Zootopia: A Movie Review

For many years, great lessons have been passed down to people of all ages through the stories known as fables. In a fable, morals of every day life are represented through the actions of animals. From the Lion and the Mouse to the Tortoise and the Hare, stories have taught us the values of living, and the impact of our choices in every day life. 

Zootopia is a brilliant modern day fable, and some of the best writing I have seen from Disney in a very long time! I can easily praise this film's well rounded characters, imaginative yet familiar world and the valuable lesson that the story tells. 

Judy Hopps is a young bunny with a dream, and she follows that dream completely. Her actions, and her choices really make the film special, but she doesn't carry the story of the movie alone. Nick Wilde, a clever and sly fox has his own tale woven into the plot, but it's not obvious at first glance. These two characters make such a team, and their team work made the movie for me. Both of these characters were well written, and their personalities, although very different, fill in what the other is lacking from resourcefulness to adaptability.

I would argue that this film is my favorite new Disney film so far. Big Hero 6 is a close second. 

Go see it! Everyone should see this movie, because it is so important to recognise the impact of your choices, and your perspective on life. Now, more than ever, we have so many problems that relate to the conflict in this film, but the way the conflict is solved, that's something we all can do. It's a beautiful message  told in a creative and clever way. Go see this movie! 

Five out of five carrots! 

The Year in Review

This year was filled with lessons, reflections and choices. 

I began the year with my friends in South Korea, norebanging- (karaoke) and finishing my project for my trilogy. 

In January I finished my trilogy- plot wise. 

In Feburary I celebrated Lunar New Year at the Gold Buddha Temple.

I made a wish... 

 and I saw Hong Kong Disneyland! 

I reflected on my life so far at the Lotus statue: 

In March, I focused on my new story based on Cupid and Psyche- I visited a beautiful Buddhist private school with my friend Whitney and drew inspiration for my Korean Fairytale story: 

In April, I explored Jeju island! 

And I saw my favorite flowers: Cherry Blossoms around South Korea! 

In May, I become an Agent of Shield! 

 And I reflected on my experience teaching English in South Korea: 

In June, I visited my friend Becca

 explored San Francisco, 

and I went to Disneyland for their 60th anniversary courtesy of my friend Becca :) 

In July, I went to the Dragon Boat festival: 

Began researching butterflies . . .

And my friend Kim came to visit! We went to a cool Mythology exhibit! 

In August, I did a lot of soul searching, and writing.

September came with many changes . . . 

I lost someone very dear to me . . . 

My Uncle Huey, who loved great stories, comic book heroes, and his daughter Jamie. 

October was a soul searching month as well . . . 

I met some cool people . . . 

I landed a job close to my home away from home: 

I witnessed a beautiful wedding for someone I've known all my life: 

In November I started a new life in a new place: 

Faced some dragons. 

And in December I found the force again . . .

I learned a lot about gratitude

Saw some beautiful things. And hope to be more grateful for each day I have. 

For the new year: 

My resolutions are

1. Publish my novel

2. Practice more gratitude

3. Listen to my heart

4. Never give up

5. Keep Moving Forward

On Time Travel (Possible Spoilers)

In honor of Back to the Future day, I've decided to reflect on time travel.

What would it be like to go back or forward in time? 

Besides Back to the Future, this phenomenon has been explored in several movies, books and tv shows. 

The idea that time is a fragile line that should not be altered is the theme of the short story "A Sound of Thunder" by Ray Bradbury. 

In the story, a hunter named Eckles goes back in time to hunt a dinosaur, and he changes the time stream with one action that snowballs into a catastrophic future. 

It is possible that "the butterfly effect" theory came from a moment in the story where Eckles steps on a butterfly, and the time he once knew becomes something completely different. 

Harry Potter had an interesting take on the consequences of time travel, and what rules should be followed for a person (or wizard) to stay sane. He was allowed to go back in time to save lives, as long as he stayed out of sight.  

But he wouldn't have been alive if he hadn't gone back in time. 

In the third book, Harry saves himself, believing that he was saved by someone else. In the time stream, because Harry didn't see who saved him, he was protected from the bizarre event of meeting another version of himself. 

