Rumplestiltskin Part II

It's been many moons since my last post on this subject, which you can read here (which you might need to before proceeding onwards, because I might be referencing back to it a lot). I mentioned there that I could easily go on. Well, here we are. I wasn't joking.

Rumplestiltskin from the TV show, Once Upon a Time. Why do I insist on continuing to analyze and write about him, you wonder? Well, I find him an absolutely fascinating character. He's my favorite, as I mentioned in my previous post. I'm learning more about him and his motives as the show progresses, but he still continues to intrigue me. He's not a very straightforward character like most of the other characters in the show. This time as I write, I will not be worried about spoilers, so beware if you have not watched the show up to the latest episode. (I have recently rewatched all the episodes from the pilot to the most recent one with my mom and have had a chance to look at things more closely and to notice things I didn't notice the first time around, thus sparking another reason why I've decided to write this post.)

I covered most of my thoughts in my last post, about how he is certainly not a good guy, but I don't think he's necessarily a bad guy either.

I'm going to do my best to summarize his story so far. I see him as a Faustian figure. He was once a widower wool merchant with one son who would be taken away from him when he turned 14 to fight in the pointless Ogre Wars. Rumplestiltskin once ran from the wars himself and was abandoned by his wife and shunned by everyone else because of his cowardice. Shortly before his son's 14th birthday, an old beggar tipped him off

of how he could gain power over those who would come to take his son. He would have to break into the Duke's castle and steal a dagger that had "The Dark One"'s name inscribed into it. The dagger was the reason why the Duke could control the Dark One's great powers and use it to get people to fight in the wars. If Rumplestiltskin stole the dagger, he would control the Dark One's powers. If he killed the Dark One, then he would take the power for himself.

Rumplestiltskin used his wits and managed to obtain the dagger. Rumplestiltskin summoned the Dark One and declared himself his master. The Dark One was not impressed and wondered aloud what the timid little man would have him do. Rumplestiltskin's answer was "Die!"and he killed him. The Dark One revealed himself to be the beggar from before. He laughed and told Rumplestiltskin that "All magic comes with a price". The magic transferred into Rumplestiltskin, changing his appearance and he became the new Dark One. His name then became inscribed on the dagger. He returned home and used his power to save his son from the Duke's men, declaring that he was not scared of anything. But his son was afraid, seeing that the man in front of him was no longer his father. (We have yet to find out what became of the son after that. There's supposed to be an episode about it in the very near future.)

After this, Rumplestiltskin's story came in chunks. He lived on a large estate somewhere, like a castle. He began using his great power by making deals with people that they thought were to their advantage. Examples of his actions include playing the role of Cinderella's fairy godmother after killing the real one, arranging for the secret adoption of Prince Charming and his twin brother by the king, and giving the evil queen the curse that sent everyone to the real world. At some point, he took a young woman, Belle, as payment for one of his deals, to be caretaker for his estate. In a very Beauty and the Beast fashion, he fell in love with her, though not so obviously until she was gone. He is considered the "most dangerous being in all the realm". Eventually he was trapped by Cinderella when she had him sign a contract with an enchanted quill. He was then put into a special cell built especially for him in the dwarf mines where he remained until the evil queen's curse was enacted, then he became a wealthy pawnshop owner in Storybrooke, Maine, named Mr. Gold.

Mr. Gold, although no longer magical, still possesses a great deal of power and influence over the residents of Storybrooke. From real estate to politics to the personal lives of the town’s residents, his knowledge and involvement is infinite. In fact, he’s got his hands in so many things happening in the town it’s almost scary. According to Granny he “owns” the town. Also, most of the citizens seem to be more intimidated by him than the mayor, Regina (the evil queen). He continues to make shady deals with people who are willing to pay the price, except he plays by the rules of our world. Eventually it is revealed that he remembers his past life as Rumplestiltskin.

Rumplestiltskin will do whatever someone asks, so long as they can pay the price. This is why I don't see him as either good or bad. He has helped both sides at one point and both sides are afraid of him. The Beauty and the Beast episode, where he played the role of the beast, showed a bit of his softer side. That he is still just as alone and cowardly as ever, but it is now hidden under his mad and powerful exterior. He has a power-complex. He desires to be the most powerful being in the realm (which he is) and stay that way. He wants to

do the impossible, such as bottle love (which he eventually manages to do). He is paranoid about losing his power. I think that he feels that he will be like he was before, but worse since he doesn't even have his son anymore. He says of himself before he got his power, "All I got is my boy. And they're going to take him away from me. If I lose him, then I will truly... truly become dust." So I think that his power has replaced his son in a way.

He's like the representation of people's greed, I think. Like "I can give you what you want without having to work for it... but it'll cost you." Also, I've observed that although he's creepy and a little bit insane, he does have his own code and morals that he always seems to follow, they're just different from everybody else's. For example, he has never actually lied to anybody before, but he gets away with so much by manipulating them and/or avoiding the truth.

