Kisses at Midnight

Well, guys. 2013 is winding down. It's been a crazy year, and it's bittersweet to see it go. I know 2014 holds so many wonderful adventures for me, and I hope you're all looking forward to your own adventures. I can't wait to hear about them all. So, Fitting for New Years, I suppose, we have tonight my favorite kiss, first Disney movie I saw, favorite classic, and least favorite classic. Here goes.

Number 14: Favorite kiss
I honestly can't say I've ever thought a whole lot about this. I'm scrolling through movies in my head trying to think of which kiss is my favorite, and why. This is hard, because they all mean something. Disney does such a good job creating emotions in people, that every on-screen kiss is magic, and more than just any old kiss. They wake cursed damsels and save injured princes, they rescue princesses from evil stepmothers, say goodbye, I love you, and distance is only temporary better than any scripted dialogue ever could. Ok ok. I think I'm going to go with Carl and Ellie from Up. Most Disney movies end with the dramatic, tear-jerking, emotional kiss. Up starts with the emotion. Right off the bat. It's almost like they're showing off, like "Hey Universal and Warner Brothers and all you other film companies. Guess what. We can make our viewers cry in the first 10 minutes of a movie" and then all the other film companies are like "Nah, bet you can't." So Disney and Pixar get together and start scheming and then, bam. 8 minutes in, every single viewer is bawling like a baby, and they get to laugh and say they didn't even need the whole 10 minutes. But anyway. It's my favorite kiss because it's so much more than a kiss. It's an accumulation of their whole life together. They grew up together, and love each other as much as is possible. They bring out the best in each other. I mean, look at Carl's face in this picture. Ellie is so outgoing, and she brings out Carl's outgoing, fun side with stuff like that kiss. He's always just a little surprised by her, and he's a little slower to jump into things, but he's always more willing to jump when she's holding his hand. So, this is my favorite kiss because it embodies their relationship better than words, and, because it's at the beginning of the movie, you get to linger on that emotion for another whole hour and a half, rather than other Disney movies where the kiss happens at the very end, it's sweet for a minute, and then you move on with the rest of your day.

Number 15: First Disney movie
Haha. This is one I ought to get my mom to answer. My very first Disney movie was Pinocchio. I owned it on VHS and I watched it over. And over. And over. And over. My parents to this day can recite every word. I can't say I remember watching it so many times, but I've heard the stories, and I do remember loving it so much I wanted to name my newborn baby (girl) cousin Pinocchio. Lucky for her, my parents talked me out of it.

Number 16: Favorite classic
This one was tough, but I think Pocahontas is my favorite classic. Pocahontas is an independent, smart, well spoken young woman, and I think she's a good role model. She's her own hero, and her people's hero. She doesn't need a prince to save her, or anyone else. Sure, having John Smith wrapped around your finger doesn't hurt, and she loved him, but she doesn't NEED him. She can do everything a man can do, she can do it on her own, and I'm sure that given the opportunity, she could do it better than any man, and in heels.

Number 17: Least favorite classic
Eeeeh. Sleeping Beauty? I never liked her a whole lot. The movie was just kind of slow, and other than having three fairy godmothers, she was never one of those princesses that I wanted to be. I also learned recently that she only has 18 actual lines in the movie, she's only in the movie for a total of 18 minutes, and her last line is 39 minutes into the movie. I'll have to watch it again to see for myself (I have a sneaking suspicion I'll have an opportunity coming up in the near future), but I guess it makes sense.

I hope everyone is ringing in the new year by doing something fabulous. Have a wonderful 2014 everybody.

