A Pink Pixie Princess - Complete!

[roxymama]

I listened to an interview with the guy who played Beast and he said that he was in a 40 lb motion capture suit covered in reflective ping pong balls while wearing 10 ft tall stilts and had real fangs in his mouth to help him do his beast voice. So like that ballroom scene...he was all weird blobby stilt creature while dancing with Emma in her beautiful dress. That is crazy!
And then they had him act out every single scene again just from his neck up (again wearing weird real fangs)

Imagine trying to act like you are in love with a giant stilt weirdo???

 

[Ariel484]

I listened to an interview with the guy who played Beast and he said that he was in a 40 lb motion capture suit covered in reflective ping pong balls while wearing 10 ft tall stilts and had real fangs in his mouth to help him do his beast voice. So like that ballroom scene...he was all weird blobby stilt creature while dancing with Emma in her beautiful dress. That is crazy!
And then they had him act out every single scene again just from his neck up (again wearing weird real fangs)

Imagine trying to act like you are in love with a giant stilt weirdo???

I wonder if a non-CGI version of that scene exists anywhere...that would be really interesting to see!

I thought that that during the movie, how Emma had to act and there was all this CGI-ness around her - specifically in the scene where she gets her room and it's just her, Lumiere, Cogsworth and the wardrobe. So was she just talking to no one or where there people there "standing in" where the characters would be?

 

[roxymama]

I wonder if a non-CGI version of that scene exists anywhere...that would be really interesting to see!

I thought that that during the movie, how Emma had to act and there was all this CGI-ness around her - specifically in the scene where she gets her room and it's just her, Lumiere, Cogsworth and the wardrobe. So was she just talking to no one or where there people there "standing in" where the characters would be?

I maybe watched like 5 youtubes about that yesterday at lunchtime. They had a real wardrobe with pullies and mechanical stuff so it really did open and close but they added everything CGI later. She also talked to real t-pots etc and the faces were CGI'd in.
The other interesting thing is the Ewan McGregor was also totally green screen motion captured as Lumiere as well and added in later. Because his character had more "human" movement than the others.

I basically nerded out and looked all that up

 

[jdd]

Strength Through Adversity

Wanted to post about this fundraiser that INKnBURN is doing:

This Strength through Adversity Tech Shirt Pre-Order came about when we heard what Loren Ollenburger was doing to raise money to fight Multiple Sclerosis. An inspiring father of 3, he was diagnosed with MS 12 years ago. This summer Loren and 17 other runners will be running nearly 200 miles each, spanning 7 days as part of the MS Run the US relay from LA to NY. To illustrate strength, we used a tree that has fought and won its battle against the elements and managed to thrive on a rocky cliff. We added an orange sky, the official color of MS as the backdrop. It is our hope that this shirt will help raise awareness of MS and honor all those who have fought and continue to fight this disease. 25% of the proceeds from each shirt sold will go to programs that MS Run the US supports.

This cost of this shirt is $5 more than their regular tech shirts...but this is a cause that is near and dear to my heart as my aunt (who is my godmother) suffers from MS. So of course, I bought one. It's a bonus that the shirt is pretty cool.

Men
Women

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Oh, I love this! I have two cousins with MS - their mom (my aunt) had it as well, so this is a cause very near to me as well. DH and a good friend bike the MS150 every year (a ride from just north of Pittsburgh to Erie PA). I'm seriously thinking of getting this shirt for both of us. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Sleepless Knight]

I'm late to the party about Beauty and the Beast, but here come my somewhat lengthy thoughts.

Spoiler

The new film has a song called How Does a Moment Last Forever? In some ways, I often found myself asking how do they top the near perfection that is the animated Beauty and the Beast? The original is a film that I watch multiple times a year. It reignited my interest in animation. I love the Beauty and the Beast area in new Fantasyland because it feels like it came right from the animated classic I love so much. So it's nearly impossible for this version to actually top the original for me.

For whatever reason, I had a difficult time wrapping my head around the live action realization of the characters and visuals from the animated classic. And in some ways, I still can't quite get used to some of them. For whatever reason, the Beast just looked off to me. However, do not misinterpret that as a slight. I thought the actor playing the Beast portrayed him quite well. I also really loved the song Evermore which the Beast sings right after letting Belle go. It's haunting, beautiful, and I even like it more than the also excellent "If I Can't Love Her" from the Broadway musical.