Back to my claim of him not being good or bad. Lots of people say he's a villain, which I can easily see why they would think that (in some episodes, he sort of is. That's the role he plays for some). But, I don't see him as such because he only does things that are to his advantage. He could easily take over the entire fairytale world and rule over everybody, make everyone his

slaves, or whatever, but he doesn't. He could also help save people from whatever trouble they may be in (genuinely help them), and use his powers for good, but he doesn't. I think this is partly because then what would he do once he had accomplished that? The other reason, and main reason is that it doesn't really benefit him in any particular way. Also, he has a very subtle style most of the time and taking over the fairytale world or something wouldn't fit in his code. So if someone wants his help to take over, he will help them if they can pay the price. A perfect example of what I'm talking about is while he is Mr. Gold in Storybrooke. He is fully aware of the predicament that everyone is in (that they are all storybook characters trapped in the real world, unaware of their true identities, stuck without their happy endings), but he chooses not to do anything about it... because how does it really benefit him? But he doesn't hesitate to give other characters a little nudge if they start to remember their past lives.

Yeah, I think I've covered all the thoughts I've ever had on the subject. So I guess I'll wrap it up by saying that although he's a creepy, insane, sneaky, strange, crafty little devil, Rumplestiltskin is still my favorite character (and marvellously portrayed by Robert Carlyle. I almost forgot to praise this guy for his outstanding performance. He's absolutely brilliant in this role.)

Watch one of my favorite scenes with him (his very first scene) here.

and

easily the most spine-chilling scene with his counter-part, Mr. Gold here.

Cliches of Life

As some of you know, I'm a writer. Well, obviously if you're reading this blog, you know that. But I mean I write stories-- novels, works of fiction. This stems back to my childhood before I could even write. I would make up my stories and then draw them out, sort of like a comic book. I made up stories all the time and, not to toot my own horn, I was pretty good at it for my age. I started actually writing my stories out in novel form in my tween years. I still remember the first one I actually finished. It was the first in a series of books called "The Crossed Swords Series". They were strongly influenced by the Zorro stories, with lots of my own twists thrown in. Now, I'm still working on my BOM-historic novel that I hope to someday get published. I've written and rewritten it several times and I'm still unsatisfied with it.

Anyways, my point is that I've had a lot of experience with fictitious writing (as well as non-fiction stuff, like essays for school and stuff). Now there are several different directions in which I could take this post, but the topic I really want to focus on here is cliches. I don't want to talk about cliches in writing, I want to talk about them in life.

People don't really give me credit for how observational I really am. I notice a lot more than people think, I normally just don't say anything, or I ignore it, or I pretend I didn't see it for whatever reason (I also have a history as an actress. I can really put on a face if I want/need to). I often perceive life as a story, because to quote Doctor Who, "we're all stories in the end", so I look at life like a book or a movie.

All. Stories. Have. Cliches.

At least one. This is a fact. I mean, I seriously cannot think of a single story that did not have at least one cliche in it somewhere. Whether it was in the plot, the dialogue, the setting, the type of character, etc. I'm not saying it's a bad thing. No, no. If they're done properly, at the correct time, and/or there are not too many of them, I fully appreciate the cliches in the story. Sometimes even if they're painfully obvious, I still will sometimes enjoy a good cliche, because nowadays people are trying too hard to be original that I enjoy seeing stuff that's old hat. However, if I am bombarded with cliches, then the story automatically loses several points in my book.

I feel the same way with life. I see cliches all the time. After all, the stories in our books and movies are based off of our everyday life. The cliches had to start somewhere. Of course, it goes both ways. Something may have started on TV or something and now it's happening everywhere.

So, if I am bombarded with cliches from someone or something in real life, they automatically lose several points in my book, just like a book or a movie. I'm praying to high heaven that he never finds my blog and reads this, because that would be extremely embarrassing, but I went on a date this last Saturday. Now, it was a good date, I had a really good time, so don't get the wrong idea here. But it was full of cliches. The date itself was original: drive into Hollister, lunch, then drive to Carmel, and walk around the mission. Nothing really cliche there. However, how I was treated was the cliche part. He always opened the door for me (all the doors), he offered me his jacket, he paid for everything, it was always "ladies first", and if you can think of any others, he probably did it. Now I know that some of those are expected from a gentleman on a date. And maybe I'm just different from other girls, because I'm fiercely independent and don't fall all over that stuff (my friends would love it, I know that). But mostly I'm not impressed by it all because they're cliches. Now I wouldn't have minded if he had hit me with just one of them, or if he did all of them, but did them jokingly like he knew they were cliche and was just trying to be funny, but he wasn't.