Happy Birthday and Other Disney Songs

So, today is special partly because I'm going to be doing three questions so I can finish my challenge before check-in on the 8th, but mostly because it's my mom's 19th* birthday (again). For those of you who don't know the Camille family's traditions that well, birthdays are not an occasion to sleep in, wake up gently to breakfast in bed or lounge luxuriously and get up at your leisure. Birthdays start with a heart attack, joyously served by the rest of the family. Everyone else gets up early, gets a pot and a spoon, and scares the living daylights out of you by beating them as loudly as possible to wake you up. Mom was lucky enough to wake up to our pot banging, smiling faces this morning. We got ourselves dressed--well, some of us did--and went to IHop for breakfast. Bean and I wore our supergirl pajamas Santa brought us, complete with capes and all. We took a family shopping trip to Pigeon Forge, TN, where I got an adorable Minnie Mouse t-shirt from Rue 21 for $3. It was too good a deal not to buy. We wrapped up the day with takeout from Buffalo Wild Wings and Lilyhamer on Netflix, and now are again in our supergirl pajamas, hanging out.

DISNEY COUNTDOWN: 9 days to check-in

Number 11: Favorite Love Song
I like the movie Hercules, but it's never been one of my absolute favorites. Meg's I Won't Say I'm In Love, however, is one of my absolute favorites. Outwardly, she doesn't want to be in love. They briefly skim over why Meg is serving Hades' at the beginning of the movie, (her boy toy died, she traded her soul to Hades to bring him back, boy toy fell in love with someone else and left Meg enslaved to Hades) and this explains some of why she might not want to fall victim to the love bug again. Most of her song is about how she's not in love, but at its core, the song is basically Meg trying to convince herself of this. So, I think even though the words are about not being in love, the essence of the song is about love, and that's what makes it my favorite love song. So, if there's a prize for awesome writing, I guess Disney's already won that.

Number 12: Favorite Villain Song
I said before, it's hard to pick a favorite villain, but as far as favorite villain songs go, I think Ursula's Poor Unfortunate Souls from The Little Mermaid is my favorite. It's just like the real world. You want something you don't have, and to get it, you have to be willing to sacrifice something. One wants to be thin, one wants to get one particular girl that apparently doesn't want him, and Ursula helps them get what they want, for a price. It's such a good illustration of people and how fickle and materialistic they are.

Number 13: Least Favorite Song
There aren't many Disney songs I don't like, but when I think of ones I just didn't ever sing along to as a kid, and don't all of a sudden get stuck in my head at random times like other Disney songs, We Are Siamese from the Aristocats is one of the first to come to mind. It was just repetitive and boring. And not very catchy like other songs. How many times do you find yourself standing with your hairbrush wanting to belt "We are Siamese if you please" like you do "how hiiiiiggggghhhh does the sycamore growwww????" or "I'm never gonna catch my breath. Say goodbye to those who knew me. Boy was I a fool in school for cutting gym. These guys got 'em scared to death. Hope he doesn't see right through me. Now I really wish that I knew how to SWIMMMM" (and you know you sing those parts in their different pitched voices just like I did) That's what I thought. Never. And that is my best case for not liking that song. It's just not one of those songs I see myself dancing around my apartment with my roommates singing, or playing on the loudspeakers in one of the parks.

What are your favorites and least favorites? Leave your opinions in the comments! And don't forget to wish my Mama a happy 19th* birthday!

Playing Catch-Up

I missed yesterday, so today I'm doing numbers 7,8,9 and 10 on my countdown list.

Number 7: Favorite sidekick
OHMYGOSH I love this. Mater. Definitely Mater. I've been trying to stick to classic Disney movies, but Mater wins this category hands down because he's just the perfect sidekick. A steadfast friend, a faithful companion, and a good distraction when things get tough. He teaches Lightning McQueen that there's more to life than going fast. That sometimes, it's nice to slow down and take in the things around you. He's always up for an adventure, and will go wherever Lighting needs him, whether that's helping in the pit in the Piston Cup, or solving mysteries in Japan. He's caring and loyal and everything a best friend and sidekick should be. A shoutout here to my very own Mater, my best friend, Jen. She's pretty much the best thing since sliced bread. She's always there to tell me to slow down when I get way ahead of myself and to get me up off the couch when I'm being a party pooper. I've known her longer than my sister has been alive, and she may as well just be my sister. She's going to be helping me drive to Florida because no adventure is complete without her, so I'm sure come January 7th we'll have plenty of wacky stories and photos for you from our road trip. The picture below was taken in front of Mater with Jen on our Disney trip for my 18th birthday. Jen had mono and barely made it out of Magic Kingdom (like I said, always an adventure), but it was a pretty fantastic trip overall.

