Disney Pin Trading

Pin Trading is one of the big highlights you get to enjoy when at any of the Disney locations. When visiting the parks, you can trade with any cast member who is sporting a lanyard (they can never say no!) or a cork board filled with them. The trick is to trade what you like if they have it- you don’t need to trade by value (meaning $9.99 pin for $9.99 pin) and you don’t have to trade pins you like.

Some of my pins!

Pin trading is a family friendly activity that anyone can do at any age! It’s a great way to meet people and socialize, as not only can you trade with cast members but other guests as well. While it can get a little expensive, there are thousands of different varieties and options, so you can collect them all or be as specific as you want!

Here are some helpful tips to get you started:

Pins come color coded which mark the prices. Currently they run for $9.99 (green and silver), $12.99 (blue and yellow), $14.99 (pink). Specialty pins, booster packs, mystery pins and limited edition pins may have different pricing which is something to remember!
If you are just starting, it is easier to buy the starter packs which includes a lanyard and four pins. These typically run for $29.99 and have different styles to choose from, so if you like anything from Star Wars to Disney princesses then it’s a great place to begin.
There are great places to trade: Frontierland at Magic Kingdom, Pin Central at Epcot, Fantasy Faire at Magic Kingdom and Big Top Souvenirs are some of the best. They always have pretty good selections and sometimes have limited release ones from parties from time to time so it’s great to keep checking back!
If you don’t feel like showing off your pins on a lanyard, you can use wall space (when not trading), vests, backpacks or even the official Pin Trading book!

Pin Types:

Basic- These are the ones seen throughout each pin store. They are the most common and available for purchase, until they retire.
Limited Edition- Pins that are released for a certain amount of time, usually made for a series.

Limited Release- Pins made in a certain quantity that are available for purchase; get them before they are gone!

Mystery- Usually bagged or in a small box, you never know which one you’ll get!

Event/Commemoration- Rare pins handed out during events like Mickey’s Merry Christmas Celebration, Disney Movie Club VIPs get Commemorative pins or for Annual Passholders who get the the Annual Passholder pins!

Hidden Mickey- Cast member released pins with a small hidden Mickey somewhere on it- these are extremely popular.

Pin trading is tons of fun and can be a great hobby, but there are some things to remember when you begin.

Do:

Be polite. If a cast member or guest is busy or a fellow guest isn’t keep on trading a specific pin, don’t be pushy!
Buy cheaper pins to trade. There is no price system or color system to trade pins with cast members so buying a starter pack or a green color priced pin to trade is a great and more affordable way to start.
Explore! Don’t be afraid to ask around and check for pins in all sorts of places; some places people don’t think to go to for trading and may contain nicer pins.
Figure out where the Trading Posts Stores are. Wherever the stores are that are exclusively for pins, there are bound to be tons of guests and cast members looking to happily trade!
Try to go to events! Events sometimes have rare and exciting pins that are only available for attendees.
If you can buy it and you like it, get it! Some pins are limited edition or limited release and are a little more pricey. These aren’t going to be around too long and can go up in value, so if you like it, get it!

Dont:

Buy from Ebay or Auction sites. This is the biggest no-no in pin trading. Counterfits are most likely and often sold in most online stores, and if some cast members don’t recognize it, they leak into the Disney parks traded around. Other cast members who do recognize them, end up rejecting your trades.
Argue. If someone, be it cast member or guest refuses a trade then don’t argue, be courteous and move on!
Overspend to trade. This goes hand and hand with the “buy cheaper pins to trade”. You don’t need to buy the $12.99 or $14.99 in order to get a hand in the trading world.
Trade a basic pin for special editions. Certain pins are worth a lot now, and if someone is trading one, ask them what they’d like. Offering them a common pin is a little lackluster, and a little etiquette goes a long way!

All in all, pin trading is a great and fun hobby to participate in and is a great way to show off your love for certain characters and movies. I hope you have a lot of fun, and feel free to comment your favorite pins!

Spot

The Incredible Sequel

It has been fourteen years since the groundbreaking superhero movie The Incredibles came out. Fans of the movie (like myself) had longed for a sequel but were fearful at the same time- after all, Disney sequels are a thing of Russian Roulette. Sometimes it’s a hit with a broad audience and sometimes….we never want to talk about it. How does The Incredibles 2 stand compared to its predecessor?

