Welcome to the Urban Jungle

The modern mammal metropolis of Zootopia is a city like no other. Comprised of habitat neighborhoods like ritzy Sahara Square and frigid Tundratown, it’s a melting pot where animals from every environment live together—a place where no matter what you are, from the biggest elephant to the smallest shrew, you can be anything. But when optimistic Officer Judy Hopps arrives, she discovers that being the first bunny on a police force of big, tough animals isn’t so easy. Determined to prove herself, she jumps at the opportunity to crack a case, even if it means partnering with a fast-talking, scam-artist fox, Nick Wilde, to solve the mystery.   ~ Coming Soon

     I've always loved having aspects of the modern world put into another place.   One of my favorite examples of this is the movie Ella Enchanted.   There's an escalator run by humans spinning cranks, glass sneakers, and hand-painted posters, banners, and bodices of Prince Char.   When I was a kid, The Tale of Two Bad Mice by Beatrix Potter was my favorite story.   I loved looking at the pictures of the little mice in the dollhouse, wearing doll clothes and pushing baby mice in doll carriages.

     All this to say, I have had very high expectations of Zootopia ever since I heard it was to exist a few years ago.   I have often thought about what animals people look like and what it would be like if we were those animals in the real world.   (Except still being able to talk and read and all that good stuff.)

     Technically, this isn't a totally original idea.   Disney itself has done this at least four times before, if not more.   The Rescuers, The Great Mouse Detective, A Bug's Life, and Chicken Little are the movies that come to mind.   However, two of those movies still had humans, and the animals remade human creations to use.   A Bug's Life, while no humans appear, still had the human's trash and buildings to live in.   Chicken Little is the one that is really Zootopia's equivalent.   (Which is actually kind of nice, because Chicken Little wasn't that good and Zootopia can make its own standards.)

Trailer time!

SUCH CUTENESS.   I HAVE LOST THE ABILITY TO FUNCTION.

     Judy Hopps is the cutest bunny to ever.   This is coming from a person who had a bunny (for a day) so I have a slight authority on this.   (To be fair, my bunny was injured.   It's hard to be cute when you're injured.)   Bunnies are also secretly evil.   (Not just the bunny from Hoodwinked.)   Will Judy be evil?   I doubt it.   (This is Disney.   Disney bunnies are the physical embodiment of pure sweetness.)

     Seeing Nick Wilde made me realize one very important fact that I had failed to notice: Zootopia is basically Tangled (or Frozen) with animals.   Sweet-as-sugar hyper girl meets sassy model material "I work alone" boy and they go on a life-threatening adventure to save the country.   I can't believe I didn't notice this before.   (Also, I don't like Nick Wilde because reasons.   Unless he sings "What Does the Fox Say" sometime during the film.)

     Also, THE SLOTHS.   I CAN'T STAND THE SLOTHS.   WHY WERE THEY PUT INTO THIS FILM.   I CAN'T TAKE IT.   SO SLOW.

     Will I see this movie?   I...don't know.   The fact that it turned into Tangled (or Frozen) with animals is making me upset.   CAN'T YOU THINK OF ANOTHER STORYLINE, DISNEY?!   It's time to move on!   Please!   *sigh*

Zootopia comes out in theaters next week on March 4, 2016.

"No matter what type of animal you are, change starts with you."

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The Force, It's Calling to You

Thirty years after the Rebel Alliance's victory over the second Death Star, the galaxy is still at war. A New Republic has arisen, but the First Order has sprung from the ashes of the Galactic Empire. Many of the heroes of before, Leia Organa, Han Solo, Chewbacca, R2-D2 and C-3PO are all still active and fighting in the Resistance against this group. They are joined in the fight by new heroes, including Poe Dameron, a starfighter pilot; Finn, a former First Order Stormtrooper who has taken up the lightsaber that once belonged to Anakin Skywalker and later Luke Skywalker; Rey, a scavenger; and a rolling droid known as BB-8. They are opposed by powerful new forces, including Captain Phasma of the First Order and Kylo Ren, a fearsome and mysterious dark side user wielding a red lightsaber of unusual design.   ~ Star Wars Wikia

     My childhood was a interesting combination of Star Wars, Winnie the Pooh, Monk, VeggieTales, Seventh Heaven, Bear in the Big Blue House, Pushing Daisies, Blue's Clues, Lord of the Rings, and Bear in the Big Blue House.   I suppose you could call it "balanced" or some such word.   To me, it was normal (says the girl who only knew Mater from Cars as the Latin word for Mom until she was in middle school).