It also took some getting adjusting to Emma Watson as Belle. My sister put it best. Casting the actress who played Hermione Granger as Belle is perfect. At the same time I'm so used to Paige O'Hara that it just takes some getting used to when another actress plays her. Look, this is not a complaint. I don't care that she doesn't sound French. Neither did Paige O'Hara. I'm just used to Paige O'Hara as Belle, so any other voice is just different. Not bad, just different. And the more I listen, the more her singing grows on me. She put her own spin on the performance without making me wonder who is this girl and what has she done with Belle. When I was a teenager, I had a huge crush on Belle. In those awkward years every teenage boy goes through, Belle gave me hope that I would someday find a girl who could see beyond whatever shortcomings I have and see potential.

I have mixed feelings about some of the changes. I rather like the changes they made to add more depth and backstory especially with the Beast and the curse on the servants. But I also miss slightly eccentric and crazy Maurice. I wish they had kept him as an inventor and had Belle be one as well. In a few cases, they dropped some of my favorite lines from the original version, which I found disappointing. But again, that's personal preference. I so wish they had included the Broadway song "Me" in this live action version. That song is an absolute riot and perfectly explains Gaston. It would have fit perfectly in the scene where Gaston is talking to himself in the mirror. The hardest part for me is when certain moments don't quite match their brilliance in the original film. It's not that they were bad, but they're just not quite as good as the original in my mind. So it's hard to view them in the new context when I wonder why they spent so much time being so faithful and then decided to tweak some things for the sake of tweaking some things.

My lone serious critique is that I thought having the routed villagers suddenly celebrating in the newly restored castle mere moments after trying to destroy it just didn't work for me.

On a 5 star level, I'd give it 4 stars. And honestly, it may be better than I'm giving it credit for but it just can't quite escape the massive shadow cast by its predecessor in my book. And for the sake of placing it in the pantheon of other live action endeavors, here goes.

1. Cinderella. I really love the original film as the animated masterpiece that it is. But this version adds tremendous depth to the story and elevates it even above the animated masterpiece. They gave the Prince some much needed depth and made it perfectly clear why he would fall in love with Cinderella. Kindness is a superpower. People unfairly malign Cinderella as a weak character. This movie makes it perfectly clear just how strong she is. They even managed to make the mice (my favorite part of the animated version) fit perfectly in a live action setting without seeming silly and out of place. I frequently found myself silently cheering as they got one element perfect after another.

2. Beauty and the Beast. I almost put this number 3, but I love the story so much more than number 3 that I just couldn't.

3. The Jungle Book. I enjoy this more than the animated version.

4. Alice in Wonderland. It's more of a sequel than a live action version. I enjoyed it just fine.

There's now a chasm between the top four and the next, er, film.

5. Maleficent. I hate this movie so much that I can never fully trust Disney on these live action remakes. It's just awful.

 

[dancingtodisney]

I've seen Beauty and the Beast now... I'm clicking all them spoiler alerts!!

 

[Sailormoon2]

Behind on everyone's threads so I really appreciate the use of spoilers!!! My week has been nuts, so I unbelievably still haven't seen BATB!! Sunday, is my goal, so then I can come back and read more and finally contribute! I'm soooo excited!

 

[Ariel484]

I maybe watched like 5 youtubes about that yesterday at lunchtime. They had a real wardrobe with pullies and mechanical stuff so it really did open and close but they added everything CGI later. She also talked to real t-pots etc and the faces were CGI'd in.
The other interesting thing is the Ewan McGregor was also totally green screen motion captured as Lumiere as well and added in later. Because his character had more "human" movement than the others.

I basically nerded out and looked all that up

That is so cool. I need to leap down the YouTube rabbit hole later on. It's how all the cool kids spend their Saturday nights, right??

Oh, I love this! I have two cousins with MS - their mom (my aunt) had it as well, so this is a cause very near to me as well. DH and a good friend bike the MS150 every year (a ride from just north of Pittsburgh to Erie PA). I'm seriously thinking of getting this shirt for both of us. Thanks for sharing!

That's so awesome that your husband and friend do the bike!! I need to look into that!

It's such a devastating disease...

