Weekend Update

What have we been up to lately?

I did a school project at the zoo a couple of weeks ago and it was so cold but so fun! I hadn't been to the zoo in a while and it was fun to go when I was practically the only person there!

Husband had his middle school band concert and they all performed splendidly! I consider it a success when you can recognize the song they are playing ;)

I got a photo of Zippers that isn't 100% blurry! This little guy is becoming very well-behaved and affectionate and I am loving it!

Here was our big project this weekend. Remember the hanging globe lights that are everywhere in this house?

The one above the stairs needed to go. However, we were not sure how to go about replacing a light fixture in such an awkward area. We picked up one of those ladders that you can adjust the length of each side, zip-tied it to the banister, and prayed it would hold.

It took a team effort! Husband did most of the hard work but my tiny fingers were needed for some wiring issues.

The after! It matches everything else in our living room and looks a million times better than that ugly old globe light. Three globe lights down, two to go...

And probably my favorite part of the update. I got a call to work the tour of Beauty and the Beast that came into town for three days, and husband and I decided the extra paycheck would be worth it, but it meant I missed his high school band concert. I was pretty devastated. However, extra money is always nice and the show was a blast!

I got to help dress four of the women in the show, including Belle! So I got to hang out with lovely costumes such as these...

I always love doing shows and Disney shows are my absolute favorite :) it's a total blast seeing movies I loved as a child come to life! (Check out my post on the Lion King tour here!)

So that's been life at the band house lately... husband is officially on Christmas break and I am hoping to get more projects and DIY things done in the next couple of weeks!

DCOMs

This is a whole post dedicated to the lost art that was Disney Channel Original Movies. They still air ones they make today, but they're just not as good as the 90s and early 2000s DCOMS. And because I know you want to know my all-time favorite DCOMs, I have compiled a list for your viewing pleasure.

10. Rip Girls

First of all, baby Camilla Belle is adorable. Rip Girls is about a girl named Sydney, and she's inherited a bunch of land. {seems legit.} So she falls in love with the land and Hawaii as she discovers more about herself. How presh. 

9. Mom's Got A Date With A Vampire

My sister and I watched this every Halloween for years! The aunt from Sabrina goes out on a date with this guy who they think is a vampire, so they call in a vampire hunter and all is well. It sounds stupid when I describe it... it's not stupid, I promise.

8. Phantom of the Megaplex

Another of our favorite Halloween movies around my house! This one has Mickey Rooney, so it's streets ahead of the other DCOMs in terms of star casting. The kids are running around an old movie theater and convinced there's a phantom haunting it. Think Phantom of the Opera for 2000s teens, but less singing.

7. Cadet Kelly

Make way for 2000s Disney royalty! This one stars the Disney Channel darlings themselves - Hilary Duff and Christy Carlson Romano. Hilary gets her sassy self shipped to military school by her new stepdad and makes instant enemies with Christy Carlson. So they discover that they can actually be BFFs if Hil grows up and CC loosens up. This one is on Netflix right now and totally worth the guilty pleasure watch!

6. Get A Clue

I loved this one when it came out and not gonna lie, I wanted those sunglasses sooo bad, y'all. Get A Clue is a super cute DCOM featuring a pre-cray cray Lindsay Lohan and that guy that played in the Little Rascals movie and then got really cute. Pretty sure his name is Bug. Lindsay's character is on the school newspaper and is on the case when one of her teachers goes missing. If you haven't seen it in a while, go watch!

5. Alley Cats Strike

The one and only movie that made bowling look cool. Not gonna lie, I need to go rewatch because I didn't know that my fave Kaley Cuoco has a role! I don't know a single person who has seen this movie that hasn't tried that spinning bowling ball trick at one time or another. (Spoiler alert: doesn't work.) (Also, is he holding a stuffed basketball??)

4. You Lucky Dog

Back in the pre-DVR and pre-900 channels days, we watched whatever was on. This one aired probably every weeknight for at least a month, so it's a good thing my sister and I liked it! Kirk Cameron (helloooo major pre-teen crush) plays a guy who can read dogs' minds and is enlisted when this adorable St. Bernard inherits his rich dead master's fortune.