Sailor Moon also does this when she goes to the future, and saves not only her future self, but her future child. Naoko breaks all the rules when her future and present self speak, but they don't talk for long. Usagi's daughter, however, constantly talks of her life in the future while she is in the past, and she possibly influences the events that she believes happend just by speaking them. 

This idea was also explored in Meet the Robinsons, but with a positive effect. Because Lewis sees his future, and meets his future self, he is able to let go of his doubt and stop living in the past. Because Lewis saw how bright his future was, and how easily he could influence it, he started his journey to the future by moving forward instead of looking back. 

Doctor Who plays with time travel constantly, but there are rules that the doctor must follow in order to keep time from changing too drastically. There are always consequences to the Doctor's actions. 

Here's a fun theory they played with in a recent episode: 

That's the appeal of the show, and the character of the Doctor. He can go anywhere, and he has the power to do anything along the timestream, as long as he doesn't alter history in a bad way. 

Mr. Peabody and Sherman had a lot of fun messing with time. Sherman learned history by actually seeing it, and meeting the people who made it happen. 

One writing prompt I did, in a college writing class was to write a letter to my past self. It's strange, because that letter will never be seen by my past self, but in writing that letter, I realized just how much I had changed, and how I had stayed the same. 

If someone could mess with time, they have this crazy power to change anything. They could change major historic events, but the consequence could be devastating. They could change their own decisions, but then they may not be the same person. 

I have never written a story that messes with time, but it is interesting to entertain the idea. 

What would it be like? 

I think it would be intimidating. If you could change anything, and create whatever you wanted, you are closer to a god than a human. 

But it's also a huge responsibility. you must keep track of events and make sure that you don't alter history or how life is supposed to go. 

But how is life supposed to go? Is that something we have invented due to past experiences? Or is it a future prediction we have yet to reach?

Disney entertained the idea in Tommorowland that ideas themselves have the power to create the future, and the more positively we think, the more amazing and positive the future will be. I think there is some truth to that, at least in terms of an individual. 

If you don't believe that you can do something, then you won't. You will make excuses, you will allow fear to hold you back, or maybe its just something you don't want to do, so you don't, and naturally it doesn't happen. 

But if you believe you can do something, then you start to try. You may fail, try again and if you don't give up, you will accomplish it. Goals, dreams and wishes come true when they are persued. But they are only persued if you believe it is possible. 

No, it's not rocket science, but it is one of the most common morals and lessons in time travel stories. Events happen, but it is up to us to decide the meaning in them. One event may be forgotten, while another could live on forever, remembered as a holiday or an important moment in history.

The time that matters most is now. Because what we do today is a step toward the future, whatever that future might be. 

The Dragon Pearl

I found the necklace near a stream, when I was out for a walk, far from the village. 

I was only seven then, and I was already the talk of the town. 

"Why does she daydream so much?" the villagers asked. "Doesn't she know that's a sign of the mystic world?" 

Of course I knew, but I couldn't help it. I was, after all, only seven. So I went to the outskirts of the forest, wondering what lie beyond the houses and gardens that I saw everyday. 

First, there was a stream, with a waterfall that mumbled like an old man. 

And there, in the water, near the edge, I saw something shining. I pulled out the object, admiring the silver dragon, curled around the most beautiful pearl I had ever seen. It seemed to glow as the sun came out from the clouds. 

"You shouldn't be here." a voice said. 

I looked up from the pearl, and I saw a boy. He was no ordinary boy. I knew that from his strange outfit. It looked fit for a prince. Two blue dragons adorned the belt of a pearl white silk robe. His hair was not pulled back, but he stood straight, unafraid of anything. 

"That belongs to me." he said, pointing at the necklace. 

"Oh." I said. I had forgotten what I was holding. 

"Who are you girl?" he asked, "And why are you here?" 

"My name is Shimcheong." I said, "Who are you?" 

The boy stared for a moment, then he scratched his head. 

"My name would be . . . difficult for you to pronounce. You can call me Yong." 

"Hello Yong." I said, smiling. It was rare that I met someone my own age, or at least someone who looked like it. 

He smiled, and held out his hand.

I gave him the necklace and he laughed. 

"Do you know what this is?" he asked.

"It's a dragon pearl." I said, "but why is it here?"

"I'm surprised that you know it." Yong said, "Not many people talk of the dragons anymore."

"My mom did." I said. "They were my favorite stories."

