Between Books - The Magic is in You

Cash or prizes, which do you prefer? What do you like to give for graduations or other turning point celebrations?

The Magic is in You by Colin Hosten and Brooke Vitale illustrated by Grace Lee is an inspirational children’s book, which reminds us of a core message, the magic is in you! The book follows a basic pattern. A crisis is presented by the writers using images from Disney or Pixar animated films. The moment is illustrated in soft original art. The next page resolves the issue by pointing out the magic and strength in each of us. The book is simple and repetitive and repetitive as the situations are demonstrated in the worlds of Tangled, Toy Story, and more.

The book as I mentioned is simple. The pattern is easy for a child to grasp and predict, especially after a few readings. It is one of those reads that I expect a child would start saying the resolution line as the page is turned. I would not read it at bedtime. While I love the message of internal strengths and magic, it does present a series of crisis moments that could create anxiety. And at bedtime, no parent really wants to set up an obstacle blocking sweet dreams.

This is a nice hardcover book with an attractive book cover. And it reminds me of when Dr. Suess’ books meant to inspire young adults were often gifted at high school graduations. I can see doing the same with this edition especially if they are a Disney family. Young adults will face challenges. Hosten, Vitale, and Lee inspire for those moments. But I think if you are not close to the graduate and don’t know their Disney Young Adult Status, I would go with cash. If they are not Disney film fans, the book may seem too brief and not connect.

Cash or prizes? I lean toward cash in most circumstances. Young people transitioning into the next stage really need a nest egg for computers, pens, and late-night pizzas. But The Magic is in You by Colin Hosten and Brooke Vitale illustrated by Grace Lee provides a delightful option for transitioning young people who are also Disney fans. It also is a book that can remind kids of the magic within themselves as they grow using Disney’s fanciful and beloved characters.

Maybe the question is really cash, prizes, or magic? Two out of three ain’t bad. Three out of three is better!

 

This post contains affiliate links, which means that Between Disney receives a percentage of sales purchased through links on this site.

Between Books - The CG Story: Computer Generated Animation and Special Effects

The CG Story: Computer Generated Animation and Special Effects by animation historian Christopher Finch is a comprehensive history of computer generated animation that presents the history of this now common application of computer technology from it's origins to its maturity today.  Finch documents early attempts by computer pioneers to use their computing power to create images.  He then outlines how these early images lead to very early computer animation by pioneers like Ed Catmull which would eventually lead to a dream to create an entire animated feature with computing power.  The author outlines the evolution of that dream within Pixar which eventually lead to the creation of Toy Story.  This is followed by a discussion of computer animated features and how they evolved the art and the growing use of computer generated special effects in live action films.  Finch's words are illustrated by 350 images, primarily showing the results that programmers and artists generated.

The CG Story is a big big book.  It is over-sized, and though I tried, it is not really a book you snuggle to in bed.  The size allows the illustrations to be gorgeously displayed.  There is no squinting for a reader in reviewing and appreciating the images.  My only real complaint of the book is some images are turned on their side, and the size and weight of the book really does not allow a quick orientation change.  But honestly that is a very small complaint.

Finch's text is well researched and has clarity.  Especially in the early portions of the book there are a lot of technical concepts and words that could intimidate a non-specialist if handled incorrectly.  However, I was able to keep pace with the text and never felt like I was missing out on content.  If asked for a history of computer generated animation, that went beyond Pixar, I could see myself recommending this text in a heartbeat.

For me the real star of The CG Story was the discussions of character animation.  And Finch gave me much to think about.  His comparison of Toy Story to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs helped me see Pixar's new film in a new way.  Finch notes how for both the Disney and Pixar animators working on their first full-length project they were pioneers into a unknown world.  And I enjoyed the use of Glen Keane's comparison between Disney (Once upon a time) and Pixar (Wouldn't it be cool if) story approaches.  That small included quote really made me see the two studios in a different way, and I wonder how those approaches will continue to bleed into each other with movies like Brave and Wreck-It-Ralph.  Finch's discussion of animated features includes nearly every important feature including key international releases.  Though Mars Needs Moms did not make the cut.  Of course that is really not a bad thing!

