Disney Film Eras: My favorites and why I like them so darn much

If there is one thing that can be said about the Disney Animation franchise it's that it is progressive. Disney does an excellent job at keeping up with the times and must dedicate a significant amount of money to focus groups because they always manage to be on top of what's in the now. Their partnership with Pixar ultimately revolutionized the way a new generation of children would grow up watching animated movies and TV. But even before Nemo and Mike Wasowski, Disney was cranking out exceptional animated masterpieces frame by frame.

So this week I've decided to share what I consider my favorite flicks from each of the Disney movie eras. Our journey will begin with the Walt Disney era and we will work our way through the completely made up and arbitrarily named Pre-Renaisance era, The First Golden Age, The Second Golden Age, Renaissance, and the CGI era which I will refer to as the Disny/Pixar era even though I realize not all the CGI films were a product of the Disney/Pixar relationship. I look forward to seeing everyone's picks in the comments section of this blog post on our Facebook fan page. I realize that each era has a plethora of amazing movies with epic memorable moments, but for simplicities sake we're going to narrow it down to just a few per decade that I feel are movies that you have to watch before you die! (Of course if you believe in Heaven then surely all the Disney movies are up there, organized alphabetically, in Blu-Ray, with Walt just waiting around to tell you what he was thinking when he created them!)

The Walt Disney Era

You may have also heard this time period referred to as the Golden Age of Animation for the Disney Animation company. It began in 1937 and ran until 1941. During this time Walt Disney was directly responsible for the supervision of each masterpiece created and what came out of the studio during this time period are some of the most memorable and classic movies that the Disney legacy has to offer. Here are the ones Guru Kyle and I chose:

1. Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs: I mean, do I really need to justify this one? Snow White came out 75 years ago and little girls are still tripping over each other to meet her at the parks. Just in case that didn't sink in the first time, 75 YEARS! Not many other films can boast that they feature such a memorable character. For his part in Snow White, Disney received an Academy Award complete with 7 tiny statuettes to represent each of the Dwarfs. An interesting note: critics predicted that Snow White would be a complete failure and inevitably cause the financial ruin of the studio.

2. Pinocchio: It was tough to decide between this one and Bambi (like the toughest decision I made all day, you guys), but in the end this story line is still responsible for oft uttered phrases like "I can see your nose growing!" when little munchkins are caught in a lie. And who doesn't know "When You Wish Upon A Star"? Many little girls remember it fondly not only from this movie, but also from their favorite jewelry box. It has become an unmistakable icon for the Disney Company, and is probably just as recognizable as Mickey Mouse himself. It won the Academy Award in 1940 for Best Original Song and Best Original Score. I still listen to "Give A Little Whistle" at least once a week.

The Golden Age

So many classics were produced during this time that it was almost impossible to pick favorites. We've narrowed this era down from 1950-1967. There were so many to choose from that we actually broke it down in to two eras just so we could do them justice!

1. Cinderella: a classic story with a plot that has come to symbolize the dreams of little girls across the globe. Cinderella has been told 1000 different ways through countless varying mediums, but nobody did it like Disney. Cinderella Castle has become the defining icon of not only the company but the number one theme park in the world and a sight that children spend their whole little lives waiting to see. The Academy Awards nominated "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" for Best Song, and the film received nominations for Best Sound, and Original Music Score. Roo (aka baby in my belly) gets to hear "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes" on a daily basis and if violent and unrelenting kicking is an indication of anything, she's a huge fan.

