Pinocchio Cookie Jar by Treasure Craft

April 2, 2017 by Mike Ellis

It’s back to the Dixieland Flea Market to have a look at a cookie jar that we broke down and bought. Pinocchio just captured our hearts!

But let’s have a look at our beautiful cookie jar by Treasure Craft featuring Pinocchio:

Just look at that smile!

From the sides

From the back

This cookie jar is unique in that the receptacle for holding the cookies is separate from the ceramic figure. Instead of having a head that lifts off to access the contents, there is a glass jar that can be removed and passed around:

This makes it easier to clean and less likely to damage the main figure. Cleo the fish is perched up top to form the handle for the lid, but she is hard to grasp hold of, so we lift the whole lid with two hands.

Shouldn’t Cleo be inside the bowl?

The effect here is to have Cleo floating on top of the water at the top of her fish bowl. Clever!

Hug, anyone?

This detachable feature is what sold us on this particular cookie jar. It’s such a unique idea!

It’s hard to see, but the words ‘Disney’ and ‘Treasure Craft’ are carved into the base of the main figure. The bowl would have had a sticker with another name on it, but ours has been washed away.

Candy, anyone?

We won’t be using Pinocchio for cookies as we find that they go stale if left in such a vessel, so it has become our candy jar instead. I don’t think anyone will complain.

Book Review: Learning from a Disney Little Golden Book

November 5, 2016 by Mike Ellis

Partial quote from the back cover of this Little Golden Book – “Is your life more ‘ho-hum’ than ‘heigh-ho’? Have you forgotten how to see the magic in the world around you? To get back that childlike sparkle, look no further than…”

Publisher: Random House

Type: Hardcover

Pages: 90

ISBN: 978-0-7364-3425-6

Price: $10.99 CAN / $9.99 US

Little Golden Books are timeless treasures covering many different franchises that have lived on children’s bookshelves for decades. Disney versions often contained both classic and contemporary characters, and this volume is no different.

As said, this particular volume features characters both old and new along with some more obscure references. Let’s have a look at some of the pages:

Examples of modern characters and art styling

Examples of older characters with vintage art styling

The two pictures above depict more obscure Disney references. On the left is Once Upon a Wintertime which was a segment in the 1948 Melody Time feature film. On the right is a cover picture from a Giant Golden Book published in 1944. Artwork was done by the great Mary Blair.

The book is laid out as a singular story extolling the virtues of living a good life and of how to do it. Disney characters are used to represent each motivational thought. Only a few words appear on each page making it easy to read to youngsters or for children to read for themselves.

The artwork is charming but my only complaint would be that the small print at the bottom of each page detracts from it.

Review: I would give this publication a 4 out of 5 Stars. The price is a bit high for what it is and I found the text to be a bit repetitive and contrived. Otherwise it is a great little (golden) book!

Magical Blogorail: Disney Photography Tips

September 30, 2015 by Mike Ellis

Welcome to this month’s Blogorail Red Loop. Today we are sharing tips to get great photos on your Disney vacation.

We all like to get our pictures taken with Disney characters! But with the long lines and the short time available for posing, it can be hard to get anything other than the standard stand-and-smile shot like the one above.

So today I’m here to help you one and all break out of the same-old same-old with tips on how to get great character photos:

T I P o n e T I P

Photograph Characters on Their Own

This is perhaps one of the hardest things to achieve due to the popularity of the characters, especially with the youngsters, who tend to rush up almost before the last guest has cleared the posing area. But with patience and good timing, a great shot can be had!

The one above was taken just before the meet-and-greet officially opened, so Aladdin and Jasmine were waiting off to the side, away from the crowds.

The picture of Mary Poppins was achieved through the miracle of cropping. A little guest was rushing over to the Practically Perfect Nanny when I saw my opportunity. With just two feet remaining between this shot and the inevitable hug-filled greeting, I had room to isolate my subject in post-editing!

Donald was easier, as he was on the way down the ramp from the Aztec Temple in the Mexico Pavilion. He saw me lining up the shot and struck this pose. Thanks Donald!

T I P t w o T I P

Photograph Characters Interacting

Photo Credit: The Mousekatools Mom

We all know Olaf loves hugs, so this shot really plays to his strength. With everyone in on the premise, we have a great , and heartwarming, moment captured forever!

Most face characters will take the time to speak and interact with each guest, especially if the guest is a cute little child! Both Alice and Mary Poppins took the time to engage these little girls. One with a conversation, and the other by putting the little one to work! Can you imagine how thrilling it would be to hold Mary Poppins’ umbrella?

These kinds of shots capture a moment in time that will never be repeated by your child, and not exactly by another child. This makes each shot priceless!