I'm late to the party about Beauty and the Beast, but here come my somewhat lengthy thoughts.

Spoiler

The new film has a song called How Does a Moment Last Forever? In some ways, I often found myself asking how do they top the near perfection that is the animated Beauty and the Beast? The original is a film that I watch multiple times a year. It reignited my interest in animation. I love the Beauty and the Beast area in new Fantasyland because it feels like it came right from the animated classic I love so much. So it's nearly impossible for this version to actually top the original for me.

For whatever reason, I had a difficult time wrapping my head around the live action realization of the characters and visuals from the animated classic. And in some ways, I still can't quite get used to some of them. For whatever reason, the Beast just looked off to me. However, do not misinterpret that as a slight. I thought the actor playing the Beast portrayed him quite well. I also really loved the song Evermore which the Beast sings right after letting Belle go. It's haunting, beautiful, and I even like it more than the also excellent "If I Can't Love Her" from the Broadway musical.

It also took some getting adjusting to Emma Watson as Belle. My sister put it best. Casting the actress who played Hermione Granger as Belle is perfect. At the same time I'm so used to Paige O'Hara that it just takes some getting used to when another actress plays her. Look, this is not a complaint. I don't care that she doesn't sound French. Neither did Paige O'Hara. I'm just used to Paige O'Hara as Belle, so any other voice is just different. Not bad, just different. And the more I listen, the more her singing grows on me. She put her own spin on the performance without making me wonder who is this girl and what has she done with Belle. When I was a teenager, I had a huge crush on Belle. In those awkward years every teenage boy goes through, Belle gave me hope that I would someday find a girl who could see beyond whatever shortcomings I have and see potential.

I have mixed feelings about some of the changes. I rather like the changes they made to add more depth and backstory especially with the Beast and the curse on the servants. But I also miss slightly eccentric and crazy Maurice. I wish they had kept him as an inventor and had Belle be one as well. In a few cases, they dropped some of my favorite lines from the original version, which I found disappointing. But again, that's personal preference. I so wish they had included the Broadway song "Me" in this live action version. That song is an absolute riot and perfectly explains Gaston. It would have fit perfectly in the scene where Gaston is talking to himself in the mirror. The hardest part for me is when certain moments don't quite match their brilliance in the original film. It's not that they were bad, but they're just not quite as good as the original in my mind. So it's hard to view them in the new context when I wonder why they spent so much time being so faithful and then decided to tweak some things for the sake of tweaking some things.

My lone serious critique is that I thought having the routed villagers suddenly celebrating in the newly restored castle mere moments after trying to destroy it just didn't work for me.

On a 5 star level, I'd give it 4 stars. And honestly, it may be better than I'm giving it credit for but it just can't quite escape the massive shadow cast by its predecessor in my book. And for the sake of placing it in the pantheon of other live action endeavors, here goes.

1. Cinderella. I really love the original film as the animated masterpiece that it is. But this version adds tremendous depth to the story and elevates it even above the animated masterpiece. They gave the Prince some much needed depth and made it perfectly clear why he would fall in love with Cinderella. Kindness is a superpower. People unfairly malign Cinderella as a weak character. This movie makes it perfectly clear just how strong she is. They even managed to make the mice (my favorite part of the animated version) fit perfectly in a live action setting without seeming silly and out of place. I frequently found myself silently cheering as they got one element perfect after another.

2. Beauty and the Beast. I almost put this number 3, but I love the story so much more than number 3 that I just couldn't.

3. The Jungle Book. I enjoy this more than the animated version.

4. Alice in Wonderland. It's more of a sequel than a live action version. I enjoyed it just fine.

There's now a chasm between the top four and the next, er, film.

5. Maleficent. I hate this movie so much that I can never fully trust Disney on these live action remakes. It's just awful.

Spoiler: BaTB

Honestly, I think anyone that LOOOOVES the original was almost destined to not like the live-action version, if that makes sense. Not saying that this is a bad thing, but it's exactly like you said: "how do they top" what you see as "near perfection?" I love reading other people's thoughts on the movie! I think I will feel much the same way you do when they inevitably re-make The Little Mermaid, for example. That is the film of my childhood so I doubt I will be 100% happy with whatever they do to it to bring it "to life" so to speak.