"That's fascinating." the boy said. "But I'm afraid I can't tell you why the pearl is here." 

"Why not?" I asked, stomping my foot. 

He smiled at me again. 

"Because I don't know." he said. 

"Is it yours?" I asked. 

"It might be." he said. 

I stared at him. 

He stared back, and handed me the necklace. 

"Will you hold on to it for me?" he asked. 

I stared at him. 

"Why?" I asked. 

"Because it chose you." he replied. 

As he handed me the necklace, I thought I saw the silver dragon wink at me. 

"You must keep it safe. Until I return." Yong said. 

I nodded and placed the pearl in the palm of my hand. 

"I will." I said. 

"Good." Yong replied. 

But, when I looked up, he was gone, and I didn't see any footprints on the ground where he stood. 

As I walked back to the village, hiding the necklace in my hanbok. I thought I had spoken with a ghost. 

At first, I went to the stream every day, searching for Yong. But, as the years passed, and no one came, I visited the stream less often

When I turned sixteen, the crops began to go bad, and my father slowly went blind. 

The villagers began to whisper that I was bad luck, and my father and I did what we could to manage the farm, but we soon had no choice but to sell it. 

People said that the Dragon King was angry, and the clouds blocked the sun. No farm did well that year, and as my father and I moved from the farm to a hut near the village gate, I began to wonder if I held the key to our salvation. 

One night, when the wind howled and the rain poured, I pulled out the necklace. 

The silver had never tarnished, and the pearl still glowed. I stared at the dragon, closed my eyes and made a wish. 

Thats when it all began. 

Descendants: A Disney Channel Original Movie Review

Okay. I'll admit that when I first saw the pictures for the film, I was not so sure about it. I was already invested in Once Upon A Time, Ever After High, and following the University Ever After web series. All are good by the way. 

Descendants has a few similarities to Ever After High. But fairytales have been around for generations. 

Mal is Malificent's daughter, and the narrator of the story. She has a big name to live up to, and she's constantly putting pressure on herself to live up to her mother's name. She starts out living under her mother's shadow, along with Evie, the Evil Queen's daughter, Carlos, Cruella DeVil's son and Jay, Jafar's son. As the villians pressure their kids to be like them, the kids show off their own hobbies, but none of them are thrilled when they have to live among the goody goodies of the world. 

Ben, Beauty and the Beast's son invites the kids to have a second chance, and to write their own stories. But the kids see this as an opportunity to make their parents proud. 

Malificent is, of course, the mastermind and her plan is for the kids to steal the magic and break the barrier between the island and the kingdoms. 

Mal takes it upon herself to be the leader of the operation, and they get the welcome to the school that they expect. No one wants to be with the Villians' offspring. 

The only person who treats them like people at first is Ben. He really believes that they will try their best to be good students and decide what they want to do in their own lives, without the bad influence of their parents. As time passes, Mal is torn between knowing good from bad, and the call of her heart versus the call of her head. 

This movie was several things: 

1. Disney having fun with Disney- It had a similar atmosphere as Enchanted, with a High School twist. 

2. A character study- what are Mal and company really like? Who will they choose to be?

3. A commentary on the power of choosing who you are.

4. A fun musical: If Only and Did I Mention are my favorites :)

If Only (Spoilers) 

Did I mention (Spoilers) 

I enjoyed this movie. Especially for what it was, and I hope that I can help write the sequel. It would be fun to explore what happens next, as the second generation decides who they want to be. 

I give it five out of five chocolate chip cookies. :)

Happy Birthday Harry Potter and JK Rowling!

Today is a special day in literary history. It is JK Rowling's birthday, and Harry Potter's birthday!

Harry Potter holds a special place in my heart. As I read the books, I grew up with Harry, and I shared his adventures with my father. Ron was my spirit animal, Hermione was my role model, and Hogwarts was always there when I wanted to read about magic, adventure and heroism. 

Not only did Harry Potter's story inspire me, but the story of JK Rowling herself. She began writing Harry Potter during a very difficult time in her life, when she wasn't sure how long her next paycheck would last, but she never gave up on her story, and once it was published, it became a source of inspiration around the world. 

I was part of the generation that was the same age as Harry when the first book came out, and I remember the day I first saw it at the school library, sitting on a display of many other fantasy books. I picked it up, read the back, and then I couldn't put it down. I showed the book to Dad that very day, and he had finished it the next day. After that, we bought the book, and waiting for the next one became an event. 

