Rapunzel

Since I began with the oldest Disney Princess, it is only suiting that I ended the week with the youngest and my favorite, Rapunzel.

Rapunzel is another Brothers Grimm fairy tale from Germany. There was once a couple who desperately wanted a child that lived next to an enchantress, Dame Gothel, who had a large garden . When the couple finally was with child, the wife suddenly had cravings for the plants in the garden and wanted them to the point where she was near death. The husband, who loved his wife, crept into the garden for three nights to bring her some of the plants. On the third night he was caught by the enchantress and demands that the couple give them the child upon birth and he agrees to do so. The enchantress raises Rapunzel until she is 14 and then locks her in a tower because she is so beautiful.

The enchantress visits Rapunzel by saying "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair, so I may climb the golden stair"and Rapunzel lets down her hair.

One day, a prince is riding by and hears Rapunzel singing. He searches for her, memorized by her voice until he sees how Dame Gothel enters the tower. The prince then enters the tower the same way Dame Gothel does and asks Rapunzel to marry him, she agrees.  The couple plans their escape where the prince will bring Rapunzel silk every night to weave into a ladder. The way the enchantress discovers the two has many different variations including that Rapunzel foolishly let's information slip about the prince and others where she says that her dress is getting tight around her stomach (pregnancy). The enchantress is furious and cuts off Rapunzel's hair.

When the Prince returns later that night, the enchantress fools him by letting down Rapunzel's hair and screams he will never see Rapunzel again, blinds him and throws him out of the tower. After months of wandering the desert, he hears Rapunzel singing. They are reunited at last and her tears heal his eyes and he discovers she has given birth to twins. They soon get married and live happily ever after.

The Disney version is obviously kid friendly with no blinding or teen pregnancies. Rapunzel is also a stronger character in Tangled  than she is in the original story. Go girl power!

Fun Facts:
Tangled (Disney's version or Rapunzel) is Walt Disney Pictures 50th full length animated feature.

Mandy Moore, who played Jamie in Nicholas Sparks' A Walk to Remember is the voice of Rapunzel.

There is a short titled Tangled Ever After that is about the Royal Wedding of Princess Rapunzel and Flynn Rider that was featured during the 3D theatrical performance of Beauty and the Beast.

Belle

One of my favorite princesses: Princess Belle!

Belle's story begins as a traditional French fairy tale. There was a rich merchant with three daughters, the youngest being Beauty (Belle) who was lovely and kind while her sisters were selfish and wicked. The merchant then lost all of his money and had to move himself and his daughters to a small town. While on a business trip the merchant asked his daughters if they wanted anything.  The two older sisters were selfish and wanted jewels and fancy dresses while Belle only wanted a single rose.

The merchant, on his way back, became lost and stumbled upon a castle where he was allowed to stay. He was given some riches yet when he went to pick the most beautiful rose for Belle, the mysterious Prince (who was actually a Beast) appeared and demanded either his life or one of his daughters to come of their own accord.  The merchant reluctantly agreed and returned home where Belle was the one to volunteer to go.

Upon arrival Belle was given anything she wanted, she was no prisoner yet he asked her every night to marry him.  After a few months, Belle grew homesick and wished to return home. The beast agreed only if she took a magic mirror and ring and if she returned in one week. When Belle returned home, she was dressed in such fine clothes, her sisters became jealous and forced Belle to stay home by crying, wishing that Belle would stay with them in hopes that the beast would become angry and eat her. Because of Belle's kind heart, she stayed. The beast became heartbroken and when Belle looked into her mirror to check on the beast, she found that he was dying and returned to him, crying over him stating she loved him. The beast then turned into a handsome prince and they got married and lived happily ever after.

Fun Facts:

Beauty and the Beast was the first animated film to win Best Motion Picture at the Golden Globes.

The dance between Belle and the prince in the final scene is actually reused animation from Sleeping Beauty's  last dance between Aurora and the Prince because the animators were running out of time.