Anyway...I do agree with you that the Beast was not perfect CGI. "Evermore" was a great addition...it threw me because I didn't expect it, but I think it makes sense that the Beast gets his own song, and I loved how they filmed it where he kept running to certain parts of the castle so he could continue to watch her as she left.

Emma Watson, to me, will always be Hermione Granger. I thought she did a great job, but in my mind: still Hermione. I think it's funny that you point out that the lack of a French accent doesn't bother you. I remember reading someone on the DIS saying that they were annoyed that in the trailer, she had an English accent when the movie takes place in France. I couldn't help myself and responded "were you bothered by Belle's American accent in the animated version?" I didn't get a response to that!

I read an article where Emma Watson actually did say that Belle is supposed to be an inventor in this version! I thought they dropped the ball with that storyline - she makes the thing to do laundry faster but you only see, what, 2 minutes of that? She made it seem like it was a bigger thing in whatever interview it was what I read. I agree that they could have done more with that. Sounds like I need to see the Broadway version!

GAH...great point about the villagers joining in the celebration. That did not occur to me, but ***?! "Hey, sorry we tried to kill all of you...let's party!" Whaaaaat?

Okay, so I looked up The Jungle Book on Netflix and was bored about 5 minutes in. I don't love the original, so maybe that's why? Not sure I can make myself watch it. I have Cinderella coming from the Library! I totally forgot that I even saw Maleficent (last summer on the Dream using their "on demand" movies), so that tells you what I thought of that one! I agree, it was not very good at all!!

I've seen Beauty and the Beast now... I'm clicking all them spoiler alerts!!

Go Karen Go!!

Behind on everyone's threads so I really appreciate the use of spoilers!!! My week has been nuts, so I unbelievably still haven't seen BATB!! Sunday, is my goal, so then I can come back and read more and finally contribute! I'm soooo excited!

I hope you get to see it!!

 

[Ariel484]

Tinker Bell Half Marathon Weekend Training

Week 3 (3/20 - 3/26) - 17.5 miles completed
MO: yoga/lifting
TU: 3-mile run
WE: 2.5-mile run
TH: lifting
FR: 4-mile run
SA: 8-mile run
SU: rest

First little phase of training is done! And it was actually...not a great week!

Here's how weeks 1-3 went:
Week 1: 4 runs, all with a non-running day in between...11 miles
Week 2: 4 runs, with the short ones back-to-back...14 miles
Week 3: 4 runs, with the short ones back-to-back and the 2 longer ones back-to-back...17.5 miles

So, I think my increase in mileage across these 3 weeks was a little aggressive, especially considering that I had, like, zero training going into Princess. I knew that going in and told myself I would adjust if it got too hard. My ultimate goal has been to top out at a 12-mile long run for Tink training, and as such I have been sort of playing catch-up after my non-Princess training. Both my hip and back had been feeling good up until the end of this week. I really only notice the hip when I get tired and it feels more like I'm dragging my leg from back to front (if that makes sense) - I guess my form gets worse and my hip overcompensates? But when I notice it and focus more on keeping my form extra good and using my quad to bring my leg forward, it feels better. So overall I am not worried about it!

Tuesday's and Wednesday's runs were tough but not terrible. Early Wednesday morning I had a pretty bad (and realistic) dream and woke up with a super tense back as a result...the run made it feel better but it was still tensed up for most of the day. I also had a big week at work (annual review and a presentation I have to give twice per year - I never look forward to either of these things, and while they both went great I was still nervous for them) and when I get nervous, my back seems to tighten up. I think I've been having more back spasms when I'm sleeping, too, so it's probably time to go back and pay Dr. Spine a visit. Sigh. I'm not in crazy pain or anything, and I do have great days where I feel pretty awesome, but some less-than-great days have been creeping in, too. Upping the PT wouldn't be a bad thing (I do it 1-2 times per day, maybe more would help?).

Lifting...is still there. And boring. I'm getting a little frustrated because I feel like I haven't been making a ton of progress with lifting. Maybe it's because I'm only doing it twice per week and not three times per week? But I'm toying with the idea of plunking down some cash to work with a personal trainer after Tink...not sure yet.

