Robert Spiller's Blog: Words From East Plains, page 6

Interstellar

First of all, let's get this out of the way. Interstellar is three hours long. If this is more sci-fi--with a touch of Quantum Physics and Philosophy thrown in--than you are in the market for, this one's not for you. The talk of space-time can be daunting at times but I am a nerd for such things. 

Characters - the leads, Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway are terrific, as are the secondary characters, Michael Caine and the two actresses that play Matthew's daughter. They are at once knowledgeable and human. Thus they are flawed. I liked that. 

Synopsis - The Earth is dying. A massive planet-wide Dust Bowl called the Blight is destroying all plants. People are starving. Technology is frowned upon. Cooper (McConaughey) is one of the last space pilots left on Earth and he and a few other astronauts are tasked with saving the Earth. Oh yeah, they are traveling to another Galaxy--through a wormhole--to investigate four planets that might be suitable homes for the human race. The planets are marvelous.

The effects are wonderful, but the humanity in the writing is what sells the story. I loved the relationship between Cooper and his daughter. I loved the vulnerability of all the characters especially Anne Hathaway's character. But then again, I think she's terrific in everything she does.

In the end there's a smidgen of space-time hocus pocus but as I said before I love that stuff.

So what can I say but give it a shot.

Complete Names of Fictional Characters - Chapter 2

I such a good time with the last list - who knew that Barbie's real name was Barbara Millicent Roberts - that I had to put together another one. So here's your list, see how many you know before you scroll below:

1. Mister Magoo's first name

2. The Yellow Hat Man from Curious George

3. The Policeman from the Game of Monopoly

4. From the old sitcom Nightcourt, the bailiff named Bull

5. The full name of the Lone Ranger.

6. The real name of Scaramouche.

7. Anne of Green Gables last name

8. The Killer from No Country for Old Men

9. MacGyver's first name

10. George's (Lenny's friend) last name from Of Mice and Men

If you can name even three of these you are worthy of much praise. But if you can get them all, you more than likely can also levitate and have x-ray vision. 


1. Quincy Magoo is the myopic wanderer

2. Curious George's human friend is Ted Shackleford

3. The man who will send you to jail (straight to jail) is Officer Edgar Mallory


4. The giant bald-headed bailiff Bull on Nightcourt is Nostradamus Shannon

5. The Lone Ranger is John Reid

6. Scaramouche, that daring rogue is Andre-Louis Moreau 

7. Anne of Green Gables's full name is Anne Shirley

8. The mesmerizing killer in No Country for Old Men is Anton Chigurl

9. Mister I-can-defuse-an-atomic-bomb-with-a-hershey-bar's full name is Angus MacGyver

10 Lenny's friend in Of Mice and Men is George Milton

As before I would love to hear from any of you who enjoyed this list. And if you did please follow my blog. If you know the first name of Cramer on Seinfeld let me know.

A Cool List of Baseball Records

These aren't purely random. They interest the nerd and mathematician in me. What has always amazed me is how some people carry around in their heads so many Baseball trivia items (see The Trouble With The Curve with Amy Adams). Hopefully, at least one of these will not be on those folk's radar.

Biggest Bat ever used - The average bat in use today is 34-36 oz. Babe Ruth, however used a bat weighing 59oz. 

Biggest Paycheck - A-Rod, or Alex Rodriguez, 275 million. I have no doubt this record will be broken soon. Baseball palyers make a butt load of money.

Tallest Player - John Rauch of the Toronto Bluejays. The man was over 6' 11".

Heaviest Player - Walter Young of the Oriels. 322 pounds

Shortest Player - Eddie Gaedel was not only the shortest (3' 7") but also the lightest (65 pounds). St Louis Browns 1951.

Longest Home Run - 643 feet, Mickey Mantle, Yankees

Highest Price Paid for a Baseball - $3,054,000 Mark McQuire's 70th home run ball. 

Fastest Pitch - 105 MPH, Aroldis Chapman of Cinninnati Reds. By the way, the reds lost anyway.