When I'm writing, I try to be original, but I throw in cliches every once in a while just to spice it up a little. Like I keep saying, one or two of them are OK, but when you're flooded with them, it's a turnoff and you're probably going to get a bad review. At least, that's how it is for me.

A Drama Reminisce

As the high school's performance of "High School Musical" approaches and I watch Afton prepare for her part as Kelsi the composer, I become more and more nostalgic. I truly miss being in the high school plays. I miss everything about them. I miss the stress and pressure of the auditions, the anxiety as you first read the cast list and find out your part, the first read through, the practicing long hours after school, learning the songs, memorizing your lines, remembering your cues, missing your entrances, getting chewed out by Ms. Porter for texting backstage, the silly warm-ups that Ms. O/Amy taught us, wearing your costume for the first time, the first tech-rehearsal, the first orchestra rehearsal, Ms. Porter and Amy pulling their hair out during the first tech and orchestra rehearsals, dress rehearsals, "nakey time!", the excessive makeup, cast gatherings before each performance, the applause, the singing and dancing for a live audience, flubbing up, the bowing, and then sprinting around backstage to the front doors so everybody can tell you what a fabulous job you did XD.

5th Grade

My first ever play was in 5th grade. I don't remember what it what called. But it was literally a full blown play, not a silly little skit. But we had no stage, no lights, no fancy costumes or makeup; just our scripts, a few props, and our elementary acting skills. I was one of the main characters, Bebe. If I remember correctly, the play was about three kids who, on the 4th of July, got stuck back in time during the Revolutionary War time. I don't remember really what happened, it was sort of an educational play (which is why we were doing it). I was the only person to go off-book for the entire play. And I was a main character. This was when I discovered my appreciation for drama-like areas. (However, I eventually leaned more into the video-making department, but that's for another post.) I know my mom came and took pictures, but I can't seem to find them anywhere. I do remember my costume though: blue and white tennis shoes, blue jean capris, and a red and white shirt that said "Top 5 Reasons Why I'm a Princess" (I don't remember the reasons). My hair was just left to itself and I had no fancy makeup.

Anything Goes

My second play was my sophomore year of high school. This is where my nostalgia really begins. My friend, Angela had been in the play "Once Upon a Mattress" during our freshman year and I thought it looked like fun to be in. So, the next year she agreed to do the play with me (because I was scared to do it by myself). However, like a week or so before auditions, she decided she wouldn't be able to balance the play amongst her already busy schedule and dropped out, leaving me torn. I would have to audition by myself and if I got a part, I would not know anybody. Now, understand, back then I was one of the shyest people you would ever meet and had terrible people skills (I have since improved, but am far from perfection).

The Audition

After changing my mind several times, I went to the audition. It was only a singing audition... and easily my worst nightmare. I went in with two other people, a boy and a girl. I sort of knew the music director, Amy Oelrich, but not really. She taught us a few lines of a song and had us sing it as a group a few times. Then... she had us sing it individually. Worst. Nightmare. There I was singing solo in front of three other people with my not-even-close-to-Kelly-Clarkson voice. After preforming, we were free to go, without any comment or criticism. I of course was beating myself up and wanted to go hide under a rock.

The Part/Read-through

I don't remember how long we had to wait, but after at least a week, the cast list was posted. I was listed under "Ensemble". Great! It was exactly what I wanted. There was no way I wanted a lead after that traumatizing audition. So, we had our first read-through after the Christmas break... which I did not know about and missed. Ms. Porter, the drama teacher, was very stern with me when I came the next time. So there I was, the poor little sophomore who was already terrified and knew absolutely nobody in the room. There were two groups of the ensemble: the passengers and the sailors. All the sailors were men, so I assumed I was going to be a passenger. And I was for a couple read throughs. However, Ms. Porter soon realized that I was not the slacker she originally thought me to be and could actually be a very capable actress if I could just find the confidence. So she made me a sailor. Yes, I was the only female sailor. I was the sailor who arrested Moonface the gangster ^_^.

The Plot

The S.S. American, sailing from New York to England, carries an unusual group of passengers. Included amongst them are a gangster (Moonface Martin), a wealthy debutante and her mother (Hope and Evangeline Harcourt), a nightclub singer (Reno Sweeny), and a wealthy New York businessman and his stowaway assistant (Elisha Witney and Billy Crocker). It turns out that Hope is Billy's long-lost love. Unfortunately, she is now engaged to a wealthy Englishman, Lord Evelyn Oakleigh. During a series of comedic happenings, Billy attempts to win back Hope. Meanwhile, Billy's friend, Reno, tries to seduce and win Lord Evelyn. All this happens while Moonface Martin attempts to escape the law and Hope's mother strives to maintain her social status.

