Saving Mr Banks: Review

I, like a lot of people, grew up watching Mary Poppins, it's something so British, so magical, and so rare. It's rare that such a film brings adults and children together in a way that Walt Disney's 1964 masterpiece continues to do. Children of all ages know the word Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, adults across the world are brought to tears by Feed the Birds. The story of Walt's film is widely known, the story behind bringing it to the screen is less known.
Here is a film from BBC Films and Walt Disney Pictures about that controversial story of bringing the beloved character to the screen. Perhaps what sparked the imagination of Disney fans across the world about this film is the fact that it was to be the first time that Walt Disney would be portrayed in a motion picture, whilst he is played rather brilliantly by Tom Hanks, it is Emma Thompson as P.L. Travers who really steals the show. 

(Warning: There will be spoilers in the below review)

Essentially this film is a film of transition, naturally we see a rather defiant P.L. Travers as the film begins, adamant that she will not see her creation, Mary Poppins, be transformed into a Disney film, in her mind this meant a cartoon; as the film continues, her iron faced stance to Walt Disney begins to crack and crumble and we begin to see her to accept choices made. Our understanding is aided by flashbacks to her childhood, and the basis of her work, which is shown in a good level of detail.

The flashbacks are very useful to understanding the mood of Travers throughout the film, however in a sense this feels forced upon us and almost certainly removes us from the plot. At the start of the film, these flashbacks seem more bunched together and thrown into our faces. Rather than setting a plot and giving us background understanding, it actually has a more unsettling nature. The first 30-45 minutes of the film were unsettled. Once these flashbacks became more spaced out, and deeper, it had a reversed effect, they became much more of an enchanting feature of the film. It aided understanding and allowed us to sympathise with P.L. Travers. As our understanding increases, as does Walt's; as an audience, we are as in the dark about the story to begin with as Walt Disney. The acting in these flashbacks was superb, special mention here to Ruth Wilson, Colin Farrel and Annie Rose Buckley (in her film debut).

Emma Thompson plays a wonderful P.L. Travers, we sympathise with her position on the proposed Disney film, and we believe she doesn't like what she sees happening. We understand that to her, Mary is family and means a lot. When she turns to Walt (Hanks) and says 'You have no idea what she means to me', we believe her. He does not. Tom Hanks plays a fantastic Walt Disney as well, we see the magic, in his eyes, his mannerisms and speech. It's a fine performance from two brilliant actors. The chemistry between them both is both intimate and believable, upon watching the film and scenes between them, we feel privy to these private conversations. A real success for the film makers. Other characters are equally well written and represented such as the Sherman brothers and the driver Ralph.

The real test will be upon re watching, can the magic of feeling privileged of being part of these events be replicated time and time again, much like the actual Mary Poppins feels upon the 50th watch. The film is a real roller coaster of emotions, you will laugh, and cry, feel happy and angry.
Kudos to Disney for making a film which don't always show Disney in a good light, and portrays a woman who despised everything Walt Disney Pictures stood for. Obviously, everything needs to be taken with a pinch of salt, there are likely to be some elements that aren't exactly true, however this is a must see for Disney fans and cinema lovers of all ages. This film is certainly Oscar worthy, and will do very well come award season.

When seeing the film, you must stay until the very end, there is a fantastic recording of the actual conversations between P.L. Travers and the writiers and composers of the film, which makes for fascinating hearing. 
Also, if you are reading from outside an Anglophone country and have the choice, please see this in the native English language, Thompson does a fine job of playing Travers, matching her tone of voice. It's certainly worth seeing in the native language.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Technical Profile

Saving Mr. Banks
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures, BBC Films
Director: John Lee Hancock
Starring: Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks
Running Time: 125 minutes
__________________________________________________________________________________

Continue

Believing in the power of a wish

Quand on prie la bonne étoile, La Fée bleu secoue son voile, anything thing your heart desires will come to you. 

