World Book and Copyright Day (also known as International Day of the Book or World Book Day) is observed on April 23, 2015. The annually celebrated day is organized by UNESCO to promote reading, publishing and copyright. It was first celebrated in 1995. [Source]
As a bibliophile, writer and English teacher, I couldn't not post about it. So, a colleague and I made up this little survey for you!
1.Top 5 Favourite Authors?
2.Top 5 Favourite Book Series?
3.Top 5 Favourite Fiction Books (NOT part of a series)?
4.Least Favourite Book?
5.Favourite Genre/s?
6.Least Favourite Genre/s?
7.Favourite Childhood Book?
8.Top 5 Female Characters From Books?
9.Top 5 Male Characters From Books?
10.Book City/Country/World you’d like to visit/live?
11.Action Of A Fictional Character You Still Can’t Forgive?
12.“Classic” Book You Think Is Overrated?
13.Your Favourite Book To Film/Mini-Series Adaptation?
14.Guilty Pleasure Book/Author?
15.Favourite Non-Fiction Book/s?
16.First Fictional Character You Had A Crush On?
17.The Fictional Character You Most Hate?
18.Death In A Book You Will Never Be Over?
19.Book I Am Now Reading:
20.Book You Recommend Everyone Should Read:
My Answers:
JK Rowling- Jodi Picoult- Rainbow Rowell- Cecelia Ahern- Nicholas Sparks
Harry Potter- Anne of Green Gables- Lord of the Rings- Trixie Belden- Percy Jackson
The Book Thief (Marcus Zusak)- Rebecca (Daphne Du Maurier)- Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)- Fangirl (Rainbow Rowell)- PS I Love You (Cecelia Ahern)
Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
Romance, Drama, Historical
Science Fiction
First one I remember hearing about is Cinderella. According to my mum, I could find it in the dark.
Hermione Granger (Harry Potter), Anne Shirley (Anne of Green Gables), Elizabeth Bennet (Pride and Prejudice), Jo March (Little Women), Professor McGonagall (Harry Potter)
Gilbert Blythe (Anne of Green Gables), Harry Potter (Harry Potter), Mr Darcy (Pride and Prejudice), Colonel Brandon (Sense and Sensibility), Sirius Black (Harry Potter)
The Wizarding World in Harry Potter. (This won over Avonlea. And Middle Earth. It was close though).
In Little Women when Amy burned Jo's manuscript.
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. I've never been able to finish it.
Anne of Green Gables movies in 1985 and 1987 (you can't really count the third because it doesn't follow the books). And Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca in 1940.
Danielle Steel.
The Diary of Anne Frank.
Gilbert Blythe, Anne of Green Gables.
Dolores Umbridge, Harry Potter.
Sirius Black, Harry Potter.
Briar Rose, by Jane Yolen
Fangirl, Rainbow Rowell.
[PERSONAL NOTE: For those who know me, no- Elphaba, Fiyero and Wicked is NOT on the list. Because whilst itstarted as a book, I prefer the characters in their musicalverse forms. I made myself stick to book forms/characters only.]
2014 was an unusual year... there were more highlights than lowlights, but the lowlights were really low.
As has become my tradition on NYE, I thought I'd reflect on both the good and the bad of 2014 and my plans for 2015,
The Good:
Wicked. 2014 will forever be the year of Wicked. I saw it a lot (12 times to be exact) and it was really nice not to have to travel internationally to see it for a change. It's still magical, after all this time. And Jemma Rix remains the best.
Musicals in general. This year I saw Beauty and the Beast, Wicked, The Lion King, Into the Woods, Les Mis and Picture Perfect, and David Harris' cabaret show Time is a Traveller, plus his show with Lucy Durack at Taronga Zoo, Wickedly Broadway. I think this is the most shows I've seen in a year. Despite the fact I spent a lot of this year broke, it was totally worth it.
I got my P's! Which means I can legally drive on my own, which has made life much easier.
I got a car. Which really helps out with number 3 on this list.
I worked with some great people and got to teach some great kids this year. Several of whom have now seen Wicked, thanks to me and love it :D And I get another year in the same school which is such a relief!
Canberra. I am loving living somewhere with shops and public transport, and Canberra has some cool stuff. Really looking forward to the multicultural festival in February. I found it last year by accident, and it was awesome.
