First Annual WED Awards

I must admit that I love a good awards show. From the Grammy's to the Tony's and of course the Emmy's, if people are congratulating folks for a job well done, I am totally on board! My favorite awards show of them all, though, is the Academy Awards. As you can probably tell from recent posts on this blog, I love movies, and when Oscar season rolls around, I am on cloud nine for a good five months or so. You could also clearly see that I love Disney. This entire blog is dedicated to all things Disney, for instance. However, another thing I love is tradition. Nothing beats a classic tradition. Whether it's something special within your family or maybe it's the tradition of eating a Dole Whip upon every trip to the Magic Kingdom, we all have traditions that we cherish.

Today, in honor of the Academy Awards being just two days away from the time of this writing, I aim to start a brand new tradition: the WED Awards. With these awards, I hope to annually record my opinions on every aspect of Disney in a unique way. Named in honor of Walter Elias Disney, these awards are my way of paying homage to the best of the best from the House of Mouse throughout its illustrious history.

You might be wondering how these awards could be different from year to year. If you are a Disney fanatic like me, though, you will know that every year, we re-watch movies, experience the attractions at the parks yet again, and devour brand new food every trip. Therefore, every year, my opinions on what I consider to be the best change quite often. In fact, there have been some posts on this blog about some of these categories and this list is totally different than the previous ones! Most of the time, I anticipate consistency to be present, but I would be shocked if my list from this year is exactly the same as next year's list.

I must preface these awards by saying that narrowing these categories down to just five nominees and then also narrowing Best Picture down to ten was extremely difficult. There were some that I absolutely love that simply couldn't make the cut. That being said, that should go to show just how much these nominees and winners mean to me. I will separate the awards into two categories: Walt Disney World and movies (live action and animated). The winners will be highlighted. I hope these awards inspire you to revisit some of these movies and attractions soon!

So, without further ado, here are the nominees and winners of the First Annual WED Awards!

Walt Disney World

Best Restaurant
1900 Park Fare, Disney's Grand Floridan Resort & Spa
Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, Epcot
Chef Mickey's, Disney's Contemporary Resort
Cinderella's Royal Table, Magic Kingdom
Liberty Tree Tavern, Magic Kingdom

Honorable Mentions: Crystal Palace, Magic Kingdom; The Garden Grill, Epcot; Boatwright's Dining Hall, Disney's Port Orleans Resort- Riverside

Best Live Entertainment
Boo to You! Parade, Magic Kingdom
Fantasmic!, Disney's Hollywood Studios
Festival of Fantasy Parade, Magic Kingdom
The Festival of the Lion King, Disney's Animal Kingdom
HalloWishes, Magic Kingdom

Honorable Mentions: Wishes, Magic Kingdom; Once Upon a Christmastime Parade, Magic Kingdom

Best Attraction
Haunted Mansion, Magic Kingdom
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Magic Kingdom
Splash Mountain, Magic Kingdom
Toy Story Midway Mania, Disney's Hollywood Studios
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Disney's Hollywood Studios

Honorable Mentions: Kilimanjaro Safaris, Disney's Animal Kingdom; Space Mountain, Magic Kingdom; Pirates of the Caribbean, Magic Kingdom; Soarin', Epcot; Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Magic Kingdom

Disney Movies

Best Animated Short
Lonesome Ghosts (1937)
Mickey's Trailer (1938
Paperman (2012)
Steamboat Willie (1928)
The Band Concert (1935)

Honorable Mentions: Feast (2014); Tangled Ever After (2012); The Skeleton Dance (1929); Geri's Game (1997); The Blue Umbrella (2013)

Best Princess
Aurora, Sleeping Beauty
Belle, Beauty and the Beast
Cinderella, Cinderella
Rapunzel, Tangled
Snow White, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Honorable Mentions: Ariel, The Little Mermaid; Tiana, The Princess and the Frog; Jasmine, Aladdin

Best Sidekick(s)
Dory, Finding Nemo
Genie, Aladdin
Jiminy Cricket, Pinocchio
Sebastian, The Little Mermaid
Timon and Pumbaa, The Lion King

