Confessions of a Disney-holic

Hello. My name is Fned and I'm a Disney addict.




(this is the part where you go "Hello Fned").


Today, I'm not going to talk about how I got to be a Disney addict (you can probably figure that one out by reading past posts in the Label "Couch Potato"), but instead I want to talk about what it's like being one.


Take yesterday for example. There I was at the Fnac getting a USB drive that I needed for work, and like it always happens when I'm at the Fnac (the french equivalent to Best Buy), I suddenly found myself in the DVD section, specifically in the Disney DVD section. I can't help it.... whenever I'm in a DVD store, I just have to check and see if any new Classic Featured Films have been released on DVD that are not yet in my possession.

For those of you who don't know, the "Classics Collection" lists all the animated Disney featured films that have been produced since the very first one (Snow White) back in 1937 and are classified in "Classics", "Grand Classics" and "Masterpieces" by Disney standards. As you can imagine the list is quite long and for years now I've been collecting them on DVD ever since I acquired my very first one (Aladdin) back in 2003. The official list names 94 films (the last addition being Wall-e) but not all of them have yet been released on DVD.

I currently hold 52 titles and every time I hit the Fnac I go hunting for any films that I might still be missing. From the beginning, I avoided getting the "sub classics" (ie the Part 2's or Part 3's of any major motion film) and anything including Winnie the Pooh (that yellow bear bores me to death!) so that explains why my collection is not as as complete as it could be considering all the titles that have already been released (however, I have been known to bend the rules on the "sub classics" every once in a while)

Anyway, so there I was looking to see if any major titles were out when suddenly this little girl and her mom start browsing the section too. The little girl keept picking up all the films which any Disney expert would roll their eyes at, like "Enchanted Princesses - Ariel, Jazmin and Aurore go for a picnic" or "Lilo & Stitch 2: Hawaii we've got a problem"..... the sort of films where you know the drawing was rushed, the story is weak and the songs are of poor quality... the stuff that got a "straight to video" sticker for a reason. And yet, there she was... excitedly picking them up and jumping up and down with glee.

I'm ashamed to admit I was horrified... who would want to watch that crap when you could instead spend your time watching the sublime "Sleeping Beauty" prick her finger or laugh till your belly ached with the witty "Hercules" or swoon and sigh while you flew on a magic carpet with "Aladdin".....

Luckily enough, the little girl's mom probably had the same thing in mind. With great skill she would gently coax her daughter to put down "Mulan 2: Mission for the emperor" (where the picture of Mulan on the cover doesn't even look like Mulan!!) placing instead "The Little Mermaid" in the eager little hands.... 'ah thank God! - I thought - a connaisseur!' as I remembered the pleasure it is learning the words to the magnificent "Part of your World"...... 'or how about this one darling?' the mom asked while picking up "The Jungle Book" -ooh, good one!- 'or this?' (The Aristocats) -excellent!-....But wait... what about "Pocahontas"? Surely every kid under the age of 6 must be introduced to the masterpiece that is "Colors of the Wind", right??

They went at it back and forth, the mom gently and expertly making suggestions, the little girl considering them for a second and then getting sidetracked by other more mediocre options (that are conveniently placed on the bottom shelves, right in the eyesight of toddlers)....

That's how Hubby found me... discreetly following the negotiations going on next to me while evaluating the quality of the titles placed under consideration. As it always happens, Hubby rolled his eyes and steered me away towards more pressing -adult- matters, "USB drive remember honey!?".

When we finally made it to the checkout counter a while later, the little girl and her mom where right in front of us. I saw that they had settled for "Aladdin 2: The Return of Jaffar". I considered that for a moment.... ok, I can deal with Aladdin 2. The drawings are of substandard quality but the story is ok.... the music... well.... in all fairness the song "You're Only Second Rate" isn't all that bad and even appropriate for the the movie itself. And who knows, maybe that will lead to getting the real Aladdin next time?

I figured I could live with that. I winked at the mom and nodded my head in approval.


She winked back and shrugged her shoulders, her eyes telling me "compromise, not defeat".


Spreading the word isn't always easy. Us Disney-holics need to stick together.


Fned.