**Spoilers ahead**

The Incredibles 2 takes place immediately after the ending of the first ending when the Underminer attacks the city. After leaving the city in ruins and has the relocation division for superheroes shut down by the Government. When DevTech siblings Winston and Evelyn take on Elastigirl to try to return Supers to be once again loved by the public, Bob aka Mr. Incredible takes up the role of being the stay at home parent to Violet, Dash and Jack-Jack. In the midst of all of this happening, a mysterious villain called the Screenslaver arrives, calling for Elastigirl to jump into action.

This movie is breathtaking, almost literally. The animation has greatly improved since the original (which was still amazing so this says something), and the comedy is woven so seamlessly that it’s unexpected but welcomed.

While each character stood out in their own right, it needs to be said that Jack-Jack stole every single scene he was in. Unlike the first movie, he actually plays a decent part in the movie as he tests out each of his numerous powers. Pair him up with Edna and it made the best scene in the movie next to the raccoon fight scene. Violet seems to have a slight mental breakdown which seems out of character and definitely doesn’t help Bob during his struggles to hold down the fort, but I guess it’s understandable, especially when you have nose water shooting out like a hose when you go to a restaurant your date turned mind wiped class mate works. Fun right?

The voice actors for each character gave so much depth and emotion, specifically Elastigirl. Holly Hunter reprises her role and definitely does an outstanding job in delivering a vulnerable strength to Elastigirl as she returns to the superhero scene. Bobs voice actor does just as well displaying the overall fatigue of being an at home parent who is struggling to find his mojo while helping his children. It’s amazing how raw and real it is!

With the soundtrack, I don’t need to say much more than it’s all catchy and all downloaded on my Spotify list. It has a jazz and spy blend that makes you enjoy listening to it, especially when the trumpets and horns blair during the “Train of Taut” . I strongly urge you to listen to the soundtrack, you won’t be disappointed.

Despite this movies phenomenal voice acting, animation and soundtrack, this movie isn’t without flaws. It by no means is the masterpiece that was the first Incredibles movie, but still manages to stand on its own; however there are two big issues (not including the epilepsy issues it posed) that kind of took away from the movies full potential: the villain being the smaller scale issue and the mix mash of themes being the ever so larger.

Screenslaver was an amazing villain design, very dark and menacing and caused some serious terror with a decent view on how perception changes reality. Cool, awesome I like that. What I don’t like is how almost right away we can guess who the Screenslaver really is…and she is a bit underwhelming compared to Buddy from the first film. Granted this is only a small flaw in the film as the philosophy on the effects of technology and perception is actually pretty good, however this leads to the larger issue.

You don’t talk, you watch talk shows.

The biggest flaw this film has is jumping around on themes and not really sticking to a particular one. It has several themes like perception vs reality, public relations, social injustice of a single group, overuse of technology in daily lives as well as learning about the struggles of being an at home parent, the film juggles each theme so much that they get lost in translation and are never fully resolved. A great example is seeing Bob finally realize that sometimes being a hero is being the best father you can be as he gains understanding on how to care for the kids. We never see anything after the final fight with Evelyn, so what- does he just stop being an at home dad and return to work? Does he decide to continue staying home? Tell us movie! Sticking to one theme, or at least tying them up instead of leaving them adrift would have made for a much more compelling film.

In the end we have a great movie; it could have been better had the creators chosen and fleshed out one theme and made a villain with the same ferocity as Syndrome. Despite the flaws and while it is nowhere near the brilliance of the first film, The Incredibles 2 was still an incredible summer movie, don’t get me wrong! I adore this movie and it was still worth the wait- I can’t wait to buy it when it comes out on DVD.

Movie Score

Lessons: 6.5/10

Story Telling: 7/10

Acting: 9/10

Animation: 9/10

Overall Score: B

Shoutout to my friend Mia for the title name and idea for the article!

The New Perspective: Big Hero 6

I have to say, I wasn’t too big into this movie when it was first released in November 2014. Being the first animated movie released with Marvel heroes, Big Hero 6 takes a refreshing take on superheroes that can rival The Incredibles. While it was a highly successful film upon release, it didn’t gel with me like other Disney films; I’m sure it was because it was different than the Disney films I was used to seeing. I had no desire to watch the movie more than once- that is until I saw the TV show Big Hero 6 on Disney Channel XD a month ago, and it prompted another look. I can honestly say I have never been more glad to have given a movie a second chance, as the second viewing and on brought new waves of emotion to me that I lacked watching it four years ago.