One of the highlights of this years festive offering at Disneyland Paris is the Magical Christmas Wishes show which is performed twice per night in Town Square in Disneyland Park. Let's take a step back and set up the scene, night has fallen on Main Street USA; the magical new Christmas tree with its many colours has been plunged into darkness. As crowds gather in and around Town Square, something magic is about to happen.

The lights turn off, the entire street is put into darkness, but we soon begin to find the lights on the tree and meet our master of ceremony Jiminy Cricket and Pinocchio, as we learn about the power of wishes, the tree becomes a screen on multicoloured lights in a changing formation. The whole show is technically brilliant, but you don't need me to tell you that, rather I'd prefer you to experience it for yourself, either in person or via our YouTube video.

What is particularly strong about this show is the many different colours and effects that have been used, it is impossible to not get that tingling sensation down your spine when that final reprise of 'O Christmas Tree' comes over the speakers as the mesmerising effect of the tree takes effect on the guests who have gathered to watch the spectacle. As a package, the show has evolved totally from what was experienced in recent years, which mostly involved singing characters and a child lighting up the tree (which was a nice touch). Whilst this made a nice show, there was one element that was against it, and that was it's one dimensional nature (from a viewing perspective). This show allows guests to experience it from multiple angles, 360 degrees to be precise; not having characters or a 'focal point' (That isn't a tree) means that the spherical nature of the tree can properly be exploited to magical effect. The experience changes from place to place, see it in Town Square, and you'll certainly see the tree (no child on shoulders needed!) and you might even see the garlands too. Stand mid-way down Main Street and the show will feel even more like a 360 degree show as the garlands join in on the act further into the show, the colour changing to reflect the show really is a perfect touch.

As a viewer, things don't get better than this show, as a technical fan this show is a real marvel. To see the baubles and stars light up in synchronisation is nothing short of a marvel. This show will continue to marvel audiences for as long as it runs, and lets hope that it does for a very long time.

Disney's Enchanted Christmas runs from the 10th November 2013 until the 6th January 2014. Magical Christmas Wishes is performed twice daily during this time, consult your daily program for more information, including show times.

Continue

Rapunzel's Christmas Pin Event pins revealed!

One thing we love here at DLP Town Square are pins. Pins, pins and more pins. Every time I go to Disneyland Paris, I always walk away with a bag full of pins. Following this weeks record sell out in the pin event in about 30 minutes, Disneyland Paris published the pictures of the pins that we can expect from the event which takes place on the 14th December 2013 in Disney's Hotel New York.

On first glace, I wasn't too keen on these pins. But upon second glace, I'm starting to love them. Let's talk about them pin by pin.
The first pin is still my least favourite. It's essentially Rapunzel tugging a sack of presents by her hair, with a mini pascal inside the sack. It's a cute one that's certain. It's also the most plain of the lot.
The second pin is a fantastic one, It's Mother Gothel and Rapunzel decorating a Christmas tree with Rapunzel's hair being used as Tinsel. This one is fantastic, and it's so rare to see these two characters on a pin.
The third and fourth pin can be considered almost as a pair, one pin sees Rapunzel and Flinn sharing a sled, whilst the other shows Maximus and Pascal acting as a Reindeer.  You can see that these two link up, effectively making one pin.
The final normal pin of the series is the most beautiful pin I think Disneyland Paris has ever created. It's not particularly festive, but it is that famous gondola floating light scene with two attached at the bottom by a chain. This one is going to be mega collectible. (And if anyone wants to grab one for me, please do e-mail me. I'd be forever grateful!)

We then move into the round pins which are a feature of every pin trading event, day or night. This event sees Rapunzel, Pascal and Flinn in festive attire. (You won't see these in the shops after the event, these will sell out).

The final pin looks to be a very special one. It's a jumbo pin, the word Tour meaning Tower gives it away as being Rapunzel's Tower from the film.  I can't wait to see this pin in real life.

Rapunzel's Christmas will be an extremely popular event, featuring many super-collectible pins. If you see these in the shops in the following days, be sure to buy them up as they will hold great trading value in the future. Not that I'm expecting to see these in the shop, the savy traders will snatch them all up pretty quickly. 