 

 

 

Number 8: Favorite Villain

Gosh. How do I pick a favorite villain? I guess I've never really thought about it because who has favorite bad guys? I guess if I had to pick, I might pick Gaston, because he's not a bad guy so much as someone who doesn't really understand the Beast, or why Belle likes the Beast and not him, despite his rippling muscles and persistent advances. I mean, sure, he leads an attack on the castle, and tries to kill the Beast, but I still maintain that it's because he's one of those people who thinks his way of life is right and doesn't really understand people who are different from him.

 

 

 

Number 9: Favorite Original Character

My first thought with this was, "well, aren't they all original characters?" And then I realized, no. They're not. Most Disney movies were based off fairy tales or stories told in different cultures. So, after some research, I've decided that, even though Up is roughly based on Larry Walter's lawnchair flight, Russell is definitely an original character. I picked Russell as my favorite original character because he's just an interesting person. He's sweet and kind, and he just wants to help in any way he can. He is a Wilderness Explorer after all, and a Wilderness Explorer is a friend to all, be it  bird, or fish, or tiny mole.

 

 

 

Number 10: Favorite Song



 So, I watched Pocahontas the other day, and I remembered just how much I love the part in "Savages" where all the men are singing the "savages, savages, barely even human" and she's running singing about the drums of war and all that, like a duet. It's really pretty, and a really interesting duet. Most of the time with duets, they're kind of singing about the same things, even if the melodies/words are a little different. In this song, they're opposing ideas, and the music reflects that. They're on opposite sides, and aside from the actual words they say, Pocahontas' song is drastically different from the style in which the men going to war sing. They're both determined to win, and they're both preparing for what they know will be an uphill battle, but the song each sings conveys their way of thinking in a way that's just brilliant. Pocahontas is singing about cooperation, and peace, while the men (on both sides) are singing the same song, preparing themselves for war and "knowing" their opponent's way of thinking is wrong. I think it's just super well done and captures what they writers are trying to convey better than any dialogue could. Here's a link to the song on YouTube, in case it's been a while since you saw the movie: Savages

 

Who would your sidekick be? Do you have a favorite villain? Be sure to post your favorites in the comments!

Heroes, Animals and Christmas Festivites

Well, folks. Christmas has come and gone for another year. The festivities started for us at my grandparents' house on Christmas Eve with my dad's family. Food was eaten, presents were opened, and good times were had by all. Santa found the Camille house once again and we were surprised not to find one single lump of coal under our tree. Everyone was satisfied for the most part. He brought me a pretty pink camera so that I can document my time in the Kingdom a little better, so be on the lookout for pictures soon. Bean got a new, fancy camera as well, and Jack unfortunately did not get the new Xbox he asked for, but is now sufficiently decked out in Mississippi State paraphernalia. We made the trek to Raleigh yesterday morning and celebrated with my mom's family for Christmas Day, (a family trip to Disney in February was definitely tossed around as a possibility) and then headed to Dunn to visit a few more relatives. (Shoutouts to Jen and Aunt Dollie. It's always nice to see y'all). Back in the beautiful Ashevegas, we are enjoying a night of television and relaxation. Now that the holidays are over, all I have to do for the next few days is pack.