The Costume

Sadly, my mom took plenty of pictures of our performances, but we are unable to access them right now. I remember my costume though: a white sailor's top, a waist-high, knee-length navy blue skirt with silver buttons, a white sailor cap, and black buckle heels. I had my hair in small, tight curls, and my makeup was extremely dark, but just natural colors.

Annie

I had so much fun doing "Anything Goes" that I decided that I wanted to do the play the next year no matter what it was. This time, my sister and her friends had all started high school and wanted to do it as well. (I had quite an influence on them XP). So we all signed up for the same audition day.

The Audition

Now that I knew what was going on and I was older, I was not as terrified as last time. Plus I knew a lot of the people there, so it helped a little. This audition was a singing AND acting audition. I braved through the solo part of the singing audition. There were more people listening this time. The acting audition was kind of fun. Since I had more confidence this time, I decided I wouldn't mind having a bigger part (not a lead, mind you. I'm not stupid, deaf, and/or full of myself. I know I'm not a good enough singer to ever get a lead in a musical). I gave it all I had in the parts that Ms. Porter had me read (I remember reading for some of the orphans, some of the servants, and one person from Hooverville). I really wanted to be an orphan. I never got a callback, but I think Afton did... I'd have to double check that. Because of that, I was afraid that I didn't get ANY part. So many people had auditioned and Ms. Porter had warned us that there would be people that wouldn't make it.

The Part/Read-through

The waiting seemed to take forever! But finally the cast list went up. Luckily I DID make the list. I was Mrs. Greer, the housekeeper. I wasn't entirely happy at first, but I was over it by the time the read-through came around. At least I had an actual name this time, not just "Ensemble". And as we read the script, I found that I even had my own solo line, "Bubbles! No, soap I think." I thoroughly enjoyed having people I already knew in the cast with me. There were people I had befriended from "Anything Goes" and then basically the rest of the cast were Mormons.

The Plot

In the depths of the 1930's, Annie is a fiery young orphan girl who must live in a miserable orphanage run by the tyrannical Miss Hannigan. Her seemingly hopeless situation changes dramatically when she is selected to spend a short time at the residence of the wealthy munitions industrialist, Oliver Warbucks. Quickly, she charms the hearts of the household staff and even the seemingly cold-hearted Warbucks cannot help but learn to love this wonderful girl. He decides to help Annie find her long lost parents by offering a reward if they would come to him and prove their identity. However, Miss Hannigan, her evil brother, Rooster, and a female accomplice, plan to impersonate those people to get the reward for themselves.

The Costume

Ah-ha! I have pictures from this. All the female servants wore these large gray dresses, white aprons, and white caps. My hair was simply plastered to my head underneath the cap, and my make up was excessively dark, but natural colors.

Warbucks and the orphans

Mrs. Greer

Warbucks and Annie

Seussical

Senior year! Senioritus... yeah, it hit me hard. But it didn't stop me from wanting to the play that year. I knew that Ms. Porter always favored seniors and gave them favorable parts. There was no way I would pass that opportunity up. Even if I didn't get a "favorable" part, I still wanted to be in the play, so I, along with the majority of the "Annie" cast, signed up for auditions.

The Audition

Auditions were basically the same as last year. Singing and acting. No problem though, I had done this before, I was more experienced, I didn't have to worry, right? Well... except for one minor detail. I had just got my wisdom teeth out about two weeks before the audition and my jaw was still sore. I pressed on though. Once again, I braved through the solo part of the singing audition (although I had to quit in the middle because I couldn't hit the high notes). I knew that would hurt my chances of getting a good part, but I did NOT want to be singing that high in front of people by myself. I did have an advantage during this audition since I already knew all the songs and the story (and was probably the only one besides Ms. Porter and Amy). The acting audition was fun and I was given big parts to read. Ms. Porter actually laughed heartily at my performance of the Cat in the Hat. I was in fact called back for the Cat, Mrs. Mayor, and a bird girl.

The Part/Read-through

Waiting didn't seem as long this time. People kept telling me that they thought I would get the Cat. That would be nice. I considered the possibility sometimes, but when it really came down to it, I knew that I wouldn't get such a big part. And I didn't. The list came out, I got a bird girl. Even though I knew I wouldn't get a huge part, I was still just a little bit disappointed. But, the bird girls had a lot of stage time since they did a lot of narrating (they were the jungle gossipers). The read-through wasn't long since most of the play is singing. I grew to love my part and the other bird girls (and was exceedingly glad not to be a lead in this particular play after seeing how hard they had to work).

