Merry Christmas

Christmas Movies for Kids Part 3

I love many of the kids Christmas movies that have appeared in recent years. I especially enjoy those from DreamWorks Animation. They have created several short Christmas films that feature characters from their popular series.

How to Train Your Dragon: Gift of the Night Fury - This is a wonderful tale about Hiccup and his Viking pals and their dragons. As the Vikings prepare to celebrate Snoggletog, the dragons suddenly leave, dampening everyone's spirits. Even Toothless leaves once Hiccup provides him with a new tail. As Hiccup's pals work together to save Snoggletog, Hiccup tries to discover what has happened to the dragons. In the end, everyone comes together to celebrate the true meaning of the season: the love of family.

Shrek The Halls - With Christmas rapidly approaching, Princess Fiona and the babies are looking forward to spending the holidays as a family. Unfortunately, Shrek knows nothing about Christmas. As he struggles to create the perfect Christmas from the book "Christmas for Village Idiots", his friends manage to destroy everything. With a little help from Fiona, Shrek learns the meaning of family, and finally discovers the perfect Christmas.

Kung Fu Panda Holiday - Po has always celebrated the Winter Feast with his father, but this year, he's expected to host a formal dinner for the Kung Fu Masters. With the help of the Furious Five, Po tries to create the best Winter Feast ever. Along the way, he tries to discover the true meaning of the holidays; time spent with family and those he loves.

Merry Madagascar - When Alex and his zoo pals shoot down Santa, whom they had mistaken for the "red night goblin" the lemurs fear, they worry that they've ruined Christmas. Working quickly, Alex, Marty, Gloria, Melman, and those wacky penguin come up with a plan to save the day: they'll deliver the presents while Santa recovers from his amnesia. With some madcap hijinks and more than a few mistake, the animals manage to save Christmas, but are forced to return to Madagascar to bring Santa his sleigh. In the end, they discover that giving makes it all worth while, and they are happy to celebrate the holiday.

Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas Special - While Manny and Ellie get ready for their first Christmas with their daughter Peaches, Sid does what he always does, and ruins everything by breaking Manny 's heirloom Christmas rock. Manny informs Sid that he has just made Santa's naughty list, even though he made it up. So, Peaches, Sid, Crash, and Eddie journey to the North Pole to set things right, with hilarious results!

Christmas Movies

It's that time of year again: time to dig out the Christmas movies and have a movie marathon. If you are looking for movies to watch, be sure to check out a few of my favorite Christmas movies. I must admit that I am terribly fond of Christmas movies, so my list of favorites is quite long. If you'd like to know more about a particular film, just click on the link.

Kids Christmas Movies:
     Eloise at Christmastime
     Eloise Little Miss Christmas
     Emmett Otter's Jugband Christmas
     Mickey 's Once Upon a Christmas
     Mickey 's Twice Upon a Christmas
     How the Grinch Stole Christmas
     Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas
     The Original Television Christmas Classics - Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,  
           Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Little Drummer Boy, and
           the Cricket on the Hearth
     The Happy Elf
     Beauty and the Beast: Enchanted Christmas
     Yes, Virginia
     The Santa Clause Trilogy
     The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus
     Santa and Pete
     The Polar Express
     Muppet Christmas Carol
     Arthur Christmas

Adult Movies:
     White Christmas
     Miracle on 34th Street
     The Man Who Saved Christmas
     Silent Night
     The Holiday
     A Christmas Carol - my favorite stars Patrick Stewart
     A Christmas Carol: The Musical
     Scrooge

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Fire

Disney

Normally, I don't pay too much attention to the sensational news out of Disney World. However, last night I was there, so I know it's true. Apparently, a firework from Wishes landed on the exterior of the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ride and set it on fire. The fire was quickly extinguished, but the ride was closed for nearly two hours.  It reopened shortly after midnight, which was when my family and I rode for the first time. It was well worth the wait; we loved it! The fire doesn't seem to have done any major damage, but I suspect there will be some changes for fireworks on windy nights.

El Dia de los Muertos at EPCOT

Have you ever been at EPCOT on November 1st or 2nd? These two days are part of a Mexican celebration called El Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. As mentioned at EPCOT, "The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember relatives who have died." While the Mexico Pavilion doesn't have any special events to mark this holiday, they do have a lot of fun merchandise to decorate your home with. Here are a few of my favorites.

Painted skulls, t-shirts, books and much more.

I love these large, skull-shaped pillows. 

They have fantastic floral embroidery reminiscent of sugar skulls.

These square pillow cases are also cool. I especially like the ball fringe.

