After my blog post about just how traumatised ‘Up’ left me and let’s not even talk about Toy Story 3, I am thrilled to report that I did not cry whilst watching this Disney film!

‘The Princess and the Frog’ felt very much a return to traditional animation, with a similar feel to the classics ‘Jungle Book’, ‘The Little Mermaid’ and ‘Aladdin’. The story offers a twist on the classic fairytale by setting in 1920s New Orleans. Tiana is the first African-American Disney heroine, a strong young woman striving to achieve her father’s dream of opening a restaurant to serve food that will bring together people from all walks of life. Her belief is that if you work hard, then you’ll achieve your dreams. This takes Disney away from (but still in part focusing on) the “wishing upon a star” mentality, moving the storytelling into a more realistic stance. It’s good to dream, it’s good to wish, but you’ve got to back this up with some hard work, focus and balance (and this very message delivery is why I love Disney storytelling so much!).

A very modern day take on a fairytale! Throw in a Prince, yes a real and very lazy Prince Naveen, throw in a voodoo spell cast by Dr. Facilier, a jazz-playing alligator, a utterly gorgeous lovesick Cajun firefly and the 197-year-old voodoo priestess Mama Odie  and the story twists and turns, with a few songs along the way.

There are funny moments, there are parts that made me slightly shocked (in a “how did they get away with doing that?” kind of way), and Littlest thoroughly enjoyed it. We’d seen it in the cinema, where she’d been slightly scared (at some of the psychedelic voodoo sequences) and had cried (there is a death, but a kind one), so this time she really enjoyed the story knowing it’d all work out and there would be a happily ever after (Is that a spoiler? This is Disney, after all!).

‘The Princess and the Frog’ is a family movie, but alas my boys didn’t finish watching it. I really do think this falls into the ‘Disney Princess’ category (although Tiana is more of a Belle than a Sleeping Beauty) and it is such a welcomed return to traditional storytelling. This film makes you think about what is truly important in life, about how it is good to dream, good to work hard, but also about not losing touch with the basics – with friends, love and family. In our very modern work-obsessed society, it’s rather good to step back and think about what is truly important to you. 

I’m also very thrilled to see so many Blu-ray special features included, such as Deleted Scenes,The Making Of A Princess, Conjuring The Villain, The Return To Hand – Drawn Animation, Princess Portraits Game, Audio Commentary By Filmmaker and more! They really enhance the viewing and add background depth that interested all the family (even my boys!)

We were sent ‘The Princess and the Frog’ Double Play Blu-ray and DVD Combi Pack which fits perfectly with our growing collection of Blu-ray. I’ve harped on sufficiently for people to know that I think the Blu-ray results in stunningly vivid colour and that the sound is simply sharper. Perhaps I’m oversimplifying and repeating myself, but HD is the way forward.

‘The Princess and the Frog’ is the 49th animated classic to be made by Disney. I love that Littlest and I have discovered it together. I wonder if she’ll remember when she’s older? I wonder if my love of storytelling will guide her choices in life? I sometimes wonder when she’ll rebel? As a parent we give our children a “once upon a time” and cross our fingers that the plot makes sense.

(You can see the full ‘The Princess and the Frog’  trailer here)

Years and years ago one of my still closest friends in the world bought me a wishes and dreams journal. In it, over many years, I’ve dared on every New Year’s Eve to make wishes for the following year. And, also, on two separate occasions I wrote of major dreams, ones I dared not speak out loud and both of them came true. It is a special journal, a keeper of dreams and secrets.

In amongst it all there is a wish that I wrote for Eldest from New Year’s Eve in 2001, when he had just turned four. The wish was simple, it was to help him to talk and to keep our promise to him to take him back to Disneyland Paris.

Back then Eldest had been diagnosed with developmental verbal dyspraxia and could not be understood when he talked. He was struggling socially and speech therapy was intensive. We’d been to Disneyland Paris at the beginning of the year and Eldest had met Buzz Lightyear. Up until that moment, he’d never bothered with role play and many toys didn’t interest him at all, but then on meeting Buzz everything changed. Buzz Lightyear became his favourite and as a result Eldest had everything that we could find to do with Toy Story and specifically to do with Buzz. Limited edition, glow in the dark, different sizes, clothes, cuddly toys, everything. We completely over-indulged, but we were just so thrilled that he’d finally found something that he enjoyed playing with.

