My favourite Disney pairings

I don't usually succumb to the incessant commercialisation of Valentine's Day. However, the Disney Store has scuppered my principles for this year!

I wandered in to the Cardiff store a couple of weeks ago to get a little dose of Disney magic (I miss Walt Disney World, don't judge me) and decided to browse through the Valentine's section. 20 seconds later, I was sheepishly standing in the queue. Who could have left these beauties behind?

I don't think I've ever seen Bianca and Bernard plushes anywhere, not even in Florida's massive World of Disney store, so I just had to pick them up and make them mine straight away. I've learnt from past experience that certain products don't stay in the Disney Store for long and, true to form, these had already sold out when I went back a few days later.

This lovely little purchase got me thinking about my favourite Disney pairings, and I decided it would be a great topic for a blog post. I'll note at this point that my favourite pairings include sidekicks and best friends, as well as actual couples. Disney has an excellent knack of portraying and promoting all kinds of love and loyalty, not just the romantic kind! 

Belle and the Beast 

Beauty and the Beast is one of my favourite films, and Belle and the Beast are two of my favourite Disney characters of all time. In fact, I much prefer the Beast to the prince at the end. 'For who could ever learn to love a beast?' 

Pongo and Perdita 

I'm pretty sure my love for dalmatians comes purely from watching 101 Dalmatians so often when I was younger, and Pongo and Perdita have been one of my favourite Disney couples for a very long time! 'Perdy, we'll take them home with us. All of them. Our pets would never turn them out.'

Jaq and Gus 

I could quite happily watch Cinderella over and over again, but not because of the princess and fairy godmother factor... just because of Jaq and Gus! Especially Gus. 'Cinderelly Cinderelly!'

Tod and Copper 

I can't actually watch The Fox and the Hound very often because it makes me cry like a baby, but Tod and Copper are right up there with my favourite Disney characters. 'Forever is a long long time, and time has a way of changing things.'

Rapunzel and Flynn Rider

Tangled is one of my favourite modern Disney films, and Flynn and Rapunzel are definitely one of my favourite Disney couples. Flynn Rider is hilarious and endearingly cocky, and Rapunzel is determined to keep her dream alive. 'Here comes the smoulder!'

Timon and Pumbaa

Surely these two should be on everyone's 'favourite Disney pairings' list? They bring lots of much-needed cheer to the Lion King and we could all learn a lot from their motto... 'Hakuna Matata! It means no worries for the rest of your days.'

Mickey and Minnie 

And of course, no Disney pairings list would be complete without the most iconic Disney couple of all - Mickey and Minnie Mouse. 'Oh Minnie, you're all the music I'll ever need!'

After scheduling this post, I suddenly had a few qualms that perhaps I should have published it on or around Valentine's Day rather than on a random day in February. However, I always argue that Valentine's Day is pointless because you should show people that you love them every day, so I'm applying the same principle to this blog post!

Who are your favourite Disney couples, friends and sidekicks? 

My bow-tiful Mickey ears

Believe it or not, I didn't start wearing novelty Mickey ears until my fourth trip to Florida in September 2016. Although I'd vaguely thought about buying the official Disney ears at the parks on our previous trips, I always decided to spend my money on something else at the last minute. I hold Instagram (particularly Sarah's beautiful account) entirely responsible for the change of heart!

After suffering from serious ear envy and seeing lots of amazing designs on Instagram, I bought two pairs of ears from Bel at Closet Geek Site for our September 2016 trip. Bel has a massive array of ears on offer which made it a difficult choice, but I finally decided on Tangled ears and classic Mickey and Minnie ears. I was in love as soon as they hit my doormat and I couldn't wait to wear them to Walt Disney World.

I loved wearing these Mickey ears in the parks as they're so unique and, more importantly, very comfortable! I didn't see anyone else wearing anything remotely similar to the Tangled ears during our holiday, and the Mickey and Minnie fabric turned out to be very unique too. Even Minnie herself was impressed when I met her at Animal Kingdom!