*Spoiler warning*

Big Hero 6 follows Hiro Hamada, a troubled 14 year old genius who desires to join his brother Tadashi in San Fransokyo Institute of Technology to further his talents. After losing his brother in an accident, Hiro bonds with Baymax the personal healthcare companion created by Tadashi. Upon finding his science project stolen after the same fire that killed his brother, Hiro learns to lean on his new friends and discover his true potential while saving the day from a villain threatening the town.

Despite Big Hero 6 being a comedy, there are some seriously heavy themes that deal with stages of grief after a tragic death, self discovery and revenge. Both Hiro and the villain have lost someone close to them, all of the stages of grief are gone over in this film and done beautifully. We see how the anger and sadness over losing a loved one twists Callaghan to the point of destroying a town and murder, as we find out he stole the microbots and saved himself leaving Tadashi to die. In this one instance we see Hiro angered to the point where he orders Baymax to kill him, but is subdued by his friends. With anger being one of the staple grief stages, it often blinds rationality. The difference between Callaghan and Hiro was their support system during their time of grief. Hiro had Aunt Cass, Wasabi, Honey Lemon, Go Go, Fred and Baymax to cope while (at least not seeing anyone in the movie) Callaghan had none. Had Hiro not had any friends to fall back to, he may have very well killed him.

So what does BH6 teach us?

I thought about this movie and how it addresses the five stages of grief: denial and isolation, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. I dealt with it myself after recently losing my uncle to liver disease, which was what originally drew me to this movie after avoiding it for four years. What this movie does brilliantly is show its viewers how each person handles grief and loss differently; not everyone follows the stages to the tee or even in the order it’s listed. Some may not even go through every stage- it is a personal experience that varies. For Hiro, we see the struggles of depression, isolation, anger and acceptance- and he goes through some of these multiple times in the movie as he loses Baymax after the final fight. Disney has delicately sewn this theme into a superhero movie made for kids, and has done so well with it that can actually benefit kids in learning about death without going too far.

Long story short, this movie had started off as a one and done watch for me as I originally wasn’t too interested in its premise. Growing up -even as an adult- your tastes change over time. I have grown to love this movie and what it brings to the table in life lessons. We all experience death at some point in life and as much as we try to prepare for it, you really can’t. You don’t know how you handle it, or how it feels until you go through it. But like Hiro, if you have a good group of friends and family to help and understand you as well as try to push forward and live your life in your loved ones memory for the better, then it is worth all the love they had given you. I recommend this movie to anyone and am so happy I took time to rewatch it.

Movie Score

Lessons: 8.5/10

Story Telling: 8/10

Acting: 9/10

Animation: 8.5/10

Overall Score: A-

Top 10 Animated Disney Villains

It’s that time of year again, and while I have yet to experience the Not So Scary Halloween party, I would love to celebrate the start of October with my favorite villains. In order to be on my list, these bad guys must have gone toe to toe with the protagonist they were in a tv show or movie with (sorry Chernabog dear!) and have a prominent role in said show/movie. It is also open to include Pixar, as Disney owns it as well.

Please note that this is my opinion, and if you disagree feel free to post a comment. I love quite a few of the villains and while some may not have made my list, it doesn’t mean I don’t think they stand out in the err….worst way!

**Spoilers ahead**

10. Dr. Facilier

Disney did a fantastic job in designing and choosing a voice actor for Dr. Facilier. Also known as the Shadow Man, Dr. Facilier practices dark magic to “help” people as he plots to take over New Orleans. Not only do I like him, but he has developed immense popularity among Disney fans, leading him to become a member of the Villains franchise sold at Disney World. I put him lower on the list because aside from chasing after Prince Naveen and desiring his wealth, I never really felt like he had much weight as a villain.

9. The Evil Queen

A prominent member of the Disney Villains franchise, I’m actually not all that into the Evil Queen. The reason she makes this list is to simply put: she’s insane. She poisons someone just because they are considered fairer than her, and is also calculating enough to disguise herself to do so. To add onto her insanity, one of the most frightening aspects of the movie is her transformation into the witch form- and is one of the reasons I avoided watching Snow White as a child. Her breaking the fourth wall and showing outwardly a more sadistic side earns her the number 9 spot.

8. Gaston

No one is as conceited as Gaston! This handsome walking meme is yet another popular Disney villain who earns his place in our hearts because he is superficially handsome but ugly underneath. He is so well liked in his town that he turns the entire townsfolk into a mob against someone they’ve never met because he looks like a monster. He fixed his spot on the list specifically for his ability to sway a crowd, and stabbing the beast- but at least he gives us a long running gag!

gaston

No one flexes like Gaston!

