My Top Animated Movies

Thought I'd do a more fun post this week. I watched Monsters University last week, and I unfortunately wasn't very impressed. This discontentment got me to wondering if it was my age, or if something was missing. There are so many animated movies that I absolutely love, so I decided to make a list of my top 10 favorites and reflecting on my favorite aspects of these movies. Keep in mind, I have not seen many movies that might make the list. I also believe that movie experiences are very dependent on your mood when watching and the people you watch with. Some of these I haven't watched in years, which gives a slightly distorted impression too.

10. Toy Story

I know, I know, this is #1 for so many people, but it's a tad overrated to me. Still top 10 though. And I think it a movie that was big part of my childhood. I still remember how convinced I was the my toys came to life at night while I slept or when I went to school. I think it is the best of the three as the original too.

9. Beauty and the Beast

This was one of my favorites as a child for sure. I love Belle because she's a bookworm like me and I admired the way she looked past appearances. A good message for children. It also had a wonderful music-something I miss in many newer movies. 

8. The Lion King

I actually watched this movie just recently. And I cried. As a 21 year old that has seen the movie more times than I can count. I was still heartbroken to see Simba calling out to his dead father. Heart-wrenching. Which speaks to the connection with the characters. This also has a great soundtrack. The song that starts the movie excites me every time I hear it.

7. A Bug's Life

This is a movie my siblings and I loved when we were young. I think it's very easy to sympathize with Flick as a misfit and the audience wants him to succeed so bad. Also, I rewatched this movie recently and for a movie that was released 15 years ago, the animation itself is amazing. It was way way ahead of its time. It also has a wonderful villain. I remember how scary Hopper was and my brother used to act out his character as the classic "bad guy" in our games.

6. Mulan

Seriously the best Disney female ever. She is in charge of her own destiny and I love that. But she's not perfect in order to be the hero like "Prince Charming." She actually makes lots of mistakes and has to work very hard. Yet another movie with great music too. I still remember many of the songs by heart. And Mushu was hilarious. 

 

5. How to Train Your Dragon

 

 This movie was very unexpected. I only went to it for something to do one night and found it to be one of the most entertaining movies of the year, animated or not. It is obviously much more recent than any of the rest of my list so I wasn't a child when I saw it. Toothless was one of the move lovable animated characters ever and Jay Baruchel as the voice of Hiccup added so much to this movie. It's a story about love despite prejudices and I definitely loved it.

4. Monsters Inc.

This is a brilliantly written movie. Such a great idea to transform monsters into characters the audience can love and relate to. The entire "scaring" concept is wonderful, the voices are great, and Pixar does animation so well again. I also think this is movie for any age and adults can enjoy it with kids. And how cute was Boo? Awww...

3. The Emperor's New Groove

 I know this is probably an unexpected choice. But this movie makes me laugh out loud every time I watch it. And there's nothing better to me than a movie that makes me laugh. And I quote it all the time. It is in my opinion the most underrated Disney movie of all time and anyone who hasn't seen it is missing out.

2. The Incredibles

Now these are some superheroes I can get into. It's a movie without any cute animals or friendly sidekicks and works in spite of that departure. It balances action and comedy for a completely entertaining movie in every way. For some reason, I can't point out one scene, line, or character that makes this movie, but it's still my second favorite animated movie of all time. I just flat out love it.

1. Finding Nemo

 

There's just nothing that beats it. It's a magical journey of animation that carries the audience away from their lives. Dory is the best sidekick ever and probably the most memorable animated character of my lifetime. But she's not the only one. Marlon and Dory meet the sharks and the turtles and the jellyfish and the whales and the seagulls and the crabs. Each episode of their journey is as perfect as the last.

Pixie Dust

So, several people now have talked to me about my blog (Thank you so much for reading by the way! :)) and a few have referred to this blog as the "pixie dust" blog. This always strikes me as funny because I had no idea how much importance the title of my blog would be when I created it. I wasn't aware it would show up every time I linked to facebook or that people would even notice it that much. But, it is not a nonsense title either. I did think a lot about it.

I wanted a title that I felt captured something about me. And something I always associate with myself is imagination. In fact, as many of you know, I have had a collection of fairy figurines since I was a kid. Fairies always fascinated me and I used to name all my figurines and imagine characters that looked like them lurking in my backyard. I was also always coming up with elaborate stories and making my brother and sister take on the characters. Last week, I was painting a room in my house and I saw some kid walk by the window. For the rest of the afternoon, as I painted, I came up with this random story about that kid's day including full dialouge of what he said to his mother when he got home, etc.