The Plot

The Cat in the Hat is the host and emcee (and all-around mischief-maker) in this romp through the Seuss classics. When the sweet, good-natured elephant Horton hears a small cry for help coming from a small speck of dust, he promises to rescue and guard it because "a person's a person, no matter how small." On that small speck of dust lives JoJo, an imaginative young Who. JoJo has astounding "thinks," in which anything's possible, but his parents believe this creativity is inappropriate for the son of the Mayor of Who-Ville. Meanwhile, the one-feathered bird, Miss Gertrude McFuzz, desperately wants Horton to notice her. Maybe, she thinks, she just needs a more impressive tail. At the same time, the amazingly lazy Maysie La Bird connives, cajoles and convinces Horton to sit on her egg while she goes off on a spree. Will the planet of Who survive? Will Horton pay attention to Gertrude? Will Maysie ever return for her egg? Dr. Seuss's beloved classic characters find themselves intertwined in an incredible crazy-quilt adventure, in which the power of imagination and the most miraculous "think" ever save the day!

The Costume

We got PLENTY of pictures of this production. I loved my costume for this and I especially loved my makeup. Hair, not so much. It was really uncomfortable. All the bird girls wore a fancy dress, a feather boa, a feather tail, and a feather puff in our hair. Our hair was pulled back and had to sit on our heads in curls like a nest, or if it was too short, sprout out like a tree. Our make up was extravagant, it could be whatever we wanted, it just had to match our bird colors. Mine was just the green and pink with sparkles and bedazzles.

Cat in the Hat, Mrs. Mayor, Mayor of Whoville, Jojo

Bird girl

Horton the Elephant

Gertrude McFuzz, Horton, Sour Kangaroo

Ahhh... I do miss it all. I actually remember parts of dances to some of the songs in all of the plays. Yes, even as far back as "Anything Goes". I'm excited to go see "High School Musical" this month. I'll actually be sitting in the audience instead of backstage or in the spotlight. It'll be fun to watch and know what's happening behind the scenes :)

Detective Stories

"I like detective stories. And detectives... Brainy's the new sexy." --Irene Adler, BBC's Sherlock: 2x01: A Scandal in Belgravia

My sentiments exactly to the above quote. Even if a book or movie isn't directly in the mystery genre, but just has an intriguing plot and/or overtone, that's good enough for me. I've always had a passion for mystery stories ever since I was young. I always tell people whenever they ask that I don't really have favorites (like favorite type of music, favorite type of food, favorite type of movies, etc), but I will say that if a book or movie is in the mystery genre, it will most likely gain at least a few points in my book.

NANCY DREW

As a kid/preteen, I read the Nancy Drew series. I absolutely LOVED these books as a kid! I think these were probably my first leap into the mystery genre. I'm going to do my best to describe her from memory. It's been years since I read the books. Nancy Drew is an 18-year-old girl who lives with her dad and housekeeper. She's extremely polite and modest, as well as very attractive and talented. If I recall, she comes across a lot of her cases either by accident or because her Dad is a lawyer. She also doesn't accept payment for them if she can help it. I like the Nancy Drew books because they are particularly unique compared to a lot of detective stories nowadays. The originals were set in (I think) the 1950's/60's which is an interesting time period to me. Plus, FEMALE detective! Heck yeah! I can't really rant too much on this (although I kind of really want to) because I haven't read these books in years :(

SHERLOCK HOLMES

Sometime in my early teens I began to read the Sherlock Holmes stories (read my blog post here). Those are true detective stories. They turn crime-solving into a sort of science, instead of the detective solving the mystery mostly because of their own dumb luck. Sherlock Holmes is a fascinating detective whom I adore in basically all adaptations, because he's just a brilliant character. Starting from the original source. If you watch this extraordinary video here, you will see Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself explaining how he came to write the Sherlock Holmes stories. I agree wholeheartedly with everything he says and I think that it just goes to prove how Sherlock Holmes is a exceptionally unique detective. Sherlock Holmes is a middle aged man who lives with his flatmate in London. He is a bit of an eccentric because he has such a brilliant mind, capable of noticing the tiniest details and making incredible deductions from them. He is inconsistent with his habits especially while on a case, he has a cocaine problem, he plays the violin, he is fair-mannered for the time period although not extremely polite, he can be very moody, and one of his enemies says that one of his biggest weaknesses is his endless curiosity. I love, love, love Holmes! He is an actual detective for hire (aka private detective) and is "the world's only consulting detective" (meaning when the police are out of their depths, they consult him). I love how utterly brilliant he is, how he can make such giant, yet accurate leaps from the tiniest details. (Like in BBC's Sherlock, he is able to determine that a murdered woman travelled to London from Cardiff because her coat was damp). I love his arrogance and indifference to everybody's opinion of him, because he knows that they have to put up with him because they need his expertise.

