Anomalous Musings: The Anomaly Podcast Blog: Disney

Showing posts with label Disney. Show all posts

Monday, August 19, 2013

Sue's Dragon Con 2013 Schedule

Hi, I'm Sue. On Saturday, I got a haircut with bangs for the first time in 18 years, and all for cosplay. And I am an Anomaly. Once again, I'll be attending Dragon Con, and once again, a few unsuspecting track directors have agreed to let me sit on panels. Keeping in mind that everything at Dragon Con is tentative until it's over, here's where I expect to be:

Dragon Con 101 Meet Up!
Friday at 10:00am
American Sci-Fi and Fantasy Media Track (Marriot M302)
If you want to connect and and meet up with other DragonCon newbies, come to this casual meet and greet. This is an informal gathering. (I am one of the veterans who has volunteered to be on hand to answer questions.)

Happiest Space Off Earth: Disney-Fied Sci-Fi

Friday at 11:30am

American Sci-Fi Classics Track (Marriott M303-304)

Many moons before Disney bought Marvel and Star Wars, they were all about geeky movies, from Dragonslayer to Black Hole.

Hidden Monsters: A Being Human Fan Panel
Friday at 1:00pm
Urban Fantasy Track (Westin International BC)

A moderated fan-panel discussion of the hit series (US version).

Does a Contract Negate Non-Consent?
Friday at 5:30pm

WhedonUniverse Track (Westin International DE)

Dollhouse had the actives sign contracts. Where does that put the show where consent is concerned?

Much Ado about Shakespeare

Saturday at 1:00pm

WhedonUniverse Track (Westin International DE)
Discuss this contemporary take on a Shakespearean classic. Starring so many Whedonverse actors, there's plenty of reasons to make much ado!

Sidekicks - Hero Support or More?

Saturday at 7:00pm
American Sci-Fi and Fantasy Media Track (Marriott M302)
Sometimes the best thing about a show is not the hero, but the sidekicks! Who’s your favorite? Kenzi? Chloe? Xander? or maybe its Diggle?

Orphan Black

Saturday at 8:30pm
Brit Track (Sheraton Macon)

A discussion of this groundbreaking show, including the ethics and legal issues of real-life cloning.

Gay Themes in Doctor Who
Saturday at 10:00pm
Brit Track (Marriott A601-602)

An examination of DW's role in breaking traditional walls of SF by acquiring a following in straight and gay communities. (This panel was originally "Gender Roles in Doctor Who". The topic changed, but I'm still on the panel.)

Me and my AI
Sunday at 2:30pm
American Sci-Fi and Fantasy Media Track (Marriott M302)
The Macguffin of SF is Artificial Intelligence, a blessing or a curse. How has it been handled in media and has your perspective been colored by it?

Brit Fans on the Net: A Podcast Round Table

Monday at 10:00am
Brit Track (Sheraton Macon)
Brit Podcasters unite to discuss being an Anglophile on the net.

The Worlds of Terry Pratchett
Monday at 1:00pm
Brit Track (Sheraton Macon)
This panel discusses the many worlds of Terry Pratchett, including his newest works, The Long War and Raising Steam.

So, those are all my panels. Look at them all! How did that even happen?!

In addition to all of those things, there are a few events that I'm 99% sure I'll be attending, including: The American Sci-Fi Classics Party on Thursday Night, Friday Night Syfy Drive-In Theater showing of Super Shark (or at least part of it), the Doctor Who Anniversary Ball on Friday Night, and the Late Night Puppet Slam on Sunday night. Phew! Oh, and I'll be running The ATL 10K in the Atlanta heat on Saturday morning (in a Wonder Woman costume).

So, if you'll be in Atlanta over Labor Day Weekend this year, come say "hello!" Attending any of the above listed events will likely be the best way to find me, but you can shoot me a tweet (@spaltor) during Con, or even email the Anomaly Supplemental account - moregilrygeekz(at)gmail(dot)com - and that should reach me. See you there!