Most Number of Teams - Octavio Dotel has been on 13 major franchises.

Most people in attendance at a single baseball game - 115,300; Saturday, March 12, 2008, LA Coliseum: Dodgers vs Red Sox

Longest Game Ever Played  in 20th or 21st Century- I know I'm being picky but some games before 1900 went on and on. The longest game in my time span was on May 1,1920. The Boston Braves and the Brooklyn Dodgers. It went 25 innings and ended in a 1-1 tie. They had to quit as the field had no lights and it had gone dark.

Big Hero 6

A few weeks ago I listed my all time favorite animated movies - 2000 to 2014. A few that made the cut were Toy Story 3, Up, Monster House, and Brave. If I were writing this list today, I would have to add Big Hero 6 to that list.

When I mentioned that I planned to go see this wonderful movie to a few friends of mine, they asked if I were taking my grandchildren. I wasn't. 

I had been anticipating seeing this movie for a few weeks and I was taking a friend of mine. He is in his seventies.

Before I go into my review, I'd like to mention that John Lassiter of Pixar fame is connected with the making Big Hero 6 so those of you who have been holding back from seeing this fine little flic can be assured that no corners were cut and the quality of the storyline is excellent. 

If you haven't seen any coming attractions, here is a synopsis. In San Fransokyo, a city of the future, Hero a young tech prodigy, a nurturing robot, and a band of geeks must confront and bring down an evil super-villian who has killed Hero's brother and threatens their world. While the story is funny and action packed, the robot is the star.

The storyline is both funny and touching with writing that seemed to appeal to the kids in the audience and yet was strong enough to keep my attention. The young group of friends are charming, heroic, witty, intelligent, and in their own way wise. The robot, who resembles a giant marshmallow, is hilarious. In the end they save the day while maintaining their integrity. I would recommend this movie without reservation for a child of any age.

Lastly, the animation is splendid. I loved the color palette, the textures, the sequencing, and look of the characters.

Catch this fine animated film.

Earth Extremes:The Highest, The Largest, The Longest...you get the idea

For years I coached Knowledge Bowl at the High School and Junior High level (in fact I put this experience into one of my mysteries). One of the things all my academic athletes had to know was the extraordinary features of the Earth. Then said to myself, "I bet a lot of people would like all of the cool places on Earth gathered in one list. So here's that list.

Highest Mountains
Vinson Massif - Antarctica
Mount McKinley/ Dinali - North America
*Everest - Asia
Mount Ebrus - Europe
Mount Townsend - Australia
Kilimanjaro - Africa
*tallest in world

Largest Mountain Chain 
Atlas - Africa
Alps - Europe
Andes - South America
*Himalayas - Asia
Snowy - Australia
Transantarctic - Antarctica
*largest in the world

Longest River
*Nile - Africa
Amazon - South America
Mississippi - North America
Volgo - Europe
Yangtze - Asia
Onyx - Antarctica

Largest Desert
Before we list the largest deserts in each continent, let it be known that the largest desert in the world is the continent of Antarctica. This continent gets less rainfall than the Sahara.

Sahara - Africa
Gobi - Asia
Patagonia - South America
Great Victoria Desert - Australia
Chihuahuan - North America


Highest Waterfalls
*Angel Falls - South america
Victoria Falls - Africa
Yosemite Falls - North America
Dettifoss Falls - Europe (Iceland)

If you can think of any others you didn't see here feel free to send them to me. If fact, I would love it.

Best Westerns Movies of all time - In my Opinion

I am a sucker for a good western. Whether I've seen it on the big screen or the boob tube, I consider some of my best wasted hours were glued to a cowboy tale. What I've included here are some of my favorites in order from my all time favorite to my 18th. That said, even the 18th I would watch again in a heartbeat. So hang onto your ten-gallon hats, here we go:

1. Lonesome Dove - Oaters don't get any better than this mini-series. I have seen it at least eight times. The characters of Gus McCrae (Robert Duvall)  and Woodrow Cole (Tommy Lee Jones) are some of the best drawn in the lore. From the moment we are introduced to the pair of legendary Texas Rangers, they mesmerize. Their monumental cattle drive to Montana and the adventures they experience along the way are enough to fill four stories. The secondary characters - Blue Duck, Pea Eye, Newt, Jake Spoon, July Johnson, Lorena, and Clara, Deets, Roscoe, Po Campo - are so well drawn that they could be heroes in their own right.