2. Sleeping Beauty: Much like Cinderella, her castle has become an icon of the Disney franchise and the epicenter of both the original Disneyland in California, and Disneyland Paris. Sleeping Beauty was the last fairy tale that Walt oversaw the production of before his death. Also like Cinderella, the cast of supporting characters are as memorable as Aurora herself. I love the banter between the three good fairies and one of my favorite scenes until this very day is the one where they argue over making Aurora's cake without the aid of magic, and shoot colored lightening bolts from their wands in an effort to win the war over whose dress color is better. An unknown little bit of trivia is that originally Walt had suggested that all three fairies look alike (sort of like the three tavern wenches in Beauty & The Beast), but that opinion was vetoed in favor of the fairies having distinct personalities like that of Huey, Dewey, and Louie. One of my favorite scenes was at the end of the film where Aurora and Prince Philip dance in the clouds and her dress changes color. This was originally an idea to be used in the Cinderella movie, but was scraped and used for Sleeping Beauty instead.

3. The Jungle Book: This was the last film ever produced by Disney himself (Sleeping Beauty was the last fairy tale, just so there's no confusion there), which makes it stand out all on it's own. The soundtrack earns its own merit from songs like "The Bare Necessities" (which you now have stuck in your head), but uses the same themes from Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. Pay close attention to the scene where Mowgli wakes up after escaping King Louie and you'll recognize the Sleeping Beauty theme. This film should be watched at least once because, if nothing else, it's a timeless Disney Classic.

Honorable mentions from this era go to 101 Dalmatians, Lady and The Tramp, and Alice in Wonderland. Each deserve their own write up and in my opinion are all must see movies. These three movies have added to the ambiance of the Disney World/Disneyland park going experience in so many uncountable ways whether it be at Tony's Town Square Restaurant in Magic Kingdom (look closely at the pavement outside and you will see a heartfelt note written in the concrete), or riding The Mad Hatter's Tea Cups which has become a rite of passage for most children at the Happiest Place On Earth.

The Second Golden Age

In our list of completely random and arbitrarily named Disney eras we've chosen the Second Golden Age to represent the years between 1968 and 1979. Like the first Golden Age, this one was a toughie too just because there were so many good choices.

Cuz' I'm a lady.

1. The Aristocats: This was the last project to be approved by Walt Disney himself and featured Eva Gabor as Duchess, mother of the three lovable little munchkins we would come to know throughout the film. This film has definitely shown it's staying power by appealing to audiences stretching far beyond it's initial release date in 1970. Even now Marie makes frequent appearances at the France pavilion in Epcot and is featured on a wide variety of merchandise. Even baby Roo has a new onesie with Marie front and center! The Aristocats was re-released in 1980 and then again in 1987 to good reception, proving it's appeal across generational gaps.

2. The Rescuers: Released in 1977 (The Year of The Dreiz as it's referred to in this house), The Rescuers was the first major success since the Jungle Book in 1967. This film was worked on by the famous "Nine Old Men" (Walt's original group of star animators) and was regarded by themselves as some of their finest work. When re-released in theaters in 1983 the film began with a Mickey Mouse short, and marked the first time Mickey had graced the silver screen after a 30 year absence. Within a week of being released it became Disney's most financially successful film to date, even surpassing the success of Mary Poppins! Orphans, mice, and pirate caves are all included in this Disney masterpiece essentially creating the perfect Disney trifecta.

The Renaissance

Finally! We've come to my favorite era in Disney Animation and the one I found it the toughest to choose films from. It's called the renaissance for a reason. During the years between 1989 and 1995 Disney came out with an amazing array of animated blockbusters that still remain some of the highest grossing animated movies of all time. Experiences with characters from these movies are often some of the most sought after at all the parks, and either have rides or other attractions dedicated to them or their featured film. Feature films from this era include: The Little Mermaid, Beauty & The Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, and Pocahontas. These are all fantastic movies, there is no arguing that. I'm serious, there's no arguing that. Ever. You will lose.

Because I know this has been a long blog post (if you've made it this far, thanks for sticking with me!) and we still have another era to go, I will cut it down and only include my two favorites from this era.