SHAWN SPENCER

Lately I've started watching the TV show, Psych. (My family started watching it while I was at college, so when I came home and saw a few episodes, I thought it looked interesting so I decided to start from the beginning. Before I knew it, I had passed them up and finished all the episodes up to the current one.) Shawn Spencer is yet another fascinating detective. His hyper observational skills and photographic memory allow him to pass himself off as a psychic. Someone on my other blog described Psych as "Sherlock Holmes on a sugar high", which is actually pretty darn accurate in my opinion. Like Sherlock, he is a detective for hire/private detective, but he is also a constant consultant for the police. Also, in Sherlock's case, at one point he was eventually considered to be a fraud because his deductive powers and sleuthing skills just seemed too unnatural to be real. The same thing happened here, except Shawn managed to get out of it by claiming to be psychic. Anyways, focusing back on Shawn, not Sherlock. In one episode he was profiled by a criminal profiler as "highly intelligent, but you’re shameful of that fact so you play it down with the use of inappropriate behavior, and you live in fear of showing your weakness so you hide behind a constant barrage of jokes and sarcasm." Yeah, I think that about sums up his character in the best possible way, I don't think I could really add much more onto that. He grew up with a police officer for a father, who wanted nothing more than his son to follow in his footsteps, so Shawn really did not have a normal childhood at all. He would be locked in the trunk of a car and told to escape, he wasn't allowed to read comic books, he was reprimanded for playing hide-and-seek "wrong", etc. Despite having a strange childhood, he learned some good life skills that turned him into a great detective. I love the show because most of the mysteries are intriguing and the comedy is gold! I laugh my head off in every single one.

Disney Favorites

Hello! Still on my Disney streak. I promised in my last post that I would expound on my Disney love, so here we are. I made a post similar to this about a year ago, but it was rather biased because Tangled had just come out and I was on a MASSIVE Tangled-obssession streak. Therefore, I decided to do another one, now that I've had time to cool down and think about other movies and aspects of those movies more ^_^

(WARNING: Very long post ahead.)

1) WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DISNEY MOVIE?

The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Say what, Kelsi? Of all the movies, you pick THAT one? I know, I know, it seems a little weird. It's never been a super popular one. Usually people say their favorite is Aladdin, or The Lion King, or The Little Mermaid, or something. Not me though. I like this one for a number of reasons: The music is just plain EPIC, the animation is stunning, none of the characters are boring, the villain is extremely creepy and threatening, and it has a very dark theme, making it very different from the other Disney movies in the Disney Renaissance era (aka 1989-1999). I kind of like the darkish theme, (even though it's very toned up compared to the book) it makes it a little more intense and exciting. The part where Quasimodo rescues Esmerelda from the stake then climbs back into the cathedral and raises her above his head shouting "SANCTUARY!" just gives me chills! Everything about the film is just epic and sends shivers down my spine; the gothic-style music with the chorus and chanting can be beautiful and/or intense and always brings the mood. In summary, this movie is awesome!

2) WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE HEROINE?

Ariel.

Since there was no princess question, I'll just put my favorite princess here. Even after Tangled, Rapunzel did not manage to creep her way into top spot of my favorite princess. Actually, since this is a "favorite heroine" question, Esmerelda from HBoND is a big competitor for number one. Alas, Ariel still wins. Her singing voice is my favorite singing voice out of the princess's (my favorite speaking voice is Rapunzel's, but that's for another questionnaire I filled out). I love her big blue eyes and her bright red hair. She's the first princess with real spunk and independence and I love it!

3) WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE DISNEY HERO?

Flynn Rider.

I've put a lot of thought into this and have decided that it has not changed from the last time I did this. It's still Flynn Rider. (I'm going to call him Flynn and not Eugene since that's Disney's official name for him.) I like him for a good number of reasons, hence he is my favorite. He starts out a bit overconfident, cocky (just look at that grin in the above picture), and full of himself, but not in a disgusting way. It's sort of comical. He's sarcastic, witty, quick-thinking, and a bit of a jokester. However, he's got a soft side that Rapunzel unearths. He becomes a lot more considerate and sweet. He almost turns into a complete romantic sap, except for he still keeps his sarcasm, joking, etc. Anyways, I just love it! Plus I love his voice, speaking and singing (it has nothing to do with the fact that it's Zachary Levi *coughs*). No, but really, before I really knew who Zach was I liked his voice a lot.

4) WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE SIDEKICK?

Rhino.

This was a tough choice between Ray from The Princess and the Frog, and Rhino from Bolt, but eventually I decided on Rhino. He is just an entirely random, but totally genius character! I mean, a hamster in a plastic ball... named RHINO! Rhino? LOL! Why would you name your hamster "Rhino" of all things? It's just too epic! Now he is seriously the best character in the movie. I really don't even know how to begin describing him. He's just this little ball of fur who almost never leaves his plastic ball (that seems to be almost indestructible) and just does the most daring things because he "eats danger for breakfast". He's like a hamster version of me, I think. That is, in the sense that he watches TV a lot, is the ultimate fanboy and leaps at the opportunity to go with his TV hero.

5) WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE VILLAIN?