2. The Magnificent Seven - Taken from the classic Japanese tale The Seven Samurai, this story of a group of gunslingers who come to the aid of a small Mexican town is fun and eye-popping from beginning to end. Yul Brenner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, JamesColburn. Nice.

3.The Outlaw Josie Wales - There's going to be a number of Clint Eastwood flics on this list and this is my favorite. A very well drawn character just trying to live his life. Of course he's also a bad ass.

4. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - John Wayne is another name you're going to see a lot. This one also had Jimmy Stewart and is told as a flash back by a senator on the way to the funeral of a friend. Good Stuff.

5. The Wild Bunch - Sam Peckipaw in his hay day. Another collective group movie of some very violent men who don't take lightly being messed with. 

6. Tombstone - "I'll be your Huckleberry." When Val Kilmer (Doc Holiday) pronounces this statement, he's not offering to eat pie. Everything about this one forced me to go out and purchase it. Oh yeah, the Earps are good too.

7. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly - Clint Eastwood again in what arguably may be his most famous role, "The Man with No Name.' Lee Van Cleef became famous with this one as well. The final gunfight between the three main characters is classic. 

8. High Noon - Academy award winner here with Gary Cooper as a peaceful man doing 'what a man's got to do' even if the town he's sworn to protect turns it's back on him.

9. Open Range - Another Robert Duvall winner. This time he is joined by Kevin Cosner as one very dangerous man. Ordinary people thrust into extraordinary circumstances and becoming heroes.

10. True Grit - This is the only movie that is on the list twice. This is the one with Jeff Bridges. Academy award nominee. Tale of a man hired by a young girl to avenge the murder of her parents. Bridges is a delight to watch.

11. Fist Full of Dollars - The first of the 'Spaghetti' westerns. I went to see this one with my dad. Clint Eastwood was great as 'The Man With No Name'. This movie proves that if you mean to kill someone, you need to finish the job.

12. For a Few Dollars More - Sequel to Fistful, this one introduced Lee Van Cleef to the world. Fabulous shoot-em-up.

13. Blazing Saddles - How could I not include this terrific comedy in the list? The fart scene alone makes the movie worth seeing.

14. True Grit - This one has John Wayne as the Rooster Cogburn main. He is given wonderful lines to speak and is a larger than life character. I love this movie.

15. The Shootist - John Wayne's last movie. The main character is a dying gunfighter which mirrored Wayne's circumstance as well. Terrific finale.

16. Shane - Another gunfighter trying-to-outrun-his-past movie but this one was the first. Alan Ladd is outstanding as Shane a man who just wants peace but cannot turn his back on injustice. Nice.

17. Sons of Katy Elder - One of a dozen John Wayne vehicles that seem as if they crafted just for him. When their mother dies, the Elder boys (including Dean Martin) come home to find that bad men have done their parents wrong. A big mistake for the bad guys. Wayne is terrific.

18. Unforgiven - Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Academy award. Best pair of lines. "You shot an unarmed man!" "Well, he should have armed himself."

Honorable Mention:

Once Upon a Time in the West - love the opening three minutes
Cat Ballou - Lee Marvin in a double role
Appaloosa
The Mini-series Centennial
El Dorado
The Searchers
3:10 From Yuma - Both versions

Sports Lists- Substances, Scandals, and Sucky Behavior.

This trio of lists is dedicated to sports, all sports and the nasty stuff that happens in them. Now, trust me, I wouldn't put just any trio of lists in front of you unless they were also fun. 

