Why I Had to End the Podcast I Loved

I had to do something this week that was really difficult and I want to talk about it. Last February, exactly a year ago, I created a podcast with my good friends called Talk Magic to Me which later became Talk Disney to Me. The podcast was all about a topic that we all felt attached - Disney. Disney was our childhood and still seemed to resonate with us in adulthood. We all had a lot to say about Disney and it was only fitting to talk about it weekly. When the podcast began, we were all ecstatic! What could be better than sitting with friends and talking about Disney? Nothing seemed to top it.
And last week, I had to put an end to it.
Now you may be wondering why I would stop doing something that I loved? Indeed by all accounts it seems strange. However, behind the scenes the podcast was a real struggle. Talk Disney to Me went from a hobby outside of work and outside my social life, to my entire life. I was working on the podcast non-stop, editing and writing up ideas and preparing for the next episode. Late nights became a regular ghost and recording became more of a drag than something fun. But I pressed on with my friends because we enjoyed each others company. We enjoyed talking about Disney. Our schedules were crazy but we worked it out. But even though we were enjoying ourselves, this didn't stop the fact that I felt life was going by me without a second glance. I was putting off getting together with friends to record and edit, I was loosing sleep, I had a full time job and no time afterwards to focus on projects I have been passionate about for years. I want to write a book and I love reading books. Yet this pleasure was taken away from me and replaced with working on a Disney podcast. Life was a constant rush. Rushing to get things done before I had to record again, rushing to watch a TV show because time was limited. I was torn between my love of Disney and the life I wanted to live. And I had to make a choice. I didn't want to make that choice though. I wanted to continue with the podcast. I wanted to make it work. But truthfully, it never would. As long as Talk Disney to Me was alive, I couldn't further myself in the aspects of life I really felt passionate about.
I think this is something we all struggle with. We struggle with this idea that just because we love something means we stick with it. There is a big difference between following your dreams and doing something you love. I loved doing Talk Disney to Me. But truth be told, it wasn't going to take me to where I want to go in life. It was becoming a job and I wasn't even getting paid. I know life isn't about money but passion. However, money is still important. When you work hard, you want some kind of recognition be it feedback or money. Truth be told, we weren't getting much of either. When you work on something and can't do it without those things, you may be in the wrong business. I had to ask myself, where will this podcast take you in the next five years? Well, I could go to Disney World and meet up with a bunch of Disney fans and make new friends. But is Disney where I want to go in life? The answer is no. I want to be a writer. Disney has to come second. And that is why the podcast had to come to an end.
What is ironic is that when I made the decision, I was at work. Earlier that morning I had just rearranged our podcast schedule and was super pumped for all the topics we were going to discuss. And then I was brought back to reality while listening to a podcast called The Walk. The host was talking about dividing up your time and when you have to say no to certain things. That was when I realized I had to say no to Talk Disney to Me. I had to let it go. And I won't lie when I say I shed a tear or two at work at the very thought of it because at that moment I was set in my decision. The podcast is over, I told myself. It is strange because I felt as if I was losing a friend. Talk Disney to Me has become so ingrained in my day to day life and thoughts that it felt weird to say goodbye. But I hope it isn't a goodbye. I hope it is a see you soon kind of thing. I know that is cliche but it is true. The project is my baby and I hope to do something with it again. Whether it be in the form of a podcast or blog or community, I hope to some day return to it...in small doses of course. But for now, letting go feels bittersweet. I'm content.
I want to thank everyone involved in the show. My fellow hosts - Jen, Eric, JD, and Rachel. You guys are awesome and I know we will never stop talking about Disney anytime soon. Helpers behind the scenes - Zeek, Molly, and Gina. Zeek, you helped so much with where the podcast was going and I am so happy that another Disney podcast was born because of it, Behind the Magic. I can't wait to work with you in the future. Gina and Molly, you guys helped out with social media. While only on for a brief time, it was awesome having you on the team. I also want to thank Robert Velarde for coming on for an interview. That has to be the crowning moment for Talk Disney to Me and we are honored to have met and talked with you and hope to talk more in the future.
Obviously my time with Disney will still continue through this weekly blog. This is about all the time I can devote to Disney now. I hope it is enjoyable all the same. Thank you for taking the time to read this. Obviously I there is much I didn't say in this blog post but I hope what I have written is enough.