Stage show at Hollywood Studios

1. Beauty & The Beast: Released in 1991, B&TB has grossed over $424 million globally! If you've ever been to a Disney park you know what kind of demand Belle is in. You can often catch her and the Beast outside the France pavilion at Epcot, or you can have some amazing pictures taken with her at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in Norway. I've also seen her a time or two at Cinderella's Royal Table wearing her blue storybook outfit. Belle is a heroine to all the brunette bookworms out there. All I wanted for my 26th birthday was a blu-ray copy of this and luckily Kyle managed to deliver! IGN has even rated B&TB as their #1 Animated Film of All Time. It inspired an Tony winning Broadway musical, and a beautiful stage show at Disney's Hollywood Studio. Before we chose baby Roo's (real name Ryleigh) middle name (Noelle) I pushed and pleaded for her to be Ryleigh Belle with moderate success for several months. Eventually losing to my husband and good reason.

2. The Little Mermaid: Now it may seem that I have a bit of a princess bias (which let's face it, I do), but we need to give The Little Mermaid credit where it's due. Prior to TLM Disney Animation cranked out some serious box offices flops, and marked the beginning of a turning point for Disney Animation Studios. Released in 1989, most people have no idea that development for a Little Mermaid movie began back in the 1930's along with Snow White! The film received two Academy Awards, one for Best Song and the other for Best Original Score. They also managed to score a Grammy award for "Under the Sea" which is always a favorite in our house, and the album itself has been certified platinum 6 times!

The CGI (Disney/Pixar) Era

This era ushered in a whole new way of looking at animated films, and basically changed the way that today's kids will view cartoons. So many good things came out of the foray in to CGI animation: Mike Wasowski, Rapunzel, just to name a few, but the potential for 3D animation also grew exponentially. Eventually there will come a time where I'm explaining to Roo that back in my day when you went to see a movie, you didn't need to wear glasses! So here are my picks for favorites of the Disney/Pixar/CGI era:

1. Toy Story: The one that started it all. It was Pixars first feature film as well as the first film to be made entirely from CGI, and began a trilogy that exploded to include massive merchandising endeavors and even the Toy Story Midway Mania ride at Hollywood Studios. I'm not sure there is one critic out there that has something negative to say about this movie and if they do then their membership to humanity should be immediately questioned.

2. Finding Nemo: little known fact is that as of 2006 Finding Nemo was the best selling DVD of all time, with over 40 million copies sold world-wide. It received the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and made everyone fall in love with clown fish. Also, P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney. That's all I have to say about that.

3. Up: I was hiding under your porch because I love you! I was going to leave it at two but I just can't imagine going through this era and not mentioning Up. After all, it received 5 Academy Award nominations and received the Awards for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score. I remember going to see this and thinking it was going to be a colorful little movie about a cranky old man and some balloons, and good for several laughs. For the most part I was correct, but if you've seen the first ten minutes of this film you can sort of see where I'm going when I say I needed a whole lot of happy to get over all that sad. I can't even think about the dynamic between Carl and Ellie without tearing up. And on that note, I think I may have left some onions out on the kitchen counter.

A Very Pin-teresting Tale

Let me preface this by saying there was a time in my life when I looked at tourists, draped in full regalia (backpacks, fanny packs, old school Canon camera with awesomely colored neck strap), and thought “I would die of embarrassment before looking like that in public.” So with that in mind, here is a picture my husband took of me right before boarding Pirates of the Caribbean in March of 2011:

That is what happens when you drink the Disney kool-aid ladies and gentlemen. Behold it in all its nerdy glory.

I blend in well. I'm a blender.

You can’t see my lanyard in this particular picture but I am an absolute Disney pinaholic. When I went to WDW for the first time in October of 2008 I saw people walking around with pin lanyards on but I didn’t understand what they were. They just reminded me of how my mom used to describe the pin trading that would go on when the Olympics were in Canada many years back. It wasn’t until our last few days of vacation that I really took an interest in them. I got a nice pink lanyard thinking it would be a great souvenir to keep my keys on when we returned home, and the person who sold it to me (at the pin stand just outside Tusker House Restaurant in Animal Kingdom) suggested I take a look at the pins they had there. I left that stand with Mickey & Minnie in their wedding clothes, baby Pooh with a honey pot, Mickey dressed as a ghost, and Lady & the Tramp. I was officially hooked after that. We were broke newlyweds and as far as a pin budget went we had just blown it, but as it is with any good addiction it eventually became something that I was willing to invest a whole lot of money I don’t have in to!