According to the Official Encyclopedia of Disney the Beast's real name is Adam, but it is never mentioned in the film.

Ariel

Under the sea. Under the sea! It's Ariel!

Another princess from the early '90's.. well 1989 but still! Oh childhood! And much like other Disney Princesses, she has a dark original story by Hans Christian Andersen.

There was once a young mermaid who lived with her father King Triton, her grandmother and her five sisters. When a mermaid was able to turn 15 they were able to swim to the surface to observe humans. The humans were fascinating creatures with life spans shorter than a merperson's but had an eternal soul. The little mermaid (Ariel) was fascinated by the human world and on her trip to the surface witness a storm and saved a young prince's life. She saved the young prince's life by bringing him to a temple but the prince never saw her face.

Part of Your World

The little mermaid, now in love with the prince goes to the sea witch in exchange for legs and a human life which the sea witch gladly gives her a potion, in exchange for her tongue and that she can never come home. The little mermaid makes the deal and drinks the potion which makes her feel like she is being cut in half.  She then lives on land and the prince is attracted to her beauty.  His father however, orders him to marry a princess in a neighboring country. The prince refuses to marry the other princess claiming he will only love the woman who saved him. It is then revealed that the princess was staying in the temple that the little mermaid brought him to and the prince, believing it was her who saved him, marries her.

The little mermaid, now heartbroken, wishes to return to the sea so her sisters give their hair to the sea witch in exchange for a knife. The little mermaid is instructed to kill the prince and let his blood drip on her feet thus returning her to mermaid form. The little mermaid cannot complete the task however and throws herself into the ocean where she dies and becomes a spirit and must wait 300 years before entering heaven.

No one lives happily ever after except for the delusional prince and foreign princess. The end.

Needless to say, I am glad Disney changed the ending to be a happy one.

Fun Facts before you get too depressed:
There are many adaptations of The Little Mermaid including the Disney version, a musical, a ballet, and many, many books and spinoffs (many with happy endings).

There is a Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea.


There is slight controversy with the original cover of the VSH, with statements that a part of the castle looked like a male's member. There is also a scene later in the movie that shows a small bulge (like an erection) on a clergy member and a woman filed a lawsuit against the corporation, only to drop it two months later.

Jodi Benson also did the voice for Vanessa (Ursula's human voice) and 'Tour Guide Barbie' in Toy Story 2.

Happy Ending.

Julie Andrews and The Colbert Report

Julie Andrews on The Colbert Report to talk about Princess Week and her new books.

Julie Andrews also sings with Stephen Colbert.



This is fantastic. Thank you Meghan Lima.

Cinderella

Now for the popular favorite... the second official Disney Princess... Cinderella! 

Where do I even begin with this girl?

Cinderella or The Little Glass Slipper was first published in France in 1697 by Charles Perrault but is known throughout many different countries with small twists to each of them. Cinderella continues to influence many modern stories such as A Cinderella Story. Because there are so many different versions, I'm going to stick with the Brothers Grimm version (like I have done for the other princesses).

When Cinderella's mother was dying, she called her to her death bed and asked Cinderella to always remain kind and generous and God would protect her. Cinderella's father after some time, married another woman that had two daughters of her own, like the classic Disney tale, they were all wicked and cruel (...This never ceases to amaze me how dumb the father was to marry into this mess). Cinderella plants a hazel tree at her mothers grave and goes to it three times a day to pray.

One day the King decides to throw a ball for the land, wanting his son to choose a girl to marry. All eligible women are asked to attend. Cinderella begs her stepmother for permission to go and the stepmother threw lentils into the fireplace ashes stating that Cinderella could only attend if she picked them all out within an hour. With help from two white doves, Cinderella accomplishes the task the stepmother quickly rushes out with her two stepdaughters leaving Cinderella weeping. When Cinderella returns to her mothers grave wishing to go, the birds drop a sliver gown and gold shoes (pimped out) down from the tree and assists Cinderella but she must leave before midnight. She goes to the ball and falls in love with the prince.

