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2015 (of the Blue Age)
People incidents
Lance Percival (That Was the Week That Was, The Beatles) died in January 6th, 2015.
Rod Taylor (The Time Machine, The Birds) suffered a fatal heart attack on January 7th, 2015 in Beverly Hills, California, at the age of 84, four days shy of his 85th birthday.
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The Legacy Collection: Fantasia was released as a four-disc album on January 13, 2015, to coincide with the 75th anniversary of Fantasia. The album features the original recordings conducted by Leopold Stokowski and performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra, as well as the 1982 digital re-recordings conducted by Irwin Kostal, two bonus tracks narrated by Sterling Holloway, and the previously unreleased recording of Clair de Lune for a segment that was cut from the final running order.
THE LEGACY COLLECTION: FANTASIA WAS RELEASED AS A FOUR-DISC ALBUM ON JANUARY 13, 2015, TO COINCIDE WITH THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF FANTASIA. THE ALBUM FEATURES THE ORIGINAL RECORDINGS CONDUCTED BY LEOPOLD STOKOWSKI AND PERFORMED BY THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA, AS WELL AS THE 1982 DIGITAL RE-RECORDINGS CONDUCTED BY IRWIN KOSTAL, TWO BONUS TRACKS NARRATED BY STERLING HOLLOWAY, AND THE PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED RECORDING OF CLAIR DE LUNE FOR A SEGMENT THAT WAS CUT FROM THE FINAL RUNNING ORDER.
On January 23rd, 2015, Barrie Ingham (The Great Mouse Detective, Doctor Who, A Challenge for Robin Hood) died, 18 days shy of his 83rd birthday, at his home in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
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February 3, 2015 (5th anniversary) – Our second "Disney Fairies" soundtrack release premieres Joel McNeely's sensational orchestral tour-de-force for Tinker Bell And The Lost Treasure. A song album appeared in 2009 albeit offering none of McNeely's score. New Disney/Intrada co-brand now zeroes in on McNeely's music as well as spotlighting several key songs including wondrous, important "If You Believe". McNeely works with large orchestra, chorus, Celtic violin, ethnic woodwinds, creates richly textured environment for Tinker Bell's second adventure in Pixie Hollow, primarily involving breakage of moonstone that generates their precious pixie dust. Highlights literally abound: haunting, major-key chorus & orchestra envelopes "Hall Of Scepters", rousing, powerful "Tink Sails Away" with surging themes coming to fore, tender Celtic overtones of "Tink Tries For More", dramatic, imposing "The Ship That Sunk", aggressive, ferocious "Rat Attack" just a handful. Special attention due magnificent, fanfare-regal "Our Finest Revelry Ever" with its spectacular outbursts for brass as well as oft-requested entire "Fairy Tale Theater" sequence which melds dynamic storytelling with combination of Celtic opening, choral & orchestral development leading to fortissimo minor-key coda for entire ensemble. McNeely provides a stirring, melodically soaring and vibrant score throughout. An hour of musical riches! Joel McNeely conducts.
FEBRUARY 3, 2015 (5TH ANNIVERSARY) – OUR SECOND “DISNEY FAIRIES” SOUNDTRACK RELEASE PREMIERES JOEL MCNEELY’S SENSATIONAL ORCHESTRAL TOUR-DE-FORCE FOR TINKER BELL AND THE LOST TREASURE. A SONG ALBUM APPEARED IN 2009 ALBEIT OFFERING NONE OF MCNEELY’S SCORE. NEW DISNEY/INTRADA CO-BRAND NOW ZEROES IN ON MCNEELY’S MUSIC AS WELL AS SPOTLIGHTING SEVERAL KEY SONGS INCLUDING WONDROUS, IMPORTANT “IF YOU BELIEVE”. MCNEELY WORKS WITH LARGE ORCHESTRA, CHORUS, CELTIC VIOLIN, ETHNIC WOODWINDS, CREATES RICHLY TEXTURED ENVIRONMENT FOR TINKER BELL’S SECOND ADVENTURE IN PIXIE HOLLOW, PRIMARILY INVOLVING BREAKAGE OF MOONSTONE THAT GENERATES THEIR PRECIOUS PIXIE DUST. HIGHLIGHTS LITERALLY ABOUND: HAUNTING, MAJOR-KEY CHORUS & ORCHESTRA ENVELOPES “HALL OF SCEPTERS”, ROUSING, POWERFUL “TINK SAILS AWAY” WITH SURGING THEMES COMING TO FORE, TENDER CELTIC OVERTONES OF “TINK TRIES FOR MORE”, DRAMATIC, IMPOSING “THE SHIP THAT SUNK”, AGGRESSIVE, FEROCIOUS “RAT ATTACK” JUST A HANDFUL. SPECIAL ATTENTION DUE MAGNIFICENT, FANFARE-REGAL “OUR FINEST REVELRY EVER” WITH ITS SPECTACULAR OUTBURSTS FOR BRASS AS WELL AS OFT-REQUESTED ENTIRE “FAIRY TALE THEATER” SEQUENCE WHICH MELDS DYNAMIC STORYTELLING WITH COMBINATION OF CELTIC OPENING, CHORAL & ORCHESTRAL DEVELOPMENT LEADING TO FORTISSIMO MINOR-KEY CODA FOR ENTIRE ENSEMBLE. MCNEELY PROVIDES A STIRRING, MELODICALLY SOARING AND VIBRANT SCORE THROUGHOUT. AN HOUR OF MUSICAL RICHES! JOEL MCNEELY CONDUCTS.
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (February 6, 2015 – June 2, 2015)
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MPAA Rating: PG (for mild action and rude humor)
Critic Score: cf-lg80% Certified Fresh
Average Rating: 6.5/10
Consensus: The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water won’t win over many viewers who aren’t fans of the show, but for the converted, it’s another colorful burst of manic fun.
Grade: C
Box office: $323.4 million
Plot
A pirate named Burger-Beard (Antonio Banderas) travels to the island of Bikini Atoll to obtain a magical book that makes any text written upon it come true. The book tells the story of SpongeBob SquarePants (Tom Kenny), a childlike sea sponge who loves his job as a fry cook at the Krusty Krab fast food restaurant and faithfully guards the secret Krabby Patty formula from Plankton (Mr. Lawrence), owner of the Chum Bucket and business rival to Mr. Krabs (Clancy Brown), SpongeBob and Squidward’s boss.
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The Krusty Krab is attacked by Plankton; after a military battle with giant foods and condiments, Plankton feigns surrender: he uses a decoy of himself to offer the greedy Mr. Krabs a fake penny, which he hides inside to gain access to Krabs’ vault. The Plankton decoy distracts Mr. Krabs by crying outside the restaurant so he can gloat about his victory. Plankton steals the formula, leaving a fake in its place; however, just as he is about to escape, SpongeBob catches him and they both have a tug of war over the formula, but it magically vanishes before either can claim it.
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With the secret formula gone, SpongeBob is unable to make Krabby Patties, and the customers become ravenous. Only SpongeBob knows Plankton is innocent of stealing the formula, and when all of Bikini Bottom turns on them, SpongeBob rescues Plankton with a giant soap bubble that he and Plankton fly away in, leaving Krabs in a state of confusion. Bikini Bottom is soon reduced to a post-apocalyptic wasteland because of the absence of the much-relied-on Krabby Patty. SpongeBob proposes that he and Plankton team up to get the formula back; he attempts to show Plankton the meaning of teamwork, but he does not quite understand. Eventually, the duo decides to go to the Chum Bucket and rescue Karen (Jill Talley) so they can use her as a power source for a time machine that will take them to the moment before the formula disappeared. They assemble the machine at an abandoned taco restaurant, but accidentally travel far into the future, where they meet Bubbles (Matt Berry). They eventually succeed in retrieving the formula, but it turns out to be the fake Plankton has left.
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Burger-Beard, along with his seagull minions, converts his ship into a food truck to sell Krabby Patties at a beach community named Salty Shoals. The final page, which has been discarded in the ocean, lands on Sandy’s treedome. Crazed by the lack of Krabby Patties, Sandy thinks the page is a sign from the “sandwich gods”, and suggests a sacrifice be made to appease them. The town attempts to sacrifice SpongeBob, but he and Mr. Krabs smell Krabby Patties, and the crowd follows the scent, which leads to the surface. Bubbles returns because SpongeBob cost him his job as overseer of the universe. In reality, Bubbles hated the job and thanks SpongeBob by allowing him, Patrick (Bill Fagerbakke), Mr. Krabs, Sandy (Carolyn Lawrence), and Squidward (Rodger Bumpass) the ability to breathe on land; Plankton joins also, stowed away in SpongeBob’s sock. Bubbles shoots them out of his blowhole to the surface, and they land on a beach.
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The team locates Burger-Beard, who, using a book, banishes them to Pelican Island. Using Squidward’s ink and the final page, SpongeBob transforms himself and the others into superheroes with special powers — The Invincibubble (SpongeBob), Mr. Superawesomeness (Patrick), Sour Note (Squidward), The Rodent (Sandy), and Sir Pinch-a-Lot (Mr. Krabs). They return and encounter Burger-Beard, who drives off with the formula, which forces the team to give chase. During the ensuing battle, the book is destroyed and the team attempts to apprehend Burger-Beard, who picks the team off one by one.
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Plankton, who has been left on Pelican Island, becomes a muscle-bound hero named Plank-Ton and comes to assist them. After retrieving the formula, Plank-Ton and Invincibubble work together to create one final attack that sends Burger-Beard all the way to Bikini Atoll. Plankton, who has learned the values of teamwork, returns the secret formula to Mr. Krabs, and the gang uses the final page’s magic to return home to Bikini Bottom. With Krabby Patties back, Bikini Bottom returns to order, and Plankton re-assumes his role as business rival, bringing things back to the status quo.
February 10, 2015
FEBRUARY 10, 2015
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The Legacy Collection: Pinocchio was released as a two-disc album on February 10, 2015, to coincide with the 75th anniversary of Pinocchio.[9] The album includes the film's complete soundtrack, three "Lost Chords" recordings, and five bonus tracks from The Mickey Mouse Club.
THE LEGACY COLLECTION: PINOCCHIO WAS RELEASED AS A TWO-DISC ALBUM ON FEBRUARY 10, 2015, TO COINCIDE WITH THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF PINOCCHIO. THE ALBUM INCLUDES THE FILM’S COMPLETE SOUNDTRACK, THREE “LOST CHORDS” RECORDINGS, AND FIVE BONUS TRACKS FROM THE MICKEY MOUSE CLUB.