Now, so many years on there is nothing of Buzz Lightyear in Eldest’s room. I guess that’s to be expected, he’s almost a teenager and he has a very practical (if not minimalistic) approach to his bedroom. This means that every memory of Buzz is in a green box in the attic. I haven’t seen inside that box for years, but I know that I will still be able to tell you where I found each and every Buzz in that box and that I will be able to look at the items and still see my small son playing with them.

Today we went to the cinema to watch Toy Story 3. I worried that Eldest wouldn’t want to come, but he did and he sat next to me. The story is a continuation from Toy Story 2, but now Andy is seventeen and about to leave home for college. He is emptying his room and he has to make a decision about the toys, some to go in an attic, others to be thrown away or given away. The story unravels from there.

At one point in the film Littlest sobbed so loudly that everyone in the cinema turned to look at her. I watched the film trying to hide my tears but my crying wasn’t for the same reason as Littlest. She cried for the toys and for Andy. I cried because that boy, that Andy, was Eldest in a few years time and clearly it hit a nerve. Guess it proved to be a reminder about just how quickly these precious years with children fly past.

I miss my children when they’re not with me. I miss them being tiny and my being strong enough to carry them around the house. I miss then nuzzling into my neck and dribbling small wet patches. I miss the baby smell. I miss being ‘mummy’. I miss lazy days and not having to leave the house. I miss being woken in the night, sometimes. Instead my babies have grown into independent children. Their needs have changed and our interaction has too. Now my house is always messy and the noise is constant. They bicker, they play, they cry, they scream, I scream, but still I can honestly say that they make me laugh and smile every single day.

It’s all good, this isn’t a moaning post, it’s simply about capturing this moment.

Today, hours after seeing Toy Story 3, I still feel drained. The reality is that new stages and new circles occur all the time when you have children. Sometimes we hardly notice them, we’re too busy coping with daily life. Other times, like today, like watching that film, we’re prompted to think about just how far we’ve travelled.

Today I feel sadness. This sadness is mine, it’s silly, it’ll pass.

Littlest came home from watching Toy Story 3 and went to her room. She lay on her bed sobbing. She told me that she didn’t realise that one day she’d have to leave home. I explained that she never, not ever, has to leave us. I said those words and meant them, but I also hope with all my heart that one day she finds love and happiness… and that means that one day she’ll leave us and that’s just about too much for me to think about today.

We were home for half an hour before the Buzz Lightyear box came down from the attic.

After my blog post about just how traumatised ‘Up’ left me (DEVASTATED, utterly devastated!), I did wonder if I could ever cope with another Disney film. But clearly the wonderful Kerry was wise in her choice of sending me ‘Alice in Wonderland’ to review. I mean Johnny Depp in a ginger wig, what more could any girl ask for…

The story goes that you’re invited to tumble down the rabbit hole with Alice, but unlike the original Disney animated version, Tim Burton is offering an imaginative new twist. Alice (Mia Wasikowska), in this version, is now 19 years old (and a bit of a feminist) and returning to the world she first entered as a child. It’s all about destiny and self-discovery and it is utterly Tim Burton. We all LOVED it.

For me, this film was so good because it is visually perfect and the characters were all truly extraordinary. I mean, look at the cast – there’s the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp), the White Queen (Anne Hathaway), the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter), the White Rabbit (Michael Sheen), Tweedledum and Tweedledee (Matt Lucas), the Dormouse (Barbara Windsor), the Blue Caterpillar (Alan Rickman), the Cheshire Cat (the delicious Stephen Fry), and so many more!

We were sent the Alice in Wonderland Combi Blu-ray Pack, which is perfect as Littlest can watch the Blu-ray version at home and keep the DVD version at nanny’s house (for ‘emergencies’, whatever they might be!). Personally I prefer the Blu-ray version. The colours are stunning, vivid, dramatic and really breathtaking in parts. The sound is simply sharper.  I have heard that the 3D version was stunning too, but I don’t think that has transferred to Blu-ray yet. The Blu-ray special features are less than on previous Blu-ray discs, but still top class in quality. The Mad Hatter, Finding Alice and  Effecting Wonderland are all welcomed bonus treats.