The Animation Addicts Podcast with the Rotoscopers

Finding a good Disney podcast is very similar to finding a good book podcast. It's rare that you find a really good one and when you do, you become addicted to it. The Animation Addicts podcast with the Rotoscopers is my Disney podcast addiction...or animation addiction.
The Animation Addicts is a podcast hosted by the Rotoscopers - Chelsea Robson, Morgan Stradling, and Mason Smith. On the show they discuss all kinds of animated movies from Disney, to Don Bluth; from Pixar to Dream Works, and more! While the show is primarily a frame by frame look at a film of choice, they also include a segment called the Nerdy Couch Discussion and sometimes release episodes interviewing people from the animation industry including Don Bluth and Glen Keane.
Now I haven't been listening long and am still catching up on episodes but I have no problem saying that the Rotoscopers have the best Disney (okay, animation) podcast out there! Not only do these guys host a great show but they have excellent chemistry and great personality. It is impossible to not smile while listening. And more often than not you will laugh out loud at one of their jokes while you are listening at your quiet work station and everyone will look at you like a crazy person. Oh wait...is that just me?
Another aspect of the show that I love is the content. I'm a Disney purist but realize that animation can be great no matter who makes it. The Rotoscopers cover them all! I also love love love the Nerdy Couch Discussions! And Mason's impersonations are the greatest.
But most of all, this show has quality and heart...and I know that sounds cliche but it is the truth. You can tell that these people love animation and love the podcast, and I'm glad because I would be extremely sad if I could no longer listen to them. I highly recommend you download the show and subscribe on iTunes! The Rotoscopers don't disappoint. Be sure to check out the website as well. It is my go-to site for any animation news! Check them out at the links below!

Website: http://www.rotoscopers.com/
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/animation-addicts-podcast/id501373557?mt=2
Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/animation-addicts-podcast-with-the-rotoscopers
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rotoscopers
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rotoscopers
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheRotoscopers
Tumblr: http://rotoscopers.tumblr.com/

Looking Deeper into Disney's Beauty and the Beast

One reason that I love Beauty and the Beast is all the artistry behind it. The movie's pacing, animation, music, and reworking of the original tale are all spot on and marked a big change for the Disney company. This blog post will consist of me bouncing between brief topics relating to this film. From Pride and Prejudice to the symbolism of the seasons, let's bounce into Beauty and the Beast!
I first want to touch on an obvious piece of symbolism and that is what objects the servants in the castle transformed into. Lumiere the womanizer turned into a candelabra to symbolize bright light and attracting women like a moth to a flame. Cogsworth the wound up one is transformed into a clock. Mrs. Potts the motherly one is turned into a teapot which supplies comfort to those in times of hardship. This is the brilliance of Disney. They use everyday objects to depict someone's character.
Now let's move on to the Beast who was originally transformed based on his beastly personality however is the only person to truly change throughout the story. By the film's climax, we the audience are aware that Beast is a good person but he still maintains his animal look. While this is obviously a plot device, it also is much more than that. Look at Gaston for example. Here is a very interesting contrast that the filmmakers throw in...the contrast of Beast to Gaston. When it really comes down to it, they are very much the same person at the beginning of the film but as the film progresses we see Gaston's personality become more beastly even though he is handsome, and Beast's personality become more gentle and kind even though he looks like a monster. What is also great about this is that at the beginning Belle doesn't like either of them but values a good ugly person over a bad good looking person and this also becomes clear later in the film.
Speaking of true colors, have you ever noticed Beauty and the Beast very much mirrors Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Two people have a misunderstanding about each other, bend a little bit and slowly get to know one another and fall in love. Belle indeed shares many of the qualities set forth by Lizzie Bennett and the Beast too gives off a very damaged and anti-social vibe throughout the film. Of course there are differentiations between the two works but if Disney relates to Austen in any way then I'm always on board.

Going back to Belle, and making my final point of the blog, we see an interesting transformation in her as well throughout the film. Many seem to forget about her transformation as the film really shines light on the Beast and his servants. Belle's transformation is very subtle but brilliant film-making. In the beginning of the film we see the season is autumn by the warm colored leaves on the trees. We also are told through song that Belle is sick of her provincial life. The season directly mirrors Belle's mood as autumn is typically seen as a time of dying and Belle is dying a little inside. She really wants to get out of her life and meet someone who understands her (I know, Belle is such a hipster) as opposed to everyone around her who thinks she is crazy. She is then forced to die a bit more when she sacrifices her freedom for her father's. We then enter winter, the season of death where Belle is at her lowest point. It is when winter is nearing an end and spring is slowly blooming that we see Belle begin to thaw her frozen heart (no Frozen pun intended) and allow Beast to see another side of her. The film perfectly sets the seasons to be a metaphor for Belle's transformation. Damn.
Those are some things I've noticed about the film. Let me know if you've noticed these things or other things you noticed in the comments below! Have a Disney-rific day!

Emma Watson to Play Belle...YAY!