Dad would read them first, because he was a faster reader than I was, and then we would talk about the books when I finished reading them.

The second book was one of the scariest for me because of the giant spiders!

The third book was one of my favorites, and Sirus Black and Professor Lupin were my favorite characters. 

I remember Dad warning me not to read the fourth book at night while we were on a hike in the mountains, but of course I did anyway, because the story was so intriguing, and Harry was so brave.

The fifth book made me cry, and I remember having to put the book down for a moment in tribute to a great character.  

The sixth book was the most difficult to read when Dumbledore told Harry something that was impossible until it happened. 

There was only one book that I didn't discuss with my Dad right after I read it. I was at the Disney College Program when the last book came out, and during my day off, I found a nice park and read the book for the whole day. As I read, I thought of home, and for awhile Disney became Hogwarts in my imagination.

I was able to talk to my Dad about it on the way back from the program, and I remember feeling sad that it was over. 

But the movies kept coming out, so Hogwarts was not truly gone, and even then I knew that all stories must end, and I had to find a new series to read. Still, Harry Potter remains a very significant part of my childhood, and I enjoyed talking with my Dad about what would happen next, and how Harry would defeat Lord Voldemort. 

Once the news announced just how Harry Potter was published, I became determined to publish my own epic story, and now JK Rowling is on my list of role model authors. I later learned that she was inspired to write through the works of C.S. Lewis and JRR Tolkien: two amazing authors with epic stories to their names. 

JK Rowling is an amazing writer, and one day I would like to meet her, shake her hand and thank her for creating a magical, powerful story that can be read and enjoyed by all ages. 

Happy Birthday JK Rowling. 

Happy Birthday Harry Potter. 

Thank you for the magic. 

Adversity

What is adversity? 

Well, it's anything that seems to be an obstacle in your path. Anything challenging to you that makes you think, and any sort of change that is not easy to adapt to. 

Every protagonist faces adversity, whether it's a difficult choice or a looming monster challenging them to battle. 

So what do you do, when a monster is staring you in the face? Do you run? Do you challenge it? Or do you pretend it isn't there? 

Many people deal or don't deal with adversity in many ways. Some people judge others by how they deal with adversity. 

But why is adversity so important in stories? Because adversity is important in life. 

The way a person deals with adversity, and the way they choose to reflect on it really can make a difference in the way they live their life, and how they view it. 

I'm going through adversity myself, but it may not seem serious: instead it's a bit embarassing. I almost accepted a false job. So I was scammed. What was the first thing I did? Did I rise up and say no? Did I make a decision right away?

No. I panicked. I began to say horrible things to myself ("You were an idiot." and "You let this happen.") 

But did that help me deal with the adversity? Absolutely not. 

It's normal to be overwhelmed when adversity rears its head, but it's not healthy to determine that it is your fault. This is a natural response, but it doesn't do anything for you. 

Sure you can complain, vent, and blame others, but that still doesn't work. 

So how do you handle a difficult situation? 

One way to handle it, is to accept it, and use it. 

This way is not often taught in schools, or even in everyday media. But the thing about accepting adversity is that you can find meaning in it. That meaning becomes a part of who you are. 

It's like leveling up in video games, and the hero's path in novels. Every conflict you face is a part of your story, and your journey. Each conflict is a step toward finding who you are, and just how far you can go. 

Now, my brush with adversity is minor compared to others.

My brother has Autism. And I can't tell you how many times my brother, my family and I were judged, ridiculed, and ignored because of it. 

We live in a society where different is often ostracized. And now that Autism is becoming more recognized, and less "abnormal" future Autisic children will never have to deal with some of the ignorance and indifference of the school systems that we did.

But that's not the point. 

The point is, my brother struggles with things that are not a struggle to other people. And because of this, he believes that he will not succeed in living a normal life. 

His adversity is a constant battle with acceptance, and just as we all struggle to accept ourselves, so my brother deals with outward and inward ridicule. 

I learned a lesson while working in Korea about the response that kids had to adversity. 

In my students' cases. Many of them didn't want to learn English. But when I reasoned with them, and agreed that English was difficult, but I believed they could learn it: things changed. 

