Animation Studios – Mickey After Fifty

Cars 3 Movie Review

Posted on June 17, 2017 by Melvin & Debbie — Leave a reply

“From this moment, everything will change”

The latest release from the imaginations of Disney/Pixar is now in theaters with Cars 3. The story line of this latest animated movie in the trilogy is of the quality that should have been in Cars 2, harkening back to the original plots of racing and relationships instead of a sophisticated “James Bond” type of spy novel.

Cars 3, starring all of our favorite Radiator Springs characters is now in theaters. (©Disney/Pixar)

We find our favorite race car still winning race after race, with the occasional loss. But then the inevitable happens: Along comes a younger, faster car (Jackson Storm) who turns the racing world upside down. Lightning McQueen, in an attempt to get back on top, pushes his limit to its unfortunate consequences and we next find him back in Radiator Springs, along with all the Continue Reading →

80 Years of Animation

Posted on February 9, 2017 by Melvin & Debbie — Leave a reply

As D23 members, we spent an afternoon at the Disney Animation Studios in Burbank celebrating 80 years of animation with a viewing of Disney’s 50th animated full length feature, “Tangled.”

Disney Animation Studios Theater

Seated in the private theater on the Animation campus, the day began with a presentation by Disney Archivist, Dave Smith. He recapped the 56 animated feature films by breaking them down into eras of Disney history.

He described these eras as:

1937-1942: The Golden Age. This was the dawn of animated movies and set Walt on solid footing for his studio.

1943-1949: War & Reinvention. These years Continue Reading →

Light Up The Season with D23

Posted on December 7, 2016 by Melvin & Debbie — Leave a reply

One of the perks of being members of D23 – The Official Disney Fan Club, is the special events we get to attend. On December 4th, Disney created such an occasion. Usually reserved for Animation Studio cast members, the “Light Up The Season” lighting of the campus has been expanded to include members of D23. We were privileged to attend this Christmas Lighting event along with hundreds of other Disney fans.

Debbie filling bags with crayons, stickers, playdough and books for kids.

The Burbank studio was set up with lights, decorations, photo back drops, character photos, games, “goodie stations” with hot chocolate, hot apple cider, cookies, popcorn, a train ride to the north pole and much more. Additionally, the Marine Corps Reserve was there collecting Toys for Tots and a station was set up for making gift bags for kids in hospitals.

Most of the campus was open for exploring, including the Hall of Legends capped by the iconic Team Disney building which has the Continue Reading →

Moana Movie Review

Posted on November 26, 2016 by Melvin & Debbie — 2 Comments ↓

Disney Animation Studio’s latest movie, Moana, is an original story about the daughter (and probably soon to be an official Disney princess) of a village chief who is attempting to save her people from disaster. This story takes place on an island in the Pacific in a past era and incorporates a lot of Polynesian mythology.

Disney's latest animated movie, Moana, brings Polynesian history and mythology to life.

Chief Nui, Moana’s father is grooming her to become the leader of the village, but her heart is inexplicably drawn to the ocean. Only when her grandmother reveals to her the village’s history of being voyagers and the story of how the demigod Maui stole the “heart” of Island Goddess Te Fiti, does she realize that she must journey across the ocean in order to save her people.

Trying to navigate the ocean on her own, she encounters a storm and washes up on an island where she encounters Continue Reading →

D23 Day at Camp Inch

Posted on May 12, 2015 by Melvin & Debbie — Leave a reply

Entrance to Camp Inch

(This post was updated on May 13. See the end of the story for something cool)

On May 9, 2015, we had the opportunity to see a special showing of the 1961 Disney classic, “The Parent Trap,” starring Hayley Mills, Maureen O’Hara and Brian Keith. The Animation Studios in Burbank, CA hosted this event creating special photo ops with simulated scenes from Camp Inch, the summer camp where Sharon McKendrick and Susan Evers each discovered Continue Reading →