I find it a bit ironic that
both film number 2 and 49 have a strong theme with stars- the evening star, to
be specific. I do love the name Evangeline for the evening/wishing star. And I
get misty every time I see Ray up there with her. So far, this is the only time
the death of a bug has made me tear up—though Pixar came close with WALL-E and gave the audience a fright by
nearly killing off the cockroach.
I’ve spent many a night and many a wish looking up at the
fireflies that got stuck in that big, bluish-black thing (it is entirely
possible that there will be a Lion King reference
in every chapter; be prepared. Yes, that was another reference. Ten points if you
got it). In reality, stars and space have always amazed me. Maybe it was
attending Christa McAuliffe Elementary in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. Maybe it was
early and repeated viewings of Lost in
Space (the one with the kids from space camp). Or maybe I was always secretly looking for
Mufasa (for self-preservation, I would like to take this moment to acknowledge
that I do, in fact, know that Mufasa is a fictional character voiced by James
Earl Jones.) Regardless of the cause, I’ve often trained my eyes skyward.
In Alaska, I’ve found myself looking at the stars even
more. Well, in the fall and winter at least. In the summer we have 18 hours of
daylight—not so great for star gazing. But the northern lights/ aurora borealis
make appearances in the fall and winter, though on no particular schedule. I,
on the other hand, am looking at the starry sky every night like clockwork when
I take my dogs out. I’m not always looking for the aurora (though I certainly
wouldn’t turn it away); because there is less light pollution in our newly
adopted state, the stars are brighter and more plentiful here. Added to that,
we live in the boonies—even by Alaska standards.
Disney returns to the stars just like the general
population does. There’s a certain majesty and magic quality to the night sky;
for a studio that uses those qualities as main plot points, the path is clear.
We’re enchanted by the stars as people have been for thousands of years. Even
knowing what they are and how they are made doesn’t diminish our interest.
Disney uses that knowledge to further the telling of a great story. Or rather,
many great stories. I’m anxious to see how many other Disney animated features
highlight the stars.
Disney is in the business of dreams, so to speak. Making
dreams come true is what they do; in
the parks, in the movies, in the merchandise. You can ever arrange to have a
Disney Princess call your little one on the telephone. Walt said, “If you can
dream it, you can do it.” It’s a quote that’s always inspired me to pursue
whatever dream I was pursuing at the time. Acting, trapeze, seeking employment
at Disney, being a better person, writing. My current dreams are writing a
book, working for Disney, and being a homeowner. I’m following the old two
birds-one stone path with the book being about Disney and educating myself in
all things Disney animation (well, all feature film things). My fear with
house-hunting is settling. I see potential and beauty in nearly everything;
often that potential leads me to spend more restoring something old rather than
purchasing or making something new for less cost.
I was beyond excited when Disney first started promoting The Princess and the Frog. It had been
years since there was a new princess, and a return to hand drawn animation to
boot! I was a kid in a candy store. I was so excited, in fact, that no film
could have lived up to my expectations. When I first saw the film in theatres,
I was disappointed. But since then, I’ve realized the issue was my
expectations, not any shortcoming of the film. Dr. Facilier is the most
frightful villain for me, other than Scar (who can kill their brother and
nephew without ever regretting it? Plus, with the Nazi-hyenas, the allusion to
Hitler is too terrifying). There isn’t the same flow between storytelling and
singing, but Disney was a bit rusty in the animated musical department.
I was glad to see a strong female lead, going after her
dreams and not letting the world tell her she shouldn’t. I remember how pleased
I was when Pocahontas was released—finally,
a Disney princess from a culture like mine! I was happy that Disney provided a
heroine that African-American girls could be excited about, while children of
all ages and genders would learn from her headstrong, iron willed character.
Dreams always have a prominent spot in Disney feature
films. Or at least they do so far. Dreams affect character development—in fictional
characters and real people alike. Tiana, for instance, has the dream of opening
her own restaurant. Her dream takes over her life: she works multiple jobs to
save up for it, she rarely sleeps, and she never goes out with friends. Then
the time comes when she has to choose between pursuing her dream and following
her heart.
It’s a common conundrum: following your heart or pursuing
your dream. In fact, just last week a relative stranger (I had seen her once
before in the computer lab where I tutor, seeking advice on using Skype; she is
mostly stranger) asked the other tutor present and myself what we would do if
we were offered our dream job overseas, but our husband and aging dog had to
stay behind and sell the house (and wait for the dog to die, apparently). I
knew my answer immediately: I would stay with my family. Of course, my dream
job is writing for Disney (preferably animated features, thus my
Disney-education in animated film history), which is not located overseas. She
was enthralled with the idea of being surrounded by a different culture. I
couldn’t imagine not spending as much time as possible with my ailing dog.
But I am unusual in that respect. I feel very deeply,
which means I love very deeply. I still sadden when I think of my childhood
dog, Duke. He was with us for so long; how could I not be there at the end? The same goes today for my current three
dogs. A customer at the bookstore where I worked for 3.5 years once told me the
death of a pet hurt less when you have children. My mother, from whom I get my
deep-love temperament, disagreed. It’s an entirely different kind of love one
feels for a child versus a pet. Perhaps that is why we love our dogs so much:
they aren’t merely a pet for us. They are a member of our family.
The other tutor said for her, she would go. She is of the
same temperament as the other woman. I love a good adventure (thus moving to
Alaska from Florida), but I only went on this adventure because my family—my husband,
our three dogs—would be joining us. In fact, we all five shared a plane (well,
along with the other hundred or so people traveling; what I mean is that our
dogs were on the same plane as us).
The woman left, unsure of what she would do. While
leaving Alaska to go to California or Florida and write for Disney would cause
some trepidation—we love the culture here, where local business still booms and
children ride their bikes to the gas station to get a coke—and so choosing
between lower 48 culture with my dream job and living in the place I fell in
the love with…it would be difficult. But moving overseas and leaving my family
behind? I don’t have to hesitate to answer. There isn’t enough money in the
world for that.
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