Cinderella loses track of time and runs out losing a shoe in the process.  The Prince goes on a quest to find her and tries the shoe on her stepsisters feet first. In order for the shoe to fit, one stepsister cuts off her heel and the other cuts off her toe. The prince was only alerted to the trickery by the birds. The prince comes back a third time and Cinderella tries on the shoe and the prince instantly recognizes her (really dude?).  They are soon married and the stepsisters try to gain favor with the prince and new princess but the doves swoop down and peck out their eyes. And they lived Happily Ever After.

Into the Woods (a musical) follows this plot (intertwined with others of course) pretty well in terms of Cinderella.

The Disney version seems to follow Perrault's version (it has a fairy Godmother and such).

Fun Facts:
In the Disney movie: Cinderella's bed sheet has patches, but when the birds fold it, the patches are gone.

Ilene Woods, voice of Cinderella, got her show biz start at age 2 and quit at age 17 when she married and became a mother!

Facts from IMDB and story help from Wikipedia.

Tiana

Oh my word... it's Princess Tiana!

Tiana is the first African-American Disney Princess and is the second official Disney Princess that is American (her story is set in New Orleans, Louisiana).

Tiana getting ready to kiss frog prince Naveen

The Princess and the Frog is based off of The Frog Princess by E.D. Baker published in 2002.  In The Frog Princess there is a clumsy princess who has magical powers and is being forced to marry a stuck up prince. She runs away to a swamp where she meets another prince whom she loves but he is a frog. To change him back, she kisses him but turns into a frog herself.  The two then go on a quest to find the witch who originally put the spell on the prince.  They reverse the spell and live happily ever after.

Original Story

As you may or may not have guessed The Frog Princess is based off of a fairy tale story The Frog Prince by the Brothers Grimm. In this story, a spoiled princess makes friends with a frog who magically transforms into a prince (it's the other way around in The Princess and the Frog). Modern versions say the prince transforms when the princess kisses him but the Brothers Grimm love to make everything gruesome.  The frog actually transforms when the princess throws it against the wall in disgust (a common folkloric trait of undoing shapeshifting magic), other versions say the frog stayed on her pillow for a night.

Fun Fact:
Many high profile celebrities were considered for the voice part of Tiana such as Jennifer Hudson, Tyra Banks and Alicia Keys.  Anika Noni Rose finally won the part in 2007.

Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen 

Jasmine

Next up for Princess Week is... Princess Jasmine!

Princess Jasmine first appeared in Aladdin in 1992  about a young man who was extremely poor living in the fictional city of Agrabah and comes upon a Genie that turns him into a prince in order to be with Princess Jasmine. However, the evil Jafar has other plans and attempts to thwart Aladdin.  In the end, good triumphs over evil and Aladdin and Jasmine live happily ever after!

Unlike the other princesses that will be featured this week, Jasmine is the only princess to be a secondary character, coming after Aladdin. She is also the only official Disney Princess to be a secondary character as well.

Princess Jasmine is based off of the character Princess Badroulbadour from the tale of Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp from One Thousand and One Nights which is a collection of Middle Eastern and South Asian stories.


In the original tale, Aladdin is persuaded by a sorcerer to obtain an oil lamp that is trapped. When the sorcerer attempts to double cross him, Aladdin retains a magical ring that contains a lesser powerful Genie.  The Genie helps Aladdin to become rich and powerful and will eventually marry the Emperor's daughter, Princess Badroulbadour. The sorcerer then battles with Aladdin with the more powerful Genie of the Lamp but Aladdin and Princess Badroulbadour win in the end and live happily ever after.

Fun Facts:

Scott Weinger, the actor who voiced Aladdin, also played DJ Tanner's boyfriend on Full House.

Jasmine was the first Disney Princess to be voice by two actresses, Linda Larkin provided her speaking voice and Lea Salonga provided her singing voice.