      As you know, good ol' George Lucas is NOT directing the first Disney Star Wars film.   So many people were upset by this, but I don't really understand why.   Did you see what he did with the prequels?    And you still want to entrust the precious franchise in this man's hands?   (Also, note the expression of pain on Georgie's face.   Ha.)

     This poor franchise has had the life sucked out of it.   (Have you ever seen the Star Wars holiday special?   Or the Ewok show?)   Every tiny bud of life has been plucked from this galaxy far, far away to make a few extra bucks to make even worse spinoffs.   Disney has given the franchise a resurrection.   It has brought a new sense of vigor to both the films and the fans.   The only question: Will it be as good as the original trilogy?

Let's take a look at the trailer:

*sits in fetal position for five years*

     OLD FRIENDS!!!   (Random question: how long do Wookies live?   I thought they were like people and aged at people's rate, but I guess not.   Chewie's still looking young and chipper and poor Han is all wrinkly and old and making "when I was your age" jokes [probably].)   And WHERE IS LUKE???   I've pretty much renounced my "Luke is Kylo Ren" theory because Luke's voice is in the trailer (which I didn't notice until I went on IMDb) AND the movie people made Luke grow a beard.   I don't think Siths have beards.   Sith's don't strike me as the grungy hipster type.

     NEW FRIENDS!!!   I wonder if Rey is Luke or Leia's daughter.   (Does Luke find somebody???)   I wonder who Finn is.   He's obviously very cool, because he gets Luke's lightsaber.   (That's NOT a spoiler, everyone knows that.   B| )   The robot is the cutest thing since kittens.   I need a pet BB-8 ASAP.   Also LUPITA NYONG'O IS IN THIS MOVIE!!!   And ANDY SERKIS IS IN THIS MOVIE!!!   Any movie with his name attached becomes instantly better.   Plus, his name is Supreme Leader Snoke.   (♫Snoke, Snoke, Supreme Leader Snoke♫  ♫HAN SO-LO!♫)   (Not sorry.)

*very important gif for your dining pleasure because I am too busy fangirling to think of much else to say except that many people will be praying during the trailers for this film to be better than the prequels*

     I actually am going to see this movie (do I have much of a choice?) but not until tomorrow.   I refuse to read any comments until after I see the film because people are mean and like to spoil stuff for me.   (I say that because I am that person.   You have no idea how many people I've gone up to saying, "I KNOW WHO DIES IN CAPTAIN AMERICA CIVIL WAR.")   My expectations?   I will probably eat lots.   I'm scared to make any more predictions because I may be disappointed.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens comes out in theaters today, December 18.

"Chewie, we're home."

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Our Theories and Hopes for The Force Awakens

In just a few days, Star Wars: The Force Awakens will premiere in theaters. In anticipation, we've gathered to share our theories, thoughts, predictions, and hopes for the movie.

Jaime Heller

(source)

Since Rica shared her marvelous theory about The Force Awakens, I don't have much else to theorize about at this point. However, I do have some thoughts of the identity of Rey. There isn't much known about her, yet. Sure, she's on the planet Jukka, she's a scavenger, and she purposely doesn't have a last name. Plus, in one of the various trailers, she mentions she's waiting for her family. Now, I know theories about her identity are being thrown around the internet faster than you can say "May the force be with you." Someone else has similar theories as me, I'm sure.

I think there's no possible way Rey isn't related to the Skywalker family. Not very surprising, right? No, of course not. This is Star Wars after all. If there's one continuing thing in Star Wars, it's that the story follows the (dysfunctional) Skywalker family. But the question comes down to, which Skywalker is her parent?

Some people are thinking Luke, which is valid. They attribute his voice over about the Force in the teaser to her, which would be weird for him to say "my sister has it" instead of "your mother has it." Also, the first glimpse of her in the trailer shows her walking on a desert planet in clothing similar to two other Skywalkers who grew up on a desert planet: Anakin and Luke.