Sue
Staff Writer for Anomaly
Co-Host of Anomaly Supplemental
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Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Anomaly of Disney's Star Wars Weekends

Hi, I'm Sue. I could never be a hipster because my superhero t-shirt aren't ironic. And I am an Anomaly.

In addition to being a big sci-fi fan, I'm also a DisNerd (or "Disney Nerd", for the uninitiated). I somehow seem to find myself at a Disney park several times throughout the year for different events or, you know, a random weekend. But, until recently, I had never attended Star Wars Weekends at Disney World. And now that I know several WDW cast members, I decided that had to change.

The event spans 4 weekends in late Spring, usually the last 2 weekends in May and the first 2 weekends in June, at Disney's Hollywood Studios park. I went down to Florida for the third weekend, June 1-3. The first thing I noticed was that the atmosphere in the park was different - and I'm not talking about the monsoon on Friday or the scorching heat on Saturday. People at Disney parks, both cast members and guests, are generally always nice, but tend to keep to themselves or their own group of friends in line and at attractions. This weekend had much more of a convention vibe. My little group made new line-friends several times, gave and received clothing and accessory compliments and purchasing tips, and veered off into geek chatter with complete strangers. Furthermore, Disney rarely allows adults to enter the parks in costume (because they don't want kids mistaking you for a character, mostly), but those rules fly out the window during SWW (and Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, FYI). I saw several Jedi and Sith Lords, and even a Slave Leia. It was like worlds were colliding... in a good way... without explosions.

There are always several celebrity guests - for this weekend, they were Ashley Eckstein (Ahsoka, The Clone Wars) and James Arnold Taylor (Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Clone Wars), Catherine Taber (Amidala [among others], The Clone Wars), Silas Carson (Nute Gunray/Ki-Adi-Mundi, The Phantom Menace), and Jake Lloyd (Anakin, The Phantom Menace) - who all participate in the daily motorcade and parade with other Star Wars characters. The celebs have special seminars or panels, and will take you inside working as a voice actor or talk about some behind-the-scenes stuff on The Clone Wars, or really anything else they fancy...

As you'd likely expect, no merchandising opportunity is wasted at Walt Disney World. What is usually part of backstage was opened up to park guests and turned into the main Star Wars Weekends shopping area, called Darth's Mall, of course. There were limited edition pins and figurines, vinylmation, a special Muppets Star Wars figure (my personal weakness), t-shirts, hats, Jedi robes, R2D2 churro buckets and steins, customizable Star Tours nametags printed in Aurebesh... You could even have a mini-fig of yourself cast in carbonite! After wading through all of the merch, you reached the art gallery, featuring both Star Wars art and Disney-Star Wars art.

Disney goes all out for events like this, with several special characters roaming the parks, including Star Wars characters like R2D2, C3PO, Dark Vader, Boba Fett, and more... Not to mention the Star Wars-ified Disney characters such as Jedi Mickey, Princess Minnie, Stormtrooper Donald, and Darth Goofy. And the Cantina Band even roams the groups from time to time, entertaining guests on line for Star Tours.

Oh, my! I nearly forgot about Star Tours, the actual Star Wars-themed attraction at DHS (and Tatooine Traders, the permanent Star Wars store)! The attraction was completely renovated and updated in 2011. It's a motion simulator with a hi-def 3D screen, and it's some of the best 3D I've ever seen. You enter the attraction, and board your StarSpeeder for a normal trip... but things go wrong right away, when R2D2 begins your trip without the captain on board, and 3PO has to take the controls. The rest of the ride sequence is randomized, with a total of 54 different possible journeys. But, somehow, the rebel spy on board your StarSpeeder is always delivered to safety.

And, of course, each evening ends with the special show, Snig and Oopla's Hyperspace Hoopla, a dance-off with the Star Wars Stars. It sounds ridiculous and silly, and it is - in the best possible way. I've heard some people say that they just don't like the idea of the Star Wars characters dancing... but I think this is worth the watch, at least one time.