February 16, 2015 (5th anniversary) – Tinker Bell's third film adventure featuring Joel McNeely music gets premiere CD soundtrack release on Disney/Intrada co-brand! "The majestic countryside of England meets the magical world of Pixie Hollow" is vivid description of score in booklet introduction by director Bradley Raymond. As with two previous Tinker Bell scores, McNeely creates magical, magnificent musical portrait of Tink's world of wonder, adventure with full orchestral assist courtesy finest musicians in Los Angeles. Moments of magical melody trade with powerful episodes of action. In between are rich bars of sentiment, warmth, wonder. This time Tinker Bell attends English fairy camp, befriends human child Lizzie, gets trapped in fairy house. Rescue plans are soon underway. McNeely keeps pace with every moment of action and adventure with his array of orchestral color ranging from delicate celeste, flute and shimmering strings to pulse-racing flourishes for his entire orchestra. Dazzling music! Just two of many highlights: Rousing action of "We're Going To Build A Boat", gentle Vaughn Williams-style modality of "Tink And Lizzie Meet". Deserving extra spotlight is masterful "Tink Wants To Leave/Launching The Boat", which melds vernacular of above two highlights in one great sequence. In addition to McNeely score, CD also offers key songs "Summer's Just Begun", "How To Believe", "Come Flying With Me". Third Disney/Intrada co-brand in "Disney Fairies" series. Joel McNeely conducts.
FEBRUARY 16, 2015 (5TH ANNIVERSARY) – TINKER BELL’S THIRD FILM ADVENTURE FEATURING JOEL MCNEELY MUSIC GETS PREMIERE CD SOUNDTRACK RELEASE ON DISNEY/INTRADA CO-BRAND! “THE MAJESTIC COUNTRYSIDE OF ENGLAND MEETS THE MAGICAL WORLD OF PIXIE HOLLOW” IS VIVID DESCRIPTION OF SCORE IN BOOKLET INTRODUCTION BY DIRECTOR BRADLEY RAYMOND. AS WITH TWO PREVIOUS TINKER BELL SCORES, MCNEELY CREATES MAGICAL, MAGNIFICENT MUSICAL PORTRAIT OF TINK’S WORLD OF WONDER, ADVENTURE WITH FULL ORCHESTRAL ASSIST COURTESY FINEST MUSICIANS IN LOS ANGELES. MOMENTS OF MAGICAL MELODY TRADE WITH POWERFUL EPISODES OF ACTION. IN BETWEEN ARE RICH BARS OF SENTIMENT, WARMTH, WONDER. THIS TIME TINKER BELL ATTENDS ENGLISH FAIRY CAMP, BEFRIENDS HUMAN CHILD LIZZIE, GETS TRAPPED IN FAIRY HOUSE. RESCUE PLANS ARE SOON UNDERWAY. MCNEELY KEEPS PACE WITH EVERY MOMENT OF ACTION AND ADVENTURE WITH HIS ARRAY OF ORCHESTRAL COLOR RANGING FROM DELICATE CELESTE, FLUTE AND SHIMMERING STRINGS TO PULSE-RACING FLOURISHES FOR HIS ENTIRE ORCHESTRA. DAZZLING MUSIC! JUST TWO OF MANY HIGHLIGHTS: ROUSING ACTION OF “WE’RE GOING TO BUILD A BOAT”, GENTLE VAUGHN WILLIAMS-STYLE MODALITY OF “TINK AND LIZZIE MEET”. DESERVING EXTRA SPOTLIGHT IS MASTERFUL “TINK WANTS TO LEAVE/LAUNCHING THE BOAT”, WHICH MELDS VERNACULAR OF ABOVE TWO HIGHLIGHTS IN ONE GREAT SEQUENCE. IN ADDITION TO MCNEELY SCORE, CD ALSO OFFERS KEY SONGS “SUMMER’S JUST BEGUN”, “HOW TO BELIEVE”, “COME FLYING WITH ME”. THIRD DISNEY/INTRADA CO-BRAND IN “DISNEY FAIRIES” SERIES. JOEL MCNEELY CONDUCTS.
People incidents
Richard Bakalyan (Batman, Chinatown, The Fox and the Hound) died suddenly on February 27th, 2015 at the Arnot Ogden Medical Center, in Elmira, New York, aged 84. Leonard Nimoy (Star Trek, Mission: Impossible, Fringe) died of complications from COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) on February 27th, 2015 (the same day as Bakalyan), at the age of 83, in his Bel Air home at Los Angeles.
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Eugene
To celebrate Bugs Bunny’s 75th birthday and the Looney Tunes’ 85th anniversary, I brought the Bugs Bunny classics and reminiscing about my childhood memory of the Warner Bros./Looney Tunes Studio Store at Washington Square (1991-2001) (It was incredible for the giant statue of Bugs Bunny and the other Looney Tunes gang (Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, the Tasmanian Devil, Tweety, Sylvester, the Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote, Pepe Le Pew, Foghorn Leghorn, and Speedy Gonzales), the tapestries of Bugs and Taz at the river, and of course the Marvin the Martian spaceship, with those buttons that would play Looney Tunes’ sounds and catchphrases and the “Duck Dodgers in the 24th and 1/2 century!” button).
At February 27th, 2015, I departed from the apartment and head on to visit Melissa at Eugene with my mom. We went to visit Hirxons gift shop and visit the University of Oregon. I brought a portable DVD player and a few DVDs (101 Dalmatians, Big Hero 6, Frozen & Muppets & Fairies’ Wintery Secret, Mr. Peabody & Sherman, The Book of Life, and The Sound of Music (in honor of its 50th anniversary). I and my sister rode our bikes to the mall and see The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water and shop for new stuff from Never Muppetational Pirate (a Walt Disney Animation Studios film based on J.M. Barrie’s Peter and Wendy and Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel Treasure Island, featuring Tinker Bell, Kermit the Frog, and the characters from the Disney Fairies and Muppets franchises. The characters will include Tinker Bell in her water-talent uniform and Kermit as Captain Smollet, while they introduce a new characters, Zarina and Baby Croc).
At March 1st, 2015, I took the train home to Portland all by myself.
The Shamrock Run (2015)
At March 15th, 2014 (two days before St. Patrick’s Day, the day of celebrations that generally involve public parades and festivals, ceilidh, and the wearing of green attire or leprechauns or shamrocks), the Shamrock Run starts in the morning and I run the 5K around downtown Portland with Emily, Ryan and Roscoe.
Before the run, Ryan asked me to go see the R-rated film, since he is past 17. When we go see The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, he agrees that they will go next week. Maybe I had a wager: If Ben beats the record in the Shamrock Run, he will chose to go see Cinderella (and Frozen Fever) (twice in Clackamas Town Center, just in case I’m worn out from the run), plus get goaled in for the Disney extras (The Dalmatian figurine set from 101 Dalmatians, Anna and Elsa in her new uniforms and the Snowgies from Frozen Fever (showing before Cinderella) in Clackamas Town Center and the home video release of The Penguins of Madagascar this Tuesday March 17th (the day of St. Patrick’s Day). But if he doesn’t, Ryan will make me go see the R-rated film. The following week shows Home in Friday.
Cinderella & Frozen Fever (March 13, 2015 – September 15, 2015)
Elsa (Idina Menzel) plans to give Anna (Kristen Bell) a surprise birthday party with the help of Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), Sven, and Olaf (Josh Gad); but while Anna is led on a “party treasure hunt” by a string that winds through the kingdom, Elsa has caught a cold, and unknowingly produces a group of small animated snowmen with each sneeze, who begin to dismantle the birthday party’s decorations while Kristoff tries to stop them. While Elsa takes Anna on the hunt, Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf try to control the ‘Snowgies‘ and fix the decorations in time for Anna and Elsa’s return. After Elsa nearly falls off a clock tower, Anna convinces her to take rest. While Anna enjoys the party, Elsa sneezes a giant snowball through an alphorn, and stuns Hans (Santino Fontana) overseas; whereupon Elsa rests in bed under Anna’s care. Olaf, Kristoff, and Sven escort the ‘Snowgies’ to Elsa’s ice palace, where they stay with her snow-giant doorkeeper ‘Marshmallow‘ (Paul Briggs).
Ella (Lily James) lives with her loving parents on a beautiful estate in a peaceful kingdom. From a young age, she is taught by her mother (Hayley Atwell) to believe in magic, allowing Ella to befriend many animals on the estate, especially the mice. Everything is perfect until her mother falls ill. On her deathbed, she asks Ella to promise that she will always have courage and be kind. Ella’s father (Ben Chaplin) eventually remarries Lady Tremaine (Cate Blanchett), the widow of an old friend, who has two daughters of her own: Drisella (Sophie McShera) and Anastasia (Holiday Grainger). Ella welcomes her new step-family, despite the stepsisters’ unpleasant attitudes.
When Ella’s father goes abroad for business, Lady Tremaine gradually reveals her cruel and jealous nature, as she pushes Ella to give up her room to the stepsisters for the attic. Sadly, Ella’s father dies during the trip, causing Lady Tremaine to dismiss all servants to save money and place all the chores on Ella. On one cold evening, Ella sleeps by the fireplace for warmth but wakes up next morning covered in cinders. Her step-family consequently mock Ella as “Cinderella”, and forbid her from eating with the family.
Crushed by their cruelty, Ella rides off into the woods, where she meets Kit (Richard Madden), an apprentice from the palace, who is part of a hunting party chasing a stag. Not knowing Kit is actually the prince of the kingdom, Ella admonishes him for hunting the stag, and pleads for the stag’s freedom, which Kit agrees. Touched by his kindness, Ella takes a liking of Kit. Kit is likewise enchanted by Ella’s charm, kindness, and unique outlook on life. The two part without Kit learning of Ella’s name, but not before both express the wish to see each other again. The king (Derek Jacobi), upon learning he has little time left, insists Kit takes a bride, who should be a princess for the advantage of the kingdom, at the upcoming royal ball. Kit persuades his father to invite every eligible maiden in the land to the ball, in hope of seeing Ella.
When the ball is announced, the Tremaine family is ecstatic at the prospect of marrying into royalty. Ella is also excited to attend the ball for the chance to see Kit. She fixes up her mother’s old pink dress when Lady Tremaine refuses to buy her a new one. On the night of the ball, Ella tries to join her step-family on the way out, but Lady Tremaine, together with her daughters, ridicule and tear up Ella’s dress, and leave without her. Losing courage, Ella runs into the garden in tears and meets an old beggar woman, who reveals herself to be Ella’s fairy godmother (Helena Bonham Carter). Changed into her true form, the fairy godmother magically transform a pumpkin into a magnificent carriage, four mice into white horses, two lizards into footmen, a goose into a coachman, and finally Ella’s ripped dress into a gorgeous blue gown, complete with a pair of magical glass slippers. Before sending Ella on her way to the ball, the fairy godmother warns the magic will be broken at the last stroke of midnight.
At the ball, the entire court is entranced by Ella, especially Kit. Nervous but happy to see each other, Ella and Kit have a perfect first dance, as if the two have been partners their entire lives. This irritates the Grand Duke (Stellan Skarsgård), as he has promised Kit to Princess Chelina of Zaragoza (Jana Perez), a fact that Lady Tremaine overhears.
