Monthly Archives: September 2015

Feature: Controversy and Muppets

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After last week’s debut of The Muppets on ABC, it seems like moms everywhere took to social media to pronounce The Muppets as “distasteful and unsafe for children”. The outcry against the Muppets seems somewhat justified as The Muppet show of yester and the Muppet films have been generally kid friendly. I totally get where these critics are coming from but as I watched the Muppets play out on my television, I saw jokes aimed for family audiences and a few adult jokes that would clearly fly over children’s heads.

We also live in an age where animation is used for both children and adults. Looking at a show title for Family Guy vs. Gravity Falls, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference and you may let your children watch both. We also live in an age where hardly anything is G rated. Most television shows fall into that PG to PG-14 rating. It’s what sells and television is still in the business of making money.

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The Muppets had to change and that’s just a fact. Putting the same Kermit and friends on television that we’ve seen for almost 50 years now wouldn’t do the Henson creatures any favors. I like that Kermit and Piggy have broken up. I like that we are seeing another side to these characters. All of us aren’t pure, do-gooders of the world. We all make mistakes, cave in to vices, have jealousy, or make poor decisions, but we all want to be the best people we can be. To me, that’s what the show is trying to showcase. A group of people (or frogs, pigs, and whatevers) trying to live life the best they can. This isn’t the stage show variety hour we all grew up watching. This was meant to be that behind the scenes showcase where we don’t necessarily get characters that put on smiles and fake it for the camera.

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The Muppets continue to do what they do best and that’s make people happy. I can’t help but feel all warm and fuzzy seeing these pieces of felt and fur on tv again and you can tell that the guest celebrities they’ve brought to the show are delighted to be a part of it. Sure we went from G to PG and some of our characters aren’t in the roles we’ve come to know over the decades, but this fresh take is still purely Jim Henson and still feels like The Muppets. I believe that Jim would enjoy this show and would want to push his characters in bold new directions making sure everyone could come along for the ride and laugh the whole way there.

What do you think of the new Muppet show? Do you love it or hate it? What would you change if you could? Keep the conversation rolling in the comments below!

Josh Taylor
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Disney Film History: Sleeping Beauty

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Arguably one of Walt Disney’s greatest animated films, Sleeping Beauty is rich with a history all it’s own and when trying to sit down and write this, became a bit of a problem as I wanted to do the film justice while keeping the history from bouncing around too much. Sleeping Beauty’s debut in 1959 marked the largest gap between Disney animated features as the last film, Lady and the Tramp, was released in 1955. It had been 4 years so what took so long? The truth of what took so long actually reaches farther back than Lady and the Tramp’s release. Sleeping Beauty actually was in production before other features as well.

The story of “La Belle au Bois Dormant” or “The Sleeping Beauty”, written by French author Charles Perrault, was discussed and as early as January 1950 and the story started to take shape in 1951. After the success of Cinderella, Walt wanted to move forward with the princess film but the Perrault version of the story, he felt, resembled the other princess films that he did (Snow White and Cinderella). The story was reworked with more elements from the Brothers Grimm telling of the story, better known as “Briar Rose”. The story was finalized in 1952 and animation began on the film in 1953.

With so much going on by this point at the Disney studio, including television, live action films, and the upcoming Disneyland, Walt handed off the film production to Ken Anderson and Eyvind Earle. Anderson was in charge of the overall production and look of the film, but Eyvind Earle, who had only be at the studio since 1951, was put in charge of the style, color palette, backgrounds, and character designs.

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With Walt gone and Ken Anderson also working on the development of Disneyland, Earle was given more freedom than any artist on any other production up until that point. Due to Earle being a perfectionist and his lack of work at the Disney studio, he rubbed many of his peers the wrong way. Regardless, he carried out great influence on the film, which Walt wanted to be a moving piece of art. Earle turned to the stories roots and decided to focus on an art style that would evoke a Medieval Europe. The color scheme was not as bright and bold, and the characters were given more sharp edges. Earle, being the perfectionist he was, painted every single background himself, taking up to a week to complete a single painting, as compared to other productions where it took a single day.

We can’t blame Eyvind Earle for anything here, as Walt was looking for the perfect film, and since Cinderella was such a success, Walt could afford to dump money into Sleeping Beauty. Walt opted to make the film inthe more expensive Super Technirama 70, a film type that used a 70 mm frame instead of the standard 35 mm most film reels took. Walt decided on the film style so he could have more details in the animations and backgrounds. Walt also decided to use Xerox for the first time in a film, allowing animations of the dragon to be bigger or smaller depending on the need in the frame.