Can you imagine wearing skulls on your shoes? Well you can with these ShWings. Bean has some that are actual pink wings and she loves them. They are very easy to put on shoe laces and can definitely add a bit of fun to some boring shoes.

Halloween at Coronado Springs

My family and I are back at Disney World again. We are staying at Coronado Springs this time, and so far I really like it. It is amazing how much different (and better) the moderate hotels are compared to the value ones. Anyway, Coronado Springs has a bunch of special events planned for Halloween.

There is trick or treating throughout the lobby and restaurants.

 

Pluto and Donald are stopping by in their best outfits for pictures.

The cast members had a pumpkin carving competition where guests could vote for their favorites. I personally like the Baymax pumpkin, but Bean was partial to the Rapunzel tower.

There have been Disney Halloween movies under the stars all week. Tonight's film is Hocus Pocus, but they've played the Haunted Mansion, and other similar movies as well. A dance party on the patio is also on the events list for this afternoon. And the coloring pages in the lobby have all been replaced with Halloween designs. Even the restaurants are decorated with carved pumpkins.

 These Frozen pumpkins are especially cute.

They seem to really enjoy Halloween at Coronado Springs. It looks like it will be a lot of fun.

Bat Day at Disney's Animal Kingdom

Have you ever spent Halloween in the parks at Walt Disney World? Surprisingly, it can be a great way to spend the spooky holiday. While I'm sure most people would be inclined to head to the Magic Kingdom and Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, there is a much less expensive alternative to be found in Disney's Animal Kingdom: Bat Day.

At the Conservation Station, Halloween is Bat Day. Last year, they had at least half a dozen activities aimed at teaching kids more about bats. (And don't worry, adults can participate, too.) Our first activity was making bay masks. There were five different mask printouts to color and cut out. They also had a lifesize silhouette of a bat with its wings extended. Kids could kneal in front of it and hold out their arms to see how they measure up to the wingspan. Another station involved walking into a "cave" filled with paper bats. You had to use a flashlight to count the different species and report back how many you found of each. Next, we learned about several forms of enrichment used by cast members to keep the bats entertained. We even tried to lift a bucket of candy using only our pinkies to pull up each link of a chain. That was a lot more difficult than you'd think. We also talked with the bat keepers about how to help bats flourish at home, from reducing the use of pesticides to building bat homes. They also gave us magnets, temporary tattoos, and stickers with photos and facts about bats. It was a lot of fun and a great learning experience.

For a little more animal fun, on October 31, all of the animals receive pumpkins as part of their enrichment program. We enjoyed watching the tortoises trying to eat the giant pumpkins.

13 Nights of Halloween on ABC Family

Tonight is the first night of ABC Family's 13 Nights of Halloween. It looks like a pretty good lineup. Which movies will you be watching?

Good Witch's Wonder

Cassie Nightingale is back for a seventh film with an all new mystery to solve. Her stepson Brandon and his fiancee Tara have suddenly decided to rush their wedding, leaving Cassie only days to plan it. Martha has been elected mayor of Middleton and has pushed Caddie into running a silent auction to raise money for the Middleton Botanical Gardens. Cassie meets a new arrival to Middleton and immediately hires her to help run the Bell, Book & Candle. However, Audrey may be hiding something. When donations for the auction turn up missing, it's up to Cassie, with a little help from her husband Jake, the local Chief of Police, to solve the mystery and set everything to rights.

I love the way they have kept so many of the characters from the previous stories as well as introducing new ones along the way. The kids have grown up and the family has grown closer together, adding new members with every story. These are some of my favorite movies, and my entire family loves watching them together. The Good Witch's Wonder premieres Saturday, October 25 at 9/8c.

In case you missed one of the movies, here's are the titles (and my reviews) in order:

The Good Witch
The Good Witch's Garden
The Good Witch's Gift
The Good Witch's Family
The Good Witch's Charm
The Good Witch's Destiny
The Good Witch's Wonder

Phineas and Ferb: Night of the Living Pharmacists

Have you seen the latest Phineas and Ferb Halloween episode? It's absolutely hilarious! For once, it appears that Doof's inator has been successful. He's finally gotten his brother Roger out of his way, but with unforeseen consequences. The Repulse-inator has turned Roger into the most repulsive thing possible: a zombie clone of Doof himself. Unfortunately, it also allows him to infect everyone around him, making "Lots of me!" Doofenshmirtz schemes always remind me of Pinky and the Brain; they rarely work, and when they do, he's still unhappy with the results. This is no exception; Doof loves the idea of "an army of me", but the zombie clones don't really care for him, throwing him out of his own building, saying "Less of me!"