Honorable Mentions: Mad Hatter, Alice in Wonderland; Mushu, Mulan; Pascal, Tangled; Thumper, Bambi; Olaf, Frozen

Best Villain
Captain Hook, Peter Pan
Cruella De Vil, 101 Dalmatians
Hades, Hercules
Maleficent, Sleeping Beauty
Scar, The Lion King

Honorable Mentions: Evil Queen/Witch, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs; Ursula, The Little Mermaid; Jafar, Aladdin; Shere Khan, The Jungle Book; Gaston, Beauty and the Beast

Best Scene
Ballroom Dancing, Beauty and the Beast
"Circle of Life" Sequence, The Lion King
Snow White's Funeral, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Spaghetti Dinner, Lady and the Tramp
The Finale, Toy Story 3

Honorable Mentions: "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," Fantasia; "I See the Light," Tangled; Flight Over London, Peter Pan; Opening Montage, Up; Magic Carpet Ride, Aladdin; 1964 World's Fair, Tomorrowland

Best Original Song
"A Whole New World," Aladdin
"Beauty and the Beast," Beauty and the Beast
"Circle of Life," The Lion King
"Feed the Birds," Mary Poppins
"When You Wish Upon a Star," Pinocchio

Honorable Mentions: "I See the Light," Tangled; "Heigh Ho," Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs; "You Can Fly!" Peter Pan; "God Help the Outcast," The Hunchback of Notre Dame; "This is Halloween," The Nightmare Before Christmas

Best Director
Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, Beauty and the Beast
Joss Whedon, Marvel's The Avengers
John Lasseter, Toy Story
Robert Stevenson, Mary Poppins
Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, The Lion King

Honorable Mentions: Brad Bird, The Incredibles; Nathan Greno and Byron Howard, Tangled; JJ Abrams, Star Wars: The Force Awakens; Gore Verbinski, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl; James Bobin, The Muppets

Best Supporting Actress
Angela Lansbury, Beauty and the Beast
Cate Blanchett, Cinderella (2015)
Eleanor Audley, Sleeping Beauty
Ellen DeGeneres, Finding Nemo
Phyllis Smith, Inside Out

Honorable Mentions: Kathryn Beaumont, Peter Pan; Joan Cusack, Toy Story 2; Susan Egan, Hercules; Pat Carroll, The Little Mermaid

Best Supporting Actor
James Woods, Hercules
Jerry Orbach, Beauty and the Beast
Nathan Lane, The Lion King
Robin Williams, Aladdin
Tom Hanks, Saving Mr. Banks

Honorable Mentions: Jason Alexander, The Hunchback of Notre Dame; Ed Wynn, Alice in Wonderland; Cliff Edwards, Pinocchio; Hans Conried, Peter Pan; Alan Tudyk, Wreck-It Ralph

Best Actress
Angelina Jolie, Maleficent
Emma Thompson, Saving Mr. Banks
Julie Andrews, Mary Poppins
Lily James, Cinderella
Daisy Ridley, Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Honorable Mentions: Mandy Moore, Tangled; Demi Moore, The Hunchback of Notre Dame; Idina Menzel, Frozen; Paige O'Hara, Beauty and the Beast; Anika Noni Rose, The Princess and the Frog;

Best Actor
Billy Crystal, Monsters Inc.
Dick Van Dyke, Mary Poppins
John C. Reilly, Wreck-It Ralph
Johnny Depp, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Tom Hanks, Toy Story

Honorable Mentions: Craig T. Nelson, The Incredibles; Phil Harris, The Jungle Book; Scott Adsit, Big Hero 6; Scott Weigner, Aladdin; David Spade, The Emperor's New Groove; Robert Downey Jr., Iron Man 3

Best Picture
Aladdin
Beauty and the Beast
Mary Poppins
The Lion King
The Little Mermaid
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Tangled
Toy Story 3

Honorable Mentions: Peter Pan, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Saving Mr. Banks, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Peal, Marvel's The Avengers, Cinderella

There you have it folks! These are the inaugural WED Awards! Only time will tell if these change as much as I anticipate them changing, but here's to the beginning of a brand new tradition for Disney fanatics across the globe!