As a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I was excited to see the inclusion of special effects.  Though I was shocked to find out that Hellicarriers were not real, I loved a peak into these computer generated specials effects along with an understanding of their costs.  I did not fully grasp the complicated system of computer generated special effects, with most movies contracting to numerous houses and even having competitors work on effects for the same frame.  And I appreciated Finch's discussion between directors who rely heavily on computer generated effects and those that prefer the "weight" of a practical effect. 

The CG Story by Christopher Finch details the evolution of the idea of using computer generated images in theatrical releases.  The text outlines key moments, like the growth of Pixar, in both character animation and live action special effects.  And that history is punctuated by the gorgeous color images used extensively in the book!



Review Copy Provided by Publisher

Mousey Movies - The Santa Clause 2

I really am a sucker for The Santa Clause franchise!  You may not agree with me about how funny they are, but they crack me up.  So in 2002, when The Santa Clause 2 was released I was excited.  Tim Allen would be back as the beloved character and there appeared to be room for more hilarious lines.  In most ways the sequel delivered for me.  I thought it was funny.  They clearly had a bigger budget for the sequel, so we saw more of Santa’s workshop and “outside” shots in the North Pole.  The sequel was a more mature version of the original, not as silly but with better furnishings.  

The plot of The Santa Clause 2 is an older more experienced Santa Claus has held down the position for several years and been highly successful, becoming a better person.  As Christmas and its busyness approaches, Santa’s elves inform him of a second clause.  The Mrs. Clause charges Santa to get married before Christmas morning or he will revert to regular guy Scott Calvin.  As Christmas approaches the de-Santafication process begins, as Santa loses his beard, weight and magic.  If this is not enough, Scott’s son Charlie begins acting out at school leading to confrontations with Principal Carol Newman.  While Scott handles the search for Mrs. Claus and fatherly duties, his duties at the North Pole are managed by a toy plastic Santa who under the instruction of number two elf Curtis begins to misunderstand his Santa duties.  Will there be Christmas as Scott/Santa both fights his plastic doppelganger and looks for love.

With a Box Office of $172 million, this sequel was both a blockbuster and Mousey:

·        The Kid:  Spencer Breslin plays a new elf, Bernard’s number two Curtis.  We have to be honest; if the franchise was to continue they had to introduce a new future head elf.  With David Krumholtz aging, height is a clear problem for Bernard as he has become the starting center of the North Pole basketball team.  So a kid actor had to be introduced as a key elf.  Disney was good to Breslin.  Before The Santa Clause sequel he had starred with Bruce Willis in 2000’s Disney’s The Kid.  Honestly, this movie was somewhat forgettable to me though I can remember being excited about Willis in a kid’s comedy.    Breslin’s other Disney projects included voicing Cubby in Return to Neverland, another sequel in The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause as Curtis now the head elf, and with Tim Allen again in The Shaggy Dog.

 

·        Tink’s Big Brother:  It may seem campy, but the inclusion of the Council of Legendary Figures makes me smile.  It amuses me to think that Santa Claus has to survive business meetings just like many of us.  Art LaFleur plays the Tooth Fairy, a very un-Pixie Hollow fairy.  But like his little sister Tinker Bell, Tooth Fairy has very dainty fairy wings.  Being someone who watched The Secret of the Wings the day before the annual viewing of The Santa Clause 2 I enjoyed this very different and very manly fairy!  LaFleur is a very active character actor who for me is a perfect fit to a number of non-Disney baseball movies including Field of Dreams and The Sandlot as classic baseball players not dainty winged pixies.   

·        Tucker’s Tooth:  I had trouble with the 2009 version of the V television show on ABC.  I just could not believe that Mrs. Claus was Erica Evans gun totting FBI agent.  Maybe if I had seen Elizabeth’s Mitchell’s other ABC offering as Dr. Juliet Burke on Lost I could have made the jump.  But for me Mitchell is Mrs. Claus!  Mitchell’s work on ABC is not the only link to Disney history in the character in Carol Newman.  Walt Disney’s first films in Kansas City in 1922 were produced under the name NewmanLaugh-O-Grams.  I doubt this was an intentional homage, but it does provide a nice Disney fanboy moment.