Friday and Saturday's runs were not great. I think this is where the slightly aggressive training plan finally came to bite me. Friday was the worst of the week...first I had a dentist appointment (which was fine overall but really, who likes going to the dentist?) and then the run after...I didn't eat much before the run, I made my intervals a little longer (1:15/0:30 for the entire run) AND ran faster...so not a big shock that this one was pretty tough. By the end I thought I was gonna face-plant into the pavement. My overall pace dropped but I felt pretty wrecked and sore...even had a back spasm with about 0.1 miles left (which...really, body?? Couldn't have just finished the run out with no spasms?).

Pre-run...happier times with newly cleaned teeth!

Because I felt so crap-tastic after this run, and because the dentist appointment happened, yoga did not happy on Friday. Wahh!!

Saturday was better - I dropped my intervals back down to 1:00/0:30 and slowed down the run portions. My overall pace was slooooooow but I didn't feel like I wanted to die at the end, so that's a plus. Also, the temperature dropped like 20 degrees overnight. It's okay, Spring, you can come on over to stay!! We won't bite!

Back was pretty sore for this one. Overall, tough week and I'm glad I got through, but as I'm re-reading all of this before I post it, I can tell that I am SUPER ready for a rest day and a step-back week! Good thing both of those are coming up! If I continue to feel crappy next week, I'll definitely re-evaluate things and possibly change things up or take an extra rest day.

For now, assuming I feel better on Monday, here's what my next "phase" of training looks like...following the same pattern as above with regards to the days that I do the runs. But with the weekly and long run mileage getting higher I'll be throwing in stepback weeks where I'll decrease the long run. And, more importantly, the overall weekly mileage increases will happen in 2-week increments, not 3-week increments like what I just did, and will not be as big as they were over weeks 1-3:

Week 4: 4 runs, all with a non-running day in between...13.1 miles (stepback week hooray!)
Week 5: 4 runs, with the short ones back-to-back...20 miles
Week 6: 4 runs, with the short ones back-to-back and the 2 longer ones back-to-back...21 miles
And then week 7 is another step-back!

Only 6 more weeks of training already?? What?? Happy Saturday all!

 

[Sailormoon2]

I really like how you've stepped back and evaluated how the week effected you! Sounds like you are being totally sensible and realistic, but still got to give yourself props for the jumps you have made in such a short amount of time...painful or not.

I LOVE that black long-sleeve top!! Gorgeous!!

 

[TeeterTots]

Sorry for the aches and spasms! Hopefully upping the PT helps and keeps you from seeing Dr Spine sooner. Good for you for getting the miles in!

Oh-Em-Gee....I love that black outfit on you! Soooo flattering! Gorgeous, is right!! I love all the bright colors but that is sharp!!!!

 

[Sleepless Knight]

I'm glad you understand where I was coming from in my review of the movie. Sometimes I feel like Disney fans already have their mind made up before they see a movie or experience a new attraction that they're going to love it, so they proceed to review it accordingly and aren't honest. I just can't agree with the reviews that call it the best live action adaptation Disney has ever done. There are too many shortcomings that don't quite make sense or too many minor cuts that weaken the story. None of this makes it bad by any means. I did enjoy the movie. Quite a bit. It's just that at least for me it's very small and minor issues keep it from being great.

For instance, while I don't like cutting

Spoiler

the description of Belle's favorite story "daring sword fights, magic spells, a prince in disguise" because that refers to Belle's favorite story Sleeping Beauty (note that it's the book at her home in new Fantasyland) and sort of foreshadows how the film will play out, I can live with that change as it doesn't hurt the story.

I classify this as more of a geeky nitpick. It certainly does not hurt the story in any way.

However,

Spoiler

cutting some dialogue where Belle is tending to the Beast's wounds weakens the story a little bit. Saving her from the wolves is where their relationship begins to turn. And taking out a few seconds of the tenderness she shows him while tending to his wounds after he injured himself to save her is a weakness. This is where everything begins to change and they took out some tenderness for the sake of not being an identical clone. Likewise, having the Beast full on hit her square in the face with a gigantic snowball seems borderline cruel. In the animated version, it was sweet and funny because the Beast winds up hitting himself. But in this one, it seems very strange especially if you've ever been hit in the face with a snowball, let alone as large as the one the Beast throws. I get they want to be funny, but there are better ways to do this.