When we started planning our inevitable trip back to Florida in April/May 2017, I started browsing Etsy for more ears and decided to treat myself to a few more. As I was so impressed with the purchases I'd already made, I bought two more pairs from Closet Geek Site. The Pluto and Donald ears were a custom-made order, and the fabric for the Mrs Potts and Chip ears only came in a few days before my holiday so Bel kindly made sure that they arrived in the post just in time!  

As you can see, these themed ears are great for character interactions. For someone like me who's actually slightly apprehensive about meeting characters, they make a great talking point and take away some of that initial awkwardness. Pluto got very excited about my Pluto and Donald ears, as did his accompanying cast members! 

I also discovered a new seller before we went on our latest holiday so I bought a couple of pairs from Luby and Lola. Lola's ears are so pretty and glitzy with dozens of possible colour combinations, and it was really difficult to narrow my choices down to just a couple of pairs. These beautiful baby pink and baby blue ears were perfect for our evenings out as well as for our busy days in the parks - fit for a princess! 

In my world, it's never too early to start planning for your next Disney trip. I've already bought one new pair of Cruella de Vil ears from Closet Geek Site for our holiday to Walt Disney World in May 2018, and will most likely buy a few more in the next few months! 

Where do you buy your Mickey ears? Do you have any recommendations to share with me?

The Disney Princess Tag

When I saw this tag on Hannah's lovely blog a few weeks ago, I knew I had to take part. Although my favourite Disney films will always be the animal-led ones such as 101 Dalmatians, The Jungle Book and The Lion King, some of the princess films are also among my favourites. My love for the princess films has definitely intensified due to visiting Florida's Walt Disney World regularly since 2012 and my subsequent love for the princess-laden Magic Kingdom!

(Photo taken in Walt Disney World, September 2015)

So, here goes... 

1. Which Princess do you like the least?
Snow White... I find her a bit irritating (and I think she has the worst singing voice). I do love the film itself though. Who doesn't?


2. Which Princess do you adore the most?
Belle, with Rapunzel a close second. 

(Photo taken in Disneyland Paris, December 2014)

3. Which Princess do you relate to the most?
Again, Belle. Why can't people understand that sometimes a good book is all you need?


4. Which sidekick do you wish you had?
Gus from Cinderella, closely followed by Dopey (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) and Flounder (The Little Mermaid). I've even got Dopey and Flounder teddies, but Gus unfortunately keeps eluding me.  

(Photo taken in Walt Disney World, May 2012)

5. Which best friend(s) would you like to hang out with?
The little fairies from Sleeping Beauty... not sure if they're classed as 'best friends' exactly, but they're hilarious and so caring in their own way.


6. Which Prince would love you?
Hopefully the Beast, mostly because I love him an inappropriate amount. I also adore Kristoff from Frozen, so he'll do if the Beast is unavailable. 

(Photo taken in Walt Disney World, September 2013)

7. Which parents would raise you?
It would have to be Merida's parents due to the hair similarities...


8. Which castle do you want to live in?
Rapunzel's castle. Small but beautifully picturesque! 

(Photo taken in Walt Disney World, September 2015)

9. Which dress do you wish to own?
It's between Belle's gold dress and Aurora's pink dress. I'd probably look ridiculous in both but they're so pretty!


10. Which voice do you wish you had?
Ariel's voice is beautiful... I wish I sounded like her whenever I belt out 'Part of your world'. 

(Photo taken in Walt Disney World, September 2015)

11. Which two Princesses would be best friends?
Cinderella and Snow White. They strike me as being quite similar and they could trade animal tips!


12. Which two Princesses do you think would hate one another?
Perhaps Rapunzel and Merida... they're both quite feisty and stubborn so might have a personality clash at some point.


13. Which two sidekicks would make a good duo?
Maximus from Tangled and Cogsworth from Beauty and the Beast. I think this moody duo would produce some very amusing scenes!