While surprised by Kit’s true identity, Ella nonetheless has a marvelous time with Kit, touring the palace grounds and Kit’s secret garden. But before Ella can tell Kit her name, the clock begins striking as midnight approaches, forcing Ella to flee and accidentally drop one of her glass slippers on the palace steps. She manages to get away at the final stroke of midnight, but the spell wears off and causes the animals and Ella’s dress to revert back. Ella hides the one glass slipper she has under the floorboards of her room as a keepsake, reasonably content that her one night will become a beautiful memory.
The king dies soon after, but not before giving his son permission to marry Ella if he wishes. Not knowing Ella’s identity and whereabouts, Kit, once become king, declares his love and intend to marry the “mystery princess” who wears glass slippers to the ball, if she is willing. Excited at the news, Ella hurries to retrieve the glass slipper in her possession, only to find her stepmother holding it. Having deduced that Ella is the mystery princess, Lady Tremaine demands to be made the head of the royal household in exchange for allowing Ella to come forth and marry Kit, and once queen, Ella is to ensure Drisella and Anastasia be married off to wealthy husbands. Ella refuses, and Lady Tremaine smashes the slipper and locks Ella in the attic. Lady Tremaine then takes the shattered slipper and identity of the mystery princess to the Grand Duke in exchange for the title of countess and advantageous marriages for her daughters. The Grand Duke tries to convince Kit to forget the mystery princess with the shattered slipper, but this only makes Kit even more determined to find her.
The Grand Duke and the Captain of the Guards (Nonso Anozie) lead the mission to find the mystery princess by trying the remaining slipper on all of the maidens in the land, but the magical slipper refuses to fit. When they arrive at Ella’s estate, the shoe fits neither of the stepsisters. As they turn to leave, Ella’s singing of “Lavender’s Blue” is heard through a window that the mice have opened. The Grand Duke tries to ignore this, but Kit reveals himself to be one of the guards. Kit asks the Captain to investigate the source of the singing. Once Ella is found, Lady Tremaine attempts to forbid her from trying on the shoe on the grounds that she is Ella’s mother, but she is overruled by the Captain, as Ella curtly tells Lady Tremaine that she has not been, and never will be, her mother.
Ella and Kit are thereby reunited, and Kit recognizes Ella even without the shoe, which fits her perfectly. Promising to take each other as they are, Ella and Kit leave the house as Ella offers forgiveness to her stepmother. Afterward, Ella’s step-family, along with the Grand Duke, leave the kingdom never to return.
At last, Ella and Kit are married. The Fairy Godmother narrates that they become the land’s most beloved monarchs, ruling with the courage and kindness that Ella has promised her mother, and that they live happily ever after.
Home (March 27, 2015 – July 28, 2015)
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MPAA Rating: PG (for mild thematic elements)
Critic Score: rotten47%.
Average Rating: 5.3/10
Consensus: Colorful, silly, and utterly benign, Home is a passable diversion, but there’s no shortage of superior animated alternatives.
Grade: B
Box office: $386.0 million
Plot
On the run from their enemy, the planet-destroying Gorg, the Boov find Earth a suitable place to call “home”. Led by Captain Smek (Steve Martin), they commence their “friendly” invasion of the planet, relocating the humans, whom the Boov deem as simple and backwards, to other parts of the planet while the Boov inhabit their homes in a quick and bloodless conquest. One of the Boov, named Oh (Jim Parsons), is a more excitable, freethinking member of the species, who decides to invite the Boov to his apartment for a housewarming party, despite the race’s antipathy towards him. Not far from Oh is a fourteen year old girl named Tip (Rihanna), who drives away through her home city to find her mother Lucy (Jennifer Lopez) after being separated from her during the invasion, leaving her with only her calico cat Pig and fueling her hatred for the Boov.
Oh runs into the street to meet up with a Boov cop named Kyle (Matt Jones), who, like the rest of the Boov, refuse to befriend him. Oh invites him to the party but accidentally sends a mass invite to every Boov on Earth. However, the “send all” button he pressed actually sends the invite to absolutely every alien race in the entire galaxy including the Gorg. Everyone, aggravated with Oh for revealing their location to the enemy, starts chasing him down. Oh runs into a convenience store to hide just as Tip and Pig enter the same store to grab supplies. They come across each other, and after Tip’s car fails to start, Oh transforms it into a fantastical, hovering craft to continue transportation. Oh hitches a ride with Tip when he promises to help her find Lucy, but unfortunately, they must to go to the Boov Command Center in Paris and locate her from there.
After reaching the Boov Command Center, which is in the now-floating Eiffel Tower, Oh manages to get into his account, and deletes the message just a second before it reaches the Gorg. He then plugs in Tip’s brain to help her find Lucy. They eventually trace her location to Australia, where she is also looking for her daughter. The other Boov then find the two and try to “erase” Oh, while Tip grabs the gravity manipulation system and flips it over, causing the whole Tower to tilt upside down.
As Oh and Tip head off to Australia, they see other Boov riding by them in fear, and realize that a Gorg ship is close behind them. Tip and Oh manage to knock it down, but in the process a chunk of it hits them and they lose their slushie fuel. They come across the fallen Gorg ship and find out that it is actually a drone. Oh recovers a special chip and uses it to get their car up and running.
Tip and Oh make it to Australia and see the Boov evacuating to their mothership. When they land the car, Tip starts to run for her mother, but Oh insists on evacuating with the other Boov instead. Tip gets angry at him for trying to break the promise again, and she declares that they were never friends. Heartbroken, Oh returns to the ship. The Gorg mothership comes close to the Boov ship, but Oh pulls out the Gorg chip and uses it to fly the ship further away from the Gorg. The Boov become astonished at Oh’s plan, but Smek becomes upset and reminds everyone that he is the captain. However, after Oh tells the Boov what he learned from Tip, Kyle grabs Smek’s “shusher” (a scepter with a rock on top of it) and gives it to Oh, declaring him the new captain.
Tip rushes aimlessly around the city to find Lucy, but no one can help her. Oh returns to her side and helps her track down Lucy. The mother and daughter finally reunite and thank Oh. The Gorg mothership descends upon the planet, and Oh realizes that they want the rock on the shusher, since Smek had previously stolen it from them. Oh runs to the ship to try and get its attention, locking Tip and Lucy in the car for safety. Tip breaks out of the car and shines a light in the Gorg Commander’s face to bring his attention to Oh as he holds the rock up. The Gorg Commander (Brian Stepanek) halts the ship as it crunches down on the ground, with Oh in its path. Tip rushes to rescue him, but Oh is seemingly crushed beneath the machine. It backs up and Oh is revealed to be unharmed. The Gorg Commander emerges from his armor to show that he is actually a harmless starfish-like creature. Oh returns the rock to him, which turns out to be an egg for millions of developing Gorg larvae; the next generation of Gorg, revealing that the Gorg Commander had been the last of his kind, alone and almost extinct. He thanks Oh and departs.
Two weeks later, the humans have returned to their original homes, and Oh finally gets to have his party at his apartment, with both humans and Boov in attendance. Tip plays her music and gets the rest of the Boov to experience dancing for the first time, while other Boov, including a reformed Smek, party on the moon, and thousands of ships from other planets, including the Gorg, head to Earth for Oh’s party upon receiving his invite.
During the mid-credits scene, a pack of chimpanzees climes in the broken Gorg ship.
The Tough and Busiest Year
Our prize is the Disneyland trip (in honor of its 60th diamond anniversary) at Anaheim with Emily (starting teamwork on June 2nd, 2015) when the Christmas/holiday season starts in November 2015. To make Ben’s dream come true, starting March 26th, his mission is to take his iPad on vacation until the end of October. He needs to go see a few PG-13 films and compete in a 5K, the Wipeout Run (due in Summer 2015, canceled). Due to the SpongeBob Movie‘s average grade, if I see another animated film get a C grade, I want to bring it back.
Never Muppetational Pirate & Frozen Fever (April 3, 2015 – August 18, 2015)
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Awards: Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Nominee
MPAA Rating: G
Critic Score: cf-lg87% Certified Fresh
Average Rating: 7.8/10
Critic Consensus: Wonderfully animated, packed with exciting energy, and full of fun references to the world of Peter Pan, Never Muppetational Pirate is a lively swashbuckling pirate-themed adventure with another example of how new ideas can help keep a trilogy fresh.
Grade: B
Box office: $543.5 million
Plot
Jim Hawkins (Walter) (Peter Linz) is a young orphan who lives in the Admiral Benbow in England with his friends Gonzo (Dave Goelz) and Rizzo (Steve Whitmire). Jim listens to the tales of Billy Bones (Billy Connolly), who tells of his former captain, Captain Flint, who buried his treasure trove on a remote island and executed all of his crew so only he would own the island’s map. Zarina (Christina Hendricks), a very smart and inquisitive pixie dust-keeper fairy, is amazed by the magic behind pixie dust and is determined to find out all that it is capable of. After her secretly experimenting with some blue pixie dust and causing an accident in Pixie Hollow, her supervisor Fairy Gary (Jeff Bennett) prohibits her from being a dust-keeper. In sorrow, Zarina takes her experiments and runs away from Pixie Hollow. One night, one of Bones’ crewmates Blind Pew (Matt Vogel) arrives, giving Bones the black spot. Bones gives Jim the treasure map and reveals that he had been Flint’s first mate. Just before dying of a heart attack, he begs Jim to go after the treasure and keep both it and the map safe from pirate hands. An army of pirates attack the inn, destroying it, but the boys escape with the map.
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One year later, Pixie Hollow celebrates the Four Seasons Festival, with performances from fairies of all the seasons. During the show, Tinker Bell (Mae Whitman), Silvermist (Lucy Liu), Iridessa (Raven-Symoné), Rosetta (Megan Hilty), Fawn (Angela Bartys), and Vidia (Pamela Adlon) spot Zarina flying around the audience and using some strange pixie dust to summon several poppies that cause everyone to fall asleep, except Tink and her friends who take cover. After Zarina is gone, they realize that she stole all of the blue pixie dust, the only way to make the yellow dust that the fairies use to fly, so they go after her to return it to its rightful place. They follow Zarina to the coast, where it is revealed that she became the captain of a pirate crew, including the cabin boy, James Hook (Tom Hiddleston). The fairies manage to retrieve the blue dust for a moment, but Zarina gets it back after throwing at them some multicolored pixie dust that magically switches their innate fairy abilities and talents. Tinker Bell becomes a water fairy, Silvermist becomes a fast-flying fairy, Fawn becomes a light fairy, Iridessa becomes a garden fairy, Rosetta becomes an animal fairy, and Vidia becomes a tinker fairy, much to her horror and disgust.