Did I have to do this? No. But I did, because I understood that when you are faced with adversity, the last thing you want to be told is "you can't". I was offered no guidance, and no extra counseling with these students, but through daily encouragement and positive feedback, they got better. 

Now, we're all human, and no matter what problem we face, people will tell us to deal with it, but maybe that's just another way to call it a burden or obstacle. 

Instead, you can think of adversity as a tool. 

As Aimee Mullins explains in this video: instead of asking "How can I get around this?" we can ask "What can I do with this?". 

Seeing adversity, difficulty and even failure as a step toward self discovery may be just the perspective that inspires you to use it. Adversity is the opportunity to write your own story.  

OUAT: Dark Swan Theory

It's been a while since I've written a theory, but this trailer convinced me.

SPOILERS AHEAD! FOR ALL SEASONS OF ONCE UPON A TIME

First off, this video does a great job pin-pointing all the major dark moments in Emma's life. From her doubt in herself to her loses and the rejection of her power.
Once Upon A Time has been Emma's story from the first episode, and each trial brings her closer to the light. She has yet to deal with darkness.
Due to her circumstances, Emma has felt abandoned for most of her childhood, and it caused her to grow tough and guarded as an adult. As she walks the path of a hero, Emma learns that accepting her life and role as it is will only happen when she stops doubting herself. This is her first step down her own path of becoming a hero. The second step was to accept her past, and she used that knowledge to save her son from the darkness. The third step is learning what she can do. She must embrace her magic and accept it as a part of who she is. It took a long time for her to do this, and she still struggles with accepting herself as a hero, a mother and a magic user at times.

But this season will be her most difficult challenge of all: embracing her dark side. As she did sacrifice herself to the darkness, becoming the hero that she knew she could be, she still had issues with accepting her heart. This childlike part of Emma is always pushed away, and now, with darkness to tempt it, we will see this side of her character.

This is our first look at Emma, and already she seems a little childish, playing a cruel game of hide and seek. Her expression reminded me of Peter Pan when he is testing Hook. She acts on impulse as well, and before he can blink, the guard is dead. This is a scary moment to witness, because despite her act, Emma instantly regrets what she has done. You see it in her expression, as she stands there, staring at him.
There's another interesting detail in this scene: the diamonds.
Something to keep in mind here is that Emma did not become the Dark One to be evil. She did it to save Storybrooke, and the darkness seeped into her soul.
Each dark one has an element that is related to the soul tied to the darkness. For Rumple, it was gold. For Emma, it looks like it will be diamonds.
Diamonds are symbolic for healing, shining from within and they reflect light.
The word diamond relates to the word adamas, which means unbreakable or unalterable in Greek. 

So the diamond is a specific symbol for Emma, in the fact that it disperses light. 

Emma was made of light and love, and her soul is still in there, probably constantly battling the darkness. She is still aware of her actions, as we see in this clip, but she is surrounded by so much darkness, darkness that has been growing for centuries, that she is unsure how to stop herself. 

It's already been confirmed by the writers that Emma will slowly turn dark, so this clip may be way later in the series, when it is more difficult for her to resist out of pure exhaustion. 

I beleive that the child side of Emma, feeling abadoned and lost will become the shadow side that the darkness will attach to, but the diamonds are Emma's own strength, light within the darkness.

I hope this series reveals the reason Merlin believed that the only way to contain this horrible evil thing was to tether it to a human soul, because it seems to have a conscious of its own. 

Because Emma is more light than dark, the darkness will eat at the light for a long time, but I think Dark Swan will be a projection of Emma's childhood self, the self she pushed away for a long time. 

In Once Upon A Time true love does conquer all, but I'm not sure they will do a true love's kiss for this one. It didn't seem like that would work for Rumple, and it probably won't work for Emma. 

It will probably be exactly what Emma said to her parents and to Killian that will at least reach out to her. They will have to find the light in the darkness to save Emma. 

And now for Regina's role as saviour. This is an interesting story arc. We've seen Regina be a hero, but I imagine she still has demons to fight from her dark past. She may be Emma's only hope because she has been part of the darkness, and it nearly consumed her. (And she's not lying on the ground unconcious like Rumple) 

I think the big moment in season 5, and the theme they have been going for since season 3 really, is the acceptance and love of the self. To love yourself as who you are. To accept your faults and weaknesses. 