14. Which two Princes would be best buds?
Flynn Rider and Kristoff.


15. Which scene makes you cry?
Hmmm, can I only choose one? I always get choked up when the Beast is close to death (because of my aforementioned love for him), and when Rapunzel is reunited with her parents. I chose two because I'm a maverick.


16. What scene makes you cheer?
When the curse is broken and Merida's mum is no longer a bear! And any scene where the 'evil stepmother' or similar character is defeated.


17. Which movie is your favourite soundtrack?
Beauty and the Beast probably has my overall favourite soundtrack. I See the Light (Tangled), A Whole New World (Aladdin), Reflections (Mulan), Part of Your World (The Little Mermaid) and Colours of the Wind (Pocahontas) also deserve a special mention for being amazing. 

(Photo taken in Walt Disney World, September 2015)

18. Which scene makes you cringe the most?
Perhaps when Anna and Hans first meet in Frozen. I love the song that precedes their meeting, but the meeting itself is a little cringeworthy.


19. Which story do you wish was your life?
Probably Beauty and the Beast as Belle is the princess I can relate to the most. I'd love to be as content as she is!


20. Which movie do you love the most?
If I'm just choosing the princess films, it would have to be Beauty and the Beast.

I really want to watch a princess film after all that so I've raided my Disney DVD rack... which one should I choose?

Let me know if you decide to take part, and please leave links in the comment box if you've discovered any other Disney tags which I should be aware of! 

My top ten Disney songs of all time

I've been listening to my 'Now that's what I call Disney' CD in my car for the last few weeks as it really is one of my favourite CDs in the world. It brings back childhood memories of watching some of my most dearly loved films and also reminds me of our three (and counting) lovely Disney holidays.

I thought I'd try to compile a list of my top ten favourite Disney songs, then realised that this was a much more difficult task than I first thought. There are a LOT of excellent Disney songs. In order to make the task more manageable, I've narrowed the list down to just songs from Disney's Animated Classics (which means I can't choose any songs from Pixar films), and I'm also not allowed to choose more than one song from the same film. I had to implement this rule or most of my top ten would have been from The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast. As you can tell, I'm taking this whole thing very seriously.

Drum roll please.... here's the unveiling of my top ten classic Disney songs of all time!


I see the light - Tangled

I absolutely love this song, particularly as we chose it as the song for our first dance at our wedding last year. I get goosebumps every time I hear it.

Beauty and the Beast - Beauty and the Beast (obviously)

This has been one of my favourite films for as long as I can remember, and this has to be my favourite song from its amazing soundtrack. I'll never get bored of listening to it!

Circle of Life - The Lion King

I think everyone must have a song from The Lion King in their top ten... I love so many songs from this film but Circle of Life has to be my all-time favourite. It's just so epic!

Part of your world - The Little Mermaid

Although The Little Mermaid isn't one of my favourite Disney films, I absolutely love this song. Yet another Disney song which I could listen to over and over again (and have been known to do so at top volume in my car).

A whole new world - Aladdin

Surely this song is in everyone's Disney top ten? Such a beautiful song. When did you last let your heart decide?

Go the distance - Hercules

I always forget about Hercules' amazing soundtrack until I watch the film again. Although most of the songs from this film are featured on my Disney CD, they left out the best song of all!

I wanna be like you - The Jungle Book

Another one of my favourite childhood films. I'll always have fond memories of this song as my mother used to sing it to herself all the time when I was younger. She still loves it to this day!

Reflection - Mulan

Mulan isn't a film I'd watch again and again like some of the others on this list, but I really love this song and its thought-provoking lyrics.

Colours of the wind - Pocahontas

Yet another Disney film with a beautiful soundtrack! However, Colours of the Wind is by far my favourite. 'You think the only people who are people, are the people who look and think like you'... very indicative of today's society.

Heigh Ho - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Not one of my favourite Disney films, but I've always loved this song and the seven dwarfs. I love it when it randomly pops up when I'm on my way to work!

Do you agree with my song choices? Have I made any glaring omissions, in your opinion? Let me know what you think!