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The trio take the map to the half-wit Squire Trelawney (Fozzie Bear) (Eric Jacobson), who arranges a voyage to find the treasure. The orphans are enlisted aboard the Hispaniola as the cabin children, accompanied by Trelawney, Dr. Livesey (Bunsen Honeydew) (Dave Goelz), and his assistant Beaker (Steve Whitmire). The ship is commanded by Captain Abraham Smollett (Kermit the Frog) (Steve Whitmire) and his overly strict first mate Mr. Arrow (Sam Eagle) (Eric Jacobson). The orphans meet the cook Long John Silver (Ralph Fiennes), a one-legged man who Bones warned them of, but Jim and Silver become good friends. The ship sets sail, but Smollett is suspicious of the crew, believing them to be of shady character. They struggle with their swapped talents as they search for Zarina and the pirate ship, in the process meeting a baby crocodile which takes a liking to Rosetta. They find the ship and sneak in, where they hear James saying how the pirates met Zarina after drifting off course, and she became the captain with the promise of making the ship fly so that they could plunder anything without getting caught. After Gonzo and Rizzo are kidnapped and tortured by three of the crew, who have turned out to be pirates, he has the treasure map locked up for safe keeping. It is revealed that Silver and all the secret pirates in the crew had been part of Flint’s crew and want the treasure for themselves. Silver fools Mr. Arrow into leaving the ship to test out a rowboat, claims he drowned, and has his minions steal the map during Arrow’s memorial service. Jim, Gonzo, and Rizzo discover Silver’s treachery and inform Smollett.
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The ship arrives at Skull Rock, where the fairies discover the pirates’ camp and a mysterious Pixie Dust Tree, which Zarina had grown using pink-colored pixie dust of the garden talent. Arriving at Treasure Island, Smollett orders the entire crew save the officers to go ashore, planning to keep himself and all non-pirate crew aboard the ship and abandon the pirates on the island. However, his plan falls through when it is discovered that Silver has kidnapped Jim to have leverage against the captain. The fairies attempt to retrieve the blue pixie dust but are caught when Iridessa loses control over her nature/earth-based talent and reveals their location. Tink tries to convince Zarina to return home to Pixie Hollow, but she refuses as no one appreciates her unusual talents in dust-keeping, which eventually led her to leave. With the fairies now captured, the pirates begin making pixie dust which becomes successful.
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On the island, Silver invites Jim to join them in the treasure hunt using his late father’s compass. When Jim refuses, Silver forcibly takes the compass from him. Smollett, Gonzo, and Rizzo land on the island in an effort to rescue Jim. However, unbeknownst to them, Silver had hidden a squad of pirates aboard the Hispaniola before leaving, and they capture the ship in Smollett’s absence. On the island, Smollett and the rest of the landing party are captured by the native tribe of pigs, where Smollett reunites with his jilted lover Benjamina Gunn (Miss Piggy) (Eric Jacobson), the tribe’s queen. Hook, curious about what it’s like to fly, convinces Zarina to use some on him, with the result that he begins to fly. After joyfully flying around the cave, Hook double-crosses Zarina and traps her in a lantern, revealing he is the real captain of the pirate crew and that he has merely been using her all along to get the pixie dust for his own purposes of getting to the second star to plunder around the seven seas of Neverland.
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The pirates find the cave in which Flint hid the treasure is empty, leading to a brief mutiny against Silver. Silver reveals that, even though he is a pirate, he cares for Jim and allows him to escape. Smollett and Benjamina are captured by Silver, and Smollett is hung from a cliff to fall to his death. In an effort to save Smollett, Benjamina reveals the treasure is hidden in her house, but when she spits out a kiss from Silver, he hangs her off the cliff as well. Tinker Bell and the others attempt to escape their prison without any success, until the baby crocodile Rosetta befriended arrives and releases them. The fairies attempt once more to retrieve the blue pixie dust and almost succeed, before being confronted by Hook, who threatens to throw Zarina into the sea unless they hand the blue pixie dust over. Tink willingly gives the pixie dust up, and Hook sprinkles it over the ship before throwing Zarina into the water, leaving the fairies to rescue her. Jim rescues his friends and with Mr. Arrow (who is revealed to be alive), the group regains control of the Hispaniola, and rescue Smollett and Benjamina. The group engages the pirates in a sword fight, until only Silver is left standing, but he surrenders when he finds himself outnumbered.
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As the pirates sail towards the Second Star, the fairies return and use their switched talents to defeat the pirates and turn the ship away from the Second Star. Zarina attempts to retrieve the blue pixie dust from Hook, who chases after her. Zarina manages to gain a speck of blue pixie dust which she then throws at Hook, who starts flying crazily as the two kinds of pixie dust react to each other. As the fairies fly away, Hook angrily swears revenge on them until he is attacked by the baby crocodile, leaving his crew members to laugh at him, much to his dismay. Zarina returns the blue pixie dust to Tink and her friends, before preparing to leave. While all the pirates are imprisoned, Silver discovers he still has Mr. Arrow’s keys and tries to escape with the treasure. Jim confronts him but allows him to leave as long as they never cross paths again, much to Silver’s disappointment. Silver rows away, but not before returning Jim’s compass to him. However, Mr. Arrow informs Jim and Smollett that the boat Silver used was not seaworthy, and Silver is stranded on the island with no gold.
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However, she is offered the chance to return to Pixie Hollow and this time accepts, and helps her friends to sail the ship back to Pixie Hollow where the others are waking up with no recollection of what had happened. Zarina promises not to tamper and experiment with pixie dust again, but is convinced by Tink to show off her astoundingly profound pixie dust abilities one last time. Zarina does so, and in the process, gives Tink and her friends back their original fairy talents, allowing them to put on a beautiful performance to the audience at the Four Seasons Festival. Everyone rushes over to congratulate them, particularly Zarina whose unusually strong and rare talent of pixie dust alchemy is finally accepted and can be who she is.
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The epilogue program starts with Elsa (Idina Menzel) planning to give Anna (Kristen Bell) a surprise birthday party with the help of Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), Sven, and Olaf (Josh Gad); but while Anna is led on a “party treasure hunt” by a string that winds through the kingdom, Elsa has caught a cold, and unknowingly produces a group of small animated snowmen with each sneeze, who begin to dismantle the birthday party’s decorations while Kristoff tries to stop them. While Elsa takes Anna on the hunt, Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf try to control the ‘Snowgies’ and fix the decorations in time for Anna and Elsa’s return. After Elsa nearly falls off a clock tower, Anna convinces her to take rest. While Anna enjoys the party, Elsa sneezes a giant snowball through an alphorn, and stuns Hans (Santino Fontana) overseas; whereupon Elsa rests in bed under Anna’s care. Olaf, Kristoff, and Sven escort the ‘Snowgies’ to Elsa’s ice palace, where they stay with her snow-giant doorkeeper ‘Marshmallow‘ (Paul Briggs).
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With Jim promoted as the ship’s new captain, the crew of the Hispaniola sail away, while Silver is left marooned with only a wisecracking Moai head for company.
Upon an extra scene during the end credits of the film, a drifting Hook comes across an unknown ship at sea. One of the crew members, Mr. Smee, comes to greet him. Taking no notice of Smee’s words, Hook orders to be pulled up into the ship.
People incidents
Richard Dysart (L.A. Law, Wall Street, The Thing) died at home in Santa Monica, California on April 5th, 2015, after a long illness. He was 86.
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Stan Freberg (Looney Tunes, Lady and the Tramp) died on April 7th, 2015, aged 88, at UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica in Santa Monica, California from pneumonia.
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The Legacy Collection: Lady and the Tramp was released exclusively, in association with Intrada Records, on April 28, 2015, as a two-disc album to coincide with the 60th anniversary of Lady and the Tramp. The album includes the film's complete original soundtrack, one demo recording, three "Lost Chords" recordings, and six bonus tracks. The album was released in traditional retail forms on August 21, 2015. Continuing in Walt Disney Records celebrated "Legacy Collection" is their latest deluxe 2-CD release for Lady And The Tramp, 1955's animation masterpiece about warm, funny romance between pampered female cocker spaniel and male stray mutt. With robust, tuneful Oliver Wallace symphonic score surrounded by delightful songs authored by Sonny Burke, sung by Peggy Lee, this delightful movie ushered in Disney's foray into CinemaScope animation storytelling. As new process proved challenging for animation as well as theater presentation, Disney prepared both widescreen versions, "standard" versions with optical sound. This new 2-CD set, presented from flawless original optical mono scoring session elements (as originally recorded), plus stereo imaging of vocals (also as originally presented), captures rousing musical odyssey with crystal clarity! CD 1 offers score, songs from actual soundtrack. CD 2 offers compact disc premiere of original fifties Disneyland Records album of studio re-recorded songs from movie plus "Home Sweet Home" which premiered on Disney's 1997 single disc release. Finally under one roof are all the beloved songs and scoring sequences from an equally beloved animation film icon! As with previous Legacy Collection titles, packaging is "Deluxe" collectable book style with full color illustrations, concept art, notes and more. A fabulous piece of Disney history! Available exclusively from Intrada plus select dealers and Amazon until wide release slated for August 2015.
THE LEGACY COLLECTION: LADY AND THE TRAMP WAS RELEASED EXCLUSIVELY, IN ASSOCIATION WITH INTRADA RECORDS, ON APRIL 28, 2015, AS A TWO-DISC ALBUM TO COINCIDE WITH THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF LADY AND THE TRAMP. THE ALBUM INCLUDES THE FILM’S COMPLETE ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK, ONE DEMO RECORDING, THREE “LOST CHORDS” RECORDINGS, AND SIX BONUS TRACKS. THE ALBUM WAS RELEASED IN TRADITIONAL RETAIL FORMS ON AUGUST 21, 2015.