Comic Con. Kelly and I did Comic Con in Adelaide and Melbourne, and I got to meet Ted and The Todd from Scrubs, Piper and Leo from Charmed and Jennifer Morrison from House and Once Upon a Time.
Tim Campbell. Four years after seeing him as Fiyero in Wicked, many tweets and after being a fan of his for even longer than that, I finally got to meet him. And he was just as lovely as I'd always hoped.
Family stuff- one cousin got married and another had a baby!
I got to meet other awesome musical theatre people.
I found The West Wing. I love it. The End.
The Bad:
Being diagnosed with anxiety and depression. That's been the biggest struggle of the year, and despite all the good things on the list, this really has established the year for me. Ending up in hospital at the beginning was especially terrifying.
One sister had surgery, my dad ended up in hospital with a fractured back, and my other sister found out she has something wrong with her eyes and we were worried for a while she might end up blind.
Tarsal Tunnel- I am the only person who could screw up my ankles by walking too much. Although it was a great motivator to get my P's and drive.
There were some... not as great kids I taught this year. It was a challenge.
Robin Williams dying. I mean, it's not like I knew him personally, but the man defined my childhood and it was definitely the biggest shock of the year.
Goals/Plans for 2015:
Work on my mental health.
Try my best at work this year and ask for help to learn the new system (I'm going to be working in the Distance Education part of our school this year).
Write. Read. Write. Read.
See more shows. So far, for 2015, I have plans to see Wicked, we're making plans for Matilda and I'm seeing Taylor Swift in November 2015.
A few months ago, I had a M*A*S*H marathon. Not for the first time, and not for the last time, but it had been maybe a year since I actually marathoned the entire series.
Now, I really love Alan Alda. He is the bomb, and when if he ever dies (I'm hoping he'll just live forever. Him and Julie Andrews), I may actually have to take time off to grieve.
My mum got me into M*A*S*H in 2007, during my last year of high school, and I fell in love with it. Mostly because, as I mentioned, Alan Alda is the greatest.
I knew Alan Alda had been in the last few seasons of The West Wing, but I'd never watched the show. I was 9 when it started, 16 when it ended, and it had never been something I paid much attention to. My mum however, loves it. I suspect this is mostly because of her love of Rob Lowe.
Anyway, when I finished my M*A*S*H marathon, I decided that I'd give The West Wing a shot. So, when I was home for a weekend in August, I borrowed my mum's boxset of the series. Last night, I finished the series.
And I loved it. Really, really, really loved it. It's brilliantly written, and the cast is amazing.
So, now that I've finished the series, I decided to list my Top 10 Episodes. It took a day of careful consideration, and 4 pages of notes, but I finally made my decision. I went through the episode guide and made a shortlist of every episode I remembered that completely grabbed me. There was 24.
From that, I shortened it to 10. And 5 honourable mentions, because I'm terrible at making decisions.(BTW, I just told that story to my mum and she laughed at me) Enjoy!
10. Shibboleth (season 2, episode 8)
It's Thanksgiving, and CJ's first Thanksgiving in the White House (because she had been sick the year before). As the episode progresses and she finds out this entire list of apparently traditional White House Thanksgiving traditions, including choosing between two turkeys (Eric and Troy) to see which is more photogenic and thus receiving a presidential pardon; I didn't think it could get better.
Until it ends in the President drafting the second turkey (which CJ still wanted to save from being eaten, even if he wasn't photogenic) into military service.
There's also a subplot where Charlie is on the hunt for a new set of carving knives for the President, which starts off funny and ends up being very sweet and heart-warming.
9. The Debate (season 7, episode 7) This episode was performed live, twice (one for each coast), which is really why it's on this list. I just find that amazing, plus it was completely gripping. I actually had to remind myself that this wasn't a real election debate at times!
It felt very real, and both Jimmy Smits and Alan Alda did such a brilliant job.
8. Dead Irish Writers (season 3, episode 15)
It's Abbey's birthday and the White House is throwing her a birthday party. I think I love this episode so much because the show was in the midst of such a heavy storyline about the President's MS, and there was so much humour in this episode. The President working on his toast for his wife and trying to be funny; and the First Lady, CJ, Donna and Amy just holed away, drinking.
Donna discovers she's actually Canadian, because the town in Minnesota where she was born has been moved over the border; and Abbey puts together a little surprise for her at the end.
7. The Leadership Breakfast (season 2, episode 11)
This episode contains probably my favourite episode opener of the entire series. But the clip below covers about every reason this episode is on my list.