-Cody Fleenor

Saving Mary Poppins

In the last few years, a trend in Disney movies is to take the animated classics and adapt them into live action films for a brand new generation of Disney fanatics. This development from the studio has, thus far, far exceeded my expectations with such releases as Alice in Wonderland in 2010, 2014's Maleficent, and Cinderella in 2015. As I write this post, we are about two months away from the next installment in this series with the star-studded The Jungle Book just on the horizon. Later on this year, we'll also be treated to a remake of Pete's Dragon, and we'll soom see Emma Watson portray Belle in Beauty and the Beast in 2017 as well as live action adaptations of Dumbo, Mulan, and Winnie the Pooh. To me, if Disney will in fact keep this trend going forward, they picked a fantastic docket of animated classics to bring back to life in a brand new way.

While this trend has understandably taken its fair share of skepticism from Disney fans across the globe, at the end of the day, most of us true Disney fans will be there as soon as we can to see these classic stories back on the big screen like never before. Who wouldn't want to see a live action Mulan? Plus, I have yet to find a single soul who isn't thoroughly excited to see what Disney has in store with Beauty and the Beast next year. Even with the closest one of them all, The Jungle Book, audiences worldwide are gearing up to see what looks like an incredibly well-made film. All of these stories are, without question, some of the best ever created by Disney. 

A proposed Mary Poppins sequel is a whole new ballgame though.

In September 2015, the world was rather shocked to learn that Disney had plans to move forward with a true follow-up to Walt Disney's masterpiece. Not a remake or a re-imagining, but a sequel to one of the most beloved Disney films of all-time. With this news, ardent Disney decreed that the studio had gone too far in their attempt to revitalize their classic films. We were content with seeing Mowgli and Baloo back in action. We even were satisfied with the news of a Dumbo movie being directed by Tim Burton of all people. However, you just don't mess with Mary Poppins, right? To quote an old adage, if it ain't broke...don't fix it! How could you possibly improve upon perfection? How could a songwriter without the last name of Sherman conceivably write follow-ups to "Jolly Holiday" or "Feed the Birds"? And how could an actress compare to the inimitable Julie Andrews? Surely, this had to have been a grand ruse by Disney.

As we later come to find out, Disney was as serious as a heart attack. In fact, they went ahead and signed Rob Marshall (Chicago, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Into the Woods) as the director and consequently laid out their plans for the sequel. They even went ahead and hired Life of Pi screenwriter David Magee to pen the script and Grammy and Tony winning duo Marc Shaiman and Scott Whitman (Hairspray) to compose a new score as well as write new songs. All of that was well and good, promising and perhaps exciting even. For a score of fans, though, myself included, it didn't really matter who was behind the camera because whoever it was, it wasn't going to be Walt Disney orchestrating the original. Primarily, we were concerned about who in the world Disney bring on to play the practically perfect nanny. That's just one of those casting choices that could literally make or break a film before production even began.

At this point in the timeline, my excitement was rising, but still subdued. I really like Marshall as the director as he has shown his immense ability to stage a musical on the big screen. Obviously, if you bring on the team of songwriters behind Hairspray, the music will be great even if it doesn't quite reach the heights of the original Sherman brother tunes. I was still awaiting some casting news, though, to push me in one direction or another in regard to my level of excitement. See, Mary Poppins has been, is, and probably always will be my favorite Disney film ever. As is the case with legions of people, it's a part of me, and a bad sequel would be disastrous for my Disney side.

Recently, however, news has broken that Disney is in talks with Emily Blunt to bring the Banks's nanny to new life. If Blunt ends up signing on the dotted line, I will be the first one to buy a ticket for this sequel. If we indeed must have a Mary Poppins sequel, Blunt would be a grand slam casting choice for Disney. Look, there will never be another Julie Andrews. She's a legend and her portrayal of Mary Poppins will go down in history as one of the greatest performances in cinematic lore, but now, I give you three reasons why Blunt is an excellent choice for this role.