    

·         Hidden Mickeys:  The Santa Clause 2 is full of hidden Mickey’s.  Viewers should watch carefully especially on the workshop floor where stuffed classic Mickey Mouses and a few Minnies are photo bombing scenes.  You can also find Mickey displayed in Santa’s bedroom.  Along with the mice, you can also find Winnie the Pooh and friends on the sides of jack-in-the-boxes in the workshop.  For a non-Mouse Hidden Mickey look in Lucy’s room for the Kim Possible poster.    

  

·         Little Man:  In the final confrontation between Scott Calvin and plastic Santa, Allen gets an opportunity to relive a classic line from Toy Story.  The original line was spoken by Buzz Lightyear to Woody.  In this version plastic Santa directs the quote at Scott as he attempts to stop him from escaping from the North Pole with a bag full of coal. 

As you can probably tell from past posts, I do not always need movies to have stories at a Shakespearian level.  But what I do often ask is that movie provide me some fun.  I admit it, the story is not the tightest, the acting is not award winning, and the look of the North Pole never fully pulls me into Santa Claus’ world.  But The Santa Clause 2 has consistently provided me fun, enough so that I force the Between Family to watch it along with the original every year.

Remember, hot cocoa is superior refreshment!   

Mousey Movies - The Santa Clause

One weeknight during Thanksgiving break of 1994, my college girlfriend and I drove 45 minutes  to spend time with her grandmother, Gram.  The three of us decided to leave the house and go see a movie. This movie is they only one that I ever remember seeing in a theater with Gram.  The local cinema only had two screens , and despite my pessimism, we chose Disney’s new movie The Santa Clause,  We spent the next 90 minutes constantly chuckling and enjoying a movie that became an instant Between Family hit.  The plot revolved around an ordinary man who becomes Santa Claus and the impact it has on the relationship with his son. 

A little less than a decade later, the girlfriend is now the Between Wife and the Between Tween has been born.  Sadly though, Gram passed away before the Tween’s first Christmas.  Gram may not have been my biological grandparent, but the love between the two of us was strong.   I can truthfully say she was one of my biggest fans and she often bragged about me.  I am convinced if she was with us today, she would not only have learned how to surf the internet just to read the blog daily but also would have bragged to her friends about her grandson-in-law the “popular” blogger. 

Because of Gram and the memories I associate between her and The Santa Clause, I love this Tim Allen movie.  It is my hope that you also have happy memories like these that can are triggered by something as simple as a movie.  In the Between House as our Christmas Tree goes up, The Santa Clause plays in the background.  This allows the Between Wife and I to tell our stories of Gram, a great grandparent my children cannot remember for themselves.   

For Tim Allen, 1994 was a watershed.  He starred on the number one show on television, Home Improvement.  Allen was on top of the New York Times bestseller list with his memoir Don’t Stand Too Close to a Naked Man.  And with The Santa Clause he had the number one grossing film.  For one week in November, Allen was king, his stardom was secured, and he had made a place amongst my favorite memories with this Mousey Movie:

·         Legendary: Tim Allen plays the main character, Scott Calvin, who becomes the legendary Santa Claus.  In 1999, Allen was inducted as a Disney legend, just five years after The Santa Clause!  By then Allen has billed himself as a bankable television star on ABC with Home Improvement.  And he has shown that success was more than a one hit wonder with ABC’s current Last Man Standing, which you might argue is Home Improvement 2.0.  Probably the most important Disney contribution Allen has provided is the voice of Buzz Lightyear in the Toy Story franchise which premiered a year later.  And Disney showed they had no fear placing Allen in other live action movies such as Jungle 2 Jungle and The Shaggy Dog, which sadly do not hold up when compared to The Santa Clause.  And I am still more than willing to let Allen star in anything Disney because I find many of his movies including a non-Disney offering like Wild Hogs very funny. I would be first in line with my ticket if  Disney would  move on the rumor of Tom Hanks and Allen in a Jungle Cruise live action film. 

