Movie Monday: A Goofy Movie

So I actually watched this movie a while ago and... I have a funny story to go with this. So when I was a kid A Goofy Movie was always the VHS tape I found when I was cleaning my rooms. I had all of my VHS tapes on top of my dresser and they would kind of fall on the floor behind that and it was a tall dresser so it was hard to get out. Anyway that was always what I'd find and I would watch it once I found it. Flash Forward 10-20 years later... I got the DVD and I put it out in the living room so that my mom could watch it with my niece if she wanted. My niece is 3 and sometimes makes a mess of things so she must have pushed it behind the TV when she was coming over- and of corse this was in the hardest spot to get to... so somehow I always have to clean before watching A Goofy Movie. 

So aside from that... I love this movie. I really like Goofy- but Max and his friends are fun to watch too. Plus Powerline is great... I just think this is a great movie. So if you've never seen the movie before- Max is kind of having trouble towards the end of the school year. There's this girl he likes that he tries to get to notice him by dressing up as powerline and taking over an assembly and he gets in trouble... and then Goofy is scared he'll end up in jail one day so he takes him on a road trip because he thinks thats the best thing for him. 

And Goofy on a road trip is just about the funniest thing ever. Plus he's doing things that are a little bit too young for Max- so Max just thinks everything is uncool... and he wants to try to get his dad to go to a Powerline concert because he told the kids at school that that was what he was doing cause he thought it sounded cooler than the fact that he was going on a road trip... it all ends up really good. 

I think all of the characters in this movie are a lot of fun too. They show quite a few babies and little kids and they're all super cute and idk. It's just well designed so that it does look like the world that Goofy lives in- but it's still different looking from Mickey Mouse or Duck Tales and Donald Duck. Its just really interesting I just like it a lot. 

So yeah the music is great- the jokes are all quotable... it's just great overall. I really liked seeing this movie- I loved Big Foot. It's a really fun movie. If you've never seen it it is on Disney Plus and the DVD was like $3 at Target I think. I'm sure now it's different I picked it up a long time ago but I like it a lot and I'll continue watching it when I need to clean my room. 

So yeah! I wanted to do Marvel Monday too... but I didn't do a Disney Blog last week for Movie Monday so... yeah. 

TTFN! 

-Shannon 

Movie Monday: Scoob

Okay, so obviously Scooby Doo is not a disney property- but it is a big part of my childhood so I thought doing a review of it on this blog would be better. 

Alright so when I watched this I really thought the movie was fun. At first it seemed like Daphnae, Fred and Vilma weren't really going to do anything... but then they did actually end up doing a lot and they were fun characters. The villains and the other characters were really fun too... but they weren't really Scooby Doo characters. 

So I don't know a lot about Hanna Barbera- but I did watch Wacky Races as a kid so I know Dick Dasterdly and his dog Mutley. I really like Wacky Races so I was really excited about this at first... I didn't even remember seeing that in the trailer so... it was a nice surprise for me... but then I thought about it... and the Scooby Doo series has a lot of good villains... so it seems weird that they didn't just pick one from Scooby Doo. I have a feeling they're planning for a bigger Hanna Barbera Cinematic Universe since that's the trend of movies these days... but they still could have used a Scooby Doo villain for the start of that. 

I also liked that they showed the origin story of how Scooby met Shaggy and how they met the rest of the gang... but that that wasn't the whole movie. Somehow I feel like they could do a direct to DVD prequel of the early scooby doo years in this universe... but idk I'm just making that up and they probably can't animate it as nicely. There is a scene in the credits that sets up a possible sequel... but who knows with the Pandemic and this not being widely released what the future of that will be. 

I think if you love Scooby Doo and you like Hanna Barbera cartoons- you'd probably love this movie. I have a 3 year old niece and I don't really think she would be interested in this movie- but I think maybe like 5 year olds and up would like it and I think it's fun for parents too. There were a lot of times in the movie where I genuinely laughed... plus the voice actors were all really good. 

So yeah... I would give this 3 out of 5 stars I think. It's just a fun movie that I think a lot of people will really like... and it's kind of the best thing offered at the time so... it's good because it's the only thing lol. I hope they make more of these movies and I would recommend it! 