First of all, and (probably) according to author PL Travers, Emily Blunt is naturally British. If an American actress would have been called upon to not only bring this character back to life in a fresh and innovative way, but to also carry a British accent throughout too, an aura of this portrayal simply not being right would definitely be in the air and Disney would have a self-fulfilling prophecy on its hands in the eyes of their fans. The role of Mary Poppins is inherently British, and therefore, you need an inherently British actress. Blunt checks off that vital box on her resume.

Secondly, Emily Blunt can act. If you aren't familiar with her filmography, get on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, wherever you get your movies and find some of her films. She has, in the last few years, become one of my favorite actresses working in Hollywood today. Blunt busted onto the scene in The Devil Wears Prada opposite of Meryl Streep in 2006 and hasn't stopped since. With some of my favorites including Looper, Edge of Tomorrow, and Sicario, Blunt is an unparalleled talent that Disney would be beyond fortunate to have her in the cast for their sequel. Folks, she's so good that if they had told me she was auditioning for Bert, I would totally be on-board (side note: can we get The Force Awakens star Oscar Isaac to play Bert? That would be my ultimate fan cast.)

Finally, Emily Blunt has already proven her ability to sing in a Rob Marshall-directed film. In 2014, Blunt portrayed The Baker's Wife in Marshall's epic musical, Into the Woods. While Meryl Streep deservedly garnered the lion's share of the awards attention during that particular Oscar season, Blunt (alongside co-star Chris Pine) stole the show by belting lyrics and music from the mastermind of Stephen Sondheim. To steal a movie from the likes of Meryl Streep is no small task, and Blunt does just that and more from beginning to end. Working with a director that one has previously worked with is a priceless asset to have when it comes to bringing the world a Mary Poppins sequel. Marshall and Blunt have already brought a classic musical to the big screen for Disney. Who's to say that they couldn't do it again?

I know that there will be a vast number of skeptics looking at this movie all the way up until the release date, but if we get Blunt signed, sealed, and delivered, I beg you to give this sequel a chance. It may end up being as nightmarish as we could possibly imagine, but remember that in 1964, when Mary Poppins first arrived on Cherry Tree Lane, we saw something we had never seen before. Maybe, just maybe, a brand new generation of filmmakers have something just as supercalifragilisticexpialidocious up their sleeves for this one. 

-Cody Fleenor

My Top 10 Disney Love Songs

Ever since the beginning of Disney animation way back in 1937 with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, love has been a predominant theme throughout the great Disney classics. We can all remember the first time we heard Snow White captivate an audience with the original rendition of "Someday My Prince Will Come," hereby setting the tone for Disney animation for nearly thirty years. Some of the most iconic scenes in the Disney canon just so happen to also be some of the most romantic. Think about the top scenes that come to mind when you think about Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast, for example. High on that list, if not the number one scene you thought of, were the two ballrooms scenes from those two films. With countless themes abounding in every Disney movie, love prevails in almost all of them. As the classic song from Bambi proclaims, "Love is a song that never ends."

So today, in honor of this Valentine's Day weekend, and by the request of my fellow Disney fanatics on The Mouse Knows Best podcast (shameless plug, check us out on Stitcher or iTunes!), I have decided to celebrate the great Disney love songs by counting down my top ten. Society has changed tremendously since Snow White, and so have the love songs of Disney. In fact, an argument could be made that Disney love songs will never be as they once were (remember the "love" song from Frozen? That's the world we live in now). However, we must never take these great songs for granted, if only for the fact that in those few minutes they are playing, we are transported back to a much simpler time in a much simpler (fantasy) world.

Without further ado, onward and upward to my top ten!

10. "Married Life" (Up)/"Define Dancing" (Wall-E)

While not technically considered songs, the instrumental music provided by the great Michael Giacchino and Thomas Newman respectively in these two Pixar classics are some of the most romantic ballads in Disney history. One of the most memorable and heart-wrenching scenes in animation history is the opening fifteen minutes of Up as director Pete Docter and company, without the aid of much words, compels us all to care deeply for Carl and Ellie as if we have known this couple for years, and by the time the scene comes to an emotional close, through our tears, we will always remember that iconic music that Giacchino orchestrates throughout the montage. Furthermore, Newman's music score while Wall-E and Eve freely dance throughout space outside of the Axiom is spell-bounding. Beyond the animation beyond just stunning, the music here makes this scene so memorable. Being the highlight of a near perfect cinematic classic is no easy feat, but in my opinion, this is the scene that deserves to be studied by animators and composers for generations to come.