It seems I'm straying from the point... In short, I wanted a title to reflect that imagination and when I think of a world of imagination, Peter Pan always comes to mind. The title, as you probably know (or guessed) is from the quote by J. M. Barrie, "All the world is made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust." This does come from the book (I checked) not any of the various movies and I liked that since I firmly on the side of books if we are discussing books vs. movies.

Now, reflecting on the title, I realize just how important those three things are in the world. We all need faith in something. For many it's religion but it can also be for other things. For example I have complete faith that "it's never too late." I can change my mind or my career or destination because there is never just one answer. I also have faith in humanity. As Gandhi said, “You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is like an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.”

Second, we all have to trust someone. Life is a scary place without someone to lean on and so trust is important. Another favorite quote of mine: “The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them." Ernest Hemingway

And finally, pixie dust. Pixie dust is that magic that allows us to fly. The world would be so dull without it. So don't be afraid to bend the rules. To think outside of the box. You may just soar to new heights. After all, "those who don't believe in magic will never find it." Roald Dahl

Human Connections

When we think of the "beautiful" things in the world, we often imagine ocean views or flowers blooming. Maybe a horse or an attractive model. Photo galleries or movies confirm these points of beauty. But maybe the most beautiful things in our lives aren't things we see, but rather that we feel. Maybe it's those invisible fibers that string us together as one humanity. It's that look in a woman's eyes when her husband comes home or the way it feels when a father squeezes his sons' shoulders. It's laughter shared between best friends or just a simple nod of approval from a teacher. We should all treasure those connections because I personally think they are what makes life worth living.

I know that first paragraph seemed overly sentimental. And that is not like me at all. This summer, though, I've been spending a lot of time alone. I don't have a regular job and am living at home, which leaves me with long hours during the day trying to come up with valuable things to do with my time. And I've found I've been reading books and watching television series on Netflix a lot. I think I do that because I feel connected to the characters. I also value connections with people when I do go out more. I pay attention to the people at the bank or the grocery store. I take more time to visit an old friend I bump into at the convenience store.

We aren't going to all have the same connections in life. We don't all have spouses or mothers, coworkers or children, but I have no doubt that everyone has some kind of web of people around them. "Connections, connections, connections," people always say. I couldn't agree more. Connections don't only help you with your careers. They add something to the canvass of our lives, stringing out like lines. Painting a picture more beautiful than any in an art gallery.

The People You Meet in College

I never felt like I fit in with my town. Or my high school. And all of my life those closest to me (family, teachers, etc.) told me college would be different. I always imagined I would meet all kinds of people just like me. They would like the same things and have the same beliefs and we would become great friends. But that didn't happen. And it couldn't have turned out better.

When I first arrived at college, I didn't make friends at all. My roommate wouldn't have anything to do with me and the kids on my floor were cliquey just as had been the case my whole life. I actually became very depressed. My sophomore year I was fortunate to meet some amazing friends. But I'm telling you, they aren't "just like me" at all. We have completely different majors, hobbies, upbringings, and even beliefs. But it doesn't matter. In fact, it makes our friendship more interesting. It expands my horizons and makes me a better person.

This past year I have expanded my group of friends. After thought, I realize I have invited guests into my apartment that are both Democrats and Republicans, of at least four different races, from big cities and from towns smaller than mine, of widely varied religions, and of another sexual orientation. I also realize that these stupid demographics make absolutely no difference in the character of my friends.

So college is a much better fit for me. It isn't because I met people that were more like me. In fact, some of them could not be more different. But as the saying goes, "opposites attract." I was never lacking people similar to me. What I was lacking was tolerance for diversity. What I have gained is a greater capacity to accept and love others. And I believe what you give is what you get returned.

The Value of Friendship

I've always had a hard time making friends. I think from the time I was born. I have anxiety in social situations and often like to be left alone. But recently, I have been fortunate to surround myself with so many great people. My friend Ashley asked me to be maid of honor in her wedding. We've known each other since elementary school and she's always stuck by me even when no one else has, so I'm honored to be there for her for this exciting time in her life. I spent the weekend in Lincoln with my friends Hillary and Bryant and Devin and had such an amazing time and even made new friends. On the reverse side, I've known these people for much less time and I still feel completely comfortable with them.