As usual, Phineas and Ferb and the gang must save the world. They come up with a plan to protect themselves from the Doof zombies (crazy suits made of salvaged rubber) and try to find Isabella, who has become separated from the group, causing Phineas to panic. Although they don't see him, Agent P is protecting the group, drawing away the zombies and making sure that they can complete their mission. Eventually, they find Isabella, who once again tries to tell Phineas about her feelings for him, but is thwarted by memory loss, as usual. Of course they save the world (or at least Danville) and everyone is changed back to normal.

I loved this episode of Phineas and Ferb. It had a million zombie jokes, and definitely poked a bit of fun at the Resident Evil franchise. I love that Phineas and Ferb episodes aren't just aimed at kids. There are definitely several zombie movie jokes that will be over most kids heads, but that just makes it more fun to watch as a family. If you missed it the first time, be sure to catch one of the replays; the next one is on Sunday, October 19 at 11am on DisneyXD. Or watch it anytime online at WatchDisneyXD.

Trick or Treating at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party

My favorite time of year to go to Disney World is in the fall. I absolutely adore going to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. And one of the best parts of the Party is the Trick or Treating. Last year, Disney handed out a whopping 215 tons of candy at the parties.

When you check in for the party, at the Rose Garden or the gate, you are handed your party wristbands, a map, and a small, gift-bag sized trick or treat bag. In the past, the bag has advertised the latest Disney movies, such as TinkerBell or Wall-E. The bags are easy to carry and fairly sturdy, however, if your child has a favorite bag or bucket they'd prefer, that's perfectly okay.

There are several Trick or Treat Trails set up around the Magic Kingdom. The Trails, as well as additional candy stops, are marked on the party map. The first two years that I attended the party, the Trails were Alice in Wonderland themed, with Cast Members dressed as playing cards handing out the candy. Along the Trails, we got a surprise meeting with the Queen of Hearts and the White Rabbit. This past year, there were new trails, including one at Splash Mountain. The candy distribution is generous and we've found the Cast Members to be very friendly and in the spirit of Halloween. Most Cast Members will give each person a large handful of candy at each stop along the trail. Some Cast Members will wait for the kids to say "Trick or Treat" before handing out candy, and you should remember to say "Thank you!" too.

A surprise meeting with the Queen of Hearts

Disney is very generous with the candy that they hand out during MNSSHP. The candy varies, but is usually a good mix of popular varieties including Butterfinger, Hersheys, Skittles, Twix, Laffy Taffy, Heath Bars, Smarties, Nestle Crunch, Reese's peanut butter cups, Tootsie Rolls, Twizzlers, and more. In the past, there were also small boxes of raisins for a healthy option and also little extras that were handed out at some stops in lieu of candy. One year, we got packs of Winnie the Pooh Halloween memory cards. Another year, we got Jack Skellington stencils that were made of a nice sturdy plastic. Last year, at the Jungle Cruise stop, you could even get bananas instead of candy. One of our favorite treats was the Jake and the Neverland Pirates fruit snacks. And Disney has also added several locations where you can trade in your candy for healthier alternatives, including sugar-free, allergen-free, and non-candy options.

You never know what you might find on the Trick or Treat Trails. In previous years, near the Haunted Mansion, was a trail that led down to the Riverboat landing. A ghostly ship's captain bearing a lamp haunted a fog-enshrouded area at the bottom of the stairs. Last year, Disney added a new Riverboat stop that was less spooky and lots of fun: a Mardi Gras party from the Princess and the Frog.

Our giant haul of candy!

The Trick or Treat Trails are a great way to pass the time while waiting for the Boo to You parades or dance parties to start, or walking from one area of the park to another. We usually use our small bags while walking the trails, but dump the candy into a single backpack when it becomes too much to easily carry or when going on rides. The Trails are rarely busy if you attend a party in September or even early October. We haven't ususally had to wait for more than one group to finish before getting our candy or having a chance to interact with the characters. We really enjoyed the unexpectedly calm pace at a park that is often quite frenetic.

At the end of the night, don't forget to get your bag topped off as you exit the gate. In 2009, the top of candy was giant Ghiradelli caramel filled chocolate bars. And each of us got six! Last year, it was individually wrapped Peeps in Halloween colors. So if you're planning to attend Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween party, be sure to make time for Trick or Treating. It's definitely worth it!

Boo to You Parade at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party

In my opinion, the Boo to You Parade at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party is the best parade at Disney World. It's a great opportunity to see many rare Disney characters as well as several classic characters in Halloween costumes. Bean's favorite part of the parade is the Headless Horseman who rides through before the parade starts. We've enjoyed watching the old Disney Legend of Sleepy Hollow, as narrated by Bing Crosby, for years. As a result, we always look forward to seeing the Headless Horseman, although Bean was terribly disappointed to discover that he doesn't give autographs!