3. Genius

 I rewatched this one a couple of weeks ago and still love it! Definitely had a major crush on the main guy when I was in middle school :) and baby Emmy Rossum plays his love interest. The main character is a mega-genius who is tired of not having friends, so he fakes being a dumb, smart-aleck kid in high school so he can be popular. Also, there's hockey.

2. Double Teamed

Oh, how Disney loves their "based on a true story" DCOMs. Heather and Heidi are identical twins (what, can't you tell from the cover photo?) who are really good at basketball. But the one doesn't want to play basketball but she has to play basketball to get into college, and they both go pro. (Side note, definitely own this one on VHS. That's how much I loved it.)

1. Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century

Ceetus lapetus, is there really any other movie to take the top spot in a countdown of DCOMs? Never! This DCOM is EPIC. If you're one of the 10 people in America who hasn't seen this one, it's set in 2058 or something and Zenon finds out that the space station they all live on is in danger, but she gets sent to earth because she's grounded, then she and this cute guy and her best friend Raven save the day. Zoom zoom zoom!

Honorable mention:

This one doesn't technically count since it was released as part of ABC's Wonderful World of Disney, but we loved it so much that I would be remiss to leave it out. Will Friedle (Eric Matthews from Boy Meets World) asks out this cute girl at the mall and she happens to be the President's daughter. So he's trying to drag her to the school dance and she's only interested in being a crazy fool. This one is one I'm constantly looking out for on DVD! Pleeeease Netflix, release it on instant streaming in the meantime!

If you've seen the movie, you know this shot. That pink velvet dress, butterfly necklace, and hair toss was my inspiration for LYFE.

#LKTBT

Today's Throwback Thursday is brought to you by The Lion King: Gazelle Tour!

When I got the call to work 32 shows when The Lion King came to town in 2012, I immediately rearranged my work schedule to accommodate the rehearsals and shows. One solid month of working 8 am-5 pm and then show from 5:30 pm-10:30 pm was absolutely crazy but also one of the best experiences of my life! 

I was hired on as a dresser, which in musical theatre terms, is someone who helps actors in and out of their costumes, sets out costumes they need, and puts away the costumes that they don't need. Each dresser works a "track", which means they work with the same characters for the duration of the show and follow the same routine every night. This ensures continuity when the actors are in a different city with different dressers every month or two.

I worked with all four of the young actors who played the cubs, as well as three of the women in the company.

The first picture I took to commemorate the crazy ride!

Every actor has their costumes stored in a gondola, and the company women had three actors per gondola. That means three of almost every costume to keep track of... and that adds up to a lot of hyenas, zebras, lionesses, gazelles, cheetahs, wildebeest, giraffes, and elephants!

The costumes pre-show

Pre-setting the costumes so they are layered in the order the actor needs them. They are also laid out a certain way so the actor can step into them quickly and doesn't have to search for the arm or head openings.

Every actor has a number, and before every show, we were briefed on which actors were not performing and which actors would be performing in their place. If any of our actors were out, we had to replace all of their costumes with the understudy's costumes.

One of the fun messages on an actor's dressing room door :)

The sets for this show are absolutely breathtaking. 

We're required to wear all black backstage, but I decided to rock the show shirt a couple times!

These. Stairs. I ran all over that theater during every show, which included climbing the stairs 4 times? Maybe 5?

So I downloaded one of those apps that tracks how many steps you take...

Yep. I walked 3 1/2 miles per show.

That trademark yellow lion is everywhere!

But one of the best parts of working with the same actors for a solid month is the fun friendships you make :)

I am so thankful I got to work with the kids in the show!
With our two young Nalas goofing around :)

I became good friends with one of the ladies in the company and one of our fun escapades was a trip to the Renaissance Faire! Here we are with the daughter of the actor who plays Timon, and a new giant friend...

Thanks for the memories, Gazelle tour! Until we meet again...