This is a deliciously dark adaptation that had my whole family engaged. I very much LOVED it. Oh, and, I also love this brief clip about finding a recipe for the ‘Eat Me’ cake (and clearly I would very much like to be the actress who got to bite into that ‘Eat Me’ cake 30 times!).

But, it has to be said that the Mad Hatter will always be my favourite. Johnny Depp is freakishly delicious in this adaptation, a true and absolute genius.Watch it, you won’t be disappointed, unless you’re a bit strange, of course…

(Oh, and, if you happen have a Google alert on your name and happen to be reading this post, Mr Johnny Depp, please can you play Jesus in the film adaptation of Like Bees to Honey?)

(Note to reader: I’ve a SIGNED copy of ‘Mousetrapped’ to give away and all details can be found at the end of this post)

“Three big dreams, two Mouse Ears and one J-1 visa. What could possibly go wrong in the happiest place on earth?

When Catherine Ryan Howard decides to swap the grey clouds of Ireland for the clear skies of the Sunshine State, she thinks all of her dreams – working in Walt Disney World, living in the United States, seeing a Space Shuttle launch – are about to come true.

Ahead of her she sees weekends at the beach, mornings by the pool and an inexplicably skinnier version of herself skipping around Magic Kingdom. But not long into her first day on Disney soil – and not long after a breakfast of Mickey-shaped pancakes – Catherine’s Disney bubble bursts and soon it seems that among Orlando’s baked highways, monotonous mall clusters and world famous theme-parks, pixie dust is hard to find and hair is downright impossible to straighten…”

‘Mousetrapped’ is the only memoir I’ve ever read about working in Walt Disney World. As a ‘Disney fan’ (I  know, I know, I’ve mentioned that once or twice before), I do feel that I am the target audience for this self-published memoir but still this was a tale that had me travelling through a whole range of emotions.

‘Mousetrapped’ is an easy to read, likeable and sincere account of a young Irish lass who went off in search of a happily ever after. Funny yet genuine, well written and honest, I’m sure many others will enjoy ‘Mousetrapped’ too.

I ‘met’ Catherine Ryan Howard on twitter and she’s one of the many modern writers who have embraced social media and managed to reach a new audience as a result. Without twitter, our paths may never have crossed and I’d not be writing this blog post about her now. Social media works to build a writer’s platform, it’s as simple as that. I’d urge any unpublished or unagented writer to read the interview (below), just to see how Catherine has managed to attract all the right attention to herself, via twitter and through self-publishing ‘Mousetrapped’.

Hats off to Catherine and I, for one, wish her a happily ever after.

Asking Catherine:

I hear (via Twitter) that self-publishing ‘Mousetrapped’ has led to you getting an agent? Congratulations! I LOVE happily ever afters! Can you tell me how it happened? Thank you so much – I love happily ever afters too! It’s a bit of a saga and I have to keep some details to myself for a bit while a few things are sorted out (she says mysteriously!), but in the smallest possible nutshell, this is what happened: I ‘met’ the agent on Twitter a few months back and we chatted back and forth, and she followed – like everyone else! – my crazy self-publishing adventures. She bought and read Mousetrapped and then heard somewhere along the line that I had just finished a novel. She asked me to send her the first few chapters, I did, she asked for the full manuscript and within a week I was signing on the dotted line. It all happened really fast but what’s great is that I’ve had the benefit of seeing this agent in action for the last few months, so I know how dedicated and enthusiastic she is. She’s also very excited about my novel which is, of course, wonderful, if yet to sink in!

What inspired you to write ‘Mousetrapped’? When I found out I was headed for Disney World, I was working for a company called Holidaybreak in the Netherlands. One of my colleagues there, John Dixon, made a joke about how I could write a book about working in Disney and call it Mousetrapped. He wasn’t at all serious (and I don’t think, even remembers saying it today!) but it stuck in my head. Then I got to Orlando and all kinds of crazy started happening, and the book kind of wrote itself. It was odd because never in my Published Writer Dreamscape was there ever an intention to write non-fiction but now it looks likes it’s all worked out for the best.