·         Team Player:  I think it is safe to say that director John Pasquin likes working with Tim Allen.  He might be his biggest fan!  Pasquin came to his big screen directorial debut with a laundry list of television hall of fame shows including: Roseanne, L.A. Law, Family Ties, Newhart, and Growing Pains.  And they he had worked on this little hit show called Home Improvement starring Tim Allen.  The two clearly hit it off on set as their careers are linked.  After his debut, he went onto direct Jungle2 Jungle, Joe Somebody (non-Disney), and the current ABC show Last Man Standing all starring Tim Allen.  Based on this record, clearly Allen likes collaborating with Pasquin.  Along with directing, he portrays Santa #6!  Yes, you need that many Santas to make awesome.    

·        The Tool Man:  Scott Calvin on his first ride in the sleigh drives next to a truck and asks for directions to the I-94.  The driver is actor Jimmy Labriola who appeared on 24 episodes of Home Improvement as Benny.  Labriola and Pasquin are just two of several references to Home Improvement.  Before he puts on Santa’s suit which is too big, Calvin says he hopes the man of the house was a tailor.  On ABC his character was Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor.  At the end of his first Christmas Eve, Calvin grunts his success in a manly Tool Man manner.  And in Santa’s workshop Calvin sizes up an elf tool belt, which would easily find itself on Tim Taylor.        

·         Free Gift:  As Calvin explains to his son Charlie why Santa’s reindeer and sleigh are on their roof he exclaims that it is a gift from the cable company, they are getting the Disney Channel.  In 1994 this would have been a gift.  We live today in a world where there are not one but several Disney branded channels in many basic cable packages.  But in 1994 for most the Disney Channel was a pay channel like HBO.  It was not until after The Santa Clause that Disney worked with cable providers to move the familiar channel into the basic cable package.  From 1997 to 2002, Disney collaborated and at times pushed providers to make the move to basic cable.  And I for one am thrilled that I have the gift of the Disney Channel, in my basic cable package, but where is my reindeer?   

·         Railroading:  The North Pole Railroad, the N.P.R., is a small scale train that the elves are able to ride when traveling from Santa’s workshop to other locations at the North Pole.  It will remind Disney fans of the Carolwood Pacific Railroad that Walt Disney built behind his Holmby Hills home in Los Angeles.  The Carolwood Pacific was one of Disney’s inspirations to build an outdoor entertainment experience, which eventually became Disneyland.

I can be honest.  The Santa Clause is not Shakespearian nor does it have the best special effects.  You can see the snow blanket rolling up when Santa falls off the roof and the North Pole is clearly a set, but The Santa Clause is a movie that brings the humor, and a sentimentally that is unmatched in my home.  You may not enjoy it as much as me, but I can ensure you will chuckle as Allen delivers some classic one liners.        

Dreaming Disney - Disney Movie Rewards



Sometimes it is easy to forget that there was a time when some tips that were second nature to you were not a no brainer.

So today’s public service announcement is the following, if you are buying Disney movies for your home collection you may be eligible for free stuff.  And let’s be honest if you have children you have probably already have a movie collection with a few Disney movies and you may be eligible for free stuff right now.

Did I mention free.  Free is good!

In most Disney DVD and Blu-Rays you purchase you can find on the outside of the box a Disney Movie Rewards symbol.  If you see this symbol, you will find on the inside a sheet with a code which you can enter at www.DisneyMovieRewards.com for a specific number of points.  Points vary by the format you have purchased, with more expensive formats generally having more points assigned to them.  You collect your points on the website and redeem them for rewards that range from a few hundred points to 25,000 points.  Though for most folks the most desirable big point item is the 15,000 point Walt Disney Studio private tour. 

So far what have I gotten?  Well, one thing I have gotten is coupons, coupons for buying more movies.  Through Disney Movie Rewards, Disney has promoted coupons to upgrade old VHS or DVD copies of movies to Blu-Ray.  And to be honest these coupons have been nothing to sneeze out with savings from $5 to $10.  Our upgraded copies of Toy Story and Toy Story 2 were downright cheap when combined with an in store savings.  And recently they promoted a coupon for John Carter at $5 off, which again is a significant amount to a busy family. 

There have also been offers specific to specific home video title.  For example we have redeemed for the cost of shipping, or a small fee, a stuffed Bolt and another time Tinker Bell charms. 