Moments like these and one I mentioned in my initial thoughts keep this movie from attaining greatness on par with its animated counterpart. But there's nothing wrong with pretty good.

In my really snarky and sarcastic moments, I wonder when Disney is going to make a live action adaptation of Sleeping Beauty since they clearly did not do that with Maleficent. But after seeing Beauty and the Beast I'm not sure I actually want them to. Can they actually top the beauty that is Once Upon a Dream? Or the edge of your seat thrills from the dragon fight? Maybe it's actually better if they don't. Now, I'm not going to say that Disney has ruined my childhood memories of Beauty and the Beast with this live action version because that is silly. Even if I hated it, they can't take away the original. As bad as Maleficent was for me, it cannot change how much I love Sleeping Beauty. Ultimately, we all have our own opinions about movies. Just be honest in those opinions.

I can't recommend the Broadway version enough. It's as fun as the original animated classic with some new songs, none of which made it into the live action movie. I too have concerns about The Little Mermaid, but most of them currently stem from my aforementioned hatred of Maleficent. That movie proved they can and will completely ignore the original source material if they feel like it.

 

[SarahDisney]

Bad weeks suck. There's no other way to put it. But it's great that you're looking back at the plan, seeing what is and isn't working, and re-evaluating when things are crappy.
Training plans are a work in progress. Even if it's a plan that's worked for you many times before, you always need to be able to look at it and adjust if necessary. And it's good that you can do that.

(By the way ... I do the stepback weeks every other week ... it's definitely a nice way to cut back and refresh a bit. I think having them in there every few weeks will definitely make the rest of training a little easier)

 

[BigEeyore]

Sorry you had a tough week, but you did it! I like the 2 weeks building, 3rd week recovery pattern - I've used that in a few training plans and it works well for me. Galloway tends to be more every other week build/recovery, which usually doesn't work for me as well. Topping out at 12 is more than sufficient - again with Galloway, he has 14 as the longest for a half, which really isn't necessary if you are just going in to survive the day with minimal suffering and get your medal and banana.
I liked Beauty and the Beast - probably more than I thought I would. It's impossible not to compare it to the original - which is probably the best animated film ever made - but I tried to stop the voice in my head comparing every scene to the original and just enjoy it for what it was.
Take care of yourself - listen to warning signs that something is amiss and get it checked out! Better to stay on top of it and be proactive than to wait until things are really bad. Hope next week is better!

 

[steph0808]

Spoiler: Finally saw BatB

OMG I loved it. I thought it was great. My thoughts.

Come on - why did you take out "If it's not Baroque, don't fix it!"? My favorite line!

Love, love, love Evermore.

Thank God the Beast actually turned into a fairly good-looking person at the end of this movie. I always thought he was ugly in the animated version (and it's my favorite Disney movie).

Am I the only one who thought Josh Gad was a little bit over the top? I think he's perfect for the part, but like, at the end of "Gaston" where he starts to spell his name, I think that's just too much.

Also - did anybody else feel bad for Philippe? The poor horse made like a dozen trips back and forth to the castle!

And when Chip jumps and you think he's going to shatter - gah!

I liked how they got rid of the bookstore in the village and it was just a few books on a shelf - it really hits home that the rest of the town is uneducated and Belle is an oddball.

I also like how they kept mentioning the war - so you can see how maybe Gaston was an alright guy before but he got changed/bloodthirsty/whatever.

I loved it. It's not a replacement of the original; it's a complement.

 

[run.minnie.miles]

On paper (screen?), your running week looks good, but I'm sorry it didn't feel that way! Hoping your back feels better quickly! Enjoy your stepback week- it sounds like it couldn't have come at a better time

 

[Ariel484]

I really like how you've stepped back and evaluated how the week effected you! Sounds like you are being totally sensible and realistic, but still got to give yourself props for the jumps you have made in such a short amount of time...painful or not.

I LOVE that black long-sleeve top!! Gorgeous!!

yeah, I'm trying to remind myself that the ultimate goal is the finish the races and have fun...I feel like I am already in a way better place for Tink than I was for Princess, so that's something.

That black top is one of my favorites!!

Sorry for the aches and spasms! Hopefully upping the PT helps and keeps you from seeing Dr Spine sooner. Good for you for getting the miles in!

