"Frozen" Review Part 1: Character & Story with SPOILERS!

Hullo all!

It's been a while, hasn't it? Well, I'm back with a review of another Disney film! Was it really last year that I wrote about Wreck-It Ralph? Whoa!

Click HERE to go to my review!

From now on, I'll be posting anything art-related like reviews and such on my Tumblr page! I'll have a tag on it! And I'll be reposting the link here as well!

Here's a doodle I made for this review! ;) Elsa x Kristoff, anyone?

Dreams are Hard.

Hullo All,

Dreams are Hard.

Actually, let me correct myself. Dreaming is easy. Achieving those dreams is what's hard. 

It's sometimes too easy to dream. Technically and subconsciously speaking, dreams already let you live out what you desperately want in life. You are the person you want to be, doing the things you want to do, or experiencing things that you couldn't even believe you could go through in your waking life. It's an amazingly triumphant and ecstatic feeling--which is what makes waking so painful. That blissful feeling you get in that dream slips away really fast, and you get up in the morning, reeling at what it could be like, and what really is just doesn't hold up in comparison. 

Personally speaking, I don't mean this to apply to every aspect of my life. In many ways, I know that I am happier than I ever was. A few years ago, everything I am living now was figuratively and literally thousands of miles away. I had to live vicariously through the dream fulfillment of other people. 

People I knew, like Rainbowholic, was living in her dream country and working toward doing what she loved doing as her main profession. Other people simply blogged about what made them happy and what they did in their every day life and suddenly that is what they did to earn income. 

Anyone that knows me beyond as an acquaintance probably already knows that I would love to be a Visual Development Artist. But then again, the same people may also know that I want to write, whether for page or screen. To do either or both would be bliss and I realize, that I want to do is to tell stories. 

What made me decide to want to pursue visual development then? 

Well, from childhood to adulthood I have always enjoyed stories. The stories I loved the most are those that let me feel the stories from all the senses imaginable. It wasn't just Disney that taught me to dream; so did Harry Potter, Hey Arnold, anime, Final Fantasy, The Little Prince--and all these wonderful stories that taught me about life through different worlds. They taught me to be happy, sad, frustrated, angry, anxious and scared. I not only experienced these stories, but met so many wonderful people and had many real world experiences through them. 

Harry Potter helped me meet my very best friends. I've had so many laughs and emotional moments with them. Referencing these stories helped make sense of the real life experiences we were having and helped us through different challenges. The same goes with other stories.

What I would like, no, what I would love is to be able to do this for others. Drawing and writing are skills I have been given so that I could really communicate the same magic with many people. This is what I dream to do in my life. 

And now, call it a Quarter Life Crisis or what have you, I am experiencing a frustration. Now more than ever, I want to start reaching my goal. Dreams let you so easily imagine what it is already like to be in that state that you desire, but experiencing the grind to reach the top is the biggest struggle I've ever faced. Lately, it has been stressing me out physically and emotionally--even spiritually. Days go by where I would get up in the morning and think, "Why can't I just be there already?"

I have spent many late nights, wide awake and thinking about how hard it is to be where I am now and what could already be. Every morning, I heave a sigh and suck it up. 

But the hardest thing about dreams is not doing anything about it. The more time I spend heaving sighs and sucking it up, the more time I spend not doing anything to reach my dream, the more time I spend not living it. 

So, for the past few days I have been trying to pick myself up. And as an added spice of destiny, it was another magical wizard from an amazing story that gave me the inspiration to turn my dream into reality. 

I am beginning with the end in mind. That is what the Merlin Method states. 

I can see the end. And now, I'm going to power through to get to it. 

This is the moment where I break out of my routine. Everything from here on end will have a purpose, exactly like everything in storytelling and visual development. 

I am going to get there. Watch me transfigure dreams into reality like BAMF wizard. 

- MishieWishie

The Movie List 2012: Wreck-It Ralph!

Hullo All!

I don't know about you guys, but I have a Movie List for 2012. This Movie List is basically just a To-Do list of films that I have been meaning to, and want to, watch for this year. I include films that have shown prior to 2012 as well as those that are set to be released this year. 

I'll share with you guys the full list after this, so let's cross check it later! :)

I will also rave obsess over talk about Paperman after, so be sure to check that out as well.

(Disclaimer: this is NOT spoiler-free. Proceed only if you have watched the film or don't care about being spoiled)

So. Let's Wreck It!

I've been seeing these posters since the early part of the year. And I'll be the first to admit that I wasn't sure about what to expect with this. I couldn't tell if I was excited or worried. I'm such a Disney fan to the point of wondering what makers and producers were thinking when they approved the concept for this film.