However, there are other factors to consider. For one, I can't help but think she's the daughter of Han Solo (which in turn, I hope, would mean the daughter of Leia). The way he talks to her in the trailer, the various magazine photo shoot covers, something about it points to her being awfully connected to Han.

So my dilemma doesn't come with whether she is related to the Skywalker family (Come on, she has to be!). It's how. Plus, if you consider the thought of Kylo Ren being her twin brother (as some theorists think based on the poster), we've got a perfect match for the Solo twins. Or could they, this time, be the Skywalker twins?

Disney, Abrams, whoever else, you've got some explaining to do! (Especially if there's no nod to Mara Jade, and Rey is Luke's daughter.)

Sky Destrian

Even though I don't have any theories (beyond what Jaime, Rica, and Izzy have already said), I do have a list of things I'm looking forward to seeing.

• Oscar Isaac. He's apparently a fighter pilot of some sort, but the trailers have been surprisingly quiet about who he is or what role he'll play in the movie. 
• Lupita Nyong'o. She is also in this movie, but her role is undisclosed at the moment. I'm looking forward to see what part she plays in this movie.
• Andy Serkis. This man has been in Lord of the Rings, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and now Star Wars. He's simply a franchise master. I look forward to seeing how he adds his unique flavor to the Star Wars universe.
• Finn (aka John Boyega). I'm 99% sure he's an ex-storm trooper, which makes me so excited. I'd love to see a possible redemption arc with him. He seems to be the one I know the most about (which isn't very much at all), and he does seem to have a ton of potential for character growth.
• Rey (aka Daisy Ridley). I can't wait to see what her actual identity is revealed to be.
• Billie Lourd, Carrie Fisher's daughter. No one knows what role she'll play, but that makes it all the more exciting.
• Things from the original trilogy, like the Millenium Falcon, Chewbacca, and maybe even C-3PO.
• Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher. I mean... need I say more?

Izzy Stevenson

My Hopes for Luke in The Force Awakens:

(Possible spoilers ahead)

There’s lots of speculation floating around about The Force Awakens. And me being the obvious Luke fan in the room, I think you know what I’m about to speculate on. I mean, just look at Luke. How could he turn to the dark side? How could he not turn to the dark side? To be honest, I can ask either of these opposite questions with equal fervor. And that’s what I love about it. There’s a surprising amount of potential for moral ambiguity in neutral good characters. And when such characters do go bad, it usually places them in that super fun and interesting anti-hero/anti-villain category.

So do I want Luke to be evil in the new Star Wars movie? Well, that’s a complicated question. I don’t like the Jedis. I don’t think they deserve to have him on their side. So, it would be one thing if he was going out to stop some of their influence somehow. For example, if the Jedis decided to sacrifice someone he cares about for the “greater good” and he joined the dark side to stop them. I think I would be very interested that because I could still be on his side. Because I would do the same thing if I was him. But if Luke goes to the dark side in the new movie, I don’t think that’s how it will go down. I don’t think J.J. Abrams would go that route. I think if Luke went evil in the new movie, he would become evil in an out-of-character way, losing everything that made him the good person we know, and instead being consumed with evil simply because “going to the dark side runs in his blood”. I think they would make him genuinely bad, and that he would hurt innocent people. And then not only could I not root for him anymore, he wouldn’t even be Luke anymore. Even if it would make for a psychologically interesting story, there are some characters that aren’t supposed to go bad because they just so firmly represent something good. I think Luke is one of those characters. Plus, it would basically invalidate the entire point of the original trilogy, which was literally about his journey to become a Jedi and avoid going to the dark side.