Now our pin buying routine consists of me purchasing a lot of about 25-30 pins from a seller on eBay about 4 weeks prior to our departure date. Usually these are hidden Mickey pins (pins given to Cast Members to trade in the parks), and there have been a few occasions where I’ve gotten some that were originally part of a starter set. Nothing fancy, but every now and then you get some interesting ones that you wouldn’t typically find on sale in the parks. I usually keep about 10 of the ones from the lot I receive and use the rest to trade in the parks.

If you are interested in buying lots from eBay I have a couple tips. As with any eBay purchase, make sure you’re buying from a trusted seller. I usually go through the sellers other items and reviews and make sure they’re an experienced pin seller to ensure that I’m getting someone who will be knowledgeable about pin trading if I have to make a return for some reason. Also make sure that they guarantee you won’t be receiving Sedesma pins, and that they explicitly state that all their pins are able to be traded at Disney parks. The latter statement constitutes a guarantee by the seller that they can be used for their intended purpose, so if you have a problem at the park and are unable to trade due to a bad pin, with any luck you can get your money back. You can also make sure that they guarantee there will be no duplicates in the lot. This has never been important to me since I always plan on trading all of my pins, and last time I specifically requested a duplicate lot because it made the shipping time faster. So if you don’t care about duplicates, sometimes those lots can be a little cheaper. I’ve never had a problem with any of the lots I’ve bought from eBay.

After all the trading is done and the ears are put up for the season, Dr. Dreiz and I like to display our pins on a cork board we picked up at Staples. We got the idea from some of the Cast Members that participated in the Disney college program when they told us that they frequently have cork boards in their apartments where they showcase the various pins they’ve been given. Here is our latest cork board: 

Every one of our Disney pins has its’ own special story. I can usually tell you where I was when I bought or traded the pin, and the significance of its purchase. For example, in the bottom right hand corner of the pin board about three rows up you'll see two baby versions of Belle and Tinkerbell. I traded for these when we took our nieces to WDW for the first time. They're twins, and every time I look at those pins I'm reminded of the magical time we had with them. I’ve included a couple of my favorites and a little story about each one, I hope you enjoy reading about them as much as I enjoyed acquiring them!

2011 International Food & Wine Festival : This is the first special event pin we ever purchased. We bought it right outside the American pavilion from a very nice Italian grandma type who insisted we head over to Via Napoli for their pizza. Turns out she was from the same area in Italy that my husbands grandma was from! We told her that we just found out that we were expecting a baby in June and she was even more insistent that I get some pizza in me. She was one of my favorite conversations from the entire trip. When you start pin trading you meet a lot of interesting Cast Members, especially at Epcot. If it's not too busy it's always fun to engage them in conversation, you may learn things about the park that you never knew!

Star Wars Rebel Alliance: This one is my second favorite pin in the collection. I had seen it on several occasions but for some reason always passed over it. Thinking back, I'm not sure why I didn't purchase it when we attended Star Wars Weekends. I finally decided on our last trip that I had to have it. It combines the two things I love the most in this world (that is until my daughter arrives in June): Star Wars, and Disney! They also have a similar pin symbolizing the Empire although I was unable to find it on the last trip. With any luck I will find it on the next one, and if not they are always in good supply on eBay. If you check out the pin board, you'll see that we have an entire Star Wars collection. My husbands favorite is Yoda holding a Mickey ice cream and waiting in line for a ride he is clearly not tall enough to be on!