Why did you choose the self-publishing route? I published it because no one else would! Mousetrapped did the rounds, going to one agent and four or five publishing houses, and everyone said the same thing: they really enjoyed reading it but couldn’t considering publishing it as its potential readership was so small. (Well, except for one editor who called me and said, ‘If you’re going to try to be funny, you really need to be funny the whole way through.’ BURN.) In the end I couldn’t face leaving it in a drawer forever and I felt that although only a small number of people would be interested in reading a book about Disney, space and Florida, I knew where they all were. I’d find them. I did some research into Print on Demand (POD) and discovered it could be done pretty cheaply, so I decided I had nothing to lose and went for it. I blogged about my entire self-publishing (or self-printing!) experience and was completely honest about everything from the start. I’m not one of these people who pretend I self-published because I wanted ‘more control’ or something silly, and I can’t stand it when people start on about the Big, Bad World of Publishing and moan about how agents are in bed with editors, etc. etc. If anyone – and I do mean anyone - had agreed to traditionally publish Mousetrapped, I would have asked where do I sign. Self-publishing was never my first choice, but as it turns out it was a really good second one.

How did you prepare the book? Did you seek external help at all? I had a professional proofreader look over the manuscript and the finished PDF (the exterior is uploaded to CreateSpace, the POD service, as a PDF document) and got a graphic designer to help format the cover for submission. I was absolutely adamant that Mousetrapped wouldn’t look like a self-published book, at least as far as was possible, and did everything I could to make it so. I think something weird happens when authors go to self-publish, especially when they go to do it with a POD – despite reading, holding and gazing at books their entire lives, their make their own books look absolutely nothing like them. Traditionally published books are the best and most easily accessible resource of self-published authors; I just wish they’d study them more.

Who do you feel would be your ideal reader (apart from me, of course)? When I was writing Mousetrapped I thought it would have three main types of potential readers: Disney fans, NASA fans and people who were going to work in Walt Disney World, were thinking about it or had before. (Oh, and my friends and people I’m related to, of course!) But now that people have read it, it seems to appeal to a wider readership than that. I guess it’s a kind of universal story: dreamy slacker, twenty-something, hits the speedbump of adulthood and is faced with the possibility that all her fanciful teenage dreams may not come true. Plus lots of awful yet funny things happen to me, which I guess everyone can enjoy…!

What do you plan to write next? At the moment my focus is on readying the novel for submission so that’s the priority. It’s the first in a series of three so as soon as that’s done I’ll have to start work on the next one, which I’m dreading slightly… (A whole other book! Can it be done?) I’m also planning on writing what is essentially the sequel to Mousetrapped, the story of my Central America backpacking adventures which I’m going to call – wait for it – Backpacked. (Cute, eh?)  Whether that will get ‘properly’ published or published by moi remains to be seen, but I think it’d be a shame not to write it – if you thought crazy stuff happened to me in Florida, wait until you hear what happened to me in Nicaragua!

And, finally, (with the skillful smoothness of the finest of interviewers) do you in any way know Simon Cowell? Unfortunately, no. If I did, I might have to keep his whereabouts to myself as I too have a thing for money, hard exterior/heart of gold, box-shaped hairstyles and excessive chest hair. Plus you’d get really good seats for American Idol…

You can buy ‘Mousetrapped’ by Catherine Ryan Howard HERE.

And Catherine has agreed that I can give away a  signed copy of ‘Mousetrapped’. All you have to do is leave a ‘please pick me’ comment by 3pm (GMT) April 30, then I’ll pop all names in a mug and ask a small child to select a winner. This competition is open to all.

*

About the author: Catherine Ryan Howard is an occasionally delusional twenty-something from Cork, Ireland. She’s trying to get somebody – ANYBODY! Anybody? – to publish her first novel and in the meantime has self-published MOUSETRAPPED, the tale of her Disney World adventures. As well as working in Walt Disney World, Catherine has administrated things in the Netherlands, cleaned tents on a French campsite and answered telephones in several different offices. She likes cheesecake and telling herself that, come Monday, she’ll get back on the treadmill. She wants to be a NASA astronaut when she grows up. Follow her on Twitter @cathryanhoward or visit her blog. ‘MOUSETRAPPED’ has a dedicated website.