6. These Crackpots and these Women (season 1, episode 5)
Five words: Big Block of Cheese Day. President Andrew Jackson once placed a two-ton block of cheese in the main foyer of the White House and allowed guests to enter, eat from the cheese, and meet with the President about whatever they thought was important.
In the spirit of this, once every so often, the Bartlet Administration take meetings with people who wish to discuss topics that wouldn't normally be given much discussion. Basically, these end up being random and hilarious episodes.
This is also the episode where we find out about Joanie, Josh's sister; and the President cooks chilli.
5. 20 Hours in America (season 4, episodes 1 and 2)
Yeah, technically two episodes but I'm counting them as one. Josh, Toby and Donna are stranded by the President's motorcade in Indiana during the election. That says it all, really. Another episode that you think is just going to be tremendously entertaining, but at the end surprises you with something really sweet.
4. Shutdown (season 5, episode 8)
President Bartlet shuts down the government when the Speaker of the House refuses to pass the Senate. What I really love about this episode is getting to see Josh showcase his brilliant political mind, through such simple actions. He suggests they go to the Capitol to negotiate the budget. When the President stops to greet some tourists, Josh suggests they walk the rest of the way. When the Speaker and the Republicans make the President wait, Josh suggests they leave; which changes the tide of the media in their favour, making the Speaker look to be the one to blame for the government shutdown.
3. Shadow of Two Gunmen (season 2, epsiode 1 and 2)
I do love a good flashback episode! Getting to see how the team came together during the campaign is fantastic- especially how Donna was hired. To have that as Josh and the President undergo surgery after both being shot and the fallout from that. Such a good episode.
2. Isaac and Ishmael (season 3, episode 1) This was the first episode of season 3, which aired in 2001. It doesn't fit in with the show's universe or timeline, but although I watched it for the first time 13 years after the events of 9/11; it's message is just as powerful now as I imagine it would have been then. It discusses terrorism in a calm, logical manner and I think I understood more after watching this episode than I did before. It's a powerful episode on a subject that is still relevant today, as the West Wing staff try and explain terrorism to a group of students.
1. Celestial Navigation (season 1, episode 15)
Josh gives a lecture about a "typical day" at the White House. Which includes Josh having to do the press briefing after CJ has a root canal, and accidentally alludes to the Presidents' "secret plan to fight inflation". The President's reaction is the best. Plus, Sam and Toby get lost on a drive to Connecticut.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS (AKA Episodes that I love but I thought 10 was a better number than 15):
1. Inauguration Parts 1 and 2 (season 4, episodes 13 and 14). Namely for this scene with all the Josh and Donna feels. Plus, Charlie in this scene cracks me up. (I can't find the scene on YouTube, so you'll just have to watch the episode yourselves!).
2. Pilot (season 1, episode 1). This is one of the best pilot episodes I've ever seen. It sets up so much, and all the characters are pretty much exactly as they are throughout the series, which isn't always true with pilots. I was hooked from the start!
3. And it's surely to their credit (season 2, episode 5). This episode has Ainsley Hayes' first day (who I love. She's awesome).When two staffers leave dead flowers on her desk with a note reading BITCH, Sam goes nuts. Which doesn't happen a lot and I think that's why I love this so much.
4. Noel (season 2, episode 10). A Josh-centric episode dealing with his PTSD after being shot. That's all. I do love Josh.
5. Stirred (season 3, episode 17). We have the President doing Charlie's tax return for him; and Donna trying to get a presidential proclamation for her high school English teacher, who is retiring. Because he can't do that, instead the President calls the teacher from the Oval Office. I think it's because I'm a teacher I love this so much.
THE OTHER EPISODES THAT MADE UP MY SHORTLIST (in case you're interested):
Debate Camp (season 4, episode 4)
Gaza/Memorial Day (season 5, episodes 21 and 22). [I know, they're two episodes. But I couldn't separate them]
In about 12 hours, I will be officially 24 years old. I am totally not freaking out about this. And I mostly mean that in a non-sarcastic way.
Being 24 means I'm the same age my mother was when I was born, and hence, half her age. That's a little weird.
