2023 Inktober 7 - Tyrell's Disney Moment

With all the fanfare that surrounds Tyrell, "Prince Ali" from Aladdin would suit him best. Everybody claims he's all that, and he seems to actually believe it and revel in it.

 

But the truth is, he feels as much like a fraud as Aladdin does. He knows people don't really care about him, the lonely boy inside the glamorous prince, and he harbors a legitimate fear that his parents are the same way. When the party's over, what's left? What's he actually good for? Who would bother to keep company with him under different circumstances?

 

This is why he's so horrible to Reid, even if it doesn't justify him by any means. While he appears to have it all, Reid's the one who actually has more, who has the very things that Tyrell pines after. I like to compare the two boys to toys. Tyrell would be that rare toy that's kept in pristine condition in its box, while Reid would be that simpler toy that actually gets played with.

 

And it's no wonder Tyrell snaps after he's thrown out, like he's worthless after all. He was so unprepared for the real world, for harsh reality, that he virtually exploded like a stick of dynamite, and everybody was caught in the radius of his blast. He may not be as gigantic as Genie when Jafar gets his hands on the lamp, but people are in for the most unpleasant surprise of their lives when he returns. Not even Tallis and Ann can see the boy they once knew, adored, and pampered so much anymore. He's so frightening that he makes Beowulf cower, and the only reason Reid doesn't run from him is because Reid has also reached the end of his rope and is prepared to fight fire with fire.

 

To me, this is what makes Tyrell such a tragic character. He has plenty of potential to be good, but the things he was taught were so erroneous that he was woefully warped out of shape and truly didn't know any other way.

 

Goes to show, like Aladdin, there's a whole lot more to a person than meets the eye. We may not know much of Jafar's backstory, but I'll bet you anything something happened to steer him down that path of darkness and he was the one to maintain that dark path for the rest of his life. 

 

Then again, Aladdin goes through a lot of grief and still manages to be sweet, honorable, and heroic, learning well from his mistakes and becoming more and more polished until he truly shines.

2023 Inktober 6 - Reid's Disney Moment

"Look at me,
I will never pass for a perfect prince
Or a perfect son
Can it be
I'm not meant to play this part?
Now I see
That if I were truly to be myself,
I would break my family's heart."

Mulan had a lot of influence on Reid's character and his story, so this is all too fitting. He tries so hard to fit in, and yet he has a special knack for royally screwing things up. He tries to be no one but himself, and yet (almost) everybody treats him like he should be somebody else altogether, including his parents. Even the Windwillows take a while to accept him the way he is.

In the end, being himself makes all the difference in the world. In the end, his reflection indeed shows who he is inside. Like the blossom that blooms in adversity, he's "the most rare and beautiful of all." 

2023 Inktober 5 - Mason's Disney Moment

I can't think of anything more charming than Mason and Cecily playing out "A Jolly Holiday" from Mary Poppins. Cecily would look beautiful in a dress like that, Mason develops a nice singing talent, and they just make such a pretty pair. It would be perfect.

I may prefer romance on the sidelines of a story, but everything about Mason and Cecily's romantic relationship makes me smile. Each is a wonderful, woefully underappreciated person with a few unpleasant parental issues, and when they come together, each brings out the best in the other and then some. Cecily has the courage to stand up to her parents and show them what she's made of, whereas Mason is more motivated to pick himself up and put his broken kingdom back together, if not make it better than it once was.

Thanks to Cecily's influence, the public starts to go easy on Mason. Mason also understands for the first time how it feels to love a woman in the romantic sense; as much as he and Tracy care about each other, anything between them is strictly platonic. With Cecily, Mason is absolutely smitten, and what's better, she wants to be with him. They're not doing this to appease their parents or society. They just want each other, that's it.

Not only does their kingdom become more splendid than before, not only do their reputations improve, but they end up with four beautiful children, who get the kind of upbringing they deserve.

Best of all, they find a lovely balance between work and fun. When they're not busy with their royal duties or doing their fair share of parenting, they take advantage of an outing whenever possible. They go for a walk together, they share a cup of tea together, and of course, their most favorite activity of all is swimming. Mason may get the wettest, but Cecily won't say no to a refreshing dip here and there. Mason constructs a special private pool at home; it's not as big or fancy as Reid's pool, but it's good enough for practice at any time, and everyone looks forward to any trip to Cecily's childhood home by the ocean. Sometimes Mason will join Cecily on a magnificent ship, and other times Cecily will join Mason under the waves.

Even when they're simply side by side in the same room, they can seldom resist holding hands or touching each other in some affectionate way. At all times, he's a perfect gentleman while she's a perfect lady.

That's not to say they don't have a disagreement on occasion, but those are exceedingly few and far between. Cecily can count on one hand the number of times she's ever heard Mason raise his voice, and Mason can do the same for Cecily. In fact, seeing Mason lose his temper was the biggest contributor to old Nero controlling his terrible temper once and for all. Nero didn't shout that often but he could really bellow when he wanted to. Upon hearing Mason bellow, however, Nero and Sabina were so shaken that they could only say, "I've never heard Mason Wiles yell before. I don't think I ever want to hear him yell again."

