#FanArtFriday: Disney Edition!

Since Annabell and company will be heading to Disney this week, we've decided to celebrate our LOVE and frankly, OBSESSION with all things Disney with some really AMAZING fanart *hehe*

Pocahontas and John Smith (via Athena on Digital Art)

Absolutely GORGEOUS piece! It's so intimate and soft. Would love to have this hanging on our walls!

Ariel (via Disney Fan Art)

We are HUGE fans of the Little Mermaid and this drawing of Ariel is STUNNING! We are TOTALLY in love with the pops of color and the transparent feel it gives off. It's so well detailed and reminds us of anime ;)

Disney themed Sailor Scouts (Sailor Moon) (via Disney Pop Art)

Eeeeep!! We LOVE LOVE LOVE Sailor Moon so to find fan art that merges our love for Disney AND one of our favorite shows growing up, we couldn't help but nerd out over it!!

Frozen themed Harry Potter (via Rebloggy)

We aren't 100% sure this is actually Harry Potter themed but it looks so close to HP school that we're just gonna go with it *hehe* LOVE LOVE LOVE the crossover between Disney and Harry Potter, especially considering our MASSIVE obsession with Harry Potter!! It's so cute to see the Frozen characters dressed in regular uniforms.

Recap Monday: #OUAT Season 4, Ep. 1

Where: ABC

Day: Sundays

Time: 8PM

So yesterday was Sunday (Duh!) but the reason that’s important to mention is because it also happened to be the day season 4 of Once Upon A Time (OUAT) premiered on ABC.

*cue more squealing* *cue clapping excitedly*

The new season of OUAT centers around the characters from the epically successful animated movie FROZEN. (In case you were living under a rock and weren’t aware). The show starts off where the FROZEN movie left off and exactly where season 3 of OUAT ended.

Episode in a Nutshell: Belle and Rumple are on their honeymoon. Emma is avoiding Captain Hook (and her feelings! Come on Emma!! A man that gorgeous deserves to be kissed nonstop *hehe*) and attempting to make amends with Regina after she accidently destroyed her potential happy ending with Robin Hood after bringing back his wife from the past who was supposed to be killed by the Evil Queen. (Talk about a complicated romance). Meanwhile, Prince Charming and Snow White are just hanging out with their newborn son, Neal, and Regina is plotting to make happy endings finally happen for villains even if that causes total mayhem. But Regina isn’t the one to worry about just yet. The streets are turning to ice and Grumpy and Sleepy almost get turned to popsicle-sized dwarfs when they almost hit Elsa with a car. Grumpy’s loud mouth announces Elsa’s arrival which sends Emma, Captain Hook, and Robin Hood into a battle with a giant snowman. The show also goes back into the past, showcasing Arendelle and what happened to lead Elsa into Storybrooke.

Our Thoughts (WARNING: Some spoilers!): Elsa and Anna’s characters were portrayed quite well. Although, Elsa’s character we would say was portrayed more accurately. She is still battling the death of her parents, feeling like she was the cause of it, which only heightens when she and Anna come across a diary that belonged to their mother. Actress Georgina Haig did a wonderful job portraying the role of Elsa. Actress Elizabeth Lail did a great job as well portraying Anna but her character felt sort of flat and bland. She had brief moments of where Anna’s nonstop babbling and fumbling came into play and her understanding and encouraging disposition came out, but Anna’s clumsiness or goofballness didn’t FULLY get showcased. Hopefully as the show progresses forward, more of Anna’s characterization will be as well.

We LOVED being able to see a bit of Arendelle and seeing Anna in her puffy wedding dress. The tender moments they shared over visiting their parent’s graves and finding the diary that belonged to her mother. Kristoph and Sven also make a small appearance and where adorables.