But then we have not even spent any of our points yet.  It’s the redemptions that we have been the most excited about.  We have been saving for years for an item that we seem to miss every time it is offered.  But I promise you someday we will get it!  But we have still had some nice items with shipping costs paid by Disney.  These have included a youth sized Cars 2 hat and a massive Cars LED sign.  The sign was something that we got for less than 1,000 points as part of a Christmas promotion.  We thought it would be small wall light.  Instead two days later we received a very unique LED sign.  It helps give one room of our house a really cool Cars feel.  And we have been known to drag guests past the sign.    

I think one question, especially for point hoarders like me, is when will it end?  Well I guess technically the program could end anytime.  But since it has continued for the last several years I hope this loyalty program does not end anytime soon.  Seriously, I am hoarding points!  Please don’t end! 

So why a public service announcement today?  Earlier this month I told a co-worker about the program.  She commented they had a few movies, but would be shocked to find out they had any points of significance.  Well her family had nearly 2,000 points sitting in their movie collection and was looking at some fairly nice rewards on the website for them to choose from.  So be aware, you could have the cost for some fairly nice free, did I say free, stuff hiding in your movie collection.  And at the very least you could be denying yourself some coupon savings on movies if you are not signed up at www.DisneyMovieRewards.com.  It is always a bonus when you can dream of Disney free or discounted!

Between Books - The Pixar Touch

David Price in The Pixar Touch: The Making of a Company details the origins, struggles, and successes of Pixar Animation Studios until its 2006 purchase by the Walt Disney Company.  Price begins his story with college student Ed Catmull who wanted to be an animator but determined that he had limited drawing talent.  The highly intelligent Catmull instead threw himself into computers and became determined to use computers to create animation.  In 1972, he created a graduate film in which he animated his hand.  The video was both simple and revolutionary in showing the potential available in computer animation.  Catmull became recognized as a leader in computer graphics and professionally tied himself to like minded Alvy Ray Smith in the quest to improve computer animation with a shared goal of an animated feature.  Eventually Catmull and Smith found themselves drawn to Lucasfilm, working on computer systems and graphics for the George Lucas’ production company.  While at Lucasfilm, Catmull and Smith recruited a third revolutionary figure, former Disney animator John Lasseter who provided the animation skill needed to create convincing character animation.  Catmull, Smith and Lasseter hid their efforts to achieve their common goal of an animated feature with Lucasfilm, who chose to sell Catmull’s computer unit off or shut down their operation.  They reached out to former Apple executive Steve Jobs who was attracted to the hardware potential in his new acquisition.  Still Catmull lead his team with the goal of animation, despite Jobs’ apprehension.  After years of being a financial lose, Jobs’ incorporated Pixar Animated Studios found enough success with commercials and short films to partner with Disney to complete and distribute an animated feature, Toy Story, which filled with character and innovative animation began an instant hit and classic film.  Price then outlines the problems in the Pixar-Disney relationship including friction between Jobs and Disney CEO Michael Eisner which was leading to an eventual end to their partnership.  Instead of a lasting schism, new Disney leadership under Bob Iger led to the Disney acquisition of Pixar Animation Studios.  This purchase lead to Lasseter becoming Disney’s and Pixar’s Chief Creative Officer, including Walt Disney Imagineering, and Catmull being named President of Walt Disney Animation Studios, along with Pixar.  The disgraced Disney animator and the boy who could not draw had become the guiding forces behind the world’s most prestigious animation organization.   

Price does an excellent job of presenting the details of a complex story.  He makes it clear that the leadership of Pixar were always united around a common vision, making an animated movie.  While others may have seen them as computer hardware or software group, the Pixar leaders regardless of their company name, were always dedicated to a common cause.  With their vision not aligned to their owners at times, leaders like Catmull had to make hard decisions or be partially dishonest to do things like add John Lasseter to the payroll.  And Price makes to clear how that vision was shared with others, with Lasseter at one point rejecting a return to Disney in order to make history in the Pixar ranks. 