Mostly though, I'm hopeful.... that 24 is the year I won't have to move again. No. Well... mostly no. (I am really over moving. I've moved 4 times in 3 years). But my 20s have been way more awesome than my teenager years, so I am hopeful this continues. And as I have the past 2 years, I thought I'd like to reflect on what the past year has brought/taught me. So here goes:
Shows/Musicals/Concerts:
Julie Andrews (still dying over being in the same room as her).
Driving Miss Daisy
Idina Menzel (twice)
Grease (3 times)
Wicked (4 times)
The Lion King (after 10 years of waiting and wanting)
Wickedly Broadway with David Harris and Lucy Durack
Time is a Traveller (David Harris's cabaret show)
The Random Variety (Jemma Rix's cabaret show)
Beauty and the Beast concert at Melbourne Zoo.
Trips:
Auckland, New Zealand
Sydney
Melbourne
Adelaide
Canberra
Celebrities I Met (for the first time):
IDINA MENZEL!!!!!
Angela Lansbury
James Earl Jones (they saw us, we said hi, they said hi. I'm counting it).
You know what, we all know Idina Menzel is the most important one here, so we'll just stop. There were others but... you can't really top the 3 names already on this list.
Fanfics Published:
Feels Like Home
Come What May
All These Years
Saviour
The Beginning of Forever
Days Go By
One Hour
Innocent Eyes
God Save My Soul
Don't Tell the Bride
Ghost of Kiamo Ko (I'm counting this because I at least started posting and finished writing it while I was still 23).
Experiences Had (AKA Cool things I did or that happened to me):
Went to Comic Con and met Holly Marie Combs, Brian Krause (Piper and Leo from Charmed) and Ted and The Todd from Scrubs.
Moved... again.
Got a new job.
Finished all my hours required on my L's.
Went for my P's.
Failed my P's.
Honestly, when thinking on the past year all my head is screaming is- Wicked. Idina. Julie Andrews. That about sums it up.
The Ghost of Kiamo Ko: "Last night I dreamed I went to Kiamo Ko again." While working as a companion to Nessarose Thropp, daughter of the Munchkinland Governor; Elphaba meets Fiyero Tiggular, a widower still mourning the loss of his perfect wife, Sarima. After a whirlwind romance, they marry and he takes her back to his beautiful Vinkun estate, Kiamo Ko. But the honeymoon doesn't last long. The staff still worship the first Mrs Tiggular, and Elphaba knows that Fiyero only married her out of pity. Most disturbingly, is the shadow of Sarima who fills the castle and haunts Elphaba's every move. AU. Inspired by the novel Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier. There's also a movie.
The Right Thing to do: It's a matter of honour, of doing good. But sometimes doing the 'right thing' hurts more than anything. Especially when it comes to love. As they graduate Shiz, Fiyero is dreading it. He knows what comes next- marriage. But he knows he can't marry a woman, when he's in love with her best friend. While everyone is spending the summer at Kiamo Ko, waiting for an announcement, Fiyero decides he can no longer live a lie. And then all hell breaks loose, and no one will escape being hurt. All in the name of doing the right thing. AU.
What a Girl Wants (although title may change): Elphaba Thropp met Fiyero Tiggular, fell in love and married. But they were torn apart by Fiyero's disapproving family, lies and secrets. Ten years later, her daughter runs away to find the father she's never known, forcing Elphaba and Fiyero to come face to face for the first time in a decade. Inspired by the movie of the same name. AU. The Stories We Tell: Elphaba Thropp is now the Wicked Witch of the West. A fugitive, named as a terrorist, feared by all and hunted by the Wizard's Gale Force. Whilst working to free persecuted animals all over Oz, Elphaba comes into contact with someone from the life she left behind- Fiyero. The reunion between the two will shape the course of history. And what does the story of Elphaba and Fiyero have to do with artist Alyssah "Lyssa" Scarlett, living in the Emerald City a century later,in a time when the Wicked Witch of the West is more myth than history? The Vow: Not long after their wedding, Elphaba and Fiyero's world is shattered when Elphaba suffers a head injury and lapses into a coma. When she awakes, her last memory of her husband is when a scandalacious prince arrives at Shiz, dancing through life. Can Fiyero make his wife fall in love with him all over again? Written with Team Wicked. Inspired by the movie of the same name.
Knocked Out: Intermission fic. Still have no more details than this.
War: This is literally all it says. Don't have all the details planned yet. It's going to be some kind of wartime romance fic between Elphaba and Fiyero.
I really love weddings. I know, you're all shocked by this. No one would have guessed this, right?