Performance Enhancing Substances - I think?

Strychnine - Yeah, the deadly poison. There was a time this stuff was thought the bees knees for success in running. In fact, there might be something to it.  In the 1904 Olympics, Thoman Hicks brewed up a brandy, egg whites and strychnine cocktail. He needed emergency treatment at the finish line and almost died. But he Won!!!

Donkey Hooves - Egyptian athletes (that's ancient Egyptian athletes) mixed ass hoof powder, oil, and rose hips to give them that little extra something. I'm thinking ass breath.

Sugar Cubes Soaked in Ether - In the 1870's pretty much every cyclist on the Marathon circuit (we're talking 144 hour races) was doing this trick and when that wasn't enough their coaches added cocaine and nitroglycerine. Oh yeah, peppermint thrown in for flavor.

Baking Soda - This one is still in use today. Called soda-doping it helps swimmers increase the Ph of their blood to counteract the acid buildup in the muscles. One side effect - soda-doping causes extreme diarrhea. 

Human Hearts - This one belongs to the Aztecs who had a thing for human hearts to begin with. Athletes would ingest heart flesh to boost prowess.

Guinea Pig Sperm - In the late 1800's Nutritionist and Physiologist Charles Brown-Sequard recommended an injection of this particular rodent sperm. He said the injection would not only make you stronger but would 'lengthen the arc of your urine'.

We all know of some of the big scandals: Boston Black Sox, Point shaving in basketball, Pete Rose. Here are a few scandals involving small time cheaters:

Scandals  

Rosy Ruiz and the 1980 Boston Marathon - A lot of people know about this one but if you're not one of them, here are the facts. Rosy set a new world marathon record 2:31:36. Unfortunately, she took the subway for part of the route. Soon, it was learned she cheated also in the New York Marathon the year before. To this day, although there is ample evidence, she denies any wrongdoing and refuses to return the medals. she also refuses to run the races ever again.

One Bad Bass Fisherman - In 2005, at the CITGO Bassmaster Central Open (first prize $10,000), Paul Tormanen won the coveted prize but not legally. His prize winning catch had been tied off the night before to a stump and just apprehended when the time was right. Unfortunately for Paul, a competitor had found his fish, and with the help of wildlife officials marked the bass. Paul was charged with fraud and barred from competitive fishing for life.

And now how about some just overall bad behavior. I think Ty Cobb's behavior in general was bad but then again here was a man who ran into the stands and beat up a man who had no arms. I mean c'mon.

Sucky Behavior - 

The Real McCoy - Boxing has had its examples of bad behavior: razors in the gloves, hitting below the belt, and of course fight fixing. But Charles 'Kid' McCoy took bad behavior to new heights. Once when fighting a deaf boxer, he simply dropped his gloves and pretended the bell had sounded. when his competitor turned round and headed for his corner, 'The Kid' snuck up behind him and knocked him out.

Red Auerbach - In the 1950's and 1960's Coach Auerbach of the Boston Celtics was perhaps the worst host in the history of basketball. He made sure that at least on of the toilets in the visiting team's locker was stopped up and overflowing with human excrement. He also made sure the heater in their facility was cranked up to ridiculous heights so the team would be dehydrated. 

Eddie 'The Brat' Stanky - With a name like Stanky, I suppose you are predisposed to bad behavior. Second baseman Stanky perfected the 'Stanky Maneuver' where he would jump up and down, wave his hands wildly to distract opposing batters. Eventually, Commissioner Ford Frick made a rule forbidding such dubious behavior.

Spain's Para-Olympic Basketball Team. This is really bad behavior. In 2000, the Spanish Paraolympic basketball team won the Gold medal. later it was learned that 10 out of the 12 players were not mentally challenged at all. They got to keep the medal.

There are obviously other severely behavior challenged individuals in sport, and I would love to hear about any that come to mind. Also, I'm in the market for the most unusual mascot. And finally, I would love to hear about sport extremes: Shortest man to ever play professional basketball, heaviest person to play baseball, tallest woman in any sport.