CONTINUING IN WALT DISNEY RECORDS CELEBRATED “LEGACY COLLECTION” IS THEIR LATEST DELUXE 2-CD RELEASE FOR LADY AND THE TRAMP, 1955’S ANIMATION MASTERPIECE ABOUT WARM, FUNNY ROMANCE BETWEEN PAMPERED FEMALE COCKER SPANIEL AND MALE STRAY MUTT. WITH ROBUST, TUNEFUL OLIVER WALLACE SYMPHONIC SCORE SURROUNDED BY DELIGHTFUL SONGS AUTHORED BY SONNY BURKE, SUNG BY PEGGY LEE, THIS DELIGHTFUL MOVIE USHERED IN DISNEY’S FORAY INTO CINEMASCOPE ANIMATION STORYTELLING. AS NEW PROCESS PROVED CHALLENGING FOR ANIMATION AS WELL AS THEATER PRESENTATION, DISNEY PREPARED BOTH WIDESCREEN VERSIONS, “STANDARD” VERSIONS WITH OPTICAL SOUND. THIS NEW 2-CD SET, PRESENTED FROM FLAWLESS ORIGINAL OPTICAL MONO SCORING SESSION ELEMENTS (AS ORIGINALLY RECORDED), PLUS STEREO IMAGING OF VOCALS (ALSO AS ORIGINALLY PRESENTED), CAPTURES ROUSING MUSICAL ODYSSEY WITH CRYSTAL CLARITY! CD 1 OFFERS SCORE, SONGS FROM ACTUAL SOUNDTRACK. CD 2 OFFERS COMPACT DISC PREMIERE OF ORIGINAL FIFTIES DISNEYLAND RECORDS ALBUM OF STUDIO RE-RECORDED SONGS FROM MOVIE PLUS “HOME SWEET HOME” WHICH PREMIERED ON DISNEY’S 1997 SINGLE DISC RELEASE. FINALLY UNDER ONE ROOF ARE ALL THE BELOVED SONGS AND SCORING SEQUENCES FROM AN EQUALLY BELOVED ANIMATION FILM ICON! AS WITH PREVIOUS LEGACY COLLECTION TITLES, PACKAGING IS “DELUXE” COLLECTABLE BOOK STYLE WITH FULL COLOR ILLUSTRATIONS, CONCEPT ART, NOTES AND MORE. A FABULOUS PIECE OF DISNEY HISTORY! AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY FROM INTRADA PLUS SELECT DEALERS AND AMAZON UNTIL WIDE RELEASE SLATED FOR AUGUST 2015.
John Stephenson (The Flintstones, Dragnet, Jonny Quest) died of Alzheimer’s disease at the age of 91 on May 15th, 2015.
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The Legacy Collection: Disneyland was released exclusively at the Disneyland Resort on May 20, 2015, to coincide with the 60th anniversary of Disneyland. The three-disc album consists entirely of music, songs and audio, featured across a variety of attractions at both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. The album was released in traditional retail forms on August 21, 2015.
THE LEGACY COLLECTION: DISNEYLAND WAS RELEASED EXCLUSIVELY AT THE DISNEYLAND RESORT ON MAY 20, 2015, TO COINCIDE WITH THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF DISNEYLAND. THE THREE-DISC ALBUM CONSISTS ENTIRELY OF MUSIC, SONGS AND AUDIO, FEATURED ACROSS A VARIETY OF ATTRACTIONS AT BOTH DISNEYLAND AND DISNEY CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE. THE ALBUM WAS RELEASED IN TRADITIONAL RETAIL FORMS ON AUGUST 21, 2015.
Anne Meara (Archie Bunker’s Place, The King of Queens, Life Mike) died on May 23rd, 2015 at her home in Manhattan, at the age of 85.
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Salinas, California
On May 26th, 2015, I departed the new-moved apartment and headed down Interstate 5 with my parents and visit Melissa and her friend Brian in Eugene. Then we all headed down to central California. I stayed at the Residence Inn Marriot hotel. I brought a few of the DVDs (Big Hero 6, Frozen & Muppets & Fairies’ Wintery Secret Sing Along Edition, Cars, The Book of Life, Lady and the Tramp (in honor of its 60th anniversary), and The Three Caballeros (in honor of its 70th anniversary)).
I had visits to the childhood vacation places; Aunt Amy’s house and Dennis the Menace playground! I watched our cousin Isabella graduate. Melissa graduated in 2011 and I graduated in 2013. I went to the Northridge Mall to visit the Disney Store and collect the Disney extras (Joy, Sadness, Bing Bong, Fear, Anger, Disgust, and the figurine set from Inside Out (the returning studio’s newest blockbuster by Pixar, set in a mind of a young girl named Riley, due in June 19th, 2015).
At May 30th, 2015, we went home, staying at the motel during the long drive back to Portland.
People incidents
Christopher Lee (Dracula, The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars) died at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital on June 7th, 2015 at 8:30 AM after being admitted for respiratory problems and heart failure, shortly after celebrating his 93rd birthday.
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The Legacy Collection: Cinderella was released as a two-disc album on June 16, 2015, to coincide with the 65th anniversary of Cinderella. The album includes the film's original soundtrack, seven demo recordings, seven "Lost Chords", and nine bonus tracks.
THE LEGACY COLLECTION: CINDERELLA WAS RELEASED AS A TWO-DISC ALBUM ON JUNE 16, 2015, TO COINCIDE WITH THE 65TH ANNIVERSARY OF CINDERELLA. THE ALBUM INCLUDES THE FILM’S ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK, SEVEN DEMO RECORDINGS, SEVEN “LOST CHORDS”, AND NINE BONUS TRACKS.
Inside Out (June 19, 2015 – November 3, 2015)
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Awards: Aacademy Award for Best Animated Feature Winner
MPAA Rating: PG (for mild thematic elements and some action)
Critic Score: cf-lg98% Certified Fresh
Average Rating: 9/10
Consensus: Inventive, gorgeously animated, and powerfully moving, Inside Out is another outstanding addition to the Pixar library of modern animated classics.
Grade: A-
Box office: $857.6 million
Plot
A girl named Riley Andersen (Kaitlyn Dias) is born in Minnesota and within her brain, five personifications of her basic emotions—Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Bill Hader), Disgust (Mindy Kaling), and Anger (Lewis Black)—gradually come to life and influence her actions via a console in her mind’s Headquarters. As she grows up, her experiences become memories, stored in colored orbs, which are sent into long-term memory each night. Her five most important “core memories” (all of which are happy ones) are housed in a hub that power “islands,” each reflecting an aspect of her personality. In Headquarters, Joy acts as a de facto leader to maintain Riley’s cheerful childhood, but as she and the other emotions do not understand Sadness’ purpose (not even Sadness herself), she frequently tries to keep Sadness away from the console.
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At the age of eleven, Riley and her parents move to San Francisco for her father‘s (Kyle MacLachian) new business. Riley has poor first experiences: the new house is cramped and old, the moving van with all their belongings was misdirected, her father is under stress from his business, and a poor encounter at a pizza restaurant leaves her disheartened. When Sadness begins touching Riley’s happy memories, turning them sad, Joy tries to guard them. On Riley’s first day at her new school, Sadness accidentally causes Riley to cry in front of her class, creating a sad core memory. Joy, panicking, tries to dispose of it, but accidentally knocks the other core memories loose during a struggle with Sadness, deactivating the personality islands. Joy, Sadness, and the core memories are sucked out of Headquarters, and taken to the maze-like storage area of long-term memory.
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Anger, Fear, and Disgust try to maintain Riley’s emotional state in Joy’s absence with disastrous results, distancing her from her parents, friends and hobbies, resulting in her personality islands gradually beginning to crumble and fall, one by one, into the “Memory Dump,” an abyss where memories are forgotten. In desperation, Anger inserts an idea into the console prompting Riley to run away, believing that her return to Minnesota will enable her to make new happy core memories.
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Joy and Sadness encounter Bing Bong (Richard Kind), Riley’s childhood imaginary friend, who suggests riding the train of thought back to Headquarters. The three eventually catch the train, but it is derailed when the “Honesty Island” collapses (when Riley steals her mother‘s (Diane Lane) credit card and begins to run away). In desperation, Joy abandons Sadness and tries to ride a “recall tube” back to Headquarters, but the last personality island collapses, breaking the tube, plunging Joy and Bing Bong into the Memory Dump. At the bottom, Joy begins to lose hope, but discovers a sad memory of a hockey game that becomes happy when Riley’s parents and friends comfort her. Joy realizes that Sadness serves an important purpose: to create empathy in others when Riley is emotionally overwhelmed and needs help.
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Joy and Bing Bong try to use Bing Bong’s old wagon rocket to escape the Memory Dump, but after several tries, Bing Bong realizes their combined weight is too much and jumps out, sacrificing himself to allow Joy to escape. Joy reunites with a despondent Sadness and manage to get them to Headquarters, only to discover that Anger’s idea, of running away, has disabled the console, rendering Riley numb and apathetic. To the surprise of the others, Joy has Sadness take charge. Sadness unplugs the idea, reactivating the console, prompting Riley to return home.
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As Sadness reinstalls the (now sad) core memories, Riley arrives home to her parents and bursts into tears, confessing that she misses her old life. As her parents comfort her, Joy and Sadness work the console together, creating a new core memory that combines their emotions; an island forms representing Riley’s acceptance of her new life. A year later, Riley has adapted to her new home, made new friends, returned to her old hobbies, and adopted a few new ones (fueled by new, more nuanced core memories from combinations of her emotions). Inside Headquarters, her emotions all work together on a new expanded console with room for them all, enabling Riley to lead a more emotionally complex life.
People incidents
On June 22nd, 2015, James Horner (Titanic, Field of Dreams, Apollo 13) died at the age of 61 when his S312 Tucano turboprop aircraft crashed into the Los Padres National Forest near Ventucopa, California.
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Minions (July 10, 2015 – December 8, 2015)
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MPAA Rating: PG (for action and rude humor)
Critic Score: rotten56%.
Average Rating: 5.8/10
Consensus: The Minions‘ brightly colored brand of gibberish-fueled insanity stretches to feature length in their self-titled Despicable Me spinoff, with uneven but often hilarious results.
Grade: C+
Box office: $1.159 billion
Plot
Minions are small, yellow creatures who have existed since the beginning of time, evolving from single-celled organisms into beings who exist only to serve history’s most despicable masters. After serving a great deal of masters over the centuries (though they accidentally kill their masters most of the time), they find they enjoy serving humans the most. However, after a disastrous end to their service to Napoleon, the Minions are driven into isolation and decide to start a new life in a massive cave in Antarctica. All goes well at first, but after many years, the Minions become depressed, restless and unmotivated without a master to serve. To regain their dignity and sense of purpose, Kevin (Pierre Coffin), one fearless Minion, decides to set out to find a new master and asks for help. Stuart (Pierre Coffin), a musically inclined Minion who is blissfully unaware of what he has been chosen for, becomes a volunteer, and so does Bob (Pierre Coffin), a young and inexperienced but infectious Minion who tends to befriend anyone he meets and is the only one who knows what Kevin is doing.
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The trio journey to New York where the year is 1968. After spending the day attempting to blend in, the Minions end up in a department store for the night, where, after stacking a lot of random objects atop the TV, they see a hidden commercial broadcast for villains advertising Villain-Con; a convention for villains and supervillains in Orlando. The trio manage to hitchhike a ride with a family of villains called the Nelsons and impress them with their accidental villainy. Once at the convention, they see Scarlet Overkill (Sandra Bullock), the first female supervillain, and they impress her enough for her to hire them. As Scarlet takes the Minions to her home in England, Kevin contacts the other Minions, who later find new boss, but accidentally kill him and are chased out of their cave. They make their way to England to find Kevin, Bob, and Stuart.