Bye! 

-Shannon 

Movie Monday: The Princess Diaries

Now for my favorite live action Disney Movie- The Princess Diaries! I've seen this movie SEVERAL times as a kid... when I was a kid we had DirectTv for a little bit and they did something called All Day Ticket where they would just play movies that were just released on VHS or DVD all day long with just a few breaks in between to show trailers for the other movies on All Day Ticket. I pretty much watched this and My Big Fat Greek Wedding like all the time. I definitely watched My Big Fat Greek Wedding way more... but I still love this movie a lot and I really love the book series by Meg Cabot! The books are for teens and young adults and the last book was for adults. The books are a little less Disney friendly than the movie is- so... it's not totally family friendly... I would maybe say if you're a mom maybe read it yourself before giving it to kids under 13 maybe... but I read it at 11 and I think it was fine. 

ANYWAY this movie is something I think kids, teens and adults can enjoy. I really loved it at every stage of my life... I laughed SO MUCH when I watched this recently- it's like they crammed as many laughs as they could in the movie and... there really is some little joke every line of the movie pretty much. There's also a lot of heart in it between Mia, her mother and her grandmother. And Mia's friends too. 

My favorite part of the movie is when Mia has too much of the sorbet that is a palette cleanser between courses and its too cold for her and then the Prime Minister and his wife feel like they have to copy Mia so that she's not as embarrassed. It's so funny and I just can't stop laughing at that part! 

I also love how this movie is a great Girl Power movie with strong female characters and they show really great female friendships. I always love the relationship between Mia and Lilly because I feel like it's realistic. Mia and Lilly got into a couple fights in the movie that were pretty realistic fights that kind of made their friendship better... I really like the scene where Lilly tells Mia she wants her to be a Princess- I think that's sweet. It's just nice to see that kind of friendship in this movie. 

Also all of the locations in this movie are really fun. I've never been to San Fransisco- but there are so many really cool places that they show... plus Mia and her mom live in an abandoned fire house which is pretty awesome. It's just such a fun setting to tell this story and I really like that part of these movies too. 

So yeah years later as much as I'd love to see an interpretation of the book in film or television... I love this movie! This and Mary Poppins are my 2 favorite Disney Live Action movies... Julie Andrews is a treasure and I love her and everything she does... Definitely check this movie out sometime on Disney Plus! It is one of my favorite movies ever! 

Bye! 

-Shannon 

Movie Monday: Onward

Alright- so I'm not sure if I'm going to alternate between Movie Monday and Marvel Monday the way that I used to... but I've watched some Disney Movies so I will have some of these Movie Monday's Coming up so... yeah.

Anyway- let's get to one of my new favorite Pixar movies- Onward! So I've seen this movie twice now- once in theaters and once on Disney Plus the day it was released on Disney Plus and this was actually the last movie I watched in theaters when things were still normal! I really loved it as you might be able to tell and I just thought it was a sweet and heartwarming movie!

Onward centers around 2 Brothers living in a fairy tale world that started using technology more than magic. The older Brother Bartley is Daring and loves the old lore of the magical world they live in and his brother Iain is an awkward teenager just trying to survive high school. On Iain's 16th birthday he gets a special gift- a Wizard Staff from his late father and a spell that promises to bring him back for 24 hours. Of corse when Iain and Bartley attempt the spell things go awry and they only bring back their dad's legs. So they need to go on a quest in order to get what they need to bring the rest of him back to life for whatever time they can with him.

The quest itself was really fun. Iain and Bartley were both really fun characters to follow and we got to see the very magical universe that they lived in... which I would love to see more of btw! If they did a sequel or like a show on Disney Plus in this universe- I'd totally watch it! It's such a fun world! It was also fun to see the dad's legs... lots of physical humor there that just made me laugh a lot. It's a really funny movie besides being heartwarming and fun to watch. As I said- it's one of my favorites from Pixar.

One of my favorite things in movies is when everything is used. Basically every line and every joke had some greater significance in the movie that lead to a really exciting and fun ending. It was very consistent and it just made everything tie together in a nice, satisfying way. Like the brothers buy Cheetos at a gas station, and that's significant later on in the movie! Who would think that?

