Frozen Fun

They played Frozen this evening, acting out the whole thing.  At one point, they were Christoff and his reindeer Sven.  Guess who was who?

Yep, Sis had the reins.  The beanbags were the sled, two jump ropes together were the reins, and Bud the reindeer had shoes on his hands.

Otherwise, Bud was Elsa and Sis was Anna, singing their respective songs.

Bud was also an amazing Olaf, doing great comedic gestures.

It was wonderful.

Continuing their current obsession, Sis read the whole movie novelization in one sitting, while Bud continued drawing his favorite characters.

And through it all, I perfected my skills with our new wireless SONOS music system (I had been pointing my phone at the system like a remote control to make it work; Mama laughed at me for being "so 20th century!)

Now I just wish it would snow!  They could make a great Olaf snowguy or an ice palace.

Olaf to the Rescue

Here I've been thinking on the feminist implications of Disney's Frozen, the incongruity of the upending of the rescued princess trope and the waspish waists and tight dresses, and what it all means for my daughter and my son.

And all the kids can think of is Olaf, the funny snowman!

We were riding in the car to Sis's gymnastics class yesterday, with their little friend, and they were all atalk about the movie.  They could all recite the different Olaf bits, "I think we lost the Marshmallow Man . . . oh, look out for my butt!"  They were laughing hysterically.

The friend did mention how surprised she was that the prince said he didn't love Anna, also surprised that there wasn't a wedding at the end.  I asked if a wedding was the best thing that could happen to Anna.  "Yes," the friend answered.  "NO!" mine chorused.  Though, they agreed that a marriage could be a real highlight, but that there were other good things that you could do in life.

So, I asked what they thought about the sisters not getting along and how that would make them feel--the little friend thought not talking to her sibling would be great--he'd stepped on her head earlier in the day!  Sis and Bud couldn't quite fathom that kind of separation.

And then it was back to Olaf.

Truly, I think I might be relieved.

Friday Night Ice

On Friday night, we trooped--with the Brownies--to Disney on Ice, our first time at that show.  It was crowded and chaotic, swarming with young children and things to buy.  We had great seats, rink-side, and could see everything, from the ice-skating Cars to the flying fairies.  The fairies were my favorite; Sis thought so, too. We all liked Toy Story--laughing at dancing Hamm and admiring Jesse's lanky moves (Bud did not like that Barbie ripped up Ken's clothes, though; he thought it was mean, even under the circumstances)--but Sis thought it was too long.  They were a bit confused about the appearance of an undersea set, not sure if it were Nemo or Little Mermaid, even with "Under the Sea" playing.  Clearly, we're not quite ready for Disney World!  But we were a very enthusiastic audience, sipping slushies and eating cotton candy while smiling and even waving at the skaters.  I definitely admired the athleticism and artistry of the skaters, who demonstrated some of their jumps and spins in a post-show technical explanation.

The Christmas Turtle Strikes Again!

It's been a few years since we've had a visit from the Christmas Turtle, but he (she?) came today!  Sis found a bag with a present in it under the tree, which we know wasn't there earlier because we've cleaned up all the Christmas gifts and decorations except the tree and ornaments.  Of course, she's the one who spotted it--Miss Eagle Eyes--though it must have been there since before they got home from school.  Maybe he came while I was at Pilates?  Or coffee with Miss S?

Anyway, it was the Disney edition of Headbanz, the Q&A guessing game.  Sis immediately broke out the mouse ears and passed them around so we could play a few rounds before Bud had to go to kung fu.  We're not the most up-to-date family on Disney movies, so we allowed some extra hints.  I guess the Turtle knows we're going to Disney World later this year.  It was fun . . . and silly.  And hard!  Try guessing "glass slipper" from yes or no questions.