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At her home, Scarlet explains the plan to steal St. Edward’s Crown from Queen Elizabeth II (Jennifer Saunders) of England and promises to reward the Minions if they successfully steal it, but later shows through a bedtime story that she would kill them if they don’t. Her husband Herb (Jon Hamm) supplies them with inventions to aid in the heist, but they are nearly caught when they break into the Tower of London, which leads to a highly publicized chase that ends with Bob crashing into the Sword in the Stone and pulling it free, removing Elizabeth II from the throne and becoming King of England. Enraged by this, Scarlet confronts the Minions, who claim that their intention was to give her the crown; Bob changes the law to allow him to pass it to her. Undeterred because she feels betrayed, Scarlet imprisons the three in a dungeon to be tortured by Herb before her coronation, but afterwards, they are left alone and escape with the intention to apologize to Scarlet.
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Making their way to Westminster Abbey, the three of them interrupt the coronation by accidentally sending a chandelier down on Scarlet, who immediately orders their execution. Dozens of villains chase them and Bob and Stuart are caught while Kevin finds his way into a pub. He sees Scarlet on a television, promising that she will kill Stuart and Bob if Kevin doesn’t show up by dawn. Kevin sneaks into Scarlet’s home to steal weapons, but inadvertently triggers an untested machine Herb was building and grows over one hundred feet in height. He tramples through London, rescuing his friends just as the other Minions reunite with them. Scarlet tries to eradicate them, but Kevin defends them, swallowing a massive missile while being pulled through the air by Scarlet’s rocket-powered dress. The missile detonates, apparently killing Kevin and the Overkills. After the Minions briefly mourn him, Kevin reappears, having returned to his normal size.
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Queen Elizabeth receives her place on the throne and crown back and rewards Bob with a tiny crown for his teddy bear and Stuart an electric guitar that he calls a “Mega Ukulele”, and she knights Kevin for his heroism. She suddenly realizes that her crown is missing, and Kevin leads a chase after Scarlet and Herb, who are revealed to be alive and are fleeing through the crowd with the bejeweled crown until they are suddenly frozen in place by a young Gru (Steve Carell), who steals the crown from them and takes off in a rocket-powered motorbike while the Minions stare in awe. Bob gives his crown to the frozen Scarlet, who accepts the gift with joy, as the Minions see Gru as their new potential master and give chase to follow him home.
People incidents
Roger Rees (Cheers, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, The West Wing) died of brain cancer at age 71 at his home in New York on July 10th, 2015.
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The Legacy Collection: Toy Story was released as a two-disc album on July 10, 2015, to coincide with the 20th anniversary of Toy Story. The album features the film's complete original soundtrack, four demo recordings, and three instrumental versions of the film's three songs, as well as liner notes by composer Randy Newman and director John Lasseter.
THE LEGACY COLLECTION: TOY STORY WAS RELEASED AS A TWO-DISC ALBUM ON JULY 10, 2015, TO COINCIDE WITH THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF TOY STORY. THE ALBUM FEATURES THE FILM’S COMPLETE ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK, FOUR DEMO RECORDINGS, AND THREE INSTRUMENTAL VERSIONS OF THE FILM’S THREE SONGS, AS WELL AS LINER NOTES BY COMPOSER RANDY NEWMAN AND DIRECTOR JOHN LASSETER.
Alex Rocco (The Godfather, The George Carlin Show, The Facts of Life) died on July 18th, 2015 from pancreatic cancer in Studio City, Los Angeles, at the age of 79.
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Shaun the Sheep Movie (August 7, 2015 – November 24, 2015)
Awards: Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Nominee
MPAA Rating: PG (for rude humor)
Critic Score: cf-lg99% Certified Fresh
Average Rating: 8.1/10
Consensus: Warm, funny, and brilliantly animated, Shaun the Sheep is yet another stop-motion jewel in Aardman’s family-friendly.
Grade: B
Plot
Shaun (Justin Fletcher), a mischievous sheep living with his flock at Mossy Bottom Farm, is bored with the routine of life on the farm. One day, he concocts a plan to have a day away, by tricking the farmer (John Sparkes) into going back to sleep by counting his sheep repeatedly. However, the caravan in which they put the farmer to bed accidentally rolls away, taking him the entire way into the city. Bitzer (John Sparkes), the farmer’s dog, goes after him, ordering the sheep to stay on the farm until he returns.
The farmer receives a blow to the head and is hospitalized, where he is diagnosed with amnesia, and leaves the hospital. He wanders into a hair salon, where he cuts a celebrity’s hair as if he was shearing a sheep. The celebrity loves it, which leads the farmer to be known as the mysterious hair stylist “Mr. X”.
Meanwhile, the sheep find life impossible without the farmer, so Shaun sneaks on a bus to the city; the rest of the flock follow him on another bus. He manages to disguise them as people and they begin looking for the farmer, but Shaun is captured by Trumper (Omid Djalili), an over-zealous animal-control worker. Shaun is reunited with Bitzer in the animal lock-up, and with the help of a homeless dog named Slip, they escape. They find the farmer, but he does not recognize Shaun, who is heartbroken by his owner’s hostility.
Shaun learns about the farmer’s memory loss, and he and the flock devise a plan, which involves putting the farmer and everyone else to sleep with the sheep-counting trick, returning him to the trailer on a pantomime horse (really the sheep in an elaborate disguise), and hooking the trailer up to a bus returning to Mossy Bottom. The plan is initially successful, but they are pursued by Trumper who becomes insane and intent on killing them outright.
At the farm, the group hide in a shed, which Trumper tries to push into a nearby rock quarry. Fortunately, the farmer wakes up, regains his memory, and through teamwork, Trumper is defeated. The farmer and the animals have a renewed appreciation for each other, and the next day, the farmer cancels the day’s routine activities. Slip leaves, but is adopted by a bus driver who finds her on the road. The animal-control service is turned into animal-protection centre, and Trumper, no longer welcome there, finds work wearing a chicken suit to promote a restaurant.
In a mid-credits scene, the farmer witnesses the events caused by his oblivious self and the animals on the news, as the animals watch in horror.
The Legacy Collection: Pocahontas was released on August 7, 2015, as a two-disc album to coincide with the 20th anniversary of Pocahontas. The release includes the film's complete original soundtrack and five demo recordings.
THE LEGACY COLLECTION: POCAHONTAS WAS RELEASED ON AUGUST 7, 2015, AS A TWO-DISC ALBUM TO COINCIDE WITH THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF POCAHONTAS. THE RELEASE INCLUDES THE FILM’S COMPLETE ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK AND FIVE DEMO RECORDINGS.
People incidents
Susan Sheridan (The Black Cauldron, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Noddy’s Toyland Adventures) died on August 9th, 2015, from breast cancer, aged 68.
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D23 Expo (2015)
The fourth D23 Expo was held on August 14th-16th, 2015 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios presented first looks of The Good Dinosaur, Finding Dory, Zootopia & The NeverZootropolis Legend, Moana, Toy Story 4, and Coco. Marvel Studios presented footage from Captain America: Civil War and stills from Doctor Strange, while Lucasfilm presented a look at Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Walt Disney Pictures showcased Alice Through the Looking Glass, The Jungle Book, Beauty and the Beast, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Pete’s Dragon, The Finest Hours, and The Queen of Katwe. In addition, the logos for The Incredibles II and Cars 3 were revealed. Disney Interactive held presentation on several video games, namely Star Wars: Battlefront, Disney Infinity 3.0, and Kingdom Hearts III. The presentations featured new in-game footage, trailers, and reveals. The presentations also included surprise announcements and special guests. At the conclusion of the Walt Disney Studios presentation, Iger made a surprise announcement that Disney was developing a new Star Wars themed land for both Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
The Legacy Collection: The Aristocats was released on August 21, 2015, as a two-disc album to coincide with the 45th anniversary of The Aristocats.[3] The album features the film's complete original soundtrack—released for the first time in its entirety—as well as, eight "Lost Chords" and five bonus tracks.
THE LEGACY COLLECTION: THE ARISTOCATS WAS RELEASED ON AUGUST 21, 2015, AS A TWO-DISC ALBUM TO COINCIDE WITH THE 45TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARISTOCATS. THE ALBUM FEATURES THE FILM’S COMPLETE ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK—RELEASED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ITS ENTIRETY—AS WELL AS, EIGHT “LOST CHORDS” AND FIVE BONUS TRACKS.
Eugene
At August 19th, 2015 (the month of the D23 Expo), I departed from the new-moved apartment and head on to visit Melissa’s new apartment at Eugene with my mom. We went to visit Hirxons gift shop and visit the University of Oregon. I brought a portable DVD player and a few DVDs (Home, the Walt Disney Animation Studios Short Film Collection (Frozen Fever, Feast, Get a Horse! with Mickey, Paperman, Tangled Ever After, The Ballad of Nessie, and How to Hook a Movie Theater with Goofy) (in honor of its upcoming projects announced in the D23 Expo, Zootopia & The NeverZootropolis Legend and Moana), The Black Cauldron (in honor of its 30th anniversary and the honor of Princess Eilonwy’s Susan Sheridan’s death in August 9th)). We went to the mall and see Minions.
Hotel Transylvania 2 (September 25, 2015 – January 12, 2016)
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MPAA Rating: PG (for some scary images, action and rude humor)
Critic Score: rotten54%.
Average Rating: 5.3/10
Consensus: Hotel Transylvania 2 is marginally better than the original, which may not be enough of a recommendation to watch 89 mintues of corny, colorfully animated gags from Adam Sandler and company.
Grade: B
Box office: $473.2 million
Plot
Some time after the first film, Mavis (Selena Gomez) and her new fiancé Johnny (Andy Samberg) are finally married, with the approval of her father Dracula (Adam Sandler), and the world becomes aware of (and unfazed by) the existence of monsters. Mavis later reveals to Drac that she is pregnant and a year later, she gives birth to a baby boy named Dennis (Asher Blinkoff), who later befriends Wayne’s daughter Winnie (Sadie Sandler). Nearing his fifth birthday, Dennis has yet to grow his fangs and Drac worries that his grandson might not gain vampire powers. Noticing the dangers of Transylvania, Mavis starts to consider raising Dennis where Johnny grew up, much to Drac’s disapproval.
Drac tells Johnny (who doesn’t want to leave the hotel either) to bring Mavis to California to visit the in-laws, Mike (Nick Offerman) and Linda (Megan Mullally), but to make sure to keep her distracted so that she will not move, leaving Drac to babysit Dennis. Drac enlists his friends, Frank (Kevin James), Wayne the Werewolf (Steve Buscemi), Griffin the Invisible Man (David Spade), Murray the Mummy (Keegan-Michael Key) and Blobby the Blob (Jonny Solomon) to help train Dennis to become a monster, to no avail. Drac takes Dennis to his childhood summer camp, Camp Winnepacaca, where he learned to hone his vampire abilities, and discovers that the camp is safer than it was when he went there. Drac stubbornly believes Dennis is a “late fanger”, so he hurls Dennis from a tall, unstable tower to pressure the boy’s transformation into a bat. Dennis does not transform, and Drac has to fly and rescue him at the last second. The stunt is filmed by the campers and uploaded to the internet, which eventually reaches Mavis and Johnny. Mavis transforms into a bat to fly her and Johnny back to Transylvania. Drac and his friends reach the hotel a couple of seconds after Mavis. She confronts her father for putting Dennis in grave danger and his inability to accept that he is human. She states she will move out of the hotel after Dennis’ fifth birthday the following Wednesday.
