Disney Movie Reviews - Day 51 & Other Things
This may be a long post, but not for movie reasons, but I'll get to that in a minute.
I only watched one movie last night, Treasure Planet. This movie represents everything that was wrong with the movie department of Disney at the time and it's almost sad for me to watch it in a way. The technology used in the animation, the use of a rock band for the complete soundtrack (The Goo Goo Dolls), the attempt at trying to dip into the "cool pool" by featuring the Steampunk style, etc, were all designed as nothing more than a money-making cash cow and it, unfortunately, backfired horribly.
It's a shame really because it is honestly a really good movie overall. It was classic Disney imaginative storytelling by melding the world of Robert Louis Stevenson and space with a Jules Verne kick, the acting was really strong and I love it when you can feel emotions through voices in animation, and most importantly, the animation itself, even though CG, was actually really good quality (considering). Even watching it last night, I still found my mind wandering back to all the troubles that plagued this movie in production, marketing, and its utter flop status. Things changed at the Studio after this movie and thankfully for the better, but I still wish this movie could get it's second wind at some point in the future.
MOVIE TOTALS:
Live Action: 42
Full-Length Animation: 87
Mixed-Medium: 7
Animated Shorts: 276
Live Action Shorts: 1
Mixed-Medium Shorts: 2
Animated Series: 77
Mixed-Medium Series: 2
Documentaries: 8
I didn't watch any special features on the disc because I had to go to bed early for the events of this morning. For those that don't know, the New Horizons space craft finally arrived at Pluto. I was up at 6 am when the media briefings began and watched them all the way up to almost 8 when the NASA app crashed. It is a very rare moment that I miss having regular TV, where I could have just switched the channel and watched it elsewhere, but this morning I was in desperation to get to work (a possible first).
It reminded me of an event that happened 30 years ago, which, coincidentally, had its anniversary yesterday…Live Aid. In those days, my Duran Duran obsession was at its strongest. I was spending the summer at my father's house, but that wasn't a bad thing (then) because I probably wouldn't have been allowed to get up before sunrise, sit glued to the TV all day, and stay up most of the night if I had been at home. Throughout the day, it became a family affair (another thing that wouldn't have happened had I been at home). It was beautiful and epic and one of the most exciting days of my young life...at least part of it before it took a sharp right turn and went all went black.
Back in those days, there was no internet and I lived in bum-fudge Arkansas where there was no way I could get a schedule of events, so I didn't know what time Duran were playing. I had no choice but to sit through hours and hours of the couple of artists I liked, as well as multitude of artists I despised, waiting for my band to have their moment, but I was witnessing history in the making and that fact never escaped me, so I continued to watch almost non-stop.
Then, about midday, nature interrupted. We got a thunderstorm and it knocked out TV reception for several hours (back in those days, it happened that way, we were lucky it came back on at all that night). I cried, I bawled, I screamed, I begged my dad to call the cable company, I basically went off the deep end (I was a 14 year-old girl with mental issues, what do you expect?).
Of course, by the time the broadcast came back on later that night, Duran Duran had been on and long gone. But I had no way of knowing that, so I still watched the remaining hours with bated breath, hoping upon all hope that I hadn't missed them. It’s not like I could have gone on YouTube or the web and watched the clip again, that privilege was years away (well, other than the media clips of Simon’s voice cracking because it kept playing on MTV news constantly). My mood went even darker and stayed that way for quite a while. I was literally inconsolable and ended up cutting my summer with my father short and went home (a few more days, and they probably would have asked me to leave anyway).
I know that my issues tend to exacerbate even the smallest of things and I was in my turbulent teens, but that family were unprepared for the emotional shut-down I went through at simply missing a band play on television and were more than a little freaked out. I had controlled myself pretty well around them up that point. In hindsight though, it was a good thing I shut down, because the after-effects of showing out in front of that family probably would have affected me more. It later became one of those "hey, remember when?" moments every time I had communication with them. I haven't now for about 10 or so years, but if that ever changes, guaranteed the subject will come back up again.
