Christmasing

Ah, buggrit, Amazon seems to feel today that I do not need to use the search function, because it knows exactly what I want. Amazon is wrong. Today I’m looking for a couple of entirely new things—the first, obscenely expensive season Star Trek TOS from all of us kids to Dad, and a yet-unrevealed Mystery Item for my brother,* which the store I was damn sure it was at does not carry.

If this keeps up I may go off to Barnes and Noble to get it, despite their failure to use the word “Christmas” enough.

Anyway! I’ve got half the dolls changed into X-mas gear, including Laurel, whose dress surrendered after a valiant fight.** We’ve got a good spot for their puny tree. Now I just need to get some fairy lights for the room, and things will be all set!


*My brother has been known to read this blog, but Dad never does.

**The surrender was not unconditional. I had to concede the sleeves.

Mouse Vs. Ice Queen

I’m trying to decide whether to be distraught or pleased that Disney is bringing the smackdown to Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen. On the one hand, I like everything they’ve done with Hans Christian Andersen’s stories so far, and Alan Menken writes music made of candy and sparkles.

On the other hand, the reason I like them so much is because those treatments generally consist of beating most of the source material's actual plot into an unrecognizable pulp of Family-Friendly Fun.

Dude, you ever read his stories? They’re loony. Now, I don't want to actually hide the books from kids, but I do wish to point out that the guy was a froot loop. The original Little Mermaid is not so much a romance as it is a sordid psychodrama of obsession and a scorching martyr complex, mixed in with some really sketchy theology about God's role for non-human, sentient beings and the spiritual havoc disobedient children can wreak upon the undead.*

Frankly, after that the Disney version, where they stab a somewhat handsy (and tentaclesy) giant sea witch with a boat, is a vast improvement.**

All I'm sayin' is, The Snow Queen better be nothing like, y'know, The Snow Queen.

In other Disney movies, I just found out that JENIFER LEWIS is going to be Mama Odie in The Princess and the Frog, and saw a little bit of the animation of Facilier tag-teaming with his shadow, and dudes, I tell you, I AM ALL OVER THIS MOVIE. My god, that animation is just … GAH. SO COOL.

I know my plans for Friday.


*Especially traumatic if you read it from the story collections illustrated by Michael Hague, whose hideous art DOES NOT HELP.

**Still one of the more badass villain deaths ever. Lately the villains have gotten into the habit of dying accidentally, but there's nothing accidental about this death. And really, who says to himself, "Hey, a wrecked ship! I can use this AS A SPEAR"? A BADASS, THAT'S WHO.