Mavis invites Vlad (Mel Brooks), her grandfather and Drac’s father, to Dennis’ birthday party. As Vlad is much worse than he was when it comes to humans, Drac tells Johnny to have the human party-goers disguise themselves as monsters. Vlad receives the invitation and arrives with his monstrous bat-like servant Bela (Rob Riggle) to meet his great-grandson for the first time. Meeting him, he believes that fear will cause Dennis’ fangs to sprout and possesses a stage performer dressed as Dennis’s favorite television monster, “Kakie the Cake Monster,” to scare Dennis, but Drac shields his grandson at the last moment and exposes the deception to Vlad, who is outraged that Drac has accepted humans as guests in his hotel. Drac confronts his father about how humans are different now.
Mavis becomes upset with her grandfather’s behavior (regretting inviting him to Dennis’s birthday party) and while the family argues, Dennis sadly flees the hotel (followed by Bela) and enters the forest with Winnie in tow, hiding in her treehouse, but they are attacked by Bela, who mistakes Dennis for a human. When Bela injures Winnie and threatens to destroy the hotel, Dennis’ anger causes him to instantly grow his fangs and his vampire abilities manifest. He begins to fight Bela, who calls his giant-bat minions. Drac, Mavis, Dennis, Johnny, the rest of the monsters and (some of) Johnny’s family team up to defeat his minions. A livid Bela then attempts to kill Johnny himself with a stake, but Vlad appears, having been won over by what Drac had said to him, and shrinks him to a harmless size and allows the Werewolf Kids to lick him nonstop.
With Dennis having vampire abilities, Mavis and Johnny continue to raise him in Transylvania, and they resume the party with his friends.
People incidents
Diagnosed with colorectal cancer, Kevin Corcoran (Old Yeller, Pete’s Dragon, Sons of Anarchy) died of the illness aged 66 in October 6th, 2015.
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October 13, 2015
OCTOBER 13, 2015
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On October 24th, 2015, Maureen O’Hara (How Green Was My Valley, Miracle on 34th Street, The Quiet Man) died in her sleep at her home in Boise, Idaho from natural causes. She was 95 years old.
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The Peanuts Movie (November 6, 2015 – March 8, 2016)
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MPAA Rating: G
Critic Score: cf-lg87% Certified Fresh
Average Rating: 7.1/10
Consensus: The Peanuts Movie offers a colorful gateway into the world of its classic characters and a sweetly nostalgic – if relatively unambitious – treat for the adults who grew up with them.
Grade: B
Box office: $246.2 million
Plot
When the Little Red-Haired Girl (Francesca Capaldi) moves into his neighborhood, Charlie Brown (Noah Schnapp) becomes infatuated with her, though worries his long-running streak of failures will prevent her from noticing him. After Lucy (Hadley Belle Miller) tells him he should try being more confident, Charlie Brown decides to embark upon a series of new activities in hope of finding one that will get the Little Red-Haired Girl to notice him. His first attempt is to participate in the school’s talent show with a magic act and Snoopy (Bill Melendez) helps as well as Woodstock (Bill Melendez). However, when Sally‘s (Mariel Sheets) act goes wrong, Charlie Brown sacrifices his time for her, then rescues his sister from being humiliated, although he humiliates himself in return. Charlie Brown subsequently decides to impress the Little Red-Haired Girl with dance skills, so he signs up for the school dance and gets Snoopy to teach him all his best moves. At the dance, Charlie Brown starts to attract praise for his skills, but then he slips and sets off the sprinkler system, causing the dance to be cut short and all the other students to look down upon him once more.
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Later, Charlie Brown is partnered with the Little Red-Haired Girl to write a book report. At first, he is excited to have a chance to be with her, but she is called away for a week to deal with a family illness, leaving Charlie Brown to write the report all by himself. Hoping to impress both the Little Red-Haired Girl and his teacher, Charlie Brown writes his report on the collegiate-level novel War and Peace. At the same time, Charlie Brown finds he is the only student to get a perfect score on a standardized test. His friends and the other students congratulate him, and his popularity begins to climb. When he goes to accept a medal at a school assembly, however, he learns the test papers are accidentally mixed up and the perfect score actually belongs to Peppermint Patty (Venus Omega Schultheis); Charlie Brown declines the medal, losing all his new-found popularity. His book report is later destroyed by a Red Baron model plane, and he admits to the Little Red-Haired Girl he has caused them to both fail the assignment.
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Before leaving school for the summer, Charlie Brown is surprised when the Little Red-Haired Girl chooses him for a pen pal. Linus (Alex Garfin) convinces Charlie Brown he needs to tell the Little Red-Haired Girl how he feels about her before she leaves for the summer. Racing to her house, he discovers she is about to leave on a bus for summer camp. He tries to chase the bus, but is prevented from reaching it. Just as he is about to give up, thinking the whole world is against him, Charlie Brown sees a kite fall from the Kite-Eating Tree, and the string becomes entangled around his waist and sails away with him. Amazed to see Charlie Brown flying a kite, his friends follow.
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Upon reaching the bus, Charlie Brown finally asks the Little Red-Haired Girl why she has chosen him in spite of his failures. The Little Red-Haired Girl explains she admires his selflessness and his determination and praises him as an honest, caring, and compassionate person. The two promise to write to one another; Charlie Brown’s friends catch up to him and crowd around to congratulate him before picking him up on their shoulders and carrying him away at the end of the film, finally accepting him as a true friend.
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In a side story, Snoopy decides to write a novel about the World War I Flying Ace, trying to save Fifi (Kristin Chenoweth) from the Red Baron with Woodstock and his friends’ help. The story parallels Charlie Brown’s mishaps, as Snoopy runs into problems with Fifi along the way. He ends up acting out his adventure, coming across Charlie Brown and the gang several times along the way. He defeats the Red Baron and rescues Fifi from an airplane. Lucy narrates the story and when the story finishes, she throws the papers behind her and calls it the dumbest story she ever read just because it is about a flying dog, so Snoopy throws the typewriter at her as payback for insulting his story.
Disneyland Resort, Anaheim: The Holidays (2015)
The mission for hard work had been accomplished with our best teamwork ever and my dreams of going to Disneyland for the diamond 60th anniversary had finally came true! Waiting for the iPad to return since separation in March 2015, I reunited and got it back.
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On November 16th, 2015 (just three days after the holiday season in Disneyland kicks off this season), I left Emily’s apartment with her and we went to the Portland International Airport. As completed tee-am work, Emily and I joined Natalie board the plane heading for Santa Ana in southern California. We finally arrived at Disneyland Resort (now celebrating its 60th anniversary) in Anaheim and stayed in the Fantasy Tower in the Disneyland Hotel. I brought a few DVDs (Inside Out, Toy Story That Time Forget, Aladdin, Tangled & Muppets & Fairies Treasure Autumn (in honor of its 5th anniversary) and the downloaded Intrada Records soundtrack of Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure (in honor of its 6th birthday), Frozen & Muppets & Fairies’ Wintery Secret & Never Muppetational Pirate w/ Frozen Fever, Finding Nemo (in honor of the sequel next year), the Toy Story trilogy (Toy Story, Toy Story 2, and Toy Story 3) (in honor of the first film’s 20th anniversary in November 22nd and the 5th anniversary of the third film), Up, Fantasia & Fantasia 2000 (in honor of the classical’s 75th anniversary), and Frosty the Snowman (in honor of its 45th anniversary)).
Since The Good Dinosaur (the new Pixar film about dinosaurs that never become extinct) is coming out in Thanksgiving, we watch the exclusive sneak peek at Disney’s California Adventure and the shops in Disneyland had just released its merchandise and I collected the soundtrack and some stuff (including Arlo the young Apatosaurus, the caveboy named Spot, the Tyrannosaurus rex Butch, Thunderclap the pterodactyl, Forrest Woodbush the Styracosaurus, and Bubbha the Velociraptor), plus the Frozen mega figure playset (Anna, Coronation Anna, Elsa, Coronation Elsa, Kristoff, Olaf, Sven, Hans, the Duke of Weselton, Grand Pabbie, Oaken, Marshmallow, Bulda, Young Anna, Young Elsa, King Agnarr, Queen Iduna, Young Kristoff, and Young Sven). Around Downtown Disney AMC Theatre, we see The Peanuts Movie (in honor of its comic’s 65th anniversary and A Charlie Brown Christmas‘s 50th anniversary) and Pinocchio in 3D (in honor of the masterpiece’s 75th anniversary). To honor its anniversary, I collect some extras, including Figaro, Jiminy, the Blue Fairy, and Cleo. In honor of its final Diamond Edition release and the starting of the Walt Disney Signature Collection, I collect Snow White and stuff from Aladdin (Jasmine, Aladdin, Genie, Jafar, Abu, Iago, Rajah, and Elephant Abu). To honor the Disney Fairies film series, I will have the downloaded soundtracks of Legend of the NeverBeast and The Pirate Fairy and the very rare Disney Tinker Bell Never Land Music Jewelry Box (that plays “You Can Fly”) from eBay.
The first day started and we went to Disneyland Park and went on Indiana Jones Adventure, Tarzan’s Treehouse, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion Holiday, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Splash Mountain, the King Arthur Carrousel, Peter Pan’s Flight, Pinocchio’s Darling Journey, Alice in Wonderland, It’s a Small World Holiday (in honor of 18 years), Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin, Space Mountain, Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage (to honor its sequel next year), and Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters and went shopping at It’s a Small World Toy Shop and the Emporium at Main Street USA. The next day starts and we went to Disney’s California Adventure Park and went on Toy Story Midway Mania!, The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Undersea Adventure, Soarin’ Over California, the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue!, Muppet*Vision 3D, Frozen Fun (even Wandering Oaken’s Trading Post), Disney Animation, and Radiator Springs Racers at Cars Land and we went shopping in the World of Disney at Downtown Disney. It’s beautifully amazing that make me feel more joyful and I finally found peace!
At November 20th, 2015 (before five days until The Good Dinosaur is released and six days until Thanksgiving), I and Emily departed Anaheim and flew back to Portland.
The Good Dinosaur (November 25, 2015 – February 23, 2016)
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MPAA Rating: PG (for peril, action and thematic elements)
Critic Score: cf-lg77% Certified Fresh
Average Rating: 6.5/10
Consensus: The Good Dinosaur delivers thrillingly beautiful animation in service of a worthy story that, even if it doesn’t quite live up to the lofty standards set by Pixar, still adds up to charming, family-friendly entertainment.