This means that even though I've only ever been to 7 weddings in my life (actually 6. 2 cousins, 2 uncles, 2 friends. But I'm going to my 7th wedding in April- another cousin), I have watched a lot through movies and TV.
If there's a show I only kinda watch, or I vaguely know, there are three things that will get me watching- a birth, a death or a wedding.
So, I thought I'd do a countdown of my favourite TV weddings! Starting with #10 (obviously), and working my way up to my absolute favourite TV wedding.
10. Howard and Bernadette "The Big Bang Theory"
This one makes the list because even though the wedding itself, as in the vows, isn't overly romantic, I do love the whole thing about having the wedding on the rooftop so they'll be on Google Earth. Because that is awesome. And I loved that all their friends helped officiate the wedding, even Sheldon with his Klingon. It's sweet.
9. Phoebe and Mike "Friends"
An impromptu street wedding in the snow! I don't really like snow (it's too cold and wet), but I like the way snow looks on TV and in the movies... it makes everything so pretty. And magical looking. I love this wedding because the vows are so sweet. Phoebe is such a... unique character and I loved her and Mike together. The wedding was so appropriate for them as a couple.
8. Angela and Hodgins "Bones"
I'm talking about Angela and Hodgins' actual wedding, not the one that got called off at the last second because she was already married. You may not think a wedding in a jail cell would be romantic, but it is. Angela and Hodgins went through a lot before finally getting married, and once again, the wedding suits them as a couple; and it definitely suits Angela's personality, her being the free spirit that she is.
7. Melinda and Jim "Ghost Whisperer"
Technically, it's Melinda and Jim's spirit in "Sam's" body, but well... yeah. I love this one, even though you don't see the whole thing, because it was a surprise wedding. I would never want a surprise wedding, but it's sweet. Plus, the fact it was in the middle of the street in the spot where Jim and Melinda first met- that I love. I love all that sentimental stuff.
6. Monica and Chandler "Friends"
Monica and Chandler. Two best friends who fell in love and got married. That's incredibly romantic even without Chandler overcoming his commitment issues. Rachel has always been my favourite of the Friends girls, but I think I'm the most like Monica- without the neat freak things. And I can't really cook. And Chandler is always my favourite Friends guy.
The vows were perfect, and anything officiated by Joey is hilarious. The whole wedding was elegant and classy, and I love it.
5. Nathan and Haley "One Tree Hill"
I love both of Nathan and Haley's weddings, but I'm focusing on their vow renewal in season 3. All the drama of that episode aside (who's pregnant? And of course, the giant car crash off a bridge), it was such a beautiful episode. Nathan and Haley had overcome so much in seasons 2 and 3. Plus, Lucas gave Haley away because her parents didn't come back for it! One of my favourite things about One Tree Hill was Lucas and Haley's friendship.
4. Lily and Marshall "How I Met Your Mother"
I adore Lily and Marshall. And their wedding was no different. I loved Barney officiating, despite his complete disbelief in marriage as a concept and the fact that he cried while marrying them, haha. As Future Ted says, it was the perfect, intimate wedding they always wanted. Their vows were sweet and showed everything them as a couple.
Also, Marshall's line of "Hat. We thought of authentic native american headdress before we thought of hat," always makes me laugh.
3. Piper and Leo "Charmed"
You guys, Piper's mum's ghost got to come to her wedding. That gets me every time. I love Piper and Leo. I started watching Charmed in season 5, so I already knew they were married and the story behind it. But every time I watch it, it feels like I'd been watching from the beginning and waiting for them to get to this moment.
A witch marrying an angel, with the wedding officiated by a ghost. How is that not romantic? Haha. I can live without the Prue storyline of that episode though (not a huge Prue fan. Although Paige was in it for 2 seasons longer than Prue and I'm still not sure if I like her. Piper was always my favourite, and I like Phoebe... until the show seemed to be all about her. But that's a whole other issue).
2. Lucas and Peyton "One Tree Hill"
Gosh, Lucas and Peyton. Where do I start? Lucas marrying the girl of his dreams, that he foretold in the eight grade that he'd marry her one day (before they'd even spoken). And like so many other couples on this list, they'd overcome so much to get to the point of their wedding day.
And Peyton being pregnant with their daughter, with a potentially life-threatening condition; and Haley performing the ceremony... it was just perfect.
