DISNEY MOVIE CHALLENGE: Week #2

Movies of the week:

"Alice in Wonderland"

"Monsters Inc."

Let's have some whimsical, imaginative fun this week!  This is also a good opportunity to prepare to see the new "Monsters University" out in theaters now!

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HISTORY:  "Alice in Wonderland" is the thirteenth full-length animated theatrical feature from Walt Disney.  It debuted in theaters in the summer of 1951.  Alice has certainly stolen the "hearts" of many Disney fans throughout the years.  This colorful & whimsical movie is so beloved that Disney released a live-action, 3D, more grown-up sequel in 2010.

THEMED MOVIE-WATCHING SNACK:  Tie-Die Cupcakes
Simply prepare your white or yellow cake batter per the instructions on the box.  Then separate the batter into bowls (depending on how many colors you plan to use - 3-5 colors).  Use food coloring to color the batter.  In each cupcake tin, place a small amount of each colored batter.  Bake per the instructions on the box.  Top with your favorite icing / sprinkles, and presto...crazy, tie-die cupcakes!

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HISTORY:  "Monsters Inc." is Disney Pixar's fourth full-length animated theatrical feature.  This movie boasts an incredible cast of actors, including Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Jennifer Tilly, Bonnie Hunt and of course John Ratzenberger who has voiced a small part in every Pixar movie to date.  Who is your favorite voice behind the monster?

Some of the Pixar characters voiced by John Ratzenberger, including the Abominable Snowman from Monsters Inc.

THEMED MOVIE-WATCHING SNACK:  Pillsbury - Monsters Inc Sugar Cookies
These cookies are a super simple and delicious movie-watching snack.  You can find them in the refrigerated Ready To Bake cookie section of the grocery store.  My favorite part about them is that my kids can eat them without making a huge mess!  All you have to do is open the package, place the pre-cut cookies on a cookie sheet and bake them for 10 minutes!  The kids love the cute picture of Mike Wazowski on the cookies, and moms love the ease of a fun snack.  Awesome!

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Keep sending your DISNEY MOVIE CHALLENGE pictures to Disney Days with Candice on Facebook, and they will be featured on the blog!


HAVE A MAGICAL DISNEY DAY!
Candice

Disney Movie Challenge: Week #1

Movies of the week:

"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"

"Toy Story"

What better way to kick-off our Disney Days with Candice DISNEY MOVIE CHALLENGE than with the two movies that started it all!?!  

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HISTORY:  "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" was Walt Disney's first full-length animated theatrical feature which debuted in theaters in 1937.  It was wildly popular and sparked the beginning of the animated movie craze.  Walt Disney won an honorary Academy Award in 1939 for the movie (one statuette & seven miniature statuettes) for the film due to it's significance in the industry.

THEMED MOVIE-WATCHING SNACK:  Apple Slices with Caramel Dip

Apples are the perfect snack for this Walt Disney classic, and of course a little caramel would make the perfect "poison."  If you are like me, you can take the easy way out by purchasing individual portioned, pre-sliced apple caramel dippers in the fresh produce section of the grocery store.  Another good option is an individual-size "foodles," a fun, Mickey-shaped snack pack of apple slices, grapes and cheese.

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HISTORY:  "Toy Story" was the first full-length animated theatrical feature from Pixar studios released in 1995.  This movie revolutionized the world of animation with computer-based animation!  Thanks to the good folks at Pixar, animation has made a huge shift from hand-drawn slides to computer animated images.  This shift has not only taken place on the big screen, but also in the world of television.  In 1996 John Lasseter won an Academy Award for Special Achievement to recognize his development and use of techniques that made the first full-length computer animated feature possible.  The animation for this movie took more than three years to complete!

THEMED MOVIE-WATCHING SNACK:  Pizza Planets!

This is another simple, yet fun, themed snack to enjoy while watching "Toy Story".  Who doesn't love Bagel Bites!?!  I know my family does!  They are the perfect planet-shaped, bite-sized snack to eat while watching Buzz and Woody navigate the other-worldly space-port known as Pizza Planet!