If you're going, have a great time! (And don't forget one of your favourite DLP websites!)

Continue

Let the Festive Fantasy commence!

Christmas is the most wonderful time of year in Disneyland Paris. It's a time that both parks get involved with, and evidence of the season can be seen in multiple places around the resort. Perhaps this season, more than any of recent years, the Christmas celebration this year has seen a bit of an overhaul and has grown up somewhat.

What is certain though is that Disney's Enchanted Christmas offers something for everyone. Last weekend (November 9th and 10th 2013), the Christmas celebrations were presented to the press, following a day of soft openings. This has given ample time for fans to sit and digest what the new features are, and formulate opinions; which at the moment are overwhelmingly positive. Perhaps what is striking about this Christmas is the integration of the newest Disney Animation Studio's film Frozen. The film has not even been released in cinemas, and yet the characters are on their new Disney Magic on Parade float and can be seen in Disney Dreams of Christmas. Compare this to last Christmas where Wreck it Ralph was nowhere to be seen in Disneyland Paris (and still isn't), other than in merchandising.

As one walks into Main Street USA, the sights and sounds of Christmas immediately flood the air. Gone is the usual ragtime loop, and in comes the warm sound of classical Christmas carols. Main Street Station is appropriately dressed for the occasion, images of classic Disney characters appear in a snowy Christmas settings. Garlands adorn the station and glisten in the evening sky. The beauty of Disney's Enchanted Christmas is immediate, before the new Christmas tree even comes into sight.

Image: Disney

The new Christmas tree in Disneyland Paris stands tall and proud in Town Square, towering over Main Street. Everything about this tree is new, and will excite guests of all ages. The new ornaments look classy, yet maintain the Disney touch. Perhaps this tree is more striking at night when the lights come on. This is not a 'simple' tree; the lights aren't 'on or off'. This tree is at the height of technology, the colours change and light formations alter in the new Christmas tree lighting ceremony Magical Christmas Wishes. This show centres around wishing upon a Christmas star with Jiminy Cricket and Pinocchio, when we wish upon a Christmas star all our dreams come true in this spectacular light, sound and snow show.

Disneyland Paris has once again found its festive overlay for the winter season, the garlands above Main Street are the obvious highlight, the ooze class and the classic Christmases whilst maintaining their Disney nature. What is amazing this year about those garlands is how they react to the Magical Christmas Wishes show, and to Disney Dreams of Christmas. These shows have suddenly become much more immersive, and Disneyland Paris is much better because of it. Other decorations include the return of the snow men to Central Plaza and Christmas shop windows. Various Disney characters are doing meet and greets in special Christmas dress including Duffy the Disney Bear at the Boarding House, Winnie the Pooh near Casey's Corner; and for the first time Sandy Claws will be at Jack and Sally's Cemetery, and various Disney characters will be waiting for you whilst you wait to see Santa Claus at Father Christmas Village in Frontierland. 

In Fantasyland, It's a Small World Celebration returns for yet another year; discover how different cultures all across the globe celebrate the holiday seasons whilst being enchanted by fabulous Christmas carols being mixed into that very familiar, well loved, piece of music.

Image: Disney

When the Christmas Cavalcade arrived in Disneyland Paris last year, it was made very clear that is was just the beginning of a larger piece of work. This is evident the moment the parade arrives in vision this year, the cavalcade has grown and evolved into something even more beautiful than in previous years. The music begins, and it's instantly Christmas. The new floats (and the rearranged previous floats) looks superb. The parade floats match the change in Christmas atmosphere, the Christmas tree is represented (take a moment to look at the float, and the tree), there are new characters on the parade route and many more dancers. Making this superb parade even more impressive.