Iconic Moment/Lyric: For "Married Life," when Ellie's fate is revealed and the score goes soft, that's a perfect compliment to a perfect scene. For "Define Dancing," all of it. Like it's perfect couple, it's so blissful and so lovely.

9. "I Won't Say (I'm In Love)" (Hercules)

Megara from Hercules is one of the most fascinating characters in Disney history. Her character arc is so well-developed and well-crafted, and the climax of her story comes after a perfect evening with Hercules as she wrestles with this notion of love, an emotion she had been determined to suppress. With the assistance of the incomparable Muses, Meg belts out a song that just about anyone who has ever been in love can wholeheartedly relate to. Rather catchy and easy to sing along to, this song is a revolutionary one as the modern day Disney love song was born.

Iconic Moment/Lyric: In the final line as Meg has her breakthrough, she exclaims, "At least out loud, I won't say I'm in love." It truly is the perfect way to end this song.

8. "Kiss the Girl" (The Little Mermaid)

Of all the songs on this list, this is the one that, if I had to choose, I would choose to sing along with. In such a fun scene that perfectly captures the whole tone of the film, everyone's favorite crustacean, Sebastian, takes matters into his own claws in regard to Ariel and Eric's romance and, with the help of some of his underwater friends, implores Eric to take that leap of faith and, well, you know, kiss the girl. Coupled with impeccable animation, "Kiss the Girl" initially brought the love song to the second golden age of Disney in the nineties, and it remains a classic to this day.

Iconic Moment/Lyric: The picture used here is the iconic moment as the audience is lead to believe that Eric is finally going to kiss Ariel, and who can forget Sebastian begging him to do so with lyrics like "You've got to kiss the girl. Why don't you kiss the girl...go on and kiss the girl!"

7. "Once Upon a Dream" (Sleeping Beauty)

As the first golden age of Disney came to a close with the death of Walt Disney, the studio shifted gears quite significantly and ventured off to try something new with its films like Robin Hood, The Rescuers, and The Fox and the Hound in the seventies and eighties. With this change, Disney love songs as they once were found their unfortunate demise. The final one, though, is a glorious finale as Aurora gleefully dreams of a time where her prince would come to give her a life outside of the forest. In one classic scene, she dances with her closest friends, the animals, as they are all suited up in the cape, jacket, and hat that Prince Philip left behind. Perfectly Disney and perfectly innocent, the way all of the great love songs should be, "Once Upon a Dream" is a classic that'll be playing at Disney weddings for decades to come.

Iconic Moment/Lyric: When Philip finally gets in on the dancing to the surprise of the animals and, of course, Aurora, the harmonizing that follows leads to Aurora and Philip singing, "But if I know you, I know what you'll do. You'll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream," and that is pure Disney gold.

6. "So This Is Love" (Cinderella)

As the quintessential love song of a love story that defined a generation, "So This Is Love" is Disney magic at its finest. Before the chaos of the midnight deadline ensues, Cinderella and her Prince Charming share one perfect evening that still stands in the pantheon of classic Disney scenes. From the beautiful animation to the soothing sound of Cinderella and Charming harmonizing these simple, yet so effective lyrics, the entire sequence is something to marvel. Historically speaking, so much was riding on Cinderella, and if Disney had failed, who knows if they would still be around today in so many corners of the world. Clearly, they hit a grand slam, thanks in large part because, like the song, they kept it simple without removing any of the magic,

Iconic Moment/Lyric: The beginning shot as the camera slowly zooms in on this dance for the ages is something to behold as the animators, like never before, make you feel as if these animated characters are real. Never is that sensation more realized than when Cinderella simply sings, "So this is love," for the first time.

