There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow

Began the morning with breakfast and Alice's Wonderland Bakery. "Fergie Suits Up" to fulfill his dream of one day becoming a Card Guard by joining the Card Guard Academy. He trips up the games to protect Rosa at every turn...until Rosa is in real danger, and he's the only one who can save her. "Look Who's Knocking?" The talking Door Knob, who delivers the kids to various places in Wonderland, but never gets to join in the fun. Alice and the others finally realize that they're leaving him out and have a special party just for him.

Headed to work after the cartoon ended. No trouble here. It's the middle of the week and the last day of the month. Not to mention, the weather was stunning, sunny, breezy, cloudless, and warm, into the lower 80's. Even when I had to return cold items, I didn't fall behind on anything. I was in and out with no problems whatsoever.

It was so gorgeous, I went home after work, changed, went briefly online, and went right back out again on the bike. I was originally going to take out money for the rent and to hit the Mt. Laurel Library Book Sale tomorrow, but decided to do it today instead. Got the money at WaWa, along with a soft pretzel and a sweet and tasty mocha mint smoothie.

Spent the rest of the afternoon moving the remaining CDs to the holders I bought at 2nd Avenue Thrift yesterday while watching the episodes I hadn't gotten to yet on the Tomorrowland Walt Disney Treasures set. My favorite episode on the set was Mars and Beyond. Walt and his animators really got creative with the wild designs imagining what life would be like other planets. Love the lady who eventually saves herself from them in a hilarious spoof of typical pulp science fiction. 

The episodes on the second disc were less interesting. The short Eyes In Outer Space goes into details about satellites, what they do, and how they can help us track the weather. Our Friend the Atom features some unique abstract animation and a story involving an uncontrollable genie to show how nuclear energy was considered a viable source of clean fuel in 1957. Having seen the Defunctland episode on the original futuristic city version of EPCOT, I find it hard to be as enthusiastic for the last film Walt Disney would appear on in his lifetime. It sounds more impractical and nearly dystopian than actually viable. 

I wasn't expecting to enjoy the material on this set as much as I did. Mars and Beyond in particular features some of the most imaginative animation Disney ever did. Even if you're like me and you don't think you'll be into the subject matter, give this one a chance. It might surprise you. (It also helps that this is one of the less-expensive Treasures sets online. Copies can be found on eBay for as little as $15 with shipping.)

Had dinner while watching Press Your Luck, and then Match Game '78. Helaine Lembeck of Welcome Back Kotter and Betty White join the fun when a short stagehand gives Gene an old-fashioned microphone, of the kind they used in radio during the 30's and 40's. Gene does try to use it, but it's a bit hard to talk into for a guy who is constantly moving around.

Finished the night at Tubi with The Secret of Moonacre. In the 1870's, Maria Merriweather (Dakota Blue Richards) and her governess Miss Heliotrope (Juliet Stevenson) travel to the crumbling Moonacre Manor to live with Maria's uncle Sir Benjamin Merriweather (Ioan Gruffudd). Her father left her nothing but a book detailing how the Moon Princess (Natascha McElhone) gave her fiance (Gruffudd) pearls that reveal people's true natures. Unfortunately, it revealed him and the head of the near-by clan the de Noirs (Tim Curry) to be greedy and selfish. The Moon Princess hid the pearls and cursed the valley to be plunged into an eternal darkness by the 5,000th moon rise. 

Sir Benjamin continuously tells Maria not to go into the woods around the manor, but she's drawn there anyway. She's twice nearly harmed by bandits, who turn out to be Coeur de Noir (Curry) and his son Robin (Augustus Prew). His beautiful daughter Loveday (McElhone) was once betrothed to Sir Benjamin, but he turned her away when he realized she was a de Noir. 

Sir Benjamin's eccentric chef Marmaduke (Andy Linden tells Maria she's the next Moon Princess. Loveday admits she was the previous one, but couldn't get Sir Benjamin to get past his stubbornness and bring together their families. Maria is now determined to find the pearls, end the curse, and prove to everyone the trouble that greed, anger, and pride can cause. 

This doesn't seem to be terribly well-regarded, but I found it to be attractive and charming. The stiff dialogue and some so-so special effects are set off by the enjoyable story and some decent performances, especially from Dakota Blue Richards as intelligent and strong-willed Maria. Worth checking out if you're a fantasy fan or have late elementary school or pre-teen kids who are.