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I look forward to taking this DISNEY MOVIE CHALLENGE with you guys, and I would love to see how you are enjoying the movies!  Tag Disney Days with Candice on Facebook in pictures of you, your family, and your friends taking part in the DDwC DISNEY MOVIE CHALLENGE, and you may be featured on the blog!  

HAVE A MAGICAL DISNEY DAY!

Candice

DISNEY MOVIE CHALLENGE!

Join me and take the Disney Days with Candice DISNEY MOVIE CHALLENGE!

This is sure to be easy and FUN!

Each week we will watch two Disney/ Pixar full-length animated theatrical features (there are 67 in all).

I will announce the two movies of the week every Monday.
I will also give you some fun ideas for themed movie-watching snacks.

By mid-February we will have watched every Disney and Pixar full-length animated theatrical feature out there!

Take this opportunity to watch these classic animated movies (some for the first time and some for the hundredth time) through fresh eyes, and enjoy sharing the experience with your friends and family!  Make it a scheduled family movie night, or a Disney marathon with friends.  Whatever you do...however you decide to enjoy this challenge...have fun and experience the MAGIC!


HAVE A MAGICAL DISNEY DAY!
Candice

Hong Kong Disneyland - Let's Eat!

Before heading to Hong Kong Disneyland, I asked you, my readers, what you would most like for me to report on.  The vast majority said, "FOOD!"  So here it is...the Hong Kong Disneyland Food post!

As you all might imagine, the food options at Hong Kong Disneyland are very different from the choices in Orlando.  From meals to snacks, there is no shortage of interesting dining opportunities!

Pictured above are some of the meal options available in Adventureland and Fantasyland, including:    Sweet & Sour Pork, Fujian Fried Rice, Scrambled Eggs & Shrimp, Seafood Fried Rice, Seafood Pizza, Fish & Chips, Steamed Pork Ribs & Pumpkin with Rice, and Japanese Curry Pork Chops. 

For lunch, we chose to eat in Fantasyland at the Royal Banquet Hall.  It has diverse options, with several cafeteria-style stations.  It also has that Disney Magic that just draws you in!

The atmosphere in the Royal Banquet Hall is far grander than cafeteria-style.  Throughout the dining hall are beautiful statues of several of the princesses dancing with their handsome princes, stained glass windows, dark wood tables, chandeliers and of course many costumed cast members keeping everything neat and clean.

We chose to sample food from a couple of different stations within the Royal Banquet Hall.  I had the Hawaiian Pizza with Tomato Soup, and my husband had the Baked Pork Chop & Rice with Tomato Soup & Garlic Bread.  We ended the meal with Mango Pudding in a Mickey Mouse cup.

The pizza is topped with ham, crab, pineapple, bell pepper, thousand island dressing & pesto.

 The pork chop is covered in mushrooms and cheese and served over rice.

The mango pudding is in the Mickey Mouse cup on the left.  In the Mickey cup on the right is fruit-filled Jello.  The pudding is a consistency much thicker than the pudding we are used to here.

Another option available at the Royal Banquet Hall is sushi.  There is even a Mickey-shaped sushi selection!!!

Hong Kong has an interesting mix of authentic Asian fare and long-standing British traditions.  Evidence of this can be seen in Hong Kong Disneyland, as some restaurants offer Afternoon Tea.

And of course, who doesn't enjoy a nice cool Disney ice-cream bar?  I sure do!
My husband went with the classic Mickey Ice Cream bar, while I was a little more adventurous with a Sesame Ice Cream bar.  It was a nice little break in Tomorrowland.

The Sesame Chocolate Bar is filled with sesame ice cream (a purplish/grey colored, mild-flavored ice cream), and it is covered in crispy rice chocolate (think Nestle crunch).  Very good!

HAVE A MAGICAL DISNEY DAY!

Candice