I hope so too! PT + rest day yesterday seem to have helped a lot!

Oh-Em-Gee....I love that black outfit on you! Soooo flattering! Gorgeous, is right!! I love all the bright colors but that is sharp!!!!

Thanks! I wish I could wear it to work, haha!!

I'm glad you understand where I was coming from in my review of the movie. Sometimes I feel like Disney fans already have their mind made up before they see a movie or experience a new attraction that they're going to love it, so they proceed to review it accordingly and aren't honest. I just can't agree with the reviews that call it the best live action adaptation Disney has ever done. There are too many shortcomings that don't quite make sense or too many minor cuts that weaken the story. None of this makes it bad by any means. I did enjoy the movie. Quite a bit. It's just that at least for me it's very small and minor issues keep it from being great.

For instance, while I don't like cutting

Spoiler

the description of Belle's favorite story "daring sword fights, magic spells, a prince in disguise" because that refers to Belle's favorite story Sleeping Beauty (note that it's the book at her home in new Fantasyland) and sort of foreshadows how the film will play out, I can live with that change as it doesn't hurt the story.

I classify this as more of a geeky nitpick. It certainly does not hurt the story in any way.

However,

Spoiler

cutting some dialogue where Belle is tending to the Beast's wounds weakens the story a little bit. Saving her from the wolves is where their relationship begins to turn. And taking out a few seconds of the tenderness she shows him while tending to his wounds after he injured himself to save her is a weakness. This is where everything begins to change and they took out some tenderness for the sake of not being an identical clone. Likewise, having the Beast full on hit her square in the face with a gigantic snowball seems borderline cruel. In the animated version, it was sweet and funny because the Beast winds up hitting himself. But in this one, it seems very strange especially if you've ever been hit in the face with a snowball, let alone as large as the one the Beast throws. I get they want to be funny, but there are better ways to do this.

Moments like these and one I mentioned in my initial thoughts keep this movie from attaining greatness on par with its animated counterpart. But there's nothing wrong with pretty good.

In my really snarky and sarcastic moments, I wonder when Disney is going to make a live action adaptation of Sleeping Beauty since they clearly did not do that with Maleficent. But after seeing Beauty and the Beast I'm not sure I actually want them to. Can they actually top the beauty that is Once Upon a Dream? Or the edge of your seat thrills from the dragon fight? Maybe it's actually better if they don't. Now, I'm not going to say that Disney has ruined my childhood memories of Beauty and the Beast with this live action version because that is silly. Even if I hated it, they can't take away the original. As bad as Maleficent was for me, it cannot change how much I love Sleeping Beauty. Ultimately, we all have our own opinions about movies. Just be honest in those opinions.

I can't recommend the Broadway version enough. It's as fun as the original animated classic with some new songs, none of which made it into the live action movie. I too have concerns about The Little Mermaid, but most of them currently stem from my aforementioned hatred of Maleficent. That movie proved they can and will completely ignore the original source material if they feel like it.

Oh I totally agree that poeple made up their mind before seeing the movie. I was basically like that until I started hearing how good it was...I have a friend who has pretty much said she won't see it because she loves the animated version so much.

Spoiler: BATB

I completely agree with the snowball to the face. That was just weird!

I do think it's interesting that they are doing some of the live-action remakes from the villain's point-of-view...like Maleficent, for example, and the upcoming Cruella movie. But then there wasn't an evil Stepmother movie, there was Cinderella. And there wasn't a Gaston movie, there was Beauty and the Beast...so how do they decide? I feel like they could do a live-action Sleeping Beauty because Maleficent was, like you said, just a completely different story altogether.

Bad weeks suck. There's no other way to put it. But it's great that you're looking back at the plan, seeing what is and isn't working, and re-evaluating when things are crappy.
Training plans are a work in progress. Even if it's a plan that's worked for you many times before, you always need to be able to look at it and adjust if necessary. And it's good that you can do that.

That's a good point about the training plans - I cannot remember for sure if I have used this exact one before, but I've used something very close to it. But that doesn't mean it's 100% right for me right now. With the way last week went, the one adjustment I may make is to top out at a 10-mile long run instead of a 12-mile long run. But I really hope not to do that since I think a 12-miler would give me more confidence...???