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Earle’s insistance on different character designs went against many of his peers and as a result, the animators at the studio had to rework their style to adapt to what Earle saw fit. Lead animator Marc Davis was put in charge of Aurora’s design, based on Audrey Hepburn,  as well as the villain, Maleficent, whom Davis wanted to look less like a witch and more like a vampire. We can credit Davis for Maleficent’s signature look, with her horns and “flaming” robe. Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas were put in charge of the fairies. The Perrault story originally has 7 fairies, but it was decided in writing the story that there would only be 3. Walt wanted all of the fairies to look the same, but Johnston and Thomas found that boring and not fitting of the story. Since there would be so much time spent with the fairies versus our princess, the veteran animators wanted to give them personalities, each with a different look and color scheme. Despite, Earle’s direction and need for others to adapt, for myself personally, the characters by Davis, Johnston, and Thomas are what make Sleeping Beauty a Disney classic.

Like many of the animated films of the time, live action references were used for animators, and at Walt’s recommendation, Johnston and Thomas observed old women at the market to get the right movements for their 3 fairies. The reliance on this classic Disney way of animation as well as the introduction of Medieval artwork and new technologies allowed the film to feel fresh but familiar. By the end of production, it took over 1 million drawings and a $6 million budget to complete Sleeping Beauty.

Walt also wanted the film to have a catchy soundtrack to be able to sell on vinyl, but after hearing Pytor Tchaikovsky’s ballet of “The Sleeping Beauty” Walt opted to adapt the orchestration of the ballet to the film. This was unique as only 1 true song, “Once Upon a Dream” was added to the film. Most Disney features (excluding the package films) had been packed with songs.

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Rewriting of the story, changing in animation style, introduction of new technologies, and Walt’s changing heart toward the musical style of the film all pushed Sleeping Beauty back and that’s why the film took 8 years to make. Even though the length of production went longer than any other production in the history of the Disney studio, Walt had a positive feeling about the film. He decided to give it focus on his Disneyland television show, give it a decent budget for advertising, and before Disneyland opened in 1955, changed the name of Snow White Castle to Sleeping Beauty Castle, making it the key figure of the park 4 years before the film even made it’s debut. The castle was filled with dioramas, showcasing the new style of his animation department and building a buzz around the film with it’s own attraction in his park.

Sleeping Beauty was finally released in January 1959 and regardless of Walt’s advertising campaign for his $6 million movie, the largest budget for a Disney film to that date, the film didn’t make back it’s budget in it’s initial release. The film received mixed reviews during the time, noting that the film didn’t focus on our heroine, Aurora, or that the design wasn’t what movie goers had come to expect of a Disney film. The film lost $700,000 in that first run and because of it, left Walt sour on his animation department. With success in live action films, television, and his theme park, it seemed logical to drop the one failing department at his studio. Luckily for us he didn’t drop animation from the studio, but animated features would get less attention and lower budgets for the next few decades after Sleeping Beauty.

After the film’s initial release, there were 4 re-releases of Sleeping Beauty with the last in 1995. All 5 releases bring the film’s total box office to just over $51 million. The legacy of Sleeping Beauty actually make this film much bigger than in Walt’s lifetime. We now regard Maleficent as one of Disney’s best villains and the character got her own live action retelling of the story in 2014. The 3 fairies are regular characters in Disney Channel show “Sofia the First”. The Hong Kong and French versions of Disneyland also have a castle named after the film. I would go out on a limb to say that Sleeping Beauty, along with Davy Crockett and Cinderella, are Walt’s most credible creations of the 1950s. Sleeping Beauty will continue to be reimagined by Disney and be enjoyed by audiences around the world.

What do you think of Sleeping Beauty? Do you love it or hate it? Leave a comment below and keep the conversation going!

Josh Taylor
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Previous Film: Tonka
Next Film: The Shaggy Dog

Josh’s Disney Tag Challenge

Erika originally tagged both Josh and Angie from Modern Mouse. You can see Erika’s attempt to answer 30 questions in 5 minutes here and Angie’s attempt here, but now it’s Josh’s turn. Can he do it?

Josh Taylor
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Modern Mouse Radio #90: 3 Year Anniversary Omnibus Show

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3 Years have gone by way too fast! Modern Mouse Radio has changed quite a bit since it’s early days, but we are so happy with where we are and where we are going now! As with all of our anniversary shows, this show is filled with listener questions and we answered some great questions, serious and funny, Disney and not.

We are also overhauling the website soon to reflect where we are these days. That will come before the end of the year. Navigating the website will be an easier, smoother experience. We will also be launching a new web comic series at the beginning of 2016. Finally, new comics are coming!

Beyond those announcements, we will continue to expand with new videos and article series as well as an ever evolving Modern Mouse Boutique with new designs popping up periodically. Make sure to keep your eyes open for what we have in store!