1. Booth and Brennan "Bones"
This has to be number one. You can say whatever you like about the show, that Brennan and Booth never should have gotten together, whatever. But Bones has the best character development, maybe ever. Brennan is so firmly anti-marriage in the beginning of the series, and watching her slowly let Booth in over the years and change her mind about it all... to see her at that altar in a wedding dress is such a great moment.
The vows were absolutely perfect, and I loved all the little references to the show's past.
There is not a more perfect TV wedding in my mind.
I’ve been watching a lot of The Little
Mermaid TV series today, and it occurred to me a few episodes in that King
Triton doesn’t really do much.
Here
he is, king of the sea, single father of seven daughters, and all he seems to
do is yell at Ariel for whatever thing she’s done that episode, occasionally
rescue her when she gets in trouble (not every episode though), and sit on his
throne. That’s pretty much the gist of his role in the entire series, as much
as I can tell.
This is apparently what is required to rule Atlantica.
And
then I got thinking about his role in the movie vs. the TV show; and from there
about the role that other Disney parents play (you know, those Disney parents
that aren’t dead). Hence, this list of the most active Disney parents. And by ‘active’,
I mean those that help their children the most throughout the movie.
Then
of course, we go to the most inactive
Disney parents. You know, those that do nothing. I’m just making this list from
animated Disney movies. Counting
Pixar and sequels. I listed every alive Disney parent I could think of, and
then ordered them most active to least.
Mufasa (Lion King)
Mufasa wins because he dies to save Simba, ok? And his death still gets me every time. But even before the saddest moment ever, Mufasa proves that he is the most awesome dad ever. He gets up at the crack of dawn to show his son the kingdom and teach him about the circle of life; would clearly rather teach Simba to pounce than listen to Zazu’s morning report (although that could be more about Zazu); rescues Simba and Nala from the hyenas; and even when he has to lecture Simba and parent, he still makes it clear that he loves his son, and works in more life lessons (with the whole stars thing). Plus, did I mention that he dies saving Simba from a stampede?! Ok, it was Scar’s fault that he died, but it still counts. Mufasa is the greatest. RIP (sob).
Marlin (Finding Nemo)
Marlin comes a very close second, just because he lived. But let’s face it, there is no Finding Nemo without Marlin to actually find Nemo. For a clownfish who wouldn’t leave his anemone, he goes to facing sharks and jellyfish and really creepy fish; just to bring his son home. He gets swallowed (well, almost) by a whale, surfs the EAC and jumps in a pelican’s mouth, all for Nemo. I think that’s totally awesome.
Pongo and Perdita (101 Dalmatians)
I debated whether Pongo and Perdita were deserving of spot #2 or #3 on this list. In the end, Marlin edged them out, because he had to face sharks and all those sea creatures. Whilst Pongo and Perdita were totally all over finding their puppies, the scariest thing they faced was Cruella de Vil. And don’t get me wrong, she’s scary, but not as scary as sharks.
But they organised all the Twilight Bark, and then went searching for their children. And didn’t hesitate to adopt and rescue the other 84 puppies that had been kidnapped (dognapped? Puppynapped?) by Cruella.
Maurice (Beauty and the Beast)
Ah, Maurice. When Gaston and all the townspeople laughed at him and called him crazy for claiming his daughter had been taken by a Beast; he simply packed up his supplies and headed off into the middle of the forest trying to find the castle to rescue her. This is a Beast who he thought was a complete monster and was about three times his size.
And he’s old too, he’s not exactly fit and healthy. Even with his health, he was determined to rescue Belle. He would have died for her if he had to, I just know it.
Ariel (The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea)
From the second Ariel discovered her daughter was in danger, she cut herself off from the sea- her home and her favourite place, and her family to try and protect Melody. And when Melody ran away, Ariel and Eric went searching for her and Ariel even got herself transformed back into a mermaid.
I think that’s pretty awesome parenting. We’ll just ignore the fact that it probably would have been better if Ariel and Eric had just told Melody the truth (or some version of the truth), and this probably never would have happened. Hey, but then we have no movie.
Simba (Lion King II: Simba’s Pride)
So Simba is a tad overprotective of his daughter. However, I find that adorable. And it’s obvious he adores Kiara, and he tries so hard to impart all the wisdom Mufasa told him as a child to her. He loses a few points for having Timon and Pumbaa look out for her instead of doing it directly, but I assume he’s doing important pride leader stuff, ok? And he’d give his life for her, just as Mufasa did for him. Above all, he just wants to keep Kiara safe.
