My (Brief) Florida Vacation

Cinderella's Castle at the Magic Kingdom

Well, I'm on the move again and am now in Georgia.  I started out my trip in Florida to visit my friend Amanda.  She's pretty cool because she's an über-talented seamstress and she can talk in a chipmunk voice on cue.

This was my first time in Florida and I had the pleasure of going to Universal Studios one day and to Disney's Magic Kingdom on another.  Both were pretty cool parks to walk around.  There's a lot to look at, even if you don't go on many rides.  I've always been a fan of Disney--especially the soundtracks.  (Alan Menken is one of my favourites!).  As a kid, I would see the commercials for vacations in Disney Land or Disney World, I'm not exactly sure which one.  My young brain only caught on to "Disney."  I knew it was beyond what we could do as a family, but I always wanted to go.

I'm glad that I was at last able to go to at least one of the parks.  I hope that sometime in the future I will be able to go to the others as well.  The building structures and the layout of the Magic Kingdom was really pretty.  We got there just in time for the afternoon parade.  Looking at the costumes as the people and floats went by, I couldn't believe what they were wearing in the heat.  Some of the cast members were dripping with sweat! What troopers.

Beauty and the Beast in the Parade

Merida on bagpipes

While I didn't find the rides as exciting as the ones at Universal (or Canada's Wonderland), they were still entertaining.  I almost lost my hat on one ride.  I would have been really sad if that had been the case, but my luck held out and I was able to get it back.

Universal also had some really cool buildings relating to the movies.  The Harry Potter sections were my favourite and I even got a picture with the Night Bus like a cool tourist.

The Night Bus and me.

The recreation of Hogwarts was also cool to look at and very majestic sitting on the hill above everything else.  I wish it had been a model that we could have walked through.  Oh well...  All in all, it was an enjoyable experience.  

And now, I look forward to the next stage in my adventure!

Hogwarts Castle

Boy VS Girl Movies?

The other day I was talking with some friends about animated films and one of them made the offhand comment that DreamWorks (and in relation Pixar and Disney) tend to work in an alternating fashion, releasing a "boy" movie one year and then a "girl" movie the next.  I stopped for a moment and tried to force recall the movie releases of the last couple years. All I could remember was Brave then Wreck-it-Ralph then Frozen, which would fit the pattern. When I later came home I did some research and realized my error. I was remembering movies I had seen in theatres, but there were a number of others that hadn't interested me at all. The pattern was all of a sudden void. (See full list here for Disney (ex. Brave (2012), Frankenweenie (2012), Wreck-It-Ralph (2012), Monsters University (2013), Planes (2013), Frozen (2013)) and for DreamWorks Animation).

However, the overall comment still gnawed at my consciousness. I couldn't help but think, "what makes a boy movie? What makes a girl movie?" Is it based on the gender of the main character or whether there are masculine machines vs frilly clothing? If the Lion King is a boy movie, and the Little Mermaid a girl movie, would Aladdin then fall in the boy category?  How can we add labels based on categories like that? Rise of the Guardians, Wreck-it-Ralph, How to Train Your Dragon, Monsters University... these would most likely be labeled as "boy" movies. And yet (except for the last which I haven't seen), I loved these films and I know countless other girls who felt the same. Likewise, Tangled, Brave, Frozen--classic "girl" movies are also liked by an audience of boys.

What kind of impressions are we placing on children when we teach them that certain movies, certain stories--certain ideas are strictly reserved for specific genders?

Even with adult films--why are action movies considered primarily for guys and RomComs for girls? We have freedom of opinion and our likes and dislikes change as we grow. Everyday we are surrounded by gender stereotypes that we have self-created and I, for one, get tired of playing into their rules.  I don't like having these categories resting over my head.  I will choose to like what I like--whether it's considered masculine or feminine or both.

Thank you for reading my food for thought.

Lessons from Disney

Can I just say that I love Disney?

mickeyandminnie:

That you can fall in love with someone regardless of how they look

To be true to your heart.

That love can happen between any two people.

That those we have lost will always be with us.

That even our wildest dreams can come true.

That we must learn to accept differences and love each other for them

That some of the most beautiful people we will ever know, are beautiful for who they are and not what they look like.

That we are all meant for something great.

That you may find the one you are meant for in the strangest places.
AND That a woman can be just as strong--if not stronger than a man.

Oh and one more: no matter the situation, a princess will always have perfect hair.