After my blog post about ‘Up’ last October (aptly entitled: About Watching a Film and Sobbing like a Loon), I did wonder if the (lovely) Katie who sent me a copy of the ‘Up’ Blu-ray Combi pack was playing a cruel cruel joke. I mean that film, that ‘Up’ is DEVASTATING!

But of course the children don’t see it like I do, not with those adult eyes of mine. They don’t see the film through my ‘gonna do’ eyes and they don’t realise just how much a Disney film can make my insides go squiggly. So yes, we watched ‘Up’ again. And yes, again the children LOVED it and yes, again I am left thinking about my ‘gonna do’ world and wondering what I need to change before it’s too late, before it’s impossible, before I DIE (said in a dramatic voice).

The film storyline can be found on my other post, but I would say that what makes Blu-ray so perfect is the bonus features on the disc. There’s an animated ‘making-of’ that’s exclusive to Blu-ray, an all-new Short called ‘The Misadventures Of Dug’ (which had Littlest laughing out loud, because Dug is her favourite), there’s Director Commentary which I loved because it took me out of the magic and into thinking about the visual and the story, there’s ‘Adventure Is Out There’ which is a fascinating documentary chronicling the filmmakers’ journey to South America, there is the funny ‘The Many Endings Of Muntz’ which shows the demise of Charles Muntz (with an unseen alternative take) and much much more (including a geography game which the kiddies liked). And all this because Blu-ray has so much extra space (some say technology, I say magic!).

You can buy the ‘Up’ Combi Pack (Blu-ray + DVD) HERE (and don’t say I didn’t warn you).

And then there’s ‘Dumbo’, which was also sent to us in the Special Edition Blu-ray Combi pack. I don’t know how, but I’d never seen ‘Dumbo’.

So I watched the film and, yet again, I am asking you my dear friends, why hadn’t anyone ever told me how cruel everyone is to Dumbo and his mummy? Oh my goodness, those other elephants are EVIL. I mean I’m emotionally drained, again.

I love that ‘Dumbo’ is so wonky and that the characters are so well defined. It’s a cruel and sad film. But Disney is spot on. I mean it’s social realism from decades ago, but still relevant today. Poor Dumbo is ostracised from the circus pack because of his big ears and when his mother tries to stick up for him, well they only go and lock her up and say she’s mad… oh, it’s all just too moving. Poor Dumbo, oh the loneliness, oh the despair, oh the need and desire to fit in. I mean they’re all nasty to Dumbo BUT then just because he has a talent and is famous, then they all love him. Doesn’t Dumbo realise that they’re all superficial meanies?

Seriously, Disney is a lot fabulous. I can’t help but wonder if Disney stories are told by people who have suffered in childhood. I would have loved Dumbo to be my friend (and yes, I know he’s a made-up elephant).

I haven’t seen the standard DVD, but the Blu-ray features are stunning. The sound and the picture quality in high definition is amazing and the additional features of Blu-ray, such as the deleted scenes and song and the backstage Disney (‘Taking Flight: The Making of Dumbo’ and ‘Magic of Dumbo: Ride of Passage’) are seriously engaging and simply lovely to watch. Littlest loved the bonus Shorts and the game, ‘What Do You See?’ She cried during the film, because Dumbo and his mummy couldn’t be together (sob) and we had to get G to reassure us of a happily ever after.

Disney Blu-ray is an experience and, I’ve said this a zillion times before, but for anyone building their Disney collection then Blu-ray is the way forward.

You can buy Dumbo Special Edition Combi Pack (Blu-ray + DVD) HERE.

And, a special thank you to my fabulous twitter friends, who have told to avoid watching ‘Bambi and ‘The Fox and the Hound’…

I was super chuffed to be sent Blu-ray Combi pack review discs for ‘Toy Story’ and ‘Toy Story 2’ (squeal!).

I first watched ‘Toy Story’ in the Odeon in Liverpool. I was single, a student and loved Disney. I was going through my ‘I don’t need a man stage’. I left the cinema and bought myself a toy Rex the dinosaur (I had a thing about dinosaurs when I was a student, which is a whole different blog post). I met G a couple of months later. Then, probably over a year later, I was standing at a bus stop after just having had my pregnancy confirmed and there was a little boy running around shouting, ‘To infinity and beyond!’ I can still remember starring at him and feeling utterly terrified that I’d have one of those screaming-boy-things. I did, of course.