DISNEY COUNTDOWN: 12 days
Disney Challenge:

Number 5: Favorite hero
It took me a minute to decide who was going to be my favorite hero. First of all because there aren't many actual heroes in Disney movies. They're mostly heroines. At least in the classics. But, after digging through memories of Disney movies, I wonder why I didn't think of my favorite right off the bat. Peter Pan.  Peter is all about rescuing everybody in a physical sense. The quintessential hero. He's rescued all the lost boys, given them a home and someone to look after them, and taught them to survive in Neverland. He rescues Tiger Lily from Captain Hook when he captures her. He rescues Tink from Hook, even after she plots against him to get rid of Wendy and Peter banishes her forever, and then he rescues Wendy and the lost boys from- you guessed it- Hook. But most importantly in my opinion, Peter rescues Wendy from having to grow up too quickly. If you'll remember, at the beginning of the movie, Mr. Darling is fed up with Wendy's stories and insists that she move out of the nursery, into a room of her own, and grow up. When Mr. and Mrs. Darling arrive home from their party to find Wendy asleep at the window in the nursery after their Neverland adventure, Mr. Darling catches a glimpse of Peter Pan's pirate ship and remembers it from his own childhood. My theory is that he remembers being a child fondly, and knows that so much changes in the adult world and so much that is magic to a child is ordinary through the eyes of a grown up. At this realization, he allows Wendy to stay in the nursery, continue her stories, and keep a grasp on that childlike wonder for a little while longer.

 

 Number six: Favorite animal
You mean besides Mickey and Minnie? Walt Disney said himself, it all started with a mouse. So everyone's favorite ought to be Mickey, or none of us would be where we are. Seriously though, there are so many, it's hard to pick. I could go with Gus for obvious reasons. I love Winnie the Pooh. I guess I'll pick Meeko, from Pocahontas. He's a funny little dude with a huge attitude. He's cautious about new people, but the people he knows and trusts he's completely loyal to. He's adventurous though, a daredevil. When people ask him if everybody else jumped off a cliff, would he also, he says "Heck yeah. Pocahontas and I just did that the other day and it was awesome." Meeko seems to me like a really good friend, even though he's a raccoon. He's always looking out for Pocahontas and trying to help her find where her arrow points. And he always provided a little comic relief.

 Who always saved the day for you as a kid? Which animal do you want for a pal? Let me know, and be on the lookout for sidekicks and villains in the morning!

 

 

 

 

 

Merry Christmas to All

Merry Christmas, everyone. I hope Santa found you, and you got everything you wanted. I'm writing this ahead of time because I know I won't have time during the day, so I can't report yet on the state of the Camille Christmas, but I'll let you know tomorrow. Since I chose Christmas Eve to start my countdown, I suppose I can't disappoint by missing the very second day, so here goes numbers three and four on my countdown list, my favorite heroine, and my favorite prince.

Number 3: Favorite Heroine
This is a toss up. Belle has long been one of my favorite heroines. Heck, my car is named Belle. I guess she technically becomes a princess in the end, but to become that princess, she has to be a heroine first and foremost. She's a smart girl, always has her head in a book. She doesn't feel pressured to find her Prince Charming or get hitched, even though Gaston is very persistent. And muscular. She's loyal and loving toward her father, and later, toward the Beast. She isn't the typical princess. She's the hero of her own story. She rescues her dude in distress from himself and from the village. She's a beautiful and dainty damsel, but there's nothing fragile or distressed about her.

The other option here is Mulan. Because, let's face it, she's kinda a badass (sorry mom). "She stole her father's armor, ran away from home, impersonated a soldier, deceived her commanding officer, dishonored the Chinese Army, destroyed the Emperor's  palace, and... she has saved them all." She completely obliterated typical gender roles, she's smart and bold and brilliant, and, best of all, she showed up the entire army of guys. Really, what girl doesn't want to work in a male-dominated field and be the best in the group? Mulan is the definition of a heroine, and one of my favorite Disney characters.