T I P t h r e e T I P

Photograph Characters in Close-ups

If you just have to have the obligatory stand-and-smile shot, make it more interesting by cropping out the extra stuff that does not add to the finished product. Legs, for example, aren’t that interesting and so can be amputated in post-editing.

Another tip for making this kind of shot better is to, if possible, choose a neutral background. Nothing can wreck a great shot like an unintentional photo bomb from some other park guest who is unaware they are in the frame. Hence the weird facial expressions or nose-picking moments that are all too common among the background extras when taking a character shot!

T I P f o u r T I P

Photograph Characters Being Funny

Photo Credit: Home is Where the Mouse Is

Welcome to Alice in Funland as she introduces this guest to a new way of getting an autograph! As you can imagine, this was fun for the subject, and is much more interesting for those who will look at the picture later.

Photo Credit: My Pixie Dust Diary

This is a nice shot because it shows a bit of the personality behind the character. Chip is being silly as he helps his littlest poser obtain the same height as her brother. Mischievous. And priceless!

T I P f i v e T I P

Photograph You Being Funny with Characters

Photo Credit: Love Our Crazy Life

Doing something funny with a character is a great way to get a unique shot. Of course, if you want to try the pose above, you might want to bring your own apple. I’m just saying.

Don’t be afraid to really ham it up! Most costumed and face characters love it when they get a ‘live one’ to break up the shift.

T I P b o n u s T I P

Utilize PhotoPass Add-ons

If you’re OK with spending some extra money to get the professional shots from the PhotoPass Photographers, be sure to check out all of the great add-ons and fun extras available to you.

For example, you can add borders:

You can add Disney characters, and pretend they are posing with you, or photo bombing you:

And don’t forget the ride photos. Because a ride is a character too!

And last but not least, be sure to ask your PhotoPass Photographer if they can add any special elements to your picture in post-production. Like this:

Photo Credit: My Pixie Dust Diary

I hope these tips have given you some ideas for your next photographic adventure at Disney!

For more Disney photography tips, check out the other great posts from the Blogorail!

Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail Red | Disney Photography Tips Loop:

1st Stop – Cool Nouns by Lee Beatens | (you are here)
2nd Stop – Adventurer Mom | Ultimate Disney Photo List
3rd Stop – Magical Mickey Tips | Disney PhotoPass and Memory Maker Tips
4th Stop – Family Travel Escapades | Great but Little Known Photography Spots

Top 5 Disney Characters Frozen in Time

September 21, 2015 by Mike Ellis

Every Disney character embarks on a journey of personal discovery and change. None are the same at the end of their movie. Usually the character is stronger and better for the effort, and we cheer when we see the ‘New Them’!

But do we always see them in their new and improved versions? Here is a list of my Top 5 Disney characters that we stubbornly insist on seeing as they started, not as they finished:

N U M B E R F I V E

Rapunzel

Rapunzel went through quite a change in the course of her movie. From a shy, dominated shut-in to an independent go-getter with a frying pan! She chose to follow her dream and found true love by helping to redeem a lost soul. Not bad in just under 2 hours of screen time!

The most visible change was the cutting of her hair at the end of her movie, which robbed her of her healing powers (mostly) and her trademark long golden locks. But we refuse to see her as a short-haired brunette and so she is forever stuck in our minds and hearts as a blonde with mile-long strands of hair.

N U M B E R F O U R

Ariel

Ariel is another Princess who had a lot to learn before she matured. Making the journey from an irresponsible daughter to a strong bridge between two worlds wasn’t easy, but Ariel made the journey one step at a time. And that brings us to our premise.

Ariel starts off as a mermaid, complete with tail and land-based mobility issues. But thanks to some undersea magic, she switches to legs and… what are those things called again? Oh yeah: feet! Ariel is lower on this list because we do see her in both configurations.

But with a nickname like The Little Mermaid, I think it’s safe to assume that the vast majority of us still see her with a tail, even though she walked into her happily ever after on two strong legs.

N U M B E R T H R E E

Beast

For the majority of his time in the movie Beauty and the Beast, the Beast was, well… a beast, not a man. It wasn’t until he won the love of Belle in the last few minutes of screen time that he became the human prince of Belle’s dreams.

But we definitely see him as he was, not as what he became. And after all, if we didn’t, we’d have to change the title of the movie to Beauty and the Prince, which we all can agree just wouldn’t be the same!

N U M B E R T W O

Bambi

The Prince of the Forest made quite a transformation in his movie, actually growing up into a majestic stag before our very eyes by the end credits. But just like overly possessive parents, we still think of Bambi as our little baby!

Bambi is high on this list, although not Number One, because he made one of the most drastic transformations, but we still refuse to acknowledge it.