(By the way ... I do the stepback weeks every other week ... it's definitely a nice way to cut back and refresh a bit. I think having them in there every few weeks will definitely make the rest of training a little easier)

YES!! Agreed. I knew these first 3 weeks would be tough with no stepbacks so I am VERY happy to get past that point!

Sorry you had a tough week, but you did it! I like the 2 weeks building, 3rd week recovery pattern - I've used that in a few training plans and it works well for me. Galloway tends to be more every other week build/recovery, which usually doesn't work for me as well. Topping out at 12 is more than sufficient - again with Galloway, he has 14 as the longest for a half, which really isn't necessary if you are just going in to survive the day with minimal suffering and get your medal and banana.

Yeah, that's basically that I have done each time I trained for the marathon/Goofy/Dopey, so I think this is the way to go!

I liked Beauty and the Beast - probably more than I thought I would. It's impossible not to compare it to the original - which is probably the best animated film ever made - but I tried to stop the voice in my head comparing every scene to the original and just enjoy it for what it was.

I too liked it more than I expected! The comparisons were inevitable in some scenes where it was basically a shot-for-shot remake of the original, but overall it was great!

Take care of yourself - listen to warning signs that something is amiss and get it checked out! Better to stay on top of it and be proactive than to wait until things are really bad. Hope next week is better!

Spoiler: Finally saw BatB

OMG I loved it. I thought it was great. My thoughts.

Come on - why did you take out "If it's not Baroque, don't fix it!"? My favorite line!

Love, love, love Evermore.

Thank God the Beast actually turned into a fairly good-looking person at the end of this movie. I always thought he was ugly in the animated version (and it's my favorite Disney movie).

Am I the only one who thought Josh Gad was a little bit over the top? I think he's perfect for the part, but like, at the end of "Gaston" where he starts to spell his name, I think that's just too much.

Also - did anybody else feel bad for Philippe? The poor horse made like a dozen trips back and forth to the castle!

And when Chip jumps and you think he's going to shatter - gah!

I liked how they got rid of the bookstore in the village and it was just a few books on a shelf - it really hits home that the rest of the town is uneducated and Belle is an oddball.

I also like how they kept mentioning the war - so you can see how maybe Gaston was an alright guy before but he got changed/bloodthirsty/whatever.

I loved it. It's not a replacement of the original; it's a complement.

Spoiler: BATB

AHHH, agreed! Cogsworth in general was barely in it, I thought, but really - such a great line!!

LOL, agree about the Beast!

I did think that Josh Gad had his moments where he was a little over the top, yes. But I was expecting him to be CRAZY over-the-top, like times a million, so in my mind it was way more toned-down than I expected!

Yes, agree about the books! That seemed way more realistic when it came to driving the point home that she was not like the other girls/women in her town.

The war stuff was interesting...just a quick line here and there but it did definitely add to his "backstory" a little more and made him seem more like a real person compared to the animated version.

"it's a complement" - perfectly said!!

On paper (screen?), your running week looks good, but I'm sorry it didn't feel that way! Hoping your back feels better quickly! Enjoy your stepback week- it sounds like it couldn't have come at a better time

Thanks! I'm glad I got through it and got my runs in, even when I wasn't feeling 100%.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

I'm curious to see how they're going to spin Cruella De Vil's story. There is nothing sympathetic about trying to kill puppies for fur coats. But nor is there anything sympathetic about cursing an innocent baby, so what do I know?

 

[dancingtodisney]

Sorry to hear that it wasn't a great week for you, it does look like a pretty steep increase in mileage so I imagine that hit hard.

Hope you really enjoyed your rest day after all that work!

Only 6 weeks already?! The weeks are flying by!!

Hope this week is going good so far...

 

[Ariel484]

I'm curious to see how they're going to spin Cruella De Vil's story. There is nothing sympathetic about trying to kill puppies for fur coats. But nor is there anything sympathetic about cursing an innocent baby, so what do I know?

Good question!!!

Sorry to hear that it wasn't a great week for you, it does look like a pretty steep increase in mileage so I imagine that hit hard.

Hope you really enjoyed your rest day after all that work!

Only 6 weeks already?! The weeks are flying by!!

Hope this week is going good so far...

Yep, I felt MUCH better when I woke up on Sunday! What a glorious rest day it was.