through pixie-dust covered glasses.

Here is what I found and began to think.....

Every Disney movie does have a story and a theme. Certainly, the same is true about the shows, and the THEME Parks. These themes though rarely have to do with the family unit as the central theme. I would argue though that Disney is a company for families and that the park was built for any type of family. However, we are not there yet, let's break it down piece by piece and see any place that this notion could have come from. I really wanted to see if there was any merit and either help debunk or prove the seemingly popular statement.

First, let's start with the movies as that is some people's first and only exposure to the world of Disney. Through my looking back, I noticed that dads in Disney movies are typically treated as better than they are in pop culture. Throughout pop culture, dads are treated as useless buffoons often, but in many Disney movies it seems to be the exact opposite.

Marlin in Finding Nemo is actually the star of the movie. He tracks across the entire ocean in order to find his son. Despite being worried about something happening to Nemo due to a baraccuda killing his family, Marlin protects Nemo and when Nemo is taken, Marlin does whatever he can to get Nemo back. Marlin is the hero of the tale. This clownfish shows courage and has many ideal qualities of what it means to be a dad and the protector of your family unit.

Another one of my favorite movies with a dad character is Pinocchio. During that movie, Gepetto did not have any children, but he kept wishing and praying for one. Eventually, he got Pinocchio as his little boy. He was so joyful, happy, and thankful for having this boy brought into his life. When Pinocchio went missing, just like Marlin did, Gepetto stopped at nothing to find Pinocchio. This movie showed a dad that truly cared for his son. Its central themes were to follow your conscience and dream big. Do the right thing and dream big is what the movie focused on. Seems to me this would be a fantastic movie to show your kids.

Finally, let's look at the Lion King and everything that is involved with that franchise. The wise dad here was Mufasa. Simba's dad taught him all the important things in life and always looked out for him. He eventually died trying to save his son. However, his spirit and memory lived on as he continued to give advice to Simba and help Simba reach his destiny. Now, he occasionally gives Kion advice in the Lion Guard series. Mufasa could be said to be the wisest of all the characters. Despite, not being around anymore, Disney has kept an important role for him. Mufasa is one of the best known characters in all of Disney and nobody thinks of him as a buffoon. Everyone thinks of Mufasa as Simba's wise father.

There are other examples in movies. More fathers and father figures, but after the three I focused on, I realized that it was not even close to true that Disney made dads to look like fools in all movies, but could I find any examples....

The closest I got to finding a dad that was a fool in these movies were The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Beauty and the Beast. Those are three of Disney's big movies, and the dads were somewhat foolish in each. The Little Mermaid though involved the dad having incredible power and keeping his teenage daughter away from a cruel world. King Triton was not really foolish in that he understood the world being far different and he wanted to protect his daughter that was not legal. He even lets her chase her love at the end of the movie and helps save his daughter from the evil Ursula.

The saltan was Jasmine's dad in the movie Aladdin. He was made to be more of a foolish character, but it was one movie and even here, he was hypnotized by Jafar's staff for a large portion of the movie. That hypnotism added to the perceived foolishness of his character.

Finally, Beauty and the Beast. Belle's dad was deemed a fool largely in part because he told of a Beast off in the forest. Belle proved her father right when she showed the people of the Beast. Dad was an inventor in this and some of the inventions worked pretty well. This all is not to mention that like the two other dads (Saltan and King Triton) he was a single dad that raised a strong independent woman on his own. There is something to be said for them not raising trainwrecks as just the dad. Many popular media outlets would not give that message, that Disney seemed to invoke.

So if not in movies, then what about in television?

Disney owns ABC, so I sure that there are cases of the dad being a buffoon on ABC, just as there are on any channel. My suggestion with this is that if the show is trash, don't watch it. I don't watch any shows that I think are complete filth. I encourage you to do the same. I do not have any specific examples of the dad being a buffoon in these shows because as I said a minute ago, I don't watch shows that are garbage. I don't watch shows that send awful messages like that, at least that I can think of off the top of my head. The only two shows on ABC that I do watch are The Middle and Last Man Standing. I really enjoy the dads in those shows. Those dads are the best TV dads since the Home Improvement days.