5. "Bella Notte" (Lady and the Tramp)

What can I add to perhaps the most romantic movie of all-time that hasn't already been siad or written? Walt Disney's Lady and the Tramp is not only a masterpiece of animation, but it is also a masterpiece of cinema period. Additionally, perhaps the most iconic scene in Disney history occurs with Tony serenading the audience with the rapturous "Bella Notte." The lyrics are so effective in their simplicity as this song perfectly compliments the scene unfolding before our very eyes. Who knew we could care about two dogs from opposite sides of the track so deeply while eating spaghetti in the alley behind an Italian restaurant?

Iconic Moment/Lyric: Obviously, the moment we all think of when we think about this movie is the iconic moment pictured above. That plate of spaghetti remains the most famous dish in the history of Hollywood for a reason.

4. "I See the Light" (Tangled)

This one is the outlier of this list as Tangled is the most recent movie represented here, but this film is taken straight out of the nineties among the giants of Disney classics as far as I'm concerned. Of all the films released by Disney in the last decade, this one is, by far, the best and my personal favorite. When I think about Tangled, the first scene that comes to mind is the scene that I think everyone thinks of, and that's the moment when the floating lanterns first illuminate the sky to the amazement of Rapunzel and Flynn aboard their romantic cruise. Then, Alan Menken and his musical genius hit us in the gut with not only one of the greatest love songs in Disney history, but also one of the greatest songs ever in Disney history. It's a scene that's impeccably animated and so well performed by Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi. This one gets me every time.

Iconic Moment/Lyric: That moment when the singing moves beyond the inner thoughts of the characters and now they sing together out loud for the first time is mesmerizing.

3. "Beauty and the Beast" (Beauty and the Beast)

Whoever was the brilliant one who first suggested that Angela Lansbury sing the title song to my favorite Disney animated movie is a personal hero of mine. She brings so much powerful emotion while also adding a certain amount of necessary restraint to the climactic moment of the film as she's careful to not overshadow the scene transpiring in front of us. We listen to the words and still get chills at the music. The ballroom scene with Belle and the Beast dancing together is an all-time favorite scene in movie history of mine, and the song just adds so many layers to an already beautiful moment.

Iconic Moment/Lyric: As the camera pans down from the ceiling through the chandelier and to the side of our iconic couple, anyone with a soul would have chills galore.

2. "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" (The Lion King)

There are so many classic scenes from The Lion King, whether it be the opening with "Circle of Life" or the cult-classic "Hakuna Matata" number. Perhaps the most beautiful love song ever written for a Disney film, "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" is a masterpiece through in through. Awesomely animated and performed incredibly, this love song dares to not only give the world a great love song, but it also progresses the story along, which is a combination that all of these songs on this list share, but this one accomplishes that feat in the greatest form. With this scene, The Lion King transforms from a truly great film to a practically perfect film in every way (see what I did there?).

Iconic Moment/Lyric: The final line of the chorus beautifully declaring, "The world for once, in perfect harmony with all its living things," is a line that'll never cease to be perfect.

1. "A Whole New World" (Aladdin)

The peak in romantic Disney songs takes place on a magic carpet in Agrabah. When Princess Jasmine reluctantly agrees to fly on the magic carpet with Aladdin, audiences are transported into a literal whole new world of Disney animation. The flying sequencing coupled with the sights the couple encounter throughout their journey is stunning from start to finish. On top of that, the lyrics and music for this song are some of the best Disney has ever produced (there goes Alan Menken working his magic again). The duet is beautiful and the orchestra playing in the background provide an excellent backdrop to the pinnacle of Disney songwriting and performing. A perfect love song for a perfect movie

Iconic Moment/Lyric: As the magic carpet ascends above the clouds, that's where the magic is found.

So this is love? Yes, at least in my book. Here's hoping that the future of Disney animation still finds room for some great love songs, because as you can plainly see, they all have become classics over the years. Only time will tell if that ends up being the case, but for now, let's make sure we take some time to appreciate not only the great Disney love songs, but all of the great songs Disney has given us throughout history.

Happy Valentine's Day!

-Cody Fleenor