Maybe that was why ‘Toy Story’ became such a part of my boys’ childhoods. Middlest still really loves the aliens and Eldest loved Buzz Lightyear when he was younger, he had all the merchandise (in the world) and went through a stage of refusing to take off his Buzz Lightyear pjs.

Of course, the DVDs we had were scratched, so I was absolutely thrilled to be sent the new special editions (released for the first time ever on Blu-ray and featuring a sneak peek at ‘Toy Story 3′). I think that the Blu-ray Combi packs are such good value for money, for any collector of Disney, but also the additional features on both discs lift the viewing experience into interactive fun. And I love that the films don’t seem to have dated, in fact they get better with every viewing and with every little bit of new animation that is spotted.

I’m assuming that you’ve all seen both Toy Story films (if not, why not?)

‘Toy Story’ was the first full-length computer animated film, all about an old fashioned pull-string doll (Woody) being replaced as the favourite toy by an ultra modern action figure (Buzz Lightyear). Woody is jealous of Buzz and Buzz thinks he’s real and not a toy, leading to jealousy from Woody and a depressive episode from Buzz, all sorts of calamities and a psychotic child called Sid. The film is ace, my most favourite Disney film. It makes us think about what toys do when you (I) leave the room (and possibly makes us (me) want to set up surveillance) and, this time, it made me feel sad about all those ‘must have’ toys that are now feeling rather unloved and stored in boxes in the attic. The high definition made the colours and the detail truly vivid, adding texture to the scenes and to the viewing experience.

‘Toy Story 2′ is, in my opinion, possibly one of the best sequels ever to be made. The high-tech creators at Pixar are the gods of making entertainment for all ages and ‘Toy Story 2′ is the perfect sequel.

Woody is stolen from a yard sale and his friends have to rescue him. The plot shift (from films 1 to 2) is off toys being left behind and into thinking about value and worth. ‘Toy Story 2′ is about friendship and wanting to have a purpose in life. Jess, Buzz and Bullseye show us what being a toy and being a friend is all about. It’s funny and moving (or maybe that’s just because I’m a sentimental old woman). On Blu-ray there is enhanced high definition picture and sound, this makes the human faces (that shift in technology from the making of 1 to 2) absolutely exquisite.

I can’t wait for ‘Toy Story 3′. I’ll be taking all the kiddies or, who knows, I may very well sneak into the cinema on my own… for old time’s sake.

(‘Toy Story’ Combi pack can be bought here and ‘Toy Story 2′ Combi pack can be bought here)

And because of ‘Toy Story’ and because of writing this post, I’ve got to thinking about how I ‘had to have’ all the Strawberry Shortcake dolls when I was little. Now they are in the attic, in a box, crying. So, dear blog friend, let me ask you… what toy did you ‘have to have’ as a child and do you still have it (or is it in an attic, in a box, crying)?

Continuing on from my Blu-ray love-fest and collection building, Think Parents very kindly sent us 3 new Disney Blu-ray Combi Packs to look at. (Seriously, we are utterly lucky!)

First up ‘G-Force’ Combi Pack (this means that there’s a Blu-ray disc and a DVD in the pack, so it’s ideal for building a Blu-ray collection alongside DVDs).

A film about guinea pigs! (only in the world of Disney could it be quite so believable). ‘G-Force’ is honest, family fun, all about an elite team of highly trained guinea pigs on their mission to prevent an evil billionaire from taking over the world (via household appliances!). Middlest and Litttlest were itching to see this film and loved it lots (and no we won’t be getting a guinea pig, no matter how many times Littlest asks (and asks again)). ‘G-Force’ is funny, cute and the special effects are impressive on Blu-ray (we’re talking theatre-quality picture and sound). The Disney Blu-ray disc contains extras, such as the deleted scenes, bloopers, inside the animation lab and music videos. This (simply) is a must-see for any child.

Next the ‘Santa Buddies’ Combi Pack (again, a DVD and Blu-ray disc inside).