The time has come for I, Disney Danielle, to admit that I am a psychic, for I have correctly predicted the latest casting news from Disney. I predicted that Emma Watson would one day take on the role of Belle in a live action take of the classic fairy-tale Beauty and the Beast. Evidence of this can be seen to your left as I designed a fan movie poster with Emma as Belle. My prediction came true last week on Monday when Disney and Emma announced the news to the world wide web.
Emma Watson is most known for her role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films and has had an amazing career since the films wrapped. She has been in flicks such as My Week with Marilynn, Noah, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower while also taking time off for University and playing a big role in global politics particularly surrounding feminism. Rumors have surrounded her since Potters ended that a live action Beauty and the Beast film was in the works from Warner Brothers and director Guillermo Del Toro though the project never fully got off the ground and it is unknown if it will continue now that Watson has left for Disney and Toro dropped out.
I've always imagined Watson would make a fantastic Belle and clung to the hope that she would eventually take the role. You can imagine my freakish excitement when the announcement was made. But beyond my feelings which change all of the time, why else does Watson fit so well into Belle's shoes? For starters, she has the look. She also has the talent. Watson has been in the company of grade A actors and has really become a fantastic actor herself. She values smart female characters and will give great respect to the role of Belle. Not only is Belle a strong female character but a character Watson grew up with and is attached to. This is a clear win win situation.
It has been said that Disney's live action remake will be a musical just like the animated feature. This begs many questions such as -- will Alan Menken return to re-orchestrate? Will songs from the Broadway show be included? Can Watson sing? Ironically, Watson is rumored to have been casted in another film titled La La Land which is also a musical. She also sang backup vocals with Ben Hammersly in the song Pantomime. I'm sure she can sing well and she will be taking singing lessons but I wonder if she can belt like Paige O'Hara did in the original 1991 film. Which also makes me wonder if any of the original cast will return to help the new actors or make cameos.
Disney has been into remaking their animated features into live action blockbusters for a while now and none of them have been highly regarded. While I very much enjoyed Alice in Wonderland, I can see why critics wouldn't like it. Oz the Great and Powerful had some really great moments but nothing saved it from being a sub-par movie. And Maleficent was just bad. Instead of trying to be a good movie it tried to be different and clone Frozen at the ending. Overall, not a good track record. Cinderella is set to come out in March so we will have to see how that movie does but from what we have already seen, Disney hasn't done much justice to their own source material. It is apparent that creativity and good story telling/movie making is given a back seat to cash. Hopefully Beauty and the Beast won't fall into this trap. Though after hearing that director Bill Condon, director of such classics like Breaking Dawn Part 1 and Part 2, will be involved I am a little more worried. Then again, Steven Chobosky (author of Perks of Being a Wallflower and screen writer/director of the film adaption) is the screen writer so there is still room for hope.
Overall, this is great news and I can't wait to see the final product and Emma as Belle! What do you think of this casting choice? Are you excited to see Emma as Belle? What do you think of Disney's live action film adaptions?

Galavant Season 1 Review...or something along those lines

There is a classic emotion that aches in all the hearts of fairytale protagonists. It can overcome fame and fortune and promise happily ever after. That emotion is true love and it is seen most in Disney animated movies and has been carried over into live action pieces such as Once Upon a Time. But Disney knows how to poke fun at themselves; they did it in Enchanted and more subtly in Frozen. And now they have done it again with their new series on ABC, Galavant!
So I wrote this review by discussing the story, music, characters, actors, etc. but I found it very hard to write it all down and when I actually finished, it just seemed like a bunch of annoying words and I didn't feel good about it so now I am writing it all down on the spot so here it goes.
I thought Galavant was just okay. I was expecting a bit more out of the first season but for what it did

provide I will certainly be returning for another season. I first want to comment on the music because that is what stood out above all else. Alan Menken composed the soundtrack and I love Alan Menken so I had a good feeling about it all...but it was just alright. I guess his biggest accomplishment with this soundtrack is that I can't look at a Galavant poster or think of Galavant without singing the title in my head. "Gaaaaaalllaavantttt!" Yep, truth. But at the end of the day, the soundtrack was okay. Which is what most of this show amounted to. Just okay.
The characters are fun but most we have seen before. The story was fairly basic as far as I could tell. Nothing special there. The comedy was good but lacking in some areas where I expected it to be better. They really hyped up this great comedic extravaganza in the commercials on TV and it didn't live completely up to the hype for me. The guest stars were awesome and would be even more awesome had they had more screen time. Seriously, how long was John Stamos on TV? For all their talk of guest stars they hardly had much screen time.
Is it worth watching? Yes. Absolutely. I feel like this is one of those shows that will get better over time. I do like that it doesn't take itself seriously...at all. That makes for good comedy. And the finale left us with a great cliffhanger so you know I will be returning for Season 2. Overall, Galavant's first season isn't great but it's a good start. It is worth watching and I'm excited to see more.