What can be said about Disney Dreams of Christmas that has not already been said, this beautiful new spectacle of a show will be on the castle each day at park closing time until January 6th 2014. It is a version of Disney Dreams that makes us dream of Christmas. It makes us laugh, and cry, it entertains us, it marvels us. Disney Dreams of Christmas is a real success of a show, and hands down the best piece of Christmas entertainment in Europe. Read our thoughts on the show in this dedicated article. (And our friends thoughts at Dedicated to DLP)

The 2013/14 Christmas season at Disneyland Paris is huge, bigger than one article can hold for all the details, it's a spectacular looking event and feels totally re-imagined this year. Many Disneyland Paris fans will be heading to the magic this Christmas, and we wish you a magical time. Christmas at Disneyland Paris is where magical family memories are made, what will your memories be?

Disney's Enchanted Christmas runs from November 10th 2013 until January 6th 2014. Disney Dreams of Christmas runs nightly at park closure. Consult the programme in the parks for full times during your trip.
DLP Town Square will be LIVE in Disneyland Paris on the 23rd and 24th November. Follow us on Twitter for live updates, and to request photos.  - I'll be posting follow up articles after the trip detailing the festivities with pictures and videos.

Continue

Coup de Cœur: Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show

From the moment you see the building, to the moment you leave; one thing is clear about Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, that is it's Wild West Rodeo nature. It's easy to see the attraction of this, the second most viewed show in Disneyland Paris; the show features animals, stunts and food meaning that there is something for all the family.

As we enter the building, which is shared by the Gaumont Cinema; we can smell the smell of horses and buffalo. The sights and the sounds of the wild west begin to fill the air, we are greeted with a smile and our ticket is scanned. We are then placed into our 'team' for the night indicated by the chapeau that we are given, then into the western style saloon bar. It's here we can order our wines for the evening (should we be inclined for a more sophisticated evening); meet Sheriff Mickey and be entertained by a country style band, with a special guest... Goofy! It's also here that we begin to meet and mingle with our new team mates, and rivals.

The music ends, the wait is over. It's time to go to our seats and prepare for a night of action, and fun in what is Disneyland Paris's 2nd most popular show. We have a good amount of leg room and table space, perfect for the night ahead. In front of us lies part of our starter for this evening dinner show. A slice of corn bread. As the lights dim, and the action begins, the second part of our starter is delivered to the table, chili con carne. The familiar western music begins to play, and all of a sudden the real stars of the show appear. The horses, which we have so often seen in training on the artisans du reve DVD and the France 3 documentary Disneyland et ses secrets appear.

The beginning of the show is a triumphant and joyous occasion, we begin to meet the stars of the show: Buffalo Bill, Annie Oakley, Sitting Bull and the Rough Riders; of course every show needs a Maître de céremonie, and this is the case here as well. The show begins to run through a wild west story involving various types of animal, stunts and effects. We meet the Disney characters who are all dressed in their western finery.
By now we are eating our western platter with the potatoes. This dish allows us to sample many different campfire foods on one plate, whilst sitting and enjoying campfire antics with the Disney characters. A real high point of the show was Mickey singing You are my Sunshine to Minnie, it was a sweet and tender moment in the show; and perhaps the only emotional moment of the evening.

However, if you went into the Wild West Show, having been assigned your team, to be able to just sit and enjoy the show, you'd be mistaken. The second act of the evening is a fun and games session featuring the newest recruits, you. Over the course of 45 minutes or so, spectators feel the highs and lows together. You may find that that family sitting next to you become your best friend as you laugh and joke with one another. Of course, what is a game without prizes, a few gold coins have been found; can your team win the day and walk away with a gold coin?

Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show is a fantastic evening of entertainment, especially in the colder winter months which often see Disneyland Park close early. The mix of show, games and food will make sure no member of the family gets bored - and the hat gift always goes down well with guests!

Continue

Once upon a Christmas Dream...

As Disney Dreams! began to be talked about more and more, it was revealed that the nature of the show allowed for scenes to be taken in and out. This lead to speculation of seasonal changes for various holidays. This of course has happened over the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, where the show Celebrate the Magic frequently receives additional scenes for various holidays.