Littlest LOVES the Buddies DVDs so much and this was top of her Christmas list. ‘Santa Buddies’ is the latest instalment of Disney’s much-loved Buddies franchise. Those puppy rascals B-Dawg, RoseBud, Buddha, MudBud, and Budderball are off to the North Pole to the magical world of Santa’s Workshop.  The spirit of Christmas is ebbing away, with all of us lot no longer believing and remembering the true meaning of Christmas (‘it’s not about what you get’ is the message that these lovely pups give). It’s left up to the pups and their new friend, Puppy Paws, to save Christmas. ‘Santa Buddies’ is a slice of festive family fun, with extremely cute dogs (some of them sing) and is ideal Christmas viewing. As always, and probably me repeating myself a little bit too much, but the colours, sound and high definition are outstanding on the Blu-ray disc (seeing is believing!)

And finally, ‘Tinker Bell and The Lost Treasure’ Combi Pack. We went to see an exclusive screening of this a couple of months ago and Littlest absolutely loved it.

This really is a magical film and Tink is such a loveable character (with faults, hooray!). In ‘The Lost Treasure’ Tinker Bell has to band together with her fairy friends to create the famous Fall Sceptre – a magical and important task, that will restore the world’s supply of fairy dust and set things right for another year in the fairies’ Never Land home, Pixie Hollow. Of course, Tink’s stubborn ways guide her into trouble and this wonderful film is all about friendship. The Blu-ray disc has an abundance of additional features (a Magical Guide to Pixie Hollow, deleted scenes, the goofs that never made the film) and all in high definition with shimmering colours and sounds. A must-have for any Disney fairy fan.

(And a huge thank you to Katie at Think Parents who is a very lovely Christmas Elf)

Last night I found myself transported into a magical world, as Littlest and I went to watch ‘Princess Wishes’ (Disney on Ice).

The arena was filled. Tiaras, light sticks, clacky shoes and an audience consisting of many Snow Whites, Cinderellas, Sleeping Beautys and Belles. And then, as the lights dipped, all of those little girls squealed at once (and I did too).

The show was perfect. Littlest and I clapped, danced in our seats and sang along (probably a bit too loudly). Ariel, Mulan, Tink, Belle, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Aladdin, the dwarves, a genie, baddies (cue Littlest hiding under her coat), many a prince, fireworks, Mickey and even Minnie. The cast was amazing. I loved that Littlest wondered if Cinderella would remember her from when they met in Disneyland Paris.

The whole show was about belief. The message was simple, that even when everything is going wrong you have to keep faith, keep your belief and wish. If you believe, then your wishes will come true. (I’ve had that written on paper and stuck next to my desk this whole year)

And then, just when I thought the show couldn’t get any better, my (not so) secret crush sang, ‘I know you, I danced with you once upon a dream….’ And clearly it was just for me ( oh yes it was, oh yes it was, oh. Yes. It. Was.)

But, and there is a Disney but, this time. There was a quantity of pricey merchandise available. All of it was perfect and girlie and costing many pounds. That in itself wasn’t so much of an issue for me, I only had one child with me and the whole evening was a special treat for Littlest. She was offered any gift she wanted. Littlest picked a light up twirling Tinker Bell plastic toy. The cost was £15. It stopped working once during the show, and was replaced. It was broken again by the time we arrived home. This was Littlest pressing a button maybe at the most five times, not shaking it or abusing it in any way.

It is upsetting that the merchandise can cast a shadow, because the Disney on Ice show was utterly enjoyable and an experience that I’d absolutely recommend to any little (or big) princess. But, just so we’re clear, in case you’re even slightly considering it, just so you know – hands off Goofy, he’s mine!

A couple of weeks ago I watched The Paul O’Grady Show with Littlest (we love love love him). Paul was interviewing Adriana Caselotti who was the original voice of and, therefore, the original Snow White. She was stunning in so many ways. She talked about her original audition for the role and the joy of being Snow White. She was 19 then, back in 1937. Watching her being interviewed made me think about legacy and purpose and defining moments. Within ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ they captured a young Adriana, using her movements and shape to form the outlines for the Snow White drawings, yet so few of us will even know her name.