Hades.

Tough, tough, TOUGH! But I eventually decided to go with Hades. (Although Maleficent has got the most boss costume and Frollo still manages to freak me out the most.) Hades is sort of a unique villain. Apparently when the writers wrote Hades, the intended for him to be a sort of slinky, dark villain. But when James Woods came in and auditioned, he made the character sound sort of like a used car salesman and the writers loved it and cast him. I love it too. He's a fast talker, using his charming words and quick tongue to keep his listener at ease with him, exactly like a salesman (he's very fast, I always miss a lot of what he's saying). While making his deals and such he usually keeps his cool, but then if something doesn't go his way, he flips his lid and explodes... literally. He's very sly though. He makes deals, making it seem like it's all good for the other person, but there's always a downside for them. I also love his design, especially his flaming hair. "Whoa! Is my hair out?" XD

6) WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE COUPLE?

Rapunzel and Flynn.

Long ago I dubbed Rapunzel and Flynn the cutest Disney couple ever created and that opinion has not wavered in the slightest. They are like peanut butter and jelly, cheese and crackers, salt and pepper, fries and ketchup, bread and butter... OK, I'll stop. But really though! I don't think I really need to explain much, you just need to look at the picture I posted above to see what I mean, but I'm going to talk anyways ^_^. Their story of how they fall in love is cute, simple, and believable (not the actual Tangled story, just the romantic part). Flynn gradually starts to see that Rapunzel is not so strange and much of a nuisance and is actually a beautiful, talented girl, while Rapunzel realizes that Flynn is not such a hostile, irritating intruder, but actually a caring, sweet guy. About half way through the film is when they start being irresistibly adorable (in my opinion), starting with the campfire scene. The whole kingdom montage, their first "date" as I like to think of it as, is full of wonderfulness! And then, of course the lantern scene! I still get miffed every time the kiss doesn't happen there. But their actual kisses are very sweet (they were competitors for best kiss). Anyways, I better stop now XP

7) WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DANCE SCENE?

Beauty and the Beast. (See here)

OK, so I was having the hardest time trying to pick between Beauty and the Beast's and Tangled's. They're both so different and I love them both to death. But I realized I mostly only liked Tangled's for the music rather than the actual dancing, so I put that one in a different category. So here I put Beauty and the Beast. Everything about this scene is wonderful. The song is great, the ballroom is beautiful, the "camera" movements are perfectly choreographed with the dancing, Belle's dress movements are gorgeous and fluid, and this couple are just perfect. I recently saw this movie in 3-D and this scene in particular was stunning. Anyone who disses Disney because they're "silly kid cartoons", I have to say, "DISHONOR! DISHONOR ON YOUR WHOLE FAMILY! DISHONOR ON YOU! DISHONOR ON YOUR COW!" because animation is freakin' art! This scene is proof of that.

8) WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE KISS?

Naveen and Tiana. (See here)

Gah! Probably the hardest question on here because I love them all! I was weighing the scale between Beauty and the Beast and The Princess and the Frog... The scale tipped towards The Princess and the Frog this time though. They were both very magical kisses, but who doesn't love a good old transformation kiss? I've figured it must have been a VERY good kiss, because neither of them noticed that they had turned back into humans until they pulled away (you'd think you'd notice something like that while you've got your lips locked with someone else's XD). But I love this kiss. I had not made the connection that since Tiana had married Naveen, she was a princess, therefore capable of breaking the spell by kissing him. I feel a little silly, because a lot of people told me that they saw it coming, but I did not. So this scene was just so epically beautiful for me! And the kiss was just so magically wonderful!

9) WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FAMILY SCENE?

Mulan's ending scene. (See here)

I really don't have much to say on it. The way her father just tosses those priceless tokens aside and hugs her. "The greatest gift and honor is having you for a daughter." It's beautiful.

10) WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE EMOTIONAL SCENE?

Ray's death. (See here)

I used to think this was a hard question, but there's only one scene I can think of where I literally bawled my eyes out. That's Ray's death in The Princess and the Frog. I remember being in the theater blubbering like a baby. I mean, I've definitely cried during other scenes in other Disney movies, but there was something about this scene. It was just so unexpected and Ray was such a selfless, loving character who really didn't deserve to die. Plus it was one of those rare occasions in a Disney movie where the character dies and doesn't come back to life. Those are the worst. Even as he was dying, he expressed how happy he was that Naveen and Tiana were going to be together. I'm getting sad just writing about it. Why is that?

11) WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE DISNEY CHILD?

Thumper.

"If you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all." Thumper's awesome. He's just kind of a cute little bunny (I know he grows up and he's awesome as an adult too) and you got to respect him for being the only boy in a family of all sisters.

12) WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE DISNEY ANIMAL?

Ray.