After just one experience, this is an event that I know I'm going to have to get back to in future years. Just remind me to go as early as possible, because Florida in June is crazy hot! And keep an eye on the Anomaly feed early next week for a video slideshow of the photos I took during Star Wars Weekends, including character greetings, the motorcade, and the art show (super-dooper extra special thanks to Rick Moyer for making that happen).

May the Force be with you always.

Sue
Staff Writer for Anomaly
Co-Host of Anomaly Supplemental
Subscribe to Anomaly via iTunes

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Belle: Princess & Anomaly

Hi, I'm Sue. When waiting in line at Walt Disney World, I pass the time by discussing Fermat's Last Theorem. And I am an Anomaly. The other day, my co-workers and I were discussing our favorite Disney princesses and the one we each identified with the most. For me, the answer has changed over the years. If you asked me when I was 5, it would have been Ariel, no question - I can’t even express how much I dreamed of being a mermaid. But now, as an adult, it's Belle. Why? Because she is an Anomaly.

Within the first 5 minutes of Beauty and the Beast, it’s made extremely clear that Belle is not the typical young woman in the French countryside. The entire town sings about how, although beautiful, she’s far too “different”. Here’s a look at just two parts of that opening song:

Look there she goes that girl is so peculiar
I wonder if she's feeling well
With a dreamy, far-off look
And her nose stuck in a book
What a puzzle to the rest of us is Belle

Look there she goes
The girl is strange but special
A most peculiar mademoiselle!
It's a pity and a sin
She doesn't quite fit in
'Cause she really is a funny girl
A beauty, but a funny girl
She really is a funny girl
That Belle!

Gaston even confronts her during this opening sequence: “The whole town’s talking about it. It's not right for a woman to read. Soon she starts getting ideas and...thinking.” For a very brief moment, with no one else around but her father, we see Belle start to question herself. She wonders if she really is too odd. I know I’ve felt this way at times, and I’m sure other Anomalies have as well. Although lonely, Belle doesn’t give in to those insecurities and, in fact, embraces those things that make her different. In the song’s reprise, she sings:

I want adventure in the great wide somewhere
I want it more than I can tell
And for once it might be grand
To have someone understand
I want so much more than they’ve got planned

So, sure, Belle’s a nerd. I’d credit her father, the inventor, who doesn’t understand why the others think she’s so strange (although he’s a little off-kilter himself). It seems clear that she helps him out quite a bit with his inventions. She devours the books she borrows, and her favorites are fantasy stories: “Far off places, daring sword fights, magic spells, a prince in disguise!” (If you watch the extended edition, she also reads Shakespeare, and even teaches the Beast how to read.) The most special gift she can be given is access to an enormous library - not “flowers, chocolates, promises you don’t intend to keep.” She’s smart, curious, imaginative, opinionated; she doesn’t put up with pretension or rudeness; and she absolutely does not shrink from confrontation.

Belle is also pretty frakkin’ brave, loyal, and selfless - qualities typically associated with a Disney prince. She goes off on her own to rescue her father and gives up her own freedom for his (twice!). She tries to fight off a pack of wolves with nothing other than a fallen tree branch. And when she has a chance to run away while the Beast is injured, she decides to keep her promise and stay at the castle, nursing him back to health. She even ends up saving the Beast’s life, in more ways than one - her return gives him a reason to fight against an angry mob, she catches him as he’s falling from a balcony, and her love triggers the magic that will heal and transform him.

The obvious moral of Beauty and the Beast is to not make judgments based solely on appearances - Belle values people based on who they are, not what they look like. But the townsfolk judged Belle because of her interests and passions. The real lesson I learned from Belle - even if I wasn’t aware of it at the time - is be true to yourself and you’ll find where you belong and the people you belong with.

Sue

Anomaly Staff Writer

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