The really cool thing about all of my friends (and there are others that I haven't listed) is that they don't see me as introverted or awkward (even though Ashley wishes I would flirt more with boys). When I'm with them, that part of me dissipates. I become confident and I smile and laugh a lot more (even though I hate my laugh). I know I can ask them advice or tell them my accomplishments and I will never be judged. I also trust them with their own honesty which I have found is very important in relationships of any kind.

I know this isn't a profound or creative blog post since everyone talks about the value of friendship but if there's one thing I know, everyone needs recognition sometimes and I wanted to recognize how wonderful my friends are. Thanks for everything guys!

And I'll leave you with another beautiful quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson:

"The only way to have friends is to be one"

A Blog for My Brother

So, I was racking my brain for a topic for my blog today, and realized it was pretty obvious. This past week has been all about my brother Josh. On Saturday he graduated high school as valedictorian and on Monday he golfed at district golf and made it to state. I couldn't be more proud of him. He's grown up so much in the past few years and I look forward to watching him grow and achieve even more in the years to come.

Josh and I have had our disagreements in the past 18 years. I've always been the bossy older sister who embarrasses him and he's been the annoying, spoiled little brother. Most of the sibling bonding we have is silently watching basketball games together or laughing at something one of our pets does, but with Josh, someone who doesn't say more than a few words to anyone, that's enough. Honestly, I often envy Josh's mellow attitude toward life. He rarely stresses like me and has many friends since he is so laid back.

Even though I guarantee Josh won't read this (he claims he hates reading), I just want to share some of the reasons I'm proud of my brother. And it isn't all because he was valedictorian or made it to state golf. What I love is:

-How competitive he is. He is always trying to be the best and never gives up.
-How good of a writer he is. He claims he is terrible, but he wrote his graduation speech in a few hours and it was fantastic.
-How great he is at video games. Even if my dad thinks they are worthless, I'm always amazed by this ability.
-How he actually does like to read. He used to read the Lord of the Rings and the Inheritance series in only a few days.
-How he's a picky eater. It always made my dislikes much more manageable.
-How he was never a tattletale. Josh and I always had a mutual understanding that what happened when our parents weren't home was between us and only us.
-How imaginative he is. We used to play so many games in which he made up characters and battle situations that would have us playing for hours.
-How intelligent he is. It isn't just an ACT score or GPA. I just know he will do great things with his mind someday.
-How much he loves animals. And even when he picks on them, they love him right back.
-How popular he is. Like I said before, his easy going mannerisms help him to make friends (and keep them) very easily.
-How sentimental he is. He keeps everything. I call him a pack rat, but I know that every thing he packs away means something to him.

So, I am so proud of my brother, not only this week, but all of the time. I could have never asked for a better one. :)

Changing What You Are

Have you ever noticed how much television tells us what to do with our lives? Celebrities, journalists, screenwriters, and advertisers tell us what to eat, how to dress, what "beauty" is, gender roles, how to be parent, and on and on and on. I am constantly telling myself that life is about being happy and bringing happiness to others and there isn't a step by step guide to that. But again and again, I find myself swept into societal norms.

For example, in the month of April, I was desperate to lose weight because I had convinced myself I was obese. I was basically starving myself half of the time just so I could fit into a dress for my brother's graduation.  And why did it matter so much? So I could impress my family and friends? I think they  love me no matter what I look like. Or was it to appease those people who think my main goal in life should be finding a man? I wouldn't even want to be with a guy who only likes me if I'm two sizes smaller. So I asked myself, is losing weight making me happier? Nope. Is it making anyone else happier? My roommate and friends can tell you I am a insanely crabby person when running on too few calories or exercising (ick), so definitely not. So, I went and bought a dress (they do come in bigger sizes) and I think I look perfectly fine in it.

As I was writing up this blog, at a very appropriate time, like so many books seem to do, the book I was reading (The Golden Compass) gave me these words of wisdom: “You cannot change what you are, only what you do.”

So, this is what I'm going to do: I'm gonna stop worrying about what other people think. I'm gonna stop being so hard on myself. I'm gonna be happy. Because, as Audrey Hepburn said, "happy girls are the prettiest girls" anyway.