King Triton (The Little Mermaid)
Like I said earlier, King Triton doesn’t do much in the TV series. And he doesn’t do much more in the movie. However, he is so high on this list, because when he does something, he goes big. Yes, when Ariel originally goes missing, he doesn’t search for her himself. He just lets no one in his kingdom sleep while they do all the looking. However, then he takes Ariel’s place in her contract with Ursula and is willing to become a... shrimp thingy to save her. And then lets her go be with the man she loves. And while I’m not sure if I’d like Triton to be my father (he yells a lot), I think he is a pretty good dad. Although he clearly plays favourites with Ariel, which is just mean.
Lady and Tramp (Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure)
Just like Pongo and Perdita, Tramp and Lady (as well as Jim Dear and Darling) are really active in the search when Scamp runs away. Not as active as their Dalmatian counterparts, but Scamp really didn’t go as far as the Dalmatian puppies did, he was still in the neighbourhood. And really, Tramp was more active than Lady. The difference is that 101 Dalmatians was in a way more about the parents than the puppies; whereas Lady and the Tramp II was more about Scamp than Lady and Tramp. But they get points for looking so hard for Scamp.
Bambi’s parents (Bambi)
Again, Bambi’s mother gets points because she dies, one of Disney’s saddest moments. (I’m pretty sure when people talk sad moments in Disney films, the winners are Mufasa’s death, Bambi’s mother and Up, apparently- which I still haven’t seen somehow...). Bambi’s mother still made sure to teach him all about life and the forest; and when she realises hunters are nearby, her priority is getting Bambi to safety.
As for Bambi’s father, it’s pretty much stated that he has nothing to do with his fawns. But when Bambi’s mother dies, he steps up. Which earns points. Even though, I’m pretty sure he scared me when I watched the movie when I was a kid.
Duchess (Aristocats)
Duchess is different because she was missing with her kittens, so she was in just as much trouble as they were. However, she tried to keep them safe and keep their hopes up that they were going to get home and everything was ok. And she managed to get them a stepfather while she was at it, haha.
Powhatan (Pocahontas)
So Powhatan starts off by setting up his daughter with Kocoum, who I get is a respected warrior in the tribe and all; but he’s the complete opposite of Pocahontas. And a lot of his motivation for wanting to destroy John Smith and the Englishmen is to protect her. And he saves Smith at the end to make his daughter happy, which is always a lovely gesture.
Geppetto (Pinocchio)
To be honest, I don’t really like Pinocchio. I never did. I like it more than I used to, but I still don’t love it. So, it took me a while to remember what Geppetto actually did when Pinocchio went missing. And then I remembered the whole “swallowed by a whale” thing, so I had to give points for that. But we don’t have much more to go on than that.
Sultan (Aladdin)
The Sultan doesn’t really do much. He changes a law to allow Jasmine and Aladdin to marry; and he gets mad and yells at Jafar, but other than that... he does nothing. He’s just under Jafar’s power. I quite like the Sultan, but despite being the Sultan, he can’t help save his daughter when she’s in trouble. But then again, this is Aladdin’s story, so we want Aladdin to save Jasmine.
Fa Zhou (Mulan)
Mulan’s father is difficult to place on this list. Simply because he can’t help Mulan, in fact, he is helping her by not helping her. Because, as he tells his wife, if he exposes Mulan as a woman, she’ll be killed.
So all they can do is hope that she’s not killed during the war or exposed and killed. It’s a super tough spot to be in.
Zeus (Hercules)
Zeus was tricky, because even in Greek mythology, the Godly parents don’t help their mortal children much. If you go by the Percy Jackson series, this is because the Fates (and Zeus) don’t really let them interfere with their children’s fates and quests. In the Disney film, Zeus at least does tell Hercules’ what he has to do in order to rejoin his parents- albeit really vaguely. And when Hercules’ is in his most trouble, Zeus and the gods are busy fighting the Titans, so he’s not really in a position to help. But still.
Rapunzel’s Parents (Tangled)
Yeah, Rapunzel’s parents don’t do much. I mean, Flynn tells us that “the kingdom searched high and low” when Rapunzel first went missing; but other than that.... all they do is release a lot of lanterns once a year. And I really feel for them, but compared to some of the other parents on this list, its’ nothing.
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