Mickey's Philharmagic: This pin is definitely not the most spectacular of the bunch. Not even close. But Philharmagic is my favorite attraction and a pin dedicated to it's awesomeness is a rare find. This is my absolute number one favorite pin. We bought this one outside Space Mountain on a rainy night during Extra Magic Hours, along with a Living With The Land pin. I have a Philharmagic shirt with the same duck butt logo on it, and it's my favorite thing to wear! I can't look at that pin without thinking of all the amazing sights and smells that come with seeing Philharmagic. I would argue that this particular attraction is part of the quintessential Disney experience. 

 

Pirates of the Caribbean cursed treasure: This is definitely in the top three. Nothing fancy, but it's a dead ringer for the ones in the movies, and it's about the same size I would imagine cursed pirate treasure would be. I like it so much because it looks like a legitimate coin and I always imagine Johnny Depp flipping it back and forth between his fingers and taunting Barbosa. There is also a version of this pin that has a Mickey head on it instead of the skull, but I wanted the one that looked like the movie version. 

Haunted Mansion Portrait: This is one of my husbands favorite pins. We purchased this one in Frontierland. It's a fairly large pin and requires two back to stay on the lanyard, one of which we always manage to lose! I love looking at this one and thinking "Is this room actually stretching!?" There were other versions as well that featured the scenes from the various portraits and included characters like Daisy Duck and Minnie Mouse. 

Disney family car decals: these ones are special because they took awhile to find. I was dead set on getting one for each of us, which meant I had to go in search of a man, woman, and two dogs! I found all of these at Epcot, and even received one in the lot I had purchased on eBay. They are hidden Mickey pins, which means they are originally given only to Cast Members and are never for sale, so you can only acquire them through trading or buying them from a second hand source. During this vacation we also bought the matching decals to put on my car when we arrived home. On our last vacation when we found out we (mostly me) were pregnant the hunt was on for the baby decal and my husband even insisted that we get two just in case it was twins! Better safe than sorry I suppose! These mean a great deal to me and I will always make sure to update them as our family grows.

Animal Kingdom Lodge: This one brings back several memories. We first found out we'd be expecting our precious Ryleigh Noelle during a beautiful sunrise in a room overlooking the Arusha savannah. That in itself will stay with me forever, but if you've ever been to AKL you know that when you walk in to Jambo House the intoxicating scent of woodsmoke is something that you won't soon forget. While there we made sure to pick up one of the Happy Birthday buttons and one of the employees was gracious enough to write "Happy Birthday Baby!" on it, so that we would have it for the day when Ryleigh chooses to make her entrance in to the world.

 

 Well that about sums up my pin trading knowledge and experiences. If you're a fan of Mouse Tales on Facebook I'm always happy to answer questions related to pin trading, and on Thursdays at 9PM EST you can head on over to Disney Guru's Facebook page for a Q&A and I would be more than happy to answer your questions there as well, as would my husband Kyle (or Dr. Dreiz as he's known by his fans now!)

The Top 5 Disney World iPhone Apps

If you have an android or iPhone it can really make a difference in how you experience Disney World. From checking wait times to uploading up to date photos to make all your Facebook friends jealous, apps have become a really important part of your Disney World survival kit! Here is a list of the iPhone apps that I use to make sure I get the most out of my experience:

Undercover Tourist

1. Disney World Wait Times, Dining and Maps, by Undercovertourist.com, $3.99: There is also a free version of this app which I own, and I know that $3.99 is steep by iTunes standards but let me tell you right now it's completely worth the money. According to wide review, they have the most accurate wait times of all the apps available which makes a world of difference when you take the bus all the way to Magic Kingdom from the Animal kingdom just to ride Space Mountain and realize that it's 120 minutes and not 20 minutes. It's dining information is also in-depth and informative. It lists the restaurants by park, gives the cuisine type, the restaurant type (table service, quick service, etc.) the restaurants star rating, whether it accepts the Dining Plan, and most importantly what the price range is. It also includes a list of items that are on each menu, which is great if you have picky little snowflakes with you. It includes parade times, which parades are taking place that day, the hours for each individual park (Extra Magic Hours included), and a list of rides near you. What I really like about this one is the crowd forecast, which will tell you via green, yellow, and red dots how busy the park is going to be that day or how busy it currently is. I didn't really think you could put a price on this kind of information but apparently you can, and that price is $3.99.
2. Disney World Wait Times, VersaEdge Software, $0.99, Free: There is a free version of this app as well as a paid version but as usual I am always a bigger fan of the free version you guys. Never pay for something they are otherwise giving away. Zuckerberg didn't make his money by spending $0.99 willy nilly all over the place. This one is solid wait times only which I love because sometimes that's all you need. If you're like me and you know the parks like the back of your hand there is no need for complicated maps and needing to know what restaurants are around you because you've neurotically had your day planned for weeks and you've had dinner reservations for a full 180 days. Sometimes you just need to mean business, and business at Disney parks are wait times! Time lost is rides lost, and rides lost is magic lost!
3. Hidden Mickey's of Walt Disney World Orland, Llama Software, $0.99: This one isn't as jazzy as the hidden Mickey's app based on the popular Hidden Mickey's Guide but you know what? It gets the job done. There are no fun pictures, or colors, it's just a straight forward list of where you can find hidden Mickey's in each park and gives enough detail to get you looking where you need to. Some people may not like this one because it's not catchy and does require some thinking, it won't just point you straight at the hidden Mickey's, you still have to look for them yourself, but you will be in the right area. And really what's the fun of looking for hidden Mickey's if it's not like an actual Easter egg hunt? I suggest if you want something with colors and pictures you spend the $5.99-$7.99 on the Hidden Mickey's Guide, but if you don't have a problem looking for them on your own then this is the app for you. For example, this app will go something on the order of "Magic Kingdom > Fantasyland > Flying Carpets of Alladin > Behind Ride > Charm in cement". Not too hard to figure out and actually may be fun if you're all Sherlock Holmes-y.
4. TalkDisney.com CommunityApp, End of Time Studios, Free: This one is great because it 's basically the mobile version of the online forum. I think it's great to hear the official Disney review on most things, but what you really need to hear is how the every day Disney guest experienced a restaurant, or ride, or show.  If you're reading this it probably means you're interested in getting the opinion of frequent guests and want to be prepared as possible, which means that you may just love this app. A lot of people ask questions that you may even know the answer to, so this app is good for before you leave, but may be a little to complicated for when you're at the park. So make sure you read it before you go and don't open it up while waiting in like for Philharmagic (has there ever really been a line for Philharmagic anyway?)
5. The Walt Disney World Maps Box Set, UPinPoint, $3.99: This one doesn't require internet access which is always nice when you have that nice slow Disney park bandwidth (makes it really irritating when you're trying to make your Facebook friends jealous with the Wishes Nighttime Spectacular!). The official site for this app describes it as "brief and useful information about attractions and dining". Once again I can't emphasize enough how much "brief" and "useful" work great together in sentences about WDW. When you're in a crowded park with kids whining about where you're going next, concise and quick is key! You can search attractions by alphabetic order on this one, and the screen shots are great. There are several others I would try before this one, but it's worth a shot just the same.

Hidden Mickey logo

Remember you guys, when you're in the park sometimes nothing can replace the paper maps on hand as they are the most recent and up to date information on what's going down in the park that day (and if it's not either of those things, you march yourself over to Guest Services and you get yourself a couple free FastPasses Mister!!) but these applications really aid in the planning aspect which if you can't already tell, I'm huge on. And plus if the Disney bandwidth issue is giving you a headache (this is just my experience on AT&T and my iPhone) then the paper map is a quick and easy way to get what you need. I also think they're a really cool thing to give to the kids (and my husband) and let them feel like they're helping (They aren't). :)