Finally, what about Disney Parks?
Well, I feel I am always treated very well at Disney World. I rarely have a poor experience. This resort has the best customer service in the world. As a dad, I am treated just as magically as anybody else. The people are helpful and they do anything they can to help my family routinely. They make the experience magical for my whole family. Making reservations is a piece of cake. Making plans is easy as pie. This place allows me to plan ahead so that I can help make my kids memories to last a lifetime. Disney World makes it easy to be a dad that is even more loved and even more appreciated.

My family with my favorite Jiminy Cricket

My family with Minnie @ Character Breakfast

My 3 year old gets to meet lots of characters

 We get to meet Eeyore

And look around every corner for something special

My kids love Disney World. My kids love Disney period. I will not boycott Disney because of a few buffoons who spew hate on the internet. Boycotting is typically stupid anyways. Disney does not have an assault on fatherhood. Some people just are unable to see the big picture. The big picture that Disney is a wonderful company that does a lot of good and encourages kids to dream. I like the world that they provide. I am sorry that some are not able to love and appreciate it. However, I do appreciate living in a free country where people can have different opinions and perspectives. I also appreciate that my family does Disney.

-Noland

Girl Meets World: My Thoughts

Did you watch the premiere of Girl Meets World last Friday? I was and still am so excited because I grew up with Corey Matthews, Shawn Hunter and Topanga Lawrence. As Corey and Shawn embarked on the challenges of life that they faced in their middle school, high school and college years, I stood right there beside them, learning from their mistakes and rejoicing in their victories.

About a year ago, I learned that Disney would be filming for a Boy Meets World (BMW) spin off series called Girl Meets World. Later, I learned that Ben Savage and Danielle Fishel would be returning in their roles as Corey and Topanga. It was all so exciting! I've been waiting for months for the premiere.
I think when you wait so long for a show such as this, you want it to be just as it was. Noland and I watched the show late Friday night and enjoyed it. I follow the Girl Meets World group on Facebook and was amazed at how many people were disappointed after one episode. Some said it was "cheesy". Others shared how they thought that Girl Meets World should be shown on ABC and aimed more at adults ages 20-30 because we were the ones who grew up with BMW. While, selfishly, I would love to have that happen, I've thought about the new show and have my own take.

We grew up with shows like BMW, Home Improvement, Full House, Saved by the Bell, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Step by Step, Family Matters, The Cosby Show, etc. We had wholesome shows where the kids were experiencing real life challenges like the simple choices between a good decision and a bad decision. We had a lot of shows with families that were wholesome and provided us lessons in daily life.
Now I'd love to hear if you disagree, but I think it is great that the Disney Channel is bringing a spin-off series, Girl Meets World, and aiming it at kids. I will still watch it because that is the expectation that I went into the show with on the first episode. After all, the show is playing on the Disney Channel, which shows a lot of different kid-aimed shows. The kids of today's generation need a show that is wholesome with a mom and dad who are married and in love. They need a show that helps them see why it is important to do your homework, be a good friend and an honest person. I think that Girl Meets World can be that show. It can give the rising generation some of the same lessons that we learned from BMW. It can capture their hearts with characters like Mya and Riley the same way that Corey and Shawn were always there for us.

If you haven't seen the first episode stop reading...*SPOILER* ALERT...
I loved the ending of the episode, just as everyone else was raving about it. Mr. Feeny's appearance was pretty awesome. I'm also excited that Cory is Mya's teacher. I think that is a fun spin!

So, I'm glad that the Disney Channel is moving forward with the spin-off series, Girl Meets World. I can't wait to continue watching and see characters, old and new, arise over time. It will be fun to see where the story goes, find the similarities and watch the rising generation learn to love some of the same or similar characters that I once loved. Like Farkle? Is he not the same person as Mincus? According to the preview, it looks like he may be Mincus' son.. but who knows. We will just have to keep watching to find out.
Since today is July 4, the new episode is not on this week but an encore episode will be shown on Disney tonight at 8pm, with a new episode coming on next Friday, July 11, 2014.
If you watched the show, I'd love to know what you thought. Please leave me a comment and let me know.
-Jen