But as nervous as I am about Luke possibly becoming evil, oddly I’m actually more concerned about him being a hermit. All of the different rumors center around him being a hermit, choosing of his own free will to never be around other people, similar to what Obi-Wan and Yoda did. It might sound trivial, but the first thing we learn about Luke in the original trilogy is that he’s an extrovert who becomes very miserable and restless when isolated from friends or people he can socialize with. That’s why he hated living on that farm in the middle of the desert and was desperate to leave. It makes me worry that maybe J.J. Abrams doesn’t know Luke’s character as well as he should, and is just turning Luke into a hermit because it fits some “Jedis are supposed to be isolated and mysterious” stereotype, or just for the sake of having him follow in the footsteps of his mentors. But Luke isn’t an introvert like Obi-Wan and Yoda were. HE. CAN’T. STAND. BEING. ALONE. Especially not for extremely long periods of time. Especially decades as they‘re hinting. So why on earth would he choose of his own free will to live as a hermit? Instead of trying to turn Luke into Obi-Wan, or turn him into Yoda, why don’t they just let Luke be…Luke? Seriously, he’s an amazing character just the way he is. They don’t need to turn him into someone else just for the sake of a parallel. Now that these movies are being written by someone other than the original creator of the character, I don’t want Luke’s character to suddenly have a different personality. I want Luke to be Luke.

Besides the “Luke went to the dark side and is now a villain” theory, I’ve heard a lot of other conflicting rumors and theories about Luke. I heard one that says Luke is just fine. That he’s hiding out, studying the force, becoming the most powerful Jedi in existence, and that he’s not in the trailer much simply because he doesn’t appear until the end of the movie. I saw a rumor that Luke is guarding some ancient tomb or artifact from the enemy, and is being tormented by evil spirits. But there was one rumor that especially stood out to me. And according to that rumor, Luke became more and more powerful in the force until his abilities were too big for him to control, and he’s become accidentally dangerous. And because he’s so worried about hurting other people, he chooses to go far away to an isolated place where he can no longer be a danger to anyone. And the seclusion, along with the overly-strong connection to the Force messing with his mind, leads him to go insane. Not evil. Just insane.

Even though it sounds weirdly like Elsa on Frozen, I like this idea so much. Because I just recognize Luke so much in that. It’s like finally seeing his face among a bunch of pictures of other people. Yes. That is Luke. That is his Fe. That is his unstoppable desire to protect other people all the time. And the fact that he’s protecting people from himself just makes it so much more interesting and complex. It’s one thing to constantly protect people from danger. But if he is the danger? I am firmly convinced that is the only thing that would ever motivate the extroverted Luke Skywalker into years of seclusion. And the fact that the seclusion leads him to go a bit crazy also fits his extroverted nature. Also, this allows SO many possibilities. It allows Luke to be a wildcard and to be unstable in his decisions without being actually evil, while also staying completely in character. It could also explain so many things about other people’s backstories. Maybe one of the new characters in the upcoming movie is Luke’s son or daughter. Maybe he had a wife he killed by accident with his out-of-control powers, or just hurt or scared her, and that’s how his son/daughter became estranged from him. Maybe that was the last straw that made him go into hiding. Maybe he’ll have to deal with the grief from that. Ahh, there's so many cool things they can do with this. J.J. Abrams, please do this. Please, please do this.

Although, I hope he doesn’t stay insane and unstable forever and eventually finds some peace. Hopefully his arc will be about just that, about the journey to that point. It would be really awful if his ultimate fate was some tragic ending with no light at the end of the tunnel.

Also, at some point in the new Star Wars trilogy, one of two things has to happen. I won’t settle for anything less. Either 1.) Rey or Finn has to be the daughter/son of Luke, and he tells them kindly and gently “I am your father.” Or 2.) Kylo Ren is Luke’s son, and Luke tries to seduce him to the light side of the force. Something has to echo his relationship with Vader in the original trilogy, but in an opposite way.

So, overall, really looking forward to The Force Awakens. But also very nervous. The prequels being a disappointment were one thing, because they didn’t really have any of my favorite characters in them. But The Force Awakens will have not only my favorite Star Wars character in it, but one of my absolute favorite fictional characters ever. If they do it wrong…ugh. But. If his characterization is done well and in-character, and his story is interesting at ALL on any level? I’m just so here for it, and I can’t wait to find out what direction they take his character when Star Wars: The Force Awakens finally arrives in theaters on December 18th.

What do you think will happen in The Force Awakens? What are you most excited to see?

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My Theory About The Force Awakens

     Going to the movies with me is always a rather bizarre experience. For one thing, I have very few external reactions when I watch something — no tears, very few bouts of laughter, and perhaps one jump if there’s enough suspense to work me up.