Anyway that is everything! Definitely check out Onward, right now it is available to rent digitally as well as on Disney Plus! Worth checking out for sure!

Bye!
-Shannon

Movie Monday: Maleficent

So Maleficent isn't exactly the most "halloween" movie... but Maleficent is like the main Disney Villain in the Disney Parks Halloween Celebrations... plus the Sequel is coming out soon... so I wanted to re-watch this movie and get more excited about the sequel. I'm not sure how I feel about the sequel honestly... But I did really love this movie so I'm going to see it anyway.

I know this isn't the best reviewed Disney movie... but when I saw it in theaters with my mom I had a good time and we both really liked it. So... it has some fond memories for me! It's a good movie for moms and kids. Maleficent isn't really evil in this movie- although the previews did make this look scary. She's more of a Mother Figure for Aurora and she isn't very evil at all.

A complaint I hear a lot about the movie is the bad CGI... and I can agree with that to an extent. Flora, Fauna and Merriweather are a little creepy looking... but other than that it's a pretty beautiful movie. I'm also not a huge 3D movie fan... I think they're overpriced and usually very underwhelming... but if there is 1 effect in the movie that I like I feel like that overall makes the movie more memorable and I have a better experience seeing it in theaters.

I kind of hope they go in a different direction for the Cruella De Ville movie coming out soon... but I'm interested to see how they'll end up doing that. I'd also love to see a Dr. Facilier movie. I think that could be a lot of fun!

Hurry Back!
-Shannon

Movie Monday: Zootopia

Zootopia is maybe one of my favorite recent Disney Movies... I don't think I like it as much as Moana... but I think I like it more than Wreck it Ralph and it's a little funnier and more fun to watch than Frozen.

Fun fact: As of the time I'm writing this in April... this is my 2 year old niece's favorite Disney Movie. I guess its a kid friendly movie because I think kids love movies about animals... plus I think kids understand what cops are and it's just kind of cute and fun. Also I'm writing this in advance of when I'm posting it because Zootopia was just on tv and I don't own it... so I wanted to do a movie review of this as soon as I could!

I love the friendship between Judy and Nick and how it grows throughout the movie. It starts out as them just needing one another for something... and it ends with them kind of bringing the best in each other and them believing in each other. It's just genuinely sweet and cute.

The best thing about this movie is the nice message it sends about accepting everyone for who they are and learning on working together instead of against each other. In the world of Zootopia it's all different animals that have evolved to be able to live together. There are 2 different groups though "Predators" and "Prey" even though the Predators no longer eat the prey... they still have this title and a lot of sterotypes against them for being a predator or for being prey. Each of the species have prejudices against each other too. No one thinks Judy Hopps can be a police officer because she is a bunny, and no one trusts Nick Wilde because he is a "sneaky fox" that can't be trusted. It's just a nice message that is very well done.

My favorite scene is the scene where Judy and Nick go to the DMV and Judy has to deal with Flash the Sloth. It's a really funny moment... but we also get to see Judy being a very impatient rabbit that just needs to get the plates run as fast as she could and we see Flash just being a sloth... taking his time- it doesn't matter to him if she gets it quick or not. He's a sloth. It's so funny... but it does show why these animals need to work together and work with what they have.

So yeah, great movie... really funny and fun to watch... but it also has a great message. This is one of those movies I watch pretty much every time it's on and... I just really like it.

TTFN!
-Shannon

PS- I also like that this movie isn't a musical... but the song "Try Everything" by Gazelle AKA Shakira just works so well and fits into the movie.

Movie Monday: Aladdin

I'm so excited for the new Aladdin movie! It comes out FRIDAY so of corse I needed to watch the original movie first- this is probably one of my favorite Disney movies of all time... if not my actual favorite... and I'm just happy to see it! And I'm excited to share my review of the original because... this is just great!

And I'm pretty sure this is STILL my favorite! I could watch this ALL the time. It has so many of my favorite disney things in it...and that kind of just makes this my all around favorite movie.