Number 4: Favorite Prince
My favorite prince has to be Prince Eric from The Little Mermaid. He's really the most involved Disney Prince. The rest of them kind of swoop in, "save" the girl after she's already gone through the whole movie without them, and they live happily ever after. Eric actually seems like a good boyfriend. He takes the time to get to know Ariel, even though she's not perfect at first glance. He cares that she's happy, and he wants to do everything he can to make sure the girl of his dreams doesn't slip through his fingers. He's interested in more than a pretty face to be his arm candy. As much as I do love Prince Charming, he falls in love with a beautiful girl at a ball. He's seen her once, he couldn't have had much conversation because who can hear over the music and people begging for your attention? Prince Eric falls in love with Ariel's voice, and then, after realizing the girl he met doesn't have a voice, falls in love with her personality anyway and gets the voice later on as a bonus. That's the kind of guy every girl wants, right? The one who takes the time to get to know you and fall in love with every bit of you, even if the most beautiful parts take a little digging to get to.

 

 

Leave your favorite heroines and princes in the comments!

A Magical, Merry Christmas day to all you princesses, princes, heroes and heroines.

Counting Down

     First of all, Merry Christmas to everyone. I hope Santa finds you all well. Secondly, today marks exactly 14 days until my Disney adventure begins. As of yesterday, I have signed up for my apartment, and chosen three lovely roommates. Last night, we booked a flight for Jennifer to fly back to Asheville, since she'll be helping me drive down, and all that's left to do is pack. To help count down the days, I found a 30 Days of Disney countdown on Pinterest. Since I have 14 days instead of 30, I'll be doubling up.

30 Days of Disney

 

1. Favorite character
2. Favorite princess
3. Favorite heroine
4. Favorite prince
5. Favorite hero
6. Favorite animal
7. Favorite sidekick
8. Favorite villain
9. Favorite original character
10. Favorite song
11. Favorite love song
12. Favorite villain song
13. Least favorite song
14. Favorite kiss
15. First movie you saw
16. Favorite classic
17. Least favorite classic
18. Favorite Pixar film
19. Least favorite Pixar film
20. Favorite sequel
21. Overrated movie
22. Underrated movie
23. Movie that makes you laugh
24. Movie that makes you cry
25. Favorite scene from your favorite movie
26. Saddest death
27. Favorite quote
28. Favorite theme park
29. Favorite theme attraction
30. Favorite theme park show

 

Number 1. My favorite character.

This one is super easy. Tink. I love tinkerbell. For those of you who don't know, at Disney as a character performer, you are never THE character. You are always FRIENDS WITH the character. But to be friends with the character, you have to fall in their height range. For me, there are over 70 fur characters whose heights I match. The only face characters I could possibly be friends with are Tinkerbell, Wendy, Alice, and the other pixies from Pixie Hollow. As happy as I am to be in the Minnie and Mickey height range, I would die of happiness to get to be friends with Tink, even for a night. Unfortunately, I am not the pale-skinned, blonde beauty that Tink is, so my chances are probably slim. Anyway, Tink is my favorite because she's such a sassy, outgoing, complicated character. She tells Peter exactly what she thinks and when Wendy gets in the way, she tells her too. She's like one of those itty bitty dogs that thinks it's a tiger. She can't hurt anyone too badly, but she's sure going to make you think she can. Tink is in charge of all the lost boys and keeps them in line pretty well for someone who couldn't be more than six inches tall. She's sassy and spunky, but inside, I think she's a big softie. She loves Peter and the lost boys, and deep down she loves Wendy, John and Michael too. She'll do anything to keep them safe and help them in anything they do.

 



 

Number 2. Favorite Princess

Again, super easy. Cinderella. Not just because my family and I are Gus, Jack, and Cindy, but because Cinderella is proof that a shoe can change your life. But Prince Charming finding the shoe doesn't hurt, either. Also, I recently learned that Walt Disney's favorite piece of animation was Cinderella's transformation from her torn dress to her ballgown, and that's pretty cool. I never really thought about it as a kid, but watching that clip now, I realize how truly amazing that transformation really is, considering Cinderella was completely hand drawn. Here's a link, in case you haven't seen Cinderella in a while. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pph-ayIrOk

 

 

 

And so, the adventure draws closer. Stay tuned for more of my favorites, and feel free to share yours in the comments!

 

Have a Magical Christmas, everyone!