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Josh Taylor
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Erika Jenko
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Disney Now and Then: Guest Questions

Fact 1: Disneyland instills some of the best customer service skills in their cast members than any company imaginable.

Fact 2: Disney also hires people who lean toward being on the friendly, helpful and happy side who soak in customer service skills like sponges.

Fact 3: Neither Fact 1 nor fact 2 kept me from fantasizing about the things that I wished I could say to guests but would never ever say because well…I’m not a terrible person.

When you work at Disneyland, you genuinely want to help people have the best day possible. You genuinely want them to be happy and to come back. You genuinely want them to find the magic that you found there as a kid and continue to find as a grownup. With all that said, wanna play an awesome game of make believe with me? Below are the main questions/comments I would get from guests while working attractions or entertainment. You’ll see the ‘THEN’ response, which is how I would’ve answered the question/comment as a cast member and the ‘NOW’ response, which is the way the question should never ever ever be answered but hopefully the answers will entertain you so here we go!

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Location: Town Square. 1 hour before the parade. Most of the characters are wrapping it up for the day.

Guest: “Why won’t you let me see Mickey Mouse? I have to leave to catch my cab to New Zealand in 5 minutes, and this is all your fault.”

Then: “I’m so sorry to hear that. Mickey really has to get back home to feed Pluto, but I want to make sure you see a character before you go. Goofy is just across the way and he’d love to say goodbye to you.

Now: “You waited til the end of the trip? Seriously? And we all know you’re not on your way home. You’re on your way to Downtown Disney to grab a cocktail and come back in.

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Location: Snow White’s Scary Adventure

Guest: “My child cried on this ride. Can she get a free churro?”

Then: “Oh, I hope the little princess is feeling better. You know, Snow White gets nervous around the Evil Queen too.

Now: “I would cry on this ride too, because it’s called ‘Snow White’s Scary Adventure’ NOT ‘Snow White took a delightful romp through the forest and happened upon 7 nice friends where absolutely nothing bad happened to her.’ And I don’t think she should get a churro for free. They’re all mine. It’s a ruling created by the queen.”

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Location: Rivers of America 30 minutes prior to FANTASMIC!

Guest: “Why are all these people standing around here?” 

Then: “They’re all waiting to see Fantasmic! The show starts in 15 minutes and its been my favorite since I was a kid. I would definitely stick around to see it.”

Now: “You mean why half the park is standing at the same location at the same time? Gee, I dunno, maybe they’re all waiting for their fast pass to Haunted Mansion to come into fruition. You should beat them to it and head straight to the ride. Nothing at all exhilarating or life changing is about to happen right here 

Location: The castle.

Guest: “Are you a princess?”

Then: “That’s so sweet of you to say. I’m a royal Paige right here at the castle and I get to assist all of the princesses on the royal court. Who is your favorite princess?”

Now: “Who me? I can guarantee you princesses don’t wear name tags or wear black flats from Payless. You seriously made my day though. Why weren’t you behind the casting table the last 10 times I auditioned? Ah, well. We can only hope they make an animated film about a German/Ukrainian girl who owns two cats. Wish me luck!”

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Location: Critter Country Winnie the Pooh meet n’ greet

Guest: (looking at Pooh) “Is it hot in there?”

Then: Thanks so much for worrying about Pooh! We actually chill his honey snacks so that he can have frozen honey pops, so Pooh actually loves this time of year.

Now: Can we just savor the magic for one split second? Why are you here if not to have the time of your life? Do you also tell your children that Santa doesn’t exist and that not making the bed leads to bed bugs or something terrible? Let’s have some fun shall we?

Erika Jenko
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Angie’s Disney Tag Challenge

Erika was awesome enough to tag Angie and Josh in her Tag Challenge video so Angie had to respond! Here’s Angie trying to answer 30 questions in 5 minutes. Can she even Disney?

Angie Taylor
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Erika’s Disney Tag Challenge

Erika got tagged by someone to do a Disney challenge. Answer 30 questions about Disney in 5 minutes. Lets see if she can beat the clock!

Erika Jenko
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Modern Mouse News: Sanderson Sisters and Pop Tarts

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Stories Discussed This Week

Boeing’s new R2D2 airplane
Han Solo Pop Tarts

Gender-less Halloween Costumes
Dapper Day Sells Out Disneyland
Aladdin Being Replaced by Frozen at DCA
Virtual Disneyland in Minecraft
Hocus Pocus comes to Magic Kingdom
No More Osbourne Lights

Walt’s and the Neverland Tunnels Rumored for Disney Springs
FerryTale Dessert Party



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Josh Taylor
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modernmouseradio.com

New Minecraft Disney Park

MCAmusement has added a Minecraft server that has an exact replica of Disneyland. You can ride attractions and see night time shows! Check out Keith’s videos for all the details and check out the server at the site!