Cecily is every bit as even-tempered, so sweet and cuddly that other children besides her own just have to give her a big hug. Sara, her youngest daughter, calls her "Mama" and continues to do so long after she grows up, and she always calls Mason "Daddy."

On the whole, you could say Mason and Cecily are practically perfect in every way. 

2023 Inktober 4 - Malachi's Disney Moment

Most fauns are known to be fantastic singers, musicians, and dancers; some say it's impossible to outshine a faun in dancing, while others say it's always fun to try. One of the superstitions about fauns was that they used their musical talent to enchant you, lure you into a trap, just like how a unicorn's wonderful beauty was only a ruse to get you to lower your guard.

 

Then again, fauns are known to make terrifying noises when they're angry or frightened. They can really raise the roof and scare you to pieces when they want to, and it would take someone pretty strong or exceptionally clever to beat a faun in a physical tussle. Most people who try to pick a fight with a faun will only land themselves in the hospital before they know what hit them, and that's assuming the faun goes easy on them.

 

For the less superstitious folk, they find fauns genuinely entertaining. And Malachi Ephraim Windwillow was among the first fauns to really make it big in show biz.

 

Before he was finished with school, some big show biz people came along and talked him into auditioning for a few plays and possibly a moving picture. This was about the time that moving pictures (or movies, as we'd call them) came out and became huge by themselves, so for anyone to get into one at all, even if it was just a brief cameo appearance, was definitely bragworthy. Malachi's parents believed school was his top priority, but Malachi was talked into it and he ended up auditioning behind his parents' backs.

 

Not only did he make it in, but he was on his way to stardom in no time at all. He was making enough money to where he quit school altogether, much to his parents' disappointment and anger. They didn't really have anything against the entertainment industry, but they found themselves frowning more and more on their son's increasingly less savory roles, on top of his growing criminal behavior outside work. Some of his costars had a list of crimes as long as your arm, but as long as they kept a low profile, they believed nobody could touch them and nothing could happen to them. Malachi rubbing elbows with royalty (it was his grandfather who first ignited the friendship with the Lactantiuses) also came in his favor, or so he thought.

 

In Malachi's defense, his parents were hardly around anyway. He wouldn't admit it, but he wished they would spend more time with him and his brother and sister. It often hurt him to see other children playing with their parents in the park, or children simply hugging their mothers and riding around on their fathers' shoulders.

 

In his parents' defense, they were trying to give their children a good life, with plenty of luxuries. They were trying just as hard to prove themselves as high-standing politicians (Silas became a senator for a time) as Malachi was trying to prove himself as a big star. But Grandfather Miles was deeply concerned to see his son and daughter-in-law focus more on providing their children with money than with actual attention and affection. As busy as Miles often was with his own medical career, he was never too busy for his family.

 

It didn't help that the few times Malachi did see his parents face to face, all they did was snap at each other. Instead of reaching out to their son in love and understanding, Silas and Tabitha only reacted with anger and pushed him further away.

 

While most of their fights were Malachi's fault, his parents handled the situation like pouring oil onto a fire instead of water. This was something Miles gently rebuked them for a few times, and they saw the unpleasant toll this was taking on Jubal.

 

To make a long story short, Silas and Tabitha resolved to do better, or at least try, but then Malachi came home one morning to hear from his heartbroken grandfather's lips that they had both died in a terrible accident the night before. A drunk carriage driver ran them both over, and they died before they made it to the hospital. Fauns aren't killed easily; they even have an incredible tolerance to pain, including the does, so it had to be very bad to kill two fauns almost instantly. The driver survived, but was immediately arrested, for this and for three other cases of manslaughter.

 

After the funeral, Malachi dropped his acting career like a brick, along with his criminal activity and his so-called friends. No one could fire him because he'd already quit. Any bribes to make him come back or threats to his future prospects fell on deaf ears. He just plain didn't care anymore. If not for his grandfather, if not for his belief that it was an undeserved easy way out, he would have committed suicide.

 

After he found solace and a renewed purpose for living in the Christian church, he was still at a loss for what he could do for an occupation. He had enough money for his needs but he felt the need to make something useful of himself. He couldn't just mope around a cave, a forest, or a church all day.

 

Miles gently encouraged his grandson to give acting another try, but to aim for more wholesome roles this time. Luckily for Malachi, he still had a few friends in the entertainment industry who were kind enough to put in a good word for him and help him get back on his hooves.

 

His big comeback was Dancing in the Snow. A few people couldn't believe this was the same actor from Five Hundred Shades of Fur, and some were even disappointed. But the majority of the crowd absolutely adored him, and the moving picture was an explosive hit. Malachi easily made more money and received more glowing reviews than he'd ever seen from 500 Shades. Best of all, this was a role he actually enjoyed, one he can say he's proud of to this day.

 

He went on to have a long, successful career, though he maintained a much healthier ego and put his money to better use. He was huge on charity, of course, and he was able to send his own children to great schools. Caleb was among the first fauns to graduate from one of the most prestigious universities with perfect marks.