Then, the day came. It was announced that Disney Dreams of Christmas would not be an additional scene, rather an entire twenty minute show all to itself. This was further hyped by Disney's California Adventure in Anaheim's announcement of a Winter Dreams! show as a festive version of World of Color. A few weeks later, an image appeared of the Disney Dreams! creative team standing outside London's Abbey Road studios.
Various visuals surfaced, including visuals of Tinkerbell superimposed on the castle, and that of Anna and Elsa. Disney Dreams of Christmas was beginning to take shape in our minds; and on the castle itself as programming really got under way.

On Friday 8th November, Cast Members got a sneak peak of the show in it's entirety and on Saturday 9th November, the lucky invited press (and Disneyland Paris bloggers!) got to see the show. Obviously the show leaked online almost immediately. After careful deliberation, and consultation with my twitter followers, I decided to watch the show on YouTube. Wow. I was rendered speechless immediately following the show. After a second viewing, I felt much more able to bring myself to post a reaction.
My reactions are posted here, scene by scene. Of course, a huge SPOILER WARNING is to be placed on the rest of this article.

Opening: The show opens with a chilling, festive version of Carol of the Bells, as the music gets grander, and more festival magic scene is unveiled before our eyes, as we move into our first featured film of the show: Fantasia. In snowflakes, various classic Disney scenes are represented, with some more traditional friends taking centre stage: Mickey, Donald and Goofy.
What is so fantastic about this scene is the transition from the initial, quiet calm and peaceful Christmas to the grander, importance of the event. As the scene moved from the 0 second mark, it gradually built up the pace and the anticipation of what was to follow.

Introducing Christmas: Our host for the evening is introduced, a Disney favourite already (and his film isn't even out yet), Olaf. The castle is beautifully lit and projected onto, in fact a more perfect lighting of the castle will be incredibly hard to find. The use of projections and Christmas ice castle lights here is perfect. As in Disney Dreams!, a secondary character is used in order to translate Olaf's speech into French, in this show Anna is used.This section is used to introduce the character, and Christmas in general. The projections onto the castle looks beautiful, and the song choice is good. We then move into another featured film, Bambi. It's only a short clip, but manages to fit the context very well and transitions well into Mickey, Minnie and Donald.The transition projections worked very well to a radically changing type of music and theme.

Frozen (Let it go): This is the emotional piece of the show. Elsa (Idina Menzel) sings Let it Go from the upcoming Disney Animation Studios film Frozen. Perhaps this section is slightly too short, but the projection and pyrotechnic effects look fantastic. It really does help build hype for the film, and I really felt an emotional connection to the piece; which ultimately is a sign of a job well done.

It's a Small World: It was quite comical to see Olaf in 2D animation on a Christmas card. The idea of seeing how Christmas is celebrated across the world is a fantastic idea, especially here in Europe where we have many different cultures visiting one park. It really felt like a nice educational, yet entertaining section. The music here tugged at my heartstrings, as did the meaning of the segment, which was that of peace, the word appearing in multiple languages on the castle affected me in a way that I didn't imagine it world do. The animation style obviously matched that of the It's a Small World attraction.

Toy Story Nutcracker: The big comedy section of the show, which was clearly designed for laughs. And laughs it got. I felt this was timed quite well after what was a heavily sentimental and meaningful section. It was introduced by the second star becoming the 'wishing star'.
After a short introduction segment by the Toy Story characters (ripped right from the Toy Story 3 teaser trailer), it was time to launch straight into the Nutcracker. What pleasantly surprised me was the various uses of the music, which I found to be very clever.
As Woody and Jessie dance together, the traditional Nutcracker suite gets a country feel to it. It was the middle segment which sent me into tears of laughter. Seeing the little green aliens and Rex dancing to the suite was hilariously funny.

Spanish Buzz and Jessie appeared which featured the visual highlight of this segment with it's castle projections. The segment ended with the Toy Story characters leaping in slow motion across the castle, this is sure to delight guests day after day during this Christmas season.

