Archive for April, 2012

ABC’s Once: Inconsistent, but Charming

ABC’s Once: Inconsistent, but Charming

I have always been a fan of fairy tales, from Disney’s animated classics to retellings by authors Gregory Maguire (Wicked, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister), Robin McKinley (Beauty, Spindle’s End), and Shannon Hale (The Goose Girl). Drew Barrymore’s Ever After: A Cinderella Story is one of my all-time favorite films, and who doesn’t swoon over Westley, Buttercup’s dashing true love in The Princess Bride?

Logo for ABC's Once Upon a Time, image copyright Disney

When ABC’s ambitious fairy tale series Once Upon a Time premiered in primetime last fall, I was excited to see Disney’s latest take on fairy tale characters trapped in the modern world, a concept which worked wonderfully in 2007’s Enchanted starring Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey. The pilot episode showed promise, despite some sup-par special effects and conspicuously rendered backgrounds, but as season one’s disjointed plot unfolded across two worlds (one magical, one mundane), I was often less than enchanted – and left wanting.

Read More: http://www.disney-blog.com/?p=2714

April 9, 2012 Post Under Latest News, TV - Read More

Disney Store Celebrates 25 Years

Disney Store Celebrates 25 Years

When I was in high school, my favorite Disney character was Tinker Bell, and I was definitely ahead of the Tinker Bell-loving craze. Whenever I went to Disney World, Hot Topic, or to the Disney Store (at the Tanger Outlets in Foley, Alabama!), I was always on the hunt for Tinker Bell merchandise, but the feisty little fairy was hard to find.

Over the years, I managed to accumulate a modest fairy collection which included a Tinker Bell doll, several key chains, stickers, a journal, a picture frame, a puzzle, an assortment of snowglobes and figurines, and my favorite: three Tinker Bell mugs that I drink from every morning. I am no longer actively collecting, which is great for my mental health (and my bottom line), because all it takes is a three-second Google search to be completely overwhelmed by the quantity and quality (and $$$) of Disney Fairies merchandise available now.

Read More: http://www.disney-blog.com/?p=2744

April 8, 2012 Post Under Latest News, Online - Read More

Watch “Tangled: Ever After” Online

Watch “Tangled: Ever After” Online

A year ago, the world watched as Kate Middleton and Prince William married in a stunning real-life fairy tale wedding, and six months later, Rapunzel was crowned an official Disney Princess during a coronation ceremony at Kensington Palace.

Screenshot from the animated short Tangled: Ever After, image copyright Disney

Now the world can finally see the spunky, formerly-blonde princess get her own happily ever after when she marries Flynn Rider (aka: Eugene) in a brand-new animated short.

Read More: http://www.disney-blog.com/?p=2731

April 3, 2012 Post Under Disney Channel, Movies, Online - Read More