After the Horseman, the music begins and the floats make their way through Frontierland toward Main Street. The music is ridiculously catchy! You'll find yourself humming it for days after watching the parade. The parade begins with many walking characters who carry fancy Halloween masks. The characters dance to the music, but also wave to the children in the audience and high-five them as well.

The first float has Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Daisy in their Halloween finery, riding in a decorated gazebo.

Next is a large tree from the Hundred Acre Woods with Winnie the Pooh and friends in their Halloween costumes. Peter Pan and the Lost Boys dance and play their way through the parade with Wendy. They are followed by Captain Hook and Mr Smee on the Jolly Roger and an enormous Tick-Tock Croc.

The next group is pirates, including Captain Barbossa and Captain Jack Sparrow high up on a treasure covered cliff.

Now we've come to my favorite part of the parade: the Haunted Mansion characters. Fog covers the ground as the Caretaker, Dick O'Dell, leads his frightened dog through the mist. Ghostly ballroom dancers glide down the parade route followed by the Hitchhiking Ghosts standing on the steps of the Haunted Mansion. The dancers are not to be missed. They are eerie and beautiful at the same time.

The gravediggers are also spectacular and do an amazing dance with shovels, including a move where they run the shovels along the ground and send up sparks. The next group includes characters from the early days of Disney and includes Horace Horsecollar, a group of cowboy dancer, and the Country Bears singing and playing on a float.

Brer Bear and Brer Fox join Chip and Dale in Western wear to escort several country girls down the parade, dancing as they go. Clara Cluck follows them in a giant barn.

Next up is a pumpkin-headed character on a large mirrored ball that spins and weaves through the parade.

The villains follow, complete with their own skeleton band, and include the Queen of Heart, Cruella DeVil, the Evil Queen, the Sheriff of Nottingham, the Big Bad Wolf, Dr. Facilier,  and Jafar and Maleficent on a castle wall with a full size Chernabog peering over the top and often Ursula on the back. Shenzi, Bonzai, and Ed round out the villains and are followed by a candy corn waving flag line. Pluto and Goofy, riding in candy filled trucks, are the last to pass, with helpers who hand out candy to the children, ending the parade.

You'll have two chances to watch the parade during the party. If you have young children who may not be able to stay until the end of the party, I would recommend watching the earlier parade. The first parade is at 8:15 pm and the second parade is at 10:30 pm. I have watched the parade from several different locations, but would recommend finding a spot in Frontierland. The area between the Country Bear Jamboree and the Frontierland turkey leg cart, facing the Rivers of America is my favorite spot. It's usually not as crowded as Main Street and the lighting is fantastic for taking photos.

The Boo to You Parade may change slightly from year to year and may include different characters, but it's always worth taking the time to watch. Be sure to pick a spot about 20-30 minutes before the start of the parade to get the best seats and remember to bring glow sticks from home. They sell them at Disney and kids always want them, but they are far too expensive. The parade lasts about 15 minutes and may have a few moments that are too scary for young children, such as the Haunted Mansion characters and villains. However, this parade is definitely one to watch.

Halloween Movies

It's October, so it must be time to dust off the movies and begin A Halloween marathon. I know I'll be re-watching all of my favorites as well as trying to watch every episode of Buffy,  and maybe even all of Angel,  too, although that may be a bit too ambitious. If you still need a few ideas for movies to fill in your Halloween line-up, be sure to check out my favorites.

Halloween Movies for Kids Part 1
Halloween Movies for Kids Part 2
Halloween Movies for Kids Part 3
More Halloween Movies for Kids
Even More Halloween Movies for Kids

Photo of the Week

Trick or Treat!

Quote of the Week

When the crypt doors creak

And the tombstones quake

Spooks come out 

For a swinging wake

Happy haunts materialize

And begin to vocalize

Grim grinning ghosts

Come out to socialize...

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Pop Vinyl

I've been a huge fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer for years. I started watching Buffy part way through season 2 when my cousin introduced me to it when I stayed with her during a Disneyland trip. By the time I got home,  I was hooked. I love the ridiculousness of a blonde,  teenage,  cheerleader-type girl protecting the world from vampires and other demons.

There were many fantastic episodes during its seven year run. A few of my favorites are: "Fear Itself" where the fear demon everyone was terrified of was only 8 inches tall and not really scary; "Hush" which is almost entirely silent, yet very effectively creepy and features the uber scary Gentlemen; and "Once More With Feeling" the hilarious musical episode with songs by Joss Whedon. Overall, I loved the idea that personal inner demons could become real, making high school even more insufferable.