Bud and Mama headed off, but Sis and I kept playing for another hour.  An hour!  Curled up together on the couch, we took turns guessing.  If it were a movie she hadn't seen, like all the Cinderella clues, I gave her another one.  She let me slide with guesses like "that turtle in Nemo" and "the big monster in Monsters, Inc."    My more Disney-savvy friends would have laughed (and I would have said I knew Disney pretty well, but I guess we just don't watch them over and over).

Well, at least we'll be more prepared for the Magic Kingdom!  Thanks, Christmas Turtle!

Gumbo Ya-Ya!

We watched Princess and the Frog on Saturday, part of our ongoing viewing of the Disney canon.  The kids liked the movie just fine, but there have been some unexpected consequences.   Namely, an obsession with the food of New Orleans (which, if you haven't seen the film, does play a part--Tiana wants to open a restaurant).

So, last night we tracked down one of the only places we could find that served anything remotely Cajun or Creole, and had fried crawfish, fried catfish, jambalaya, and, best of all, beignets!   And the kids liked it!  Then they kept asking for gumbo, so I made some chicken and sausage gumbo today.  And they liked it, too!  With the sausage, even.  And the green bell peppers!

Color me purple, gold, and green!

Now they want to go to New Orleans.  Cautiously, Sis said they wouldn't talk to anyone wearing a skull and crossbones (a la the bad guy in the movie).  Bud was unfazed--the guy was dead!  But Sis said, what if the story happened in the future and he was still there now?!?!

Has she been sneaking "Doctor Who?"

-=-=-=-=-

My gumbo recipe is here.  And it was so good I turned meat-eater for a meal!  Much to the kiddos' surprise!  "Mom, you're going to die if you eat meat,!" thought Bud.

"Why Are There Monsters In Every Fairytale?"

We were talking about the story of Beauty and the Beast, as I tested the waters for a possible afternoon showing of one of my favorite films. I gave a quick synopsis of the story and Bud interrupted me, "Why are there monsters in every fairytale, Mommy?"

He went on to mention the evil stepmother in Cinderella, a story we had just read a few weeks ago, and witches and monsters in general (they don't, as yet, know too many fairytales).

Well, I said, fairytales are about people solving problems, kinda like the Imagination Movers do, except these aren't ordinary problems but bigger monster-and-witch ones. I started to add, but stopped myself, that these were really ordinary problems writ large, metaphors of our daily existence. But I did mention that the characters in the story learn something and teach us too when they go up against these special challenges.

And they still wanted to watch the movie!

So, we sat down with Beauty and the Beast for rest time (encouraged by the fact that it was made by the Brother Bear people). At the opening sequence, Sis gasped, "Mom, it's beautiful." And so it is, one of the most beautiful films ever made. Sure, they didn't see all of it, as I fast-forwarded through the scary beast parts in the beginning and through the scary Gaston parts at the end, but enough to know they liked it.

Except, "Mommy, I want the beast back," they both said. "I don't want him to die." I explained, through my usual end-of-movie tears, he doesn't die but turns into a human again; that just wasn't an appealing alternative for them. I agree. Most people must, because all the sequels I know about feature the beast not the prince.

Anyway, I hadn't seen the film in a long while, maybe never on our DVD, though we've owned the DVD for a long time. And I realized there's a new song, "Human Again," from the Broadway show, that hadn't been included in theatrical release. It's a good song but was a startling disruption in a movie I've seen so many times. The kids didn't know it wasn't there originally and they liked the humor. Because the household object characters were some of their favorites.

So, we have our first Disney Princess movie under our belts. And I think we all liked it. Though, as Sis pointed out to Mama, "Belle isn't a princess" (which is technically true until the very end). The other films--Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Little Mermaid, Cinderella (though not as much)--have scarier villains, those monsters and witches and stepmothers. We'll have to work our way up to those, starting with the books (which just seem less scary, mainly because the kids control their mental images and can self-censor the scariness, which they might not totally understand; visual images in movies can be daunting, confusing, and just plain scary). And, maybe, a few more viewings of Beauty and the Beast.