The Disney Touch

So I already have a bunch of Disney things still at my parents' house, but I couldn't resist buying a few more! Here are some of my recent finds:

I found this cute little plate on Etsy and I think it will be perfect in our master bathroom to hold jewelry and rings!

How can I pass up a subway art print of all the attractions in Magic Kingdom?

A friend at work tipped me off to a clearance sale Sears was having and I picked up this adorable Mickey for our front doorstep! 

Ever since I saw this print on Etsy, I knew I had to have it for near our front door. The quote is taken from Walt's Disneyland opening day speech in 1955!

My mom and I spent a few hours on a Sunday browsing the antique malls and she found this precious little Mickey figurine - what's funny is that I had favorited its matching Minnie figurine weeks ago!

These two were fun finds at the flea market - the sorcerer Mickey had caught my eye a couple of months ago and I kept saying that if he was still there next time, I'd pick him up. This happened three trips in a row so I finally took him home with me. The little dalmatian is one of my favorites - I love the 101 dalmatians and it's hard to find their merchandise!

I stopped into Walgreens on my lunch break to pick up a couple of things and this scarecrow Minnie was being clearanced out, so I decided she needed to come home with me! She's a couple of feet tall and will look just darling with all of our current fall decor!

Husband has been a great sport about all the Disneyfication that our house is about to undergo and I can't wait to put it all together! I have missed all my things that have still lived at my parents' for the last three months! Not just my Disney things, but all of my DVDs are still there, as well as half my work uniforms and all but five pairs of shoes. It's getting boring with only two or three work-appropriate shoes to choose from! All of my books are at our apartment currently but we only have enough room for half of them - the other half are in boxes shoved against the wall. And the majority of our wedding gifts are still in boxes, stacked in my closet! Ahh, I cannot wait to have room to unpack things and actually live!

Underrated Disney Films

Okay, so not every Disney film can have the social influence and media attention of Frozen or Cars, but the Walt Disney Animation Studios has produced five of my favorite films that people forget about all too often. If you haven't seen any of these films recently, I highly recommend you rewatch them!

5. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

Obviously, Pooh and friends are extremely popular characters, but the 1977 film doesn't get nearly enough publicity. It did see a slight resurgence with the re-release of the film for its 30th anniversary, but this sweet and touching story is timeless and worth watching over and over.

4. Wall-E

The only Pixar film on my list because practically anything Pixar touches turns to gold... except Wall-E. The different style of filmmaking used here is absolutely breathtaking but didn't translate very well for the younger crowd. It's a modern version of a silent film for the majority of the film and might take a second viewing to truly appreciate, but is well worth it.

3. Hercules

This wasn't an unpopular film, per se, but didn't get nearly the publicity of the princess films. Phil (voiced by Danny Devito) is one of my favorite sidekicks, Hades is one of the funniest Disney villains ever created, and the Muses are a fantastic gospel-esque choir that drive the story. There are some one-liners that can be missed if you aren't paying attention - this is a very dry yet funny film.

2. The Emperor's New Groove

I would honestly put this film on the top of the list for funniest Disney animated film ever. I hadn't seen this one in about 10 years and rewatched it recently, fully laughing throughout the entire thing. Kuzco is a hilariously self-centered character, Yzma just might be the funniest Disney villain ever (sorry, Hades), and Kronk is somehow equally as memorable without taking away from the story. The plot is original and you will laugh the entire movie!

1. The Great Mouse Detective

This was my favorite Disney movie as a kid until Lion King came along in 1994. It's sharp, fast, and smart. The characters have real depth and the storyline is much darker than the more well-known Disney films. It's based off the character of Sherlock Holmes and is unique because it has virtually no romantic storyline - not something Disney is remembered for. And the show-stopping number in the middle (World's Greatest Criminal Mind) reminds me of an earlier version of Be Our Guest with a villainous twist.

To my knowledge, all of these films except for Wall-E are on Netflix instant streaming, so the next time you need a movie recommendation, try one of these!