After a few seasons, Buffy collectibles were everywhere,  and I will admit, I have more than a few. I have most of the first five years of the magazine. I have the Buffy, Willow, and Angel Barbie-style dolls. I bought Chupa Chups suckers and Barqs rootbeer because of their Buffy labels. I even used the iron-on that came with the magazine, paired with a bit of hand embroidery to make a pillow, which I still use as part of my decor. And I probably shouldn't even mention the lithograph of Buffy and Angel that spent years hanging on my bedroom wall.  I also have all of the DVDs, which I have decided to rewatch from the beginning to celebrate the spooky fun of October. Yeah, I was addicted to Buffy (and later it's spin-off, Angel).

Recently, Funko released a set of Buffy the Vampire Slayer PopVinyls (for those of us who still don't have enough collectibles.) The collection includes Buffy Summers (holding Mr. Pointy), Angel,  Willow Rosenberg, Oz, two versions of my favorite evil vampire Spike (one in human features and one vamped out), and one of the Gentlemen (always creepy).

There is also a special Wishverse variant of Willow that is exclusive to Hot Topic. My sister and I have an ever-growing collection of PopVinyls, so I'm sure I'll be adding some of the Buffy characters soon.

Halloween is coming to the Disney Channels!

Disney

It's nearly time for Halloween again, and that means movies, magic, and fun, fun, fun! Disney Junior is set to kick off their Boo For You Halloween programming starting this today. Special episodes of Sofia the First, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, and Doc McStuffins will appear each Friday all month long.

The Disney Channel is also planning a special Monstober line-up featuring Halloween episodes from several of their popular series as well as Disney Channel original movies. New episodes of Dog with a Blog, Girl Meets World, and Jessie air tonight. Phineas and Ferb scare up some fun in "Night of the Living Pharmacists" alongside a new Gravity Falls on Saturday night, while Austin and Ally and Liv and Maddie will be on Sunday. Some of the movies this month include Under Wraps, Girl vs. Monster,  both Twitches films, and all four Halloweentown movies. And since it's Disney,  there will most likely be a new Halloween movie as well.

Disney XD will also get in on the fun beginning October 17.  Lab Rats, Mighty Med, the 7D, and Marvel's Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. will all have special Halloween episodes. An animated cross-over featuring the cast of Jessie and Marvel's Ultimate Spider-Man: Web-Warriors is also set to debut in October.

With all of the new episodes and great movies,  it should be a Monstober to remember. And since Halloween is my favorite time of year,  I can't wait!

Brave Disney Dream Portrait from Annie Leibovitz

 

Have you seen the latest Disney Dream Portrait from Annie Leibovitz? She has created several amazing portraits in the past several years, and I just love them. The most recent portrait features actress Jessica Chastain as Merida from the Disney/Pixar film Brave. The portrait is titled Where your destiny awaits. This photo appeared in several magazines earlier this year.

I'm Back!

It's been a very, very long summer. I recently returned home after spending four months helping my mom get her house ready to sell. It was a lot of hard work to get it finished, but it looks like it will sell fairly quickly, so it was worth the effort.  (Besides, once it sells, she's promised that a Disney Cruise will soon be in my future. Hooray!!) Now that I'm back, I thought I'd catch up on all of the Disney news that has come out recently and share it with you.

First up, it appears that Star Wars Expansion will happen after all. I'm so excited! Disney hasn't announced exactly what it will entail, but I'm hoping for a Cantina with the musicians from Episode IV. Additional details aren't expected until some time next year, but it's definitely a start.

The Frozen Summer has been held over and will continue until September 28. The fun starts with Anna and Elsa's Royal Welcome. Then you can join in the fun with "For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration". Stop by  Wandering Oaken's Frozen Funland to shop for all your winter needs and maybe even try a bit of ice skating or play in the snow. Finish the night with Frozen Fireworks set to music from the movie. It sounds like a lot of fun. Rumors have suggested that the event may continue until 2015, but Disney hasn't announced an extension so far.

A new night time parade will be coming to Animal Kingdom in 2017. It's called the Rivers of Light and will take place on the Discovery River between Discovery Island and Expedition Everest. The floating show will feature lanterns, live music, water screens and images of animals. This parade will be the park's first kiss goodnight. Other nighttime activities will include night safaris on Kilimanjaro Safaris and live performers. All of this will lead up to the debut of Avatar land in 2017.

It looks like there are a lot of new things planned for Walt Disney World in the next few years. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out.