That's all for now. Once again, avoid the yellow snow.

Exceptional Writing - two experiences that moved me - The Storied life of AJ Fikry and St. Vincent.

As a writer I keep my confidence up by constantly telling myself that I am one heck of a wordsmith. Oh I know of Earnest Hemingway and F Scott Fitzgerald but I can always get around them by saying 'they'd have a hard time getting published today' or other such bullcrap. Then along comes a phrase or sentence or paragraph or even a whole page written so true that I despair of my skills. I have been lately subjected to not one but two examples of true to the bone fine writing. One was a novel and the other a movie.

First, the novel The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin.
This a love song to books and fine writing and how they move and change us, how they ground us in a truer reality that maybe we would have missed if we had never plumbed their depths. AJ owns a small bookstore (Island Books) on Alice Island, a small community in New England. He is a recent widower, with an acid tongue and a clever mind, who is slowly drinking himself to death. After a disastrous turn of events, he is left with a gift in the form of a baby abandoned in his store. This child will change not only his life, as all children will, but will also give him a new appreciation of practically every facet of his world - his customers, children's literature, his neighbors, his store.
It is a tale about ordinary people living ordinary lives and through extraordinary writing we are dropped down into these lives, warts and all. There is a mystery but by the time it is revealed we hope, for AJ's sake, it remains a secret. On every page of this exquisite gem, I found myself returning to reread a sentence here or a thought there. Zevin crafted this small book with no shortcuts, no conventions, just honest writing done in a masterful way. 
I'm going to stop here before I give too much away, but I will end with the greatest compliment I can give any bit of writing. I wish I hadn't read The Storied Life of AJ Fikry so I could be reading it now. I might anyway.
Second, the movie St Vincent has many similarities to Fikry. It's main character, played by Bill Murray, is impatient, mean sometimes, drinks too much, seems to be self-destructive, and wouldn't be someone you would seek out for companionship. He lives next door to a divorced mom with a pre-teen boy. Through a series of misfortunes, the boy and the man are thrown together and thus a relationship is formed. 
What I liked about the piece is once again the writing. In St. Vincent we are not given any shortcuts. Even clear to the end, the man makes terrible decisions that are indefensible. And yet, as I listen to the words the writer placed in the mouths of his characters I shake my head at the honesty and the beauty of the words. Through exceptional writing a character who otherwise would be a drag to watch is elevated to heroic status, in fact that of a saint.

There you have it. Obviously I am recommending both works of art and would love your take on either even if you disagree.

Good day to all.

The Joy of Lists - Favorite Animated Movies - 2000 to 2014

Let's get this out of the way from the get go. This list will not include Fantasia, either the original or the Fantasia reboot about a decade ago. I did not care for either one. Sue me.

Criteria for inclusion. I actually had to have seen the cartoons in question, they must be in the time period 2000-2014, and obviously must be animated. And of course, I had to like the movie.

In this list I am going to go out on a limb and list the films in order of preference. If you disagree, tell me about it. You can even call me names.

1) Finding Nemo - Here's the truth. Nemo is not just my favorite animated film, it is my favorite film in any category. I have seen it perhaps six or seven times. Each of the characters - Bloat the blowfish, Nigel the pelican, Marlin, Dory, Mr. Ray, Bruce the shark, Crusher the sea turtle and squirt his son, are all masterfully painted and given wonderful lines to speak. But besides that, the story warms my heart and still to this day brings a smile to my face. favorite line: "Do you have your exit Buddy?"

2) Shreck - While I do admire the later iterations of the Shreck saga, nothing compares to the original. I love the music (this movie introduced me to Cohen's Hallelujah); I love the ingenious use of fairytale characters [Do you know the muffin man? You mean the one who lives on Drury Lane?]. The moral of the piece is sweet and of course there is Donkey. Favorite line: "Nobody doesn't like parfait."