7. Maleficient

The Mistress of Evil herself graces this list; being an incarnation of evil and misfortune, she curses a baby for not being invited to her christening. A baby. Her elegant, sleek design and use of dark colors screams, “Evil” and is most likely the most recognized villain in Disneys arsenal. Her transformation into a dragon is what cemements her into my list; the fight scene between her and Prince Philip were amazing and I remember as a kid, gripping my couch in fear as they duked it out. I’d place her up higher on the list, but there are villains that stand out a lot more than she does!

mal

6. Cruella De Vil

Cruella is just plain crazy, I’m not going to lie. Anyone who wants to make a coat out of dogs and then chases down a truck full of them in an insane rage deserves to be in an institution and never released, just like the song says!

devil

5. Ernesto De La Cruz

Sometimes the scariest Disney villains are regular people who harm others for their own gain. After killing his friend and stealing his music for personal gain, Ernesto rose to fame and destroyed an entire families bond with no remorse. The first Disney villain to have actually killed someone with poison, what is frightening with a villain like Ernesto is that he doesn’t outright scream, “Hey I’m a villain!”. We are told he is a popular and amazing musician, never once shown his sinister side until Hector’s confrontation in the last part of the film.

delacruz

4. Judge Claude Frollo

The Hunchback of Notre Dame is one of Disney’s underrated films due to its darker tones. Frollo is one of the darker antagonists as his story is laced with lust and mass genocide against Gypsies and anyone who helps them. What makes Frollo a frightening villain is the fact that he is justified by God to commit these acts as well as a good person.

claude

Choose me, or the flame.

3. Scar

One of my favorite Disney villains due to aesthetics, Scar is known for the thirst for power and hatred that drove him to kill his own brother Mufasa and attempted murder of Simba. Scar is also best remembered as the villain who created the saddest Disney death of all time. If anyone is ever asked the saddest death in Disney I can guarantee it’s Mufasa’s death that will be given most of all; not only that but he has the best music number….not that it changes anything.

scar

2. Horned King

One of the most frightening villains in my childhood, the Horned King is the literal stuff of a child’s nightmare. He is one of the villains that is the most serious and darkest characters, with nothing much known about him except that he wanted the Cauldron to resurrect an undead army. He secures the number two spot just for being the most disturbing Disney villain released even to this day.

hornedking

He is U-G-L-Y

1. Syndrome

No villain has ever been as frightening as Syndrome. Scorned at his hero rejecting him, the once happy Buddy descended into madness and created weapons to use against heroes, killing many. A technical genius and a sociopath, Syndrome believed if he could sell his super hero tech to families everywhere that then no one would be super. This villain tops the list because he is almost the epitome of what makes a villain great to watch.

syndronme

The Best of my Youth: The Proud Family

In the years I spent as a child watching cartoons on Disney, no show had ever broken barriers on race or stood out as a regular family animated sitcom better than The Proud Family. The Proud Family is an animated cartoon show that debuted in 2001 on the Disney channel. It was created by Bruce W. Smith and was nominated (and won) for multiple awards over the years, mostly for ‘Outstanding Performance in a Children’s Series’. To this day, this show is revered for it’s take on topics most TV shows would be nervous to air in today’s day and age.

The show follows Penny Proud, a young African American middle schooler, her family and friends during day to day life. Penny is a perfect mix of respectful and kind with the bratty ups and downs most middle schoolers experience. While she is the main character we follow in each episode, there are enough unique and spunky characters she bounces off of that it makes each one a joy to watch. The best thing about it is each character is relatable in some way, shape or form that makes you think, yeah I’ve experienced this to.

This show dared to touch upon subjects that most show nowadays would never show in fear of backlash. In episodes like Culture Shock, Seven Days of Kwanzaa and I Had A Dream, Penny deals with learning about and accepting her heritage as well as learning about others- including Black History Month. I episodes like The Altos, we learn about bullying and what a child deals with while their parents divorce through Sticky’s eyes. Nowadays tv shows are too scared of backlash to air things like these, heck Disney hardly shows anything remotely similar to it- but these are proof that children can handle and learn from shows the right way. It’s all about respect taught at a young age and being open to watch them.

TV shows of today need to bring a little more substance to them similar to how The Proud Family ran. It not only opens up the demographics of who watches them, but it also teaches youth without throwing it into their face blatantly. I know the show is also not perfect, as it does play to stereotypes mostly for comedy. Would shows like this help turn around today’s world? I can’t answer that, but at least our children would learn about morals and have a bit of a laugh doing so!