On one hand, I was super excited because this film references a lot of games that I grew up with. This is also the second full-3D feature that they have done since Tangled, which I can never not watch when on TV. Knowing that, Wreck-It Ralph certainly made me curious.

But on the other hand, it was a story about what video games did after hours. Didn't it come too close to the concept of Toy Story? Yes, Pixar is Disney's sister-company, but it still made me wonder about why they did something that was similar. Was it because John Lasseter was the executive producer of Toy Story and, now, Ralph? 

On any hand, my brother and I went to watch it! You didn't think my doubts refrained me from watching a Disney film?

I tried my best to dress for the occasion!

Tried to wear Ralph's colors, plus some pops of color from Sugar Rush!

Wreck-It Ralph! themed! Although I think I'm the only one that can spot it!

Our destination: Regal Cinemas! This was our first time to watch a film since flying here!

Apparently, the cinemas we went to was the only branch of Regal in the City! The rest of it is crawling with AMC theaters like the one just across!

You can see how long ago this was and how delayed I am in blogging about it.

Candy snacks! What a sure-fire way to get fat at the movies! We opted for popcorn and white cheddar instead--a shared snack!

We arrived at the cinema so early that we were the only ones in the theater for about ten minutes! And so, it called for some photos!

One of my least favorite photos of late, to be honest. ;_; I'll lose weight, I promise! But don't focus on that! Focus on the empty theater we are in!

My brother's candid movie face. :P

Okay, so Wreck-It. The cameos were obviously amusing! We ended up in the theater with a hoopla of kids, that we bet didn't get most of the references. Things like Streetfighter, Sonic, Pacman and Mario were only some of the things that made the movie feel nostalgic. And a lot of other cameos made it into the film too (ie. Beard Papa, Devil Dogs and Oreos). Some shots and scenes in the film were references to other films too--just like the March of the Oreos being a reference to Wizard of Oz (which my brother and I learned later on. That was amazing).

The graphics were, obviously, amazing! Sometimes I get so lost in the graphics that part of me feels like I'm seeing them in 2D still. That doesn't make sense, obviously, but most of the characters on screen I've known to be 2D. Seeing them in 3D is great and makes them feel more alive, but still has that classic look to them (like Tangled) that still makes you remember that, yes, this is still very Disney.

Now, I was wondering for a really long time what the movie was actually about other than for its video game novelty. Disney and Pixar are known for that after all--all the feels! And my screenwriter-y mind was already going through the entire thing, trying to spot what elements would be coming into play later on. As I've been taught, nothing in film is accidental. Every little detail seen and spoken in the film is usually a hook that will tie-in later on in the film. (Hint: it leads to the twist at the end of the film)

Everything was awesome, except for that one little thing that couldn't help but bug me all throughout the film. Sadly enough, as little as it is, she was also a big character in the film.

Yes. I don't know why! Vanellope's character bugged me. Maybe it was because I couldn't get Sarah Silverman's face out of the character's appearance or (duh) voice. I couldn't tell them apart and that made me feel like I was watching Sarah Silverman the entire time. Unfortunately, I'm not a fan of hers. 

As a result, I felt very little for her character. I've failed to know whether Vanellope's character was really outright annoying or whether that was just me, seeing Sarah Silverman through her. Don't get me wrong, I still teared up when Ralph wrecked her car, but only because I sympathized with how much they've progressed, only to have her hopes crushed. 

Nevertheless, I still want the Sugar Rush racers shirt graphics as a poster on my wall. 

But, in the end, I enjoyed myself! The story, as usual, was the hook for me. And the twist at the very end definitely made up for my Vanellope irritation. Part of me still thinks that had someone else been given the job of voice acting for Vanellope, I would have enjoyed the film more. 

Sorry, Sarah Silverman. You almost wrecked it for me. Ah, see what I did there?

That's it for Wreck-It Ralph! I don't fancy myself a critic so there isn't anything much else I can contribute to the discussion of this film. I liked it, but it isn't in the top for me. Maybe I'll always be a classic fairy tale Disney girl. 

What's that you say? What will happen when fairy tales run out, you ask? 

Oh, I wouldn't worry. I just recently bought a complete collection of Grimm's Fairy Tales and I will assure you that Disney won't be running out of fairy tales for the next two hundred years (even if they came out with one story a year). They've already started on the next fairy tale film for next year called Frozen. Take a guess about what that film is about. ;)

Tuttah,

Mishie

PS. Yes! I'm sure you must have noticed that I didn't mention anything about Paperman in this entry. That's because I feel that all Disney/Pixar shorts deserve their own spot in the limelight--more so Paperman!