 

Jonathan had no trouble providing for Herminia, who loved him for more than just his money. For that matter, most people expected Jonathan to become an entertainer, too, since he can also sing and dance quite well and he's been in a few plays and moving pictures.

 

Sometimes Joanna got to perform with Malachi, and she was good enough to where a few people will still ask for her autograph or listen closely when she's singing.

 

Long after Malachi retires, he still enjoys an occasional performance for old times' sake and his reputation even comes in his favor when dealing with prejudice in the Church. When a murderous mob gangs up on him, plenty of people are outraged on his behalf and it would have been ugly for the perpetrators if Malachi had died. Some feel Beowulf went way too easy on them.

 

So, getting to the point of this picture, I thought it would be fun to show Malachi giving a lively, worldly performance, and it was "Friend Like Me" that first sprang to mind. The Robin Williams version, mind you. 

 

2023 Inktober 3 - Tallis's Disney Moment

Next to "Perfect Isn't Easy" and "Why Should I Worry" from Oliver and Company, "You're Welcome" from Moana would suit Tallis perfectly.

 

He acts like he's so great and pretends to be modest, when really, his one true accomplishment is standing around and looking pretty. Half his people like him because he's lighthearted and fun, more so than his dad ever was. The other half prefers Romulus because he's a lot more practical, capturing that balance between fun and serious business. Both Tallis and Trent serve as fine examples of extremes.

 

If it weren't for his brother and several others, Tallis would have been sunk a long time ago.

 

Ironically enough, behind that haughty smile lurks a boatload of self-doubt and pain. Like Maui, Tallis tries to convince himself more than anyone else that he is that great, or that he's worth something. Maui's own parents didn't want him, so that would be a killing blow to anyone's self-esteem, even if they did become a demigod. Tallis's childhood was a real mess, to say the least, and he tries to take the "Hakuna Matata" approach, which does everyone more harm than good, himself most of all.

 

In a nutshell, he loves his job as King when it makes him look good, and hates it when it doesn't. When he tries to pull the victim card yet again, Romulus is kind enough to remind him that he had no trouble with all the perks of the job, and that he can only blame dear old Dad so much for all his problems.

 

After all, Trent was Romulus's dad, too, and Romulus chose to learn from Trent's mistakes and make the most of what he did have. Even if Romulus was robbed of his birthright, he still conducted himself like a member of royalty as much as he could, and he didn't turn up his nose at becoming Tallis's top advisor. He still tried to do whatever he could to help his people as well as his family. And he was truly grateful that he got to taste love with Kyla, a woman who actually deserved him, and have three children with a happier, healthier upbringing. Plus, he got a splendid nephew whom he was more than happy to take under his wing.

 

All Tallis does is feel sorry for himself and try to make everybody else feel sorry for him, which only works so well for so long. Sooner or later, he'll run out of excuses and karma will be waiting for him.

 

Likewise, Maui learns a painful lesson about how "Freudian Excuse is No Excuse" and becomes a lot humbler. Something tells me he and Tallis would get along beautifully.

 

2023 Inktober 2 - Rain of the Cimarron

It's a safe assumption that I know Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron like the back of my hand. I would know a pose from that movie anywhere, so it aggravates me when people make constant carbon copies of the horses, only changing the color and pattern. Which is fine for those who are just starting out, since I'll be the first to say horses are super tricky to draw.

But after a while, the constant recycling gets old. There's hardly any real creativity, and the artists themselves get so defensive of their work. And that new Spirit movie that's all computer-generated just doesn't cut the mustard. If there was a sequel that was actually drawn by hand, that actually told an engaging story, I'd be sold. At least they could have made better effort with Spirit Junior, like giving him a different name, and they could have been more creative with his design, more than just slapping a white blaze onto his face so you can tell the difference between him and his father.

Oh, well. I still credit this first movie for teaching me a thing or two about horse anatomy, and facial fluidity. I don't think my characters would be nearly as expressive as they are now otherwise. Terence might not have gotten so far off the ground. And I always liked Rain; I don't even need a reference for her anymore.

I never get tired of listening to the soundtrack, either. I'm listening to Rain's official theme right now. Hans Zimmer sure knows how to make music.

Only The Prince of Egypt exceeds this as my most favorite DreamWorks movie. 

2023 Inktober 1 - Doughnuts and Cider

Hello, friends and fellow artists! It's that time of the year once again, and here's the picture to kick it all off.

Just about everybody automatically thinks of pumpkins or apples in the fall. I lean toward apples myself. While I like pumpkin fragrances, I never really acquired a taste for pumpkin, although pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are quite nice. My mom loves roasted pumpkin seeds, so I tell her she can have my share. I tried pumpkin pie a few times, but never learned to love it.

So, again, I'm a lot more partial to apples. When I was little, the apple was my most favorite fruit and I ate one whenever I could. Today, I still love them and I especially love candy apples and apple juice. Strawberries may be Terence and Reid's favorite fruit, but they'll eat as many apples as possible, too.

(Images property of their respective owners.)

I could really go for a nice mug of hot cider and a nice doughnut to go with it. However, doughnuts fill me up pretty quick, so one doughnut at a time is enough for me, two tops.

Maybe I should pick up some apple juice after next payday.