I think that  ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ is the ultimate Disney film. The storytelling is superb. The magic mirror, the evil Queen, the ordering of Snow White’s death and then the wanting proof in the form of the poor girl’s heart. Then the dwarfs, the woodland creatures, the evil witch finding Snow White’s safe place, the poison apple, true love’s kiss. The truly good and the awfully evil are alongside each other. I don’t think that any other Disney film maintains such dynamics and contrasts to the degree that ‘Snow White’ does. I know that the film is different to the original story, but still, I can’t help but find it is utterly terrifying (in a good way!).

Littlest feels the same. She asked for a Queen doll for Christmas last year and Santa delivered, but that doll stayed in the box, in my bedroom, until recently. It was too scary to be played with. I think I’m back to talking about ‘believing’. If you engage with the fabulous goodies and believe in it all, then the engagement with the evil baddies will be there too and that is utterly terrifying. And, as I’ve said before Littlest believes in Disney’s world with all of her heart and her super logical mind.

Last weekend, continuing on from my Blu-ray love-fest and collection building and armed with popcorn, we watched ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ (the Diamond Edition Blu-ray Combi Pack) (which Think Parents very kindly sent to us). The bonus features have a fabulous Disney sing-a-long, Dopey’s Wild Mine Ride Game, a fascinating glimpse into how the original film was made, Walt’s original studio and so much more. There’s no contest, as far as I’m concerned. Blu-ray brings this hand-animated 1937 classic bang up-to-date with sharp colours, clear sound and enhanced scariness. We loved it.

This year, Littlest has asked Santa for a singing Snow White doll. I’m going to remind her, on Christmas morning, that Snow White’s real name is Adriana Caselotti.

[Apologies and please note that this blog post contains some spoilers for the Disney film 'Up'']

I am writing this blog post in an utterly distressed state. Today I took my kiddies to watch ‘Up’ at the cinema.

Why didn’t someone warn me?

‘Up’ (a Disney film) carries the basic story of childhood sweethearts, outgoing Ellie and shy Carl. They meet with heads full of exploring, it’s sweet and very beautiful. Ellie has a book, full of blank pages that she plans to fill with ‘stuff I’m going to do’ when she goes on her huge adventure and moves her clubhouse to Paradise Falls in South America. Then the years start to pass. Ellie and Carl marry and start to save up, but every time they save, something happens and the money is spent elsewhere. Then just as they seem to have finally saved enough to take their big trip, Ellie goes and dies of old age! Carl, her one true love is left and he’s old and he’s all alone. (sob). Then Carl and a rather cute Wilderness Explorer named Russell fly to South America in Carl’s floating house suspended from helium balloons…

I have never cried so much in a film, not since ‘Truly, Madly, Deeply’ and that took me months before I recovered. Don’t get me wrong, ’Up’ was funny too and much of the ‘sad stuff’ wasn’t picked up by the kiddies. My boys thought it fab, Middlest wants the DS game for his birthday. Dug the dog made them laugh out loud (‘I have just met you, and I love you’) and the obsession with squirrels was amusing.

But, still, I never, not ever, want to watch ‘Up’ again. It has left me feeling raw.

… because we do that, don’t we? We say we’re going to do things, don’t we? We make imaginary plans for that one day when we’ll have spare money, when we’ll have extra time, when we’ll be stronger, healthier, not quite like we are now. And then we wait, we almost expect those occasions to come to us.

I do that. I’m a ‘gonna do’ person. I talk about a family trip to Disneyland in America, one day, when I’ve some spare cash but I’ve not started saving. I’ve a secret writing project that I want to send out, but only when the nagging ‘I’m rubbish’ voices are quiet, but I know they never will be. I want to phone someone, just to say hello, but I’ll wait till Christmas or a birthday, ignoring that they’re on my mind today.

The problem is that if I’m honest, I know that one day I might just wake up and realise that time has taken me into a new place where my dreams and needs are even harder to achieve. The children will leave home and Disneyland won’t have the same appeal, the writing project will be hidden and that element of failing added to who I am, that special someone will continue to deteriorate and conversation will be impossible.  And the ‘gonna do’ will never happen.

There’s a lesson hidden in there. Sometimes I find it so difficult to see through the blackness but maybe every now and then I need to look at those around me and hug them a little bit tighter. Friends and family and making your own fortune, that’s what this post is about.