This was a similar motiff for Riku's story in Kingdom Hearts, and Lightning's story in Lightning Returns. Emma will probably have to accept her shadow side, and her parents, son and pirate will probably help her with that. It is the most difficult battle for any character to face, and it may be balanced through Regina's new role. 

While Emma embraces the dark, Regina must embrace the light. 

This is just a theory, but it comes from being a writer, a reader and an observer of characters. 

The shadow is the scariest and most challenging villian for a character according to Carl S Jung. There are only two ways that stories have invented to defeat it: accepting it or banishing it. 

This darkness was already banished by Merlin, so my theory is it will only be defeated once it is accepted. 

That said, I'm both thrilled and wary of this season. It looks pretty dark. 

An interesting twist would be Merlin needing to embrace his dark side, or his dark magic. I hope Morgana is involved because she is known to be his worst nemesis. Who knows, maybe she taught Maleficent how to be dark. 

It will be interesting to see how they portray Emma's dark side, and how the characters will react. 

Captain America: A Good Man

Today is July 4th. Independence Day, and the birthday of Steve Rodgers or Captain America. 

Cap'n is my favorite Avenger. And it's not just the man in the suit, or Chris Evans. 

It's his character. 

Captain America begins as Steve Rodgers, a man who wants to serve his country, but lots of obstacles stand in the way. He is physically weak, he has asthma, and he loses a lot of fights with bullies. But he doesn't give up. He goes to many army enlisting booths and changes his name, age, health and tries until he gets caught by Dr. Eskvine. 

Doctor Erskine asks him why he wants to enlist in the army, and this is Steve's response. 

"I don't want to kill anyone. I don't like bullies. I don't care where they're from." 

It is this repsonse that convinces Erskine to choose Steve Rodgers to be first super soldier. 

Despite Erskine's choice, Steve doesn't pass challenging physical tests, but the moment he takes a "grenade" for the team, his true strength is revealed: the test of character. 

Before Steve takes the serum, and becomes a super soldier, Doctor Erskine tells him: 

"The serum amplifies everything that is inside, so good becomes great; bad becomes worse. This is why you were chosen. Because the strong man who has known power all his life, may lose respect for that power, but a weak man knows the value of strength, and knows... compassion." 

As Chris Evans says, "He's good for the sake of good." This is why Captain America is such an amazing character. He does the right thing, and he never gives up. 

Once he finds out that his best friend Bucky has been captured, he goes after him, proving that he can lead troops into battle and stop Schimdt from conquering the world. 

Once he suceeds in saving Bucky, Steve becomes the soldier he always wanted to be, and more than that, a captain.

He also teams up with the incredible Peggy Carter, and he defies more and more of Schmidt's plans for HYDRA. But when Steve loses Bucky, he becomes even more determined to foil Schimdt's plans. 

But the ultimate act of good for good's sake is when Steve manually crashes Schimdt's plane to save millions of lives from the bombs that Schimdt set up in the plane. 

Captain America saved the world, but he paid a price: seventy years of his life. 

He wakes up in modern day America, with a new goal- to maintain the dream he had and to adapt to the changes that the world has gone through while he was gone. 

The first challenge he faces after waking up is to work with others on the Avengers project. 

He gets a lot of slack from the other heros for being old fashioned, but as Agent Coulson put it, "The world could use a little old fashioned." 

SHEILD wants him to work for them, but Steve doesn't trust their secrets. 

He goes to Peggy and tells her, "For as long as I can remember I just wanted to do what was right. I guess I'm not quite sure what that is anymore." 

A new challenge is presented to Steve when SHEILD is comprimised, and he faces his most challenging enemy, his best friend Bucky, brainwashed and weaponized. 

Steve must determine what he believes is the right thing to do, and he decides to stay true to himself and do what he believes is right. 

While saving SHEILD from HYDRA, Steve says, "The price of freedom is high, but it is a price that I am willing to pay." 

In that moment, Steve Rodgers is himself again, and he knows what he wants to do. 

Before Doctor Erskine gave Steve the serum he said, "I want you to promise me one thing. No matter what happens after tomorrow, you will stay who you are, not a perfect soldier, but a good man." 

Captain America is a great hero because he strives to be the best he can be. This is an admirable trait, and the mark of a great hero.