N U M B E R O N E

Pinocchio

So who went through more changes than our Number One Disney character stuck in time? Pinocchio started off as just a piece of wood carved to resemble a little boy. Then, this marionette came to life, walking and talking and getting into all sorts of mischief. But this wasn’t the end of little Pinocchio’s journey!

By the end of the film, Pinocchio achieves his fondest wish: To become a real boy. The Blue Fairy deems the puppet worthy because of his selfless act to save his ‘father’, Geppetto. Now that’s a change, not only worthy of cheering, but remembering!

But poor Pinocchio! He is doomed to live out his time in our memories as an animated piece of wood, and not the real boy he worked so hard to become.

disH O N O R A B L E M E N T I O N

Yzma

Yzma spends most of her screen time in The Emperor’s New Groove as a very old woman who most describe as ‘scary beyond belief’ before becoming a cute little white kitten. A cute little white kitten with homicidal tendencies, but a cute little white kitten nonetheless.

However, despite transforming into a completely different life-form, we still remember her as that scary-beyond-belief woman of our nightmares. Doesn’t seem fair somehow…

So did I miss any Disney characters that you feel are stuck in time? If so, fill us all in by leaving a comment below!

#DisneyTrivia – Eric Larson

September 15, 2014 by Mike Ellis

Walt’s Nine Old Men were a core group of supervising animators who created Walt Disney Studios’ most famous work – such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and The Rescuers. Walt jokingly called them his “Nine Old Men” (even though most of them were in their 20s when they first started at the studio) – referring to U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s nine Supreme Court judges. All nine of these talented gentlemen were named Disney Legends in 1989.

Hello everyone, and welcome to this week’s #TiggerificTuesdayTrivia post! I’m joined as always by my dear friends Jodi from Magical Mouse Schoolhouse and Heidi from Heidi’s Head. This month we are sharing some great trivia revolving around Walt’s Nine Old Men. Today we are sharing some trivia about Eric Larson. Almost more important than the works he is credited with, check out the list of some of those animators that went through his training program!

Eric Larson from Utah (born 9/3/05) began work at the Disney Studios on June 1, 1933.
Larson started as an assistant animator on the shorts The Tortoise and the Hare and Two-Gun Mickey. By 1940, he was an animation director and had designed Figaro the cat for Pinocchio. He also animated the horses and centaurs for the “Pastoral Symphony” sequence in Fantasia. Larson assisted Marc Davis in creating the title character of the 1950 Cinderella and animated Caterpillar for the 1951 Alice in Wonderland. But his most famous sequence, is the flight to Neverland in the 1953 Peter Pan. After Walt’s death in 1966, Larson was placed in charge of finding and training new talent (along with animator Walt Stanchfield) – in addition to his character animating work (which ended as a consultant for the 1986 The Great Mouse Detective). Many well-known animators went through Larson’s training program, including Brad Bird, Don Bluth, Tim Burton, Ron Clements, Andreas Deja, Glen Keane, and John Lasseter. Larson retired in February 1986 after 52 years with Disney – making him the last of the 9 to retire. He passed away just two years later.

Thank you for stopping by today! Now, please go check out the other entries in our post this week, and have a great day!

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Book Review: Learning from a Disney Little Golden Book

Like this:

Magical Blogorail: Disney Photography Tips

T I P o n e T I P

Photograph Characters on Their Own

T I P t w o T I P

Photograph Characters Interacting

T I P t h r e e T I P

Photograph Characters in Close-ups

T I P f o u r T I P

Photograph Characters Being Funny

T I P f i v e T I P

Photograph You Being Funny with Characters

T I P b o n u s T I P

Utilize PhotoPass Add-ons

Like this:

Top 5 Disney Characters Frozen in Time

N U M B E R F I V E

Rapunzel

N U M B E R F O U R

Ariel

N U M B E R T H R E E

Beast

N U M B E R T W O

Bambi

N U M B E R O N E

Pinocchio

disH O N O R A B L E M E N T I O N

Yzma

Like this:

#DisneyTrivia – Eric Larson

Like this:

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Like this:

Sharing is Caring!

Like this:

T I P o n e T I P

Photograph Characters on Their Own

T I P t w o T I P

Photograph Characters Interacting

T I P t h r e e T I P

Photograph Characters in Close-ups

T I P f o u r T I P

Photograph Characters Being Funny

T I P f i v e T I P

Photograph You Being Funny with Characters

T I P b o n u s T I P

Utilize PhotoPass Add-ons

Sharing is Caring!

Like this:

N U M B E R F I V E

Rapunzel

N U M B E R F O U R

Ariel

N U M B E R T H R E E

Beast

N U M B E R T W O

Bambi

N U M B E R O N E

Pinocchio

disH O N O R A B L E M E N T I O N

Yzma

Sharing is Caring!

Like this:

Sharing is Caring!

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Disclaimer

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