Jingle Bells Sing-a-long: For me this was the highlight of the show. I can easily visualise families singing along to this each night. What I found striking was the use of pyrotechnics; the way they were used with this particular arrangement of Jingle Bells made the entire piece feel grand (which is should do, as in a sense it is the shows finale), and adds excitement. The use of language also impressed me, quite often things in Disneyland Paris are presented in either French or English; this section of the show was presented in many different languages promoting learning languages whilst providing guests from each nation to sing their bit just that little bit louder. We finally meet Santa Claus, the music begins to build and we see our favourite characters in baubles, whilst pyrotechnics are going off. (Much like the Disney Dreams! finale). Suddenly LED lights begin to turn on in the trees in Central Plaza, and on the garlands on Main Street USA. Disney Dreams! has finally become a 360 degree show, lights can be seen in all directions, the show has literally jumped from a castle show, to incorporating all of Main Street.

Post-Show: The pyrotechnics have gone off, the projections have finished. The castle has gone black. But wait... there's more. In an incredible post show twist, Disney have saved some of the best projections. Olaf reminds us to make sure we've got all our belongings. Colour fills the castle and street, it's become a celebration. Then, the lights turn on and it's all over for another night.

Overall thoughts: The music used is simply stunning. I cannot think of a better arrangement of classic Christmas songs (mostly used in links) to suit the show more.
The film Frozen is not yet out in cinemas, Disney have obviously realised this and introduced all the characters in a very easy to understand way, meaning that none of the show is lost on the audience from Day 1. 
The projection effects even outperform those featured in Disney Dreams!, the teams who have worked on the show deserve a huge congratulations.


Once again, by launching Disney Dreams of Christmas, Disneyland Paris have affirmed themselves as a world leader in seasonal celebrations. This is one show we'll be enjoying for years to come. Isn't it great to not just be on the map, but leading the game?

Disney's Enchanted Christmas runs from November 10th 2013 until January 6th 2013. Disney Dreams of Christmas will run nightly at closing time.

Continue

Disneyland Paris November 2013 pins

As we move away from the Halloween season and ebb ever closer to Disney's Enchanted Christmas and 2014, another set of pins are due to be released in the resort. As usual, the poster has been released:

Quite honestly, whilst I like most of this months pins, I'm not blown away by any of them I'm afraid. Let's take a closer look week by week.
Saturday 2nd November sees the release of the 2014 pins, each year Disney Parks creates a new 'look' for the year, and whilst I really like 2014's look, 2013 just had that bit extra. However, that doesn't translate into pins, and I really feel like the 2014 pins are very nice to look at. I especially like the use of the Sorcerer Mickey image in the pins, and like the 2014 'Disneyland Paris' pin, perhaps this is a collectible set across all the resorts? The booster set really catches my imagination, I really like the characters in front of various Disneyland Paris landmarks. I will certainly be adding that to my collection.
Saturday 16th November sees the release of another good luck/bad luck pin, this time featuring Belle. I'd be interested to see the good luck side if the 'bad luck' side is Gaston. The Beast makes both perfect sense and no sense since Belle never wanted to be locked up. I really, really like the Mickey Mouse birthday pin and hope it is still available the weekend afterwards when I will be in the resort, however I suspect it will not be. It looks to be a lovely pin, perfect for the Disneyland Paris audience.
The final weekend releases take place on Saturday 30th November and feature yet another Princess locket, this time featuring Merida from the film Brave. The final locket should be released next month (and will be Tinkerbell). Speaking of Tinkerbell, the Christmas limited edition pin will be released this weekend as well. I find it a rather uninspiring pin for a limited edition, despite it's nice design.

The Pascal pin is a preview release for the 'Rapunzel's Christmas' pin event which will take place in Disneyland Paris on the 14th December (poster below). Whilst this event will feature Rapunzel heavily, something bugs me about the price for what seems to be a very simple pin. However, an ebay search on release day will prove that it will be a very popular pin. (Rapunzel is VERY collectible in the Disney pin world).

Overall, I'm happy with the pins, but only one jumps out as a must have. What are your thoughts?

Continue