Lea Salonga also provided the singing voice for Mulan and was Fantine in Les Meserables: The 25th Anniversary (my mind has been blown).

Snow White

What a better way to start Princess Week than with the original Disney Princess herself: Snow White?

As with any of the original fairy tales (Especially the Grimm's Fairy Tales), Snow White's story has taken many alterations since it's original debut in 1812 with the Brothers Grimm in Germany. Although there are many alterations, the very basic plot remains the same.

Snow White is an extremely beautiful princess with a very jealous stepmother. The stepmother demands a huntsman to take her into the woods and kill Snow White after the queen's magic mirror tells her that Snow White is the fairest in all the land (so she can eat her lungs and liver for dinner, GROSS). The huntsman takes pity on her and let's her go.  Snow White then find seven dwarfs living together to help her.  When the queen discovers that Snow White is alive and well, she creates a poisoned apple that Snow White eats and falls into a coma. The dwarfs place in a glass coffin until Snow White's prince arrives (and takes her back to his kingdom where the ride jostles the apple out of her throat) and kisses her awake (in the Disney version). The queen then dies by being burned alive (not in the Disney version). They then live Happily Ever After.

Grimm's Fairy tale

Snow White has multiple movies made about her such as the popular Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs released in 1937 but also has a  play, special appearances, spin off's (Sydney White), is known worldwide, and even video games!

The most recent adaptations of Snow White include Once Upon a Time, an ABC original series that puts fairy tale characters into reality due to a curse cast by the evil queen (I HIGHLY recommend you watch this), Mirror, Mirror (this one has Julia Roberts), and Snow White and the Huntsman (this one has Kristen Stewart, I may avoid this as long as possible).

SUCH A GOOD SHOW

Kristen Stewart looking bored 

Looks Promising

Like most fairy tales, Snow White is very gruesome (the dying of the queen, wanting to eat the liver and lungs, etc.) but was transformed by Walt Disney for a children's film and also preserved the original fairy tale (to some degree).

Fun Facts:

The total cost of Snow White was 1.5 million dollars and Walt Disney had to mortgage his home in order to pay for the extra costs. The film then pulled it 8 million dollars at the box office.

Adriana Caselotti voiced Snow White for Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs  and was blacklisted by Disney so that the voice of Snow White could not be ruined by being hear too much. She had one voice over, uncredited in The Wizard of Oz with the line "Where for out thou, Romeo?' in the Tin Man's song (source).

Happily Ever After <3

Princess Week

Is this for real? Are all of our Disney Princess-loving hearts going to burst with joy?

The answer my friends is yes.

Disney, Target, and the beloved Julie Andrews have come together to create National Princess Week April 22-April 28.

To assist in the celebration I will be honoring a Disney Princess a day.

Please note that these are not all princess

Julie Andrews

Now for the hard decision of picking only 7! DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY DISNEY PRINCESSES THERE ARE?!

There are 10 official Disney Princesses BUT I don't think that Mulan counts. Mulan was just a badass. But hey, who am I to judge who is and who isn't a princess?

Personally, I count 14 but then again I could have missed someone or excluded someone... and then there are the non-Disney Princesses...

Also! Here is Julie Andrews discussing Princesses.

Tanning

Is it really that bad?

I just went tanning for the first time in my life and I was scared.
1. Because I am a hypochondriac and 2. I fear I will burn to death

But the second and third times (with no color change I must add) I finally was able to relax like I would in the sun.

Why am I tanning?

I have been pale all of my life and I am traveling to Europe (Italy and Spain) this summer. It's really hot over there and really sunny.

I personally do not want to get skin cancer in Europe because I am not used to a higher exposure of sun, nor am I willing to go through any amounts of sunburn pain while on vacation which brings me to the question, is tanning bad? How much is too much?

I think if you are getting a base tan (like I am) it is completely fine but if you are going everyday for a year and turning into leather, that is bad. A base tan can provide a small layer of protection against a nasty sunburn when the sunscreen unknowingly wears off.