I suppose since I didn't get to put him as my favorite sidekick, I'll put him as this. Does a bug count as an animal? I say it does. Anyways, I absolutely adore Ray! I love his cajun accent, I love his big heart, I love that he's a hopeless romantic (like me), I love that he's completely selfless, and I love that he's voiced by the one and only Jim Cummings! Also, he sings one of the songs that was in competition for my favorite Disney song, Goin' Down the Bayou. I loved how he was in love with a star, thinking it was a firefly (a little shout out to another Disney movie there. Do you know which one? ;D). I was absolutely devastated when he died.

13) WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DISNEY SONG?

I'll Make a Man Out of You. (Listen here)

This has not changed from before (and most likely never will). However, I Won't Say I'm in Love and Goin' Down the Bayou were fierce competitors. It is such a boss song! I have yet to meet somebody who doesn't like this song at least a little bit. Plus it is sung by none other than the fabulous Donny Osmond! Who doesn't get pumped when they hear this song? Who doesn't feel a little bit motivated? Who doesn't at least want to sing along?

14) WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE INSTRUMENTAL SONG?

The Kingdom Dance. (Listen here)

Too many to choose from! I'm one of those weirdos who likes listening to the instrumental soundtracks to movies. Especially Disney movies. But give me a break, most of them are by ALAN MENKEN! The guy's a genius! His hands are probably worth more than Beethoven's or Bach's (well, to me they are). Anyways, Menken did in fact compose the music for Tangled, therefore he composed The Kingdom Dance. I don't know exactly what it is, but there's something about it that just makes me want to get up and dance with it. Just the strings, the woodwinds, the everything! Its sound, it's medieval with a bit of a modern twist. And at the peak of the piece, just... ahhhh. I also love the montage in the movie and the music blends with it perfectly.

15) WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BEAUTIFUL SCENE?

Lantern scene. (See here)

Another toughie. Like I said before, Disney is not just a bunch of silly cartoons. They are epic pieces of art! But I have to pick just one... the lantern scene from Tangled. I know there's a lot of Tangled on here already. I'm not being biased, my obsession is over, but this scene really is absolutely stunning. You just have to look at it to understand, I can't really describe it. The colors, the lighting, the reflections on the water, the music, and of course the falling in love ^_^.

16) WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FIGHT/BATTLE?

Beauty and the Beast. (See here)

or

Robin Hood. (See here)

Honestly, this is the one time I'm allowing myself a tie. They're both hilarious and epic. Beauty and the Beast is furniture beating people up (my favorite part is the kitchen bit with the knives popping out of the drawer and the stove cackling evilly), and Robin Hood includes stuff like pie throwing, a football game, and a marriage proposal. They are just awesome, you have to watch them to fully appreciate them.

17) WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FUNNY MOMENT?

The Emperor's New Groove.

What kind of a question is this!? Sooooooo hard to pick just one moment from just one movie! But I have to say just the entire movie of the Emperor's New Groove is flat out hilarious. There isn't really one moment that I can pick out. So I'm just going to say the entire movie. The whole concept is ridiculous, and the jokes are endless, there's hardly a serious moment throughout the entire movie.

18) WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE QUOTE FROM ANY MOVIE?

Edward: Oh, Giselle! We shall be married in the morning! (See here)

Best. Quote. Ever! The end. No argument is valid. It took me forever going through a whole bunch of quotes that I love, trying to decide which one was my favorite. However, once I thought of this one, all the other ones were out in a flash. I love this quote because it's Disney poking fun at itself (specifically Aurora and Phillip's first meeting in Sleeping Beauty. Although pretty much all the Disney movies, especially the classic ones, have the two romantic leads fall for each other and then plan to marry within a very short span of time). The way the quote is said is so hilariously overdramatic. It's just so funny. She falls out of the tree into his arms, he learns her name, and then he announces that they shall be married in the morning XD.

19) WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE OPENING SCENE?

The Hunchback of Notre Dame. (See here)

This hasn't changed from before. It gives me goosebumps every time. The way it starts out with the black screen and the chanting and the chiming bells. Then, 'Walt Disney Pictures', then black again. Then... BOOM! Epic chorus and a fabtabulous sky view of Notre Dame. The 'camera' zooms through the clouds and down into Paris where the narration begins through song. (Which BTW, Clopin's voice is just the most amazing thing on this planet).

20) WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ENDING SCENE?

Pocahontas. (See here)

This hasn't changed either. The music is what really does it for me. It was one of the competitors for my favorite instrumental. I can't quite be sure why I like this ending so much, because it's not very happy. I guess, despite not being very happy, it's still epic beyond all reasons. Pocahontas sprints through the forest beyond her capacity until she finds herself standing on the cliff. Her hair begins to billow in the wind as the ship sails away into the sunrise, with that utterly amazing music to go with it. Yeah, I rest my case.