3) Chicken Run - Made by the same brilliant folks who created Wallace and Gromit, Chicken Run is basically a cartoon remake of the war masterpiece The Great Escape. The evil Mrs Tweedy has decided to no longer make chump change raising chickens for eggs (A commercial sets her malicious brain to thinking, "Are you tired of minuscule profits?") on the high profit world of making chicken pot pies. Naturally, the chickens don't think much of this plan - "I don't want to be a pie. I don't like gravy." The look of this clay-mation film is marvelous and the writing is superb. Favorite Line see above.

4) Toy Story 3 - I loved the first two installments of this Pixar series but for me the best of the lot was #3. Touching, funny, hair-raising, wise, this one has it all. Obviously, if you haven't seen the first two, do so, but for goodness sake, don't stop there. This one will make you happy sad. And that's a good thing.

5) Rango - A remake of Chinatown with a town drying up and an old turtle stealing the lifeblood of the town - its water. Rango is a lizard (Johnny Depp), who fancies himself an actor. After a bump sends his terrarium onto the desert highway, he fakes being a gunslinger. The residents of the town named 'Dirt' all look to him to save the day. He does. 

6) Despicable Me 2 - You'll notice I didn't put the first installment of this series into the list. I liked it but not like I liked this one. This one was all about the minions. They are captivating, ridiculous, easily distracted, ready for almost anything, and very weird looking. They speak a language all their own and yet it is understandable. And when they are changed into purple monster versions of themselves they are still amazing.

7) Monsters Inc. - Another Pixar film, this one features two of the best characters in all of cartoondom. Voiced by Billy Chrystal and John Goodman, Mike Wisowski and Sully are sublimely wise while being insanely goofy monsters. In their world (which is powered by the screams of frightened children) the merest touch of a child is fatal. Sully is a Scarer who becomes emotionally attached to a small child named Boo. What makes this film besides terrific writing is the myriad mosters, all shapes and sizes and how they are basically just like us. Good fun. Favorite line: "We'll dig a tunnel using only spoons."

8) How to Train Your Dragon - Set in a time a Vikings, this is a tale of prejudice and redemption. Super fun with the relationship between a young Viking and a theoretically dangerous dragon. I love the color palette of the show. It just filled my senses. Loved also the characters of townspeople, particularly the younger ones. the dragons are pretty cool too.

9) Up - Once again from Pixar (Let's be real, these guys know animation), This is a love story, a buddy film, and also an adventure. After losing his wife and faced with the prospect of losing his house, a retired balloon salesman ties a flotilla of balloons to his house, rigs a way to steer it, and flies off to Paradise Falls in South America. Unfortunately, (or perhaps fortunately) he has a stowaway. Once the two adventurers reach their destination they face dangers from a forgotten daredevil and his pack of talking dogs. One of the best things about this film is one of these dogs, Doug.

10) Monster House - Spielberg had a hand in the making of this one. Considering he made one of my favorite cartoons of all time, Animaniacs (if you haven't seen any of these, why not?), he was well set up to make an epic animated film. This bugger is scary. Across the street from our pre-teen hero exists the scariest house in the neighborhood. And the truth of it is, the house is alive and is diabolical. Eventually, our hero, his older sister, and his best friend must confront the house and save the neighborhood...and maybe the world.

11) Coraline - We're talking Tim Burton and Neil Gaiman. We're talking wonderful horror, wise children (or at least eventually), and terrific writing. The gist - if you succumb to the lure of the world inside the closet, you become a zombie with buttons sewn over your eyes. 

12) The Incredibles - Superheroes are banned by law but one superhero (Mr Incredible) not only misses the good old days, is ill-suited to fit into this brave new non-super world, but also has a family of supers: Wife Elasti-Girl, Son Dash (superfast), Daughter Violet (force fields and invisibility) and baby Jack Jack (lots of weird stuff). When the opportunity presents itself to renew his adventures he jumps at the chance, not realizing his nemesis is behind the offer. Favorite line: "Honey, where is my super suit?"