I have personally see a mixture people who say one or the other.  Here is one that says all tanning is bad news while this one says that  talks about both.

I have seen versions where the final picture is a leather couch

There are always going to be positives and there will always be negatives.  Like everything... It's okay in moderation.

What do you think?

You Can Do Anything, But Not Everything

Some may say I'm crazy. And I probably am. I do a lot of things at school and for after school. I think it comes with being a perfectionist too.

Some of what I do includes: 20 credits of classes (except this quarter, I have replaced that with 40 hours of work), 20 hours of work, SRA (which includes 20 hours a week), Planning the best trip to Europe possible, producing RIT Players shows, being in RIT Players shows, having a boyfriend, a social life (surprising I know), and a million and 5 other things.

I'm pretty sure most of the time I'm under the delusion that I am Superwoman (and I am don't let anyone fool you).

However, some things that help me avoid burning out:

1. Coffee
And lots of it, especially when I have had a long night.

2. 3-4 calendars and Planners
That I update. Constantly.  Time management is essential and it is best to plan ahead as much as possible. Bring at least one calender or planner to each event.

3. Great boyfriend and friends
Gotta get lucky here <3

4. Little to No naps
It's so easy to veg out. Don't! Or at least don't do it as often.

5. Remember to eat and sleep
Self-explanatory

6. Take a little time for yourself
There are times where I shut my door and lay on my bed to do work or just watch something fun

7. Have a social life
No one likes a party pooper. Bump some time around in your planners and calendars for some fun time!

8. IT'S OKAY NOT TO DO EVERYTHING. KNOW YOUR BOUNDARIES.
"You can do anything, but not everything"- David Allen
So keep that in mind when you are committing to things and delegate

8 is especially hard for me to do. I love being involved in everything and helping with everything but there comes a point where you have to consider that you need to pick your top 3 or so and go from there.

Do you find it hard to not commit to all of the things like I do?

Countdown

50 Days 

Until Becky and I fly out of Syracuse, NY to NYC, NY to 
London, England

Oh my gosh... more planning needs to happen....

GO!

I can't believe this is happening!

I still need to:

Make sure my credit card company knows
My banks know
Deactivate my phone for that time period
Buy plane tickets according to the plan
Buy train tickets or a bus pass
Talk to my family more
Make sure I know what I'm taking
DON'T OVERPACK LIKE ALWAYS

Do you have any suggestions for Becky and I's 10 week journey?

Post it below!

Make Your Own Organizer

One day, a long time ago, I moved into the RIT residence halls. I noticed the shelf space was incredibly deep. Deep enough to fit human bodies in!

My friends and I goofing off

See! See!

So I decided to make this 2 years later. One: because I'm cheap and two: because I like arts and crafts. 

I made this!

I was annoyed that every time I wanted a different scent of lotion or needed my nail polish remover I would knock everything down in the process. While it still has some mess involved, it is much neater and I can fit more things on the shelf!

                             

Start with a care package box your loved ones sent you. If they don't love you go buy one for cheap!

Cut off all of the flaps.

Begin covering the box in pretty paper of your choice. I used leftover scrapbook paper. My colors were green, pink and orange.  To hold the paper in place, I taped it down with clear tap. Can't see anything can you!?

The edges unfortunately stick out so you will have to cover them separately.

Here is the tricky part! Remember those flaps you cut off the box? They now go inside the box! Cover them with fancy like paper and then MAGIC. 

I taped all of my inside flaps to the box with clear tape. I do admit it became frustrating for a while but it is worth it!

This part is hard if you are using tape. If I were to do this project again, I would probably use a glue gun instead but that can get messy!

I decided that I wanted a 3 compartment organizer, so I cut another flap in half, covered it to make it look pretty and taped it in similar to the first.

And BAM! A pretty cheap organizer for your use.  

This has made my room look so much nicer and the compartments in the closet so much more useful!

Questions? Comments? Concerns? 

Post them!

If you make your own, I would love to see it!