     And for another, I am that irritating companion that —unless you warn me to shut up under pain of death — may try to predict what’s going to happen (whenever there’s no dialogue going on, of course). I do it because in the past, whenever I’ve predicted something and kept it to myself, no one believed that I really could have seen the plot twist[s] coming.

     I tell you all this in order that you may appreciate the full magnitude of the fact that I nearly cried when I saw the final trailer, and I am visibly quivering with excitement as I write this. I literally couldn't even wait for this weekend (let alone November or December) to post on a regularly-scheduled day like I was planning. This latest trailer has confirmed (and if anything, heightened) my prediction for The Force Awakens, which is…

In the end, it will be revealed that Luke

was the villain the entire time.

     Who’s to say that Luke hasn’t gone a bit monkish after the events of Return of the Jedi, in the same way that Obi Wan hid out by himself after Revenge of the Sith? He’s been through enough trauma for the Solos to give him his space, since they probably think he’s meditating and training further in the jedi arts. But how could they know what he’s really up to? Being a tortured old hermit is the perfect cover for Luke to moonlight out around the galaxy, collect sith artifacts, and reform the empire. Need some more tangible evidence than that? Now hear me out. 

1. Sith don’t just pop up out of nowhere.

     One of the questions that immediately popped into my mind when the new movie started production was, “Where did this new sith come from?” Now I know in the books and video games and endless spinoff paraphernalia that there are countless sith characters… but in the actual films, there was only a pair of rules about the existence of the sith:

     A. “Always two there are. No more, no less. A master, and an apprentice.” -Yoda

     B. Anakin Skywalker was prophesied to return “balance” to the Force, which he eventually did in a roundabout way.

     So for years most of us just assumed that the “balance” of the Force was restored when the sith were destroyed completely. But if Yoda’s statement is to be believed, then the proper balance of the Force might actually involve the existence of a sith or two. So maybe the villain in The Force Awakens hasn’t just spontaneously appeared: maybe he’s been around since Darth Vader’s death. Maybe he and Leia are balancing each other out as the dark and light sides of the Force, respectively.

2. Star Wars made its mark through its mind-bending plot twist[s].

     As I explained in my article about the entire series earlier this summer, Star Wars entranced audiences because it first embraced mythological archetypes (the inexperienced young man, the wise old mentor, the beautiful princess, etc.) and then threw everyone for a loop with the news of Darth Vader’s true identity. It took a type of story that had always been black and white and added a touch of grey to match the cynicism of modern audiences.

     All that to say, the best movies in this series (i.e.: Episodes 4-6) almost all contained some sort of shocking plot twist that forced everyone to redefine what they thought they knew (or what they had automatically allowed themselves to believe) about the characters on the screen. Just think how many people are going into Episode 7 with the automatic assumption that Luke, Leia, and Han are the good guys.

3. It was almost the ending in the original saga.

     When Return of the Jedi was first screen-tested, Lucas originally wanted Luke to put on his father’s helmet and say, “Now I am Vader.” But audiences didn’t respond well to that, and so the ending was changed. So this idea was almost already canon before the prequels even happened!

4. Just look at the poster and all the trailers.

     Disney released their last official poster for the movie on October 18th, and the last official trailer on the 19th. At first glance, they’re phenomenal! I actually teared up! But at second glance, you may notice that one key person’s familiar face is missing from the lineup. Luke is nowhere to be seen… or is he? That sith’s right hand is either mechanical or covered with a dark glove.

     Believe it or not, I came up with this theory back in July, and have been on the verge of exploding ever since. It just makes so much sense to me — and I’ve been so worried that somebody else on the internet is going to get credit for my brilliant theory! I’m not normally that concerned about predicting movie plots before anybody else, but doggone it, give me this one, internet!

[I don't know who the actual main characters are going to be in the movie:
I was just trying to go for maximum feels when I wrote this back in July.]

     You are all my witnesses. If I’m wrong, then you have my permission to mock me extensively after December 18th. But if Luke (or Leia*) turns out to be the villain in The Force Awakens… well, you won’t have to say anything to me. I’ll be smug enough without any encouragement.

     * I'm not blind; Leia hasn't exactly been showing up all that often in the trailers, either. Lucas could be trying to set us up to think that Luke is the sith, when really it's Leia. Because that would be a plot twist of similar magnitude.

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