Back in Storybrooke, we just couldn’t get over Rumple and Belle! LOVE THEM SO HARD!! They decide to do their honeymoon in a mansion that seems to be abandoned. Rumple makes the choice that he cannot start his marriage out on a lie so he switches the fake dagger he gave to Belle for the real dagger that can control his magic. There’s also this moment where he recognizes a certain item in the mansion that Rumple later reveals as the Fantasia hat Mickey wears. Thecreators of the show have stated that later on in the season viewers will findout the truth about the hat and who it belongs to (to a new character, not a recurring one). (Elsa also has some sort of connection to Rumple because she knew about Mr. Gold and where to find his shop). The sweetest moment was when Rumple and Belle have their first dance as husband and wife. Rumple goes all Disney-movie themed by switching their clothes to fit the yellow gown and blue tux from the movie.

Emma and Captain Hook need to go on a date! A real life date where Captain Hook wears normal clothes and they aren’t chasing a giant snowman or evil witches or flying monkeys or a band of Lost Boys. Man, these two need a serious vacation! Hook just wants some alone time to cement their relationship. He’s all sexy and swoony casting come hither looks. *dreamy sigh* Emma, of course, needs time because she feels really guilty over messing up things for Regina, which really, she should. Rumple did warn her if you change the past, you change the present. Emma keeps stalking Regina, trying to get her to talk, but Regina has decided since she’s a villain that means she’s going to need to change the story. Cue the Once Upon A Time book that started it all. Regina wants to find who wrote it and get him (or her) to change the entire story so Regina gets a second a chance to be a good person and to have a happy ending.

We’re SUPER excited to finally find out the origins of the book and who the hecks writes the freakin thing! Maybe there’s a connection between who ever created the hat of Fantasia and the book??

Our hearts broke for Regina though. The woman has changed and grown so much since the first season. She was no longer acting as Evil Queen. She could finally conjure good magic and gave up using dark magic to get what she wanted. She had made amends with Snow White and Prince Charming and the entire Enchanted Forest clan. She even found love with Robin Hood. It was so FRIGGIN sad and frustrating to have Robin come over and basically break her heart because he has a sense of duty to his wife even though he has feelings for Regina and grieved the loss of his wife years ago. So yeah. It’s BULL! Regina has earned a bloody happy ending already! Dang it!

But we sure can’t wait to see what level of crazy goes down with Regina trying to change everyone’s story, Rumple keeping secrets, and Elsa looking for Anna.

Season 4 is already chalk full of questions and it’s only just started! 

Top Ten Monday: Tips On Surviving a Trip to Disney!

Brought to you by TeamNerd Reviewer Annabell Cadiz

Top Ten Survival Tips to Disney

Walt Disney World is one of my MOST FAVORITE places and I have the blessing of living only a few hours away from the parks. Thanks to my parents I have visited Disney off and on since I was a kid. There are a good many lessons we have learned over the years about how to survive a trip to Disney, especially during the summer when Florida is boiling with such high temperatures it’s a surprise anyone can go outside and not melt!

Having just returned from trip to all four parks last weekend and ending up with the flu the night I got back home, I thought it would be a fun idea to pass along the wisdom I’ve learned over the years to those of you planning on taking a trip in the future =)

1. Do Thy Homework. Walt Disney World is made up of A LOT of different parks. There are four theme parks. Two water parks. Downtown Disney which is filled with tons of restaurants and shops. Tons of hotels. It’s way better to know where you want to go and better to know where your hotel is. Trust me, driving around trying to find a vacancy, especially during the summer when tourists come flocking, is so not how you want to spend your time before your Disney-related fun. Townhouse is the best way to go if you have a really large party. (Getting a townhouse is also a good way to save money on food. You can cook dinner the night before and breakfast every morning before heading out *wink*)

2. Ticket Check. This another area you definitely want to do your homework on. Disney has a variety of tickets they offer for a variety of events they do throughout the year and for how to spend your day at the parks. There’s the Regular Admission which is a 1-Day ticket to one park. Or a 3-day ticket to visit one park or a 4-Day pass. But Disney also has rules to every type of ticket. There are block out dates you have to pay specific attention to. You also have to decide if you want to add any options to the ticket you buy like the Park Hopper option which will allow you to hop from one theme park to another without getting into any trouble. But adding options to your ticket changes the price so be sure to pay close attention when purchasing. There are special events that go on throughout the year in all Disney parks which means the parks shut down at certain times to Regular Ticket holders but stay opened to those who not only purchase the Regular Ticket but also the ticket for the special event. So Do Your Homework! (P.S. You also have to pay for parking so take that into consideration when making a budget. UNLESS you have an Annual Pass then you don’t have to pay for parking).