Keith Lapinig
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Disney Now and Then: The Rides

 

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I used to be a very spoiled Disney girl. After work in the character department, I would high-tail it back to the breakroom to change clothes and run back into the park. You would think that I would be sick and tired of Disneyland after spending 40 hours a week there, but as a college-kid, an affordable date night or hangout with friends meant heading right back into the park. When you go to Disneyland all the time, you start to develop your favorite rides that you don’t mind riding a million times. I’ve noticed that my ride palette has changed a little bit since I worked at the parks, and when I have the chance to go once in awhile, I choose wisely, and sometimes differently. Here’s my DISNEYLAND RIDE: Now and Then based on lands!

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FANTASYLAND

Then: If I had a small amount of time to kill, I would hit Fantasyland first, because I knew I could see a lot in a short amount of time. Pinnochio and Snow White were the rides I always hit because the lines would be short, and I’d make it a point to not leave without going on Mr. Toad. Unless I was hanging out in the park til closing, I usually gave up hope on going on Peter Pan even though it’s actually my favorite ride in the park. What I always replaced it with, was my 2nd favorite Fantasyland ride, Alice in Wonderland. The ride I would usually end the night with, was the carousel. There is nothing in the world like riding that beauty late at night seeing the park lit up.

Now: My Fantasyland habits are pretty similar, except I do everything in my power to make sure that I go on Peter Pan. I will plan an entire day around waiting in that line if I have to, because I don’t know when my next visit will be. While Alice is still a huge favorite of mine, the Carousel is the one that I can’t miss, so in a sense, Carousel is the experience that stays exactly the same for me.

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ADVENTURELAND

Then: This was the land that I spent the most amount of time in after work. Between the Dole Whips, close proximity to Fantasmic! and Bengal BBQ, it was an ideal choice when it came to the perfect hangout spot. My favorite thing was riding Jungle Cruise at night. My friends and I would usually wait until one of our favorite skippers was on, so that we could get a special trip. Indiana Jones was the other must-see for me. Something about that ride never gets old.

Now: Adventureland is so crowded! I used to be able to navigate it like a pro, but now when I head into this land, I get a little overwhelmed. While I used to make it a point to never miss Jungle Cruise, I feel like it’s not a ride I need to hit every single time anymore. To be honest, I’ve heard those jokes a lot. When I do go on the ride, I love taking a Jungle Cruise Virgin with me so that I can experience the ride from a newbie perspective, or, I have to go on the ride at night. It’s hauntingly wonderful. Indiana Jones is still a must-see. The boulder, the fire, the snakes. It’s all gold.

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CRITTER COUNTRY/NEW ORLEANS SQUARE:

Then: Splash Mountain hands down. That ride never gets old. It didn’t matter if I pulled a full shift at work and was exhausted and it was a freezing 70 degrees out, I would always risk pneumonia for this ride.

Now: Splash Mountain didn’t happen on my first trip to WDW this year and it also didn’t happen on this recent visit over the summer. It all had to do with the fact that my party didn’t like drops. As much as I thought that I would lose sleep over this one, I have re-discovered my true favorites. Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Carribean are the rides I HAVE to go on every single time. It’s Disney Imagineering at its best. Give me a ride full of animatronics and I’m on-board. Also, I have fallen back in love with the Walt Disney Rail Road. I took a full loop and a half trip last time I went to the park. It’s the best way to see the park on a busy day without sitting in a crowd.

FRONTIERLAND:

Then: Thunder Mountain was my jam. At night. What is with me and going on rides at night? I think it’s my preference because that was the time of day I went on most of these rides due to work.

Now:  Thunder Mountain keeps getting skipped. I’m not doing it intentionally. I actually really like this ride. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. It’s like I don’t want to be 100% happy when I visit the Disney Parks. I’m so sorry, Thunder Mountain!

TOMORROWLAND:

Then: I would always make it a point to visit Innoventions. Not only did I work there, but they have a spectacular view of the fireworks on their exit ramp.

Now: I will usually visit the Jedi Training Academy for a nostalgic throw-back, but ride-wise Star Tours is always top of the list. I love the upgrades to the ride and it’s a different experience every single time. Plus…Star Wars. It never gets old.

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BOTTOM LINE: I would be happy walking around Disneyland with a cup of coffee looking at flowers all day. Seriously. Disneyland is my happy place. Any ride there brings a smile to my face. If I could only go on 1 ride when visiting the park, I’d pick Peter Pan. As a kid, my mom would pull me out of school to go on this ride, and it’s impossible for me to experience this ride without hearing her voice in my head as the jolly roger flies over Neverland, “Erika, look we’re flying!”

Erika Jenko
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