My first favorite in this movie is my Favorite Disney Song. I'll probably do a whole post on this sometime... but it is Friend Like Me sung by The Genie. It's just such a funny song and it is so so good. I love the animated sequence of this too. I just think it's a lot of fun and Genie might be the best character...but the characters in this movie are great!

Also my favorite Disney Prince: Aladdin of corse! I just think he's really sweet and very fun! He's also kind of a well rounded prince with a lot of personality. I like his singing voice too. Plus he's smart and he thinks on his feet. He's cute... I really like him.

I think those are my only 2 favorites from the movie... but those are 2 really big favorites! Plus I just love the movie as a whole! It's got a lot of heart, great songs... great characters and I'm just always excited to watch it.

I think that's actually all I have to say about it. This is a short movie Monday... but this is just a fun movie and I really like it a lot!

Bye!
-Shannon

Marvel Monday: The Avengers

I remember seeing the first Avengers movie in theaters. I hadn't liked any of the Marvel movies leading up to The Avengers at the time... well I saw Iron Man and didn't like it and I never gave anything else a chance at first... but I thought The Avengers looked good because it was all of them together... and that just seemed more exciting to me than their solo movies. And... they have a Hulk.

After seeing Endgame... this movie is really fun to watch! We did revisit the events in the first Avengers in Endgame and it was kind of fun to see everyone's first interactions with each other. They didn't get along... and the Tesseract kind of fueled off of that too. It is kind of a theme that they disagree- particularly Steve Rogers and Tony Stark... but they all fight well together and they do a great job. It was also fun to see Loki as a villain... I love Loki- but I do kind of miss his character as a villain! He destroyed New York and killed a lot of people though... so that's bad.

Another fun thing is the relationship between Natasha and Clint. Without spoiling Endgame... this is kind of the heart of their character arcs in the movie and I feel like in the series it is one of my favorite parts of all the Avengers movies. In this movie and in Age of Ultron... I really think their relationship kind of grounds the group. I thought it was a romantic love when I first saw this movie... but I like how it ended up as more of a brother/sister type of love. The series does a good job of showing how they always care about each other and they'll always be there for each other.

That's actually all I have to say right now. Overall great movie- really fun to watch especially after you just see the conclusion of this saga in Endgame. I can't wait to watch Age of Ultron for the next Marvel Monday!

TTFN!
-Shannon

Movie Monday: Ralph Breaks The Internet

So every other week I'm going to watch a Disney movie and talk about it on this blog... and obviously I needed to start off with the movie that inspired this blog's name: Ralph Breaks The Internet! I know it's kind of strange to start these movie Monday's with a sequel... but this seemed the best way to start off this series of posts.

This movie is a very fun and funny sequel to Wreck It Ralph... and I think I like this one better. I like that this is more about Vanellope... and I really love all of the easter eggs and cameos from other Disney Characters... especially the cozy princesses.


One thing I noticed on the second viewing of this movie... IS THIS A MARVEL MOVIE? Sure we see Iron Man and Groot, but we also see Stan Lee and there are 2 post credits scenes... so that sounds like a Marvel Movie to me! Where were Ralph and Vanellope in the Infinity War?

It also does feel like an Infinity War level crossover with the Disney Princesses. This is the first feature length theatrical Disney Movie to include this many characters together... and the Princesses end up saving Ralph at the end... so that's super cool too.

The other thing I like about this movie is that the hero is the villain! Ralph started the virus based on his insecurities... but he saved himself and the internet at the end by addressing those insecurities and letting go. It was a good character arc for Ralph.

Vanellope's Princess song is also one of my favorite moments... especially the pop version of it at the end. It just really makes me laugh. I love it.

I also really liked the new characters. Knowsmore, Shank, Yess, The Pop Ups... all super funny and they were all great additions to this movie. The bad part about this however is that some of the characters from the original, like Felix and Calhoun- were almost non existant in the movie. They adopt the racers and then they check back in on the gang at the end for a joke... and that is it. I loved the new characters... but the old ones felt pushed out.

So this is one of my favorite recent disney movies... it's a really fun one and I had a great time seeing it in theaters and on this second viewing right now.

TTFN!
-Shannon