I have done a lot of work on myself since, I got my Asper diagnosis, and I now understand why I am the way I am and can make real attempts at controlling myself (although I'm not always successful). That family is unaware of it because I’ve had no contact with them since, but I am sure they would probably go, “yeah, makes complete sense”, I get that a lot now).
So fast-forward back to this morning when the NASA app crashed. I had Live Aid flashbacks, my blood pressure skyrocketed and the tears started flowing. Once I did manage to get a hold of myself enough to get ready for work, I calmed down somewhat, but I was still at a critical-mass level all the way to work. Thankfully, no one spoke to me when I came in, or else I probably would have broke down again (I have them trained well).
I didn't miss much. The joy of the internet meant that I could watch this morning's press conference over and over again online. I managed to read every article I could find online about it and soaked up as much information as I could. Like playing Duran Duran’s Serious over and over again, my meltdown was quickly cured and I was able to go about my day. I can't guarantee I won't break down again if the same thing happens tonight when the signal from New Horizons is returned and we get more images and more data, but hopefully I can try.
I often think of myself as belonging to another time period because I feel like more of an old soul, but the technological advances that have been made in my lifetime really do make me feel so incredibly lucky to be part of today. We have sent a spacecraft to Pluto! Does it really get any cooler than that? Well, I guess since the next generation gets to go to Mars, then it does...but let me have my moment for this generation!
I'm excited to see if the mission gets extended and what Kuiper Belt object the New Horizons team decides to visit next (here's hoping it's your turn Eris!). The possibilities are endless and I am jumping in my chair in excitement at the prospect of new planetary discoveries past Pluto (even if they are classified as dwarf planets). We will also have the ability to possibly even see other plutoid-sized objects deeper into, and maybe even past the belt itself. Hate to be an 80's girl here, but AWESOME!
For anyone interested, you can see all the mission details HERE. You should also check out the Dawn mission that is currently orbiting Ceres (another dwarf planet that is located in the Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter). It's had a little trouble lately, but I think Dawn is just stepping back and giving Pluto its moment. And what a moment Pluto has had today! Congratulations to the Mission team and I can’t wait to see what information New Horizons has collected for us all!
I only watched one movie last night, Treasure Planet. This movie represents everything that was wrong with the movie department of Disney at the time and it's almost sad for me to watch it in a way. The technology used in the animation, the use of a rock band for the complete soundtrack (The Goo Goo Dolls), the attempt at trying to dip into the "cool pool" by featuring the Steampunk style, etc, were all designed as nothing more than a money-making cash cow and it, unfortunately, backfired horribly.
It's a shame really because it is honestly a really good movie overall. It was classic Disney imaginative storytelling by melding the world of Robert Louis Stevenson and space with a Jules Verne kick, the acting was really strong and I love it when you can feel emotions through voices in animation, and most importantly, the animation itself, even though CG, was actually really good quality (considering). Even watching it last night, I still found my mind wandering back to all the troubles that plagued this movie in production, marketing, and its utter flop status. Things changed at the Studio after this movie and thankfully for the better, but I still wish this movie could get it's second wind at some point in the future.
MOVIE TOTALS:
Live Action: 42
Full-Length Animation: 87
Mixed-Medium: 7
Animated Shorts: 276
Live Action Shorts: 1
Mixed-Medium Shorts: 2
Animated Series: 77
Mixed-Medium Series: 2
Documentaries: 8
I didn't watch any special features on the disc because I had to go to bed early for the events of this morning. For those that don't know, the New Horizons space craft finally arrived at Pluto. I was up at 6 am when the media briefings began and watched them all the way up to almost 8 when the NASA app crashed. It is a very rare moment that I miss having regular TV, where I could have just switched the channel and watched it elsewhere, but this morning I was in desperation to get to work (a possible first).
It reminded me of an event that happened 30 years ago, which, coincidentally, had its anniversary yesterday…Live Aid. In those days, my Duran Duran obsession was at its strongest. I was spending the summer at my father's house, but that wasn't a bad thing (then) because I probably wouldn't have been allowed to get up before sunrise, sit glued to the TV all day, and stay up most of the night if I had been at home. Throughout the day, it became a family affair (another thing that wouldn't have happened had I been at home). It was beautiful and epic and one of the most exciting days of my young life...at least part of it before it took a sharp right turn and went all went black.