13) Ratatouille - Pixar again, what can I say? Tale of a rat that can cook, maybe better than anyone else in Paris. Obviously, this weird juxtaposition of worlds creates problems. I love the evil chef, the food critic, and the love affair between the puppet human who must pretend he is creating Remy's (the rat) dishes and the only female chef in the kitchen. I also adore Remy's - I just want to be a rat - brother. A feast for the eyes.

14) Megamind - A cartoon where the bad guy wins and somehow becomes the good guy. Megamind, like Superman, came to Earth as a baby in a rocketship. Unfortunately, another super character also came at the same time (also a baby, hang with me here). While Metro Man had it easy and became a superhero, blue-skinned Megamind was teased and picked on and became a super smart ultra villain. When he defeats Metro Man, he suddenly is in charge of everything. He ends up having to defend the city against a villain even nastier than himself.

15) Tangled - A retelling of Repunzel with music, a super-smart horse, hilarious tough guys, a really evil witch, a thief with a heart of gold (who is Rapunzel's love interest), and a few twists along the way. Delightful. 

16) Rio - Story of a rare bird (blue parrot) who just so happens to be the last male member of his species. His female counterpart is sassy, independent and doesn't want to repopulate the species. Oh yeah, he can't fly. Add in the fact they are being hunted by an evil Macaw. Also add in Salsa music and the voice of Cheech Marin as a parrot who manages a singing group of parrots and you have a great film.

17) The Corpse Bride - Another Tim Burton film along the lines of Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride follows the fortunes of a young man who weds an undead young woman. She is pretty darn sweet considering she's a corpse and the young man in question doesn't love her as she loves him. In the end all things work out as they always do.

18) Brave - Even another Pixar film. Stunningly beautiful, this one follows the exploits of a young Celtic lass who flat out doesn't want to get married. She also has the complication that her mother has turned into a bear and her father has a tendency to kill bears. I absolutely love the sorceress who casts the spell in question.

19) Paranorman - Norman can see dead people. No one believes him and the Apocalypse is coming.   
  
20) Wreck it Ralph - In the world of video games a bad guy wants to become good. While he's really good at smashing things he's got some problems with saving the world. But of course he does.

Well, that's my list. If you're a fan of animation, give some of these a look see and as always please send me your ideas of good animation. Next up will be animation from before 2000.

Don't eat yellow snow.

A Short List - Fictional Characters Real Names

This is a quick one (I was going to say a quickie but that would have gone in a whole different direction). So here's a bit of a challenge. What follows are 14 full names of characters from cartoons, the world of toys, television and the like. See how many you already know before you read the full post. Resist the temptation to plug them into the internet. If you can get five you are a genius. Here we go:

Barbie (the doll)
Cap'n Crunch (the cereal)
Peppermint Patty from the comic strip Peanuts
Snuffleupagus from Sesame Street
The Rich Uncle Moneybags from the board game Monoploy
The Michelin Man (Guy made out of tires)
The Skipper on Gilligan's Island
The Professor of Gilligan's Island
Shaggy of Scooby Doo
The Pillsbury Dough Boy, his wife and his two kids
The patient in the game 'Operation'.
Mr. Clean's first name.
Comic Book Guy in 'The Simpsons'.
The full name of the wizard in 'The Wizard of Oz'.

Okay here are the answers:

Barbie - Barbara Millicent Roberts

Cap'n Crunch - Captain Horatio Crunch

Peppermint Patty - Patricia Reichardt

Snuffleupagus's first name - Aloysius

Monopoly Rich Guy - Milburn Pennybags

Michelin Man - Bibendum

The Skipper - Jonus Grumby

The Professor - Roy Hinkley

Shaggy - Norville Rogers

Doughboy - Poppin Fresh, Wife - Poppie Fresh, Kids - Popper and Bun Bun

Operation Patient - Cavity Sam

Mr. Clean's first name - Veritably

Comic Book Guy - Jeff Albertson

Wizard - Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Emmanuel Ambroise Diggs

How many did you know?