I was also shocked how my opinions of some within the Pixar story changed.  I had pictured Jobs as a benevolent leader who guarded the Pixar staff from economic forces with his own personal fortune so they could evolve towards making an animated feature.  Price instead gives us a picture of Jobs who is at times more adversary than benefactor, with figures like Catmull protecting the Pixar staff and at times unsuccessfully.  Additionally, Price shows that Jobs was a late comer to the dream of an animated film.  And I found my already high opinion of Catmull being further extended as one realizes the opportunities he turned down for short gain that resulted in his and Pixar’s success in achieving their dream.

The Pixar Touch is well written and engaging.  It is not a fictional thriller, but a straight forward and highly accessible read.  It may be considered a business book, but it is one that any Pixar or animation fan can read and enjoy.  Price takes the time to explain highly technical points, especially around software and hardware, that those not in the information technology realm would not readily know.  And he does a good job explaining these to the common man.  The book clearly demonstrates the power of vision to technical and business leaders.  Additionally, it is well researched based on interviews and primary and secondary sources. 

The Pixar Touch is an engaging and educational book.  It shows how the power of vision and the determination to follow it through can make something clearly amazing.  It is a must read for animation fans, those interested in the history of computing, and Disney enthusiasts.  Those wishing to explore the history of Pixar should begin with The Pixar Touch.  

Mousey Movies - The Rocketeer

I saw The Rocketeer when it originally was released in the theater and years before I became Between Disney.  I have remembered this superhero movie, starring Billy Campbell about a pilot who uncovers an experimental jet pack in 1938 which leads to a conflict with Nazis and mobsters, as a typical superhero action movie.  And it was something that I never watched again since 1991.  I did not hate it, I did not love it.  Today The Rocketeer is considered by many as a cult classic.  A recent viewing of this film has confirmed my personal opinion that it is a fun movie but not ground breaking.  What I did not remember was how Mousey of a movie that it is:

·        Joe Johnston:  The Rocketeer was Johnston’s second directorial assignment, with his debut being a Mousey Movie in Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, which has left its own mark on Disney parks.  Johnston originally started in movies as a designer for Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope and art director for Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, films which provide the story background for Star Tours: The Adventure Continues.  In 2011, Johnston returned to the House of Mouse directing blockbuster Captain America: The First Avenger.      

·        Terry O’Quinn:  O’Quinn plays Howard Hughes, the real life billionaire and aviator.  In The Rocketeer, Hughes is the inventor of the X-3 jet pack in the film.  Both the actor and the role are Mousey.  O’Quinn would later go onto star in ABC’s Lost as John Locke beginning in 2004.  But Hughes also has a hidden Disney history.  He designed the Hughes H-4 Hercules or the “Spruce Goose”, a plane made out of wood.  As noted in Jack Lindquist’s In Service to the Mouse, Disney purchased the Spruce Goose in 1988 as an attraction for a proposed Port Disney park in Long Beach.  When plans for this new park were halted, Disney liquidated its ownership of the aircraft.     

·        Timothy Dalton:  Dalton plays actor Neville Sinclair, a man with a secret interest in the jet pack and an eye for Cliff Secord’s (Campbell) lady.  When I saw this the first time, the Dalton casting had my attention with my third favorite James Bond at that time (Connery, Moore, Dalton and then Lazenby) as a bad guy.  In 2010, Dalton would yet again portray an actor for Disney as Mr. Pricklepants in Toy Story 3.  Personally though Sinclair did his own stunts, Mr. Prickelpants appears to be both a better student and artist. 

·         Millie:  To many actress Margo Martindale may be best known as the family friend of serial killer Dexter Morgan.  But to me she will forever be Grandma Ruby in Hannah Montana: The Movie!  In The Rocketeer, she plays Millie who runs the Bull Dog Café frequented by the Secord and his fellow airfield co-workers. 

·         Disney’s Hollywood Studios:  There are several references to The Rocketeer in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.  The most prominent is Peevy’s Polar Pipeline named after Secord’s friend and mechanic A. “Peevy” Peabody played by Alan Arkin.  Decorations for this snack stand include a replica Rocketeer jet pack. 

I love superheros and superhero movies.  And The Rocketeer is worth the watch, especially if you are a Disney fan as this film is rich with Mouseyness and could help deepen a visit to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.