Grade: B
Box office: $332.2 million
Plot
In an alternate timeline, the asteroid that would have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago passes safely over Earth.
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Millions of years later, two Apatosaurus named Henry (Jeffrey Wright) and Ida (Frances McDormand), who are farmers, watch as their three eggs hatch into children: Libby (Maleah Padilla), Buck (Marcus Scribner), and the runt Arlo (Raymond Ochoa). Unlike his siblings, Arlo has trouble adjusting to farm life; while the others are successful and allowed to “make their mark” (a mud-print on the family’s corn silo), Arlo’s timid nature makes even his simple tasks difficult for him, so Henry attempts to give Arlo a sense of purpose by putting him in charge of guarding their silo from critters, and helps him set up a trap. The trap manages to capture a feral caveboy (Jack Bright), but Arlo doesn’t have the heart to kill him, and sets him free. Disappointed, Henry takes Arlo to track the caveboy, leading them into a ravine where it begins to rain. Arlo injures himself, and Henry decides to turn back, but a massive flash flood occurs, and Henry only manages to save Arlo before being swept away and killed.
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Without his father, Arlo must shoulder more of the workload. He spots the same caveboy inside the silo and, blaming him for his father’s death, chases him until both of them fall into a river. Arlo cannot swim, and is quickly swept downstream where he hits his head on a rock and is knocked unconscious. Waking up, he is dismayed to find himself far from home and tries to survive on his own with minimal success, becoming trapped when a boulder pins down his leg. Arlo awakes to find his leg has been freed, and the caveboy appears with food for him to eat. The caveboy then leads Arlo to a berry tree, where the caveboy fends off a large snake, amazing Arlo, and also impressing a nearby Styracosaurus (Peter Sohn), who wants to keep the boy. The eccentric older dinosaur forces Arlo to compete with him to give the boy a name he will respond to, which Arlo finally wins when he calls him “Spot”, and the Styracosaurus relents. Arlo and Spot bond, as Arlo laments his lost family, and Spot reveals that his own parents are dead. When a thunderstorm strikes, though, Arlo runs away in fear, and loses the riverbank he has been following home.
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The next morning, Arlo wakes up to find Spot at his side. They are noticed by a band of pterodactyls, consisting of their leader, Thunderclap (Steve Zahn), who appear to be conducting a rescue operation but turn out to be savagely carnivorous. When the pterodactyls try to take Spot, Arlo and Spot flee, happening upon a pair of Tyrannosaurus named Nash (A.J. Buckley) and Ramsey (Anna Paquin), who ward off the pterodactyls. Nash, Ramsey, and their father Butch (Sam Elliott) have lost their herd of longhorns, so Arlo offers Spot’s help in sniffing them out. They locate the herd, but Butch recognizes the work of cattle rustlers, and uses Arlo as a lure. Arlo and Spot attract the attention of the rustlers – a pack of Velociraptors – allowing Butch and his family to attack. During the fight, Arlo musters his courage and fends off two raptors who have overwhelmed Butch, helping to turn the fight in their favor. Having gained their respect, Arlo joins the T. Rexes in driving the cattle south when he sees the familiar mountain peaks of his homeland in the distance, and leaves with Spot to return home. Along the way, Arlo and Spot encounter an adult feral caveman in the distance, and though Spot shows interest, Arlo dissuades him and they continue on.
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As another storm approaches, the pterodactyls return and attack, this time managing to carry Spot away. Arlo becomes entangled in some vines, where he has a vision of Henry leading him back home. Arlo instead resolves to save Spot, making the vision of his father proud before he fades away. Arlo wakes up filled with determination, and finds and attacks the pterodactyls, who have cornered Spot at the river. Arlo and Spot manage to overpower the pterodactyls, plunging them one after another into the water where they are swept helplessly downstream. Another flash flood occurs, triggering a massive torrent to approach. Despite his fear, Arlo leaps into the water to rescue Spot as the two are swept away toward a waterfall. Arlo protects Spot as the two fall, and carries him to shore.
As they approach Arlo’s home, the two again hear the unknown caveman call, and are approached by an entire caveman family. With great reluctance, Arlo pushes Spot to join his kind, and the two of them share a tearful goodbye. Arlo finally arrives back home to his mother and siblings, and makes his mark on the silo between those of his mother and father.
People incidents
Robert Loggia (Jagged Edge, Scarface, Big) died on December 4th, 2015, of complications from Alzheimer’s disease, at his home in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, aged 85.
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Nicholas Smith (Are You Being Served?, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Doctor Who) died on December 6th, 2015 following seven weeks of hospitalization for a head injury from a fall at his home in Sutton, London.
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Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (December 18, 2015 – April 5, 2016)
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MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for sci-fi action violence)
Critic Score: cf-lg92% Certified Fresh
Average Rating: 8.2/10
Consensus: Packed with action and populated by both familiar faces and fresh blood, The Force Awakens successfully recalls the series’ former glory while injecting it with renewed energy.
Grade: B
Box office: $2.068 billion
Plot
Approximately 30 years after the destruction of the second Death Star, the last remaining Jedi, Luke Skywalker, has disappeared. The First Order has risen from the fallen Galactic Empire and seeks to eliminate the New Republic. The Resistance, backed by the Republic and led by Luke’s twin sister, General Leia Organa, opposes them while searching for Luke to enlist his aid.
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Resistance pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Issac) meets village elder Lor San Tekka (Max von Sydow) on the planet Jakku to obtain a map to Luke’s location. Stormtroopers commanded by Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) destroy the village and capture Poe. Poe’s droid BB-8 (Bill Hader and Ben Schwartz) escapes with the map, and encounters the scavenger Rey (Daisy Ridley) near a junkyard settlement. Ren tortures Poe using the Force, and learns of BB-8. Stormtrooper FN-2187, unable to bring himself to kill for the First Order, frees Poe, and they escape in a stolen TIE fighter; Poe dubs FN-2187 “Finn” (John Boyega). They crash on Jakku, and Finn survives, but is unable to determine if Poe did as well. He encounters Rey and BB-8, but the First Order tracks them and launches an airstrike. Finn, Rey, and BB-8 flee the planet in the Millennium Falcon, which they steal from a junkyard.
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The Falcon breaks down and is captured by a larger ship piloted by Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), looking to reclaim their former vessel. Two rival gangs, seeking to settle debts with Han, board and attack, but Han and company manage to escape in the Falcon. The gangs inform the First Order of the events. At the First Order’s Starkiller Base – a planet converted into a superweapon that harnesses energy from stars – Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis) orders General Hux (Donhnall Gleeson) to use the weapon for the first time. Snoke questions Ren’s ability to deal with emotions relating to his father, Han Solo; Ren replies that Solo means nothing to him.
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The Falcon crew views BB-8’s map and determines it is incomplete. Han explains that Luke attempted to rebuild the Jedi Order, but exiled himself when an apprentice turned to the dark side. The crew travels to the planet Takodana and meet with cantina owner Maz Kanata (Lupita Nyong’o), who offers assistance in getting BB-8 to the Resistance. Rey is drawn to a vault on the lower level and finds the lightsaber that once belonged to Luke and his father Anakin Skywalker. She experiences disturbing visions and flees into the woods. Maz gives Finn the lightsaber for safekeeping.
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Starkiller Base fires and destroys the Republic capital and fleet. The First Order attacks Takodana in search of BB-8. Han, Chewbacca, and Finn are saved by Resistance X-wing fighters led by Poe, revealing that he survived the earlier crash. Leia (Carrie Fisher) arrives at Takodana with C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) and reunites with Han and Chewbacca. Meanwhile, Ren captures Rey and takes her to Starkiller Base, but when he interrogates her about the map, she is able to resist his mind-reading attempts. Discovering she can use the Force, she escapes using a Jedi mind trick on a nearby guard.
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At the Resistance base on D’Qar, BB-8 finds R2-D2, who has been inactive since Luke’s disappearance. As Starkiller Base prepares to fire on D’Qar, the Resistance devises a plan to destroy the superweapon by attacking a critical facility. Leia urges Han to return their son alive. Using the Falcon, Han, Chewbacca, and Finn infiltrate the facility and plant explosives. Han confronts Ren, calling him by his birth name, Ben, and implores him to abandon the dark side. Ren kills Han, enraging Chewbacca, who fires and hits Ren. He sets off the explosives, allowing the Resistance to attack and destroy Starkiller Base.
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The injured Ren pursues Finn and Rey to the surface. A lightsaber battle between Ren and Finn ensues, leaving Finn badly wounded. Rey takes the lightsaber and uses the Force to defeat Ren, before they are separated by a fissure as the planet begins to disintegrate. Snoke orders Hux to evacuate and bring Ren to him. Rey and Chewbacca escape with Finn in the Falcon. On D’Qar, the Resistance celebrates while Leia, Chewbacca, and Rey mourn Han’s death. R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) awakens and reveals the rest of the map, which Rey follows with R2-D2 and Chewbacca to a distant planet. She finds Luke (Mark Hamill) and presents him with the lightsaber.
People incidents
On December 23rd, 2015, Michael Earl (Sesame Street, Dinosaurs, Team America: World Police) died at the age of 56 from colon cancer, which he had for three years.
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Redlands, California (2015)
I struggled after Melissa and Brian marries illegally on December 8th, and after Han Solo is killed by Kylo Ren when I saw The Force Awakens. I choose to go to Eugene to spend Christmas with her instead of spending with my family in Redlands.
At December 22nd, 2015, before three days until Christmas, I left 3705 NW Columbia Ave with my dad and went to Portland International Airport where I board the airplane heading for San Bernardino. I brought a few of DVDs (Inside Out, Minions, Spy (another R-rated film), Cars, The Three Caballeros (in honor of its 70th anniversary), A Charlie Brown Christmas (in honor of its 50th anniversary), The Little Drummer Boy, Kung Fu Panda and Kung Fu Panda 2 (in honor of its sequel in January), and the Star Wars saga (The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith, A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, in honor of its seventh episode, The Force Awakens)). I stay with my grandma Joan, my aunt Amy, my uncle Jaime, and Isabella at 972 Lolita Ave. We visited Joshua Tree National Park and see Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens.
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At December 27th, 2015, the trip ends and we head back to Portland.
Eugene
The next day, I departed on the train and head to Eugene and visit Melissa. I brought a few DVDs (Inside Out, WALL-E, Mr. Peabody & Sherman, The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends, and Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town (in honor of its 45th anniversary). We celebrate our late Christmas party and early New Year’s Eve. We went to visit Hirxons gift shop and the mall and see The Good Dinosaur and went late gift shopping for the Precious Moments and Peanuts books and a music box and some of the Jedi workout gear from the Star Wars saga.
At December 30th, 2015, I took the bus back to Portland.
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