3. Car of Choice. Taking your own car may seem like the logical thing to do but it will actually be a better idea to rent, especially if you’re going with a big group of people. The milage driving to Disney would place on your car, especially from a different state would suck not including the wear on your tires. We always rent a car even though we only live a few hours away. (Make sure to factor gas into the budget!)

4. Shoes Do Matter. Disney is HUUUUUGE! You will spend HOURS on your feet. Standing in line. Walking around from end of the park to another. Your feet will HATE you if you do not have the proper footwear to survive an entire day running around. Do NOT wear sandals, boots, heels (you figure this would be a given but you would be surprised) or flats. As much as anyone wants to look super cute when they’re surrounded by hundreds of strangers, it’s not worth having feet problems later. Best bet to go with always is a really good pair of sneakers. If you plan on going more than one day to more than one park, bring two different pair of sneakers to wear the different pair the next day so you’re feet will be more uncomfortable.

5. It’s All About the Hair.  Florida has ridiculous weather and being out in the open all day will eventually wreak havoc on your hair. No doubt about it. You can straighten your hair, put as much anti-frizz crap as you want in it but it’s still not going to be able to withstand the force of Mother Nature. Best bet to go with is to wear your hair 1) in a ponytail or 2) in a braid or 3) in a bun. Wearing your hair down, especially during the summer, will not only leave you with a puff ball of a bee hive but make you even hotter and annoyed.

6. A Royal Dinner. The parks have many places to eat and in selective restaurants guests can eat with Disney Princesses. You have to make a reservation ahead of time because the restaurants (like Belle’s Castle in Magic Kingdom or Akershus Royal Banquet at Epcot) fill up VERY quickly all year round.

7. Weather Protected. Whether it’s summer time in Florida or winter time, you can always count on rain coming to pay a visit. During the summer, make sure to pack a raincoat. It’s easier than carrying an umbrella and rain season in Florida hits hard throughout June and July in Florida since Hurricane Season begins June 1st. September is also a very rainy month. During October to February, pack a raincoat AND a jacket. We may not get cold weather the same way the north does but when you combine heavy rain and high winds, you will definitely be freezing!

8. Avoid a Visit to the Doctor. Since the weather shifts from hot to rainy back to hot again or from cold to rainy whenever it feels like it and throw in hundreds of people who may or may not wash their hands after going to the bathroom or sneezing or eating, it’s really easy to catch the flu or possibly something worse. Packing cold medicine is a good idea but there are also precautions you can take before you actually start to feel sick. Take vitamins like Ester C to boost your immune system. Airborne is also really good. Allergy medicine such as Non-Drowsy Clartin to keep on hand while at the park will be most helpful too as well as Ibuprofen or Advil. Pack a small bottle of antibacterial soap too and/or wipes.

9. Backup Ready. If you have kids, packing an extra pair of clothes, socks, and underwear is definitely a good way to go. Kids get messy very quickly and sweaty and since some rides at Disney do get you wet, bringing extra clothes, particularly for the little ones, will help keep them comfortable and you less stressed. (Make sure you chose a bag that isn’t too heavy and one you won’t mind carrying around throughout the day).

10. Keepsakes. There are some really awesome and beautiful things sold throughout all the parks in Disney BUT they are quite pricy, so save buying souvenirs for the family for the stores outside of Disney around the hotels and such. You’ll find really great gifts for far cheaper prices. BUT inside the park there are specific gifts you won’t find anywhere else like the different types of Minnie and Mickey hats or the variety of cool Nightmare Before Christmas stuff or the Disney collectible cups. Those are worth spending some money on because they really are beautiful keepsakes ;)

So that wraps up this edition of Disney-related tips. It may seem like a lot of work to plan a trip to Walt Disney World but trust me, it is definitely worth all the work! They aren't lying when they say it's the happiest place on earth ;)