Back in those days, there was no internet and I lived in bum-fudge Arkansas where there was no way I could get a schedule of events, so I didn't know what time Duran were playing. I had no choice but to sit through hours and hours of the couple of artists I liked, as well as multitude of artists I despised, waiting for my band to have their moment, but I was witnessing history in the making and that fact never escaped me, so I continued to watch almost non-stop.
Then, about midday, nature interrupted. We got a thunderstorm and it knocked out TV reception for several hours (back in those days, it happened that way, we were lucky it came back on at all that night). I cried, I bawled, I screamed, I begged my dad to call the cable company, I basically went off the deep end (I was a 14 year-old girl with mental issues, what do you expect?).
Of course, by the time the broadcast came back on later that night, Duran Duran had been on and long gone. But I had no way of knowing that, so I still watched the remaining hours with bated breath, hoping upon all hope that I hadn't missed them. It’s not like I could have gone on YouTube or the web and watched the clip again, that privilege was years away (well, other than the media clips of Simon’s voice cracking because it kept playing on MTV news constantly). My mood went even darker and stayed that way for quite a while. I was literally inconsolable and ended up cutting my summer with my father short and went home (a few more days, and they probably would have asked me to leave anyway).
I know that my issues tend to exacerbate even the smallest of things and I was in my turbulent teens, but that family were unprepared for the emotional shut-down I went through at simply missing a band play on television and were more than a little freaked out. I had controlled myself pretty well around them up that point. In hindsight though, it was a good thing I shut down, because the after-effects of showing out in front of that family probably would have affected me more. It later became one of those "hey, remember when?" moments every time I had communication with them. I haven't now for about 10 or so years, but if that ever changes, guaranteed the subject will come back up again.
I have done a lot of work on myself since, I got my Asper diagnosis, and I now understand why I am the way I am and can make real attempts at controlling myself (although I'm not always successful). That family is unaware of it because I’ve had no contact with them since, but I am sure they would probably go, “yeah, makes complete sense”, I get that a lot now).
So fast-forward back to this morning when the NASA app crashed. I had Live Aid flashbacks, my blood pressure skyrocketed and the tears started flowing. Once I did manage to get a hold of myself enough to get ready for work, I calmed down somewhat, but I was still at a critical-mass level all the way to work. Thankfully, no one spoke to me when I came in, or else I probably would have broke down again (I have them trained well).
I didn't miss much. The joy of the internet meant that I could watch this morning's press conference over and over again online. I managed to read every article I could find online about it and soaked up as much information as I could. Like playing Duran Duran’s Serious over and over again, my meltdown was quickly cured and I was able to go about my day. I can't guarantee I won't break down again if the same thing happens tonight when the signal from New Horizons is returned and we get more images and more data, but hopefully I can try.
I often think of myself as belonging to another time period because I feel like more of an old soul, but the technological advances that have been made in my lifetime really do make me feel so incredibly lucky to be part of today. We have sent a spacecraft to Pluto! Does it really get any cooler than that? Well, I guess since the next generation gets to go to Mars, then it does...but let me have my moment for this generation!
I'm excited to see if the mission gets extended and what Kuiper Belt object the New Horizons team decides to visit next (here's hoping it's your turn Eris!). The possibilities are endless and I am jumping in my chair in excitement at the prospect of new planetary discoveries past Pluto (even if they are classified as dwarf planets). We will also have the ability to possibly even see other plutoid-sized objects deeper into, and maybe even past the belt itself. Hate to be an 80's girl here, but AWESOME!
For anyone interested, you can see all the mission details HERE. You should also check out the Dawn mission that is currently orbiting Ceres (another dwarf planet that is located in the Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter). It's had a little trouble lately, but I think Dawn is just stepping back and giving Pluto its moment. And what a moment Pluto has had today! Congratulations to the Mission team and I can’t wait to see what information New Horizons has collected for us all!
Comments
It must be difficult having to deal with disappointments in a way that is socially acceptable. Our nephew has autism which throws up some similar difficulties. We need more acceptance and understanding of just how different people are!